The case of Debbie Gam’s murder shocked 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 is set to delve deeper into an old case involving a girl and her high school English teacher, Raymond Payne, who was 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 intriguing facts about Debbie Game’s murder that may interest true crime fans ahead of the upcoming episode of Dead Days of Summer titled Twisted Lessons.
Five interesting facts about the death of Debbie Game
1) Debbie Gama’s favorite teacher at school was Raymond Payne.
Raymond Payne, a well-known and respected English teacher, was also one of Debbie’s favorite professors. According to authorities, Debbie was drugged and assaulted before her death. Payne’s closeness to the 16-year-old may have played a role in his ability to get her drunk before beating and killing her.
2) The main cause of Payne’s arrest was a private investigator.
Police hit a dead end as they searched for suspects in Debbie’s murder and struggled to find any tangible leads. Debbie’s mother hired a private investigator after becoming dissatisfied with the lack of 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 perpetrator.
3) According to Raymond Payne, Debbie’s death was an accident.
Raymond Payne stated that he tied up Debbie with her permission and that her death was an unavoidable accident. He also claimed he never assaulted Debbie. Although DNA testing eventually showed that Raymond did not attack Debbie, officials suspect that he killed her on purpose. He also stated that he placed her body in a pond on his property before transferring it to the stream.
July 18, 1977
Erie County Judges Edward Carney, William Pfadt and Lindley McClelland find Raymond Payne guilty of first degree murder by strangulation in the death of Debbie Gama. #ErieHistory #TrueCrime pic.twitter.com/Y44MbFnRhp
— Polish Cinema Geek 🇵🇱🇺🇦 (@CinemaPolish) July 18, 2021
4) Raymond D. Payne’s mother and sister forgave him at his 2020 retrial.
Debbie Game’s mother and sister said in 1977 that they forgave Raymond for the horrific murder, but were relieved to see him back in prison. Debbie’s sister, Myshelle Will, said:
“That’s where he should be… Forgiveness doesn’t mean accepting responsibility for what he did or letting him go. To forgive means to be at peace, not to have anger in your heart.”
When Payne took offense, he was 83 years old.
5) Raymond Payne died in 2020 from 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 cardiorespiratory arrest caused by pneumonia and COVID-19. He was in prison since 1977.
Categories: Entertaintment
Source: HIS Education