Marc Huddleston interview #3

Sunday, November 8, 2020 – 2:00 p.m.

Marc Huddleston was Frederick Miller's student and was dating his daughter, Lizzie. Marc agreed to speak to the detectives again as long as his father could be present as his attorney.

Detectives Armstrong and Murphy re-interviewed Marc at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Marc Huddleston
• Donald Huddleston

Detective Armstrong: Marc, have a seat. How're you holding up?

Donald Huddleston: How do you think after you—?

Detective Murphy: Mr. Huddleston, I can appreciate your feelings, but we're just trying to get to the truth of what happened. If your son really wasn't involved—

Donald Huddleston: He wasn't.

Detective Murphy: Okay, then. If that's the case, we just want to see if he can help us figure out why someone tried to make it look like he was.

Donald Huddleston: How do you expect him to know that?

Marc Huddleston: Dad. It's okay.

Donald Huddleston: Fine. Let's just get this over with.

Detective Armstrong: So, Marc, how're you holding up?

Marc Huddleston: I've been better, but I'm just happy to be back at home.

Detective Armstrong: Well, we'll try to make this one as quick and painless as possible. You know the drill by now. State your name and address for the record.

Marc Huddleston: Marc Huddleston. 168 Orrwood Drive.

Detective Murphy: Before we start asking questions, is there anything you want to tell us?

Marc Huddleston: No. I've told you everything I know.

Detective Murphy: All right. So as you know, your archery pin was found at the crime scene, and your bowhunting arrow was used to kill Mr. Miller, but you maintain that you're innocent. So what do you think the explanation is?

Marc Huddleston: I must've been framed. There is no other explanation. I lost my pin a couple days before it happened, and my arrows were in my car. Someone must've stolen both of them to try and set me up.

Detective Murphy: And who do you think is setting you up?

Marc Huddleston: That's all I've been thinking about, and I really don't know. I can't imagine anyone I know doing this. I don't have any serious enemies. I know some of the kids at school don't like me, but they can't hate me this much.

Detective Armstrong: Which kids at school don't like you?

Marc Huddleston: Jesse Kipner is the first person I thought of, even though I really don't see him doing this either. He had a crush on Lizzie and has always kind of hated me ever since Lizzie and I started dating.

Detective Armstrong: Anyone else?

Marc Huddleston: There's also Jake Wentworth. He just likes to start s**t with people. He thinks we're jocks or something. I'm pretty sure he was the kid with the green mohawk that they talked to for the news.

Detective Murphy: Do you think it could be someone that's not a classmate of yours?

Marc Huddleston: No one specifically. Maybe one of the other teachers. Most of my teachers like me, but it could've been someone that had it out for Mr. Miller, and I just happened to be the most logical person to frame.

Detective Armstrong: Which teachers do you think had it out for Frederick?

Marc Huddleston: I don't know of anyone in particular. I just know that he didn't get along with most people, so he probably had some co-workers that hated him.

Detective Murphy: Who else might have wanted to get rid of Mr. Miller?

Marc Huddleston: Lots of people, probably. It could also be one of the parents of someone on the archery team. They get so competitive about it. Maybe they wanted to take me down too because I'm the best on the team. And Frederick because he gave their kid a hard time or something? I don't know.

Detective Armstrong: All right, let's go back to when you lost your archery pin. Tell us again when you lost it.

Marc Huddleston: I noticed it was missing on the Monday before Mr. Miller died, after archery practice. It's always been pinned to my jacket, but when I put my jacket on after practice, I saw that it wasn't there. At the time, I thought it must've fallen off at some point that day.

Detective Armstrong: Has it ever fallen off your jacket before?

Marc Huddleston: No, never. Of course, now I know that it didn't fall off. Someone must've stolen it.

Detective Murphy: When do you think it was stolen?

Marc Huddleston: It was probably during practice because I hadn't taken my jacket off yet until then, and when I did, I left it in the spectator area.

Detective Murphy: Could it have been taken before that day?

Marc Huddleston: It's possible. I don't know when the last time was that I consciously remember seeing it.

Detective Armstrong: Who was in the spectator area during practice that day?

Marc Huddleston: A lot of the parents come to our practices. I don't remember anyone in particular, but just that it seemed to be everyone that was usually there.

Detective Armstrong: Who is usually there?

Marc Huddleston: My dad comes to practice whenever he can. And Scott's mom, Gina, comes a lot.

Detective Armstrong: Scott who?

Marc Huddleston: Scott Rice.

Detective Armstrong: Okay. Who else?

Marc Huddleston: Bailey Vinson's parents both come usually, and Jimmy Bragg's mom. And let's see, Sheila Oster's and Kevin Piper's parents, Brian Bills' mom, and Scott Schreiber's dad. There are some others, but I'm not exactly sure whose parents they are.

Detective Murphy: Did anyone else come to the archery field? Anyone from the school or anyone else?

Marc Huddleston: Not that I noticed.

Detective Armstrong: So if one of the parents did want to kill Mr. Miller, why do you think they would choose you to frame for his murder?

Marc Huddleston: I'm probably just the most obvious suspect since everybody knows about the whole drama over Lizzie and me not being allowed to date. Or maybe they thought that if I was gone too, then that would help their kid rank higher on the team.

Detective Armstrong: If that is the reason, who do you think would be most likely to do that?

Marc Huddleston: Jimmy's mom is probably the most competitive, her and Sheila's mom. But I just can't imagine that any of the parents would do this.

Detective Armstrong: Do you think any of them had it out for Mr. Miller?

Marc Huddleston: I'm sure all of them did in some way, except maybe Brian Bills' mom. She always stands up for him when other parents are complaining. I think probably Sheila's mom hated him the most.

Detective Armstrong: Why do you think that?

Marc Huddleston: Well, Sheila kind of sucks at archery. Sorry. But her mom was, like, a champion archer or something when she was in high school, so she's convinced that Sheila must be great too. But Mr. Miller was always hard on Sheila, and her mom would always get mad at him and accuse him of unfairly singling her out.

Detective Armstrong: But you don't think that he was treating her unfairly?

Marc Huddleston: Not any more unfairly than anyone else. I thought he should ease up on all of us.

Detective Murphy: Getting back to your jacket, was it in the same place you left it when you picked it up after practice?

Marc Huddleston: Yeah. But, oh wait, I don't know if I'm remembering this right, but I think it might have been folded up when I got it after practice. Not all the way folded up but just kind of folded, you know?

Detective Murphy: You never fold it when you leave it somewhere?

Marc Huddleston: No, I just like, throw it wherever. I think I half-registered that as being weird before I noticed the pin was missing, but I didn't connect the two things.

Detective Armstrong: Okay, Marc. What about the arrow? Where were those before Mr. Miller was killed?

Marc Huddleston: In the back of my Jeep. I've thought about this a lot too, and I must've left my doors unlocked, which I do all the time.

Detective Armstrong: That's not very safe.

Marc Huddleston: I know, I need to get better about that. I'll probably be much more careful now, after all this.

Detective Armstrong: So you think someone got it from your unlocked car. When do you think it happened?

Marc Huddleston: It could've been anytime, really. But if it was someone from school, then I assume they got it when I was in class or at practice.

Detective Murphy: Do you park in the student parking lot?

Marc Huddleston: Yeah, except when we have practice or something on the weekends, then I park over in the archery field's parking lot.

Detective Armstrong: Do you remember any specific days when you left your car unlocked?

Marc Huddleston: Um…no. I really can't remember specifically.

Detective Murphy: Did you have archery practice that Saturday before you noticed the pin missing?

Marc Huddleston: Yeah, we have practice almost every Saturday, unless we have some other kind of event or competition.

Detective Murphy: Do you remember who was there that day?

Marc Huddleston: The usual people. I remember seeing Sheila's mom because she was wearing a bright purple hat. I don't remember anyone else specifically, though.

Detective Murphy: Did Coach Lancaster ever go over to the spectator area?

Marc Huddleston: No, he was with us throughout the whole practice, as far as I know.

Detective Armstrong: Is there anything else you've thought of over the past few days that might help us figure this out?

Marc Huddleston: No, that's it. And believe me, I've been trying to think of everything I can. If you ask me, the most likely explanation is one of the parents or teachers. I don't think anyone on the archery team would have any reason to do this.

Detective Armstrong: All right, Marc. That's it for today. Thanks for coming in.

Interview ended – 2:28 p.m.