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The upcoming episode of Dead Days of Summer will cover the 1975 murder of Debbie Gama, an incident that shook the small community of Erie, Pennsylvania.
The 16-year-old high school girl's body was found floating in Cussewago Creek in Crawford County, days after her disappearance from her home. On the day of her disappearance, Debbie allegedly argued with her mother and stormed out. She was never seen alive by her family again.
It was shockingly revealed that the culprit behind this heinous act was Debbie's favorite high school teacher, Raymond Payne. Though Raymond claimed that the events took place differently, he was ultimately charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. He died in custody in 2020 from complications after he contracted COVID-19.
Read on for more details about Debbie's murderer, Raymond Payne.
Who killed Debbie Gama and why?
Raymond Payne was a well-respected teacher at Debbie's school, Vincent Strong High School in Erie County, Pennsylvania. He was amongst her favorite teachers. Though the police failed to find a fruitful connection in Debbie's murder, a private investigator hired by Debbie's mother allegedly discovered a link between the deceased girl and the high school teacher.
Raymond was arrested in 1976 after the authorities followed on the lead and found copper wires in his possession that resembled the ones used to tie Debbie before she was killed. Soon after his arrest, Raymond Payne admitted his involvement in Debbie's death but claimed that it was accidental.
Investigators determined that Debbie had been assaulted before she was intentionally strangled to death. Payne claimed that he tied Debbie up after getting her consent and just wanted to take pictures of her. She allegedly died in a freak accident when the wires choked her. He also claimed that he had not assaulted Debbie Gama.
In 1977, he pleaded guilty to a general count of murder. A panel of three judges charged him with first-degree murder and sentenced him to life. Later, a former fellow inmate at the Erie County prison allegedly revealed that Payne told him that Debbie's death was a result of Payne's long-time s*xual fantasy.
Where is Raymond Payne now?
Raymond Payne filed his first appeal requesting DNA testing in 1997. After several attempts, his appeal was accepted in 2014. Upon investigation, it was discovered that Payne did not assault Debbie Gama. However, in his retrial in 2020, judges found him guilty of first-degree murder again, with the judge arguing that the degree or the lack of assault does not change what he did to the young girl.
Payne was incarcerated at the State Correctional Institution at Laurel Highlands, where he died in 2020 after contracting COVID-19. The cause of his death, according to the coroner's office, was cardio-respiratory arrest due to pneumonia and COVID-19.
The upcoming episode of Dead Days of Summer, titled Twisted Lessons, will air on August 11, 2022, on Investigation Discovery. It will cover the death of Debbie Gama in details and also look into what happened to Raymond Payne after his conviction. Stay tuned for more updates.
