Monday March 10, 2008 10:00 am

The interview was conducted at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff’s Office by Detective’s Murphy and Armstrong. The interview was recorded on a portable tape recorder with the witness’ knowledge and consent.

Detective Ted Armstrong
Detective Samantha Murphy
Johnny Ray Clark

Detective Murphy: Right this way, Johnny. Take the same seat that you had the last time you were here.

Johnny Clark: Thanks.

Detective Murphy: Please state your full name and address for the record.

Johnny Clark: My name Johnny Ray Clark and I still live in my trailer on lot 66 at the Wheel Estates, on 913 south 18th St. I’ve lived with my grandparents most of my life, but I moved into town last year. Can’t say I like it much.

Detective Armstrong: We’d like to ask a few more questions. Are you sure that you never spoke with Marissa? Didn’t she flirt quite openly with you?

Johnny Clark: No, I didn’t talk to her, but yes she did flirt a lot. Her and another girl came to the station a lot. Sometimes, just to buy gas and sometimes to get chips. Anytime she got out of the car, she flirted with anyone around, not just me.

Detective Armstrong: You tried to get her to go out with you, didn’t you? What did she say to that?

Johnny Clark: No! I’m no fool! I knew she’d never go out with a farm boy like myself. That by itself would’ve stopped her, but add to it the fact that I working at a gas station and that would have been the clincher. She thought she was too good for the likes of me. I was tempted to tell her to stop flirting because I wasn’t interested, but I didn’t.

Detective Armstrong: Now, come on John. You and I both know you couldn’t resist asking her out. Are you sure you never saw her wearing skates before the evening you found her in the restroom and what about the missing key? Are you telling us that you never missed the key until Julie Moore brought it to your attention?

Johnny Clark: I thought about asking to go to church with me once, but I never did get up the nerve to ask her. I didn’t want to deal with being laughed at and, no, she never wore skates any time before that night. I would have noticed. No, I never noticed the key being gone until then.

Detective Armstrong: So, did you put the Out of Order sign on the restroom door? Did Marissa make you mad enough to show her that you wouldn’t take any more laughter from her?

Johnny Clark: What are you saying? No, I didn’t put that sign up, and no, I was never mad at her. Never! I thought she was beautiful. She acted trashy, but I knew she really wasn’t.

Detective Armstrong: What did she say to you when she flirted?

Johnny Clark: Nothing. But her girlfriend didn’t like it. I could hear them arguing about it one time. Her friend told her to stop flirting with me, and Marissa told her to shut up.

Detective Armstrong: Did she stop flirting?

Johnny Clark: No, she still flirted every time she stopped for gas. They were still arguing when they got in the car one day, as they drove away.

Detective Murphy: About the stranger you saw earlier in the evening. Have you remembered anything since we last spoke?

Johnny Clark: No, only that he was hurrying like he was in a rush. I have to get back to work or I’ll lose my job.

Detective Murphy: Alright. We may need to talk again. Don’t make any plans to leave town.

Interview ends:10:40 am