Divorce Attorney Murdered By His Female Clients Estranged Husband After He Obtained A $170,000 Settlement For Her

The former spouse of one of the divorce lawyer’s clients shot and killed him in Georgia.

On Wednesday, December 7, in the late hours, Doug Lewis was reportedly working alone in his offices on Stone Mountain Street when Allen Tayeh entered and fatally shot him. Then, according to reports, Tayeh allegedly doused Lewis’ office in gasoline, set it on fire, and fled the scene while still covered in burns.

After Lewis, a reputable lawyer, helped his ex-wife reach a $170,000 settlement and a judge ordered him to pay for his ex-exes’ legal bills as well, investigators claim Tayeh owes Lewis more than $28,000 in legal fees.

Tayeh, 65, is being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Jail after being charged with first-degree arson and criminal homicide.

According to the authorities, a fire at Lewis’ offices, located inside a vintage home that had been transformed, was discovered around 5 o’clock in the afternoon. Firefighters discovered Lewis’ body inside the heavily burned building after the fire was put out. When they arrived, they noticed how badly damaged the wood structure was.

Lawrenceville police were able to capture Tayeh at the spot when a witness reported seeing a man leaving the scene who appeared to have also been burned.

He did have a firearm on him,’ Lt. Jake Parker told WUSA, ‘a revolver that had spent cartridges in the cylinders. And there were gas cans and an odor of gasoline round the area as well.’

‘It’s pretty brazen,’ he added of the murder. ‘It’s kind of out of the blue.’

However, according to court records made available to 11 Alive, Tayeh may have been driven to kill Lewis by the sizable payout he secured.

According to the records, Lewis represented Tayeh’s ex-wife when she filed for divorce in January 2021. The marriage was then declared to be dissolved in August.

Tayeh would have to provide his ex-wife half of his retirement benefits, $138,000 within 90 days for her share of the equity in their Dacula home, and $500 per month in alimony, under the rules set forth by a local judge.

Later, in late October, a judge ordered Tayeh to pay his ex-legal wife’s costs associated with the divorce, totaling $28,483.23, within 30 days.

According to 11 Alive, court documents from December 1 show that Lewis asked a judge to hold him in contempt of court for failing to make the payments, indicating that he had ostensibly never paid the debts.

The payment for attorneys’ fees was due to be received by Plaintiff’s counsel on or before November 30, 2022,’ Lewis wrote.

‘Defendant failed to make the payment for attorneys’ fees as ordered by the court,’ he continued, writing: ‘Defendant is in willful contempt of the court’s order dated October 31, 2022.’

The subject was to be discussed at a hearing on December 14, which has since been postponed.