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Thursday, September 4, 2003 - 11:30 a.m.
Jo Anna Laughlin, identified as the wife of Charles "Chas" Laughlin, was interviewed at her home at 310 N 16th St, Oxford, Mississippi by Detectives Armstrong and Murphy. The interview was recorded a portable tape recorder with the subject's knowledge and consent.
- TA = Detective T. Armstrong
- SM = Detective S. Murphy
- JL = Jo Anna Laughlin
TA: Thank you for talking with us, Mrs. Laughlin. Before we start, will you please state your full name and address for the record?
JL: Jo Anna Laughlin. This is where I live, 310 North 16th St, Oxford, Mississippi. Chas isn't in no kinda trouble, is he?
SM: Why would you think that, ma'am?
JL: He already told me you done grilled him twice and took his blood and pulled out his hair. Be careful with that. He don't have too much hair left to pull out.
TA: We're just covering all the bases in our investigation.
JL: What are you investigating? That no-good Andy Fine's killing?
SM: We just want to ask you some questions about Chas so we can complete our report.
JL: Uh-huh. And I'm Miss Yoknapatawpha County. C'mon honey, let's get down to it. The Home Shopping Network is running a sale and we're burning daylight.
TA: Tell us about Chas's nightly habits.
JL: Habits? He drinks too damn much, watches too much TV, and stays up too late trying to sneak and watch that X-rated channel after he thinks I've gone to sleep. He leaves his dishes on the table 'stead of puttin' 'em in the dishwasher, drops his dirty socks on the floor, and he must track grease in on my carpet at least once a week.
SM: How often does he go out at night?
JL: Goes out to the garage to smoke one of his stinking cigars, or so he says. He's got a stack of girlie magazines hidden real nice in his tool cabinet. That's what he's doing at out there. Not that he could do much. Drinkin' and smokin' do things to a man, if ya know what I mean.
TA: Uh-huh. How often does he go out with friends, or alone?
JL: He don't.
SM: Not ever? Even to go back to the shop on business or to work late?
JL: He don't go further than the convenience store, 'less I'm with him.
TA: Sounds like you don't trust your husband, Mrs. Laughlin.
JL: When you've been married to a man as long as I have been, you know him. Chas don't need no opportunity to get in no trouble, and I go with him where he goes to make sure he don't get none. Learned that lesson agin with him, too.
SM: How was that?
JL: Let him go to Hattiesburg once alone. Big convention. Three days. Not more than a year ago, I think it was.
TA: What happened?
JL: Old Chas, he comes home happier than a fox that's found a hole in the henhouse fence. It ain't like him, with his temper and all, to act so durnfool happy. So he goes out one night -- this was before I made him take me with him all the time, you understand -- and I go through his trouser pockets. Found me a whole handful of receipts and a cocktail napkin from the "Diamond
Gentlemen's Club." It had the name "Tiffany" and a heart written on it with lipstick. I tell you, I was madder than seventeen wet hens.
SM: What did you do?
JL: I jumped in my car an' went lookin' fer him, figuring he had some tramp on the side. I went to the motel, looking for his car. Kinda hard to miss that big black thing. He weren't there, so I cruised around and finally decided to check the apartments on Hathorn Road.
TA: Why there?
JL: An' you call yourselves detectives. This is Oxford. Any woman that
took up with the likes of Chas would have to be white trash. Now, where does
all the trash live in Oxford 'cept Oxford Ridge Apartments?
SM: Did you find him?
JL: I figured I see his car in the lot, if'n he was there. So I drive around, real slow like, and I see somebody sitting the lot staring at one of the buildings, and he sees me and he ducks down. But it's dark, and I don't see so well. Warn't event he right color car, but it was the right kind. So I figure maybe Chas is trying to pull a fast one and he's driving a car from the shop.
TA: Does he take cars from the repair shop and drive them?
JL: I never seen him do it, but I was thinking at the time you never can tell.
SM: When you say it was the right kind of car, what do you mean?
JL: One of them SUVs. That's what Chas drives, ain't it?
SM: And if it wasn't the right color, what color was it?
JL: Now, I don't know. I tol' y'all this was 'bout a year ago. You think I still remember the color now?
SM: Okay, fine. So you saw the SUV that wasn't Chas's. Then what happened?
JL: Well, I was just sure as heat lightning in July that it's Chas. So I park and I walk up on the car real sneaky, staying out of his rear view mirror like I saw on the TV, until I get right up on the car.
TA: And you surprised him?
JL: I jumped right up and pounded on the window. Only it warn't Chas. So I said my excuse me's and left. Found him later, though.
SM: Where was he?
JL: He was at the shop, doing the books. Or trying, anyhoo. He'd gotten himself a twelve pack to help with his adding up the numbers. That pack had only three beers left. I remember 'cuz he said he'd just bought it, and I told him, I said, "they don't sell 'em in three-packs." So we had it out right then and there about little miss Tiffany and him spendin' our money that way. Ever since, he goes further than ten minutes to the convenience store, I go with him. Saves us both trouble.
TA: He went out alone then. Does he now?
JL: I expect a detective ought to pay better attention. He don't go outta town no more. He sends his people, like he did that Andy Fine. And he don't go out local alone neither -- I don't need to be worrying -- so he don't go no further than our garage.
SM: So where was Chas during the 4th of July weekend?
JL: Here with me.
TA: On the evenings or nights of the 3rd and 4th as well?
JL: He had a twelve pack each night to keep him company. I should know. I had to pick up after him the next day.
TA: I see.
SM: Real nice place you got here, Mrs. Laughlin.
JL: I try to keep it up. It's so big, it's a lot of work.
SM: Nice car, too. That's a Mercedes, isn't it? And that rock in your ring must have cost a bundle. Do you work?
JL: I raised five children, Detective. Praise the Lord, none of them turned out like their fathers. That was work enough.
SM: Big screen TV, nice furniture, new carpet.
JL: I like nice things.
TA: So Chas is the only provider? Must be hard to make ends meet, I mean with all the bills for all these things, and Chas not making much from the shop. Don't the payments just eat you alive?
JL: He does good business. And we pay cash.
SM: So you wouldn't be as well off if Chas got into trouble and went to jail. Probably wouldn't want to say anything that would put him in that position, would you?
JL: If I knew your mother, I'd call her and have her slap you. You believe what you want to believe, Detective. Now, my show's already started and who knows what I've missed. You got anything more you want to ask?
TA: No, thank you, Mrs. Laughlin.
JL: Then you go stick your noses in someone else's business.
SM: Thank you for your time, Mrs. Laughlin.
TA: Just one other thing. When you went to Oxford Ridge Apartments and pounded on the car's window, who was driving?
JL: I have no idea.
SM: C'mon, Mrs. Laughlin. Give us a break and think about it for a moment before you answer. Do you have any idea who it was? Male? Female? Young? Old? Black? White? Hispanic? Asian? Martian?
JL: It was a man, white, not young but not old. That's all I remember.
TA: Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Laughlin. We don't need anything else at this time.
JL: Goodbye then, I gotta get back to my show before the good stuff is all gone.
SM: Goodbye. We may be in touch with you again in the future.
End interview - 12:07 p.m.
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