Judge grants DNA testing in 1987 murder case

By , Daily Memphian Updated: September 17, 2020 6:21 AM CT | Published: September 16, 2020 10:05 AM CT
<strong>Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan on Wednesday, Sept. 16, granted Pervis Payne's request to have DNA testing done on previously untested crime scene evidence. Payne was convicted in the 1987 murders of a Millington woman and her young daughter.</strong> (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)

Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan on Wednesday, Sept. 16, granted Pervis Payne's request to have DNA testing done on previously untested crime scene evidence. Payne was convicted in the 1987 murders of a Millington woman and her young daughter. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)

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. 

Topics

Pervis Payne DNA testing Judge Paula Skahan
Yolanda Jones

Yolanda 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

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Comments

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