Saturday February 13, 2010 - 6:03 p.m.
The witness, Ms. Jessica Durham, was asked to come into the
Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Office for a second interview to answer
a few follow up questions regarding the weekend of January 2, 2010.
She gave consent for the Sheriff's Department Crime Lab to examine her
vehicle for possible evidence related to the Beauchamp homicide and
collect said evidence for testing.
Detective Sam Murphy
Jessica Durham
Detective Sam Murphy: Please state your name and address for
the record.
Jessica Durham: Jessica Anne Durham, 116 Thacker Loop, Oxford.
Detective Sam Murphy: Ms. Durham, thank you for coming back
for a second interview. There are only a few more questions, and I'll
try to make it quick.
Jessica Durham: It's all right, ma'am. I don't mind.
Will you have my car very long?
Detective Sam Murphy: Our technicians are pretty
efficient. I am reasonably sure we can returned the car to you by
Monday. I hope that doesn't inconvenience you too much?
Jessica Durham: No, not too bad. Jed will drive me
wherever I need to go this weekend I guess. But like I said, I just
know you won't find anything more damning than some petrified
McDonald's fries...
Detective Sam Murphy: Let the record reflect that Ms.
Durham has consented to have our criminalists examine her vehicle for
possible evidence in the Beauchamp homicide and to gather and process
same.
Jessica Durham: You really think my car could have
evidence?
Detective Sam Murphy: Your vehicle matched the
description of an eye witness. I would be remiss in my duty if I didn't
have it examined - if only to dismiss it as a possibility.
Jessica Durham: Oh, I see... so other vehicles are being
checked...
Detective Sam Murphy: Okay, moving right along... my
records indicate that you spoke to Ms. Webster four times on January
2nd. I'd like to go over each call.
Jessica Durham: Yes ma'am.
Detective Sam Murphy: The first call you originated to
Ms. Webster's home phone at 11:30 a.m., correct?
Jessica Durham: Yes. I called her to see if I could
borrow her truck to move. I told you all this the first time we
talked...
Detective Sam Murphy: According to the phone records you
talked for 23 minutes. You must have talked about something other than
borrowing Ms. Webster's truck. What else did you talk about?
Jessica Durham: Oh I don't know. You know, chit chat. I
asked how she was and all. She said a little depressed, you know over
Dev - still carrying a torch for him I guess. She asked my advice about
it.
Detective Sam Murphy: What did she ask you, exactly?
Jessica Durham: She asked if she should leave. "What
would you do if you were me, Jess? Would you stick it out or would you
just get the hell out?" That's how she put it.
Detective Sam Murphy: And what was your answer?
Jessica Durham: I think I said something like, "hang in
there, it'll get better." I felt bad for her, you know, but I really
didn't want to talk about that. I wasn't really comfortable talking
about her and Dev personally. So, I think I told her a joke. Then I
asked her if she'd been to the shoe sale down at JC Penny - they had a
half off sale. Then I asked her, could I borrow the truck.
Detective Sam Murphy: What do you think she meant? When
she asked you if she should get the hell out?
Jessica Durham: I don't know and I didn't ask either.
Detective Sam Murphy: Why not?
Jessica Durham: Like I said, I didn't feel comfortable
discussing her and Dev - their relationship - with her. He was a friend
of mine too, didn't like being put in the middle. Besides, that stuff
is personal, you know what I mean?
Detective Sam Murphy: Yes, I understand, but let me put
it another way. Do you think when she said "get the hell out" do you
think she meant her job, the restaurant, having any type of
relationship with Mr. Beauchamp, or town? Did she mean, should she just
leave town?
Jessica Durham: Oh... That's a good point. I didn't
really think of it. But it could be she meant getting out of town. When
she and Dev first split, she talked a lot about just leaving Oxford and
finding a new place. "Clean slate" is how she put it.
Detective Sam Murphy: Okay. Good. Incidentally, do you
remember the last time you had your car cleaned?
Jessica Durham: No, I can't. I guess I ought to be
ashamed to admit that. I keep meaning to get it down to the car wash...
Detective Sam Murphy: Please don't apologize, in this
case it may work in our favor. And really, I can't remember the last
time I had my car washed either. I see there are vinyl floor mats in
your car. Have you always had vinyl floor mats?
Jessica Durham: Yes ma'am. I kept thinking I would get
around to getting the nice ones, but you know how it is, always
something more important to spend your money on.
Detective Sam Murphy: Yes, I do. Okay, the next two
calls you made to Ms. Webster on the 2nd were both 2 minutes long, one
at approximately 8 p.m. and then again at about 9 p.m.
Jessica Durham: Yes ma'am. See, at first we thought we
would only need the truck for one day. Boy were we wrong! So I called
her to ask if it was okay if we kept it another day, but I just left a
message because I got the voice mail. Then about an hour later, I asked
Jed to try her again and he got the voice mail and left another message.
Detective Sam Murphy: So at about 10 p.m. Ms. Webster
called you back?
Jessica Durham: Exactly right. She asked how it was
going and I told her we were just not making the progress we expected
and so on. She was just a doll and said not to worry, that we could
keep the truck as long as we needed.
Detective Sam Murphy: So that's why you didn't return the
truck until Monday morning?
Jessica Durham: Well, we didn't finish until about 2
a.m. Sunday night, I mean Monday morning... well you know what I mean.
And we sure weren't going to go knocking on her door at that time. And
of course, we didn't even know at that time what had happened to Dev
and all... Anyway, I guess I didn't even hear about it until Monday
late in the morning. I was so tired, I didn't bother with the paper or
the morning news that day. Anyway...
Detective Sam Murphy: Did Ms. Webster tell you where she
had driven your car over that weekend?
Jessica Durham: No. Like I said, Jed actually did the
swap with her and he isn't one much for chit chat. He just took it
over, found an envelope taped on the door with the keys inside, then
got in my car and drove it to the shop.
Detective Sam Murphy: Ms. Webster didn't answer the door?
Jessica Durham: No. Well, the last time we talked, we
said we didn't know just when we would be by, but probably Monday
morning. She said she might just leave the keys for us because she
might be sleeping...
Detective Sam Murphy: I see.
Jessica Durham: That's not so unusual, people do that
all the time. Anyway, it made sense to us.
Detective Sam Murphy: Did you happen to notice how many miles
Ms. Webster put on your car over that weekend?
Jessica Durham: Jed said it was less than 20 miles. Less
than we put on her truck.
Detective Sam Murphy: When you got the car back, did you
notice anything about it that was unusual? Any stains or smells that
weren't there when you lent it to her?
Jessica Durham: I don't think so.... well, just one
little thing. I found a cigarette butt in the ashtray. But like I told
you before, I found out later that she started smoking again. So I
doubt it means anything... right?
Detective Sam Murphy: Okay. Well, thank you very much
for coming in again. My office will call you just as soon as we're
finished with your vehicle. The Sheriff's Department really appreciates
your cooperation, Ms. Durham.
Jessica Durham: You're welcome, ma'am. Any time. Good
bye.
Interview ends: 6:33 p.m. |
