YOKNAPATAWPHA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
Investigating Officer(s): Det. T. Armstrong, Det. S. Murphy
Incident No.: 005533-26J-2024
Case Description: Laurie Daniels homicide investigation
Investigators have compiled the following summary of the witnesses' alibis for September 1 and 2, 2024. Information on the results of attempts to verify the alibis is also included.
Confirmation types:
- Yes = The alibi was confirmed for entire time period
- No = No part of the alibi could be corroborated.
- Tentative = Corroboration for all or part of the witness's time comes from someone with a personal relationship with the witness or questionable reliability.
- Partially = Part of the alibi was confirmed or tentatively confirmed, but one or more portions of the witness's time remain uncorroborated.
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Description: Discovered vandalism and bucket scenes on his farm in Taylor Alibi: Allison said he was working on his farm. Possible Motive: None known. Confirmed? Tentative. Allison's wife and child confirmed, but no independent corroboration was found. |
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Description: Victim's ex-fiancé Alibi: Burgess originally claimed he'd had no contact with Laurie after his visit to New Orleans with Callie Shivers in November 2023. Subsequently, he admitted he picked up Laurie at the Memphis airport on September 1 and took her to his then-residence in Coles Point. He claimed Laurie vanished from that residence, and he was unable to locate her. Possible Motive: Spurned lover who became obsessed with the victim's decadent lifestyle. Confirmed? No. Circumstantial evidence corroborates Burgess' trip to Memphis on September 1, but not that Laurie returned to Oxford with him willingly or unwillingly or that she left his presence at any time subsequent. |
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Description: Victim's father Alibi: Mr. Daniels claimed he'd had no contact with Laurie since she left town in 2017. He said he was at home on September 1 and 2. Possible Motive: May have been an abusive parent who may be implicated in death/disappearance of his other daughter, Melanie. Confirmed? No. |
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Description: Victim's mother Alibi: Mrs. Daniels said she was hosting a baby shower for a friend in Natchez, MS, on the afternoon of September 1. She later admitted she'd sent Laurie money to return to Oxford, but claimed she never saw Laurie after that and didn't know if she'd really used the money to come home. Possible Motive: May have feared exposure of her husband's alleged inappropriate behavior with one or both daughters. Confirmed? Partially. Witness Sophie Gleason confirmed that Daniels was in Natchez, approximately four hours away from Oxford, until 5:00 p.m. on September 1. No corroboration of her whereabouts later that night and the next day except from her husband. |
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Description: Witness Alibi: DeVille said he had verbal but not physical contact with a woman at Willie's Fuel & Bait around 2:00 a.m. on September 2 and claimed that woman was picked up by another woman in a red car. However, DeVille did not identify the first woman as Laurie Daniels and could not provide a description of the woman who picked her up beyond saying she was Caucasian and had light-colored hair. Possible Motive: None known. Confirmed? Tentative. Willie and Doreen Carlisle confirmed that Mr. DeVille regularly visited their store overnight to pick up ice, but neither witnessed him at that location in the overnight hours of September 1 or 2. |
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Description: Victim's former mentor/lover Alibi: Unknown. LaBeau's current whereabouts are unknown. His abandoned apartment was strewn with evidence related to black magic. Possible Motive: May have been upset that Daniels left him and their personal or religious relationship. Confirmed? No. |
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Description: Victim's former lover Alibi: Shivers said she was at Austins Music overseeing guitar repairs and Square Books on the afternoon of September 1 and was rehearsing with her band on September 2. Possible Motive: Jealousy, revenge. Confirmed? Yes. Austins Music employees and Square Books customers and employees confirm her whereabouts on September 1. Other members of Kitten Sack confirmed her whereabouts on September 2. |
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Description: Victim's former lover, victim's sister's former love interest Alibi: Simms said he never left Pittsburgh. Possible Motive: Alleged romantic relationship gone wrong. Possibly covering up secret whereabouts of Melanie Daniels. Confirmed? Yes. Employer records show Simms was at work in Pittsburgh on September 1 and 2. |
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Description: Witness Alibi: Strong claimed he was sleeping in a post office back room in Memphis from approximately 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on September 1, then went to The Gentlemen's Cabana, spent some time with one of their dancers, then left around 10:00 p.m. to return to Oxford. Claimed he was at home all day on September 2. Possible Motive: Could have been attempting to "convert" Callie Shivers by removing the object of her affection. Confirmed? Partially. A Gentlemen's Cabana dancer confirmed that Strong arrived at the club around 5:00 p.m. and stayed with her until 10:00 p.m. on September 1. Strong's brother, Roy, confirmed he was at home on September 2, but no independent corroboration was found. |
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Description: Witness Alibi: Strong said he had drinks at The Roadhouse all afternoon with Marshall Pidgin and several other men, all of whom account for Strong's presence. Possible Motive: None known. Confirmed? Partially. Pidgin and others confirmed Strong's presence at The Roadhouse on the afternoon of September 1. Strong's brother, JC, confirmed he was at JC's residence on September 2, but no independent corroboration was found. |