Bell alibi canvass
Following the interview with Gloria Bell, the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department conducted a witness canvass to try to corroborate Bell's alibi.
They spoke to people in the area of the The Juke Joint, where Gloria Bell said she saw a movie on the evening of the murders, and along the route between that location and the Kroger grocery store, where she said she stopped to make purchases on the way home. They also spoke to people in the vicinity of Bell's residence.
Investigators were looking for potential witnesses who might have seen Gloria Bell on the night of July 9, 2021. They were also looking for anyone who may have seen Bell in her gray Jeep Grand Cherokee that same evening.
The interviews summarized are some of the most typical or relevant to the investigation and are representative of all interviews conducted.
The Juke Joint
The Juke Joint – 385 S. 14th Street
John Frampton
103 Van Buren, Apartment A
Frampton, 24, said he was at the movies the night of July 9 with a date, Marcela Hyde.
Frampton recalled seeing Bell sitting alone in the audience. He said he remembered her because a group of adolescents sitting in front of her were talking during the previews and she said something to them, perhaps asking them to quiet down.
"They totally began swearing at her and calling her offensive names and all this crap," said Frampton. "It was disgusting."
Frampton said when the movie ended, he and his date left while Bell was still in the theatre watching the credits.
He said he didn't notice her Jeep Cherokee or otherwise see her in the parking lot.
Duffy Quince
900 Whirlpool Drive, Apartment 109
Quince, 23, is a part-time manager at the The Juke Joint and was staffing the ticket booth with Jennifer Wall (below). His shift began at 3:00 p.m. and ended at midnight.
Quince said there were several single-ticket buyers for the early evening shows, and added he remembered seeing "a couple of old, fat ladies come in by themselves." He could not precisely describe Bell, and when shown a photograph, was unsure whether he'd seen her.
Receipts from July 9 show that three single-ticket cash purchases for $9.00 each were made for the 7:15 p.m. show of F9.
Amber Straub
111 Skyline Road
Straub, 16, works part-time at The Juke Joint and was staffing the concession counter from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on July 9.
She said Bell purchased a small popcorn and a soda around 7:30 p.m. and claimed to remember Bell because she was wearing a "Women's rights are human rights" T-shirt.
"I told her, 'Right on' and she told me to make sure all my friends voted, even though I'm totally not old enough. It was weird," Straub recalled.
Straub confided that her parents are Republicans and they "totally disagree on the issues."
Jennifer Wall
Baxter Hall, Room 358
Wall, 19, works part-time at The Juke Joint to supplement her work-study income.
She was on duty at the ticket booth July 9 from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and said she doesn't remember seeing anyone matching Bell's description, but added "we were, like, hella busy."
Wall said she didn't see Bell's Jeep Cherokee in the lot when she left.
Kroger
Kroger grocery store – 2013 University Avenue
Joan Henley
228 Elm Street, Apartment 2
Henley, 36, was on duty as a cashier at the University Avenue Kroger store from 6:00 p.m. to midnight on July 9.
She said she did not recall seeing Bell at any point during the evening.
Store receipts show a cash purchase of $3.84 for a gallon of milk made at 9:45 p.m.
Jim Kling
501 Brittany Drive, Apartment 22
Kling, 27, was working as a customer service clerk at the University Avenue Kroger store from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on July 9.
He said he was asked to collect grocery carts from the parking lot twice during the shift. The second time was around 9:30 p.m., and he said he remembered seeing a Jeep Cherokee pull into the lot while he was retrieving carts from the back of the lot.
"It wasn't a busy night because of the Rib Cage Street Party, so I'm pretty sure," he said.
He said he didn't see the driver get out of the vehicle because he had his back turned, and he went inside before the car left the lot.
He didn't recognize Bell from a photograph.
Octavio Mendez
County Road 3057, Apartment 144
Mendez, 22, was working as a stock clerk at the University Avenue Kroger store from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. on July 9.
He was restocking dairy products from about 8:30 to 10:00 and said Bell asked him if there was any more hormone-free organic milk. He said he wasn't sure and she took regular low-fat instead.
Bell's Residence
Gloria Bell's Residence – 908 Old Taylor Road
Dolores McMannon
904 Old Taylor Road
Dolores McMannon, 38, is married to Shep McMannon (below) and lives adjacent to Bell on Old Taylor Road.
McMannon said she went out jogging around 7:30 a.m. the morning of July 9 and saw a Jeep Cherokee resembling Bell's drive past her, heading toward Highway 278.
McMannon said she's "pretty sure" she saw Bell in the vehicle but was unable to say for certain. She said she waved at the vehicle, and the driver tooted the horn but didn't stop or otherwise acknowledge her.
McMannon said she returned home by 8:30 a.m. and spent the rest of the day doing housework and yard work. She said she did not see the Cherokee return or otherwise hear from Bell.
McMannon said she didn't see or hear anything unusual that evening.
Shep McMannon
904 Old Taylor Road
Mr. McMannon, 47, is married to Dolores McMannon (above) and lives at the same residence.
McMannon said he left the house around 9:30 a.m. on July 9 to run errands and stop in at Oxford Auto Sales on University, where he works, returning at about 2:00 p.m.
McMannon said he didn't leave the premises after that time. He said he ordered a pizza at about 7:00 p.m., and the delivery arrived as usual.
He said he didn't hear or see any traffic on the street afterwards, although he was "pretty wrapped up in the baseball game."
Bob Tribble
912 Old Taylor Road
Tribble, 68, lives adjacent to Bell on Old Taylor Road and is a widower.
Tribble said he went to Memphis to visit family the weekend of July 9, setting out around 10:00 a.m. Friday and returning Sunday morning.
Tribble said he didn't see Ms. Bell, but commented that she "always brings me something nice" for the holidays.
He added, "she's a fine gal—a real head on her shoulders."
