Pervis Payne attorneys file petition to present intellectual disability claim
Pastor Carl Payne (center), the father of Pervis Payne, is helped to his seat by his son-in-law Dr. Cary Holman during an August 2020 press conference urging Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich to test DNA in Pervis Payne’s 1987 murder case. Payne has maintained his innocence for 33 years. (Houston Cofield/Special to The Daily Memphian file)
Attorneys for Pervis Payne have filed a petition in Shelby County Criminal Court, asking the court to recognize that Payne has an intellectual disability and under a new state law cannot be executed.
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Pervis Payne death row intellectual disabilityYolanda Jones
Yolanda Jones covers criminal justice issues and general assignment news for The Daily Memphian. She previously was a reporter at The Commercial Appeal.
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