'I know what you're thinking but I didn't kill her' - Details of Paul Audrey Adams' note explored

Paul Audrey Adams, a nursing student from Vidor, and Tristan Dilley, a cheerleader from Buna, had been seeing each other despite their age difference. The 14-year-old cheerleader from Silsbee High School was found shot to death in her bedroom on the evening of October 1, 2017.

Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of suicide. Reader discretion is advised.

Paul Audrey Adams was considered a person of interest and tracked down by the authorities to his Lois Lane, Vidor home. However, he was later found camping in a secluded area in Orange County where he took his life with the same .22 caliber magnum revolver used to kill Tristan. Adams wrote in a note,

"I know what you're thinking but I didn't kill her. I loved Tristan with all my heart. I know we shouldn't have snuck around but I also know she's 14 and I am 19 but that did not matter to us. We cared about each other deeply."

The Murder Under the Friday Night Lights episode A Homecoming Murder showcases the 2017 murder-suicide in Texas as the synopsis reads,

"The family of a high school cheerleader finds her murdered in her room the night after the homecoming dance; detectives surmise that she knew her killer, and because so many people are back in town for the big football game, everybody is a suspect."

The episode aired on January 24, 2024, at 11 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery.

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The 2017 murder-suicide of Tristan Dilley and Paul Audrey Adams showcased on Murder Under the Friday Night Lights

Tristan Dilley had introduced Paul Audrey Adams to her parents as a 16-year-old high school basketball player by the name of Adam. The two met each other regularly after speaking on the phone or Facebook and coordinated their meetings based on when Tristan's mother would be home.

On October 1, 2017, Tristan invited Adams to her mother's Buna home while the family had been out shopping. However, they came back home for her 13-year-old brother to find her dead with two gunshot wounds to her head. As the police went through Tristan's cellphone records, they tracked Paul Audrey Adams to his Vidor home and then to his camping site where he took his life with the .22 caliber magnum revolver that was reportedly used to kill Tristan.

Paul left behind an 8-page handwritten note with flowers and a camper's knife on the hood of his white ’94 Toyota Corolla. He maintained his innocence and mentioned the description of the intruder saying,

"We thought it was her parents, but it was some man. He looked to be in his mid 50's, wore blue jeans and a Boston Red Sox ball cap. Thinking it was her parents, I hid in the bathroom, but I realized it wasn't her parents when Tristan started screaming."

Coming to the question of why he remained hidden in the bathroom and did not intervene, Paul Audrey Adams said,

"I didn't see what happened, but I believe she was (assaulted) because she kept screaming for him to get off her and I just stood by. I wanted to try and help her, but he was threatening her with a gun. I knew if I tried anything he would shoot me too but if I knew now what I knew after it all happened I would gave my life to try and save her."

After the said intruder had left the Buna home, Paul Audrey Adams fled the scene in fear, according to his mother's statement. In his note, he mentioned,

"I believe Tristan died instantly. I just remember hearing two shots and then silence. When I looked in her room, all I could see was a perfectly still body and a huge puddle of blood. I didn't know what to do besides run but even running from something like this is useless."

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Tristan Dilley was buried at the Restlawn Cemetery in Vidor, Orange County, Texas.