Stephen Lamoire interview

Saturday, July 23, 2022 – 3:35 p.m.

Stephen Lamoire was Alyx Byrns' boyfriend until the day she died.

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

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Stephen Lamoire

Detective Armstrong: Please state your name and address for the record.

Stephen Lamoire: We've met before, haven't we, Ted?

Detective Armstrong: That's Detective Armstrong to you. Name and address.

Stephen Lamoire: Come off it. You know that already.

Detective Armstrong: For the record, let's have it again.

Stephen Lamoire: This is really stupid. 675 Foster Lane, right here in pig-land Oxford. I live with my dad too.

Detective Armstrong: How old are you?

Stephen Lamoire: 20.

Detective Armstrong: What is your educational background?

Stephen Lamoire: Hey, am I applying for a job here? So I dropped out of school. So what?

Detective Armstrong: What is your present occupation and place of employment?

Stephen Lamoire: I'm looking for a job.

Detective Armstrong: How well did you know Alyx Byrns?

Stephen Lamoire: We were seeing each other for a while.

Detective Armstrong: How long is a while?

Stephen Lamoire: About a year and a half, if she didn't break it off.

Detective Armstrong: So you weren't still together yesterday?

Stephen Lamoire: Well, we were for part of the day, but that's when she broke it off. And I was going to get rid of her anyway because she's so spoiled, and she just— she thought she could just order me around and— she's just a bitch.

Detective Murphy: That's a harsh word for someone who just died.

Stephen Lamoire: I'm just telling it like it is.

Detective Armstrong: So you got rid of her? Was that your weapon she had in her hand?

Stephen Lamoire: No! I never even saw her that day, so how could I see the weapon? And I phoned her that afternoon. We had some things to discuss. And that's when she broke it off. I guess that was her way of saying I wasn't important enough for her to say it to my face.

Detective Armstrong: So, did you go to her house yesterday or not?

Stephen Lamoire: Yes, I was there, but I didn't see Alyx, and I didn't see anyone. I went upstairs to get a few of my things. That was it. I never wanted to see the place again.

Detective Armstrong: What time was that?

Stephen Lamoire: I don't know. Morning sometime.

Detective Armstrong: Did you just walk in?

Stephen Lamoire: I never knocked. I always just walked in. That's the way it was.

Detective Armstrong: What did you pick up?

Stephen Lamoire: I went into Alyx's room. I picked up two pairs of jeans, some Nike Blazers, some shorts, some socks, an electric shaver from her bathroom, and a toothbrush. And a leather jacket from the closet.

Detective Murphy: Did Alyx's parents know you kept clothes and toiletries there?

Stephen Lamoire: No, but they didn't care. Because if they did, they wouldn't have left her alone so much.

Detective Armstrong: And you just walked in, went upstairs, and got your things without seeing anyone?

Stephen Lamoire: You can keep asking, but it won't change my answer.

Detective Armstrong: Did you kill her and think you were going to get away with it because no one saw you?

Stephen Lamoire: No, I wasn't even thinking that way.

Detective Armstrong: Was Alyx rude and insulting when you arrived, so you got rid of her?

Stephen Lamoire: That didn't happen.

Detective Armstrong: Maybe you changed your mind about sneaking away until you met Josh Carstairs pulling in the driveway as you were pulling out.

Stephen Lamoire: I told you I didn't even see Alyx. Listen, I'm not stupid, Mr. Detective. I'm not going to go around killing a bunch of people, or else there'd be a lot of dead people here in Oxford. And I don't even care if that Carstairs guy saw me or not.

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

Stephen Lamoire: A couple of nights ago.

Detective Armstrong: Was she with you when you got those speeding tickets?

Stephen Lamoire: Yeah, she was. She was the one telling me, "Go faster! Faster, Stephen!" So, I went faster. But the tickets were no big deal. I mean, I never went to jail.

Detective Armstrong: So this file in my hand is wrong? You didn't spend a night in the cooler for public intoxication?

Stephen Lamoire: Well, I did get belligerent a time or two with my boys, but I never hurt anybody.

Detective Murphy: Did Miss Byrns drink a lot, too?

Stephen Lamoire: No. That was the one thing she didn't do. I gave her a sip of whatever I had a time or two, but that was it. Her real mom was an alcoholic, and she didn't want that.

Detective Armstrong: Real mom?

Stephen Lamoire: Yeah. Not Barbara. The other one.

Detective Armstrong: Do you know anyone who would want Alyx dead?

Stephen Lamoire: She made a lot of enemies the way she put herself on a pedestal. She had a few friends that I know of—Katie Henderson and Megan Plummer—but I don't think they liked her. I thought they were probably going to use her for something. But listen. My dad's waiting outside. Is it cool if I go?

Detective Armstrong: Yes, you can go. For now.

Interview ended – 4:15 p.m.