Cornell Smith pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and unlawful possession of a firearm On February 13, marking the end of a seven-year long case investigating the murder of 22-year-old Northeastern University student Rebecca Payne in her Mission Hill apartment on May 20, 2008.
Smith, 33, was charged with first-degree murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and armed assault in a dwelling. Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum and Smith’s attorney, John Amabile, recommended that Smith be charged with voluntary manslaughter instead of first-degree murder and dropping the armed assault in a dwelling charge.
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