“Who’s Priscilla St. Ana?”
“That’s another thing I’m hoping you can find out,” G. K. said.
I moved to the Supplementary Investigation Report filed by Sergeant Doug Rios, Badge Number 191, of the Anoka County CID. It was he who had decided that Merodie Davies should be taken from her home to Mercy Hospital for evaluation. During the ride, Rios claimed, Davies had made several
spontaneous statements
to him. Things like
He was still bleeding yesterday.
and
I didn’t know I hit him so hard.
When they arrived at the hospital, Rios decided that since Merodie was in a talkative mood, they would hold off on any treatment until after she was interviewed.
“They withheld medical attention while they interrogated Merodie,” I said.
“You noticed that, too,” G. K. said.
I read the report on the interview carefully.
Prior to questioning Davies, I advised her I was an investigator with the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office. I advised her of her MIRANDA RIGHTS which she stated she understood. Davies agreed to talk with me.
I advised Davies that Eli Jefferson had been found dead at her residence from apparent trauma and she told me that there were two separate incidents that happened Saturday two weeks ago that could have caused those injuries. She told me that Jefferson had accidentally cut himself with a broken beer bottle in the kitchen and that is why there was blood in the house.
Davies then explained that on Saturday two weeks ago someone had broken into her home and started a fight with Jefferson. She indicated that she had been sleeping when the fight began. She woke up and saw the assailant hitting Jefferson. She said the assailant saw her and quickly left the house. She indicated that the assailant was a man with blond hair. I asked Davies who that might be and she told me that she felt it could have been a former boyfriend. I asked her for the name of the boyfriend but Davies claimed she could not remember.
Davies also informed me that she had been living downstairs for approximately two weeks and was unaware of Jefferson’s activities during that time. A little later, Davies told me that she had brought food and several bottles of vodka downstairs with her. She told me that she did not want to go upstairs because she was frightened. I asked Davies who she was frightened of, but she said she could not remember.
I told her that I believed she was withholding information about the death of Jefferson and his fight with the former boyfriend. Davies denied any involvement in Jefferson’s death and I concluded the interview.
According to the report, Merodie Davies was later examined by the hospital staff and physical evidence was taken—I took this to mean blood and hair samples. Sergeant Rios wrote that it was during these procedures that Merodie indicated to him that she had something to add to her previous statement.
I again advised her of her MIRANDA RIGHTS, which she stated she understood, and again she waived them . . . Davies was more coherent and spoke clearly during the entire interview.
Davies told me she had been drinking for two weeks but that she stopped drinking last night. She told me that she got up this morning and felt a little hungover and hungry. She walked upstairs and observed Jefferson lying in the living room. She said his body was bloated and cold to the touch.
I asked when she last saw Jefferson and Davies said that she recalled speaking to him the night before last while she was downstairs in the basement. She said he yelled at her and she yelled at him, but that she did not actually see him. She said Jefferson never came downstairs. Later, she said that Jefferson came downstairs once a few days ago and that he brought her a drink and they slept on the couch together. Still later, she claimed it might not have been a few days ago, that it could have been longer. She said she might have lost track of time.
When I asked her what could have caused Jefferson’s injuries, Davies told me that she had thrown a beer bottle at him that shattered and cut him. She told me that she was angry at Jefferson over some remark he had made but she said she could not remember what he said. She denied ever intentionally inflicting any injuries on Jefferson with the broken glass, however. She also claimed that Jefferson had stopped the bleeding with a washcloth and refused to seek medical attention, claiming it was only a scratch.