Tuesday, July 18, 2023 – 5:17 p.m.
Jennifer Adams is a cheerleader at Yoknapatawpha High School and is the person who found Katy Brown's body.
Detectives Armstrong and Murphy re-interviewed her at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.
Participants:
- Detective T. Armstrong
- Detective S. Murphy
- Jennifer Adams
Detective Murphy: Thanks for coming in again, Jennifer.
Jennifer Adams: Hi. What's up? I thought we were done.
Detective Murphy: For the record, please state your name and address.
Jennifer Adams: My name is Jennifer Adams, and I live at 228 St. Andrews Circle. Now what?
Detective Murphy: Thank you. So, the last time we talked, you didn't exactly tell the truth, did you, Jennifer?
Jennifer Adams: What do you mean? Of course, I told you the truth.
Detective Murphy: You said you and Katy were the best of friends. That wasn't true, was it?
Jennifer Adams: Sure it was. We liked each other and got along fine.
Detective Murphy: That's not what we've been hearing. Did you have an altercation with Katy at practice recently?
Jennifer Adams: Who told you that? Coach? She just misunderstood. Katy and I weren't really mad at each other.
Detective Murphy: Did you push Katy?
Jennifer Adams: Yes, I did. She was being nasty, and she deserved more than being pushed. I kept myself under control and held back, but she didn't. She slapped me!
Detective Murphy: Why did she do that? Did you do something to her?
Jennifer Adams: No, I just told her that her brother was following the girls and creeping them out, and she lost it and hit me. I just laughed.
Detective Armstrong: She slapped you in front of everyone, and you laughed?
Jennifer Adams: Yeah.
Detective Armstrong: Okay. And there was nothing more to the argument than that? You insulted her brother, and she defended him.
Jennifer Adams: I just told the truth. If she thought it was insulting, that's her problem.
Detective Armstrong: So the fact that Katy was the captain and you weren't didn't have anything to do with it?
Jennifer Adams: Katy didn't deserve to be captain. She wasn't nearly as good as me, and those idiots chose her! How stupid was that?
Detective Armstrong: It sounds like you were angry enough to kill her.
Jennifer Adams: No! I was at the Cheer Up thing anyway. There's no way I could have killed Katy. No way.
Detective Murphy: Are you still a cheerleader?
Jennifer Adams: Haven't you heard? I'm the new captain! All that trouble with Katy is over now, and with me as team captain, we'll show everyone that we're the best!
Detective Armstrong: It sounds like you're glad Katy's dead.
Jennifer Adams: I'm not, either. But I'm happy to be the captain now. I'll show everyone.
Detective Murphy: Last time, we asked you if you knew who could have killed Katy, and you said Sherry Guyton might have done it. Do you still feel that way?
Jennifer Adams: Sure. I still don't trust Sherry.
Detective Murphy: Why?
Jennifer Adams: I just don't.
Detective Murphy: That's not good enough, Jennifer.
Jennifer Adams: What do you want from me? Everyone knows that Sherry has hated Katy ever since she got hurt. What more do you need to know?
Detective Murphy: That might explain why Katy wouldn't trust her, but what does it have to do with you not trusting her?
Jennifer Adams: Look, she goes around talking bad about all the cheerleaders. That's not okay. I mean, it was one thing for her to talk about Katy, but what did the rest of us ever do to her?
Detective Armstrong: Is there anybody else you don't trust, anybody else who might have wanted Katy dead?
Jennifer Adams: I don't understand why you're asking me these questions. Is it because I'm the one who found her? Bad luck doesn't make me an expert.
Detective Murphy: Before Katy was killed and you became the captain, had you acted as her second-in-command, even unofficially?
Jennifer Adams: She respected my opinion.
Detective Murphy: People probably saw that, which is probably why you were made captain so quickly. Did the two of you talk about personal issues?
Jennifer Adams: I wouldn't say that. We weren't friends or anything.
Detective Murphy: I thought you were the best of friends. Isn't that what you told us?
Jennifer Adams: Whatever. We weren't that kind of friends.
Detective Murphy: So she wouldn't have confided in you?
Jennifer Adams: Um, no.
Detective Armstrong: What's it been like working with Ms. Puskus now that you're captain?
Jennifer Adams: Great. She's a wonderful coach.
Detective Armstrong: She must advise you since you're still so new to the job, tell you how Katy would have handled things?
Jennifer Adams: Not at all. In fact, she said I've been doing a great job as captain, especially under these trying circumstances. She said I'll take the team all the way.
Detective Murphy: I just had a thought. Maybe Katy wasn't killed because she was Katy. Maybe she was killed because she was the cheerleading captain. Now that you're captain, have you received any threats?
Jennifer Adams: No. Of course not. Why would anyone want to threaten me?
Detective Murphy: If you do, don't keep them to yourself. Come to us right away if anything unusual happens.
Jennifer Adams: You don't really think I'm in danger, do you?
Detective Murphy: Until we catch whoever killed Katy, we don't know what else he or she might do. Keep your eyes and ears open.
Jennifer Adams: You're freaking me out.
Detective Armstrong: We don't mean to do that, Jennifer, but I'm sure you understand our concern. You'd probably be doing yourself a favor if you thought long and hard about who might have killed Katy.
Jennifer Adams: It's not like I know, and I'm just not telling you.
Detective Armstrong: That's nice to hear, and I hope it's true. If you remember anything that might help us find Katy's killer, you let us know, okay?
Jennifer Adams: I will. Can I go now? You're freaking me out.
Detective Armstrong: You can go. And you take good care, okay?
Jennifer Adams: Oh my god.
Interview ended – 5:38 p.m.
