CAIRO – A Cairo man was sentenced Thursday to 72 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for murdering 34-year-old Lafayette D. Woods in May of last year.

According to Illinois State Police, the sentencing for Samuel L. Lewis includes 45 years for First-degree Murder plus an additional 25 years due to the statutory firearm enhancement.

In January of this year, a jury found Lewis guilty of First-degree Murder and that he personally discharged a firearm which caused Woods’ death.

The sentencing comes after an exhaustive investigation by the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Zone 7 into Woods’ murder.

On May 9, 2023, ISP was requested by the Cairo Police Department to investigate the shooting death of Woods, which happened in the 2400 block of Sycamore Street in Cairo. A few days later, on May 16, following a thorough investigation, Lewis was arrested by ISP agents, with assistance from the Alexander County Sheriff’s Department, and the Cairo Police Department.

The case was prosecuted by the Alexander County State’s Attorney’s Office.