Sylvia Powell interview #3

Saturday, September 21, 2024 – 1:04 p.m.

Sylvia Powell is a registered nurse at the Yoknapatawpha Acres nursing home, where Jerry Shaw worked.

Detectives Armstrong and Murphy re-interviewed her at Yoknapatawpha Acres.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Sylvia Powell

Detective Murphy: Good afternoon, Ms. Powell. Please take a seat and state your name and address for the record.

Sylvia Powell: My name is Sylvia Powell, and I live at 3010 Hillmon Drive in Oxford. I don't understand why you're talking to me again. I don't know anything else about Jerry's death. I've told you everything.

Detective Murphy: Sylvia, we don't want to inconvenience you, but we need to ask you a few more questions.

Sylvia Powell: I'm sorry. It's been a terrible couple of weeks. We just buried Jerry, and now there's all this trouble with the Health Department. I don't want to lose my job.

Detective Murphy: Sylvia, we're not insensitive to your feelings, but we need your help to find the person who killed Jerry.

Sylvia Powell: Okay.

Detective Armstrong: We were told that Jerry and Landrigan were getting money from the patients in exchange for services. Do you know anything about that?

Sylvia Powell: Okay, so I did know about that, but what could I do? I would lose my job if I told anyone, so I pretended I didn't know anything about it. Jerry and Richard were charging the residents extra money for things like snacks or drinks in between meals and odd jobs like hanging pictures.

Detective Armstrong: Have you told anyone about it since Richard Landrigan was arrested?

Sylvia Powell: I would have, but nobody's asked me until you right now. Richard deserves everything he gets. He didn't care about the residents or the people that work here. All he cared about was how much money he could steal.

Detective Armstrong: Is that the only thing Jerry and Landrigan were involved in together?

Sylvia Powell: I don't think so, but it's all I know about. I heard Richard is being charged with fraud?

Detective Armstrong: Yes.

Sylvia Powell: I think Jerry might've had something to do with that.

Detective Armstrong: How do you know?

Sylvia Powell: I don't know. I just have that feeling.

Detective Murphy: When we last spoke, you mentioned that Jerry owed Matt Hooper a lot of money.

Sylvia Powell: Yes.

Detective Murphy: Do you think Matt or Richard is capable of murder?

Sylvia Powell: I can't answer that. No one knows what a person is capable of.

Detective Armstrong: What about you, Sylvia? You said Jerry dumped you and told you he didn't want you anymore. Did that make you angry enough to kill him?

Sylvia Powell: No, I didn't kill him! Why do you keep asking me that?

Detective Armstrong: Why should we believe you?

Sylvia Powell: Because I loved him too much to hurt him. I know what you're trying to do, but I didn't kill Jerry.

Detective Murphy: There's no need to shout at us.

Sylvia Powell: I'm sorry. I'm trying my best not to be angry. I know you're just doing your job.

Detective Murphy: Sylvia, you know more about what was going on in Jerry's life before he died than anyone else. Is there anything at all you haven't told us?

Sylvia Powell: No! I've told you everything I can think of.

Detective Murphy: I hope that's true because every time we talk to you, it seems like you tell us something you didn't mention before.

Sylvia Powell: It's not on purpose. I've been so upset. Maybe I forgot some things at first.

Detective Murphy: Uh-huh. I think that's all we have for you today.

Sylvia Powell: I hope you find the killer soon because it's not me, and I can't take much more of this.

Interview ended – 1:26 p.m.