Needle Work: Battery Acid, Heroin, and Double Murder(61)
Here, in its entirety, is the first statement Carol Giles gave to police. You decide.
CAROL GILES’S STATEMENT
“Nancy, Tim and I were sitting on the bed in the basement talking about when my house was broke into when Tim and I were in California. Tim and Nancy were smokin’ crack (that’s why we were in the basement because my kids were upstairs sleep [sic]). Tim kept asking Nancy ‘You stole the stuff didn’t you? So you could get high?’
“Nancy kept saying, ‘I didn’t do it, I swear. I wouldn’t steal from Carol. She’s my friend. When I came home from work Friday, the window in the kitchen was broken. My friend came and borded [sic] it up. I didn’t call the police because I didn’t know if you had any drugs or guns here. I didn’t want them to see anything.’
“Nancy acted as if she was nervous. Tim said ‘Your liing [sic]. I can see it in your eyes. Just tell the truth, you’ll feel better.’
“I was just sitting in the bed smokin’ my cigerrates [sic] and drinking a Pepsi. I didn’t say anything. I was just watching Tim and Nancy. Tim said, ‘Carol do you believe Nancy is the one who stole the stuff and pawned it for drugs?’ I just looked at him. I didn’t know what to say. Then I said, ‘I believe Nancy that you took the kids piggy bank and I can’t prove that you took the VCR and jewelry but I hope you didn’t’.
“(Nancy) ‘I didn’t, I swear I would never do that.’
“I heard a noise like one of the kids might have gotten up. I said. ‘I’m going to check on the kids. I’ll b [sic] right back.’
“I went up stairs [sic]. I checked on Lit’l Man (Jesse) [sic]. I covered him up and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Then I went and checked on Jesseca. I fixed her covers and kissed her on her cheek. I then went to the bathroom. I turned the T.V. in my room off. I let the cat in the house (at the front door) then I started down stairs. I thought I heard Nancy say, ‘stop.’ So I walked real slow trying not to make any noise so I could hear what was going on.
“When I got to the bottom of the steps, Tim was tying Nancy’s right foot up. It looked like she was tied-up with panty hose or something. Nancy had a white towel or washcloth in her mouth. She had cream color pantyhose tied around her neck and mouth. There was blood on her forehead and nose. Tim had a gun in his hand. He was telling her to ‘shut up. Just shut up. Don’t say another word or I’ll shoot you. Nobody will even know. We’re in the basement. Nobody will know.’
“I said, ‘Tim, what’s going on? Are you doin’ this because she stole some jewelry?’
“He pointed the gun at me and said ‘shut up.’ I shut up. Didn’t say another word. I just stood there. I couldn’t move. I just kept praying, ‘please God, don’t let the kids wake up.’
“I watched him punch her in the gut. I don’t know how many times. A lot. Nancy only had one leg in her pants. I don’t know [sic] they got that way but I didn’t ask. I was real scared.
“Nancy was moaning and Tim hit her in the head with the gun. She was quiet for a second then I saw her eyes. They looked like they were saying, ‘please help.’ I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. I looked away from Nancy.
“Tim had the gun. I didn’t want him to shoot me. Who would take care of Jesseca and Lit’l Man? I don’t know how long I was standing there. It felt like forever. I was feeling dizzy and sick. Tim said, ‘Sit down, you’ll be alright.’ I said I’m going upstairs, I’ll be in the living room.’
“I sat in the living room [and put] the T.V. on. I wasn’t paying any attention to what was on. I just felt like I needed it on. I smoked 2 cigerattes [sic], one after the other, trying to think what to do. If I called the police, he would know I was on the phone and kill me before they got there. If I just made sure the kids didn’t wake up and get out of bed; they’ll be alright.
“Tim came upstairs, turned off the T.V. and all the lights except the light in the backyard and out at the garage. He kept looking out the windows, saying, ‘I know she did it. I know she did. Bitch can’t lie good.’ He sat in front of me and said, ‘Everything’s going to be alright. I’ll take care of you and the kids. Everything’s going to be fine.’
“I just looked at him. I didn’t know what to say. He still had the gun in his hand. He got up and looked out the windows again, first at the door there at the dining room, kitchen, looked in the breezeway, looked out the living room windows, went and looked in Lit’l Man room, then Jesseca’s, bathroom, looked in my room then back to the living room.
“He said, ‘They could be out there. They know what we did. They won’t come in but they know.’
“I said, ‘We didn’t do anything. You did.’
“He turned real fast looked at me strange, like someone had took over his body. His eyes didn’t look the same. I felt like he was looking thru [sic] me. He came over to me. ‘We’re in this together. The police won’t believe I did it. I was never here. We’ll take Nancy somewhere. Maybe Detroit. Leave her in Rouge Park or maybe Forest Park in Flint.’
“He looked almost like he enjoyed talking about Nancy being left somewhere. I assumed she was dead when he first came upstairs because he said, ‘I know she did it.’ I was sitting on the couch, watching him pace the floor back and forth, back and forth. Before I knew it, I had to get the kids ready for school. It’s 7:05. I must have fallen asleep. I couldn’t believe it was 7:00 already.