OVERTON COUNTY – An investigation by special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Overton County Sheriff’s Office has resulted in charges being placed against a Rickman man in connection to a double homicide that occurred Sunday morning.

On September 21st, at the request of 13th Judicial District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, TBI agents joined the Overton County Sheriff’s Office in investigating the circumstances leading to the deaths of Isaiah Thomas Hawkins (DOB: 07/14/2000) and Christina Denise Hawkins (DOB: 10/04/1981) after they were found deceased from gunshot wounds outside a residence in the 100 block of Freeman Drive in Rickman. During the course of the investigation, authorities developed information that Payton Wayne Nations (DOB: 08/28/98) was the individual responsible for shooting the victims.

Agents obtained warrants for Payton Nations, charging him with two counts of First Degree Murder. This evening, Nations was located and arrested in Putnam County by the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. He was transported to the Overton County Jail, where he was booked on a $40 million bond.

The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct, not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.