I've just finished re-watching Death Note and the movie where we find out Light becomes a shinigami, and realised that Ray Penber also used the Death Note to write down names of his FBI colleagues in Episode 5 whilst on the train.
So my question is, does Penber also become a shinigami like Light? And if not, does he go to heaven or hell, as Ryuk stated that a human who uses the Death Note can't go to either. So is he like in some sort of void?
This idea (not pertaining to Raye, but to Light) was actually a big dramatic device used in the story, as the use of the DN keeps people from Heaven or Hell is hinted at in the beginning of the story and is later to be revealed that death is the same for all, DN users or no. As mentioned before, the Shinigami we see in the movie is hinted to be Light, but this is most likely an Easter egg rather, than canon. As such, we can conclude that Raye probably also went to Mu, and would have whether he used the note or not.
However, Ohba has stated multiple times that his work is really up to the reader's interpretation, so I'd say go with whatever sounds the coolest to you.
No, Ray Penber will go to nothingness when he dies, like all other humans. He will not exist anymore. This is related to the (mostly) Buddhist concepts of Mu and Nirvana.
Eventually the original shinigami owner will write Ray's name in their death note and he will die. Ryuk states this at the beginning of the series (Ryuk's first appearance, english dub).
