Virginia Brooks interview

Saturday, January 23, 2021 – 9:30 p.m.

Virginia Brooks is the wife of Yoknapatapwha County DA Spenser Brooks, who was found shot to death in Wall Doxey State Park.

Detectives Armstrong and Murphy interviewed her at her residence.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Virginia Brooks

Detective Murphy: Good evening, Mrs. Brooks. Thank you for seeing us tonight. Please accept our condolences. I know this has been a terrible day for you.

Virginia Brooks: I know you have a job to do, Sam, and it's not as though I'll be sleeping tonight anyway. But please, let's not be so formal. You can just call me Virginia, as usual. I suppose you need to ask me questions about Spense, so I'll just go ahead and say that Spenser Brooks was my husband.

Detective Murphy: That's right, but first, for the record, please state your name and address.

Virginia Brooks: Okay. I'm Virginia Brooks, and I live at 439 Chandler Avenue.

Detective Murphy: So, can you tell us why D.A. Brooks was in the park this morning?

Virginia Brooks: No. I wish I could, but Spense didn't talk much about his work, but I bet it had something to do with that.

Detective Armstrong: Did you see him this morning before he left?

Virginia Brooks: No, I'm sorry to say I didn't. I wish I had seen him. Maybe he would have told me what he was doing, and I could be of some help to you.

Detective Armstrong: Why didn't you see him? Did he leave early?

Virginia Brooks: Not really, but while he was getting dressed, I was in the shower, and when I came out, he was gone.

Detective Armstrong: What time was that?

Virginia Brooks: I'm not sure. When I got to the kitchen for my coffee, it was a little after 9:00 a.m., and he was gone.

Detective Armstrong: What did you do today?

Virginia Brooks: I had to get out early to take some things I'd collected over to the church for the rummage sale. Then I did a little window shopping. After that, I came home to tidy up.

Detective Armstrong: Were you here when you got the notification?

Virginia Brooks: Yes. When they told me that … that … Spense was … gone, I felt like someone hit me hard in the stomach, and I fell to the floor. I'm sorry, but I'm having a hard time dealing with this. Spense was my world, and even though he was secretive about his work, we shared so many things and were very close. What am I going to do without him?

Detective Murphy: That's all right, Virginia. You can take a few minutes to compose yourself.

[INTERVIEW SUSPENDED – 9:36 p.m.]

[INTERVIEW RESUMED – 9:49 p.m.]

Detective Armstrong: Are you sure you're ready to continue?

Virginia Brooks: Yes, please go ahead.

Detective Armstrong: Please tell us anything going on in his life that might have been important. I mean, since you say he didn't talk to you about his work, was there anything else he was involved in? Were you having problems in your marriage?

Virginia Brooks: I can't think of anything right now, but I do know that he loved Wesley and me very much. I don't think there was much going on except the work as D.A. and us.

Detective Murphy: Were you having any problems in your marriage?

Virginia Brooks: No, it's just that his silence about his work made it hard to communicate sometimes. He took his job very seriously.

Detective Murphy: So did he spend much time with your son?

Virginia Brooks: Oh, yes. They've always had a close and loving relationship. Wesley is proud of his father and vice versa. I can't say the same thing about Spense's brother, Byron, though.

Detective Murphy: What do you mean?

Virginia Brooks: Spense just didn't want to see or talk to Byron much at all. Their relationship had been strained for years. I don't know the whole story, but it had something to do with a difference of opinion about their mother.

Detective Murphy: Do you have their mother's contact information? We need to talk to her, too.

Virginia Brooks: Oh, you can't talk to her. Byron told me she's in really poor health.

Detective Murphy: Does she live here in Oxford?

Virginia Brooks: No. She lives with Byron in Grand Junction, Tennessee.

Detective Murphy: Do you know what's wrong with her health?

Virginia Brooks: No, you'll have to Byron him about Mrs. Brooks. I haven't seen her in years and never did know her very well.

Detective Armstrong: So your husband never mentioned Wall Doxey Park or gave any kind of hint as to why he would be going there?

Virginia Brooks: No, as I said, he didn't say anything about going to the park.

Detective Armstrong: Had he gone there before?

Virginia Brooks: Not that I'm aware of. Do you think someone forced him to go there this morning?

Detective Armstrong: We don't know yet what happened or why he was there.

Virginia Brooks: I know he had to deal with a lot of shady people in his work. Maybe one of those horrible people that Spense put in jail came back to get him. I mean, like payback or something? Oh, poor Spense!

Detective Murphy: I know this is hard, Virginia, but we need to learn all we can about what he was doing today and anything leading up to today. That information could help us find the person that did this to him. We'll give you a few more minutes, though. We all loved Spense.

Virginia Brooks: No, it's okay, I can talk. It's just that it's so hard. I keep expecting him to come home, and I just fall apart when I realize that he's … never coming home again.

Detective Armstrong: We know. The whole department is shaken up.

Virginia Brooks: What else do you need to know?

Detective Armstrong: I noticed the SUV outside. Is that your vehicle?

Virginia Brooks: No, that's Spense's car. I borrowed it today to take those things to the church.

Detective Armstrong: So how did he get up to Wall Doxey?

Virginia Brooks: He took my car, the Cadillac.

Detective Armstrong: Did you plan in advance to swap vehicles, or was it a spur of the moment decision?

Virginia Brooks: Well, I asked him last night if I could use the Jeep to take the things to the rummage sale, and he said fine, so I suppose it was planned in advance, but not by much.

Detective Armstrong: Did he express any reluctance about letting you use his vehicle?

Virginia Brooks: No, of course not. Spense was always completely generous with his family. Anything I needed, he— I'm sorry. I don't think I can go on. Can we finish this another time?

Detective Murphy: Of course, Virginia. You've already been very helpful. You take care of yourself, and we'll be in touch.

Detective Armstrong: We'll call you in a few days. If there's anything we can do for you—any time, day or night—please don't hesitate to contact us.

Virginia Brooks: Thank you. I will. Goodbye.

Interview ended – 10:17 p.m.