EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ACCUSED
KILLER'S WIFE REVEALS ANOTHER
SIDE TO WHAT YOU'VE BEEN TOLD
(Gazette Blog Editor Jim Keyworth interviewed Mike Voden’s wife Pat
Rollins on Saturday, Nov. 30. Voden is
accused of shooting and killing Randy Burnett during an altercation in his
yard. The questions and her complete answers
are printed below with only minor editing.
If any statements prove to be incorrect, the Blog will gladly print a
retraction.)
JK: So what happened?
PR: It was just before 7 in the morning and you know my big green van – I park it right outside of where my back door is. So if you’re in the house in the next yard, you can not see through the green van. What took place was behind that green van. I’m mentioning that because people are telling me the widow said she saw everything and all kinds of stuff that cannot possibly be true because there’s no way she could see it.
He came through our private gate and brought at least one dog with him (although it’s not any dog’s fault). He came up to the rear of the green van. He couldn’t have seen Mike at that point. And then he came around and saw Mike who was near the side door.
He’s a huge guy by the way. I want to emphasize that Mike is 5’ 6”. He has a leg that doesn’t work right, screwed up by a local doctor, confirmed by a specialist in the Valley. Worst knee job they ever saw. So he can’t move very fast. Mike has a heart condition too. So here’s this huge guy – huge – he’s well over 6’, heavy girth, everything. Came running at him with his fists raised and a look of fury on his face, making it clear he’s going to beat the shit out of Mike. That’s what happened.
JK: Was there anything between them before?
PR: The only thing that I’m aware of is – they’d only spent one night there, so this was the morning after that first night. But during that (first) day, the guy opened the gate and had his dogs roam around the garden and Mike had told him they dig up plants and we can’t have dogs in the yard. That’s the only thing I know.
But anyway, he came. Mike waited until the last possible minute – you know, either get the shit beat out of him, and his only defense – he carries. He has a permit to carry. He waited until the guy was practically on top of him. Now people say, "Why didn’t he go in the kitchen?" He can’t run. Number two, if he comes in the side door he puts both of us at risk – me too. So he determined that wasn’t a good plan. He just hoped the guy would stop and come to his senses and go back, but he didn’t. So that’s why Mike shot him.
JK: When did the 911 call take place?
PR: It probably took place around 7.
JK: Did he shoot him while he was talking to 911?
PR: I don’t know. But Mike, not ever having shot anyone before, went into shock. So they had to haul him by ambulance to the hospital where they had to work for hours to get his heart functioning again. They finally did and the next morning at 10 they let him call me. He said, “They’re moving me. They managed to settle my heart down.” He didn’t know where. A friend tried to find out where. There were all kinds of obstructions but he finally found him in the Globe jail.
JK: So they didn’t keep you posted?
PR: Nothing. I assumed they would tell me and they didn’t.
JK: So where were you when all of this was going on out in the yard?
PR: In bed.
JK: Were you aware that anything was happening?
PR: Mike pounded on the window – my bedroom window. I said, “What the heck is going on,” and I put my head up and looked through the slats and saw a dog. But that’s all I could see.
JK: Did you hear the gunshots?
PR: No.
JK: How many times was the guy shot?
PR: I think three.
JK: Do you know where he was shot?
PR: Probably in his gut or in that region, but don’t hold me to it. I don’t want to do what the other person (the widow) has done.
JK: What has the other person said? I don’t read the Roundup either.
PR: She’s made up all kinds of things. That he wasn’t really coming to harm Mike. That his hands were up in prayer. That’s one of the things I’ve been told. And she said she could see the whole thing. No way. It all occurred behind my huge green van. So there’s no way she could’ve seen it.
JK: So that will come out in court I would imagine?
PR: That will come out in court, and we’re having a hearing on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 1 p.m. (in Payson). The attorneys say get as many friends and positive people there as possible. Come early to the courthouse to get in. It will help him to have people supporting him there. We want as many people as we can to come out and support him.
JK: Have you seen him at all?
PR: Yes, I go once a week. Somebody drives me to Globe.
JK: What’s Mike tell you when you go see him? What’s his state of mind?
PR: Initially, he was just totally confused. He can’t understand why it happened. He was a member of the CERT team so he backed up the police all the time – Community Emergency whatever it is. On Halloween he was helping out on Main Street. I think he was directing traffic. He’s been doing it for a long time.
But Jim, there is something not right going on. It makes no sense why they decided to just not look at the facts and throw the book at him. There has to be something behind it. I don’t know for positive what it is, but people are coming forward with other information for the first time. I’m thinking, gee, this is bigger than I am.
The other thing is – and Mike just wrote this (he’s writing me letters) – there was a gal here and she worked for Mike for awhile. She was from Canada and she was a terrific worker. But she was an illegal immigrant, and Mike let Don know he was kind of looking into it. I mean, he’s scraping his brains to try to figure out why he’s in this situation.
JK: Because it should have been clear that it’s self defense?
JK: So what happened?
PR: It was just before 7 in the morning and you know my big green van – I park it right outside of where my back door is. So if you’re in the house in the next yard, you can not see through the green van. What took place was behind that green van. I’m mentioning that because people are telling me the widow said she saw everything and all kinds of stuff that cannot possibly be true because there’s no way she could see it.
He came through our private gate and brought at least one dog with him (although it’s not any dog’s fault). He came up to the rear of the green van. He couldn’t have seen Mike at that point. And then he came around and saw Mike who was near the side door.
He’s a huge guy by the way. I want to emphasize that Mike is 5’ 6”. He has a leg that doesn’t work right, screwed up by a local doctor, confirmed by a specialist in the Valley. Worst knee job they ever saw. So he can’t move very fast. Mike has a heart condition too. So here’s this huge guy – huge – he’s well over 6’, heavy girth, everything. Came running at him with his fists raised and a look of fury on his face, making it clear he’s going to beat the shit out of Mike. That’s what happened.
JK: Was there anything between them before?
PR: The only thing that I’m aware of is – they’d only spent one night there, so this was the morning after that first night. But during that (first) day, the guy opened the gate and had his dogs roam around the garden and Mike had told him they dig up plants and we can’t have dogs in the yard. That’s the only thing I know.
But anyway, he came. Mike waited until the last possible minute – you know, either get the shit beat out of him, and his only defense – he carries. He has a permit to carry. He waited until the guy was practically on top of him. Now people say, "Why didn’t he go in the kitchen?" He can’t run. Number two, if he comes in the side door he puts both of us at risk – me too. So he determined that wasn’t a good plan. He just hoped the guy would stop and come to his senses and go back, but he didn’t. So that’s why Mike shot him.
JK: When did the 911 call take place?
PR: It probably took place around 7.
JK: Did he shoot him while he was talking to 911?
PR: I don’t know. But Mike, not ever having shot anyone before, went into shock. So they had to haul him by ambulance to the hospital where they had to work for hours to get his heart functioning again. They finally did and the next morning at 10 they let him call me. He said, “They’re moving me. They managed to settle my heart down.” He didn’t know where. A friend tried to find out where. There were all kinds of obstructions but he finally found him in the Globe jail.
JK: So they didn’t keep you posted?
PR: Nothing. I assumed they would tell me and they didn’t.
JK: So where were you when all of this was going on out in the yard?
PR: In bed.
JK: Were you aware that anything was happening?
PR: Mike pounded on the window – my bedroom window. I said, “What the heck is going on,” and I put my head up and looked through the slats and saw a dog. But that’s all I could see.
JK: Did you hear the gunshots?
PR: No.
JK: How many times was the guy shot?
PR: I think three.
JK: Do you know where he was shot?
PR: Probably in his gut or in that region, but don’t hold me to it. I don’t want to do what the other person (the widow) has done.
JK: What has the other person said? I don’t read the Roundup either.
PR: She’s made up all kinds of things. That he wasn’t really coming to harm Mike. That his hands were up in prayer. That’s one of the things I’ve been told. And she said she could see the whole thing. No way. It all occurred behind my huge green van. So there’s no way she could’ve seen it.
JK: So that will come out in court I would imagine?
PR: That will come out in court, and we’re having a hearing on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 1 p.m. (in Payson). The attorneys say get as many friends and positive people there as possible. Come early to the courthouse to get in. It will help him to have people supporting him there. We want as many people as we can to come out and support him.
JK: Have you seen him at all?
PR: Yes, I go once a week. Somebody drives me to Globe.
JK: What’s Mike tell you when you go see him? What’s his state of mind?
PR: Initially, he was just totally confused. He can’t understand why it happened. He was a member of the CERT team so he backed up the police all the time – Community Emergency whatever it is. On Halloween he was helping out on Main Street. I think he was directing traffic. He’s been doing it for a long time.
But Jim, there is something not right going on. It makes no sense why they decided to just not look at the facts and throw the book at him. There has to be something behind it. I don’t know for positive what it is, but people are coming forward with other information for the first time. I’m thinking, gee, this is bigger than I am.
The other thing is – and Mike just wrote this (he’s writing me letters) – there was a gal here and she worked for Mike for awhile. She was from Canada and she was a terrific worker. But she was an illegal immigrant, and Mike let Don know he was kind of looking into it. I mean, he’s scraping his brains to try to figure out why he’s in this situation.
JK: Because it should have been clear that it’s self defense?
PR: Absolutely. The guy came through our private gate onto our property – all the way over to our house. It’s just bizarre.
JK: And he was physically threatening Mike when it happened?
PR: The difference in the size of them too. Mike wouldn’t have had a prayer if that guy started punching him.
JK: Who is representing Mike?
PR: I don’t have any money. I’m living on retirement. My father-in-law has gotten involved. He’s 93 and he told me he wanted to hire another attorney. I hired who I could get on a weekend. Michael Kilsky. And he’s done OK.
JK: Is he a Payson lawyer?
PR: Oh, you don’t get a Payson lawyer unless you want to get convicted. No, he’s from Tempe.
JK: So you’ve hired a second attorney?
PR: Michael Bernays. He’s also from Tempe. My father-in-law hired him. Mike’s dad has taken over and he wanted his own attorney. Mike has had one meeting with him. I was going to have to take out a second mortgage on the house, but Mike’s dad said, “Don’t you do that. I’m handling all the expenses.”
(Bernays) said he might be able to get 3-6 people to speak at the (Thursday, Dec. 12) hearing. I have a list of 14 who’ve said they’re willing to testify to Mike’s character, and the first person to call and say he wants to be on the list is (former Star Valley mayor and Rim Country Gazette publisher) Bill Rappaport. So he’s the most well known, but I have more than enough people.
JK: I know Mike well enough to say that I was stunned. I know he wouldn’t do something without being really endangered.
PR: You got that right. All he does is volunteer work. Both of us spend hours doing volunteer work. It’s just incredible.
JK: And what about the media coverage?
PR: Here’s what I think about (Roundup Editor) Pete (Aleshire). Pete’s an excellent writer, but he’s not a good reporter. And that requires another, totally different skill set – and some integrity.
JK: So they’re kind of convicting Mike?
PR: Well I’m not reading it. I absolutely refuse. Somebody said, “You know the terrible things they put in the Roundup.” I said, “I don’t want to know, because I need to remain positive and uplifted and that’s not going to do it.” So I don’t read them, but people say, “You know, they lied about this. They lied about that.”
JK: What do you want people to know?
PR: I want people to know that Mike was in fear for his own life and for my safety too. This guy was huge and Mike’s a small man. He’s small and now he’s frail. He’s 5’6” and maybe 145 pounds.
JK: So what can people do besides coming to the hearing?
PR: That’s the first and most important thing they can do – come up to the courthouse and show their support because this has been a big miscarriage of justice. He should have been out on bail way before now.
JK: And what did they set the bail at?
PR: One million dollars.
JK: How old is Mike?
PR: I’m 75 and Mike is 72. We’ve been married for over 40 years. Mike’s a veteran, an ex-Marine.
JK: He’s not really a gun guy? He keeps them for self defense?
PR: He’s a Democrat who believes in the Second Amendment.
JK: You’ve never seen Mike in a fight with anybody in 40 years of marriage?
PR: Never, and Jim, when Robert Lantry got fired by PostNet, Mike brought his trailer to put Robert’s (printing) equipment in. Mike was just standing there waiting when the owner of PostNet told his big son who’s like twice the size of Mike to go after Mike physically. So he did and rushed toward him and tried to knock him over. Mike didn’t lose his footing, but he borrowed a phone and called the police. He didn’t pull his gun because he didn’t feel his life was threatened.
JK: He had his gun and he didn’t pull it?
PR: That’s right.
10 comments:
Our court systems are in place to seek justice in criminal cases. Public opinion has no place in determining guilt or innocence. This article provides a diservice to the accused as it provides the ability for the defense to claim that it is too difficult to find a jury not swayed already by public opinion. Oops.
Appreciate your input, but providing balance and allowing a side to be heard that hasn't been seems to me worthwhile. If the Roundup has contaminated the case to one side, it seems not only valid but fair to provide an outlet for the person who is sitting in jail with a $1 million pricetag on his head.
The widow was allowed to say her piece. Pat Rollins deserves the same right, especially since she contends that the widow could not possibly have seen what happened.
If this case has been tried in the media, it's the Payson Roundup that must bear the responsibility. I would think it will be easier to seat an unbiased jury now that both sides of the case have been made public.
Did you also chastise the Roundup?
Jim Keyworth
Editor
The problem with both the interview and the letter, is that NEITHER party observed the entire incident. They are both stating some facts and biasedly filling in the blanks in favor of their loved one. That's to be expected. The police and state will review all the physical evidence and conduct interviews of everyone, (something we don't have access to) then determine what really happened.
That's called an investigation, which is something your interview wasn't. Your interview was heavily slanted, very leading and by no means impartial. These are the very things you accuse the Roundup of. But then again, that's to be expected.
I also have a problem with the one party accusing the police of charging him only because there is "something else behind it". It is up to the state to pursue charges based on the evidence, not the police department. If the evidence isn't there, they won't go forward.
All that being said, based the excited utterance of the shooter recorded on the 911 tape and my experience, I'm somewhat surprised he was charged. Then again, I and we, don't have access to ALL the evidence.
Jim
What I can't understand is WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?
What about your quote:
"(Payson Police Chief) Don Engler. (Allegations against Engler could not be verified and therefore have been removed.)"
Jim do you have it in you to be a real investigative reporter or are you just a chicken $h*t reporter?
Or, are you afraid of being the next Don Bolles?
Get ms rollings interview when she marries mike voden in prison if she stays with him . nobody willl care about her opinion when he gets convicted.
mike is pathetic. he was a marine. why did he fear for his life. one unarmed neighbor trying to fetch his dog. old and weak doesnt give you rights to shoot people. im sure a real man ex marine would have figured a better way out of the situation. deadly force was not necessary in this case.
So Mike isn't threatened by a guy twice his size physically attacking him but he IS by an old unarmed man in his pajamas who couldn't have been in close combat range? Something doesn't add up.
I'm hoping adds up at the trial, and Mr. Voden goes to prison. As the victim's brother, I find a lot of holes in his and this persons story.
It is clear that Mrs. Rollins is a liar. Now that we know about her husband's history of violence that goes back to the 1970's. If you listen to the 911 tape, it contradicts much of what she says. This did not need to happen, and her husband is a murderer who should spend the rest of his life in prison.
I listened to the 911 tape, and there is no doubt in my mind that Mike Voden is guilty of murder. He ignores the 911 operators instructions to stay inside, he gives Mr. Burnett implied consent to be on his property by telling him to "Get that fucking dog off of my property!". He does not tell Mr. Burnett to leave or go away. There are no sounds what so ever of a struggle, or anything that would lead anyone to believe that Mr. Voden was being "jumped". He shot the cancer ridden unarmed victim four times(twice in the back). Nothing on the 911 tape shows that Mike Voden was ever in danger. Only Mr. Burnett was in danger. Mike Voden is guilty of murder, and should never get out of prison.
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