More details revealed in Winston County instructor death, case headed to grand jury

A Winston County judge sent a murder case against Christian Modas to a grand jury after a preliminary hearing was held Monday to determine if there was sufficient evidence against him in the murder of Terry "Bubba" Lewis.

Modas is accused of killing Lewis when Lewis was hit with Modas' car in March. Lewis was a beloved instructor at the Winston Career Academy.

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Assistant District Attorney C.J. Hearn called Winston County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy, Jacob Eward, to testify during the hearing. He said Lewis' wife, Dana, was a witness to the entire incident.

There were two interactions between Lewis and Modas within five to six minutes on the evening of March 27th.

The first happened at the intersection of County Road 18 and County Road 2.

Eward said the Lewises were turning onto CR-18 when they saw Modas reportedly slumped in his car in the middle of the roadway. Bubba Lewis motioned for Modas to move which caused Modas to throw up his hands. Words were exchanged and Lewis got out of his Jeep.

During the first interaction, Modas allegedly threatened to stab Lewis with a screwdriver and tried to hit him multiple times with his car. During the first interaction, Dana Lewis made the first call to the police regarding a 'road rage' incident.

Lewis and Modas went separate ways. Eward said Modas turned onto CR-2, while the Lewises traveled on CR-18.

Eward explained at some point Modas turned around and ended up behind Lewis's Jeep on CR-18. He was reportedly screaming.

Bubba Lewis got out of the Jeep again. That's when Modas is accused of hitting Lewis with his Toyota Camry.

The prosecution believed Modas's action of turning around showed he had the intent to harm Lewis.

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Modas' defense team, William Diver and David Bradley, argued the state had not presented enough evidence to establish probable cause. They questioned how the physical evidence at the scene showed Modas meant to hit Lewis when it appeared Modas veered off the road and pointed out inconsistencies with the location of the Jeep.

Eward said the photos and investigative markings on the roadway were preliminary. Investigators are awaiting a scene reconstruction report from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

The defense also noted Chief Deputy Eward had not spoken in-depth with Modas about what happened the night of Lewis' death.

Investigators found a screwdriver in Modas' car which matched the description given by Dana Lewis. She also had photos of Modas' car turning onto CR-2.

The day after the incident, samples were taken from Modas for a toxicology report. The results showed there were no substances in his system.

There are other pieces of evidence investigators are waiting for, like Lewis' autopsy report and data from Modas' car.

Investigators haven't identified what part of the vehicle Lewis was hit with.

Ultimately, Judge Michael Newell ruled there was sufficient evidence for probable cause and sent the case to a grand jury.

Newell also increased Modas' bond from $1 million to $2 million. He said the court was unaware Modas came back to CR-18 after leaving when the bond was initially set.