Julianne Clarke interview

Friday, April 21, 2023 – 2:30 p.m.

Julianne Clarke was the sales clerk who was working at lingerie shop Underneath It All on Thursday, April 13, 2023.

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

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Julianne Clarke

Detective Murphy: Thank you for coming in, Ms. Clarke. Would you please state your name and address for the record?

Julianne Clarke: This is pretty cool. I've never been in a police station before.

Detective Murphy: Yes, it's very cool. Now, would you—

Julianne Clarke: Hey, are people watching me behind that mirror over there like they do on TV?

Detective Murphy: Uh… sure. Lots of people are gathered over there just to watch you and hear what you have to say. And the first thing they'd like to hear is your name and address.

Julianne Clarke: Oh, right. I'm Julianne Clarke, and I live at 602 South 11th in Oxford.

Detective Murphy: Thank you. Now, you are employed as a clerk at Underneath It All at 265 North Lamar. Is that correct?

Julianne Clarke: Yes, I am. I work there part-time. I'm a junior at Ole Miss. I'm majoring in—

Detective Murphy: I'm sure your academic career is fascinating, but we really need you to focus on your work at Underneath It All for right now. Okay?

Julianne Clarke: Sure. Okay. What do you want to know?

Detective Murphy: You were working on Thursday, April 13th of this year?

Julianne Clarke: Yeah, I work every Thursday afternoon. I arranged my schedule so I don't have any classes that day.

Detective Murphy: That was very clever of you. Now, do you remember how many customers you had that day?

Julianne Clarke: Oh, we never have very many. It's a small shop, and it's kind of specialized, so we don't get a whole lot of people coming in. Not like you'd get at the mall or something. Plus, our stuff is pretty expensive, so not everyone can afford to shop there. Not that we're snobby or anything like that. Just—

Detective Murphy: Ted, you want to…

Detective Armstrong: Okay. Julianne— may I call you Julianne?

Julianne Clarke: Sure. That is my name, after all.

Detective Armstrong: Yes. We're interested in a specific transaction on that date. It was a credit card purchase in the amount of $235.61. The storeowners gave us this receipt from that transaction. Does it look familiar to you?

Julianne Clarke: Oh, that's one of our receipts. That's for sure.

Detective Armstrong: Do you remember that transaction in particular?

Julianne Clarke: I don't know. Let me look at that receipt again. Is this like a test? Like, do you already know who bought this stuff, and you're just testing me to see if I know?

Detective Murphy: God, help us. Julianne, do you remember who made that purchase or not?

Julianne Clarke: Well… oh yeah. That teddy. I remember her.

Detective Armstrong: Why does the teddy make you remember her?

Julianne Clarke: Well, it's one of our more expensive items. I mean, compared to some things. And just between us, I think you can get something similar at Vickie's for a little cheaper.

Detective Armstrong: Vickie's?

Julianne Clarke: Victoria's Secret, of course. But then, you're a man, so maybe you don't know about these things. I'm sure Detective Murphy knows. Don't you? You know, you ought to come in. We've got a little chemise you would look great in. Silk and lace. It would be gorgeous on you, très sexy.

Detective Murphy: Anyway! So you do remember the woman who made this purchase?

Julianne Clarke: Yes, but I'm not kidding about that chemise, detective. Really—

Detective Murphy: Yes, I'm sure. Now, what can you tell us about the woman? Do you remember what she looked like? Anything distinctive or unusual about her?

Julianne Clarke: She was very attractive. Had a great figure. She could pull off almost anything we sell.

Detective Murphy: What did she look like?

Julianne Clarke: Petite. Slender. Like a dancer, you know?

Detective Murphy: Anything more specific? Like, what color was her hair, her eyes, things like that?

Julianne Clarke: Oh, she had dark hair. Chestnut, maybe. And brown eyes. Real pretty.

Detective Murphy: How old was she?

Julianne Clarke: I don't know. A little older than me, I guess.

Detective Murphy: How much older?

Julianne Clarke: I don't know. Maybe 24, 25? I don't know. I'm not really too good at guessing people's ages.

Detective Armstrong: Was there anything distinctive about her appearance? Tattoos or piercings or anything like that?

Julianne Clarke: Her ears were pierced, I think. But just one hole in each ear. Nothing crazy.

Detective Armstrong: Anything unusual about her behavior?

Julianne Clarke: She seemed a little nervous, maybe, but that's not too unusual. Some women are uncomfortable buying sexy lingerie for some reason. Although, she didn't seem like the type who'd be concerned about that.

Detective Armstrong: Do you know why she was nervous?

Julianne Clarke: No. It was kind of like she thought I thought she was going to steal something or something like that. But I didn't think that. And then, she brought the things she wanted to the register and gave me her credit card, so it probably wasn't that.

Detective Murphy: Did she look like someone who would be named Charles?

Julianne Clarke: No. What do you mean? Are you saying she was really a man?

Detective Murphy: No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying the name on the credit card she used was Charles Tatum. That didn't strike you as unusual. A woman named Charles?

Julianne Clarke: I didn't even notice, but it's not that unusual for women to use a credit card with a man's name on it. Not in our store anyway. I don't know what happens in other places, but a lot of times, a woman comes in to buy something to wear for her boyfriend or husband. Sometimes the guy pays for it. I don't even think about it.

Detective Murphy: Imagine that.

Detective Armstrong: Sam… Now Julianne, had you ever seen this woman before she came in the store that day?

Julianne Clarke: No, I don't think so. If she had been in the store before when I was working, I would have recognized her. I'm good about that. The customers like it when you remember them.

Detective Armstrong: Has she come into the store again since that day?

Julianne Clarke: No. Not when I was working anyway. I guess she could have come in some other time, but I wouldn't know about that.

Detective Murphy: Did you happen to get her name? Her real name, not the one on the credit card she used.

Julianne Clarke: No. Why would I do that?

Detective Murphy: Of course. Silly me. Why would you do that? Tell me this. Do you think you could recognize this woman if you saw her again?

Julianne Clarke: Sure. Why not?

Detective Armstrong: We'd like you to take a look at these two things on my phone. One is a composite of a woman, and the other is a clip from a security video. Does either one of these look like the woman you saw that day?

Julianne Clarke: Well, they both kind of do. This one from the video, it's kind of hard to see her, but I'm pretty sure that's her. This other one is kind of weird, but it does look like her, basically. Not exactly. I mean, there's something not quite right about it, but it pretty much looks like her, I think. Are they both her? Did I get it right?

Detective Armstrong: There's no right or wrong, Julianne. It's just a question of whether either one looks to you like the woman. You're saying they both do, right?

Julianne Clarke: Well, kind of. I mean, I think so.

Detective Armstrong: How sure are you? It's possible that neither one of them is the woman who was in your store that day, so don't say yes just because you think that's what we want to hear. Only say one or both of the pictures look like her if they really do. Does either of them really resemble that woman?

Julianne Clarke: Yeah, like I said. I'm pretty sure that's her in both. If I saw her in person, I could tell better, but I'm pretty sure that's her.

Detective Armstrong: Okay. Thank you, Julianne. You've been very helpful. We appreciate your coming in today. If we have any more questions for you, we'll be in touch. You can go now.

Julianne Clarke: Are you sure? I mean, if there's anything else I can do, I'd be happy to. I've never been involved in a police investigation before. This is pretty exciting.

Detective Murphy: Yes, I'm sure. We've gotten all we need from you for now, Ms. Clarke. Thank you for your assistance. As Detective Armstrong said, if we need anything else, we'll be in touch. You have a nice day now.

Julianne Clarke: You too, detective. And I hope you'll come in the shop sometime soon. We've got several things that would look great on you. Really!

Detective Murphy: Thank you for your interest in my wardrobe, Ms. Clarke. The officer outside the door will escort you out. Goodbye now.

Interview ended – 3:04 p.m.