Hannah Payne, a 24-year-old woman from Georgia, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the murder of 62-year-old Kenneth Herring. This sentence was the result of a tragic incident that occurred in May 2019, which began as an attempted citizen's arrest and ended in a fatal shooting.

The case centers around a minor car crash caused by Herring, who ran a red light and collided with a semi-truck. Payne, not directly involved in the crash, witnessed the incident and called 911. Despite being instructed by the dispatcher not to pursue Herring, Payne followed him in her Jeep, allegedly intending to take down his license plate number. The situation escalated when Payne confronted Herring, leading to a struggle during which Herring was shot.

During her trial, Payne claimed that she never intended to shoot Herring and suggested that the gun discharged accidentally during their struggle. However, the prosecution argued that Payne's actions went beyond the bounds of self-defense, constituting vigilantism. They emphasized that Herring, who was unarmed and not posing a direct threat, was unjustly chased, detained, and ultimately killed.

Payne was found guilty on multiple charges, including felony murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and three counts of weapons possession during a crime. The defense argued that Payne acted in self-defense, claiming that Herring attacked her when she confronted him. However, this argument did not prevail in court.