Too Pretty to Live

The Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee

By: Dennis Brooks

Narrated by: John Pruden

In this stunning true-crime thriller of Facebook, catfishing, and jealousy, a double murder begins with the click of a button.

When Bill Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth began their romance, they unknowingly set in motion a diabolical plot that would end with them murdered in their own home, Hayworth holding their mercifully unharmed infant.

Chris was a CIA agent who was concerned about Jenelle. Seeing the cyberbullying she had endured, and worried for her safety, Chris got in touch with Jenelle's protective parents and her devoted boyfriend, warning them that Payne and Hayworth were a danger to Jenelle. He got especially close with Jenelle's mother, Barbara, who thought of Chris like a son, though she had never met him. Chris claimed that surveillance of Payne and Hayworth revealed that the two of them were planning on harming Jenelle, that it was imminent, and that something needed to be done immediately. Chris promised that he would have their back if they were to act to protect Jenelle. And so they did. Jenelle's father, Buddy, and her boyfriend, Jamie, broke into the home of Payne and Hayworth and murdered them in their own home.

What the police investigation turned up, though, made this crime all the more terrifying. Jenelle had been Chris the entire time, catfishing her family and her boyfriend to act in vengeance on her behalf. Using forensic linguistics and diving through the brambles that Jenelle laid to cover her tracks, police were able to put together a chilling portrait of a sociopath made all the more ruthless by the anonymity of her online life.

Bizarre and unforgettable, Dennis Brooks examines the crime and trial from all angles, bringing his expertise as the lead prosecutor in this strange and disturbing case.

©2016 Dennis Brooks (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Not the fault of the author or reader...

It was difficult to listen to this audio book as it heavily relied upon poorly written text and Facebook message transcripts. Many of the ramblings of the main characters in written communication are filled with grammatical errors and terrible spelling / misused words. Heavy with cussing and negative language many excerpts were hard to listen to and left you annoyed with having to filter through the ignorant language to understand the story. Maybe it would be easier to read but it was not easy to listen to.

"Forensic IT Person Needed"

I think this book would be really interesting to anyone who knows anything at all about computers, and I do mean more than just using Twitter or Facebook.

The book was done well enough, but once again we have the narrator saying "ek-cetera" instead of "et cetera." I would liken that to a person who says "axe" instead of "ask." One doesn't want that from professionals.

The fantasy world that Jenelle built and drew others into would not have been possible if any of the other actors just bore in mind that the CIA doesn't have ill-educated operatives who do not know the English language. CIA agents are recruited from the cream of the crop, generally from top-notch universities, those with particular skills the agency is looking for, not illiterates. But what we here is a ridiculous (but true) story of a bunch of very stupid people with computers, and that led to the murder of a young couple.

If you get nothing else from this incredible fiasco, it should be that if you have someone you are "protecting" ... be it a child or someone with some sort of problem, that you educate yourself in the use of any computer they use. By that I mean learn how to read their passwords clandestinely, and even a key-logger if necessary. The spoofing and hacking the Potter women claimed cannot be accomplished without extensive know-how, and none of the actors had that ability.

As terroristic threats were made and a CIA agent was impersonated, this whole thing should have been given to the FBI, those are Federal crimes. The FBI Forensic Computer Science Unit would have caught the culprits immediately. I am surprised the author, a prosecutor, did not do so immediately.

Yet I know from experience that what happened with the Potters is more common than you think. It IS worth the read or listen.

Had a stroke while listening

The story is an interesting catfish murder story, however- trying to listen to the poor grammar and writing of the accused’s emails is AWFUL. Not to mention, the same exact LONG email readings are gone over multiple times. My GOD! “You do this thing and then and we can and you are and ok, bye” I’m sorry, what? Yikes those parts were SO difficult to listen to.

Sad, Intriguing and Leaves you shaking your head!

Excellent narration! I could listen to John Pruden all day! Crazy, sad story of how dangerous social media can be when paired with mentally unstable people!

print version might be a better format

the story is good but the emails are a key part and are difficult to follow in the audio format

Blown Away!

The first thing I do when listening to a book, is to determine if I will be able to sit and continuously listen to the narrator. The narrator of this book was great!

On the book itself, I have worked in Emergency Rooms, and doctors offices, I typically say that it’s pretty hard to surprise me, in terms of the things people do. I also Love, Love, Love, true crime documentary’s and if I watch TV or want background noise my TV is set to a channel that airs true crime documentaries.

This book and story surprised me may times, it definitely gives the reader something to listen to and contemplate about.

The only 1 fault that I found was that listeners are invested in Jamie’s story, yet we didn’t find out the outcome of his case.

Many details

Super interesting story of a woman who spins a story of characters out to get her. Her parents unwittingly commit murder for her. Seemed like a lot of repetition of the email conversations but overall pretty good.

Unbelievable crime

This is the craziest case I've ever heard about. The murders were so senseless, and the perpetrators so deranged. I feel bad for Christine, the older sister, and the baby boy who will never know his parents. I'm glad they were able to lock up all the Potters so they can't harass or hurt anyone ever again.

I would have given it five stars, but I felt like there was a lot of unnecessary recitation of emails. The language was atrocious and there was so much mindless repetition I found myself wishing I could skip them, but since it is an audiobook, that was hard to do.

Fascinating!

This book is fascinating (and pretty and kind and sweet). It held my attention all the way through, unlike many other true crime audiobooks, which go into so much boring detail I feel exhausted and bored by the end of it. This one was gripping from start to finish!

Hey man, I also really liked the book.
-Chris

Too Pretty to Live

It is sad to think ( know) how depraved people can be. This book was well written. I personally didn't need to rehash all the foul mouthed transcripts I understand the need since it is a true account.