BATON ROUGE — A Baton Rouge nonprofit, which is part of a corruption investigation, allegedly paid for a man awaiting trial for murder to speak to children about gun safety and violence, according to a report by The Advocate.

According to city-parish records, Safe, Hopeful, Healthy BR paid 36-year-old Marvin Payne to speak to children about gun safety in June of 2022, the newspaper reported.

Court records said at that time, Payne and his brother were accused of second-degree murder in August 2021 for a fatal shooting that took the life of 26-year-old Jordan Jenkins.

Payne was later bonded out as he waited for a murder trial. Several weeks after being released on bond, Baton Rouge City Constable Terrica Williams hosted a summer mentoring program.

"They get to spend a week with law enforcement, and the thing is, they get to learn law enforcement. They get to trust us, build gaps and bridges where children can know we can trust law enforcement," she said.

Williams said that Metro Councilman Darryl Hurst suggested Payne come and speak at the event. WBRZ asked Williams if she knew at the time that Payne was awaiting trial.

"I don't want to stand here and say no or yes, but I'm almost positive that had I known that, I would've been like, 'No, let's just wait until whatever is going on is completed'. Most of the time, the people that I allow to speak to kids are someone who has already been through something," Williams said.

Williams said that since then, she has asked many questions when people recommend guest speakers in hopes of never having something like this happen again.

"I don't think there were ill intentions on Councilman Hurst's part. I know there were no real intentions on my part. I just think it was something that we thought would help the kids," Williams said.

WBRZ reached out to Hurst for comment, but never heard anything back. The Advocate did report that Hurst made a statement on Friday, saying that "While I do not condone any actions that occurred prior to his (Payne's) decision to pursue change, our period of collaboration produced measurable positive outcomes."

The newspaper reported Hurst said Payne had told him about his desire to change and use his experiences to better others.

The Safe, Hopeful, Healthy program that paid for the event is currently involved in a corruption investigation into the Baton Rouge government.

A former staff member for former Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, Courtney Scott, was indicted on Wednesday in an investigation into city-parish corruption.

Payne's original murder charge was dropped in 2024. East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore said his office could no longer get in contact with the main witness in this case.

"If we ever locate that witness, and we're still actively looking for that witness, then those charges can be reinstituted," Moore said.

Payne was charged with several weapons offenses over the last eight years and is currently on trial for allegedly running a drug manufacturing operation. Deputies previously said Payne was a member of a Zion City gang called the "5400 Boys."