Atlanta computer-consulting entrepreneur Lance Herndon was bludgeoned to death in his Roswell, Georgia, home on August 9, 1996, and the Lance Herndon murder went unsolved for roughly 18 months before his girlfriend, Dionne Baugh, was arrested. She was convicted of malice murder in 2001 and sentenced to life in prison, but the Georgia Supreme Court reversed that conviction in 2003. After a retrial ended in a hung jury, Baugh pleaded guilty in late 2004 to voluntary manslaughter and served 10 years.
What Happened the Night of the Killing
Herndon, 41, was the founder and CEO of Access, Inc., described as the largest African-American computer consulting firm in the Southeast, with roughly $3 million in annual revenue.1UPI. Noted Black Businessman Slain2Publishers Weekly. Redbone: Money, Malice, and Murder in Atlanta When he failed to appear at his office on the morning of August 9, 1996, his mother, Jackie Herndon, went to check on him and found him unresponsive in his bedroom around 10:00 a.m.3NBC News. Dateline Full Episode: The Killer Among Them
Herndon was nude, positioned with his hands crossed on his chest. A medical examiner found that multiple blows to the front and right side of his face had “crushed all the facial bones inward,” with a single non-fatal blow to the back of his head. Blood spatter on the headboard and walls suggested the killer had straddled him on the bed while striking.4FindLaw. Baugh v. State
There was no sign of forced entry. Three alarm clocks in the room had been unplugged, and one flip clock was stopped at 4:10 a.m., which detectives took as a likely time of death. The shower curtain was pulled back and the tub was wet, suggesting the killer had washed off before leaving. A photo of Herndon’s primary girlfriend, Kathy Collins, on the nightstand had been turned face down. A laptop was missing from his home office.5Oxygen. Dionne Baugh Killed Atlanta Tech Mogul Lance Herndon
Investigators believed the murder weapon was a 16-inch adjustable crescent wrench missing from Herndon’s basement pegboard. He had recently used it to assemble exercise equipment. The wrench was never recovered; lead detective Tommy Williams of the Roswell Police Department later said he believed it ended up “in the bottom of the Chattahoochee River.”5Oxygen. Dionne Baugh Killed Atlanta Tech Mogul Lance Herndon
Who Dionne Baugh Was
Baugh was born in Jamaica and had moved to Atlanta, where she worked at MARTA and studied at Georgia State University. She was married to Shaun Nelson, an Air Jamaica pilot frequently out of the country, and the couple had a daughter born in 1992.6Sportskeeda. Where Are Dionne Baugh’s Ex-Husband and Daughter Now She met Herndon at his 41st birthday party, and the relationship that followed was described as tumultuous. Herndon gave her a Mercedes-Benz and access to his credit cards while continuing to see other women, including Kathy Collins.5Oxygen. Dionne Baugh Killed Atlanta Tech Mogul Lance Herndon
On July 10, 1996, about a month before the killing, Baugh showed up at Herndon’s home unannounced, found Collins there, and banged on the door until police arrested her for criminal trespass.7Oxygen. Dionne Baugh Has Sex With Boyfriend Before Bludgeoning Him Herndon bailed her out but did not drop the charge. The trespass hearing was scheduled for August 9, 1996, the day his body was found.4FindLaw. Baugh v. State
By that point, Herndon was pulling away. His assistant Zonya Adams later testified that he was afraid of Baugh, had cut off her access to his credit cards, and was trying to get the Mercedes back.7Oxygen. Dionne Baugh Has Sex With Boyfriend Before Bludgeoning Him
How Investigators Zeroed in on Baugh
For 18 months the case stalled. Two developments broke it open. In 1998, Baugh’s husband, Shaun Nelson, told police that during an argument Baugh had threatened to kill him “just like she did Lance.” Separately, sworn testimony Baugh gave in her divorce case contradicted what she had told investigators. She had told police she was home the night of the murder; in divorce court, she admitted she had gone to Herndon’s house that night to retrieve a laptop.5Oxygen. Dionne Baugh Killed Atlanta Tech Mogul Lance Herndon
She was arrested on January 29, 1998, and charged with murder and aggravated assault.7Oxygen. Dionne Baugh Has Sex With Boyfriend Before Bludgeoning Him Other people close to Herndon had already been cleared. Kathy Collins had a verified alibi. Herndon’s ex-wife Jeannine Price, the beneficiary of a life insurance policy investigators valued at between $750,000 and $1 million, had what detectives called an “airtight alibi.”5Oxygen. Dionne Baugh Killed Atlanta Tech Mogul Lance Herndon
The Trial and Conviction
Baugh was tried in Fulton County from April 9 to 17, 2001. The Fulton County District Attorney’s office, led by Paul L. Howard Jr. with prosecutor Clint Rucker, presented an entirely circumstantial case. Baugh was represented by attorneys Donald F. Samuel and Tony L. Axam.4FindLaw. Baugh v. State
Several strands tied Baugh to the scene. DNA under Herndon’s fingernails matched both Herndon and Baugh. Two head hairs and one pubic hair recovered from his body were forensically similar to Baugh’s. She had Herndon’s missing laptop, and she had used his credit card, signing as “Dionne Herndon,” to buy furniture on the day his body was found. Nine days after the killing, police searched her purse and found unsigned documents she had prepared for Herndon’s signature, including an agreement transferring his car to her upon his death and a statement supposedly expressing his wish to drop the trespass charge.4FindLaw. Baugh v. State
Prosecutors argued the motive combined jealousy and financial panic: Herndon was cutting Baugh off and the trespass hearing at which he might testify against her was set for that very day. On April 17, 2001, the jury found her guilty on all counts. She was sentenced to life in prison for malice murder, with concurrent five- and two-year terms for theft and credit card fraud.4FindLaw. Baugh v. State
Reversal on Appeal, Then a Plea
On July 10, 2003, the Supreme Court of Georgia reversed the conviction. The court found the trial judge had committed harmful error by letting the lead detective testify to out-of-court statements from five other witnesses whose credibility had not yet been attacked. Because the state’s case was purely circumstantial, the improperly admitted hearsay had “added critical weight” and warranted a new trial.4FindLaw. Baugh v. State
The second trial ended in a mistrial when jurors deadlocked.7Oxygen. Dionne Baugh Has Sex With Boyfriend Before Bludgeoning Him Facing a third trial and the possibility of another life sentence, Baugh pleaded guilty in late 2004 to voluntary manslaughter. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation.8Corrections1. 1996 Killer of Roswell Millionaire Out of Prison
Where Dionne Baugh Is Now
Baugh was released in July 2011 after serving the full 10-year prison term, then began her 10-year probation.8Corrections1. 1996 Killer of Roswell Millionaire Out of Prison That probation would have expired around 2021. No public reporting has documented her life since her release.