Columbus man sentenced to minimum of 40 years for shooting of 15-year-old that resulted in the death of her unborn child

Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Carl Aveni recently sentenced Christopher Payne, 27, of Columbus, to a life sentence of no less than 40 years for a 2020 drive-by shooting that killed the unborn child of a 15-year-old girl who was shot in the incident.

Kirk Shaw, an assistant prosecuting attorney, and Keith McGrath, senior assistant prosecutor with the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, prosecuted the case.

Payne was found guilty April 13 in Judge Aveni’s courtroom on charges related to the shooting, including a charge of murder and two charges of attempted murder.

Additional time was added related to the use of a concealed firearm in a drive-by shooting.

Having served 947 days in jail, Payne will not be eligible for parole before 2060.