you're lucky if you forget. i would rather have forgotten everything. >> 9-1-1, what's your emergency? >> my wife and my son -- there -- they're both -- >> nicole had been shot in the back of the head, taylor had been shot in the face. >> this is a murder suicide. >> do you think taylor shot himself? >> i don't know. >> i waited and waited and waited for someone to be arrested for. this >> do you do have anything to do with this? with a killing your wife? >> you've got to be out of your mind. >> you have three tapes, i want you to tear those up. >> i can do that. >> i thought they're going to come kill us. >> so, to threaten the lady, you know, you need to do this or we're going to hurt your child or something? >> they said i was so young that i couldn't have remembered anything. something like that doesn't go away. i saw what i saw. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> hello and welcome to dateline. when jason and nicole paint met, the attraction was instant. soon the bachelor and single mother of two web and their family grew. then, gunfire turned their home into a bloody crime scene. the killer's identity would take years to uncover and rip this once loving family apart. here is andrea canning with house of horrors. >> the white dove, a symbol of peace and love. one woman was so moved by their grace and beauty she turned her passion for delves into a business, releasing them at weddings and funerals. nicole payne brought both joy and comfort to countless families. >> when i see pictures and hear stories of my mom, she is just a wonderful person, this huge smile all the time, great personality. >> but on a december morning in 2007, nicole doves made their most poignant flight of all. at her own funeral. we now, 14 years later, two of nicole's children, jackson and remington pain, are telling their story publicly for the first time. >> i just want to be able to put my two cents in and all stories have two sides. >> people don't know that there was somebody who saw everything that happened. i saw it happen. i want people to know what happened. >> it happened here. the pain family home, left abandoned it would take almost a decade to resolve the horrible tragedy that happened inside these walls. a place where blind family loyalty it would cause even more heartache. a christmas tree was left standing as a reminder of the shattered lives of all those who lived here. the two story house in quitman, texas, was supposed to be nicole's dream home. the place that she and her husband jason would raise their blended family. that would all change on december 11th, 2007, their son jackson was almost a six at the time. >> that morning remember waking up for school on a regular day, my father put me in the truck and we left for school. and, you know, he dropped me off. >> remington, who is to at the time, was also in the truck. normally her 16-year-old half brother taylor would be, to, but he stayed home from school that day. after jayson returned with his daughter, he said he found a house of horrors. >> 9-1-1, what's your emergency? >> my wife and my son, they're both shot. >> say again sir? >> my wife and son are both shot. >> hold on, just stay online for a minute. >> -- >> lieutenant miles tucker of the wood county sheriff's office rushed to the call. >> i arrived at the house and i see jason payne, he's holding his daughter. >> remington wasn't jason's arms as first responders flooded the scene and entered the home. >> you get in there and what's the first thing you see? >> the christmas tree. and the tv on, on cartoons. >> leah courtney was an emt with east texas medical center. >> they let me know to go in to the bedroom where i passed the tv. >> so you russian there, what do you see once you get inside the bedroom? >> i first thought there was a woman sleeping in bed. i look around and then i notice that there has been a shooting. you just saw the scene, and knew that it was bad. >> >> the woman was nicole, leah noticed her body felt warm, but immediately knew that she couldn't save her. the 35 years old, nicole payne was dead. >> this wasn't the only shooting in this house? >> no, there was also another shooting in the other part of the house. there is an opening into the garage. >> the garage had been converted into a bedroom. >> i see a young man laying back on his bed and he's blue and as cold as his body was, i knew that there was no helping him, either. >> nicole's son, taylor, was dead, too. lieutenant tucker, who went back to the crime scene with us, had two bodies to contend with. >> nicole had been shot in the back of the head and it appeared that taylor had been shot in the face. >> there was no evidence of forced entry. no signs of a struggle indicating a home invasion. but, lieutenant tucker did see the possible murder weapon in taylor's broom. >> there was a rifle there between his legs. he was on his own bed. >> back outside, the detectives could see jason looked understandably distraught. >> he was just, kind of, i would say, maybe in a zone. that's about the best way i could describe it. >> but soon, everyone would be in track when one of tucker's top investigators said he knew was behind the killings at the payne house. >> coming up, life had once the seam so full of promise for the young couple. >> they're happy, they did almost everything together. >> was he head over heels for nicole? >> oh yes, big-time. i was worried about it only because it was so fast. >> but they were in love? >> they were very much in love. he was crazy about nicole. >> now, two lives lost and children left to mourn. >> because i was so young when everything happened i never really went through the process of, oh, i lost my mom and my brother. it didn't click until i was a lot older. >> when dateline continues. n dateline continues now!!!! i'm on it. i'm, on it. already sold to carvana. go to carvana and track your car's value today. lowe's knows you need to save money this holiday so... you can get more of what you want. with our lowest price guarante. this holiday if you find a better price we'll match it. get more for your home and your family. you got this. we got you. meet gold bond daily healing. a powerhouse lotion that moisturizes, heals, and smooths dry skin. with 7 moisturizers & 3 vitamins. and... new gold bond healing sensitive. clinically shown to heal & moisturize dry, sensitive skin. gold bond. ian will find the true meaning of the holiday sweater. i will? 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you've bounced from home to home and then here comes nicole who wants to claim you as her own. >> it was overwhelming because, honestly, for the longest time i didn't think it was happening. >> nicole is 28 when she stopped at a gas station and asked a handsome 31 year old from louisiana for directions. soon after that chance encounter, jason and nicole became smitten. vaping is jason's mother. >> was he head over heels for nicole? >> oh yes, big-time. i was worried about it only because it was so fast but they were in love? they were very much in love. he was crazy about nicole. >> they had a whirlwind relationship, within weeks of meeting they were married by a local justice of the peace and daniel was there. >> i was like, okay, we're a family, let's do this. it was nice, mom, dad, and you are our son. okay. >> this is the first time in your life that you have had the complete, solid family? >> yes, yes. >> nichols mom, cheri hawthorne, says they tied the knot before she and her husband even knew they were dating. >> she brought him home to meet us and came into our kitchen and said mom, dad, meet my husband. >> oh my gosh. what do you think? >> well, it was just a total shock. >> the couple went on to have jackson, then remington, making them a blended family. there was one more person living with them. say, jason's mom. the two had an especially tight relationship, so she moved in, at least temporarily. >> i got along great with nicole. when i moved over there, we just clicked. >> when the couple first married, they struggled to make ends meet, but after jason received in 900,000 dollar settlement from a serious car accident things turned around. after lawyers fees, they bought cars, a boat, and an equipment hosts. >> how did life seem at the new house? >> a lot better, she wanted this type of house and she looked for it and then she found it and was like, this is it. and he made it happen. they are happy, they had almost everything together and they were just a typical marriage. >> now, everyone was trying to make sense of what happened that awful december morning. jackson remembers being at school in kindergarten. >> i remember i was taken out of class, which was weird for me at the time, especially when i saw the man who is picking me up that wasn't my father. i've never been picked up by anyone other than my dad. >> it was an officer. soon, jackson and remington learned the devastating news about their mom and half brother, taylor. >> because i was so young when, everything happened i never really went through the process of oh, i lost my mom and brother. it didn't click until i was a lot older and a couple of years ago it was my only breakthrough knowing what that meant. >> for nicole's mom, the news was too much to bear. when you hear nicole and taylor, your daughter and your grandson? >> it is your worst fear. it's your worst fear come true. and i told myself, right now, right this moment you've got to choose life. you had to make a decision and i did. i had to choose to live. >> funerals were held for nicole and then taylor. the close of each service, a white doves were released into the sky. for daniel, who by then was living on his own, says that when he returned home he found his father an emotional wreck. >> him and i both walked outside and then he, we just both started crying. he didn't cry at his own dad's funeral, but this guy fell to his knees and cried. and he is a grown man and that was the first time that i had ever seen him cry. >> daniel struggled himself, a cherished's mother and taylor. after all, the two boys had shared a bedroom for nine years. >> tell us about taylor, what was he like? >> it was a really cool kid. he is a little eccentric, but overall he was a nice guy. >> you said he was eccentric. why would you describe him that way? >> i don't know. it is hard to me to describe, but people that you, meet this guy's night, just slightly weird. i don't know how else to describe him. >> he and taylor liked to play video games together and there was something else they bonded over. jason top of the boys how to fire a gun. >> you both became experienced with guns? >> experienced enough to where they would trust us, to where if we walked out of the house with gun disputed we had access to it. >> that included access to the rifle found near taylor's body. lieutenant tucker wanted to know more about it and, of course, the rest of the crime scene. so, he decided to call in an experienced crime scene investigator from a larger sheriff's office in the next county. >> no martin was probably the most knowledgeable guy in the area with -- stuff that i knew of anyway. >> after evaluating the scene and later doing testing, no martin thought it was quite clear what happened inside that house. >> he was 100% sure that it was murder suicide. noel said at that point that he believed that taylor had shot his mother and then shot himself. >> was it possible? taylor, the show i go to like to play video games had killed his own mother and then himself? it seemed like case closed, but lieutenant tucker wasn't so sure. for >> the lieutenant isn't ready to let the case go, but the payne children are trying to move on. coming up. >> when i see him, i feel safe, like everything is okay. clearly everything was not okay, my mother was gone. >> he was just my favorite person in the world. >> jason payne gets defensive. >> did you have anything to do with killing your wife? >> you've got to be out of your mind to think that i would have anything to do with this. and i resent that you would ask me these questions like i am sitting here, had something to do with it. i'm sitting here trying to be as helpful as i can. >> when dateline continues. continues but this is a not flash. ♪ i got a good feeling ♪ there's big news for women going through menopause. veozah - a prescription treatment for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms - the medical name for hot flashes and night sweats. with hormone-free veozah, you can have fewer hot flashes, and more not flashes. veozah is proven to reduce the number and severity of hot flashes, day and night. for some women, it can start working in as early as one week. don't use veozah if you have cirrhosis, severe kidney problems, kidney failure, or take cyp1a2 inhibitors. increased liver blood test values may occur. your doctor will check them before and during treatment. most common side effects include stomach pain, diarrhea, difficulty sleeping, back pain, and hot flashes. ♪ i got a good feeling ♪ ask your doctor about hormone-free veozah and enjoy more not flashes. ask your doctor about hormone-free veozah andrea canning: the same day nichole and taylor were killed, police asked jason to come down to the station. he was the one who found the bodies, >> the same day nicole and and lieutenant tucker had questions. taylor were killed, please ask jason to come down to the station. he was the one who found the bodies and lieutenant tucker had questions. >> jason, my name is miles tucker. this is ranger philip camp, texas police department. >> jason told investigators what happened that morning back at his house. he said his wife was sick embed so he got remington in jackson dressed. taylor was throwing 18 temper tantrum over not having his own sulfone. >> i mean, just kind of ranting and said he wasn't going to school. >> why didn't he want to go to school? >> i think he was mad over the cell phone. >> jason said his step son refused to leave the house, so he packed the younger kids into the car and drove off to school. when he returned he said he made the awful discovery. >> i mean, you're going in, seeing what you saw -- what do you think happened? >> i don't know what to think. >> did you go up and touch your wife? >> no. >> what about taylor? >> no. >> why not? >> i don't know. >> a lieutenant asked about jason's relationship with taylor. >> yeah, it's good. he's the average teenager. i would -- i guess. maybe introverted or closed. >> what about taylor and your wife? >> just normal. i mean, teenage argument. i mean, cell phone, computer, you know, driving. >> nothing jason set about taylor explained the outburst of violence that morning. but the obvious, painful question had to be asked. >> when you saw that this morning to do think taylor shot himself? >> i don't know. i don't know. >> because jason, if that's what happened, then that's gonna mean that there is a possibility that he also shot your wife. and i don't know in easy way to say that. jason, at least help us understand what might have led up to it. give us some kind of reasoning behind it. >> i don't know. it's nothing, nothing out of the ordinary. i don't know. >> nothing out of the ordinary? >> nothing. nothing, nothing. i don't know what happened. i just don't know. >> but something wasn't adding up for lieutenant tucker. when you first made his way into nicole's room, he noted, just like the emts, that nicole's body felt warm. >> she obviously had not been there very long. when we made our way back into taylor's room, taylor was just the opposite. he was very cold to the touch. >> the way it looked to lieutenant tucker, taylor died much earlier than nicole did. if he was right, taylor couldn't have killed his mother. then there was a mysterious piece of evidence found outside the house on the day of the killings. >> one of the investigators located a rag with blood on it inside jason's truck. it was very bright red, that signal to the investigators that that was fresh blood. >> back in the interview room, investigators pressed jason about his relationship with nicole. >> you and your wife were close? >> yeah, pretty close. >> did you consider her your best friend? >> yeah, i mean we had falling outs, but yeah. yesterday? day before? >> what was it about? >> i mean, nothing, nothing. little, little stuff. nothing. >> after talking for about 90 minutes, jason said he was tired and wanted to go home. that is when lieutenant tucker straight up asked him. >> jason, did you have anything to do with this? did you have anything to do with killing your wife? >> you've got to be out of your mind to think that i would have anything to do with this. and i resent that you ask these questions like i am sitting here, had something to do with it. i'm sitting here trying to be as helpful as i can. >> jason was free leave. his two children, jackson and remington, so young at the time, leaned on their grandparents, nichols mom and dad, and jason's mom say for emotional support. they looked more than ever to their dad for security and love. >> you know, when i see him, i feel safe and like everything okay. clearly everything was not okay and my mother was gone. >> i was so attached to him. he was just my favorite person in the world. >> the investigation dragged on as the weeks turned into months. lieutenant tucker patiently waited for test results from the crime scene evidence. in the meantime, secrets about this one's happy family were about to come to light. >> coming up -- >> his bank account had gone down to virtually nothing. >> money troubles. marriage troubles. >> she wasn't happy those last couple of years and there were signs that, you know, something wasn't right. >> what were the signs? >> he was controlling, and it just seemed to get worse and worse as time went on. >> when dateline continues. >> when dateline continues you got this. we got you. we're travelling all across america, talking to people about their hearts. ooh, take this exit. how's the heart? i feel like it's good. you feel like it's good? how do you know when it's time to check in on your heart? how do you know? let me show you something. it looks like a credit card, but it is the kardiamobile card. that is a medical-grade ekg. want to see how it works? yeah. put both thumbs on there. that is your heart coming from the kardiamobile card. wow! with kardiamobile card, you can take a medical-grade ekg in just 30 seconds, from anywhere. kardiamobile card is proven to detect atrial fibrillation, one of the leading causes of stroke. and it's the only personal ekg that's fda-cleared to detect normal heart rhythm, bradycardia and tachycardia. how much do you think that costs? probably $500. $99. oh, really? you could carry that in your wallet. of course you could carry it in your wallet, right? yes, yes. kardiamobile card is just $79 during our holiday sale, that's a $20 savings. get kardiamobile card for yourself or a loved one today at kardia.com or amazon. >> i am frances rivera with the looking for a bladder leak pad that keeps you dry? when i'm at work, i need to feel secured. what i'm looking for in a pad is, super thin, super absorbent. all of the things that you're looking for in a pad, that is always discreet. - this is thin. - my pad is thick. let's put it to the test. let's do it! look how it's absorbing! and locking it right on in! - look at that! - no liquid, no nothing. totally absorbed! - you feel no wetness. - oh my gosh! are you a believer now? i'm a believer! i got to get some always discreet! hours top stories. on sunday, israeli forces announced they had expanded their ground operations into the southern part of gaza. the country has also intensified its bombing campaign, following the end of the cease-fire between israel and hamas at the end of last week. and, the father of a six-year-old palestinian american boy who is fatally stabbed in october was found a wrongful death lawsuit against the killer. officials are investigating the incident as a hate crime. now, back to dateline. dateline. >> welcome back to dateline, i'm craig melvin. jason payne told police he found his wife nicole and step son taylor shot dead. one investigator believed it was a murder suicide, but lieutenant tucker thought they were both murdered and jason's story about that morning left him with nagging questions. now, dna test results were about to provide detectives with at least one answer. back to andrea canning with house of horrors. >> as the investigation continued, new and to get efficient facts started to emerge. for one, while things looked picture perfect from the outside, nichols mom privately knew her daughter had a troubled marriage. >> she wasn't happy those last couple of years and they were signs that, you know, something wasn't right. >> what were the signs? >> he was controlling. very controlling. and it just seemed to get worse and worse as time went on. >> then, nine months after the deaths, the lab results came back from the right found in jason's truck. the blood on the cloth was nichols. that, and how one body was cold while the other was warm, closed the deal for lieutenant to tucker. he was now convinced that jason was the real killer and had staged the scene looks like a murder suicide. >> we decided that we had enough to write a warrant for jason and to arrest him. >> and aware of the warrant, jason was a driving to a local park with his mom for a family outing. police were waiting. >> they got me out of the car, made me lay down. >> how shocking was that? here at the park to see her grandchildren and your son gets arrested for double murder? >> and you're both laying on the ground. that was about, i cried there, i cried on the way home. >> it was yet another loss for jackson and remington. >> when he was first arrested i was in shock. to me, there was nothing in my mind that what made me think it was him. >> daniel believed it was impossible that the man who had embraced him as his own could've been involved in the murders. >> i was like, there is no way. there is no way. jason is very much emotionally distraught from all of this. i think it bothered him even more than everybody thinks. >> jason pleaded not guilty to charges of capital murder. facing life in prison,'s case went to trial in january of 2010. a little over two years after that december morning. >> jason payne committed this murder beyond a reasonable doubt. >> thomas clute is a texas assistant to attorney general. while he wasn't involved in the trial, he knows the facts of the case. he says, besides taylor's body being cold to the touch, first responders said they smelled gunpowder when they arrived in nicole's bedroom. >> based on the odor of recently fired further arm, and the emts evaluation, it's apparent that taylor was killed first and sometime, significantly, the four nicole was killed. >> but the question remained. why? >> there were several possible motives. the defendant was running out of cash. his bank account had gone down to virtually nothing. >> prosecutors say that the payne work broke, and jason may have been after nicole's 100,000 dollar life insurance policy. jurors were shown financial statements that showed that the couple burned through that big settlement from jason's car accident. in just six months for their account went from over $300,000 to a negative balance. just -- not only that, a key witness, nicole's sister in law pharaoh thrown so that nicole was threatening to leave jason. >> did she confided in you? >> she said that he wanted to burn the house down with her in it because she wanted to leave. >> but prosecutors believed their real ace in the hole with that rag. first responders testified how the blood appeared fresh and claimed jason had just used it in the crime. but jason's defense attorney, dog parks, said the state had a big problem with its case. >> there is no physical evidence on jason or around jason that would link him to the shooting. the implication is that if he did, he did it in such a way to eliminate any blood on him, any blood on his clothes, and he gunshot residue on him. >> the deputies, the emts, they say that they smelled gunpowder in a coal room. now, if it taylor shot nicole, wouldn't there have been that smell in his room to, since he would have had to die after her? >> not necessarily because it's totally different. nicole was killed inside the house in an insulated room and he was shot in the garage. one wall was just a metal door, you can see outside on parts of it. >> as for that ride? parks told the jury it was not fresh blood and there was a simple explanation as to why it was in jason's truck. two months before her death, nicole got a fishing hook stuck in her neck and park said she used the rag to stop the bleeding. did you feel that was a plausible reason for why that blood was on that rag? >> yes, it was consistent with her having held the rag against a bleeding, small bleeding wound. no one ever disputed that. and there's no explanation as to how that would have gotten on that rug from this crime scene. >> after a six-day trial, the case went to the jury. a little over four hours later, there was a verdict. guilty. nichols mom thought justice was served and was especially relieved her grand-son's name was finally cleared. >> it was just heartbreaking to think that, not only did a monster take taylor's life at 16 years old, but he also was trying to take his whole reputation and brand him as a murderer. >> say, the ever devoted mother of jason, was defiant. >> you are standing there in that courtroom and you hear guilty. how are you feeling? >> i am feeling horrible. i was making eye contact with adjacent because he was just in shock. so i kept my eyes on jason, saying that we're going to fight it, jason, we're going to fight it. >> in january of 2000, ten jason payne was sentenced to life without the chance of parole. but that wasn't nearly the end of this case. over the next six years there were going to be a number of head turning surprises. just how far would a mother's love go? >> coming up, jason payne has admission for mom. >> i want you to just tear those up. >> you don't want them anymore? okay, i can do that. >> like pull the inside out and throw them -- >> i can do that. >> when dateline continues. hen dateline continues this painful, blistering rash can disrupt your life for weeks. a pain so intense, you could miss out on family time. the virus that causes shingles is likely already inside of you. if you're 50 years or older, ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingles. one small smoothie is $14.63, please. $14 girl, what is you doing? but making smoothies is such a hassle. not with blendjet. what's going on? shhhh. hold that thought. just pour in some milk, throw in some frozen fruit, and in 20 seconds you've got yourself a nutritiou and delicious smoothie. mmm! tastes just like the ones they sell here. and for a whole lot less. i'm ruined. awww. kick your expensive smoothie bar habit to the curb. order yours now at blendjet.com. andrea canning: remington and jackson had lost so much, first their mother and brother and then >> remington and jackson had their father, who was sentenced to life in prison. lost so much. first their mother and brother, then their father who is sentenced to life in prison. their grandparents, nichols almond out, we're now raising them. >> our papa, he's no longer with us but so both of them were so amazing. my grandmother is so amazing. i'm so grateful and i know i joke with her sometimes saying that, but i really, really mean it. she is like the world to me. >> meanwhile, for six years, their father had been telling anyone who would listen that he had nothing to do with the murders of his wife and step son. his mother, say, never wavered in your belief that he was innocent. >> is it like a dark cloud hanging over your head every day knowing your son is behind bars? >> it's in my mind every day. i do find, during the day, but at night. [crying] >> then, in 2013, came the news that jason's mother had been waiting for. an appeals court ruled some testimony was hearsay, including what the sister in law said about jason wanting to burn the house down with nicole inside and that prejudiced the jury. in march of 2016, jason faced his second jury. >> were you trying to get everything you can for the second trial? >> yes, we want evidence. evidence tells you the truth. >> thomas clued would prosecute this time and, while most of this trial would be similar to the first, kloots said he did have some powerful new evidence. recordings of prison phone calls between jason and his mom. in one call, jason asked fe about videotape stored at her house. >> remember, you had three tapes. so they had to that had nothing to do with anything and then there was one that was me and nicole. >> jason didn't say what was on those videotapes, but jurors heard him instructing his mom to destroy them. >> i want you to just tear those up. >> you don't want them anymore? okay, i can do that. >> pull the insides out and throw them on the leaves and burn it or something. >> okay, i can do that. >> do you know what was on them? >> no, i never heard them. >> these are important tapes because he's talking about burning the tapes. >> see, i don't remember him saying that, i'm not saying he did. i never burned anything. here's the odd thing about that, i was trying to do everything jason wanted me to do. i never found the tape that jason was talking about. >> prosecutors aren't able to find the tapes either, but they say it didn't matter. they wanted to leave jurors with the impression jason was trying to destroy evidence. >> whatever was on those tapes was obviously something that the defendant did not want anyone to know about. >> and there was something else introduced at this trial. a new witness. remember leah courtney, the emt? she didn't testify at the first trial, but at this one she gave detest ammonium about the body temperatures. and something else, the look on jason's face when deputies found that bloody rag in his faye truck. >> it's the way jason was acting, my heart stopped and thought he had something to do with it. >> you just had a feeling? >> i did. i'm not an officer, i'm not a police officer. it's just reading a person, just reading the way that he acted. i mean, he was white. >> the prosecution made a compelling case once again. but the defense said that it too had some significant new evidence. >> i had a lot stronger case from the science standpoint the second time the first time. i told the jury the case was about the science and the science would show that earth client was innocent. >> surprisingly, the rifle that was allegedly used in the killings had never been tested for dna. this time around it was. and the results showed jason's dna was not on the rifle. only tailors was. >> and that proves that this is a murder suicide. >> and he pointed out that the prosecution was relying on opinions, not science when it came to how cold or warm the bodies were. >> did any of the deputies take the temperature of the bodies? >> no. >> did you feel like those tests should have been done? >> certainly if they were going to align that as evidence to try to convict someone of capital murder, they should have done it. >> and the defense called perhaps its most important witness to testify. the experienced crime scene investigator from the neighboring sheriff's office, noel martin. >> what was his conclusion? >> murder suicide. >> did he have any doubt? >> absolutely none. >> and he is an employee -- >> of the smith county's sheriff's department. >> but he actually testified for you? >> yes. >> that's got to be extremely rare, i would imagine. >> he has never done it as far as i understand in any other case but this one. >> the second jury was about to get the case and after word, a surprising new arrest. >> coming up -- >> so, he's come up with the only way you can get out. >> i thought, they're going to come kill us. >> jason payne has a crazy new plan only a mother could. love >> this mother son relationship has just been bizarre. >> yes, ma'am, it is. >> faye is jason's puppet. >> miss faye will do whatever jason asks her to do. >> when dateline continues. continues i felt like my movements were in the spotlight. #1-prescribed ingrezza is the only td treatment for adults that's always one pill, once daily. ingrezza 80 mg is proven to reduce td movements in 7 out of 10 people. people taking ingrezza can stay on most mental health meds. ingrezza can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, behaviors, feelings, or have thoughts of suicide. don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including angioedema, potential heart rhythm problems, and abnormal movements. report fevers, stiff muscles, or problems thinking as these may be life threatening. sleepiness is the most common side effect. it's nice. people focus more on me. ask your doctor about #1 prescribed, once-daily ingrezza. ♪ ingrezza ♪ inez, let me ask you, you're using head and shoulders, right? only when i see flakes. then i switch back to my regular shampoo. you should use it every wash, otherwise the flakes will come back. tiny troy: he's right, you know. is that tiny troy? the ingredients in head and shoulders keep the microbes that cause flakes at bay. microbes, really? they're always on your scalp... little rascals... but good news, there's no itchiness, dryness or flakes down here! i love tiny troy. and his tiny gorgeous hair. he's the best. - make every wash count! - little help please. ever notice how stiff clothes can feel rough on your skin? for softer clothes that are gentle on your skin, try downy free & gentle. downy will soften your clothes without dyes or perfumes. the towel washed with downy is softer, and gentler on your skin. try downy free & gentle. hi, i'm jason. i've lost 228 pounds on golo. is softer,♪and gentler on your skin. changing your habits is the only way that gets you to lose the weight. and golo is the plan that's going to help you do that. just take the first step, go to golo.com. welcome back. >> welcome back. after serving six years behind bars for the murders after serving six years behind bars for the murders of his wife nicole and step son taylor, jason payne hoped a new trial would set him free, a verdict was coming, but this story was far from over. police or about to uncover diabolical scheme that threatened to put even more lives in danger. here is andrea canning with the conclusion of house of horrors. >> quitman, texas. jason payne second trial went to the jury and the result was the same. guilty, again. daniel believed his father was innocent. >> what would you say to those people who truly believed jason pain is a killer? >> it's wrong, it's not the truth at all. >> but in a split within the family, jackson eventually came to a different, painful, and stark conclusion. >> i was very relieved when he was convicted in a second time. it brought a lot of weight off my chest knowing that my father, who is a murder, is not going to be on the loose. >> remington feels the same way. she says that, even though she is two years old, she has a vivid impressions from the day her mother and brother were murdered. she didn't want to go into details as she still feels traumatized. >> they said that i was so young that i couldn't have remembered anything and it be true, and all i can think is something like that doesn't go away. the smell of the blood is one thing, it is still there. >> i think you are lucky if you forget everything. i would rather have forgotten everything. >> in march 2016, jason payne was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. now, this is where our stories typically end. , but not this one. remember nicole had 100,000 dollar life insurance policy? jason never cashed it in, but guess who did? >> you said he never made any claims on the life insurance money? >> you never did. >> where did that money? go >> when he got convicted i was the second beneficiary on the policy. so that is when it came to me. >> all $100,000 went to faye. he said she gave some of the money to daniel. remington in jackson got nothing. but there was more. >> you also got the house? >> yes. >> that is right, after jayson's conviction the house in quitman, worth around $200, 000, went to his mother. but after a few years, faye couldn't pay the taxes on it and lost it. it then sat abandoned for years. >> do you see a future with a third trial for jason? >> yeah. >> and evidently this mother was willing to do almost anything to get that third trial. that is because, after his second conviction, jason and faye were caught in devious scheme. this mother son relationship is just bizarre. >> yes, ma'am, it is. >> back in 2016, kyle hansen was an investigator with the wood county sheriff's department. he said jason started sending his mother cryptic letters that contain messages about a secret plan. >> in those letters, jason described what he is basically wanting. he is doing it in code. >> hansen believed the letters served as instructions and this is what jason wanted. get one of the trial witnesses to recant her testimony, so jason could get a third trial. >> faye is jason's puppet. >> miss faye will do whatever jason asked her to do. >> according to henson, jason told his mom to recruit a relative to help with the plan. so, faye called her niece and asked her to go for a drive. >> so, he's come up with the only way he can get out. >> sensing something was off, denise secretly pushed record on her phone. >> i have to ask you, because jason had to ask me. and i feel like i have to do everything that jason has said. >> right, no, i understand. >> faye asked her niece if she could find a man, a hired gun type who could coerce that witness that testified against jason to change her story. the way to do that with the threat in the witnesses child. >> you would do something to that child. basically it would be scaring this person. >> so to threaten the lady? >> threaten, yeah. >> if she has a child or something? >> yeah, say it's a child. i don't. no >> fun you do this or we're going to hurt your child or something? >> yeah, something like. that >> faye then put pressure on her knees saying that if she didn't help them jason would end his life. >> i'll kill himself. >> honestly, say, if he kills himself everyone was going to think he's guilty. >> yeah, but he doesn't care. >> the car right and it and so did the conversation. fees faye then called the police and told them everything. so who is that witness? someone you will recognize, leah courtney. the emt. she was blindsided when the police cold with the chilling news. she and her six-year-old son, whose face we blurred, were the intended targets. >> that was just the most shocking and hardest day of my life. i fell to my knees, i cried, i locked the door, i called my husband, and i just panicked. i thought other going to come kill us. >> investigator hansen says he doesn't believe say pain ever hired everyone, but in october 2016 she was arrested for solicitation of tampering with a witness in a capitol felony. why do you think jason had faye zero in on the empty in particular, julia? >> leah did not testify in the first trial, she only testified in the second trial and jason felt like her testimony was key to the jury in that trial. >> remington and jackson, who had already endured a lifetime of tragedy, now had what their beloved grandmother being hauled in front of a judge. >> i feel like she does have good in her, you know, i really hated to see her in the courtroom in handcuffs. seeing a grandmother in shackles, it is kind of heart, too. >> i didn't know what to think, to see her sitting there. in her handcuffs and she would smile at us. i didn't know how to take that. >> faye pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years of probation. she has since passed away. even though jason has no chance of parole, leo still remains fearful to this day. she is worried that jason will be able to work is a prisoner connections to find somebody to harm her family. what would you say to faye and jason? now >> what you have both done has affected my life a lot. but i'm not going to let you win. you will not win. i will come out on top. >> as for remington, when we last checked in, she was about to start college on a theater coal. jackson was saving up by a home and was looking to get licensed in physical therapy. they hadn't spoken to their father since 2008, but they did have a request for him. release their mother's ashes to them so that they could have closure. >> we know she's, gone but without having the ashes like she's even further away. >> there is one thing that jackson and remington were determined to change. to break this cycle of pain and heartache that has filled their young lives. >> i imagined when i was little of this perfect family. and now just the idea that one day i will be able to make that family for myself, and for jackson, and to have this happy family. like, i am so excited for that. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. you for watching going on? >> i'm andrea canning and this my husband, he's been shot in the head, please. is dateline. >> what's going on? >> my husband he's been shot, help, please.

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