Monday, September 18, 2006 - 10:03 a.m.

The witness was identified as a former teammate of the victim.  He was interviewed at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department. The interview was recorded on a portable audio tape recorder with the witness's knowledge and consent.

TA = Detective T. Armstrong
SM = Detective S. Murphy
JC = Justin Canady

SM: Good morning, Mr. Canady.

JC: Good morning.

TA: Thanks for agreeing to see us this morning. You know why we asked you to come in don't you?

JC: It must be about this James Washington business, yeah?

SM: Yes it is. We're following up on information we've learned from other interviews. Mr. Canady, would you please state your name and address?

JC: My name is Justin Canady, and I live at 425 Crawford Circle here in Oxford.

TA: Married?

JC: Yes sir. 2 kids too. Twins... girls.

SM: Mr. Canady, when we contacted you before, you responded to say you remembered Mr. Washington.

JC: Er - yes, I do remember him.

TA: So, what do you remember about him?

JC: I... in what way?

SM: Tell us about James, Mr. Canady. Do you remember conversations or what he was like as a friend, what were your impressions of him?

JC: Oh - okay, yes, James wasn't really a friend though, you know? I mean we got along fine, I thought he could be a bit arrogant at times but he didn't offend me.

TA: Arrogant, in what way?

JC: Oh, I don't even know if it was arrogance. That's probably just how I saw it at the time. He could be very quiet, almost ignore you. I think he was like that with most people, not just me.

SM: Did you and Mr. Washington socialize at all?

JC: Together? Well, I'm sure there were occasions when a few of the football team were out together, you know.

TA: Did you ever specifically spend leisure time with Mr. Washington for any purpose?

JC: I never went out with James for a drink or just to talk if that's what you're asking. Or are you trying to ask me something else?

TA: I'm just trying to get you to talk about your friendship or any sort of relationship with James Washington. You seem a little nervous, Mr. Canady.

JC: I'm not used to talking to the police, sir. I feel a little tense, to be honest.

SM: Okay, do you remember the first time you met Mr. Washington?

JC: Oh... not really. I think we just met at football practice. I couldn't give you a date.

TA: Was he a good player?

JC: Yes. Yes he was.

SM: Do you remember his injury?

JC: I remember the injury, but I don't remember what caused it. I remember him being injured and at first some players thought he might never come back.

SM: Why would they say that?

JC: Well I presumed it was the impression he had given people. Then when he was more or less fit again he looked... he wasn't the same.

TA: Wasn't the same how? He was scared? Nervous?

JC: Yeah, sounds mean now, doesn't it? But yeah, he did seem nervous. Coach wanted him to get over that fear, put 110% in again.

SM: Coach Tunney seems like a 110% sort of guy. How did you get on with the Coach?

JC: I got on okay with him mostly. I wasn't ever like one of Coach's favorites, and I respected him, but there were times when he was a hard man to please.

TA: Did Coach ever attack you verbally or physically?

JC: Yeah, verbally a few times. If he thought you weren't putting everything into it you'd get it for sure.

SM: What would he say?

JC: He'd just try to put you down, call you a wimp, a faggot, no good sack of s*** pansy, stuff like that. I shouldn't really say anything bad about Coach Tunney though. We practically work together.

TA: You're in administration, right?

JC: Yeah.

SM: Tell us about the relationship between Coach Tunney and Mr. Washington.

JC: Coach didn't like him. Jamie didn't like to show that Tunney could get under his skin so Coach just went on further and further with insults and all that. A few of us thought Coach overdid it a bit.

TA: Do you mean verbally or physically?

JC: Both, like Jamie would always get the worst of the abuse. Even if he did well in practice he never got praised, not after Coach decided he wasn't up for it. I think Coach felt like he needed to break him. When he couldn't do it with abuse, he did it by striking out.

TA: Were you there when Coach Tunney hit James Washington?

JC: I saw it, yes, it's lucky there were other people there because Coach was really going to go for him.

TA: You think he intended him some serious harm?

JC: I don't know, difficult to say now I guess after all this time, but I do know that I'd never seen Coach that angry before... like... like he...

SM: Like he wanted to kill someone?

JC: Like he wanted to kill Jamie, yeah.

TA: Do you think Coach Tunney killed James Washington?

JC: No, no I don't believe it could have been Coach. Sure he has his faults but I can't see him murdering someone. No... surely not.

SM: But he looked like he wanted to kill him?

JC: It's just an expression, you know like... I was so mad I wanted to.

SM: You ever get mad, Mr. Canady?

JC: Not really, and I wouldn't hurt anyone either.

TA: What's your role within the athletics department, Mr. Canady?

JC: My role? Um I guess I'm in charge, well not in charge per se, but one of the people in charge of development.

SM: Which means what?

JC: It means I work on the expansion program - that's the Loyalty Foundation - so it's the improvements, the fundraising, meetings with people, admin and organizing for the athletics department.

TA: So you were working on the stadium renovation plans and organization?

JC: Yes, I helped with some of the fundraising and I've been along to meetings on behalf of the foundation with contractors to discuss our needs.

TA: Who had the idea to build another layer of seating in the Rebel Club seats?

JC: Why is that important?

SM: Just answer the question, Mr. Canady.

JC: Okay, I'm not sure, David Metherall and I were talking about development and we came up with what we thought was a wish list. Expanding the stadium further seemed like a good idea but I couldn't tell you who exactly it was came up with the idea. It was like a brainstorming session, you know, where you just throw things out there. I don't think it was ever a specific wish to add more seats to the Rebel Club members area - improving the whole stadium was the goal.

SM: Do you play baseball, Mr. Canady?

JC: Baseball... what? Oh I get it -- the old switcheroo, one, two.

TA: What's that mean?

JC: You're trying to confuse me, keep changing subjects. I know what you're doing. I saw this in a film.

TA: Yeah? How did it end?

JC: Er, it was a thriller. I think the police eventually got their man.

SM: And so will we -- man or woman. So, back to baseball, you played, yes?

JC: Yes of course I played... where's this one going?

TA: Mr. Canady, did you own an aluminum baseball bat? Not quite full size, had a red and yellow bird logo?

JC: Yes, yes I did... why are you asking questions about a baseball bat?

SM: Do you still own that baseball bat?

JC: No, I lost it or it was stolen or something, I really don't remember. It must have been several years ago.

TA: Did you report it lost or stolen?

JC: No of course not, it was only a stupid bat. It wasn't worth anything. I'd had the thing for years.

SM: Where did you get the bat?

JC: I'm sorry I don't know. I think my dad got it for me. It was just plain when he bought it.

TA: When did you put the logo on it?

JC: Probably late '97? I don't know. My dad got invited to be part of the Memphis consortium who took over ownership of the Memphis Redbirds. All of us had lots of Redbirds promotional stuff, you know like caps, t-shirts, posters, diaries, calendars, decals and whatever.

SM: So you put the logo on it yourself?

JC: Yes I did. I was bored and it was supposed to make the bat look a little newer.

SM: Did it work?

JC: No not really, which is why I didn't care when I lost track of it.

TA: Mr. Canady, if we told you we found your bat buried with Mr Washington, what would your reaction be?

JC: You mean it was found with his body?

SM: Yes, it was. How do you explain that?

JC: Me? How do... listen, you can't think I had anything to do with this -- you know, I told you already the bat got lost or was stolen. I don't know anything about this or... s***, was Jamie murdered with this bat?

SM: It looks that way.

JC: Oh, this just gets better for me, doesn't it?

SM: It's not looking good right now, unless of course you can prove the bat wasn't in your possession. When do you last recall seeing it?

JC: Let me think a minute. I used to take it to football practice sometimes. A few of us would sometimes play a bit of ball while we waited for the squad to show up. I may have left it on the field or in the locker room or something.

TA: Is that the best you can do?

JC: Hey, if I knew it was going to be a murder weapon, I'd have taken more care of it.

TA: This is serious, Mr. Canady. You want those little girls of yours to grow up without their daddy around? We have some trace evidence from the bat and if it connects to you --

JC: I don't know, trace evidence? What, like my prints or something? You've got to believe me, I - oh, I, when did you realize the bat was mine? Are you sure?

SM: When we found out about your family connection with the Memphis Redbirds. We've had a whole team of detectives trying to locate this bat and no one made an aluminum bat with that redbird logo. Once we knew of your connection, we needed confirmation. It's unlikely to belong to anyone else, is it?

JC: I feel sick. This is terrible. What did I do to deserve this?

TA: You tell us, Mr. Canady, we're all ears...

JC: I don't know what to say.

TA: Did you know Mr. Washington had financial problems?

JC: Why should I know that?

SM: Well, when we first talked, you did say you thought he left over personal problems.

JC: Well -- yes I did, but I didn't know if they were financial or what. I thought it was over a girl or something.

TA: Who would that be?

JC: The fencer, Eve? Evelyn?

TA: Yvonne?

JC: That's it! Yvonne, I never met her, but I remember seeing her with Jamie sometimes.

SM: When was the last time you saw Mr. Washington?

JC: I don't know, maybe the Red-Blue game. He won the game. I remember that.

TA: Anything else you remember?

JC: No, it was lousy weather. Dwight made some joke about a cheerleader he'd been screwing. She fell over.

TA: And you're sure you didn't see Mr. Washington on campus or anytime after that?

JC: I don't think I did.

SM: What's your relationship with Matt Fortunato?

JC: Matt? What? I... I was friends with him I guess.

TA: Good friends?

JC: Yeah, pretty good friends, he was a good guy to know.

SM: In what way?

JC: He threw great parties. He was a lot of fun.

TA: Funny how he ended up in Vegas.

JC: Vegas? Why is that funny?

SM: With his reputation at Ole Miss?

JC: I don't know what you mean.

TA: Come off it, Mr. Canady. Everyone knows Matt was running his own little gambling operation. Were you involved?

JC: No.

SM: So you admit he was running an operation?

JC: No, I meant I wasn't involved and I don't know anything about any gambling.

TA: You never had a little wager going on?

JC: Well, yeah, maybe something small on a basketball game or something, but nothing to do with college. Just friendly bets on pro games with a few teammates.

SM: With Mr. Washington?

JC: I don't recall ever doing so.

TA: What about Dwight Nelson?

JC: Probably, I don't know. Yeah, I think me and Dwight may have had a little friendly bet sometimes.

TA: Anyone else?

JC: Guy called Chip Marcus, not for big money, just to see who would be right.

SM: Was he at college too?

JC: Yeah he was a little older than us. He was a friend of Matt I think.

SM: Dwight Nelson says you and he went to the Double Decker Festival in April '98. Is that true?

JC: Yeah we did, we had a good time and we watched almost all the bands.

TA: Remember any of them?

JC: Not really. I remember The Usual Suspects played. They were good.

SM: What time did they finish?

JC: I don't remember that.

TA: You might need to shore up those memories the way things are going.

SM: Before we finish up here, do you know of any reason why James Washington was looking to leave college?

JC: No, I just thought it was personal problems. I heard something about that... it was four years ago. I haven't even thought about him since. I can't be expected to remember the ins and outs of a guy I didn't even know that well.

SM: Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?

JC: I just want to get home to my girls.

TA: We'll be in touch soon, Mr. Canady. Don't leave town or anything okay?

JC: I'm free to go?

SM: For the moment.

Interview ends 10:48 a.m.