A federal judge in Urbana has sentenced a woman from Normal to 8 1/2 years in prison for her part in the shooting death of a Champaign police officer and the wounding of another.
Regina Lewis, 28, pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to buy a semi-automatic pistol for Darion Lafayette. The "straw purchase" was made because Lafayette was a convicted felon and could not own a firearm, said prosecutors.
Lafayette used the Glock 9 mm pistol to shoot Champaign police officers Christopher Oberheim and Jeffrey Creel in Champaign. Oberheim was killed. Lafayette also died in the exchange of gunfire on April 26, 2021.
Lewis admitted she and co-defendant Ashantae Corruthers falsely reported the gun was stolen about a month before the shootings. She continued the cover-up after Oberheim’s death by agreeing to have Corruthers falsely tell an ATF special agent she purchased the gun for herself, and that she did not know Lafayette.
Oberheim’s wife and four daughters spoke at the sentencing hearing. Judge Colin Bruce noted federal sentencing guidelines recommended 18-24 months imprisonment for the convictions, but the nature and circumstance of the offense allowed for a stiffer penalty.
The court has set the sentencing for Corruthers for Feb. 12.
