The Texas town of Quitman was rocked to its heart in December 2007 by what appeared to be a grisly murder-suicide. A young mother named Nichole Payne and her teenage son, Austin, were found dead at the same location. After conducting a thorough investigation, authorities came to the conclusion that the scene had been fabricated. “Dateline: House of Horrors” on NBC News focuses on how the police were able to zero in on the actual perpetrator, as well as what happened after the police made their discovery. So, are we going to investigate this further, shall we?
Nichole Payne
How did Nichole Payne die?
In Columbus, Mississippi, in October 1972, Nichole Hawthorne was born to her parents, Richard T. and Sherry Hawthorne. Doves have held her attention since she was a child, and she eventually made a living out of her passion for them. She was the owner and manager of a business called Wings of Love, which offered the service of releasing doves at ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. The woman, aged 35 at the time, was married to Jason Payne and had two children, Riley and Joseph, with him at the time.
On top of that, Nichole was mother to Austin, who was 15 and the product of a previous relationship. On the morning of December 11, 2007, at approximately 9:09 a.m., Jason dialed 911 to report that Nichole and Austin had been shot. Nichole was discovered by authorities lying in bed in the downstairs bedroom with a gunshot wound to the back of her head shortly after they arrived. The next thing that happened was that Austin was discovered in the garage lying on his bed with a gun between his legs and his feet touching the floor. He had an upper lip wound that appeared to have been caused by a gunshot.
Murder of Nichole Payne
Who Killed Nichole Payne?
At first glance, it appeared to be a murder-suicide case, with Austin shooting his mother and then turning the gun on himself. But as they delved deeper into the case, 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 smell in the garage. Also, Nichole was warm to the touch, while Austin seemed already dead for quite some time. At the time, the circumstances surrounding Austin’s death were classified as unknown.
Jason told authorities he woke up around 7 a.m. that day to drive Joseph and Austin to school. After that, he was sitting in the car with Riley and Joseph, and they were all waiting for Austin to join them there. After the teenager failed to show up, Jason claimed he left the house, saying he and Riley returned around 8:15 a.m. after taking Joseph to school. When Riley mentioned that she wanted to go to the park, Jason stated that he came into the house to let Nichole know and that was when he found Riley’s body in the garage.
After that, authorities discovered that Nichole had an insurance policy in her name for $100,000 and that Jason was the beneficiary of the policy. This led to even greater mistrust. Additionally, there was no evidence to suggest that Austin had had any idea of killing himself or committing suicide. Further analysis of the family’s finances indicated that their cash resources were limited, leaving the door open to the possibility that Jason was financially motivated. As a direct result of this, authorities felt the crime scene had been fabricated. This assertion was supported by the available evidence.
Since there were no fingerprints on the weapon, it is possible that it was cleaned before being discovered by the police. In the trunk of Jason’s car was a washcloth covered in Nichole’s blood and gunshot marks. As a result, investigators believed Jason wiped the blood and wiped the gun as well. An expert testified during his trial that the gun was about 10 to 12 inches from Austin when he was shot, and that it was highly impossible for Austin to shoot himself given the length of the barrel of the rifle. A blood spatter expert also testified that the blood found on Austin’s hand was not there because he was holding the barrel.
Testimony provided by Nichole’s friends and family offered a grim picture of the state of her relationship with Jason. An ex-boyfriend of Nichole claimed that in August 2007, she expressed her desire to him to leave her life because she was unhappy with it. Andrea Scott, a friend of Jason’s, testified that he frequently begged Riley to tell Nichole that she looked down on her, and even asked the young child to hit his own mother. Another close friend of Nichole’s, Jennifer Morton, claimed the 35-year-old had discussed her desire to dissolve her marriage to Jason.
In another tragic turn of events, Riley revealed during a therapy session that she heard her mother and brother being murdered by their father. As a direct result of this, Jason was found guilty of the murders. For the acts he committed in 2010, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release; however, in 2013 the verdict against him was overturned. On the other hand, Jason received the same sentence in March 2016, which will keep him incarcerated for the rest of his natural life.
Payne’s age and family
Jason Payne’s age is over 40.
However, the exact date of his birth cannot be disclosed at this time. Payne is originally from the East Texas area.
Also, Jewel Payne is Jason’s mother and he was born to her.
Jason Payne now – is he in jail?
Currently, Jason Payne is serving a life sentence in a correctional facility.
In 2016, Payne was moved to state prison from federal custody. Prior to that, he was being held at Wood County Jail.
In 2013, Jason was granted a temporary release from his time spent behind bars. Because there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned it. However, he was convicted once again in 2016.
Additionally, there is a website you can visit online that claims Jason was wrongfully convicted of the crime. According to what he states, he is currently serving a prison sentence for a crime he did not commit.
Jason Payne – The Killer of Nichole Payne
It has been determined that Jason Payne was the one who murdered Nichole Payne.
He was convicted of murdering Nichole Wages and her son Taylor Wages, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Taylor was Nichole’s son from a previous marriage, whom she had to leave behind.
Payne was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. However, in 2013 his conviction was overturned and he was re-litigated.
In December 2007, Jason had called the police to request an investigation into the deaths of his wife and stepson.
At first glance, it appeared Wages had committed both murder and suicide, authorities said. However, the evidence presented does not support this claim.
Jason Payne Wikipedia
There is no mention of Jason Payne on Wikipedia.
Additionally, Payne’s account has not been documented on any Wikipedia page to date.
On the other hand, his story was documented on Dateline’s House of Horrors segment. On the NBC show airing Friday, July 9, an update will be provided regarding the murder he committed over a decade ago.
The real incident that took place at Remington and Jackson in 2007 was discussed by both parties. They are the children of Jason and Nichole, Nichole being Jason’s wife. They bring information to the general public for the very first time.
