Woman sentenced in straw purchase of gun used to kill Illinois officer and wound another

URBANA, Ill. (AP) — A woman has been sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison after taking part in the straw purchase of a handgun that was used to kill one central Illinois police officer and wound another during a shootout. Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that 28-year-old Regina Lewis engaged in a conspiracy to buy and transfer a firearm and a conspiracy to engage in misleading conduct. She previously admitted to conspiring with Ashantae Corruthers and Darion Lafayette to buy the gun in 2020 for Lafayette. He was a convicted felon and could not legally buy a firearm. Lafayette fatally shot Officer Christopher Oberheim and wounded Officer Jeffrey Creel in 2021 at a Champaign apartment complex. Lafayette also was fatally shot.