Interrogation Skit Script

Introduction:
Detective Johnson:
“Good afternoon Ms. Laken, I’m Detective Johnson. I want to thank you for coming in today to
talk with us about the recent incident, we really appreciate the help. I just want to let you know
that this interview is being recorded for your protection and mine. The time is (XX:XX) on
(todays date). Can you state your full name and address for the record.”
Navaeh Laken:
“Oh make sure it’s recording my good side.” (fidget create distractions).
Detective Johnson
“Nevaeh I need you to be serious here, can you state your name and address for me?”
“Yeah of course. My full name is Nevaeh Laken I live at Kennedy Hall room 422 Canton, New
York, 13617”
Detective Johnson:
“Thank you, Nevaeh. I know this is a crazy scenario you’ve found yourself in, we just have a
couple questions we need to ask you and just need some honest answers so we can figure out
what happened. Before we continue though, I just have to inform you of your rights that you
have during this interview, (Read Miranda Warning), do you wish to continue with this
interview?
Nevaeh Laken:
“Yes I do.”
Building Rapport:
Detective Johnson:
“I know you’re probably very stressed out right now, but we’re going to make this go as
smoothly as possible, let's start at the beginning of your day. How did you go about your
morning from the time you woke up until you went to class, what’d you wear who did you talk
to, what was that morning like?” (ask for sensory details)
Nevaeh Laken:
“I woke up around 7am, I couldn’t sleep, I wasn’t really feeling well. I got up and watched some
TV and did homework and tried to work on my routine a little bit
Detective Johnson:
“I’m sorry to hear you weren’t feeling well, that’s not the best way to start your morning. Do you
remember what was keeping you up?”
Nevaeh:
“I just wasn’t feeling well”
Detective Johnson:
“Do you remember what you watched or what you worked on?”
Detective Johnson:
What time did you leave your apartment and start heading to your class?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“I left at about 1005am to go to my class at 1030am.”
Detective Johnson:
“After going about your morning routine and heading to class did you speak to any of your
friends or anything like that?”
Nevaeh Laken:
"No not really.”
Introduce the Pregnancy:
Detective Johnson:
“Thank you for that information, you’re doing very good so far, just take your time answering
my questions. I want to switch gears here for a minute. You mentioned you didn’t feel well this
morning. Have you been feeling ‘off’ lately? Maybe feeling sick or under the weather, sad,
anything?”
Nevaeh Laken:
"I mean I took some painkillers for my symptoms this morning but this is usually what happens
this time of month.”
Detective Johnson:
"What symptoms do you get when this happens, what medicine did you take?”
Nevaeh Laken:
"I get sharp cramps and vomit. It’s a little too personal I’d rather not say.”
Detective Johnson:
“That’s totally fine I completely understand. When do your symptoms usually occur, like when
in the day?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“I don’t know! Sometimes early in the morning, sometimes late at night, it depends I guess.”
Detective Johnson:
“I'm sorry to hear that. Do you think that there’s any way you could’ve been pregnant, or are
currently pregnant?
Nevaeh Laken:
“No! I am a child of God.”
Detective Johnson:
“Do you have a boyfriend or significant other?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“Yes I do have a boyfriend, we’re celibate.”
Detective Johnson:
“Okay so you guys are celibate, so there is no way you could be pregnant right?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“No like I said I’m a child of God. Plus I’m an athlete I would know if I was pregnant.”
Detective Johnson:
“Well, here’s where we have a little problem Nevaeh. Your roommate told us that your
boyfriend is over at your dorm, in your room quite a lot and that you guys argue a lot. She also
said you have distanced yourself from your roommates lately. Now I’m not calling you a liar,
maybe you just forgot but we found a positive pregnancy test in your dresser. Can you explain
that to me.”
Nevaeh Laken:
“It’s a prop, I was trying to prank my boyfriend. Me and my friends like to joke about stuff like
that.”
Detective Johnson:
“Nevaeh, a positive pregnancy test doesn’t just show up in a college girls dresser drawer. If you
were pregnant it’s totally normal, these kinds of things happen. Were you afraid of anybody
finding out, maybe your boyfriend?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“No! I’m not afraid of no man.”
Detective Johnson:
“Campus medical records show that you purchased the pregnancy test at the campus clinic in
August and that you were seen by a provider. Can you explain that to me a little bit.”
Nevaeh Laken:
“They’re lying on my name! I’m not pregnant, I don’t have a baby, Nothing.”
Detective Johnson:
“(Pull out case file), Nevaeh, I understand this is a really stressful situation. But I need you to
help me. You’ve given me some good information, and I appreciate it, but I need to know why
you have a positive pregnancy test in your dorm your room. I’m not accusing you of lying or
anything, you could have forgot some information or some events and that’s okay. (Show file),
this is you at the campus clinic, and this is you leaving with multiple items in your hand. Why
were you at the campus clinic.”
Nevaeh Laken:
“Yes that’s me. Is she pretty?”
Detective Johnson:
"Ms. Laken, this is not the time for this shit okay. This is a very serious situation and your lack
of focus throughout this interview is unacceptable and we need real answers. We have plenty of
other evidence implicating you in this crime, so it’s best to just be honest about this. There is a
dead baby in a trash bag inside of your closet, and I need to know why.”
Nevaeh Laken:
“Am I in trouble?”
Detective Johnson:
“Well right now we need to figure out why there’s a dead baby in your closet. The more you help
me, the more I can help you. I need you to be serious and just tell me what happened, and answer
the questions.”
Nevaeh Laken:
“Can I get a diet coke? Will I be able to go to my event?”
Detective Johnson:
"I can’t give you any definitive answers about leaving. We need to get some more answers and
from there we can work with you, but like I said I need to know why you have these things in
your closet, I can get you a diet coke but right now we need to sort this all out. The more you
help me the more I can help you. So can you tell me exactly what happened this morning.”
Nevaeh Laken:
“I woke up at 7am, I was having extremely bad pains, I knew I was about to give birth.”
Detective Johnson:
“So you knew you were about to give birth. Did you tell anyone?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“No I did not.”
Detective Johnson:
“When did you find out you were pregnant, after taking the test correct?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“Yes. I found out around August time.”
Detective Johnson:
“Okay thank you. So after you realized you were going into labor and after the baby was born...
what did you do?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“I picked it up and noticed the baby wasn’t breathing.”
Detective Johnson:
“So you gave birth and picked up the baby and it wasn’t breathing. Why didn’t you panic or call
emergency services or go to the hospital?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“I didn’t think it was important, I had class at 10am and homework to do. Then I had practice I
just didn’t have time.”
Detective Johnson:
“Look Nevaeh, a baby is very important but everyone makes mistakes, it was the heat of the
moment, you weren’t sure what to do. Is there a reason you didn’t call anyone, or why you didn’t
panic?
Nevaeh Laken:
“I care about my image, I had a game coming up in a few days. Now can I get a Diet Coke?
Detective Johnson:
“That’s understandable, you didn’t want anyone to know. Yes I can get you one.”
Nevaeh Laken:
“Thank you.”
Detective Johnson:
“So I think a newborn baby is pretty important Nevaeh. I know you’re in college and don’t have
time for such an inconvenience, can you tell me what happened after you gave birth.”
Nevaeh Laken:
“It set in what had happened. I wrapped the umbilical cord around the baby's neck and wrapped
it in a pink towel from my closet. I threw it in a trash bag and grabbed some cleaning supplies so
I could clean the mess up from the baby.”
Detective Johnson:
“So was the baby dead, or was it alive when you wrapped the umbilical cord around the babies
neck?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“It wasn’t breathing.”
Detective Johnson:
“So the baby wasn’t breathing. Did you check to see if the baby was alive, when did you realize
the baby was dead?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“I don’t know when the baby died! It wasn’t breathing but I didn’t think it was dead.”
Detective Johnson:
“So if you didn’t know the baby was dead than why did you wrap the umbilical cord around its
neck?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“To make sure that it wasn’t crying or anything I don’t know I just did it.”
Detective Johnson:
“So after you wrapped the cord around its neck to make sure it was dead, can you tell me what
you did after this?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“I wanted to clean up the mess, I wrapped the baby in the towel and put it in the trash bag and
then cleaned up from what had happened.”
Detective Johnson:
“Did you plan to tell anyone, what did you intend to do with the things in your closet after you
got home?”
Nevaeh Laken:
“No I didn’t, nobody would care. I was just going to leave everything there”
Detective Johnson:
“Nevaeh, thank you for answering these questions I think we have all we need now. I understand
that was very difficult. We appreciate you being honest with us but there is some protocols we
have to follow. If there is anything else you would like to say or get off your chest go ahead, if
not you are going to be placed under arrest at this time....”