Canvass – Waterson neighbors
On Sunday, August 27, 2023, the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department conducted a canvass at The Turn apartment complex at 588 Hathorn Road, looking for potential witnesses who saw or heard anything unusual in the 24 hours preceding Kristi Waterson's death.
The interviews summarized are some of the most typical or relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.
Gilbert
Beth Gilbert
Age: 26
Profession: Waitress
Apt: 112
Ms. Gilbert said she was cleaning out her car when she saw a tall, college-age male climbing the steps to the second floor of the building just before 8:00 p.m. on August 26, 2023.
She noticed that the male removed a baseball cap and put it in a duffel bag he was carrying. She said he then ruffled his hair, and she assumed he had a date and was trying to fix his hair so he wouldn't have "hat head."
She described the male as wearing light brown pants and a blue button-down shirt but said he always had his back to her, so she could not describe his face.
Miller
Rob Miller
Age: 30
Profession: Realtor
Apt: 1635
Mr. Miller said he had just returned from a date at approximately 1:15 a.m. on August 27, 2023, when he noticed a young male walking out of the apartment complex.
He described it as odd to see someone walking at that time of night, but he assumed it was a drunk college student because the man was walking instead of driving, even though the individual was not acting intoxicated.
Miller said the male was tall and wearing khaki pants and a light-colored shirt.
Mr. Miller noted that he had consumed a couple of alcoholic beverages during the evening himself.
Musgrove
Rebecca Musgrove
Age: 23
Profession: Student
Apt: 26
Mrs. Musgrove said she was studying late on the night of August 26, 2023, when she saw a college-aged male walking quickly and purposefully in the parking lot at approximately 10:05 p.m. She said the subject could have come from her building, but she couldn't say that for sure.
She described the subject as wearing light brown pants, a dark blue shirt, and a baseball cap with Greek lettering on it. She said she thought the man was Hunter Nelson, another student she knows from the University of Mississippi.
Owens
Jack Owens
Age: 29
Profession: Investment banker
Apt: 422
Mr. Owens said he was relaxing on his balcony when he saw an adult male he believed to be Hunter Nelson walking across the courtyard at approximately 7:55 p.m. The individual had on light pants and a dark shirt.
Owens said he called out to the man, and even though the man didn't respond, Owens was still convinced it was Nelson because he recognized Nelson's baseball cap.
Owens said he is a UM graduate and Delta Tau Chi alumni. He works as an investment banker at the Oxford branch of the Bank of Mississippi. He said he knows Nelson from seeing him at the bank as well as at fraternity alumni parties, football games, and other campus events.
