Neighbor canvass
On July 10 and 11, 2021, the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department conducted a canvass in the vicinity of victim Robert Pruitt's residence, looking for potential witnesses who might have seen or heard anything at the Pruitt residence on July 9, 2021.
The interviews summarized are some of the most typical or relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.
Eubanks
Richard Eubanks
606 Tyler Avenue
Eubanks, 65, is a pediatrician. He owns and resides in the home immediately adjacent to the victim's residence.
Eubanks said that, during the day on July 10, 2021, he worked in his yard until approximately 6:00 p.m., when he went inside to prepare dinner and watch a baseball game on television.
Eubanks said he went outside briefly at approximately 8:15 p.m. and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Eubanks added that he heard his dog bark about 9:00 p.m., but he didn't get up from the TV.
Eubanks said he neither heard nor saw anything of note that night, but added that "the Rib Cage Street Party noise pretty well drowned everything out."
Eubanks also said he did not know the Pruitts well and he rarely saw any other cars near the Pruitt residence.
McSpears
Tatum McSpears
615 Tyler Avenue
McSpears, 87, is a retired professor. He said he heard an older vehicle that was in need of an engine tune-up arrive in the vicinity of the victim's residence "at about 9:00 that night," but that he was involved with listening to a baseball game and did not check the exact time.
McSpears, who is legally blind, said that shortly thereafter, but "not more than 30 minutes," he heard a sound similar to "two firecrackers" but did not take any action to determine the exact nature or source of the noise because he was listening to the ball game and believed the noise was probably related to the Rib Cage Street Party or to the "spectators' revelry."
McSpears said he was only casually acquainted with the Pruitts and did not know of anyone who might mean them harm.
Parker
Amanda Parker
617 Tyler Avenue
Parker, 44, is a real estate agent. She said she was away from her home on errands until about 3:30 p.m. on July 10, 2021. After returning, she was inside her home for the remainder of the afternoon and evening and went to bed at approximately 10:30 p.m.
She said she had her television on and she did not see or hear anything of note that evening or night.
Parker said she had spoken to the Pruitts socially on several occasions but did not know them well. "I know their house though. Very marketable."
Parker also requested that YCSD notify her if they learned that Mrs. Pruitt decided to put her home up for sale.
Sweeney
Hank and Helen Sweeney
518 Tyler Avenue
Mr. Sweeney, 35, is a surgeon at Surgery Consultants of Oxford. Mrs. Sweeney, 34, is a physician's assistant at the same business.
The Sweeneys were home on July 10, 2021, and were "in and out of the house doing yard work and housework" that afternoon and then attended the Rib Cage Street Party that night.
Mrs. Sweeney said she saw "a white truck or van" drive slowly past the victim's home towards 6th Street "a little before 9:00 p.m." when she went out to take the garbage out, but could not provide any further description of the vehicle. She did not see the vehicle's occupant(s).
Mr. Sweeney did not recall seeing the vehicle or any individuals near the victim's residence.
Neither witness recalled any other items of note.
