Hannah Payne, 25, is in prison serving a life sentence for the murder of Kenneth Herring, 62. A Georgia judge issued the ruling earlier this month after years of a stalled trial.
Following the sentencing, Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley revealed Payne and her victim’s families are receiving death threats.
A jury convicted her of felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and three charges of weapons possession on Dec. 13, per FOX 5 Atlanta. The 25-year-old is expected to serve at least 43 years behind bars before becoming eligible for parole.
On this week’s episode of TSR Investigates, Justin Carter explores what happened after Hannah Payne chose to take the law into her own hands.
Hannah Payne Pursued Kenneth Herring After Police Told Her Not To
This incident pre-dates the COVID-19 pandemic when Payne was 21 years old. At the time, she had witnessed Herring crash into the back of a semi-truck in Clayton County. Everyone involved, including Hannah, stayed on the crash scene for about 20 minutes, awaiting police.
Suddenly, Kenneth hopped in his truck and drove off. Hannah pursued him, claiming that she believed he was under the influence of alcohol. An investigation later revealed that Kenneth was actually suffering a medical emergency due to his diabetes and was seemingly seeking help. Kenneth reportedly had no drugs or alcohol in his system, per a toxicology report.
In a 911 call played in court, the 911 dispatcher clearly and repeatedly tells Hannah Payne not to pursue the 62-year-old. Despite saying she understood, she ignored the dispatcher’s directives. Instead, she told the dispatcher she was going to continue the pursuit. Hannah eventually cornered his truck, exited her vehicle, and confronted Herring.
She claims that they began to argue, and Herring grabbed her shirt and hit the gas — dragging her a little. At that point, she claims she announced her gun and shot him. He later died at the hospital.
Following the ruling, the DA revealed plans to pursue anyone threatening Payne and Herring’s family.
Watch the full TSRI episode below to get the details of what went down and what Hannah Payne had to say in court.
TSR Investigates explores cold cases and special interest news stories underrepresented in mainstream media.
