A daughter’s misguided forgiveness and liberal rehabilitation ideals led to her own murder by the same criminal who killed her mother 23 years earlier, exposing the deadly consequences of prioritizing criminal rights over public safety.
Forgiveness Becomes a Fatal Mistake
Martha “Mattye” McKay made a decision that would cost her life when she chose to forgive Travis Lewis, the convicted murderer of her mother, Sally Snowden McKay.
In 1996, Lewis brutally shot and killed 75-year-old Sally and her brother Lee Baker during robberies at their cabins near Horseshoe Lake, Arkansas. Lewis, then 16, confessed to using a .25 caliber pistol to eliminate witnesses after stealing approximately $500. Despite the heinous nature of these capital murders, McKay advocated for Lewis’s parole after he served 22 years.
McKay’s misguided compassion extended beyond mere forgiveness. She actively supported Lewis’s reintegration into society by employing him at the historic Snowden House, her family’s prominent property. This decision reflected the dangerous liberal ideology that prioritizes criminal rehabilitation over public safety and victim protection. McKay’s Christian forgiveness, while admirable in principle, ignored the fundamental reality that some criminals cannot be reformed and represent a permanent threat to society.
Criminal Pattern Ignored by Bleeding Hearts
Lewis’s history revealed a clear pattern of escalating criminal behavior targeting the same family. Before the 1996 murders, he had stolen Lee Baker’s video games and attempted to cash Sally’s checks. These earlier crimes should have served as warning signs of his continued threat to the family. Instead, the justice system and McKay herself chose to ignore these red flags, demonstrating how liberal rehabilitation fantasies blind people to obvious dangers.
The 1996 crime itself showcased Lewis’s calculated brutality. After robbing Lee Baker’s cabin, Lewis proceeded to Sally’s residence, where he murdered both victims to eliminate witnesses in the tight-knit community of approximately 300 residents. He stole Sally’s red Toyota Camry, which he promptly crashed, further demonstrating his reckless disregard for others’ property and safety. His mother provided a weak alibi, but Lewis eventually confessed to the murders, initially attempting to implicate an accomplice named Andre.
Deadly Consequences of Liberal Justice
On May 22, 2019, Lewis’s true nature emerged when he murdered 63-year-old Martha McKay in the same Snowden House where she had given him employment. This tragedy occurred exactly where her mother had lived before her murder, creating a horrific cycle of violence enabled by misguided mercy.
When Crittenden County Sheriff’s deputies responded, Lewis fled by jumping from a window, crashed a car in the yard, and ultimately drowned after jumping into Horseshoe Lake while attempting to escape justice.
This case perfectly illustrates the fatal flaws in liberal criminal justice policies that prioritize criminals’ second chances over innocent lives. McKay’s death was entirely preventable had the justice system kept Lewis behind bars where he belonged. Instead, parole boards influenced by victim family advocacy and rehabilitation rhetoric allowed a double murderer back into society, where he predictably returned to his criminal ways. The tragedy serves as a stark reminder that some criminals forfeit their right to freedom through their actions, regardless of family forgiveness or time served.