INT. Subj. - Heinrich Whitbaker.
Case No. - 7896-2
Case Subj. - Death of Mari Whitbaker
Autopsy details - Bruises, possible results of child abuse, recent max. 1-3 days before death. Snapped neck cause of death, rope burn patterns on neck suggests possible failure at first hanging.
Sus. Follow-up - Under suspicion of child abuse, and possible direct involvement in death.
Transcription Below
Whitbaker was put into Intg Room Sml. 3, and was waiting for 25 minutes before Det. Fielder entered room. Later he is joined by Off. Nēr.
[Door opening and shutting]
Fielder: Sorry for the wait, Mr. Whitbaker. I'm Detective Fielder. I'd like to ask you some questions.
Whitbaker: [expletive]in' finally, I've been waiting to talk to you guys again. I found some shit out.
Fielder: Alright, well first we need to confirm some information. Can you tell me your full name for the record?
Whitbaker: Heinrich Spekke Whitbaker.
Fielder: [nods] and then your date of birth?
Whitbaker: September 6th, 1959.
[Whitbaker adjusts seating position to a more relaxed position, crossing his legs while Fielder writes]
Fielder: Your daughter, Mari, when was she born?
Whitbaker: [slightly adjusts seating position] March 1st, 1981.
Fielder: and her full name?
Whitbaker: Mari Lea Wong Whitbaker. Named after Magnolia's grandmother.
Fielder: [affirmative hum]
[Silence for 20 seconds as Det. Fielder writes. Whitbaker looks uncomfortable]
Fielder: So, can you tell me what your day looked like on Saturday? Before the incident, I mean. [Saturday being the day of the incident, October 7th, 2000]
Whitbaker: I went to work, get a call at like, 2, about my daughter killing herself. Second I heard it, I knew it was that brat who killed her.
Fielder: Slow down, alright? When did you go to work?
Whitbaker: 7am, like always. Woke up Mari and Sunny before leaving, making sure they started practicing before I left.
Fielder: Now, you said a "brat" killed her. Who would that be?
[Officer Nēr enters the room]
Nēr: Hello sir, Officer Nēr.
[Det. Fielder nods to Off. Nēr, then faces Whitbaker again]
Whitbaker: My [expletive] son. Worthless [expletive] killed his sister. He was always jealous of her, she wasn't a talentless [expletive] like him.
Fielder: Your son? Sunny?
Whitbaker: He had to have done it. She wasn't stupid enough to try and kill herself. Fucking coward's way out. Cowards like him. Not talented, smart people like her.
Nēr: Your daughter... you seem to have... preferred her, yes?
Whitbaker: She could play piano like a true prodigy, was leagues ahead of her classmates in everything she did. That piece of [expletive] kid of mine on the other hand could barely pass Grade 3 on his own, and his violin is stuck in mediocrity.
Fielder: And you think... he killed her?
Whitbaker: Had to be. No way she killed herself. No way, no how.
Fielder: I see. So, what happened when you got home.
Whitbaker: When I got home, everyone was gone, so I cut down the tree that still had that damned rope on it.
Nēr: [aggravated] I can't take this, you're trying to tell me your 12 year old son hanged your 15 year old daughter? How the [expletive] would he lift her up there? Or force her to stay complicit in the hanging?
Fielder: Calm down, Nēr [Fielder is cut off]
Whitbaker: [aggravated, shouting] Maybe he killed her some other way! And got one of his dumbass friends to help him! I just know he did it! Interrogate him! His friends too!
Nēr: [firm tone] We have. The story is all the same. They were arriving to see them rehearse, Basil came first, and was inside Sunny's room watching his practice. Sunny looks out of his window, and sees the corpse, dropping his violin.
Kel, Henry, and Aubrey arrive, as Basil and Sunny approached the sliding door, to confirm what they saw. The three kids followed behind. They came upon the hanging corpse of Mari Whitbaker. Aubrey Jalbrin called 911, and a police unit and ambulance arrived, who later called you and your wife.
[Whitbaker rolls his eyes]
[A 10 second pause]
Nēr: Do you know how ridiculous your son killing her sounds? Do you know how oddly well timed it is you decide to do overtime the day your daughter just happens to kill herself?
Whitbaker: You saying I killed my daughter?!
Fielder: Well, you were definitely involved.
Whitbaker: Fuck off, I know that Kel kid had to have helped him.
Fielder: The only wounds besides the snapped neck your daughter had, were a variety of bruises along your daughter's arms, legs, and back.
Nēr: Do you hit your kids, Heinrich? Did you beat your daughter?
Whitbaker: I only hit my worthless son! My daughter knows how to [cut off]
Nēr: [yelling, audio peaking makes difficult to transcribe] You knocked out your daughter, then you [unintelligible] to the tree, and hanged her with a jump rope! You [expletive]ing killed her!
Whitbaker: I fucking didn't! You son of a [expletive]! It was that [expletive]! He grabbed his stupid friend and [long unintelligible]!
Fielder: Calm down, calm down. What happened, man? What did she do? Was she trying to make you angry? Not letting you discipline your son?
Whitbaker: Nothing happened! I didn't do it, you stupid [expletive]! [Expletive] all of you [expletive]s at this [expletive]ed police station!
[Whitbaker was free to leave the interview at any time, and left the room at this point, slamming the door]
Transcription ended.
Evidence exp. 05/02/2005
Adm. Y
Guangzhou Police Department
ID - C71096I5b