On Wednesday evening, April 23, 2008, Detectives Armstrong and Murphy went to Murff's to interview the patrons regarding anything they may have witnessed involving Detective Charles Tatum, particularly on the evening of Wednesday, April 2, 2008. The following interview descriptions, provided in summary and not verbatim, are some of the most typical or relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.

• William Barker, 3633 Lyles

The witness said he was acquainted with Charles Tatum both from Murff's and from the YCSD, where he is employed as a patrol officer. The witness said he arrived at Murff's on Wednesday, April 2, at approximately 7:30 p.m. The witness said he was approached by a young woman approximately 45 minutes after he arrived. The woman asked him if he knew Tatum and whether he was at Murff's at that time. The witness said he told the woman that Tatum was not there then, but would probably be in later. The witness described the woman as "approximately 25 years old, 5' 5", 110 pounds, Caucasian, brown hair, brown eyes." The witness said he had not seen the woman in Murff's before and did not recognize her. The witness said he saw Tatum arrive around 9:15 p.m. and looked around for the woman to point him out to her, but the woman was no longer in the establishment. The witness said, since the woman had left, he did not tell Tatum she had asked about him. The witness said he left Murff's around 10:00 p.m. and that was the last time he saw Tatum.

• Arthur Lewis, 1802 Jackson Ave

The witness said he was acquainted with Charles Tatum both from Murff's and from the YCSD, where he is employed as a dispatcher. The witness said he usually goes to Murff's on Wednesday nights, but he was not there on the night of April 2nd because he had a cold and stayed home. The witness said he last saw Tatum alive at work on Tuesday, April 1st.

• Linda Martin, 407 S 14th St

The witness said she was acquainted with Charles Tatum and often chatted with him when they saw each other at Murff's or other places around town. The witness said she recalled seeing Charles Tatum at Murff's on Wednesday night, April 2, 2008. The witness said she and her husband, Rodney, arrived at Murff's around 8:00 p.m. that night and Tatum arrived alone a little over an hour later. The witness indicated that, on the night of April 1st, she noted nothing unusual about Tatum or his behavior. She said he was in "his usual upbeat mood" and talked with a lot of people in the establishment that night, including a young woman the witness did not know. She described the woman as "petite, attractive and much too young for him." The witness said Tatum was talking with the woman when she and her husband left for the evening around 11:30 p.m. She said Tatum seemed flattered by the young woman's attention, but she did not believe he took it seriously because he had a girlfriend and because he "knew she was too young for him." The witness said that was the last time she saw Tatum.

• Rodney Martin, 407 S 14th St
  
  The witness said he was acquainted with Charles Tatum and recalled seeing him on Wednesday night, April 2nd at Murff's. The witness did not recall what time Tatum arrived that night. The witness said Tatum sat at a table with the witness and his wife for a while, and also socialized with other patrons both at other tables and at the bar. The witness said Tatum appeared to be in a good mood that night and did not appear upset or distracted in any way. The witness recalled Tatum talking with several women at Murff's that night, including a young woman whom the witness recognized as a waitress from some local restaurant but could not recall which one. The witness described the woman as a "little bitty thing, brunette and pretty." The witness indicated Tatum was talking with the young woman when he and his wife left Murff's at approximately 11:45 p.m. that night. The witness said that was the last time he saw Tatum.

• Raul Ochoa, 511 Van Buren

The witness said he stopped in at Murff's on Wednesday, April 2nd around midnight and saw Charles Tatum there, but did not talk with him. The witness said Tatum was engaged in conversation with a young woman and the witness did not want to interrupt them. The witness described the woman as "young, and attractive with a great smile." The witness said he saw Tatum and the young woman leave Murff's at the same time, around 12:30 a.m., but could not say whether they left together or simply left at the same time. The witness said that was the last time he saw Tatum.

• Joe Frank Simpson, 503 Heritage

The witness said he knew Charles Tatum both from Murff's and from the YCSD, where the witness is employed as a patrol officer. The witness said the last time he saw Tatum was at Murff's on Wednesday night, April 2nd. The witness said he arrived at Murff's at approximately 9:30 p.m. and Tatum was already there. The witness said he was approached that night by a young woman, whom he recognized as a waitress from The Rebel Yell on Highway 6. The witness could not recall the woman's name, but thought it was something like "Joanne." He described her as "hot" and "real small and graceful-like, like a ballerina." He gave her physical description as "early 20s, about 5' 4" or 5' 5", around 115 pounds, white with brown hair and brown eyes." The witness said the woman was "coming on to him in a big way" and only began talking to Tatum when Tatum "came over to rescue her from the embarrassment because I blew her off. I just wasn't interested." The witness said Tatum talked to the woman for some time, but could not recall whether the two left Murff's together.