ALLEN - THIS IS DET. SGT. MIKE ALLEN OF THE MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT, ALSO PRESENT IS DET. BYRN RIDGE. WE ARE INTERVIEWING A JASON ALAN FRASURE. JASON, HOW OLD ARE YOU?
JASON - 16
ALLEN - 16, YOU DO UNDERSTAND THAT I AM GOING TO TAPE RECORD THIS CONVERSATION, DO YOU HAVE ANY OBJECTIONS TO THAT?
JASON - NO
ALLEN - UH, TODAY'S DATE IS JUNE 11 1993, IT IS 2:12 P.M. JASON, WE'VE GOTTEN SOME INFORMATION FROM A, I BELIEVE IT WAS A LAURA MAXWELL, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH HER?
JASON - A LITTLE BIT
ALLEN - OKAY, SHE HAD GIVEN US SOME INFORMATION REGARDING A CONVERSATION THAT YOU MAY HAVE HAD WITH A GARRETT SCHWARTING, IS THAT CORRECT BRYN?
RIDGE - YES
ALLEN - UH, THIS GARRETT SCHWARTING, DO YOU KNOW HIM?
JASON - YES, A LITTLE BIT, I MEAN, I KNOW HIM IF I SEE HIM AND ALL OF THAT
ALLEN - HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN HIM?
JASON - ABOUT THREE YEARS
ALLEN - OKAY, HAVE YOU EVER GONE TO SCHOOL WITH HIM, OR
JASON - UH, YES IR
ALLEN - OKAY, WHERE DOES HE GO TO SCHOOL, WHERE DO YOU GO
JASON - UH, WE GO TO SCHOOL IN MARION, ME AND HIM BOTH. UH, HE'S, WELL, THIS YEAR HE WAS IN THE 9TH AND I WAS IN THE 9TH.
ALLEN - OKAY, NOW THIS CONVERSATION THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD WITH HIM, THAT THIS LAURA MAXWELL IS TALKING ABOUT, UH, WHAT DID THIS CONVERSATION CONSIST OF, WHEN DID THIS CONVERSATION TAKE PLACE?
JASON - WHEN DO YOU MEAN, GARRETT, THIS TAKE PLACE OR WHEN ME AND MAXWELL
ALLEN - BEFORE I STARTED THIS TAPE, WE, YOU, WERE TELLING ME THAT GARRETT HAD A CONVERSATION WITH YOU UPON AROUND BELVEDERE APARTMENTS.
JASON - YEAH, UH, UH, I DON'T
RIDGE - CLARIFY THE TIME THE MURDERS OF THESE THREE BOYS TOOK PLACE ON ABOUT THE 5TH OF MAY
JASON - OKAY
RIDGE - OKAY, UH WAS IT BEFORE OR AFTER THAT, THIS CONVERSATION TOOK PLACE?
JASON - UH, IT WAS AFTER
RIDGE - OKAY
JASON - THE MURDERS
RIDGE - UH, A WEEK, TWO WEEKS
JASON - UH, IT WAS PROBABLY TWO WEEKS
RIDGE - ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER THE MURDERS TOOK PLACE, YOU HAD A CONVERSATION WITH GARRETT
JASON - YES SIR
RIDGE - OKAY, WHAT DID HE TELL YOU
JASON - HE SAID THAT UH, THAT HE WAS STUDYING TO BE A PSYCHIC AND HE KNEW THIS AND HIM AND THIS GUY WAS STUDYING IT, AND THAT UH, HE SAID THAT UH, DAMIEN AND UH JASON DID IT, BUT JESSIE'S NAME WASN'T INVOLVED, SO UH THEY WAS PRACTICING THEIR WITCH CRAFT AND, HE DIDN'T SAY HOW THE BOYS GOT THERE, OR ANYTHING, HE JUST SAID, THEY DID IT AND THAT'S WHERE THEY PRACTICED THERE WITCH, THEIR SATAN STUFF.
RIDGE - OKAY, AND YOU'VE KNOWN GARRETT FOR A LONG TIME?
JASON - YES SIR
RIDGE - AND, BASICALLY WHAT HE TOLD YOU, YOU BELIEVED AT THAT TIME?
JASON - YES SIR
RIDGE - OKAY
ALLEN - WAS THERE ANYONE ELSE PRESENT WITH YOU WHEN THIS CONVERSATION TOOK PLACE?
JASON - YES SIR, MY COUSIN, JEFF HOOD
ALLEN - JEFF HOOD? LIKE H O O D ?
JASON - YES SIR
RIDGE - HOW DID THIS CONVERSATION GET STARTED?
JASON - OKAY IT GOT STARTED BY, I SAID WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT STUFF AND I SAID, THAT IT WAS AWFUL WHAT HAPPENNED TO THEM THREE BOYS, AND THAT'S HOW IT GOT STARTED
RIDGE - AND WHAT DID HE SAY, FIRST THING, WHAT DID HE SAY?
JASON - UH, OKAY AFTER THAT, HE SAID, UH THAT UH, I KNOW WHO DID IT, AND ALL OF THAT, AND THAT'S WHEN
RIDGE - WHO DID HE TELL YOU DID IT?
JASON - HE TOLD ME JASON BALDWIN AND DAMIEN ECHOLS
RIDGE - OKAY, AND THIS IS GARRETT DOING THE TALKING, I TAKE IT, YOU AND JEFF WERE LISTENING
JASON - YEAH, WE WERE LISTENING TO HIM.
RIDGE - NOW, AFTER HE GETS THROUGH SAYING ALL OF THIS STUFF HE SAYS, UH, DID YOU ACKNOWLEDGE, OKAY, I BELIEVE THAT, OR DON'T BELIEVE THAT, OR DID THE CONVERSATION JUST END
JASON - WELL
RIDGE - DID YOU LEAVE OR
JASON - I TOLD THEM, I DON'T REALLY KNOW AND ALL OF THAT, AND UH, THAT'S WHEN IT ENDED
RIDGE - DID HE FINALLY SAY, THAT I KNOW OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT OR
JASON - NOT REALLY
ALLEN - WAS THERE ANYONE ELSE WITH HIM UP THERE?
JASON - NO SIR
ALLEN - DO YOU KNOW WHO HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN VISITING UP THERE
JASON - UH, NO, ALL I KNOW, HE WAS RIDING A BIKE UP THERE. HE WAS GOING STRAIGHT, THEN HE JUST WENT INTO THAT CURVE AND SAW US.
RIDGE - OKAY, WHAT TIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT WAS IT?
JASON - IT WAS IN THE MORNING. AROUND, PROBABLY LET'S SEE
RIDGE - ARE WE TALKING A WEEKEND?
JASON - YEAH, IT WAS A WEEKEND. IT WAS ON A PROBABLY SATURDAY,AND THAT'S WHEN HE TALKED TO US. IT WAS IN THE MORNING TIME, UH 11:30, 10:30.
RIDGE - OKAY, I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WORK AT KROGER?
JASON - YES SIR
RIDGE - OKAY, HAVE YOU HAD OCCASION TO SEE HIM AGAIN SINCE THAT CONVERSATION?
JASON - YES SIR
RIDGE - HAVE YOU SPOKEN WITH HIM?
JASON - UM, UM
RIDGE - AND, HE CAME TO THE STORE?
JASON - UM, UM
RIDGE - OKAY, AND HE HAD SOMETHING HE WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT, WHAT DID HE TALK TO YOU ABOUT ON THAT OCCASION?
JASON - OKAY, UH, HE TALKED, HE SAID UH, HE SAID, HAS THE COPS CAME TO SEE YOU YET, AND I SAID, NO. CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY
RIDGE - WAS IT LIKE HE EXPECTED THE COPS TO COME AND SEE YOU?
JASON - I GUESS HE WAS JOKING OR SOMETHING, I JUST SAID, NO, LIKE THAT. I DIDN'T KNOW IF HE WAS JOKING OR WHAT. AND, THEN HE SAID, THAT AND I TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS AT LEAST RIGHT, CAUSE WHAT HE TOLD ME THAT DAMIEN AND JASON DID IT AND THEY GOT CAUGHT. AND UH, HE SAID, THEN HE SAID, WELL, UH, JESSIE DIDN'T. IT WAS JUST DAMIEN AND JASON DIDN'T. I DONE FORGOT WHAT HE SAID DAMIEN. IT WAS JUST THAT JASON WAS AT DAMIEN'S HOUSE AND UH, WHEN THE COPS CAME THEY TOOK JASON AND DAMIEN.
RIDGE - WHAT HE WANTED TO TELL YOU WHEN HE CAME TO KROGER, WAS THAT BASICALLY WHAT HE TOLD YOU WAS THE FIRST TIME WASN'T RIGHT, THAT JASON DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE KILLING? DID HE SAY ANYTHING WHETHER OR NOT DAMIEN HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE KILLINGS ON THE SECOND TIME?
JASON - HE SAID THAT DAMIEN DIDN'T DO IT
RIDGE - HE DID, OKAY
JASON - BUT, HE DIDN'T JUST COME UP TO KROGERS JUST TO TELL ME THAT, HE JUST BOUGHT A FEW GROCERIES
RIDGE - HE WAS JUST THERE?
JASON - UGH, UGH
ALLEN - WAS HE WITH SOMEONE ELSE AT THE TIME?
JASON - HE WAS WITH HIS SISTER AND SOMEBODY ELSE, I DON'T KNOW WHO.
RIDGE - DID YOU HAVE ANY OTHER CONVERSATION WITH HIM?
JASON - NO SIR
RIDGE - HAVE YOU HAD ANY OTHER CONVERSATIONS WITH ANYBODY ABOUT THESE MURDERS, WHEN THEY HAVE SAID, WHO DID IT OR HE DIDN'T DO IT?
JASON - SEE, AFTER THAT WE WENT STRAIGHT TO MY HOUSE, AND THAT'S WHEN JAMIE, JEFF'S BROTHER PICKED HIM UP AND WE SAID, THEY, WAIT, WAIT, I'M SORRY, UH IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT HE TOLD US THAT, AND WE TOLD JAMIE THAT AND UH, HE SAID THAT HE DIDN'T BELIEVE IT, HE JUST SAID, NAW AND ALL OF THAT, BUT UH, I THINK AFTER THE SECOND TIME HE TOLD ME. I'VE ONLY TOLD LIEK A FEW PEOPLE IN CLASS.
RIDGE - OKAY
ALLEN - DO YOU KNOW THIS LAURA MAXWELL?
JASON - I KNOW HER PRETTY GOOD, NOT THAT GOOD
ALLEN - DO YOU KNOW WHERE SHE LIVE?
JASON - I JUST, LIVE SOMEWHERE IN MARION, I GUESS
ALLEN - OKAY, UH, THIS LAURA MAXWELL, YOU THINK LIVES IN MARION?
JASON - I THINK SO
ALLEN - DOES SHE GO TO MARION SCHOOL?
JASON - YES SIR, I DON'T KNOW WHERE SHE LIVE, WE'RE JUST A LITTLE BIT GOOD FRIENDS.
ALLEN - OKAY, IF THE STATEMENT WAS MADE THAT GARRETT SCHWARTING SAID THAT HE DOESN'T KNOW YOU, AT ALL, HE NEVER HEARD OF NO JASON FRASURE, UH, YOU SAID THAT YOU'VE KNOW HIM FOR TWO YEARS
JASON - YEAH, I KNOWN HIM LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR
ALLEN - OKAY, UH, I MEAN, ARE YOU ALL FRIENDS, GOOD FRIENDS, ACQUAINTANCES OR
JASON - WE ARE FRIENDS, BUT NOT GOOD FRIENDS. I MEAN IF I WALKED UP TO HIM, I WOULD SAY HI AND TALK TO HIM A LITTLE BIT. I MEAN IT'S NOT LIKE I SPENT THE NIGHT WITH OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
ALLEN - DO YOU FEEL LIKE HE KNOWS YOUR NAME?
JASON - UM, UM
ALLEN - I MEAN, DOES HE CALL YOU BY NAME?
JASON - YES SIR
ALLEN - OKAY, NOW JEFF HOOD
JASON - MY COUSIN
ALLEN - YOUR COUSIN, HOW OLD IS HE?
JASON - HE'S 15
ALLEN - 15. OKAY, UH, AND THIS 739- XXXX IS WHERE, HIS PHONE NUMBER AND YOU SAID THAT HE LIVED AT CLARKEDALE NEAR WAPANOCA?
JASON - YEAH, WAPANOCA IS IN CLARKEDALE. IT'S HOME IS RIGHT BY WHERE YOU PUT YOUR BOAT AT IN WAPANOCA.
ALLEN - OKAY, UH IF I, WOULD HE BE AT HOME TODAY?
JASON - YES SIR
ALLEN - OKAY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THIS STATEMENT?
JASON - THAT'S ALL I KNOW
ALLEN - I'M GOING TO COMPLETE THIS INTERVIEW, THE TIME IS NOW 2:2PM.
