According to Johnson City Press, Jenelle and Hayworth were one-time friends. Although Brooks is excited to have completed and published a book, hes still a prosecutor. Brig. Marvin Potter is accused in the shooting deaths of a couple who removed his adult daughter as a friend on the social network. Potter is serving two concurrent life sentences for the murders of the couple who were found in their Mountain City, Tennessee, home with single gunshot wounds to their faces. You have to have hard, concrete facts in court, he added. Emailus. I dont want people to think, Hes just prosecuting the case to write another book, said Brooks, who does not know whether hell ever write another book. 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. I think that we did it to each other. I only have that book because of someone elses tragedy, Brooks said. According to a release from the. Billie Jean Hayworth and Billy Payne were found shot dead in their home. ", Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Curd took a plea deal of 25 years in prison. I did not do that," Barbara Potter told ABC News' "20/20. bcampbell@johnsoncitypress.com, One of three Facebook murder convictions overturned, mother granted new trial. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. The NeighborhoodScout search engine is covered under US Patents No. Barbara got it to happen," agent Lott said. By Becky Campbell While it seemed that Jenelles social life was finally blooming, she was being relentlessly bullied online with anonymous comments appearing on her Facebook page. Jenelle Potter said she had trouble making friends when she lived in Mountain City, Tenn. Robert Littleton was. Have a tip or story idea? Jenelle Potter said her father became more protective with her because of the alleged threats she was receiving. Its just not in her.. Download Historical Data Save as Image. Unfortunately in today's society, despite the fact that the officer is guilty of a crime under Title 18 USC 242, depriving a citizen of his rights "under color of law", it's unlikely that anything will happen to officer McCloud, who will remain free to intimidate citizens of Johnson County,TN and abuse his authority as he sees fit. 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. . Case suggested by Linda MorganSuggested Reading: Too Pretty to Live: The Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee byJames Brooks, Written, hosted, produced by Erica KelleyResearched by Erica KelleyOriginal Graphic Art by Coley HornerOriginal Music by Rob Harrison-Gamma Radio, https://www.tncourts.gov/sites/default/files/pottermarvinopn_3.pdf, https://www.amazon.com/Too-Pretty-Live-Catfishing-Tennessee-ebook/dp/B01994PAE8, https://abcnews.go.com/US/social-media-feud-led-murder-young-tennessee-couple/story?id=34346840, https://www.thetomahawk.com/local-news/prison-guard-fired-writing-letter-judge-support-potter-women/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_City,_Tennessee, http://www.city-data.com/city/Mountain-City-Tennessee.html, https://www.wjhl.com/local/tenn-supreme-court-censures-assistant-carter-co-district-attorney-over-facebook-murders-book/1308165452, https://media.wjhl.com/nxs-wjhltv-media-us-east-1/document_dev/2018/07/17/brooks-44880-carter-county-lawyer-censured_1531864697067_48862486_ver1.0.pdf, https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/Local/2016/08/12/Court-of-Criminal-Appeals-grants-stay-of-appeal-for-Jenelle-Potter, Catfishing in Mountain City, TN: The Facebook Murders. The book discusses the police investigation that Brooks said made the crime even more interesting. This is about average for all cities and towns in America of all population sizes. Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. I was horrible. The fact that Mr. Fallin failed to engage his clients in the required discussions regarding conflict of interest and waiver of the potential conflict does not, standing alone, entitle Petitioner to relief. The 60-year-old father is charged with two counts of first-degree murder for killing Billy Payne Jr. and his girlfriend, Billie Jean Hayworth. 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. After Marvin Potter, who is known as "Buddy," was arrested for the murders, he also told police his daughter's life was being threatened. 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. Assistant District Attorney Dennis Brooks will officially release Too Pretty to Live: The Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee on Tuesday by Diversion Publishing. The letter also included records of others seeking court-ordered protection from Jenelle because of the alleged harassment stretching back four years, claiming the victims should have been protected better. The Rules of Professional Conduct impute the actions of non-lawyers to their attorney employers. In May 2015, three and a half years after the shootings, Jenelle and Barbara finally went on trial. The Brady case determined that prosecutors are required to turn over any evidence that would be in favor of the defendant. He said he couldnt use his real name, his real identity.. I dont want anybody murdered. 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. All three Potters are serving two life sentences each for the murders. Check back later for full story on the hearing. Then, too, she wanted to make amends with what had happened. No one wants to kill anyone but we will," Barbara Potter wrote in the email. My client is not guilty for having an overprotective father, Jenelles attorney Cameron Hyder told 20/20. She is not capable of directing anyone to commit murder. That case focused on information revealed from Deputy District Attorney Dennis Brooks book on the case, Too Pretty to Live, the Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee. Barbara and Jenelle Potters attorneys are focusing this new request around Marvin Potters never-before-heard testimony on the chain of events. Jenelle Potter lived with her parents Barbara Potter and Marvin Potter, pictured together here. Winds light and variable.. Clear skies. Cause I wasnt born and raised here. Updated: Nov 11, 2021 / 06:49 PM EST WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) - Barbara Potter, the mother in a family trio all convicted of first-degree murder in the 2012 killing of a Mountain. According to a release from the Mountain City Police Department, officers were called to the 300 block of Industrial Drive on November 14, 2020. "I love my daughter. He entered that plea to facilitation to commit murder Tuesday prior to the Potter womens sentencing hearing. Like the request in 2016, this attempt revolves around new evidence. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. He was a sports writer at the Johnson City Press and a stringer for the Bristol Herald Courier and Maryville Daily Times. I did Bill first and then I think Billie did me. Their infant son was still cradled in his dead mother's arms. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. 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. Defense attorneys did not present any evidence, but argued that concurrent sentencing was warranted in the case. One day while picking up prescriptions, Jenelle befriended pharmacy clerk Tracy Greenwell. Mountain City has a Livability Score of 56 /100, which is considered poor. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Jenelle said one of her Facebook friends, Billie Jean Hayworth, was the one behind the attacks because Hayworth was jealous of her looks. A Tennessee mother who was one of the three family members convicted in the so-called "Facebook Murders" case rejected her chance at a new trial and reached a deal with prosecutors that will send her to prison for 25 years. Curd is the only one charged who admitted any involvement in the killings, but told investigators and testified that he had no knowledge of it prior to the morning it happened and that it was Buddy Potter who killed the couple. Prosecutors believe Potter created a false online identity of a CIA agent named Chris, in a phenomenon known as "catfishing," to fool her parents and her boyfriend and to goad her father into killing Hayworth and Payne. In the last 5 years Mountain City has seen decline of violent crime and decreasing property crime. Janelle kind of spurred it. The shocking murder left 36-year-old Billy Clay Payne and 23-year-old Billie Jean Hayworth dead. 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 two became an item, with Jenelle hiding her relationship from her strict parents. He had dogs. Yeah, youre going to hell. "I don't want anybody murdered. At that time, Reeces only statement was that he would not respond to the letter in question. While Marvin was being questioned, police executed a search warrant on the Potter house. 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. feet 1 baths 3 beds #3 Highway 133 Shady Valley, TN 37688 1,120 sq. (CBS/AP) MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. - An unfriendly Facebook relationship turned downright deadly in northeast Tennessee, authorities say. Police had a major breakthrough in their investigation of the murders after interviewing Potter's boyfriend, Jamie Curd, who admitted to being involved in the murders and told police that Jenelle Potters father, Marvin Potter, shot Hayworth and Payne to protect his daughter from what he perceived as an imminent threat? Barbara and Jenelle Potter, who will be the subject of an ABC 20/20 segment later this year, continue to deny any involvement in the murders. Marvin Potter said he shot Payne accidentally, but intentionally slit the mans throat because of the threats Potter believed Payne had made toward Jenelle. Street was pronounced dead at the scene, police report. There were some discussions that he would testify at his wifes trial, but ultimately he did not. Jamie Lynn Curd, 38, of 2358 Pleasant Valley Road, Mountain City, Tn., and Marvin "Buddy" Potter, Jr., 60, of 727 Hospital Road, Mountain City, Tn., were both charged overnight with two counts . rsorrell@bristolnews.com | 276-645-2531 | Twitter: @RSorrellBHC |Facebook.com/robertsorrelltn, EDITORS NOTE: Mack Crowder changed his plea to withhold of adjudication and served a period of probation, which ended in April 2018. Theyve threatened to take Jenelle, cut her head off.. "Every one of them pointed straight back to Barbara and Janelle's home address," Tennessee Bureau of Investigation special agent Scott Lott told "20/20. At one point, Barbara ripped the photos that were found in what seemed to be an attempt to hide them from police. Catfishing in Mountain City, TN: The Facebook Murders Southern Fried True Crime Podcast Episode 39 Description In a tiny town in Tennessee, a young couple are brutally shot, execution style in their home. This equates to a rate of 3 per one thousand inhabitants. Jenelles sister Christie Groover, whos been estranged from the family for a decade, said Jenelle struggled to make friends growing up. 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. The two were shot to death in their Mountain City . Start your subscription for just $5 for 3 months Subscribe. For Jenelle Potter, she will be 86 years old when shes eligible for release. I unfriended them. A feud erupted on social media with Curd, Paynes cousin, taking Jenelles side. Partly cloudy skies. Relative to Tennessee, Mountain City has a crime rate that is higher than 58% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes. 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Further suggesting Mr. Fallin was more aware of his daughters activities than he insisted at the post-conviction hearing, Mr. Fallin filed a motion to quash a subpoena related to a criminal investigation of Jessica, perhaps ending any potential investigation into the Fallins involvement with the Potters finances. A week after the crime, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of Marvin "Buddy" Potter (of no relation to the mayor) and his daughter's then-boyfriend, Jamie Lynn Curd. Guilty verdicts were handed out for the Potters and Curd pleaded guilty. Date(s) & Update Frequency: February 3, 2023. 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. We felt sorry for Jenelle because she was sheltered and sick and stuff, Greenwell told 20/20.. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Director Adam Kassen Stars Marken Greenwood Danny McFarland Diana Caban Velez It took a lot of work to get here and I truly believe that she could have had a better outcome at trial. It also gives the public a better understanding of how the criminal justice system works, Brooks said. Greenwell introduced Jenelle to her cousin Jamie Curd, who is handy with computers. 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.. In her amended petition for post- conviction relief, Petitioner argues: A. Rental prices in Mountain City are 40% lower than the . The release states officers found Teddy Allen Street lying on the roadway with a gunshot wound to the neck.. He was watching these people that he said were harassing her on the computer and calling her. She was thinking of that and of wanting to accept her fault in what actually occurred., [image via Johnson County Sheriffs Office], Have a tip we should know? In another part of the ruling, Acree wrote: In this case, despite Mr. Fallins belief that no conflict of interest prevented him from representing both Barbara Potter and Marvin Potter, the Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that Mr. Fallin was required to explain the potential conflict to his clients and obtain informed consent in writing before Mr. Fallin could represent Barbara. 18,000 local law enforcement agencies in the U.S. It is available as an e-edition book at all major online book retailers, as well as in print. 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. We won't share it with anyone else. Curd agreed to a plea deal of 25 years in prison. "I emailed him through my email, and I said, you know, 'How'd you get my screenname, password?' You have permission to edit this article. The family patriarch, Marvin Potter, is already serving two consecutive life sentences after being convicted in October 2013 of the murders. Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. Both. Invalid password or account does not exist. I was a bad person. Posing as Chris, Jenelle reportedly convinced Barbara that the CIA had sent an agent to Mountain City to protect Jenelle from Hayworth and Payne. 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. It turned out there really was a person named Chris Chris Tjaden, a police officer in Delaware who attended high school with Jenelle Potter who prosecutors said Jenelle based her fictitious CIA friend on. Washington County District Attorney's Office. If you can show the attorney had a conflict of interest, then prejudice is presumed. During the interview, Jenelle appeared to be hiding her romantic relationship with Curd from her parents. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 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: Armed with evidence that he believed proved the entire family was involved, prosecutors also charged Barbara Potter and Jenelle Potter in the killings. Jamie Curd, Marvin Potter's friend, has also been charged in the murders. Clear skies. The 2019 crime rate in Mountain City, TN is 69 (City-Data.com crime index), which is 3.9 times lower than the U.S. average. [Jenelle said] she wished that Bill and Billie Jean and that damn baby would die. If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Listen to Mountain City, TN - Unfriended Facebook Murders and seventy-seven more episodes by Every Town, free! The 38-year-old Curd reportedly had a romantic interest in Janelle Potter. Reflects 2021 calendar year; released from FBI in Oct. 2022 (latest available). Read more. Janelle kind of spurred it. The feud ended with Payne and Hayworth unfriending Jenelle on the social media site, according to the report. Authorities seized 51 items from the house, including their family computer. Barbara Potters post-conviction attorney, Scott Shults, successfully argued that his clients trial attorney, Randy Fallin, was deficient in representing her because he also had represented Marvin Potter. 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. Jenelle Potter said she had trouble making friends when she lived in Mountain City, Tenn. Jenelle Potter, left, and Jamie Curd, right, started dating after Tracy Greenwell set them up. In one incident, police photographed a rock, pictured above, that was found in the Potters front yard with the names Billy Payne and Billie Jean written on it. Crime, My Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. To have that opportunity was important to her. Assistant District Attorney Dennis Brooks said he will have to talk with District Attorney Ken Baldwin to determine the states next step, but appealing the ruling could be an issue. Barbara Potter released a statement after her sentencing saying she hopes justice will one day prevail and her innocence be proven. In recounting the evidence against Barbara during Wednesdays plea hearing, Deputy DA Brooks reportedly described how investigators found hundreds of emails that showed how Jenelle catfished by pretending to be a CIA agent named Chris. Methodology: Violent Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents), Property Crime Comparison (per 1,000 residents). "I think that we did it to each other. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? In one of them, Barbara Potter was communicating with Chris and sounded like she wanted Payne and Hayworth dead. The book is written in the first person perspective and tells what led to the brutal murder. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The murder occurred after months of allegations from Potters daughter, Jenelle Potter, and his wife, Barbara Potter, and a Facebook defriending. Somebody wanted to kill her, Greenwell said. Jenelle Potter during her murder trial in Jonesborough in 2020. Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood said the crime was the most bizarre thing hes seen in his career as as judge, but that concurrent sentences virtually guarantees the women will never be released. Assistant District Attorney General Dennis Brooks. Because Buddy did have some health issues.. Curd received a 25-year sentence on facilitation to second-degree murder charge. "I didn't murder anyone," Jenelle Potter told ABC News' "20/20. We won't share it with anyone else. Potter was once friendly with Payne in person, hanging out at barbecues and even going rappelling together. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York Law School and previously worked in financial securities compliance and Civil Rights employment law. First published on January 24, 2013 / 2:29 PM. Mountain City, TN: United States: Unemployment Rate: 5.3%: 5.5%: 6.0%: Recent Job Growth: 1.9%: 0.1 . Eventually both sides deleted each other as friends on Facebook. Detectives had Curd call Marvin to get a confession on tape. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. From time to time, Curd would visit the Potter house to fix the family computer. After combing through them, it appeared there was some type of conspiracy here. Best Places to Live | Compare cost of living, crime, cities, schools and more. 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.. 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. Importantly, when you compare Mountain City to other communities of similar population, then Mountain City crime rate (violent and property crimes combined) is quite a bit higher than average.

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