Rebecca Payne murder trial: Walpeup town hail ‘Cookie Monster’ killer a hero
Killer wife who killed her ‘monster’ husband with a poisoned cookie after ’14 years of hell’ where he forced her to get 18 tattoos of his name is being hailed as a hero in her small town
- Rebecca Payne found guilty of murder
- She killed her abusive husband in 2020
Residents of a small town where a woman killed her husband claim she is the real victim and hail her as a “hero” who has saved countless lives.
Mother-of-three, Rebecca Payne, was found guilty of murder on May 15 after two days of deliberation by a 12-member Mildura High Court jury.
The woman dubbed the “Cookie Monster” had murdered her husband, Noel Payne, 68, by feeding him two biscuits containing Temazepam at their home in Walpeup, northwest Victoria, in September 2020.
The 43-year-old then wrapped his body in a blanket and placed it in an outdoor freezer, where it was found days later by a neighbor.
She now faces a maximum sentence of life behind bars.
Mother of three, Rebecca Payne (pictured with husband Noel), was found guilty of murder by a 12-member jury in Mildura Supreme Court on May 15 after two days of deliberation
The woman dubbed the “Cookie Monster” had killed her husband, Noel Payne, 68 (pictured), in September 2020 by feeding him two biscuits containing Temazepam at their home (pictured) in Walpeup, northwest Victoria.
But many who know her, including her sons, say she’s “already served her time” after living with her abusive partner and should be released.
“She lived in hell with a monster for 14 years,” her son Jamie said Announce sun.
“The kids need her. The community needs her. We all need her.’
At her trial, Rebecca took the stand, claiming that Noel forced her into the city of 170 people a decade and a half ago in an attempt to isolate her from her friends and family.
She said she was severely physically and psychologically abused along with another mentally disabled woman whom he had brutally taken into his home.
Rebecca claimed that Noel would rape her “whenever he felt like it,” control her, and beat her.
The “cult-like” figure also pressured her to get 18 tattoos of his name on her body so that no one else could “love her.”
At her trial, Rebecca took the stand and claimed that Noel (pictured) had physically and psychologically abused her for 14 years
Many of Walpeup’s 170 residents (pictured) see Rebecca as the real “victim” and hailed her as a hero for saving the lives of others in the home
He even had her fired from her job at a store in Ouyen, 20 minutes east of Walpeup, because he often sat inside and scared customers who would talk to her.
A man who lived down the road from the Payne’s claimed “there’s no doubt in the world” that Noel intended to kill Rebecca, their two sons who lived there, and the other woman.
“She saved at least four lives. She didn’t know if she would go to bed and wake up the next morning. Or that her boys would go to bed and wake up the next morning,’ the neighbor said.
Her friend who lived nearby, John, echoed his sentiments, saying, “It’s not fair,” and that she’s the real victim.
Rebecca’s hearing starts Monday.