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Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 9:30 a.m.
Charles Laughlin, identified as the owner and operator of Laughlin Automotive & Body Shop at 2522 University Avenue, was interviewed at his place of business 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
- CL = Chas Laughlin
SM: Thank you for taking the time to talk with us, Mr. Laughlin. Before we start, will you please state your full name and address for the record?
CL: My name is Charles Laughlin, but most folks call me Chas. I live
at 310 N 16th St , Oxford, Mississippi. I gotta say I was real sorry to hear
about Andy.
SM: Tell us about Andy Fine. How well did you know him?
CL: Only as an employee. We didn't socialize or anything outside of work.
TA: How long has he been at the shop? What kind of worker was he?
CL: He worked here for about nine years. He was okay, mostly.
SM: Mostly?
CL: Look, I hate to say anything bad, but Andy had some -- problems. His drinking got in the way of work sometimes. He'd come in late or hung over and make up some story about being sick. And then sometimes he had a bad attitude. I overlooked most of it.
TA: So how did you two get along?
CL: Fine. There wasn't anything real good or bad to speak of. I mean, I only saw him in the shop, and we talked when I had a job for him, but that was it.
TA: What kind of work did he do for you?
CL: Basic mechanic work, running some errands. With his problems, I couldn't trust him to be reliable with anything more important.
SM: How did he get along with others in the shop? Any problems?
CL: Not that I knew of. Oh, some of the boys may have gotten aggravated when he came in late or been rubbed the wrong way when Andy had an attitude, but I didn't see anything really hostile.
SM: How would you describe Andy as a person?
CL: Like I said, I really didn't know him very well -- he just did his basic job here and that was it. From what a few of the boys said, I guess he had quite a temper sometimes, and that he was a little lazy, too -- would try to get something for nothing, if ya know what I mean. But I never saw any of that. And everybody knows about his drinking and about how he treats his wife.
SM: How did he treat his wife?
CL: You must know by now. I can't be the first one to say anything.
SM: So you won't be telling us anything we don't already know. How did he treat her?
CL: Terrible. My opinion, a man ought to be horse-whipped for treating any woman that way, much less his wife. But she must not mind it since she stayed with him.
TA: Did Andy have any enemies?
CL: Not here at the shop. Look, I didn't have much to do with him, so I don't know.
SM: Any idea on why someone might want to hurt him?
CL: I told you, I didn't know him that well. Somebody could have tried to cheat him and he could have gotten into a fight and wound up dead, for all I know.
TA: What did you think when Andy didn't show up for work on Monday, July 7th?
CL: That he'd gone on a binge over the weekend and was sleeping it off. It wasn't that unusual for him to come in late after partying too much.
TA: When did you last see Andy?
CL: Lemme think. The afternoon of the 3rd, before the long weekend. He was in the shop when I left about three.
SM: What was Andy doing then? Did he say or do anything unusual?
CL: He was working on a repair job. He didn't say two words to me, and I didn't talk to him.
TA: Just for the record, Mr. Laughlin, what kind of vehicle do you drive?
CL: You think I did something to Andy?
SM: Just routine questions for our files.
CL: I got me a Chevy Z11. That's it out in the lot.
SM: And your whereabouts on the night of July 3 and early morning July 4?
CL: I stopped and got a twelve-pack at the convenience store and then went home and drank it. I was there all night and all the next day.
TA: And how did you find out that Andy was missing?
CL: His wife called the shop, looking for him. The boys at the shop told me the cops came by later. Listen, you got anything else? I gotta business to run here.
SM: That will be all, thank you, Mr. Laughlin. Here's my card. If you think of anything you want to add, be sure to call us.
CL: Yeah. Sure. Are we through?
TA: Yes. Goodbye -- and thank you for your time.
CL: Yeah. Whatever.
End interview - 10:02 a.m.
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