Kade Johnson interview #2

Wednesday, February 7, 2024 – 9:15 a.m.

Kade Johnson was one of the people at the party the night Blake died.

Detectives Armstrong and Murphy re-interviewed her at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Kade Johnson

Detective Murphy: Good morning, Kade. Please state your name and address for our records.

Kade Johnson: My name is Kade Marie Johnson, and I live at 358 Choctaw Drive.

Detective Murphy:  Thanks for coming back to see us. I know this has been a hard time for you, but we need to ask you a few more questions about the night Blake died.

Kade Johnson: It's no problem, Detective Murphy. I'll be glad to answer any questions that might help you find out why this happened to Blake.

Detective Armstrong: I'd like for you to go back to that night and tell us again what happened.

Kade Johnson: Are you sure this is going to help? I hate thinking about it.

Detective Armstrong: Going back over that night may trigger some memory. Sometimes, things that don't seem important at the time may be the clue we need to solve a case.

Kade Johnson: Okay, I'll give it a shot. I got to Blake's around 6:45 p.m., same time as Bree Paxton. Several other people were already there. I talked to Blake about rehearsal while he was waiting for Stix to show up. When Stix arrived, I answered the door and showed him in. And nothing else, no matter what he says, happened between us.

Detective Armstrong: Can you recall who else was already there?

Kade Johnson: Well, Blake, of course. Bree, Kent Erdell and Madison. Stix showed up about ten minutes later. Oh, wait a minute. And there was a guy I didn't know. His name was Ron something.

Detective Armstrong: Was he a friend of Blake's?

Kade Johnson: No, I don't think so. He said he was Kent's friend and that Kent invited him.

Detective Murphy: What else did he say?

Kade Johnson: Nothing to me. I didn't really give him a chance to.

Detective Armstrong:  Did you ever see this guy before?

Kade Johnson: Yeah, I've seen him at Proud Larry's talking to Kent at the bar. He's very strange.

Detective Murphy: How so?

Kade Johnson: He acts like a tough guy, like a gangster but really insecure. I'd forgotten he was there. I talked to him for a few seconds, but I don't remember seeing him leave.

Detective Murphy: Do you remember seeing him just before the lights went out?

Kade Johnson: No.

Detective Murphy: What did he do while he was there?

Kade Johnson: I don't really know, except he seemed excited about being there, about seeing the competition. I'm not sure he has many friends. Or any friends.

Detective Armstrong: Anyone else you'd forgotten about?

Kade Johnson: I'm not sure if I told you this before, but Gary Wilson came by around 7:00 p.m. or maybe a few minutes after that.

Detective Armstrong: Who's Gary Wilson?

Kade Johnson: One of Blake's professors. He drops in once in a while just to visit Blake.

Detective Murphy: Why?

Kade Johnson: They're friends. Gary's a mentor, I guess. He and Blake got along well.

Detective Armstrong: Do you know where Gary and Ron were when the lights went out?

Kade Johnson:  I'm not sure. I know Gary arrived just before the food came, and it was chaos after that. I believe he was in the kitchen when the lights went out. As for the other guy, I don't remember, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't in the room with us.

Detective Murphy: Where was he afterward?

Kade Johnson: I didn't see him after the lights came back on.

Detective Murphy: What about Ginny? Where was she?

Kade Johnson: Oh my god, Ginny. I can't believe she's gone too.

Detective Murphy: I know it's upsetting, but we need to find out a little bit more about her.

Kade Johnson: Yeah, I get it. What was the question?

Detective Murphy: Where was she when the lights went out?

Kade Johnson: She was talking to Kent while he ate. They were both in the room when the lights went out.

Detective Armstrong: Did you notice what she ate?

Kade Johnson: She usually doesn't eat at parties, but I don't specifically remember.

Detective Armstrong: Any chance she and Blake shared something? A breadstick or a beverage?

Kade Johnson: I don't think so. I don't remember ever seeing her drink anything but bottled water. And she was very careful about germs, so I never saw her drink after anyone. But again, I don't specifically remember what she drank at the party.

Detective Armstrong: Did you notice what Bree was doing at the party?

Kade Johnson: What Bree always does when Jamey's not there: she followed Blake around like a puppy.

Detective Murphy: You said before that you were watching Blake sing to Bree when the lights went out. Where in the room were you?

Kade Johnson: I was standing close to her. When the lights came on, she was staring at the floor where Blake had fallen. He'd been singing into a breadstick, you know, like a mic, and it was next to him on the floor. Bree looked like she was in a trance.

Detective Murphy: How long did she stay that way?

Kade Johnson: It seemed like forever to me, but I think that's because everything felt like it was moving in slow motion.

Detective Murphy: Did something happen to make her snap out of it?

Kade Johnson: Yeah, it did. I thought it was strange. I watched Jennifer walk by and step on the breadstick. Like, smash it, almost. Then Bree picked it up and put it in her pocket.

Detective Murphy: Why do you think she took it and put it in her pocket?

Kade Johnson:  I'm not sure. Maybe because she made it with love and Jennifer had just crushed it? Bree was in love with Blake. It's obvious to everyone who knows her.

Detective Murphy: Where was Madison while Blake was singing to Bree?

Kade Johnson: She was there, laughing like the rest of us.

Detective Murphy: It didn't bother her that her boyfriend was serenading another girl?

Kade Johnson: She knew she had nothing to worry about with Blake. He was so into her. I mean, Bree could get annoying with the puppy dog thing sometimes, but if she pushes it too far, Maddie just plays some kind of prank on her, and everybody laughs. But Bree gets the message.

Detective Armstrong: What kind of pranks?

Kade Johnson: Oh, you know, Oreos with toothpaste inside instead of the cream filling or walking up behind her and fake sneezing and flinging water on her so Bree thinks she's got snot all over her—no big deal.

Detective Armstrong: How did Bree like it?

Kade Johnson: She laughed. I mean, what else could she do?

Detective Armstrong: Did Madison play a prank on Bree at the party that night?

Kade Johnson: No. I mean, she might have eventually, but then Blake … you know.

Detective Armstrong:  Okay. Thanks for coming down and talking with us again. You gave us a lot of useful information.

Kade Johnson: I'm sorry I didn't remember some of this before. I hope you find out what happened to Blake.

Detective Murphy: We'll do our best.

Interview ended – 9:47 a.m.