Guilty Pleas Entered in Grand Rapids Shooting

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.

WDIO-TV says the plea agreement calls for a sentence of 52½ 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 17½ years of supervision following his release from prison.

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