The Murders of Billy Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth: The Facebook Catfish Plot

Billy Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth were young parents living in Mountain City, Tennessee, with their seven month old son, Tyler. On January 31, 2012, they were found murdered inside their home. Tyler was alive and unharmed in Billie Jean’s arms, but his parents had been taken from him in a case that began with online conflict and grew into a murder conspiracy.

The Online Conflict Around Jenelle Potter

Jenelle Potter had become part of the same small social circle as Billy and Billie Jean through Tracy Greenwell, Billy’s sister. As friendships broke down, Jenelle claimed that Billy, Billie Jean, and their friends were harassing and threatening her online. Prosecutors later argued that many of those threats had been fabricated through a fake CIA agent named Chris, an online persona connected to the Potter family computer.

The Catfish Account That Fueled a Conspiracy

The account known as Chris sent messages to Barbara Potter warning that Jenelle was in danger. Prosecutors said the messages fueled the family’s belief that Billy and Billie Jean posed a threat. Investigators reconstructed shredded documents, examined the family computer, and traced the emails connected to Chris to the Potters’ home. The evidence led detectives to a conspiracy involving Jenelle, Barbara, Marvin “Buddy” Potter, and Jamie Curd.

The Investigation and Where the Cases Stand

Marvin “Buddy” Potter was convicted of two counts of first degree murder in 2013 and received two consecutive life sentences. Jamie Curd pleaded guilty to facilitation of first degree murder and received concurrent 25 year sentences. He was later released on parole. Jenelle Potter was convicted in 2015 and remains subject to two concurrent life sentences.

Barbara Potter was also convicted in 2015, but her murder conviction was overturned in 2021 because her attorney had a conflict of interest. She later pleaded guilty to facilitation of murder and is eligible for parole in 2028. We cover the full story of Billy and Billie Jean’s lives, the catfish account, and the investigation that exposed the plot.