First Night(s)
Over the past three years we’ve heard from a number of people who lived on Swann Street at the time of Robert’s murder. Many of them still do.
Almost all vividly remember the night of August 2, 2006 and the initial rounds that investigators made around the immediate neighborhood.
It was this first round of investigation and canvassing that gave shape to the case as it stands today, for better or for worse.
We were able to share one set of recollections last March, and today, we have another.
“A detective came by within a few days/a week if I remember correctly.
He asked standard questions (did I hear anything, see anything, have I ever had any problems with them, etc…) and I let him walk through the house to see what my view was, as well as let him hear what you could in the backyard and in the alley of my place.
I had attorney reps from both sides come to my door asking questions. I didn’t really answer much for them to be honest with you.
They did not show ID but they did give me business cards. The detective never followed up nor did the attorney reps. Actually, maybe the defense did once a little later on.
I did speak with an Asst US Attorney, but it wasn’t Kirschner, it was someone else. After that conversation I ended up having a conference call with 5 or 6 people… the detective, the US Attorney’s office and some other folks. They asked if I was available for possible testimony to which I said of course and then I never heard back.
I think the same thing happened to my neighbor, he spoke with them and never got a call back to testify.
As far as how many neighbors and which neighbors they also spoke with I am not sure. Oh and no private eyes ever came by.And the cops did also ask me about the homeless guy who lives in the van in the alley. He’s <name redacted> super nice and has been there for years. He couldn’t hurt a fly and that’s mainly because he’s always had too much to drink and pretty much sleeps it off all the time.”
At first I was annoyed, wondering why the heck no one followed up. But I suppose it’s possible there was nothing said that was worth following up *on.* I’m going to continue to hope that’s the case.
sounds like my kinda people.
…the homeless guy, that is
I can’t remeber at what point, whether @ 1509 or during the Anacostia interviews – when Price told MPD about the guy in alley or the suspect house across the street as possible leads…
I wonder how the cops processed that. Did any red flags go up – did they think Price was misdirecting them? Could they have played that back on him during the many hours @ the VCB? “Joe – why did you mention the guy in the alley?”
The perfunctory, no-one-in-a-hurry, trivial (what about the guy in the alley??), and passionless nature of this “investigation” in its early stages is what grabs me the most. No one followed up on anything, until it was too late to follow up on anything.
And, while neighbors may still remember the questioning, there may not be too much to remember from their answers, as Carolina suggests above. I do wonder, though, what the guy in the alley remembered from that night: burning embers from the grill, a garbage bag thrown overboard, a Ninja suddenly jumping from a BMW’s hood, Michael Price taking a shortcut, etc.?
Did they interview the guy-in-the-alley (gita)? Was he “home” that night? If so, it would seem he’d have the most to say. Of course, the thing is, if the gita wanted to “rob” the place, he’d be in a key position to know when the guys (and SM) were home or not. What about the people on whose property the gita lives? Wonder what they’ve had to say about the charge JP made.