The 1975 murder of Debbie Gama, which shocked the small town of Erie, Pennsylvania, will be covered in the next episode of Dead Days of Summer.
Days after the 16-year-old high school student disappeared from her home, her body was discovered floating in Cussewago Creek in Crawford County. Debbie supposedly had a fight with her mother the day she disappeared and ran away. Her family never saw her alive again.
It was suddenly revealed that Debbie’s favorite high school teacher, Raymond Payne, was responsible for this gruesome murder. Despite Raymond’s claims to the contrary, he was ultimately convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He developed issues after contracting COVID-19 and died in custody in 2020.
Murder of Debbie Gama
Who killed Debbie Gama and why?
At Debbie’s school, Vincent Strong High School in Erie County, Pennsylvania, Raymond Payne was a highly regarded instructor. He was one of his favorite teachers. Although Debbie’s murder was not solved by the police, Debbie’s mother reportedly hired a private detective who found a connection between the slain girl and the high school teacher.
When the police acted on a tip and discovered copper wires in Raymond’s possession that matched those Debbie had been tied up with just before her death, they made Raymond the subject of arrest. Raymond Payne quickly admitted his role in Debbie’s death but maintained it was an accident.
Debbie had been assaulted before being fatally strangled, according to investigators. Payne claimed he only intended to take pictures of Debbie and tied her up with her permission. She supposedly choked on the cables and died in a freak accident. He further claimed that Debbie Gama had not been assaulted.
He pleaded guilty to a murder charge in 1977. He was sentenced to life after being convicted of first-degree murder by a three-judge panel. A former Erie County Jail inmate later claimed that Payne informed him that Debbie’s death was due to Payne’s long-held sexual fantasies.
Where is Raymond Payne now?
In 1997, Raymond Payne submitted his initial appeal and requested DNA testing. His appeal was finally granted in 2014 after several failed attempts. The investigation revealed that Payne was not the one who attacked Debbie Gama. Judges, however, again found him guilty of first-degree murder at his retrial in 2020, saying the severity of the assault or lack thereof did not change what he did to the youngster. daughter.
Payne was a prisoner at Laurel Highlands State Correctional Facility, where he contracted COVID-19 and died in 2020. The coroner’s office determined that pneumonia and COVID-19 caused cardiorespiratory arrest , which was the cause of his death.
Investigation Discovery will air the next episode of Dead Days of Summer, titled Twisted Lessons, on August 11, 2022. It will go into great detail about Debbie Gama’s passing and explore Raymond Payne’s post-conviction life. Watch this space for additional developments.
