Casefile True Crime - Case 180: Bill Payne & Billie-Jean Hayworth

Episode Date: June 19, 2021

“This is going to be the stupidest thing you’ve ever heard. This is going to be the craziest thing you’ve ever heard. There is nothing in your lives or background that has prepared you to understand the Potter family. You have never seen anybody like them.” --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Eileen Ormsby Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-180-bill-payne-billie-jean-hayworth

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Learn more at thinkshinricks.ca Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local crisis centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. Welcome to Mountain City, a friendly hometown. This message, written in bold white text on a bright red sign, greets travellers approaching the US town of Mountain City in the northeast corner of Tennessee.

As the local population has never peaked beyond 2,600 people, Mountain City residents remain close-knit. They live a slow-paced lifestyle among the mountains, valleys and forests. The summers are warm, the winters are short, cold and wet, and it's partly cloudy all year round. There is no public transport, so everybody has a car, and that car is more often than not a pickup truck. Most residents own a gun. Many people own several.

At around 6.30 on the morning of January 31, 2012, Brad Osborne was making his usual drive to pick up his friend and co-worker, Bill Payne. The two men worked at the Parkdale Mills textile plant and often carpooled to work. Bill was staying in his father's white single-story weatherboard house in Mountain City. He lived there with his partner, Billy Jean Hayworth, and their infant son, as well as Bill's father, Billy Ray Payne, better known around town as Poor Bill. When Brad Osborne arrived at the Payne house, Poor Bill had already left for work about an hour earlier.

Brad pulled into the driveway and remained in his car. Usually, Bill would emerge from the house when Brad arrived. They started work at 7am, but the drive to the factory wasn't far. The sun had yet to rise, and Brad could see a light emanating from Bill's bedroom window, though there was no movement within. Brad tutored the horn and waited, but Bill didn't appear. He tried calling Bill's cell phone, but was unable to get through. Minutes passed, and Brad became increasingly concerned about being late for work.

He got out of his car and walked over to the house to hurry his friend along. Knowing that it was rarely locked, Brad headed to a sliding glass door at the rear of the house. When he's knocks when unanswered, Brad let himself in. An alarm clock was going off in one of the bedrooms. Brad picked up the landline in the living room and called Bill's cell again, but he couldn't hear it ring. Then, Brad heard something. It sounded like the quiet whimper of a baby. Not feeling comfortable with going into the bedrooms where Billy Jean and her baby might be

sleeping, Brad called out once more. He was met with silence and took this as his cue to leave. Brad drove alone to the textile plant, only to discover that Bill was not there, and did not turn up as the morning wore on. Later that morning at around 10, another visitor pulled up to the pain house. Roy Stevens arrived to pick up his mail, which had been sent to poor Bill's place. His wife, Linda, stayed in the car while Roy let himself in via the rear sliding glass door. Roy hollered out, sure that somebody must be home. After receiving no response, he ventured down the hallway towards the bedrooms.

As he approached the first room, Roy saw what looked like blood near the doorway. Roy opened the door into the bedroom Bill shared with Billy Jean. He spotted a 36-year-old Bill face up on the bed. His face was badly beaten and blood coagulated around his neck. Roy rushed to Bill, grabbed his arms and shook him, hoping to get a response. When he got none, he raced outside, yelling for Linda. Linda was trained in CPR. She tried to find a pulse in Bill's neck before realizing that his throat had been cut. As his wife called 911, Roy heard something coming from another part of the house. He made his way down the hallway to a second bedroom. Inside, 23-year-old Billy

Jean Hayworth was lying in a pool of blood on the floor of her son's nursery. Tight in her arms was her baby boy. He didn't stir. His face was blotchy and red and blood caked his sleeper suit and the back of his head. It was clear Billy Jean was deceased. To Roy's relief, her baby was still breathing. All of the blood around him belonged to his mother. The baby himself was unhurt. Linda broke down as she described the condition of the little boy to the 911 operator. Quote, The baby kind of to me as a parent looks like maybe it's been crying for a while and probably cried till he can't cry no more. Both Bill and Billy Jean had been shot in the head. There were also deep slash wounds across Bill's neck, although it was unclear

whether they were sustained pre or post mortem. Neither victim had defensive wounds, suggesting they had been taken by surprise. With Bill in his underwear and Billy Jean in pajamas, it appeared as though the couple had been confronted while they were still in bed or shortly after waking. Everything was normal when poor Bill left for work at around 5.30. The pair were presumably dead by the time Brad Osborne had arrived to pick up Bill an hour later. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Agent Scott Lott arrived on the scene. There were several firearms at the residence, but the shotguns and a .22 caliber pistol he located were not the murder weapons. The bullets fired upon the victims had come from a .38 caliber or 9 millimeter handgun.

Murder suicide was swiftly ruled out. The gun and knife used in the crime were missing. Nothing was found at the house that hinted at the perpetrator's identity. Neighbors described Bill Payne and Billy Jean Hayworth as a nice young couple. They didn't hear anything suspicious the morning of the murders. Usually, poor Bill's dog would bark if strangers came to the house, which made the investigators wonder, was the killer someone known to the family, perhaps even welcomed inside. A search of the Payne residence uncovered a small quantity of drugs, including methamphetamine.

Police also recovered a meth pipe and some prescription medication. Mountain City was going through a drug crisis at the time, but nobody in the Payne household was on the police radar as being part of any large-scale dealing. Billy Jean's best friend, a woman named Lindsay Thomas, had been at the Payne home the day before the murders. Billy Jean mentioned receiving a fresh batch of pills for her and Bill to sell. The couple apparently carried out some low-level drug dealing to make extra cash to buy things for their baby. Lindsay wondered if a buyer was supposed to meet Bill before he left for work, and things turned deadly. This seemed even more likely given that methamphetamine was not found

in either of the victim's systems, but was sitting out on a plate with a straw beside it, as though someone had recently taken a hit. Bill's cell phone records showed the numbers of those who had called him prior to his death. They led to two of his friends, who admitted that they occasionally bought pills from him. It was no major drug operation, however. Bill sometimes sold or swapped his prescription medication with a small group of contacts. His friends had intended to pick some up the night before he was killed, but Bill had sent them a text at 11.30 saying that he was tired and was not going to meet them. The double homicide was the biggest incident Johnson County had seen in a very long time.

Everybody in Mountain City knew the couple or members of their families. Theories are bound, especially online on local forums. Members of Billie Jean's family fronted the media and begged her killer to come forward. Her mother questioned how anyone could leave her infant grandson an orphan. She explained how much Billie Jean and Bill loved being parents, adding, I didn't know a soul that didn't like them. Jamie Curd lived in a trailer at the end of a muddy driveway up a steep hill. With its outdoor laundry tub and sofa on the porch, it was a typical dwelling of those who were doing it toughest in Johnson County.

Jamie had dropped out of school to work at the Parkdale Mills Textile Plant, where he labored through 12-hour shifts. But he was able to work alongside his cousin Bill Payne. The two were close despite their differences. Bill was popular and charismatic with lots of interests and hobbies. He was a coin collector who enjoyed NASCAR, trips to Las Vegas, and had a reputation as a bit of a player. He embraced life and had a tendency to blow his paycheck as soon as he got it. Jamie, on the other hand, was the sort of person that people didn't notice much. If they did, they thought him pleasant, harmless, and quiet. A follower, not a leader. At 35 years old, he had never had a proper girlfriend. He also had a stammer,

as well as a condition that meant he needed to wear dark glasses all the time, even inside. In late 2009, Billie Jean Hayworth was hired at the textile plant where Jamie Curd and Bill Payne worked. The two Billys clicked immediately. They had many shared interests, both being outdoorsy types who enjoyed fishing, hiking, camping, and running. They also liked to visit flea markets, yard sales, and auctions. Bill spoke of falling head over heels in love. When Billie Jean discovered she was pregnant, Bill was overjoyed. The future for the soon-to-be parents looked bright. Bill had had his share of run-ins with the law but cleaned himself up after meeting Billie Jean. He drank less, quit partying, and had eyes only for her. He enrolled in a clinic

to kick his drug dependence, and to the surprise of those who knew him even gave up smoking. Yet, not everyone seemed happy for the young couple. Not long after they went public with their pregnancy, anonymous, nasty comments about the pair appeared online. Even Billie Jean's closest two friends, Lindsay Thomas and Tara Osbourne, were not immune to the criticism. It started with someone calling himself Matt Potter. Matt vilified the three women on the Mountain City Topics Forum, a community news site that was incredibly popular in town. Someone named Kelly weighed in and supported Matt's accusations, as did another user going by the name Dan White. Together, they accused the women of promiscuity, spreading sexually transmitted diseases,

drug-taking, and a litany of other transgressions while calling them vile names. Others chimed in, too. The posts were vicious and disturbing. One comment directed at Billie Jean ended, Fuck them. I hope they die, die, die. And that baby. And Bill. In the aftermath of Bill and Billie Jean's murders, several townsfolk name dropped to Jamie Curd to investigators. According to reports, he recently had a falling out with his cousin. Jamie explained that this was because Bill had been ranting at him about something posted online. Jamie said he wasn't on social media, so he didn't know anything about it. He also denied knowing anything about the murders. Yet, the investigation kept circling back to Jamie,

and he agreed to take a polygraph test. Although such tests are unreliable and inadmissible in court, police find them useful in interrogations to discover how people act when lying. The test told them that Jamie was not being honest, particularly when asked if he knew who killed Bill and Billie Jean. The interrogator told Jamie his polygraph results and assured him, We're not looking to crucify anybody. We just want the truth. We're looking for who pulled the trigger, that's all. Are you the type of man who could shoot a woman, probably begging for her life, while her baby is in her arms? Jamie responded, No.

Appealing to Jamie's better nature, the interrogator told him how good he'd feel if he told the truth. After about an hour and a half, sensing that Jamie was beginning to crack, the interrogator pressed him. Who shot him? Who had the gun? Jamie responded, He did. They kept pushing. He who? Stickers covering the back windshield of Buddy Potter's truck made it clear that he staunchly supported the Second Amendment as well as the National Rifle Association. He owned many guns, two of which he carried at all times, one in a shoulder harness and one on his ankle. Sometimes he wore a holster around his hips, Old West, a gunslinger style. Buddy was the nickname of local man Marvin Potter Jr. Seven years earlier in 2004,

the Potter family, consisting of Marvin, his wife Barbara, and their adult daughter Janelle, moved from Pennsylvania to Mountain City. Like many small towns, most of the locals had lived there for generations and could be slow to warm to outsiders. It didn't help that the Potter family kept to themselves and quickly developed a reputation of being odd. Buddy Potter told anyone who'd listen about his military history, including his experiences fighting in the Vietnam War. He spoke of being confined in a prisoner of war camp and rescuing fellow injured Marines. For this, he was awarded the Navy Cross Medal, the second highest military award for valor. He added it to his three silver stars,

bronze star medal, purple heart medal, airborne wings, and scuba badge. He proudly displayed photographs of himself in uniform with all his decorations. After attending jump, diving, survival, and recon schools, he said he was assigned to Marine Force Reconnaissance, a special operations force tasked with military intelligence missions. He then worked with the Central Intelligence Agency, which handled national security. Everything that happened there was classified. He couldn't and wouldn't talk about it to anybody. Jamie Curd became known to Buddy when the Potter family computer started having issues. Jamie had a reputation as a computer tinkerer who could fix basic tech issues

and was quick to offer the Potters his assistance. Upon arriving at their house, he was taken to the troublesome device. It was located in a common area of the home where it was primarily used by everyone but Buddy, who seemed to have no interest in it. Jamie returned to the Potter house several times to clean up and reformat their hard drive. Buddy and Barbara Potter accepted his help and tolerated him being around, despite not liking him that much. One day, Barbara Potter noticed her daughter in possession of a prepaid cell phone she had never seen before. While examining it, Barbara discovered it contained messages from Jamie Curd.

He had supplied it to Janelle so they could speak in private. With an IQ of 72, 27-year-old Janelle functioned at around a fourth grade level. Her entire school life was spent in special education and by the time she graduated, Janelle didn't have the skills to get or hold onto a job or drive a car. With a slew of health problems, including type 1 diabetes and partial deafness, she was put onto a social security disability payment and lived with her parents, who took care of all her needs. As such, both Buddy and Barbara were highly protective of Janelle and were displeased that Jamie, with his drinking and drug-taking habits,

was showing interest in their naive and vulnerable daughter. Upon realizing that Jamie Curd had been covertly pursuing her daughter, Barbara Potter texted that she was onto him and confiscated the phone he had given Janelle. She had no idea that Jamie supplied Janelle with another. Then in February 2010, the police called the Potters after finding Janelle wandering the dark streets alone. She was under the impression that she was going to a lope with the Jamie that night, which was his birthday. Jamie, however, had spent the evening drinking and had passed out. The next morning, Buddy Potter called Jamie and thundered down the line for him to stay away

from his daughter. When he was interrogated in relation to the murders of Bill Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth, Jamie implicated Buddy Potter. He then asked a bizarre question, is the CIA here? When asked for the meaning behind his strange query, Jamie explained that was because Buddy Potter had told him he was with the CIA. He remarked, I was hoping the CIA had my back. Jamie told investigators he participated in the murders because he was afraid of Buddy. He never wanted to kill anyone and hadn't done anything violent before. He said he felt horrible. Bill was like a brother to him. Agent Lott asked Jamie to call Buddy and ask what happened to the

gun and knife used in the murders. Barbara Potter answered the phone and spoke with Jamie for a few minutes. She was aware that Jamie had been arrested and asked if he had taken a lie detector test and whether he had passed it. He said yes to both questions. When Buddy came to the phone, Jamie muttered, well, they're pointing fingers. Buddy responded, oh, Jiminy Christmas. Buddy told Jamie there was no reason for anyone to suspect him because the homicides looked like a drug deal gone bad. As instructed by the cops, Jamie asked, you got rid of everything that was from Bill's, right? Uh-huh, Buddy responded. It wasn't quite a confession, but it was enough. Police descended on the Potter residence and

arrested Buddy, who was armed even at 3.30am. Officers then moved through the house searching for evidence. At one stage, Barbara Potter, who had been sitting on a couch in the living room beside her daughter, reached over, picked up a stack of papers and ripped them in half. All this did was bring attention to the documents. Barbara was ordered to hand them over. They consisted of printed email correspondence and included candid photos of Billie Jean Hayworth and her best friend, Lindsay Thomas. The images had been taken from the women's social media pages. The emails had subject lines like Billie Haw for Billie Jean and Panface for Lindsay. This wasn't the only interesting paper detectives found. In the back of Buddy's truck were three

large garbage bags full of shredded paper, bundled up, ready to be disposed of. Officers seized the Potter's computer, an external hard drive, and a green spiral notebook next to the monitor. They also took what detectives would later call an arsenal. 32 firearms, including rifles, semi-automatics, handguns, an AK-47, and shotguns, along with a huge supply of ammunition. The gun used against Bill Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth was not among them. Buddy Potter was led into the same interrogation room Jamie Curd had sat in earlier. He was asked, you know why you're here, right? Buddy responded,

someone's told you that I'm the one that killed somebody. The Potter's had made a big impression on Mountain City in the short amount of time they had resided there. When inquiries were underway into the murders of Bill Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth, the Potter name kept cropping up, enough to put the family on Agent Lott's priority list. He paid them a visit. When Agent Lott told the Potters that he was investigating a double homicide, Buddy responded, everybody always points the finger at us for something. It was no secret that the Potter family had severe grievances with other townsfolk, Bill Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth especially. Their conflict had arisen from an online dispute

that had turned intensely vitriolic. Buddy admitted to visiting the Payne House many times in relation to the feud, though denied involvement in the murders. Agent Lott asked if the Potters knew of anybody who would want to hurt the victims. They didn't, but Janelle spoke of a party at the Payne House that had made her uncomfortable. There had been drinking and drug use. Weapons, including an AK-47, were present. As she didn't want to involve herself in that lifestyle, Janelle didn't attend any more parties. She quickly fell out with the two billies and their circle of friends. Typical of the town, news of the broken friendship became a hot topic online, particularly on topics

where users took sides despite having no involvement in the dispute. Some defended Janelle, noting her sweet nature and innocent mindset. They ordered the other women to leave her alone. Others stood by Bill and Billie Jean and their friends. The online bickering, mostly fueled by random community members or anonymous posters, only served to increase hostilities between the ex-friends. Janelle's social media accounts were hacked and fake pages had been created using her photo. Her father had to deal with baseless accusations of being a drug dealer. Efforts to quash the animosity were futile against the aggressive, cruel and degrading comments shared online. The Potter family accused Billie Jean Hayworth and her friends of instigating, continuing and

amplifying the harassment, but felt Bill Payne was also a driving factor. Janelle explained that Bill was always trying to push someone's buttons and that anyone who came into contact with the couple had trouble with them. Barbara Potter informed Agent Lott that sugar had been poured into the Potter's gas tanks, that Buddy's truck was scratched, their garage door was broken and rocks were thrown at their house and Janelle's bedroom window. Despite all the issues they had with the victims, Buddy assured Agent Lott that he would never wish murder upon anybody. Following Buddy Potter's arrest, he was asked whether he was a cold-hearted killer or his family's protector. Buddy responded, I'm a protector of my family to start with, but I did not do this.

He was told that Jamie Curd had already implicated him in the murders, to which Buddy replied, he's throwing me under the bus. As the hours wore on, Buddy became emotional. He revealed the extent of the harassment his family had received since their issues arose with Bill and Billie Jean. He said there was a $3,000 bounty on each member of his family, adding, Ever since all this crap started, I've had my life threatened, my wife has been threatened, they've threatened to take Janelle, cut her head off, catch her in a restroom and murder her, rape her because she's a virgin, and just so much bullshit. Buddy broke down and started sobbing.

He was then asked, do Janelle and Barbara know what you did? He responded with a firm no. After the interview, Buddy called his wife. Their conversation was covertly recorded. Buddy opened with, Barbara, before you find out from somebody else, I want you to know, I was involved in it. I did it. I didn't want you to be afraid no more. Rather than sound shocked, Barbara responded calmly that he could not have committed the murders because he was at home with her the whole time. Buddy told Barbara, I love you, I did it to protect you. But Barbara wasn't having it. She said, you're not guilty because you were here,

you have to say that, you were here, I saw you. You haven't had no rest and you don't have your oxygen, you're not yourself right now. Before concluding the call, Barbara repeated, don't worry honey, you were right here, I saw you right here. Detectives were mystified. Was this a loving wife trying to provide an alibi for her husband? Or was Buddy Potter innocent? Barbara Potter would later criticise the police for interviewing Buddy for hours without allowing him access to the oxygen that he needed to function properly. She accused them of coercing a confession because when denied oxygen,

her husband often said strange and untrue things. A doctor later stated that while Buddy's history of hypoxia could have contributed to an impaired state of mind, there were no known cases of hypoxia causing a patient to lie. Both Buddy Potter and Jamie Curd were charged with first degree murder, with bonds set at $1.5 million each, neither made bail. The investigation then took a massive hit when Jamie suddenly recanted his confession. Regardless, detectives remained certain that Jamie and Buddy carried out the murders, and worked quickly on gathering evidence to prove it.

One agent was tasked with piecing together the paper in the garbage bags found in Buddy's truck, shred by shred. It was a painstaking slow process, but it was believed that they held a key that would break open the case. The agent did an astonishing job. She managed to reconstruct around 100 pages. They proved to be both enlightening and confounding. Many of them were printouts of online correspondence between Barbara Potter and a mysterious man named Chris. The messages dated from 2011 to 2012. Barbara referred to Chris as son, and signed messages to him as mum. In turn, he ended his with, I love you all, your son, Chris.

The police were not aware of the Potters having a son. Barbara mostly spoke to Chris about the harassment her family had received following their move to Mountain City. They shared a mutual hatred for Bill Payne, Billie Jean Hayworth, and Billie Jean's friends for fueling their ongoing grief. Many of the messages included some sort of threat or desire for violence, harm, or death to the group. Barbara and Chris were particularly worried for Janelle, who bore the brunt of the group's maliciousness. Chris referred to her as his little sister, as he had known her since high school. Reading these messages, Agent Lott felt that the Potters computer would hold more clues.

Fortunately, the green spiral notebook seized from the Potters home contained a list of usernames and passwords to the family's social media and email accounts. But as they suspected that many of the communications there might have been deleted, investigators also obtained subpoenas for records from the family's email and internet providers. Agent Lott received a DVD containing over 20,000 emails. Something stood out among them. In mid-January, Barbara had sent herself two links. Can God forgive a murderer? And questions about forgiveness and murder? Why would Barbara be wondering about whether God could forgive murderers two weeks before Bill and Billie Jean were killed?

It was important for investigators to uncover who the mysterious Chris was that Barbara messaged daily. One year before the murders, Chris emailed Barbara for the first time, writing, Hi Barbara, how are you? I hope you are well. Yes, this is Chris, aka Cody. I'm so sorry to hear all of that is going on. I wish there was a way to help you all. He revealed that he had been on the Mountain City Topics forum and had seen the disdain towards the Potters. He admitted to commenting on the pages in their defense, as the side administrators were doing nothing about the toxicity. He assured Barbara he had taken care of it. But rather than stop, things escalated.

One day, Janelle showed her mother an email she had received from Billie Jean's friend Lindsey Thomas. It read, Your ass is mine. You're a fucking bitch. Remember that I can get you and will. Your daddy can't do shit to me. I'm above the law, dumb fucking bitch. Following this, the Potters became regular visitors to the local police station, where they lodged complaints about those targeting Janelle. Police were also called to the Potter residence after a rock had been thrown at the house. It had Billie Payne written on one side, Billie Jean on another, and the quote, I'm your huckleberry. The police didn't take the feud seriously, and nothing was done to placate the Potters. When Barbara expressed her irritation at the

lack of police action to Chris via email, he called Johnson County law enforcement dumb and untrustworthy. He knew the names of many local officers and deemed them incompetent and ineffective. Chris promised Barbara that if anyone harmed Janelle that he would do what he was trained to do. It was clear from the pair's discussions that Chris worked for the CIA, and through this had connections to Buddy Potter. He mentioned shooting people in the line of duty and claimed he had gotten rid of people in Russia and in New York. He told Barbara, I knew it was us or them, so I had to kill, but I love to shoot now, and killing does not bother me at all. Barbara let him know, as long as you are doing the right thing for mankind, then you will not be judged badly.

You are helping others by getting rid of the bad. Chris expressed the desire to kill the Mountain City residents that had caused the Potters grief, including Johnson County Sheriff Mike Reese for his inaction. However, there were always reasons he couldn't carry out the slayings himself. He guaranteed that if Buddy took matters into his own hands, he would be protected by the CIA. This encouraged Barbara into thinking that violent action should be taken against her foes, as her family would be safe from repercussions. She badgered Chris to talk to his superiors to have Buddy's CIA identification reissued so that he could get access to CIA guns.

Barbara explained that Buddy was fed up and ready, and although a very patient man had been pushed too hard for too long. As Buddy didn't use a computer, Barbara would print out any important information from Chris, pass it on, then destroy the paper. One day, Buddy was handed yet another printout of an email from Chris. He had written that if Buddy decided to do anything, he should get Bill Payne first, because, quote, he's really mean and an asshole. The emails confused investigators. On the one hand, they were certain that Chris was not a law enforcement operative. It was extremely unlikely a CIA agent would write

things like, I'm going to run into Haw, Slutface, ugly as a mudface bitch, and her fucker of a boyfriend. Or would take an interest in such an ordinary family as the Potters and the petty internet drama that surrounded them. The whole scenario seemed off. However, Chris was a very real person. Janelle Potter's introduction on her online MySpace page included the paragraph. Then I have Chris. I have known him for a very long, long time. He's a cop in Pennsylvania. He's a good guy and a true friend, and almost like a brother to me, and married to a wonderful girl named Megan. I wish nothing but the best for you both.

Investigators were able to find photos of Chris, his dog, and his friends among the Potters' emails. One from Barbara's account had the subject line, Pick of Chris Our Son, and contained text that read, This is Chris Jaden back at youth camp with Janelle, age 18 or so. It was accompanied with a blurry photograph of two people wearing what appeared to be military fatigues. In one of her private Facebook messages, Barbara had written to a friend that Chris Jaden had helped Janelle fight bullies in school. Barbara called Chris her adopted son and said that the family loved him, but didn't get to see him often enough. So, if Chris Jaden really existed, just how involved was he in the murders of Bill Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth?

Investigators wanted answers. It was time to contact the man himself and find out what was going on. Christopher Jaden was a certified constable in Delaware and had previously worked for the city's police department. He revealed that he had attended high school with Janelle Potter, but his recollections didn't align with him seeing her as a sister. He recalled Janelle as being very strange. She was known to throw tantrums, have problems with classmates, and get in trouble a lot. Like most people, Chris kept his distance. He had two classes with Janelle and spoke to her occasionally, but they weren't part of the same friendship group. If he was nice to her, she would sometimes hang around, but he would extricate himself politely.

That was the extent of their interactions. She once sent him a friend request on Facebook, but he declined it. Chris had not had contact with Janelle since graduating from high school in 2000. He had never met any of the other Potters or anyone else from Mountain City. This raised the question, why would Barbara Potter call a man she had never met, her son? Although he worked in law enforcement, Chris had never served in the CIA. Chris looked at the photographs of him in the Potters' possession. Some were old profile pictures that had been lifted from his social media accounts. He didn't recognize the rest. Some were of men who looked like him,

or blurry photos in which the man featured could pass as him. He had never sent the family or anyone else involved with the Potters' pictures of himself. It didn't take long for Agent Lott to rule out the real-life Chris Jayden as having any part to play in the pain Hayworth murders. The revelation didn't come as a surprise though, and only served to confirm suspicions. The email that the phony Chris sent his messages from gave a very good indication as to his true identity. Like so many socially awkward young people, the internet was Janelle Potter's lifeline. In one post, she wrote of her move to Tennessee,

I love the friends that I have down here. They are sweet and wonderful people. In truth, Janelle had been struggling to build any authentic and reciprocal relationships since arriving in Mountain City. The locals were uncomfortable by her lack of social awareness and the way she acted overly familiar with them. Sometimes she went in for an unwelcome hug. She towered over other women standing at over six feet tall, but had a high-pitched child-like voice that didn't align with her large frame. That didn't stop Janelle from adding everyone she knew as well as people she didn't to her Facebook page. Online, she described herself as a loving and caring person who had been told she was too nice and so sweet. But she conceded,

I do take things to heart and let things get to me. I try not to, but it's very hard. This was abundantly clear when she met Bill Payne, Billie Jean Hayworth, and her friends. Initially, things were cordial between them. But when Janelle started bombarding her newfound friends with messages, they were quickly fed up. Even if they appeared offline, Janelle still flooded their inboxes. When her messages went unread, she would call and text them. This intensity was off-putting and as a result, they all unfriended Janelle on Facebook. This would seem like a petty dispute that would quickly become a non-drama once those involved went their separate ways. However, Janelle's lack of maturity ensured she took it very seriously.

She vented on social media and the dispute caused quite the reaction on the Mountain City Topics forum. She relished in her newfound victim status, though many townsfolk noticed that what they were witnessing didn't match the potter's version of events. In real life, Billie Jean and her friends Lindsey Thomas and Tara Osborne faced upwards of 20 calls a day from the potter's home phone number. When they'd answer, Janelle would either breathe or scream down the line. They were forced to take their phones off the hook just for a reprieve. Lindsey Thomas filed a phone harassment charge against Janelle, her affidavit stating,

This all started because I deleted her off my Facebook. However, the case was dismissed, as Lindsey was not able to satisfy the burden of proof beyond reasonable doubt that the calls were coming from Janelle. To Buddy and Barbara Potter, the court result proved their daughter was the innocent party and her toolmenters were liars. Janelle vehemently denied harassing any of her former friends, whom she took to referring as the mean girls. She maintained that she was the victim, with the harassment also occurring offline and embroiling her entire family. She shared copies of messages allegedly sent to her by her aggressors to her parents. One warned, Bill is going to kill you. He has said that and I hope he does. None of us want you around,

nor living. You're a waste of air and time on everyone. You are nothing. Janelle informed the mean girls that she had spoken to the police and that, quote, They know that I'm not doing a thing. It was true that the Potters had visited the police station to report the mean girls. They spoke of living in fear, convinced that there were many people in town who would harm Janelle. Their accused told a different story. They claimed that Janelle was harassing them and denied authoring the threatening messages she said she received from them. Sheriff Mike Reese didn't know how to respond when Buddy Potter made a formal complaint about locals unfriending his daughter on Facebook. The sheriff just told him that

unfriending someone was not illegal. When a rock was thrown at the Potters house with Bill Payne and Billie Jane Hayworth's names written on it, police were skeptical. Despite Buddy and Barbara's genuine fear that their daughter was in danger, the police didn't believe that Vandals would sign their names on evidence of their crime. Things continued to escalate, but mostly from the Potters side. One afternoon in mid-2011, Janelle and her mother confronted Billie Jean at a gas station. They screamed at her that she was, quote, white trash who did not deserve to be a mother. Billie Jean told a concerned onlooker, this won't stop. They follow me everywhere. They're constantly threatening me.

While visiting a grocery store, Buddy Potter told a staff member that if he had a chance, he was going to put a bullet through Bill Payne's head. Throughout the duration of the feud, Barbara Potter was communicating with longtime family friend and CIA agent Chris. The pair went back and forth sharing their hatred of Janelle's rivals while compelling each other to do something drastic about it. Barbara had never met Chris in real life, but knew him well enough through Janelle to consider him a son. She didn't find it at all suspicious that all the communications she received from Chris were coming from her daughter's personal email. Chris said this was to ensure his CIA credentials

wouldn't be compromised. Barbara accepted this explanation. When Jamie Curd first met Janelle Potter, it was an unremarkable experience. The pair had been set up in part by Jamie's cousin, Bill Payne. Since she had met Bill through mutual friends, many suspected that Janelle had a crush on him. He kept things platonic. Both Jamie and Janelle were Mountain City's lonely misfits, and Bill thought they'd make a good match instead. Despite a lackluster introduction, Janelle asked for Jamie's phone number and a relationship quickly blossomed. Janelle called Jamie often, but the calls were no more than 45 seconds. They had to be brief because she didn't want her parents to know they were talking.

Buddy and Barbara Potter didn't like Jamie. They felt he was beneath them and a bad influence. While Jamie wanted to prove himself worthy, it was the first time he had a girlfriend, so he respected Janelle's desire to keep things secret. When Janelle mentioned she was having computer problems, Jamie saw an opportunity to get inside the Potter residence to see her. When Buddy and Barbara deduced that Jamie had feelings for their daughter, they were not pleased. He wasn't good enough for their beloved Janelle, and they would never permit the pair to date. Jamie purchased Janelle a cell phone so they

could speak behind her parents' back. When Barbara discovered this phone, Jamie got Janelle another. After five or six months, Jamie and Janelle began to talk about eloping. Janelle snuck out of her home one night to wed Jamie, but he got drunk and failed to meet up with her. Buddy was furious when he learned of what the pair had planned and chewed Jamie out over the phone, saying that his daughter didn't love him. He then passed the phone to Janelle, who confirmed what her father had said. Although Jamie agreed to stop talking to Janelle, she called him days later. She said she loved him and wanted to keep their secret relationship going.

They went back to their old ways. When Jamie's mother passed away in May 2011, he received a call from Barbara Potter expressing her condolences. Jamie was his mother's caregiver, and the loss hit him hard. For the first time, Barbara showed Jamie compassion and told him to call her if he ever needed anything. She also invited him around for dinner. The Potters continued to show Jamie kindness, hosting him on holidays and allowing him to visit.

It had taken years, but Jamie Curd had finally been accepted by Buddy and Barbara Potter. Buddy took him out shooting, and Barbara treated him to homemade cake. Though, things were never at the point where Jamie could openly date Janelle. He never pressed the matter, in fear they would shun him again, and he wouldn't be able to see Janelle at all. His desire to see her ensured he remained loyal to the family and did everything they asked. Barbara and Janelle brought Jamie up to speed on the hassles they were having with the mean girls. They believed they were targeting Janelle due to jealousy over how pretty she was.

Jamie was an on-face book and didn't care much for social media, so Janelle forwarded him the threatening messages her enemies sent her. Jamie was shocked at the nasty abuse being hurled at Janelle, especially as Janelle was such an innocent and gentle person. He was still working with Bill, but tensions were rising between the two. Jamie was deeply in love with Janelle and took the Potter side of the feud against his cousin. It got bad enough that their employer had to assign them to different shifts. Now that she had accepted him as a family friend,

Barbara began to write long, rambling emails to Jamie. They were always about how her family was being targeted for attack. The emails sometimes ran over 10 pages long. Jamie began visiting the Potter residents more frequently. Each time, Barbara would monopolize the conversation with rants about the mean girls. Janelle remained silent during these discussions. Jamie noted that when she spoke to him on the phone, Janelle was opinionated, but around her parents, she acted needy and childlike.

Barbara characterized the feud as like a war. Janelle had often come home in tears with tales of plots to harm, kidnap, and rape her and to hurt her family. Barbara demanded to know what Jamie and Buddy were going to do about it. Despite Buddy being the armed to the teeth ex-CIA agent, Jamie was more afraid of Barbara. He would walk on eggshells around her in fear his house visits would be revoked. He listened to her tirades and nodded and agreed,

hoping it would earn him an invitation to dinner or even a family outing. Soon, Jamie began receiving emails from Chris. He expressed concern that Janelle would be hospitalized due to the stress and feared she was suicidal. Jamie responded, Jamie responded, I think that if it wasn't for us, she might have thought about it. I can tell she has just taken all she can take from those motherfuckers.

They won't let up and they're crazy. Hell, I don't know why they have to do this. Jamie was led to believe he too was in grave danger. Chris warned him that the CIA had since discovered that Billie Jean was urging Bill to kill Jamie because he sided with the Potters. Should Jamie defend himself, Chris assured him, I've got your back. Jamie, like Barbara and Buddy, never questioned why all the correspondence he had with Chris

was through accounts owned by Janelle. When Janelle let it slip to Jamie that she was going to have to start calling Lindsay Thomas again, she got real defensive and wouldn't say anything else about it. The remark fell by the wayside and no one pressed her for the truth of the matter. By then, the Potters had reached breaking point. Barbara wrote to Jamie, they are trying to kill Janelle little by little, but Doc says that at this rate it could happen any time with a heart attack or stroke. The stress has to stop.

She said the attacks would not end until we're all dead or gone, and that Chris had told her the cops are behind Billie Jean. More than anyone, Bill Payne was sick of the drama. He continued to try and smooth things over with the Potters. He told them that Janelle was lying to them as well as the rest of the world, but they were having none of it. Leave us alone, Barbara yelled at Bill. If you call here again, I'm going to do something about it.

As Barbara, Chris, Buddy and Jamie talked about what needed to be done, it became clear that there was only one solution. The group believed Janelle's tormentors were never going to stop unless they were made to stop. It was getting late on January 30, 2012, when Jamie Curd's phone rang. It was Barbara Potter. She had a bill that needed to be paid online by midnight and claimed her computer was locking up and preventing her from doing so. Jamie headed to the Potter house to help out.

Buddy entered the computer room while Jamie was in there alone. He wanted Jamie to do him a favor. Buddy asked Jamie to take him down next to poor Bill's house, let him out, go down the road, and come back and pick him up. He didn't say when, but Jamie agreed. Not long after Jamie got back home, Janelle called him to tell him Buddy needed his help to do something. He then got a text message from Janelle that read,

I would not take your cell phone with you in the morning. Jamie replied, I'm not going to. The text message is finished with Janelle writing, I love you, my husband. In the early hours of the following morning, Jamie's home phone rang. It stopped before he could reach it. The caller ID showed that the call had come from the Potter residence. He tried to call back, but there was no answer.

It was 4.25am, but Janelle was awake. She sent Jamie a text instructing him to call back. Buddy answered and asked if Jamie could do that favor for him that morning. Jamie agreed, and moments later, Janelle sent him several messages in rapid succession, saying her father was leaving, and telling Jamie to text as soon as he got back. The son hadn't yet risen when Buddy's black Ford F-250 pulled up.

Jamie left his cell behind as Janelle had instructed, and climbed into the car. The two men drove to a parking lot across a field from poor Bill's house. They waited until they saw the headlights of a pickup truck cut through the darkness, signifying that poor Bill had left for work. Buddy motioned for Jamie to follow him, and started across the field on foot. They hid behind a shed outside the car,

they hid behind a shed out the back of the house, where Jamie told Buddy that if Bill saw them, all hell's gonna break loose. Buddy handed Jamie a gun while keeping another for himself. Jamie looked down at the weapon, a chill running down his spine. I couldn't kill no one, he told the older man. Buddy responded that he just needed Jamie to stand at that door. Jamie had never seen Buddy like this before.

It was as if his CIA training had kicked in, and he was a man on a mission. The pair entered through the rear sliding glass door, which was, as usual, unlocked. Jamie stood guard as ordered, while Buddy strode down the hallway and entered the first bedroom. Jamie heard his cousin utter the last words he would ever say, what the hell? Billie Jean fled from the room as a gunshot rang out. Moments later, Buddy emerged and looked at Jamie.

Jamie pointed down the hallway where Billie Jean had run to. Buddy took off in that direction. Jamie left his post to look inside the first bedroom, and saw his cousin lying on the bed, blood pooling around him. When Jamie heard another gunshot, he ran from the house back to Buddy's truck. Buddy was not far behind. Jamie returned his gun to him, before Buddy dropped him off at the end of his driveway, where Jamie promptly threw up.

A short while later, Jamie received a text from CIA agent Chris that said, the problem was over. A year and a half after the murders of Bill Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth, agent Scott Lott arrived at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Virginia. Barbara Potter was inside. She was looking after daughter Janelle, who had been hospitalized for one of her many ailments. Officers charged Barbara with two counts of first-degree murder, and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

In a twist that many saw coming, Janelle was charged with the same offences. Despite Jamie Curd and Buddy and Barbara Potter playing a part, investigators had little doubt that Janelle Potter was the mastermind behind the double homicide. Catfishing refers to a form of deception, wherein a person creates a fake persona online in order to form a relationship with another person. Motivations vary and include financial gain, to compromise or upset the victim in some way, or wish fulfillment.

Usually, the catfisher doesn't know the person they are fooling outside the internet. Other times, it is someone well known to the clueless victim. When they spoke of CIA agent Chris, Jamie, Barbara and Buddy did so, believing he was a very real person, who was exactly as he portrayed himself to be. The trio trusted Chris, certain he was an old friend of Janelle's, despite never having met him themselves. The Chris they knew, however, was a catfish. Several factors could have contributed to them not seeing through the deception.

Whether it was their level of education, their naivety, their inability to think critically, or just tunnel vision with the feud, at no point did anyone who spoke online with Chris ever question his identity. No one noticed that Chris's spelling, grammar and punctuation were similar to someone they spoke to daily for years. There were some differences. Chris would rant and curse and wish pain and death. Janelle, on the other hand, hated cursing, and her writing was always sweet and loving, with no threats of violence. Yet, it was clear as day to investigators examining the pages upon pages of communications published by Chris, he was Janelle Potter.

Janelle had invented the online persona of Chris. Masquerading as him, she was able to manipulate her mother to convince her gallible father and boyfriend to murder her enemies. As Chris, Janelle pressured her parents to act. Chris wrote to Barbara that Bill Payne was spreading rumors that Buddy was involved in drug dealing and had plans to kill Janelle. Others, including Janelle's foes, failed to convince the Potters that their daughter was lying about what was really going on. Bill Payne once provided Buddy Potter a two-inch thick folder of documents that proved Janelle was the aggressor. Janelle's social media had never been hacked and there was no bounty on the

Potters' heads. Bill even tried to impress upon Jamie that Janelle was behind many of the usernames fueling the online hostilities. He even doubted that Chris was a real person. Despite this, Jamie, Barbara, and Buddy wouldn't allow themselves to think of Janelle as anything else but an innocent and sweet person. It took almost a year, but Janelle's incessant emails and messages had the intended effect. Her mother, father, and boyfriend were all willing to kill for her, and they did. She had washed her hands of her involvement. There was plenty of evidence of Chris explicitly expressing a desire to kill Janelle's rivals, but there was no evidence of her ever making such requests. But her deception didn't stop there. She also authored many of

the abusive social media messages and emails she claimed were from her harassers. Janelle was nothing if not prolific in her writing. She orchestrated an intricate web of deceit to paint herself as a victim and elicit sympathy. Most other people who observed the online bickering noticed the patterns in the posts by those who jumped in to defend Janelle, and it was obvious they were all one person. It was only after he had committed murder for the woman he loved that Jamie was embarrassed and ashamed to admit that he had been played. He wondered if Janelle had ever loved him at all, or if she simply saw him as a means to get what she wanted. Buddy Potter was tried alone in October 2013. The prosecution described him as someone who

was cold enough, calculating enough, and trained enough to be able to conduct murders like that, before saying, at least he thinks he is. He likes to tell people he's that kind of person. He likes for his family to think he's that kind of person. The truth was that Buddy Potter was never a part of the CIA, though he managed to convince his family otherwise. He also lied about being in the military. The Potters had left their previous town in shame after Buddy was convicted of stolen valor. Although dozens of firearms had been seized from the Potter household, the gun used to kill the victims hadn't been found. However, an expert testified that loose, unspent rounds found in

Buddy's truck matched the rounds found at the crime scene. The jury also got to listen to recorded phone calls between Buddy and Barbara, including one in which Barbara said, I got rid of it all. I got rid of the junk. After three hours of deliberating, the jury found Marvin Buddy Potter Jr. guilty of two counts of murder in the first degree. Buddy remained stoic as the verdict was read, just as he had been throughout the trial. As Tennessee law requires a murder one conviction to automatically carry one life sentence per count, Buddy would have to serve two life sentences. Afterwards, the prosecution queried the jurors about what they thought of the testimony,

and importantly, how they felt about the culpability of Barbara and Janelle Potter. The feedback they got was that the women were every bit as guilty as Buddy, even if they didn't pull the trigger. Janelle, Jamie and Barbara were set to face trial on two counts of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree murder. Barbara also faced a charge of tampering with evidence, thanks to her ill-fated attempt to shred the emails and photos. The three would be tried together. Then in early 2015, Assistant District Attorney Dennis Brooks received a call from Jamie's attorney. Jamie was prepared to cooperate with the state if it meant having a shot at freedom. He provided a full confession, detailing from the moment Buddy asked

him to do him a favor, to when Jamie was dropped off home after Buddy executed Bill Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth. In return for agreeing to testify against the Potter women, Jamie was tried separately with the lesser charge of facilitation of first degree murder. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 25 years, with the possibility of applying for parole in seven and a half years. As he had already served over half of that, his first parole hearing occurred in November 2015. The victims' families all opposed parole, with Assistant District Attorney Dennis Brooks saying, it would be a slap in the face of justice for Jamie Curd to be released so early in his sentence. Parole was denied, with Jamie eligible to try again at a later date.

In May 2015, the Potter women went to trial. Grayhead Barbara entered court each day in a wheelchair while her daughter dressed demurely. Assistant District Attorney Dennis Brooks opened with the statement, this is going to be the stupidest thing you've ever heard. This is going to be the craziest thing you've ever heard. There is nothing in your lives or background that has prepared you to understand the Potter family. You have never seen anybody like them. Even with the Jamie now the prosecution's star witness, there was no smoking gun. In the pages upon pages of online correspondence, neither Barbara nor Janelle outright demanded that Buddy and Jamie go out and kill. The defense argued that Jamie Curd, who had the

know-how and access to the Potter's computer, was behind the murders and online personas. The defense maintained that Jamie was upset because he'd lost his drinking buddy when Bill Payne became involved with Billie Jean Hayworth and that he wanted Janelle's parents out of the way so he could have Janelle to himself. The defense pointed out that Jamie had every opportunity to stop the murders, but he didn't. Janelle's attorney called the state's argument smoke and mirrors and told the jury, the state will have you believe that Janelle Potter coerced Jamie Curd, a man 8 to 10 years older than her, to complete these acts. Some beat when Janelle Potter operated on the level of an 8 or 9 year old. He also cautioned the jury to remember that it's not

illegal to spew hate and vitriol over the internet in an apparent admission that his client had done just that. The witness who offered the most insight into Janelle Potter was her estranged older sister Christie. Christie's childhood was relatively normal, but Janelle, with all her difficulties, received the bulk of their parents' attention. Christie noted that her parents coddled her little sister, always taking care of any issues she faced, including those that were of her own making. Janelle sought attention by making false health claims such as that she had cancer. At other times, she would collapse dramatically in the hallways, waiting for people to notice and make a fuss over her. Janelle's inability to reason meant that she was unable to understand

when other kids were joking. She took things too seriously and in ways the other party did not intend. As a result, Janelle had trouble making friends and would often get into disagreements and conflicts. Her parents would step in and either smooth things over or threaten the other party until they backed down. In middle school, a dispute between Janelle and another girl went all the way to court. Janelle claimed the girl had punched her because Janelle was too pretty. Buddy and Barbara drummed into Janelle how different she was and gushed that this made her special and better than other kids. Over time, Christie came to believe that her little sister's disabilities were quote, not as bad as everybody else said they were. She felt pushed to the

sidelines as her parents were consumed with loving and protecting their favorite daughter, Janelle. She mostly attributed her troubled childhood and strained familial relationships with her mother. Christie eventually moved out and severed ties with her family. She felt that Janelle manipulated and deceived other people for her own ends, especially their parents. A psychologist told the jury, the allegation that Janelle is in some way a mastermind or a manipulator or a planner I think really flies in the face of the facts, which go back and say that she is functioning basically as a fourth grader. When the prosecution then asked, can a nine-year-old be manipulative,

the psychologist responded, nine-year-olds manipulate their parents all the time. Barbara and Janelle Potter were found to guilty on all charges. Both women were sentenced to two life sentences, one for each count of first-degree murder. Unlike Buddy, who had remained impassive when his sentence was read out, Barbara and Janelle erupted into dramatic tears. Barbara, at 64, would die in prison. Janelle, at 35, would be in her 80s before being eligible for parole. The relatives of Bill and Billie Jean were even more emotional this time than they were when Buddy had been convicted. Everyone in town knew what a menace Janelle was and how she had been the cause of so much drama, hatred and angst over the years.

Few had been confident that she would be made to pay for her crimes, let alone a murder conviction. Their relief was overwhelming. Bill Payne's mother told the press, We're still hurting, we'll always be hurting. You know, Bill couldn't call me on Mother's Day. She also had a parting shot for Barbara Potter, referencing one of the emails that had been read out in court, she said, Barbara, you wanted to know if you'd go to hell? Yeah, you're going to hell. And if I have to forgive any of you to stay out of hell, I'll see you there. Shortly after the trials, television program 2020 did a show about the case called Unfriended. Both Barbara and Janelle, who were serving their sentences in the same prison,

were interviewed on camera. They continued to deny any involvement in the murders. Barbara said Jamie Curd had authored all the dimming emails using her name. I'm not that kind of person, she insisted. I'm not evil. She believed that she would go to heaven with a clean conscience. Janelle used a tactic that had always served her well with her parents. When the interviewer confronted her with evidence that she was Chris, she sobbed loudly and cried, no, no, no, until her lawyer ended the interview. Agent Scott Lott was also interviewed and was at a pains to distance the case from

the narrative that it was all about social media. He believed a much more common motive was the true answer. Janelle Potter had an unrequited crush on Bill Payne and was furious that it hadn't been reciprocated. He said, It wasn't befriending on Facebook. It was a jealousy issue and someone with too much time on her hands. The sentiment in Mountain City is that the Potter women had manipulated the impressionable desperate and lonely Jamie Curd to do something he would never normally do. Before meeting the Potters, Jamie had no prior history of violence and no criminal history. In his book on the case Too Pretty to Live, Assistant District Attorney Dennis Brooks

expressed some sympathy for the man who had become the pawn of a jealous, controlling, and vindictive girl and her overprotective parents. He wrote, Had the Potters not come into Jamie's life, he would have gone to his grave without a single incident as a violent criminal. I truly believed that. Online, Janelle Potter often wrote about her love for her parents. She put them down as her heroes, adding, I have the best mama and daddy in the world. They have really been there for me and they are great people. I'm so lucky I am blessed with them.