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Witness Interview: Ursula Raines, Gretchen Doyle's girlfriend
 

Tuesday, January 22, 2002 - 11:32 a.m.

The witness, identified as the girlfriend of the victim's best friend Gretchen Doyle, was interviewed at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department. The interview was conducted by Det. Sam Murphy and Det. Ted Armstrong, and was recorded on a portable tape recorder with the witness's knowledge and consent.

TA= Detective T. Armstrong
SM= Detective S. Murphy
UR= Ursula Raines

SM: Thank you for coming in to talk with us today.

UR: Certainly. Anything I can do to help.

SM: Please state your name and address.

UR: Ursula Raines. I live at 1458 Molly Barr.

SM: And can you please state your relationship to Andrea Stover.

UR: I didn't really have a relationship with her. I know her through my girlfriend. I'm sure you guys already know all that.

TA: Yes, well, for the record, please state the name of your girlfriend.

UR: Gretchen Doyle.

SM: You didn't have any relationship with Andrea whatsoever?

UR: Not really. She was very good friends with Gretchen, so I met her a few times. But I don't have very much to do with the theatre group or anything so I don't really run in the same circles.

SM: Gretchen seems pretty upset about Andrea's death.

UR: Yes, she is. They were very close.

SM: How close?

UR: Almost like sisters, I guess.

TA: They were very close, almost like sisters, yet you never spent any time around Andrea?

UR: I didn't want to. I value the time spent alone with my girlfriend. We're both extremely busy with work and other stuff. So when I have some free time, I don't really want to spend it with a big group of people. I'd like to concentrate on just Gretchen. She goes out and hangs out with her friends, but I just choose to do other things during that time.

TA: Therefore you don't really know many of the people in Oxtales?

UR: Not really to speak of.

SM: Okay, when did you first meet Andrea?

UR: When she first got out of jail. Of course, I had known of her the entire time she was in prison. There was always talk of this Andrea and all the things she and Gretchen had done together. I remember Gretchen even mentioned her on the first night we met.

TA: When did the two of you meet?

UR: Me and Gretchen? We met at a Democratic party fundraiser about a year ago.

SM: So you actually met Andrea for the first time after she got out of prison. Do you remember that first meeting?

UR: It was early December, just after she was released. She got out and went to her parents' house and unpacked. Then she came over to Gretchen's place and I was there. Gretchen was very happy to have her home.

SM: How did you feel about that?

UR: What do you mean?

SM: It's always hard to see someone have a close relationship with your lover.

UR: I can assure you officer, I trust Gretchen.

TA: When was the last time you say Andrea Stover?

UR: I guess it was about a week or so before her death. Gretchen was at my house and Andrea came and picked her up. She came in for a little bit and then they left. They were going out that night because Andrea needed to blow off some steam. She was mad at the protesters and stuff. We all sat around the kitchen table talking about COP and all the other right-wing nuts for a while.

SM: What's your opinion on all that?

UR: The controversy? I think it's pretty stupid. I'm not terribly artistic myself so I can't speak about it as passionately as Andrea did. But it's very simple to me. If people don't like her plays, then they don't have to go. Why get in an uproar about it? Just don't go.

TA: So you basically disagree with COP and the other critics?

UR: They're all crazy and on a witch-hunt. As a lesbian, I've had my share of experiences with intolerance, so I can certainly sympathize with Andrea in that regard.

SM: Where were you on Sunday night, January 13th?

UR: I was at Gretchen's watching the TV. We always watch "The Practice" together. Andrea called, and of course was upset about something, so they had to go talk.

TA: What do you mean by that?

UR: I don't know. I guess I shouldn't speak ill of her, but I always thought Andrea was too much of a drama queen. No pun intended. She just always had some catastrophe that only Gretchen could solve.

SM: Then what happened?

UR: Gretchen said they were going to meet at the Jubilee. I guess she left around 10 or 10:15 or so.

SM: Did you spend the night at Gretchen's?

UR: No, I watched a little more TV and left around 11:30 and went home.

TA: Why didn't you spend the night?

UR: I had to get up early for work. Plus, I guess I was a little mad for our evening being ruined. So I just went home to relax instead of sitting around brooding.

SM: When did you hear about Andrea's death?

UR: I was at work for a couple of hours and some people came in and started talking about it. Around 10:30 or 11 that morning.

TA: When did you talk to Gretchen?

UR: I called her after I heard the news. She had been trying to call my cell phone, but I hadn't charged the battery. She was pretty upset. I took the rest of the day off to go be with her.

SM: Okay, that's about all for now. Can you think of anyone who might want to murder Andrea?

UR: Lord, no. I can't imagine that.

SM: Thanks for your time.

End interview 12:05 p.m.

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