A Glimpse into the Life of a Notorious Jewel Thief
Over the years, we have seen many amazing and interesting stories make their way into becoming biopics and documentaries, telling us the tales that can be hard to believe. One such story that is about to become a film for audiences everywhere to see is that of Doris Payne, who is a well known jewel thief whose criminal activity has spanned the course of six decades. Although her story may be familiar to many around the world and in the nation, there are still few things that people know about the criminal. We are going to count down the top five things that you probably never knew about Doris Payne and her lifetime of crime. With that said, let’s get started.
1. A Difficult Childhood in a Coal Mining Town
Doris Payne was born in October of 1930 in the town of Slab Fork, West Virginia. She was born to a family of coal miners, which might have led to her love and desire for finer things and jewelry.
2. A Master of Charm and Deception
Doris Payne most certainly had her sights set on thieving, and she has had no intentions of stopping any time soon, as we will get to later. She would make her habit of working to charm the clerks at the jewelry counters, using her charm and charisma to woo them, and make them take out dozens of pieces for her to “try on”. Once they began to forget how much they took out, she would slyly make her move, taking a couple of pieces before leaving.
3. The Infamous Monte Carlo Heist
The international jewel thief is most known for a crime that took place in the 70’s, in which she stole a 10 carat diamond ring in Monte Carlo. After lifting the ring, she fled to France, where she was captured by Nice, and then sentenced to 9 months in prison for the crime back in Monte Carlo.
4. Age is Just a Number for Doris Payne
As we mentioned before, even at the age of 87, Doris Payne is still at thieving whenever she can. Her latest crime took place in July of 2017, in which she stole $86 worth of jewelry from the jewelry counter at a local Walmart store in Atlanta. At the time of the theft, she was still wearing an ankle bracelet from her previous arrest that took place in 2016.
5. Doris Payne’s Life Inspires Entertainment
Because her life has been such a whirlwind of crime, there have been many entertainment based influences about her in recent years. There has already been a documentary made about her life, entitled ‘The Life and Crimes of Doris Payne’, and her character has also been portrayed in an episode of ‘What Would You Do?’. They are also in the works of creating a biopic film about her life, in which Tessa Thompson will portray Payne herself.
Needless to say, Doris Payne has had a life that many could not even possibly dream about. A lifetime of crime that doesn’t even seem to phase the criminal, even at the age of 87 years old. We are anxious to see the new biopic that is set to come out about Payne’s life, to say the least, and to possibly experience a side of the story that we might not have before. No release date has been set as of yet, but stay tuned for more details as they come in.
