The night attorney Melissa Britt Lewis was killed in March 2008, Debra Villegas was at the Round Up Country Western Club in Davie, she told the Plantation police in a sworn interview. She was hanging out with a group of friends that included the man who would become her new husband, Daniel Coffey.
Here's an excerpt from Debra's March 2008 police interview:
"You had mentioned to me that you actually sent a text message as you were leaving the Round Up, is that correct?" a detective asked Debra.
"That's right," Debra said.
"Who did you send that text message to?"
"To another guy we all know named Danny," Debra said. "He had left because he was sleepy. So I sent him a text that
said...something about him being Sleeping Beauty."
"So Danny was with you there at the Round Up also?" the detective asked. "What's Danny's last name?"
"Coffey, I think is his last name," Debra said. "He got there later than us and left earlier than us...He was just one of the people in the group."
There's no way to know if Coffey is the same guy that Tony Villegas, Debra's estranged ex-husband, saw her kissing outside of Round Up in December 2007.
Debra quietly married Daniel Coffey last December. To learn more about Debra, her marriage to Tony, and her friendship with Melissa Britt Lewis, read this week's New Times feature story.
