Tuesday, July 18, 2023 – 4:14 p.m.
Sherry Guyton is a senior at Yoknapatawpha High School and a former member of the cheer squad.
Detectives Armstrong and Murphy re-interviewed her at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.
Participants:
- Detective T. Armstrong
- Detective S. Murphy
- Sherry Guyton
Detective Murphy: Hello, Sherry. Before we begin, would you state your name and address for the record, please?
Sherry Guyton: Sure. I'm Sherry Guyton, and I live at 211 Lincoln, in Oxford.
Detective Armstrong: Do you know why we called you in today?
Sherry Guyton: Duh. It has something to do with the Katy thing. What else could it be?
Detective Murphy: You know, a smart mouth doesn't help you here, Sherry,
Sherry Guyton: I'm sorry, but this whole thing makes me nervous.
Detective Armstrong: I'll repeat my question: Do you have any idea why we called you back in here?
Sherry Guyton: No, I really don't know.
Detective Armstrong: What color is that lipstick you're wearing?
Sherry Guyton: Red?
Detective Armstrong: Don't lipsticks usually have fancier color names?
Detective Murphy: Yes, they do.
Sherry Guyton: I don't know what it's called. Does it matter?
Detective Armstrong: It might.
Sherry Guyton: Well, I've got it in my purse. Hang on. Here it is. It says … scarlet.
Detective Armstrong: What would you say if I told you there was a cigarette butt near Katy's body with that same lipstick on it?
Sherry Guyton: What? What does that mean?
Detective Murphy: It means that it places you at the murder scene, Sherry.
Sherry Guyton: No. That's not right.
Detective Armstrong: I'm afraid it is. You told us you were home when Katy was killed, but this cigarette butt tells us you were at the very spot where she died. What do you have to say about that, Sherry?
Sherry Guyton: How do you know it's mine? I'm not the only person with this lipstick.
Detective Armstrong: Is that the way you really want to go with this?
Sherry Guyton: I wasn't there when she was killed. I swear I wasn't! I've taken that shortcut through the woods lots of times, but I wasn't there when Katy was killed. You've got to believe me!
Detective Armstrong: When was the last time you were smoking in those woods?
Sherry Guyton: I don't know. But I could have dropped that butt months ago.
Detective Murphy: Did you also drop a pack of cigarettes months ago?
Sherry Guyton: I don't know. Maybe. Or someone else did. It's not like I'm the only one who ever walks through there.
Detective Murphy: So the fingerprints on the pack we found near Katy's body aren't going to turn out to be yours?
Sherry Guyton: How should I know?
Detective Armstrong: Enough. When was the last time you were in those woods?
Sherry Guyton: You mean smoking or just being there?
Detective Armstrong: Let's start with just being there.
Sherry Guyton: Well, uh, I guess it was earlier that morning that Katy—but I wasn't smoking. I was looking for a place to watch Cheer Up without anyone seeing me.
Detective Murphy: So you were there in the woods that morning?
Sherry Guyton: Yes, but no one else was there when I was, not Katy or anyone else. I swear!
Detective Murphy: How long were you there?
Sherry Guyton: I don't know. Not that long. I left when I couldn't find a good place.
Detective Murphy: Why did you want to watch anyway? I thought you hated anything to do with cheerleading.
Sherry Guyton: Not really. I hate the people involved, the way they acted after my accident blaming me for falling when it was all Katy's fault.
Detective Armstrong: So you wanted to watch a bunch of people you hate?
Sherry Guyton: I wanted to watch so I could see what they were teaching the younger girls. I wanted to make sure they weren't teaching them to be reckless like they were with me.
Detective Armstrong: Why?
Sherry Guyton: I thought maybe I could … oh, I don't know what I thought. This whole thing has made me crazy. I loved cheerleading, and it was ripped away from me. It's like part of my life is gone.
Detective Armstrong: So where were you when Katy was killed?
Sherry Guyton: At home. I stopped for a mocha latte, and then I went home. My folks never realized I wasn't in bed the whole time.
Detective Armstrong: So what you're saying is we only have your word for where you were?
Sherry Guyton: Yes.
Detective Armstrong: After you've already lied to us.
Sherry Guyton: Yeah.
Detective Murphy: You said you've used that shortcut many times before. Did you ever see anybody else in those woods?
Sherry Guyton: Just other kids. Nobody who looked like a potential killer.
Detective Murphy: You think you'd know a potential killer if you saw one?
Sherry Guyton: I don't know, but if I had to name one, there is this weird guy who hangs out behind the high school sometimes.
Detective Murphy: Go on.
Sherry Guyton: There's this place behind the athletic fields. Technically, it's off campus, so you can smoke there. Anyway, sometimes when I go out there, there's this weird guy hanging around.
Detective Murphy: Weird how?
Sherry Guyton: I don't know. He's old. Why is he hanging around the high school?
Detective Murphy: How old?
Sherry Guyton: I don't know. Like … 40?
Detective Murphy: Did he ever tell you his name?
Sherry Guyton: No, he doesn't talk much. He does let me bum a cigarette off him sometimes, though.
Detective Armstrong: If you're not going to quit smoking, you might at least want to stop bumming cigarettes from men you don't know, especially ones you think are weird.
Sherry Guyton: Yeah, okay. Whatever.
Detective Murphy: Sherry, is there anything else you haven't told us? Or haven't told us the complete truth about?
Sherry Guyton: Listen, I've told you everything I know.
Detective Armstrong: You've told us lots of things. Some of them might even be true.
Sherry Guyton: Are you calling me a liar?
Detective Armstrong: I think we've established that. The question now is what other lies you've told us.
Sherry Guyton: I don't have to take this. I'm out of here.
Detective Murphy: You're free to go, Sherry, but we're not finished. We'll be in touch.
Interview ended – 4:43 p.m.
