MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A federal judge in Mississippi has awarded $2.2 million to the children of a woman who was slain by a former Oxford police officer.
Judge Glen Davidson called off Thursday’s hearing in the civil case against former Oxford police officer Matthew Kinne after he said he heard enough to make a key decision in the massive lawsuit.
The judge said he would make his decision based in part on the family’s written testimony.
Kinne was being sued by the family of Dominique Clayton after pleading guilty to her murder. Clayton’s family was seeking more than $10 million dollars in damages.
Court records state Kinne is liable for compensatory damages of $1.2 million — or $300,000 to each of Clayton’s surviving children– plus $1 million in punitive damages.
Most, if not all, of that money would go to Clayton’s four children, who suffered deep emotional scars and may need years of therapy following their mother’s death.
Kinne pleaded guilty to the capital murder of Clayton last July and was sentenced to life without parole.
Clayton’s body was found by her son on May 19, 2019. According to court testimony, Kinne shot her in the head with his police-issued firearm when he conducted a “welfare check” on her home earlier that morning.