Social media has made it easier than ever for people around the world to stay connected. Thanks to websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, all it takes to check in with your friends is the click of a button. It doesn’t matter where you are; the internet brings the world to you.
However, there are downsides to all of this new technology, too. Facebook can be a breeding ground for online bullying. Cyber attacks can leave people feeling alienated and hurt, and sometimes those negative feelings can instigate a series of events that shatter the lives of some, or even end the lives of others.
Jenelle Potter (also sometimes spelled Janelle) was a loner looking for friendship and love just like so many other people. When Jenelle was cut off on social media by two people she thought were her friends, the consequences would be unimaginable. Who would have thought that a clicking of the “unfriend” button could lead to murder and total mayhem?
Jenelle Potter didn’t often leave her Tennessee home. She was plagued with health problems and her parents were overly protective of her, which meant that most of the socializing that Jenelle enjoyed took place over the Internet, usually on Facebook.
After meeting a few times while running errands, Jenelle fell hard for her neighbor Billy Clay Payne. Billy, taking pity on Jenelle, was happy to be her friend. When Jenelle developed romantic feelings for him, he did what he could to rebuff her advances kindly but Jenelle was in her own world. That’s why when Billy met a woman named Billie Jean Hayworth and the two fell instantly in love, Jenelle felt so betrayed.
Jenelle began to trade insults and threats with the couple over Facebook. She even got her parents, Barbara Mae and Marvin Potter, involved in the cyber attacks by sending them emails using an alias and claiming to be working for the CIA to help Jenelle stop her alleged “online bullies.”
Billy and Billie had enough. The couple had just had a baby together and they were tired of being attacked by Jenelle and different members of her family online. They made the decision to cut Jenelle out of their lives for good, starting with Facebook where they both “unfriended” her.
The couple had no idea that clicking that button would start a chain reaction that would lead to both of their deaths. When police finally worked out what really happened to the young couple, they felt like they were watching a movie. Watch the whole video to find out who really killed Billy and Billie.
Cyberbulling is always a bad idea, but who knew that it could be the thing that could cause such a sick tragedy like this one? Such an utterly heartbreaking story.
