Donna Payant
Encyclopedia
Donna Payant née
Collins (Mar 22, 1950-May 15, 1981) was a New York state corrections officer who was murdered while on duty at Green Haven Correctional Facility
.
Donna Payant attended the corrections officers' academy in 1980, and had only worked at Greenhaven for about a month at the time of her murder. The mother of three children, her husband was also a corrections officer, though at a different facility. Her father, too, had been a corrections officer at the Clinton Prison for over 28 years.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Payant had been killed by inmate Lemuel Smith
, a rapist and two-time convicted murderer. Prior to those two murder convictions, Smith had also been the only suspect in at least two other killings, but prosecutors had declined to try him due to the 50-year sentence he was already facing. They reasoned that he would never leave prison anyway, so the indictments were dismissed. For having killed Officer Payant, Smith received a third murder conviction, and was originally sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted as unconstitutional.
As of 2000, Payant was the sole female correctional officer in New York State to die in the line of duty.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Collins (Mar 22, 1950-May 15, 1981) was a New York state corrections officer who was murdered while on duty at Green Haven Correctional Facility
Green Haven Correctional Facility
Green Haven Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in New York, United States. The prison is located in the Town of Beekman in Dutchess County. The New York State Department of Correctional Services lists the address as Route 216, Stormville, NY 12582...
.
Donna Payant attended the corrections officers' academy in 1980, and had only worked at Greenhaven for about a month at the time of her murder. The mother of three children, her husband was also a corrections officer, though at a different facility. Her father, too, had been a corrections officer at the Clinton Prison for over 28 years.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Payant had been killed by inmate Lemuel Smith
Lemuel Smith
Lemuel Warren Smith , is a convicted serial killer and rapist from Upstate New York who was the first convict ever to kill an on-duty female corrections officer.-Trouble from the beginning:...
, a rapist and two-time convicted murderer. Prior to those two murder convictions, Smith had also been the only suspect in at least two other killings, but prosecutors had declined to try him due to the 50-year sentence he was already facing. They reasoned that he would never leave prison anyway, so the indictments were dismissed. For having killed Officer Payant, Smith received a third murder conviction, and was originally sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted as unconstitutional.
As of 2000, Payant was the sole female correctional officer in New York State to die in the line of duty.