| CARTER'S STORY |
ARTIS'
STORY
|
Within hours of the triple murder, Rubin Carter and John Artis
were interviewed separately by police and gave conflicting stories
regarding their whereabouts. This is one of the main reasons
Detective Lt. Vince DeSimone considered them suspects from Day
One. These stories would later change dramatically to provide
Carter and Artis with a shaky alibi. (In 1976, four
of their alibi witnesses admitted lying at the 1967 trial.
Their recantations were obtained by a black investigator, Prentiss
Thompson, who was working for a black assemblyman, Eldridge Hawkins.
The assemblyman was writing a report on the case for the governor
of New Jersey.)
Here is what Carter and Artis told DeSimone when interviewed
on the day of the murders:
|
|
9:00 PM |
|
|
- 9:35: Talks to friends on the corner of Bridge and River
streets in Paterson.
- CARTER drives around the corner. He calls to Carter
and asks the fighter where he is going. CARTER says he
is on his way to the Club La Petit. Artis joins him.
|
|
10:00 PM |
- Leaves home about 10.
- Drives to Nite Spot.
- Drives to Club La Petit, speaks for 45 minutes to
Nathan Sermond, his personal manager.
|
- Arrives at Club La Petit with CARTER, who talks
with his manager for 90 minutes.
|
|
11:00 PM |
- Goes to Nite Spot alone. (time approximate)
- Talks to Eddie Rawls, whose stepfather was murdered earlier
in the evening.
|
- 11:30: Goes to the Nite Spot with CARTER.
|
|
MIDNIGHT |
- JOHN ARTIS joins him.
- Goes to Richie's Hideaway with ARTIS (time
approximate)
- Dances for 30-45 minutes; ARTIS stays ouside.
- Leaves Richie's Hideaway with ARTIS and a police car
pulls them over [This occurred at 2:40 a.m. according to police.)
|
|
|
1:00 AM |
| |
|
| 2:00 AM |
|
Triple Murder
occurs at 2:30 a.m.
Carter and Artis are stopped
by police
at 2:40 about 14 blocks from the crime scene. |
| 3:00 AM |
| |
3:00: Leaves Nite Spot with CARTER. |
