Jesse R. Stewart, 48, faces charges of first-degree murder with special hate crime enhancements after court documents revealed details of a fatal stabbing that occurred in early August in the Yuba County river bottoms near Marysville. Stewart is accused of killing Akili Lewis, 46, of Marysville, in an attack that authorities describe as not random and fueled by hate. Currently held in Yuba County Jail, Stewart is also charged with robbery and parole violation. He is awaiting arraignment in November.
According to an arrest warrant dated August 13 and signed by Superior Court Judge Stephen W. Berrier, Yuba County Sheriff’s Deputy B. Martin detailed the events leading to Lewis’s death. The warrant states Stewart went to Akili Lewis’s campsite, located in the area formerly known as the Hollywood Trailer park near the 200 block of A Street in Marysville, and confronted him. While Lewis was on the ground, Stewart allegedly began kicking him. Stewart then reportedly took Lewis’s fixed blade knife, which was sheathed on his belt, and began stabbing Lewis.
Deputy Martin’s summary to the judge outlines the brutal nature of the attack, noting that Stewart viciously stabbed Lewis in the chest and neck at least eight times. Six of these stab wounds pierced Lewis’s heart, with some so deep they contacted his spine. Lewis also suffered a broken jaw from the kicking. During the assault, Stewart allegedly called Lewis a racial slur. Responding Yuba Sheriff’s officials provided medical aid to Lewis, who was later pronounced dead at Rideout Hospital.
The arrest warrant further purports that after beating and stabbing Lewis, Stewart walked away, making alarming statements that witnesses would not forget. Martin’s summary mentions Stewart raised the knife and stated, “White Power. I just killed that N—--,” before allegedly threatening a witness by saying, “You’re next.” The deputy also detailed that Stewart allegedly tossed the knife into the river as he left the camp.
Stewart was on parole at the time of the alleged slaying, having been released from Yuba County Jail on June 20, less than two months prior to the incident. Yuba County court records indicate Stewart has a history of custody and prior violent offenses. In 2000, he pleaded no contest to a manslaughter charge and was sentenced to a six-year term in state prison, with 225 days of credit for time served. His record also includes subsequent sentences for parole violations; in October 2025, Stewart was sentenced to 180 days in Yuba County Jail for a felony parole violation, and in April 2026, he received a sentence of 150 days in Yuba County Jail for another violation, with 15 days of credit for time served. A Sheriff’s official described Stewart as having a violent criminal history and ongoing issues with parole.
This information comes from court documents and public records related to the ongoing case. Stewart currently remains in jail, awaiting his arraignment scheduled for November.
