Monday, December 10, 2007, 3:42 PM

Detective Armstrong and Detective Murphy of the Yoknapatawpha Sheriff's Department interviewed the witness, who is the victim's brother. The interview was conducted at the Yoknapatawpha Sheriff's Department and recorded on a portable tape recorder with the witness’s knowledge and consent.

Detective Ted Armstrong
Detective Samantha Murphy
Raymond M. Jennings

Detective Armstrong: Please state your name and address before we begin.

Raymond Jennings: I am Raymond Jennings; my address is County Road 313 #122.

Detective Murphy: When we first met with you, Ray, you informed us that you and Victor didn’t like one another.

Raymond Jennings: That's true.

Detective Armstrong: Isn't it a fact that you hated him?

Raymond Jennings: Absolutely not. I have never hated anyone. I did not hate my brother.

Detective Murphy: Did you love your brother?

Raymond Jennings: No, I did not. Please try to understand. He treated me like dirt. When we were boys he beat me up, broke or took my toys and blamed everything that went wrong in our home on me. How could I possibly love him?

Detective Murphy: I don't know.

Detective Armstrong: Raymond, we hear that you took the fence down that Victor had up between his house and the next-door neighbors.

Raymond Jennings: Yes I did, that poor man. I felt terrible for him; the fence was on his property after all.

Detective Armstrong: Oh get real! You tried to pin the murder on "that poor man."

Raymond Jennings: I only said that he hated my brother, not that he killed him.

Detective Armstrong: You also pointed the finger at Carl Asher. Do you still think he may be our killer?

Raymond Jennings: More so than ever! I now know that Carl was the beneficiary of
Victor's will. That sure has been reason enough for plenty of murders in the past, hasn't it?

Detective Murphy: Unfortunately it has.

Detective Armstrong: We think your wife was way more involved with Victor than you know Raymond.

Raymond Jennings: Oh please, not this again.

Detective Armstrong: We talked to Gayle. She wasn't at home with you all day on the 28th of October, was she Ray?

Raymond Jennings: Did she tell you that?

Detective Murphy: C'mon Ray, come clean. You have no alibi. Did you or did you not kill your brother?

Raymond Jennings: NO!

Detective Armstrong: Then whom are you protecting?

Raymond Jennings: I am trying to protect my wife's reputation here. Don't make me spill her secret. She didn't kill him!

Detective Murphy: We know that she was sleeping with Victor. It's not a secret.

Raymond Jennings: Oh god, the kids, I didn't want this to get out.

Detective Murphy: How long have you known Ray?

Raymond Jennings: I found out the day Victor died. Gayle told me she was going to a friend's house to have her nails done. I knew something was up because it was Sunday AND my birthday. It wasn't 30 seconds later and her cell rang. It was Victor. I saw the number on the screen right before she answered it. She pretended that it was her friend. She told him she'd be there soon.

Detective Murphy: What were you thinking at this point?

Raymond Jennings: I had no clue what was going on. So I waited a few minutes and then I went to Vic's. He was always complaining about the nosey cat lady so I parked down the road a bit and walked to his house. I looked in the back door and I saw them. They were hugging. Then they walked out of sight but not before I saw that they were holding hands.

Detective Armstrong: So you confronted them.

Raymond Jennings: No. I was going to knock but then I saw Carl, he was walking after them and he had a video camera. Then I realized that Victor was somehow forcing my wife to have sex with him. I admit at that exact moment I did want to kill him.

Detective Armstrong: But you're not a fighter, right Ray? Just let the man screw your wife and screw you in the process. Hey, at least Gayle got kissed.

Raymond Jennings: YES! I was mad, I was shaking and yes, I was afraid. Afraid of being physically hurt. Afraid of hurting Gayle. She would have felt terrible to know that I knew of her secret shame.

Detective Murphy: What did you do?

Raymond Jennings: I went home and waited for her. When she came home we went to the diner together. I acted as normal as possible.

Detective Armstrong: Were you with Gayle for the remainder of the day?

Raymond Jennings: Yes, wait, we took a short nap in the evening.

Detective Murphy: Both of you?

Raymond Jennings: Yes. I napped in my recliner and Gayle napped in our bed.

Detective Armstrong: I am going to ask you again, did you kill Victor?

Raymond Jennings: No. Can I go now?

Detective Armstrong: Not just yet. Have you ever talked to your biological father?

Raymond Jennings: WHAT? Of course I have! What type of game are you playing?

Detective Murphy: Your mother had an affair with a man named John Raymond.

Raymond Jennings: Oh my god. In some sick way that makes sense. My dad, I mean Brad AND Victor always called me "little bastard." Oh my god. Please can I leave now?

Detective Murphy: Yes. Thank you for coming in.

Detective Armstrong: Don’t leave town.

Interview ends: 4:28 PM