Opinion ID: 2639434
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Darlene's Pretrial Statements

Text: On November 9, 1984, and on December 4, 1984, Darlene spoke to El Dorado County Sheriffs deputies Sergeant Wilson and Detective Harnage. The interviews were tape-recorded. Transcripts of three tape recordings from the November 9, 1984, interview and the transcript from the one tape recording of the December 4, 1984, interview were admitted into evidence at the reference hearing. These tapes and transcripts had not been introduced into evidence at the 1985 jury trial.
Present during this interview were Darlene, El Dorado Sheriffs deputies Sergeant Wilson and Detective Harnage, and Darlene's mother and stepfather, Shirley and Gerald W. Darlene said that the night Denise disappeared, petitioner dropped her off at the foster home about 11:00 p.m. Joanna came home the next day and said she had seen Denise walking through the tunnel the previous night. She said petitioner never talked to her about Denise, except for one comment shortly after Denise's disappearance. Darlene told petitioner that Denise was gone, and he replied that Denise knew better than to spend time with Joanna. Sergeant Wilson pressed Darlene for more information and promised to protect her. Darlene said she was petrified of petitioner and that he had married her so she would not talk to the police. The sheriffs deputies told Darlene that petitioner was the last person to see Lynda and Denise alive. Darlene stated that petitioner knew Lynda and her parents.
Joanna was present during this second taped interview. Sergeant Wilson informed Darlene that Joanna had given them a whole lot of information and Joanna was going to tell her what she saw. Joanna asked Darlene why she said to her, the night of August 12, that it was gonna all be over, and [petitioner] would be arrested. Darlene replied that she did not know why she said that. Sergeant Wilson asked Joanna to tell Darlene what happened after petitioner took Darlene home the night Denise disappeared. Joanna said she was not able to tell Darlene because she did not want to upset her. Wilson then told Darlene that Joanna saw what petitioner had done to Denise. Darlene said she did not know anything. When her mother pressed her for information, Darlene replied, I don't know nothin', Mom. I swear to GodI didn't know nothin'[petitioner] wouldn't tell me. I tried to get it out of him. He wouldhe would just jump on my case ... if I talk[ed] about Debbie and Denise. Darlene said that on August 12, she led Placerville police officers to where she thought the bodies were because she and petitioner camped in that area and she had the feeling he did it. (See People v. Cox, supra, 30 Cal.4th at pp. 940-941, 135 Cal.Rptr.2d 272, 70 P.3d 277.) Darlene agreed she had said, [petitioner] did it. Sergeant Wilson told Darlene that petitioner could not be arrested until she told them something. Her mother asked Darlene how many more 13- and 14-year-old girls would have to be buried before petitioner was put away. Detective Harnage and her mother told Darlene that petitioner was sick and Darlene, by cooperating, could help him. Sergeant Wilson praised Joanna for coming forward and told Darlene that Joanna looked so good because they had helped her. He wanted Darlene to be protected in the same way they protected Joanna. He explained that Darlene, like Joanna, was entitled to witness funds, and that she could use the money to buy herself clothes or get her hair done. Sergeant Wilson reiterated that it was not safe for Darlene because people in town were after petitioner. Joanna stated that she and others talked about beating up petitioner on Halloween. Darlene said petitioner had more guns again and, if he were bothered, the police would have to bring out the SWAT team. Detective Harnage reiterated that Darlene was the last piece to the jigsaw puzzle. Sergeant Wilson explained that, like Joanna, maybe Darlene knew something but didn't want to remember it. When asked why she told people at the foster home that Debbie was not coming home, Darlene said, I had a feeling there was something goin' on, because she had never seen [petitioner] act so funny before. Sergeant Wilson continued to insist that petitioner must have told her something. She said he did not.
With Joanna no longer present, Sergeant Wilson informed Darlene that [y]our mom told us what you told her, but said they wanted to hear the information from Darlene herself. Darlene agreed that petitioner knew Lynda, and that he kept guns and knives in his car. Darlene added that a week or two before any of the girls were missing, petitioner said he would eliminate ... three girls in the foster home and eliminate three more. Darlene said he never brought up that topic again. Darlene stated that petitioner kept one gun under a quilt in the back of his car, another gun under his seat, a knife above the sun visor on the passenger side, and handcuffs underneath the quilt. Petitioner told her Debbie was next or some way he put it, and that was [a]fter the two ones have missed, have gone. She told the deputies that she was afraid of petitioner and had nothing more to add.
On December 4,1984, El Dorado County Sheriffs deputies Sergeant Wilson and Detective Harnage again interviewed Darlene. Darlene's stepfather was present. Sergeant Wilson asked Darlene if she recalled everything that I told you at the house today about what could happen, and, things like that and offered her immunity from prosecution, adding: So, don't be scared about going to jail, because I don't think that you have done anything that you can go to jail for, but we wannawe have to make sure. Sergeant Wilson then asked, Why don't you tell everything that you know about Denise? Darlene informed them that petitioner, at the Exxon station, had indeed admitted that he killed Denise and that he intended to kill Joanna but she ran away. Darlene said this conversation took place [b]efore he got a hold of Debbie but, when prompted, agreed it occurred a day after Debbie disappeared. Darlene said he picked up Denise and Joanna to go to a party but instead took them to the woods. He said he grabbed Denise, stabbed her and strangled her, took off her clothes, and laid her body by a log. Darlene stated that petitioner picked up Lynda, told her he was going to take her to a party, and pretty soon he takes her to North South Road, where Denise is, and he says he did the same thing as to Denise. Took all her clothes off, and everything and threw them away, and they were both in the same places as Debbie and Denise. Petitioner said he left Lynda's body close to Denise. Darlene added that petitioner first said he took off Denise and Lynda's clothes, handcuffed them, tied their feet with his hiking rope, had sex with them while they were alive and then stabbed them. She said petitioner learned to tie weird knots in the Cub Scouts. Petitioner told Darlene he was paid $150 to kill Denise and Debbie, and was paid $120 to kill Lynda. Darlene said petitioner told her he seen [Debbie] at the park and he was waiting for her to get done with the party and he seen her walking, so he pulled up, asked her [if she wanted] a ride up to the house and he took her up to the . .. same place. Petitioner added that he picked up Debbie after he dropped off Darlene, and he put Debbie's body somewhere further away from Lynda and Denise. He told her he threw Debbie's clothes off the bridge. She said petitioner married her so she could not testify against him and he would get [her] if she testified against him. She said she was too scared to have told the deputies this earlier. Sergeant Wilson asked Darlene if it worried her when he said she could be arrested if she withheld information. She replied yes. Sergeant Wilson told Darlene the threat of arrest [m]ade you start thinking about it. He added that she did not do anything wrong, but if she had done something wrong, that would be different, and they would have to talk about immunity. Darlene said petitioner told her he brandished a knife to get Denise and Joanna in his car. She then backtracked and said Denise made Joanna get in the car. She said that petitioner had contracts on many girls, including Joanna. Shirley W. arrived. She confirmed that petitioner had ended his relationship with Darlene on November 7, 1984. Darlene stated that petitioner finally told her about the murders because he already had a contract on me. When asked why he wanted these girls dead, Darlene said that petitioner told her if you have to kill these people ... the devil will not take their soul. She said that petitioner believed in devil worship. Darlene, contrary to her earlier statement, now said petitioner put Lynda's body close to Debbie's and Darlene's bodies, [b]y a log. She said petitioner never mentioned Ferrari Mill Road. She said she found Debbie's unicorn key chain underneath the front seat of petitioner's car while they were cleaning the car after Debbie's murder. Petitioner said, now you know, and that is when he decided to tell her everything. Darlene said petitioner told her to put the key chain back among Debbie's belongings at the foster home and be quiet about it. The sheriffs deputies later found the key chain among Debbie's belongings. It had no keys on it.