Former Cop Charged With Killing His Lover to Plea Guilty Friday

The former Oxford police officer charged with killing Dominique “Lucy” Clayton is scheduled to change his plea to guilty Friday in exchange for a sentence of life behind bars without the possibility of parole.

Lafayette County Circuit Clerk Jeff Busby said Matthew Kinne is set to go before Judge Kent Smith at the Union County Courthouse in New Albany at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

Busby said prosecutors met with the victim’s family last week.

Clayton was found shot to death on May 29, 2019, in her Brittany Estates home. Two days later, Kinne was arrested and charged with her murder. A grand jury indicted him on capital murder in August 2019.

If he went to trial and was found guilty, he could have been sentenced to either the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

He is currently being held on no bond at the Union County Jail.

Police and family said the two were in a romantic relationship despite Kinne being married at the time. He was with Oxford Police Department for four years before being terminated after his arrest.

Family members have previously stated that Clayton believed she was pregnant and told Kinne a few days prior to her being killed. It’s still unclear as to whether she was pregnant at the time of her death.

Kinne is being represented by local attorney Tony Farese.

Kinne’s arrest led to two other police officers resigning from OPD due to possible improprieties in the handling of the investigation.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations handled the investigation.

Clayton family attorney Carlos Moore filed a $5 million insurance claim with the city of Oxford in 2019. No formal lawsuit has been filed against OPD or the city of Oxford. City officials have stated they cannot comment on potential litigation matters.

Moore said Monday evening that Clayton’s family is “pleased” about Kinne pleading guilty and his lifelong prison sentence.