An Orange County jury Wednesday found a man guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of ex-Orlando Magic player Adreian Payne.
Lawrence Alexander Dority, 32, shot and killed Payne in an east Orlando neighborhood in May 2022. Payne had been contracted by the Magic ahead of the 2017-2018 season, but spent most of time in the team’s NBA G-League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, and was dropped in January 2018 after he was named in a sexual assault investigation. No charges were ever filed in that matter.
Dority said he arrived home the night of the shooting to find Payne parked outside his home on Egret Shores Drive, just north of Curry Ford Road in eastern Orange County.
Witnesses said Payne was there because his girlfriend, a close friend of Dority’s fiancée, had been invited to the home, but Dority said he was not expecting him.
Dority told investigators Payne threatened him, prompting Dority to go into the house and grab a gun, according to affidavits and court filings. Dority’s father and son were sitting in a car parked in the driveway at the time.
A court motion claims Payne “reached in the area of his waistband and grips something that appeared to look like a gun.” Dority then fired a single shot and called 911.
But Payne, who later died of his injuries, did not have a weapon on him. Orange County Sheriff’s Office investigators concluded Payne had not posed a threat and arrested Dority, citing witness statements and surveillance video of the scene, according to an affidavit.
Dority’s sentencing hearing is currently scheduled for Aug. 29.
Originally Published: July 30, 2025 at 4:45 PM EDT