17-year-old arrested in death of Brunswick musician

BRUNSWICK — An arrest has been made in the death of a Glynn County musician at a party over the weekend.

The Arrest: After multiple witness interviews, review of all available evidence and in consultation with the Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney, the Glynn County Police Department has charged and arrested 17-year-old Edward Aaron Hunter III in the death of local musician Travis Lee Payne.

Hunter was arrested on Thursday morning at his residence in Waynesville. He is charged with Involuntary Manslaughter and Affray. Hunter was booked at the Glynn County Detention Center.

Under Georgia law, involuntary manslaughter is defined as follows: “A person commits the offense of involuntary manslaughter in the commission of an unlawful act when he causes the death of another human being without any intention to do so by the commission of an unlawful act other than a felony.”

What happened?: At about 12:40 a.m. on Saturday, Glynn County Fire Rescue responded to a call about an unconscious individual at an address on Millennium Blvd. Initial 911 callers essentially said that an intoxicated victim fell and busted his head.

Glynn County Police Patrol units were dispatched at 12:43 a.m.  

At 1:01 a.m., the victim was transported to Southeast Georgia Health System-Brunswick where life saving measures were attempted. As a result of their injury, the victim was pronounced dead by the attending ER physician. 

According to the Glynn County Police Department, preliminary information indicates a private party was held at the location and during that event, Payne was in a physical altercation with another Hunter. The altercation caused Payne to fall and strike his head on the concrete, which resulted in his death. 

Payne was 41 years old.

⚠️ Reminder: Crime articles contain only charges and information from police reports and law enforcement statements. Suspects and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.