Jurors said he hired a hit man to kill his business partner. He says the hit man lied.

The Georgia Supreme Court is set to hear arguments Tuesday in the case of a former Cordele trucking company owner convicted of hiring a hit man to kill his former business partner.

In 2015, a Houston County jury found Devasko Lewis guilty of hiring Jamarcus Clark to kill Corey Daniels, a man prepared to testify against him in a pending federal criminal case. Clark instead killed Daniels’ nephew, Kerry Glenn, behind Daniels’ home near Perry in January 2014.

Lewis was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, plus 10 years. The federal case was dismissed due to his life sentence.

Attorneys representing Lewis argue that the evidence wasn’t sufficient for a conviction. He adamantly denied hiring Clark to kill Daniels.

The attorneys also contend that Daniels’ intent to testify against Lewis was not a motive for murder, since Lewis thought he would be facing at most a 12-month prison stint, according to a case summary prepared by a Supreme Court spokeswoman.

Clark’s testimony was uncorroborated, disputed and contradicted by other evidence at the trial, the attorneys argue.

Lewis presented evidence that Clark and his cousin conspired to rob Daniels, and that Glenn was killed in a botched robbery attempt.

Lewis is asking for a new trial after he received a letter from Clark after the trial in which Clark admitted he lied in his trial testimony and denied ever being hired for the killing, according to the case summary.

Prosecutors allege evidence was sufficient to convict Lewis, and that there was evidence to corroborate Clark’s testimony.

A hearing was held in 2016 after Lewis filed a motion for a new trial. Clark “neither acknowledged that he had written a letter or that his testimony at trial had been false,” according to the case summary.

Clark, who is serving a life sentence, has not been charged with perjury.

This story was originally published June 15, 2017 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Jurors said he hired a hit man to kill his business partner. He says the hit man lied.."