Steve Kirby interview #2

Wednesday, February 21, 2001 – 12:30 p.m.

Steve Kirby was Missy Hammond's high school boyfriend.

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

The interview was recorded with the witness's knowledge and consent.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Steve Kirby

Detective Murphy: Thanks for coming back down. Please state your name and address for us again.

Steve Kirby: Steve Kirby, and my address is 210 Sisk Avenue in Oxford.

Detective Murphy: How tall are you, Steve?

Steve Kirby: I'm about 5' 10".

Detective Murphy: And how much do you weigh?

Steve Kirby: Around 160, 165, I suppose.

Detective Murphy: OK. Now, last time we talked, you said your wife usually runs errands on Friday afternoons, right?

Steve Kirby: That's right.

Detective Murphy: So what do you do if you need to go out, maybe to a customer's office, and your wife has the car? Do you have company cars at your disposal?

Steve Kirby: No, we're much too small to have company cars. If something urgent comes up and I need to go out, I just call Maureen on the cell phone and get her to bring the car back. Or if the customer's site is nearby, sometimes I'll just walk over. Or I can always take a cab if it's too far to walk and Maureen can't get back. It's never really been a problem.

Detective Murphy: Did you take a cab anywhere on the afternoon of Friday, January 26th?

Steve Kirby: No.

Detective Murphy: Are you sure?

Steve Kirby: Yes, I'm positive. It's not something I do very often, so I would remember.

Detective Armstrong: You told us last time that you and Missy Hammond were just friends at the time of her death. Are you still claiming that's the truth?

Steve Kirby: Of course. Why would I lie about that?

Detective Murphy: I'm not sure, but your wife seems to think there was more going on.

Steve Kirby: What are you talking about?

Detective Murphy: Were you and Missy close enough friends that you went to her house?

Steve Kirby: Yes, I guess so. What did you mean about my wife?

Detective Murphy: When was the last time you were at Missy's house?

Steve Kirby: I don't know. What did you mean about my wife?

Detective Armstrong: Did you know your wife hired a private investigator to tail you?

Steve Kirby: That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

Detective Murphy: It's true. Pam Thompson checked up on you and reported back to your wife that something was going on between you and Missy.

Steve Kirby: That's a lie! Nothing happened between us. We just talked.

Detective Armstrong: What did you talk about? Getting back together maybe? Or whether you're Liddie's father?

Steve Kirby: This must be some kind of joke.

Detective Murphy: Definitely not. Do you love your wife, Mr. Kirby?

Steve Kirby: Of course I do.

Detective Armstrong: As much as you loved Missy?

Steve Kirby: Uh, that's a silly question. It's apples and oranges. They're two completely different people and two completely different relationships.

Detective Armstrong: So tell us about your relationship with your wife.

Steve Kirby: What's there to tell? She's really good to me. We get along very well. What more do you want to know?

Detective Armstrong: Everyone we've talked to tells us how passionate you were for Missy. Just how ridiculously in love you two were. And now, when I ask you about your wife, you sound like you're describing a friend.

Steve Kirby: So? What's that got to do with it?

Detective Murphy: Does your wife have a temper?

Steve Kirby: No, I don't guess so. Not any more of a temper than anyone else.

Detective Murphy: Does she get jealous?

Steve Kirby: Well, you just told me that she hired a PI to check up on me and Missy. So, evidently she does get jealous.

Detective Armstrong: Did you know that your wife went to Missy's workplace and caused a scene?

Steve Kirby: No, I didn't know that. Missy mentioned someone making trouble for her, but she didn't tell me who it was.

Detective Murphy: Mr. Kirby, do you think your wife is capable of violence?

Steve Kirby: Now wait just a minute. You're completely out of line here. If you're trying to imply that Maureen had anything to do with Missy's death, you couldn't be more wrong.

Detective Murphy: Why not? When we talked to her, all she could talk about was how important her marriage is. Do you know your wife rarely calls you by your name when she talks about you? Most of the time, she refers to "my husband" like she owns you. She's always been jealous of your relationship with Missy, she hires a PI to look into what you're doing with Missy, she goes and confronts Missy, and then Missy ends up dead. Sounds good to me.

Steve Kirby: I don't care what it sounds like to you! That is completely untrue. Maureen couldn't have killed Missy.

Detective Murphy: Who did then?

Steve Kirby: How in the hell should I know? You're the detectives. You tell me?

Detective Armstrong: How would you react if you found out that you had a daughter?

Steve Kirby: I'm sure I would be terribly excited.

Detective Armstrong: Really? A lot of guys would be upset. Like that football player in North Carolina. Some guys might not want the burden of paying for a child.

Steve Kirby: What are you getting at here, Detective?

Detective Armstrong: We asked you last time about a paternity test for Liddie. Maybe you didn't want anyone to know that you're her father. Maybe you took care of Missy so the truth wouldn't come out.

Steve Kirby: This entire line of questions is just insulting! If you've got anything, then just arrest me and get on with it.

Detective Armstrong: I'm just thinking out loud here. Another option would have been that you wanted Missy back and she decided no. You just couldn't take being rejected by the love of your life for a second time, so you killed her.

Steve Kirby: If you have all these ideas, why am I here? Can't I just leave so you can daydream in peace?

Detective Murphy: Not just yet. We've obtained a court order that compels you to submit a blood sample so we can do our own paternity test to see who Liddie's father really is.

Steve Kirby: What does that have to do with Missy's murder?

Detective Armstrong: You don't want to know whether Liddie is your daughter?

Steve Kirby: I didn't say that. I just don't see how that has anything to do with what happened to Missy.

Detective Armstrong: Looks to us like a lot of people had a lot to lose if it turned out you were Liddie's father, and not Roger Hammond. For example, it could have cost you your marriage, though I wonder who would be more upset about that — you or your wife.

Steve Kirby: Is this how you people always work? To solve your cases? You just bust in on people's personal lives and cause all kinds of pain for everyone? And maybe that has something to do with what you're investigating or maybe it doesn't, but you don't know and you don't care? I'm telling you that this has nothing to do with Missy's death. Why won't you just leave it alone?

Detective Murphy: How do you know it has nothing to do with her death?

Steve Kirby: What?

Detective Murphy: How do you know?

Steve Kirby: How could it? We're talking about a little girl here. How could a little girl be a reason to kill someone?

Detective Armstrong: People have killed for a lot less.

Steve Kirby: Well, you would know more about that than I do.

Detective Armstrong: I thought you said you wanted to know if Liddie is your daughter.

Steve Kirby: Of course, if she is my daughter, I'd like to know about it. But I don't know if it's worth all this.

Detective Armstrong: All this what?

Steve Kirby: All this pain. Don't you know how many people this could hurt?

Detective Murphy: Well, we're sorry about that, but this is a murder investigation and we need to bring Missy's killer to justice. You want that to happen, don't you?

Steve Kirby: Yes, yes, of course. But…

Detective Murphy: Then we need to do the paternity test. When you leave, we'll give you instructions on where to go to submit your sample.

Steve Kirby: There's no other way?

Detective Murphy: No.

Steve Kirby: Well then, I guess I have no choice.

Detective Murphy: No, you don't.

Steve Kirby: Are we through here? I'd just as soon go ahead and get this over with.

Detective Murphy: I guess so. But don't leave town. We'll be getting in touch with you soon.

End interview – 1:08 p.m.