The first Facebook murder? Couple killed after ‘defriending’ former pal

A US couple has been senselessly murdered after they 'defriended' a former pal on Facebook, in a crime described by a County Sheriff as the worst he has ever seen.

Billy Clay Payne Jr and Billie Jean Hayworth of Tennessee were shot dead by the father of the defriended Facebook user and the father's friend after deleting Jenelle Potter from their friends list. The couple's eight-month-old baby was found in the murdered woman's arms and was thankfully unharmed.

"It's the worst thing I've ever seen," Johnson County Sheriff Mike Reece told Reuters. "We've had murders, but nothing like this. This is just senseless."

Sheriff Reece said that the couple had previously filed two harassment cases over the defriended user, who he knew to be constantly on Facebook. The cases filed were related to "someone blocking her [Jenelle Potter] or taking her off." Mr Reece noted.

"Once you've crossed her, you've crossed her father too," he added. The attorney of Jenelle's father and murder suspect, "Buddy" Potter, told Reuters that there is likely to be more to the case than just a simple Facebook dispute.

"I wish I could provide more of what went on, but there's needless to say a lot of rumors swirling around and nothing substantiated on the rumours," said attorney R.O. Smith.