2021. They kept referring to a guy Chris thats supposedly a CIA operative or something, special agent Lott said. Appearing in Washington County Court on Wednesday, Barbara Potter, 69, pleaded guilty to two counts of facilitation of . His testimony has to be taken in light of the massive bias hed have to help his family, and it would have to be evaluated in light of the other evidence in the case, Brooks explained. It also gives the public a better understanding of how the criminal justice system works, Brooks said. 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. Prosecutors believe Jenelle used the false identity to fool her parents and to goad Marvin into the killing. Marvin Potter, Barbara Potter and Jenelle Potter are all planning to appeal their convictions. We felt sorry for Jenelle because she was sheltered and sick and stuff, Greenwell told 20/20.. ", Prosecutor Dennis Brooks told "20/20" that social media allowed Jenelle Potter to be someone that she wasn't. Police later moved in and arrested Marvin in a pre-dawn raid in February 2012. At that point all you need to show is that conflict adversely affected your attorneys performance. Curd took a plea deal of 25 years in prison. Now, two of the three parties serving two consecutive life sentences for the 2012 murders of Bill Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth are asking for a new ruling. A Johnson County man pleaded guilty to facilitation of first-degree murder in a 2012 brutal double murder Tuesday and mother and daughter convicted in the crime will serve their two life sentences concurrently, a judge ruled Tuesday, giving the younger at least some chance of being paroled. You can cancel at any time. In her amended petition for post- conviction relief, Petitioner argues: A. Enhanced Cost of Living Calculator Now includes childcare, taxes, health, housing for home owners vs renters, insurance costs and more when you upgrade to premium. 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. "I didn't murder anyone," Jenelle Potter told ABC News' "20/20.". Story of Mountain City Facebook murders reaches national audience in book, tv special. Read more. Robert Littleton was. You have permission to edit this article. Facebook Murders revisited: I did that on purpose. It took a lot of work to get here and I truly believe that she could have had a better outcome at trial. Jenelle Potter during her murder trial in Jonesborough in 2020. Please enter valid email address to continue. This equates to a rate of 3 per one thousand inhabitants. Whats happening this weekend around the Tri-Cities? The book discusses the police investigation that Brooks said made the crime even more interesting. Marvin Buddy Potter husband of Barbara and father to Jenelle was also convicted of the murders. Marvin Potter finally, before his family and a judge, confessed fully to the 2012 murder of Bill Payne, one of the two first-degree murder convictions he is jailed on today. Invalid password or account does not exist. Both parties lawyers claimed the information was paramount, considering the Potter womens charges are under Tennessee Code Annotated 39-11-402, criminal responsibility for the conduct of another. The Rules of Professional Conduct impute the actions of non-lawyers to their attorney employers. Now let us turn to take a look at how Mountain City does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. He was tried in 2013, while his wife and daughter were tried together in 2015. 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. Courtesy Tate Davis Jenelle and Her Family Adjust to Life in Mountain City Potter lived most of her adult life on social media. Jerry Lambe is a journalist at Law&Crime. The 262-page book was written after the final verdicts were read in the case in Johnson County, Tennessee. Billie Jean Hayworth was dating Billy Payne, and the couple lived together with their 7-month-old baby boy. Their infant son was still cradled in his dead mother's arms. The cover of a book by Dennis Brooks entitle "Too Pretty to Live". Because Buddy did have some health issues.. I did not do that," Barbara Potter told ABC News' "20/20. Potter reportedly agreed. 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. "He said he couldn't use his real name, his real identity," Barbara Potter said. I wanted [them] to quit. Then, too, she wanted to make amends with what had happened. He never testified. 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. 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. Janelle kind of spurred it. Shults, who represented Barbara Potter in this part of her appeal, said his client was entitled to due process and independent counsel for her trial. When they impounded Marvins truck, they found bags of shredded documents, pictured above. If he had testified while his case was on appeal, that would have upset that process because at his wife and daughters post-conviction hearing, he did testify. 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. While being questioned by detectives, Marvin said, Ever since all this crap started, Ive had my life threatened. Wed have the right to appeal that, but if a judge sets forth sound legal reasoning, its hard to win an appeal, Brooks said. [photo credit: YouTube] Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Yeah, youre going to hell. Assistant District Attorney Dennis Brooks will officially release Too Pretty to Live: The Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee on Tuesday by Diversion Publishing. 7,043,501 and 7,680,859. Washington County District Attorney's Office. 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. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). The case was dubbed the Facebook murders because Jenelle Potter was unfriended by Payne and Hayworth on the social media site. That visit left the victims with execution-style shots to the head, Paynes throat cut, and the couples eight-month-old son asleep in Hayworths lifeless arms. The family patriarch, Marvin Potter, is already serving two consecutive life sentences after being convicted in October 2013 of the murders. Partly cloudy skies. His letter accused Reece of damaging the prosecutions case with his public comments. No signup or install needed. Barbara got it to happen," agent Lott said. He entered that plea to facilitation to commit murder Tuesday prior to the Potter womens sentencing hearing. Subscriber Verification(Must be Logged In Using Free Account). 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? On Jan. 31, 2012, a friend of Payne and Hayworth found them dead by single gunshots to their faces. Defense attorneys did not present any evidence, but argued that concurrent sentencing was warranted in the case. After Curds plea on Tuesday, state prosecutors Assistant District Attorneys Matt Roark and Dennis Brooks presented two witnesses to testify about how the deaths of Payne and Hayworth affected them and their families. Choose wisely! The CIA agent warned the parents that surveillance of Payne and Hayworth revealed that the two of them were planning on harming Jenelle, that it was imminent, and that something needed to be done. So he decided to write it down. Low 33F. Chief Deputy Woodard said investigators found an arsenal of weapons around the home though none matched the murder weapon. 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. 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. In this photo, a rock is pictured found on the front lawn of the Potter family's home. MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. (WCYB) One of six people charged in the kidnapping and murder of a North Carolina man was found guilty in a Johnson County, Tennessee courtroom. 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. 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 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 said as soon as he realized what was happening and saw the bodies, he ran out of the house and back to the truck. US Highway 421 connects Mountain City to Bristol, Virginia in the northwest direction and to Boone, North Carolina in the southeast. We interviewed our tech expert, Jaime Vazquez, to learn more about accessible smart home devices. 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. "I emailed him through my email, and I said, you know, 'How'd you get my screenname, password?' The tragic case rocked the entire town of Mountain City, Tennessee. Marvin Potter said he shot Payne accidentally, but intentionally slit the mans throat because of the threats Potter believed Payne had made toward Jenelle. Midway through her interview with "20/20," Jenelle Potter shut down in tears and walked out back to her cell. First published on January 24, 2013 / 2:29 PM. There were some discussions that he would testify at his wifes trial, but ultimately he did not. Discover your neighborhood's best match, anywhere. "He was watching these people that he said were harassing her on the computer and calling her. Have a tip or story idea? "I went through a lot with them, but I never wished them dead. After Marvin Potter, who is known as "Buddy," was arrested for the murders, he also told police his daughter's life was being threatened. Mountain City Murder (Hannah Scrabble Cozy Mysteries Book 3) Kindle Edition by Marty Donnellan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition 39 ratings Book 2 of 2: Hannah Scrabble Cozy Mysteries Kindle $0.00 Read with Kindle Unlimited to also enjoy access to over 1 million more titles $3.99 to buy Paperback $9.99 5 New from $9.99 The year is 1978. Choose wisely! 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. They also, in the same breath, would say how different she was, and then [she] became unable to make friends normally, Groover told 20/20.Social media became Jenelles life support, though she said her parents monitored her Facebook page. Sinkhole opens up in Mall at Johnson City parking, Greeneville man describes moment US shot down balloon, From the Archives: Carter County, Roan Mountain floods, Join News Channel 11s 70th celebration in Elizabethton, Continents largest salamanders native to region, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Randy Fallin, defense attorney for Barbara Potter at her murder trial in 2020. Counsel made no such arguments despite the evidence which was available to support the arguments. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York Law School and previously worked in financial securities compliance and Civil Rights employment law. An agent meticulously reconstructed more than 100 pages of what appeared to be thousands of emails sent to the Potter family. When the Potter women went on trial in 2015, Marvin Potters case was still on appeal. However, Jessica Fallin, in addition to being counsels daughter, was her fathers employee. According to a release from the. In one of them, Barbara Potter was communicating with Chris and sounded like she wanted Payne and Hayworth dead. There was a problem saving your notification.