A Georgia judge on Friday revoked the bond for a woman accused of fatally shooting a man she chased from the scene of a hit-and-run accident.
Hannah Payne, 21, burst into tears after a Clayton County judge denied her request for bond Friday afternoon, station WSB-TV reported.
Payne is charged with felony murder in the shooting death of Kenneth Herring, a Black man.
Prosecutors said Payne took on the role of police when she pursued Herring after he left the scene of a car accident on May 7. Ignoring a 911 dispatchers instructions to remain at the crash site, Payne instead followed Herring for a mile, then boxed him in with her Jeep before getting out and confronting the victim with a gun. A frantic 911 call reveals Payne screaming at Herring and claiming she followed him because he was drunk. Toxicology reports found no alcohol or drugs in Herring’s system.
A struggle ensued, and Herring, 62, died after being shot in the stomach, police said. Payne wasn’t involved in the initial wreck.
Drivers who witnessed the incident recalled seeing Payne “punching” the man and repeatedly ordering him out of the car. Another eyewitness told police the young woman changed out of her bloody shirt before officers arrived to the scene.
Authorities initially charged Payne with murder, and she was released after posting $100,000 bond.
Payne found herself back in jail, however, after a jury indicted her on new charges, including malice murder, felony murder aggravated assault, false imprisonment and possession of a firearm during a felony. She was booked back into the Clayton County Jail on June 21 after turning herself in.
Herring’s widow, Christine Herring, rejoiced at the news of Payne’s recent arrest, saying jail is where the young woman belongs. At the time, she said she hopes the judge sets a stiff bond “where [Payne] cannot afford to get out. The numbers should be high as ever.”
Payne’s attorney, Matt Tucker, tried painting Herring as a “good Samaritan” who acted in self-defense. However, prosecutors argued otherwise.
“She’s using deadly force; she wasn’t faced with deadly force,” District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson said at a hearing earlier this week. “You cannot claim self-defense and use deadly force unless you’re not the initial aggressor — she is.”
