Monday, December 14, 1987 - 6:00 PM
Richie Turner is a 21-year-old white male and is Kevin Gilmore's best friend. The interview was conducted at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department and was recorded on a portable audio tape recorder with the witness's knowledge and consent.
Participants:
- Detective Terrence Nelson
- Richie Turner
Detective Nelson: Thank you for coming in on such short notice. Would you please state your name and address for the record?
Richie Turner: No problem. My name is Richie Turner and I live at 135 Brown Hall on campus.
Detective Nelson: How long have you resided here, Richie?
Richie Turner: I moved here with my folks when I was 13. So for around seven years I guess.
Detective Nelson: Do you have a job?
Richie Turner: Nope. My folks, they told me to concentrate on my degree and that they would support me financially if I just kept my grades up and, you know, didn't get into any trouble. Gotta love an offer like that, right?
Detective Nelson: Yeah, I bet Kevin would have loved an offer like that as well.
Richie Turner: I know he would have, but he had to work. Don and Judy didn't have money to spare, and he couldn't get anyone else to help him out anymore.
Detective Nelson: Anymore?
Richie Turner: Well, he borrowed from a lot of people, and he very seldom ever paid anyone back. In fact, he owed me $100, and he told me he would pay me in cash at the Ole Miss-Tulsa game.
Detective Nelson: When was the last time you saw Kevin?
Richie Turner: It was Thursday night. We hung out for awhile.
Detective Nelson: Where were you and when did the two of you part ways?
Richie Turner: We were hanging out in the pool room, played a couple of games of eight-ball, and he left sometime before nine, and said he had to get ready for... something. I don't remember what it was exactly.
Detective Nelson: Richie, this could be important. Try to remember.
Richie Turner: I really don't know. He was going to do something to earn some cash, but he never told me what it was. I didn't push the issue because I was just glad he was going to pay me back.
Detective Nelson: Was anyone else in the pool room that night?
Richie Turner: That jackass from the team, Jason something, was in there watching TV, but we didn't talk to him.
Detective Nelson: What was Kevin like? Tell me about his personality.
Richie Turner: Wow, Kevin was--he was an okay guy. He was my best friend. A lot of people thought he had a chip on his shoulder, but he didn't. You know, he acted tough, maybe even a bit cocky, but you know, it was all show. I knew that, but others didn't.
Detective Nelson: We heard he bossed you around a lot. Is that true?
Richie Turner: Yeah, it might have seemed like that to outsiders, but you know, we just kinda knew how far we could push one another. I mean, I'll admit that for the most part, yeah, Kev called the shots, but it was only because I agreed with him. I mean, he didn't bully me, if that's what you are insinuating.
Detective Nelson: How did you and Kevin meet?
Richie Turner: I signed up to play baseball in this local summer league, and Kevin and I were on the same team. Then we started hanging out and just never stopped. We had fun together.
Detective Nelson: Well, why didn't the two of you room together at the dorms if you were such great friends?
Richie Turner: I'm a year ahead of Kevin, so I already had a roommate when he came.
Detective Nelson: After the two of you parted ways that night, what did you do?
Richie Turner: I went home, and I made a microwave pizza and watched Scarface. And that's a long movie. I fell asleep before the big gun scene, and I didn't wake up until the next morning.
Detective Nelson: Did Kevin have any medical problems that you knew of?
Richie Turner: Yeah, he had diabetes. He had to take those shots every day or he'd get really sick.
Detective Nelson: Was he feeling all right when the two of you were hanging out?
Richie Turner: Yeah, I think so. I mean, he didn't complain about anything, and he looked good.
Detective Nelson: Do you have any idea of anyone who would have wanted to hurt Kevin?
Richie Turner: Well, like I said earlier, he borrowed a lot, but I mean, I don’t think it was anything anyone would kill him for. You know, maybe threaten him, but not kill him. Oh, wait. You know, there--there was this one kid on the team that--Jason something. I know they didn't like each other because I think Jason was jealous because Kev was this much better player.
Detective Nelson: Well, is there anyone else we should talk to ?
Richie Turner: I don't know. Maybe his roommate, Nick? He had talked about maybe getting a different room because he was sick of him. He had mentioned a few times that Nick was very annoying.
Detective Nelson: How about a girlfriend?
Richie Turner: Yeah, Carly. She's a pretty cool gal, but she fell for Kevin a lot harder than he fell for her. I imagine she is pretty torn up about it. Poor girl, I really should go talk to her.
Detective Nelson: Anyone else?
Richie Turner: Maybe the basketball coach or his boss? I don't know. Actually, can I go now? I actually have some papers I need to work on.
Detective Nelson: You can go. Thank you for your time.
Richie Turner: You're welcome. I hope you guys can find out what happened to him. He had plans, you know? He just--he had his whole life to live.
Detective Nelson: We'll get to the bottom of this. If we need to contact you again, will that be a problem?
Richie Turner: No problem at all. See ya.
Interview ends: 6:35 pm
Evidence