Andrew Reedy is led by Trumbull County sheriff’s deputies from the county courthouse to jail after pleading guilty to murdering Jane Payton.
Andrew Reedy said he was “completely and totally responsible” for the death of Jane Payton, but, when he said that he had been “negligent,” Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Judge Ronald Rice stopped him.
It wasn’t Reedy’s negligence that caused the 57-year-old Payton’s death in her home in Masury, Rice said. “You murdered her.” Rice told Reedy to say those words.
“I murdered her,” Reedy said.
Reedy, who pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and aggravated burglary March 4 before Rice, apologized to Payton’s family.
“I’m genuinely sorry for Jane’s death and the hurt and misery I put her family through,” he said.
Payton’s brother, John Donner, said Reedy was not ready to admit his responsibility until he appeared in court. He called Reedy a “con man” and a “cold-blooded murderer.”
“Absent the death penalty, this is the best we can hope for,” he said.
Andrew Reedy. Contributed photo.
Rice sentenced Reedy to 23 years to life in prison, the sentence recommended in the plea deal. The Ohio Parole Board will determine whether Reedy ever gets out of prison.
“You truly deserve the death penalty for shooting my beautiful sister,” said Payton’s sister, Susan Honel.
Payton hated guns, yet Reedy brought one into the house and used it on her, Honel said.
“You murdered a beautiful soul who never hurt anyone,” she said.
Payton tried to get Reedy into rehab to address his alcoholism, but he wouldn’t go, said Honel, who called Reedy a coward.
Payton’s granddaughter has had to seek counseling to try to deal with the loss of her beloved grandmother, Honel said.
“I am glad you’re spending the rest of your life in prison,” Honel said.
Reedy said he loved Payton “truly” and will spend the rest of his days trying to make peace with God and himself.
“I can’t piece minutes, seconds together without thinking about this,” Reedy said.
Payton was killed Dec. 20 in her home on Lucy Street. Trumbull County First Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Becker said Reedy, who had lived with Payton for some time, was evicted from her home on Dec. 19, but had defied the court order and was still there on Dec. 20. Court officials removed him, but immediately after they released him he went back to Payton’s home, broke in and killed her with a shotgun blast, Becker said.
Reedy held police at bay for about 21 hours, shooting himself in the face during the incident, police said. Brookfield police brought in police from numerous local jurisdictions, as well as the Mahoning Valley Crisis Response Team and the FBI to help them defuse the situation and arrest Reedy.
Reedy was on probation for a 2023 drunken driving conviction at the time of Payton’s murder.
His criminal record includes convictions for bad checks twice in 2007 in Hermitage, and drunken driving in Sharon in 2008 and 2017.
