Phyllis Roy interview

Monday, October 12, 2020 – 8:05 a.m.

Phyllis Roy was Courtney Morris's neighbor and had a good view of the comings and goings at Courtney's apartment.

Detectives Murphy and Parker interviewed her at Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.

Participants:

• Detective S. Murphy
• Detective E. Parker
• Phyllis Roy

Detective Murphy: Hello, Mrs. Roy. How are you today?

Phyllis Roy: Please call me Phyllis. I'm doing as well as can be expected. I'm just heartbroken over poor Courtney.

Detective Murphy: Yes, ma'am. Would you please tell us your name and address for the record?

Phyllis Roy: Of course, I will. I'm Phyllis Rand Roy, and I live at the Maplewood Apartments, #103.

Detective Murphy: How long have you lived there?

Phyllis Roy: About five years now.

Detective Parker: What do you think about Craig Albright? Is he a good manager for the apartments?

Phyllis Roy: Craig is a good man. He's not always so good with people, but he does a great job, and he has a kind heart.

Detective Parker: Do you know how Courtney Morris felt about Mr. Albright?

Phyllis Roy: As a matter of fact, I do. She thought he was precious, and she always went out of her way to make him feel comfortable. She was a good girl. She made desserts for Craig and me. She had respect for her elders, unlike a lot of the younger people these days.

Detective Murphy: Speaking of Craig, he mentioned something about a disturbance the night before Courtney died. Do you know anything about that?

Phyllis Roy: Oh my, yes. There was some young man outside our building yelling in the middle of the night.

Detective Murphy: About what time was that?

Phyllis Roy: I don't have any idea. I was asleep when he started raising a ruckus.

Detective Murphy: Do you know who the man was?

Phyllis Roy: I was afraid to look. I didn't want him to see me.

Detective Murphy: You said he was yelling. Did you recognize his voice?

Phyllis Roy: No. He sounded drunk, bless his heart. I couldn't understand anything he said.

Detective Murphy: Do you know who he was yelling at?

Phyllis Roy: Not for sure. I thought it might be Courtney.

Detective Murphy: Why?

Phyllis Roy: I don't know. With him being drunk and acting crazy like that, I assumed he was young, so I thought he might know Courtney. It was just a feeling. Like I told you, I didn't see him.

Detective Murphy: Did you do anything about it?

Phyllis Roy: I called Craig. I knew he'd take care of it.

Detective Murphy: And did he?

Phyllis Roy: He must have. The boy went away.

Detective Murphy: Why didn't you call 911?

Phyllis Roy: Oh, I didn't want to get the boy in trouble. He was obviously upset. You know how they feel things so intensely at that age. I didn't want him to get arrested just for acting the fool over a girl.

Detective Murphy: Was he doing anything other than yelling?

Phyllis Roy: Like what?

Detective Murphy: Hitting things? Being physically violent in any way?

Phyllis Roy: Not that I heard.

Detective Murphy: Do you know if Courtney responded to him in any way? Talked to him or invited him into her apartment?

Phyllis Roy: I don't think so. She was smarter than that, poor girl.

Detective Parker: Did you see Courtney this past weekend?

Phyllis Roy: Yes, I sure did. I saw her shaking her rugs around 7:30 a.m. yesterday morning before they found her dead. I was getting my newspaper, and we waved at each other.

Detective Murphy: Was that the only time you saw her?

Phyllis Roy: No, I saw her again when the flowers were delivered.

Detective Parker: You saw who brought the flowers? Can you describe them or tell us what florist shop they were from?

Phyllis Roy: All I can tell you is that it was a young woman. She had a cap on. She set the flower box down in front of the door, knocked, and left.

Detective Murphy: She didn't wait for Courtney to answer the door?

Phyllis Roy: Nope. I saw Courtney open the door, look down and look around, and then she picked the box up and went back inside.

Detective Murphy: How did she react to the flowers?

Phyllis Roy: She was happy. She smiled when she saw the box. It's not every day a girl gets long-stemmed roses.

Detective Murphy: You saw the flowers?

Phyllis Roy: No, but I saw the box. What else would it be? It was roses, wasn't it?

Detective Parker: Did you see anyone else at her apartment that day?

Phyllis Roy: Yes, I did. I saw the older fella who visits a lot, and I saw her boyfriend.

Detective Parker: Can you tell us who the older man is or describe him?

Phyllis Roy: I don't know who he is, but I see him a lot, usually early in the morning. He got there right after the flowers were delivered, maybe 15 minutes later.

Detective Parker: Can you describe him, Phyllis?

Phyllis Roy: He's about 6'3. I would say in his late 30s or early 40s. His hair was dark, but it had some silver in it. He was an attractive man. I asked Courtney about him once, but she just said he was a relative. I assumed he was an uncle.

Detective Murphy: How often did you see him visit Courtney?

Phyllis Roy: He comes by two or three times a week usually.

Detective Murphy: Always at the same time?

Phyllis Roy: Well, I don't know to the minute, but it was usually in the mornings.

Detective Murphy: How long has he been doing that?

Phyllis Roy: Oh, ever since Courtney moved in last year.

Detective Murphy: Did Courtney ever have any other visitors while he was there?

Phyllis Roy: Not that I can recall, but don't hold me to that. I don't know that for sure.

Detective Murphy: I understand. How long did his visits typically last?

Phyllis Roy: Oh, he usually stayed an hour or two, I would think. Sometimes shorter. Sometimes longer.

Detective Parker: And how long was he there yesterday?

Phyllis Roy: That I do not know. My grandson came to visit about 9:00, so I was in the kitchen visiting with him. Dylan, my grandson, comes over every Sunday. He had a crush on Courtney. He doesn't think I know, but it was obvious. So he comes on Sunday because he knew he could catch glimpses of her then and maybe even run into her.

Detective Murphy: Did Courtney know about his crush?

Phyllis Roy: Oh, yes. She was no fool. She knew when a man liked her. Or a boy, in this case. She wasn't interested, of course, but she was very nice about it.

Detective Parker: How long did Dylan visit you this past Sunday?

Phyllis Roy: He left around lunchtime, said he had something to do.

Detective Parker: How old is Dylan?

Phyllis Roy: Just a baby, only 18.

Detective Parker: You said you saw her boyfriend yesterday. Do you know him?

Phyllis Roy: Oh, yes. Nice young man. Justin something. Plays football.

Detective Parker: What time did he get there?

Phyllis Roy: He got there right as Dylan was leaving. I think it upset Dylan because he was hoping to see Courtney.

Detective Parker: How long was Justin there?

Phyllis Roy: I'm not sure. Maybe half an hour? Maybe more? It's not like I was keeping track or anything like that.

Detective Murphy: Did you see anyone else?

Phyllis Roy: After Justin left, I laid down for my nap. I guess any one of them could have returned or maybe a stranger came? Oh, I wish I hadn't taken a nap yesterday. I woke up when Mee-Yon and Craig went into Courtney's apartment. I heard Mee-Yon scream. This is so awful. I'm getting a sick headache. Can I please go home now?

Detective Murphy: We're almost done. You mentioned Mee-Yon. Do you know her?

Phyllis Roy: She's Courtney's best friend. She came over all the time.

Detective Parker: Do you remember the last time you saw her before yesterday afternoon?

Phyllis Roy: She came over Saturday evening around 6:30 or so. She and Courtney went out together a little while after that.

Detective Parker: Do you know when they came back?

Phyllis Roy: It must have been after I went to bed.

Detective Parker: When was that?

Phyllis Roy: About 10:00 p.m.

Detective Parker: Okay. Thank you so much for your time, Phyllis. We really appreciate it.

Phyllis Roy: You're welcome, sweetie. I hope you catch whoever did this awful thing. I'll continue to pray for your department. God bless you both.

Detective Murphy: You too, Phyllis.

Interview ended – 8:40 a.m.