Gunned down over a Facebook snub: The couple 'shot dead by a father... because they defriended his daughter on social networking site'
- Marvin Potter, 60, charged with first degree murders in Tennessee
- His friend Jamie Curd, 38, also charged in connection with crimes
- Couple both shot in the head and man had his throat cut
- Eight-month-old baby found unharmed in arms of her dead mother
Murder charges: Marvin Potter, 60, has been charged with first-degree murder in Mountain City, Tennessee
A father shot dead a young couple after allegedly becoming upset that they deleted his daughter on Facebook.
Marvin Potter, 60, has been charged with the first degree murders of Billy Payne Jr, 36, and his 23-year-old girlfriend Billie Jean Hayworth, police said today.
His friend Jamie Curd, 38, has also been charged in connection with the murders.
Miss Hayworth's eight-month-old baby was found unharmed in her arms at their Mountain City home in Tennessee.
Both victims had been shot in the head and Mr Payne had his throat cut, according to Timesnews.net.
The victims had complained to police that Jenelle Potter, 30, was harassing them after they deleted her as a friend on the social networking site, according to Sheriff Mike Reece.
The sheriff said: 'It's a senseless thing.'
Miss Hayworth and Mr Payne had been living with his father, Billy Payne Sr who was the last person to see them alive.
He told detectives he saw Miss Hayworth get up to feed the baby before he left for work at 5.30 am on January 31.
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The couple's bodies were discovered five hours later when a former neighbour stopped by to pick up mail the family had collected for him.
Shot dead: Billy Payne Jr (right) and his girlfriend Billie Jean Hayworth (left) were allegedly killed after defriending someone on Facebook Tennessee. Miss Hayworth's baby was found unharmed in her arms
Murder charges: Jamie Curd has also been charged with murder
Mr Payne was found in his bedroom and Miss Hayworth was found in the baby's room.
Marvin Potter's friend Curd, who is believed to be Mr Payne's second cousin, is believed to have romantic feelings for Miss Potter, according to the sheriff.
Police said there have been other cases where Miss Potter believed that she had been slighted by someone.
Johnson County Sheriff Mike Reece told The Tomahawk newspaper his department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation interviewed more than 150 individuals during a week-long investigation.
It culminated with Curd being taken in for questioning on Monday night, after which he was arrested.
And officers, armed with arrest and search warrants, raided Potter's home at 3.30am on Tuesday morning.
He said: 'They had been people of interest from the beginning.' The pair will appear in court on March 7. Potter and Curd were arraigned yesterday.
Potter asked for time to hire an attorney while Curd was assigned a public defender who did not immediately return a phone message.
Assistant District Attorney General Matthew Roark said Curd's initial bond was raised to $1.5million while Roark agreed to put off a bond hearing for Potter until next week, when he is expected to have an attorney. Potter remains jailed on his initial $200,000 bond.
Upset: Mr Potter, 60, was alleged to have killed the young couple after they deleted his daughter Jenelle as a friend on Facebook
Shot dead: Victims Billy Payne Jr (right) and Billie Jean Hayworth (left) had complained that Jenelle Potter was harassing them
Shootings: Billy Payne Jr and his girlfriend Billie Jean Hayworth were last seen by his father when he left for work at 5.30am on January 31
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