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Thread: Shannon Edward Payne Sentenced to Life for 2013 AL Slaying of Maxine Carroll and Bryan Stephens

  1. #1
    Administrator Moh's Avatar
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    Shannon Edward Payne Sentenced to Life for 2013 AL Slaying of Maxine Carroll and Bryan Stephens




    Prosecutors seek death penalty in Winston County double murder

    Prosecutors will seek seek the death penalty for Shannon Edward Payne, who was arrested and charged with the Oct. 6 double murder of Maxine Carroll and Bryan Stephens in Winston County.

    Payne was indicted Nov. 26, 2013, with two counts of capital murder. On January 31, Payne plead not guilty.

    The court has also ordered than Payne undergo a mental examination at the Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility in Tuscaloosa to ensure he is competent to stand trial. Until the examination is completed and results are submitted, the proceedings of the trial have been suspended.

    In light of the potential death sentence, the defense has sought heightened standards in the case.

    According to the defense’s motion to apply heightened standards, “the possibility of a death sentence in this case implicates important state and federal constitutional concerns that require special attention by this court, the prosecutor, court officials and everyone else involved in these proceedings.”

    This motion is supported by the United States Supreme Court ruling the Constitution deems capital cases non-parallel to non-capital cases.

    The Case

    Payne is charged with shooting both Carroll and Stephens at 23797 County Road 41 in Addison.

    According to the investigation, one other individual was present at the residence during the time of the shooting. Samantha Jo Filyaw, Payne’s girlfriend, said she was present at the time of the murder and told law enforcement that she witnessed Payne “shoot both Carroll and Stephens with Stephens’ rifle.”

    Afterwards, according to Filyaw, she and Stephens left the residence in the deceased Stephens’ Ford F15. After traveling for “multiple” days in the in vehicle, the two returned to the residence in Addison. Inside the truck was Stephens’ smartphone.

    After authorities requested Verizon Wireless provide the GPS and cell tower information for the phone numbers, the search was still unsuccessful.

    According to the warrant’s report, “insufficient information was given to where Verizon could not give any information on the request.”

    http://www.cullmantimes.com/news/art...a4bcf887a.html

  2. #2
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Payne defense seeks to bar death penalty in Winston Co. murder trial

    Shannon Edward Payne's defense attorneys are fighting back against the prosecution's decision to seek the death penalty.

    Payne, who was arrested and charged with the Oct. 6, 2013, double murder of Maxine Carroll and Bryan Stephens in Winston County, was notified earlier this year the State of Alabama would seek capital punishment on 2 charges of murder.

    Since that time, Payne's indictment has been increased to 3 charges of murder, which his defense claims is "unconstitutionally multiplicitous."

    According to a motion by the defense to dismiss the indictment on the notion that it incites double jeopardy, Payne is charged with the murder of Carroll separately, the murder of Stephens separately and the murder of the 2 together.

    "The indictment is unconstitutionally multiplicitious because it charges Mr. Payne with 3 counts under the same statute," the motion reads. "Because it charges him with 3 counts of capital murder arising out of 1 incident, the indictment exposes Mr. Payne to double jeopardy."

    Double jeopardy is provided for in the Fifth Amendment, which prevents a subject from receiving multiple punishments for a single incident.

    In addition to the request to dismiss the indictment on grounds of double jeopardy, the defense has also requested that the imposition of the death penalty be completely barred with several different motions.

    "Because it is possible that proof of the Defendant's 'actual innocence' will be adduced after his execution and because the nature of our criminal justice system does not allow for absolute certainty regarding guilt or innocence of a defendant, the death penalty carries the inherent risk of executing the Defendant despite the possibility that he is 'actually innocent,'" a motion reads.

    The defense has filed another motion bringing into question Alabama's death penalty statute, claiming it "fails to narrow the class of death eligible offenders."

    In an attempt to heighten the standards of the case because of its severity, the defense has additionally requested that the jurors be examined for ties to the district attorney.

    "The relatively small size of the community and the fact that the District Attorney has personal ties with many of the prospective jurors will impede the jurors' ability to make fair and impartial determination of the issues of this case," a motion asking for the disclosure of all relations between the district attorney and prospective jurors reads.

    Alongside the defense's request to excuse jurors with ties to the district attorney, they have also made a motion for all jurors with a predisposition to support the death penalty be removed from the jury, and that the jury's final decision must "unanimously conclude that the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances" - i.e., the extreme nature of the crime outweighs any decisions made in passion or other emotional context.

    Payne is charged with shooting both Carroll and Stephens at 23797 County Road 41 in Addison.

    According to the investigation, one other individual was present at the residence during the time of the shooting. Samantha Jo Filyaw, Payne's girlfriend, said she was present at the time of the murder and told law enforcement that she witnessed Payne "shoot both Carroll and Stephens with Stephens' rifle."

    Afterwards, according to Filyaw, she and Stephens left the residence in the deceased Stephens' Ford F15. After reportedly traveling for "multiple" days in the vehicle, the 2 returned to the residence in Addison. Inside the truck was Stephens' smartphone.

    After authorities requested Verizon Wireless provide the GPS and cell tower information for the phone numbers, the search was still unsuccessful.

    According to the warrant's report, "insufficient information was given to where Verizon could not give any information on the request."

    (Source: The Cullman Times)
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

    "Y'all be makin shit up" ~ Markeith Loyd

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend Mike's Avatar
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    "There is a point in the history of a society when it becomes so pathologically soft and tender that among other things it sides even with those who harm it, criminals, and does this quite seriously and honestly. Punishing somehow seems unfair to it, and it is certain that imagining ‘punishment’ and ‘being supposed to punish’ hurts it, arouses fear in it." Friedrich Nietzsche

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