TA:  We're glad we were able to locate you and talk with you Mr. Zimmer.  You have been informed that we want to talk to you about your friend, James Washington?

CZ:  Yes, Detective.  I was shocked to hear you found his remains. I'd always envisioned him living it up some  place.

SM:  First, will you state your name and address for the record, please?

CZ:  It's Chris Zimmer and I live at 12771 Fairview Crt., Petaluma, California.

TA:  Mr. Zimmer, would you tell us how you came to know Mr. Washington?

CZ:  Well, let's see. I think the first time we met was in a statistics class when we were both sophomores at University of Mississippi. 

TA:  Were you good friends from then until he disappeared?

CZ:  No, not really.  We'd see each other around campus and we had a class or two together now and then.  Sometimes we talked.

TA:  Mr Zimmer that's not the impression we've got from other people who knew Jamie, several people have mentioned you as a friend. Were you a friend or not?

CZ:  Well okay I guess I was. I don't think I was like his best friend or anything and I don't think we'd have stayed friends beyond college.

TA:  Why not? 

CZ:  Just because. We were different I guess, but we had a few shared interests and I was there for Jamie to talk to when his jock life went sour. 

SM:  What went sour?   Do you know?

CZ:  It was so boring. Tunney did this, this guy said that, now I've got no scholarship. Why don't you ask those guys how Jamie ended up like this?

SM:  We are Mr Zimmer. Do you know about Yvonne? Jamie's girlfriend?  What was her last name?

CZ:  It was Bremer.  I don't know too much about her - she went back with that bum she was dating before Jamie --Hugh something.  They are probably married by now. Good riddance. They deserved each other. 

SM:  It sounds as if you don't have much use for them.  Why?

CZ:  I think she was just using Jamie.  You know, trying to make her old boyfriend jealous by kissin' up to Jamie.  He spent all kinds of big bucks on her stupid fencing stuff and what did he get for it?  "Another day older and deeper in debt "as the song goes. I told him not to go throwing money at her, not with the situation he was in.

SM:  What situation was that?

CZ:  Losing his scholarship, having to work.

SM:  How could he ever afford to help Yvonne out if he had money problems?

CZ: Nobody has told you?

SM: Told us what Mr Zimmer?

CZ: Jamie gambled. Thought he knew all about sport, thought he could work it all out. I told him you can't rely on people. People always let you down.

SM: Did he lose a lot of money?

CZ: He won, a lot I think. I told him I thought he was a moron for gambling, he was kind of conceited about winning at first. We went out to see that movie Saw in February 2004? He made a lot of money in January, wasted most of it on Yvonne, but he was still feeling kind of flush and bought all this Saw merchandise. Film wasn't even that good, not as good as the book.

TA: Did he buy a T-shirt? Black with green lettering. One of the words was Terror?

CZ: Yeah he did. He thought it was a cool movie tagline. Terror can fill any space. I thought it was dumb, just a poor imitation of the famous Alien tagline.

TA: How long did he continue gambling?

CZ: What was I? His dad or something?! He didn't tell me. I did ask him after that if he was still winning and he didn't want to talk about it. I guessed either his pride in his superior sports knowledge was hurt or he just didn't want to talk.

TA: Mr Zimmer, did Jamie ever mention who he gambled with?

CZ: No. Just some guy.

TA: That's it? No details, no "old guy, young guy" or whatever?

CZ: Let me think...er... no.

TA: You're sure there's nothing more you can tell us about his gambling?

CZ: I don't know. I didn't ask. I don't gamble and I wasn't interested. I could guess if it helps you out?

SM: What's your guess then?

CZ: I think he was betting with someone on campus. I was with him once when he went to pick up some winnings. I don't know where he went but I waited for him in a coffee shop on Courthouse Square and he was only gone 15 minutes or so.

TA:  When was the last time you saw Jamie?

CZ:  April 2004.

TA: When exactly?

CZ: To the minute?

TA: Don't get too smart Mr Zimmer, this interview may be over the phone, but the more we talk the happier I'd be to bring you to Oxford so we can have an official talk. Now if you can remember, please answer the question.

CZ: Okay Okay, I get the message. Think it was a Friday, the day before the double decker festival. April 24 I think.

TA: What did you and Jamie do?

CZ: Just hung out.

SM: Did you have any plans to meet Jamie Washington the next day.

CZ: I think we might have mentioned something about hooking up yeah. Watch some of the bands...you know?.

TA: The Usual Suspects?

CZ: Yeah! -- hey how did you know that?

TA: Mr Zimmer, we know a lot more than you think. We know you helped Jamie move out of the Phoenix Apartments. We also know Jamie was looking to leave town. Why don't you start telling us what really was going on?

CZ: Who told you I helped Jamie move out of Phoenix?

SM: That's no concern of yours. When did this move take place?

CZ: Not much of a source you've got there if you have to ask me that. Was it that loser Wylie?

TA: Mr Zimmer, this is the last time I'm going to speak to you about your attitude. Now you either start co-operating, or we'll bring you in for questioning..

CZ: Fine, whatever, detective. I helped Jamie move on April 21. It would have been the afternoon.

SM: And where did Jamie go? Your place?

CZ: No. He checked into the Ole Miss Motel.

SM: Jamie checked into the Ole Miss Motel on April 21 2002?

CZ: That's what I said wasn't it?

TA: What did you guys do with his stuff?

CZ: There wasn't a lot of it, I took some, he threw some away, he may have put some of it into storage.

TA: Where?

CZ: I don't recall... I wasn't with him when he did it.

TA: Did he have furniture to take? Personal belongings? What would he have to put into storage?

CZ: He didn't have any furniture. He had some clothes, some files, college stuff I guess. The usual suspects you might say, books, a cd player, a photo album, his sports equipment.

SM: Did Jamie own a baseball bat?

CZ: What kind of baseball bat we talking about?

SM: Did he own a bat or not Mr Zimmer?

CZ: No he didn't. Was that the murder weapon?

SM:  Yes, Mr. Zimmer, we think he was severely beaten, possibly with a baseball bat we found on the scene. So while we're on the subject-- did you own a baseball bat?

CZ:  No. I'm sure you've already heard, I wasn't into sport.

SM:  Can you tell us what you remember about April 25 2002? The day of the Double Decker festival?

CZ:  Oh okay.  Look Jamie asked me to help him. I said yes. I saw him on Friday and he told me his plan was to leave on Saturday evening. He had some stuff he wanted to do, which probably meant trying to talk to Yvonne, so we arranged to meet Saturday at the stage where The Usual Suspects were playing. We were set to meet at 7:30pm. I showed -- he didn't. I waited, I looked for him. I assumed he'd gone on without me. I was pissed.

TA:  Where did you think he'd  "gone on"?

CZ:  We were going to go down to New Orleans.

SM:  Someone moved his stuff out of the motel and paid his bill on the evening of the 25^th.  Do you know anything about that?

CZ:  Well...uh...yeah Jamie had asked me to move his stuff out.  That's why we were meeting at the Festival...ah...so's I could give him his stuff. 

SM:  But you say you never met him that evening?

CZ:  No, like I just told you -  he didn't show.

SM:  What did you do with his belongings?

CA:  I kept them at my place for a while. Kept some in my car too. Just the clothes and the cd player. Jamie had taken care of anything else.

TA:  Do you still have any of the belongings Mr Zimmer?

CZ: No...maybe the cd player  stored somewhere, I'd have to look. I got rid of the clothes, gave them to charity. Not right away, but after a few months.

TA: And you say you don't know what Jamie did with the rest of his belongings?

CZ: I don't know what he did.

SM: Mr Zimmer, I'm confused, the way you tell it you didn't seem to be close to Jamie at all really. Why did you ask about him after he disappeared? Why phone Jamie's mom?

CZ: I thought he would contact me -- he never did. Who did he come to when he was in trouble? Who did he have to talk to when his so-called football friends gave him a hard time, or his Christian friends sat in judgment of him? Me...that's who. I was pissed at him I told you, I left it for a few weeks and then I started asking if anyone had heard from him.

SM:  Jamie's football friends gave him a hard time about what?

CZ: He didn't tell me! Just that they did.

SM:  Why did you call his mom?

CZ: Because I wanted to see if she'd heard from him or if he'd gone home.

SM: Jamie told a lot of other people he had some emergency at home. Was that true?

CZ: He never told me that. Told me he was in trouble and wanted to get out of town for a while. Like I said, he asked for some help and I helped. 

SM: Why did he ask you?

CZ: Why not?

TA:  Is there anything else you can think of that would help figure this thing out?

CZ:  Not at the moment. What areas of his life are you looking at?

TA: We're not at liberty to tell you that at the moment Mr Zimmer.

SM:  We'll be talking to you again Mr. Zimmer.  If you do remember more, can you call us?

CZ:  Yeah whatever.

SM:  Good-bye.

CZ:  Good-bye.

Interview ends 10:20a.m