A Georgia woman was found guilty this week in the death of a hit-and-run driver she chased down and shot dead in 2019.
Hannah Payne, 25, was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in Clayton County, WAGA reported. Her sentencing is scheduled for Friday.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Payne claimed that she saw Kenneth Herring, 62, hit another vehicle and leave the scene. She called 911 but decided to follow him, despite dispatchers telling her to stay at the scene of the accident.
About a mile away, she blocked Herring’s pickup with her Jeep and got out of the vehicle, gun in hand and ordering Herring to “get out of the car, get out of the car,” as was captured on the 911 call.
The recording captures a scuffle and then a gunshot, followed by Payne exclaiming that Herring pulled the trigger. The bullet struck Herring in the abdomen.
Payne testified during the trial that she wasn’t actually following Herring but was instead just trying to stay close and keep police informed what was going on and that she took dispatchers telling her not to follow as “suggestions” and not orders. She said that Herring tried to drag her into his car when she confronted him and that her finger was never on the trigger, despite her telling him she would shoot him.
Payne’s attorney, Matt Tucker, said in his closing argument that the prosecution hadn’t proved its case, while Nigel Hunter, the Clayton County Assistant District Attorney, told the jury that “You don’t get the death penalty for committing a traffic infraction.”
The jury agreed with Hunter.
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[Featured image: Hannah Payne/Clayton County Sheriff’s Office]
