Springfield woman convicted of murder after friends killed man on her behalf

A jury found a Springfield woman guilty of second-degree murder Wednesday for her role in a 2014 homicide.

The jury deliberated for about six hours before convicting 27-year-old Kearstain Sleeth of murder in connection with the killing of 31-year-old Curtis Payne.

Sleeth's attorney said in his closing arguments that Sleeth was a victim and a murder conviction could have ripple effects for all victims of sexual violence.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, said Sleeth orchestrated a home-invasion murder.

The trial lasted two days and focused on the events of Feb. 11, 2014.

Prosecutors say Sleeth told three of her teenage friends that she had been sexually assaulted by Payne.

Sleeth then drove her friends over to Payne's house on Dollison Avenue at about 9:30 p.m. on that February night, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors say the three teens broke into Payne's home, and two of them shot Payne to death while Sleeth waited in a car outside.

Two of the teens — Jeremiah Devaliti and Kaleb Moore — have pleaded guilty in this case. The final suspect, Tyler Keithley, is scheduled to stand trial in February.

Though Sleeth was not directly involved in killing Payne, prosecutors argued that she was guilty of what's called "felony murder."

To prove felony murder, prosecutors must show that a defendant committed a felony and that led to someone's death. In this case, the felony was accessory to first-degree burglary, since Sleeth "aided and encouraged" the teens to break into Payne's home.

Sleeth will be sentenced at a hearing in April. She faces up to 30 years in prison on the murder conviction.

During closing arguments on Tuesday afternoon, Sleeth's attorney Donald Cooley warned the jurors that convicting Sleeth of murder might dissuade sexual assault victims from coming forward in the future — if they think they will be held accountable for the actions of people they tell.

"She needs closure," Cooley said. "She certainly doesn't need a slap in the face for a cry in the woods."

Greene County Assistant Prosecutor Philip Fuhrman, on the other hand, said in his closing arguments Sleeth went beyond simply confiding in her friends when she drove them to Payne's residence, gave one of them a gun and then pointed out Payne's room before the teens broke in and killed Payne.

Fuhrman also pointed out that Sleeth's story changed several times, and she might not have been sexually assaulted by Payne.

Cooley said in his closing arguments that he did not believe Sleeth was present for the home invasion, and rather that she simply showed her friends where Payne lived on a different occasion in order to get closure.

Payne's uncle testified during the trial that he and his two children were in the home when Payne was murdered.

He described hearing gunshots, frantically telling his son to call 911 and then trying to shield his children from seeing their cousin's body on the floor as they walked out of the house.

Prosecutors say after the homicide, Sleeth drove the teens out to Fellows Lake, where they ditched their weapons.

It was a text message that Sleeth allegedly sent Payne before the homicide that helped detectives piece together who was involved.

It took authorities five months to charge Sleeth with Payne's murder, and her case has been moving through the court system for almost four years.

The trial wrapped up on Tuesday afternoon, but the jury was not able to come to a unanimous decision on Tuesday night.

The jury, nine women and three men, came back Wednesday morning, deliberated for about an hour and then turned in the verdict.

Sleeth had about a dozen supporters in the courtroom when the verdict was read on Wednesday morning, many of whom were brought to tears when Judge Calvin Holden read the verdict.

Holden then revoked Sleeth's bond, meaning she will be in jail until her sentencing.

After the verdict, Cooley told the News-Leader he plans to ask for a new trial.

"She went from a victim to a convicted person because of an act of violence by people different from her," Cooley said.