Fatal Flaw
A True Story of Malice and Murder in a Small Southern Town
- The Verdict - Page 247
Q: But you didn't hear any shots--in other words, as you were leaving the restaurant or something you didn't hear any shots.
A: Nothing at all, no, uh-uh. We knew nothing was going on whatsoever.
Q: So then you didn't hear the shots then until after the police had arrived.
A: Right, right. So I am sure they have already filled you in on all that.
...
Q: Well, I was almost on my way up to talk to you—but if you heard the shots after you saw the police cars—
A: Yeah, yeah.
Q: It was all over with at that point.
A: Yeah. What—is there any new leads or anything—do you have any information on what
Q: Well, I mean we got a man charged. In fact, we have got the owner of the furniture store charged.
A: You do?
Q: Oh, yeah.
A: Oh, I see. I didn't know that.
Q: See, he had his wife insured for $500,000.
A: Oh, I see.
Q: And the policies were only about thirty days old when he killed her.
A: Oh.
Q: He killed her, his mother-in-law, his father-in-law, and a customer in the store.
A: Oh, I see. You have him charged then. Oh, I see.
...
Q: ...What we are really trying to find is somebody that saw them [Zeigler and Mays] jumping that fence back there.
A: Oh, yeah, right.
Q: But, nope, as long as you heard the gunshots after, you know, you say you saw the police car then that wouldn't help us a bit....Okay, you might tell your mother I called.
A: Okay. You won't need to talk to her or anything will you?
Q: Not unless, you know, you all get together and decide you heard those gunshots—
A: No.
Q: —before you saw the police car and in that case we'd give you a free trip back to Florida.
A: (Laughs) No, we've, uh, ever since we got the letter here, about last Thursday I guess it was, we've been talking it over and that's as close as we can come...
The tape is startling. The Jellisons were clearly in a position to corroborate key points in the testimony of Edward Williams and Felton Thomas. But they did
Back to Chapter: The Verdict





