Friday, February 11, 2000 - 2:30 p.m.

The witness, Jordan Rodale, was the victim's brother. Sheriff's Detectives Sam Murphy and Ted Armstrong interviewed Mr. Rodale at his residence, 910 Old Taylor Road, Oxford, Mississippi. This is the second interview conducted with the witness.

M = Det. Sam Murphy
A = Det. Ted Armstrong
R = Jordan Rodale

M: Thank you for meeting with us again. I know this is repetitive, but for the record, could you please state your name and address?

R: My name is Jordan Lucius Rodale and I reside at 910 Old Taylor Road in Oxford, Mississippi. I'm not sure why we are talking again. I told you everything that might be helpful when we first met.

M: We often do follow up interviews. It's pretty standard really.

A: Mr. Rodale, do you know how you stand in your brother's will?

R: Do you mean, how much am I going to get? I really have no idea. On the one hand, I'm Devlin's only remaining relative. So it's possible that I would gain a fair amount of assets. On the other hand, my brother and I were never close, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if he left everything to some softball player or something.

A: Just for the sake of argument, let's say you didn't get anything from your brother's will. What would your reaction be?

R: I shouldn't be surprised. I was completely cut out of my mother's will. And he and Mom were always conspiring against me. So he might have very well continued her tradition of keeping things from me. Denying me.

M: What would you do? You sued for portions of your mother's estate. Would you attempt to gain control of some of your brother's assets?

R: I really can't say. It's hard to talk about suing hypothetically. It depends on the spirit of the situation. It's not so much the amount he left me or didn't leave me. It's about the tone. Whether he was being malicious or attacking.

M: If you could have any one item of your brother's, what would it be?

R: Come on now, that's ridiculous. It's not like I went walking around saying "Well, if Devlin were murdered, I could have that dining room table" or anything.

A: We understand that your mother's journals were a source of irritation for you. Is it possible that would be the item you picked from your brother's estate? If you could only have one thing?

R: Well, he and I had argued about them. As I told you in our first meeting, it was just one of many disagreements. Over and done with.

A: Right. Well, could you tell us what you are working on now?

R: My literary project?

A: Yes, that's right. You're a writer, correct? What are you writing?

R: I'm not sure how to describe it. It's basically a memoir. A lot of it is about growing up homosexual in a small southern town. A lot is about my family. A lot is about life.

A: I'm not much up on literary stuff myself, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. But, it seems to me that "a lot is about life" is pretty vague. Could you be more specific?

R: I'm not finished with the book, you see. So if it's vague, it's because it's not like it's a finished product we're discussing. However, I'm talking about growing up, always feeling the stares and hearing the whispers from everyone. It wasn't easy, I can assure you.

M: I'm sure it wasn't. We've heard rumors about you discussing the death of your mother's first husband in the book. Is this true?

R: Well, I'm not really finished. As I said, it's still very much in progress. But, yes, there is a possibility that I may handle that topic. I don't believe a writer should hold back. So, maybe that's in there.

M: If I understand it correctly, they never really knew what happened to that man, Frederick Beauchamp. Do you have any ideas?

R: There are old rumors, of course. Some say he killed himself, others say that he was killed. Most people just believe that it was a simple car wreck.

M: But, you don't have any particular opinion?

R: I don't have any inside information or detail. No.

A: So, how were you going to treat this incident? If you don't know anything.

R: That's the whole point. I describe my process of finding out.

A: Would your mother's journals help you in this book at all?

R: I'm sure they could probably provide some small details and bits of information.

A: Small details, huh? How important would your mother's journals be to this project?

R: I don't know. Since I haven't finished it. I don't know what percentage is going to be about my family and what percentage is going to be about me. I just don't know.

A: Like I said, I don't know much about books, so you'll have to cut me some slack. But, how's this thing work here? You write the book and then some company buys it? Or do they buy it and then you write it?

R: It works both ways in the industry. But, in this case, my publisher has already bought the book. As long as I provide a worthy manuscript within the allotted amount of time, they will publish it.

M: And they've already paid for it?

R: They gave me an advance against future royalties. It's common.

A: How much exactly was this advance?

R: I'm not sure I should go into those details. That's pretty personal.

A: It's not like we're the check-out girl down to the Kroger, Mr. Rodale. We deal with personal information all the time in our business. Besides, you didn't seem to think it was too personal when the papers were running all the articles about the deal you had signed. You were smiling pretty big in those pictures.

R: Oh, well, that's common you see. I don't really like all that attention. But, they do that. For the publicity. I'm much more private. Yes. But, my agent and editors make me do that promotion stuff.

M: Yes, I'm sure it's difficult for you. But, back to the question, how much was the advance?

R: I really can't tell you because so much of it went to the lawyers, agents, and taxes. The total advance was for about 300,000 dollars. I'm honestly not exactly sure how much I personally took home.

A: That's quite a bit of money.

R: Yes, advances have come down quite a bit since the early nineties when every first-time novelist was getting seven or eight hundred thousand. But, I've written several successful books, so I'm a known quantity. Also, memoirs are very popular right now. So all of that probably contributed to the advance amount.

M: Could you describe your financial situation to us?

R: What do you mean?

M: Well, you just got a large sum of money in the last couple of years. So, I assume you're pretty affluent.

R: Yes. Well, it's all a matter of perspective. I, uh, don't know that I'm rich. But, I guess I have been blessed. Yes. But, one can never have enough money, right? It just never seems to be enough.

A: But, you probably spend a lot too, don't you? I mean, that architect boyfriend runs in some pretty ritzy company. It probably costs you a lot to keep up, I would think.

R: We do like to enjoy life. What's the point of making money if you don't spend it? No harm in that, I can assure you.

A: But, you wouldn't describe your spending as out of control. You're financially okay? No worries?

R: Of course, I have worries. Who doesn't? But, I'm not living on the streets, digging through garbage cans.

A: You had to repay an advance once, didn't you.

R: Yes, unfortunately, a publisher and I didn't see eye-to-eye on a project and I had to repay the advance.

M: That must have been very difficult.

R: Yes. Financially and emotionally.

A: What if you have to repay the 300,000 on this current book?

R: I can assure you, that won't happen.

A: But, if you did, let's just say. Could you? You haven't spent it all, have you?

R: I already told you that I was fine.

A: So, I'm just playing around with things here. Just talking off the top of my head, but let's say you weren't in good shape financially. It seems to me that you could either really use your brother's money, or you could really use those journals. Either way, you get out of the hole. I'm just talking hypothetically.

R: Yes, I guess you're right. But that has nothing to do with the situation. I cannot tell you any more than I already have. I am fine financially!

A: So, last summer, when Neilson's had to file court proceedings against you to get you to pay your account, what was that?

R: Well, that was an administrative error. Yes. It simply got overlooked. An oversight. My assistant lost the bills.

M: Is this the same assistant who "lost" our messages when we were trying to contact you? Seems to me this guy isn't working out too well.

R: He is fine. It was just a mistake. I'm probably the one who misplaced the paperwork.

A: So money is not a problem?

R: For the last time, no!

M: Okay, okay. I think that's all we need for now, Mr. Rodale. We'll be in touch if we have any more questions. Thanks for your time.

Interview ended 3:00 p.m.