April 21, 2006
Lt. Joe Friday suggested that I pick up his daughter Janette at Columbia University and hear what she had to say regarding the April Storm murder. I picked her up out front of the main building and we drove to a nearby park where we could park and talk in private.
Jan plays on Columbia's varsity volleyball team and said that as soon as she heard on the news that April was pregnant, she had serious suspicions that their coach, Victor Watters, might be involved.
She said that Victor was a "hands on" coach and they had an open controversy, on at least one occasion, when he patted her ass inappropriately. She was embarrassed and he was pissed when she challenged him in front of everybody.
She was sure that Victor might be the father of April's unborn child. Although she had no proof, Jan was certain that he was secretly dating April and possibly a few other teammates. Jan said that Victor has unlimited access to the woman's dorm because he coaches the women's vollyball team.
I pressed her for names and she gave me Amy Bilson and Tiffany Farina. I was a bit shocked at both names. Bilson had helped us crack open a drug situation at one of the fraternities just a year ago. Tiffany was Diego Farina's daughter and I knew he would be pissed if we dragged her into the lime light in a case like this.
I have Amy Bilson's cell phone number still in my note pad and about 30 minutes after dropping Jan off I had Amy in my Ford at that same quiet park. She was hesitant at first, embarrassed by her involvement with her coach, but pretty soon it all came pouring out.
Amy was scared because she feared Victor might be responsible for April's death as soon as she heard that the autopsy report showed that April was pregnant. Turned out that Victor had walked in on April and Amy in April's dorm room one night a few weeks before the murder and found them both high on marijuana and wine.
He talked the girls into a menage a trios where Amy said she only participated in the foreplay. Amy sounded hesitant and I pressed her further. She finally admitted that Vic talked her into intentionally setting up a second threesome a week later where she did have intercourse with him. She said she had demanded a condom, but that Vic used no protection when he also screwed April.
Amy said that April wasn't happy when Victor had intercourse with Amy the second time. There's a distinct possibility that April told Victor she was pregnant the night of the murder.
After dropping off Amy at Carnegie Hill, I went back to the 5th Precinct and obtained an arrest and search warrant for Victor Watters' apartment.
