Monday, March 9, 2009
Hargrove Manburner: Wife of Steve Henley's Accomplice Speaks
Posted by Brantley Hargrove on Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 6:00 AM
As with the telling of any story, some interviews are lopped for being redundant or for simply impeding the pacing of the narrative. Such was the case with a phone interview I had with Flatt's wife. The aspects of the case and Flatt's life we discussed were fascinating, at-times factually suspect if not unnecessarily revelatory.
Flatt, now living in northern Georgia after retiring from work at a treatment center in Chattanooga, declined to comment through his wife, and she declined to give me her first name, but here are a few things we discussed--some true, some not so much. In a case rife with old, shadowy family grudges and a lot of lies, it isn't surprising that each side interprets history a little differently. After each assertion made by Mrs. Flatt following the jump, I'll address the veracity of it as best I can...
Fact: I asked District Attorney General Tom Thompson if he thought Flatt got a rough deal (5 years in the can). His answer, "Hell, naw!"
Flatt: "The worst part was the District Attorney found out (Henley) killed several other people," Mrs. Flatt said.
Fact: I asked Thompson about the possibility that Henley could be implicated in other murders. After a pregnant pause, Thompson answered that he'd heard rumors, but nothing substantial enough to merit a real investigation.
Flatt: Re: Flatt's eventual confession: "(Flatt) didn't say anything, and Steve had already turned everything over on him, so he said 'Heck with this'."
Fact: Arson investigator Ishmael Wood says Flatt flipped first, and Sheriff Wayne Mahaney predicted he would.
Flatt: "(Flatt) has never been arrested. Never been since," Mrs. Flatt claimed.
Fact: In 1996 Flatt was arrested for stealing a pickup and selling it.
Flatt: "At the very beginning he testified that he did not believe Steve would have done that if he hadn't been on narcotics, pot and alcohol and everything else," Mrs. Flatt said.
Fact: A psychologist later testified during a post conviction hearing that Henley's level of intoxication would tend to aggravate old grudges.
Comments (2)
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Who cares about this case anymore? I have heard about this case until I am sick of it. Henley is gone and Flatt should be. They both were involved and guilty, Flatt just flipped first. Right or wrong that is what happened. The Henley and Stafford families are whom I feel sorry for.
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Very interesting. And now we know what actually happened to the 'other guy.' There were lots of rumors floating around. The one that Wife mentions about Henley having killed or been involved in the killing of at least one other person is the one I heard floating.Obviously, the guy didn't get elected Mr.Congeniality at that time of his life.
It's hard not to feel sorry for everyone involved, with the Stafford family being the number one people I have sympathy for. They probably felt safer at home there at home than anywhere else in the world.
