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Stephanie Lazarus - GOSH, I DON'T KNOW Interrogation — Transcript

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0:05I mean that's not ringing a bell. Mhm.
0:08Um Because the times I seen you around
0:10at our office I'm crazy. You know, but
0:13you're
0:39Uh
0:40I'm not sure.
0:41Stephanie, I don't know if you know my
0:42partner uh Hey, Greg. Hi. Stephanie,
0:44nice to meet you. Nice to see you guys.
0:45How's it going? Good. Moving around.
0:47Uh well,
0:49how was your day?
0:51What this is is a
0:53I didn't want to bring this up in your
0:56squadron. You brought me in though. Oh,
0:58no, it's fine. I think we're good.
1:00quarter Okay,
1:01I got this drink.
1:04Then it would bring you would bring
1:06somebody in, right?
1:07Yeah, I wanted to like explain the whole
1:08thing to you.
1:10I don't want to talk about this in the
1:11squadron cuz I I don't know who people
1:12are listening. And if we go to my side,
1:15everybody's always wondering what
1:16everybody else is doing. Okay.
1:18But
1:42in business that we've been assigned a
1:43case that we've been looking at. Okay.
1:45It's a new case and reviewing the case
1:48there's some notes at the scene that as
1:50far as your name being mentioned. Oh,
1:52okay. Do you know John Rutten?
1:54John Rutten?
1:57John Rutten? Rutten. Rutten.
1:59Oh, yeah, we went to school with him.
2:00You did? Yeah. How long did you know
2:02him? Gosh, I went to school in um
2:05let's see, went to UCLA 19 78 I started
2:09and
2:10um
2:11you know
2:12met him at school at the dorms. Mhm.
2:15Um
2:17Were you guys friends, close friends?
2:18Yeah, we were very close friends.
2:20I mean, what's this all about? Well,
2:22it's regarding
2:23it's a case we're working on it involves
2:24John and in there some of the statements
2:27we we reviewed, uh you know, there's
2:29notes and stuff that he that he knew you
2:31and stuff.
2:32mean, we were
2:32good friends um
2:34lived in the dorms for
2:36I lived in the dorms for 2 years.
2:38You guys lived in the same dorm?
2:40Yeah. Okay. Yeah, Dykstra. Okay. Were
2:43you guys just friends or anything else
2:44or Yeah, we were we were
2:47good friends. Yeah. Was there ever any
2:49relationship or anything that developed
2:50between you guys? Yeah, I mean, we dated
2:53uh Uh-huh. you know,
2:55um I mean, is it what what's this all
2:57about? Well, it's relating to uh his
3:01wife.
3:02Okay. Okay. Did you know her?
3:05Not really. I mean, I knew that he got
3:07married years ago. Uh-huh. Did you ever
3:09meet her?
3:11God, I don't know. Um
3:13Do you know who she was or anything?
3:15Well, I
3:16Let me think. God, it's been a long time
3:18ago. Um
3:20Um
3:22I mean, I may have met her.
3:24Um
3:25Jeez.
3:26You know.
3:28Yeah.
3:29Uh well, let me ask you I don't let me
3:30ask you you said you you dated John. How
3:32long did you guys date?
3:35I mean,
3:36well, are you guys is this something
3:38I mean, you said that I was going to
3:40interview somebody about art and now you
3:41guys are here's
3:43I mean Stephanie, here's the situation.
3:44It's basically
3:46we you know, we knew that this when we
3:49saw this in the in in this chrono that
3:51maybe, you know, there was some
3:52relationship there. That's what the
3:53chrono seemed to indicate and we didn't
3:54want to come up to you at your desk and
3:57ask those kinds of questions or do
3:59anything, you know, how up there people
4:00can see what's going on if you go into
4:02an interview room or people are in there
4:03getting supplies. So, we we wanted to
4:05afford you some privacy, some
4:07confidentiality to talk about this cuz
4:08we thought it might be, you know,
4:10something, you know, you're married to
4:11someone else obviously and so forth and
4:13that you may not want to, you know, talk
4:14about these things in that setting where
4:16someone, you know, we don't want the
4:17rumor mill or gossip or any of that kind
4:18of stuff to start.
4:19fine. I mean So, what we we did this
4:21just as as a means to try and speak to
4:22you in just a confidential place where
4:24you, you know, where where your business
4:26isn't out there for other people in in,
4:28you know, in your division and all that.
4:29You know, God, that's been a million
4:30years ago. I mean
4:32you know, um
4:35What year is it now? 2009? I mean, I
4:37graduated in '82. '82, yeah. Um
4:42you know, we dated um I dated other
4:45guys. I'm sure he dated other girls um
4:49Well, let me ask you
4:51roughly how long would you would you say
4:52you guys dated?
4:53Jeez. Um
4:56I couldn't even say. I mean
4:59I started school there in '78. I started
5:02UCLA 1978.
5:04I graduated in '82.
5:07Um I don't even remember what year he
5:09graduated if it was a year or two before
5:12me. Okay. Um I think he was a little bit
5:14older than I was. I mean, you know, I
5:16can't remember if he was born let's say
5:18I was born in '60, 1960. I don't know if
5:20he was born in '58 or '59. I mean, I you
5:23know, um I mean, I knew his parents, I
5:25knew his sister. His brother went to
5:27Northridge. Mhm.
5:29Um
5:31you know, his sister spent the night at
5:32my house before. Obviously, I spent the
5:35night at his house before. He probably
5:36spent the night at my house before. Um
5:39you know, I
5:40I yeah, I don't What
5:43Correct me if I'm wrong cuz from what
5:44you're telling me is you you guys dated
5:46while you were in college together,
5:47right?
5:48Yeah, and probably after college. Um I'm
5:51I can't
5:53Jeez. Um trying to think when I met my
5:55husband. I met my husband
5:57in What time did you meet Scott? Um
6:00Let's see.
6:02I was teaching DARE cuz I met Scott when
6:04I was teaching DARE up in Oregon. But
6:07we had long stopped, you know,
6:09dating before that.
6:11haven't talked to him for a long time?
6:12Oh, I I think I haven't talked to him in
6:14a long time. Um I couldn't even tell you
6:16when the last time I talked to him. Um
6:19I met Scott I'm thinking in
6:21'92 maybe um April of '92. It was Scott
6:26being your husband. Yeah, I'm trying to
6:27think. I was teaching DARE.
6:30Let's see. What year is this? This
6:32will be married
6:34I got married in 1996. I think I met
6:36Scott in '92. Prior to that I couldn't
6:38tell you how long I had talked, you
6:41know, talked to John
6:42prior to that. But since you since you
6:44met your husband Scott, you haven't
6:46talked to him?
6:47I mean, he may have called me
6:50once or twice before we got married.
6:53Right. Um
6:54you know
6:55Jeez, I I lived in I moved to Simi
6:58in 1994
7:00because I lost my house in the
7:01earthquake. Oh, really?
7:03Uh quite honestly, I probably keep in
7:05contact with
7:07a few people from the dorms. We we all
7:09we all lived on the 10th floor. Um and
7:13um
7:15there's
7:19about three or four people I keep in
7:21contact with. There's probably like six
7:22or eight of us that were all really
7:24close.
7:24Mhm. And who are those people?
7:26Oh, jeez. Um
7:28Diana Basta
7:30um
7:32people I still keep I I haven't been in
7:34contact with her in a long time.
7:36Um I mean, what what you know, what's
7:39what's I mean, what's this all about? I
7:41mean Well, let me ask you
7:42when did the relationship between you
7:44and John
7:46You know, I don't
7:48It was kind of a weird relationship. I
7:50mean, we we we dated. Um I can't say
7:53that he was my boyfriend. I don't know
7:54that he would consider me his
7:56girlfriend. Um we just we dated. We did
7:59things like I played sports in college.
8:01He played basketball.
8:02His brother played basketball. Um It it
8:06we just, you know, it just
8:09didn't work out. I mean, I don't know
8:11what to tell you. It was like I went out
8:13with other guys. Um
8:15saw other guys. I went on lots of
8:16vacations. Um you know And and once you
8:20guys split, were you guys still friends
8:22or kind of
8:24you know I mean
8:26friendly, not friendly? No, I don't
8:28think it was not friendly. I mean, we
8:30were friendly. Um
8:31I know that
8:33we went to Hawaii
8:35um at one point. Um another friend of
8:39mine who's actually dying right now uh
8:42was uh went to Hawaii with us um at some
8:45point. Um Do you remember roughly when
8:47that was? Oh, jeez. Um
8:50Let me think.
8:52Mhm.
8:54I have to check my pictures um or I'd
8:56I'd say I'd ask Greg, but my friend Greg
8:58is like dying of liver cancer right now.
9:00Um
9:01Yeah, I mean, I you know
9:04And you were saying that um It's 2009
9:07now.
9:07Had you ever met his wife?
9:10I may have. Do you know do you remember
9:12her name or anything or
9:14Um
9:17Um
9:20or what she did for a living or where
9:22she worked or anything about her?
9:24Well, I think she I I'm going to say
9:25that I think she was a nurse.
9:27Um
9:30I mean, I can't even remember how he he
9:31said he met her.
9:33Uh you know, I mean, I I yeah, I mean,
9:35it's been so long ago. Well, let me ask
9:37did you go to their wedding, you know?
9:39No, I didn't go to their wedding.
9:41Um no, I don't did not go to their
9:43wedding.
9:44Um
9:46I couldn't even tell you what year he
9:46got married. I mean, you know, it's it's
9:48been a million years ago. Do you
9:50remember if you ever talked to her cuz
9:51it seems like a lot of you who were
9:53at at the school UCLA, you guys kind of
9:55were friends during and after school.
9:57So, I don't know if you guys still
9:59associated afterwards when once he was
10:00married or anything.
10:02With him? Yeah.
10:03No, I don't think so. I mean
10:07I would say
10:09you know
10:09the the people that were on the dorm
10:11floor, we'd have we'd have
10:12get-togethers.
10:14Um there's probably like four or five I
10:17don't think he ever came. Um
10:19Yeah, I don't think no it was there was
10:21like it was mostly girls.
10:23You know um girl named Smita, Diane, um
10:29there's another there's two Dianes, but
10:31the one Diane I don't think she ever
10:32came. I kind of lost contact with her.
10:34We were good friends on the floor.
10:36Um yeah, I mean I don't you know again I
10:40I mean what
10:41you know I I don't understand why you're
10:43talking about some guy I dated a million
10:45years ago.
10:45you know what happened to his wife?
10:47Yeah, I know she got killed.
10:50What did you what did you hear about
10:51that?
10:52I I saw a poster at work um
10:55I'm sure I spoke to him about it. Um
10:58I think I spoke to another friend of his
11:01about it.
11:02Um And how did how did you first learn
11:04about that?
11:06Geez.
11:08Someone could have called me. I could
11:09have heard it at work.
11:11Um
11:13I think at one point there may have been
11:14a flyer or something. I know a good
11:16friend of his Were you on the job back
11:18then when that happened?
11:20Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I'm sure I was
11:21on the job. That's why I would have
11:22heard about it with the flyer. Um
11:25He had a good friend Mike
11:27Mike
11:28Boldrick Mike
11:30Um
11:32Um
11:34Anyways, a
11:36I he may have lived in the dorms. I
11:37don't remember if that's how I met him.
11:39Um I I may have talked to him. I mean
11:42you know I don't remember how I heard. I
11:44mean I don't even remember what year it
11:45was. And you think you you thought you
11:47said you thought his wife was a nurse.
11:49Do you have any idea where she was
11:50working at the time or
11:51did he ever mention that to you?
11:53Was it a hospital or a doctor's office?
11:55I'm sure he must have mentioned it. Now
11:56now that you're bringing that up, I
11:58think she worked at a hospital
11:59somewhere. And yeah, I may have met her
12:01at a hospital. Um I may have talked to
12:05her once or twice. Um
12:07At a at a hospital?
12:09Um
12:10you know But being that you were kind of
12:13used to see uh John
12:15you know, was it everything okay between
12:17you guys? I mean there wasn't anything
12:19anything uncomfortable or anything
12:20between you and her?
12:22Um
12:24you know, I don't know. I mean it's kind
12:26of it's been so many years. I mean
12:28the uncomfortable I mean
12:33I can't even I can't even remember if we
12:35had a conversation. I mean we may have I
12:37may have I may have seen her at his
12:39apartment I you know
12:41Geez, how many years ago is that? I
12:43don't even know what year she you know
12:45got killed.
12:46Where was his apartment? On Roscoe.
12:48Okay. Yeah, Roscoe and um
12:51um
12:54East or West of Desoto
12:56either East or West of Desoto.
12:58Do you know where he moved after did did
13:00he move after he got married or do you
13:01know or
13:05Oh.
13:06I'm sure he did. Do you know where he
13:08was living or
13:11Somewhere in the valley?
13:13Did you ever visit him and his wife? No.
13:16No, never went out to you know
13:18get-togethers, dinners
13:20anything of that nature?
13:22like I said his sister used to come
13:24over. His sister had had come to my
13:26place. I knew his I knew his brother cuz
13:29his brother played basketball at
13:30Northridge. Um in fact I was just coming
13:32across some pictures that I just
13:34scanned.
13:35Uh scanned from um
13:38I take a lot of photos. Um like 10,000.
13:42And I just did a service where I scanned
13:44everything.
13:46Um and I'd seen some pictures of his
13:47brother playing
13:48So you just put them all on your
13:48computer so you could have them
13:49accessible and do things with them.
13:51Well, my partner is a big photo thing
13:53and he had a deal to scan. Huh. So I
13:56spent a ton of time just scanning
13:58photos. I mean I paid a company to do
14:01it. Mhm. Um so I've got photos of I mean
14:04his brother, his sister, you know 10,000
14:07pictures? Oh yeah. How long did that
14:08take them?
14:10Months.
14:12Now what what did they did they put that
14:13on a I'm just curious myself. Did they
14:15put it on a did they get get that all on
14:16one DVD? They don't need like a hard
14:18drive or anything?
14:19No, no there's like I think 11 DVDs.
14:22Yeah, I haven't even I haven't even had
14:23a chance to
14:23it's it's a series of DVDs that they put
14:25them on? Oh yeah. Okay. Yeah, I mean I
14:27got
14:27that familiar with computer stuff so
14:29that's why I was asking.
14:30like 11 DVDs. Okay. So you know um
14:34I haven't had a chance to go through
14:35them. I I
14:36you could go through and pick which ones
14:38you don't want. I don't have time to do
14:39that. Right. You know so I so I you said
14:41did I you know
14:43I don't think we ever socialized. Um
14:46you know uh he'd still call me. Um I
14:49can't say that I would I mean if he's
14:51married I don't know that I would have
14:52called him. I mean maybe who knows. I
14:54you know I I don't know it's been a
14:55million years ago. How long was John
14:57married before his wife died? I couldn't
15:00I have no idea.
15:01I have no idea.
15:03And uh
15:05after his wife died did did you talk to
15:07him again or anything? Yeah, I mean I
15:10did talk to him. Mhm. I talked to him,
15:12probably his parents, um probably some
15:15other friends. Um you know
15:20I'm sure I talked to him. Yeah. Um
15:23But you don't you don't you're not sure
15:24where he moved to after he got married.
15:27No idea. I mean
15:28Never went over to to visit him or
15:30anything.
15:30I don't think so. I mean
15:33Um
15:34I don't know. I don't I mean I don't
15:35think I did. Um
15:38I know he lived on Roscoe for a long
15:40long time.
15:42Um
15:46I mean he I may know. I mean he may have
15:48told me where they lived. Somewhere in
15:50the valley. I mean he may have said he I
15:51lived over such and such, but I I
15:53couldn't tell you specifically where.
15:56But you don't remember specifically ever
15:57going over to visit him or visit them
15:59and where wherever he moved when he left
16:01Roscoe.
16:02I I I honestly I don't know. I don't
16:04think so, but Okay. I you know I don't
16:07want to say no I don't think so and then
16:09he says oh yeah she came over for
16:10something dropped something off.
16:12You know
16:14I'm I don't know. So if you did go over
16:16there just be like a a quick thing like
16:18like you're saying drop something off or
16:20Maybe um
16:22But you don't remember as far as like
16:23going there to have dinner or like a
16:25social anything at the house, party.
16:29Well, if you guys know something I I
16:30just I can't I don't know. I don't think
16:33so.
16:34I mean but
16:35After uh
16:37John's wife died I you said you may have
16:39been talking to him. Did your
16:41relationship
16:43start up again?
16:44I would say no.
16:46Um
16:48Again, can you give me a year? I mean
16:50this is like 2009.
16:52She died in 1986. Yeah, I think it was
16:55'86.
16:551986. Okay. Um
16:58Like I said I'm I'm faintly remembering
17:01that
17:03um I went to Hawaii
17:06with my friend Greg. Greg and I got
17:07certified scuba diving.
17:10Um and I'm thinking that John met us
17:13there meaning Greg and I.
17:15Um
17:18That could have been
17:19I got certified
17:22toward the end of
17:24'88 or I mean 20 '88 '89.
17:28Um
17:30cuz I got recertified again and it had
17:32been like over
17:3510 10 years so I got recertified. My
17:38husband I got recertified. Um
17:41and I'm pretty sure that John met us
17:44there.
17:46Um again I'd have to tell you what year
17:48it was I'd have to look at my pictures.
17:50Um
17:52you know
17:53um and other than that I can't even say
17:56he may have called me
17:58you know at my home. Um I may have
18:00called him.
18:01Um I don't think
18:04he got together with our group. Um You
18:07don't think after his wife's death? Uh
18:09even before I don't
18:12you know
18:13we went to weddings together. I you know
18:16Did you
18:16pictures. I like I said I couldn't tell
18:18you years. It's been a million years
18:20ago. After he after he got uh married or
18:24whatever were you were you dating
18:25anybody?
18:27In particular or were you dating
18:29somebody?
18:29year? 1986 you said?
18:31he got married yeah in around '85 '86
18:33something like that.
18:34Were you seeing anyone seriously or
18:37God.
18:38I couldn't say.
18:40Um
18:42Geez, I'm trying to think. I mean
18:44you know I dated a fireman. Um What was
18:48his name? Mike Arndt. Um and I'm trying
18:51to think when
18:52the LAFD or He was LAFD. Um
18:56I'm trying to think when I went I
18:58probably met Mike. I went to Devonshire.
19:01Let's see I left Hollywood in '80 I I
19:04worked Hollywood '84
19:07to '85 I think. And then I went to
19:09Devonshire and that's when I met Mike.
19:12Um
19:13and some other firemen.
19:16And What at the station next door? No,
19:18actually Cuz I used to work Hollywood so
19:20I was just wondering if it was the
19:21station next door.
19:21it was in when I worked Devonshire I met
19:24Mike. Okay. All right.
19:26And I'm trying to think. I went to
19:27Devonshire in '85 and I'm thinking that
19:32I would have met him probably sometime
19:35shortly after I went to Devonshire cuz I
19:37met him and his I actually met his
19:39buddies at a fight.
19:41Um and then
19:43Mike and I dated
19:45you know just really kind of casually.
19:48Uh huh. Um
19:51and we remained very you we remained
19:53good friends.
19:54Um
19:54You still in touch with him or
19:56Unfortunately, he passed away. Oh,
19:57really? He died in a um he had a car
20:00crash. Um
20:02he did race cars and um he went heading
20:05into a wall.
20:06Mhm.
20:08I couldn't tell you what year that was.
20:10Um but he passed away. He was in a coma
20:12when they pulled the the plug.
20:14Right. Seems like hm uh anyway, um
20:18so
20:19you know
20:20I couldn't even tell you what what year
20:23I'm thinking I went to Devonshire 85 and
20:24I know I met the guys cuz I it was kind
20:26of a funny incident of how I met them.
20:28And that's how I remember. It was
20:30sometime probably 85. Right. Um you
20:33know, if we specifically I don't even
20:35know if they'd remember. The other two
20:36are now
20:37married to somebody else cuz I kind of
20:40all three I mean
20:41Did you guys socialize like when you
20:43were out with Mike did those guys come
20:44out with you too? Was it kind of like
20:45did you do stuff with his friends or
20:48um there were three there was two
20:49firemen, Eric and Gary.
20:52Um I met them first.
20:54Then they introduced me to Mike. So
20:56that's how I met Mike and Mike dated
20:57Mike Mike and I dated.
20:59Mhm. So um
21:01and not I wouldn't even say I couldn't
21:02even tell you for how long because then
21:04it was so we decided yeah, it wasn't
21:06working out and we'd be better friends
21:08and
21:09you know, he introduced me I think
21:12to some other guy on that who now is on
21:14LAPD.
21:15Um
21:16uh
21:18Randy Cordero this
21:21um
21:22I don't think I know who that is. He's a
21:23detective. He's got a twin brother who's
21:25on the fire department. That's how I met
21:26Randy
21:28um because he had a twin brother
21:30identical twin on the fire department.
21:32Okay. Um
21:34and And what you you were dating
21:36I dated him
21:38when I couldn't tell you. It was before
21:39he came on the job.
21:41Oh, before Randy came on the job? Yeah.
21:43Oh, okay.
21:44And that was
21:46um
21:47I I'm trying God, I'm trying to
21:48remember. If Mike Mike may have
21:54I'm trying to remember.
21:55Mike may have dated um
21:59a girl that he dated
22:01Oh God, it sounds too weird. Um
22:05Randy may have dated a gal that Mike was
22:08dating.
22:09And that and then Mike
22:11Randy broke up with that gal.
22:13I couldn't even tell you the gal's name
22:15if I'm even thinking of the story right.
22:17And then I started dating Randy.
22:19Yeah.
22:21I you know, so again, I mean
22:24not like I was a huge floozy or
22:26anything, but
22:26No, but you know, I mean a lot of times,
22:29right? At least from my female partners
22:31that I've had, you know, it's hard
22:32dating guys that aren't involved in kind
22:34of our circle, right? Because some a lot
22:36some guys are intimidated by, you know,
22:38women police officers and
22:40Yeah, Randy was like an engineer at the
22:41time. He was like a some kind of an
22:43engineer. On a truck on a rig on a fire
22:45truck?
22:46um an engineer um Oh, professional
22:48engineer. I okay.
22:49he lost a job and then came on on the
22:51department.
22:52I see. So
22:54um But getting back to some stuff as far
22:56as you recall after John's wife died
23:01did you start a relationship again with
23:03with John or
23:04dating casually or anything like that?
23:08Like I said
23:10he met Greg and I in Hawaii. Okay.
23:13Um
23:16That was something you guys kind of
23:17planned together like go as a group or
23:19you you got roped into him or
23:20No, I I think that
23:23obviously I must have talked to him and
23:25I said, "Hey, I'm going to Hawaii with
23:27my buddy Greg. We're sco we're we're sco
23:30we just got certified scuba diving. Um
23:34uh we're going to be in Hawaii. Hey, if
23:35you want to come and join us, come join
23:37us." Right.
23:37And I I think that's what it was. Okay.
23:40Um
23:41I met I may have asked some other people
23:42to as well.
23:44Um
23:45you know,
23:46uh what island did we go to?
23:50I think the Big Island and Kauai. He
23:52either met us on the Big Island or
23:53Kauai. I'm thinking of
23:55scu uh Greg and I might have scuba dived
23:58a lot in on the Big Island
24:00as well as Kauai. I'm I I don't remember
24:03which island again. I'd have to look at
24:04my pictures.
24:05Um I traveled a lot Mhm. um on my
24:08vacations. I mean I was always gone for
24:10at least a month.
24:12Um
24:13and I would go places and I would either
24:15run into people or you know
24:18you know, meet people.
24:20Um
24:21And Greg uh this Greg we're talking
24:23about he was
24:25like someone you were dating or just a
24:28buddy or
24:28No, you know what? I would I would say
24:31we started out um probably just buddies
24:35um and either I was with somebody or he
24:38was with somebody, but it was all we it
24:40was kind of like we ended up just kind
24:41of being like brother and sister. Um
24:45and maybe he wanted something more, but
24:47um
24:48you know, it just it never you know,
24:50worked out, but we we we did things
24:52together. Um
24:54you know, I consider him I've probably
24:56known him
24:58Let's see, I've been on the job almost
24:5926 years.
25:01I've probably known Greg 23 24 years.
25:04Um
25:05still talk to him?
25:06Oh, yeah, he's dying of liver cancer
25:08right now. Yeah. Yeah, so um so you
25:12know, I I consider him a good friend um
25:16you know um
25:20you know, I don't know what to tell you
25:21on that. Um I mean when when you heard
25:24about uh
25:25John's wife being killed, I mean what
25:27was your what was your reaction? I mean
25:29when did you thought you heard about
25:31what through a friend or in a bulletin
25:33or something?
25:33a friend or a bulletin. Um I obviously I
25:35mean I called I called the family.
25:38Um
25:39I called maybe some of his friends that
25:40that that I knew and I mean obviously it
25:42shocked you if you're if I heard it at
25:44work, you know, um which I may have I I
25:47faintly remember a bulletin going
25:48around. Um
25:51either that or somebody called me. I I
25:52honestly don't remember. Right.
25:54Um
25:55uh and then I called probably called his
25:57family. Um called uh
26:00I
26:01don't know initially
26:03I can't say if I initially spoke to him
26:04or not. I honestly don't remember.
26:07I may have said to somebody, "Hey, have
26:09him call me if he wants to talk."
26:11And then he may have done that.
26:13Uh-huh. Um
26:14you know um
26:17Do you
26:18Do you know what the circumstances were?
26:20Regarding her death?
26:24Geez, let me think back.
26:26Um
26:28geez
26:29I don't know if it was you know, if it
26:31was a burglary or something.
26:33Uh yeah, it's I mean it's been so many
26:35years. I I mean I can faintly think that
26:38I may have saw a flyer. Yeah.
26:40Uh may have had her picture on it, you
26:42know, um I mean
26:44that's why I say if somebody had called
26:46me
26:47I may not have known what her last name
26:49was. I may have I mean maybe if you told
26:51me I would remember it. Um Do you
26:54remember her first name?
26:55Uh
26:56Shelly um Sherry
27:00I know something maybe you know
27:02um like I said, it's been so many years
27:04and
27:05um
27:06From all the years as far as you can
27:07remember you don't you remember ever
27:10talking to her? Just Well, I
27:12I said earlier, you know, I mean I mean
27:15I may have, you know, I may have talked
27:18to her. Um I it sounds I you know
27:22You mentioned a hospital maybe. You may
27:23have talked to her at the hospital.
27:26Yeah, um
27:27yeah, I may have you know, I'm I'm I'm
27:29thinking back now you guys are bringing
27:31up all these old memories. No, it kind
27:33of dusts off the cobwebs
27:34mean geez.
27:35Um
27:39I'm thinking that
27:42because I mean we would date he would
27:43date other people. I would date other
27:44people. And I think you know
27:49at one point I mean he may have been
27:52dating her or I don't know. Maybe he was
27:55married. I don't even remember.
27:57And I'm like, you know what? Why are you
27:58calling me if you're either dating her
28:01or living with her or married to her? I
28:02cuz I honestly don't remember the time
28:04frame.
28:05Um and I'm like, come on, knock it off.
28:06And I'm And now I'm thinking I put may I
28:08may have gone to her and said, "Hey, you
28:09know what?
28:11You know what? Is he dating you? He's
28:13he's bothering me." Um and so I'm
28:15thinking that we had a conversation
28:16about that. Um
28:19one or two maybe. I
28:21you know, I it could have been three. I
28:23don't want to say I had three
28:24conversations with her. Like at her like
28:26at her work or at their at their house
28:28or
28:29No, I'm thinking that I
28:30you know, he obviously must have told me
28:32where she worked. I'm thinking it was a
28:34hospital somewhere
28:36in LA and I just I mean I could have
28:38been
28:40Again, what year was that? Where was I
28:41working?
28:43Um
28:49You know, I don't I don't I'm trying to
28:50think of where
28:52You When did you say they got married?
28:55I don't know. I think it was like
28:57in 85 or 86 or something like that.
29:00Yeah, we we we we just kind of picked
29:02this up. We don't you know, don't know a
29:04lot about it.
29:12I mean I could have been working in
29:13Hollywood it sounds like if if that's
29:15where I was working.
29:17Um so I could have said, "Okay, well,
29:19you know, I mean I went and talked to
29:20her."
29:21Um and just said, "Hey, you know what?
29:24You know, if he's dating you, he's he's
29:26keeps calling me. Why don't you tell him
29:28to knock it off or whatever." And you
29:30know, because I probably would have told
29:31him to knock it off. You would have
29:33called John? Oh, yeah. I mean I would
29:34have said, "Hey, you know
29:36And again But you wanted to tell her,
29:39too. You wanted them both to know. Yeah,
29:41I mean you know, if you get you're
29:42getting her
29:43called and I'm try I'm faintly
29:45remembering uh
29:47when Scott moved in with me in 1993.
29:51Sometime in 93 cuz I met Scott in in
29:56in April of 92. I was teaching DARE up
29:58in Oregon. Mhm.
30:00And
30:03um
30:05he moved down. In fact, he may have
30:07moved down in 92.
30:0992 or 93, there was the big earthquake.
30:11No, when was the big earthquake?
30:13No, 94.
30:1494. Yeah. Northridge.
30:17I think Scott might have might moved in
30:19in 93, sometime in 93.
30:23Excuse me.
30:24Um
30:25I haven't had my breakfast yet.
30:27Um
30:27and so
30:29um
30:30Um excuse me.
30:32Um
30:33And so I faintly recall that John may
30:36have called a few times and I'm like,
30:38"Hey, you know, I've got He goes, "Well,
30:40can you I like you can you talk or
30:42something?" I'm like, "You know, no, I
30:43can't talk. I've got, you know, I'm
30:44living with somebody." Right.
30:46You know, and and that could have been a
30:47few times, it could have been once,
30:48could have been twice, could have been
30:49three times. Yeah, I don't know, you
30:51know.
30:52Um
30:52during the period of time of the
30:54earthquake that you're No, probably
30:56probably after Scott moved in. I think I
30:58met Scott in April of 92.
31:00Okay, right before.
31:02April of 92 cuz I was I stopped teaching
31:04DARE.
31:11Think I stopped teaching DARE sometime
31:12in 92. Mhm.
31:14Um
31:17And when you and when you say that you
31:18may have
31:19um you know, that you talked to his
31:21wife, said, "Hey, you or you know, I
31:23don't know if it was I guess it wasn't
31:24his wife at that time, girlfriend or
31:25whatever." And
31:26Yeah, I don't know if it was his wife or
31:27his I I I mean, quite honestly, I don't
31:29even remember.
31:29When you said like, "Hey, you know, he's
31:31calling me, he needs to knock it off or
31:32what have you?" I mean, was that was
31:33that civil? Was there I mean,
31:35Oh, yeah, no, there was not I don't
31:36think there was anything it was if the
31:37conversation lasted a
31:39few minutes, so I can't even remember.
31:41It wasn't like, you know, we went out to
31:42lunch or anything.
31:43Right, but there was no like arguments
31:44or fights or it didn't get heated or
31:46anything like that.
31:47Not that I recall, no. I mean I would
31:50think that would stand out, I would
31:51think. Now again, that's not standing
31:53out in my mind.
31:54Um
31:56you know
31:58So you didn't have any problems with her
32:00then? No.
32:01have any issues with her.
32:02No, I mean
32:02But let me let me ask you.
32:05Seems like you didn't have any issue.
32:06Now, did she have an issue with you as
32:08far as because now you're telling her,
32:10"Hey,
32:11you know, have him to stop calling us."
32:13You know, she's like,
32:14You know, I just figured she'd be
32:15threatened by you. You know, I
32:18I don't know. I mean From what you
32:20remember as far as when you talked to
32:21her, maybe you didn't take it as
32:23serious, but maybe, you know, did she
32:26Did she was bothered? You mean like was
32:27she throwing things at me or something
32:28or
32:29just you know as far as
32:31you're trying to explain like, "Hey,
32:32have him to stop calling me, you know,
32:33stop playing games."
32:34I I tell you
32:36If the conversation I couldn't even tell
32:38you how long the conversation If you
32:39said, "Did it last a half an hour? Did
32:41it last 3 minutes? Did it last 20
32:43minutes?" I can't even remember, it's
32:44been so long ago, you know? Um You just
32:47remember talking to her, telling her
32:49Yeah, and that's why you said, "How many
32:49times did you talk to her?" I don't know
32:51how many times I talked to her. Maybe it
32:52was once, maybe it was twice, maybe it
32:54was three times, you know, I I I
32:56honestly don't know. Um
32:58I I don't know what year it was. Um
33:00if you if he said, "I met her in such
33:03and such year." I'd go, "Okay, well, I
33:04don't even know what year year he met
33:06her."
33:07Um
33:07I graduated from UCLA in 1982, okay?
33:12I graduated in 82.
33:13Like I said, I don't know if he
33:14graduated I know he was
33:17a little older than I was, so I don't
33:19know if he graduated a year before or 2
33:20years before because people are on
33:22different um either on the 4-year
33:24program or the 5-year program.
33:25Mhm. Um What year did you come on the
33:27job?
33:2983.
33:30Oh, so almost pretty much immediately
33:32after you got out of school?
33:34Yeah, I worked at a law firm for a year.
33:37Um
33:38and then came on the job.
33:40But in anyway, in regards to seeing him,
33:43not seeing him
33:44we went to friends' weddings that were,
33:46you know,
33:48from UCLA.
33:50Um I may have gone to some of his
33:51friends' weddings from where he worked.
33:54Um he may have gone to things with me,
33:56you know.
33:57Um
33:59You know, I mean I I I
34:01I don't know how many times we went to
34:02do things, you know. Or didn't do
34:05things.
34:05Right. Like I said, his sister
34:08um
34:09um I know his sister uh
34:12his brother, his sister I know stayed at
34:14my townhouse
34:16a number of times. I couldn't tell you
34:18how many times.
34:19Right. Um I would watch his brother, you
34:22know, she take pictures at a basketball
34:24game or or two.
34:25Where was your townhouse at? In Granada
34:27Hills.
34:29Um uh below the Odyssey.
34:31I don't know where that's located. Oh,
34:32I'm sorry. The 405 and the 5. Um the 405
34:35and the
34:36the the 405 turns into the 5, the 118.
34:39Um they they came down in the
34:41earthquake. Okay. So. Okay.
34:44And you're saying
34:45when you went to see her
34:48do you would you remember if it was at
34:49her house or at
34:51at the place she worked at?
34:54No, I'm thinking that I'm thinking that
34:56it was probably
34:58for some reason I want to say that the
35:00hospital seemed that you know, if if you
35:03say he got married in
35:0585 or something, I'm thinking that, you
35:08know, maybe the hospital was on my way
35:10to work in Hollywood. I mean, that's
35:12kind of sounding familiar.
35:14Um
35:15Would you have gone on duty?
35:17Oh, I know. I'm sure I wouldn't. If I
35:19No, I'm I'm pretty good about not doing
35:21stuff. Okay. You know, I mean now I'm
35:23not saying that, you know, you haven't
35:25done stuff on duty, but I I I would have
35:28I mean, I would have been working with
35:29somebody. Okay. You know, so
35:32I wouldn't I wouldn't think. I mean, I
35:33try to avoid doing stuff on duty. Okay.
35:37So you would have gone if it was en
35:39route to work, you more than likely
35:40would have gone to her work and had this
35:42discussion with her. I mean, that's
35:44sounding familiar. I mean, that's now
35:46that you guys are bringing this stuff
35:47up, um
35:49I mean, it sound that sounds familiar.
35:51Um but again, I mean, you know, I I I
35:54what's I mean, what's this got to do
35:55with me dating him and, you know, her
35:58getting killed? I mean, I I I I don't
36:00you know, I don't have anything to do
36:01with it and
36:03you got something that's somebody said,
36:04you know, whatever. I mean Well, like we
36:07said, we we just literally got this the
36:09other day and and you're going through
36:10it. Yeah.
36:11And you see your
36:12I work next next door." Right. And so,
36:14you know, I mean, obviously, it's like
36:16we recognize the name, we know that you
36:17know, you work next door to us and so
36:19we're trying to get some background,
36:20we're trying to figure this out. I mean,
36:21this is from a long time ago. You know,
36:23and and and things have been kind of
36:25slow for us and so, you know, Chief Beck
36:27has said, "Hey, you know, I want you
36:28guys working. I don't want you just
36:29sitting around reading the paper."
36:30Yeah. So he's kind of pushing some older
36:32cases out even to the guys that work
36:34active cases because, you know, and so
36:35we see this and we're just like, "Oh,
36:36well, you know, we want to talk to you
36:38about it." But of course, the only
36:39reason we did it here is because we're
36:40getting into some pretty personal stuff
36:42in your relationship.
36:43my my husband's on the job. And this is
36:45where we we don't want to take the risk.
36:46We don't want to take the risk in one of
36:47those interview rooms and even when the
36:48door closed, someone's going to get
36:50supplies and see us on a monitor, hears
36:51or whatever.
36:52I appreciate it. I mean, I appreciate
36:54like I said
36:54That's where people go when there's
36:55orals, you know, when they're doing
36:56orals, guys will go in there and try and
36:57watch and go, "Oh, what are the answers
36:58to the questions?" You know.
36:59know that. Yeah, so so we just we just
37:01want to afford you the most privacy and
37:03confidentiality we could. No, I
37:04appreciate it. Like I said, I mean, this
37:06goes way back and I mean, it was very
37:08sad, you know, obviously
37:12I I haven't you know, I
37:15When we were in college
37:17some of us would go down to his house in
37:18San Diego. I went down to his house with
37:20him.
37:21You know,
37:22with with him and I know I'm trying to
37:25think of some other people that may have
37:26gone down
37:26where he grew up? Is down there? Yeah,
37:28down in San Diego.
37:29Okay.
37:29Um I know his dad was a professor at San
37:32Diego State. I don't know if he still
37:33is. Mhm. Um
37:36I don't know what happened to his
37:37sister, don't know what happened to his
37:38brother. Um
37:41You know, I'm sure his dad's probably
37:42retired by now.
37:44He was I think older
37:46um even back then. Right. Um
37:50and I I can't even tell you the last
37:52time I had any contact with any of them.
37:54It's been so long. Did he tell you what
37:56happened? Like what he heard from the
37:57detectives or the police or
38:00You know what? He may have
38:03um
38:05for some reason I'm thinking that
38:08I mean, again, this is like
38:14drugs or something. I mean, I think I
38:17faintly remember him
38:19mentioning something maybe about
38:20cocaine.
38:22Um
38:24That she was involved with that? You
38:25know, I don't know that he said she was
38:27involved or they thought she was I you
38:29know, again, it's been so long. I you
38:31know, he could have mentioned he could
38:33have told me the whole story of what
38:34happened and I mean, like I said, I'm
38:37faintly remembering in between him or
38:39the flyer um
38:41that there was some kind of a burglary.
38:44Um
38:46you know
38:48Let me ask you, did the detectives ever
38:49reach out to you? Ever No, no one's ever
38:51talked to me. I don't think anybody ever
38:53talked to me about about him. Um It
38:55seems like back then you were
38:56well, I I take
39:00I'm thinking that I did talk to a
39:02detective.
39:04Um
39:06God.
39:08Well, what division was it?
39:10In Van Nuys?
39:12Mhm.
39:13And where was I working?
39:16Um
39:171986?
39:19I would have been working in Devonshire.
39:23You know, I'm thinking that I did speak
39:24to somebody. Oh, really? Okay.
39:26I couldn't tell you who it was.
39:29Cuz it doesn't it doesn't say anything
39:30that
39:30the phone. Okay. Um
39:33Would it have been somebody in regards
39:35to this or just
39:36Yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah. Um
39:39I I even know if you said a name if I
39:41would have it, because I worked Van Nuys
39:43for a while. Oh, you did?
39:45Yeah, I worked um Detectives patrol?
39:47No, we're detectives.
39:48Uh-huh. Um
39:50When did I go to Van Nuys?
39:53I worked Devonshire till '88, then I
39:56went to Dare till '92.
40:00I worked twice at Van Nuys.
40:02Um Both as detective?
40:04Yeah.
40:09Sometime in the '90s.
40:10Okay. Um
40:15Yeah, I
40:16I know before I busted my leg up, I was
40:18there in '98, cuz that year sticks out
40:21because I had a really bad leg injury.
40:23Um
40:25and I was there prior to that, but I
40:27couldn't tell you what year. It was just
40:28a few years. I made detective, I think,
40:30in
40:31'93.
40:34'93.
40:35So, um
40:37I was at Van Nuys
40:39and then I went back, and then I had a
40:40leg injury, and then they transferred me
40:42to Devonshire cuz I couldn't drive. Mhm.
40:44I couldn't drive very far with the my
40:46bad leg injury.
40:47So, um
40:49but yeah, I I I think I talked to
40:51somebody.
40:53Um
40:54Remember any Would you remember any of
40:55the conversation as far as what they
40:57were looking for or
41:00I couldn't say. I mean, they may have
41:02told me I said, "Hey, you know, I went
41:04to school with him."
41:06Um I either they either somebody called
41:07me or I saw the flyer. I may have seen
41:09the flyer at that point, and I called up
41:12if if someone's name was on the flyer, I
41:13may have called to speak to them. I
41:15said, "Hey, if there's anything I can
41:16do, you know, um call me. This is where
41:20I work. You know, I went to uh you know,
41:23uh school with him. Mhm. Um
41:28Couldn't say. I couldn't tell you who it
41:29was.
41:31But you do remember that that someone
41:32you think reached out to you.
41:35You mean a detective? Yeah. Called you
41:37up and talked to you. Or I called them.
41:39One of the two. Yeah, I
41:42you know, I I remember talking to
41:43somebody, but
41:46I'm thinking it was a man.
41:48Um I'm sure there's probably more men
41:49back then. Yeah, probably more men.
41:51Yeah, I bet.
41:52Um
41:54So, again, that's
41:56I mean, that's not really all I can
41:58remember about that. Yeah.
42:01Let me get back uh to
42:03as far as when you said that uh
42:06John was calling you to to see you. And
42:09during that time you felt that he was
42:11was felt he was either seeing her, was
42:13he engaged or married? Did Did you know?
42:15Couldn't say. You don't remember? I you
42:17know, I don't know. Uh-huh. Um I
42:20What do you ever remember
42:21see. My husband Did it ever appear like
42:23Well, no. No, that would have been
42:25Scott moved in in '93.
42:27So, that would have been You said '86 or
42:29'85 or something.
42:30Scott's your only husband? You've never
42:32been married?
42:33never been married. I got married in I
42:34think '96. Well, no, I I No, I got
42:36married in '96. But he moved in in '93.
42:39Mhm.
42:40But uh
42:42during that time that you were seeing
42:43John, uh
42:45you know, was he acting kind of you
42:46know, kind of squirrely or kind of
42:48sneaking around when he'd hook up with
42:49you or anything like that?
42:52To make you think, "Hey, you may have
42:53Yeah, this guy
42:53Well, he probably was. I mean,
42:56I mean, cuz I from the impression I get
42:57is you've known him a long time.
42:59Well, let's see. From what early
43:01him in '78. No, I I met him in school I
43:04started UCLA in '78.
43:06Um So, you know him well.
43:09During that period of time. Yeah, I
43:11mean, was he acting squirrely?
43:14You know,
43:16I don't even remember where he was
43:17living in then. You know, I
43:20Well, after
43:21Well, let me ask you after he hooked up
43:23with uh I mean, if he was living on
43:24Roscoe or wherever else he was living.
43:27Right. Well, after he hooked up with uh
43:29with Sherry,
43:31do you know uh where they were living?
43:34No, you asked me that already. Uh-huh.
43:36And I said, "Well, obviously you're
43:37living in Van Nuys division." Yeah.
43:40Um
43:42I may have known. I mean, I you know,
43:44again, I You know, did he ever give me
43:46the address?
43:47Maybe.
43:49You know, I don't remember. I mean, I
43:50don't know
43:53Cuz the only reason I'm asking you again
43:54is cuz I we've been talking. I know some
43:56stuff has come to you cuz you're like,
43:57"Oh, so you know You know, So,
44:00that's why I'm asking if you've ever
44:01been to the house.
44:02when you said Van Nuys division,
44:06you know, I'm just
44:11I'm sure he could have told me. I mean,
44:13he could have told me. He could have
44:14told me where he lived. Mhm. Um
44:19Do you ever remember going there?
44:21I don't think I've ever gone there.
44:22That's what I'm saying. I don't
44:24I don't want to say no, I've never gone
44:25there, and then you say, "Oh, I was at a
44:27party." I I cuz I I I don't you know, I
44:30don't think so. Yeah. Um like I said,
44:33we've got these friends, we have
44:34different we have parties,
44:36um
44:38my house, their house.
44:40I I just don't think John ever came to
44:43any
44:44Again, you know, at one point because we
44:46we knew people from school together.
44:49I knew different people, he knew
44:51different people. I knew people that he
44:52knew from his work, um
44:55you know, that lived in the Valley, um
44:59you know,
45:01So, as far as for social events or
45:02anything, I mean, it's
45:05I mean, you're not sure if you've ever
45:06been to the house cuz
45:13But it's safe to say that would have
45:13been the only time, like for something
45:15social.
45:17Yeah, if I went there for something
45:19social, yeah. I mean,
45:20Okay. Because I know you you went to
45:21talk to her
45:23at at the hospital
45:25uh regarding this issue with John.
45:28So, you know, kind of like, hey, you
45:30know, what's going to happen here with
45:31this thing?
45:32But would this ever have followed up to
45:33her house when you went to talk to her
45:35to say, "Hey, you know what? I
45:37I don't even know that I knew where they
45:38lived. I You know, that's what I'm
45:41saying. I don't If I knew where they
45:42lived and I'd been there, if it was for
45:44something social,
45:46I I would I'm I'm
45:48and I can't say how many times I I saw
45:49her face-to-face.
45:51You know, he lived on Roscoe. Did I ever
45:52see her there? I don't know. I mean, I
45:56may have seen her at his apartment on
45:57Roscoe. Mhm.
45:59I may have met her there.
46:01Um
46:02you know, I I mean,
46:04But you didn't have any issues with her,
46:05right?
46:06No, I mean, you know, obviously, if he
46:09was dating me and dating her, I probably
46:11probably said, "Hey, pick." or
46:12something, you know, you know, back
46:14then. Um
46:17I can't say that we
46:18ever screamed or yeah, you know, it's I
46:21mean, he was a pretty mellow guy,
46:23you know, um I think I was pretty
46:26mellow. I don't I don't think we had
46:28some big huge blowup to say,
46:30you know, why we stopped dating or you
46:32know,
46:33and I even think that when I was dating
46:35him, I was probably like I said, I was
46:37probably going out with other guys, and
46:39he was probably going out with other
46:40girls. You know, I don't know. I mean,
46:43would you remember if she snapped on you
46:45and just like, "Hey, man, it's my man,
46:47you know, you get Leave him alone, you
46:48know, blah blah blah." that kind of
46:50stuff?
46:51You know,
46:53Now, would you remember an incident like
46:54that? I mean, cuz that would be like
46:55what? Well, you know, and maybe that
46:57happened. I mean,
46:59I I I
47:00Gosh, I you know,
47:03it's been so long ago. I you know, I
47:04just I I mean, that's not ringing a
47:07bell. Mhm. Um I mean, cuz the times I've
47:10seen you around at our office,
47:11I'm crazy. You know, but you're always
47:13kind of like real
47:15I mean, you seem kind of bubbly. Oh, I'm
47:17I'm People think I'm really hyper, um
47:20but I can I mean, I can get
47:22I can get upset, you know, and and I'm
47:24then I forget 5 seconds later, you know,
47:26you know how guys rag you and you go,
47:29"Ah." you know, um
47:31I mean, I've done that in the office,
47:32you know, but it's like and then I'm,
47:35you know, and then I'm
47:36you know,
47:37uh you know, I mean, people think
47:39the bridge. Yeah, I mean, it's like
47:40people think I'm crazy, and then they
47:42think I'm crazy at home, and I'm, you
47:44know, more I'm I'm a hyper person at
47:46work. I'm, you know, I I
47:48enjoy my job. I get excited. I, you
47:50know, um
47:52I I enjoy the job. I've always enjoyed
47:54the job. Um Well, you got a good gig,
47:56so.
47:57You know, um so, you know, I
48:01I you know, I don't know. It's like I
48:03said, this stuff's been so long ago. Um
48:06you know, I'm sure as soon as I walk out
48:08of here, I'll go, "Oh, shoot. I did 25
48:10things I'll remember." Um you know, But
48:12you'll call us or I mean, you'll just
48:14come over our desk and tell us
48:15I
48:16I don't know what else you need to know.
48:17Like I said, you know, we we knew
48:19friends together.
48:20A lot of the friends that, you know,
48:22that we socialized in the dorms, I would
48:24say, I mean, there was a group of us
48:26that
48:28um we were all really close. I mean,
48:30even this one guy I was thinking of, you
48:32know, um Diana Basta. We were all really
48:35close. I haven't talked to her in a
48:37million years. Um Diana Basta, name a
48:40friend of you and John's or
48:41Yeah, we all lived on the dorms on the
48:43dorms together. I don't know if she
48:45lived on the same we I'm trying to
48:46think. I think I know John lived on our
48:49floor because his roommate was Dave
48:50Newman. Dave Newman now is a big huge
48:53big shot,
48:54whatever.
48:55Movie producer, director, something. I
48:57don't know. Um And that was John's
48:59roommate? Yeah. And then, the guys that
49:01lived across from me,
49:03um Jim Jascul and Roy
49:07Sakaboo, Sakaboo, something like that.
49:09Um they lived across from me. Um Diana
49:12Basta,
49:15I don't know if she lived on our floor.
49:16Maybe she was the RA.
49:19Um
49:20Diane Sherman,
49:22um cuz I still remain friends with Diane
49:24Sherman.
49:25Um not that I'm not friends with the
49:27other people, I just don't see them.
49:28Um
49:30A girl named Smita,
49:32um Sally,
49:36Kathleen, you know, so we we were all on
49:39the floor. I mean, some of them were
49:41athletes, some of them weren't. You
49:43know, I said John played basketball, his
49:44brother played basketball, I played
49:45basketball at UCLA for 2 years. Um
49:49one of the girls swam on the team, one
49:50was on the crew team. So, we all did
49:52stuff together. Um and then I'd say
49:54after we all graduated, um we went to
49:56weddings, you know, I went to weddings,
49:59um
50:00uh
50:01But Sherry wasn't part of this circle.
50:04No, I don't even know how he met how he
50:06met her. I don't even know where I mean,
50:07I don't know where he met her from. I
50:09don't even know he told me where he met
50:10her from. I mean, he may have told me. I
50:13you know, that's not ringing a bell. Um
50:17and there was lots of many others
50:20there was other people that knew other
50:21people,
50:22um
50:23you know, that were friends of
50:24everybody's. Um
50:28you know.
50:29Um I mean, I don't know what else to
50:31tell you. Well, one of the concerns I
50:33have is looking at some of the notes is
50:34uh
50:36some of Sherry's friends said that
50:38you and her were having a problem
50:41because of the John situation.
50:45That's
50:46Well,
50:47I number one, I don't know who her
50:48friends are.
50:50Um cuz again, I don't I don't recall if
50:53he did tell me where he met her.
50:56I don't even who these friends are.
50:58A problem?
51:00Like I said, if I spoke to her
51:02I mean, I'll go out as far as the limb
51:04and I don't even want to say I spoke to
51:05her five times cuz that's probably not
51:07even true. I I can't even remember.
51:10Um
51:11Again, did I meet him at her place when
51:13he you know, he lived on Roscoe for I
51:14think
51:16uh quite a while, but I couldn't tell
51:17you how long he lived on Roscoe. And the
51:19only reason why I remember the place now
51:20is because it's like a huge dope dope
51:22place now where they, you know, it may
51:25have been back then, but you know, maybe
51:27we didn't know back then. Um
51:29I could have met her there. I could
51:31have, you know,
51:32uh
51:33How about her?
51:34You know, I don't even know that I met
51:37any of their friends.
51:39I I you know, I don't I
51:40I can't say that. I don't know that
51:42that's a true statement. Well, that's
51:44what I'm reading is that
51:45you guys had problems with each other
51:47and words were being exchanged and it's
51:48all relating to John.
51:52You know what? I I I I I just I can't
51:55say. Can't say what? No, I that doesn't
51:58even ring a bell. I mean, I mean, it
52:00seemed like yeah, you would recall
52:01something if somebody is going off I
52:03would
52:04I would think. I mean, I would think.
52:07I would think.
52:07Yeah. Yeah, cuz it's But that's I, you
52:10know, Cuz it seems like your
52:12relationship with John was
52:14kind of
52:16I mean, you've known each other for a
52:17lot of years. Yeah, it was just kind of
52:19it was like
52:22But it doesn't seem to me from what you
52:24tell me is
52:24I mean, we were never engaged. I mean,
52:26it wasn't like we were planning to get
52:27married, um
52:29you know, it was like it it was on
52:33I don't know how to describe it. I mean,
52:35Would you say there wasn't a lot of
52:37drama in this relationship?
52:38I don't think there was drama. Okay.
52:40Yeah, I mean, That's why I'm asking as
52:42far as what the friends are saying in
52:43regards to
52:45this, you know, the problems that
52:47they're saying you were having with with
52:48Sherry.
52:50I mean, it seems like the relationship
52:51is just going on even plane.
52:53That just
52:54I that I don't have a recollection of
52:56that at all.
52:56No. No. And cuz from what you're telling
52:59me is when you guys met at the hospital
53:02uh
53:03I mean, you guys talked, but it wasn't
53:05from what you recall confrontational
53:07from either side.
53:09I I mean,
53:10I'm trying to, you know, turn my memory
53:12back, you know,
53:14and I'm trying I can't even can't even
53:16picture the
53:17you know, picture the the conversation.
53:19I mean, I can't even picture the
53:20conversation.
53:21Well, let me ask you. I mean, at the
53:22hospital it never got to the point where
53:23people are going, "Hey, hey, you know,
53:25go to everybody go to your own corner
53:27and that type of thing?" I don't think
53:28so. Nothing like that? I don't think so.
53:31I mean, I really don't. I mean, if you
53:33you know, if you say people said that,
53:35that's not ringing a bell to me at all.
53:36I mean, it's not. I mean, that that's
53:38not ringing a bell Was there ever Was
53:40there ever a time when you and Sherry
53:41were talking and John had to maybe go
53:43like, "Hey, you guys
53:44relax, you know, or anything like that?"
53:47I don't think so.
53:50About, you know, ever going to her house
53:51and having a dispute like that.
53:55You know,
53:56I'm just
53:58if I met her ever at his apartment,
54:00maybe. I mean, maybe we could have met
54:02at I could have met her at his
54:03apartment.
54:04I'm thinking that
54:06the hospital thing, that sounds familiar
54:08that I I met her there.
54:12I just can't say that I've ever
54:14Again, was I there with other people?
54:17I don't I I it I don't know.
54:20Um I don't think I ever met her there or
54:23him there,
54:24um
54:25meaning one or the other.
54:27I don't think so.
54:29I really I just I can't
54:31I don't think so. Cuz I mean, I know the
54:33way my wife is
54:34at our house, she wouldn't want my old
54:35girlfriends there, you know. So, I don't
54:37know if maybe she had the same mentality
54:40towards you if as far as you having
54:42being there,
54:43being welcome there, you know, cuz it's
54:45You know what?
54:46If somebody said I was there when they
54:48were there, then that's possible, but I
54:50just I
54:51I don't recall. I mean, I don't think
54:53so. I don't I it's not sounding
54:55familiar.
54:56Yeah, cuz I guess basically I'm asking
54:58is, you know, were you ever welcome to
54:59the house like, you know, "Hey, Oh, come
55:01over?" Yeah, come on over. I'm having a
55:02barbecue, you know,
55:06a dinner party, Christmas party,
55:07whatever.
55:09I don't know. You don't know? I'm just
55:10trying to think.
55:14You know, like I said, because there was
55:15so many of us that
55:17the two Dianes,
55:19um Jim Jasculca, Roy,
55:21um Smita, this girl Smita, another
55:24friend of ours Beth, I
55:26she uh pa seems like everybody I know
55:28passed passing away. Um she passed away.
55:31She was a child diabetic and and got
55:33very ill. Um we would all socialize. Um
55:37like I said, I don't think John ever s-
55:40It's hard I don't want to say he never
55:41socialized with us.
55:43Um
55:45You know, it it's been I I'd have to go
55:47almost go back and look at pictures
55:49because I take pictures. I mean, I
55:50usually when I have I go to functions, I
55:53have 10,000 pictures, okay? I'm a
55:55picture nut.
55:59Let me ask when you were seeing John,
56:00would you
56:01I I take it he would pick you up in his
56:03car, you go in her car, you know, your
56:05car, things of that nature
56:07when you guys would go out?
56:09Well, yeah, I mean,
56:10Do you remember what he what he drove?
56:14Well, I know at one time he drove either
56:16a 240Z or 260Z.
56:19Any other cars that stand out in your
56:21mind?
56:22Mhm.
56:31Mhm.
56:33I
56:33I don't know how long he drove that 240Z
56:35or 260Z for. Um and the only reason I
56:38say that is cuz I think
56:40I may have a picture of it, um with him
56:43in it. Um
56:46What kind of car did you have back then?
56:49Let's see.
56:50What year?
56:52Were you like one of those young cops
56:53that like, "Oh, I got a paycheck and
56:54bought a new car" or
56:55no. I I've only had like a few cars in
56:57my whole life. So, what did you have
56:59when you came on the job?
57:04Okay, well, my first car was a '68
57:05Chevelle.
57:08Mhm, '68 Chevelle.
57:11And then I had
57:14a Toyota.
57:21Some kind of a Toyota. Mhm. Um
57:24hatchback, but I forget what the name of
57:26it was.
57:27Um Like a Corolla or Tercel or
57:30Tercel. Something like that.
57:32Tercel. Yeah. And then I had my truck.
57:35Did you ever have any problems with your
57:36cars?
57:40Like what?
57:41Just anything in general, you know, car
57:43wrecks, anything stolen. Yeah, no, my
57:45car's never been stolen. Oh,
57:47no, crashed,
57:49hit and run,
57:50um
57:54uh
57:56hit I mean, my Tercel was hit and run.
57:58Again, I got I got pictures of the hit
57:59and runs, um
58:01Yeah, I don't think any of my cars have
58:02ever been stolen. No.
58:05My cars haven't been stolen.
58:08Broken into,
58:10um None of that, huh?
58:12Oh, yeah, they my cars have been broken
58:14into,
58:15um
58:17you know,
58:19but no cars have ever been stolen. Mhm.
58:24How long Well, when tell me about this
58:26uh car getting broken into.
58:28Well, my car had been broken into
58:30several times. Oh, really?
58:33Did you ever lose anything or
58:35Yeah.
58:36Now that you mention it,
58:38let's see.
58:41I had a gun that was stolen. Mhm.
58:43Uh I had other stuff that was stolen.
58:46Not your duty gun, was it?
58:47No. That's good.
58:50Um Was it ever recovered?
58:52I don't know. No, I don't think so. Not
58:54that I know of.
58:55Never been notified? No. Car's been
58:57broken into
58:59yeah, several times. Where did that
59:01happen when your gun was taken?
59:05Mhm.
59:08Trying to remember.
59:12I'm sure you guys must know.
59:14Um
59:16cuz my car was broken into in Ventura,
59:23I think in Santa Monica. I have
59:24relatives that live in Santa Monica and
59:26Venice.
59:27Um
59:27Who lives there? My uncle. Well, I had I
59:30had several uncles.
59:32Um
59:35Yeah. Could have been Santa Monica.
59:38Um Venice.
59:40My My car was broken into in Ventura
59:42before.
59:43So.
59:45Is your mom still around or Mhm. Yeah.
59:48And your dad?
59:49Yeah, but I don't really have that much
59:51of a relationship with my dad. Yeah.
59:54So.
59:55I couldn't tell you where he lives if
59:56you're You want to know. Oh, really?
59:59No. Mhm. Yeah, I couldn't tell you.
1:00:03Well
1:00:04like I said, as we were looking at the
1:00:05case and you know, we had read the notes
1:00:08as far as from
1:00:11Sherri's friend saying
1:00:13you you guys had problems or words and
1:00:15they got heated.
1:00:17You know, and the reason we're asking is
1:00:19they had mentioned that an incident at
1:00:21her work had occurred.
1:00:22And they they've also told us that an
1:00:24incident at her house occurred.
1:00:29You know what? And this is at her house
1:00:31during the period of time that they're
1:00:32married.
1:00:35That's just not sounding familiar at
1:00:37all. I mean, I You know what? I
1:00:41That's just not sound I I I
1:00:42Again, if someone says that I was at her
1:00:44house and I had an incident with her
1:00:47I I You know, I that just doesn't sound
1:00:49I I I
1:00:51You know, was John there? Did John say
1:00:52this happened because and other people
1:00:54were there? I I
1:00:56I just I don't recall. I mean, it just
1:00:58doesn't sound you know, familiar. And
1:01:01this is an incident where you showed up
1:01:04you weren't supposed to show up
1:01:06and
1:01:07things got heated.
1:01:09At his house? Yes.
1:01:13It I You know, I that just doesn't sound
1:01:15familiar. I mean
1:01:16Nothing? No.
1:01:18I You know, it's not sounding familiar.
1:01:21So
1:01:21Not at all. Now you're saying not
1:01:22familiar cuz it's just you remember or
1:01:25it's just
1:01:25Well, you know what? I would have then
1:01:26I'd have to say I don't remember cuz I
1:01:28don't remember. I It doesn't sound
1:01:30familiar. I
1:01:32I mean, would you remember something
1:01:33like that in your life if Well, I would
1:01:35think but
1:01:36drama involving, you know
1:01:38the other woman type of thing. Did you
1:01:40ever fight with her?
1:01:41You mean like we fought?
1:01:42Yeah, did you ever duke it out with her?
1:01:45No, I don't think so. I mean You'd
1:01:47remember that, right? That would be
1:01:48pretty Yeah, I would think so. I mean
1:01:51Pretty specific. Yeah, like I said, I
1:01:53mean, obviously
1:01:55I
1:01:56You know, I mean,
1:01:57it just doesn't sound familiar.
1:02:00I mean, I mean, what are they saying? So
1:02:02I I I fought with her, so So now I I
1:02:04mean, I I I I I'm
1:02:05get getting the jump of the leap.
1:02:08Excuse me, I haven't eaten. Um
1:02:11they're saying, "Okay, I fought with
1:02:12her, so I must have killed her."
1:02:13I mean, come on. I mean, that's
1:02:16you know
1:02:18I don't even know who these people are.
1:02:19I I can't even say I met any of these
1:02:21people. I mean, that's it's insane.
1:02:23I
1:02:25If it happened, I honestly don't
1:02:26remember it.
1:02:28That's all I can tell you. I mean
1:02:30I mean, both
1:02:31I don't know.
1:02:32Would it be something you would
1:02:33remember? I mean, cuz it's I don't know
1:02:35if any other
1:02:37intense incidents in your life that have
1:02:39occurred. I mean, you'd recall those,
1:02:40right? I mean Well
1:02:42Like a use of force at work or car
1:02:44crash, something you're involved in.
1:02:46You'd be like, "Yeah, I remember
1:02:46You would think I would remember. I
1:02:48mean, I would think if it was something
1:02:50that crazy. I mean, I I I I can't say
1:02:52You say, "How many fights have you
1:02:53gotten into, you know, in your life?"
1:02:57You know, I mean, a few at work.
1:02:59Well, fights at work are kind of
1:03:00different cuz we've all had uses of
1:03:02force or whatever but
1:03:03you know, I haven't even had a lot of
1:03:04those.
1:03:04Right, but if you're if you're actually,
1:03:06you know I mean, I played
1:03:08Like if if Dan and I got mad at each
1:03:09other and we threw blows in the squad
1:03:11room, I mean, 20 years later I I would
1:03:12remember it. I mean I would think I
1:03:14would remember it but that's that's what
1:03:16I'm saying. That's not sounding familiar
1:03:17to me at all. I mean
1:03:20Let me ask you. I mean, throughout your
1:03:22life
1:03:25you know, would you remember the number
1:03:26of fights you've been involved in?
1:03:28And I don't mean kind of like a bump or
1:03:30something, just a a physical fight where
1:03:31you
1:03:33everybody's hitting each other,
1:03:34scratching, pulling, you know, whatever.
1:03:37Maybe. I mean, I can't say I've been in
1:03:39a lot. You know, I played sports. Yeah.
1:03:42You know, you get into scuffles there
1:03:44and
1:03:44Mhm.
1:03:45Um
1:03:46And you recall some of those, right? I
1:03:47mean, just
1:03:48Yeah, I can recall some of them.
1:03:50games get intense and But like I said,
1:03:52this you saying this this is just not
1:03:54ringing a bell. I mean, but you know,
1:03:57I don't know what to tell you. It's it's
1:03:59just that's not ringing a bell to me.
1:04:02That'd be something I would think I
1:04:04would remember. I mean, I'm
1:04:06If you're in the I would think so, too.
1:04:08If you're in this other girl's house and
1:04:09But
1:04:10words are exchanged, I mean, you figure
1:04:11you'd recall. I would think.
1:04:14Especially if it got physical, right?
1:04:16Well, I would think. And it's relating
1:04:18to
1:04:19you know, a guy that you were dating and
1:04:21that she's dating now, you know, and
1:04:22it's like a whole
1:04:24love triangle type of thing. I mean, you
1:04:26figure you'd remember that, right? Well,
1:04:28I would think.
1:04:31So
1:04:34I mean, I don't know what else to tell
1:04:35you. Yeah.
1:04:36No, cuz I'm I mean, I'm trying to I'm
1:04:38looking at the notes and these people
1:04:40are kind of
1:04:42I mean, they're pointing the finger at
1:04:43you. Well And
1:04:45I mean
1:04:47that's not ringing a bell to me, so
1:04:49you know, I don't know you know
1:04:52it's
1:04:54I don't know what to tell you. I mean,
1:04:55that just sounds crazy to me. Yeah, so
1:04:57you offhand, you don't recall ever going
1:04:59into her house and having words and
1:05:02physically
1:05:04you know No.
1:05:05attacking her, her attacking you. No.
1:05:07Nothing like that?
1:05:08No, I mean, that's no.
1:05:10Nothing?
1:05:11No.
1:05:12No.
1:05:13Not at all. Okay.
1:05:16Well, on some of the
1:05:18uh on this case
1:05:20you know
1:05:20this is occurred in '86.
1:05:23Right? Uh
1:05:24detectives processed the scene, things
1:05:26of that nature. Uh
1:05:28They did fingerprints and all that
1:05:30stuff, you know, you know the standard
1:05:31stuff. I mean, you did been doing this
1:05:33longer than I have.
1:05:34Uh Well, not about that.
1:05:36I got 26 years behind Yeah. going on 26.
1:05:3919, so.
1:05:41But
1:05:43you know, as they processed everything,
1:05:45they did the best they could at that
1:05:46time and they looked at a lot of a lot
1:05:47of people and different things in this
1:05:49case.
1:05:50And you're right.
1:05:51if you guys are claiming that I'm a
1:05:52suspect, then you know, I I got a
1:05:54problem with you know, with that. Okay.
1:05:57Okay? So
1:05:59you know, if you're if you're doing this
1:06:01as an interrogation, you're saying,
1:06:02"Hey, I'm a suspect." Well, now I got a
1:06:04problem with you know, now you're
1:06:06accusing me of this.
1:06:07Is that what you're Is that what you're
1:06:08saying?
1:06:10We're trying to figure out what
1:06:11happened, Stephanie.
1:06:13Well, I'm I was you know, I'm just
1:06:15saying
1:06:16you know, do what I need to get a lawyer
1:06:19if you're accusing me of this?
1:06:20You know You don't have to I mean, you
1:06:22know, you're here of your own free will.
1:06:24I mean, you you know,
1:06:25you're not you're not you're not under
1:06:26arrest. You can walk out whenever
1:06:27leave whenever you like. Well But You
1:06:29know I'm trying to give you some
1:06:31background of you know, how I knew him.
1:06:33And now you're telling me that some
1:06:35somebody's saying that we had this big
1:06:37old fight and I don't even know what
1:06:39you're talking about. Um you know, and I
1:06:41don't want to you know, get in trouble
1:06:43for something that I didn't even do or
1:06:45you're saying I did something.
1:06:47Okay. Yeah, we understand.
1:06:49I mean, how would you guys like it if
1:06:50the tables were turned on you?
1:06:52I understand. No.
1:06:53No, that's what we're telling you. I
1:06:54mean, you're free to go whenever you
1:06:55want. If if this makes you uncomfortable
1:06:57and you want to Well, you know, you're
1:06:58starting to make me uncomfortable.
1:07:00The thing is, I mean, detectives did
1:07:02what they could at that time on the
1:07:03crime scene. Okay? And the burglary
1:07:05thing you're talking about, that is an
1:07:06angle that they looked at.
1:07:08Angle, but now we're looking at
1:07:09everything else on the case cuz nobody
1:07:11was ever arrested on the case. I
1:07:13I don't know that or not. Okay.
1:07:17Now, what we'd like to do is
1:07:19obviously you know about all the DNA
1:07:21stuff and things of the nature that, you
1:07:22know, gets done on cases nowadays.
1:07:25You know, if we asked you for a a DNA
1:07:27swab, would you be willing to give us
1:07:28one? Maybe.
1:07:31Cuz now now now Yeah, because now
1:07:34Now I'm thinking I probably need to talk
1:07:36to a lawyer.
1:07:37Okay. I mean
1:07:39Well I cuz I know how this stuff works,
1:07:41okay? Don't get me wrong. You're right.
1:07:42I have been doing this a long time. And
1:07:44and I wish I had been recording this
1:07:45because because now it sounds like, you
1:07:48know, there's
1:07:49you know, you're telling these people
1:07:50say I'm a fighting with her and now you
1:07:53sounds like you're trying to you know
1:07:55I've been doing this a long time.
1:07:56Yeah, we know.
1:07:57Okay? And and now it almost sounds like
1:07:59you're trying to pin something on me.
1:08:00Now I I got that sense. Well, what it
1:08:02gets to on these on these cases and you
1:08:04know it as well as I do. Our job is to
1:08:06identify and eliminate suspects.
1:08:07I can't believe this. So if we ask you
1:08:09to the point give us a DNA sample
1:08:12buccal swab so we can
1:08:14identify or eliminate you
1:08:16would you be willing to do that? Maybe.
1:08:19Cuz I know this I I I I That's where
1:08:21we're at, too. I mean, because
1:08:24right now from looking at the evidence,
1:08:26it's you know, it's possible we may have
1:08:28some DNA at the location.
1:08:30That's great. And
1:08:33we're going to do what we can to try to
1:08:34put this thing together.
1:08:36And your name's in the book. These
1:08:38people are pointing at you for whatever
1:08:40reason. I don't know why. That's just
1:08:42crazy. I mean, that's just that's
1:08:43absolutely crazy. And
1:08:46it would be irresponsible on our part
1:08:48not to look at it.
1:08:48I know. I you guys have to do your job
1:08:50and I guess I'm going to have to contact
1:08:52somebody. So That's fair. I mean,
1:08:55cuz I know how this stuff works. I mean,
1:08:57I I I I I just can't believe it. That's
1:09:01I mean, we we understand that. I mean,
1:09:02if we were in your position, I mean, we
1:09:04would feel the same way.
1:09:06I just can't even believe it.
1:09:07I mean, it's just
1:09:09I mean, I'm shocked. I'm really shocked.
1:09:12That somebody would be blame saying that
1:09:13I did this. I mean, we had a fight and
1:09:15so I went and killed her. I mean, come
1:09:16on. Well That's
1:09:19Okay.
1:09:20All right. Well, thanks for giving me
1:09:22the courtesy of your time.
1:09:24Thanks for your time. Yeah, thank you.
1:09:26All right, Stephanie. Take your time.
1:09:27All right.
1:09:55This is absolutely crazy. I see you,
1:09:58Stephanie.
1:10:00This is insane. Okay.
1:10:09Give me one second.
1:10:14Okay.
1:10:16Stephanie, you know you have the right
1:10:17to remain silent. Do you understand?
1:10:19Yes.
1:10:20Anything you say may be used against you
1:10:21in court. Do you understand?
1:10:22Yes. You have the right to the presence
1:10:24of an attorney before and during any
1:10:26questioning. Do you understand? Yes. If
1:10:28you cannot afford an attorney, one will
1:10:29be appointed for you free of charge
1:10:31before any questioning if you want. Do
1:10:32you understand? Yes.
1:10:34Do you want to talk to us right now? No.
1:10:37All right. Okay. This is crazy.
1:10:39This is absolutely
1:10:41I'm like I'm like in shock. I'm totally
1:10:43in shock.

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