Needle Work: Battery Acid, Heroin, and Double Murder (24 page)

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.

“I got the kids up and dressed for school. Tim was in my room while I got the kids ready. Sent them out to the bus at 7:50. Then I went back to the room with Tim. He was smoking (crack) when I came in. He said, ‘Sit down.’ I sat next to him on the bed. He said, ‘I’ll take Nancy for a ride. Everything will be alright.’ I said, ‘Tim, I’m scared.’ He said, ‘Just remember, look them in the eye and say you don’t know anything. If you look them in the eye, they’ll never know.’

“I just sat on the bed while he smoked. Time just went … on by. He said, ‘come on.’ We went down stairs [
sic
]. He untied Nancy and wraped [
sic
] the blanket around her. I just stood there. He said ‘come and help me.’ I couldn’t. I just stared at him. He pulled her by the legs and started toward the stairs. Her head hit the door and she didn’t scream. I almost cried out. He pulled her up the stairs. He pulled her to the garage. He put her in the trunk of my Sable (I guess because it was parked in the garage).

“Tim acted real nervous. Fidgety. He kept smokin’ (crack). ‘I’ll get rid of all the evidence and the body. They’ll never know [he said].’ He always talked a lot when he got high. He mostly talked about the passed [
sic
] when he was younger. Talked about the gangs and fighting. Says your [
sic
] not a real man if you do a drive by shooting. Told me of stories of when he was in jail. Says if two people get caught doing a crime or murder they’ll use one against the other. That [
sic
] how come he’s not in jail now because of all the murders he’s done, they could not be connected to him.

“I was scared but I didn’t want to show him I was scared because I knew he’d kill me. He always said, ‘if you do someone, never leave witnesses. Because without witnesses, the courts don’t have anything against you.’

“I carried on the day as if nothing happened. I just blocked it all out. I helped him put the mattress in the attack [
sic
] of the garage so no one would see them before we could get rid of them. Tim and I had a little spat (I told my friend on the phone that I went to California with
my friend
instead of my
boy
friend and Tim was upset). I was scared then. I tried to apologize. I didn’t want him to be mad at me. I told him I loved him, I’d do anything for him. I just wasn’t thinking. I shouldn’t have said it. He told me it hurt his feelings that I didn’t love him enough to tell someone he was my boyfriend. He said he would die for me that’s how much he loved me.

“I didn’t know what to do. He said he excepted [
sic
] my apoligy [
sic
] but if I ever did it again (it being disrespect him,) he didn’t know what he’d do. We were talking for about 2-3 hours. I went out into the living room and helped the kids do their homework. It’s about 8:30
P.M.
Thursday. Tim’s in the room and sometimes he would come out and look out the window on the front door. I put the kids to bed at 10:00.

“Tim was talking to his mom on the phone and laying across the bed. I was laying next to him watching T.V. I was dosing [
sic
] off to sleep. He woke me up about 12:00 and said he was going to Flint, he’ll be back in a little while. I said ‘ok.’ He kept asking me why was I looking at him like I was. I said ‘like what? It’s the only way I know how to look.’ He looked at me funny. I smiled at him and kissed him. I didn’t want him to know I was scared of him, I sat on my bed, my back to the headboard and the .32 pistol in my reach under the pillow (just in case he come back to do anything). I kept dosin [
sic
] off. I didn’t want to sleep. Had to watch the kids. Couldn’t let anything happen to them. They’re all I got.

“Tim came back about 6:30 am Friday. He packed a bag of clean clothes and said he was gong [
sic
] to Flint. He took the Cadillac. He put Nancys [
sic
] things in the trunk. He said he’ll call later. I told him if I didn’t answer the phone, I’ll be asleep (I hadn’t slept very much since Sunday. Hard to sleep on a Greyhound bus). He left about 7:00 am and I woke the kids up about 7:10 and got them ready for school. When they left at 7:55, I layed [
sic
] on my bed. I didn’t wake up until the kids got home, at 3:30.

“Lit’l Man (Jesse) was playing outside and Jesseca was waiting for her Aunt to pick her up so they could go to the mall. I looked on the caller I.D. I didn’t see any number that looked like it might have been Tim calling. The kids and Stephie came about 3:50. She took Jesseca and Lit’l Man with her to the mall. I think I fell asleep again.

“It was around 5:00 or so when I talked to Tim. He told me to meet him in Pontiac. I went and met him that’s when he told me they found Nancys [
sic
] body and he was real scared. He wanted some dope so I was to get it. He’d call me at 7:00 and then we’d go from there.

“He called me and I met him on my way to Rochester. He washed my car and we talked for a few minutes. After I went to Rochester if the kids were going to stay the night with their aunt, then I was going to meet him at his uncles [
sic
] in Flint. If I wasn’t coming, I would talk to him later. If they were sleeping the night, then I would come up there. If I wasn’t there at 10:30, he would call me at 11:00. If I didn’t answer the phone, then he knew I was on my way. If I didn’t answer, then I apparently was coming because the kids would be home.

“When I talked to him at the car wash, he told me to go back home and get the battery acid and needles from the basement and bring them to Flint when I came. That’s why I was at the house when the police came. I was getting the acid and Hennessy [
sic
] to take with me to Flint.”

Carol L. Giles

11/15/97

Image Gallery

Note: All photos courtesy of the West Bloomfield Police Department unless otherwise indicated.

Driver’s license photograph of victim, Nancy Billiter.

Billiter’s body was wrapped in a blanket by the murderers and then dumped in a snowy field outside Flint, Michigan, where they attempted to burn it.

Police found tire tracks near the crime scene.