Two women have been charged with illegally purchasing and transferring the gun that was later used to kill a Champaign police officer.
A federal grand jury returned the charges against 28-year-old Ashantae Corruthers of Indianapolis and 27-year-old Regina Lewis of Normal. Prosecutors say the women conspired with Darion Lafayette to purchase the gun and give it to him, since he could not purchase it himself because of his felony record.
They say Corruthers later falsely reported the gun had been stolen, just three weeks before Lafayette used it to kill Officer Christopher Oberheim in a shootout in which Lafayette was also killed. The indictment says Lewis and Corruthers agreed to maintain the lie about the stolen gun under questioning by the ATF. Each could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
