Elizabeth Gregory interview

Friday, October 21, 2022 – 10:15 a.m.

Elizabeth Gregory was Kimberly Pace's personal physician.

Detectives Armstrong and Murphy interviewed Dr. Gregory in her office located at 551 Azalea Drive.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Elizabeth Gregory, MD

Detective Murphy: Thank you for seeing us today, Dr. Gregory. We'll try to make this as brief as possible. We know how busy you are.

Elizabeth Gregory: Thank you, detective. I appreciate that since I have patients waiting. How can I help you?

Detective Murphy: First, could you please state your name and address for the record?

Elizabeth Gregory: Certainly. Elizabeth Gregory, 1511 White Lawn Lane.

Detective Murphy: Thanks. As we told you on the phone, we're investigating the death of Kimberly Pace. Can you tell us how long she had been your patient?

Elizabeth Gregory: Yes. Let's see. I have her record right here. I feel terrible about her death. Are you making any progress in learning who did this dreadful thing? She first came to see me early in 2020 for a routine exam.

Detective Murphy: I see. Did she have any significant health problems?

Elizabeth Gregory: Not really. She was a healthy young woman. Her problems were usually routine — a bad cold, a sprain, or something of that sort.

Detective Armstrong: Doctor, we found a bottle of Lorazepam tablets you prescribed for her a few days before her death. Can you tell us why you prescribed them?

Elizabeth Gregory: Yes, she came to see me because she had been unable to sleep for several nights, and she was exhausted. She feared it would affect her job if she didn't get regular sleep, so I prescribed the Lorazepam for a few days. I cautioned her to take one tablet only at bedtime and when she could get 7-8 hours of sleep. She understood Lorazepam could be addictive if taken over an extended period of time, so I only gave her enough for ten days. She was going to call me after a week to let me know how she was doing, and we would reevaluate then.

Detective Murphy: Is Lorazepam the medication you usually give your patients who can't sleep?

Elizabeth Gregory: Well, in Kimberly's case, we had used it before when she had suffered insomnia as a result of a great deal of stress or anxiety. I first used it when she had an anxiety attack a few months after her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She'd had good results without an adverse reaction, so I thought it was warranted in this situation.

Detective Armstrong: Was she suffering from anxiety the last time she came to see you?

Elizabeth Gregory: Yes, detective. Considering Kimberly's history and the anxiety she was feeling over several things in her life, I thought she would benefit from several nights of good sleep. The Lorazepam would do that for her as well as relieve her anxiety.

Detective Murphy: When was the last time you prescribed Lorazepam for her?

Elizabeth Gregory: Let's see… that would have been back in October of 2020. As I mentioned, her mother had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's not long before that. Her mother's condition declined very rapidly after the diagnosis, and Kimberly was struggling with the need to move her mother into a full-time care facility. It was a very difficult decision for her, and she was literally losing a lot of sleep over it.

Detective Murphy: And did you ever prescribe it for her any other time besides the two we've talked about?

Elizabeth Gregory: No.

Detective Armstrong: Doc, when you last saw Kimberly, did she mention anything to you about the possibility that she might be pregnant? Or that she thought she was pregnant?

Elizabeth Gregory: No. She wasn't pregnant. I wouldn't have prescribed the Lorazepam if she had been.

Detective Armstrong: We know she wasn't pregnant from the autopsy results. But she didn't tell you that she thought she might be?

Elizabeth Gregory: No, she didn't.

Detective Armstrong: Do you think she would have told you if she did think she might be pregnant?

Elizabeth Gregory: Oh yes. Absolutely.

Detective Armstrong: We found an empty pregnancy test box in her house. Do you have any idea what the explanation for that might be?

Elizabeth Gregory: I couldn't say.

Detective Armstrong: Does that mean you don't know, or you do know but aren't able to say?

Elizabeth Gregory: I couldn't say.

Detective Murphy: I see, doctor. Do you have any other information about Dr. Pace you think would be pertinent to our investigation?

Elizabeth Gregory: Not that I can think of at the moment.

Detective Murphy: Well, you have our cards. Will you call if you think of anything else?

Elizabeth Gregory: Yes, of course. I would be glad to help you catch whoever did this to Kimberly.

Interview ended – 10:38 a.m.