Bio

Dionne Baugh was born in Jamaica in 1969. She later became a naturalized American living in Atlanta, Georgia. She kept a mild Jamaican accent.

While living in Atlanta, Baugh studied finance at Georgia State University. She worked as an executive secretary for MARTA. She owned a home in Norcross.

A husband, Shaun Nelson, and a young daughter, Amanda, lived in Jamaica while Baugh stayed in Atlanta to finish her education. Nelson worked as a pilot for Air Jamaica. Friends and news reports described Baugh as petite and polished.

Murder Story

On August 8, 1996, Lance Herndon, 41, was found dead in his Roswell, Georgia, home. He had been bludgeoned to death with an object that was never found. The medical examiner said the head injuries were severe and likely caused by a large wrench. There were no witnesses and no usable fingerprints at the scene.

Police investigated and arrested Dionne Baugh in January 1998. Forensic evidence tied her to the scene. DNA under Herndon’s fingernails matched Baugh. Hair found in the bed matched hair from Baugh. A laptop missing from Herndon’s office was later found in Baugh’s possession. A credit card in Herndon’s name was used to buy furniture hours after the killing.

Baugh was tried and convicted of murder in 2001 and sentenced to life in prison. The Georgia Supreme Court reversed that conviction in July 2003 because of improperly admitted testimony. A second jury deadlocked in 2003. On September 27, 2004, Baugh pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years in prison and ten years of probation.

Baugh served about ten years and was released in July 2011. Court records list the case as involving a single victim and describe the motive as jealous rage.