IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE
SIXTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
IN AND
STATE OF
)
VS. )
CC92-1893
)
BETTY WOODS
)
Defendant. )
* * * * * * * * *
VOLUME III
TESTIMONY OF:
JENNIFER WILSON (Librarian Con’t) .
. . . . . .PAGE 733
KEITH
TUCKER (Security Officer–
ROBERT
HAWKINS (Security Officer-
DAVID
STORK (Desk Clerk at
SHIRLEY
SMITH (Vincent Grocery
Store
Operator). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 806
LINDA
BUSH (Head Teller, 1st Bank of
Childersburg-Vincent).
. . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 817
JEAN
BAKER(Branch Manager, 1st Bank of
Childersburg-Vincent).
. . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 850
LINDA
VASCOCU (
Teacher-Vincent)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 867
MARTHA WALKER (Owner Bullet’s Video, Vincent). PAGE 890
MAVIS KENNEDY (Peggy Lowe’s Neighbor). . . . . PAGE 902
KELLIE
JORDAN (Manager-Camelot Music-
VINCE
CARUSO (Associate-Camelot Music-
RON
WHITE (Manager-Chick-Fil-A-
KAREN
JAMES (Employee-Kmart). . . . . . . . . .PAGE 944
GARY HOUCK (General Manager-Ramada Inn). . . . PAGE 958
JIM
GARRETT (Neighbor & Patient of
Dr.
Wilson). . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .PAGE 986
PETER
WILLIAM COULTER (Shoe Manager-
Yeilding’s Department Store-Huntsville) . . .
.PAGE 1000
JO
ANN BAIRD
Tanning
Salon-Huntsville). . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 1012
DAVID
OLIVER (Custom Service Manager-
Parisian
Department Store-Huntsville) . . . . .PAGE 1023
JOANN
WILLIAMSON (Project Manager-
Design
Supply Inc-
DAVID
WILLIAMS (Clerk-Whitesport
Pharmacy-Huntsville).
. . . . . . . . .. . . . PAGE 1046
JUADINE
BROOKS (Assistant Manager-
The
Village Shoppe-Huntsville). . . . . . . . .PAGE 1055
SHELIA
IRBY (Testified she saw James
White
walking down
BELINDA
SCHUMANN (Dietician-Crestwood
Hospital-AA
Member). . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 1116
PEGGY
BLACK (Wife of Police Officer/
Office
Manager for Tim Morgan Campaign). . . .PAGE
1125
JOEY
LUTTRELL (Assistant Trust Officer-
SouthTrust Bank of
Executor
of Dr. Wilson’s Will). . . . . . . . PAGE
1145
EUEL
DEAN CAGLE (Betty Wilson’s
Brother-in-Law).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 1170
Continued from Volume II Page 732
of work you do when you are
not in school?
A Yes, I do.
Q What is that?
A I work at the Huntsville Public Library.
Q How long have you been there at the
library?
A A year and a
half.
Q Were you working there
during May of last year as part of that year and a half?
A Yes.
Q Jennifer, you and I have met and spoken
once before; is that right?
A Yes, we have.
Q Do you mind if I call you Jennifer?
A No.
Q You don't mind?
A No, sir.
Q Do you know Mrs. Betty Wilson here?
A Yes, I do.
Q Was she a customer of yours there at the
library?
A Once.
Q I'm sorry?
A I can only recall one time.
Page 733
Q Only one time. Did you know Mrs. Wilson
through some activity other than the library?
A Yes, I did.
Q Back before May of 1992, you did?
A Yes.
Q Is that right?
A Yes.
Q How long had you known Mrs. Wilson?
A Since the first of the year.
Q Of ‘92?
A Yes, sir.
Q Okay.
Now, did Mrs. Wilson ever come into the Huntsville Library while you
were working there?
A Yes, she did.
Q And why was she there or what did she do
there?
A She checked out a book.
Q And was anyone with her?
A Yes.
Q Do you remember who that was?
A Yes, I do.
Q Who was it?
A Her husband.
Page 734
Q And who was that?
A Jack Wilson.
Q Did you know him?
A Yes, I did.
Q How did you know him?
A I believe my father went to him. He was his optometrist.
So
lie was your father's doctor, then, or his eye doctor, I guess you might say?
A Yes.
Q All right. Was he a customer at the
library, also, or did you just know him because he was a doctor?
A I knew him because he was a doctor.
Q What did Mrs. Wilson do there, by the way?
A She checked out a book.
Q When was that?
A When was that?
Q Yes.
A I don't recall.
Q Well, do you remember talking to me over at
the Huntsville Police Department back in, oh, seems like a year ago but I guess
it was two or
Page 735
three weeks ago?
A Yes, I do.
Q Let me let you look at this book,
Jennifer. Would you like to
look at it? This is already in evidence,
by the way, as State's Exhibit No. 8 -- or excuse me -- 8. The jury has already seen it, it's been
passed around, that is. Do you
recognize that book?
A No.
Q Not at all?
A I recognize it from the picture you
showed me, but other than that, I don't.
Q Well, did you check out a book to Mrs.
Wilson that night?
A Yes, I did.
Q What kind of book was it?
A A book on
Sleeping Beauty.
Q Okay.
Is this the book or a copy of the book?
A I don't remember what the book looked like.
Q You don't remember what the book looked
like?
A No.
Page 736
Q What did you and Mrs. Wilson talk about?
Did she ask you -- as a matter of fact, did she ask you about a book?
A Yes, she did.
Q What did she ask you about?
A She asked me if I would help her locate a book
on the ballet Sleeping Beauty.
Q On the ballet Sleeping Beauty. Did she tell you why she was interested in
that?
A Yes, sir.
Q Why was that?
A She was planning to see the ballet Sleeping
Beauty and she wanted additional information on it.
Q And did you know about this book?
A No, sir.
Q Did you have to look up a card or look it
up on a computer?
A Yes.
Q How did you do that?
A I did a subject search through our
computer.
Q Looking for what?
A Looking for the subject Sleeping Beauty.
Page 737
Q Okay. And what book did you find for
her? Was there more than one
book?
A I don't recall.
Q You don't recall?
A No.
Q Did you go and
get a book for her?
A Yes, I did.
Q All
right. And we showed you a
photograph, I think, a
couple of weeks ago of that book, did we not?
A Yes.
Q And wasn't it the title of the book which
you got for her?
A Yes.
Q Sleeping Beauty and the Firebird?
A Correct.
Q All right.
Now, you tried to -- I think you had to determine whether or not you
were -- what day you were working, did you not?
A Yes.
Q On the day to find out what day that was.
Did you go back and make a check to try to help find out what day it was you
checked this book out?
A Yes, sir.
Page 738
Q What day was that?
A I don't remember.
Q You don't remember?
A No.
Q How long ago was it that you went back
and checked?
A Over three weeks ago.
Q Let me show you -- this is into evidence.
Let me show you this card that's in the book. What is that, do you know?
A It's a date due card.
Q What is the date that's the last date on
there?
A May 20th.
Q Didn't we talk about that -- or did we talk
about that when we asked about when the book would have been checked out?
A Yes.
Q And how long are books checked out for?
A 14 days.
Q 14 days.
So what would this indicate, then, with a date due of
A It would have been checked out May 6th.
Page 739
Q May 6th.
Did you work on May 6th?
A I'm not sure. I think it was the first Tuesday or
something. I work every Tuesday and
Thursday, so if it was Tuesday or Thursday I was there.
Q Okay.
Did you have any other discussion with Mrs.
A No.
Q Would it be your testimony that this is
either the book that you checked out to her or a copy of it? Let me let you
look at it. You have been there a
year and a half, this is a book from the Huntsville Public Library, is it not?
A Yes, it is, but we check out 4,000 books a
day.
Q 4,000 books a day. But how many books about
fairy tales, the Sleeping Beauty and the Firebird, have you acquired for Mrs.
Wilson ever?
A Only one.
MR. COOK: I apologize to counsel and I apologize to
the Court. We stipulate and agree that
she checked out the book. If that's
what's in issue, why, it's agreed that she did.
MR. FRY: Thank you, Mr. Cook. The
Page 740
stipulation is this is the book she checked out?
MR. COOK: Absolutely.
MR. FRY: Thank you very
much, Ms. Wilson. Have a nice trip back
to
THE
COURT: Hold on. They may have some
questions.
MR.
HOOPER: I may have one or two questions.
CROSS-EXAMINATION
BY
MR. HOOPER:
Q Ms. Wilson, how are you doing?
A Fine.
Q I believe I met you a couple of weeks ago;
is that correct?
A Yes, it is.
Q Okay.
Was that sometime after you had had a conversation with Mr. Fry?
A Yes, sir, it was.
Q Okay.
And after that conversation did you report or have an occasion to talk
to some members of the library about the way you were treated over there?
A Yes, I did.
Q Mr. Fry didn't ask you about this book
Page 741
and whether or not it was
renewed; is that correct?
A He asked me if it could have been
renewed.
Q I mean, today he
has not asked you about
it at all, has he?
A No, he hasn't.
Q Now, this book was renewed on Saturday, May
the 23rd?
A Correct.
Q Who renewed that book?
A I did.
Q Okay. Mrs. Wilson, had she ever attended
anything or did anything over at your high school?
A Yes, she had.
Q Was it a program?
A Yes, there was.
Q What kind of program was it?
A It was a drug awareness day that I
organized.
Q Okay.
And she was a speaker?
A Yes.
Q What was the topic?
A She came as a spokesperson for Alcoholics
Anonymous and talked to psychology
classes on the
Page 742
aspects of drug abuse.
Q And were you impressed with her talk?
A Yes .
Q When did you find out about Dr. Jack
Wilson's death?
A On the day after it happened, that
Saturday.
Q I guess it was upsetting to you; is that
correct?
A Yes.
Q Did you send a card or anything to the
family?
A Yes, I did.
Q Why did you re-check out or renew the book?
A I didn't have my address book with me at
the library, and I wanted to send her a card on my break. So I looked up her card to get her address,
and I saw she had a book out and thought that perhaps her library books
wouldn't be the first thing on her mind.
So I went ahead and renewed her book.
Q Okay.
Back when Mr. Fry was talking to you or the police were talking to you,
did they ask
Page 743
you about whether or not
Mrs. Wilson had given you a little calling card or something of that nature?
A I think I brought that up.
Q Okay.
And could you find it?
A No.
Q And did he threaten you to search your
house, if you didn't find it, with a
search
warrant.
A Yes, he did.
MR. HOOPER: Your witness.
MR.
FRY: I was through with the witness.
Thank you.
THE COURT: What's that?
MR. FRY: No more questions.
THE
COURT: You may be excused, please,
ma'am. Thank you.
KEITH
TUCKER
being first duly sworn, was
examined and testified as follows:
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY
MR. FRY:
Q If you will, tell the jury who you are,
please.
A Keith Tucker.
Page 744
Q And, Keith, where are you from?
A I'm from Guntersville.
Q From Guntersville. What do you do in
Guntersville?
A At this time I work for Guntersville Sheet
Metal where I'm a welder.
Q Are you married?
A Yes, sir, I am.
Q Kids?
A Not yet.
We have one on the way.
Q Got one on the way?
A Yes, sir.
Q How soon on the way?
A In about six months.
Q All right. Where were you working back in May of last year?
A I was a security officer at
Q A security officer?
A Yes, sir.
Q What did that job involve?
A Okay.
I work at the front gate, which involved checking in all vehicles and
personnel that entered the park, and registering in the
Page 745
guests that came in after
normal park hours.
Q What kind of state park is that? What is
there at
A Well, they have a lodge motel, there is a
beach, multiple activities, you know, as far as fishing or hiking. It's basically a state-owned resort.
Q And is that located near Guntersville?
A Yes, sir, it's about five miles out of
Guntersville.
Q Is that in
A Yes, sir.
Q On the river?
A Yes, sir.
Q Now, is there a main road coming from
town or coming from the
direction of Guntersville that you turn off of to get to the park, in general?
A Yes, sir.
Once -- well, there is Highway 227, which runs directly into
Guntersville and it leads straight out to the park.
Q Where is the gate that you spoke of
located?
A Okay.
It's about 150 feet off of Highway 227 going towards the entrance at the
park.
Page 746
Q Can you get into any part of the park
itself without going by the front gate?
A There is one other entrance which is
constantly fenced off, has a gate and it's constantly locked. So basically that would be the only entrance
in other than on the water.
Q I guess when we say "entrance,"
we are actually talking about a roadway?
A Yes, sir, that would be the only
entrance.
Q There is not a big fence around the whole
park, in other words?
A No, sir.
Q Is this the gate where you were working
back in May of last year?
A Yes, sir.
Q Now, how long had you been working there?
A At that time I would say about four
months.
Q Were you familiar with the park and the
area around the park?
A Yes, sir.
I grew up there. I live very near
by.
Q Was there another fellow working security
Page 747
that night, also?
A Yes, sir, altogether there was about four
of us.
Q Who were the other folks?
A Okay. There was Robert Hawkins, he is
another security officer. Benny Bobo, which is a conservation officer. And I can't think of the
other guy’s name right off, another security
officer at the lodge itself.
Q Mr. Hawkins here today?
A Yes, sir, he is.
Q All right.
Now, how far is it from the front gate of
the lodge?
A Roughly three and a half miles.
Q Three and a half miles?
A Yes, sir.
Q What kind of road is that between the
gate and the lodge?
A From the gate , the first half mile or so
is
a nicely paved road, then it Y's off and starts
up the mountain, which is a
paved gravel road.
Q Okay. And
does that go all the way to the
lodge then?
Page 748
A Yes, it does.
Q Does it go up a mountain, did you say?
A Yes, sir.
Q Is it a twisting, curving road?
A Yes, sir.
Q Are there some other things there inside
the park, also, and not just the lodge?
A Right.
As I said, there's multiple activities in there. There's campgrounds, there's the motel built
onto the lodge, there is challets, cabins, there's a
beach and a couple of boat ramps, quite a few different things.
Q Now, do you remember seeing or hearing
about the murder of the doctor over in
A Yes, sir.
Q Sometime after that were you contacted by
some policeman in reference to that case?
A Yes, sir.
Q Do you remember when that would have
been?
A I'm going to say somewhere around maybe
the 22nd or 23rd.
Q The murder, the crime or when you were
Page 749
contacted?
A When I was contacted, I can't say for
sure. A couple of weeks afterwards.
Q A couple of weeks after it happened?
A Right.
Q All right. And who contacted you, do you remember that?
A Officer Nunley
and Officer Brantley.
Q Brantley?
A Yes, sir.
Q The fellow behind me?
A Yes, sir.
Q Can you see him?
A Yes, sir.
Q They were from the Huntsville Police
Department; is that right?
A Right.
Q Where did you talk to them; where were
you when they talked to you?
A Okay.
I was at the main park office, which is directly on Highway 227.
Q Did you give them a statement?
A Yes, sir.
Q Do you remember back a couple of weeks
Page 750
before then,, was there a
time when a gentleman -- well , what did they ask you about, let me ask you
that.
A Basically what had happened on the night,
you know, that this had taken place, what I remembered about it, the
description I could give
on the vehicles or the
people.
Q Did an event occur there at the gate the
same night?
A Yes, sir.
Q Okay.
A What had happened on that, Mr. White had
approached the gate after normal closing hours, which would be
the lodge.
Q And when would that have been in relation
to the murder?
A There was just a few days in between, I
couldn't give you a specific date on that.
Q Okay. But before the murder?
A Right.
Q All right. What happened?
A Okay. I advised him that the park was
closed to non-registered guests and that he would
Page 751
not be allowed in. At this time I didn't know his name. He told me who he was, who he needed to see,
and I believe he offered me his drivers license to hold if I would let him to
in and pick up -- to
begin with, I think he
needed to pick up a package.
Q All right.
A And I explained to him that --
reiterated again on my
procedures and why I
couldn't let him in.
And he said he had driven a pretty long distance and that he actually needed to pick up a
book. He would be in there just a few
minutes and come back out.
Q So did you let him in?
A No, sir, I did not.
Q Do you remember what kind of vehicle he was
in, Mr. Tucker?
A Okay.
He was in a dark-colored pickup truck,
probably four-wheel drive, just from looking at it.
Q Do you remember anything else about the
truck?
A It had chrome wheels on it and the left
quarter panel or the driver's side quarter panel
was a different color than
the rest of the truck.
Page 752
Q Let me let you look at what's been marked
for identification as State's Exhibit No. P-58 and let you look at that
picture, Mr. Tucker.
A Yes, sir, that's the truck he was in.
Q Does that look like the truck he was in?
A Yes , sir.
Q You described a pickup with a quarter panel
damaged or painted and did you mention the wheel covers or the rims?
A Yes, sir, chrome wheels.
MR.
FRY: We move this into evidence, State's Exhibit No. P-58 -- excuse me, that's
P-59.
THE COURT: It's admitted.
Q Well, what did he do?
A He said that it was important that he get
in touch with Mrs. Wilson and asked
about his options, and basically the only option I could give him would be to
go to a pay phone and contact her at the lodge.
Q Was there a pay phone nearby?
A There was a pay phone about two miles
away at another store, there
was a pay phone outside.
Q Did you tell him where that pay phone
Page 753
was?
A Yes
sir.
Q Did he leave?
A Yes
sir.
Q How long -- well, did he come back?
A Yes, sir, he did.
Q How long was he gone?
A Approximately 15, maybe 20 minutes.
Q What-happened when he got back?
A Okay.
He came back, he again drove up to the guard shack at the gate, he advised me that he had
spoken with Mr. Stork, which is the dispatcher at the lodge or was at that
time, and that Mrs. Wilson or someone would be bringing the book down
to him. I advised him, you know, if he wanted to wait
that was up to him, that he would have to wait outside the gate. So I had him to back out of the gate and he
parked on the side of the road next to the entrance.
Q All right.
So he was waiting?
A Yes, sir.
Q What happened after he pulled over to the
side and began waiting?
A Okay.
I can't remember exactly if I
Page 754
radioed the lodge or if they
radioed me first, to confirm that someone was coming down to meet with him.
Q So you were notified someone was coming
down, anyway, one way or another?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did they come down?
A Yes, sir, they did.
Q How long did that take, in your best
judgment?
A Just a few minutes, maybe another 15 or
20 minutes.
Q And were you there when that person
arrived?
A Yes, sir, I was.
Q Who was it?
A It was Robert Hawkins.
Q What happened when Mr. Hawkins got there?
A He pulled up to the guard shack, pointed
towards the vehicle sitting
outside the gate, and asked if that was the gentleman he was supposed to
see. I advised him it was, and he
pulled on over to Mr. White's truck. And
at that point I was tied up with a couple of other vehicles, so that's
Page 755
basically
Q Did you hear or see Mr. White or this
gentleman, who was getting the book, say or do anything after that?
A I didn't hear any of the conversation. I believe I saw him, you know, when he
handed Mr.
White the book. Like. I
said, I was tied up with a couple of other vehicles, in the process of
registering them into the park.
Q And how do you know this was a Mr. White?
A Okay. There, again, when the original
time he came down there and
was trying to enter the gate, he told me his name and offered me his drivers
license if I would let him in.
Q To let him in?
A Right.
Q Did you see him leave?
A I don't believe I did. I can't recall
for sure.
Q Were other people coming and going?
A Yes, sir, I had gotten busy again about
that time.
Q And you were letting some people in; is
that right, if they were guests? Is that what you
Page 756
said a moment ago?
A Yes. Right.
Q Turning other people away?
A Right.
A registered guest could come and go as they pleased, they had to show
proof that they were registered, such as a room key, if they were staying at
the lodge or motel, or campground pass,
if they were staying at the
campground.
Q Is it your, testimony you saw Mr. White taking
something that looked like a book?
A Yes, sir.
MR.
FRY: Answer whatever questions these gentlemen have, if you can.
MR.
HOOPER: I would like to see his
statement.
CROSS-EXAMINATION
BY
MR. HOOPER:
Q Mr. Tucker, did you give the police a written
statement?
A Yes, sir.
Q Okay.
MR.
HOOPER: Have you got it?
MR. FRY: You got it.
MR.
HOOPER: But I don't have it with me
Page 757
and I would Like to see his
original statement.
MR. FRY : I can show you my copy.
MR. HOOPER: That would
be fine.
(Brief pause.)
Q Mr. Tucker, at the time that you saw this
individual and he told you he was going up looking to get a book out of a car,
a BMW, did he not tell you the color of the car at that time?
A I can't say for sure, but I don't believe he
did.
Q Okay.
You don't recall telling the
police that he said it was a
gray BMW?
A Not right off. That may be possible, but right off, like I
said, I can't remember.
Q If you can, try to recall the
individual's demeanor
and manner; how was he
acting?
A He wasn't nervous or anything.
Q Well, what I'm getting at, was he kind of a
horse's patoot down there at the gate?
A Not actually. You know, he looked like
he was capable of it, I
would say that.
Q Okay.
A But he was -- for me it was a typical
Page 758
night, someone coming in,
you know, with a new ploy just about every night, trying to get past me at the
gate.
Q Well, he sure wasn't trying to be
secretive, was he?
A Not particularly.
Q I believe you stated he even gave you his
license is that correct?
A He offered them to me.
Q Offered them to you?
A I did not accept them.
Q Okay.
I believe you stated that you told him where the nearest phone was; is that correct?
A Yes, sir.
Q And how far did you say it was?
A About two, two and a half miles.
Q Is that road -- does it have any lights
on
it?
A The highway itself?
Q Yes, sir.
A Very few.
Q Now, this is at a point in time when it's
night, it's dark; right?
A Right.
Page 759
Q And let's say from the gate up to the lodge,
there is no lighting on that road either, is there?
A Not past the gate, there is not.
Q Would you call the area between the lodge
and your gate a secluded area?
A Basically it would be.
Q How
would you describe the area between the gate,
where you are posted, and the phone booth that you directed him to?
A Well, from my gate to the other entrance,
which is about a mile, there is another street
light there. Then the main office is about a half a mile
past there, which is pretty well lit. From
that point on you are going
up another mountain which is -- you know, it would be another secluded area.
Q Do you travel that road very often?
A Yes, sir, I do.
Q Are there a number of places that cars could
pull over and people could meet on that secluded road?
A There is on the road itself . You really
can't leave the road.
Page 760
Q But there is a number of places on that
road; is that correct?
A Yes, sir.
Q Is there anything to prevent a guest from
the lodge leaving the lodge and passing through the gate?
A No, sir.
Q And
if you are registered at the lodge, you
can pass through the gate and come back and get in, can you not?
A Yes, sir.
Q I believe you stated that when he first got
there or the first message you heard was that
the book would be brought
down by either the lady or a guard; right?
A Right.
Q And it was brought down by a guard?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did you have a subsequent occasion to
ever see this -- where is
the -- this vehicle that's identified as State's Exhibit P-59?
A I saw it again when the officers first came
to take my statement.
Q Okay. Mr. Tucker, I'll ask you to look
Page 761
at a statement I borrowed
from Mr. Fry. I'll ask
you to look at that, maybe
to refresh your recollection. Just kind of read through that statement.
(Brief
pause.)
A Okay.
Q Okay. So the first time you saw this
vehicle was what, May the 16th?
A Yes, sir.
Q And then I believe you told him that you
had another occasion to see it, did you not?
A Not the vehicle itself, a picture of it.
Q Oh, just a picture of it?
A Yes, sir.
Q When I look at your statement it said
down here, "The truck I
described on my first statement came in
the park about a week after this incident and it was from Blount.
A
Q "--
A Right. What I did on that, I had -- there
was another black truck had come in and I had gotten the two mixed up. I went back through my records
and
looked up the tag number, the name off of that
Page 762
vehicle.
Q Okay.
A So I could get the two straight.
Q So you are satisfied now it was not the
same vehicle?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did you get close to this individual to determine whether or not he was under the influence of
any alcohol?
A I was standing within a couple of feet of
him. I don't believe he was.
Q Okay.
A If he was, you know, it was well masked.
Q What about his speech, anything particular
about his speech?
A Nothing more, I guess, than the local
drawl.
Q Did he ever get out of his vehicle?
A No, sir, he didn't.
Q So you just observed him in the vehicle;
is that correct?
A Right.
Q And what's the closest distance that you
got to him?
Page 763
A Like I said. about a couple of feet.
Q Okay.
MR.
HOOPER: No further questions.
MR.
FRY: Just a couple of other things. REDIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. FRY:
Q You may have said it and I was going
through these documents, I hope I didn't miss it. About what time was it that
he actually came?
A Somewhere between
Q Somewhere between
A Yes, sir.
Q And what time on that night did you close
that gate; how long had it
been closed?
A It closed at
Q So it had already been closed since
A Right.
MR.
FRY: I believe that is all.
THE
COURT: Any more questions?
MR.
HOOPER: Just a minute.
(Brief
pause.)
MR.
HOOPER: No further questions.
Page 764
THE COURT: All right.
MR. FRY: That is all
we have. We would ask that the witness
--
THE
COURT: Mr. Tucker, you may be excused.
MR.
FRY: -- be excused? Yes, sir.
ROBERT HAWKINS
being first duly sworn, was
examined and testified as follows:
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. FRY:
Q Can you tell us who you are and what you
do, please, sir?
A My name is Robert Hawkins, I'm a security
officer.
Q And, Robert, where are you from?
A
Q Is that your home?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did you grow up around there?
A More or less.
Q More or less?
A Yeah, there and
Q Are you married?
Page 765
A Yes, sir.
Q Do you have any kids?
A I've got two.
Q Two?
A Yes.
Q Back last spring, more particularly in May
of last year, where were you working?
A
Q What did you do there?
A I was a security officer.
Q What were your duties as a security
guard?
A We more or less kept patrol over the
park, buildings, parking
lot, whatever come up.
Q How long had you been there in May of
last year? As of May of last
year, how long had you been a security guard there?
A I believe just a little over a year.
Q Okay.
And did you work all over the
place or was there one
particular part of the park where you worked?
A More or less I patrolled -- or mine and
my partners, it consisted of
mainly the lodge, and we would change patrol and one would patrol
Page 766
outside, one-would patrol
inside.
Q Now, back last year, do you remember last
spring, did you see on the news or hear about the doctor over in
killed?
A I believe so.
Q Did you talk to the police about that after
it happened?
A Yeah. Two detectives, I believe, come over
to the state park and talked to us.
Q Okay. What did they talk to you about?
A They wanted us to identify some pictures,
if we had seen anybody at the lodge or had seen some people there, and they
showed us different pictures and asked us if we could pick out anybody we had
seen there and we did.
Q Pictures of a man or woman?
A Both.
Q Both.
Did you pick one out?
A Yes, sir.
Q Who was it; do you know?
A Yes, sir.
Q Who was the fellow?
A Which one you referring to, man or woman?
Page 767
Q The man.
A The man was James White.
Q James White. Now, how did you -- had you come into some contact with James White?
A Before this time?
Q Yes, sir.
A No, sir.
Q At the park?
A At the park, the only contact I had with
James White was to deliver him a book.
Q When was that? About what time was that? I
don't mean of the evening, but in relationship to when you heard about the
doctor being killed or the policeman coming to see you, either one, how long
had it been since you had seen James White?
A From the time I had seen the detectives,
I guess, a couple of weeks,
something like that, or a little longer.
Q Do you remember what night it was that
you saw him?
A I believe it was on a Saturday night.
Q All right.
Saturday night. Do you remember
anything about what was going on at the lodge that evening?
Page 768
A Yes, sir, we had an AA convention going
on.
Q Is that a big deal?
A Pretty much. They had pretty much consumed the whole
lodge.
Q How big is that lodge?
A Pretty big.
Q They consumed the whole lodge?
A Well, more or less. They take care of all the rooms and all. I don't mean eat it.
Q You might want to think about that.
A They pretty much fill it up.
Q
They drink a lot of coffee, I bet, don't they?
A I tell you.
Q About how many people do you think were
there at the lodge that night?
A Several hundred.
Q Several hundred?
A Yes.
Q Does that mean two to three hundred?
A I would guesstimate over 300, probably.
Q Over 300?
A Yeah.
Page 769
Q Now, where is the lodge in relationship
to the front gate there at
Guntersville?
A It's approximately two miles up on top of
the mountain.
Q And where were you working that evening?
A I was working --
Q Were you at the gate or all over the rest
of the place?
A That night I believe was my turn to work
inside the lodge.
Q Did you get a call or did you receive a
message to contact a guest there at the lodge that night?
A Yes, sir.
Q And who were you to contact?
A Betty Wilson.
Q Betty Wilson. Do you know what time it was when you got
that message?
A I think it was somewhere around
Q Okay.
A If I remember right.
Q
close?
Page 770
A Gate closes at
Q Was the gate closed when you got the
message?
A Yes, sir.
Q What was the message?
A The message we were to deliver was she
was to come to the front gate -- or excuse me, come
to the front desk, there was somebody waiting at
the front gate for her for a
book.
Q Okay. And you were looking for her, is that
what you said?
A Right.
Q Did you find her?
A She came to the desk. I had left word with
some of the groups and some of them
said they knew her, they would get word
to her. As I was coming up -- I didn't
know her at the time, but she was approaching the front desk, and I just kind
of, guess, eased on up there, and the front desk clerk, he told her the message
and told me I could deliver the book for her or she could, either one. And I was volunteered.
Q You were volunteered. What do you mean by that?
Page 771
A Yes, sir, I was told I could do it.
Q She was offered either to take it herself
or for you to take it?
A Yeah.
Q So who decided you would take it?
A Well, being nice about the matter, I
me and the front desk clerk decided I would take it.
Q You
and the desk clerk or the front desk
clerk decided you would take
it?
A More or less him.
Q Did you have other things to do at that
time, Robert?
A Well, we were busy patrolling on -- I
was, on the inside. The convention like it is, you have to watch
the people and make sure nobody is
hurt or falls off the
balcony out back. It has happened.
Q How about the parking lot, was the
parking lot full that night?
A Pretty much.
Q Pretty much. Okay.
Let me back up just a minute. You
say you heard -- did you hear Mrs. Wilson and the clerk have a conversation
about the book?
Page 772
A She told him -- or he told her that there
was somebody at the gate. I didn't
hear the name he spoke, that somebody was waiting for a book, and it went from
there.
Q So what did you do after -- by the way, what did she look like?
A Short hair, I guess brunette.
Q She a nice-looking lady?
A Pretty nice.
Q What did you do then with Mrs. Wilson,
did you go somewhere with her?
A Yes, sir.
Q Where did y’all go?
A We walked out the front door and went
from
there to the parking lot where she was
parked.
Q Now, tell the jury about this parking
lot. There is probably some of them, I'm going to
bet, that haven't been to Guntersville State Lodge, maybe they have, but what
kind of parking lot is out there? Is it
a big parking lot or little parking lot?
A Yes, sir, it's a fairly big parking lot.
You have got several sections of it, divided off by
a
median and stuff. Some of it kind of
hilly like.
Page 773
Q Robert, I'm going to ask you to do
something for me. Do you think you
could draw just a simple sketch of the
lodge and what the parking lot looked like on
this board for me?
A I'll try.
No promises.
Q Now, we are not going to grade you for
artwork, okay?
A All right.
Q First draw
the lodge and then we will let you draw -- and whenever you say
something,
remember this gentleman over
here behind me has got to hear you say it, okay?
A Okay.
Q Talk loud enough for him to hear you.
Just take your time, just
forget about the fact
that 300 people are watching
you.
A We have got a wing that comes here and
comes down thataway.
(Brief pause.)
A Okay.
You have a parking lot area --
Q I tell you what do, just finish your
drawing and then we are going to let you stand back and show the jury.
MR.
COOK: If Your Honor please, I'm
Page 775
Have you made a sketch of
the way the parking is there?
A Yes, sir, more or less.
Q Okay. Would you describe for the jury what
you have drawn there as it applies to the way your parking lot is.
A Okay.
This would be your lodge here and you have out-front parking for 15 minutes or less
right here. Security would park right
in here, but that night everybody parked there. You have got a parking lot on A Wing, goes
on around to right here. This here is just trees. Go around here, you have got a larger
parking lot here, and you go straight across and you have another parking
lot. It goes on around to B Wing,
there is a parking lot all the way around through here. Okay.
This right here comes into the parking area right here.
Q Robert, use your pointer while you have got
it there. Where were you and Mrs. Wilson when you first met up with her?
A Okay.
We was inside the lodge at the front desk.
Q At the front desk?
A Yes, sir.
Page 776
Q Just basically where is that on the
building part?
A You walk inside the lodge, you would walk
approximately across here to the other side, it would be somewhere around in
there.
Q You were instructed to go with her and to
take a book down to the gate; is that right?
A I was instructed to go with her to her car,
she was going to give me a book, then I would carry it to Mr. White.
Q Now, did you go to her car with her?
A Yes, sir.
Q How did you get down there? Did you have a
car or did you walk?
A We walked to the car.
Q How far was it from the building to the
car?
A Okay.
We left the lodge here and we come out down through there, and there is
some trees right in here going to this right here, and walked across there and
she was parked right there.
Q What kind of car was it, if you remember?
A I can't remember the make of the car. It
was a dark-colored car, is
all I can remember.
Page 777
Q All right.
Did you get the book out of the car?
A No, sir, she did.
Q She did?
A Yes, sir.
Q Was the car locked?
A No, sir.
Q She got the book out; is that right?
A Yes, sir.
Q Did you see her do that?
A Yes, sir.
Q Where was the book?
A In the back seat.
Q In the back seat?
A Yes, sir.
Q Your recollection is the car was not
locked?
A That's right.
Q What were you doing while she was in the
car?
A I was just down there waiting on her to get
the book out.
Q What did she do after she had gotten the
book out?
Page 778
A She got the book out and she handed it
to me, and I asked her if there was anything she wanted me to tell him, and she
said, "Yeah," said, "give
him the book and tell him to
have a good time, don't lose the book."
Q "Have a good time and don't lose
the book"'?
A Y e a h.
Q Now, were there other cars around her
car?
A Yes,
sir.
Q How many cars were in those parking lots
that night, in your best judgment, Robert?
A The parking lot that night was pretty
full to the extent where she
was parked at. The lower part down here, this part right here, was scarce, and
this area right here was a little
scarce right in here, but
the rest of it was pretty full.
Q And you said you had how many people in
the lodge?
A A couple of
hundred, around three or
more.
Q What did you do after you took the book?
Page 779
A Okay.
Q Did you have any more conversation with
Mrs. Wilson?
A No, sir.
After I got the book, we walked back to the front of the lodge, and she
went inside and I got in my truck and carried the book to the front gate.
Q
Okay. And you have sketched on your diagram a road going from the parking lots. And is that to scale? It's not, is it?
A Well --
Q How far is it from the parking lot down
to the gate, Robert?
A From the parking lot to the gate it's two
miles.
Q Did you drive down there?
A Yes, sir.
Q You all have a security vehicle?
A Yes, sir.
Q or a car?
A We have got a truck we drive.
Q Now, before this time, had you seen or
heard of the person that you were delivering the book to?
Page 780
A Before meeting her, no, sir.
Q So you went down to the front gate; is
that right?
A Yeah.
Q And what did you see or what happened
when you got down there?
A When I got to the front gate, I pulled on
the farside. --The gate would be on this side of the
road coming straight down, it would be right here.
Keith Tucker, he was busy
logging in a few cars, and Mr. White's vehicle was parked just outside the
gate a little further down.
Q What kind of vehicle was that?
A It was a pickup truck. Gray or
something, I can't remember
exactly. But he was parked there, and I
walked over and asked him if he was the fellow that was waiting on the book,
and he said, yeah, and he had driven a long way, driven
from
Q Did you give him the message from Mrs.
Wilson?
A Yeah.
Page 781
Q What did you tell him?
A I told him, "She said have a good night,
don't lose the book."
Q All right.
A He said, "Okay."
Q And he took off?
A Yes.
Q All right. What did you do after that,
go back to the lodge?
A Yes, sir. Resumed patrol after that.
MR. FRY: Robert, thank you. Thank you for your patience with
me. If you will, I'm sure
Mr. Hooper has some
questions for you.
MR.
HOOPER: Robert, I'll let you stand
up there.
MR.
FRY: Can I do one more thing,
Charlie?
MR.
HOOPER: Sure.
MR.
FRY: I got carried away with this
drawing. Take your seat, Robert. That is, I almost forgot the book.
Q (By Mr. Fry:) Let me show you what's
been marked as State's
Exhibit Number 8 and let you look at that, Robert. Don't read it, now, just look
Page 782
at it.
A Okay.
MR. HOOPER: Mr. Fry, we stipulated
that's the book.
MR.
FRY: Thanks. I want him to look at it.
Q Have you seen that before?
A Yes, sir.
Q Is that the book Mrs. Wilson gave you?
A Yes.
Q And you gave to Mr. White?
A Yes.
MR. FRY: That's all. Thank you.
THE COURT: Cross-examination.
MR.
HOOPER: Robert, let me get you to walk back up here, and I'll just get up here
with you. Okay?
THE WITNESS: All right.
CROSS-EXAMINATION
BY MR. HOOPER:
Q Let me get your pool cue up here and, I
tell you what, if you will, stand right there and we won't block anybody. This
area right over here of what you have got drawn up, is this where there is
Page 783
some chalets?
A Yes, sir.
Q Okay. And is there a roadway that comes
near this parking area right over here?
A Yes, sir, the roadway would come up and --
Q I tell you what, just go ahead and mark
it.
A You have a roadway that would come on down,
sort of like this, and come up and kind of
make a little circle there
and goes on down a little further to the other chalets.
Q And, Robert, is there better-lit areas in
this parking lot than others? Are some better lit than other places?
A Yes, sir.
Q Okay.
In fact, do you have pretty good lighting going up into the entrance
right in
through here?
A Pretty much.
Q Okay. Then you have some lighting to the
side; is that correct?
A Yes, sir.
Q So where this car would be parked, would
Page 784
be about as well lit as you
are going to get; is
that right?
A Well, the lighting in the whole parking lot,
not trying to defer or nothing, but the best lighting would be right there in
front of the
lodge.
Q Yeah, but you can't park there?
A- No, sir, just 15 minutes.
Q Sure. So if you can't park there --
A You have got sparse lighting in through
here.
Q But this is about as well as you're going to
get?
A At the time.
Q All right.
Now, if you wanted to hide a car out there, are there some areas that
you can park and pretty well -- more secluded areas?
A Yes, sir, there are more secluded areas than
that.
Q All right.
I'll let you sit down.
A Appreciate it.
(Brief
pause.)
Q Robert, when you walked Mrs. Wilson out
there, did y’all chit-chat?
Page 785
A No, sir.
Q Well , did she seem to be all right?
A Yeah.
Q Kind of a friendly sort of a lady?
A Yeah, she seemed pretty nice.
Q In fact, did you walk her back up to the
lodge?
A Yes, sir.
Q In fact, did you take her back to the
front door there?
A I walked her back up to the entrance to
the lodge, not up to the front door, but from there she went on inside.
Q All right. And I had the pleasure of
visiting in your home here several weeks ago; is that right?
A Yeah.
Q And I believe I brought a video out to you
for you to look at; is that correct?
A Yes.
Q All right.
(Brief
pause.)
Q Robert, I'll let you look at what's been
marked as Defendant's Exhibit 23, and
has that got
Page 786
your initials somewhere?
A Yeah, right there.
Q And did you view that video?
A Yes, sir.
Q And did it fairly and accurately depict and
portray the lodge and the parking area that you have described up here?
A Yes, sir.
Q Does it also depict the area where Mrs.
A Yes, sir.
Q Okay.
MR.
HOOPER: Judge, we would offer Defendant's Exhibit 23.
MR.
FRY: No objection.
THE
COURT: 23 is admitted.
MR.
HOOPER: All right. We are going to have
to f
this machine.
Q Robert, if you would, I tell you what, I
would like for you -- let's let you stand over here, if you would, and we will
play this, and, if you would, describe exactly what we are seeing.
(Brief
pause.)
Page 787
MR. HOOPER: Judge, can we take a break? obviously I don't
have the thing ready to play.
(Brief pause.)
(Whereupon, Defendant's
Exhibit 23, the videotape, was played to the Court and jury as follows:)
A Okay. That would be the front of the lodge
there.
Q All right. Would this be where you would
have walked Mrs. Wilson?
A Yeah.
Q Okay.
A We came out there. The entrance is on
the right. And we come down
those steps there.
Q I tell you what, Robert, if you want to
come over here beside it, and that way you can point, too.
A Okay.
Q All right.
A We walked basically out through here,
across down through this area right here.
Q All right.
(Brief pause.)
A We walked on the other side of this in
Page 788
between there.
(Brief pause.)
A And we walked through these trees right
here. Her car was parked approximately
where that one is right there.
Q Okay. Parked where?
A Approximately where this one is right
here.
Q Okay.
Now, this would also depict the lighting, would it not, the lighting up here?
A Yes, sir, you have got lights here, here,
and I think there is one light there, or is that a tree? It may be a light.
Q Okay.
(Brief
pause.)
Q Let me stop it right here, Robert.
A All right.
Q Try to -- I'll -- let's back it up just a
hair. All right. What is this area back down in here, please, sir?
A Okay.
This right down here basically is road or drive that comes around. There is a couple of parking places, you
can park down in there, it's not too well lit.
Page 789
Q Okay.
A You come on around here and this is
B Wing he is showing right
here, coming back again to the lodge.
Q All right.
Would this show actually where you
walked with Mrs. Wilson, this frame?
A Yes.
Q. All right.
A Well, basically you can see the front of
the lodge, see right there? And we came out, kind of walked down through here,
through these trees here.
Q Okay.
(Brief
pause.)
Q All right.
Let me -- all right. Is this the
drive, main drive, coming up?
A Yes, sir, this is the entrance to the
lodge itself.
Q And it's got lighting on it
A Yes, sir.
Q -- itself; is that correct?
A Yes, sir.
(Brief
pause.)
Q Okay. You had described earlier there
Page 790
was some 15-minute parking;
is that correct?
A Yes, sir.
Q Where would that be?
A Okay.
Your 15-minute parking is
basically here in front of the lodge. After that we can determine whether or not,
you know, a car has been there too long or whatever.
This
area right here, more or less, is
just for drop-off and pick-up.
Q Robert, what is this area right down
here?
A Okay. Right to the other side of this
median here would be security parking, where we
park. And just over the hill, down and below there
would be another parking lot.
Q Okay.
A Some of the employees use it, some of
them don't.
Q That wouldn't be visible from standing up
here; is that correct?
A Standing right there?
Q Yes, sir.
A It would be hard to see anything.
Q Okay.
Page 791
(Brief pause.)
Q All right. Tell us what we are looking
at right here, please, sir.
A Okay.
That looks like the parking lot just as you come off the front of the
lodge. In other words, if you were
coming from the lodge facing this way, you are coming off to your right.
Q All right. Is that -- would that be this area down in here?
A Yes, sir.
Q Okay.
A That would be the area right there,
A Wing parking lot, which comes on around.
Q There are some suites at the lodge?
A Yes, sir.
Q Where would those be?
A Your suites would be on either corner of
the A Wing or B Wing.
Q Let's assume that Mrs. Wilson was staying
in the suite in A Wing. Where would
that be?
A Okay.
You have got your suites top and bottom
right here.
Q Okay.
That would be on the very corner;
is that correct?
Page 792
A Yes, sir.
Q And then off this parking lot, adjoining to
it, would be what?
A Okay.
Off this parking lot coming up behind
here?
Q Yes, sir.
A Okay.
You would have the area I drive to come up by this chalets.
Q And there is a drive?
A Yes, sir.
It comes way up. There is some
steps goes down right there.
Q Would that be a secluded area?
A Yes, sir, pretty much. In behind there.
Q Again, this is what, the top lot?
A Nearly.
You are right at the corner
there.
(Brief pause.)
Q Let me stop you. What is that, is that also maybe a better
view of the suites?
A Yes, sir.
Q Okay.
This would be the end of the building?
A Yes, sir, that would be -- well, actually
your suites starts off that wing, then the top
Page 793
suite and bottom suite.
(Brief pause.)
Q All right. Would this -- can you tell me
what this is behind the trees in here?
A Okay.
You can barely see right there, a drive that comes up here and makes a
little circle right here and comes back and goes all the way down to the-o+-her
end of the chalets.
Q Okay.
(Brief
pause.)
Q And this view would be from where?
A You would be standing in the lower part
of the A Wing parking lot.
Q Okay.
Cars parked in this area right
here next to this
embankment, could it be viewed very easily from anyone standing up here near
the front of the lodge?
A If you are standing on back just a little
piece, it would be hard to see right down in there. If you walk on out on the
edge, you can see it, but it's kind of hard to see down through there.
(Brief pause.)
Q Okay, Robert, you can go back and have a
seat.
Page 794
(Whereupon, the playing of
the videotape, Defendant's Exhibit 23, was concluded, and the following
occurred: )
Q Robert, are you familiar with the drive
from the gate up to the
lodge?
A Yes, sir.
Q Is that a fairly -- well, at night is it
fairly a secluded area, not
very well lit?
A From the drive all the way down to the
front gate?
Q Yes, sir.
A After you leave the front of the lodge
you have got no lights at
all.
Q Okay. Are you, also familiar with the
road between the gate and
going back towards Guntersville?
A Yes, sir.
Q How would you describe that road at
night?
A Very dangerous.
Q Okay. And is it a road that has a number
of places where a car could be concealed or people could meet?
A Yeah, there's places you could pull off.
Page 795
MR. HOOPER: No further questions. Thank
you.
THE
COURT: Any more questions?
MR.
FRY: No, Your Honor, no other
questions. And we would ask this witness be
excused, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Mr. Hawkins, you may be excused. Thank you,
sir.
MR.
FRY: Call David Stork.
DAVID
STORK,
being first duly sworn, was
examined and testified as follows:
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. FRY:
Q If you will, please, sir, state to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury your name.
A Dave Stork.
Q And what do you do?
A I'm a desk clerk at
Q Mr. Stork, how long have you been there?
A Two years.
Q So you were working there in May of last
year; is that right?
Page 796
A Yes, sir.
Q You were employed by the park?
A Yes, sir.
Q Are you from the Guntersville area?
A Yes, sir.
Q And what exactly
do you do there?
A Check people in and out and just take
care of general stuff like
that.
Q What is your position now?
A Right now?
Q Yes.
A I'm reservations clerk.
Q Reservations clerk?
A Yeah.
Q Going back to May of last year, what were
you doing at that time?
A I was front desk clerk and back-up night
auditor.
Q Front desk clerk and --
A Back-up night auditor.
Q What does that mean?
A I worked night audit when the regular
auditor wasn't working.
Q What does a night auditor do?
Page 797
A Makes sure everything balances out for
the day and closes out the
day.
Q So you check up the -- count the money
and check the books up at
the end of the day?
A Yes, sir.
Q Handle daily
receipts?
A Right.
Q You
are not the bookkeeper?
A No.
Q Now, back in May of last year, you were
working there and working the front desk then; is that right?
A Right. I was working second shift.
Q Do you remember last spring learning of
the death of a doctor over in
A Yes, sir.
Q When was that, do you remember?
A It was a couple of weeks afterwards.
Q After you learned about the death?
A Yes.
Q Did you remember anything or were you
asked about someone coming to the lodge asking for
a book?
Page 798
A Well, somebody coming to the gate.
Q At the gate?
A Looking for Betty Wilson.
Q Do you remember that occurring?
A Yes, sir.
Q When was that that that
happened?
A It was approximately -- the guard called
me between
Q Okay.
So he told you that someone had tried to get in, he told them to go
somewhere else and call you?
A Right.
Q What was going on at the lodge that
weekend?
A It was a mountaintop roundup gathering.
Q And what is that?
A It's Alcoholics Anonymous group, they
come in and all get together every year.
Q It's an annual event?
A Right.
Q Is it well attended?
Page 799
A Yes.
Between three and four hundred people, usually.
Q Do you know how many people were there
that night?
A Just between three and four hundred. I
don't know exactly.
Q Were there people there at the lodge who
were not with the conference?
A No.
Q They have the whole place rented?
A Whole place.
Q Whole place?
A Yes.
Q Between three and four hundred people?
A Yes.
Q After getting the call from the guard, did
you receive a telephone call?
A Yes, sir.
Q And do you remember how long that would
have been after the guard had called?
A Approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
Q Okay. And do you know who called you?
A No, sir, he never did tell me his name.
Q Did the person identify themselves at
Page 800
a11 ?
A He said he was someone's brother.
Q Somebody's brother?
A Right.
Q Do you remember what name he said?
A No, all I can remember is the name started
with an R, but I couldn't remember the name for sure.
Q Started with an R?
A Right.
Q And what did this person tell you?
A He told me he come 200, 250 miles to pick
up the book and that he really needed to get the book. At which time I told him, you know, go back
to the front gate and I will take care of it
somehow.
Q All right. And did he tell you from whom he
was supposed to get the book?
A Betty Wilson.
Q Betty Wilson. Now, did you know Mrs.
Wilson?
A No. I hadn't seen her up to that point.
Q Did you know she was even a guest at the
lodge?
Page 801
A Well, yeah, she was on the board.
Q She was --
A As being there.
Q Being on the board is being checked in?
A Right.
Q So what did you do, Mr. Stork, after
having received this telephone call?
A Called up Robert Hawkins and Freeman Filmore, both security guards, and they made a search of
the lodge and functions trying to find
her and locate her so we
could let her know what was going on.
Q Searched the lodge and functions, did you
say?
A Yeah, the functions, they had a bunch of
different gatherings going on.
Q Even at
A Yeah.
Q How late do they go, do you know, or how
late did they go?
A
It was between
Q So you dispatched these guys to try to
find Mrs. Wilson?
Page 802
A Right.
Q Did they find her?
A No.
Q What happened?
A They come back to tell me they couldn't
locate her, they hit every place they could think she might be. And about three
minutes after that, while they were still standing at the counter, she come in the
front door, somebody told her we were looking for her.
Q Okay.
A At which time I told her, you know, what
was going on.
Q All right.
A Then she was going to take the book down
and I told Robert, you know, go out there and take the book down for her
instead of making the guest go down to the gate.
Q And did they do so?
A Yes.
Q Did she return sometime after that?
A Not that I can recollect.
Q Not that you recollect. You didn't see her?
Page 803
A No.
Q She very well could have, I take it?
A Yes, I was very busy getting the revenue
and stuff done.
Q When you gave her that message, Mr.
Stork, do you recall what,
if anything, Mrs. Wilson said to you?
A No.
Q Did she say anything at all?
A Well, she said she could take it down
herself, and I said, "Let him take it down for you rather than make you
drive it down there."
Q She said she could take it down herself?
A Yeah.
Q Then you instructed Robert to take it for
her; is that right?
A Correct.
MR.
FRY: Okay. David, I believe that is all. If Mr. Hooper has some questions, please try
to answer his questions.
CROSS-EXAMINATION
BY MR. HOOPER:
Q Mr. Stork, you gave her an opportunity to
have somebody else carry the book down?
Page 804
A Yes, sir.
Q And she acquiesced in allowing you to do
that?
A Yes, sir.
Q Do you recall -- how many nights did Mrs.
Wilson stay there at the lodge that
weekend?
A Just one. She was booked for two but she
didn’t show up the first
night.
Q Just Saturday night?
A Right.
Q Can you tell the jury with respect to the phone conversation you had with this individual looking for Mrs. Wilso