Ruling expected Sept. 16 in Pervis Payne DNA case
Defense attorney Kelley Henry looks over documents during a hearing on Pervis Payne’s motion for DNA testing of recently found evidence on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, in Division 1 of the Criminal Court. Payne was charged in the 1987 murders of a Millington woman and her young daughter. He is slated to be executed in December and the Innocence Project is trying to prove he is innocent. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian)
Death Row inmate Pervis Payne (top middle) along with several lawyers, listens to testimony virtually during a hearing on his motion for DNA testing of recently found evidence on Sept. 1, 2020. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian)
Defense witness Ben Leonard (right) gives testimony during a hearing on Pervis Payne’s motion for DNA testing of recently found evidence on Sept 1. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian)
Judge Paula Skahan presides over the Sept. 1 hearing on Pervis Payne’s motion for DNA testing of recently found evidence. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian)
Assistant District Attorney Steve Jones speaks during the Sept. 1 hearing on Pervis Payne’s motion for DNA testing. (Mark Weber/Daily Memphian)
Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan is expected to rule Sept. 16 whether DNA testing in the Pervis Payne murder case can be conducted.
Topics
Pervis Tyrone Payne DNA evidence Paula SkahanYolanda Jones
Yolanda Jones covers criminal justice issues and general assignment news for The Daily Memphian. She previously was a reporter at The Commercial Appeal.
Public Safety on demand
Sign up to receive Public Safety stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.