More revelations in Couey case

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Couey could face the death penalty if convicted.

Statements made by John Couey while detectives took hair samples from him reveal claims by him that he wasn't the only one that knew 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford was being held captive in a bedroom closet in Citrus County before she was murdered earlier this year.

A newly released, 99-page court document details a conversation between Couey and Citrus County Sheriff's Detective Gary Atchison.

"Matt knew that she was in the closet," Couey told Atchison.

Atchison told Couey he had no evidence that Matt Dittrich, Couey's brother-in-law, knew that Lunsford was in the home they shared. Later in the conversation, Couey elaborated that Dittrich had to know Lunsford was in the trailer closet because "the walls were real thin."

Couey also claimed that Lunsford would tap on the walls of the bedroom closet he kept her in and sing. The convicted sex offender told Atchison that he had smoked large amounts of crack cocaine and that it was "all the drugs that made him do what he did."

Couey also expressed some remorse about the crime he's accused of, telling Atchison that, "If he could, he would apologize to Ruth Lunsford," Jessica's grandmother.

Lunsford was 9 when she was killed.

Atchison also told Couey he wished he had brought Lunsford out of his bedroom closet on the day he went to the trailer looking for her, to which Couey replied, "I apologize for that."

Couey's trial is scheduled to start in July. He is charged with the abduction, rape and murder of Lunsford. The state is seeking the death penalty.

Lunsford was abducted from her Homosassa home on Feb. 23, and her body was found on March 19.

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