Rick Crawford interview

Friday, September 1, 2023 – 11:45 a.m.

Rick Crawford is the manager of the Rebel Inn motel.

Detectives Armstrong and Murphy interviewed him in his office at the Rebel Inn.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Rick Crawford

Detective Murphy: 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: Nice to see you again, Rick. You look well.

Rick Crawford: Thank you. It's nice to see you too.

Detective Armstrong: Thanks for talking to us on such short notice.

Rick Crawford: It's no problem. I'll help however I can.

Detective Murphy: We appreciate that. What we need is a list of guests who stayed here on four dates, all within the last couple of months.

Rick Crawford: Corporate policy is for us to cooperate with law enforcement but to require that you secure a warrant prior to releasing guests' private information.

Detective Murphy: We understand your situation. At this point, we're not asking you to reveal any private information about your guests. We're asking for your assistance. If, after our conversation today, we determine it would be appropriate for us to get a court order to get us access to your customer records, we'll do so at that time. Okay?

Rick Crawford: Yes, but—

Detective Murphy: The situation is this. A murder victim placed four calls to this hotel in the month before her death. We'd like your help in learning a bit more about those calls.

Rick Crawford: I'm not sure I'll be able to help you, but I'll do what I can.

Detective Murphy: There are four dates we're interested in — August 7, 11, 26, and 22. Can you tell us whether there was anyone who was here on all of those days?

Rick Crawford: Does this have anything to do with the professor who was killed?

Detective Murphy: Actually, it does.

Rick Crawford: Well, I don't think I could give you any names without a warrant. How about I tell you just yes or no? Yes, there was someone here on all those days, or no, there was not.

Detective Murphy: That would be great.

Rick Crawford: If you give me a few minutes, I'll see if any guests were registered on all the dates you mentioned.

Detective Murphy: Take as much time as you need.

Rick Crawford: I still won't be able to divulge any names without a warrant.

Detective Murphy: We understand that. If there are guests who were here on all those dates, we'll take care of the rest.

Rick Crawford: The computer is checking.

Detective Armstrong: You must be busy this time of year with school starting back.

Rick Crawford: A lot of our guests are connected to the university in one way or another, but not all of them. But you're right. Fall semester and football season are busy for us and all the other hotels in town, too, I'd imagine.

Detective Armstrong: Must keep you hopping all the time.

Rick Crawford: It does that. Oh, here we are. I'm sorry, but there were no matches.

Detective Armstrong: Not even a John Smith?

Rick Crawford: I'm afraid not.

Detective Murphy: Thanks for trying.

Detective Armstrong: Could you tell us whether Kristi Waterson was a registered guest anytime during the last six weeks?

Rick Crawford: Not without a warrant.

Detective Armstrong: Of course, I can't speak for Kristi, but if I was murdered, I'd think that bringing my killer to justice would outweigh privacy concerns.

Rick Crawford: Ms. Waterson's family may disagree.

Detective Murphy: We wouldn't want to get you in any trouble.

Detective Armstrong: Let's say a guest called the front desk. Unpacking at home after a long trip, the person discovered a lady's watch in their luggage that didn't belong to them. The watch looked expensive and was engraved with the initials KW. Now, it was a long trip. The person stayed at lots of hotels and can't be sure that this is the one where the watch was somehow dropped into the suitcase. Could the clerk at the front desk confirm whether anyone with the initials KW stayed here during the last six weeks?

Rick Crawford: The person at the front desk would probably part with that information in the interests of customer service.

Detective Armstrong: If you'll excuse me for a second, I need to call my wife.

Detective Murphy: You must be enjoying this job, Rick. How long have you been here now?

Rick Crawford: Seems like forever, but yes, I am enjoying it. I like it more than I'd expected.

Detective Murphy: You think you're going to stay with this job for the long haul, then?

Rick Crawford: I'm not sure. Could be. Once I have more experience on my resume, I might want to look into managing a larger property.

Detective Murphy: Here in town?

Rick Crawford: Maybe to start with. Maybe a bigger city later. I wouldn't mind working in Memphis or Atlanta or maybe Dallas or New Orleans.

Detective Murphy: So you want to stay in the southeast, then?

Rick Crawford: I've never liked the cold much.

Detective Armstrong: Sorry I had to step out for a minute. My wife has been trying to figure out where she picked up this watch she found. Apparently, it wasn't at your hotel.

Rick Crawford: Uh-huh. Do you have any additional questions, detectives?

Detective Murphy: If we could have just a few more minutes of your time.

Rick Crawford: Of course.

Detective Murphy: If we gave you a list of names, could you determine whether any of the people were registered guests during the last month?

Rick Crawford: As soon as you bring me that warrant, I can get you whatever information we have. And, detective, the clerk at the front desk is going to be much too busy to track down any additional mystery watches.

Detective Armstrong: Of course. Thanks for your time. You've been very helpful.

Rick Crawford: Sorry I couldn't help you more, but you understand. Good luck with your investigation.

Detective Murphy: Thank you.

Interview ended – 12:11 p.m.