NORWOOD, Mass. — Ernest D. Payne, 31, of Cambridge, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years for the fatal shooting of Shakim Lewis-Johnson more than four years ago, the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office announced.
Payne pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case involving 28-year-old Lewis-Johnson of Hyde Park. The victim was shot on September 19, 2021, as he left a friend’s home in Norwood. Lewis-Johnson was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities arrested Payne in March 2022 in Miami, Florida, several months after the shooting.
Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey expressed hope that the victim’s family and friends can begin healing from the trauma caused by the tragic event.
