Affidavits, Declarations and Statements


July 12, 1984

United States District Court
Eastern District of North Carolina

Affidavit #6 of Raymond Madden, Jr. (FBI) re: Pat Mitchell, Bryant Lane, Norma Lane and Don Mills

Attachment

Webmaster note: 
The misspelling of "Brian" Lane (should be "Bryant") in this document has been left intact.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE
EASTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA : Criminal No. 75-26-CR-3
:
v. : Criminal No. 84-41-CIV-3
:
JEFFREY R. MACDONALD :
AFFIDAVIT OF RAYMOND MADDEN, JR. - #6

Raymond Madden, Jr., being duly sworn does depose and say that:

1. I am a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, assigned to the Raleigh Resident Agency, and on May 23, 1984, Patricia Dennis, formerly Mitchell, 1943 Eastway Drive, Apartment A, Dutch Village, Charlotte, North Carolina, telephone number 704/567-1580, employed at the Computer Center, University of North Carolina - Charlotte, voluntarily appeared at the Charlotte office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mrs. Dennis was immediately informed of the identities of the interviewing agents and thereafter provided the following information:

2. She was formerly married to Gregory Howard Mitchell, commonly known as "Greg" and first met Greg when he was about 16 years old. She advised she was from Charlotte, North Carolina, and that Greg was from Wadesboro, North Carolina. They met through a mutual friend and ex-brother-in-law and dated intermittently from the time they were 15 or 16 until Greg was approximately 17 or 18 years of age. It was not a steady relationship and when Greg was approximately 18 years of age, he joined the Army and was initially assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for boot camp training. She also remembered at some period of time, Greg was also assigned to Fort Benning, Georgia, and she attempted to keep in touch with him through correspondence. She recalled that Greg was assigned on and off to Fort Bragg, N.C., and was probably assigned there in 1970. He was in the 82nd Airborne Division and went to Vietnam on more than one occasion; however, she could not recall how many times he was assigned to Vietnam or the dates and/or years involved.

3. After Greg was discharged form the service, their relationship became more serious and in January, 1972, after Greg had been discharged for approximately one year from the Army, they were married and resided in Charlotte, N.C. Greg obtained employment with the Toledo Scales Company in Charlotte, N.C.

4. Mrs. Dennis was shown a copy of "Declaration of Pat Mitchell", and afforded an opportunity to read this document as well as review the attachments entitled "Exhibit A" and "Exhibit B". She advised that she executed this document on July 20, 1983, by affixing her signature thereto.

5. Mrs. Dennis advised that her husband never discussed the MacDonald case with her and she noted that he had some drug problems while in the United States Army. In response to Section 5 in her declaration she advised that she could not remember in her declaration stating that Greg had been involved in a drug rehabilitation program in Fayetteville, N.C., after his discharge from the service. She became emotionally upset and advised that she had previously spoken to two private investigators for MacDonald, one being Raymond Shedlick and another individual whose name she could not recall.

6. She advised while married to Greg, he smoked marijuana "pot" on a frequent basis and she often admonished him in this regard. He drank beer all the time and seemed to increase his intake of alcohol the last two years of his life. In her opinion, he was probably an alcoholic, although he did not drink any hard liquor.

7. Greg told her that he had talked to the FBI approximately one to one and one half years ago and that after talking to the FBI in her opinion, he was somewhat different. He seemed to drink more and on some occasions slept with a rifle and only told her that someone was after him. He also told her that "someone" wanted him to kill an individual, but he would not discuss this with her. Sometime before his death, Greg was self-employed in a company known as MILLS and MITCHELL and he was also affiliated with another company known as "WORLD SATELLITE." Greg died on June 3, 1982, while working in the Charlottesville, Virginia, area and to the best of her recollection, his cause of death was heart failure and hepatitis.

8. Throughout their marriage, Greg had medical problems all related to his drinking and Dr. (First Name Unknown) Villier, Charlotte, N.C., informed her several years ago that Greg had a bad liver and he might not live ten years, especially if he did not discontinue his alcoholic consumption.

9. In reference to the MacDonald case, Greg never talked to her about this case with the exception of one time when he informed her that he had talked to the FBI about the case and had informed the FBI that he had absolutely nothing to do with the MacDonald case and had no knowledge of it whatsoever.

10. Once separated from the service, Greg did not stay in touch with any of his buddies from the Army and to her knowledge never had any contact with any of his friends from the service. She could not identify any of Greg's friends from the Army nor could she recall Greg ever mentioning any names. The names of Helena Stoeckley, Shelby Don Harris, Allen Mazerolle, and Dwight Smith, meant absolutely nothing to her.

11. She has been contacted on a couple of occasions by two different private investigators and stated that the one private investigator upset her greatly. She was told the name of Prince Beasley and stated that this was the individual who contacted her a year or so ago and talked to her about the MacDonald case. She furnished Beasley with several photographs of her husband from a photo album which she had at home including several photographs of her husband apparently with some of his Army friends. These photographs seemed important to Beasley, although she could not identify any of the individuals with the exception of her husband. At this point in the interview, she again became upset and stated Beasley talked to her about witchcraft and cults and told her that she could help someone who was innocent. According to Mrs. Dennis, Beasley told her that Greg was into witchcraft and cult activities and that Greg was one of the individuals who could have killed the MacDonald family. She attempted to be cooperative with Beasley as she thought that he was "on her side", but she realized that Beasley was trying to condemn Greg.

12. She was subsequently interviewed by a private investigator, Raymond Shedlick, who told her that he got rid of Beasley because Beasley was disrupting the investigation. She talked with Shedlick several times and even traveled to Raleigh, N.C., to speak with him at his office. Mr. Shedlick paid her expenses to Raleigh, N.C., and she believes she furnished him with several photographs.

13. Mrs. Dennis noted that after Greg's death, she visited his grave several times and on some occasions she found unusual items on his grave, such an an American flag, coins, and other unrecalled items. She showed these items to Beasley when he interviewed her and Beasley informed her that these items were connected with Greg's witchcraft and cult activities and were related to the MacDonald case. She furnished the items to Beasley and did not obtain a receipt from him. Again emotionally upset, she advised that Greg never informed her that he was involved in witchcraft or cult activities.

14. In reference to the exhibits attached to her declaration, Mrs. Dennis advised that Exhibit A was a photograph of her husband and positively identified this photograph as being Gregory Howard Mitchell. In reference to Exhibit B, she advised that this was a group photograph in one of her husband's photo albums she furnished to Prince Beasley. She advised that her former husband, Gregory Mitchell, was the third individual from the left on this photograph which depicts seven soldiers. She could not identify any of the other individuals in this photograph. She believes that either Shedlick or Beasley told her that the black man appearing on Exhibit B, the first individual from the right, was one of the people involved in the MacDonald murders. Either Beasley and/or Shedlick, probably Beasley, told her that Helena Stoeckley had confessed to the murders and named Greg Mitchell as being involved along with two other individuals, names unrecalled. She recalls giving Beasley and Shedlick photographs from her husband's album.

15. While Greg was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C., dates unrecalled, his mother also lived in Fayetteville, N.C., Mrs. Vance Ledford, first name Violet, and she did not know whether or not Greg lived with his mother or on the post. She visited Greg on one or two occasions at Fort Bragg, N.C., and noted this visit was at Greg's mother residence in Fayetteville, N.C. Greg may have lived on post, but spent a great deal of his time at his mother's residence. Greg's father was Howard Gregory Mitchell who is deceased and his mother is Violet Ledford who lives in Gibson, N.C.

16. Since 1972 or so, she and Greg had been friendly with Norma and Brian Lane who also lived in Charlotte. Brian and Greg worked with each other at the Toledo Scales Company in Charlotte, N.C., and they as a group maintained a social relationship together. The Lanes never mentioned anything to her between any confidential relationship they may have had with Greg. After an article appeared in the Charlotte newspaper regarding Greg Mitchell in that he had possibly been named by the private investigators as having been involved in the MacDonald case and noting the Lane interviews in the paper, she immediately called the Lanes at which time they informed her they had only repeated what Greg had told them. She told the Lanes she had absolutely no hard feelings toward them.

17. She now feels that Beasley during his contacts with her attempted to influence her into believing that Greg had been involved in the MacDonald murders. At this point she again became upset and stated that Shedlick had told her some of the facts of the MacDonald case and that someone had called the MacDonald residence the night of the murders for Dr. MacDonald and a laughing female respondent was heard over the telephone. She believes Mr. Shedlick also informed her that the crime scene search that was conducted was "messed up" and that it was a poor police investigation. She recalled that Mr. Shedlick also informed her something about a pair of boots which were apparently pertinent to this case.

18. Mrs. Dennis was shown a color photograph of an individual sitting in a blue vehicle and advised this individual was not identical to her former husband, Gregory Howard Mitchell.

19. She stated although her former husband, Greg Mitchell, smoked pot on a regular basis, she did not know him to be a user of hard drugs.

20. On, May 23, 1984, Norma Darwin Lane, 3317 Dexter Street, Charlotte, N.C., home telephone number 527-4852, employed by GILBO's, 4257 Golf Acres Drive, Charlotte, telephone 394-6153 was contacted and advised of the identities of the interviewing agents and thereafter furnished the following information:

21. Her husband is Noah Brian Lane, Jr., and he is employed by Motive Battery, South Boulevard, Charlotte, N.C., as a service and sales technician. She married her husband on May 26, 1969, at which time he was working at the Toledo Scales Company in Charlotte, N.C. Sometime in 1972 or thereabouts, Greg Mitchell began work at the Toledo Scales Company and became friendly with her husband. She subsequently met Greg's wife, Pat, and they became friends and socialized frequently. As a couple, she and her husband saw more of Greg who visited their house on a fairly regular basis.

22. Greg eventually went into business for himself, believed to be sometime in late 1970's or early 1980's and formed a company known as World Satellite with Don Mills. At about that time her husband left Toledo Scales Company and obtained another job.

23. Before Mitchell's death, he visited her and her husband on a fairly regular basis at her residence. She did not know Greg to use hard drugs, but noted that he smoked "pot". Some time ago, while at their residence, Mitchell told she and her husband that he previously had used hard drugs, specifically heroin in the service, but had kicked the habit. She stated that Greg drank a lot of booze, mostly beer and that she did not know whether or not he was an alcoholic, but advised Greg drank beer on a daily basis sometimes from early morning to late evening. She has also observed Greg and her husband smoke pot in her presence.

24. Mrs. Lane was of the opinion that Greg died from liver disease; however, she also remembers Greg mentioning to her that he had been a victim of agent orange while in Vietnam.

25. Within the last six months or so, Mrs. Lane and her husband had been visited by Ray Shedlick, a private investigator from Raleigh, N.C. This visit was in response to her telephone call to Attorney Brian O'Neill, in Los Angeles, California. She called O'Neill to inform him of her knowledge of Greg Mitchell and the MacDonald case. She was subsequently interviewed by Shedlick who did not inform them of any of the facts of the MacDonald case.

26. At this point, Mrs. Lane was furnished a "Declaration of Norma Lane", dated April 14, 1984, and advised that this affidavit was accurate and she had affixed her signature thereto. In reference to Section 3 of this declaration, Mrs. Lane advised Greg Mitchell made a statement to her sometime in her house to she and her husband believed to be in 1977 while he was drinking and depressed, and she asked him what was wrong and he replied that he could not talk about it as it was too horrible to talk about. She stated she could add nothing additional to this section of the declaration and by this statement interpreted that Greg Mitchell had had a terrible experience that he did not care to talk about with them. She could not describe this experience, whether it was in the United States Army, Vietnam, etc., as Mitchell did not confide in her.

27. In reference to Section 4 of her declaration, Mrs. Lane advised sometime before Greg Mitchell became sick and eventually died in Charlottesville, Virginia, that he contacted her husband. She could not recall the time frame as in weeks or months prior to Mitchell being admitted to the hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia. Greg initially called her husband and a few days later came to her house and had a discussion with her husband. She later learned from her husband, Mitchell wanted to borrow money from him as he had told her husband that the FBI was after him. In reference to the statement she made in Section 5 of her declaration, "The FBI is after me and is hot on my trail," Mrs. Lane advised that this statement was not made directly to her by Mitchell, but was told to her by her husband. She stated her husband loaned Mitchell $100, but does not know what Mitchell intended to do with the money.

28. According to Mrs. Lane, Greg Mitchell seemed to be a stable individual, but at times had a tendency to exaggerate things. Mitchell never said anything to her about the MacDonald murders; however, she recently read the book "Fatal Vision" and observed Greg Mitchell's name in the book and at that time realized that it was the same Greg Mitchell that she and her husband were acquainted with in Charlotte, N.C. She subsequently read a newspaper article in the Charlotte observer and attempted to call the FBI Office in Charlotte, N.C., to furnish the above information.

29. Mrs. Lane also remembered that Greg, while in the United States Army, had been assigned in Vietnam and had told her and her husband on numerous occasions that he did many things in Vietnam of which he was not proud. It was her opinion that Greg started to use drugs while in Vietnam and told them that numerous soldiers had used drugs while in Vietnam. Mitchell always seemed to talk about these types of things when he was drinking and to the best of her recollection from 1977 through 1982, Mitchell never made any statements about the MacDonald murders. She does recall on one occasion, probably in 1977 or before, that Mitchell made the statement to her that he did not think that Dr. MacDonald was guilty.

30. Mrs. Lane has always had somewhat of an interest in the MacDonald case and after reading the book, "Fatal Vision", and reading a newspaper article about Greg Mitchell and others who were possibly involved in the crime, and by the statements Mitchell made to her and her husband, she concluded that Mitchell had been involved in the murders and noted this was purely an assumption on her part. She noted that Mitchell's statements were ambiguous and that he did not explain the meaning of them, and that her interpretations of Mitchell's statements were purely assumptions on her part.

31. On May 23, 1984 Donald Owen Mills, 4636 Kipling Drive, Charlotte, N.C., telephone 567-9165, currently self-employed as an antique dealer was contacted and advised of the identities of the interviewing agents and furnished the following:

32. Mr. Mills met Gregory Mitchell in approximately 1975 through a mutual friend, Mike Gordon, Monroe, N.C. He stayed in touch after their initial meeting and became fairly friendly with Greg until Greg's death in 1982. In approximately 1980, he and Greg formed a business together known as Mills-Mitchell Corporation which was an electrical contracting business. Mitchell needed him to form this business in view of the fact that Mitchell did not have an electrical contractor's license and Mills possessed this requirement. This business lasted for approximately one year and Mills noted that he did not participate a great deal in the daily business functions and noted that he was primarily associated with the business because of his contractor's license. Mitchell then formed a company by the name of "World Satellite Company" with two other partners, John Lastella and Coy Poff. Mills noted that he had previously spent three years in jail on a drug violation and was released sometime in June, 1980, which was just prior to the forming of Mills-Mitchell Corporation.

33. Greg was his friend and he described Greg as being a bright person who was outspoken and somewhat braggy. To Mills' knowledge, Mitchell did not use hard drugs, but had told him that he had been hooked on heroin while in the service, but had kicked the habit. Greg Mitchell was a pot user and drank beer on a daily basis from early in the morning until he went to bed. Mills made the statement that Mitchell, "drank himself to death." He estimated Mitchell's consumption of beer on a daily basis to be at least a half a case. Mitchell confided to Mills that the doctors told him to quit drinking, but he did not want to and made the statement to Mills that everyone had to die from something.

34. In reference to the MacDonald case, Mills stated Mitchell never mentioned anything to him about the case and Mills recalled that a couple of years ago, he accompanied Mitchell to the FBI office in Charlotte, N.C., where he was interviewed. Mr. Mills specifically noted after the interview at the FBI office, Mitchell was not upset and was not bothered by anything. Mitchell never mentioned any specifics to him about the interview with the FBI and specifically recalled that Mitchell never indicated to him that the FBI or anyone else was after him. Mills had absolutely no idea of what Mitchell had talked about with the FBI. He recalled that Mitchell prior to being interviewed by the FBI was somewhat apprehensive as most citizens would be, but after the interview, he displayed absolutely no emotion, nor did he appear to be upset in any manner.

35. Mr. Mills noted that the Mills-Mitchell Company was formed only for the use of his name, and that he had no ownership from this company and was paid a small salary from Mitchell for the use of his name. He considered himself to be one of Greg Mitchell's best friends and Greg never confided to him anything about the MacDonald case.

36. Mr. Mills knows Norma and Brian Lane and was aware that they were friendly with Greg and Pat Mitchell. He did not know how close these couples were, but was aware that Brian Lane had formerly worked with Greg at the Toledo Scales Company in Charlotte, N.C. He stated that Brian Lane is not a hard drug user to his knowledge, but appears to smoke pot on a fairly regular basis. Brian Lane does not appear to be an abuser of alcohol. Mills could furnish no additional information.

37. By communication dated June 11, 1984, the Richmond Division advised that on June 5, 1984, Helen Kuester, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Richmond, Virginia, advised the records of her office disclosed Gregory Howard Mitchell died on June 3, 1982, at the University of Virginia. Cause of death was shown as "cardiopulmonary arrest due to gastrointestinal hemorrhage due to alcoholic liver."

Further your affiant sayeth not:

 
 
/Raymond Madden, Jr./
 
 
RAYMOND MADDEN, JR.
 
 
Special Agent
 
 
 
 
 
 
Subscribed and sworn to
 
 
before me this    12th   
 
 
day of July, 1984.
 
 









/[illegible]/
 
 
N0TARY PUBLIC
 
 
 
 
 

My Commission Expires May 31, 1985



Attachment
June 3, 1982: Death certificate of Greg Mitchell

June 3, 1982: Death certificate of Greg Mitchell