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CNN Live Today

Interview With Gloria Allred

Aired May 20, 2003 - 10:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: When Peterson does go on trial, a woman from his past could play a pivotal role in the case against him. Amber Frey has told police that she had an affair with Peterson right around the time that Laci disappeared, but she says that Peterson never told her that he was married. The 28-year-old massage therapist is now a potential witness in this capital murder case, and she has hired high-profile attorney Gloria Allred.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBER FREY, MASSAGE THERAPIST: I want to express my sympathy to Laci's family. My heart goes out to them for the loss of their daughter and their grandson.

I am grateful that Gloria Allred has agreed to represent me as my attorney, and this has been a painful and stressful time for me, and I really appreciate her -- support. I expect that I will be asked to testify in this case and I am prepared to do so. I don't think it's appropriate to talk about what might be contained in my testimony prior to me being called to the witness stand.

Until that time, I just want to lead a normal life and regain my privacy. I hope that everyone will understand and respect my wishes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well, as we told you, Frey's attorney is Gloria Allred, a face familiar to our CNN viewers. Joining us this morning from Los Angeles to talk about her client and what she can about the case. Gloria, good morning. Good to have you with us once again.

GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: Good morning, Daryn. Thank you.

KAGAN: Why does Amber Frey need an attorney?

ALLRED: Well, Amber is both a victim and a witness. She is a victim of Scott Peterson's deception, and she is reported to be a key prosecution witness in this case. As both a victim and a witness, she is entitled to be represented by counsel. There have been many witnesses in high profile cases that have decided that they would like to avail themselves of their right to counsel so that they can have some understanding and guidance through the criminal justice system and in interacting with the press which is so stressful in a high profile situation.

Amber has been -- well, she had her life disrupted by a media who have often followed her, who have continually called her, who have harassed her, and she just wants to make it clear, and this is what we did at the news conference yesterday, she will not be doing any interviews, either paid or unpaid prior to the trial because she respects the criminal justice system, she wants to protect the integrity of the prosecution's case, and she is not going to allow her testimony to be contaminated by offers of money or anything else. She will testify in a court of law.

KAGAN: Gloria, let me ask you this. By her hiring an attorney, is there any suggestion that she could face any kind of criminal charges at this point?

ALLRED: Absolutely not. She has not now nor has she been a suspect. In fact, the first new conference that she did was with the police at the police station, and it's obvious to everybody, there's no way they would have done that had she been anything other than what she is: a witness and an innocent victim, and an important witness for their case.

KAGAN: Has you had -- or has she had any contact with prosecutors suggesting that she will be called?

ALLRED: Well, I haven't spoken myself to the prosecutors yet, although I do plan to do so very shortly, and I think it's pretty clear that what she has to state in this case is going to be very, very important, and a great deal of interest, and I think...

KAGAN: Any of that that you can share with us at this time?

ALLRED: Unfortunately not, but I think that what she has to say will be of great interest in the court of law, I couldn't imagine that Scott Peterson is going to be looking forward to it, and that may be the understatement of the year.

KAGAN: You can't -- you can't tell us anything she says about Scott Peterson, that she says about the relationship, or -- actually, I think what our viewers would be most interested about, the day that the light bulb went on when she realized that the guy that she was having an affair with ends up being this guy who is a suspect in his own wife's murder?

ALLRED: I would love to, but I just can't, but I will say that she is not coming to a conclusion about whether or not Scott Peterson did it, the crime for which he's charged. This is something that she is going to leave to the jury to decide...

KAGAN: Yes, but Gloria, when you say things like, Scott Peterson isn't going to be happy to see her. That kind of has a suggestion that she doesn't think that all is well with Scott Peterson. More than, perhaps, somebody who cheated on his pregnant wife.

(CROSSTALK)

ALLRED: Well -- well, she's going to get up there and she is going to tell the truth, and she is going to give relevant information and if he likes it, he likes it. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't like it. We're really not concerned with what he likes. Now, this is not a case, really, about Scott Peterson, this is a case about who killed Laci and who killed Conner, and this is the focus, and this should be the focus, because that's what this case is really all about.

KAGAN: All right. Well, when Amber is ready to talk at a more convenient time legally, we'd love to have her on.

ALLRED: All right. Thank you very much.

KAGAN: Thank you. Gloria Allred joining us from Los Angeles. Appreciate that.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired May 20, 2003 - 10:18   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: When Peterson does go on trial, a woman from his past could play a pivotal role in the case against him. Amber Frey has told police that she had an affair with Peterson right around the time that Laci disappeared, but she says that Peterson never told her that he was married. The 28-year-old massage therapist is now a potential witness in this capital murder case, and she has hired high-profile attorney Gloria Allred.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMBER FREY, MASSAGE THERAPIST: I want to express my sympathy to Laci's family. My heart goes out to them for the loss of their daughter and their grandson.

I am grateful that Gloria Allred has agreed to represent me as my attorney, and this has been a painful and stressful time for me, and I really appreciate her -- support. I expect that I will be asked to testify in this case and I am prepared to do so. I don't think it's appropriate to talk about what might be contained in my testimony prior to me being called to the witness stand.

Until that time, I just want to lead a normal life and regain my privacy. I hope that everyone will understand and respect my wishes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well, as we told you, Frey's attorney is Gloria Allred, a face familiar to our CNN viewers. Joining us this morning from Los Angeles to talk about her client and what she can about the case. Gloria, good morning. Good to have you with us once again.

GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY: Good morning, Daryn. Thank you.

KAGAN: Why does Amber Frey need an attorney?

ALLRED: Well, Amber is both a victim and a witness. She is a victim of Scott Peterson's deception, and she is reported to be a key prosecution witness in this case. As both a victim and a witness, she is entitled to be represented by counsel. There have been many witnesses in high profile cases that have decided that they would like to avail themselves of their right to counsel so that they can have some understanding and guidance through the criminal justice system and in interacting with the press which is so stressful in a high profile situation.

Amber has been -- well, she had her life disrupted by a media who have often followed her, who have continually called her, who have harassed her, and she just wants to make it clear, and this is what we did at the news conference yesterday, she will not be doing any interviews, either paid or unpaid prior to the trial because she respects the criminal justice system, she wants to protect the integrity of the prosecution's case, and she is not going to allow her testimony to be contaminated by offers of money or anything else. She will testify in a court of law.

KAGAN: Gloria, let me ask you this. By her hiring an attorney, is there any suggestion that she could face any kind of criminal charges at this point?

ALLRED: Absolutely not. She has not now nor has she been a suspect. In fact, the first new conference that she did was with the police at the police station, and it's obvious to everybody, there's no way they would have done that had she been anything other than what she is: a witness and an innocent victim, and an important witness for their case.

KAGAN: Has you had -- or has she had any contact with prosecutors suggesting that she will be called?

ALLRED: Well, I haven't spoken myself to the prosecutors yet, although I do plan to do so very shortly, and I think it's pretty clear that what she has to state in this case is going to be very, very important, and a great deal of interest, and I think...

KAGAN: Any of that that you can share with us at this time?

ALLRED: Unfortunately not, but I think that what she has to say will be of great interest in the court of law, I couldn't imagine that Scott Peterson is going to be looking forward to it, and that may be the understatement of the year.

KAGAN: You can't -- you can't tell us anything she says about Scott Peterson, that she says about the relationship, or -- actually, I think what our viewers would be most interested about, the day that the light bulb went on when she realized that the guy that she was having an affair with ends up being this guy who is a suspect in his own wife's murder?

ALLRED: I would love to, but I just can't, but I will say that she is not coming to a conclusion about whether or not Scott Peterson did it, the crime for which he's charged. This is something that she is going to leave to the jury to decide...

KAGAN: Yes, but Gloria, when you say things like, Scott Peterson isn't going to be happy to see her. That kind of has a suggestion that she doesn't think that all is well with Scott Peterson. More than, perhaps, somebody who cheated on his pregnant wife.

(CROSSTALK)

ALLRED: Well -- well, she's going to get up there and she is going to tell the truth, and she is going to give relevant information and if he likes it, he likes it. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't like it. We're really not concerned with what he likes. Now, this is not a case, really, about Scott Peterson, this is a case about who killed Laci and who killed Conner, and this is the focus, and this should be the focus, because that's what this case is really all about.

KAGAN: All right. Well, when Amber is ready to talk at a more convenient time legally, we'd love to have her on.

ALLRED: All right. Thank you very much.

KAGAN: Thank you. Gloria Allred joining us from Los Angeles. Appreciate that.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com