An agent meticulously reconstructed the shredded papers found in Marvin Potter's truck, pictured here, which appeared to be thousands of emails sent to the Potter family. Social media allowed Jenelle Potter to be someone that she wasnt She invented Chris. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. When I read this, I was devastated, Lindsay Thomas, a friend of Hayworth and Payne, told 20/20., [Jenelle] was always saying that somebody was mad at her. Agent Lott then arranged for Marvin to call his wife Barbara. Choose wisely! Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Blackwood told Curd there was no guarantee the parole board would agree to grant his release that quickly. The murder occurred after months of allegations from Potters daughter, Jenelle Potter, and his wife, Barbara Potter, and a Facebook defriending. In one incident, police photographed a rock, pictured above, that was found in the Potters front yard with the names Billy Payne and Billie Jean written on it. Now, two of the three parties serving two consecutive life sentences for the 2012 murders of Bill Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth are asking for a new ruling. Somebody wanted to kill her, Greenwell said. Please subscribe to keep reading. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The matriarch of a family trio convicted on two counts of first- degree murder in the so-called Facebook murders was granted a new trial after a judge ruled her trial attorney who also. The 60-year-old father is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for killing Billy Payne Jr. and his girlfriend, Billie Jean Hayworth. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. I've done everything. The fact that Mr. Fallin failed to engage his clients in the required discussions regarding conflict of interest and waiver of the potential conflict does not, standing alone, entitle Petitioner to relief. The tragic case rocked the entire town of Mountain City, Tennessee. Agent Lott said, "Barbara would take this information and show it to Buddy: 'Buddy, look, look what they're trying to do to Jenelle.' Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. In May 2015, three and a half years after the shootings, Jenelle and Barbara finally went on trial. On July 13 and July 14, the Washington County Criminal Court revisited a crime that put a national focus on the small town of Mountain City. [photo credit: YouTube] In one of them, Barbara Potter was communicating with Chris and sounded like she wanted Payne and Hayworth dead. Payne, 36, and Hayworth, 23, were killed about three years ago in their Mountain City home by Marvin Potter and Jamie Curd. The Mountain City TN murder/homicide rate for 2015 was 0 per 100,000 population, a NAN% decline from 2014. Read more about Scout's Crime Data. Marvin Potter, Barbara Potter and Jenelle Potter are all planning to appeal their convictions. Partly cloudy skies. When Brooks was through, Criminal Court Judge Lisa Rice reportedly asked Barbara if she agreed that what the prosecutor described would be the evidence presented against her in court if she were to be tried again. Data for all 32,900 zip codes in one easy-to-use Excel file Mountain City, Tn Housing Market Highlights ECONOMY Because we knew that they had trouble with [Hayworth and Payne], Woodard told 20/20.. But when police took a look at the computer they seized from the Potters' home, they learned the emails from the CIA agent Chris were all coming from an account that belonged to Jenelle Potter, and a review of the IP address confirmed that. The two men walked across a field in the dark, then Buddy Potter handed Curd a gun just before they went into the Payne home, but Curd said it was Buddy Potter who walked down the hallway and shot Payne, then Hayworth. Marvin Potter said he shot Payne accidentally, but intentionally slit the mans throat because of the threats Potter believed Payne had made toward Jenelle. [They] threatened to get [me] raped, Jenelle said. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. He did different jobs. Mr. Fallin made no effort to explain a potential conflict or obtain informed waivers from Barbara and Marvin. Our nationwide meta-analysis overcomes the issues inherent in any crime database, including non-reporting and reporting errors. I was a bad person. The 2019 crime rate in Mountain City, TN is 69 (City-Data.com crime index), which is 3.9 times lower than the U.S. average. Janie Hayworth, older sister to Billie Jean Hayworth, and Beverly Garland, mother of Payne, both said the loss of their loved one greatly affected their families, and their lives would never be the same. Then, too, she wanted to make amends with what had happened. It also gives the public a better understanding of how the criminal justice system works, Brooks said. Jenelle Potter was jealous of the couples relationship and created a CIA agent, named Chris, to get into touch with her parents, Brooks said. According to the most recent data from the FBI, the total crime rate in Mountain City is 988.1 per 100,000 people. Crime risk data are updated annually. "Match Any Neighborhood" calculates the Match Level of one neighborhood to another using more than 200 characteristics of each neighborhood. Everybody says she fell in love with Bill, but I still dont see that, said Greenwell. Mountain City is located just a few miles from both the Virginia and North Carolina state lines. But behind her parents backs, Jenelle and Curd would secretly spend time together. For Jenelle Potter, she will be 86 years old when shes eligible for release. ", Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The book discusses the police investigation that Brooks said made the crime even more interesting. By being able to show conflict of interest, we were able to show ineffective assistance of counsel.. A week after the crime, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of Marvin "Buddy" Potter (of no relation to the mayor) and his daughter's then-boyfriend, Jamie Lynn Curd. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. He entered that plea to facilitation to commit murder Tuesday prior to the Potter womens sentencing hearing. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The Brady case determined that prosecutors are required to turn over any evidence that would be in favor of the defendant. Date(s) & Update Frequency: Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. It turned out there really was a person named Chris Chris Tjaden, a police officer in Delaware who attended high school with Jenelle Potter who prosecutors said Jenelle based her fictitious CIA friend on. According to a summary from the publisher, when Payne and Hayworth began their romance, they unknowingly set in motion a diabolical plot that would end with them murdered in their own home, Hayworth holding their infant, who was not harmed. For Jenelle Potter, she will be 86 years old when shes eligible for release. On Jan. 31, 2012, a friend found Billie Jean Hayworth and Billy Payne dead by single gunshots to their faces. Barbara and Jenelle Potter, who will be the subject of an ABC 20/20 segment later this year, continue to deny any involvement in the murders. 18,000 local law enforcement agencies in the U.S. After Curds plea on Tuesday, state prosecutors Assistant District Attorneys Matt Roark and Dennis Brooks presented two witnesses to testify about how the deaths of Payne and Hayworth affected them and their families. So he decided to write it down. Its just not in her.. After combing through them, it appeared there was some type of conspiracy here. The fourth defendant, Jamie Curd, described by prosecutors as Jenelles boyfriend, was also charged but hes worked out a plea agreement with the state in exchange for testifying against the Potter women. Hayworth was holding their young son, but he was not injured. Morefield reportedly told investigators that the shooting was in self-defense. Mr. Fallin was not granted power of attorney over the Potter family assets counsels daughter Jessica was. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Mountain City. Washington County District Attorney's Office. He never testified. Wed have the right to appeal that, but if a judge sets forth sound legal reasoning, its hard to win an appeal, Brooks said. During the interview, Jenelle appeared to be hiding her romantic relationship with Curd from her parents. Prosecutors believe Potter created a false online identity of a CIA agent named Chris, in a phenomenon known as "catfishing," to fool her parents and her boyfriend and to goad her father into killing Hayworth and Payne. After a six-day trial, the two were convicted of planning the Jan. 31, 2012, shooting deaths of Bill Payne, 36, and Billie Jean Hayworth, 23, inside that couples Johnson County home. With no evidence or DNA left at the crime scene, police rely on the rumor mill and their instincts to try and identify suspects. A gruesome execution style double murder of a young couple shakes a small mountain community in Eastern Tennessee. Payne and Hayworth were shot inside their Johnson County home early that morning while Payne was getting ready for work. I did that on purpose, Marvin testified about slitting Paynes throat in his confession at the post-conviction hearing. At one point, Barbara ripped the photos that were found in what seemed to be an attempt to hide them from police. Buddy and Jenelles convictions were both upheld on appeal. 8,376,755. Appearing in Washington County Court on Wednesday, Barbara Potter, 69, pleaded guilty to two counts of facilitation of . bcampbell@johnsoncitypress.com, One of three Facebook murder convictions overturned, mother granted new trial. Jenelle Potter said her father became more protective with her because of the alleged threats she was receiving. Paynes stepfather, David Garland, sent copies of a letter addressed to the acting sheriff, Mike Reece, to The Tomahawk in July 2012. There was controversy around how the Johnson County Sheriffs Office handled the murder case during the original investigation. ", Jenelle Potter said of communicating with the supposed CIA agent Chris through email, "I thought he was someone that I was friends with in school. [The text messages were] very telling about Jenelle being involved in the preparation for the killing, prosecutor Dennis Brooks told 20/20.. Law enforcement officials have been involved in other incidents where Potter's daughter, Jenelle Potter, thought she had been slighted by someone. And when she would go out with her dad, he said they were watching them together, Barbara said. I think they would be called masterminds, said Lott. MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. (WCYB) One of six people charged in the kidnapping and murder of a North Carolina man was found guilty in a Johnson County, Tennessee courtroom. Assistant District Attorney Dennis Brooks will officially release Too Pretty to Live: The Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee on Tuesday by Diversion Publishing. This equates to a rate of 3 per one thousand inhabitants. In a tiny town in Tennessee, a young couple are brutally shot, execution style in their home. Jenelle Potter said she had trouble making friends when she lived in Mountain City, Tenn. The jury reached a verdict of guilty on Friday, October 11, 2013 in the trial of Mavin Enoch Buddy Potter, Jr. who was charged with two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of Mountain City couple Bill Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth. The Rules of Professional Conduct impute the actions of non-lawyers to their attorney employers. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. I wanted the harassment to stop," Potter said. Raw data sources: But from Barbaras perspective, shed already had that trial one time. He also pointed out that based on time served, she had already completed the 30-percent of her sentence required to be eligible for parole. We won't share it with anyone else. Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood said the crime was the most bizarre thing hes seen in his career as as judge, but that concurrent sentences virtually guarantees the women will never be released. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. . Curd is the only one charged who admitted any involvement in the killings, but told investigators and testified that he had no knowledge of it prior to the morning it happened and that it was Buddy Potter who killed the couple. That sentence is also concurrent to her life sentences. Our nationally-comparable school ratings are covered under US Patent No. / CBS News. He said he couldnt use his real name, his real identity.. Police had a major breakthrough in their investigation of the murders after interviewing Potter's boyfriend, Jamie Curd, who admitted to being involved in the murders and told police that Jenelle Potters father, Marvin Potter, shot Hayworth and Payne to protect his daughter from what he perceived as an imminent threat? I just disliked them. Barbara Potter was also convicted of tampering with evidence, which stemmed from her tearing up photos of Hayworth and some of Hayworths friends while investigators were executing a search warrant at the Potter home. In previous trials, the prosecutor presented several signs of possible knowledge of the plan, such as an article Barbara reportedly emailed to herself entitled Can God Forgive a Murder? 15 days before the murders took place. Billie Jean Hayworth was dating Billy Payne, and the couple lived together with their 7-month-old baby boy. Barbara Mae Potter, 64, and her daughter, Jenelle Leigh Potter, 35, of Mountain City, were tried in May on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree murder. Jenelles sister Christie Groover, whos been estranged from the family for a decade, said Jenelle struggled to make friends growing up. — -- A Tennessee woman in prison for the murders of a young couple with whom she had been feuding online said she didn't want them to die. I think they would be called masterminds. Assistant District Attorney General Dennis Brooks. My dad even tried to meet him places, try to talk to him.. Curd's initial bond was raised to $1.5 million while Potter remains jailed on his initial $200,000 bond. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, 'PURPOSE IN THE PAIN' Faith, family fuels Eastside girls basketball coach Funk, VHSL HOOPS: George Wythe's Ty Campbell making his own legacy, LOCALS IN THE PROS: Mac McClung back at the G League grind, Richlands altercation under investigation, VHSL CLASS 1 BOYS: George Wythe hits 16 3s in trouncing of Twin Springs, VHSL HOOPS: Ryan Horne having senior year to remember for Twin Springs, KFC is bringing back a fan favorite after a nearly 10-year hiatus, REGION 1D: Fourth time the charm for J.I. Paynes throat had also been slashed as he lay in bed, and Billie Jean had been cradling their baby in her arms when she died. Curd said Buddy picked him up and drove to a church parking lot near the Payne home. Jerry Lambe is a journalist at Law&Crime. The fourth defendant, Jamie Curd, described by prosecutors as Jenelles boyfriend, was also charged, but he worked out a plea agreement with the state in exchange for testifying against the Potter women. I plead guilty, your honor, Barbara reportedly said. Prosecutors believe Jenelle used the false identity to fool her parents and to goad Marvin into the killing. The day after the murders, Chief Deputy Joe Woodard of the Johnson County Sheriffs Department, talked to Jenelle, Barbara and Marvin at their home, which they recorded. I didnt grow up here, Potter, 34, told 20/20. People here do not like outsiders.. His wife told 20/20 he later worked with the CIA. Barbara Potter, her husband Marvin Buddy Potter, and their daughter Jenelle Potter had all previously been convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder by Washington County juries. Schults reportedly told JCP that Barbara requested him to reach a deal with prosecutorsagainst his advicebecause she did not want to go through another trial. This is about average for all cities and towns in America of all population sizes. Later that week, authorities brought Curd in and asked him to take a polygraph test, which indicated he lied about knowing the identity of Payne and Hayworths killer. On July 13 and July 14, the Washington County Criminal Court revisited a crime that put a national focus on the small town of Mountain City. Initially police were baffled by the crime, until they uncovered a web of lies and manipulation so bizarre it would catapult the small town into the national spotlight. US Highway 421 connects Mountain City to Bristol, Virginia in the northwest direction and to Boone, North Carolina in the southeast. The turmoil eventually led to Buddy traveling to Payne and Hayworths mobile home in Mountain City where he shot and killed both execution-style, slit Paynes throat, and left the couples 8-month-old son alive in his mothers lifeless arms. According to a release from the Mountain City Police Department, officers were called to the 300 block of Industrial Drive on November 14, 2020. That case focused on information revealed from Deputy District Attorney Dennis Brooks book on the case, Too Pretty to Live, the Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee. Barbara and Jenelle Potters attorneys are focusing this new request around Marvin Potters never-before-heard testimony on the chain of events. In another part of the ruling, Acree wrote: In this case, despite Mr. Fallins belief that no conflict of interest prevented him from representing both Barbara Potter and Marvin Potter, the Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that Mr. Fallin was required to explain the potential conflict to his clients and obtain informed consent in writing before Mr. Fallin could represent Barbara. Detectives had Curd call Marvin to get a confession on tape. She was feeding Barbaras delusions, so Barbara ignores the signs that something is amiss here., Jenelle and Her Mom Go on Trial for the Murders. Guilty verdicts were handed out for the Potters and Curd pleaded guilty. He testified at Barbara and Jenelles trial that Buddy Potter asked him for a favor, then cashed in on it the morning of the murders. Potter is serving two concurrent life sentences for the murders of the couple who were found in their Mountain City, Tennessee, home with single gunshot wounds to their faces. Courtesy Tate Davis Jenelle and Her Family Adjust to Life in Mountain City Prosecutor Brooks told the jury that Jenelle authored all the emails from Chris by pointing out the childish writing and misspellings matched her pattern of speech. Their relationship went south when Hayworth began dating Payne, whom she allegedly knew Jenelle was pining for. Morefield, 55, of Mountain City, has a bond set at $50,000. Listen to 39: Catfishing in Mountain City, TN: The Facebook Murders, an episode of Southern Fried True Crime, easily on Podbay - the best podcast player on the web.
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