CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. (Court TV) — The trial is underway for a Georgia woman accused of fatally shooting a man during a traffic dispute.
Hannah Payne, 25, faces a possible life sentence for shooting Kenneth Herring in the abdomen when she was 21.
According to investigators, at around 6 pm on May 7, 2019, the victim, 62-year-old Herring, was driving his Dodge pickup truck when he ran a red light and hit an 18-wheeler. Both vehicles were damaged, and the drivers pulled over to wait for police to arrive.
Kenneth Herring (family photo)
Herring’s accident was witnessed by two people who pulled over to help — the defendant, Hannah Payne, and an officer with the Georgia Department of Corrections named Terry Robinson. Robinson, who worked in the infirmary at a local prison, examined Herring and noticed that he appeared disoriented.
A police officer reported that Herring’s eyes looked to be a reddish-orange color. He believed Herring was in diabetic shock.
Payne and Robinson stayed with both drivers for about 20 minutes waiting for the police to arrive when Herring returned to his truck and left the scene.
According to a defense motion, Robinson encouraged Payne to follow Herring after he left the scene so that she could get his license tag number.
Hannah Payne (Clayton County Sheriff’s Office)
Payne reportedly called 911 as she followed Herring to report the tag number. The dispatcher told her to return to the accident scene and not to follow Herring.
Accident, self-defense, or murder?
According to the defense motion, Payne was concerned that Herring might cause another accident, so she followed him until the police could intervene to stop him.
Roughly one mile from the original accident scene, Payne pulled her Jeep Wrangler in front of Herring’s truck to stop him. She got out of her Jeep and approached Herring’s truck. According to the defense motion, Herring revved his engine and attempted to run Payne over.
The scene…
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