Hometown Killer. Carol J. Rothgeb
I’m going to explain something to you right now. We know you’re lying. I know you helped him hide it. Do you think John told you everything he told us today? No, he didn’t. Why do you think you’re sitting here? Because he told us what you did. Now it’s your turn to tell the truth. Did you help him dispose of some evidence from the crime?
David (haltingly): Yes. Buried it—at the house—in the backyard. Down in some hole—I don’t know how deep that hole is. Out in the field . . . really beside the house, toward back, more, you know, more toward back. You guys think I’m lying?
Moody: Why are you afraid of John?
David: He’s a big man. I don’t know where the stuff’s at. All I know is—I’ll probably go to jail. Panties . . . I don’t know what they look like. You’re looking for something.
Moody: That’s pretty good. How do you know we’re looking for panties? You know what I think? I think you’re just as guilty as John is. I think you are just as guilty as Jamie Turner is and I think you are just as guilty as Alex Boone is. You’re guilty of murder too, aren’t you? Think you can survive in prison?
David: I don’t know.
Moody: Think you’re going to get to find out. Well, you aren’t helping yourself any here, David. You tell me you think we’re looking for panties, why? You helped kill them girls, didn’t you? David?
David (insisting he was not there): I was at the house. Moody: What is it you’re afraid of, David?
David: I don’t know.
Moody: What? Just go ahead and say it. Did you have sex with those girls?
David: No.
Moody: You willing to give us some of your blood?
(David nodded yes.)
Moody: Okay. Did you help him dispose of some things?
David (uneasiness apparent in his voice—and his manner—as he tried to convince the detectives): No. See I didn’t even know . . . Let me put it this way—I knew they was going to Schuler’s Bakery, okay. I was at the house, but I didn’t know what happened. I wasn’t there when all this was supposed to be taking place. I was not there. I don’t know where the stuff is buried—’cause he didn’t have nothing when he come in the house. All he said is, uh . . . that, uh, he had something to do with it. And, uh, like I told you first the other day, that one guy by the name of Lloyd turned around and told Jamie to shut up. I didn’t help him with nothing. I didn’t hide anything. I don’t know where the stuff is at.
Moody: Okay, you stick with that. You understand what we told you, right? You understand that if you’ve done something wrong, you’re going to be punished, right?
David: Yeah, but I ain’t done nothing.
Moody: Okay, well, then, fine, you stick with that, all right. We’re done talking.
At 11:42 that same night, Sergeant Moody and Detective Graeber interviewed John Balser again. This time Joe Jackson was not present. John was talkative and outgoing and there were never long silences when he was being questioned. He listened as Detective Graeber read him his rights again.
Graeber: Now what I want you to understand . . . You were home when they came up and got Dave, right?
John: Yeah.
Graeber: And we had a long talk with Dave, real long talk. And you and Dave are close. And you talk a lot.
John: Yeah.
Graeber: In other words, you tell Dave a lot of stuff. As a matter of fact, you tell Dave everything, don’t you?
John: Yeah.
Graeber: Okay, so we’re going back to what you told Dave about this night. Okay?
John: Okay.
Graeber: Okay, now you start and tell me the whole thing.
John: Okay, me and Jamie went after doughnuts like I told you and him. I took those back to Robby and Willie, like I said. Me and Jamie went our separate ways that night. I went home and Jamie went wherever with Lloyd. I don’t stay in contact that night with those.
Graeber: What did you tell Dave you did that night?
John: I told him me and Jamie went after doughnuts. That’s all I told Dave, Sergeant Mooo-nee. (John pronounced Moody as “Mooo-nee.”)
Graeber: You told him you grabbed their arms, didn’t you?
John: No, I didn’t. I didn’t say nothing like that, Mooo-nee. I didn’t do nothing, Mooo-nee. If I did, I’d told you first beginning.
Moody: Were those girls mean to you?
John: No.
Moody: Did they say mean things to you?
John: No.
Moody: All right. Did they say mean things to Jamie?
John: Said it to Jamie.
Moody: What did Jamie do?
John: Jamie hit those. Me, Lloyd, and Jamie—
Moody: Lloyd wasn’t there. We know Lloyd wasn’t there.
John: Okay, me and Jamie. I didn’t hurt those girls.
Graeber: We didn’t say you hurt them, did we? But you did have sex with them, didn’t you?
John: Yeah. I didn’t mean . . . I didn’t hurt those in no way.
Graeber: But you had sex with both of them?
John: Yeah. Jamie hold those down, sir, and Jamie did had sex.
Moody: No, Jamie didn’t. Do you know why we know Jamie didn’t have sex?
John: Why?
Moody: Because we have his blood too. And blood doesn’t lie.
John: I didn’t either, sir.
Moody: How come you lied to us about going down to the bakery with Jamie?
John explained: See, when my uncle was in here I didn’t want to say nothing to him. I was wanting . . . talk to you guys by myself. You see my point. Okay, I did have sex with those. Me and Jamie met each other. Down at the bakery—in front of it.
Moody: Who else was there with you, John?
John: Another boy. Colored.
Moody: Do you know his name?
John: No, I don’t. He was there before me and Jamie got there.
Graeber: Where did you guys meet the girls at?
John: Down in behind there. That bakery. Just a big wooded area, I think. A pond.
Moody: John, you lied to Detective Graeber earlier today.
John: I didn’t want Joe to know.
Moody: Joe’s not here now, John. Were you supposed to meet the girls down there?
John: Yeah. Those girls told Jamie. They said, “Bring one of your friends along.” I told Jamie, I said, “Jamie, I don’t want to go.” I said I’d been drinking. I was drinking all day that day.
Moody: Did you hit one of the girls?
John: No. I wouldn’t do that. I did try not [to] hurt those. I was so aggravated at what me and Jamie did. I wasn’t aggravated at those girls. I was so far out on drinking I didn’t know what I was doing.
(Finally John admitted hitting one of the girls with his hand, and then: “I broke a limb off and hit those by that. I didn’t know nothing would happen like that.”)
Moody: What did Jamie hit the girls with?
John: Same thing. I think Jamie hit those girls with a board. I tried to stop him. I tried to stop Jamie. He wouldn’t listen to me.
Moody: Who took