DELAWARE — A probable cause affidavit filed in the Tamela D. Dutcher murder case provides new details about what investigators allege happened before, during and after the 55-year-old woman’s death at her Bean Oller Road home on Aug. 14.
Dutcher’s 18-year-old daughter, Bryanna Dutcher, Dajameous Payne, 21, and Christian Evans, 20, all appeared virtually from the Delaware County Jail for their initial hearings on Aug. 17 in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.
Payne and Evans were already charged with murder, while Bryanna Dutcher initially faced an obstruction of justice charge. During Monday’s hearing, Chief Criminal Assistant Prosecutor Mark Sleeper announced an additional murder charge against Bryanna.
Magistrate Cory Goe set each of their bonds at $3 million and scheduled all three defendants for preliminary hearings on Aug. 24 at 3 p.m.
The preliminary hearings will only take place if the prosecution does not bring the cases before a grand jury and the defendants are subsequently indicted.
COVERAGE FROM MONDAY’S HEARINGS:
Delaware Source requested the affidavits from the Delaware County Clerk of Courts and received them Tuesday afternoon. The documents provide a timeline of what investigators allege occurred before, during and after Dutcher’s death and describe the alleged involvement of Bryanna Dutcher, Payne and Evans.
The allegations contained in the affidavits have not been proven in court.
What Bryanna initially told investigators
Bryanna told law enforcement she was cleaning in a room with the door closed when the shooting occurred after midnight on Aug. 14.
She did not see anyone enter the home, and said she heard a sound “that caused her ears to ring,” according to the affidavit.
“Bryanna advised that the front door is usually locked, but wasn’t sure if it was tonight; she advised the rear door is also typically locked,” the affidavit states.
She told investigators the garage door was open and the interior door leading from the garage was unlocked, but said she would have seen someone enter the home that way.
Bryanna also told investigators there were about 100 firearms in the home and that she had previously gone shooting with her parents but was not comfortable with firearms. She gave investigators permission to collect a gunshot residue swab.
“Bryanna could not think of anyone that was angry with her family that would lead to this act; she identified a former friend of her mother who owed a lot of money as the only potential person of interest,” the affidavit states.
Bryanna’s account changes
During additional questioning, Bryanna’s account changed regarding the door to the room where she said she had been cleaning. She initially told investigators the door was closed, but later said it was open, according to the affidavit.
She remained adamant that she would have seen anyone who entered the home and walked past her. However, Bryanna said she did not know whether the front door was locked or unlocked.
She also told authorities that she was in a relationship with a Black man and said her parents, Tamela D. Dutcher and Neil King, did not know she was dating a Black man.
Bryanna said her parents were “very racist” and “would likely have kicked her out of the house,” according to the affidavit.
The defendant later said the Black man she was in a relationship with was Evans.
“Bryanna was adamant that her boyfriend was okay with her parents being racist, and denied that they had any involvement in the incident,” the affidavit states.
She also said Evans’ roommate, Payne, “had threatened to kidnap her family a few months prior and that she was scared of him,” the affidavit continued.
The affidavit also references an interaction involving Bryanna and Evans two days before the shooting. Delaware police responded to their Trotter Circle residence Aug. 12 after Bryanna was injured while the two were reportedly “rough housing.”
“The [Aug. 12, 2026] call was because Bryanna and Christian [Evans] were ‘rough housing’ and Bryanna fell and hit her throat on the wall, and was having issues seeing,” the affidavit states.
Bryanna provides more information about the night of the shooting
During further questioning, Bryanna told investigators she had argued with her mother about cleaning earlier that day and later called Evans to “vent” about the argument.
“[Evans] reportedly made the comment that, ‘If I were you, I would have killed her,'” the affidavit states.
On the night of the shooting, Bryanna told investigators that Evans and Payne came to the Bean Oller Road home in Evans’ Camaro.
“Bryanna advised that she said she wouldn’t go with [Payne and Evans] because she had responsibilities with the horses,” the affidavit reads.
Bryanna said the two men left and that she heard the gunshot 10 to 15 minutes later.
She maintained that she did not see who fired the shot and denied any involvement in her mother’s death.
Investigators track down Evans and Payne
Law enforcement utilized Flock AI cameras and observed Evans’ Camaro in the area of Columbus Pike and East Powell Road, traveling southbound at 12:44 a.m. on Aug. 14, according to the affidavit.
“Of note is that this is approximately 15-20 minutes after the shooting, and the mileage to travel from the incident location to this area is approximately eight miles,” the affidavit states.
Traffic cameras then caught the car going East on Interstate 70 at Fairview Road in Guernsey County at 5:16 a.m. The Camaro’s last sighting was on Interstate 470 East at the Ohio and West Virginia border at 5:59 a.m.
Bryanna told investigators that Evans had a friend in Wheeling, West Virginia, and said she believed he might be headed there.
Investigators later located the Camaro back at Evans’ Trotter Circle residence while preparing to execute a search warrant, according to the affidavit.
Law enforcement observed Evans leave the residence with a garbage bag in hand and throw the garbage bag in a dumpster.
Detectives then observed Evans and Payne leave the apartment and get into the Camaro.
“Detectives and deputies were able to block the vehicle in and take both parties into custody,” the affidavit states.
Neither Evans nor Payne agreed to speak with investigators after their arrests, according to the affidavit. However, the document states that Evans said he was “sorry for what he did.”
Authorities collected a gun holster and two pairs of black pants from the trash bag Evans threw away. They also collected several electronics, a lease agreement that indicated Bryanna was on the lease with Evans, an empty pregnancy test box and wet clothing from the residence.
Two cellphones and a gun holster were also collected from the Camaro, according to the affidavit.
Video, location data and text messages
Evans and Payne’s neighbor provided a video from an outdoor camera of the two men leaving their residence the night of the shooting. Both were dressed in black clothing, and each was wearing one glove, according to the affidavit.
The document states that Evans’ father met with detectives and showed them a text from Evans that said he “fucked up.”
Evans’ father also had the Life360 tracking app enabled on Evans’ phone, and authorities were able to see that Evans was in the area of the crime when it occurred.
Investigators also conducted a forensic download of Bryanna’s phone and recovered several deleted text messages, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit does not provide timestamps for the messages or present them chronologically, making it unclear from the document when each message was sent or what messages may have appeared between them.
The messages below are presented in the same order they appear in the affidavit, which does not list them chronologically:
- Evans to Bryanna: They need to be hidden
- Evans to Bryanna: Once they both pass away
- Evans to Bryanna: Just in case
- Evans to Bryanna: Also I believe you should also get a gun to
- Bryanna to Evans: Alr shes living room hes basement where you’re here lmk
- Evans to Bryanna: Were getting ready
- Bryanna to Evans: Kk
- Evans to Bryanna: Getting gloves
- Evans to Bryanna: Take them both out at the same time
- Bryanna to Evans: I got it
- Evans to Bryanna: This has to be perfect
- Bryanna to Evans: I’ll just take them down
- Evans to Bryanna: How
- Bryanna to Evans: Yeah will actually help
- Evans to Bryanna: Shoes in the rain and all
- Evans to Bryanna: You know about forensics and everything right
- Evans to Bryanna: How close are you to doing this
- Bryanna to Evans: River or burn
- Evans to Bryanna: Come outside and grab the browning
