Screaming to Get Out & Other Wailings of the Damned

by J. F. Gonzalez

  HARRIS: Hear us out, Louis. We’re not interested in you. We know you didn’t actually see anything. We already have it on record that Top Hat was the shooter and that your other homie, Dose, saw what happened in that bedroom. All we want to hear from you is your version of what happened. You’re already in custody for participating in the home invasion. You can’t tell me you weren’t involved, ‘cause you were. So don’t bullshit us.

  LOUIS: I ain’t bullshitting you but I’m telling you straight up, I went in there with no intention of anybody gettin’ shot.

  HARRIS: I hear you. So tell us what happened.

  LOUIS: It was supposed to be straight up. Bust in, bang shit around, yell at whoever was in there to get on the fucking ground or we’d shoot ‘em in the face, take their shit, get the fuck out. Maybe smash someone in the mouth if they acted up. No shootin’.

  MOWRY: So the guns were to scare ‘em.

  LOUIS: Straight up.

  HARRIS: Why that particular house?

  LOUIS: Dose picked it. He’d ganked the place across the street a year or two back and noticed the folks who lived in the house we hit tonight. Said the white chick that lived there looked like one of them Amish people.

  MOWRY: She was Mennonite.

  LOUIS: Same fucking thing. They all wear those white napkins on their heads and them funky-ass long dresses. Bitches look like they’re from the pioneer days or some shit.

  HARRIS: So the victim’s house was chosen because you thought she wouldn’t fight back.

  LOUIS: Damn straight.

  HARRIS: Did you know if she lived alone?

  LOUIS: Dose said she had a boyfriend. Some yuppie ass white boy.

  HARRIS: And you did not consider him a threat?

  LOUIS: Fuck no!

  MOWRY: Tell us what happened during the home invasion.

  (There is almost a full minute of silence on the tape, interspaced with the sound of a chair leg scraping the linoleum floor)

  LOUIS: We got there and waited outside in Dose’s ride. The lights went off in the bedroom and Dose said, “That’s it.” We put our masks on and headed over. Pepper kicked in the door and we were in. We was supposed to be in and out in two minutes. Just sweep the living room and den while Top Hat and Dose took care of the bedrooms and the people in the house.

  HARRIS: Who was supposed to take care of the occupants?

  LOUIS: Top Hat.

  HARRIS: How was he supposed to take care of them?

  LOUIS: Just scare ‘em and shit. Hold them there, make sure they didn’t do nothin’ stupid.

  MOWRY: And Dose was supposed to do a sweep of the bedrooms?

  LOUIS: Yeah.

  HARRIS: Okay, so you bust in there and set your plan to action. What happened next?

  LOUIS: Hard to say ‘cause it happened so fast. I was like, buzzing off the high, you know I’m sayin’?

  MOWRY: Your drug test came back negative. You mean the adrenaline high?

  LOUIS: Yeah, that’s it. I’s just high off the adrenaline ‘n shit. It’s like, that shit’s better than crack, you know I’m sayin’? So, I’m like, “C’mon man, let’s do this real quick like and get their shit and get the fuck out of here yo?” And we bust in and go to town, and Pepper and me’s sweepin’ the living room and dining room and shit and I see this fucking antique chest. I’m thinking ‘there’s gots to be shit in there’, you know I’m sayin’? My grandma keeps expensive jewelry and shit in a chest just like it. Pepper, he’s unplugging the DVD player ‘cause it’s one of them pricy things with Blu Ray and all kinds of jacks for shit you could hook up to it. Top Hat and Dose had already gone upstairs and I had this bag—we all carried these plastic garbage bags to carry the shit in. I had this bag out to fill it with shit from the dresser and I hear this screamin’ from upstairs, fucking Top Hat going, “What the fuck is that? Oh fuck, oh shit!”, and he’s saying this over and over and he sounds petrified! And then suddenly there’s this “boom-boom-boom!”

  HARRIS: That’s when he shot them?

  LOUIS: Yeah. I didn’t know it was Top Hat, though. I just knew one of ‘em is shootin’.

  MOWRY: What happened then?

  LOUIS: I like, turned to Pepper and said, “What the fuck’s goin’ on?” Top Hat, he’s still yellin’ and shit and I hear Dose go, “Yo man, whass up, what tha fuck you doin’ man!” And all this time I can hear Top Hat yellin’ and he banged into the wall upstairs, then I hear him running down the steps. Muthafucka almost fell down the stairs comin’ down.

  MOWRY: What did he do when he reached the bottom of the steps?

  LOUIS: That nigga was gone! He just took off out the door!

  MOWRY: What about Dose?

  LOUIS: About the same time Top Hat is fallin’ down the stairs and shit, I hear Dose go “What the fuck is that shit?” Real loud, like. Then he starts runnin’ down the stairs. When he got to the bottom he looked at me and said, “We’re getting’ the fuck out, yo!”

  MOWRY: That’s when you left?

  LOUIS: Damn straight!

  MOWRY: You didn’t go upstairs to check on the victims?

  LOUIS: Hell no!

  MOWRY: So you have no idea what Dose and Top Hat saw?

  (There are twenty-five seconds of silence on the tape. When Louis answers, his voice is low, trembling with fear)

  LOUIS: No. I don’t.

  The following is an excerpted transcription from the tape-recorded statement of William Baxter, AKA Dose, who is Suspect #2, in the investigation of murder suspect Charles Williams. It was taken April 9, 2010 in Interrogation Room #1 at the Lancaster City Police Department. Present are Detective Julie Mowry, Shield #E5876, and Detective Paul Harris, Shield # E8965, both from the Homicide Division.

  MOWRY: I know this is upsetting to you...what you saw.

  DOSE: You don’t know the half of it, man.

  HARRIS: Did you see Top Hat shoot them?

  DOSE: Nah. I didn’t see that. I heard the shots.

  MOWRY: Where were you when he shot them?

  (There are thirty seconds of silence on the tape, followed by the faint sound of sobbing)

  DOSE: I was in the other bedroom...I was...I just wanted to get enough shit to fence! I got a little girl, she got cancer...her mama don’t have health insurance. She works but she don’t have health insurance. I just wanted to get enough shit to fence so I could help—

  MOWRY: The state of Pennsylvania has a special program for the children of uninsured parents. Your...(the sound of shuffling of paper)...ex-girlfriend? She can sign your daughter up for the state insurance program.

  DOSE: They live in Baltimore. They don’t have that down there.

  (There are fifteen seconds of silence on the tape)

  MOWRY: So you were in the bedroom when Top Hat shot them?

  DOSE: Yeah. And when he shot them I was like....it scared tha shit outta me, cause we weren’t supposed to do that shit, know I’m sayin’? I run out just as Top Hat comes flying out of that room. He crashed into the hallway, was screaming some shit like ‘Oh my God, what the fuck is that, what the fuck was that bitch smiling at me for?’ and he just...he just flies down the steps. Mothafucka fell all the way down them.

  HARRIS: Did you go after him?

  DOSE: I did, but first I looked in that room. And...and...

  (There are thirty seconds of sobbing on the tape)

  DOSE: It happened too damn fast. I...I...just looked and got the fuck out.

  HARRIS: From what your boy Louis told us, it appeared you saw what happened in that room.

  DOSE: No! I didn’t! I swear I didn’t see anything!

  MOWRY: Calm down. It’s okay.

  DOSE: No, it’s not! You don’t understand, it...it...

  HARRIS: Tell us what you saw, Mr. Baxter.

  DOSE: It was...it happened too fast but...it was horrible. First thing that hit me was the smell.

  HARRIS: The smell?

  DOSE: Yeah. Like spoiled meat. I held my breath and took a step in the room and saw...well.
..I think I saw that they were dead. The woman...she...she was awake and looking at me and her boyfriend he was...he was all fucked up and shit. Like he was melted or some shit.

  MOWRY: Are you sure he was dead?

  DOSE: Motherfucker had a big hole in his chest and he was flat on his back.

  HARRIS: And it looked like he was melted?

  DOSE: That’s the only way I can describe it, man! Dude looked like he’d been spread out all over the bed. I mean, maybe my mind was playin’ tricks on me because of the lighting and everything that was happening, but all I know is that when the bitch next to him sat up and smiled at me I got the fuck out of there!

  The following is an excerpted transcription from the tape-recorded statement of Henry and Ella Beth Martin who, when they were alerted to the crime against their daughter, Mary Beth, arrived at the Lancaster Police Station and demanded to speak to the lead detectives on the case. When it was evident they had seen the suspect’s car in the vicinity of the crime scene prior to the committal of the crime in which they are being charged, they were formally questioned. They are labeled as Witness #2 and Witness #3 respectively. The excerpts of their questioning in the investigation of murder suspect Charles Williams was taken April 9, 2010 in Interrogation Room #1 at the Lancaster City Police Department. Present are Detective Julie Mowry, Shield #E5876, and Detective Paul Harris, Shield # E8965, both from the Homicide Division.

  MOWRY: I know you’re upset Mrs. Martin, but if you can just tell me when you last saw your daughter without resorting to hysterics.

  ELLA BETH: I am not hysterical! That...man...Victor...he’s led my daughter away from the family!

  HENRY: You have to understand, Detective. Mary Beth was a good girl. She was raised in the church and was very devout. Her boyfriend is not at fault in any of this.

  HARRIS: In any of what, Mr. Martin?

  ELLA BETH (to her husband): What do you mean that monster is not at fault?

  (There is arguing on the tape. Detective Mowry restores order by telling them to stick to the facts and not their emotions)

  HARRIS: Can you begin by describing to us what you saw two nights ago?

  HENRY: Ella Beth and I decided to drive by and...we wanted to see how Mary Beth was doing. That’s all.

  MOWRY: So you just wanted to drop by her house?

  HENRY: Yes.

  MOWRY: How long has it been since you’ve seen her?

  (There are fifteen seconds of silence on the tape)

  HENRY: You have to understand. Before...any of this happened...what I’m about to tell you...our daughter....Mary Beth...well, there’s been an estrangement.

  ELLA BETH: That man took her from us!

  HENRY: Now Ella!

  MOWRY: I understand you’re upset. We would appreciate it if you would answer the questions and not interrupt your husband as he is talking.

  (There is a brief discussion in which Detective Harris instructs them on the rules and protocols of questioning, and then the interrogation resumes)

  HENRY: The short version is this, Detectives. Mary Beth was a respected member of the family and the church and she decided to move out and find her own way. It is not uncommon for children raised in our order to do this.

  MOWRY: Your church is Old Order Mennonite?

  HENRY: That is correct. We know a lot of families...we have a lot of friends whose children leave home and even leave the church. On the surface, it would seem that Mary Beth’s case is no different.

  (Ella Beth objects and Detective Mowry is heard telling her that if she interrupts again, she will be escorted out of the room. Ella Beth quiets down and questioning resumes).

  HENRY: I admit, I shared my wife’s concern with Mary Beth’s boyfriend. Still do, to a certain extent. On the surface, her young man is a nice fellow. She brought him to the house a few times. My missus...she’s upset because she and Mary Beth were very close. She feels betrayed. I felt betrayed myself.

  MOWRY: I understand, Mr. Martin. Your daughter has been living away from the house for two years then?

  HENRY: Yes. Like I said, she moved out on her own. She was still attending church, but she got a job at a place in downtown Lancaster. Corporate Financial or some such. She met Mr. Collins there. They started seeing each other. We had...we had other plans for her life.

  ELLA BETH: She was supposed to join our ministry! She was supposed to marry the son of our dear friend, Herman Green.

  HENRY: I admit that Mary Beth moving out really...it really threw a wrench into things. It caused great division in our family, Detectives.

  MOWRY: Is it fair to say that your daughter’s growing independence caused a strain in your relationship with her?

  ELLA BETH (shouting): It wouldn’t have happened if that man had not come into her life! She’s not only changed, you’ve changed, Henry!

  HENRY: I’ve changed?

  ELLA BETH: Yes! When Mary Beth first started dating Victor you and I were against it. You more so than I! Don’t you remember?

  HENRY: Well, I...

  ELLA BETH: You went so far as to tell Mary Beth that she was no longer your daughter! You saw the wrongness in Victor. You saw the...the evil!

  HENRY: I saw no such thing.

  ELLA BETH (shouting): You did! We both saw it! We both saw that he was influencing her! She has changed overnight and now so are you!

  (There are a few minutes of arguing again. Detective Mowry and Detective Harris tell Ella Beth she has to leave the interrogation room. It is at this point that Detective Mowry escorts Ella Beth out of the room. The questioning of Mr. Martin resumes.)

  HENRY: I’m sorry for that. My wife thinks Mary Beth has changed. I used to think that myself, but in the past few weeks I’ve got to thinking about it. She’s my daughter. My flesh and blood. She was always an independent child, yet very loving. She had a good heart. Maybe she just...became worldlier in her ways. One of our elders, Amos Stoltzfus, ministered to me about it. He said that the Lord has guided her down another path, one in which her mother and I were not meant to understand. I prayed about it and as I did, I began to see he was right. The Lord opened my eyes. He showed me that Mary Beth is still my little girl. Sure, she’s changed, but we all undergo changes in life. Right?

  HARRIS: Of course. Change is inevitable. It’s what makes us human, Mr. Martin.

  HENRY: Ella’s views on this...what she says about Victor as evil...I don’t know what to make of that, Detective. Before my daughter met Victor, she was a good woman. She lived for the church, lived for her Lord. She dressed modestly in accordance to our customs. She continued to do so even when she moved out on her own, even in the beginning stages of her courtship with Victor.

  HARRIS: Mr. Collins is not from your faith, then?

  HENRY: No sir, he is not. That concerned us. What drove us...what is driving Ella into such hysterics is Mary Beth’s physical and spiritual changes. She dresses worldlier now. She’s stopped attending services. She’s turned her attention from God and family to this man, Victor.