The Texas city of Quitman was rocked to the core in December 2007 by what appeared to be a gruesome murder-suicide. A young mother named Nichole Payne and her teenage son Austin were found dead in the same location. After a thorough investigation, authorities concluded that the scene was fabricated. Dateline: House of Horrors on NBC News focuses on how the police were able to locate the actual perpetrator of the crime and what happened after the police made their discovery. Should we investigate this further, right?
How did Nichole Payne die?
Nichole Hawthorne was born in Columbus, Mississippi in October 1972 to her parents, Richard T. and Sherry Hawthorne. Pigeons have drawn her attention since she was a child, and she eventually made a living from her passion for them. She was the owner and manager of a company called Wings of Love, which offered the service of releasing doves at ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. The woman, who was 35 at the time of the incident, was married to Jason Payne and had two children, Riley and Joseph, with him at the time of the incident.
In addition, Nichole was the mother of Austin, who was 15 years old and was the product of a previous relationship. At approximately 9:09 a.m. on the morning of December 11, 2007, Jason dialed 911 to report that Nichole and Austin had been shot. Nichole was discovered by authorities in bed in the downstairs bedroom shortly after her arrival with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. The next thing that happened, Austin was spotted in the garage, lying on his bed with a gun between his legs and his feet touching the floor. He had a wound on his upper lip that appeared to have been caused by a gunshot.
Who is to blame for Nichole Payne’s death?
At first glance it looked like a murder-suicide case in which Austin shot his mother and then turned the gun on himself. But as they investigated the matter further, authorities began to suspect something was wrong. Unlike the smell of gunpowder that permeated the area where Nichole was discovered, there was no trace of the odor in the garage. Also, Nichole felt warm while Austin seemed to have been dead for some time. At the time, the circumstances of Austin’s death were classified as unknown.
Jason told authorities that on that particular day he woke up around 7 a.m. to drive Joseph and Austin to school. After that he sat in the car with Riley and Joseph and they all waited for Austin to join them. After the teenager failed to show up, Jason claimed he left the house, saying that he and Riley drove back around 8:15 a.m. after taking Joseph to school. When Riley mentioned that she was going to the park, Jason said that he went inside to let Nichole know and that he found Riley’s body in the garage around that time.
Afterward, authorities found that Nichole had a $100,000 insurance policy in her name and Jason was the beneficiary of the policy. This raised even greater suspicion. Furthermore, there was no evidence that Austin had considered taking his or his mother’s life. A more in-depth analysis of the family’s finances revealed that their cash resources were limited, leaving the door open to the possibility that Jason was financially motivated. As a direct result, authorities were under the impression that the crime scene had been fabricated. This was supported by the evidence presented.
Since there were no fingerprints on the gun, it’s possible it was cleaned before police discovered it. In the trunk of Jason’s car was a washcloth covered in Nichole’s blood and gunshot marks. According to this, investigators thought Jason wiped his blood and also wiped the revolver. An expert stated during his trial that the gun was about 10 to 12 inches from Austin when he was shot and that given the length of the rifle’s barrel it was highly impossible that Austin shot himself. A blood spatter expert also testified that the blood found on Austin’s hand wasn’t there because he was holding the barrel.
Testimonies from Nichole’s friends and family painted a bleak picture of the state of her relationship with Jason. An ex-boyfriend of Nichole’s claimed that in August 2007 she told him she wanted to leave her life because she wasn’t happy with it. Andrea Scott, a friend of Jason’s, testified that he would frequently beg Riley to tell Nichole that she despised her and would even ask the young child to hit her own mother. Jennifer Morton, another close friend of Nichole’s, claimed that the 35-year-old woman spoke out about her desire to dissolve her marriage to Jason.
In another tragic turn of events, Riley revealed during a therapy session that she overheard her mother and brother being murdered by their father. As a direct result, Jason was found guilty of the murders. For his crimes committed in 2010, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with no prospect of release; In 2013, however, the sentence against him was overturned. On the other hand, in March 2016, Jason was sentenced to the same sentence that will see him jailed for the rest of his natural life.
Authorities were looking into Nichole Payne’s husband as a potential suspect in the couple’s deaths while the investigation continued
It wasn’t until eight months after the deaths of Nichole Payne and her son that authorities arrested Jason Payne and charged him with her murders. They said they wanted to gather all the appropriate evidence, including finding two large holes that looked like graves on Paynes’ property, KLTV reported at the time of his arrest. Jason Payne was accused of murdering Nichole Payne and her son.
According to the recordings shown in court during Payne’s trial, the court heard that Payne telephoned his mother in prison and asked her to destroy two recordings that she kept in her bedside table for him. Payne made this request while he was in prison.
It was established beyond a reasonable doubt that Nichole Payne had been murdered; However, the main topic of discussion during the trial centered on whether Wages had also been murdered or whether he had committed suicide. The answer to this question would shed light on whether the deaths of the two individuals were a double homicide or a homicide.
However, based on the evidence presented, the jury concluded that Payne was responsible for both murders. Additionally, according to a ruling by the Texas Court of Appeals, “the testimonies of the state’s experts, combined with the evidence of Adam’s conduct shortly before the incident, led to the jury finding that Adam did not commit suicide.” With regard to the verdict of the jury, we are obliged to defer their decision.
Why did Jason kill her?
At first glance, it appeared Austin shot his mother before turning the gun on himself. However, as the authorities delved deeper, they realized there was a problem. It was determined that Nichole had a very strong smell of gunpowder, although there was no evidence of gunpowder in the garage. Although it appeared Austin had been dead for some time, Nichole was still alive and could be touched. At the time of his funeral, the cause of Austin’s death was listed as undetermined.
Jason claimed he got up around 7 a.m. that morning to drive Joseph and Austin to their respective schools. After that, Austin was already in the car with Riley and Joseph when he got in. According to Jason, he waited for the youth to come out of the building before leaving and returning with Riley at around 8:15 a.m. When Jason found Riley dead, he told Nichole that he had gone inside to tell her about Riley’s desire to go to the park, but in reality he had already found her dead.
Investigators found a $100,000 insurance policy in Nichole’s name and Jason was identified as the beneficiary of the policy. This led to the formation of additional suspicions. There was also no indication that Austin had contemplated committing murder, either of his mother or of himself. The family’s cash resources were short, which, according to a comprehensive analysis of their financial situation, opened the door to the possibility that Jason had a financial incentive for his actions. Because of this, the police were under the impression that the crime scene had been staged. There was evidence to support this claim.
The lack of fingerprints on the gun lends credence to the theory that it was wiped before it was discovered by authorities. In the trunk of Jason’s car was a washcloth spattered with Nicholes’ blood and bullet fragments. The investigation led investigators to the conclusion that Jason cleaned both the gun and himself of blood. An expert witness at Austin’s trial claimed that the gun was about 10 to 12 inches from Austin when he was wounded, and given the length of the barrel it seemed unlikely that Austin had inflicted the wound. Additionally, a blood spatter expert vouched for Austin failing to hold the barrel when blood spattered his hand.
Testimonies from Nichole’s family members painted a bleak picture of the state of her relationship with Jason. According to one of Nichole’s ex-boyfriends, in August 2007 she expressed to him her desire to leave the place where she lived as she was unhappy there. During the trial, Jason’s friend Andrea Scott testified that he constantly urged Riley to tell Nichole she hated her and hurt her mother. Andrea also explained that Jason encouraged Riley to hurt her mother. Jennifer Morton, one of Nichole’s other close friends, is the one who allegedly overheard the 35-year-old woman expressing her intent to end her relationship with Jason.
Another disturbing revelation is that in a therapy session, Riley revealed that she had seen her father shoot both her mother and one of her siblings. As a result, it was determined that Jason was responsible for the murders. In 2010 he was convicted of the offenses and sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility of release. On the other hand, the conviction was overturned in 2013. On the other hand, Jason was sentenced to the same sentence back in March 2016 and will not be released from prison until the end of his natural life.