An agent within Attorney General Kris Mayes’s office under investigation for the deadly shooting of a mother was an illegal Haitian immigrant given citizenship years later under President Barack Obama.
Dulance “Dee” Morin, 47, shot Maria “Mea” Lewis, 32, on his front porch in the early morning hours last weekend in their shared Mesa neighborhood. Lewis leaves behind a husband and seven young children. Morin is also a father with two young children.
According to a since-deleted article by AZCentral, archived here, Morin came into the U.S. in his youth and lived with his aunt in New York. Morin disclosed in that interview that the documents of guardianship for his aunt were “incomplete” and that he lacked the qualifications to become a citizen.
Morin reported receiving a type of amnesty when he was in his early 20s around 2001 under policies put in place by President Bill Clinton. Morin may have benefitted from a “mini-amnesty” from either the Haitian Refugee Immigration and Fairness Act (HRIFA) passed in 1998 or the Legal Immigration Family Equity (LIFE) Act passed in 2000.
Morin didn’t become a U.S. citizen until 2011 when he was 34 years old and after he was married.
Morin’s LinkedIn profile reflects a native or bilingual proficiency in Haitian Creole and an elementary proficiency in French — the two official languages of Haiti. That profile also reflects Morin’s AZ Post Certified Firearms Instructor designation. Morin received that certification in 2023, with an expiration date of 2034. Morin graduated from the Law Enforcement Training Academy at Chandler Gilbert Community College in 2013.
Morin hasn’t been arrested for the fatal shooting. The investigation remains active and ongoing, per Mesa police.
“Detectives are working to obtain additional evidence through search warrants, reviewing potential surveillance footage from the surrounding area, and awaiting the results of forensic testing and analysis,” stated the Mesa Police Department.
Albert Mendivil, Lewis’s husband, told the press that Lewis had gone for a walk in their neighborhood when she was shot. Mendivil estimated Lewis had been gone for about half an hour when he noticed police arriving.
The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s website listed Lewis’s manner of death as “homicide.” The primary cause of death has yet to be released pending investigation.
Republican elected leaders like Senate President Warren Petersen were quick to denounce Morin as a poor hire by Mayes, though Morin has been with the attorney general’s office for nearly a decade.
She would be alive but for Kris Mayes' employee. pic.twitter.com/wiYwOkkh0N
— Warren Petersen (@votewarren) March 5, 2026
Morin first joined the attorney general’s office in 2016. From 2016 to 2020 Morin worked as a special agent within the Vulnerable Adult Exploitation Unit, then the Financial Remedies Unit. Morin departed the attorney general’s office in 2020 to work as a special agent/deputy U.S. marshal for the Office of the Inspector General’s Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit Federal Task Force.
Prior to joining the attorney general’s office, Morin was a civilian then senior special investigator for the Arizona Corporation Commission. Morin came to Arizona from New York.
Morin rejoined the attorney general’s office in the spring of 2022. Under his second stint with the attorney general’s office, he worked as lead special agent within the Organized Retail Crimes Unit before entering his current role as lead special agent within the Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Unit.
Records show Morin is presently attending Northern Arizona University in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences and Human Services.
There is a GoFundMe to support Mendivil and their seven children. Mendivil and Lewis were reportedly high school sweethearts.
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