COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Columbus man was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for the death of an unborn child nearly three years ago.
A Franklin County jury found Christopher Payne guilty last month for shooting a 15-year-old pregnant girl while she was walking with a man in northeast Columbus on Aug. 23, 2020. The shooting happened in the area of Joyce and Denune avenues in the Linden area.
They were walking down the street when someone in a passing car began shooting at them.
During the trial, the driver of the vehicle testified that Payne fired his weapon at the man from the backseat, but the teen was struck instead.
The girl was 35 weeks pregnant at the time of the shooting, according to the prosecutor’s office. She survived her injuries, but the baby, Aster Lewis, died following an emergency cesarean section.
Payne was found guilty on a dozen charges, including three counts of murder with a gun and drive-by specification. He will not be eligible for parole until at least 2060.
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