Man accused in 2023 Cornwall homicide discharges his lawyer

A man who is accused of first-degree murder in relation to a Sept. 16, 2023, shooting in west-end Cornwall was set to take a plea deal on Thursday but instead discharged his lawyer. Ronald “Sammy” Payne, who was 29 years old at the time of his arrest in October 2023, told Ontario Superior Court of Justice Judge Johanne Lafrance-Cardinal he would be looking for a new lawyer after he confirmed he was discharging Ottawa-based defence lawyer Michael Spratt. Payne is set to reappear in co