Interrogations-and-Confessions-Handbook

4 December
Four High Profile American Cases 569
Discussed her anger toward her boyfriend, John Wille re: his signed admission
to various charges. She states he did this to protect her and as a means to get
leniency for her. She sees this as a betrayal and playing into the hands of those
investigating the various allegations. She adamantly denies that she or John Wille
had anything to do with the individuals they supposedly killed.
There is evidence that Wille tried to protect Walters from prosecution regarding
the murders. For example, a record of a conversation Wille had with a prosecutor
on 11 August, five days after his arrest, shows that he sought a promise for
Walters not to be prosecuted.
11 December
Talked about her decision to hold firm to her story and refuse an offer of immunity
for admission of John’s guilt as well as her knowledge. She continues to deny
any such knowledge or complicity or charges. Found out this a.m. that John had
pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges stating he had witnessed Judy and her
daughter committing crimes and had tried to get them to stop without success.
She now feels betrayed, frightened and resigned to possibility of 30 years in prison
for 1st degree murder, arson plus charges of murder.
The Appeal
I heard nothing for several years. In the year 2000 Wille was allowed to appeal
against his death sentence and at the time of completing this book the case is
still being heard in the 40th Judicial District Court, State of Louisiana. A hearing
was granted to bring in new evidence at trial court level by a different judge
to the original trial judge. When the case is eventually decided there, a review
will be sought in the Louisiana Supreme Court.
In September 2000, Dr MacKeith and I travelled to New Orleans. We testified
as to our qualifications and qualified as experts. The following day
Dr MacKeith gave his testimony. He testified as to the vulnerabilities of the
three accused persons at the time of their interrogations, the problems associated
with the absence of complete contemporaneous records of the interrogations,
the importance of the medical records of Walters during her stay at
Santa Rose County Jail and the unreliability of the confessions made by Wille,
Walters and Sheila Walters. I testified the following November.
The Psychological Testimony
My testimony, which lasted most of one day, was broadly in four parts.
1. Scientific developments of the instruments and techniques. I provided the
court with a conceptual framework for the assessment (i.e. focusing on
custodial, interrogation and vulnerability factors), background information
about the development of assessment instruments and outlining the
psychological processes and factors that break down resistance during interrogation.