Thursday, May 27, 2009 - 2:30 PM

Detective Armstrong and Detective Murphy of the Yoknapatawpha Sheriff’s Department interviewed the witness who is co-owner of a red Toyota Corolla. The interview was conducted at the Yoknapatawpha Sheriff's Department and recorded on a portable tape recorder with the witness's knowledge and consent.

Detective Samantha Murphy
Detective Ted Armstrong
Raschel Coleman

Detective Murphy: Good afternoon Mrs. Coleman. Thank you for coming down to talk with us today. Can you please state your name and address for our record.

Raschel Coleman: Of course, my name is Raschel Coleman I live at 222 Country Club Road.  What's this about, detective?

Detective Armstrong: Do you and your husband own a 1985 red Toyota Corolla?

Raschel Coleman: The car is registered in our names, but we gave it to our son Alex for Christmas in 2001. My husband runs a car dealership, and Alex saw the car on the lot and loved it. So we surprised him with it as a Christmas present.

Detective Armstrong: Did you know that a car matching that description was involved in a hit and run accident on January 14, 2009? The hit and run victim was Blake Jenson.

Raschel Coleman: I remember that Jenson boy. Didn't he die a short time ago? I don't know anything about a hit and run accident. I thought the newspaper said he died by electrocution.

Detective Armstrong: Why did you take your son's Toyota to Kenny's Body Shop during this time?

Raschel Coleman: Let me think. Oh, I remember now. Alex swerved off the road and hit a tree. He wasn't hurt but the car was damaged. I think it was the front of the car. I didn't see the car since I had Alex take it to Kenny's Body Shop to get it fixed. We have an account there. They do a lot of bodywork for us.

Detective Armstrong: Why didn't you call the police and go through your insurance company to have it repaired?

Raschel Coleman: I didn't see any reason to call the police since it didn't involve anyone else. Detective, you know how expensive car insurance is for anyone under the age of twenty-five. I decided to pay for the repair instead of billing the insurance company.

Detective Armstrong: On May 13, 2009, there was another hit and run accident. A quarter of the front panel of the hit and run vehicle was left behind. We have an eyewitness that saw the driver of the car speed away. In this accident, the driver of the other car wasn't so lucky. He died on impact. His wife was seriously injured. The witness also got a partial license plate number. She described the car and said it was a red Toyota. Where was Alex at the time of the accident?

Raschel Coleman: What are you trying to say, that my son had something to do with this accident? That's preposterous. My son would never do such a thing. What are you trying to do? Pin these accidents on Alex? Just because the car was red doesn't mean it was his. There are a lot of red Toyotas in this county.

Detective Armstrong: What if I told you we found a 1985 Toyota that someone had torched on Hurrican Road a few days after the fatal hit and run accident, and the paint sample taken from this vehicle matched paint samples from both hit and run accidents, and the car was registered to Chandler and Raschel Coleman? Mrs. Coleman, were you or your husband involved in these accidents?

Raschel Coleman: Of course not. I don't know anything about any hit and run accidents.

Detective Murphy: Mrs. Coleman, where is your son? We need to speak with him.

Raschel Coleman: My son didn't have anything to do with this. Someone must have stolen the car. I don't know where Alex is. The last time we saw or heard from him since May 13th.  We had an argument about him staying out all the time. He got angry and left. We haven’t seen or heard from him since.

Detective Murphy: Mrs. Coleman, your son has been missing for a couple of weeks and you don't seem too concerned about his welfare. Why is it that you haven’t reported him as a missing person?

Raschel Coleman: How could you say I'm not very concerned about my son? Alex has done this before, and after he cools off, he always comes home.

Detective Armstrong: Mrs. Coleman, are you trying to tell us that you haven't heard from your son for a couple of weeks?

Raschel Coleman: That's right.

Detective Armstrong: If it's true, that fact seems to implicate your son. Mrs. Coleman, when you next hear from him, the best advice you can give him is that he turns himself in to us.

Raschel Coleman: I don't want to continue with this anymore. I want to speak to a lawyer.

Detective Armstrong: You're free to go.

Interview ends: 3:15 PM