In December 2007, the city of Quitman, Texas, was shocked by what appeared to be a horrible murder-suicide. Nichole Payne, a young mother, was discovered dead with her adolescent son, Austin. Following a lengthy examination, investigators concluded that the scene had been fabricated. NBC News’ ‘Dateline: House of Horrors’ examines how the police identified the true offender and what happened next. So, shall we investigate further?
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Nichole Payne’s Cause of Death
Nichole Hawthorne was born in Columbus, Mississippi, in October 1972 to Richard T. and Sherry Hawthorne. She was always attracted by doves and eventually turned her passion into a vocation. She was the owner and manager of Wings of Love, a company that let people release doves at weddings and funerals. The 35-year-old was married to Jason Payne and had two children with him at the time of the incident, Riley and Joseph.
Nichole also had a 15-year-old son from a prior relationship, Austin. On December 11, 2007, about 9:09 a.m., Jason contacted 911 to report that Nichole and Austin had been shot. Nichole was found in bed in the downstairs bedroom with a gunshot wound to the back of her head when the authorities arrived. Austin was later discovered in the garage, on his bed, with his feet on the floor and a rifle between his legs. He suffered a bullet wound to the top lip of his face.
Who murdered Nichole Payne?
It appeared to be a murder-suicide at first, with Austin shooting his mother before turning the pistol on himself. However, as the authorities probed deeper, they became suspicious of something. While there was a strong odor of gunpowder where Nichole was discovered, no such odor was detected in the garage. Furthermore, Nichole was warm to the touch, but Austin appeared to have been dead for some time. Austin’s cause of death was classified as unknown at the time.
Jason informed the cops that he awoke at 7 a.m. that day to take Joseph and Austin to school. He was then in the car with Riley and Joseph, waiting for Austin. When the teen did not appear, Jason stated that he left, returning home with Riley at 8:15 a.m. after dropping off Joseph. Jason claimed to have gone inside the home to tell Nichole about Riley’s desire to visit the park, and that’s when he discovered her body.
The investigators became even more suspicious when they discovered a $100,000 insurance policy in Nichole’s name with Jason as the beneficiary. Austin also gave no indication that he had considered murdering himself or his mother. A thorough examination of the family’s finances indicated that their monetary resources were limited, allowing for a probable financial motive for Jason. As a result, authorities suspected that the crime scene had been fabricated. There was evidence to back this up.
The absence of fingerprints on the rifle suggests that it was perhaps cleansed before being discovered by authorities. In Jason’s car, there was a washcloth with Nichole’s blood and gunshot residue on it. As a result, the investigators assumed Jason wiped the blood off himself and the rifle. An expert testified during his trial that the gun was around 10-12 inches away when Austin was shot, and that it was unlikely to have been self-inflicted due to the long barrel. A blood spatter specialist also testified that the spatter on Austin’s hand was not caused by his holding the barrel.
Nichole’s loved ones’ testimony portrayed a gloomy picture of her relationship with Jason. According to an ex-boyfriend, Nichole told him in August 2007 that she was unhappy with her life and wanted to leave. Andrea Scott, a friend, testified that Jason would frequently beg Riley to tell Nichole she hated her and to hurt her mother. Jennifer Morton, another Nichole friend, stated that the 35-year-old mentioned wanted to divorce Jason.
Riley also revealed during a therapy session that she witnessed her father shoot her mother and sibling. As a result, Jason was found guilty of the killings. For the offenses, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2010, but the conviction was reversed in 2013. However, in March 2016, Jason was sentenced to life in jail for the rest of his natural life.
Authorities were called to the scene, which appeared to be a murder-suicide at first
Payne dialed 911 and asked assistance for his wife and stepson, who had been shot, and the initial indicators at the site suggested that the two were died in a murder-suicide. However, according to an emergency medical technician, Payne’s body was still warm when she arrived, whereas Wages looked to have been killed before his mother since his body was “cold and stiff” and he had lividity.
According to court documents, Jason Payne was interviewed by authorities on the afternoon of the two fatalities and told them that he was getting ready to send his two young children to school and that Wages was frustrated about not being permitted to own a cellphone.
Payne stated that he waited in his truck with his two children, but Wages did not come out of the home, so he departed to deliver his son to school. Jason Payne told officials that after dropping off his son, he returned to the residence with his daughter and soon after discovered his wife’s death.
During that interview, Payne also told investigators that Wages was a bit introverted but had an excellent relationship with his mother. He stated he didn’t know if his stepson had committed suicide, but when questioned if he shot his wife and Wages, Payne responded, “You’ve got to be insane to believe I’d have anything to do with this.” “No, no, I had nothing to do with that,” according to court filings.
The Investigation Continued & Authorities Looked Into Nichole Payne’s Husband as a Suspect in Their Deaths
Authorities did not arrest Jason Payne and charge him with the murders of Nichole Payne and her son until eight months after their deaths, citing the need to gather all relevant evidence, which included discovering two large holes that resembled graves on the Paynes property, according to KLTV at the time of his arrest.
During Payne’s trial, the court heard that while he was in jail, he called his mother and begged her to destroy two cassettes that she was keeping for him in her nightstand, according to court filings.
While there was no doubt that Nichole Payne was murdered, the trial dispute centered on whether Wages was also slain or committed suicide, which would establish whether the two people’s deaths were a double homicide or a murder-suicide.
However, based on the evidence presented, the jury found Payne guilty of both murders, and the Texas Court of Appeals ruled that “the State’s experts’ testimony, combined with the evidence regarding Adam’s behavior just prior to the incident, led to the jury’s determination that Adam did not commit suicide.” On this point, we must defer to the jury’s decision.”
Evidence Against The Murder-Suicid Theory
- There were no fingerprints on the weapon that killed Nichole and Austin, implying that it was wiped down after killing both of them, which would be inconceivable.
- In the yard, there were two big holes that appeared to be graves.
- Nichole’s blood was found on a towel in her husband Jason Payne’s truck.
- Remington, Jason and Nichole’s four-year-old daughter, stated she witnessed the murder during a therapy session.
