County settles DNA lawsuit with convicted killer

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — A former northwestern Pennsylvania high school teacher serving a life term in the strangulation murder of a student in 1975 will get a DNA test he believes will show he didn’t also rape the girl.

The Erie Times-News reports that Erie County prosecutors settled the lawsuit filed by 77-year-old Raymond Payne by agreeing to the DNA test.

Payne is not denying killing 16-year-old Debbie Gama. But he contends it was an accident and not premeditated and that he should have been convicted of a lesser crime such as manslaughter rather than first-degree murder. Defense attorney Anderson Bailey said a favorable DNA test could bolster Payne’s claims and warrant a new trial.

Prosecutors say they believe Payne meant to kill the girl, whether or not he raped her, and is rightly serving a life sentence.