STATEMENT OF JOHN DOE
My name is John Doe. I am 34 years old and work as a guard in the Dayton Art Institute. I am accused of helping two criminals with stealing the Mona Lisa from the gallery. I am really upset and angry about these charges. How can anyone imagine that I did anything like that? I am innocent!
On 25 August 2011 I was on nightshift in the Institute. Originally it was not my shift. I was to work on the next day but my father was going to celebrate his 70th birthday then and I wanted to go to his party, so I asked my colleague to switch shifts. The night was quiet and nothing special happened until 1 o’clock. You know nightshifts are really boring and I truly did not understand why guards are needed at that time of the day. The alarm which was installed two months ago is one of the most modern pieces of equipment in the world. I was there with the workers at the time of the installation and that is what they told me. But I know by experience too that it is a really good system – I have dealt with alarms for a few years as I had worked earlier as a salesman at Alarmtech Ltd. I do not know why it was inactive that night. It should have switched on automatically at 8 p.m.
Anyway, around 1 a.m. my colleague has heard some noise from the room of the Mona Lisa. He notified me on walkie-talkie. I heard nothing but I believed him and headed towards the direction of the room. I was walking slowly because I thought he was wrong. Do not tell him, but he tends to get frightened of everything. But I also think that he is a great guy so I am trying hard to build up a friendship with him. So as I was walking in the room next to the room of the Mona Lisa one of the thieves stepped behind me from one of the big sculptures in the room and told me to put my hands up and keep quiet. He held a gun against my back. At least I thought it was a gun. So I obeyed and I let him lead me to the janitor’s room. I do not know how they knew that there was a room. I guess they had the map of the museum and they studied it before the crime. Anyway the criminal closed the door and told me to stay still. I immediately started to worry about my colleague, who was heading towards these criminals.
I panicked and did not know how to get out. Finally – I was so stupid – I remembered that I had all the keys of the museum with me, including the key to the janitor’s room. It was dark and there were more than 30 keys so it took me some time to figure out which was the right key. Finally I found it and got out. Everything was calm and quiet. I went to the phone immediately and dialled 911. I asked for help. Then I went looking around and saw that the Mona Lisa was gone and my colleague was lying unconscious on the floor.
The police state that I know the thieves well. This is not true. I know them but we have never been friends. We used to live in the same street when we were kids but that is all. I would never want to be a friend of someone who does not respect the law. You know I am poor. I have two kids and I also have to take care of my old father alone, but I would never do anything illegal. It is very sad that I have to face such charges just because I know the thieves and I am poor. If I were rich, nobody would ever suspect me!
/S/ John Doe
STATEMENT OF BILL GUARD
My name is Bill Guard. I am 46 years old and work as a guard in the Dayton Art Institute. I know the defendant. We are colleagues and I was also on nightshift on the night of the theft. I would not say that I am friends with the defendant. I think he is jealous of me. He wants my position. You know, he is the type of guy who wants to have everything without hard work. I have been working for the museum for more than 20 years. I became the Employee of the Month several times. Of course my salary is higher than his and he just does not seem to accept that he should work harder if he wants to earn more.
On the night in question I was doing my usual check around 1 a.m. I walk around in the museum once every hour to see if everything is OK. I finished the midnight tour at about 12:30 and I was about to leave again for the next one. Before I left the defendant stopped me and we started to talk. He asked questions about me and my family. I found it pretty strange as he had never done this before. We simply did not get on very well. Then he started joking. He asked me why I do these checks and stated that nothing could happen due to the alarm. He recommended me to stay there with him and play cards instead of walking around. I refused and set out with my torch in my hand. As I passed by the room of the Mona Lisa I heard some noise. It was strange. I asked the defendant on the walkie-talkie if he had heard anything but he answered no and told me to turn back. I decided to check it, entered the room of the Mona Lisa, and saw that the painting was gone. I wanted to call the defendant and was raising my phone when I felt a strong blow on my head. I immediately collapsed and lost consciousness.
When I woke up I was already in the hospital. A policeman came in and asked me if I remembered anything and it was he who told me what had happened. I felt pretty strange about the case. I do not want to accuse anybody, but the defendant’s behaviour changed in the days before the theft. He kept joking about the Mona Lisa and how expensive it is. And the nightshift as well… He did not come to my call, he did not hear the noise, which I think was pretty loud, plus the thing with the alarm… Well, I hope the police will find out what has really happened.
/S/ Bill Guard
STATEMENT OF SAM SAFETY
My name is Sam Safety. I am 42 and work as a police officer. On the night in question we got a call from the defendant. He stated that some thieves had gotten into the Dayton Art Institute and that the Mona Lisa was gone. He also told the police that he had been locked in the janitor’s room and his colleague was injured.
In five minutes I got to the spot. When I approached the entrance of the Institute I saw the defendant standing in front of it. He was smoking and seemed to be very calm. He told me that he was waiting for me. I asked him what had happened. He stated that his colleague had heard some noise and had called him on the phone. When he was walking there to help his colleague he heard some noise and in the next second someone held a gun against his back and told him to go into the janitor’s room. He obeyed and was not able to get out for 15-20 minutes.
When I asked him if there was anybody else in the gallery apart from him and his colleague, he mentioned that there was another guard in the other wing of the Institute, but he had not called him as that guard was not allowed to leave the Special Exhibitions Wing due to the order of the director.
I also asked about the alarm. You know. this type of alarm automatically notifies the police station in case it senses something extraordinary. It was strange that nothing showed that there had been a problem. I asked the defendant to lead me to the fuse box and to the box of the alarm. The fuse box was OK, but the alarm box was open and when I took a look at it I saw that the wires had been cut. Whoever did it, he was a professional, since he knew exactly which wires had to be cut, and in which order. You know, one mistake and the alarm would have immediately gone off. Anyway, the case is really strange.
During the investigation we got some information about the defendant. He is a father of two. He is said to be a caring father who tries to give everything possible to his kids. He also has to take care of his old father, who needs expensive medicines. His neighbours say that he is a very kind, polite and helpful man. The local shopkeeper, however, informed us that the defendant has owed him some money now and then because he does not always have enough money to buy food, but he always pays him back on payday. Moreover, he works as a volunteer every Sunday in the local church and helps homeless people.
/S/ Sam Safety
STATEMENT OF JIM SPEEDY
I am Jim Speedy. I am 32 years old and work as a policeman. On the night in question I was on the nightshift. I was on patrol in the district of the Dayton Art Institute. It seemed to be a calm night. I stopped at a local shop to buy some food and coffee. I got back to the car and had started to drink my coffee when I saw a black sports car going through a red light.
I immediately started the engine and followed it. I wanted to stop it but no matter how hard I tried it just did not stop. The driver was driving really fast and really dangerously. I would not have been able to stop the car without risking an accident so I decided to call for help from the central police station. Three other officers joined and we continued the pursuit.
Finally after 30 minutes of racing they got a flat tire and they had to stop. The police cars surrounded the black sports car and I told them to get out of the car. Two men got out of it. They were wearing black clothes and looked really angry. The whole case was really suspicious so I decided to check the car and the two men as well. I asked them to open the rack. When the driver did it, I saw that there was something in it. As I stepped closer I realised that it was a painting – we had found the Mona Lisa! We had just heard on the police radio before that the painting had been stolen and we were really happy to catch the thieves, but we were also very careful because we were told that the thieves were armed.
Anyway, we searched the car and the thieves as well. We were looking for guns but we found nothing. Later, during the investigation, the thieves constantly denied the usage of any guns. However it is not surprising: if we can prove that they had guns, then their punishment will be a lot more severe. I can imagine that they got rid of them before passing that red light.
In their confession the thieves have alleged that they know the defendant very well. They used to spend a lot of time together as kids. Nowadays they cannot meet very often as the defendant is a busy man. Well, it is rather strange but it seemed to me that they very much respect the defendant.
/S/ Jim Speedy
STATEMENT OF STEVE ROCK
I am Steve Rock, aged 50. I am employed as a security guard in the Dayton Art Institute and have been working for this institute since 1981. Being the oldest and most experienced member of the security staff, I am responsible for taking care of the special collections. I dare say it is an assignment of honour, being the guard of those priceless paintings! It means that I am not allowed to leave the exhibition rooms where these paintings can be found, even if a colleague of mine calls me or is in danger. It would be hard to stay where I have to be in case of an emergency call from another guard, but fortunately, it has never happened till now that someone tried to break into the Institute.
On 25 August 2011 I was on night shift with Bill Guard and John Doe. According to the original plan John would have been free on that night, but he asked our boss for a change. John’s father was turning 70 on the following day and John wanted to celebrate with him. Unfortunately, he would have had to work on that day, so that was the reason for this change. It is completely acceptable, isn’t it?
Turning back to the night in question, every security guard is connected through our system, each announcement or conversation communicated via walkie-talkie can be heard within the institute. That means that I should have heard the messages of my colleagues, John and Bill, but I had some bad luck! Oh, my God! The battery of my walkie-talkie went dead! Why now? Worst timing ever! That was the reason that I did not hear anything; therefore, I had no chance to call the police. (Mr. Rock’s statement turned out to be true as a result of the investigation: the battery of his walkie-talkie was depleted.)
As I explained, I could not hear the conversation of my colleagues, but to tell you the truth, I did not hear any other sounds, either. This is strange, as the exhibition rooms I am responsible for are situated next to the entrance. That is why I should have noticed that the defendants entered the building, should have heard noises or seen shadows. I am quite sure that they used another entrance; moreover, they knew the security system very well, as the alarm did not go off. They must have received information about our security system from someone who knows the building and the system well.
I need to let you know about another issue. Being the colleague of Bill and John, I am aware of the fact that they do not have a good relationship. They keep complaining about the other when he is not present. The root of this conflict is that John wanted the position of Bill, but he did not get it. You know that the Louvre lent the Mona Lisa to our Institute for two months and those colleagues who guard it receive more money for it. Both guards applied for it, among others, but Bill was appointed for this position with two other guards. In my opinion John became jealous and disappointed, since he struggles with financial problems. That is why he was a bit unbearable with Bill.
/S/ Steve Rock
STATEMENT OF JOE BLACK
My name is Joe Black. I am 33 years old and work as a locksmith at Metal World Ltd. in Dayton. I admit having stolen a painting, namely, the Mona Lisa from the Dayton Art Institute on the night in question with one of my friends. I assure you that we planned this action alone, no one helped us. I do not intend to tell anything else about the crime.
The only thing I would like to add is the clarification of my relationship with one of the security guards, Mr. John Doe. I need to inform you that he is an old friend of mine; we spent our childhood together, since our families lived in the same street. Consequently, we are still close friends and I knew that he is working for the institute. I mean that we often drink a beer together or call each other. We were sitting in a pub when he told me that the Mona Lisa would be exhibited in the Institute for two months. He also mentioned that he wanted to apply for being the special guard of the painting, as it would have meant higher wages for these two months, but he did not get it. He just spoke about his job, he did not share any confidential information with me – even newspapers wrote about it. I let another friend of mine know about the news and we planned to steal the painting from the gallery. John did not know about our plan.