A woman who chased down and killed a 62-year-old man who caused a minor traffic crash by running a red light claims she never intended to shoot him – only to take down his license plate number for 911 dispatchers.
However, witnesses told a different story at 25-year-old Hannah Payne’s murder trial, telling jurors that the woman cut off Kenneth Herring with her car, jumped out and punched him after the May 7, 2019 collision.
Then, witnesses said, she brandished her hip-holstered gun, threatened to shoot Herring twice and “immediately” did so, per FOX 5 Atlanta.
“You don’t get the death penalty for committing a traffic infraction,” Nigel Hunter, a Clayton County assistant district attorney, said in his closing arguments.
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On Tuesday, Payne was convicted on felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment and weapons possession charges in a Clayton County court, the outlet reported.
The jury reportedly took just two hours to render the verdict. The woman looked down and sobbed as it was read, per FOX 5.
Both Payne and witnesses agreed she drew her gun – but during her Monday testimony, she claimed she never intended to fire. Instead, she claimed, Herring shot himself in a struggle for the weapon.
Payne’s car was not involved in the crash at the center of the deadly altercation. She reportedly pulled over to dial 911 after witnessing Herring run a red light in his Dodge Dakota pickup truck and cause a minor crash with a semi-truck.
Herring waited at the scene of the crash for 15 to 20 minutes before driving away, according to Law & Crime.
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At that time, a state corrections officer who also witnessed the crash testified, he displayed symptoms of a diabetic shock – his eyes were red-orange, he appeared disoriented and he reportedly circled his truck several times.
Payne testified that the corrections…
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