THIS IS DET. RIDGE WITH THE WEST MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT, CURRENTLY IN THE WEST MEMPHIS POLICE DEPARTMENT. TODAY'S DATE IS 9/16/93 THE TIME IS 1:47 P.M. CURRENTLY IN THE OFFICE WITH KENNETH WATKINS AND HIS MOTHER AND BILL DURHAM. OKAY KENNETH, WE'VE ALREADY DONE ONE STATEMENT TODAY. IN THAT STATEMENT, YOU WENT THROUGH THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE ON 5/5/93, WHICH WAS ON A WEDNESDAY. YOU SKIPPED SCHOOL THAT DAY, CORRECT?

KENNETH- YES SIR.

RIDGE- OKAY. ON FRIDAY, OR EXCUSE ME, ON THURSDAY, THE FOLLOWING DAY. WHAT HAPPENED ON THAT DAY?

KENNETH- I WENT TO SCHOOL, JASON WENT TO SCHOOL. ALL DAY UNTIL WE GOT HOME FROM SCHOOL. THEN WE ALL, WE WAS ALL SITTING OVER AT DAMION'S WAITING FOR JASON, AT HIS HOUSE. THEN, ME..THEN, UH, CARL CAME OVER...

RIDGE- YOU SAY CARL. CARL WHO?

KENNETH- SMITH. RIGHT ACROSS THE ROAD.

RIDGE- FROM JASON.

KENNETH- YEAH. AND WE WERE SITTING THERE LISTENING TO SOME MUSIC AND PLAYING NINTENDO, SOME OF IT. THEN JASON'S MOM CALLS AND SAYS THAT THREE KIDS HAVE BEEN MURDERED, AND UH, BEHIND THE, UH, WOODS BACK THERE. BEHIND THE TRAILER PARK. THEN, NONE OF US BELIEVED IT. WELL, I DID, AND CARL DIDN'T. THEN, THE COPS CAME BACK, THAT CAME TO JASON'S HOUSE.

RIDGE- WHAT DID DAMION HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT?

KENNETH- DAMION DIDN'T SAY NOTHING. HE WAS JUST SITTING THERE BEING QUIET.

RIDGE- SO WHEN HIS MOTHER CALLED..WHEN JASON'S MOTHER CALLED AND DAMION HEARD THE NEWS THAT THREE BOYS HAD BEEN KILLED, DID HE REACT AT ALL?

KENNETH- HE JUST SAT BACK THERE AND JUST DID NOTHING.

RIDGE- OKAY. WHAT OCCURS NEXT?

KENNETH- THEN, ABOUT TWO HOURS LATER, THE COPS CAME. HIS PROBATION OFFICER AND A COP CAME TO HIS HOUSE AND WANTED TO TALK TO HIM. THEN THEY ASKED WHERE HIS MOM WAS, AND SO I GUESS THEY WENT TO COURT THE NEXT DAY.

RIDGE- NOW YOU SAID HIM, AT THAT TIME YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT JASON?

KENNETH- YEAH, JASON. THE COPS TALKED TO JASON.

RIDGE-OKAY.

KENNETH- THEY WENT UP AND KNOCKED ON THE DOOR, AND ASKED IF JASON WAS THERE. AND JASON, IT WAS HIS PROBATION OFFICER. AND THEY WANTED TO TAKE HIM DOWNTOWN FOR QUESTIONING.

RIDGE- DOES STEVE JONES SOUND FAMILIAR, BEING THAT PROBATION OFFICER.

KENNETH- YES, I THINK IT WAS, I'M NOT POSITIVE.

RIDGE- NOW, YOU MENTIONED WHEN A TAPE WAS BROUGHT INTO THE HOUSE. WHEN DOES THAT OCCUR.

KENNETH- CARL BOUGHT, NEXT DOOR TO HIS HOUSE, THEY GOT A TAPE, AND HE CAME BACK AND ME AND HIM WENT IN THERE TO PUT IT IN. AND DAMION AND JASON WENT IN THE LIVING ROOM TO TALK.

RIDGE- OKAY, AND WHEN YOU CAME OUT OF THE BEDROOM...

KENNETH- THEY STOPPED TALKING AND STARTED TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE.

RIDGE- SO THEY WERE OBVIOUSLY TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THEY DIDN'T WANT YOU TO HEAR.

KENNETH- YEAH.

RIDGE- IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? OKAY. NOW, DID ANYTHING ELSE HAPPEN THAT DAY.

KENNETH- NUN UH.

RIDGE- OKAY. THE NEXT DAY ON FRIDAY.

KENNETH- FRIDAY, WE WAS WALKING...

RIDGE- OKAY, YOU SAY WE. WHO DO YOU MEAN, WE?

KENNETH- ME AND DAMION.

RIDGE- ALRIGHT, WHAT TIME WAS IT?

KENNETH- ABOUT 4. TO GET DOMINI.

RIDGE- OKAY. YOU WERE WALKING FROM...

KENNETH-...LAKESHORE CAUSE WE HAD TO GO GET...YEAH.

RIDGE- AND WHERE WERE YOU GOING?

KENNETH- WAL-MART.

RIDGE- OKAY.

KENNETH- THEN WE WALKED ON THE OVERPASS, WHICH DAMION, AND DAMION SAID THAT HE WAS THERE, AND A COUPLE OF OTHER FRIENDS. A FEW PEOPLE.

RIDGE- NOW WHAT'S HE TALKING ABOUT WHEN HE SAYS HE WAS THERE.

KENNETH- HE SAID THAT HE KNOWS WHO KILLED THE LITTLE KIDS, CAUSE HE WAS THERE, WITH A COUPLE OF PEOPLE.

RIDGE- OKAY.

KENNETH- AND I STARTED TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE.

RIDGE- YOU MENTIONED A FEW MINUTES AGO THAT DAMION SAID HE WANTED TO BE PART OF A GROUP OR HAD BEEN BEING PICKED ON. WHEN DID THAT CONVERSATION COME UP?

KENNETH- IT WAS BEFORE THAT CONVERSATION CAME UP. CAUSE, EVERYBODY WAS PICKING ON HIM AND LAUGHING AT HIM AND ALLTHAT. AND TALKED ABOUT HIM, AND HE SAID HE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING THAT NO ONE WOULD PICK ON HIM OR TALK ABOUT HIM OR ANYTHING. HE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING

RIDGE- YOU USED THE WORD DRASTIC WHILE AGO.

KENNETH- YEAH, DRASTIC.

RIDGE- WHAT WERE HIS WORDS?

KENNETH- HE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING DRASTIC, SO NO ONE WOULD TALK ABOUT, OR, YOU KNOW, TEASE HIM.

RIDGE- OKAY.

KENNETH- THEN WE GOT IN THAT CONVERSATION, WHERE HE SAID THAT HE WAS THERE, AND HE KNOW WHO DONE IT.

RIDGE- OKAY. THE CONVERSATION WHERE HE SAYS, PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT HIM, PEOPLE WERE PICKING ON HIM, AND HE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING DRASTIC SO THAT THEY WOULDN'T DO THAT ANYMORE.

KENNETH- YEAH...

RIDGE- WHERE WERE YOU AT WHEN THAT CONVERSATION TOOK PLACE/

KENNETH- ON THE BRIDGE. ON THE OVERPASS, GOING TO WAL-MART.

RIDGE- OKAY, THE HE SAID HE WANTED TO BELONG TO A CULT?

KENNETH- HE SAID HE WANTED TO BELONG TO SOMETHING.

RIDGE- WANTED TO BELONG TO SOMETHING. ALRIGHT, WAS SOMETHING SAID ABOUT A CULT?

KENNETH- NUH UH. THEN A FEW DAYS LATER, I WAS TALKING TO A GIRLFRIEND OF MINE. SHE SAID THAT HE USED TO BE IN A CULT, BUT HE GOT OUT OF IT. I GUESS HE WANTED TO JOIN, AGAIN.

RIDGE- OKAY. ABOUT WHAT TIME WAS IT, YOU WERE ON THE OVERPASS AND HE TOLD YOU HE WAS THERE WHEN THE BOYS WERE KILLED?

KENNETH- ABOUT 4.

RIDGE- 4 IN THE EVENING.

KENNETH- YEAH.

RIDGE- OKAY. AND DID YOU GO TO WAL-MART?

KENNETH- WE WENT TO WAL-MART AND GOT DOMINI AND CAME BACK.

RIDGE- OKAY. HOW LONG WERE YOU AT WAL-MART?

KENNETH- NOT VERY LONG, WE JUST CAME AND GOT HER THEN WE LEFT AGAIN.

RIDGE- OKAY. DAMION SPENDS A LOT OF TIME AT WAL-MART, AND YOU SPEND A LOT OF TIME THERE WITH HIM. WHAT DOES HE DO WHEN HE'S THERE?

KENNETH- WE...ME...USUALLY PLAY VIDEO GAMES THERE.

RIDGE- WELL, WHAT DOES HE DO?

KENNETH- HE JUST SITS BACK AND WATCHES. CAUSE, JASON HAS THAT SUPER NINTENDO AT HOME, AND HE HAS STREETFLIGHT II AND HE ALWAYS GOES TO WAL-MART AND PLAYS.

RIDGE- OF COURSE IT'S BEEN ON THE NEWS, REPORTS HAVE BEEN OUT THAT DAMION HAS DONE A LOT OF SHOPLIFTING FROM WAL-MART. DO YOU KNOW OF ANY OF THAT?

KENNETH- NUH UH. CAUSE I NEVER WENT IN WITH HIM. ME AND JASON JUST STAYED OUT IN FRONT AND PLAYED VIDEO GAMES.

RIDGE- OKAY, SO WAL-MART IS A PRETTY REGULAR PLACE, WHEN...

KENNETH- YEAH WAL-MART AND THE BOWLING ALLEY.

RIDGE- SO BACK TO WEDNESDAY. WHEN YOU LEFT ABOUT 5:30, 5:45...

KENNETH- THEY SAID THEY WAS GOING TO THE BOWLING ALLEY.

RIDGE- THEY WERE GOING SOMEWHERE?

KENNETH- YEAH, THEY SAID THEY WAS GOING TO THE BOWLING ALLEY.

RIDGE- OKAY.

KENNETH- I TOLD THEM I HAD TO GO, BECAUSE I HAD TO GO HOME AND BABYSIT.

RIDGE- OKAY. WHEN YOU GOT HOME, AND THEN YOU WENT BACK OVER TO JASON'S HOUSE, AT WHAT TIME?

KENNETH- ABOUT 6:45.

RIDGE- AND NO ONE WAS THERE?

KENNETH- HIS MOM'S BOYFRIEND. HE SAID THAT THEY WASN'T HOME YET. AND I WENT BACK OVER THERE, FINISHED WATCHING THE SHOW. THEN A LITTLE BIT AFTER THAT, I WENT OVER THERE TO SEE IF THEY WERE HOME AGO.

RIDGE- WHAT WAS THE SHOW YOU WERE WATCHING?

KENNETH- IT WAS A MOVIE.

RIDGE- ON T.V.?

KENNETH- YEAH.

RIDGE- WAS IT A RENTAL MOVIE?

KENNETH- HUH UH. IT WAS A MOVIE ON T.V. IT'S LIKE A SERIES.

RIDGE- IT'S LIKE A ONE HOUR SHOW?

KENNETH- IT'S A HALF AND HOUR SHOW. LET'S SEE, I WATCHED FULL HOUSE, THEN WATCHED SOMETHING ELSE, AND I WENT OVER THERE.

RIDGE- WHAT KIND OF MOVIES DO YOU NORMALLY LIKE TO WATCH ON WEDNESDAY EVENINGS?

KENNETH- KING-FU, AND...

RIDGE-TIMETRACKS?

KENNETH- NO, I DON'T LIKE TIMETRACKS THAT MUCH. I USUALLY WATCH THAT, I DON'T EVEN WATCH MUCH T.V.

RIDGE- 90210.

KENNETH- UH UH.

RIDGE- YOU DON'T LIKE IT?

KENNETH- I DON'T WATCH MUCH T.V.

RIDGE- ALRIGHT, DID YOU WATCH KUNG-FU...

KENNETH- UH UH...

RIDGE- THAT NIGHT?

KENNETH- I WATCHED BONANZA. AND THEN (INAUDIBLE) THAT BONANZA WAS ON.

RIDGE- OKAY, HOW LONG WERE YOU THERE AT JASON'S?

KENNETH- JUST ABOUT 2 HOURS.

RIDGE- THAT EVENING.

KENNETH- YEAH. AND WHEN I GOT HOME, I WENT BACK OVER THERE AND WE STAYED ABOUT 2 HOURS AND I CAME HOME, AND WAS WATCHING BONANZA, AND I WATCHED PART OF IT, AND I WENT TO SLEEP ON THE COUCH.

RIDGE- ALRIGHT. SO, THURSDAY, WHAT HAPPENED ON THURSDAY/

KENNETH- THURSDAY?

RIDGE- UH HUH. YOU WENT TO SCHOOL...

KENNETH- I WENT TO SCHOOL, THEN...

RIDGE- YOU GOT A PHONE CALL FROM JASON'S MOTHER WHILE YOU WERE AT JASON'S HOUSE.

KENNETH- YEAH, THEN A FEW HOURS...

RIDGE- WAS JASON AT HOME WHEN YOU GOT THAT PHONE CALL?

KENNETH- YEAH, JASON IS THE ONE THAT ANSWERED THE PHONE.

RIDGE- SO, JASON JUST ANNOUNCES TO EVERYBODY WHAT HIS MOTHER HAD TO SAY ON THE TELEPHONE?

KENNETH- YEAH. THEN I CALLED MOM AND TOLD MOM ABOUT IT.

RIDGE- OKAY. DO YOU REMEMBER GIVING THAT PHONE CALL? OKAY. AND DAMION DIDN'T REACT?

KENNETH- UH UH.

RIDGE- ABOUT THE THREE BOYS THAT WERE FOUND KILLED.

KENNETH- HE DIDN'T DO NOTHING. HE JUST SAT THERE.

RIDGE- WHAT ABOUT JASON? HOW DID HE REACT?

KENNETH- HE WAS GOING CRAZY. LIKE, OH MY GOD AND ALL THAT. LIKE HE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.

RIDGE- OR WAS SCARED?

KENNETH- WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF HE WAS SCARED. EITHER ONE. HE JUST GOT SCARED.

RIDGE- OKAY. THEN FRIDAY, YOU'RE WALKING FROM LAKESHORE TO WAL-MART WITH DAMION AND HE TELLS YOU THAT HE'S TIRED OF BEING PICKED ON.

KENNETH- AND AFTER THAT, TALKED ABOUT...

RIDGE- AND THAT HE HAD DONE SOMETHING DRASTIC, AND THEN A FEW MINUTES LATER HE TELLS YOU THAT HE WAS THERE WITH A COUPLE OF BUDDIES WHEN...

KENNETH- ...WHEN IT HAPPENED.

RIDGE- WHEN IT HAPPENED. HE'S TALKING ABOUT THE MURDERS.

KENNETH- THE MURDERS.

RIDGE- IS THAT WHAT HE SAID?

KENNETH- HE SAID, I WAS THERE WHEN THE THREE LITTLE KIDS GOT KILLED.

RIDGE- THAT'S WHAT HE TOLD YOU?

KENNETH- THAT'S WHAT HE TOLD ME.

RIDGE- OKAY. ALRIGHT. ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK ABOUT?

KENNETH- NO SIR.

RIDGE- AND THEN YOU HAD A GIRLFRIEND. WHO WAS THIS GIRLFRIEND THAT TOLD...

KENNETH- NATASHA.

RIDGE- ...YOU. NATASHA WHO?

KENNETH- UM, SHE LIVES RIGHT DOWN THE STREET.

RIDGE- IN LAKESHORE?

KENNETH- NO, SHE LIVES IN WEST MEMPHIS BY THAT DITCH. RIGHT AROUND THERE SOMEWHERE.

RIDGE- WHAT DITCH ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

KENNETH- THAT ONE RIGHT UP, YOU KNOW, THAT ONE THAT THE SCHOOL'S GOT WC AND WHATEVER.

RIDGE- OH OKAY. THERE BY...

KENNETH- RIGHT UP IN THERE SOMEWHERE.

RIDGE-...WORTHINGTON PARK. SOMEWHERE ON THAT ROAD.

KENNETH- YEAH.

RIDGE- OKAY. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF.

KENNETH- UH UH.

RIDGE- OKAY. I'M GOING TO CONCLUDE THIS INTERVIEW. THE TIME IS 1:58 P.M. MAM, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF THAT YOU NEED TO SAY? HAS HE TOLD YOU ANY OF THIS INFORMATION IN THE PAST?

SHIRLEY- NO, NO (INAUDIBLE)

RIDGE- OKAY. I'M GOING TO CONCLUDE THE INTERVIEW,
1:58 P.M.