Murder of Ee Lee

Ee Lee was a 36-year-old Hmong American woman, originally from Thailand, who had grown up mostly in California and had experienced homelessness since the late 2000s. She was survived by a fifteen-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter.

On the afternoon of September 16, 2020, Lee was sitting on a blanket in Washington Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after buying food at a nearby Asian supermarket, when she was attacked by a group of teenagers who initially intended to rob her. She was punched and kicked several times before being dragged to a treeline near the Washington Park Lagoon, where she was raped by then-17-year-old Kamare Lewis and then-15-year-old Kevin Spencer while nine others reportedly watched. During and after the assault, Lee was beaten with tree branches and left for dead; the group then left the park on foot and bicycles. She was found half-clothed and unconscious but still breathing at around 9:30 p.m. Video footage of the attack showed the perpetrators directing anti-Chinese slurs at Lee. She was taken to Froedtert Hospital for treatment but died three days later, on September 19, 2020.

On February 6, 2021, Kamare R. Lewis, then 17, and Kevin T. Spencer, then 15, were arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree sexual assault with an aggravating factor of great bodily harm. According to the criminal complaint, Lewis had recorded the rape and murder on his phone and shared the video with friends; approximately nine other youths were present in the video. Spencer confessed to raping and murdering Lee. According to the complaint, in separate interviews one of the perpetrators said he never called for help because he believed Lee was dead or about to die and that it "wouldn't have made a difference" and that he did not care about her because she was not someone he knew personally. The complaint also notes that Spencer was involved in another homicide in December 2020.

On March 16, 2023, both Lewis and Spencer entered plea agreements to lesser charges of first-degree reckless homicide and second-degree sexual assault, with the original charges of first-degree intentional homicide and first-degree sexual assault dropped. Under the plea deal they faced a range of 15 to 80 years in prison rather than a potential life sentence. On June 16, 2023, Lewis was sentenced to 26 years in prison plus 19 years of extended supervision. Spencer was sentenced on August 3, 2023, to 32 years in prison plus 20 years of extended supervision.

Vigils were held for Ee Lee by the Hmong American Women's Association and the broader Wisconsin Hmong community following her death.