I already knew the story, he said. Appearing in Washington County Court on Wednesday, Barbara Potter, 69, pleaded guilty to two counts of facilitation of first-degree murder in the 2012 killings of Billy Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth, Johnson City Pressreported. Guilty verdicts were handed out for the Potters and Curd pleaded guilty. Jenelle Potter's mother, Barbara Potter, told "20/20" that Chris told her in emails that he was watching her family's every move and was monitoring what Payne and Hayworth were allegedly saying on social media about her daughter. In a major breakthrough, Curd told detectives hed been texting with a man named Chris who told him he was in the CIA and that it was his job to protect Jenelle at all costs. If you can show the attorney had a conflict of interest, then prejudice is presumed. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. 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. She certainly could have. Jenelle Potter said her father became more protective with her because of the alleged threats she was receiving. It takes a cold-blooded person to shoot someone holding a baby, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Scott Lott told 20/20.. Rice then asked how she wanted to plead. Best Places to Live in Mountain City, Tennessee State: Tennessee County: Johnson County Metro Area: No Metro Area City: Mountain City Zip Codes: 37683 Cost of Living: -26.8% lower New! already serving two consecutive life sentences, Update-mother-daughter-receive-concurrent-life-sentences-in-2012-mountain-city-double-murder-co-conspirator-gets-25-years-photos-video. And if I have to forgive any of youns to stay out of hell, Ill see you there, Garland said. When they took him, they took no oxygen. It is available as an e-edition book at all major online book retailers, as well as in print. Low 33F. Story of Mountain City Facebook murders reaches national audience in book, tv special. February 3, 2023. But Jenelle Potter said Chris was using her email to protect his identity. 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. The Potter spouses ultimately did not have the same defense; Mr. Potters defense at his trial was that he did not commit the crime, but someone else did. The murders shocked the public conscious, leading cases to be moved out of the county because of pre-trial publicity, and were also the subject of a book penned Deputy District Attorney Dennis Brooks titled, Too Pretty to Live, the Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee.. Its just not in her.. The book is written in the first person perspective and tells what led to the brutal murder. Somebody hated her. . Our nationwide meta-analysis overcomes the issues inherent in any crime database, including non-reporting and reporting errors. Barbara potter. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York Law School and previously worked in financial securities compliance and Civil Rights employment law. They unfriended me, Jenelle said. Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood said the crime was the most bizarre thing hes seen in his career as a judge, but that concurrent sentences virtually guarantees the women will never be released. The tragic slaying of Billy Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth, which involved Facebook, catfishing and jealousy, reached a national audience, and has now evolved into a true crime book written by the lead prosecutor in the infamous case. Midway through her interview with "20/20," Jenelle Potter shut down in tears and walked out back to her cell. Jenelles father, Marvin Potter, and her boyfriend, Curd, then broke into the home of Payne and Hayworth and murdered them. There was a 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, JCP reported. Updated annually. 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. 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. 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. 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. He testified in the trial that some of the photos Jenelle and her mother emailed back and forth were from the public portion of his Facebook page, but most of them were not him at all. In her amended petition for post- conviction relief, Petitioner argues: A. Moreover, the rate of property crime in Mountain City; burglary, larceny ($50 or more), grand theft auto, and arson; is 10 per 1,000 residents. And, finally, they just pushed him to his limit where he couldn't take it anymore.. Jenelle Potter was jealous of the couples relationship and created a CIA agent, named Chris, to get into touch with her parents, Brooks said. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The business relationship imputed to Mr. Fallin by her daughters actions was adverse to Petitioner and therefore barred by the Rules of Professional Conduct. feet 1 baths 3 beds #3 Highway 133 Shady Valley, TN 37688 1,120 sq. Nothing ever showed up in my sent box," Jenelle Potter said. Create a password that only you will remember. The chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime in Mountain City is 1 in 76. The 262-page book was written after the final verdicts were read in the case in Johnson County, Tennessee. 7,043,501 and 7,680,859. 2021. But from Barbaras perspective, shed already had that trial one time. Jenelle was accused of catfishing, or creating a fake social media account to convince her family that Payne and Hayworth were dangerous. He survived unharmed, though he was found covered in blood. The feud ended with Payne and Hayworth unfriending Jenelle on the social media site, according to the report. feet 2 baths - beds #2 Old Us Highway 421 Zionville, NC 28698 1,344 sq. The murder occurred after months of allegations from Potter's. 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. The murders happened in Mountain City, but the case is being tried in Jonesborough because of the pre-trial publicity that surrounded the so-called Facebook murders.. A life sentence in Tennessee requires a inmate serve 51 years before being eligible for parole. Mountain City crime rates are 58% lower than the national average Violent crimes in Mountain City are 47% lower than the national average In Mountain City you have a 1 in 102 chance of becoming a victim of crime Mountain City is safer than 62% of the cities in the United States Year over year crime in Mountain City has decreased by 32% No signup or install needed. Armed with evidence that he believed proved the entire family was involved, prosecutors also charged Barbara Potter and Jenelle Potter in the killings. ", Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Only a few . The tragic case rocked the entire town of Mountain City, Tennessee. 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. Rental prices in Mountain City are 40% lower than the . Raw crime incidents are sourced from all 18,000+ local law enforcement agencies municipal, county, transit, park, port, university, tribal and more, assigned to localities, then built into NeighborhoodScouts proprietary predictive models to provide a comprehensive crime risk profile for every neighborhood and address-vicinity in the U.S. More about NeighborhoodScouts crime data methodology, By sending this Report you agree to NeighborhoodScout's, My Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Jamie in the interview had said something to the effect of, Is the CIA here? That was a very strange question to me, Lott said. She could assume a different identity and be as hateful as she wanted to be, Brooks said. NewsBreak provides latest and breaking Mountain City, TN local news, weather forecast, crime and safety reports, traffic updates, event notices, sports, entertainment, local life and other items of interest in the community and nearby towns. I unfriended them. 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They have an 8-month-old baby, who was found unharmed in Hayworth's arms. Theyve threatened to take Jenelle, cut her head off.. 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. Jenelle and Her Family Adjust to Life in Mountain City. Eventually both sides deleted each other as friends on Facebook. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Violent Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Mountain City has a Livability Score of 56 /100, which is considered poor. And when she would go out with her dad, he said they were watching them together, Barbara said. Curd said as soon as he realized what was happening and saw the bodies, he ran out of the house and back to the truck. I changed my password lots of times. And I unfriended her.". Thats apparently where Curd and Buddy Potter came into the picture, with the Potter patriarch becoming convinced that Payne and Hayworth were a threat to his daughters safety. But Potter, who lived at home with her strict parents and spent most of her adult social life on social media, denies this. A feud erupted on social media with Curd, Paynes cousin, taking Jenelles side. 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. Agent Lott then arranged for Marvin to call his wife Barbara. 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Posing as Chris, Jenelle reportedly convinced Barbara that the CIA had sent an agent to Mountain City to protect Jenelle from Hayworth and Payne. I didn't truly believe that Buddy Potter was capable of doing this, Lott said. The murders happened in Mountain City, but the case is being tried in Jonesborough because of the pre-trial publicity that surrounded the so-called Facebook murders.. 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. Jenelle Potter during her murder trial in Jonesborough in 2020. Hayworth died while holding her 7-month-old baby boy. According to Johnson City Press, Jenelle and Hayworth were one-time friends. This equates to a rate of 3 per one thousand inhabitants. It also gives the public a better understanding of how the criminal justice system works, Brooks said. A gruesome execution style double murder of a young couple shakes a small mountain community in Eastern Tennessee. You have permission to edit this article. [Jenelle said] she wished that Bill and Billie Jean and that damn baby would die. In this case, it is clear to this Court that Mr. Fallin operated under a conflict of interest based on his concurrent representation of both Petitioner and her husband. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Other US patent applications are currently pending. Billie Jean Hayworth was dating Billy Payne, and the couple lived together with their 7-month-old baby boy. Brooks claims Marvins testimony is full of red flags that contradict the evidence. Date(s) & Update Frequency: Left to right: Jamie Curd, and his attorney Casey Sears sit with Barbara Potter (foreground), Jenelle Potter and her attorney Cameron Hyder during the sentencing hearing Tuesday as Barbara Potter's attorney, Randy Fallin addresses the court.Becky Campbell. Data Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation - Crime in the U.S. MLA Citation: Other Cities in TN; City Name Population Rate; Ridgely: 1,662: 60.17: Bean Station: 3,094: 32.32: Savannah: 6,968: 28.70: 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. Now six years after the Potter women were convicted and five years after their original petition for a new trial, Marvin is speaking out. I remember I wrote, Please do not write on Jenelles Facebook. I begged them. And I unfriended her., Jenelles Former Friends Are Found Murdered. Agent Lott said, "Barbara would take this information and show it to Buddy: 'Buddy, look, look what they're trying to do to Jenelle.' I only have that book because of someone elses tragedy, Brooks said. Albright was initially arrested on Friday, August 14, 2020, and charged with first . Their infant son was still cradled in his dead mother's arms. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Mr. Fallin asserted at the post-conviction hearing that there were no conflicting interests between Petitioner and her husband, but the testimony of the other witnesses and the evidence presented at the two trials paint a far different picture. Yeah, youre going to hell. No one wants to kill anyone but we will," Barbara Potter wrote in the email.