Fort Worth woman sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing her 4-year-old daughter

Fort Worth, Texas – Krystal Judy Lewandowski, a 36-year-old Fort Worth woman, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering her 4-year-old daughter, Czara Lewandowski, on August 23, 2020, and then falsely reporting her missing.

The Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office confirmed the sentence after Lewandowski pleaded guilty to murder. She admitted to slitting Czara’s throat before wrapping her body up and disposing of it in a trash can in her home’s backyard on Hurley Avenue in Fort Worth. Lewandowski had been indicted on a capital murder charge of a person under 10 years old.

According to an arrest warrant, Lewandowski told Fort Worth police that she slit her daughter’s throat to save her from something worse happening to her. Her ex-boyfriend, Christopher Busby, who lived with her for years and shared two children with her, told the media that Lewandowski had a history of mental illness and would hear voices. Busby had left her after he was unable to get her any help for her mental illness. He also revealed that Lewandowski’s mental illness was the reason for their separation.

Busby had gained custody of his two children nearly a decade ago, and since then, his only dealings with Lewandowski were to talk about their children. It was unclear who Czara’s father was, and Busby had no knowledge of him.

The case received significant attention, and it was initially reported that Czara had gone missing. An intensive search operation was carried out, including the use of K-9 units and helicopters. The police and volunteers scoured the nearby areas and waterways for any trace of the girl. Lewandowski’s guilty plea has brought an end to the mystery surrounding Czara’s disappearance.