OKAY, TODAY'S DATE IS SEPTEMBER THE THIRD, 1993. THE TIME IF 10:05 A.M. UH, WITH ME IS MERIDETH MCKAY, AND ALSO MERIDETH'S MOTHER. MERIDETH, HOW OLD ARE YOU?

MERIDETH- 19.

GITCHELL- OKAY. AND YOUR DATE OF BIRTH.

MERIDETH- **/**/73.

GITCHELL- OKAY, AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

MERIDETH- 504 BALFOUR.

GITCHELL- OKAY, AND DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL?

MERIDETH- AT ASU.

GITCHELL- OKAY. MERIDETH, UH, I NEED TO GET YOU TO THINK BACK A LITTLE BIT FOR ME. UH, IN QUESTION IS AROUND WEDNESDAY, MAY THE 5TH. I UNDERSTAND THAT UH, POSSIBLY YOUR COUSIN WAS AT YOUR HOUSE ON THAT DAY.

MERIDETH- STACY.

GITCHELL- WHAT'S HER NAME?

MERIDETH- STACY.

GITCHELL- OKAY. TELL ME UH, ABOUT THAT EVENING. WHAT TOOK PLACE, WHAT YOU MAY HAVE SEEN.

MERIDETH- WE WERE WATCHING T.V., AND I GOT UP TO GET A DRINK OF WATER, GET SOMETHING TO DRINK, AND I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND I SAW PAM, PAM AND JOE AND DAMION OVER THERE, AND I TOLD STACY THAT PAM WAS AT HER HOUSE, AND UH, SHE SAID SO, NOBODY'S HOME. SHE EITHER SAID NOBODY OR JENNIFER. AND THEN SHE UM, JUST KIND OF GLANCED OUT THE WINDOW AND THEN SHE STARTED WATCHING T.V. AND WE WAS FINISHED WATCHING T.V. AND THAT WAS IT.

GITCHELL- OKAY, SO AS YOU GOT UP AND LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW, YOU SAW PAM, JOE AND DAMION GETTING OUT OF THE CAR.

MERIDETH- YEAH.

GITCHELL- WHAT, DO YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF CAR THEY DRIVE?

MERIDETH- IT'S A BLUE ONE.

GITCHELL- OKAY. UH, DO YOU KNOW WHO WAS DRIVING THE CAR THAT DAY?

MERIDETH- I THINK JOE WAS. I'M NOT SURE.

GITCHELL- OKAY. AND SO, DO YOU KNOW WHO THE PASSENGER WOULD HAVE BEEN OR POSSIBLY WAS?

MERIDETH- PAM.

GITCHELL- PAM.

MERIDETH- AND DAMION WAS IN THE BACK SEAT ON THIS SIDE, RIGHT SIDE. PASSENGER SIDE IN THE BACK SEAT.

GITCHELL- OKAY. DO YOU KNOW WHAT DAMION HAD ON?

MERIDETH- I THINK HE HAD ON A LONG BROWN TRENCH COAT. I THINK HE, HE HAD ON A LONG TRENCH COAT. I THINK IT WAS BROWN.

GITCHELL- OKAY. UM, WHEN YOU TOLD STACY THAT PAM WAS THERE, WHAT WAS HER REMARK. OR WHAT DO YOU THINK HER REMARK WAS?

MERIDETH- SO, NOBODY'S HOME. OR SO, JENNIFER'S HOME, BUT SHE DIDN'T GO OVER THERE OR NOTHING.

GITCHELL- NOW WHO IS JENNIFER?

MERIDETH- HER LITTLE SISTER.

GITCHELL- DO YOU KNOW HOW OLD JENNIFER IS?

MERIDETH- SHE'S 11.

GITCHELL- OKAY, UM, HOW ARE YOU SURE THAT IT WAS WEDNESDAY THE 5TH?

MERIDETH- BECAUSE WE WERE GOING TO WATCH 90210, AND THAT'S THE ONLY NIGHT IT CAME ON.

GITCHELL-AND WHAT TIME DOES IT COME ON?

MERIDETH- IT COMES ON AT 7.

GITCHELL- OKAY. SO DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT TIME THE CAR PULLED UP THEN?

MERIDETH- I THINK IT WAS PROBABLY AROUND, PROBABLY ABOUT 6:30, PROBABLY.

GITCHELL- OKAY.

MERIDETH- CAUSE MY DADDY WASN'T HOME FROM WORK YET. AND HE GETS OFF AT 6.

GITCHELL- OKAY. UM, THERE HAS BEEN MENTION OF A NOTE THAT WAS LEFT AT THE HOUSE. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT A NOTE THAT MAYBE PAM ECHOLS HAD LEFT AT THE HOUSE?

MERIDETH- NO.

GITCHELL- OKAY, UH, NOW DAMION ECHOLS, HE'S NO RELATION TO YOU IS HE?

MERIDETH- NO.

GITCHELL- OKAY. DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT DAMION?

MERIDETH- NO.

GITCHELL- UH, HAVE YOU EVER TALKED TO HIM?

MERIDETH- NO.

GITCHELL- HAS YOUR COUSINS, STACY OR JENNIFER, EVER MADE ANY MENTION ABOUT DAMION TO YOU?

MERIDETH- YEAH, LITTLE THINGS, I MEAN.

GITCHELL- LIKE WHAT?

MERIDETH- LIKE, THAT TIME WHEN THEY WERE, I TOLD YOU ABOUT THEM UM, THOSE, SOME GUYS WERE TRYING TO START A FIGHT OR SOMETHING AND STACY SAID THAT THEY KNEW THEM, TO LEAVE THEM ALONE, BECAUSE HE'D KILL THEM AND NOT THINK ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I SAID YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT, AND THAT WAS ALL THAT WAS SAID.

GITCHELL- HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYONE ELSE WITH DAMION?

MERIDETH- UH, DOMINI.

GITCHELL- OKAY, DO YOU KNOW WHO SHE IS?

MERIDETH- YEAH.

GITCHELL- WHO IS SHE?

MERIDETH- SHE'S THE GIRLFRIEND, YEAH, HIS GIRLFRIEND.

GITCHELL- OKAY. UM,

MERIDETH- AND UM, HIS OLD GIRLFRIEND FROM SCHOOL, I DON'T KNOW HER NAME, ANN, I THINK, ANNA OR SOMETHING, CAUSE WE WENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER.

GITCHELL- OKAY. HAS THERE BEEN ANY MENTION OF UH, DAMION'S BELIEFS OR ANY OF HIS ACTIVITIES FROM YOUR COUSINS. ANYTHING STRANGE, OR NOT NORMAL, OR....

MERIDETH- THEY DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEY SAY THAT IT'S, HE'S CATHOLIC, THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG, OR SOMETHING.

GITCHELL- OKAY. HAS THERE EVER BEEN A MENTION OR HIM BEING IN, BELIEVING IN BLACK MAGIC, OR A WITCH OR ANYTHING?

MERIDETH- WE HEARD THAT AT SCHOOL. I DIDN'T HEAR IT FROM THEM. EVERYBODY JUST KIND OF SAID IT AT SCHOOL CAUSE OF THE WAY HE DRESSED.

GITCHELL- OKAY. HOW DOES HE DRESS?

MERIDETH- HE WEARS LIKE, ALL BLACK CLOTHES, AND THESE BLACK BOOTS AND HAS CHAINS ON THEM SOMETIMES, AND...

GITCHELL- HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING ON THOSE BOOTS?

MERIDETH- UM.

GITCHELL- ANY NUMBERS ON THE BOOTS, OR ANYTHING.

MERIDETH- UH UH. NO, I HADN'T EVER PAID ATTENTION.

GITCHELL- OKAY. UM, DO YOU KNOW WHERE UH, YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE MAY HAVE BEEN THAT NIGHT?

MERIDETH- THEY WENT TO SPLASH WITH DON.

GITCHELL- OKAY, WAS THERE ANYONE ELSE WITH DON?

MERIDETH- I THINK HIS WIFE WAS, OR HIS GIRLFRIEND, WHATEVER SHE IS.

GITCHELL- DO YOU KNOW HER NAME?

MERIDETH-NO.

GITCHELL- OKAY. UH, DOES YOUR AUNT AND UNCLE GO TO SPLASH VERY OFTEN, DO YOU KNOW?

MERIDETH- THEY'VE BEEN UH, ABOUT 5 TIMES. THEY WENT, THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME THEY'D EVER BEEN, WITH DON, AND THEY'VE BEEN RECENTLY WITH PAM AND JOE. LIKE 4 OR 5 TIMES.

GITCHELL- OKAY. SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT PAM AND JOE ECHOLS, DAMION'S PARENTS?

MERIDETH- YEAH.

GITCHELL- THEY'VE BEEN TO SPLASH WITH THEM.

MERIDETH- UH HUH. AND PAM'S MOM GOES, WENT A COUPLE OF TIMES.

GITCHELL- UM, HOW, DO YOU KNOW HOW CLOSE THEY ARE TO PAM AND JOE.

MERIDETH- THEY'RE LIKE THEIR BEST FRIENDS.

GITCHELL- ARE THEY? OKAY.

MERIDETH- THEY LIKE, UH, MICHELLE AND DAMION, AND STACY AND JENNIFER, THEY ALL LIKE GREW UP TOGETHER OR SOMETHING.

GITCHELL- OKAY. BUT YOU ONLY SAW 3 PEOPLE GETTING OUT OF THE CAR. DID YOU SEE ANYONE ELSE?

MERIDETH- NO.

GITCHELL- OKAY. OKAY, ALSO I HAVE SITTING HERE WITH ME, IS UH, MERIDETH'S MOTHER, AND CAN I GET YOUR NAME, FOR THE RECORD HERE?

DEBBIE- DEBBIE MCKAY.

GITCHELL-OKAY, MS. MCKAY, I UNDERSTAND THAT POSSIBLY, YOU WERE ALSO AT THE HOUSE ON THIS DAY.

DEBBIE- YES. IF IT WAS A WEDNESDAY NIGHT, I WAS OFF. AND I WAS, I THINK THAT WAS THE NIGHT.

GITCHELL- OKAY. BUT ARE YOU, DO YOU KNOW FOR SURE, OR

DEBBIE- TO BE EXACTLY THAT WEDNESDAY, NO.

GITCHELL- OKAY.

DEBBIE- BUT I DO, YOU KNOW, ON A WEDNESDAY, WEDNESDAY NIGHT, THE KIDS HAD GOT US INTO WATCHING T.V., AND IT WAS, HAD BEEN RAINING, OR LOOKED LIKE IT WAS FIXING TO RAIN, OR SOMETHING, SO WE WERE IN THE HOUSE.

GITCHELL- OKAY. WHAT PROGRAM IS IT THAT THE KIDS HAVE GOTTEN YOU TO WATCH?

DEBBIE- UH, 90210. TOWARDS THE END OF THE, YOU KNOW BEFORE IT WENT OFF FOR THE SUMMER.

GITCHELL- OKAY. UM DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT WHAT TIME THIS WAS?

DEBBIE- NO. NOT TO BE, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHO ALL WAS AT THE HOUSE. I KNOW MERIDETH WAS, AND STACY, AND ME. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE ELSE, I DON'T EVEN THINK RICKY WAS HOME YET.

GITCHELL- OKAY.

DEBBIE- SO, THEY HAD SAID THAT SUSAN WAS GONE. I KNEW SUSAN WASN'T AT HOME.

GITCHELL- NOW WHO'S SUSAN?

DEBBIE- MY SISTER.

GITCHELL- YOUR SISTER, OKAY.

DEBBIE- AND I KNEW SHE WASN'T THERE WHEN PAM AND JOE CAME OVER. OR PAM, I KNEW IT WAS PAM.

GITCHELL-YEAH.

DEBBIE- BUT I DON'T KNOW THE TIME.

GITCHELL- DID YOU LOOK OUT AND SEE?

DEBBIE- I JUST LOOKED OUT AND I SAID, YOU KNOW WE TOLD STACY THAT IT WAS PAM. BUT, I DON'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS ANYONE ELSE.

GITCHELL- OKAY. SO ONLY THE ONE YOU CAN...WHO COULD YOU ACTUALLY REMEMBER SEEING?

DEBBIE- PAM.

GITCHELL- OKAY. OKAY. AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO SUSAN, YOU ARE SISTERS....

DEBBIE- SISTERS.

GITCHELL-...AND YOU LIVE ACROSS THE STREET FROM EACH OTHER RIGHT?

DEBBIE- UH HUH.

GITCHELL- OKAY. UM, YOUR SISTER AND THE ECHOLS FAMILY, HOW FAR DO THEY GO BACK, DO YOU KNOW?

DEBBIE- WAY BACK. THEY LIVED HERE IN WEST MEMPHIS CLOSE BY EACH OTHER. AND THEN WHEN SUSAN AND RANDY MOVED TO MISSISSIPPI, WELL THEY MOVED LATER ON, I THINK.

GITCHELL-WAS THAT IN TUPELO?

DEBBIE- UH HUH.

GITCHELL- I UNDERSTAND THEY LIVED TOGETHER. ACTUALLY SHARED THE SAME HOUSE.

DEBBIE- I DON'T KNOW. I THINK SO, WHEN ONE WOULD MOVE, AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE A , YOU KNOW LIKE WHEN PAM AND THEM MOVED BACK THIS TIME, THEY CAME AND STAYED WITH SUSAN AND THEM UNTIL THEY FOUND A PLACE.

GITCHELL- OKAY. ALRIGHT, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF? UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF DAMION, OR ANYTHING ABOUT HIS STRANGE ACTIVITIES, OR ANYTHING YOU'VE BEEN TOLD OR HEARD OF?

DEBBIE- UM....

GITCHELL-GITCHELL- ALRIGHT, I'VE BEEN ASKED TO TURN THIS OFF FOR JUST A MOMENT. OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE AFTER BEING ASKED TO TURN THE TAPE OFF JUST FOR A MOMENT. UH, RETURNING TIME IS 10:19 A.M. AND UM, GO AHEAD AND REPEAT WHAT YOU JUST TOLD ME.

DEBBIE-WE WERE, I WAS OVER AT MY SISTERS AND I WAS CUTTING HER HAIR AND PUTTING A PERM IN.

GITCHELL-NOW, WHEN WAS THIS? HOW LONG...

DEBBIE- IT WAS A WHILE. IT WAS WHEN THEY HAD MOVED BACK INTO TOWN, AND PAM AND JOE AND MICHELLE WERE STAYING THERE, I THINK DAMION WAS STAYING SOMEWHERE ELSE. AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT WAS.

GITCHELL- UH HUH.

DEBBIE-AND UH, WE WERE JUST TALKING WHILE, THEY WERE, AND HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, THEY HAD SAID, THAT HE HAD, THAT ABOUT WHEN HE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL...

GITCHELL- NOW WHEN YOU SAY THEY, WHO ALL WAS PRESENT DURING THIS CONVERSATION?

DEBBIE- LET'S SEE. CINDY...

GITCHELL- WHO IS CINDY?

DEBBIE- THAT'S STACY'S SISTER, OR, AND STACY, UH,

GITCHELL- NOW IS CINDY AND JENNIFER ONE IN THE SAME?

DEBBIE-UH UH. AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE JENNIFER WAS. I'M NOT SURE IF SHE WAS THERE. PAM WAS THERE. I DON'T THINK JOE, JOE WAS NOT THERE. HE WAS WITH RANDY. OR JOE WAS WORKING. I CAN'T REMEMBER. IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE TIME HE WAS WORKING AT UH, HE WAS WORKING. AT PAW PAW'S. SO, HE WORKED THERE FOR A LITTLE BIT AFTER HE CAME BACK TO TOWN.

GITCHELL- OKAY.

DEBBIE- AND DAMION WAS THERE. AND I DON'T KNOW IF, I DON'T KNOW WHO ELSE. THERE WAS SOME MORE PEOPLE, BUT I JUST DON'T REMEMBER. I THINK THERE WAS SOME MORE.

GITCHELL-OKAY

MERIDETH- DAMION.

DEBBIE- WELL SUSAN, YEAH, SUSAN WAS THERE.

GITCHELL-NOW THAT'S YOUR SISTER?

DEBBIE- UH HUH.

GITCHELL- HOW OLD IS CINDY?

DEBBIE- 20.

MERIDETH- SHE'S 21.

GITCHELL- OKAY. DOES SHE NOT LIVE THERE?

DEBBIE- NOT ANY MORE.

GITCHELL- DID SHE LIVE THERE ON THAT WEDNESDAY?

DEBBIE- UH HUH.

GITCHELL- ON THE 5TH?

DEBBIE- YEAH, CAUSE SHE WAS PREGNANT.

MERIDETH- CAUSE SHE HAD HER BABY IN JUNE,YEAH.

DEBBIE- UH HUH.

GITCHELL- WOULD SHE HAD BEEN HOME DURING THE 5TH?

DEBBIE- THAT'S WHAT I DON'T KNOW, IF SHE WAS AT OUT HOUSE THAT TIME, OR AT HOME WITH HER HUSBAND. I WISH SHE WAS.

MERIDETH- SHE WAS (INAUDIBLE)

DEBBIE- I DON'T KNOW IF SHE WAS.

GITCHELL- YOU JUST DON'T KNOW IF SHE WAS THERE OR NOT.

MERIDETH- HER CAR WASN'T THERE.

GITCHELL- OKAY, WELL JUST...

DEBBIE- SHE WASN'T THERE THEN.

GITCHELL- OKAY, WELL LET'S GET BACK TO WHAT YOU WERE GOING TO...

DEBBIE- WELL THEY WERE, WE WERE, THEY WERE TALKING AND EVERYBODY WAS JUST TALKING AND I WAS DOING SUSAN'S HAIR, AND, I THINK IT WAS SUSAN'S, AND UH, SHE HAD SAID, UH, THEY WERE, WHEN DAMION HAD LEFT, SHE SAID, "DID Y'ALL HEAR WHAT HE SAID?" AND THEN PAM AND THEM REPEATED IT, AND SAID YEAH, WHEN HE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL AND HE WAS LAUGHING CAUSE HE HAD TRIED, THEY EITHER KEPT A KNIFE, OR FORK OR SOMETHING OFF OF HIS TRAY, AND IF SOMEONE HADN'T OF COME IN, THEY WOULD HAVE KILLED THE NURSE.

GITCHELL- DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE, I MEAN DID HE ACTUALLY HAVE THE NURSE, AND, OR...

DEBBIE- I HAVE NO IDEA.

GITCHELL- OKAY AND THIS WAS WHEN HE WAS IN A MENTAL HOSPITAL SOME PLACE?

DEBBIE- UH HUH.

GITCHELL- SO YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS IN OREGON, OR COLORADO, OR...

DEBBIE- I DON'T KNOW IF WAS RIGHT BEFORE, WHEN HE WAS UP THERE, OR IF...OR IF HE WAS IN MEMPHIS AT ANY PLACE, I DON'T, I REMEMBER 'EM TALKING, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER WHERE.

GITCHELL- BUT, HE FIRST TOLD THE STORY.

DEBBIE- UH HUH.

GITCHELL- AND THEN HIS MOTHER REPEATED IT.

DEBBIE- YEAH, AND MY SISTER REPEATED IT.

GITCHELL- OKAY.

DEBBIE- BECAUSE WE WERE TALKING, AND I SAID, I HAD CUT MY SISTER'S HAIR, AND I SAID, WERE WERE TALKING ABOUT, WELL LET US CUT YOURS, NO, NOBODY'S CUTTING MINE, YOU KNOW.

GITCHELL- UH HUH.

DEBBIE- AND THAT'S HOW WE, AND THAT'S THE ONLY TIME I'VE EVER TALKED TO THE BOY, WAS THAT NIGHT. I'VE NEVER TALKED TO HIM BEFORE, OR SINCE.

GITCHELL- YEAH.

DEBBIE- CAUSE I, AND I DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS OVER THERE, OR I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN OVER THERE.

GITCHELL- SURE. I KNOW THIS WHOLE SITUTATION IS DIFFICULT FOR YOU BECAUSE YOUR SISTER IS SUCH CLOSE FRIENDS WITH DAMION'S PARENTS. AND I APPRECIATE YOU AND YOUR DAUGHTER COMING HERE AND DISCUSSING THIS WITH ME. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF.

DEBBIE- NO, I...

GITCHELL- OKAY. ALRIGHT, THAT CONCLUDES THIS INTERVIEW, AND THE TIME IS 10:24 A.M.