Brooks knows the jury has been inundated with an enormous number of confusing and contradictory claims, so he has worked hard to highlight only what he believes are the most crucial arguments and most pertinent pieces of evidence.

  Jenelle Potter, he tells them, is a troubled, envious, devious young woman.

  She regularly hurled pseudonymous online insults at her perceived rivals to make herself feel better. When that didn’t work, she created a fictitious character who perfectly exploited her parents’ fears and her boyfriend’s devotion, and over the course of many months, managed to persuade them to commit murder. She may not be very bright, but Jenelle Potter is a diabolical genius—and a ruthless killer.

  Barbara Potter, Brooks argues, is no angel, either.

  Yes, she was manipulated by her daughter. But the many violent threats she directed against Billy and Billie Jean were completely her own. Barbara was the one who invited Jamie Curd over on the night of the murders to “fix the family computer,” when really it was to get him together with her husband so they could conspire. Remember how blasé she was when Buddy Potter called to confess his crimes, Brooks reminds jurors, and how she immediately offered to provide him a fake alibi? Even if Barbara erroneously believed she was protecting her daughter, she’s nevertheless as guilty of murder as Buddy and Jamie are.

  Brooks concludes with a simple thought experiment.

  Given everything they now know about the case, he asks the jury to close their eyes and imagine whether Billy and Billie Jean would still have been killed if they’d never had the misfortune to cross paths with Jenelle and Barbara. The answer will make clear whether the two Potter women were simply bystanders caught up in a tragedy—or the actual instigators.

  “If you can’t imagine these crimes happening without them,” Brooks says, “then you know in your heart what your verdict must be. You have before you the two people most responsible for Billy Payne and Billie Jean Hayworth lying there dead, and their baby being left without his parents.” Solemnly, Brooks ends with, “We ask you to bring justice for these deaths. Thank you.”

  The court adjourns, and Brooks retreats to a quiet corner of the DA’s office to try to stay busy and keep his mind occupied while the jury deliberates. Waiting for a verdict is always torture, especially in such a high-profile, high-stakes case.

  He immediately throws himself back into the many other routine cases he’d been neglecting in recent months as the Potter trial took over his life. There’s comfort in reviewing case files for simple burglaries, drug deals, and DUIs again. There are no reams of graphic emails to slog through. No false identities to untangle. No arcane digital or forensic linguistic terminology to master. No camera crews camped out in front of the courthouse to dodge. No murdered parents and orphaned child to fight for.

  At the same time, however, Brooks is agitated. When the first day of deliberations ends with no verdict, he feels a pit open up in his stomach. What the hell is taking the jury so long to decide?

  Is there disagreement among the jurors?

  Are they struggling to find a consensus on the multiple charges?

  Are they going to let Jenelle and Barbara walk free?

  The next morning, after a sleepless night, Brooks gets even more concerning news.

  The jury has requested a laptop to rewatch certain suspect interviews.

  Of all the material they could have asked for, Brooks wonders, why the interrogation tapes? Was the rest of the evidence really not enough?

  Finally, after lunch, word begins to spread that the jury has reached a verdict.

  Judge Blackwood gavels the court back into session. The twelve stone-faced jurors return to the jury box. Jenelle, Barbara, and their attorney all stand.

  “Count one,” reads the foreperson, “we the jury find the defendant Barbara Mae Potter guilty of first-degree murder. Count two, we the jury find the defendant Barbara Mae Potter guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.”

  Wails of shock and elation echo throughout the courtroom.

  “Order!” Judge Blackwood cries. “Or I’ll have you all removed.”

  Brooks is still holding his breath. It’s not over yet.

  The foreperson continues, “Count one, we the jury find the defendant Jenelle Leigh Potter guilty of first-degree murder. Count two, we the jury find the defendant Jenelle Leigh Potter guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.”

  Only now does Brooks let himself exhale—and let his tears flow freely—as gasps of shock and shouts of triumph erupt throughout the courtroom.

  He is so overcome, he almost doesn’t hear Judge Blackwood gavel his court back to order, then immediately hand down life sentences to both Barbara and Jenelle.

  Brooks slumps in his seat, exhausted but victorious.

  He has just won the most difficult and wacko trial of his career.

  He has delivered justice to two innocent people, brand-new parents killed simply for befriending a disturbed, delusional young woman with an unrequited crush—and a deadly manipulative streak. Worse, the victims might still be alive were it not for the power of social media to blur the line between reality and fantasy.

  Brooks knows this stranger-than-fiction case has shaken this quiet, close-knit community to its core. It’s one that the people of Mountain City—and all across the world—will be talking about for years to come.

  In books. On television.

  And yes, of course, all across social media.

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  About the Authors

  James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller. He has created many enduring fictional characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, Maximum Ride, Middle School, and I Funny. Among his notable literary collaborations are The President Is Missing, with President Bill Clinton, and the Max Einstein series, produced in partnership with the Albert Einstein Estate. Patterson’s writing career is characterized by a single mission: to prove that there is no such thing as a person who “doesn’t like to read,” only people who haven’t found the right book. He’s given over three million books to schoolkids and the military, donated more than seventy million dollars to support education, and endowed over five thousand college scholarships for teachers. For his prodigious imagination and championship of literacy in America, Patterson was awarded the 2019 National Humanities Medal. The National Book Foundation presented him with the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, and he is also the recipient of an Edgar Award and nine Emmy Awards. He lives in Florida with his family.

  Andrew Bourelle is the author of the novel Heavy Metal and coauthor with James Patterson of Texas Ranger and Texas Outlaw. His short stories have been published widely in literary magazines and fiction anthologies, including The Best American Mystery Stories.

  Max DiLallo is a novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He lives in Los Angeles.

  For a complete list of books, visit JamesPatterson.com.

 

 

  James Patterson, Murder Thy Neighbor

 

 

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