Dewey Devoe interview

Sunday, August 27, 2023 – 3:05 p.m.

Donald "Dewey" Devoe is the manager of the apartment complex where Kristi Waterson lived.

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

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Donald "Dewey" Devoe

Detective Murphy: Thanks for talking with us today.

Dewey Devoe: Sure.

Detective Murphy: Would you state your name and address, please?

Dewey Devoe: Dewey Devoe, or— you want my real name?

Detective Murphy: Your real name.

Dewey Devoe: Donald Wayne Devoe, 588 Hathorn, Apartment 22. I prefer Dewey.

Detective Murphy: How old are you?

Dewey Devoe: 29.

Detective Murphy: What do you do for work, Mr. Devoe?

Dewey Devoe: I manage that fine apartment complex. Live there and run the place.

Detective Murphy: What does that entail exactly?

Dewey Devoe: You know, help tenants with their groceries, let them in when they forget their keys, and so on. I get the apartment and some cash—pretty sweet.

Detective Murphy: We asked you here to talk about Ms. Waterson. Officers saw you hanging around outside her apartment, number 232.

Dewey Devoe: Yeah, Kristi. I can't believe it. She's dead. That just blows my mind.

Detective Murphy: What was your relationship with Ms. Waterson?

Dewey Devoe: The usual. I collected the rent, gave them light bulbs, wiped their noses when they sneezed, and so on.

Detective Armstrong: Come on, Dewey. This is a serious matter.

Dewey Devoe: Sorry. It's just that she and Michelle are like some of the other tenants—uptight. Everything has to be perfect all the time,e like they can't survive for five minutes if the bathroom window's stuck or the doorbell's broken. Kristi was always calling me about this or that.

Detective Armstrong: Such as?

Dewey Devoe: She was on my case about the fridge. There was some kind of leak, and she wanted me to call the repair guy and so on. I guess her mom broke her hip, and next thing I know, she's jumping down my throat about it. It's like, I'm sorry, but couldn't she mop the floor?

Detective Armstrong: Jumping down your throat how, exactly?

Dewey Devoe: She came over the other day—last Tuesday, I guess—told me what happened and said she was maybe going to sue. Totally harsh. She didn't do anything,g though. She was just being uptight. It's not like I heard from my boss.

Detective Armstrong: When did you last see Ms. Waterson?

Dewey Devoe: That was it. I didn't hear from her or Michelle after that. I let the guy in to fix the leak. That was Thursday. They weren't home.

Detective Murphy: Was Ms. Waterson ever late with the rent?

Dewey Devoe: No.

Detective Armstrong: Did she ever party with you?

Dewey Devoe: What?

Detective Armstrong: Word on the street is that you and your stash are pretty popular.

Dewey Devoe: Who told you that?

Detective Murphy: No one needs to tell us. Your clothes reek.

Dewey Devoe: Okay, maybe I smoke a little, but it's for medicinal purposes.

Detective Armstrong: Uh-huh. Look, Dewey, we're investigating a death here. We could get a search warrant and proceed from there if you prefer.

Dewey Devoe: I can't tell you anything else. It's true I like to hang with students. It's definitely in tune with my lifestyle.

Detective Murphy: Did you, as you say, hang with either Ms. Waterson or Ms. Prescott?

Dewey Devoe: No. Kristi wasn't into partying, as far as I could tell. And definitely not Michelle.

Detective Murphy: What about any of their friends?

Dewey Devoe: Nope.

Detective Armstrong: What kind of friends did Ms. Waterson have?

Dewey Devoe: I didn't really pay any attention, you know? She was over 21.

Detective Armstrong: With all the students you know, you never heard any talk about who Ms. Waterson's friends were? You never recognized anyone who came to visit her?

Dewey Devoe: Kristi and I weren't tight, okay? We just knew each other 'cause she lived where I work.

Detective Armstrong: That doesn't really answer the question, though, does it?

Dewey Devoe: Look, Kristi used to have this boyfriend. Okay — like, you aren't going to tell him I ratted, are you?

Detective Armstrong: Come on, Dewey.

Dewey Devoe: Hunter Nelson. He was her boyfriend for a few months. He was her student—crazy. They broke up a while ago, but I still run into him sometimes.

Detective Armstrong: Broke up when precisely?

Dewey Devoe: I don't know. Four, five months ago, maybe? It's not like I was keeping track.

Detective Armstrong: Did he tell you why?

Dewey Devoe: All he said was it didn't work out. I don't really know him, you know? We just hang out sometimes.

Detective Armstrong: When was the last time you saw him?

Dewey Devoe: I really don't recall. Last week sometime would have been the latest.

Detective Armstrong: Did Ms. Waterson have other boyfriends? Had she been dating anyone lately?

Dewey Devoe: I don't know. I'm sure she dated. Honestly, I heard she dated quite a bit. Crazy, hanging with students and so on, but I don't know specifics.

Detective Armstrong: What about you? You're a good-looking guy. Did she ever …?

Dewey Devoe: No way. She's not my type. She was hot, all right. It's just not my style to put everything on display.

Detective Armstrong: All right. So what did you do yesterday?

Dewey Devoe: Just the usual. I went to the store, hit the gym, that kind of thing.

Detective Armstrong: And last night? Did you go out?

Dewey Devoe: No. I just hung out, watched a little TV, did some laundry and so on.

Detective Armstrong: Did you see anyone else? Any visitors?

Dewey Devoe: No.

Detective Armstrong: What about Ms. Waterson or Ms. Prescott? Anyone come by to see them?

Dewey Devoe: No. Okay, look, it's not like I keep tabs on everyone. I'm not a security guard. I'm the property manager. It's not my responsibility.

Detective Armstrong: So you were just sitting here by yourself, watching TV and doing laundry, while Kristi Waterson was dying?

Dewey Devoe: Yeah. I know. It's totally weird. It's tragic, you know?

Detective Armstrong: You didn't sound too fond of Ms. Waterson earlier.

Dewey Devoe: Hey, don't get me wrong. She was a tightass, but it's not my style to hold a grudge. I like to get along with everyone. Live in harmony and so on.

Detective Murphy: We're just trying to collect the facts, Mr. Devoe. Any trouble from that apartment?

Dewey Devoe: Other than them getting uptight about that little leak, no. No complaints about them.

Detective Murphy: What kind of visitors did Ms. Waterson and Ms. Prescott have, in general?

Dewey Devoe: I dunno. They didn't cause any trouble, and I don't go snooping. But nobody said anything about people being over there. I mean, some folks get uptight if the music is too loud, but nothing like that for those two.

Detective Armstrong: If someone did this to Ms. Waterson, who do you think it could've been?

Dewey Devoe: Wow. I honestly have no idea. That just blows my mind.

Detective Armstrong: Okay, then, Mr. Devoe. We'll be in touch.

Dewey Devoe: We're cool, right?

Detective Murphy: For now, yes.

Dewey Devoe: Hasta la vista.

Interview ended – 3:34 p.m.