b: 1966
Summary
Name:
Darrell Edward PayneYears Active:
2000Birth:
April 06, 1966Status:
ImprisonedClass:
MurdererVictims:
1Method:
ShootingNationality:
USAb: 1966
Summary: Murderer
Name:
Darrell Edward PayneStatus:
ImprisonedVictims:
1Method:
ShootingNationality:
USABirth:
April 06, 1966Years Active:
2000Darrell Edward Payne was born on April 6, 1966. He spent the early part of his life in California. As a young man, he faced some troubles with the law. In 1994, he was implicated in a case of window peeping.
In 1995, Payne moved to Boise, Idaho. There, he found work as a chimney sweep. In 1996, he was cited for another instance of window peeping after being observed looking into the home of a woman and her fiancé. For this offense, he was sentenced to 30 days in jail, which was suspended, and he was placed on probation for 24 months.
By the summer of 2000, Payne was living in Nampa, Idaho. He was also suspected in the sexual assault of two 14-year-old girls in Barber Park shortly before the murder of Samantha Maher.
On July 6, 2000, Darrell Edward Payne kidnapped Samantha Maher, a 22-year-old student at Boise State University. She was walking through Julia Davis Park on her way to class when he abducted her. After taking her to his residence in Canyon County, he committed several violent acts against her.
Payne shot Samantha in the head, ending her life. Following the murder, he disposed of her body in a waste pit behind a dairy barn. After committing this crime, he fled in her car to a motel in Oregon. There, he called his wife and confessed to killing a woman, providing details about where her body could be found.
Samantha's family reported her missing when she did not return home that day. Her body was discovered soon after, and investigators linked the crime to Payne. He had a troubling history, including allegations of sexual assault against two young girls in the weeks leading up to Samantha's murder.
In May 2002, he was sentenced to death for his crimes. However, his case went through appeals and legal challenges over the years, including a Supreme Court decision that called for a new sentencing hearing due to issues raised about victim impact statements made during the original trial. Despite these legal battles, Payne remained in prison, facing consequences for his actions as the legal process continued.
