Of all the people who deserve scrutiny for their actions on the morning and afternoon of August 16, 1977, Rick Stanley would top the list. He was on duty from 12 midnight to 12 noon that day, and was supposedly present through the early morning up until about eight o’clock, give or take. At that point, claimed Stanley, Elvis told him that he didn’t want to be disturbed, which Stanley interpreted to mean, “You have the day off.” After all, if Elvis said this to Rick, it didn’t mean there would be nothing for him to do, only that he didn’t want to be disturbed. So how did Rick Stanley make the leap from “Don’t disturb Elvis” to “I think I’ll go pass out on Demerol”? But, was Rick really passed out on Demerol? If so, is that all there is to the story?
The question of Rick Stanley’s whereabouts and movements that day is important because of the inconsistencies of his various claims, and because his account of that morning is just too convenient. Think about it: the only person to have this sort of “blanket immunity” that day is the same guy who was supposed to be watching Elvis; the same guy who, at the very least, was expected to be present and alert and ready to provide assistance. His “blanket immunity” is the claim that he was “passed out on Demerol,” by his own admission. See what this provides him? A clear and obvious “out.” And a very convenient “out,” at that. Rick Stanley, wholly deserving of a million questions about what he did that day, is the only person who has never had to explain himself. To wit:
Q: Where were you that day?
Rick Stanley: I was passed out on Demerol.
Q: What were you doing that day?
Rick Stanley: I was passed out on Demerol.
Q: Who was with you that morning?
Rick Stanley: I was passed out on Demerol.
Q: What’s two plus two?
Rick Stanley: I was passed out on Demerol.
Etc., etc. See how that works? He has never had to answer for himself because of his specious claim that Elvis asked not to be disturbed, and Stanley’s bizarre interpretation that “do not disturb” means he has the day off. So, he has no responsibilities that day, and he shoots up Demerol and passes out. Again, he is unaccounted for the entire morning after eight o’clock, and he has a convenient “out.” During the critical time period of those late morning hours, Rick Stanley has simply disappeared.
So 12 noon rolls around and David Stanley arrives for his shift. At that point, Rick is suddenly back in the picture, awake and presumably alert, and he tells David that Elvis does not want to be disturbed until four o’clock that afternoon. On this one day, out of so many, going back to 1972, David, like his brother, interprets this to mean that he is off the clock and can do whatever he pleases. He has brought an acquaintance to work with him, something that I have never seen anyone do, ever, and solely by chance he is given time to hang out with this acquaintance, and according to David they spend two-and-a-half hours shooting pool in the basement. Also like his brother’s narrative, David’s story is all over the place, and we really don’t know what actually happened that day with either Rick or David. They’ve both offered up a jumbled mess of who/what/where/when, so neither is reliable. But one part of the story that David seems to stick with is the claim that he drove Mark White (the acquaintance) back to Aurelia Dupont’s house at approximately 2:30pm (details vary). But why did he do this? Why couldn’t Mark White have simply walked back there? It is a walk of less than 10 minutes, and a simple route to the house, even for an out-of-towner visiting Memphis: go through Vernon’s yard, then walk a few blocks south on Hermitage. That’s it. So why did David take the time to get Mark White to the car, drive down the street, drop White off at the house on Timothy Drive, and then drive back to Graceland, when he had already been alerted to the emergency? Is it possible that there was someone else David was driving home…someone who lived in that area of Whitehaven…someone who wasn’t supposed to be on the property that day (or, rather, someone who should have been removed given the circumstances)? Is Mark White just the cover?
And what about the friend coming to work…shooting pool…weren’t they supposed to be leaving on a tour later that night? Could David think of nothing to do to prepare for the tour? Or was shooting pool his main priority that afternoon? Again, this one day…a day that should have been busy for everyone…and we have two people who were AWOL and who have offered nonsensical explanations for their behavior over a period of about 6 hours.
Getting back to Rick Stanley, we have him passed out on Demerol for the entire morning after eight o’clock or so, and then he is suddenly back in action a few hours later, and leaves Graceland at noon and goes to lunch. More than two hours later, he has the “feeling” that something is wrong so he leaves the restaurant and heads back to Graceland. Upon his arrival, he asks why no one is working, which is an interesting question coming from a guy who spent the morning supposedly passed out on Demerol.
Let’s go back a few hours and look at the third drug packet delivery. A little bit after 8:00am Elvis had requested this packet, and at that time Aunt Delta, we are told, went downstairs and found Rick passed out, so she took the drug packet and delivered it to Elvis at his bedroom door. This is curious because it would have been a lot easier and quicker if Delta had simply taken the packet directly up to Elvis herself, upon the request, instead of wasting time going down to the basement looking for Rick. So, the question must be asked, did Aunt Delta really go downstairs and find Rick passed out? Or does this unnecessary excursion to the basement simply provide a way to place Rick in the house, and to “confirm” he was passed out on some sort of drug?
This 3rd packet proves that Rick was still on duty and should have been available; after all, Elvis requested a drug packet, and Rick would have been the person responsible for delivering it. See how the “Elvis didn’t want to be disturbed” excuse is totally meaningless?
[I wonder if Delta handed Elvis the packet and said, “By the way, the guy you pay to run these errands is passed out in the basement”? This was a tight ship they were running at Graceland: come to work and shoot up so much Demerol you can’t function. Who among us hasn’t done the same thing, right?]
So, to close, “David, you know that’s not what happened.”
ElvisDecoded 