Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of domestic abuse and violence. Reader discretion is advised.
Netflix’s Worst Ex Ever presents a haunting ordeal of toxic relationships that have ended in tragedy. Episode 4 of the true-crime docuseries explores the gruesome murder of Alisha Canales-McGuire. Additionally, it unravels the chilling domestic abuse of her sister, Amanda Canales, and the link between them both: Kevin Lewis.
Amanda and her close friend Ari were having a casual night out, eating nachos when Lewis curtly introduced himself to them. According to Ari’s interview in Worst Ex Ever, Lewis sat right next to Amanda and proceeded to flirt with her. After several failed attempts, he was finally able to get her number, and the two hit it off immediately.
As emphasized in episode 4 of Worst Ex Ever, Amanda belongs to a very close-knit family. While the rest of the family welcomed Lewis with open arms, Alisha (a.k.a. "Punky") didn’t feel the same. According to Amanda’s brother Manny, she thought Lewis was adamant.
Nevertheless, seven months into their relationship, the couple got engaged and soon after, they were married. They later welcomed three children close in age. When they had their first daughter, Eliana, Amanda claimed it was the first time she saw her husband get emotional.
Lewis allegedly had abandonment issues after his biological father refused to claim him, resulting in strain on their marriage. In a statement on Worst Ex Ever, Amanda revealed:
“One of the big problems in marriage was his lack of affection…”
Furthermore, she claimed he’d often resort to verbal abuse during heated altercations between them. She recalled the day he said some rather unsavory words to her while she was pregnant with their third son. She said:
“When I was pregnant with our son, he called me a crybaby and a fat b****.”
Although Amanda was having serious problems in her marriage, she was more than ready for divorce after what happened next.
What crime did Kevin Lewis from Netflix's Worst Ex Ever commit?
As the episode unfolds, Amanda revealed that her husband grew more possessive and aggressive toward her. He’d invade her privacy by combing through conversations involving their marriage, making her delete all male contacts from her phone, and even controlling the way she dressed.
All that changed after one uneventful evening: She was fast asleep when Lewis found his way to her phone in a rage. Sensing his presence, Amanda woke up and faced a disgruntled and rather unstable Lewis.
Before she knew it, Amanda was cornered in their closet, and in the blink of an eye, she was knocked unconscious by Lewis. She claimed that after he gave her a black eye (which she documented), he wiped the blood off with a towel, hugged her, and left without saying a word.
Not long after her assault, Amanda moved out of their home with her kids and relocated to another place in Spokane. Additionally, she filed for divorce and sought full custody of their children. Lewis wasn’t happy about her decision and regularly attempted to convince her to get back together.
According to Amanda, his responses fluctuated between wanting to work on their marriage and deciding to move on from her completely. Amanda didn’t give in to his advances and continued with her life as usual.
One day, just as she was about to step out of her car, she was startled by a hit to the head. Amanda was face down in the seat of the car while her attacker bludgeoned her head repeatedly until he finally stopped.
Barely conscious, Amanda managed to call authorities and was rushed to the hospital. It didn’t take long for her to press charges against Lewis; sadly, there wasn’t enough evidence to keep him behind bars.
Nonetheless, she filed a restraining order against him, further triggering his rage.
How was Kevin Lewis linked with Alisha Canales-Mcguire's murder in Worst Ex Ever?
As time passed, Amanda continued to move on from Lewis and got a job as an anesthesiologist overseeing over 80 people. Usually, Amanda's sister, Alisha Canales-Mcguire, also known as Punky, would offer to take care of her children while she was away on business.
Additionally, her former nanny, Abigail, would also assist when Amanda was away on a business trip or working late nights. One night, Abigail was sound asleep when she was suddenly awoken by multiple gunshots fired at the home.
As she cautiously walked downstairs, she found Punky face down in a pool of her own blood. She immediately informed local authorities, who later escorted Amanda’s kids to her parents' residence.
Gut-wrenched and devastated, the Canales family grieved Punky’s loss along with her husband, Brad McGuire. Amanda highlights the most painful part about her sister’s funeral: watching her beloved say goodbye to her before the casket’s closing.
Everyone was convinced that it was Lewis who murdered their dear family member. But the truth turned out to be more twisted than anticipated. Lewis was not only involved but paid off his cousin to kill Amanda, who instead ended up killing Punky.
Who was Jerradon Phelps and Alexis Hale in Netflix’s Worst Ex Ever?
Jerradon Phelps and his girlfriend, Alexis Hale, were responsible for the death of Punky on the night of September 20, 2017. Not much was revealed about Alexis, except that she disturbingly bragged about “she and her boyfriend killing a person.” However, it was her Snapchat stories and videos that enabled detectives to uncover the truth about Alisha’s murder.
In Worst Ex Ever, Phelps was revealed to be Lewis’s cousin who got paid $2,400 to murder Amanda. In his confession tape, he claimed that out of all that money, Hale was reportedly paid $200. Authorities were able to track their movements using surveillance footage from various driveways and Hale’s snaps.
The tapes recorded Phelps’ confession, revealing that it was his cousin Lewis who concocted the sinister plan and beckoned Phelps to kill his ex-wife. Phelps revealed that although he was shown a picture of whom to shoot, it didn’t matter because “anybody who opens that door was getting shot.”
What were the charges against Alisha Canales-McGuire's killers?
Alisha died protecting her nieces and nephew, as revealed by Amanda. For their crimes, Phelps received nearly 32 years in prison while Hale got 15 years behind bars. Her ex-husband Lewis was also charged with first-degree murder. Recently, he was denied an appeal to shorten his sentence and is now serving a sentence of life in prison without parole.
Worst Ex Ever has four episodes of chilling true crime stories, available to stream on Netflix exclusively.
For more stories about true crime docuseries, stay tuned to Soapcentral!
