Tuesday, June 12, 2001 - 4:06 p.m.

At the detectives' request, this witness came into the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Office for a follow-up interview conducted by Det. Sam Murphy and Det. Ted Armstrong. The interview was recorded on a portable tape recorder with the witness's knowledge and consent.

TA = Detective T. Armstrong

SM = Detective S. Murphy

CS = Cal Swinney

SM: Could you state your full name and address for the record please?

CS: My name is Calvin Samuel Swinney, and I live at 1614 Garfield Avenue in Oxford.

TA: Thanks for coming in, Cal. We had a few more follow up questions for you.

CS: No problem, Detective. How can I help you folks?

SM: Just a few details we wanted to clear up. Now, let me just verify that you wear a size 10½ boot? Is that right?

CS: Yes, ma'am.

SM: Do you wear a different size in regular shoes? Like running shoes or dress shoes?

CS: Like I said, I hardly wear anything but these boots. They sorta fit all occasions, you know? But I'm pretty sure I wear the same size in all foot gear. Been wearing a 10½ for the last fifteen years or so. Don't remember ever buying a different size.

SM: Okay, what about the work gloves you were wearing the day of the murder? Do you recall where you may have left those?

CS: I gave 'em to one of y'all that day at Rowan Oak, like everyone else did.

SM: Do your your gloves have your name or I.D. number on them, or anything like that to distinguish them from the other groundskeepers' gloves?

CS: No ma'am, you just grab whatever pair is handy. They all look pretty much the same. It'd be hard to say one pair was yours or anybody's, for that matter.

SM: Okay, we also have a report that there was a tarp and some rope missing from the shed at Rowan Oak. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?

CS: Oh I don't know. Sometimes one of us might borrow some rope or a tarp or anything else from the shed if we need to use it at home. 'Course we're not really supposed to do that, but everybody always brings back whatever they borrow when they're done with it, so it's never a big deal. I couldn't say for sure if I know anything about the rope or tarp you're talking about.

SM: Do you or any of your co-workers have a habit of keeping a change of clothes at work, in case the ones you're wearing get dirty or torn?

CS: I don't know about anybody else, but I don't. We do have extra jumpsuits around, just in case we do get messed up. Like if you get really dirty working in the Garden and then you gotta do a job in the House, you don't want to track all that dirt in the House with you 'cause then you gotta clean that up too. Usually there's an extra jumpsuit in each of the trucks and some in the shed just in case.

SM: These are "one size fits all" jumpsuits?

CS: Well no, not really. That's why there are so many of them around, in case the one that's closest to you isn't the right size.

TA: And the day of the murder did you, or anyone else that you know of, have to change into one of the spare jumpsuits?

CS: No sir. I remember it was pretty warm, leastways I was working up a sweat, so I was stripped down to my shorts and t-shirt that I wear under the jumpsuit. When I was done, I just rinsed off and put the jumpsuit back on.

TA: What about your wife, Donna? Did she come to Rowan Oak that day? Did you see her or speak to her there? Or maybe you saw her but she was talking to someone else?

CS: No sir, none of the above. Like I said, I spotted her car there on Old Taylor Road -

TA: When was that, exactly?

CS: I expect it was a little while after all the commotion. I think Tate said something like, "ain't that Donna's car over there?" So, I went to take a look see and, sure enough, it was.

SM: So, that would have been before eleven in the morning that day?

CS: Well I don't carry a timepiece, but I'm pretty sure it must've been later than that, probably around noon or later. I went over to see what was wrong with it. You know, like why was it just sittin' over there?

SM: Was it broken down? Had someone disabled it, as far as you could tell?

CS: Not really. The carburetor is kind of shot, so she stalls a good deal but, otherwise, she was okay. Just standing there like an ugly girl at the prom, you know?

TA: So you told Tate Moore you didn't need a ride home after work that day because your wife's car was right there?

CS: Yeah. I have a spare key on my key chain, so I figured if I could fire her up that I'd just ride her home. It was plain Donna didn't need her any more, you know?

TA: And what time was that? What time did you leave work for home?

CS: About the usual time. Guess it was about four o'clock, maybe a little after, by the time I finally got going.

SM: Did you make any stops on your way home?

CS: Right off, I stopped and got some gas in the car since, as usual, it was on empty. Then I went to the Amoco to get some beer and some milk for Matty.

SM: So you arrived home about what time?

CS: Oh maybe five-thirty or so. I drove by the ball field to see if Matty was still at practice, but wasn't nobody around, so I figured he was either at his buddy Ray's house waiting for me or on his way there.

SM: Who is Ray?

CS: Ray is Matty's best buddy. Ray Pulver. Sometimes the boys finish practice 'fore I get there so Ray's mama, Florence, takes Matty back to her house and I pick him up there.

SM: Where do the Pulvers live?

CS: Down Garfield, 1613 I think it is.

SM: And Matty, your son, he was at the Pulvers' home when you got there?

CS: Yep. He asked if he could stay at Ray's for dinner, and I said okay and went on home. Then later he called and wanted to stay over, so I said, okay.

TA: You let him spend the night at a friend's house on a school night?

CS: Well normally I wouldn't do that, but I knew Flo would make sure the boys got to bed at a decent hour and off to school on time and like that. I mean, it made the whole thing easier, you know?

SM: Made what easier?

CS: All of it. His mama leaving that damn stupid note for me. Me getting pissed off and cussing... And mostly, just being able to put off telling him she wasn't coming home. I figured I could tell him the next day and maybe that'd be easier.

TA: So, what did you do then, that night? Your wife had left you, your son was staying at a friend's. What did you do?

CS: I had me a couple beers and I must've drifted off in the easy chair because I woke up around nine. I was hungry so I called for a pizza. I ate me a whole extra large pizza with the works from Pizza Den. Then I went to bed.

SM: And you haven't heard from your wife at all since she left?

CS: No, ma'am. I sure haven't.

TA: Your son also hasn't heard from her? No calls, no postcards, letters, emails?

CS: Not that I know of. I think he would have told me if he had gotten something from her. I admit though, I ain't asked him.

TA: Have you heard from any of Donna's friends or coworkers about her whereabouts? Anybody heard from her that you know of?

CS: No sir, not a word. But her friends ain't all that fond of me, so I doubt they'd call me up and tell me where she was. She had them sworn to secrecy I'm sure. You know how women are, don't you?

TA: Have you checked your family's computer for any emails or anything else that might tell you where she is? Or have you read any emails she got before she left from any of the men she was corresponding with?

CS: Men? You mean there was more than just the one she supposedly loved and wanted to be with? I guess that figures. No, I ain't read none of the email stuff. Not sure I'd even know how to.

SM: Do you happen to know whether your wife saved her emails, either on the computer or in a hard copy file or both?

CS: I don't have any idea. If she was keeping all this from me, I don't suppose she'd be leaving it laying around, would she? Like I said, the computer was more hers and Matty's. I don't mess with it much, just to check sports scores and like that sometimes. I haven't even touched the thing since she left.

TA: Would you be willing to let us take the computer and see if we could find anything? We might get a lead on where she is.

CS: Well... Matty's outside most of the time now that school's out, so he's not using it much. I guess it'd be all right if y'all take it for a while. Though why you'd want to waste your time on looking for her, I can't imagine. You think she knew something about this dead German guy or something?

SM: We aren't ruling out anything at this stage. So, if you'll just sign a release, we can send someone over straight away to pick up the computer.

CS: Sure, whatever. Anything else you wanted to know about? I gotta be gettin' home.

TA: Just to make sure we understand you clearly here, you never saw any emails between your wife and anyone, particularly the man she was going to meet? You don't have any idea what the man's name is or where he lives? Is that correct?

CS: You got it.

SM: Okay, I think that's all we have for now. Thanks for coming in.

CS: Evening, Detectives.

End interview 4:59 p.m.