Murder is Academic
What happened?
Investigation Day 1
First thing Monday morning, Professor Jake Hemphill went to the Yoknapatawpha County Conference Center to check that everything was ready for his big presentation at the Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference that day.
What he found was his colleague Doug Reed bloody and motionless on the meeting room floor.
Detectives Murphy and Parker spoke with Dr. Hemphill about his discovery of Dr. Reed's body.
Then they talked to the YCCC Events Manager, who was nearby when the body was found and called 911.
Later on, the detectives sat down with Faulkner expert Dr. Andrew Carlson, who was scheduled to co-present with Dr. Hemphill.
Throughout the day, investigators interviewed people at the YCCC looking for anyone who had seen or heard anything in the hours before Dr. Reed was found dead.
By midday, the local media was on the story.
That afternoon, Detective Murphy followed up on a reported discovery at a local garden center.
Investigation Day 2
The detectives asked a YCCC employee to come in to talk about what other witnesses said he saw.
Before heading over to the Ole Miss campus to talk to Dr. Reed's colleagues, Detectives Murphy and Parker reviewed the preliminary evidence inventory and photos from the crime scene.
Upon arrival at the English Department's offices, the detectives spoke first with department chair Dan Johnson.
Then they met with business school professor Nora Percy.
Later, English professor Laurence Bricker agreed to sit down with Detectives Murphy and Parker.
Dr. Reed's teaching assistant, Monte Marcos, had some new information to share with the detectives.
After Monte turned over a new piece of evidence, the detectives talked to the rest of Dr. Reed's department colleagues.
Investigation Day 3
The next morning, the coroner submitted a preliminary report on the autopsy findings, and the crime lab sent over newly recovered evidence.
Shortly afterward, the English department's senior secretary came in to talk to investigators.
After Ms. Fitch left, her assistant also spoke with Detectives Murphy and Parker.
After lunch, the detectives gave Professor Hemphill another opportunity to characterize his relationship with Doug Reed.
This murder has captured so much attention in town that even the Face in the Mirror is keeping an eye on it.
Meanwhile, Yvonne Boyd got a chance to tell the detectives what she'd been hiding.
Investigation Day 4
The victim's TA was the next person called in because the detectives wanted Monte to clarify some details about his whereabouts the night Dr. Reed was killed.
As Detectives Murphy and Parker wrapped up with Mr. Marcos, the crime lab delivered their preliminary evidence analysis findings along with some additional information about one of the videos.
Investigation Day 5
First thing the next morning, the detectives spoke with the owner of a local store that sells personal defense devices while other investigators mapped out some noteworthy locations.
When the detectives brought Nora Percy in to clarify her position on her boyfriend's relationships with other women, they learned a few new details as well.
Later, they asked Carol Fitch her thoughts on some inconsistencies and new evidence that have emerged since their last conversation.
Then, Detectives Murphy and Parker asked Jill Osborne to help them clarify the details of everyone's comings and goings at the Rowan Oak event.
Before calling it a day, the detectives wrapped up the search warrant applications they'd been working on and went to see the judge.
Investigation Day 6
The detectives searched for evidence at Yvonne Boyd's residence first.
After lunch, they went to Nora Percy's house, and in the late afternoon, the detectives split up. Detective Parker took a team to Carol Fitch's home while Detective Murphy and her team went to Jill Osborne's place.
Investigation Day 7
The day's searches started out at Jake Hemphill's home.
That afternoon, the detectives visited both Monte Marcos's residence and Laurence Bricker's in their search for evidence in the case.
Meanwhile, the Crime Beat had gotten wind of what investigators were doing.
Investigation Day 8
When the preliminary results of the forensic analysis of the search evidence came in, the detectives sat down with the prosecutor to make sure they had enough to make an arrest.
Investigation Day 9
With the YCSD and the DA's Office in agreement on how to proceed, the detectives took two suspects into custody in connection with the Douglas Reed homicide.
After the suspects had been booked, the detectives spoke to them separately to see what they had to say about the charges they were facing.
That evening, the Oxford Weekly Planet's Crime Beat covered the community's reaction to the arrests.
