Amanda Canales Survivor

Overview

Amanda Canales is the survivor at the center of the Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever, Season 1 Episode 4 ("Married to a Monster"). After her marriage to Kevin Lewis fell apart, Lewis hired a hitman to kill her — a plot that, because of a case of mistaken identity, instead killed her sister, Alisha Canales-McGuire, in Everett, Washington. Lewis was convicted of first-degree murder in Snohomish County Superior Court in 2021.

Marriage to Kevin Lewis

Amanda Canales married Kevin Lewis in the Everett, Washington area. According to her testimony in the Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever and court records from Snohomish County, the marriage deteriorated over time. As the relationship collapsed, Lewis became increasingly hostile and controlling. Amanda Canales eventually separated from Lewis, a decision that would trigger the chain of events documented in the true crime episode.

The Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever examines the dynamics of the marriage and its dissolution, using Amanda's first-person account to illustrate how intimate-partner conflict can escalate to lethal violence. Her testimony provides viewers with insight into the warning signs she observed during the relationship's decline in Everett, Washington.

Discovering Lewis's Nature

Amanda Canales has described through the Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever how she gradually came to understand the danger Kevin Lewis posed. The true crime episode details the escalation of threats and controlling behavior that characterized the end of their marriage. Amanda's decision to leave Lewis was driven by her recognition that the relationship had become dangerous — a recognition that proved tragically prescient given what followed.

The Murder-for-Hire Plot

After Amanda Canales separated from Kevin Lewis, Lewis hired a hitman to kill her at her home in Everett, Washington in 2015. The murder-for-hire plot represented an extreme escalation of intimate-partner violence — from threats and control to a calculated plan to end Amanda's life. The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever examines how Lewis arranged the killing, including the financial transactions and communications that investigators later used to build their case.

Her Sister's Death

When the hired gunman arrived to carry out Lewis's plot, he encountered Amanda's sister, Alisha Canales-McGuire, instead of Amanda. Due to the mistaken identity, the hitman shot and killed Alisha. Amanda Canales lost her sister to violence that had been intended for her — a devastating outcome that the Worst Ex Ever episode explores with sensitivity and depth.

The death of Alisha Canales-McGuire transformed Amanda from the intended victim of a murder plot into a grieving sister seeking justice. Her testimony in the Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever conveys the profound guilt and grief she experienced knowing that her sister died in her place in Everett, Washington.

The Trial

Kevin Lewis was tried for the first-degree murder of Alisha Canales-McGuire in Snohomish County Superior Court in 2021. Amanda Canales provided testimony during the proceedings, helping prosecutors establish the murder-for-hire conspiracy and Lewis's motive. A Snohomish County jury convicted Lewis of first-degree murder, bringing a measure of accountability after six years.

Amanda Canales's testimony in the Worst Ex Ever Netflix true crime docuseries extends her courtroom account, providing viewers with the emotional context that formal legal proceedings cannot fully capture. Her willingness to share her story has made the Everett, Washington case one of the most impactful episodes in the series.

Testimony in Worst Ex Ever

Amanda and her family have spoken on the record through the Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever and through Snohomish County court proceedings. Her account forms the emotional core of the true crime episode, illustrating how domestic violence can claim innocent lives beyond the immediate relationship. This page does not publish details beyond her public testimony.

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