Teen accused of planning father’s murder, killing accomplice pleads not guilty

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — UPDATE 9:12 a.m.- The judge accepted Shane Payne Jr.’s not guilty plea. His next court date is set for July 24.

A 17-year-old accused of facilitating a plan to kill his father and then murdering his accomplice 3 days later is expected to be in court.

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Shane Payne Jr. is charged with 2 counts of second-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

Payne is expected to be arraigned Wednesday morning and enter a plea.

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This court date comes about a month after the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested Payne for the murder of his father and his accomplice following 2 shooting investigations starting in August 2022.

Shane Payne Sr., a father of 6, was shot and killed inside his home. Investigators said 16-year-old Timothy Dixon pulled the trigger on Payne, and days later, Payne Jr. shot and killed Dixon.

Investigators connected the 2 shootings through evidence and witness interviews.

Read: JSO says man dead in Northside home shooting near Forest Trails

A police report said Dixon and Payne Jr. were former neighbors and close friends. Before the father’s death, the report states that the 2 communicated throughout the day about the murder, and there were 2 phone calls between them. One happened 10 minutes before the murder, and one happened right after.

Action News Jax spoke with the Payne family back in 2022. Payne Sr.’s mother told us that his kids were home at the time of his murder on Sandle Drive.

“They said someone kept throwing rocks at the door. My older grandson answered, went to see what was going on and that’s when the masked man came in the house with a gun towards him and forced his way in,” she explained.

Payne Jr. was already in jail on unrelated charges. Court is expected to start at 9 a.m.

Read: Jacksonville police: Teen charged for planning father’s murder, killing teen accomplice 3 days later

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