Three young defendants have pleaded not guilty after investigators said deleted phone messages pointed to advance discussions about killing the victim.

DELAWARE, Ohio — What began as an investigation into the fatal shooting of 55-year-old Tamela Dutcher inside her Delaware County home quickly widened into an alleged murder plot after investigators examined her daughter’s phone, according to court records and prosecutors. Within days, Dutcher’s 18-year-old daughter and two young men connected to her were facing homicide charges.

Prosecutors allege Bryanna Dutcher discussed killing her parents with her boyfriend, 20-year-old Christian Evans, before Tamela Dutcher was shot shortly after midnight Aug. 14. Evans and his roommate, 21-year-old Dajameous Payne, also are charged. A Delaware County grand jury later indicted all three on aggravated murder, escalating charges that had developed as detectives reconstructed the hours before the shooting and recovered communications authorities say had been deleted.

The case has changed significantly since deputies first responded to a home on Bean-Oller Road. Tamela Dutcher’s husband, Neil King, called 911 after his wife was shot. She was taken to a hospital and died several hours later. Investigators say gunfire also was directed toward King while he was trying to help his wife, but the shots missed him. Authorities initially focused on Evans and Payne, arresting both men on murder charges later that day. Bryanna Dutcher was first arrested on an obstruction of justice charge.

That distinction did not last. Detectives accused Bryanna Dutcher of repeatedly giving investigators inaccurate or changing accounts of what had happened. Then authorities conducted a forensic examination of her phone. Prosecutors said investigators recovered messages between her and Evans that appeared to discuss killing her parents before the shooting. Chief Criminal Assistant Prosecutor Mark Sleeper told a court at an early hearing that the messages had been deleted from the phone but were recovered during a forensic download.

The messages became central to prosecutors’ claim that the shooting was not a sudden confrontation. At a later hearing, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Ashlee Beougher said Bryanna Dutcher and Evans had discussed taking out both of her parents at the same time, apparently with a firearm. One recovered message attributed to Evans said, “this has to be perfect,” according to local reporting on the court proceedings. Prosecutors also cited a message in which Bryanna Dutcher allegedly said, “I’ll just take them down.” Those communications are allegations in an unresolved criminal case and have not been tested at trial.

Investigators say the conversations followed a dispute between Bryanna Dutcher and her mother on Aug. 13. A probable cause affidavit described the disagreement as being about cleaning and said it became physical. Bryanna Dutcher later told investigators that she spoke with Evans while venting about the conflict. According to the affidavit, Evans responded, “If I were you, I would have killed her.” Authorities allege the communications that followed went beyond an angry remark and developed into planning before Tamela Dutcher was shot hours later.

Prosecutors also have described evidence that they say traces Evans and Payne’s movements that night. According to court accounts, surveillance video showed the two men leaving their shared residence about an hour and a half before the shooting. Bryanna Dutcher told investigators at one point that Evans and Payne had visited the family home that evening. She initially said she heard a gunshot 10 to 15 minutes after they left. Investigators said her account changed as questioning continued, contributing to the obstruction allegation that preceded the murder charge.

Authorities say the men left Delaware County after the shooting. A later account of the investigation said traffic cameras captured Evans’ Camaro in the area at 12:44 a.m. and that Evans and Payne traveled to West Virginia before returning to Ohio, where they were arrested. Court reporting also said Evans later made a statement to investigators expressing that he was sorry for what he had done. The public reports reviewed do not establish which defendant prosecutors allege fired the fatal shot, and an earlier criminal complaint did not identify the shooter.

The accusation involving King adds another part to the prosecution’s account. Investigators say he was trying to aid his wounded wife when shots were fired toward him. One shot was reported to have struck a wall after missing him. Authorities said early in the investigation that additional charges connected to the alleged attack on King were possible. The available public reports do not establish a final resolution of that part of the investigation, and the aggravated-murder proceedings center on Tamela Dutcher’s death.

The charging history reflects how quickly the investigation expanded. Bryanna Dutcher was arrested for obstruction on Aug. 14, then charged with murder Aug. 17 after investigators said they had recovered evidence pointing to advance planning. On Aug. 20, a Delaware County grand jury indicted her, Evans and Payne on aggravated murder. A grand jury indictment is an accusation and does not establish guilt. Each defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proved guilty in court.

Evans and Payne were arraigned in Delaware County Common Pleas Court on Aug. 21 and pleaded not guilty. Evans also entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and was ordered to undergo a competency evaluation, according to local court reporting. Bryanna Dutcher appeared Aug. 24 and pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder. Her attorney, Dominic Mango, challenged her $3 million bond and argued that she had no previous criminal record and was not alleged to have personally committed an act of violence. Judge Marianne Hemmeter declined to reduce the bond.

All three defendants were being held in the Delaware County Jail on $3 million bonds in the most recent court reporting reviewed for this story. The charges carry the possibility of life imprisonment if the defendants are convicted. The legal proceedings also leave major questions for later hearings or trial, including how prosecutors intend to prove each defendant’s individual role and how the defense will challenge the interpretation and context of the recovered messages.

The case has drawn additional attention because Tamela Dutcher had co-written a 2002 academic article concerning violent and homicidal adolescents. That earlier publication is part of her professional history, but authorities have not identified it as evidence in the criminal case or suggested it had any connection to the events leading to her death. Its subject matter does not establish anything about the allegations against her daughter and should be treated separately from the evidence prosecutors say they recovered during the homicide investigation.

Bryanna Dutcher’s final pretrial hearing was scheduled for Oct. 19, with her trial set to begin Nov. 3, according to the latest publicly available local court reporting reviewed. The proceedings against Evans and Payne also remained pending. No defendant has been convicted, and the allegations concerning the planning, shooting and recovered communications remain to be proved in court.

Author note: Last updated September 28, 2026.