Adam Bailey Murder Case: Police Interview of Caleb Legrone Stunningly Weak
By Donald V. Watkins
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on December 10, 2017
©Copyrighted and Published (via Facebook) on December 10, 2017
The Tuscaloosa Metro Homicide Unit investigated the August 7, 2016, murder of Adam Bailey. Bailey died after he was unobtrusively administered an overdose of GHB that was slipped in his drink while he was sitting at a bar with Caleb Payne Legrone earlier that evening.
Key evidence regarding Adam's murder appears in: (a) text messages between Legrone and Victoria Love, (b) Adam's medical records on the night he was drugged, (c) post mortem photographs, and (d) Caleb Legrone's 911 call to police later that night.
Jonathan C. Bryant was the lead investigator assigned to this homicide case. Bryant first interviewed Legrone on August 15, 2016. After downloading text messages between Legrone and Love, Bryant sought a second interview with Legrone. Initially, Legrone was not responsive.
On August 24, 2016, Bryan was able to get a second interview with Legrone. This time, Legrone's attorney accompanied him to the police interview session.
The interview was videotaped and lasted 27 minutes. The interview was stunningly weak. The unedited videotape of Caleb Legrone's police interview appears in the link below.
During his first interview, Legrone admitted that Adam left him at a local bar at 6:30 p.m. on the evening of August 7, 2016. He also admitted that Adam called him at 7:30 p.m. to inform Legrone that he (Adam) would be late coming back to pick Legrone up. Legrone said Victoria Love called him from Adam's phone at 8:30 p.m. to inform him that Adam had passed out in his truck. Legrone then went over to Adam's house to try to help Adam. Legrone also tried to resuscitate him.
Investigator Bryant's questions during the second interview were soft in nature and barely touched upon the objective evidence that pointed to a murder in Adam's case. There were no questions about the choke marks on Adam's neck, even though Legrone was the person who admitted to administering CPR to Adam. There were no questions about Legrone's prior criminal record. There were no questions about Legrone's involvement in GHB drug trafficking, even though Legrone and his associates enjoyed a well-known "street" reputation in Tuscaloosa for this activity.
Legrone's body language and demeanor during the interview speak volumes. He was obviously programmed to provide the answers Bryant wanted to hear. Pay particular attention to how Legrone handled the incriminating text message he sent to Victoria Love. Bryant accepted Legrone's explanation regarding this matter without any hesitation or reservation.
Based upon the overall tenor and tone of Legrone's interview and other flaws in the investigation, Investigator Bryant merely checked off enough boxes on the homicide investigation checklist to pacify Adam's father that a police investigation into his son's death had occurred. Neither the Legrone interview, nor the other information in the police file, showed any determined effort to drill down on what really happened to Adam Bailey on the night in question.
The police investigation of Adam's homicide, which closed on March 10, 2017, never reconciled the following events surrounding Adam's death with the information provided by Legrone and his associates:
1. After Adam passed out from a GHB overdose, he was strangled. Even though Adam's autopsy report stated that an examination of his neck was "unremarkable", post mortem photographs taken at the funeral home showed the presence of clearly visible choke marks on both sides of Adam's neck. Brett Patrick Davis, a close friend and drug-dealing partner of Legrone, later admitted that Legrone made the choke marks.
2. An analysis of Adam's blood chemistry, as documented in his medical records, revealed that he had been dead for approximately fifty minutes before paramedics were called to his Northport home. Police never established why Legrone waited for fifty minutes after Adam's death to call 911.
3. Victoria Love, who had gone out to dinner with Adam earlier that evening, told police that Adam started acting "weird" while they were out and he eventually passed out on the way back to his house. Adam's physical condition changed dramatically and deteriorated to a state of unconsciousness within one hour after he had left Legrone. Adam showed all of the signs of a GHB overdose.
4. Victoria told Legrone about Adam's state of unconsciousness within two hours after Adam had left Legrone. Legrone then sent a Victoria a text message stating that he (Legrone) and his accomplices had made up a false story to cover up for what really happened to Adam earlier that night. After speaking with Legrone, Victoria Love left Adam alone in his truck and went home.
5. Legrone and Mathew Hartley, Adam's roommate, arrived at the house before the police were called. Legrone is the person who initiated the 911 call to police. Adam had been dead for fifty minutes before the 911 call was made. He had been unconscious since 8:30 p.m. Yet, the 911 call was not made until the early morning hours of August 8, 2016. The police file does not account for what transpired during this period of time.
Postscript
Instead of reopening Adam Bailey's murder case, the Tuscaloosa Police Department has mobilized its resources and efforts toward arresting Tim Bailey (Adam's father) on a bogus misdemeanor charge of harassing communications.
While questioning Legrone during the second interview, Investigator Bryant interestingly and gratuitously noted that Tim Bailey had Stefan Swindoll, a Legrone associate, arrested for harassing communications. Swindoll is currently on probation in Pickens County, Alabama until January 2018 in connection with his guilty plea to sending harassing communications to the Bailey family.
Police will not disclose to Tim Bailey the name of the person who was allegedly harassed by him or any details of the alleged harassment. They are treating Tim Bailey, a grieving father of a homicide victim, like he is a major criminal suspect.
No further action has been taken in the case of Adam or Tim Bailey.
Stay tuned.
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