Keanu May interview

Thursday, March 11, 2021 – 4:00 p.m.

Keanu May hosted the New Year's Eve party that Daniel Collier and others attended at John Kyle Park.

Detectives Beckwith and Magee talked to him at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.

Participants

• Detective P. Beckwith
• Detective J. Magee
• Keanu May

Detective Magee: Before we start, can you please state your full name and address for the record?

Keanu May: My name is Keanu Kade May, and my address is 623 Washington Road.

Detective Magee: Thank you. We want to ask you about the New Year's Eve party. Why don’t you give us your account of what happened that night?

Keanu May: It was pretty low-key. I had a few friends over, which you already know since you’ve talked to all of them. Nothing very eventful happened.

Detective Beckwith: What time did you arrive at the cabin?

Keanu May: Around 4:00 p.m. I got there early to clean up and get ready for the party.

Detective Beckwith: And what time did your first guests arrive?

Keanu May: Claire got there first, a little while after I got there. I don’t know when exactly. Then Daniel and Brandon showed up. Mitch was supposed to come, but he called around 6:00 p.m. and said he wasn’t feeling good. A little while later, Axyl and his girlfriend, Lexi, showed up with Troy.

Detective Magee: Were they invited to the party?

Keanu May: Not really. But it wasn’t a big deal.

Detective Magee: Why did they show up?

Keanu May: Axyl had the crazy idea that I had weed or something. Which I don’t—ever. I don’t even smoke weed.

Detective Beckwith: Settle down, kid. We’re not here to bust you. We have bigger problems to worry about, so you can be honest with us.

Keanu May: I am being honest. I don’t sell weed, but everyone thinks I do because my dad works with medicinal plants at Ole Miss. 

Detective Magee: So Axyl thought you could sell him weed, and you told him you didn’t have any?

Keanu May: Yeah. But he didn’t believe me, and he got kinda pissed off, saying I was just holding out on him or something. That guy has anger management issues. 

Detective Beckwith: So Axyl just showed up to your party looking for weed based on the rumor that you sell it?

Keanu May: I guess so.

Detective Beckwith: What happened after he confronted you?

Keanu May: Well, Dan was there too when he asked, and he was, like, trying to calm him down. When Axyl started badgering me about it, Dan asked him if he could borrow the money instead.

Detective Beckwith: The money?

Keanu May: Axyl's weed money, I guess.

Detective Magee: Did that calm Axyl down?

Keanu May: Well, Dan said he would pay him back with interest or something, so then Axyl probably felt like he was going to be making money instead of being mad about getting "ripped off" as he saw it. And then Dan brought out some whiskey, which made him happy.

Detective Magee: I see. So did anything else happen that night? How was everyone getting along?

Keanu May: Everyone got along fine as far as I know.

Detective Magee: And when’s the last time you spoke to Daniel?

Keanu May: That night, he was there when I passed out.

Detective Beckwith: What time was that?

Keanu May: I don’t know, probably around 3:00 a.m.

Detective Beckwith: Have you texted with him or talked to him on Facebook?

Keanu May: No, I’ve seen some of his posts, but I haven’t talked to him directly.

Detective Magee: Do you know if Daniel ever did pay Axyl back for the loan?

Keanu May: No, he didn’t. I heard Axyl b****ing about it just a few days ago.

Detective Magee: What did he say?

Keanu May: Just that Daniel is refusing to pay him back, he shouldn’t have trusted him, blah blah blah.

Detective Magee: Where did you hear him say that?

Keanu May: A few of us were over at his house last week.

Detective Magee: Who was he talking to?

Keanu May: Brandon, I think.

Detective Magee: Did Brandon say anything?

Keanu May: I don’t know, I didn’t hear the whole conversation.

Detective Beckwith: Okay, Keanu, thanks for talking to us today.

Keanu May: Sure.

Interview ended – 4:22 p.m.