mountain city, tn murders

In the last 5 years Mountain City has seen decline of violent crime and decreasing property crime. "He was watching these people that he said were harassing her on the computer and calling her. "He said he couldn't use his real name, his real identity," Barbara Potter said. At that time, Reeces only statement was that he would not respond to the letter in question. Because we knew that they had trouble with [Hayworth and Payne], Woodard told 20/20.. Follow Becky Campbell @CampbellinCourt | Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BeckyCampbellJCPress. On July 13 and July 14, the Washington County Criminal Court revisited a crime that put a national focus on the small town of Mountain City. Copyright 2000-2023 Location Inc. I wanted the harassment to stop," Potter said. Hayworth died while holding her 7-month-old baby boy. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Mountain City. But from Barbaras perspective, shed already had that trial one time. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. And when she would go out with her dad, he said they were watching them together, Barbara said. Curd said Buddy picked him up and drove to a church parking lot near the Payne home. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Jenelle Potter's defense attorney Cameron Hyder said, "Jenelle Potter operates on the level of an 8- or 9-year-old.. Jenelle Potter had a love interest in Payne and apparently wasnt happy when he began dating Hayworth. 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The evidence in this case was such that Barbaras best defense would have been to argue that she did not commit the crime, and if her husband did commit the crime, she was unaware of her husbands intentions, and therefore she did not assist or promote the offenses. Cost of living in Mountain City is 5% lower than the Tennessee average. He said he was down here to protect me, protect my parents. In the upcoming months, officials will decide whether the Potter women will receive a new trial, get a chance at an appeal, or be left to serve their sentences as planned. appearing in washington county court on wednesday, barbara potter, 69, pleaded guilty to two counts of . According to the most recent data from the FBI, the total crime rate in Mountain City is 988.1 per 100,000 people. The Potter women were not present when the couple was killed, but they were convicted under a law of criminal responsibility, meaning their actions led to the murders. 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. Later that week, authorities brought Curd in and asked him to take a polygraph test, which indicated he lied about knowing the identity of Payne and Hayworths killer. On Jan. 31, 2012, a friend found Billie Jean Hayworth and Billy Payne dead by single gunshots to their faces. — -- Jenelle Potter was a sheltered young woman. Like the request in 2016, this attempt revolves around new evidence. "She may be on a fourth-grade level, but she has a Ph.D. in manipulation," Brooks, the prosecutor, said. He was a sports writer at the Johnson City Press and a stringer for the Bristol Herald Courier and Maryville Daily Times. Moreover, the rate of property crime in Mountain City; burglary, larceny ($50 or more), grand theft auto, and arson; is 10 per 1,000 residents. Barbara Potter released a statement after her sentencing saying she hopes justice will one day prevail and her innocence be proven. Mountain City, TN Crime & Safety City Home Local News The Tomahawk Court dismisses first-degree murder case against Butler man A criminal case against David Lee Albright, 71, of Butler, was dismissed by First Judicial District Court Judge Lisa Nidiffer Rice on Friday, February 3, 2023. After a six-day trial, the two were convicted of planning the Jan. 31, 2012, shooting deaths of Bill Payne, 36, and Billie Jean Hayworth, 23, inside that couples Johnson County home. US Highway 421 connects Mountain City to Bristol, Virginia in the northwest direction and to Boone, North Carolina in the southeast. A gruesome execution style double murder of a young couple shakes a small mountain community in Eastern Tennessee. Mountain City crime rates are 58% lower than the national average Violent crimes in Mountain City are 47% lower than the national average In Mountain City you have a 1 in 102 chance of becoming a victim of crime Mountain City is safer than 62% of the cities in the United States Year over year crime in Mountain City has decreased by 32% 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. 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. Because you are guilty? Rice asked. But Jenelle Potter said Chris was using her email to protect his identity. 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. However, a judge granted her a new trial after finding that her attorney, Randy Fallin, had a conflict of interest when he represented her in her 2015 trial because he had also represented Buddy Potter, who was convicted in 2013, and was continuing to represent him during the appeals process. Maybe somewhere along the way, hes had a change of heart, but, in my mind, if he wanted to help those women at their trial, hed have done it. / CBS News. Barbara potter. Rental prices in Mountain City are 40% lower than the . I did Bill first and then I think Billie did me. The cover of a book by Dennis Brooks entitle "Too Pretty to Live". Marvin Potter and Jamie Lynn Curd. First published on January 24, 2013 / 2:29 PM. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. 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. Initially police were baffled by the crime, until they uncovered a web of lies and manipulation so bizarre it would catapult the small town into the national spotlight. Based on FBI crime data, Mountain City is not one of the safest communities in America. Winds light and variable.. A clear sky. I think they would be called masterminds. 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. He pleaded guilty to facilitation to commit murder Tuesday prior to the Potter womens sentencing hearing. And, finally, they just pushed him to his limit where he couldn't take it anymore.. Appearing in Washington County Court on Wednesday, Barbara Potter, 69, pleaded guilty to two counts of facilitation of . Jenelle Potters convictions were upheld in a separate opinion issued by Acree. Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Barbara, you wanted to know if youd go to hell? Washington County District Attorney's Office. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Director Adam Kassen Stars Marken Greenwood Danny McFarland Diana Caban Velez To have that opportunity was important to her. She was paranoid about it.. Its just not in her.. Fallins argument at that trial was that Marvin Potter, convicted in 2013, had nothing to do with the murders. 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. Potters mother Barbara Potter had a job with Hewlett-Packard, and her father Marvin Potter, known as Buddy, was a former marine who served in Vietnam. already serving two consecutive life sentences, Update-mother-daughter-receive-concurrent-life-sentences-in-2012-mountain-city-double-murder-co-conspirator-gets-25-years-photos-video. Note: Because the rates of crime are so low in America, we use "per . "I didn't murder anyone," Jenelle Potter told ABC News' "20/20.". 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 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. An agent meticulously reconstructed the shredded papers found in Marvin Potter's truck, pictured here, which appeared to be thousands of emails sent to the Potter family. The 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. 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. It appears to this Court that Jessica Fallin exploited the lack of a written fee agreement between the Potters and Mr. Fallin, counsels lack of direct supervision over his daughters actions, and the Potters preoccupation with their legal issues to sell Potter family property (at least some of which was done in Mr. Fallins office) and otherwise appropriate Potter family finances to the tune of approximately $300,000 during the life of Mr. Fallins representation of the family. Start your subscription for just $5 for 3 months Instead of being herself, my parents tried to make her fit in. Show Every Town, Ep Mountain City, TN - Unfriended Facebook Murders - Oct 8, 2021 If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. She didnt have a job or drive a car. 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 After combing through them, it appeared there was some type of conspiracy here. A Johnson County man pleaded guilty to facilitation of first-degree murder in a brutal 2012 double murder Tuesday, and the mother and daughter convicted of the crimes will serve their two life. Read more about Scout's Crime Data. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. On Jan. 31, 2012, a friend of Payne and Hayworth found them dead by single gunshots to their faces. ", Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It takes a cold-blooded person to shoot someone holding a baby, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Scott Lott told 20/20.. One day while picking up prescriptions, Jenelle befriended pharmacy clerk Tracy Greenwell. 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. Agent Lott said, "Barbara would take this information and show it to Buddy: 'Buddy, look, look what they're trying to do to Jenelle.' Albright was initially arrested on Friday, August 14, 2020, and charged with first . Armed with evidence that he believed proved the entire family was involved, prosecutors also charged Barbara Potter and Jenelle Potter in the killings. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Check back later for full story on the hearing. An agent meticulously reconstructed the shredded papers found in Marvin Potter's truck, pictured here, which appeared to be thousands of emails sent to the Potter family. Mountain City, TN: United States: Unemployment Rate: 5.3%: 5.5%: 6.0%: Recent Job Growth: 1.9%: 0.1 . If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Curd's initial bond was raised to $1.5 million while Potter remains jailed on his initial $200,000 bond. Attorney Scott Shults, right, talks to his client, Barbara Potter on Wednesday, July 14. Because of what they were saying about my daughter.. Billie Jean Hayworth and Billy Payne were found shot dead in their home. But when an online feud erupted, two of her former friends were found murdered in their home while their baby survived. She did want to go in there and plead guilty, Schults told the paper. Date(s) & Update Frequency: Hayworth died while holding her 7-month-old baby boy. Police later moved in and arrested Marvin in a pre-dawn raid in February 2012. Mr. Fallin made no effort to explain a potential conflict or obtain informed waivers from Barbara and Marvin. At one point, Barbara ripped the photos that were found in what seemed to be an attempt to hide them from police. 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. They also discovered printed photos of the victim and her friends in the living room. Winds light and variable.. Clear skies. Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription. I think they would be called masterminds, said Lott. When they impounded Marvins truck, they found bags of shredded documents, pictured above. Assistant District Attorney Dennis Brooks will officially release Too Pretty to Live: The Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee on Tuesday by Diversion Publishing. Other US patent applications are currently pending. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. 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. The two were shot to death in their Mountain City . The Brady case determined that prosecutors are required to turn over any evidence that would be in favor of the defendant. The prosecutor noted that the case is layered and the subjects are compelling. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and New York Law School and previously worked in financial securities compliance and Civil Rights employment law. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Curd was sentenced to 25 years in prison and will be eligible for parole after serving 30 percent. [Jenelle said] she wished that Bill and Billie Jean and that damn baby would die. She was feeding Barbaras delusions, so Barbara ignores the signs that something is amiss here., Jenelle and Her Mom Go on Trial for the Murders. But Jenelle said there were real threats of violence against her. The Potter spouses ultimately did not have the same defense; Mr. Potters defense at his trial was that he did not commit the crime, but someone else did. Please dont do this, Jenelles mom Barbara said. I did that on purpose, Marvin testified about slitting Paynes throat in his confession at the post-conviction hearing. The 262-page book was written after the final verdicts were read in the case in Johnson County, Tennessee. Raw data sources: Because Buddy did have some health issues.. 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. Our nationally-comparable school ratings are covered under US Patent No. They have an 8-month-old baby, who was found unharmed in Hayworth's arms. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Blackwood told Curd there was no guarantee the parole board would agree to grant his release that quickly. When she invented Chris, she could assume a different identity and be as hateful as she wanted to be.". Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee's Adjutant General, confirmed the identities of two Tennessee Army National Guard pilots killed Wednesday af. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. 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(CBS/AP) MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. - An unfriendly Facebook relationship turned downright deadly in northeast Tennessee, authorities say. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. 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. In this case, it is clear to this Court that Mr. Fallin operated under a conflict of interest based on his concurrent representation of both Petitioner and her husband. 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. Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop. I did not do that, Barbara said. I unfriended them. Download Historical Data Save as Image. Listen to 39: Catfishing in Mountain City, TN: The Facebook Murders, an episode of Southern Fried True Crime, easily on Podbay - the best podcast player on the web. 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. From time to time, Curd would visit the Potter house to fix the family computer. Potter lived most of her adult life on social media. Nothing ever showed up in my sent box," Jenelle Potter said. I didnt grow up here, Potter, 34, told 20/20. People here do not like outsiders.. Their relationship went south when Hayworth began dating Payne, whom she allegedly knew Jenelle was pining for. A life sentence in Tennessee requires a inmate serve 51 years before being eligible for parole. Winds light and variable. This equates to a rate of 3 per one thousand inhabitants. According to Mountain City PD, the suspect, identified as Jimmy Gale Morefield, waited for officers to arrive at the scene of the shooting. Jenelle spent time with Greenwell and her friends, including Greenwells brother Billy Payne. He said he couldnt use his real name, his real identity.. He testified at Barbara and Jenelles trial that Buddy Potter asked him for a favor, then cashed in on it the morning of the murders. Curd received a 25-year sentence on facilitation to second-degree murder charge. Crime, My Chances of Becoming a Victim of a Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? A Johnson County man pleaded guilty to facilitation of first-degree murder in a brutal 2012 double murder Tuesday, and the mother and daughter convicted of the crimes will serve their two life sentences concurrently, a judge ruled, giving the younger woman at least some chance of being paroled. I walked away from that (post-conviction) hearing myself having concerns about that representation.. His letter accused Reece of damaging the prosecutions case with his public comments. The post-conviction judge, William Acree, heard testimony for this appeal over a three-day period in July. Although Brooks is excited to have completed and published a book, hes still a prosecutor. Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood said the crime was the most bizarre thing hes seen in his career as a judge, but that concurrent sentences virtually guarantees the women will never be released. Listen to "39: Catfishing in Mountain City, TN: The Facebook Murders" on Spreaker.