Elliott Owens interview

Elliott Owens contacted the YCSD after seeing the missing poster seeking information about Oscar Knight.

Detectives Murphy and Parker interviewed him at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.

Interview transcript

Friday, August 26, 2022 – 4:31 p.m.

Participants:

Detective Parker: Hi, Elliott. Nice to see you.

Elliott Owens: Nice to see the both of you too.

Detective Parker: Will you please state your name and address for the record?

Elliott Owens: I'm Elliott Owens. I live at 1264 Beanland Drive.

Detective Murphy: Hm, Elliott, you're still living with your parents.

Elliott Owens: Well, you know, I'm going to move out soon. I just have to save up a bit more.

Detective Murphy: Uh-huh. Okay, so you wanted to talk to us?

Elliott Owens: Yeah, I saw that missing person poster you put out, and I met the guy. I thought you might want to know.

Detective Parker: How did you meet him?

Elliott Owens: I was up at Wall Doxey State Park last Saturday. I was at the Marshall family reunion, and I happened to meet Oscar Knight.

Detective Murphy: Hang on. You're not a member of the Marshall family.

Elliott Owens: No, but I do some work for Steve, and he invited me. Steve Marshall

Detective Murphy: That's a long way to go for a reunion of a family you're not even related to.

Elliott Owens: Not really. It's about half an hour.

Detective Murphy: Okay, so you met Oscar Knight at this reunion?

Elliott Owens: I didn't know many people there. I saw him sitting by himself, and I assumed he didn't either. So I went and sat with him.

Detective Parker: What did you talk about?

Elliott Owens: Nothing at first. And he is a jerk if you want to know the truth. But you get a few drinks into him, he becomes a little more … talkative?

Detective Parker: What did he talk about?

Elliott Owens: He asked me who I was related to, and I said I wasn't. I said Steve invited me, but I wasn't related to anybody at the reunion.

Detective Parker: And what did he say about that?

Elliott Owens: He said he wasn't either, but he grew up with some of those people, and they didn't like him very much.

Detective Parker: Why was he there if even his old friends didn't like him?

Elliott Owens: He said he thought it'd be fun to catch up with them.

Detective Parker: Did he say why they didn't like him anymore?

Elliott Owens: Nope.

Detective Murphy: So did it seem to you that other people at the reunion didn't like him?

Elliott Owens: Oh, yeah. I saw him get into it with quite a few people there. One woman even slapped him.

Detective Murphy: Really? Do you know who it was?

Elliott Owens: Pauline Jones. I met her later. She seems like a nice lady to me.

Detective Murphy: So why did she slap him?

Elliott Owens: I couldn't hear everything that was being said but heard her say something like, "How dare you?" And she hauled off and smacked him hard, right across the face.

Detective Murphy: How did the people at the reunion react to that?

Elliott Owens: I don't think everybody saw, but those who were around seemed like they were on her side, trying to comfort her, patting her on the back.

Detective Murphy: And how did Oscar Knight react to being slapped?

Elliott Owens: He acted like it didn't bother him, and he just walked away.

Detective Parker: Did he argue with anyone else?

Elliott Owens: Oh, yeah. Then there's another lady, Liz Barton.

Detective Parker: Did she slap him too?

Elliott Owens: No, she said something like, "How dare you? I can't believe you would do this. You haven't changed at all. Why don't you just leave?"

Detective Parker: How did he respond to that?

Elliott Owens: He said something like, "Why would I leave if I'm having so much fun?" She didn't like that, though. She just turned and walked away.

Detective Murphy: Did he argue with Liz Barton before or after he argued with Pauline Jones?

Elliott Owens: Before. He argued with Pauline after Liz.

Detective Murphy: Did he argue with anybody else?

Elliott Owens: I did see him kind of arguing with Albert Plum from the hardware store. Just shoving. No punching or anything.

Detective Murphy: What was that about?

Elliott Owens: I wasn't anywhere near that to know what they were talking about.

Detective Murphy: Was that before or after he argued with the two ladies?

Elliott Owens: It was before.

Detective Parker: You said earlier that Oscar Knight was drinking. Would you say that he was drunk?

Elliott Owens: I mean, his speech wasn't slurring or anything, but I don't think he was feeling any pain.

Detective Parker: Did you have any sort of argument with him?

Elliott Owens: No. I just met him that day.

Detective Murphy: So what time did you get to the reunion?

Elliott Owens: About noon, maybe a little after.

Detective Murphy: Okay, and what time did you leave?

Elliott Owens: The party broke up about 9:00 p.m.

Detective Murphy: Was Oscar still there at that time?

Elliott Owens: No, he left hours earlier, I think.

Detective Murphy: Do you know what time he got there?

Elliott Owens: No. He was there before I was.

Detective Parker: Did you see him again after the reunion?

Elliott Owens: Nope, I went home after the reunion. The next day, he was missing. Isn't that what the poster said?

Detective Murphy: So, Elliott, can your parents corroborate what time you got home that night?

Elliott Owens: Yeah.

Detective Parker: Is there anything else that you saw at the reunion that you think would be useful to us?

Elliott Owens: I don't think so.

Detective Murphy: Are you sure? You have a history of not telling us everything the first time we talk with you.

Elliott Owens: Yeah. Yeah, I think so. I can't remember anything else.

Detective Murphy: I hope that's true, Elliott.

Elliott Owens: Oh, it is.

Detective Parker: Okay, Elliott. Thanks for coming in. It was helpful. If we have any more questions, we know how to contact you.

Elliott Owens: Right.

Interview ended – 4:58 p.m.