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Tuesday, September 9, 2003 - 2:40 p.m.
The subject, who was identified as the minister of the church attended by the victim's wife, was interviewed at the Pleasant Green Baptist Church. The interview was conducted by Detectives Armstrong and Murphy and was recorded on a portable tape recorder with the subject's knowledge and consent.
- TA = Detective T. Armstrong
- SM = Detective S. Murphy
- LO = Rev. Lyle Owens
SM: Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today, Brother Owens.
LO: No problem at all. I hope I can help you.
SM: For our records, could you please state your name and address?
LO: I am Lyle Owens, and I live in the parsonage for Pleasant Green
Baptist Church. The church's address is 2097 Hwy 315 just outside of Oxford.
SM: And your occupation?
LO: I'm the minister here at the church.
SM: We're here to talk to you as part of the investigation into the murder of Andy Fine--
LO: I figured as much.
TA: Did you know Andy Fine?
LO: Not really. Of course, I had heard of him, but he didn't attend any services here.
SM: And his wife, Cindy?
LO: Oh, Cindy I know very well. She attends services very regularly and is very active in church activities. The poor woman... what a terrible thing to go through. I've tried to spend a lot of time ministering to her during this difficult time.
SM: What can you tell us about Cindy?
LO: She is a very nice, loving, and kind Christian woman. I wish our congregation had more like her. Always outgoing, always smiling. So many people, even those that are very devout, still get grumpy from time to time. I can see them from the pulpit... they start fidgeting and checking their watches. They get worried about if they're going to get home in time for the football game or not. Or they wonder if the pot roast is getting too well-done in the oven. We're only human, after all. But not Cindy. She's always attentive and energetic.
TA: So she sounds like a real positive member of your congregation.
LO: Certainly. She visits our elderly members that are home-bound or in the nursing home. She is always the first to bring a casserole or something to the fellowship dinners. When the youth group takes up donations for their summer trip, she always gives as much as she can. I really can't say enough good about Cindy.
SM: How has she been handling the death of her husband?
LO: She, naturally, is extremely upset. It's a very traumatic thing. And it's something that I never get used to... sitting with grieving people. It's very difficult. But fortunately, she has her faith in the Lord to get her through.
TA: Shoot, that's all she needs, right? I mean, God's got a plan and all that crap, right?
LO: Detective, I consider myself a modern and educated minister. I'm not some backwoods, old-fashioned, fire-and-brimstone, Bible thumper. I'm perfectly aware of the difficulties in explaining God's will when tragedies occur. But I do believe that he will help you get through things. So to answer your question, sometimes her faith helps her; some days, I'm sure it doesn't.
SM: How was her marriage?
LO: Well, uh, what do you mean?
TA: Andy was a bit of an animal. She told us that he beat her.
LO: Yes, I'm afraid that's right. She and I spent a lot of time in prayer together about Andy. And I often suggested counseling. But he would hear nothing of it.
SM: So what did you do?
LO: There wasn't much I could do. I mean, she wasn't willing to go to the police about his abuse. She wasn't willing to leave him. So I had to respect her wishes. In the end, the only thing I could do was to pray for her and let her know that God loves her and that I was concerned for her safety.
TA: Did you ever suggest that she divorce Andy?
LO: That's a difficult topic, Detective. Obviously, divorce is not something that I can take lightly as a minister. The wedding vows are something that we hold dear and take very seriously. So I would not push for it. However, I did mention it and we did discuss it. The Lord wants us to honor and obey. But not if those vows become a death sentence.
SM: So what was the end result of your discussions of divorce.
LO: Nothing. She wouldn't hear it. Totally unwilling to even discuss it at any length. It would come up and she would usually pretty quickly dismiss it.
SM: This is a difficult question, but I have to ask it: do you think Cindy was capable of having anything to do with her husband's death.
LO: Absolutely not.
TA: You sure? I mean, abused women can just snap. In many cases, it's self-defense. You can't really blame them.
LO: There is no doubt in my mind, or heart, that Cindy had nothing to do with it. I have to admit... this is embarrassing and not something that I should be saying. But, well, I'll be honest. There were times when I wished she would do something about it. There were times when I definitely was thinking of an eye for an eye. I wished she would stand up to him. But that just shows how strong her faith is. Even at the times when I was angry and vengeful, she remained loving and loyal. Willing to turn the other cheek. There's no way she could do anything like that.
SM: Okay, thanks for your time. We appreciate your candor.
End interview - 2:58 p.m.
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