Rob Budd interview

Tuesday, April 21, 2020 – 2:40 p.m.

Robert Budd sent a letter to Dalton Kimbrough, which was found in Kimbrough's papers.

Detectives Armstrong and Murphy interviewed him in the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, Mississippi.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Robert Budd

Detective Murphy: For the record, Mr. Budd, please state your name, age, and address.

Robert Budd: Well, you just told my name. Robert Budd, age 32. My address is Parchman Farm, thank you very much.

Detective Armstrong: Robert, do you know about your friend Dalton Kimbrough's death?

Robert Budd: Matter of fact, I did. Made the TV news.

Detective Murphy: It was an unfortunate incident, but we've been trying to gather clues, and we think you could shed some light on Mr. Kimbrough's past.

Robert Budd: Didn't know him that well.

Detective Armstrong: Sure, you did. We have documentation.

Robert Budd: Documentation? That don't mean s*** to me. I told you.

Detective Murphy: Your cooperation here will only help your chances of early parole.

Robert Budd: You don't want me out there. Think I don't know that?

Detective Armstrong: Robert, when did you meet Dalton?

Robert Budd: Told you, I ain't ever met him.

Detective Murphy: You agreed he was your friend.

Robert Budd: I agreed I saw him on the TV. A real shame.

Detective Armstrong: You did know him. We have I don't know how many videos with you all in them. We've got letters from you to him. We've got information that put you two together from 2015 until 2019.

Robert Budd: You got all that, then what the hell you need me for?

Detective Murphy: We need to find out about his relationship with Cheyenne Wyoming. We need to know if she was capable of killing him.

Robert Budd: I don't know anything about that, but I reckon anybody would kill if pushed far enough.

Detective Armstrong: Come on, Budd. What have you got to lose here?

Robert Budd: I can't speak what I don't know. You want me to lie to you? You want me to tell you I killed him?

Detective Murphy: You were his closest friend during this period. We know because your name and your conversations with him are posted all in his journal.

Robert Budd: Dalton was… a killer. He was a psychopath. He beat and raped women, and he drowned them. On several occasions, he made me watch. He's a madman. You should be glad that he's dead. His demise has allowed countless unnamed others to survive.

Detective Armstrong: I don't believe you.

Robert Budd: Go ahead. It don't matter.

Detective Murphy: Did you ever visit him in Oxford?

Robert Budd: Never been over there.

Detective Murphy: Do you have the letters he sent you?

Robert Budd: Nope. I gave them to a couple of buddies to roll a joint with. Besides, I can't read. I'm going blind, you know. It can't do your soul too good picking on a blind man.

Detective Armstrong: We know you two traveled the coast together, performing these scenes.

Robert Budd: Yeah?

Detective Armstrong: What made you want to go out and public and act these terrible scenes? Did you just feed off of people's fears?

Robert Budd: You ain't no psychiatrist, Detective. I ain't either. So what do you care?

Detective Armstrong: You're the killer. You're the bad seed. I haven't been here a full hour with you, and already I can see that. Now, why don't you just level with us before you rot away in this prison?

Robert Budd: Because you're the type what goes a'gin my principles.

Detective Armstrong: We have reason to believe Cheyenne Wyoming knows something about Dalton's death. Do you know anything about that?

Robert Budd: Cheyenne's out west, ain't it?

Detective Murphy: We know that you know her. We've seen you on the video together, asking her where she had been the night before. What, did she cheat on you, is that? Was it you who loved her?

Robert Budd: Baby… I'm a star.

Detective Armstrong: Were you upset cause she walked out on you?

Robert Budd: Can't nobody walk out on this motherf*****.

Detective Armstrong: Where does she live, Budd? Where do we find her?

Robert Budd: Where do women go when they want to be alone… together?

Detective Armstrong: Dammit, if you're not going to talk, at least point us to someone who will. Or else I'll see to it that you never get out of these bars and cuffs.

Robert Budd: F*** this. Interview's over. You can come back when you get some manners, sir.

Detective Armstrong: Take this piece of garbage back to his cage.

Interview ended – 3:07 p.m.