Judge: 86-year-old jewel thief Payne too sick for trial

FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2016, file photo, Doris Payne speaks during an interview in Atlanta. Payne, a well-known jewel thief who reflected on her six-decade criminal career in a 2013 documentary, has been deemed too ill to stand trial for an alleged 2015 theft. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Payne's trial was scheduled to start Feb. 21, 2017, in connection with the theft of a pair of Christian Dior earrings from a Saks Fifth Avenue store. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File) (The Associated Press)

A well-known jewel thief who reflected on her six-decade criminal career in a 2013 documentary has been deemed too ill to stand trial for an alleged 2015 theft.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (http://bit.ly/2mI3OFV ) that 86-year-old Doris Payne's trial was scheduled to start Feb. 21 in connection with the theft of a pair of Christian Dior earrings from a Saks Fifth Avenue store.

But the trial is on hold. An administrative order signed by a Fulton County Superior Court judge says the defense has demonstrated that Payne's medical condition precludes the case from moving forward.

Meanwhile, she awaits arraignment after her December arrest at a store in Atlanta's Perimeter Mall.

Payne, her family and friends discuss her life in the documentary "The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne."

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Information from: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, http://www.ajc.com