Philip Stillwater interview

Wednesday, April 27, 2022 – 1:30 p.m.

Philip "Scooter" Stillwater is the son of Blake Stillwater, who reportedly had a relationship with the victim, Wendy Holloway.

In response to the detectives' request for an interview, Philip agreed to meet with Detective Armstrong at the Ole Miss Student Union.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Philip Stillwater

Detective Armstrong: Thanks for meeting with me, Scooter.

Philip Stillwater: It's Philip. Only my mother calls me Scooter.

Detective Armstrong: I'll bet. Would you state your name and address for the record, please?

Philip Stillwater: Philip Stillwater, 238 Highway 6 West, Oxford.

Detective Armstrong: What do you do for a living?

Philip Stillwater: I'm still basically a student. I just finished my bachelor's degree, but I'm still taking a few classes here and there. I'm thinking about getting a Master's, but I haven't decided yet.

Detective Armstrong: Where were you on the night of Friday, April 15th?

Philip Stillwater: When was that? A week ago? Two weeks ago?

Detective Armstrong: That's right. Almost two weeks.

Philip Stillwater: Then I was at Proud Larry's.

Detective Armstrong: Do you go to Proud Larry's a lot?

Philip Stillwater: Not that often. I usually hang out at the Downtown Grill or City Grocery. Every once in a while, I'll go to Proud Larry's to hear a band.

Detective Armstrong: What time did you arrive there that evening?

Philip Stillwater: Probably around 10:30 or 11:00 p.m.

Detective Armstrong: Stay long?

Philip Stillwater: Nah, probably not more than an hour. Maybe an hour and a half.

Detective Armstrong: What did you do there? Talk to anyone? Dance?

Philip Stillwater: No. I went in looking for some friends. I couldn't find them, so I got bored pretty quickly and left.

Detective Armstrong: Talk to anyone in particular?

Philip Stillwater: Not that I recall. Just a few people here and there.

Detective Armstrong: So, you went in looking for some friends, couldn't find anyone, hung out for a bit, and then left. Typical night on the square, right?

Philip Stillwater: Pretty much so.

Detective Armstrong: What if I told you some people said they saw you arguing with a woman?

Philip Stillwater: No. I don't remember that.

Detective Armstrong: Supposedly, you were pretty angry.

Philip Stillwater: I'm sure it was nothing. Probably some hipster spilled beer all over my shoes or something. I probably just snapped at someone, nothing major.

Detective Armstrong: You're sure? This was supposedly a very attractive woman. I'd think you would remember.

Philip Stillwater: Are you looking for any information in particular, detective? You seem to be pretty pointed in your questions.

Detective Armstrong: Okay, here's the deal. This is a small town. I'm sure you've heard about Wendy Holloway's murder.

Philip Stillwater: Yeah. So?

Detective Armstrong: We hear that she was the woman you were arguing with at the bar. Are you telling me you just snapped at some hipster chick, and all those witnesses are incorrect?

Philip Stillwater: Look, I didn't do anything wrong. I certainly don't know anything about that woman's death.

Detective Armstrong: Then tell me the truth.

Philip Stillwater: All right. Fine. I did fight with her—or rather, yelled at her. She just stood there with this smirk. Just laughing at me, the b****.

Detective Armstrong: What were you arguing about?

Philip Stillwater: She was having an affair with my father. I told her to leave him alone, to go wreck some other home.

Detective Armstrong: What was her response?

Philip Stillwater: The slut just smiled and said my father loved her and was going to leave my mom and marry her. I told her to guess again. We're not proud of Dad's actions, but he's had boatloads of affairs. She was just another plaything and didn't even know it.

Detective Armstrong: How mad were you?

Philip Stillwater: How mad do you think I was? It was just her attitude, acting like she was something special. She's no different than that chick who worked at Oxford Floral or that speech therapist from Tupelo. They were all just young toys for Dad. But no, she couldn't accept that.

Detective Armstrong: So what happened?

Philip Stillwater: She just walked off. I stood there screaming, but she just pranced away. Then I left.

Detective Armstrong: Where did you go?

Philip Stillwater: Home.

Detective Armstrong: Straight home?

Philip Stillwater: I rode around for a while. I was still pretty pissed, so I went out on Highway 6 and cruised for a while, just as far as the interstate. Then, I turned around and went home.

Detective Armstrong: And you stayed there for the rest of the night?

Philip Stillwater: Yes.

Detective Armstrong: Did you speak to your mother or father when you got home?

Philip Stillwater: I talked to my mother when I came in. She was in the kitchen in their house when I stopped in for a snack. I don't keep that much food at my place.

Detective Armstrong: Where had she been that night?

Philip Stillwater: Home. They had guests. Where would she go?

Detective Armstrong: Was your father home when you got back?

Philip Stillwater: I assume so. His car was there.

Detective Armstrong: Had you ever met Wendy Holloway before that night at Proud Larry's?

Philip Stillwater: Absolutely not. I have no interest in getting to know my father's tramp du jour.

Detective Armstrong: How'd you recognize her?

Philip Stillwater: Huh?

Detective Armstrong: How did you know which woman was Wendy Holloway?

Philip Stillwater: I just got lucky, I guess. Look, are we done? I've got to be somewhere.

Detective Armstrong: Do you have any other information to tell me?

Philip Stillwater: No. That's it, but let's get one thing perfectly clear. I had nothing to do with that woman's death. I was angry, yes, but I would never do anything like that.

Detective Armstrong: Thank you for clarifying that. You'll be around town if we need to speak to you again?

Philip Stillwater: Sure.

Detective Armstrong: Thanks for your time.

End interview – 1:48 p.m.