Meredith Haney
Appearances
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
We talked about sitting on the porch, rocking chairs at 80, and it was just a different kind of relationship.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
I think he agreed. But then we talked about it and decided that was just giving him another little piece of control.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
So then, also, that's when I kind of started looking at the car more and noticed that his front tire was smashed in. And I remember looking, and I noticed there's a body. Meredith just started, like, screaming, like, who is it? Who is it?
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
Where are you? Who are you with? Why are you doing this to me? Did you tell him where you were? I feel like at some point in the conversation, either he could tell where I was because of what's around me, or I finally did tell him. It was one or the other.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
He was laying there, and his head was rested on the slot like a pillow. And he was shirtless, and his face was covered in blood.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
When Davis decides to call Bud, he walked out the back of the bar. It was 1251 a.m. A few minutes passed, and I went out there to check on him, and he was gone.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
Was there anything about the scene that struck you as odd? Davis being all the way on the other side of the road, the car being wrecked. Like, none of that. I couldn't piece anything together.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
Davis's car was way over there, and his body was way down here. And I was like, well, how'd he end up down here? That's quite a distance. Yeah. To here. It is quite a distance.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
What it sounded like to me was, what do you want to talk about now?
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
I was getting very frustrated and angry. And just, it was getting obsessive. It was getting scary.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
I was in shock. I was like, it doesn't even make sense.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
I drove back into Meg's car because I thought that the only way that Bud would have ever killed somebody would have been to shoot her.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
There's so many things missing from the story. And once I kind of get that out there, then I can close the chapter.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
I mean, I thought it would be fast. Not that fast.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
I know that where he is is where he's supposed to be.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
I was worried that if he only got five or ten years that I'd never get to start a new life because... I'd be scared for when he got out.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
As a hero. For the way he treated people. For his empathy, for his heart. He was just a good person.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
Greenwood. I lived here half my life. Everyone knows everyone and their business. I have decided to set the story straight. It's still surreal. I still think maybe I'll wake up. We were out for my birthday. I remember I was just sitting at the bar and he sat down beside me and we just talked the rest of the night.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
And I think he text on Christmas Day, and then the next day, and then the next.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
He didn't want to be the reason that, you know, we didn't get our family back together. So we made sure from the get-go that that wasn't going to be an issue. And it just happened.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
I mean, his heart was huge. We enjoyed each other so much. It was an amazing six months.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
He said something about, Meredith, how could you? What was your reaction to that text? I think it was hurt. Like, I was, I felt bad. Because I just don't like to hurt people's feelings. I don't like people to be hurt. So I felt bad.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
He was a good father. He was a really good dad.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
I started to notice, like, some depression and things like that that I'd never seen before.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
Meredith, her and Davis, they would go on away weekends a lot. I liked them. His smile was so contagious, and he's just such a sweet guy. I would have never expected this to happen, ever. I pull up right beside Davis' car, and he wasn't in his car.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
There were never enough groceries. It was so loud. and vulgar.
48 Hours
The Hit-and-Run Homicide of Davis McClendon
Oh, there was one hidden in our dresser that faced the bed. Found one in a bush in the front yard. He put them in all the kids' rooms.