News

Man pleads guilty in fatal shooting

Photo:

Feb 7, 2013 at 10:57 am

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) A northern Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to charges in a fatal Grand Rapids shooting.

Twenty-six-year-old William Levi Payne entered the pleas to second-degree murder, kidnapping and five other charges in Itasca County District Court Thursday.

The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 52 1/2 years. Prosecutors say Payne went to the home of 59-year-old Rosemary Oberg-Johnson Dec. 22 and shot her and her 32-year-old son Paul Johnson, then kidnapped his estranged wife who was visiting the home. Oberg-Johnson later died of her injuries. Her son survived.

The agreement says Payne will have to serve at least 35 years of the sentence with 17 1/2 years of supervision following his release from prison.