Thursday, August 10, 2006 --9:13a.m.

The witness was identified as the victim's supervisor at the University of Mississippi Library. She was interviewed at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department. The interview was recorded on a portable audio tape recorder with the witness' knowledge and consent.

SM= Det. Sam Murphy
TA= Det. Ted Armstrong
AW= Anne Walcher

SM: Thank you for coming in.

AW: Of course. This whole thing is so terrible. I just can't get over it.

SM: For the record, can you please state your name and address?

AW: I'm Anne Walcher and I live at 918 Madison Avenue.

SM: And how did you know the victim?

AW: I worked with him at the library. I'm a reference librarian and he was one of the work-study students assigned to the library. I was his supervisor.

TA: When did he start working for you?

AW: It was in the spring of 2001.

TA: What were your impressions of him?

AW: He was a good worker. Very quiet, but did whatever he was asked.

SM: How well would you say that you got to know him while you two worked together?

AW: Not very well, I'm afraid. It's hard to socialize in a library. Some of the kids that work on the late shifts, they are very close and become very good friends. But, that's because they have the time and privacy to talk and have fun. I work during the day and it's very busy. Even if it's not busy, because there are people around, you have to be quiet. So I didn't get to know him very well.

SM: But you say he was a good worker?

AW: Oh yes. He did exactly what he was asked. We just didn't really bond, if you know what I mean. As I said, there really wasn't much opportunity to talk. And when we did chat, he seemed very reluctant to open up to me.

TA: Did you ever wonder why that was?

AW: Not really. I just assumed that maybe it was his personality. Or maybe he resented having to work in the library. I knew he was a football player and of course, the whole campus knew about Coach Tunney revoking his scholarship. So there were times when I thought that maybe he resented having to be in the library in the first place.

TA: So you thought he was moping around and had a bad attitude?

AW: No, not at all. As I said, his work was good. I actually kind of admired him for his stoic attitude. I wouldn't have liked being his position, if I were him. But I can hardly blame him for not being overly forthcoming. He did his job and kept to himself. If he viewed the library as a prison sentence, he seemed determined to do his penance and take it like a man.

SM: How was his work attendance?

AW: Very good. He was always on time, never missed work.

SM: What was he being paid?

AW: He received a little over minimum wage. His pay was consistent with our other students.

SM: What hours did he work?

AW: He usually worked around 20 hours a week. Usually it was the morning shift, like 9 to 1 or 10 to 2. I was thankful for that -- not many kids want to be awake and working at that hour. The afternoon and evening slots are much more popular.

SM: Did Jamie ever mention any girlfriends or anything about dating?

AW: No, we never talked about that.

TA: What about football?

AW: No.

TA: He never mentioned anything about Coach Tunney?

AW: No. I'm telling you that we spoke to each other very little. It was usually, "Hi, Jamie, how are you doing?" And he would respond and then I would point out a stack of books to be reshelved and he would get to it. That was about the extent of our conversations.

SM: Did he become friends with any of the other students who worked at the library?

AW: Not that I know of. That's one of the reasons why I think he might have viewed the library as a prison sentence. He didn't bond with any of the other kids either. I could understand why he might not want to talk to me, but he didn't really communicate with the kids any more than he did with me. Once again, he was polite, but just not forthcoming.

SM: When was the last time you saw Jamie?

AW: On his last day of work. He came in and said he needed some time off for some sort of personal emergency.

SM: And when was that exactly? Do you remember?

AW: I don't know the date but I know it was the weekend of the Double Decker festival, because it was pretty empty. In fact that's one reason I let him go without too much trouble -- I knew I wouldn't need much help Sunday or even Monday morning because of all the partying.

SM: The Double Decker festival in 2002?

AW: That's right. I can check my pay records to see exactly if you like.

TA: That's all right -- we'll be able to put it together. How much time did he ask for?

AW: He wanted a week. I was a little irritated, but he had always been very reliable before so I said I would do whatever I could to accommodate him.

SM: Then what happened?

AW: He finished out his shift and left.

TA: That was it? He didn't say anything else or mention anything?

AW: No. He stopped by the desk and told me that he was moving and to not mail his paycheck. He said he would just pick it up himself. Then he left.

SM: Did he act like anything was wrong?

AW: No, not really. As I've said, it's not as though we were all that close. He was quiet on that day, just as he had always been.

SM: When did you start to think that something might be wrong?

AW: Well, he said he would come back in a week, but he didn't show up. He told me he was moving and his phone was being turned off and all that before he left. So I didn't know how to try and reach him. I didn't really think much about it. Students come and go pretty frequently. It's not unusual for them to just not show up one day and then never come back. They get sick of the library, they quit school, they get a cool job at Neilson's or Uncle Buck's or something. I never imagined that he could be in trouble.

SM: When did you find out that he was missing?

AW: Several weeks later. When his mother filed a missing person's report, there was talk about it around campus. I felt horrible.

SM: Do you have any idea of who might want to have caused Jamie harm?

AW: No, not at all.

SM: Okay, thank you for talking to us.

Interview ends 9:45a.m.