On Tuesday, February 6, 2024, Lewis Johnston, 35, from Pleasantville,
NJ, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 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.
During the sentencing, 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.
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.
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. But when they arrived at the boy’s house in the early afternoon on 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. He
then fled back down the steps, shooting back up at the boys from the ground level. 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.
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.
This case was investigated by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office – Major Crimes Unit and
the Atlantic City Police Department. Assistant Prosecutor Genna Garofalo prosecuted the case for the State.
Coast News Today
by Regional Media Inc
