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On the evenings of August 28 and August 29, 2003, Deputy P.J. Watson and Officer Maria Richards interviewed employees and patrons of the Huddle House restaurant, 1925 Jackson Avenue West. The officers spoke with 18 employees and patrons, of whom 11 were present the night of Thursday, July 3 and into the early morning hours of Friday, July 4. The 11 witnesses were questioned about:
- Whether they had observed Dudley Brinkman in the restaurant;
- Any observations they might have regarding Mr. Brinkman's mood, demeanor, or behavior;
- If Mr. Brinkman dined alone or had company;
- Assorted other items that might be relevant to the investigation, such as what Mr. Brinkman ordered, what time he arrived, what time he left the establishment, etc.
These interview synopses, provided in summary and not verbatim, are the most relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.
- Henry Doyle -- 1438 Avent Street, Oxford, Mississippi
Doyle is employed by the Huddle House as a short-order cook. He indicated that he was working on the night of 7/3/03-7/4/03 and payroll records supported his assertion.
Doyle said that Brinkman did indeed visit the Huddle
House on the night in question. He indicated that Brinkman is a regular patron
of the restaurant and that he usually comes in around "11-ish at night." He said that Brinkman often comes in after he finishes his hospital shift at 11:00 p.m. or sometimes before he starts the 11:00 p.m. shift, just depending on the schedule. Doyle described himself as a student in the English department at Ole Miss. He said he takes classes during the day and works the late shift at the Huddle House, so he is usually there when Brinkman visits. Doyle was unable to pinpoint the time that Brinkman was in the restaurant with any certainty. He said, "I
get so busy running the grill that I just lose track of time. I knew it wasn't
one of his work nights, so the usual schedule didn't apply. I don't know
when it was."
Doyle indicated that Brinkman sat at the counter and
ordered his usual Country Fried Steak sandwich. "He always orders one of two things, he gets the Country Fried Steak if his shift is over and he's going home. If he is on his way to work and he's going to be working all night, he orders the Big House Breakfast Platter." Doyle said that he doesn't usually talk to Brinkman very much beyond the usual pleasantries. He indicated that he didn't sense anything was wrong with Brinkman on that night but qualifies his statement by saying "I
just take his order and then I have to get back to the grill. I don't usually
have a conversation with him or notice much about what he does beyond just
placing his order, so I wouldn't really know."
- Ahmed Akbahr -- 465 Kincannon Hall, University,
Mississippi
Akbahr is an engineering student who was dining at the Huddle House on the night in question. He says he knows Brinkman from a friend that works at the hospital.
Akbahr sat in the window facing the parking lot and saw Brinkman come into the restaurant around 11:20 p.m. He said he waved to Brinkman, who said hello in return, and then Akbahr went back to his food. He said Brinkman sat at the counter and ordered his food.
Akbahr said he could not provide any details about Brinkman's
demeanor or mood. He said that Brinkman just sat there, ate his food, chatted
with another patron and then left. Akbahr said that Brinkman got in his car
and drove east on Jackson Avenue, towards the Square.
- Tamika Lee -- 908 Andersen Road, Oxford, Mississippi
Lee is employed by the Huddle House as a waitress. She indicated that he was working on the night of 7/3-7/4 and payroll records supported her assertion.
Lee indicated that Brinkman came into the restaurant
on the night in question. She corroborated statements made by other witnesses
regarding Brinkman's presence. When asked if she knew who the patron was
that Brinkman spoke to, she said "I don't know who it was. But I heard Dudley
ask the guy how his father was doing. I got the impression that he had helped
the people at the hospital. They were talking about treatment options and
things like that."
Lee corroborated that Brinkman left and headed towards
the Square. "I was wiping down a table and looking out the front window when he pulled away," but
she was unable to offer any further details relevant to the investigation.
- Travis Teegarten -- PO Box 1497, University,
Mississippi (physical address is the Sigma Phi Epsilon house on Fraternity
Row)
Teegarten is a student in the business school at Ole Miss and was dining at the Huddle House on the night in question.
Teegarten said he was sitting in a booth and noticed
Brinkman sitting at the counter. He said that Brinkman caught his attention
because he was fidgeting and sighing. Teegarten was clear to state that there
was no way he could tell for certain "but I just got the impression he was
upset. Like he was brooding over something. My girlfriend pointed him out
to me and said that he looked like he was upset and wanted to talk to someone
but didn't have anyone. Of course, she's into creative writing so she's always
making things up about people."
- Michele Lambert -- 1263 College Hill Road, Oxford,
Mississippi
Lambert is employed at the hospital and dined at the Huddle House on the night in question.
Lambert stated that she passed Brinkman as she was walking
in the door. She said that he seemed like he was in a hurry. They spoke briefly,
just to say
hello, and Brinkman walked out into the parking lot. She said that Brinkman
got into his car and drove west, away from the Square, on
Jackson Avenue.
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