The murder of Debbie Gam shook the small town of Erie, Pennsylvania. In 1975, the body of a 16-year-old girl was found floating in Cussewago Creek in Crawford County. Decades later, ID’s Dead Days of Summer will dig deeper into an old case involving a girl and her high school English teacher, Raymond Payne, an unusual suspect in the case.
Authorities tracked down and arrested Raymond Payne about a year after the boy’s death. He confessed to the crime but claimed it was an accident. He was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. There are still many details surrounding the case that continue to baffle investigators around the world. Here are five fascinating facts about Debbie Game’s murder that may appeal to true crime fans ahead of the upcoming episode of Dead Days of Summer titled Twisted Lessons.
Contents
- 1 Five interesting facts about Debbie Game’s death
- 2 1) Debbie Gama’s favorite teacher at school is Raymond Payne.
- 3 2) The main cause of Payne’s arrest was a private detective.
- 4 3) According to Raymond Payne, Debbie’s death was an accident.
- 5 4) Raymond D. Payne’s mother and sister pardoned him at the 2020 retrial.
- 6 5) Raymond Payne died in 2020 of COVID-19.
Five interesting facts about Debbie Game’s death
1) Debbie Gama’s favorite teacher at school is Raymond Payne.
Raymond Payne, a famous and respected English teacher, is also one of Debbie’s favorite professors. According to authorities, Debbie was drugged and assaulted before she died. Payne’s proximity to the 16-year-old probably played some role in his ability to get her drunk before hitting and killing her.
2) The main cause of Payne’s arrest was a private detective.
The police hit a dead end as they search for suspects in Debbie’s murder and try to find any tangible leads. Debbie’s mother hired a private investigator after being dissatisfied with the results. This private detective was the first to discover the relationship between Debbie Gam and Raymond Payne. Authorities investigated this information and eventually identified Raymond as the culprit.
3) According to Raymond Payne, Debbie’s death was an accident.
Raymond Payne says he tied Debbie with her permission and that her death was an inevitable accident. He also claims he never assaulted Debbie. Although DNA testing ultimately showed that Raymond did not attack Debbie, officials suspect that he intentionally killed her. He also said he placed her body in a pond on his property before transferring it to a stream.
July 18, 1977
District Judges Erie Edward Carney, William Pfadt and Lindley McClelland found Raymond Payne guilty of first-degree murder by strangulation in the death of Debbie Gama. #ErieHistory #TrueCrime pic.twitter.com/Y44MbFnRhp
— Polish film enthusiast (@CinemaPolish) July 18, 2021
4) Raymond D. Payne’s mother and sister pardoned him at the 2020 retrial.
In 1977, Debbie Game’s mother and sister said they had forgiven Raymond for the horrific murder, but were relieved to see him back in prison. Debbie’s sister, Myshelle Will, says:
“That’s where he should be… Forgiveness doesn’t mean taking responsibility for what he did or letting him go. Forgiveness means peace, no anger in the heart.”
When Payne committed the crime, he was 83 years old.
5) Raymond Payne died in 2020 of COVID-19.
Raymond Payne died of COVID-19 in state prison shortly after his retrial. According to the coroner’s office, the cause of death was cardiac arrest due to pneumonia and COVID-19. He has been in prison since 1977.
Categories: Entertaintment
Source: vcmp.edu.vn