NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – A man who pleaded guilty to killing 32-year-old Bobby Lee Hill in the Grandy Village neighborhood in Norfolk last year received a 30-year prison sentence for the crime.
28-year-old Michael Lewis Jr. was sentenced on charges of second degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of murder.
The crime happened the morning of June 18, 2024. Hill, who was wheelchair-bound, was shot at close range in the 3100 block of Kimball Terrace, according to a news release from the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. He died at the scene.
Investigators located security camera footage that captured the shooting. It showed Lewis get out of a car, run up to Hill, shoot him, then run back to his car and take off.
Police used Flock license plate reader technology to trace Lewis to his apartment. Investigators got a warrant to search his apartment and recovered a 9mm firearm. Forensic testing of that firearm, along with cartridge casings collected from the scene, confirmed it was the gun used to murder Bobby Lee Hill.
Lewis was arrested just hours after the shooting.
Although he admitted to the crime, and officially agreed to plead guilty in February, the motive for the killing remains unknown.
He faced up to 43 years in prison. On May 23, Judge Joseph C. Lindsey sentenced Lewis to serve 30 years in prison and suspended another 13 years on the conditions that Lewis comply with supervised probation for three years following his release and be of uniform good behavior while incarcerated and for 30 years following his release.
“Quick police work and the use of technology helped lead to Mr. Lewis’ arrest and conviction for this unnecessary and violent crime against a disabled person,” said Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “Without cameras, I do not know that this crime would have ever been solved. With them, we have held Mr. Lewis accountable for taking the victim’s life. While Mr. Lewis’ sentence is substantial, no sentence will ever bring back Mr. Lewis’ victim. I mourn for him and for his family as they grieve his absence. My office will continue to focus our efforts on holding accountable the people who take the lives of our fellow citizens.”