Group of people around a table with books, laptop and other items

Oxford Writers Circle canvass

On the evening of Monday, December 23, 2024, Detectives Armstrong and Murphy went to Square Books to talk to members of the Oxford Writers Circle who may have information about the homicide of Zoe Chase and/or circumstances leading to the homicide.

The interviews summarized are some of the most typical or relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.


Arthur Bender
Retired professor, 214 Van Buren, Oxford.

Mr. Bender said the meeting went on as usual. He noted that he especially enjoyed Ms. Chase's reading and spoke to her for a few minutes after the meeting ended about the book.

When asked if he noticed any tension among the members, he recalled Ms. LeClaire saying she had a headache but hastened to add that Ms. LeClaire frequently had headaches and was known to leave meetings early sometimes.

When asked if he noticed anything unusual in anyone's behavior that night, he said he hadn't. He said he had been so enraptured by Ms. Chase's reading that he simply didn't pay attention to anyone else. He was keen to ask Ms. Chase's advice on how he should start a story using a mystery idea he'd had for some time, and he was disappointed that he never got a chance to discuss it with her.

When asked if Ms. Chase displayed any unusual behavior in general or toward any other members, he said he noticed nothing unusual and that Ms. Chase had been her usual "vibrant self."

Diane Goldman
Freelance writer/editor of Women on the Run, 309 N 16th, Oxford

Ms. Goldman said she arrived at the meeting just before 8:00 p.m. and noticed that Steven Atwater and Zoe Chase appeared to be in a heated discussion. She didn't overhear what was said but heard from other members that Mr. Atwater was "ticked" about Ms. Chase reneging on an agreement to show his manuscript to her agent.

Ms. Goldman said the writers meeting started about five minutes late, presumably because it took Mr. Atwater a few minutes to collect himself and begin the meeting. She added that though the meeting started as usual, covering the discussion topics and discussion leaders, toward the end, Ms. Chase insisted she be allowed to read some pages from her soon-to-be-published novel.

When asked what response Ms. Chase got from the reading, Ms. Goldman said that most of the members were impressed and somewhat surprised that the pages were so good, though Mallory Benson and Peggy LeClaire seemed neither impressed nor surprised. Ms. Goldman surmised that they had probably both read the manuscript and so did not share the reaction of the rest of the group.

She also mentioned that Mr. Atwater seemed to pay little attention to the reading and spent the last few minutes of the meeting checking his watch and rolling his eyes.

Ms. Goldman said she left Square Books approximately five minutes after the meeting concluded around 10:00 p.m. and that Ms. Chase was still there talking to another member, Arthur Bender, when she left.

When asked if she noticed anyone leaving before the meeting ended, Ms. Goldman said that Ms. LeClaire complained of a headache and left before Ms. Chase's reading ended. She added that she couldn't be sure, but she believed that Ms. Benson also left just before the reading concluded, seeming restless.

Claire Mariani
College student, 1416 Van Buren, Oxford.

Ms. Mariani arrived at the meeting approximately twenty minutes late and did not see anything that happened before or during the early portion of the meeting. She said she was very impressed with Ms. Chase's reading and stayed afterward to chat with her about it. Ms. Chase mentioned she had to leave soon since she was planning an overnight trip to Memphis for shopping and "fun."

When asked if she noticed anyone acting unusually, Ms. Mariani commented that she wondered if Ms. Benson was ill because she appeared pale. Contrary to her usual behavior of staying after the meeting to chat, she left just before the meeting was over.

Richard Roman
Photographer, 1516 Madison, Oxford.

Mr. Roman said he observed no unusual behavior of any note at the meeting, though he had heard from others that Mr. Atwater and Ms. Chase "had words" about Atwater's manuscript. Mr. Roman felt that Mr. Atwater was overreacting, which he felt Mr. Atwater was wont to do.

When asked if he knew of anything unusual occurring between Ms. Chase and any of the other members, Mr. Roman said he recalled that a virus had caused some damage to both Ms. Chase's computer and Ms. Benson's computer several months ago. He believed that Ms. Chase's computer was possibly exposed to the virus because of a file she got from Ms. Benson, but he wasn't absolutely sure because "viruses are rampant among computer users, and no one could be sure where they come from." He said he had recommended a computer consultant to each of them at the time, and the consultant was apparently able to help them recover most of their files.

When asked if he noticed any members leaving early or before the meeting was over, Mr. Roman said he believed Ms. LeClaire had a headache and left about ten minutes before it ended. He added that most everyone was gone within twenty minutes of the meeting ending. He said he saw Ms. Chase leave at about 10:15 p.m., and she was one of the last to leave.


Print  

Latent Fingerprint Kit

 $ 44.00

A real print kit, fully stocked with instructions and enough supplies for at least 50 different print lifts.

ForensiKit Subscription Box

 

$ 44- 54

Explores a different crime scene processing technique each month.

Forensic Science Kit, Missy Hammond Murder

$ 75.00 $ 50.00

Examine the evidence to solve a murder. Dust evidence for prints & test fabric for the presence of blood.

Shop Now

Login

Contact

Crime Scene
3602 N 16th St
Phoenix, AZ 85016

Voice (623) 565-8573
Fax (602)-274-7280

For Crime Scene Store inquiries: store@crimescene.com

For technical assistance: support@crimescene.com

Get Weekly Updates

Get weekly updates on the investigation.

X