But when police took a look at the computer they seized from the Potters' home, they learned the emails from the CIA agent Chris were all coming from an account that belonged to Jenelle Potter, and a review of the IP address confirmed that. Mountain City crime rates are 69% lower than the Tennessee average. Yes, Barbara responded. 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. I changed my password lots of times. Defense attorney Scott Shults listens as attorney Grace Studer makes closing arguments in a post-conviction hearing for Barbara and Jenelle Potter in July 2021. Winds light and variable.. Clear skies. Barbara Potter released a statement after her sentencing saying she hopes justice will one day prevail and her innocence be proven. Mountain City, TN - Unfriended Facebook Murders From Every Town 0 0 29 minutes Description You've got a Facebook friend request - or conversely, your friend request has been accepted - and the thrill of having a new virtual friend that may open beautiful possibilities is undeniable. Mr. Fallin was not granted power of attorney over the Potter family assets counsels daughter Jessica was. I didn't truly believe that Buddy Potter was capable of doing this, Lott said. Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription. Petitioner also could have argued that if she was guilty of anything, she was guilty of lesser offenses. Subscriber Verification(Must be Logged In Using Free Account). Hayworth was dating Billy Payne, and the couple lived together with their infant son. Burton (girls) triumph in triple-header at UVa-Wise, VHSL HOOPS: Eight state quarterfinals on tap tonight for local squads, Five new businesses set to come to The Pinnacle, Farmville native caught with 42 lbs of cocaine, $862K in drug money gets 17 years, VHSL HOOPS: Parker Bandy's emergence key for Honaker Tigers, In Tennessee, a Medicaid mix-up might land you on a most wanted list, Recent cases prompt authorities to warn parents of social media's risks, Alaskas Iditarod kicks off with ceremonial start, Global race is on to improve EV range in the cold, Dogs, mushers prep for Iditarod as PETA accuses racers of animal abuse. Hayworth died while holding her 7-month-old baby boy. He entered that plea to facilitation to commit murder Tuesday prior to the Potter womens sentencing hearing. And when she would go out with her dad, he said they were watching them together, Barbara said. The evidence was presented to the Johnson County Grand Jury and Mr. Jimmy Gale Morefield was charged with Second Degree Murder, the release reads. I remember I wrote, Please do not write on Jenelles Facebook. I begged them. 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. On Jan. 31, 2012, a friend of Payne and Hayworth found them dead by single gunshots to their faces. Like her husband and daughter, Barbara was sentenced to serve life in prison. There was a problem saving your notification. Now six years after the Potter women were convicted and five years after their original petition for a new trial, Marvin is speaking out. Hed have given the testimony he gave yesterday.. Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time. Barbara got it to happen.. (CBS/AP) MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. - An unfriendly Facebook relationship turned downright deadly in northeast Tennessee, authorities say. 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: / CBS News. We won't share it with anyone else. Potter lived most of her adult life on social media. "I emailed him through my email, and I said, you know, 'How'd you get my screenname, password?' ", Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. You have permission to edit this article. [They] threatened to get [me] raped, Jenelle said. The statement also said Buddy Potter was innocent and that it was Curd who planned and carried out the murders. The prosecutor noted that the case is layered and the subjects are compelling. Although Brooks is excited to have completed and published a book, hes still a prosecutor. He said he couldnt use his real name, his real identity.. She didnt have a job or drive a car. Mountain City, TN 37683 1,208 sq. [The text messages were] very telling about Jenelle being involved in the preparation for the killing, prosecutor Dennis Brooks told 20/20.. I did Bill first and then I think Billie did me. January 24, 2013 / 2:29 PM [photo credit: YouTube] 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. Start your subscription for just $5 for 3 months Subscribe. The murder occurred after months of allegations from Potters daughter, Jenelle Potter, and his wife, Barbara Potter, and a Facebook defriending. Potter was found guilty in May of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for the 2012 shooting deaths of Billie Jean Hayworth, 23, and Billy Payne, 36. Follow Becky Campbell @CampbellinCourt | Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BeckyCampbellJCPress. 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. 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. Police later moved in and arrested Marvin in a pre-dawn raid in February 2012. Potter and Curd were arraigned Wednesday. A life sentence in Tennessee requires a inmate serve 51 years before being eligible for parole. The two were shot to death in their Mountain City home. Barbara got it to happen," agent Lott said. Reflects 2021 calendar year; released from FBI in Oct. 2022 (latest available). The family patriarch, Marvin Potter, was already serving two consecutive life sentences after being convicted in October 2013 of the murders. 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. His letter accused Reece of damaging the prosecutions case with his public comments. Note: Because the rates of crime are so low in America, we use "per . 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. Paynes throat had also been slashed as he lay in bed, and Billie Jean had been cradling their baby in her arms when she died. The Real 'Fatal Attraction' Killer - Jennifer Reali - Colorado Springs, CO. NewsBreak provides latest and breaking Mountain City, TN local news, weather forecast, crime and safety reports, traffic updates, event notices, sports, entertainment, local life and other items of interest in the community and nearby towns. For Jenelle Potter, she will be 86 years old when shes eligible for release. ", "[My mom and Chris] would write emails all the time back and forth, and she would tell me about him, she added. They unfriended me," Jenelle said. 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. My wife has been threatened. He testified at Barbara and Jenelles trial that Buddy Potter asked him for a favor, then cashed in on it the morning of the murders. The murders shocked the public conscious, leading cases to be moved out of the county because of pre-trial publicity, and were also the subject of a book penned Deputy District Attorney Dennis Brooks titled, Too Pretty to Live, the Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee.. Jenelle Potter's defense attorney Cameron Hyder said, "Jenelle Potter operates on the level of an 8- or 9-year-old.. But behind her parents backs, Jenelle and Curd would secretly spend time together. I dont want anybody murdered. feet 2 baths - beds #2 Old Us Highway 421 Zionville, NC 28698 1,344 sq. 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. Schults reportedly told JCP that Barbara requested him to reach a deal with prosecutorsagainst his advicebecause she did not want to go through another trial. 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. Because Buddy did have some health issues.. 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. Barbara Potter is serving two concurrent life sentences for first degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, while Marvin Potter is also serving two consecutive life sentences after being convicted in October 2013 of the murders. 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. But from Barbaras perspective, shed already had that trial one time. Best Places to Live in Mountain City, Tennessee State: Tennessee County: Johnson County Metro Area: No Metro Area City: Mountain City Zip Codes: 37683 Cost of Living: -26.8% lower New! 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. The CIA agent Chris had apparently been corresponding with Barbara and warning her about threats to her daughters life. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest?