The Oxygen network presents a new episode of “Dateline: Secrets Uncovered,” exploring the tragic murders of Nichole Payne and her son, Austin Taylor Wages, in their Texas home. The episode, titled “House of Horrors,” airs on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 8:00 p.m.
On December 11, 2007, the peaceful town of Quitman, Texas, was shaken by a disturbing discovery. 35-year-old Nichole Payne and her 16-year-old son were found dead, each with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. The initial scene suggested a murder-suicide, but nearly a decade later, new evidence came to light, challenging this theory and leading to an unexpected arrest.
The morning of the tragedy, Nichole’s husband, Jason Payne, called 911, reporting that his wife and stepson had been shot. Payne claimed that Wages was upset about not having a cellphone and that he had left for his son’s school without him. However, when Payne returned home with his daughter, he discovered his wife’s body. While Austin’s body showed signs of lividity and was cold to the touch, indicating he had been dead for some time, Nichole’s body was still warm, suggesting a more recent death.
Suspicion fell on Payne when it was revealed that he was the sole beneficiary of a $100,000 life insurance policy on his wife’s life. Furthermore, investigators found a washrag with Nichole’s blood and gunpowder residue in Payne’s truck. Adding to the mystery, Payne asked his mother to destroy tapes from her nightstand while he was incarcerated.
Dateline: Secrets Uncovered – House of Horrors airs Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 8:00 p.m. on Oxygen.
