A Dallas County jury returned a guilty verdict against a man who fatally shot a police officer attempting to serve an arrest warrant, and also rejected a capital murder charge.
As a result, Charles Payne isn't eligible for the death penalty for the killing of Dallas PD's Senior Cpl. Norm Smith. Payne, who had fired through the door of his Oak Cliff apartment, argued during the trial he didn't know Officer Smith was a police officer. He testified the shooting was in self defense.