Nearby: Far Rock Man Convicted of Killing Girlfriend

An Iraq War veteran from Far Rockaway was convicted last week of punching and drowning his girlfriend to death at the beach, according to the Queens District Attorney.

David Lynch, 33, who served two tours in Iraq and was also a National Guardsman reservist at the time of the incident, was convicted of second-degree murder and faces up to 25 years to life in prison at his sentencing on April 29 for the killing of Althea Lewis, 45, of Springfield Gardens.

According to trial testimony, during the pre-dawn hours of Nov. 23, 2010, Lynch and Lewis were on the beach near the intersection of Beach 32nd Street and the boardwalk when an argument ensued. Lynch punched and bit Lewis about the head and face, and then threw her in the water and dragged her out by her feet, causing her head to go under.

District Attorney Richard Brown said that when police discovered Lewis’ body on the beach, she had four puncture wounds on her face that were so deep, they believed she had been shot. The wounds were actually caused by the Army ring Lynch was wearing when he was punching her.

The Medical Examiner’s Officer determined that the victim died as a result of blunt force injury to her head (nasal fracture and bleeding around the brain) and submersion in water.

“As a National Guardsman and an Iraq war veteran, the defendant was trained to defend the weak and protect the innocent,” Brown said. “In this case, he went against everything he was taught and brutally beat and drowned the woman he purportedly loved during an argument. His actions have irreparably shattered a family by robbing them of a loved one and, as such, his conviction warrants imposition of a maximum prison sentence to punish him and protect society.”