VALLEJO, Calif. – A Vallejo man accused of killing a missing woman and concealing her body in a backyard unit has been charged with murder, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Douglas Irwin Shaw, 41, faces one count of murder in the death of 28-year-old Renia Lewis, according to the Solano County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said Shaw allegedly used a knife in the killing.
Body dismembered, relatives say
What they’re saying:
Lewis’ relatives said the suspect dismembered her body before hiding it.
Police discovered her remains on Tuesday in an outbuilding behind a Vallejo home near 14th Street and Starr Avenue.
“She was concealed in a space that led to the attic,” said Vallejo police Sgt. Rashad Hollis.
Lewis was reported missing on Sept. 28. Her body was found days later.
No known relationship
What we know:
Authorities and Lewis’ family said Shaw and the victim were not in a relationship and may have only recently met.
Shaw, a mechanic at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, was arrested at his job. He has two daughters.
Lewis’ mother, Teri Lewis, said her daughter’s killing feels “unreal.”
“I will never see my daughter again because of this monster,” she told KTVU through tears. She added that “He needs to get life so he can sit there and suffer.”
Prior allegations against Shaw
Dig deeper:
A former girlfriend of Shaw, who met him while they both worked at Six Flags, told KTVU she got a restraining order against him in 2023.
She and her father described Shaw as a narcissist who believed everyone else was wrong.
The Source: Information for this story was sourced from charging documents from the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, interviews with police and relatives of Renia Lewis.