ST. CROIX — A Florida jury convicted former Senator Steven Payne Sr. of one count of sexual battery on a minor today in Jacksonville following a three-day trial in the Circuit Court of the Fourth Judicial Circuit in and for Duval County.
The verdict came after about three hours of deliberation by a six-person jury composed of three men and three women who appeared to be primarily in their 30s. Two of the men were white, and one was Black. Two of the women were Black, and one was white.
Payne, 59, showed no visible emotion as the verdict was read, but his mother and sister started crying. Steffi Emilien, the victim, also remained composed. After hearing the guilty verdict, Emilien told WTJX that it felt like a weight came off her shoulders as she endured years of anticipation and emotional turmoil leading up to the trial.
“I was very nervous, like my legs were shaking,” she said. “I was trembling.”
Despite the lack of physical evidence, Emilien said she was hopeful. She said the verdict was a victory for her and other girls who could not speak up or testify during the trial. She said she and others Payne allegedly victimized told 100% of the truth.
“We know this guy like the back of our hand, and I literally had to live with him for years, and I had to be in the band dealing with everything,” she said.
Emilien noted the difficulty in coming forward with allegations against Payne.
“It was really hard for us, and I just hope that whoever was on our side, I hope you’re smiling right now,” she said. “I hope you’re celebrating. This was a big win for us, and we can finally continue our healing process.”
In addition to Emilien, another woman, Chezni Jones, testified during the trial. Jones testified about an incident that occurred in 2005 during which Payne, her mentor when he was in the Virgin Islands Police Department, allegedly tried to force her to inappropriately touch him while showing her defensive tactics on a beach prior to her enrollment in the police academy. She accused Payne of grabbing her and ripping her underwear before she was able to escape him.
Sitting in the courtroom today with her attorney and victim advocate to support Emilien was Dene Dessuit, Payne’s former staffer who filed a sexual harassment complaint against him that led to his expulsion from the Legislature in 2022 and later filed a civil lawsuit in Virgin Islands Superior Court accusing Payne of assault and false imprisonment.
READ MORE: Former-Sen. Payne staffer files civil lawsuit; includes Legislature, Sen. Frett-Gregory in suit
The court allowed the prosecution to introduce evidence of Payne’s alleged prior misconduct involving Emilien and Jones. The court, however, ruled against allowing the introduction of evidence detailed in Dessuit’s lawsuit.
Payne was described by the prosecution as a father figure to Emilien, who moved to St. John from her home country of St. Lucia and performed in a band that Payne managed called VI Avengerz Band. When her original living situation on St. John ended, she moved in with Payne’s girlfriend. She moved to Florida after the hurricanes of 2017.
Payne was found guilty of sexually battering Emilien with a vibrator between August 1, 2018 and February 27, 2019 at his sister’s house in Florida when she was 17 years old. The sexual battery occurred after two other alleged incidents, including a time on St. John when Payne allegedly asked Emilien to sit on his lap before he started kissing her, and a time in Florida after the 2017 storms when Payne took Emilien to an amusement park and allegedly forced her to massage him and shower with him in a hotel room.
The case moved swiftly as it began Monday with jury selection. Opening statements and testimony followed Tuesday. The defense rested its case first thing this morning after informing the court that Payne would not testify. Closing arguments then took place before the case went to the jury.
After closing arguments, Circuit Judge Meredith Charbula gave jury instructions just before noon. The jury began deliberating at about 12:20 p.m. By about 1:10 p.m., court was reconvened to address a jury question about whether their verdict would affect Emilien’s eligibility for a U visa — a special immigration benefit available to victims of certain crimes, including sexual battery.
Attorneys and the judge agreed on a response clarifying that the jury must base its verdict solely on the law and the evidence presented in court. The issue of the U visa had been raised during the trial by the defense, who suggested Emilien may have fabricated her account in hopes of receiving immigration benefits. Emilien and prosecutors countered that while the possibility had been researched, she never applied for the visa and would not receive one based on the outcome of the trial. The jury returned to its deliberations, delivering its verdict at about 3:20 p.m.
Payne was taken into custody in handcuffs pending sentencing. The charge he was convicted of is a first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison. Sentencing is expected in early November, though the exact date has not been set. Prosecutors indicated that determining the minimum sentence is a complicated process under Florida’s sentencing laws.
In addition to Payne’s mother and sister, his girlfriend and brother, former Senator Clarence Payne, were present in court.
Payne was represented by attorneys Christopher Carson and Darcy Galnor. The prosecution team included Assistant State Attorneys Jaclyn Blair and Shaina Ruth.
