On May 8, 1996, thirty-four-year-old David Allen Payton, an inmate at Glades Correctional Institute in Moore Haven, Florida, contacted investigators.  Payton told law enforcement officers that he knew who had been committing the murders in Charlotte County.  This instantly got investigators attention since they had no real leads to date.  State Attorney Investigator, Brian Kelly and Lt. John Brock went to the prison to interview Payton.

Payton informed Kelly and Brock that he had previously told his story to Fort Myers police in March but they refused to believe him; he then went on to describe the events that led to his arrest.

Payton stated that on March 5, 1995, he was on his way home from DJ’s bar on US route 41 in Fort Myers.  It was a blistering summer day and feeling the effects from alcohol, decided to sit in the shade at a bus stop.  Shortly after sitting down on a bench, a blue Mercury Capri pulled up.  The man driving the vehicle asked him if he would like to drink some beer and smoke some pot, Payton agreed and got into the man’s vehicle.

The man identified himself as Daniel Conahan and gave his new friend a beer and a Valium.  As the two men traveled down Zemel Road in Charlotte County, Conahan asked him if he would pose for nude photos while tied to a tree.  Payton replied that he was not interested and went on to turn down a hundred dollar bill Conahan offered him as an incentive to pose for the pictures.

Payton stated that Conahan’s actions were unsettling to him and he started to get anxious when they turned onto an isolated dirt road.  Soon after turning onto the road the vehicle became stuck in a mud hole, urgently wanting out of the car, Payton offered to get out and push; Conahan told him to stay in the car and steer while he got it out instead.  A four-wheel drive truck soon appeared and the driver helped to free Conahan’s vehicle.  Payton, now alone in the car, decided to speed off while Conahan stood outside.  The drugs and alcohol made him sleepy, and the next thing he claims to recall is waking up in Fort Myers, where he was arrested for auto theft.  The car he was accused of stealing belonged to Daniel Conahan Sr., who reported it had been stolen while his son was driving it.  Hence, Payton was sent to prison for the theft of the vehicle.

The task force wanted to believe the story and requested that he take a lie-detector test; Payton agreed and on May 9, passed the test.

Not long after interviewing Payton, two other witnesses, Charles Bateman and Robert Beckwith came forward.  Bateman and Beckwith had been acquainted with Montgomery; they described a man who looked like Conahan as a "dude" that propositioned them.  However, when presented with a 3-year-old driver's license photo of Conahan the two could not positively identify him.  Investigators decided to drive Bateman to a parking lot near Conahan's home. Once there, the witness spotted Conahan Sr.'s blue Capri and identified it.