The Herington man accused of killing former Emporian Mackenzie Payne last summer has now pleaded guilty to the crime.
Dylan Barber, 25, pleaded to first-degree murder during a motions hearing Monday in Sedgwick County District Court, according to Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office Media Coordinator Dan Dillon. Other charges against Barber were dropped, including criminal in possession of a weapon and criminal threat.
Originally, Barber was due in court Monday for a series of motions, including one to endorse witnesses, a second to admit hearsay evidence and a third to determine whether there would be a so-called Jackson-Denno hearing — or a hearing to determine whether a defendant’s confession was offered voluntarily.
Barber allegedly killed Payne in late June, stabbing her several times before she died. Payne, 22, graduated from Emporia High School in 2013 and was preparing for medical school at the University of Kansas when she was murdered.
Payne’s death was Wichita’s 24th homicide of 2018 and the third domestic violence murder of the year.
Official word on a sentencing date is pending.
