Buddy liked to think of himself as a government operative. Jenelle Porter is an American art curator and author of numerous exhibition catalogs and essays about contemporary art and craft. Potters mother Barbara Potter had a job with Hewlett-Packard, and her father Marvin Potter, known as Buddy, was a former marine who served in Vietnam. The Potter women were not present when the couple was killed, but they were convicted under a law of criminal responsibility, meaning their actions led to the murders. Buddy and Barbara backed up their daughter's story, with Barbara claiming, "They hacked in all the time. When investigators reached out the Potters, Jenelle claimed Payne and Hayworth had harassed her online and even hacked into her Facebook account. I didnt grow up here, Potter, 34, told 20/20. People here do not like outsiders.. DAWN was just breaking on January 31, 2012 when the murders were executed with military precision. High 77F. A story at the center of which was a sheltered young woman named Jenelle Potter. She told her parents that they were bombarding her with messages and threats of rape and violence, making crank phone calls and driving past their house to intimidate her. To be kind, she began to include Jenelle in outings with her friends, including her brother Billy Payne. Agent Mike Hannon confronted Curd and said the question he had the most trouble with was about the identity of Payne and Hayworth's killer. They unfriended me, Jenelle said. Barbara Potter, 69, of Mountain City, has been serving two life sentences alongside her daughter, Jenelle Potter, 38, in the Jan. 31, 2012, shooting deaths of Billy Payne, 36, and Billie Jean Hayworth, 23. The CIA agent Chris had apparently been corresponding with Barbara and warning her about threats to her daughters life. He emailed Barbara so often exchanging photos of himself and sharing details about his life, like the fact he was a widower who, like Jenelle, loved dogs that she eventually started calling him son and signing off Mom. SocialCatfish.com does not make any representation or warranty about the character or the integrity of the person, business, or entity about which you inquire, or the information available through our website or that you receive from us or any or our representatives. Her attorney claimed. His wife told 20/20 he later worked with the CIA. It turned out that Jenelle, posing as the non-existent Chris, had catfished her parents and boyfriend Jamie, in the year leading up to the murders, and had orchestrated the killings of Payne and his girlfriend without ever picking up a weapon herself. Jenelle Potter reportedly met Payne after someone at her pharmacy tried to introduce her to other people so she could have a social life. 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. Seriously though, have these people never seen a tv show ever? I went through a lot with [Billy and Billie-Jean] but I never wished them dead. The case was a tangled web of jealousy, allegations of threats from Hayworth and Payne toward Jenelle Potter, emails between them all and even an alleged bounty for Jenelles murder. Barbara Mae Potter, 64, and her daughter, Jenelle Leigh Potter, 35, both of Mountain City, face two counts of first-degree murder for the Jan. 31, 2012 shooting deaths of Bill Payne, 36 and Billie . It didnt take this long. Petitioner also could have argued that if she was guilty of anything, she was guilty of lesser offenses. Kylie Jenner is a media personality who stars in the reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. In a mystery that involved a supposed CIA agent, cyber bullying and a small Tennessee town, read below to see what led to the coldblooded murders. The police subsequently arrested all three members of the Potter family. And that if something wasn't done to stop that threat, then Jenelle, or possibly the whole Potter family, would be hurt," said Agent Lott. Post continues after audio. Ultimately, Curd broke and told investigators he and Buddy had murdered Payne and Hayworth to protect Jenelle, but before doing so, he asked the agents an odd question:"Is the CIA here?". We verify information to confirm if the person that you've met online is really who they say they are. She was fixated on conflicts. The following year when Billy began dating Billie-Jean, things took a dark turn. Because we knew that they had trouble with [Hayworth and Payne], Woodard told 20/20.. Ive tried over 100 jury cases, and 18 first-degree murders, and no other case has been like this one, says assistant district attorney general Dennis Brooks, prosecutor in the subsequent murder trials. They took no medication. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling 2015-12-08 'There is a plot, Harry Potter. Chris stated he was a friend of Janelle's and was monitoring her . The case took a bizarre turn when Jenelle created an online personality which she called Chris. Chris later told Barbara that Billy and Billie-Jean planned to rape Jenelle, who was a virgin, and then cut off her head. Most damning of all, Chris emails were sent from the same IP address as the Potters home computer. It looked like Chris was trying to convince not only the Potter family but Jamie also that there was a real threat out there from Bill Payne, Billie Jean Hayworth and all their friends. A young couple is found murdered, execution style, their infant still alive in the mother's arms. He had a bullet wound to his face and his throat had been cut. Amelia Dyer was a 19th Century Serial killer who exclusively targeted children. lol. Barbara and Jamie had been catfished a term used when someone adopts a fake identity to lure a person into doing something for them. During the interview, Jenelle appeared to be hiding her romantic relationship with Curd from her parents. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Jenelle and Barbara went to trial in May 2015. When Jenelle found out Billy Jean was pregnant, an operative from the CIA called Chris contacted both Jamie and Barbara Potter. Jenelles Dad Admits to Being Involved in Murders. In a bizarre case chronicled on 20/20, Jenelle Potter convinced her father to kill a couple. For the first time in her life, Jenelle must have felt like she belonged. In 2015, three years after the murders took place, the court sentenced Jenelle and her mother Barbara to two life terms in prison for first-degree murders of Billy Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth. I was horrible. After a lengthy investigation, Jenelle Porter was found guilty of organizing their murders through her parents and boyfriend, Jamie Curd. Paynes throat had been slashed, but their 7-month old baby was remarkably found alive, though bloodied, alongside the couple. Jenelle was not allowed to go out late, drive, and have boyfriends. In 2016, Senior Judge Don Ash of Murfreesborough rejected Jenelle and Barbara's appeal for a new trial. Potter's sister is Christie Groover and she broke ties with the family more than a decade ago, reports ABC News. Nationwide News Pty Ltd 2023. Jenelle accused the group of unfriending her on Facebook and of bullying her. It was damning evidence, and after a six-day trial, Jenelle and her mother were found guilty on all counts. But successfully convicting Barbara and Jenelle of first-degree murder when they had not even been present at the crime scene, and were also proclaiming their innocence would be a whole lot harder. The trouble had first begun when the sheltered Jenelle befriended pharmacy clerk, Tracy Greenwell. In tonight's episode, ABC viewers will learn about a Facebook murder that occurred in 2012. Not much happened in the quiet community of Mountain City, Tennessee. Winds light and variable. 2021. The evidence in this case was such that Barbaras best defense would have been to argue that she did not commit the crime, and if her husband did commit the crime, she was unaware of her husbands intentions, and therefore she did not assist or promote the offenses. Jenelle Potter eli kontrolloitua ja yksinist elm vanhempiensa valvovan silmn alla. The baby, still in his mothers arms, was splattered in her blood but, miraculously, had survived. The case of Jenelle Potter, the woman who was accused of starting a Facebook war that ended in murder of a Tennessee couple, will be the focus of tonight's ABC 20/20. (These terms have special meanings under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq., ("FCRA"), which are incorporated herein by reference.) Advertisement. That led to discord between the one-time friends that prosecutors said ultimately ended in Payne and Hayworths deaths and the Potters being convicted of murder. "I didn't murder anyone," Jenelle Potter told ABC News' "20/20. If he had testified while his case was on appeal, that would have upset that process because at his wife and daughters post-conviction hearing, he did testify. Address:SocialCatfish, LLC39252 Winchester Rd. "It was very easy to associate [Chris'] writing style with Jenelle Potter's writing style, just due to grammatical areas and the ways that people write and type," said Agent Lott. I watched a few documentaries on this case and the one that pisses me off the most is the one from the docu-series primal instinct, there is so much victim-blaming in this episode that its like they see Jenelle as innocent. But suspicion quickly turned to the Potter family, who lived nearby: father Marvin known as Buddy then aged 60, mother Barbara, 61, and their daughter Jenelle, 31, who had been embroiled in a very public Facebook feud with the victims. Billy started inviting Jenelle to group social activities like rock climbing and hiking. Award-winning author James Patterson is teaming up with ID once again to investigate a series of grisly murders. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The pair of 35-year-old Australian women have revealed they want to get pregnant at same time with the same man. If you can show the attorney had a conflict of interest, then prejudice is presumed. 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. Jenelle Potter found it nice to craft the life she wanted on Facebook. As the Sheriffs Department began investigating along with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Special Agent Scott Lott found several names being (repeatedly) mentioned. Almost 6ft tall, with diabetes, mild learning disabilities and a peculiarly childlike voice, she had never had a job or boyfriend, never left home and never got her driving licence. Jenelle's secret boyfriend then told investigators he and Buddy shot the couple, after a CIA operative called "Chris" told them to do it. Hayworth and Payne were found dead by a friend, Kaitlyn Conley was so enraged when her boyfriend, Adam Yoder, North Carolina student Faith Hedgepath was found beaten to death. Jenelle Potter is the woman who was part of the Facebook hoax that turned into a double homicide. Jenelles father was found guilty of the murders and given two life sentences. But the problem was that Billy already had a girlfriend named Billie Jean. Residents of Mountain City were horrified by the killings. The police found out that Chris had convinced Barbara to goad her gun-loving ex-marine husband Marvin into committing the murders of the young couple. On the other hand, Jamie entered a plea deal and got 25 years. Smelling a rat, investigators asked why the USAs foreign intelligence agency would be involved in a small-town homicide and Jamie eventually cracked. Twentieh Century Fox / Sony Pictures / Central Film / Jugenfilm Verleih | Montage TVSPIELFILM.de, Sender (3), IMAGO / Cinema Publishers Collection, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., TNT . We dont have murders in Johnson County, says Brooks. "Jenelle Potter, whom I have never met, has been harassing me for months now," wrote Lindsay Thomas in an affidavit from May 2011, accusing Potter of harassment. When pressed by the interviewer about why shed catfished her parents by pretending to be Chris, she started crying and refused to answer any more questions. When police raided the Potter's home they found ripped-up photos of Billy and Billy-Jean. Barbara, Buddy and Jamie agreed to do what was necessary to protect Jenelle. Jamie was lonely and vulnerable to a younger woman stroking his ego. Linda Kasabian, who took part in the two days of mayhem in 1969 that left seven people dead, ended up flipping on the cult leader. Jenelle Potter was part of an elaborate online hoax that resulted in a double homicide. Despite the lack of physical evidence at the crime scene, police soon turned their focus towards the Potter family. In addition to the conflict between Mr. Fallins duties to the Potters as counsel and the Fallins business interests in the Potter property and finances, the system of dual representation and dual payment in this case appears to have created in Mr. Fallins mind the impression that Marvin and Barbara were in this together. Accordingly, Mr. Fallin chose to view the couples legal fortunes as one and the same rather than recognizing the distinct prosecutorial theories involved in the spouses cases and pursuing the different defenses required to rebut the different theories of prosecution. Jenelle told Buddy and Barbara her friends were jealous of her because she was "too pretty". Potter got arrested for the murder of Billie Jean Hayworth and Billy Payne. She was paranoid about it.. When Jenelle started being bullied online on Facebook someone anonymously leaving hateful comments on her profile she immediately blamed Billie Jean, stating that Billie Jean hated her because she was pretty. In 2012, the bodies of Billie Jean Hayworth and Billy Payne were found shot dead at their home in Mountain City, Tennessee. The police believe that the murders stemmed from a feud that began on social media, which led to the deaths being dubbed as the Facebook Murders by the nationwide press. Assistant District Attorney General Dennis Brooks. It wasnt long before Jenelle began to claim she was being bullied. For decades its 2500 residents slept soundly at night. I get that theres manipulation and grooming type stuff going on, but good grief, thats pretty gullible. On her Facebook page, she posted endless pictures of puppies and hearts. After seven days of testimony, the jury found both Jenelle and Barbara guilty of first degree murder, and they were both sentenced to life in prison in July. Washington County District Attorney's Office. He said he was concealing his identity to protect them. They also discovered printed photos of the victim and her friends in the living room. There, they found photos of the deceased and multiple weapons, though not the murder weapon. Mr. Fallin made no effort to explain a potential conflict or obtain informed waivers from Barbara and Marvin. She would tell her friend Greenwell that someone hated her and wanted her to die. We respect your privacy. Judge Blackwood said the murders were the most senseless hed seen during his decades on the bench. Hayworth, 23, and Billy Payne, 36, were both shot, and Payne's throat was slashed. He admitted to shooting Billy and Billie-Jean with Jenelles father after they were encouraged to do so by a CIA operative called Chris, who said Jenelles life was in danger. Billie-Jeans body was found in the nursery next door. Because Buddy did have some health issues.. As Jenelles feud with the two victims escalated, Chris claimed to have insider knowledge that Billy and Billie-Jean were evil he was a drug dealer, she was a whore, they wanted to rape Jenelle because she was a virgin and cut off her head. 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. She didnt interact much with the wider community and didnt have many friends in Mountain City. When Potter was 34, she became friends with Tracy . Jennelle Potter Record Date: Jan 02, 2023 Case Type: Traffic Offense Date: Dec 26, 2018 Offense Code: 807.010 (1) Offense Desc: OPERATING A VEHICLE WITHOUT DRIVING PRIVILEGES Disposition: DIS Disposition Date: Jan 17, 2019 Case NO: 19VI02317 And they interviewed him for hours, Barbara told 20/20. When his oxygen gets low, he says things that dont make sense or are incorrect., Jenelle and Her Family Are Investigated for the Murders. However, when scary social media messages began to appear, her parents were contacted by a mysterious CIA agent, who told them what Bill Payne was really up toPatreon https://www.patreon.com/thatchapterTwitter https://twitter.com/that_chapterInstagram https://www.instagram.com/that_chapterReddit https://www.reddit.com/r/ThatChapter/Merchhttps://teespring.com/stores/that-chapterSourceshttps://pastebin.com/BkZb8rLiMusichttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD5aIDn0HlluTTOV5WWZQyUIASKu4CS6n 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. Because of health problems, including Type 1 diabetes, Potter spent most of her time living at home with her parents, who cared for her every day. Curd went for a plea deal and received 25 years in prison. Jenelle Potter created one of the most twisted catfish schemes known to man. In May 2015, three and a half years after the shootings, Jenelle and Barbara finally went on trial. Jenelle Potter has been described as socially awkward and as someone who struggled to make friends, a predicament that was not aided by her over-protective and strict parents, Barbara and Marvin Potter. Hayworth had been cradling her 7-month old son in her arms when she was killed. In October 2013, Buddy, who steadfastly denied any knowledge of the murders, was found guilty and sentenced to two life sentences, while Jamie testified against him and brokered a deal of 25 years in prison. Jenelle said one of her Facebook friends, Billie Jean Hayworth, was the one behind the attacks because Hayworth was jealous of her looks. On Jan. 31, 2012, a friend found Billie Jean Hayworth and Billy Payne dead by single gunshots to their faces. A cousin was BG on a location shoot two years ago and she still has stars in her eyes. Prosecutors believe Jenelle used the false identity to fool her parents and to goad Marvin into the killing. The agents were able to reconstruct shredded documents which pieced together emails the Potter family had been sent from someone claiming to be a CIA operative. Apteekissa tyskenne. Curd agreed to a plea deal of 25 years in prison. That may have been the beginning of her obsession with Billy, says Brooks. In October 2013, Buddy was found guilty of first degree murder and handed two life sentences, as The Daily Beast reports. A note was left near the body, which read: Im not stupid b***h jealous. Her death remains unsolved. Jenelle Potter : The Facebook Murder. Jamie belongs in jail for life as well. They also, in the same breath, would say how different she was, and then [she] became unable to make friends normally, Groover told 20/20.Social media became Jenelles life support, though she said her parents monitored her Facebook page. 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