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Man Who Dressed As Woman to Commit Murder Could Get Life In Prison

BALTIMORE, Md. (WJZ)-- A west Baltimore man could spend the rest of his life behind bars after being found guilty of murdering a man, while he was disguised as a woman.

City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby called this a heinous and calculated murder.

22-year-old Brandon Payton was wearing a woman's hat, moments after he shot a man four times. Killing him on the sidewalk in broad daylight last June.

"He essentially dressed up like a woman, and chased the victim down, stood over him, and then shot him several times," said Mosby.

Payton was arrested a month later, with help from a witness. He was caught thanks to two vital clues. A fingerprint from the hood of a car nearby and surveillance video from a liquor store.

The camera caught everything and fingerprints led police to Payton, who has had several run-ins with the law.

WJZ has learned he was charged with multiple crimes committed during last spring's riots. They included destruction of property, burglary, reckless endangerment and rioting.

Arrested not long after he was caught on camera fist-bumping a national guardsman, an image shared around the world.

"If they are involved in these crimes, ATF will investigate them. And we will continue, as we have been, relentless in their pursuit," said an ATF agent.

A conviction for a much more heinous crime. Thanks, in part, to a community on alert.

"If it wasn't for that witness, we would not have been able to apprehend and ultimately convict this defendant," said Mosby.

The surveillance video outside the liquor store did capture the entire shooting. That video has not been released. Payton's sentencing is set for December 5.

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