The Daily Times

Over the years whenever people asked me about my hometown of Mountain City, I always told them to think of Mayberry.

No, there isn’t law enforcement like Andy Taylor and Barney Fife. And barbers aren’t quite like Floyd Lawson or mechanics like Goober and Gomer Pyle. The Darlings don’t come to town with Ernest T. Bass close behind.

But it’s home. Its streets are normally quiet, and there is a Main Street that runs through town. Everyone seemingly knows everyone, and it’s hard to go somewhere without seeing a familiar face.

There’s a weekly newspaper that most residents read. A lot of times, though, it’s for the obituaries, wedding announcements or court records.

Yes, there are court records — although they normally don’t contain large-scale crimes or violent things. After all, this small town nestled in the mountains doesn’t have many bad things happen.

But bad doesn’t really begin to cover what rocked Mountain City a couple of weeks ago. A couple was found dead in their home. Both had been shot in the head, although the killer had gone an extra step with the man; his throat was slit.

It’s a shocking crime, but there’s an even more tragic twist. The slain woman was found holding her 8-month-old baby in her arms.

My hometown is a close-knit community. When tragedy strikes, the pain goes beyond those immediately involved. Maybe it’s because it’s a small town, but something like this sends a shock wave through every resident.

But the horror goes beyond the brutal double murder. More details keep coming to light in the days since the killing. Two men — Marvin Potter and Jamie Curd — were arrested and charged in the deaths. Rumors had circulated, but new information released by Johnson County Sheriff Mike Reece makes this crime even more senseless.

According to Reece, Potter’s daughter had been harassing the couple because they deleted her as a friend on the social networking site, Facebook. That’s it.

Potter’s adult daughter — 30 years old, mind you — is at the heart of this case, because she didn’t like being unfriended. Is a mouse click really that sinister?

This twist made the case, and Mountain City, into national news. Most people couldn’t even begin to tell you where Mountain City is in the state. And now, it’s becoming a household name.

It’s a little too surreal for me. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

It’s nothing new for a father to take offense when his little girl’s been hurt. After all, once daughters take a grip on their daddy’s hearts, they never let go.

Fathers would walk through fire to help their children, or so they tell me. However, this takes the expression to an extreme.

We’re not talking about a sit-down with a boy after he’s dumped the father’s little girl. Or talking to a teacher who gave his child a bad grade. This wasn’t a harsh letter, phone call or anything else that could be considered defending a woman’s honor.

This was cold-blooded murder. It was vicious. It was cruel. If Potter committed these acts as some twisted form of vengeance for his daughter, there’s a certain amount of irony to be found. He was helping his baby, but he left another baby alone in this world.

The baby, which luckily escaped harm, will grow up never knowing his parents. As Potter would do anything for his daughter, this baby will never know unconditional love from his own parents. But at least, for whatever reason, he’ll still have a life to live.

I suppose that’s something to be positive about. The killers could have snuffed out his young life as well. But at the end of the day, a baby’s still orphaned.

We can only hope he’s young enough not to be scarred by the violence.

Amanda Greever is assistant managing editor for print at The Daily Times. She writes a weekly column in the Sunday Life section. She can be reached at 981-1161 or (amanda.greever@thedailytimes.com) Follow her on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com _editor.

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