CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — After four years, justice has been served in the case where a Clayton County woman shot and killed a 62-year-old man after witnessing a hit-and-run.
On Friday, Hannah Payne was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole in the murder of Kenneth Herring.
After the court hearing, Clayton County District Attorney Tasha Mosley weighed in on the sentencing while revealing that the families of Payne and Herring have both been receiving death threats. Mosley said that the D.A.'s office is looking into opening criminal investigations against those who have sent the threats.
"This is ridiculous that we are having that type of security in this type of case," Mosley told reporters Friday after the hearing. "Somebody did not walk out of here free. She is going to prison for the next 43 years. America needs to heal. These families need time to heal, and you are not helping them heal by threatening their lives."
Mosley begged the public to leave the families alone as she felt that the sentence was fair.
"It was handled correctly. Justice has been served," Mosley said.
On May 7, 2019, Payne followed Herring after witnessing a crash where Herring reportedly hit a semi-truck on Clark Howell Highway near I-285. Herring reportedly then left the scene of the crash, but police said Payne followed and confronted Herring, demanding he return to the crash site. Though she called 911 to report a supposed hit-and-run, Payne ultimately shot and killed Herring.
Police said no one was hurt during the accident, and there wasn't extensive damage.
In testimonies from detectives from 2019, a witness revealed Herring appeared to be in the middle of a medical emergency. Detectives said witnesses described the emergency as "like diabetic shock."
Payne allegedly shot Herring several times as he sat in the driver’s seat of his car, killing him. She testified during trial that she never intended to shoot him.
The district attorney weighed in on her team's endless investigation to find out why Hannah Payne killed Kenneth Herring.
"I think people are under the misconception that it was about race. We never ever bought race into this matter. That was too simple to say it was Black and white," Mosley explained.
"We sat for four years and tried to figure out 'Why?' Only Hannah Payne knows why she did it. She never told us the truth on the stand. The story kept changing," said the district attorney.
"We would love for Mr. Herring to be home with his family right now for Christmas, but unfortunately we don't have the power to go back in time and stop what happened on that day. So, all we can do is go forward right now," Mosely said.
During the court sentencing hearing, Herring's family got a chance to share how the tragedy changed their lives forever.
"No more Christmas, no more birthdays, no more family gatherings, his grandchildren won’t know him," said his sister, Vickie Lynn Herring.