IT’S not unheard of for families to live, work, and play together, but when it came to committing crimes, the Potters proved that blood is thicker than water.
ABC’s 20/20 examines the Potter family’s roles in the small-town Tennessee murders of Billy Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth, and the investigation’s twists and turns will keep viewers glued to their TVs long after the two-hour episode airs on Friday, April 5, 2024, starting at 9 pm ET.
Where are Marvin, Jenelle, and Barbara Potter now?
As of April 5, 2024, Marvin, Jenelle, and Barbara Potter are all behind bars.
Marvin “Buddy” Potter was initially arrested for the murders of Billy Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth in February 2012, just a few weeks after committing the horrific crime.
In October 2013, he was found guilty and is currently serving two life sentences at the Turney Center Industrial Complex in Only, Hickman County, Tennessee.
His accomplice, Jenelle’s “secret” boyfriend at the time, Jamie Curd, took a plea deal from prosecutors, and received a sentence of 25 years in prison without the eligibility of parole.
Curd reportedly shot Billie Jean Hayworth just moments after Marvin killed the father of her child, Billy Payne.
Both Jenelle and Barbara Potter were arrested in August 2013, just months before Marvin’s trial.
Their case finally went to trial in May 2015, nearly four years after the shootings.
In July 2015, both Jenelle and her mother were found guilty of first-degree murder, and both were sentenced to two life terms in prison.
Jenelle and Barbara are both serving out their sentences at the Debra Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
Barbara’s first parole hearing is in June 2028, five years before her sentence ends in 2033.
According to state records, Jenelle will remain incarcerated until March 8, 2069.
What happened to Billy Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth?
The low-key couple had reportedly only been dating for a few years before their untimely deaths.
On January 31, 2012, a friend of the couple discovered them both dead, each with a single gunshot wound to the head, in their family home.
In a devastating twist, Billie Jean Hayworth was reportedly still cradling her 7-month-old infant son when she died.
The baby boy was unharmed in the attack.
Her partner, Billy Payne, also suffered a slashed throat, reportedly inflicted before the shooting.
When police began their investigation, they quickly found three prime suspects.
The couple’s former friends, Jenelle Potter, and her parents, Marvin “Buddy” Potter and Barbara Potter, were interviewed in their home just one day after the murders.
That conversation, led by Chief Deputy Joe Woodard of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, was pivotal in uncovering the truth of what had happened to Billie and Billy, as reported by ABC News.
Eventually, police were able to piece together that Marvin had committed the shooting, aided by Jenelle’s “secret” boyfriend, Jamie Curd.
They were also able to discover that Jenelle orchestrated the killings, posing as a fake CIA agent online and sending her family hundreds of emails telling them she wasn’t safe as long as Billy and Billie were around.
Jenelle had previously accused the couple of cyberbullying her on Facebook, including posting hateful, anonymous messages on her social media accounts.
A search warrant executed at the Potter’s family home pieced together the final clues police needed to conclude their investigation.
These included an arsenal of weapons, shredded documents painstakingly pieced back together by investigators, and photo printouts of the victims.
How can I watch 20/20’s Am I Next? episode?
20/20 is an award-winning primetime program providing investigative reports, exclusive interviews, and in-depth, high-profile coverage of unforgettable, true-crime mysteries and unsolved cases.
Anchored by David Muir and Deborah Roberts, the show typically airs weekly, Friday nights on ABC.
20/20’s Am I Next? episode covers the shocking double homicide of Billie Jean Hayworth and Billy Payne.
It also provides more details – including exclusive prison interviews – into the motives behind their killers, including Marvin “Buddy” Potter, his wife, Barbara, his daughter, Jenelle, and his daughter’s “secret” boyfriend, Jamie Curd.
The two-hour true crime exposé, Am I Next?, airs on Friday, April 5, 2024, starting at 9 pm ET.
Viewers can watch the episode live on ABC, or tune in the following day, Saturday, April 6, 2024, to stream the episode on Hulu.
Most episodes of 20/20 are available to stream exclusively on Hulu or ABC’s website.
New episodes of 20/20 are typically announced on Wednesday or Thursday of each week, one to two days ahead of their Friday debuts.