Thursday,
May 21, 2009 -
9:00 AM
The
witness, who called in
the report on a burning vehicle, was interviewed at the Yoknapatawpha
Sheriff’s
Department by Detectives Armstrong and Murphy who recorded the
interview on a
portable tape recorder with the witness's knowledge and consent.
Detective
Ted Armstrong
Detective Sam Murphy
Rhonda Meadows
Detective
Murphy: Thank you
for your cooperation.
Rhonda
Meadows: You're
welcome, but you don't have to thank me. It's my civic duty.
Detective
Murphy: I wish all
our citizens felt that way. Would you please state your name and
address for
the record?
Rhonda
Meadows: Sure. My
name is Rhonda Faye Meadows and I live at 725 Fillmore Avenue. Oxford, of
course.
Detective
Armstrong: What
were you doing out so early in the morning, Rhonda?
Rhonda
Meadows: I was on my
way to work. I start my shift early in the morning.
Detective
Armstrong: Where
do you work?
Rhonda
Meadows: I work at
the Rancho Grande. I'm the daytime hostess. That's only for now,
though. I’m
going to leave this town and go to Ohio soon.
Detective
Armstrong:
Congratulations. I guess. Why are you leaving town?
Rhonda
Meadows: Oh, I'm
going to Kent State University. I have been planning this for a long
time and I
can hardly wait. Well, I mean, I was planning on going before but my
husband-to-be stopped that. My ex-husband-to-be, that is. But now, my
plans are
on again.
Detective
Murphy: I see. Did
he have anything to do with the burning vehicle?
Rhonda
Meadows: Oh, no! I
don’t think so. Why would you think that? Do you really think so?
Detective
Armstrong: We
leave no stone unturned, Rhonda. Detective Murphy asked that question
because
you didn’t sound like you were very happy about him.
Rhonda
Meadows: Well, I’m
not happy. I hate him. I hate my sister, too. Traitors!
Would you
believe my own
sister had an affair with my supposed-to-be-husband behind my back? I
was out
of town. I guess you could say I was lucky to find out what kind of
deceitful
little sneak he was. I already knew my sister was a back-stabber. I
don't know
why I thought she would be trustworthy this time, she never has been.
Detective
Armstrong: I see.
Why don't you tell us what you saw as you were driving to work?
Rhonda
Meadows: I saw that
burning car.
Detective
Armstrong: Yes, so
you said. Did you notice anyone?
Rhonda
Meadows: No. Do you
think someone was still there? Oh my, I probably shouldn't have
stopped. I
could have been hurt.
Detective
Murphy: Detective
Armstrong didn't mean it that way, Rhonda. He means did you notice
whoever was
burning the vehicle? Anyone running away or maybe another vehicle?
Rhonda
Meadows: Oh, I see.
But no, I didn't see anyone. That car was really burning. Flames were
shooting
way up in the air.
Detective
Armstrong: So, you
saw no one, and no other vehicles in the area?
Rhonda
Meadows: No, I didn't
see anyone or anything. Just that car. Sorry.
Detective
Murphy: You can
only tell us what you saw. Tell us exactly what happened.
Rhonda
Meadows: Like I said,
I was going to work. It was still dark and the fire lit up the whole
sky. I
started slowing down my car and looking at the flames. I thought, at
first, it
was a house on fire. When I got close enough to see it was a car, I
pulled off
the road and dialed 911. That was a silly thing to say. I would've
called 911
if it had been a house, too.
Detective
Armstrong: And you
didn't notice anyone lurking or hiding anywhere?
Rhonda
Meadows: No, but I
was just mesmerized by those flames. Gosh, the idea that someone could
have
been there gives me chills.
Detective
Armstrong: Well,
you're here, and you're fine. Let's go back to the address you gave us
earlier. Fillmore Avenue.
Why were you on Hurricane Road,
where this vehicle
was burning? That isn’t even close to Fillmore.
Rhonda
Meadows: My folks
live on Hurricane Road.
Mom wasn’t feeling well, so I stayed there all night,
in case she needed help. By the time I had to go to work, she was
feeling much
better and said it was okay for me to go.
Detective
Murphy: Is there
anything else you can tell us that might be important?
Rhonda
Meadows: No, I don’t
think so. If I do I will call you.
Detective
Murphy: All right.
Thank you. You can go now.
Rhonda
Meadows: Thanks.
Interview
ends: 9:35 AM |
