Canvass – church choir members
On the morning of Saturday, October 31, Detective Armstrong and Deputy Watson interviewed the members of the choir at Faith and Glory Community Church, where Frederick Miller was the assistant choir director.
The choir members were asked if they had observed anything suspicious on the night of October 29 when they were at the church for choir practice. They were also asked about Mr. Miller's recent behavior and his relationship with choir director, Nathaniel Huggins.
The interviews summarized are some of the most typical or relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.
Collins
Darla Collins
Soprano
Ms. Collins said Mr. Miller was in a bad mood at choir practice, and he yelled at her because she was struggling with one of the songs. She said she believed that no matter how much effort she gave, Mr. Miller was never satisfied. After Mr. Miller reprimanded her in front of everyone, she was very upset, and she left in a hurry once practice was over.
Villa
Cynthia Villa
Soprano
Ms. Villa said Mr. Miller seemed tense and on edge during practice, but she noted that he wasn't usually the most jovial person, so she didn't think much of it.
When practice was over, she walked out with Mr. Huggins, who left with everyone else since Mr. Miller stayed after to lock up. She asked Mr. Huggins whether she could bring her daughter to practice the following week. They talked for less than a minute before parting ways.
Ms. Villa said she saw Mr. Huggins head towards the staff parking lot as she headed towards the main parking lot, but she didn't see him get into his car.
Walsh
Rachel Walsh
Alto
Ms. Walsh said she arrived at choir practice about 30 minutes late on the evening of October 29, and she noticed that the church was busier than usual.
She said Mr. Miller seemed especially distracted that evening. She overheard the choir director giving Mr. Miller a hard time about how often he was checking his phone. Even though Mr. Huggins tried to make light of it, Ms. Walsh said that she could sense that Mr. Huggins was actually quite irritated about it.
Gill
Edwin Gill
Tenor
Mr. Gill said that when he arrived at the church, he noticed some people gathering for the sewing event, but he didn't observe anything suspicious.
Choir practice proceeded normally, and everyone left on time. As usual, Mr. Miller stayed after to put things away and lock up, so Mr. Gill didn't see him leave the building.
Heslin
Jeffrey Heslin
Tenor
Mr. Heslin said he noticed Mr. Huggins getting annoyed with Mr. Miller during practice. He noted that Mr. Huggins and Mr. Miller generally didn't seem to get along very well, so he didn't take much notice of what was going on between them.
When practice ended, Mr. Heslin briefly stopped at the restroom and then walked out to the parking lot where his car was parked. He thinks he saw some people around as he left but doesn't recall anyone in particular and didn't see anything suspicious.
Tabor
James Tabor
Tenor
Mr. Tabor said he didn't notice anything unusual that evening, nor had he noticed any changes in Mr. Miller's behavior recently.
He said his son had Mr. Miller as a biology teacher last year and had told him that Mr. Miller had a reputation for being strict. Mr. Tabor added that Mr. Miller had a similar reputation within the choir in that he took things very seriously.
Mr. Tabor believes that Mr. Huggins and Mr. Miller work well together despite the fact that they sometimes have minor disagreements.
Verdan
Elizabeth Verdan
Tenor
Ms. Verdan said choir practice went as usual, but the church was busy due to the sewing event taking place. She thought that Mr. Miller seemed especially stressed out about something because she noticed him checking his phone a lot during practice, which was unusual.
Ms. Verdan remarked that Mr. Miller could be somewhat rigid and traditional, which has caused minor disagreements between him and Mr. Huggins, the choir director.
Salo
Richard Salo
Bass
Mr. Salo said Mr. Miller did seem worried about something at choir practice that night. He noticed Mr. Miller frequently looking at his phone but said that he didn't know whether he was texting someone or just checking the time.
Mr. Salo had to leave practice a few minutes early, and he didn't notice anything unusual when he left.
