Witness Interview Summaries: Ole Miss Motel Employees

Employees at the Ole Miss Motel were questioned about anything they witnessed involving Achim Michaelis and/or Wenzel Hitzig and/or Arlene Melton, including the subjects' arrivals and departures, their interactions with each other, and other activities. The interviews summarized below are those relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.

• Frank Astin, front desk clerk. 805 College Hill Rd, Oxford. Astin stated he works the night shift at the front desk. He said he saw the subjects returning to the motel on several different nights. He said the three of them typically returned together, often before 11:00 pm. He added that on the nights of Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28, he saw Melton go back out alone a little while later. Astin stated he saw Melton return on those nights between 1:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m. and she appeared to be alone.

• Glenda Little, housekeeping. 1537 University, Oxford. Little stated she cleaned the subjects' rooms on Friday, April 27, 2001. She said she first arrived to clean the room occupied by Michaelis and Hitzig at approximately 10:00 a.m. She stated she heard loud voices inside, but thought it was the television. She knocked and announced herself, and when she received no response, she let herself into the room using the master key. When she opened the door, she observed Michaelis and Hitzig in a heated argument. They asked her to return later and she left the room. Little stated she did not hear what the subjects were arguing about and believed they may have been talking in a foreign language. Little said she then proceeded next door to the room occupied by Melton, but found a "Do Not Disturb" tag on the door and continued on to the next room.
  
  Little stated she returned to the room occupied by Michaelis and Hitzig at approximately 11:15 a.m. and found the room empty. After she cleaned it, she checked the Melton's room next door to find out whether the "Do Not Disturb" tag was still in place. It was and she did not knock on the door. Little stated that, to her knowledge, Melton's room was not cleaned on April 27, 2001.

• Juanita Mann, housekeeping. 2216 Church St, Oxford. Mann stated she cleaned the subjects' rooms on Monday, April 30, 2001 at approximately 11:00 a.m. She said Hitzig was alone in the room he shared with Michaelis when she arrived. Hitzig was working at a laptop-type computer, but allowed her to clean the room while he was working. She stated that Hitzig appeared upset or agitated, but was polite when he spoke with her. Mann said she then went the room next door, occupied by Melton, at about 11:15 a.m. She stated that the room was empty when she arrived and that Melton did not return while she was cleaning.

• Margaret Watts, front desk clerk. 1217 Beanland, Oxford. Watts stated she works the day shift at the front desk. She said she Michaelis and Hitzig leave the motel sometime between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on Monday, April 30, 2001. When asked how the subjects seemed to be getting along, Watts said they seemed "normal." She stated they did not appear to be either noticeably angry or noticeably friendly with each other. Watts said she also observed Melton leaving that morning around 9:00 a.m., after Michaelis and Hitzig had left. She said Melton was picked up by a man driving a silver or gray Japanese-make pickup. When asked why she noticed the vehicle, she stated it had an unusually loud engine, which attracted her attention.

  Watts stated she saw Hitzig return alone shortly before 10:00 a.m. and that he appeared quite upset. She said he went directly to his room without checking for messages as he usually did. Watts also saw Melton return sometime around 11:15 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. and said Melton was dropped off in the same pickup truck she left in.