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Wednesday, July 23, 2003 - 2:41 p.m.
On Wednesday, July 23, 2003, Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's investigators
conducted a canvass of the Andrew Fine's neighbors in the Oxford Ridge Apartments.
This witness, who has been identified as Lester Waterson, is the maintenance
man at Oxford Ridge. The interview was conducted by Det. Sam Murphy and Det.
Ted Armstrong at the Oxford Ridge leasing office and was recorded on a portable tape recorder with the witness's knowledge and consent.
- TA = Detective T. Armstrong
- SM = Detective S. Murphy
- LW = Lester Waterson
SM: Good afternoon, Mr. Waterson. Thanks for allowing us to interrupt your busy schedule to ask you a few questions. Your manager said you would help us out. Could you please state your name and address just for the record?
LW: My name is Lester Waterson and I live at 650 Hathorn Road, Oxford.
SM: We are just trying to find some information on a couple of people in your complex that you might know or know something about, but first a few preliminary questions.
TA: What do you do for a living, Mr. Waterson?
LW: I am the maintenance person for Ewok, ah Oxford Ridge. I also get apartments ready for rent by painting and fixing whatever needs repaired from the tenants that moving out, as well as day-to-day stuff.
TA: Do you know the Fines, Cindy and Andy Fine?
LW: Oh yeah, I am familiar with them. They -- well, more the husband, he is a guy you don't forget.
SM: What do mean?
LW: I know you can't judge a book by its cover, but looking at him, you can almost tell he is shifty. Not only that, I had to fix a few walls in their place.
SM: I see. Did they ever tell you what happened when these things needed fixed?
LW: Yeah, but I really didn't believe them. Most of the time it was the wife who was there when I went to fix whatever needed done. I guess the old man was working or something. I remember one time I had to patch a hole in a wall. She was saying it was really easy to slide the furniture around because there weren't any rugs in the apartment. She told me she did it moving furniture. I thought it was rather weird because the hole was higher than the couch. Not only that, the hole looked too big for the couch corner they had or any other furniture they had in the living room at the time. I'm no genius, but it just seemed to me that it would take more force to make a hole in a wall than just moving furniture.
TA: Besides maintenance, is there anything else you do for the apartment complex?
LW: No, that is about all, or whatever Jim had me do.
SM: Do remember what were you doing on the night of July third, say around 1:30, 2:00 o'clock?
LW: Man, I don't know. That was a while ago.
TA: It was the start of the Fourth of July weekend, if that's any help.
LW: Oh, yeah. What time did you say again?
TA: 1:30, 2:00 in the morning.
LW: I was probably in bed by then. There was some kids setting off firecrackers in the parking lot that night, but I'd put a stop to it by then. Told 'em I was gonna call the cops, if they didn't cut it out.
TA: Did you? Call the police?
LW: Nah. They were just kids having fun. I only said that because it was late and I wanted them to stop before I started getting calls from the residents.
SM: Did you see anyone else in the parking lot when you were out talking to the kids?
LW: Don't think so. Wasn't really looking for anyone but those kids.
SM: Did you see Andy or Cindy Fine that night? Do you remember?
LW: Not that I can think of.
SM: So when was the last time you did see Andy Fine?
LW: I really can't remember seeing him recently. If anything, I saw him hanging out at the pool a few weeks ago. He was there by himself. You wouldn't know he was married, the way he flirts. I hardly see him and his wife out together.
SM: Is there anything else about Andy Fine you can think of that might help?
LW: I don't think so.
SM: Well, thank you for your time. If anything else comes to mind, here are our cards. Just give us a call.
LW: I'll do that.
End interview - 2:59 p.m.
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