It was fresh blood on the rag. And if you cant reach the trigger, how do you shoot yourself . To reach the trigger with your finger to do it, you really cant. Was it a murder suicide . I said, i need to know what happened. I need you to tell me the truth. Or did someone just want it to look that way . No witnesses. No dna. No fingerprints. Thats a lot of things that are lacking. Two deaths, two trials, one truth. The last time i saw her, she said, avenge me if something happens to me. You avenge me. Im lester holt, and this is dateline. Heres Andrea Canning with the trouble in quitman. Reporter the white dove. A symbol of peace, love and fidelity. One young woman was so moved by their grace and beauty, sh turned her passion for doves into a business, releasing them at weddings and also funerals. She enjoyed helping families grieve. It just melts you. Reporter Nichole Payne believed in the power of the image someones spirit flying to the heavens on the wings of a dove. On a december morning in 2007, her doves made their most poignant flight. This time at her own funeral. A final gesture of peace after an appalling act of violence. Shes just a gentle, happy soul. She loved people. Reporter nicholes mother, sherry, says her baby girl made being a parent easy. Her brother came in the world screaming and she just came into the world just peaceful and happy. She looks like that in her pictures she was people loved her. Reporter nichole was a tomboy who l t life in the piney woods of east texas. She was definitely a free spirit. She she was fun. Reporter Michelle Beecham was nicholes friend. Sarah hawthorne was her sisterinlaw. She was gonna have fun, whatever she was doin. Loved diggin in the dirt. If you went to her house thats the first thing shes gonna do, is drag you outside in the yard and show you what she what she planted. Loved her animals. She had dogs, goats, birds. Reporter melisa thickstun remembers nichole giving her pet pig an unusual makeover. She loved all that to the extent of painting the pigs toenails. I mean, she yes. You serious . She did. Yes, she did. What color . Pink. I was gonna say, like, a hot pink . Yeah. It was pink. She never ceased to amaze me. Reporter when she was 28, nichole had a first date with jason payne, a 31 yearold from louisiana. He was handsome and seemed sensitive. They shared a moment, and that was all it took. They were smitten. Melisa is jasons sister. Y she was beautiful. Oh my gosh, yeah. And i could just see it with him. His face was lit up. Reporter they fell in love and got married before friends and family even knew they were dating. It was a whirlwind romance. When she told me she married jason payne it was a shock. She married him in two weeks of knowing him. So how did nichole seem when you when you met her new groom . She seemed real happy. She seemed happier than she had been. It was a second marriage for nichole, and she brought two boys with her 9 yearold son taylor, and 10 yearold daniel, whod been adopted from foster care. Jason took both boys under his wing. He came in, he said, im gonna take the responsibility of raising these two kids as if theyre mine. So it was great, now i have a mom and an actual dad that i can call my own. Reporter for the first time, daniel settled in to a real family life, sharing a room with taylor, one year his junior. Tell us about taylor, what was he like . He was a really cool kid. I mean, he w eccentric, but he was overall, he was a nice guy. We grew up with poka mon and, you know, the playstation era, so we spent a lotta time playin video games with each other. That i got to know was quiet. He never was in groups. Hed kind of shy away and just go play video games. He was just different. Reporter jason taught the boys how to fish and hunt. I think he was like, this is your way into manhood, you know . Youre gonna learn to shoot guns. We started off with, like, bb guns, and then we just did, you know, shotguns, 3030s, whatever. You both became experienced with guns yes. Experienced enough to where they would trust us, to where if we walked out of the house with a gun to go shoot it, we had access to it. Reporter nichole and jason eventually had two babies of their own, jackson and remington. It was a young, blended family. Happy, but not exactly the brady bunch. Despite nicholes assurances, daniel always worried he was one step away from yet another foster home. Im like, theyre comin to get me. Theyre comin to get me. But she kept on saying, no, look, you know, were adding on, but you know, your your place here is not changing at all, so so sweet. Yeah. He worked hard to make you feel loved. Yes. Reporter the couple struggled to make ends meet, especially after jason had a serious car accident. How badly hurt was he . He had a spinal injury that eventually required surgery. So he was off work for a couple of years. Eventually, jason received a 900,000 insurance settlement. Even after lawyers fees, it was still plenty to buy a piece of the american dream. What did they do with their money . They bought a house. Paid for the house. And they bought cars. The little east texas town of quitman. Nichole loved making it her own. She bought furniture and planted roses. Jason splurged on a new fishing boat. They built a coop in the back for nicholes doves. The place was just about perfect. 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 she was like, this is it. And he made it happen. How did the relationship seem between jason and nichole . Stronger. Yeah, much stronger. Reporter in december of 2007, things were going well for the paynes. The kids were happy and healthy. A Christmas Tree in the living room signaled the start of the holiday season. Then 911, whats your emergency . Reporter on a tuesday morning, it happened. My wife and my son theyre both shot. Say it again sir. My wife and my son are both shot. I need some help. Reporter the serenity of a peaceful life was shattered by the blast of a high powered rifle. And that dream house in the country was now a crime scene. What happened in that house . When we return nichole had been shot in the back of the head. Taylor had been shot in the face. A wife and her son suddenly gone. A husband in shock. This guy fell to his knees and cried. That was the first time i had ever seen him cry. Discover cosentyx, a different kind of medicine for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Proven to help the majority of people find clear or almost clear skin. 8 out of 10 people saw 75 skin clearance at 3 months. While the majority saw 90 clearance. Do not use if you are allergic to cosentyx. Before starting, you should be tested for tuberculosis. And lowered ability to fight them may occur. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms. Such as fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. Or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. If you have inflammatory bowel disease, tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. Serious allergic reactions may occur. See me. See me. See me. On my way. Find clear skin. And a clearer path forward. For a different kind of medicine, ask your dermatologist about cosentyx. We invited women to a spa to dish soap. Body wash. You may not feel it, but some body washes can contain cleansers found in dish soap. Dove body wash is different. It has only the gentlest cleansers. It just made me feel good. This is dove. School lunch can be difficult. Cafeteria chaos. One little struggle. Can lead to one monumental mishap. Not with ziploc easy open tabs. Because life needs ziploc. Sc johnson. General mills is removing artificial flavors rs from our cereals. So you can love cereal. Again hey siri, read my note, thank you speech. Your note from today says thank you speech ohmygosh. So many people to thank. Mom. Dad. David. My kids, watching this at home you should be asleep right now pause for laughter. Thank you so much ill be a lot more natural. You can hear the wind blowing out here. Its a quiet place. Reporter miles tucker is the chief deputy of the wood county sheriffs office. Murder is an unusual thing to see in a Community Like this. They dont happen very often. Reporter back in 2007, tucker was the lieutenant in charge of criminal investigations. December 11th, 2007, 911 call comes in. Im at my desk. My wife and my son are both shot. I need some help. Hold on. Just stay on the line with me a minute. I have to carry my little girl outside. Reporter lieutenant tucker rushed to the scene. I meet a man here at the House Holding a child. I assume at that point that that is my caller. Reporter it was the caller. Jason payne was holding his daughter in his arms. He stayed outside as the lieutenant went through the house, taking an inventory of everything he saw. There was television over in the corner, had cartoons on it. Im noticing the Christmas Tree, im noticing the christmas decorations. Reporter the Holiday Cheer in the living room was a stark contrast to the tragedy tucker found in the rest of the house. Nichole had been shot in the back of the head. And it appeared that taylor had been shot in the face. Reporter 35yearold Nichole Payne was in her bedroom. Her 16yearold son taylor was in the garage that had been converted to his room. Both were dead. It was a gruesome scene. It was just a massive amount of of of blood. You could obviously tell that that a highpowered rifle had been used. Reporter a single bullet not only killed nichole, it tore through her bedroom wall and landed outside. When tucker walked into taylors room, he immediately noticed a weapon. There was a rifle there between his legs. He was on his own bed. Reporter there was no evidence of forced entry at the house no signs of any struggle indicating a home invasion. But there was taylor sprawled out on his bed, as if the force of the shot had knocked him onto his back. The rifle was at his feet with the depth of the tragedy hit tucker hard. Taylor, being the age that he was and just the Bright Future ahead of him and the it was just it was was sad. Reporter the crime scene investigator at the house told lieutenant tucker the evidence was telling a clear story. He believed that taylor had shot his mother and then shot himself. He is 100 sure that its a murdersuicide. Reporter tuckers team finished processing the crime scene. They gathered evidence to send to the lab for testing. Jason was still at the house looking bewildered. He was just kind of, i would say, maybe in a zone. Thats about the best way i can describe it. Its possible jason was in shock. Reporter the lieutenant wanted to hear what jason had to say. He asked him to come to headquarters. Hes the one that is gonna be able to hopefully shed some light on everything and tell us whats going on. Jason, weve got toin house. Reporter jason walked investigators through his morning. He said while he got his two younger children dressed, taylor was having a temper tantrum over not having his own cell phone. I mean, just kinda ranting and said he wasnt going to school. Why didnt he want to go to school . I think he was mad over the cell phone. Reporter jason told investigators taylor refused to leave the house, so he packed his other kids into the car and drove his younger son to school. When he returned, he said he made the awful discovery and called 911. What did you think when you saw your wife like that . I dont know. I it was just shock. Reporter tucker asked jason about his relationship with taylor. Hes the average teenager, i would guess. Maybe in introverted or closed. What about taylor and your wife . Just, normal. I mean, teenage argument. I mean, cell phone, computer, you know, driving. Reporter nothing jason said about taylor explained the outburst of violence that morning. But the obvious excruciating question, had to be asked. When you saw that this morning, do you think taylor shot himself . I dont know. I dont know. [ crying ] cause, jason, if thats what happened, then thats thats gonna mean that theres a possibility that he also shot your wife. And i dont have an easy way to say that. Reporter word of nichole and taylors deaths quickly reached family and friends she was an incredible person. She was like the sister i never had. It was devastating. Reporter nicholes mom was alone at home when she heard the news. I was sitting on my bed. And i i told myself, youre not right now, right this moment, i have to choose to live. I have to choose life. I have to make a decision. I have to choose to live. Reporter the family had a funeral for nichole, and then taylor. At the close of each service, nicholes white doves were released into the sky. Reporter how special was that . It was special cause it meant so much to nichole. Every phone call that she made to me was you know, was always started with the doves. And you know, it was a blessing to be able to release her birds for her funeral. Reporter daniel remember stepfather jason, after the funerals. This guy fell to his knees and cried. And i mean, hes a grown man. And that was the first time had ever seen him cry. Reporter did you cry with him . Oh yeah, yeah. Reporter the family said their painful goodbyes, but lieutenant tucker had a lot of work to do. And a single piece of evidence was about to break the case wide open. Coming up, a red flag. Blood red. One of the investigators located a rag with blood on it. And if both victims were inside, why was the rag outside . For a rag to be somewhere outside of the house with fresh blood it, thats a significant find. When dateline continues. And delicious sweet for the kid youll never outgrow. Feed your inner kidult with frosted miniwheats®. Try new kelloggs miniwheats harvest delights with Sweet Drizzle and bits made with real fruit. The Sprint Network is now and im on a mission to moreprove its the fastest. Hey big man. Sorry. What is that, verizon . I bet sprint can download this book faster. No way bro. Your lucky tooth necklace for anything on that trailer. Ill take the grizzly. Well played. Go come on. Come on. Sprint wins double or nothing. Youre on. What . For the bike. The sprint lte network is now more reliable than ever. And now, add amazon prime for just 10. 99 a month. Want great whitening without the mess . Think outside the box colgate optic white toothbrush plus whitening pen for 5 shades whiter teeth. Brush, whiten, go no mess, no waiting, no rinsing. Colgate optic white toothbrush plus whitening pen. Whaaaaat . I can pour this champagne on my phone and it still work. Whaaaaat . Yeah look. [phone ringing] kenny, im bout to put you in the fish tank. Whaaaaat . Thats crazy. [electrical cracking] your phone cant do that max. Here, i have another one. all three whaaaaaat . the new waterresistant galaxy s7 edge. Lieutenant miles tucker sized up his case. You know, i had two victims. And i needed to know what happened. Reporter tucker reviewed everything hed found at the house that day, trying to make sense of the horrific en nicholes room, he approached the bed. And touched nichole. Tucker says her body was still warm. She obviously had not been there very long. When we made our way back in to taylors room taylor was just the opposite. He was very cold to the touch. Reporter the way it looked to lieutenant tucker, taylor died much earlier than nichole. If he was right, taylor couldnt have killed his mother. Tucker guessed someone else killed nichole and taylor, then placed the gun at his feet to make it look like a suicide. As tuckers team continued processing the scene, they found a promising clue outside. One of the investigators located a a rag with blood on it inside jasons truck in the in the back floorboard. It was very bright red. So, that that signaled to the investigators that that was fresh blood. Reporter the rag was sent to a crime lab for dna testing. For a rag to be somewhere else outside of the house with thats a significant find. Reporter with the evidence they had from the crime scene, investigators became more confrontational during their interview with jason. You and your wife real close . Yeah, pretty close. Did you consider your her your best friend . Yeah. I mean, we had falling outs, but, yeah. What is the last one . Yesterday . Day before . What was it about . I aint nothing, uh, nothing. Nothing. I mean, little little stuff. Nothing. Reporter after talking for 90 minutes, jason said he was tired and ready to go home. And thats when lt. Tucker straight up asked him. Jason, did you have anything to do with this . Did you have anything to do with killing your wife . Youve gotta 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 am sitting here trying to be reporter the early moments of the investigation didnt give lieutenant tucker enough to make an arrest, or even reach a conclusion about what actually happened. So investigators turned to the people who knew jason and nichole best to learn about their marriage. Nicholes mother said trouble had been brewing. She wasnt happy that last couple years. And there were just signs that, you know, that something wasnt ght. What were the signs . He was controlling. He was very controlling. And it and it just seemed to get worse and worse as time went on. Reporter sherry said nichole was so intimidated that she would hide while making calls to her family. She said i cant talk on the phone without him following me from room to room. I have no privacy on the phone. I have to hide in the closet. What would she talk to you about that she felt that she needed to be in the closet . At that point how unhappy she was. Rte relationship solidified his belief that jason payne killed nichole and taylor and staged the crime scene. That made sense to Sherry Hawthorne. The thought that her grandson taylor could have killed his own mother and then himself seemed outrageous. Like, telling me that the the skys made outta swiss cheese. I cant see how that could remotely be possible. Reporter sherry spoke to lieutenant tucker about the case. I said you know, i think you should be able to tell me soon that my grandson did not do this. Reporter but lieutenant tucker was cautious. He wanted the forensic reports before making a move. Weeks turned into months with no word. Nicholes family was frustrated and confused. Jasons family was too. His sister wanted the case to be solved. I just thought it was weird. I just didnt understand. I just thought it was taking foreve reporter in fact it took 9 months before the key lab result finally came back the testing on that bloody rag found in jasons truck. Turned out, the blood was nicholes. For tucker, that closed the deal. We decided that we had enough to to write a warrant for jason and to arrest him. Reporter on september 27, 2008, police staked out a park where jason and his mother faye were going for a family outing. The moment they arrived, police made their move. They got me out of the car. They me made me lay down. How shocking was that . Very shocking. Youre youre at the park to see your were at the par