Too Pretty to Live: The Catfishing Murders of East Tennessee

Dennis Brooks

Feb 2016 · Diversion Books

About this ebook

Murder begins with the click of a button in this true crime story of Facebook, catfishing and deadly jealousy—as seen on Investigation Discovery.

Chris was a CIA agent worried for the safety of Jenelle Potter. Contacting her parents and boyfriend, Chris warned them that Billy Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth were bullying Jenelle online and posed an imminent, physical threat. Something needed to be done, Chris said. And he’d have their backs if they took action to protect Jenelle. And so they did. 

Jenelle’s father and boyfriend murdered Payne and Hayworth in their own home—mercifully leaving the couple’s infant unharmed. But when they told their story to the police, they discovered a devastating truth: there was no Chris. It had been Jenelle the entire time, catfishing them to exact revenge over a Facebook feud. 

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 who set a double murder in motion from the shadows of the internet. Dennis Brooks, the lead prosecutor in this strange and tragic case, examines the crime and trial from all angles in Too Pretty to Live.

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 the strange and disturbing case.

Ratings and reviews

don't waste your time. really all it is is evidence from The trial things that can be found in Discovery. since a lot of it is emails from Janelle and her mother they are horribly misspelled and it goes on and on and on and on with the back and forth emails where the spelling is atrocious and really... just don't waste your time. it'd be easier to read the discovery or the trial transcripts because they are pretty much the same thing as this book. go to YouTube and look up 'that chapter'. this true crime channel did an amazing video covering this case. yes I know it's a video not a book, but if you end up buying this book and reading it your eyes will pop out of your head and run away and never want to come back and trust your judgment again.

Being from the East Tennessee area I remember well the news coverage and public outrage over the deaths of Bill Jr and Billie Jean. This book opens a window into this case from the persecutors point of view; clearing up any misconceptions that were heard from the media about the murders. All too true in today's society are these types of incidents occurring. With more and more technology being introduced it truly shows how anyone can be taken in by an elaborate plot.

Probably would've never read this had it not been a course assignment but ended up LOVING the book! Couldn't put it down! I was intrigued from start to end! The photos were a brilliant touch to the text!

About the author

Dennis Brooks has been a prosecuting attorney for seventeen years in northeast Tennessee, where he grew up. Brooks is a veteran of over one hundred jury trials, including eighteen jury verdicts for first degree murder. He is a graduate of East Tennessee State University and completed law school at the University of Tennessee. During college Brooks was a sportswriter at the Johnson City Press. In his free time, he enjoys working as a high school football and baseball official. He and his wife reside in Telford, Tennessee, with their many pets.