Women describe attacks near Zilker Park by same man

AUSTIN, Texas - Two women living near Zilker Park said they were attacked by the same man two years apart. 

Now, after another encounter this weekend, they are afraid he will be back on the streets again.

What they're saying:

One of the women who was attacked wants to remain anonymous. She will be referred to as "Victim 1."

"He was so violent and wild and animalistic. I don't even know, he was a monster," Victim 1 said.

Another woman who was attacked also wants to remain anonymous. She will be referred to as "Victim 2."

"He was standing over me like this, guarding my body and looking around to see what he was going to do next, like drag me, rape me, kill me," Victim 2 said.

Both women said they thought they were about to die. 

The attacks happened more than two years apart, but in the same Zilker Park, Barton Hills area.

Now, they are warning their neighbors.

"I've lived here for 26 years. I call it home. I love Zilker Park, but I'm afraid for my family, and I'm afraid for friends now," Victim 1 said.

They said when 30-year-old Christopher Lewis is back on the streets, they are terrified of what could happen next.

"The next time he does it, he's going to kill someone," Victim 1 said.

‘Victim 2’ shares her story

Local perspective:

Back in May 2024, Victim 2 said she was walking along Rabb Road when a man in a hoodie came up to her.

"He accelerated, he mumbled some aggressive language at me, and then he sucker punched me in the temple superfast," Victim 2 said. "I spun around, and I slammed and hit the ground on the same side that he hit my head."

She said she was eventually able to get up and run away while he chased her until a neighbor came to her rescue.

"The week he attacked me, my brain spasmed for an entire week," Victim 2 said.

She said her recovery lasted about a year.

Lewis was arrested for misdemeanor assault and sentenced to 180 days in jail.

‘Victim 1’ shares her story

Local perspective:

This past weekend, another woman said she encountered Lewis.

"I got in the car and I backed up, and he had come down Kinney, and I mean, without a second, he just started attacking the car. He just started beating on the windows, grabbing the door handles, punching it, he dented the car," Victim 1 said.

She said it was around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday.

"It was very violent, and I'm convinced if I was not locked in that car, he would have killed me or beat me to a pulp," Victim 1 said.

She said she wasn’t completely packed up yet, her garage was still open, her phone was still on the counter inside, and her husband and children were asleep.

"I was so frightened for my family because I couldn't warn them and I couldn't call 911," Victim 1 said while holding back tears.

She said she drove around the block, and Lewis attacked the car again.

"I just started wailing on the horn, screaming for my husband to wake up and, thankfully, he did wake up, and he got out, and he heard me and I said, 'there's a man, come down and shut this garage now, please he's going to get in the house,' and he managed to do that, and he said, drive away, drive away," Victim 1 said.

Police eventually found Lewis and took him to jail for misdemeanor criminal mischief and given a $1,000 bond.

The man's previous criminal charges

Big picture view:

Court records show Lewis has been arrested in the past on charges including possession, theft, and criminal trespass, many of which were dismissed. He was also arrested on a felony possession charge in 2024, but that case was dropped.

Lewis’ criminal history and continuously getting out of jail is what these women said frustrates them.

"It is up to the city and the DA's office and the court system, the judges and the judicial courts, to keep our streets safer from violent criminals who try to kill us in our neighborhoods with our children on our neighborhood street," Victim 2 said.

"Next time someone’s not going to be able to talk to you," Victim 1 said.

What's next:

FOX 7 reached out to the Travis County Attorney’s Office about the misdemeanor cases that were dismissed. Although they are closed cases, the county attorney’s office said they do not comment on pending cases.