Monte Marcos interview #2

Thursday, June 16, 2022 – 2:09 p.m.

Montalvo "Monte" Marcos is a grad student in the English Department at the University of Mississippi and was the victim's teaching assistant.

Detectives Murphy and Parker re-interviewed him at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.

Participants:

• Detective S. Murphy
• Detective E. Parker
• Monte Marcos

Detective Murphy: Good afternoon, Mr. Marcos. Would you please state your name and address for the record?

Monte Marcos: Montalvo Marcos. 1621 Grand Oaks Boulevard.

Detective Murphy: Thank you. We called you in today to get some clarification on one or two answers you gave when we spoke before.

Monte Marcos: Okay, sure. I tried to be specific.

Detective Parker: You were specific enough, Monte. It's your accuracy that has come into question.

Monte Marcos: Oh. Okay.

Detective Murphy: What time was it when you left Rowan Oak to follow Dr. Reed?

Monte Marcos: Between 8:30 and 8:40 p.m. He left at about 8:30 p.m., and I followed him.

Detective Parker: What were your intentions when you followed Dr. Reed?

Monte Marcos: To watch him. To maybe catch him trying to sabotage Professor Hemphill and Dr. Carlson's presentation—which I did.

Detective Parker: Did you intend to harm him?

Monte Marcos: No, not at all—and I didn't. I didn't harm him. I didn't get close to him. He didn't even know I was there. I just got him on video messing with the materials on the podium, and then I left.

Detective Murphy: What time did you leave the YCCC?

Monte Marcos: About ten minutes to 9:00 p.m.

Detective Parker: You're sure you didn't stay longer at the conference center?

Monte Marcos: Yes, I'm sure. It was a very short video, less than 30 seconds. I didn't want him to see me there, and I didn't need much evidence to prove that he was trying to undermine Professor Hemphill and Dr. Carlson.

Detective Murphy: Did you see anyone else other than Douglas Reed while you were at the YCCC?

Monte Marcos: Well … kind of.

Detective Murphy: Meaning?

Monte Marcos: I saw Yvonne Boyd, but she didn't see me.

Detective Murphy: How do you know?

Monte Marcos: Because I hid when I saw her coming. I know it sounds bad, but I didn't want her to see me there.

Detective Murphy: Why not?

Monte Marcos: Because I didn't want her to tell Professor Reed I was there. He would've blasted me for following him.

Detective Murphy: When did you see her?

Monte Marcos: When I first got there. It seemed like she was leaving that meeting room where Professor Reed was.

Detective Murphy: Why didn't you mention this before?

Monte Marcos: I guess I didn't think of it. I mean, he was still alive then, so what difference does it make?

Detective Parker: Where did you go after you left the YCCC?

Monte Marcos: Straight back to Rowan Oak.

Detective Parker: What time did you arrive there?

Monte Marcos: It was 9:00 p.m. I know because I had to turn on the ringer on my phone. I had turned it off when I went inside the conference center. I turned on the ringer and checked the time.

Detective Parker: Did anyone see you when you returned to Rowan Oak?

Monte Marcos: Yes, I spoke with people who can prove I was there at around 9:00 p.m.

Detective Parker: Who did you speak to?

Monte Marcos: Jill Osborne.

Detective Murphy: Did you show Jill the video you had just captured of Dr. Reed?

Monte Marcos: No.

Detective Murphy: Did you tell Jill that you had followed Dr. Reed to the conference center and had video of him handling the presentation materials?

Monte Marcos: I told her I had him on video handling the presentation materials.

Detective Parker: What was her reaction?

Monte Marcos: She was upset.

Detective Murphy: Upset in what way?

Monte Marcos: I'm not sure what you're asking.

Detective Murphy: Was she angry?

Monte Marcos: I don't think Jill knows how to get angry. Maybe more nervous about what would happen the next morning if anything was wrong with the presentation materials. It was her responsibility to assemble that stuff, so she would get blamed. Plus, I think she also was concerned about Professor Hemphill's reputation.

Detective Murphy: Did she say what she was going to do about it?

Monte Marcos: Do about it? I don't think she was going to do anything.

Detective Murphy: What did she do after you told her what Dr. Reed was up to?

Monte Marcos: I don't know. She walked away from me, and I didn't see her for a while after that.

Detective Parker: What time did you speak with Jill?

Monte Marcos: Just after 9:00 p.m. I spoke with her right after I got back to Rowan Oak.

Detective Parker: Did you share either the video itself or the fact that you had the video with anyone else besides Jill?

Monte Marcos: No. No one else knew about it.

Detective Murphy: Did you speak with anyone else besides Jill?

Monte Marcos: Yes, a number of people, but I don't remember specifically who or what time. Except for Nora. I remember talking to her.

Detective Murphy: Why Nora in particular?

Monte Marcos: Because she asked me if I had seen Professor Reed. It kind of threw me. I told her that I hadn't seen him. Then I checked my cell to see if he had called. It was 9:36 p.m.

Detective Parker: Did you see Nora leave?

Monte Marcos: No, I didn't notice. I stayed there for about another 45 minutes, and then I went home.

Detective Parker: You said before that you didn't see Jill for a while after you told her what Dr. Reed was doing at the YCCC. When did you see her next?

Monte Marcos: That night?

Detective Parker: If you saw her again that night, then yes.

Monte Marcos: I know I saw her again at some point. Maybe a few minutes before I left? I'm just not sure. I'm sorry.

Detective Murphy: All right, Mr. Marcos, that'll be all for now. Thank you for coming in today.

Monte Marcos: Am I in some kind of trouble?

Detective Parker: That depends.

Monte Marcos: On what?

Detective Parker: On what you did between the time you left Rowan Oak to go home and the time you arrived at YCCC the next morning.

Monte Marcos: I went home and went to bed.

Detective Parker: So you say, but you have no one to corroborate that for you.

Monte Marcos: I didn't kill him, detective.

Detective Murphy: I hope that's true, Mr. Marcos.