Debbie Gama’s murder case stunned the little Pennsylvania town of Erie. In 1975, the corpse of a 16-year-old girl was found floating in Crawford County’s Cussewago Creek. Decades later, ID’s Dead Days of Summer is set to delve more into the old case involving the little girl and her high school English instructor, Raymond Payne, who was the case’s odd suspect.
Authorities tracked down Raymond Payne and arrested him about a year after the boy died. He admitted to the crime but claimed it was an accident. He was charged with murder in the first degree and sentenced to life in prison. There are still numerous details surrounding the case that continue to perplex investigators all across the globe. Here are five intriguing facts about Debbie Gama’s murder that may interest true-crime aficionados ahead of the forthcoming episode of Dead Days of Summer, titled Twisted Lessons.
Five interesting facts concerning Debbie Gama’s death
1) Debbie Gama’s favorite teacher at school was Raymond Payne.
Raymond Payne, a well-known and respected English instructor, was also one of Debbie’s favorite professors. Debbie had been inebriated with medications and attacked before her death, according to authorities. Payne’s closeness to the 16-year-old may have played a role in his ability to intoxicate her before beating and murdering her.
2) The main cause for Payne’s arrest was a private investigator.
The police ran into a dead end when seeking suspects in Debbie’s murder and struggled to find a tangible lead. Debbie’s mother hired a private investigator after becoming dissatisfied with the lack of results. This private detective was the first to discover a link between Debbie Gama and Raymond Payne. The authorities pursued 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 had bound Debbie with her permission and that her death was an unavoidable accident. He also claimed he never assaulted Debbie. Though DNA testing ultimately revealed that Raymond did not attack Debbie, officials suspect he murdered her on purpose. He also stated that he put her corpse in a pond on his land before moving it to the stream.
July 18, 1977
Erie County Judges Edward Carney, William Pfadt and Lindley McClelland find Raymond Payne Guilty of First-degree strangulation murder in the death of Debbie Gama. #ErieHistory #TrueCrime pic.twitter.com/Y44MbFnRhp
— Polish Cinema Nerd 🇵🇱🇺🇦 (@CinemaPolish) July 18, 2021
4) Raymond D. Payne’s mother and sister forgave him at his retrial in 2020.
Debbie Gama’s mother and sister said in 1977 that they had forgiven Raymond for the horrific killing but were relieved that he was returning to jail. Debbie’s sister, Myshelle Will, stated:
“That is where he should be,… Forgiveness does not mean accepting responsibility for what he did or letting him go. To forgive is to be at peace, not to have anger in our hearts.”
When Payne was resentenced, he was 83 years old.
5) Raymond Payne died in 2020 from COVID-19.
Raymond Payne died of COVID-19 in state jail shortly after his retrial. According to the coroner’s office, the cause of death was cardiorespiratory arrest caused by pneumonia and COVID-19. He has been incarcerated since 1977.