Rick Crawford interview

Sunday, August 21, 2022 – 3:50 p.m.

Rick Crawford is the manager of the Rebel Inn motel. He called 911 to report a housekeeper had found a human finger in Room 120.

Detectives Murphy and Parker interviewed him in a vacant guest room at the Rebel Inn.

Participants:

• Detective S. Murphy
• Detective E. Parker
• Rick Crawford

Detective Parker: Would you please state your name and address for the record?

Rick Crawford: My name is Richard Crawford. Rick. I live here at the Rebel Inn, 2133 South Lamar Boulevard.

Detective Murphy: How have you been, Mr. Crawford?

Rick Crawford: Oh, please call me Rick. I've been doing pretty well, I guess.

Detective Murphy: And you're living here at the motel now?

Rick Crawford: Yes, it's part of my compensation package.

Detective Murphy: That's nice. How long have you been working here?

Rick Crawford: Almost seven years.

Detective Parker: Let's talk about what happened here today.

Rick Crawford: I'll tell you everything I know.

Detective Parker: Do you have the name of the person or people registered in Room 120?

Rick Crawford: Yes, it's just one person: Oscar Knight. He's from Tupelo.

Detective Parker: When did he check in?

Rick Crawford: Friday night.

Detective Murphy: Can you tell us anything about him?

Rick Crawford: I've only had a few interactions with him, but he seemed mad at the world most of the time. I— well, I thought he was going to hit me the very first time I met him.

Detective Murphy: Why?

Rick Crawford: He checked in after 5:00 p.m. and seemed to be in a big hurry. He asked for a room that was away from other guests. Said he liked his privacy. I told him we didn't have very many vacancies, and he threw a fit. Claimed he should get a room for half price if he had to have people in the room next to him.

Detective Murphy: You said you thought he was going to hit you?

Rick Crawford: Well, I thought he might. His face turned beet red when I told him he was already getting our lowest price. Even after I found a room that had an empty room next to it, he still wasn't satisfied. He grabbed the key card from my hand and stormed off. Then he turned around and yelled, "I hope to God this key works!" I did everything I could to make him happy. I don't know why he was so angry.

Detective Murphy: Was that the only time that happened?

Rick Crawford: No, he came back later and complained that the bathroom was too small and asked to be moved to a room with a bigger one. I told him that all the bathrooms were the same size. He just turned around and walked off. Then a few hours later, he called and complained about loud music. He's a very particular man.

Detective Parker: You mean he's a pain?

Rick Crawford. He knows what he wants, and he asks for it.

Detective Parker: Okay. Tell us what happened today.

Rick Crawford: I haven't seen Mr. Knight today.

Detective Parker: I meant what happened with Raquel Santos.

Rick Crawford: Oh, right. Sorry. I was at the front desk when Raquel came up and told me she found a finger in Room 120. I thought it was some kind of prank at first, but she said she was serious. She said I had to call 911, so I did.

Detective Parker: You didn't want to go see for yourself before you called us?

Rick Crawford: No. Should I have? Was it a fake finger?

Detective Parker: No, it's real. It's just that some people might've been curious. That's all.

Rick Crawford: Really? No, I wasn't curious. Raquel's description was more than I wanted to know.

Detective Parker: Did you go in Room 120 at all then?

Rick Crawford: No, not really. I let Officer Winston in, but I didn't really go in, not enough to see anything.

Detective Murphy: You said you haven't seen Mr. Knight today. When was the last time you saw him?

Rick Crawford: Last night. He came through the lobby around 7:00 or 7:30 p.m. He seemed to be feeling pretty chipper. He said he was going out to eat. I recommended a few places, and he actually said, "Thanks."

Detective Murphy: Which places did you recommend?

Rick Crawford: The Beacon, Square Pizza, The Roadhouse, Ajax Diner. He didn't seem like the type who'd be interested in fine dining.

Detective Murphy: Do you know if he went to any of those places?

Rick Crawford: No, he didn't say what his plans were.

Detective Parker: Do you know if Mr. Knight has had any visitors during his stay here?

Rick Crawford: No, I'm sorry. I don't.

Detective Parker: When is he scheduled to check out?

Rick Crawford: Tomorrow.

Detective Parker: And you have the contact information he gave you when he checked in?

Rick Crawford: It's in the computer.

Detective Parker: Okay. We'll stop by the front desk later and get that from you if that's all right.

Rick Crawford: Sure. No problem.

Detective Murphy: Thanks a lot, Rick. We'll let you get back to work now. We'll let you know if we need anything else.

Interview ended – 4:18 p.m.