Sudbury: It is March the 8th of 1994. It is now two minutes past noon. Present is L.G. Hollingsworth. Date of birth, 2/4/76. I am Lieutenant James Sudbury of the West Memphis Police Department; also present is Detective Bill Durham of the West Memphis Police Department. We are having an interview with Mr. Hollingsworth in reference to a conversation, L.G., that you had with Damien Echols, and you tell me if this is correct, sometime about two months, maybe not that long, prior to May of 1993.
L.G.: That’s correct.
Sudbury: OK. Could you tell me what your discussion – your conversation was about? First of all, where were you at; what were you doing?
L.G.: We was coming back from my house, I believe. We was walking, I do know that. We was walking.
Sudbury: OK. And you said you were coming from your house, or going to your house?
L.G.: We was coming from my house, I believe.
Sudbury: What address was that?
L.G.: 714 McCauley Circle.
Sudbury: OK. Do you remember where you were going?
L.G.: We was going to Belvedere.
Sudbury: To do what?
L.G.: To meet up with my girlfriend and his girlfriend.
Sudbury: OK. So you all were walking down the street and in the course of that you all have a conversation. Could you tell me what that conversation was about?
L.G.: Yeah, he asked me –
Sudbury: Now he – use his name, so everybody will know who you’re talking about.
L.G.: OK. Damien asked me could I kill somebody, and I says, “I don’t think I could kill them unless they did something really bad to me.” I said, “I’d probably hurt them bad first.” And then I says, “Why you ask?” He says, “Cause I’m thinking of killing somebody.” I says, “Why you thinking of killing somebody?” He says, “They’re fucking with me.” That’s what he told me. I says, “If there’s some man, then you just go and you beat his ass or you get your ass whooped. If it’s some little teenager, you tell his parents or you call the police.” I say, “You don’t need to do that, because that’s not cool, you know. You’ll go to jail for that.” And we keep walking and stuff and he says, “Just say that you would kill somebody.” I says, “OK, say I would kill somebody.” He says, “How would you do it?” I says, “Well it depends.” He says, “What do you mean it depends?” I said, “It depends on what they did to me to make me kill them.” I says, “I’d probably put a bullet in their head, and if not I’d probably break both of their arms and make them wish they was dead.” And um I says, “Well, what’s up?” or you know, “Would you kill somebody?” And he says, “Yeah.” He says, “I’m thinking of killing somebody” is what he told me. I said, “OK,” I says, “you don’t need to do that. That’s gonna fuck your life up.” I says, “it will mess you up altogether.” He says, “Well” like that, and we left it at that and we kept walking for a little ways more. And he says, “If I was gonna kill somebody I would tie ‘em up, beat ‘em and fuck ‘em. That way they would know that I’m not fucking with nobody. You know, I’m a straight up kind of guy.”
Sudbury: Now who made this statement?
L.G.: Damien Echols.
Sudbury: OK, and how do you know Damien Echols?
L.G.: I know him from his girlfriend Domini. That’s kind of my cousin.
Sudbury: [talking over] And what kind of relation? OK. She’s your cousin and --
L.G.: Kinda sorta.
Sudbury: And he, what’s their relationship?
L.G.: They’re boyfriend and girlfriend.
Sudbury: OK. So this is the same Damien Echols that you’re talking about?
L.G.: Yes, sir.
Sudbury. OK, so go ahead.
L.G.: And alright, so I said, “Well look, you don’t need to do that, you know.” Alright. So we walked on. Alright. And then May the 6th, I think it was May the 6th, when I did talk to Damien he was just like kind of sitting there. He was kind of nervous –
Sudbury: Where did you see him on May the 6th?
L.G.: At Domini’s house in Lakeshore.
Sudbury: And I believe you said you knew it to be May the 6th because a family member had a car accident on the 5th?
L.G.: Yes, on the 5th my aunt had a car accident, and I was in the car with her.
Sudbury: OK. So it was the day after that?
L.G.: The day after.
Sudbury: OK, and you saw him where?
L.G.: At Domini’s house.
Sudbury: OK. And what was your conversation with him that day?
L.G.: That day we sat and I talked to him for a minute and then I left. And I came over there like three times and they were still whatever they was doing, you know, sitting and talking. So I didn’t say too much and I left again. Anyway, he was on the corner, sitting on the corner and my cousin had ran away. You know, she ran back in the woods back there. They was mad at each other.
Sudbury: Your cousin Domini had ran away from Damien?
L.G.: Yes.
Sudbury: This is on the 6th?
L.G.: This is on the 6th.
Sudbury: OK.
L.G.: And I asked him, I said “Hey,” I says. I don’t know why but something made me ask him. I asked him, “Hey,” you know we was sitting talking. I asked him what’s going on between him and his girlfriend. And he says, “Nothing, you know, it’s a bunch of bullshit.” And I said, “OK,” and I said, “Are you still thinking of killing somebody?” like that. He says, “No I ain’t. It’s kind of tooken care of. Don’t worry about it, you know it’s OK.” He said you know kind of fast, you know, I didn’t catch it at first. I thought about what he said and then that’s when I realized that’s what he said, you know. He said it’s tooken care of.
Sudbury: Did you know about the death of the three young boys when you asked him this? Or did you know, or were you aware of that yet?
L.G.: I was --
Sudbury: That it happened.
L.G.: On the 6th I think I was, I think that I knew that they was missing, I believe I knew that.
Sudbury: You knew they were missing, but you didn’t know they were dead?
L.G.: No, I don’t know –
Sudbury: You didn’t know they were dead when you asked him this question?
L.G.: No.
Sudbury: OK.
L.G.: I don’t watch a lot of the news. My aunt told me either on the 6th or the 5th there was kids missing. You know I didn’t even know where they was missing from.
Sudbury: Did you ever know what he and Domini were into an argument or confrontation about?
L.G.: No, I never knew. I asked Domini and she said some stupid shit Damien was doing or something like that.
Sudbury: She said that’s why she was upset with him? --
L.G.: Yeah.
Sudbury: -- because of stupid things that he was doing?
L.G.: Yeah. You know, hey look, he’s messing up is basically what she said.
Sudbury: Is there anything else that you needed to add to this taped conversation that we’re having?
L.G.: That’s basically it.
Sudbury: OK.
Durham: On May the 5th, did you see Damien Echols at any time during that day?
L.G.: No, sir, I did not.
Durham: Did you see Jason Baldwin or Jessie Misskelley on that particular day?
L.G.: No, sir. I didn’t see none of them. Now my aunt said that see it was on the 5th or 6th, I don’t remember exactly which one what it was. She dropped me off at my house and she was going back, let’s see, back to her house, alright. And she came back and picked up my other aunt about 10 or something, around there. And she said that she seen Damien and Domini, it could have been somebody else with him, you know. In black leather jackets walking down the little road there.
Sudbury: What is your aunt’s name?
L.G.: Narlene Hollingsworth.
Sudbury: OK. Do you know what aunt it was that she picked up?
L.G.: Um, Dixie Hollingsworth. Well her name’s not Hollingworth no more.
Sudbury: Do you know what time of the afternoon it was that she saw Damien and whoever on, was it the service road?
L.G.: I –
Sudbury: Or did you say where she saw them?
L.G.: She didn’t say exactly. I think it was somewhere over closer by where I live at. That’s –
Durham: Are we talking about 10:00 at night?
L.G.: Yes. Somewhere around there.
Sudbury: L.G., you are aware that this conversation is being tape-recorded. Is that correct?
L.G.: Yes I’m – I know that.
Sudbury: OK. Have we made any promises or threats to you? Have we promised you anything if you would give us this taped interview?
L.G.: Not at all.
Sudbury: Have we threatened you in any way? That if you didn’t we was going to do something to you?
L.G.: No.
Sudbury: So this is a voluntary statement of your own free will.
L.G.: Yes, sir.
Sudbury: OK. It is now eleven minutes after noon. We’re at the Crittenden County sheriff’s office, and this will be the end of this conversation.
