A Death in Canaan (17 page)

S:

Do you remember cutting your mother?

P:

Just at her throat.

S:

You remember seeing blood?

P:

Yes.

S:

On her throat?

P:

No, 'cause when I saw her on the floor I had come back into normality again and I've already blanked out what happened. And I didn't realize what had happened at that point.

S:

Do you remember jumping on your mother's stomach and legs?

P:

Yes.

S:

Do you remember cutting your mother's abdomen?

P:

No.

S:

Do you remember doing anything else to your mother?

P:

No. There were things in there that I was not positive about.

M:

Well, I'll take this as such and put that he don't recall …

S:

Now, wait a minute now. Just a minute. You recall cutting your mother's throat?

P:

Yes.

S:

You recall seeing blood on your mother's throat?

P:

No.

S:

You just said you did!

P:

I said I recall seeing blood on my mother. First I said I saw her in bed, next I said I saw her on the floor. When I saw her on the floor was when I saw the blood.

S:

Where did you see the blood?

P:

On—it was on her chest and her T-shirt was rolled up to about—

S:

When did you say that you pushed the T-shirt up over her chest?

P:

I didn't say that. I never said anything about the T-shirt. I said I saw it pushed up like that.

S:

Did you push it up over her breasts?

P:

I don't remember. I'm not playing games now, I'm being as honest as I possibly can with you.

S:

Mm. Did you take her pants off?

P:

That I don't know. I may have tried to wash her down.

S:

Why did you try to wash her down?

P:

Because of the embarrassment of what I'd done.

S:

What did you try to wash off?

P:

Blood, I guess.

S:

What do you mean, blood, you guess? Did you try to wash off blood?

P:

Well, what else would I want to wash off?

S:

I don't know. I'm asking you, blood? What part of the body did you wash?

P:

That I don't know.

S:

How did you wash it?

P:

That I don't know. I don't remember taking her pants off.

S:

Well, how did you wash her if you didn't take her pants off?

P:

I don't know. The pants were wet though.

S:

Do you remember taking her panties off?

P:

No, I don't.

S:

The pants were wet or you wet the pants?

P:

The pants were wet, the police officer showed me.

S:

Now never mind the police officer. I'm asking you, from your own experience. Were the pants wet?

P:

I don't even remember the pants from my own experience.

S:

Well, you just said that you took the pants off to wash the blood off your mother, didn't you?

P:

I said I must have washed the blood off my mother. I didn't say I remembered taking the pants off her to do it.

S:

Where'd you get the water?

P:

That I don't know either.

S:

Were you in the bathroom at any time?

P:

I don't know.

S:

Did you take her panties off?

P:

That I don't know. That's all blank to me.

S:

Did you have blanks before in your life?

P:

No.

S:

Pete, why should I believe that you have blanks now?

P:

I don't know.

S:

You definitely remember coming into the house and seeing your mother on the top, and you definitely remember cutting your mother's throat with a straight razor, and you definitely remember seeing blood on her throat when she was lying on the floor.

P:

Yes.

S:

Do you remember noticing that her throat was cut when she was lying on the floor?

P:

No.

S:

Did you notice the cut in her abdomen when she was lying on the floor?

P:

No, I didn't.

S:

Did you notice the condition of her T-shirt when she was lying on the floor?

P:

I noticed it was rolled up.

S:

OK.

Now, get what he says in the statement. He came into the house, he looked and saw his mother in the cot. Then saw her on the floor. Then he cut—he remembers cutting his mother's throat with a straight razor. That he remembers seeing blood on his mother's throat while she was lying on the floor.

P:

Yes.

S:

And you were jumping on your mother's legs and stomach.

P:

Well, wait a minute before you write anything. I remember the blood on my mother's throat but I remember that clearly from my original statement. The blood.

S:

How many straight razors do you own?

P:

One.

S:

Now, you remember slashing once at your mother's throat with a straight razor, right?

P:

Right.

S:

Are we through playing headgames now, Pete?

P:

No more headgames.

S:

Look, if we can help you—and we can help you—we will help you.

P:

OK. That I understand. That's why I'm doing this now. Jim, when this goes to court will it be considered temporary insanity?

M:

I don't know, Pete.

P:

After having this on my record is there any chance I can still get on the state police?

M:

All depends on what happens.

That was with the straight razor you used for the airplanes?

P:

Mm-hm.

M:

Where was that razor?

P:

It was on the living-room table.

M:

You jumped on your mother's legs?

P:

Mm-hm.

M:

What else do you remember? Also remember jumping on—let's see—remember slashing at my mother's throat with a straight razor I used for model airplanes. This was on the living-room table. I also remember jumping on my mother's legs.

P:

That's really just about it. Because I'm not sure about washing her off.

M:

Did you say something about kicking her or something?

P:

I don't think so.

M:

All right. How about blood?

P:

OK. Do you have that in there—the area where it seems like a lapse in time? Know what I mean?

M:

No, not here.

P:

Well, that would be next. Could you put little quotes in between the part from where I was slashing my mother's throat to where I jumped on her legs? You know, so you can tell that section is the stuff I—that I'm digging up.

M:

All right.

P:

Now, the next—from here on in it's ah—I saw blood on her ah, on her ah, chest and on her throat and face. And I think it was on her T-shirt too. And the T-shirt was rolled up.

M:

Saw blood on her face—

P:

And throat.

M:

—and blood on her T-shirt?

P:

Mm-hm. I think. I'm pretty sure.

M:

And the shirt you say was rolled up?

P:

Yeah, rolled up to the bottom of her breast about.

M:

All right. Then what?

P:

Then I went to the phone and from there on in it's the same as my original statement.

M:

OK. Pete, read it over for me please.

P:

Sign here?

M:

Sign right beside—want to lean on this?

P:

No, this is OK.

M:

OK. I want you to do something else here.

P:

Want me to initial.

M:

Here. I want you to initial up here and over here.

P:

I've got more initials written down now.

M:

Well, this is for protection. This is so later nobody can say that I added anything or deleted anything out of it. Now, down here at the bottom.

P:

Here?

M:

Yes. All right. Now, I want you to sign this page here.

P:

Are we leaving yet or can I speak to the lieutenant, possibly alone again? Before we leave?

M:

Let me just check to make sure I don't have any mistakes here. You want to speak to Lieutenant Shay by himself?

P:

Mm-hm.

M:

OK.

P:

Getting chilly now, isn't it?

M:

Yeah, it's probably cool when you get outside and you don't have a jacket, do you?

P:

No. I'll survive. Can I have another cigarette, Jim?

M:

You need a match?

P:

I've got some.

M:

Throw this in the trash. Hey, Lieutenant!

P:

Well, I just stated it there and I signed it.

S:

Pardon me?

P:

I've done it and I've signed it. And, now I want to speak to you about some kind of psychiatric help. When you and I spoke man to man you said you'd help me.… Is there any possible way I could possibly live with your family if you had the room?
If
you had the room. I wouldn't want to impose, and I know my godmother would pay my way.

S:

Well, it would be a rather unusual turn of events.

P:

I've taken a liking to you, a kind of father image, and I trust you. And I know you're gonna do as much for me as you possibly can.

S:

Peter, I will do as much for you as I can. I have some friends in the psychiatric field. One fellow in particular I have in mind I would like you to talk with. Um, a psychiatrist that I think might be just what the doctor ordered.

P:

I would like to live with a family, like a complete family for a while anyway. When I was at Belignis, they treated me just like they did the rest of the kids. And that's what I enjoyed.

S:

Pete, let me read this statement.