CUBA — Convicted of the 1997 murder of Diane Coleman and sentenced to life in prison, Jeremy Payne is eligible for parole due to a series of Supreme Court rulings finding it unconstitutional for teenagers to be sentenced to life imprisonments without parole consideration. 

“I stand firmly opposed to the parole of Jeremy Payne,” said Crawford County Sheriff Darin Layman. “The life sentence rendered for the senseless and brutal murder of Diane Coleman was both just and necessary. It serves as a solemn reminder of the irreversible harm caused and the continuing need to protect our community. Public safety, accountability, and justice cannot be compromised.”

In November 1997, Coleman’s body was found in an area of the Meramec River. By the time she was discovered, it was determined that she had been dead at least 24 hours and her death was ruled as a homicide. 

“Any murder is brutal, but there are some that go way beyond just being brutal,” said Don Bolen, a retired Lake St. Louis Police detective that worked the case. “Diane’s murder was one of those instances. Diane was injured when a van occupied by ruthless drug-induced derelicts hit her, knocking her into a ditch. The five occupants of the van, upon discovering Diane was still alive, took turns hitting her with a makeshift baseball bat to kill her and then laughed about it. That is not brutal, that is merciless evil and sociopathic.”

On Oct. 27, Payne will go before the parole board to be considered for parole. He is currently housed at the South Central Correctional Center in Licking.

Peggy Coleman, Diane’s mother, and her three adult children will be present to urge the parole board not to release Payne. Bolen has written a letter of support stating reasons he believes Payne should stay in prison. 

“I tried to make the point that Jeremy Payne was then, and probably is now, a threat to any society in which he resides,” Bolen said. “I believe if he were to be released from prison, anyone who said anything against him will be in great jeopardy. The viciousness of Jeremy Payne’s attack on Diane Coleman, his anger because she tried to defend herself, his enjoyment from his attack on her and the lack of remorse then, and probably now, is not something, I believe, that was just a moment in his life.”