Jeremy Gladwell interview

Sunday, October 16, 2022 – 1:36 p.m.

Jeremy Gladwell was one of three people who discovered the body.

Detectives Armstrong and Murphy interviewed him at the crime scene.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Jeremy Gladwell

Detective Murphy: For the record, could you please state your name and address?

Jeremy Gladwell: My name is Jeremy Gladwell. I live at 1589 Jackson Avenue, in Oxford.

Detective Armstrong: Mr. Gladwell, what is your relationship with Kimberly Pace?

Jeremy Gladwell: We've been friends for about three years, ever since I moved into the neighborhood. In fact, I think she was my first friend when I moved here.

Detective Murphy: How did you meet?

Jeremy Gladwell: Like I said, I moved into the neighborhood and… well, there wasn't any Welcome Wagon, but one day, there was a knock on my door, and there she stood with a big plate of brownies. The rest, as they say, is history.

Detective Murphy: And you've been friends ever since that time?

Jeremy Gladwell: Yes, very much so. I'd say she was the closest I ever came to having a best friend. She's a fantastic person. Smart, funny, talented, a good listener… everything you'd want in a friend. Just a really good person. I still can't absorb what's happened, that she just won't be around anymore…

Detective Murphy: We're sorry for your loss. We know it's difficult when you lose a loved one.

Jeremy Gladwell: Just so senseless, a stupid thing like this and no more Kimberly. Fate is cruel.

Detective Murphy: Yes, it is. Do you remember what time you arrived here at the house?

Jeremy Gladwell: 11:00 a.m., or a minute or two after. Becky and Cheryl came and got me, and we came right over here to get Kim.

Detective Murphy: Y'all were going out together?

Jeremy Gladwell: Yes, ma'am, for brunch. Going to Big Bad Breakfast.

Detective Murphy: How did y'all get into the house?

Jeremy Gladwell: With Becky's key. Kimberly didn't come out when we honked so we went to the house to get her. The door was locked, so Becky used her key.

Detective Murphy: Was it typical for the door to be locked?

Jeremy Gladwell: I don't know. Sometimes she locked it, not usually when she was home, but maybe she'd gotten up late and forgot. I didn't really think about it.

Detective Armstrong: Did you notice anything else that seemed unusual?

Jeremy Gladwell: When?

Detective Armstrong: When you got to the house?

Jeremy Gladwell: No, not then, but last night I saw her lights were on pretty late. I almost called her, but I thought maybe she and Paul were talking things out or something, so I just went to bed.

Detective Armstrong: Paul who?

Jeremy Gladwell: Paul Evans. Her boyfriend, but they broke up a few weeks ago.

Detective Armstrong: Did you see his car or have any reason to think he was there at her house?

Jeremy Gladwell: No, I didn't see his car, but it's always breaking down anyway, so it didn't surprise me. Anyway, it's just what I thought. She could have been watching movies late or had students over for pizza or something. I just saw the lights on, and it was late, and that's what I thought.

Detective Armstrong: Okay, got it. This morning though, when you came to pick up Kimberly, did you see anybody or anything?

Jeremy Gladwell: A kid on a bike, almost wiped out when he rounded the corner showing off, trying to do wheelies.

Detective Murphy: Did you ring the bell or knock before you entered Ms. Pace's house?

Jeremy Gladwell: No, we never did. Well, unless Paul was there, and he wasn't, so we just used the key and let ourselves in.

Detective Murphy: What did you see when you first came into the house?

Jeremy Gladwell: Her keys were on the table, but her briefcase was on the floor, and that bothered me. It was kind of spilled out like maybe somebody had been looking for something. And it was too quiet. She should have had some Clapton blasting on the stereo, and Thoreau wasn't bounding out of nowhere to pounce on us and lick our faces off. It was surreal.

Detective Murphy: Thoreau?

Jeremy Gladwell: Kim's dog.

Detective Armstrong: So what did you do?

Jeremy Gladwell: We all spread out calling her, looking for her. Cheryl went toward her bedroom, Becky to the kitchen, and I went out to the back porch to see if Kim and Thoreau were in the backyard. The back door was unlocked, so I thought they were, but I didn't see them. Then I heard Becky scream…

Detective Murphy: It's all right, just take your time.

Jeremy Gladwell: Me and Cheryl came running and saw it at the same time. She was at the bottom of the stairs. Thoreau was licking her face and whimpering, Kimberly wasn't moving at all… like a china doll broken at the bottom of the stairs. I just started crying. I knew… I knew she was gone.

Detective Armstrong: What did Becky and Cheryl do?

Jeremy Gladwell: Becky was hysterical. She was in the middle of the basement stairs trying to get to Kimberly, but the dog wouldn't let anyone get close. Cheryl kept trying to get Becky to come away, but she wouldn't or couldn't move. Somewhere in there, Cheryl called 911, but I don't know when exactly. I was too upset myself. I remember Cheryl saying she couldn't stay on the phone anymore, and then she finally got Becky back up the stairs.

Detective Armstrong: How long do you think it was before you found Kimberly?

Jeremy Gladwell: A few minutes. Not long, it's not a big house, not many places to look. Not long.

Detective Armstrong: What did you do after Cheryl called 911?

Jeremy Gladwell: Cheryl got us outside and kept talking to us and tried to calm us down. She's a very strong woman, Cheryl. I know she wanted to cry too, but she couldn't because Becky and I were such a mess. She just put her arms around us and told us it would be all right. I felt like her son for a minute.

Detective Armstrong: So, as far as you know, none of you touched Kimberly?

Jeremy Gladwell: No, sir. We couldn't get close enough. Besides, Thoreau told us everything we needed to know. His behavior said it all. He was protecting his mistress and mourning her death. It was plain as day. He wouldn't even come to me, and I train dogs. I helped Kim adopt her last dog and this one. This dog was in pain, emotional pain, I mean. He knew she was gone. That's why we couldn't get him to back off.

Detective Murphy: When you went outside, did you see anyone or anything while you waited for the police to come?

Jeremy Gladwell: Just Arthur.

Detective Murphy: Who is that?

Jeremy Gladwell: Kimberly's neighbor.

Detective Murphy: Sounds like you don't care for him much.

Jeremy Gladwell: He's just a mean person. He was always after Kimberly because he claimed that Thoreau messed with his garden. His wife died a while back, and he's been an absolute ass to Kimberly ever since. Of course, she didn't really like him either, so I guess I didn't expect him to do or say anything when he saw us.

Detective Murphy: Are you sure he saw you?

Jeremy Gladwell: Sure, he looked right at us. But he just kept at clipping his rose bushes and didn't say a word.

Detective Armstrong: Do you know the whereabouts of Ms. Pace's boyfriend, Paul?

Jeremy Gladwell: Yeah, he's staying with his friend Miguel in Abbeville. He always goes there when they "take a break."

Detective Murphy: Do you know Miguel's last name?

Jeremy Gladwell: Ochoa.

Detective Armstrong: Did Kimberly and Paul take timeouts frequently?

Jeremy Gladwell: Yes, but this time I think Kimberly was through with him. His petty jealousies and temper tantrums were getting to be too much. She was tired of it.

Detective Armstrong: So you don't think she was going to get back together with him? Then why would you think he was here last night talking to her?

Jeremy Gladwell: Just because she was kind, and she wouldn't break up with him on the phone or anything. She would have talked to him face to face.

Detective Armstrong: When was the last time you saw Ms. Pace alive?

Jeremy Gladwell: Friday morning. We had coffee at my place before she went to work. I work at home, and she often comes by, especially if she's out of coffee. We talked for about a half-hour and then she left.

Detective Armstrong: What did you talk about?

Jeremy Gladwell: Nothing really. We were planning to go to Tupelo for some antiquing, maybe this weekend. She told me that Thoreau seemed a little low energy, and she wanted me to take him to the vet for her that day, but I couldn't. I had a deadline, and I had to get right to work.

Detective Armstrong: Was there anything else bothering her that you know of?

Jeremy Gladwell: She seemed a little preoccupied, and I think she wanted to talk more, but I had that damned deadline, so I kind of rushed her off. I wish I hadn't.

Detective Armstrong: You can't second-guess yourself.

Jeremy Gladwell: No, you can't. But maybe if she'd stayed longer, and we had talked, this wouldn't have happened. Maybe she'd still be alive.

Detective Armstrong: What makes you think that?

Jeremy Gladwell: She was killed, wasn't she? I mean, Kimberly didn't just fall down those stairs. She could find her way around that house blindfolded. This wasn't an accident.

Detective Armstrong: Do you have reason to believe someone wanted to harm her?

Jeremy Gladwell: Well, she had a crazy jealous boyfriend and some student who was following her. Someone killed her dog — her first dog, Emerson — about a year ago. Doesn't that seem like a lot for one person to have in their life?

Detective Armstrong: Do you know the name of this student who was following her?

Jeremy Gladwell: No, not off the top of my head, but I'm sure you could find out from her colleagues at the university. They must have known about it.

Detective Murphy: Okay, we'll look into that. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us. If we have any further questions, we'll be in touch with you.

Jeremy Gladwell: You call me anytime, day or night. I'll do anything to help you.

Interview ended – 2:02 p.m.