Peggy Coleman has been nervous since receiving word this summer that one of the individuals convicted in the 1997 death of her youngest daughter was eligible for parole. Late last week, her worries …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your member account, or purchase a new membership.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for becoming a member.
Please log in to continue |
|
Peggy Coleman has been nervous since receiving word this summer that one of the individuals convicted in the 1997 death of her youngest daughter was eligible for parole. Late last week, her worries ended when she found out Crawford County man Jeremy Payne, originally sentenced to life in prison for the crime, was refused parole.
“He does not deserve parole,” said Peggy Coleman, 90, of attending Payne’s Oct. 27 parole hearing and finding out a few days later he would stay in prison. “It’s a breath of fresh air. I must have went through thousands of pages preparing for the parole hearing. I was emotional going through that.”
On Nov. 11, 1997, Diane Coleman, 32, went missing. Her body was found by hunters floating in the Meramec River four days later. Payne was one of the individuals convicted of her murder. Over multiple days, Diane Coleman was allegedly beaten and tortured while she clung to life. There were defensive wounds on her hands and broken fingers as she tried defending herself when she was being beat. As one of the many detectives that worked the case and interviewed Payne, Don Bolen, a former Lake St. Louis Police detective, is also relieved to hear he was not granted parole.
“I'm very pleased for the sake of the Coleman family and the community,” he said.
Due to multiple Supreme Court rulings finding it unconstitutional for minors to get life in prison, Payne become eligible for parole as he was 17 at the time of Diane Coleman’s murder. Crawford County Sheriff Darin Layman said Payne remaining incarcerated was the right decision.
“I fully support the Missouri Parole Board’s decision to deny parole for Jeremy Payne,” Layman said. “The life sentence for the brutal murder of Diane Coleman remains just and necessary. This decision honors Diane’s memory, supports her family, and reinforces our commitment to public safety. Justice has been served, and our community is safer because of it.”
Payne will be eligible for parole again in five years. He is currently housed at the South Central Correctional Center in Licking.
