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On
Friday, July 28, 2000, Detective Sam Murphy and Deputy P.J.
Watson went to Proud Larry's to interview employees to determine who may
have seen Wendy Pane Holloway on the night of Friday, July 14. All employees
were shown photographs of Ms. Holloway. Employee statements regarding
their work hours for Friday, July 14 were verified against the payroll
time sheets.
The interviews summarized below are those relevant to the investigation.
Interviews Conducted by Deputy Watson:
- Bobby Lee, doorman, 254 Rebel Drive Oxford - Lee worked from
8:00 p.m. until closing on Friday, July 14. Shown a photograph of Wendy
Pane Holloway, Lee remembered her. He said she was new in town and very
attractive. Lee was pretty sure she had been there on Friday, July 14
when Sugar Whiskey was playing. She came in alone. He thought she arrived
around the time of the first set at 10:00 p.m. He said she had been
to the club a few times and seemed very bright and bubbly, and often
seemed high. He had seen her driving a red BMW to and from the club.
- Melanie Madigan, waitress, 1413 Adams, Oxford - Madigan worked
from 6:00 p.m. until closing on Friday, July 14. Madigan she saw musician
Willie King hug the woman she identified from a photograph as Wendy
Pane Holloway. Madigan thought he slipped something into the back pocket
of her jeans. Madigan then remembered seeing a woman she recognized
from Jubilee Lounge comedy shows as Carmen Gettit (Rodriguez) that night.
Rodriguez was shouting at Willie King and waving her arms. At that point,
Madigan saw Holloway walk away from King and Rodriguez to the back of
Proud Larry's, going up the steps towards the restrooms.
- Julie Wright, waitress, 2317 University Ave , Oxford -
Wright worked from 7:00 p.m. until closing on Friday, July 14. She recalled
seeing the woman in the photograph being involved in a loud argument
with a young man. Wright didn't know the man, but thought his first
name was Phil or Philip. She believed he was only in Proud Larry's a
short time that night. She said he did not appear to be drunk,
but he was making a lot of noise. Wright said patrons in the restaurant
area were staring at the confrontation, which lasted only a couple of minutes.
She thought the man left after that because she did not see him again
that night.
Interviews Conducted by Detective Murphy:
- Tom Locke, bartender, 3016 Davis Drive Oxford - Locke worked
the front bar from 6:00 p.m. to closing on Friday, July 14. He recalled
seeing the woman in the photograph that night and had seen her other
times when Sugar Whiskey was playing. He thought she left a while before
closing on the 14th, while the band was still playing. He remembered
she asked him to pass on a song request to Willie King, but said he
forgot to pass on the request because the bar was very busy. Locke said
couldn't recall what the song request was.
- Jake Newsome, bartender, 354 Jefferson Ave, Oxford - Rogers
worked the back bar from 8:00 p.m. until closing on Friday, July 14.
Shown a photograph of Wendy Pane Holloway, he recalled seeing her involved
in a loud argument with a young man. He thought that the man confronted
her as she was leaving the ladies' restroom. He described the man as
most likely in his early 20s, though he might have been younger, and
well-dressed. Newsome said the man did not seem to be intoxicated, but
remembered he had his fists clenched and was trembling, apparently with
rage. The man was yelling something about marriage and that she
should stay away from his father. Holloway tried to ignore him and push
past, but he blocked her path. Newsome recalls the man yelling something
like "do the decent thing" and Holloway shouting back
at him. Newsome said he thought about calling the manager or the
doorman because they were causing a scene and he was concerned for Holloway's
safety because the man seemed so angry, but it was all over in a couple
of minutes. The man went out into the main bar and music area, and Holloway
laughed as he stormed off. Wright was distracted at that stage by other
customers and didn't see Holloway or the man after that. He did not
recognize the man as a regular patron, but thought he had seen Holloway
a couple of times previously.
- Edward Whitten, waiter, 113 Twin Oaks, Oxford - Whitten worked
from 7:00 p.m. to closing. After seeing the photograph, he recalled
seeing Wendy Pane Holloway in the club that night. Whitten saw her go
up during a music break to speak to blues musician Willie King, who
seemed happy to see her and hugged her. Then he remembers that a woman
came storming through the crowd from the front entrance and shouted
at King. He believes that Holloway backed away and then went up the
steps towards the rear of Proud Larry's. The other woman stayed up front,
watching the next set. Sometime later, he saw Holloway go up to the
other side of the stage, away from the other woman, and say something
to Willie.
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