By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Atlantic County announced that on Tuesday, February 6, Lewis Johnson, 35, from Pleasantville, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a 17-year-old juvenile with the initials C.W. on the 2000 block of Blaine Avenue in 2020.
The life sentence, equivalent to 75 years in New Jersey State Prison, is subject to the No Early Release Act, meaning Johnson must serve 85% before becoming eligible for parole, officials said.
During the sentencing, officials say, the Court noted Johnson’s lengthy criminal history, particularly his several prior handgun-related offenses, and granted the State’s motion for an extended term of imprisonment based on that history.
Authorities say on December 11, 2023, a jury returned guilty verdicts against Johnson for Murder, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, and Certain Person Not to Possess a Weapon after a weeklong trial.
According to officials, on June 8, 2020, Johnson drove down to Atlantic City from Easton, PA, to help his then-girlfriend Shaquana Lewis confront the parents of her daughter’s boyfriend after a physical fight between the kids the night before.
Officials stated when they arrived at the boy’s house in the early afternoon of June 8, 2020, the defendant, armed with a handgun, ran up the steps at 2009 Blaine Avenue to the second-floor apartment’s porch, where the victim, C.W., and his foster brother were hanging out.
The defendant then pistol-whipped the victim and ultimately shot him in the back and foot, according to officials.
He then fled back down the steps, shooting back up at the boys from the ground level, officials said.
Officials say he fled Atlantic City by car, stopping at a liquor store in Pleasantville before driving back to the apartment he was staying at in Easton, PA.
C.W. was pronounced dead later that day as a result of the injuries sustained in the shooting, authorities say
The defendant was apprehended the next morning by members of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, along with the handgun he used to shoot and kill C.W., which was found under his bed, officials stated