Norm Resol interview

Monday, May 3, 2021 – 2:01 p.m.

Norm Resol is the night shift custodian at the Yoknapatawpha County Conference Center and was on duty the night of April 30, 2021.

Detectives Armstrong and Murphy interviewed him at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Norm Resol

Detective Murphy: For the record, would you please state your name and address?

Norm Resol: My name is Norm Resol. I live at 156 Highway 7 South.

Detective Armstrong: Is that the address we have on file?

Norm Resol: I didn't do anything. I'm registered. I did the paperwork. I don't know what you have in your files.

Detective Armstrong: Do you have any idea why we might have wanted to talk to you today?

Norm Resol: I'd guess the murder.

Detective Armstrong: A terrible thing, murder. Of course, sometimes, it's just a mistake. Something innocent mushrooms into something else and, before you know it, you're looking at a dead body.

Norm Resol: I didn't touch her.

Detective Murphy: How do you feel about talking to us?

Norm Resol: Nobody likes talking to cops.

Detective Armstrong: Innocent people don't seem to mind.

Norm Resol: I didn't do anything.

Detective Murphy: When did you start work that night, Norm?

Norm Resol: I clocked in at 8:00 p.m.

Detective Murphy: And you left when?

Norm Resol: 6:00 the next morning.

Detective Murphy: Ten hours?

Norm Resol: Mrs. Boyd asked me to put in some extra hours, what with the pageant and all. I have to go over everything twice sometimes to make sure it's just right.

Detective Murphy: And that's okay with you?

Norm Resol: It's two hours of overtime. I can use the money.

Detective Armstrong: Real good occasion to put in some extra time, don't you think? I bet you get an eyeful.

Norm Resol: I work nights. Everything's pretty quiet then. I made my rounds. I didn't do anything.

Detective Murphy: Were you surprised when Barbara came through the lobby? Did you expect to see her when you heard that the YCCC was hosting this pageant?

Norm Resol: I didn't see her arrive. I work nights.

Detective Murphy: Still, it must have come as a shock that she was there. You two go way back.

Norm Resol: I met her when I worked at the photography studio.

Detective Armstrong: Why would Mrs. Dubois have complained about you?

Norm Resol: That was a long time ago. I don't know why she did that.

Detective Murphy: Did she think you were a danger to her daughter?

Norm Resol: I didn't do anything wrong.

Detective Armstrong: You did to Sheila Maywood.

Norm Resol: Sheila lied. We were having fun, and she suddenly remembered she's married and changed her mind. Then it got outta hand.

Detective Murphy: Got out of hand so bad you whacked her with a tire iron.

Norm Resol: I did my time for that. And she started it. She had a knife.

Detective Armstrong: Which they never found.

Norm Resol: Yeah. How convenient for Sheila. But her husband killed her anyway when he caught her in bed with someone else after I went up. My lawyer said it was too late. Nobody would believe me.

Detective Armstrong: Your lawyer was right. Did you explain all this to Barbara when you saw her at the conference center?

Norm Resol: I didn't say anything to her.

Detective Murphy: Do you like working at the YCCC?

Norm Resol: They've been good to me.

Detective Armstrong: Were you there the night Barbara was killed?

Norm Resol: Yes.

Detective Armstrong: Did you attack Barbara Dubois?

Norm Resol: No.

Detective Murphy: Maybe you didn't attack her. Maybe she attacked you, and you had to defend yourself.

Norm Resol: I didn't do anything to her. I didn't even talk to her.

Detective Murphy: Does your boss know about what happened at the photography studio?

Norm Resol: Not if you don't tell him. I could lose my job.

Detective Armstrong: Over a Dubois. Wouldn't be the first time a Dubois cost you your job. How do you feel about that?

Norm Resol: It wasn't right then. It wouldn't be right now. I didn't do anything to her.

Detective Murphy: What did you do that night?

Norm Resol: I did my work. I cleaned and restocked the restrooms, cleaned the hallways, and cleaned the pageant and conference center areas. I put fresh towels out at the pool for the next day. I took fresh tablecloths and napkins down to the banquet center. I buffed the floors.

Detective Armstrong: Maybe you saw Barbara's body in the hallway and got scared and moved it into the closet?

Norm Resol: I didn't do that.

Detective Armstrong: What were you doing between, say, 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m.?

Norm Resol: I'm not sure exactly. My work, like I told you.

Detective Armstrong: Anybody see you during that time?

Norm Resol: I don't think so.

Detective Armstrong: You know how things work, Norm. You need to tell us where you were, what you were doing, and who saw you.

Norm Resol: I was working.

Detective Armstrong: Did you see anyone hurt Barbara?

Norm Resol: No. I didn't see who killed her.

Detective Armstrong: Did you see anything suspicious?

Norm Resol: No.

Detective Armstrong: Did you see anything that now, looking back, strikes you as odd?

Norm Resol: I see a lot at this place at night. Nothing is odd to me anymore.

Detective Murphy: Is there anything we should know that you haven't mentioned yet?

Norm Resol: I just do my job. I don't want to cause trouble.

Detective Armstrong: You're not causing trouble if you help us by telling the truth. Did you notice anything unusual?

Norm Resol: Not that I remember.

Detective Murphy: You don't have to worry about talking with us. It's like passing gossip. Everybody does it, even if they say they don't.

Norm Resol: Mrs. Boyd said I should cooperate.

Detective Armstrong: That's good advice.

Norm Resol: My lawyer said I should cooperate too. When I did, I lost some good years of my life.

Detective Murphy: Those were unusual circumstances. This is completely different.

Detective Armstrong: Mrs. Boyd sounds like a good employer. I'm sure she wants this situation resolved as quickly as possible and would thank you for any assistance you provided. Did you see something while you were doing something you weren't supposed to be doing?

Norm Resol: I didn't see nothing.

Detective Murphy: Norm, if we find out later that you did see something, we're going to wonder why you withheld the information.

Detective Armstrong: Did someone ask you to keep quiet? Offer you money? Threaten your job?

Norm Resol: I cleaned up after the banquet. Then I did the brasses. That's all I did.

Detective Murphy: We're doing a thorough investigation, Norm. We're not going to find your prints or hair or anything connecting you to this, are we?

Norm Resol: You found her in one of the closets I use.

Detective Murphy: Did you use it that night?

Norm Resol: No.

Detective Armstrong: Who else uses that closet, Norm?

Norm Resol: All the staff. And the lock is broken. Has been.

Detective Armstrong: Very convenient.

Norm Resol: A bunch of the staff room locks are broken. They use special electronics, and they're expensive to repair. I could lock them all, but then the staff would have me running there every time they wanted in. It's easier to leave them open. They're supposed to be under warranty, but the company that makes them won't pay for a serviceman or a replacement. And the boss says the hotel shouldn't have to pay for someone else's negligence, so they're fighting about it, and they don't get fixed.

Detective Armstrong: But if they were locked, you could still get in, couldn't you?

Norm Resol: Sure, but I didn't have to.

Detective Murphy: You could get in any room if you wanted to, couldn't you?

Norm Resol: I have a pass card. I need it to get into places to clean. Sometimes I fix things when the boss doesn't want to pay for a contractor.

Detective Armstrong: Did you get into Barbara Dubois's room?

Norm Resol: No. Never.

Detective Armstrong: Whose room did you go in?

Norm Resol: Nobody. None of the women. I went into Buchanan's room to fix the shower door he broke. That's all.

Detective Murphy: So you have tools?

Norm Resol: Sure, I have tools.

Detective Armstrong: Things to pound with?

Norm Resol: I have lots of tools. It's not illegal to have tools. I use them for work.

Detective Armstrong: What about the shoes, Norm?

Norm Resol: What about them?

Detective Murphy: You like women's shoes?

Norm Resol: No. Maybe. Kind of. It's not illegal to like shoes.

Detective Murphy: It's okay. I like shoes too. Take a look at these. We found them in a linen closet at the YCCC. Very pretty pair.

Detective Armstrong: Where did you get that pair, Norm?

Norm Resol: What do you mean? Why would I have women's shoes?

Detective Armstrong: Norm. Come on. You're not new to the criminal justice system. You must know about all the things we can find out from forensics these days. Don't you watch TV? We know those shoes have been in your hands. Where'd you get them?

Norm Resol: You're not going to believe me.

Detective Murphy: Try us.

Norm Resol: I got them out of the dumpster.

Detective Armstrong: You just happened to look in the dumpster and see a pair of women's high heels? You expect us to believe that?

Norm Resol: I got them out of the dumpster, I swear. You know I empty the trash around here.

Detective Armstrong: So what if someone reports them as stolen?

Norm Resol: Then someone else stole them and threw them in the dumpster, which is where I got them.

Detective Murphy: You gotta help us here, Norm. Stolen property. A record. Access to the location where we found the body. You can't account for your time.

Norm Resol: I did my time. I didn't do anything to Barbara Dubois. You're gonna be just like her mother was and cost me my job, and I didn't do anything.

Detective Murphy: We just want you to cooperate, Norm.

Norm Resol: I know about cooperating. I didn't do anything. I'm done cooperating. I don't want to talk to you anymore. I have work to do while I still have a job.

Detective Armstrong: We're not interested in your job.

Norm Resol: Yeah, but I am. I'm going to get back to work unless you're going to arrest me.

Detective Murphy: No, we're not going to arrest you, but keep yourself where we can find you.

Norm Resol: I'm at the place I registered. You can check.

Detective Armstrong: We will. And we'll be talking again.

Detective Murphy: Norm, here's my card. You can call me. When you think of something that might help the investigation, just pick up the phone and call.

Norm Resol: No cop ever gave me a business card before.

Detective Murphy: I don't give them to just anybody. Call me when you want to talk.

Norm Resol: I'll do that.

Interview ended – 5:58 p.m.