Detective Armstrong and Detective Murphy of the Yoknapatawpha Sheriff's Department interviewed the witness, who was at the scene the night of the incident. The interview was conducted at the Yoknapatawpha Sheriff's Department and recorded on a portable tape recorder with the witness’s knowledge and consent.

Detective Ted Armstrong
Detective Samantha Murphy
Gary Wilson

Detective Armstrong: Thank you for taking time for us out of your busy schedule.  We need your name and address for our records.

Gary Wilson: I'm glad to be here if I can help in any way to find out what happened to Blake. I loved him like a brother and I still have to tell myself that he's gone.  My name is Gary Wilson and I live at 867 Fillmore Avenue, Oxford.

Detective Armstrong: How did you get to know Blake Jenson?

Gary Wilson:  I first met Blake in 2007 when he came to the School of Engineering. He was an exceptional student and very likeable. We would occasionally have conversations about his band Random Deeds. Blake invited me to come see his band perform at Proud Larry's. I accepted and we got to know each other better through conversations in between breaks.

Detective Armstrong: Mr. Wilson, don't you think you're a bit old to be hanging out with your students?

Gary Wilson: I don't hang out with all my students. Blake and I had a lot in common. He lived here most of the time alone without his family. My family is in Colorado, and Blake was like having a younger brother.  I visited him at his home on occasion and we would play video games.

Detective Murphy: Can you tell us about the night Blake died?

Gary Wilson: At times I think I'm still in denial that he's actually gone. Blake invited me to come over to watch him and this guy named Stix compete for the championship in Guitar Hero.  Blake was great at Guitar Hero and he usually squashed me in the game. I got to Blake's around seven or seven fifteen. The pizza guy had just delivered food and the place was a madhouse.  People were running around getting money for the guy. I was standing in the kitchen watching all the commotion when the lights went out.  I saw the lights across the street were still on so I figured the breaker had flipped. I went to the utility room, which was right off the kitchen. I knew the breaker box was located there. I always carry a small flashlight on my keychain just in case I need a light. I found the breaker box and flipped the switch and the lights came on.

Detective Murphy:  What did you see or hear when the lights came back on?

Gary Wilson:  The first thing I heard was a girl scream. Everyone was running to see what was going on. I walked in and Blake was lying on the floor. Someone was shouting call 911. Kent Erdell ran to the phone and called. I heard someone say he was dead. I was just frozen in my tracks, I couldn’t move. It was all so surreal. I saw Kent and that Baldwin guy, I think his name is Ron go over and move the guitar aside. Everyone was quiet, and some were crying. I felt as the oldest person there, I should have taken charge but I felt so helpless. I was having a hard time keeping myself under control. It didn’t seem real. In a few minutes the police arrived and got our names and addresses. I left and went home and cried like a baby.

Detective Armstrong: Did you see or hear anything out of the ordinary?

Gary Wilson: That guy Stix was walking around swearing under his breath. He was angry because he didn't get to challenge Blake.  One thing that I thought was strange was one of the girls; her name is Bree.  She was standing close to Blake's body and staring at the floor. She looked like she was in a trance. She was just staring at the floor.

Detective Armstrong:  Mr. Wilson we're going to stop for now. Thank you for speaking with us today.  If you can think of anything that may be of help to this case, please give us a call.

Gary Wilson:  Thank you Detectives. Anything for Blake.

Interview Ends: 1:37 PM