1984
 
William Myers’ 12/5/1984 interview after his arrest for arson/murder

At 3:00 pm, 0ne hour after Johnson interview Shuman started his interview of William Meyers. Maine State Police Cpl. David Giroux was present during the recorded interview. After Meyers was read his constitutional rights, he said he would speak with Shuman without an attorney present.

     Shuman first asked Meyers if he was aware that he was a State Police Officer.
     Meyers said, “I know you are because I’ve seen you before....”
     “You have the absolute right to the advice of a lawyer before any questioning, and to have the presence of a lawyer here with you during questioning. Do you understand that? ... What does that______?”
     “It means it’s going to cost a lot of money to have a lawyer, Yeah, I understand.”
     “...If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be furnished to you free before any questioning if you desire. Do you understand that? What does that mean?”
     Meyers said, “It means you guys gotta pay the bill, and I get shafted.”
     “I just want to ask you a few more questions, Bill.”
     “I bet you do, otherwise we wouldn’t be here, right?”
     Shuman wanted to know if Meyers had had anything to drink. Meyers said he had had some CLC, Black Velvet, and beer. He said he drank constantly every day, but that he wasn’t drunk. He said, “Any man in his right mind would never say he was drunk.”
     Shuman said, “Do you know where you are?”
     “Yeah. I’m in jail.”
     “You understand that you’re under arrest for murder and arson.”
     “... All I want to know is, who’d I murder and who’d I arson?”
     “This is for the 1981 murder and arson of Micheal Cochran in a Lucerne camp.”
     “So now I gotta do, the same guy you said years ago was in that house?”
     “Yes, sir. ... I’m going to tell you a few things I heard and we can just talk about them back and forth. ... Where were you the night before David’s camp burnt?”
     “Right at the moment, I don’t know. That was a long time ago [nearly four years].”
     “... How about the name, you know David Dupray?”
    “Yeah. I saw him about four times, four or five times, maybe more than that. ...”
     “How about Dickie Sargent? You know Dickie Sargent and Percy Sargen?”
     “Percy sounds familiar. The name Percy, not Sargent.”
     “Just Percy? ... Dickie Sargent doesn’t?”
     “No.”
     “Lionel Cormier sound familiar?”
     “No.”
     Shuman said, “Was there any talk about the time—we know that drug dealers are getting ripped off in the Bangor area, and there was supposed to be a meeting among some of the drug dealers to take care of the problem of Dickie Sargent, and Cormier, and [illegible] ripping off and stealing the drug money. You ever hear anything about that?”
     “Yeah, I talked to two guys in suits.”
     “... You didn’t go down to Dupray’s camp and set it on fire?”
     “No. No way.”
     “The name Micheal Cochran doesn’t mean anything to you?”
     “No. Not a bit.”
     “... So all these names I’ve just mentioned to you, with the exception of [Ronald] Jellison, [Robert] Rideout, and [David] Dupray, you don’t know anything about Cochran, Percy Sargent, Richard Sargent, Lionel Cormier?”
     “No, I remember meeting a Percy though, but I don’t remember his last name.”
     “Richard never came down to Bubbie’s [Johnson] place?”
     “Richard who?”
     “Sargent.” “You’d have to show me pictures, cause I don’t remember names.”
     “Well, we’ll be able to show you a picture of Richard here pretty soon....”
     “The way things are going, I don’t think I’m going anywhere anyway, so.”
     “Not for a while.”
     Meyers said, “Looks like a Merry f***ing Christmas, don’t it?”