Witness Interview: Victoria Symons

 

Ms. Symons was interviewed by Federal agent Stremcha at the Las Vegas Police Department on Saturday, Oct. 18.

F = Federal agent Stremcha S= Victoria Symons
 
F: Let's go back to the beginning. How did you meet Edward 
Pierce?
 
S: I knew him from the bar - Proud Larry's? He was there 
sometimes and we would talk.
 
F: When was this?
 
S: I don't know exactly, maybe a year or so ago. I mean, I 
saw him off and on ever since I started, but I guess it was 
a year ago we kind of got to know each other. I don't know. 
He was cute, and everyone said he was definitely my type. He 
would wear these killer outfits sometimes and go crazy. I 
liked that about him.
 
F: So you were personally involved with him since last year?
 
S: No. I guess we started actually dating in August. Before, 
you know, we saw each other around. Ed is into music and I 
was hanging out with a band so we ran into each other that 
way. You know when there's this feeling, like, you totally 
hit it off, and you know it could be really exciting, but 
you don't get into it? It was like whenever I saw him I 
knew. I knew he could give me what I wanted.
 
F: And what did you want? Drugs?
 
S: [expletive deleted] you! What do you think I am, some 
kind of addict?
 
F: Why don't you just tell me what it was Ed could give you.
 
S: It wasn't like that. You people don't know anything about 
real life, you just sit in your [expletive deleted] cop cars 
eating donuts and busting kids trying to have a little fun. 
It's like you're stuck in your own pathetic world where you 
think smoking pot is the root of all evil. Most of my 
friends are way more human than you are, that's for sure! 
They don't go around making stupid rules and shooting 
people.
 
F: Okay, Miss Symons. Why don't you tell me what it was 
really like?
 
S: It was just fun, see? You're a big FBI guy, right, you 
get to go to big cities all the time and get off doing 
whatever you want, but it's not like that for most of us. 
Especially in Oxford. I mean, there's nothing there, 
absolutely nothing. There are like five thousand people and 
the university and that's it. It's a [expletive deleted] 
dump. It's like here I am, working a normal job, living a 
normal life, paying my rent, and all the time I know 
somewhere there's a better world, cause it can't just be 
about what I'm stuck doing, you know? I mean, this can't be 
it, this can't be what life is all about? Just this little 
[expletive deleted] town and just working day after day and 
that's it? Like forever? People with a life don't worry 
about that [expletive deleted], I mean like famous people 
and everything, they just don't even have to deal with it, 
they're just living in whole different world. That's what I 
wanted. I guess, yeah, you could say drugs were a part of 
it, well, I mean it's like lots of people drink cause they 
want to feel happy - well I took drugs because it made me 
happy - happy and free. I knew I was outside the lines and 
that was good cause maybe it meant I was escaping to 
someplace better. You know?
 
F: Thank you, Miss Symons. That's really helpful. Now can 
you tell us what you and Ed did together when you were 
dating in Oxford? Did you attend Ego Shovel parties?
 
S: Oh totally. He knew all about it and he showed it to me. 
We would go out to Cooters and just let loose.
 
F: What went on there?
 
S: It was crazy. Music and drinking and dancing naked.
 
F: And drugs?
 
S: Oh sure.
 
F: Did you take drugs while you were out there?
 
S: Yeah. Mostly just pot. Sometimes ecstasy, mushrooms, 
whatever. Those parties rocked.
 
F: And you would go there with Ed?
 
S: Yeah. He was, like, showing it to me, you know? I mean, I 
kind of knew about some of the stuff that went on there, but 
I had never seen it before. I really hadn't seen drugs. I 
mean, sure, I got high all the time, but this was more than 
that. There were people there, they were seriously gone and 
into all these weird rituals, and Ed and I would be there 
and it was like he was teaching me about it or something. I 
think he liked to be in charge, I liked that about him. I 
felt like he knew the way, like he knew what he was doing.
 
F: What kind of rituals?
 
S: Like these weird dances, you know, and group sex and all 
these weird sex games, like they would tie these girls up 
out in the woods and leave them there and whoever wanted to 
could go out and [expletive deleted] them, I mean it wasn't 
rough, the girls were totally into it, it was all part of 
the experience or something.
 
F: Did you participate in those activities?
 
S: No.
 
F: What about Ed?
 
S: No. Not as far as I know. I mean, he'd been hanging out 
with the shovelers for a while, I guess maybe it was a 
warning I didn't see. But he never wanted to back then, back 
then it was all like isn't this crazy and wild? He was 
always saying he would show me new things and that was part 
of it.
 
F: Was Macy Lamar ever at an Ego Shovel party?
 
S: No. I never saw her there. I never heard of her at all. 
It's mostly college kids.
 
F: Did you know Purity Knight?
 
S: No. I mean, I didn't really know her in person, I saw her 
at the bar but I never really talked to her, just her buying 
beer and stuff. Someone else told me who she was and that's 
how I recognized her when she came in. I know she was into 
the Shovel thing, but that was before I got there. I think 
she was really into it. I heard stories - I don't know, they 
said they weren't surprised, she'd been in way over her 
head. There are some real weirdos out at Cooters, and people 
thought maybe that's what happened. But I never knew her.
 
F: Did Ed ever tell you about Purity? About the murder?
 
S: No. As far as I knew she was just some girl he'd known 
because of Maria, and because of the Shovel stuff. He didn't 
mention her at all.
 
F: What did you think when he was arrested?
 
S: I don't know, I guess I thought it was weird. Like, the 
shootout with the sheriff and everything - that all seemed 
to be totally like Ed - I could just see him doing something 
like that, I mean it's like out of a book or something and 
he would be into that. Killing someone, I don't know. I 
thought for sure they were wrong, he just didn't seem the 
type, at least back then. I pretty much thought it was 
because Ed was at Cooters a lot and cause he was involved 
with Lee, and they just needed to get someone. It was kind 
of cool, too. I thought it was a kick people thought he was 
needed to be locked up. It was like he was public enemy 
number one or something, and it was just crazy.
 
F: Did you visit Ed while he was in custody?
 
S: No. He didn't ask to see me as far as I know, and it 
wasn't like we were going steady or anything - I was seeing 
other guys pretty much all the time. And, okay, I kind of 
wanted to wait and see, I don't know, I started wondering if 
maybe he did do it.
 
F: So then why did you leave town with him on September 20?
 
S: We talked about it before. He'd be all, "You and I are 
going places you never dreamed of." He was always promising 
to take me away. And then he called that night and said he'd 
pick me up after work and it was going to be wild, and, I 
don't know, it just seemed like a big chance. I knew what it 
meant, you know, as far as being a criminal, cause I 
remember thinking he must've gotten out of jail somehow and 
wondering if he had any clothes for me cause I knew I 
wouldn't be able to stop at my house. We didn't talk very 
long, he just called and I picked up the phone, which was 
lucky, cause what if someone else recognized him? I picked 
up and he just said to meet him around the back at five to 
one, he didn't talk about Tony. And I just remember thinking 
this was it, I was going to get out and I didn't care how.

**end of part two**