There are 19 article(s) tagged Pervis Payne:

• September 2023

  • The Early Word: Memphis has big 901 Day plans; officials host private public safety summit

    U of M announces $5 million worth of campus security measures, Pervis Payne may be eligible for parole and we have your guide to a busy holiday weekend.

    By Bianca Phillips, Holly Whitfield September 01, 2023

• January 2022

  • Pervis Payne could be eligible for parole in five years

    Former death row inmate Pervis Payne may be eligible for parole in five years after a judge ruled on his sentencing. 

    By Yolanda Jones January 31, 2022

• December 2021

  • Skahan weighs new sentence in Pervis Payne case

    Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan took under advisement Tuesday, Dec. 14, two days of testimony in a hearing that will determine whether Pervis Payne serves two life sentences concurrently or consecutively for the 1987 murders of Charisse Christopher and her 2-year-old daughter, Lacie, in Millington

    By Bill Dries December 14, 2021

  • Resentencing for 1987 killings hinges on conflicting views of Pervis Payne

    The inmate’s 1988 death sentence was set aside because of questions about his mental competency. The resentencing hearing continues Tuesday, Dec. 14.

    By Bill Dries December 14, 2021

  • Pervis Payne resentencing centers on consecutive or concurrent life sentences

    The Monday, Dec. 13, resentencing in Shelby County Criminal Court comes after prosecutors took the death penalty off the table in a retrial for a 1987 double murder in Millington. At stake is whether the life sentences will run consecutively or concurrently. If concurrently, Payne would be eligible for parole.

    By Bill Dries December 13, 2021

• November 2021

  • Pervis Payne’s death sentence is vacated

    Payne, 54, had been set for execution in December 2020.

    By Yolanda Jones November 23, 2021

  • Pervis Payne to get two life sentences instead of death penalty

    Pervis Payne will not face the death penalty and will instead get two consecutive life terms, District Attorney General Amy Weirich announced Thursday, Nov. 18.

    By Yolanda Jones November 18, 2021

• August 2021

  • Judge in Pervis Payne case tells state to finish evaluation or hire new expert

    “If you don’t have time to do it, I’m sorry. I need someone else who can do it,” Judge Paula Skahan tells psychologist.

    By Yolanda Jones August 06, 2021

• July 2021

  • Lee, criminal justice advocates differ on clemency

    Some criminal justice advocates say Gov. Bill Lee has not lived up to a commitment to use his clemency power.

    By Ian Round July 26, 2021

  • Pervis Payne appears in court for first time in 14 years

    Pervis Payne, a death row inmate for 33 years, appeared in court for the first time in 14 years Friday for a hearing on access to records in determining his mental competency. 

    By Yolanda Jones July 16, 2021

• June 2021

  • Judge allows state to evaluate Pervis Payne’s mental state

    Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan ruled state prosecutors can hire an expert in the Pervis Payne case to determine if the death row inmate an intellectual disability.

    By Yolanda Jones June 04, 2021

• May 2021

  • Pervis Payne attorneys file petition to present intellectual disability claim

    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. 

    By Yolanda Jones May 12, 2021

• April 2021

  • Pervis Payne gains new supporters as reprieve set to expire

    Pervis Payne, a Shelby County man on death row for 33 years, has gained new supporters as a reprieve is set to expire and the state Supreme Court may set a new execution date. 

    By Yolanda Jones April 07, 2021

• January 2021

  • New DNA evidence not enough to exonerate Payne, judge says

    Attorneys for death row inmate Pervis Payne presented new DNA evidence Tuesday, Jan. 19, in their quest to have him freed, but a judge said the partial DNA is not enough to exonerate Payne.

    By Yolanda Jones January 19, 2021

• November 2020

  • Governor grants Pervis Payne temporary reprieve

    Gov. Bill Lee temporarily halts Dec. 3 execution of death row inmate Pervis Payne because of COVID-19 concerns. 

    By Yolanda Jones November 06, 2020

  • Black Caucus files bill to protect intellectually disabled from death penalty

    The Tennessee Black Caucus has filed a bill seeking to protect the intellectually disabled from the death penalty. The legislation stems from the case of death row inmate Pervis Payne of Shelby County. 

    By Yolanda Jones November 05, 2020

• October 2020

  • Weirich discusses revoked driver’s license cases in Shelby County

    Revoked driver’s licenses and open carry gun permits were two of several issues District Attorney General Amy Weirich discussed during a speaking engagement at the Frayser Exchange Club on Thursday afternoon.

    By Omer Yusuf October 01, 2020

• September 2020

  • Judge grants DNA testing in 1987 murder case

    Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan ordered the expedited DNA testing of crime scene evidence that has never been tested, including a knife used in the murders, eyeglasses and bloodstained clothing. 

    By Yolanda Jones September 17, 2020

  • Attorneys for Pervis Payne seek to stop execution; claim he’s intellectually disabled

    The Shelby County man, convicted in the 1987 slayings of a Millington woman and her young daughter, is scheduled to be executed on Dec. 3.

    By Yolanda Jones September 14, 2020