by Gary C. King
“Yeah.”
“And leave it in the house.”
“Yeah. Hell, look, hey, look here,” Farris said. “I can, you know; look, I can go down to the projects with one of my guns . . . at any time there’s seven or eight people, you know, hanging out selling dope. And, look, I can just walk up and say, ‘Here, man, hold this while I go around here and talk to so and so,’ and let them hold the pistol.”
“And leave the gun in the house,” Perry added.
“Exactly, leave that gun in the house.”
“But make sure it’s fired,” Perry said.
“Oh yeah. Well, look, I can get ’em to fire it.”
“What you do is, like, what you do is you think everything ahead, every step ahead, every step . . . ,” Perry said. “No connection to me or you, see?”
Their conversation soon ended because of a visit from one of Perry’s lawyers. When he was certain that Perry had left the area to go to a visitation room, Farris said the following into the digital recording device:
“Perry just went to see his lawyer, but I’m gonna leave the tape recorder runnin’ ’cause I don’t wanna risk cuttin’ it off and losin’ everything that I’ve got so far. Also, this, uh, list with all these codes words on it, I wrote it in my writin’, but I handed it to him, like two or three different times, to get him to check. Well, just to get his fingerprints on it.”
Perry went to sleep that evening after meeting with his lawyer. He had taken some medication that he had obtained from the jail’s infirmary, which would help him sleep, and therefore could not continue his conversations with Farris until the following morning. They would have approximately two hours to go over their plans again before Farris “made bail.”
Early the next morning, after Perry’s typical knocking on the wall to get Farris’s attention, the two conspirators went over their plans to murder the Levines again, and Perry advised Farris to be careful with e-mail if he used it. He explained to Farris in detail how each computer leaves an Internet service provider (ISP) address that can be traced back to a locale and eventually to a specific computer. Because of this, he advised Farris to use a computer at an Internet café that was not located in Nashville or anywhere near Nashville. Perry also revealed the excitement that he was feeling as a result of all the planning that he and Farris had done, and over their future plans together as “partners.”
“Here, I’ll tell you this,” Perry said, “this is going to be fun. You know why?”
“Why?”
“I’m already figuring this. I’m already startin’ to get a touch of this. We’re gonna be fuckin’ outrageous. When we’re out, can you imagine the two of us havin’ a fuckin’ week on the beach to plan something? I’m so juiced for that, it gives me something totally to look forward to. Nate, can I tell you something? I’m telling you right now. That’s my job.”
“That’s your job,” Farris repeated.
“It’s my . . . I think of this as my career,” Perry said.
“Yeah, well, that’s gonna be my career, too. You know, Perry, I can’t work at McDonald’s. . . .”
“I understand.”
“You know what I mean.”
“You understand our career. I’m not thinking about anything else,” Perry said. “I’m thinking about my career.”
“Well, what a career it’ll be, too,” Farris said. “I’d say what we’d make, like an average an hour, what a couple of grand an hour or—”
“An hour?”
“Yeah.”
“Literally, for an hour of real work . . . we make twenty grand an hour.”
“Twenty grand an hour,” Farris repeated, laughing. “Hey, Perry, none of our lawyers or . . . even the Levines make that much an hour.”
“Especially when you only got to work two or three hours a month.”
Following the discussion about their careers, Perry started in again on the importance of e-mail security, how computers work, and so forth. It was revealing, if not chilling, in that it depicted in his own words just how savvy he really was about the inner workings of a computer. It showed that someone with his knowledge would have little or no difficulty locating and removing a hard drive from the inside of a computer. The fact that Perry wanted to educate Farris on how to effectively delete e-mail from a computer—so that it couldn’t be retrieved later—opened the door for Farris to be able to show Perry’s father how to eradicate anything incriminating from his own computer when Farris met up with him in Mexico.
“When I take the trip down there,” Farris said, “I can actually show him in person how to get rid of it.”
“Yeah, while I think he knows how to delete, but it’s a little bit more complicated than just wanting to delete,” Perry said. “Just let me explain to you about computers. . . The hard disc is a round disc . . . on it, it puts information magnetically.. . . It shoots it and keeps it on there. What a computer does, when it wants to find something, it sends its little optical reader, and it finds that piece of information, and reads it. When you, quote, unquote, delete something from your computer . . . what it does is it takes away the code.”
“So, it’s still there,” Farris said.
“It’s still there,” Perry agreed. “There’s other programs that actually come in and write over it and it will erase it. . . . The difference between . . . what happens is when people delete normally . . . what they do is they force their machine to not be able to find something. . . . And then the machine can write over it again later. You have to scrub it.”
“Because some other machine can come in and find it,” Farris offered.
“Exactly.”
“Okay.”
“Hey, can I tell you something?” Perry asked.
“Yeah.”
“This is crucial, crucial, for us . . . because a lot of what we’re gonna do on our jobs . . . will be e-mail–related.”
“In Mexico?” Farris asked. “You talkin’ about—”
“Philip Rolfe. Remember that guy Rolfe, he’s on his computer all day long with e-mail.”
“And that’s how we’ll communicate with him?” Farris asked.
“Absolutely.”
“That way, he never . . . hears a voice or nothing.”
“Absolutely. . . . What to do and when to do it, and he’ll do it; and then he’ll have his little granddaughter back. . . . You see what I’m saying?”
“Yeah, and like . . . how you was explaining to me about the diamonds and stuff like that. I just wanna do that one time at least, too, because I want some diamonds.”
“When it happens, you’re gonna get on an airplane,” Perry explained about the diamonds, a scheme that he had spoken to Farris about after they had first met. “You’re going to fly to Amsterdam and you’re gonna trade ’em in and put ’em in the bank.”
“Do you think that would be safe for me going in to Amsterdam ?” Farris asked.
“With a new passport. Can I tell you something? We’re gonna totally be low-key . . . big-time . . . remember one thing. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.”
“Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered,” Farris repeated, laughing. “Huh, we’re gonna be a couple of pigs.”
“Low-key pigs,” Perry corrected. “And for the next thirty days, you need to learn about the Internet . . . and e-mails. You need to look up and learn about Mexico and immigration. You’ll see how easy it is. People just go whoring all day long (inaudible) . . . you need to remember. . . once the car gets, uh, sold—”
“Yeah?” Farris asked, laughing.
“They ain’t gonna let me out for a long time,” Perry said. “They’re gonna try to keep me in here as long as they can, until they can figure out . . . The thing you need to know . . . I’m a fuckin’ expert in Mexico. . . . I’ve got lawyers, I’ve got accounts . . . I speak Spanish. I’m an expert.”
“Well, look . . . I pretty much figured that,” Farris said. “That’s why, like, when we talked, you know, a couple of weeks ago or whatever, we was
talkin’ about those kidnappings, that’s why . . . I was sayin’ . . . I would do the footwork and you could handle the other part.”
“Oh, we’re gonna both handle everything together.”
“We’re both gonna handle it together,” Farris repeated, laughing. “Hey, Perry, the dynamic duo.”
When Farris was taken out of the isolation unit a short time later, Perry March thought that he had made bond and had been released. In reality, Russell Nathaniel Farris was taken to a small room at the police station, where he soon began making supervised telephone calls to Arthur March in Mexico. While Perry sat in jail awaiting trial for murder, he believed that his new pal, Farris, would be keeping his promise by committing two additional murders.
Chapter 25
The first telephone call between Russell Nathaniel Farris and Arthur March occurred ahead of schedule on Wednesday, October 12, 2005. Farris was being supervised by Postiglione and Pridemore. He seemed a bit nervous at first, but soon fell right into the conversation as he did what the detectives had instructed him to do. After a few rings, Arthur March answered the telephone. Following is an edited transcript of that conversation:
March: (inaudible)
Farris: Hello? Hello?
March: Hello?
Farris: Is, uh, this the Colonel?
March: Yes.
Farris: Hey, uh, how you doin’? My name’s Bobby Givings. Uh, has, uh, Perry March contacted you?
March: Yep.
Farris: Okay, uh . . .
March: Said I’m supposed to talk to you.
Farris: Yeah, uh, I—you know I waited a few days but, uh—well, first of all, uh, the phone I’m on it, it’s okay for me to talk, what about the phone that you’re on?
March: Uh-huh.
Farris: Okay.
March: I’m all right.
Farris: Okay. Uh, how you been doin’?
March: Well, you know.
Farris: Yeah. Uh . . .
March: It’s tough, but it’s tougher for him.
Farris: Yeah, I know, man, and I’m, I’m tryin’—I’m tryin’ to help him out. Uh, has, has—uh, do you know about our agreement?
March: No, I’m sorry I don’t know anything. He just said you’d call and I was supposed to listen and talk.
Farris: Yeah, well, uh, just, uh, what I’m just doin’ now basically just, you know makin’ contact with you. Uh, you know, ’cause I told him I would. Uh, I need you to . . .
March: Now where are you?
Farris: Okay, I’m, I’m on, uh, I’m actually at, uh, a friend’s job of mine on a telemarketer phone. You know, I didn’t want to use my home phone or nothin’ like that, ’cause I didn’t want it to be traced or anything.
March: Okay.
Farris: So . . .
March: Yeah, but you’re in the States?
Farris: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m in Nashville.
March: Okay, well, I didn’t know—well, I’m just tryin’ to figure out where you are.
Farris: Okay. But, uh, what, uh, what I kinda want you to do is, uh—well, well, first of all just, just to let you know that I’m who I say I am uh, your, your maid’s name is Marta, and, uh, uh, Paul’s brother is Uncle Mike from East Chicago. Do, do you know what I’m talkin’ about there?
March: Yep.
Farris: Okay.
March: Okay, we’re on—you’re on . . .
Farris: Okay, I’m just, you know—well, uh, what I need you to do is, uh, I want you to tell Perry, uh, however you, you’d get in contact with him that, uh, I’ve been lookin’, I’ve been lookin’ at some BMWs and, uh, I’ve not found the one that I want to buy, but, uh, you know, I’ve got my eye on a couple and I’m gettin’ close to, to buyin’ one. And, uh . . .
March: Okay.
Farris: He’ll understand what you’re talkin’ about there. And uh, uh, I was thinkin’ maybe, maybe here soon that I can, you know, somehow come and meet you just so I know, uh . . .
March: Okay, you got—you can also stay with me. I got a three-room house, so you’re . . .
Farris: Oh, you—great . . .
March: . . . more than welcome.
Farris: Yeah, well, see that’s, that’s kind of what I was wantin’, you know. You know, I just—I don’t know how much you know about what’s goin’ on, but he did tell me that you was a real stand-up guy and that, uh, you know, I know, I know a little bit about you, and, uh, Perry, he’s, he’s a real great guy, and, uh, I got a lot of confidence and trust in Perry. And uh . . .
March: Well, how did you two get together? I, I’m, I’m . . .
Farris: Well, I was . . .
March: . . . well just, well just . . .
Farris: I was there, you know, I was—I just—I got out on bond. Perry helped me get out on bond. And, uh . . .
March: Oh. Well, see I didn’t know that. Okay.
Farris: Yeah, we, uh, you know, uh, when they first brought Perry there, I—actually, I called, uh, I called, uh, your—I guess it’s your, uh, son-in-law, Lee. I called him for him and . . .
March: Okay.
Farris: . . . and you know basically me and Perry, we just got to talkin’ over there for—and , uh, I’m out on bond on a murder charge now. And, uh . . .
March: How’d you get out on a murder charge on bond?
Farris: Well, uh, I’m—I fortunately knew this girl. Her daddy owned a trucking company and, uh, Perry helped me, uh, talk to her, you know, convincin’ her that I’m gonna marry her and love her, and, you know, just all this old bullshit. But, uh, I’m kinda stuck with her, you know, a little right now. That’s why, you know like . . .
March: No, I just say to get—you play the cards the way they’re dealt.
Farris: Exactly. And, uh, I’m tryin’ to get us a royal flush now, if you know what I mean. But, uh . . .
March: Okay.
Farris: I’m, uh, I’m glad I got to talk to you.
March: Whatever I can do, you just let me know and it’ll get done.
Farris: Okay, well, uh, you know, it is a couple of things that, that I’m gonna need a little bit of help with, just because like, like I . . .
March: All right, you just, just . . .
Farris: I don’t, I don’t want no middle man. I—you know what I’m sayin’? I, I don’t, uh—the less people involved . . .
March: I . . .
Farris: . . . is, is, is . . .
March: The less—you just tell me what you want, how you want it done, and it’ll get done.
Farris: Okay. Well, uh, well, is—are you sure that it, it’s okay to talk on, on this line?
March: As far as I know. We, we had it checked about two weeks ago and it was . . .
Farris: Okay. Well, well, here’s, here’s . . .
March: But that’s—you know, that doesn’t mean it’s, it’s perfectly . . .
Farris: Yeah.
March: . . . safe now. I, I—you know, I’m bein’ honest with you.
Farris: Okay, well, see you . . .
March: It should be. It’s, uh, I don’t think they’re onto it, I’m getting a clear signal here.
Farris: Yeah.
March: And there’s been no—no indication that it’s not clear. And I, I can have it checked again if you want me to.
Farris: Well, well, how, how long would it take you to have it checked? ’Cause I’m in . . .
March: Uh, I can’t do it tomorrow because of the religious holidays. I can have it done Friday.
Farris: Friday? Okay, well, I’ll tell you what. Uh, you, uh, you, you have that done just, just so that—you know, I’m, I’m just tryin’ to, to go over every . . .
March: I understand. Everybody to CYA.
Farris: Yeah. Exactly. And, uh, you, you do that and, uh, we’ll talk some more, and, uh, Perry, Perry gave me an e-mail address. It’s, it’s, it’s your e-mail address. Uh, do you think that it would . . .
March: I’ll make sure he gave you the right one, ’cause I changed.
Farr
is: You, you changed?
March: To confuse—but I don’t know if it worked. You know what I’m saying?
Farris: Okay, well . . .
March: It’s A - W-M.
Farris: A-W . . .
March: W-M.
Farris: Okay.
March: At.
Farris: At.
March: Prodigy, P-R-O-D-I-G-Y.
Farris: Okay.
March: Dot net.
Farris: Okay.
March: Dot MX.
Farris: Dot MX?
March: Yeah, is that the one he gave you, or did he give you the Laguna?
Farris: Uh, he gave me the La—uh, Laguna.
March: Okay, this is the new one, so hopefully they’re not—nobody’s on this one yet.
Farris: Okay. Uh, and uh, I’ll probably—I might—you know, I, I’m—I don’t really know nothin’ about no computers for one. I’ve never been on the Internet or whatever.
March: You and me too, I, you know, I’m uh . . .
Farris: I think that’s a bunch of bullshit. I, I think they’d be able to trace computer logs easier than they would a phone call. You know what I mean?
March: Probably if they wanted us.
Farris: Yeah. But, uh, is, uh, Carmen doin’ okay?
March: Well, yeah, she’s, she’s holdin’ up. It’s, it, uh—I’m there as much as I can be.
Farris: Yeah.
March: I’m there every morning.
Farris: Yeah.
March: And I’m trying to leave her a little bit, but she’s, she’s a tough broad and . . .
Farris: Yeah. Well, I . . .
March: She wants to do it herself.
Farris: Yeah.
March: And I have to stay on the—you know what I’m saying?
Farris: Yeah, I, I know things . . .
March: Do you . . .
Farris: . . . have been hard because of these Levine people, man, and, and, you know, it’s time that all this shit is dealt and done with, if, you, you know . . .
March: Oh, well, listen.
Farris: Yeah.
March: You want to hear the latest?
Farris: Yeah, yeah, what’s goin’ on?
March: This one I’ll tell you. You know the—that prosecutor that’s after him, you know that one, that . . .