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Nancy Grace

Nancy Grace for Friday, June 3, 2005, CNNHN

Aired June 03, 2005 - 20:00   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.


NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight, a beautiful teenager on her senior trip destination, Aruba, vanishes into thin air. The search intensifies tonight, including helicopter searches of Aruba`s rocky shores and known drug houses.
Also, as of tonight, are investigators stumped in Coeur d`Alene, Idaho, in the case of two missing children, Dylan and Shasta Groene?

And it was a fight to the finish in the Michael Jackson trial today. Closing arguments raged on in court. And now we are in a verdict watch in the Michael Jackson case.

Good evening, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. Thank you for being with us tonight.

The Jackson case finally goes to the jury. We are in a verdict watch for Michael Jackson trial.

And we go live to Idaho amidst press reports the search is ending for 8- and 9-year-old Shasta and her brother Dylan Groene, last seen in the home of a triple murder, victims including their own mother and 13-year-old brother. Tonight, we want to know, where are you, Shasta and Dylan?

And Aruba police and the FBI working around the clock continue to scour beaches and scrub land for 18-year-old Natalee Holloway. This beautiful Alabama girl vanished from her senior trip.

Tonight, in Birmingham, Alabama, CNN correspondent Rick Sanchez; with us by phone from Aruba, Natalee`s mother, Beth Holloway Twitty; also on the phone from Aruba, the president of the International Friends of Aruba, Maschelle Zeolla -- that`s the group in charge of the search for Natalee; also with us, from L.A., defense attorney Debra Opri; in New York, defense lawyer Bruce Koffsky (ph); in L.A., psychoanalyst Bethany Marshall.

But first, to Birmingham, Alabama, and WBRC reporter Tiffany Bittner. Welcome, Tiffany, bring me up-to-date, friend.

TIFFANY BITTNER, WBRC REPORTER: Well, what we know so far is Natalee Holloway has been missing since Monday morning around 1:30 a.m. She was last seen leaving a nightclub in Aruba and has not been seen since. It`s believed that she was leaving the club with three men. No word on that yet.

But five days later, the search continues in Aruba, in the island there, as both locals and visitors alike join in to help search for 18- year-old Natalee Holloway.

GRACE: We have established our link with Natalee`s mother now. Beth Holloway Twitty is with us.

Thank you for being with us, Ms Twitty.

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, MISSING GIRL`S MOTHER: Well, please, I want to thank you for allowing me this opportunity. And thank you so much.

GRACE: Yes, ma`am. I`m showing a photo of you and your daughter right now. She is absolutely gorgeous. Ms. Twitty, when did you go down to Aruba to start the search for your girl?

TWITTY: We flew in about 11:00 p.m. on May the 30th.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, is there any way Natalee went of on her own?

TWITTY: Oh, absolutely not. Natalee`s bags were packed and ready to go. Natalee is ready to go home.

Everything was packed. Her passport was in her purse. She even had the remaining cash that she had on her in her purse. It was in the room. Everything was zipped up. She was ready to go home.

GRACE: I was going to ask you, what did they find in the hotel room to suggest to me whether she had left? If her identification and her pocketbook, say her cell phone, her passport, was all in her room, it sounds like she was packed up and ready to go.

TWITTY: She was ready. Natalee is ready to go home. The only thing that she has on her is her driver`s license.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, where do you think Natalee is?

TWITTY: You know that everyone in the United States and everyone in Aruba, we wish we knew. We wish we knew.

GRACE: Tell me about Natalee. I see pictures of her. I feel like I`ve gotten to know her. I know she`s an honor student. I know she had a full scholarship to University of Alabama. She looks like a beauty queen.

Tell me about her. Has she ever left home and not come back for overnight before?

TWITTY: Oh, absolutely not. Natalee has an impeccable record. She is truly the most amazing young 18-year-old girl that I know.

And you are exactly right. Natalee`s National Honor Society and several other honor societies. She was in so many extracurricular activities. Natalee`s on the dance team for four years, was extremely focused and driven.

And she was on her way. She was college-bound, you know? It`s just - - Natalee has a lot of things that she`s ready to do.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, are the local police helping you as you see fit down there? I know you want more U.S. help. Tell me what`s going on down there.

TWITTY: Well, yes, we are working with the Aruban government. And I want to say they have -- the citizens of Aruba have been so supportive. And we have been overwhelmed.

There are probably 125,000 residents here. And 124,000 of them, they know who Natalee Holloway is. So that`s just -- that`s huge, I think.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty...

TWITTY: And they all want to find her.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, could you tell me about the search? What are they doing to find your girl?

TWITTY: Well, they`re doing several things. I mean, fliers, like I said, you cannot go to an individual in Aruba -- and they don`t need a flier. They already have a flier. So they have been distributed.

The governor had called for the Dutch marines to organize a thorough search of the island. They`ve had helicopters searches. They`ve called in diving teams. I mean, we are looking for Natalee just everywhere. I`m confident, though, that we will find Natalee and that we will bring her home safe.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, that night, I understand, there were about 125 to 150 students that went on the trip?

TWITTY: Yes, you`re right.

GRACE: And about 40 -- did I get that right -- about 40 chaperones and relatives?

TWITTY: I really don`t have any, you know, information that would be pertinent about that. And I just really want to focus on that, from that time when Natalee left Carlos and Charlie`s at 1:30, she has simply vanished. And our efforts -- we just want to concentrate all our efforts on staying focused and staying focused on finding Natalee.

GRACE: Well, my point, Ms. Twitty, was it seems to me that there were a lot of chaperones. This was not some lark that was poorly planned. There were her high school friends there with her at Carlos and Charlie`s that night. It`s not like she had gone off on her own. It seems like she was following all the rules that you try to tell your kids to follow.

TWITTY: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. That`s why, you know, this is such a mystery. It`s a mystery to Aruba, and it`s a mystery to the United States. So we just -- we will find her.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, what are you doing to find your girl? I know one night, my mom visited me here in New York. I left her at the corner. I went across the street to get coffee and doughnuts. I came back, and she was gone.

I called 911. I was literally running up and down the streets trying to find her. I was in the back of a police car trying to find her. Well, of course, we found her. She was on the wrong floor of my apartment building. But it was a period of hours I will never forget.

Now, what are you doing to find Natalee?

TWITTY: We have not stopped. When our plane landed at 11:00 p.m. on the 30th, I know I did not stop to eat, drink -- I may have had a little bit of water or sleep for at least 48 hours. I was so focused, and driven, and still am. I have been nonstop.

GRACE: We`re showing pictures now of Natalee. It looks like she`s in the dance corps holding a flag. Was she a flag girl?

TWITTY: She was a member, like I said earlier, of a dance team for four years at her high school...

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: Just beautiful. Ms. Twitty, I understand the reward is up to $50,000 -- is that correct -- for information on your girl, Natalee?

TWITTY: Well, I really can`t comment on that. I`ve got someone else in charge of keeping up with that.

GRACE: Well, I will announce it for you. I`m hearing it in my ear from my producer, Elizabeth, the reward has climbed now to $50,000 for information on this girl. We`re also showing you a toll-free number. The number in Aruba -- Elizabeth, is that 011-297-111-41?

Ms. Twitty, what can we do for you tonight?

TWITTY: You know, I think the most that everyone can do is just to continue with the support, continue with Natalee in your prayers, and, you know, be as positive as we can, and just pray for the safe, fast return of Natalee.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, we will do just that.

TWITTY: OK. Thank you so much.

GRACE: No, ma`am, thank you for you. Our prayers and thoughts, not just of myself and the crew, but everybody watching tonight go out to you.

Beth Holloway Twitty, this is Natalee`s mother joining us from Aruba. Thank you, ma`am.

TWITTY: Thank you.

GRACE: Everybody, we will all be back with all of the latest, including the search, what direction it is turning, the latest from Aruba, and the reward. Please stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TWITTY: This was her senior trip. There were 150 American students here from Mountain Brook, Alabama.

Something I`d like to comment on. Natalee`s hair is blond and straight, but here it might be curly. It could be curly; it could be straight. She`s approximately 5`5". She weighs about 110 pounds. She has blue eyes, and she`s very petite, very petite.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TWITTY: We are here today to ask the Aruban and Dutch governments to officially invite the United States government to participate in the investigation. The additional resources can only help in finding Natalee. And in closing, we want to thank everyone again. And on behalf of Natalee, please, please make that one phone call so that we can return Natalee home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Can you imagine finding yourself in another country on an island looking for your little girl? This little girl, Natalee Holloway, went away on her senior trip. She has never been seen again. She vanished.

Welcome back, everybody. We are going to take you live to Aruba and the latest on the search.

But first, let me go to Tiffany Bittner, WBRC reporter. Tiffany, again, could you explain how the search has changed? What are they doing now? What`s the new phase of the search for this girl?

BITTNER: Well, what we`ve heard so far, according to her uncle, as of yesterday, that they have started searching in some of the surrounding water around the island. Today, of course, many more locals and visitors that are on the island, that are pitching in to help search for Natalee, looking high and low.

So at this point, it`s just a matter of time to see if and when they can find any detail that can lead them to Natalee.

GRACE: To Rick Sanchez, CNN correspondent. Rick, what can you tell us about these three guys that were seen with Natalee leaving the nightclub?

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this point, it`s really about trying to match faces with names and then find them. And it`s a small island, so it`s not hard to find some of those people, Nancy.

But let me tell you what some of the students and some of the parents that I`ve talked to here have told me. There is a Web site for Carlos and Charlie`s. And on that Web site, when students go down there, they take their pictures while they`re on the dance floor partying and having a good time, as kids are apt to do.

And in those pictures, some of these students said they were able to identify some of the young men that they saw dancing or hanging around with Natalee. They have, as far as I understand, made authorities aware of those young men. And authorities are now trying to match those faces, those young men, those pictures on that particular Web site with some of the officials on the island.

We do understand, as you mentioned, that there were three people that they talked to. And those three individuals are on the island. They were spoken to once by officials -- interviewed. And we understand, according to some of our sources there, that they have been called back for a second interview. Exactly what`s come of it, we don`t know at this point.

GRACE: A second interview. Rick Sanchez, have they been called -- have they been considered persons of interest?

SANCHEZ: At this point, you know, when it comes to legal terms, Nancy, whether they`re focuses of the investigation, targets of the investigation, or persons of interest, we`re not sure.

I think they`re kind of keeping it close to the vest, though I can tell you this. I was monitoring a conversation not long ago with a lieutenant who is in charge of one of the investigations there in Aruba. And he said, and I`m going to quote him now, that he expected there could be arrests soon. And then he said that they expected to have some more news tomorrow.

Whether that means that they`re going to have arrests to announce tomorrow, I don`t know. But he did use those two words in conjunction.

GRACE: Rick, arrests for what?

SANCHEZ: We don`t know. We don`t know. It was left at that. That`s what the lieutenant said. There has been word coming out of there throughout the day that they wanted to do something regarding some of the people on the island who they think came in contact with Natalee.

Now, we don`t know if they`re speaking specifically about the three young men who were last seen with her or perhaps some other people who may have been seen with her that night.

GRACE: Let me go to the president of the International Friends of Aruba. Joining us from Aruba, Maschelle Zeolla.

Ms. Zeolla, thank you for being with us. What exactly is your group doing to find this girl?

MASCHELLE ZEOLLA, LEADING SEARCH FOR MISSING TEEN: Well, we`ve been working with them from the very beginning, really at their beck and call, not to interfere with them or their family, because obviously it`s an extremely difficult time for them, but for them to understand that we`re there to support them in any way that we can.

And what we have done is, we have taken fliers, and we have canvassed the entire island at this point, and have spent, since Wednesday, going down, and talking to people, and just trying to find anybody who might have seen Natalee that`s afraid to come forward, and to pass that information back to the police so that they might be able to act on it.

GRACE: Let me go back to Rick Sanchez, CNN correspondent. Rick, if you look at what we know tonight, your information is, a lieutenant has told you that there could be arrests tomorrow, correct?

SANCHEZ: It was not a conversation that was related directly to me. It was a conversation that took place after my story ran on CNN tonight.

GRACE: Right, OK.

SANCHEZ: And in that interview, the lieutenant specifically said -- or mentioned the word "arrests" possible soon. He then mentioned that tomorrow they expected to make some type of announcement. Those were his words.

GRACE: Got you.

SANCHEZ: I don`t know exactly how far I can go with that at this point.

GRACE: Right. OK, Rick, my point is, if a lieutenant is mentioning arrests in the plural, and we know that divers are currently looking in the water, and helicopters are surrounding the island looking in the water, that does not sound good.

SANCHEZ: Well, we know the FBI is there. And we know, as you have experienced, as well, Nancy, working on these types of prosecutions, that oftentimes they`ll go there and they`ve just got to track things back. They`ve got to work backwards and find out who she was with, who she spoke to, where that person is, and interview them.

And on an island as small as Aruba...

GRACE: Yes, show a picture of the island, Elizabeth.

He`s right. The island is only 19.6 miles long, six miles across. There you see exactly where the Holiday Inn is and Carlos and Charlie`s where she was last seen.

Very quickly, before we go to break, to Tiffany Bittner with WBRC-TV. Tiffany, there is the possibility that the waters are being searched because she may have left the island. Someone could have taken her off the island by boat.

But that certainly narrows who would have taken her, who has a boat to take her off the island.

BITTNER: Of course, that is one possibility. But I have to say that her family, of course, is staying optimistic and hoping, of course, that that is not going to be the case. And they`re looking for anybody and anyone that can help them find out where their young 18-year-old daughter is.

GRACE: We are staying with the story. Before we take you out to Santa Maria, California and the Jackson trial, we`ll be back in Aruba when we come back from this break. Please stay with us.

But very quickly, to "Trial Tracking." Tonight, a family pleads for your help. Briana Matelyn (ph), 17-years-old, missing over a year. Briana left home then went waiting tables at her job at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont. She never made it back.

Briana`s family tonight doubles the reward to $20,000 for info on their girl. If you know anything about Briana Matelyn, please contact the Vermont state police, 802-524-5993.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUTH MCVAY, FRIEND OF TEEN MISSING IN ARUBA: She`s the most responsible, smart, beautiful, incredible friend that I`ve ever known. This is out of her character. And all we want to stress is that it`s of the utmost importance to pray as much as you can because she is such a wonderful person, and we know she`s coming back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Natalee Holloway on her senior trip disappeared from the island of Aruba. Honor student, full scholarship to University of Alabama coming up. She would be heading there in the fall.

Welcome back, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace.

We`re about to take you out to Santa Maria and the latest in the Michael Jackson trial, but I just want to stick with this story for just a little bit longer.

Back down to CNN correspondent Rick Sanchez. Rick, according to the A.P. wires, not only has law enforcement now started circling the island with helicopters looking at the water, they are also looking, as they said, in known crack houses. Have you heard that?

SANCHEZ: You know, what`s interesting -- no, we have not. But we can tell you that it`s an island that`s usually known for having very little crime. Three murders in the last three years, something like 12 sexual assaults in total. So it`s not a place that`s rampant for crime.

Whether there is some drug activity there, I`m not sure. But it certainly wouldn`t surprise me, given its proximity to both Colombia and Venezuela.

GRACE: And back to Tiffany Bittner with WBRC-TV. How many family members are now down in Aruba trying to find Natalee?

BITTNER: I`m sorry, I missed your question.

GRACE: How many family members are now down there trying to find Natalee?

BITTNER: Well, we know, of course, her mother, who you just both with, Beth, is down there, along with her stepfather and her biological father, who is from Mississippi. We know that all three are those relatives are down there, as well as her uncle.

As far as other family, I`m not sure. We do understand that there is a group of people that are not only just family members, but friends of hers that are down there with her.

I wanted to share with you a little bit, Nancy, about what`s going on here in Birmingham with her friends and family. Of course, they are remaining steadfast and praying for Natalee`s safe return, holding yet another prayer vigil today.

Now, speaking with her aunt Marsha Twitty, who was in Birmingham. She`s become the family spokesperson here. She says, of course, today she was sort of defending Natalee`s character, if you will, saying that this is nothing unusual for her niece to go on her senior trip, that their family are, quote, "normal people." And she echoed what her mom told you earlier, that Natalee, of course, is an intelligent girl, she is responsible, and this is totally unlike her character.

GRACE: Tiffany, thank you so much for being with us.

Also, thank you to Rick Sanchez, CNN correspondent.

Hopes out tonight for Natalee Holloway.

We at NANCY GRACE very much want to help solve unsolved homicides, find missing people. Take a look at Marie Fleury, 64-years-old, found murdered in her own home in Constable, New York, October 2002. If you have any info on Marie Fleury, please call the Carole Sund Carrington Foundation toll-free, 888-813-8389.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Las Vegas -- the place is up for grabs tonight, odds now 2 to 1 Michael Jackson will be convicted in one to five counts. Welcome back, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. Let`s go straight out to Santa Maria, California. With us, BBC correspondent Peter Bowes. But first to "Celebrity Justice" correspondent Jane Velez-Mitchell. Jane, I understand it was the battle of the videos in closing arguments. Explain.

JANE-VELEZ-MITCHELL, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Well, it certainly was. I got to tell you we have now entered the nail-biting phase of the Michael Jackson trial. The jurors got this case at exactly 12:24 this afternoon. They deliberated for just two hours. We are told they did pick a jury foreperson. They then left for the weekend. But one thing is for sure, these closing arguments are ringing in their ears right now because they were fierce, they were intense, they were ferocious. They were delivered by two very skilled and determined litigators. It was truly a duel of words.

Now, Tom Mesereau, the defense attorney, hammering home on this theme, his central theme, that these were grifters, that this family accusing Michael Jackson cannot be believed. They have told too many lies to count, he said, and this is the biggest con of their careers. But then deputy DA Ron Zonen having the final-final word, and he hammered home on the central theme, which is Michael Jackson`s very strange relationship with boys. He says Michael Jackson`s relationship is not innocent, it is sexual. He has seduced boys in the past. He seduced this boy to the point where this boy was, quote, "in love with him and would do anything he said."

And then, as the capper, he actually played the videotape of this boy when he was 13, in July of 2003, talking to sheriff`s investigators, telling them for the very first time what he says Michael Jackson did to him sexually. And it all boils down to, will these 12 jurors believe what`s on that videotape, or will they believe the other videotape played by the defense, the outtakes videotape of Michael Jackson saying that he loves children, it`s totally innocent, it`s totally non-sexual.

GRACE: Let`s go to BBC correspondent Peter Bowes. Peter, Jane`s response answered a lot of questions for me. I had heard so many conflicting reports as to how that video of the little boy went down with the jury, whether it was effective, whether it was not. But for the prosecution to choose to end their closing argument and play that video to the jury again, in my mind, speaks to the fact the prosecution thought it was very strong. You were in the courtroom, Peter Bowes. What did you see?

PETER BOWES, BBC CORRESPONDENT: I saw the jury watching it very, very closely. And I think you`re absolutely right. The demeanor of the young boy is the whole reason why they were shown that videotape. Did he look like a boy who was reluctant, who was shuffling down in his chair, who was looking down a lot, who was playing with the sleeves on his shirt, who really didn`t want to tell the story, who didn`t want to be there, who started by asking, How long is this going to take?

I`m convinced that the prosecution believed that it shows a young boy who had a harrowing story to tell and really just didn`t want to say. He had to be coached by the detectives -- not coached, but just encouraged to get it of his chest, that he would feel better at the end of it. I think they believe that this jury think this shows a boy who was molested by Michael Jackson, and that will be the most damning evidence. That`s why they played it today. That`s why they played it last week.

GRACE: In a recent announcement from the courtroom, Judge Melville, the trial judge in the Jackson case, has stated he will allow a live feed of the Michael Jackson verdict to come out of the courtroom. So we will know at the same time Michael Jackson knows his fate.

To Debra Opri. She is the Jackson parent lawyer. Debra, why did Michael Jackson go back to the hospital last night? I heard it was dehydration.

DEBRA OPRI, JACKSON FAMILY ATTORNEY: Yes, he`s just not drinking fluids because he doesn`t get any bathroom breaks other than those breaks that have been prearranged. So it`s just a matter of necessity. He drinks little, so he doesn`t have the need to use the rest room. And people are making more out of that then they should. The big story should remain with the closing arguments and the jury deliberation and the lack of proper seating and the number of seats for the Jackson family (INAUDIBLE)

GRACE: Well, doesn`t everybody in the courtroom get the same bathroom breaks?

OPRI: It`s a non-issue. Everybody`s body is different.

GRACE: Well, you`re the one that brought up bathroom breaks, for Pete`s sake, not me! I asked why he had to go to the hospital!

OPRI: Dehydration, you know, and he`s not drinking enough fluids because he doesn`t want to -- there aren`t too many bathroom breaks. That`s all. That`s what we understand. And he didn`t check himself into a hospital. He wasn`t rushed to the hospital. He went there for electrolytes, and that should be the end of the discussion. The real discussion should be the jury deliberation and closing arguments for today, dueling videos.

GRACE: OK. To Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst. Bethany, have you noticed that every time Jackson gets in a jam, he gets sick?

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: Yes.

GRACE: Remember when he had that lawsuit over some canceled concerts...

MARSHALL: Right.

GRACE: ... he said he had a spider bite...

MARSHALL: Right.

GRACE: ... and he showed up hobbling on crutches. Then the day he -- that the accuser was supposed to take the stand -- oh, that was a great shot, Elizabeth -- there are the crutches...

MARSHALL: ... pajama day?

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: There`s the spider bite day. Then we had the pajama day when he went to the hospital. There have been several, actually. So Bethany, what do you make of Jackson`s latest trip to the hospital?

MARSHALL: Well...

GRACE: Wouldn`t a glass of water have fixed dehydration?

MARSHALL: Of course not. It`s not unusual for people who have done things that they`re overwhelmed by, when it comes to the point that they have to take responsibility, they fall apart. And one way to fall apart is to go to the doctor and get a shot, show up in pajamas, take drugs, maybe engage in a drug addiction. But falling apart seems to be a coping mechanism for him, so I`m really not surprised that it happened for him at this juncture.

GRACE: Bruce Koffsky, what do you make of Jackson`s demeanor in court and his trip to the hospital overnight?

BRUCE KOFFSKY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think this is a very, very difficult time for him. His life is on the line. People are saying horrible things about him. He`s watching videotapes of his life passing before his eyes. I think he`s just having trouble sitting still, making sure that all of this sinks in.

GRACE: OK.

KOFFSKY: That`s what I think he`s doing.

GRACE: OK. Back to Jane Velez-Mitchell with "Celebrity Justice." Jane, when the jury was watching the video of Michael Jackson today, everybody doing closing arguments, the defense showed the favorable portions of the Bashir documentary and outtakes to the jury, and the state showed the little boy`s statements to police that he was molested. How did the jury respond to both of these dueling videos, Jane?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I have to tell you that there was a lot of controversy and debate over this outtakes video the defense played. I think it was risky. I think it was a wild card, and it could have backfired on the defense because I noticed -- it was very long, and it went on and on, and they`ve seen it before. And it doesn`t play as well the second time around. And some of the jurors were looking around while this tape was playing. He doesn`t just talk about his love for children. He talks about a lot of strange stuff, how he wants to have a celebrity party for celebrity animals, how he...

GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa!

VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... believes that...

GRACE: Wait, wait, wait! Wait! He wants to what?

(LAUGHTER)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He wants to have a celebrity animal party for celebrity animals.

GRACE: But -- but -- but...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: There have been certain animals that have been featured...

GRACE: What celebrity animals?

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: Debra Opri, do you know about this?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He had one of his chimps, and he wanted that chimp, of course, because it`s Michael Jackson`s chimp, was a celebrity, and then he wanted to get other celebrity animals together and have a celebrity birthday party for the animals. That`s the very kind of thing that the jurors might be wondering about right now as they go home for the weekend.

OPRI: Debra?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t understand why the defense is playing that, frankly.

GRACE: Debra, response.

OPRI: Listen, this is a case where it`s going to be who does the jury believe. Now...

GRACE: I`m asking you about the celebrity animal party.

OPRI: Why do you give me the real serious questions all the time? I can`t handle them.

GRACE: To torture you.

OPRI: You know, Nancy, we need to be a little sober tonight in our responsibilities here...

(CROSSTALK)

OPRI: Let me tell you...

GRACE: ... the defense played the video where Jackson...

OPRI: No, not tonight!

GRACE: ... wants to have a party with celebrity animals.

OPRI: No, the defense played the highlights of Michael Jackson`s testimony as last impression before they went into the jury room. And then the prosecution came back and played that last interview of the accuser with the police. Now, let me tell you something. Jane said everybody the second time around -- his thing doesn`t mean anything. Well, the second time around with the accuser, that doesn`t mean anything too much, either. And listen, I hope they play that boy in with the police three and four times in the jury room because then they`ll start seeing the acting, frankly.

GRACE: Back to you, Jane Velez-Mitchell. I was asking you specifically about jury response. I get the...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s what I was saying.

GRACE: ... animal celebrity party -- OK, go ahead, dear. I`m sorry.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, no, I`m just saying that they were kind of -- some of them were kind of wandering. Their eyes were wandering. We`ve seen these tapes before. Anybody who sees a movie twice, it`s not as compelling the first time around. And I agree with Debra. It`s very possible that the other tape is not as compelling the second time around, either. So I think it`s a question of -- it all boils down to...

GRACE: Wait! Let me rephrase my question. What did you specifically see this jury do during the playing of the videos?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I saw some of the jurors in the Jackson outtakes video looking around and not watching it. And I got a sense that some of the older jurors, particularly, were annoyed and didn`t want to have to listen. Their body language was, like -- like, kind of like that, like -- they`re not really buying it anymore. And so that`s why I think, for the defense particularly, it was a risky strategy to play that tape because it was long and went on and on. And I think if they had edited it more carefully and just presented the snippets with Michael Jackson talking about his love for children, it would have been far more effective.

GRACE: Is there anything else in there, Jane Velez-Mitchell, other than the celebrity animal party, that you think the defense maybe should not have played for the jury?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: For example, he talked about how trees and grass have emotions and they respond to music, and that`s why he plays music at Neverland, because the trees and grass grow better. Now, I`m not a scientist. Maybe there`s some scientific basis for that, but it sure sounds strange. It sounds flaky. He talked about the fact that he likes to climb trees. Other people watch sports, he climbs trees. And often, his staff have to get him and say, Hey, you got a phone call, Mr. Jackson, because he`s up in a tree.

And so those are the kinds of things that are just -- they`re kooky, and I don`t know if that`s exactly the last impression you want to leave.

GRACE: But -- hey, Jane, I`ve got to go to break. We`re be right back with Peter Bowes and Jane Velez-Mitchell there at the courthouse. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Michael Jackson during happier times, but still on the evening news.

Welcome back, everybody. Straight back out to Santa Maria. Standing by, "Celebrity Justice`s" Jane Velez-Mitchell. Jane, I`ve grilled you about the defense video. Was there a response? You`re such a good sport. Thank you, friend. What was the response from the jury, if any, when the state played the little boy video, when he spoke to police?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, full disclosure here, I have to run out to do my stories, and I was in overflow. But I can tell you that those who were in the courtroom at the time said that it was very grim. And in overflow, which is a secondary courtroom, which is considered a courtroom -- it`s just like the regular courtroom, and it was packed to the gills with a whole crew of reporters -- it was very somber, as well. And you know when it`s somber amongst the reporters, who will laugh at just about anything, it was very grim.

There is no laughing when that boy tells his story. It`s a very -- it`s depressing, frankly, and it was obviously depressing for everyone. I was told that Kathryn Jackson, at the end of this very somber day, began crying, and the jury was very, very somber and grim as they left to begin their very difficult job.

GRACE: We are switching gears now, leaving Santa Maria, California, and taking you back to a case out of Coeur d`Alene, Idaho. Two young children, Dylan and Shasta Groene, still missing tonight, and there have been wire reports that the search is ending. Tonight, with us on the phone from Kootenai County, we have with us a spokesperson from the "Spokesman- Review," Susan Drumheller (ph).

Susan, there are reports flying that the search for Dylan and Shasta is ending. Is that true?

SUSAN DRUMHELLER, "SPOKESMAN-REVIEW": Not as far as I know. That has not been announced to the media here. And as far as I know, it won`t end until they find them.

GRACE: What are they doing now for the search, Susan?

DRUMHELLER: Well, as far as we know, they`re still interviewing people and following any number of leads, but the search of the landfill is over, and they didn`t find any evidence there. So you know, I`m not sure exactly where the search for the kids (INAUDIBLE)

GRACE: Let me go back to Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst. Bethany, they have searched literally hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash in landfills.

MARSHALL: Right.

GRACE: They have searched every nook and cranny surrounding the home. We`re talking about Coeur d`Alene, Idaho, Dylan and Shasta Groene still missing tonight, the 8 and 9-year-old children.

MARSHALL: Right.

GRACE: There have been several false reports. Bethany, as you look back at the crime, the mom, the boyfriend, the 13-year-old brother all found murdered...

MARSHALL: Right.

GRACE: -- what`s your take on the abductors? I hope they`re abductors and not killers of these two children.

MARSHALL: Here`s my take on the abductors. This particular crime has all the markings of a methamphetamine-related crime, and this is why. With meth-related crimes, the killing usually starts out in a ritualized manner. And these three victims were bound. And then the perpetrator or perpetrators go into explosive rage and paranoia. And then they literally engage in something we call overkill. And you can see this with these three victims. They were bludgeoned to death. There was blood all over the place.

So what I`m thinking about these two little kids, that they were taken away by -- or abducted by somebody on methamphetamine. He may, in a psychotic kind of way, have believed that he was emancipating two good little kids from a bad household. But what`s going to happen when the kids become hungry, tired, thirsty and cranky? They`ll become bad little kids in the perpetrator`s mind, and then they themselves are at risk for being murdered.

GRACE: I want to give everybody...

MARSHALL: Unfortunately.

GRACE: ... the tip number. You see it at the bottom of the screen -- 208-446-2292. The reward for any tips on these two children, Shasta and Dylan Groene, is now over $100,000. Also Elizabeth, if you can show the more recent photos. We have new photos of these two missing children as we head into the weekend. Please take a look. This is Dylan and Shasta Groene, 8 and 9 years old. We do have reason to believe they may still be alive.

Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. BEN WOLFINGER, KOOTENAI COUNTY SHERIFF`S DEPARTMENT: As far as their own motivation, I think it was best said by one of the investigators who was at the landfill. After doing a full shift down there in the heat last week, they volunteered to come up and follow leads up here. They`re, like, Why? (INAUDIBLE) Well, you know, we have children, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Well, according to the police there, the search will not end, contrary to wire reports to the opposite direction. And we pray that search goes on.

Very quickly, to tonight`s "All Points Bulletin." FBI and law enforcement across the country on the lookout for this man, Alfredo Ramirez Rosas, wanted in connection with the rape and murder of a Texas woman. Rosas, 37, 5-8, 210 pounds, black hair, brown eyes. If you have any info on Alfredo Ramirez Rosas, please contact the FBI, 713-693-5000.

Local news coming up for some of you, but we`ll all be right back. And remember, live coverage of the Jackson trial Monday, 3:00 to 5:00 Eastern on Court TV`s "Closing Arguments." Please stay with us as we remember Sgt. Jacob M. Simpson, just 24 years old, an American hero.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: What a week in America`s courtrooms. Take a look at the stories, and more important, the people who touched all of our lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): An Ohio teenager wiped out his family -- his mom, his grandparents included.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s telling me that there`s five dead! There`s another one on the couch!

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can`t describe how you feel about it. It`s tough for everyone. I feel so bad for the families and the community.

GRACE: A stunning blow tonight as we learn America`s rape victims have even more to be afraid of, a therapist being forced by a judge to hand over an alleged rape victim`s therapy notes. Has anybody heard of doctor- patient privilege?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jennifer Bier has been subpoenaed to turn over her records to the Air Force...

JENNIFER BIER, RAPE COUNSELOR: Am I willing to render my whole entire field moot by surrendering records? And the answer is no.

GRACE: Two pilots on trial for getting a snootful and then landing themselves in the cockpit of a jumbo jet plane full of innocent passengers. They partied until about 4:30 AM, and then they made a morning flight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the issues that they have been raising is whether or not they were operating the aircraft at the time.

GRACE: Press reports the search is ending for 8 and 9-year-old Shasta and her brother, Dylan Groene. New photos of these two released.

The Michael Jackson courtroom exploding with tension.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mesereau articulate, meticulous, specific. He laid it out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The prosecutor`s closing was like a Beethoven sonata. This was a masterpiece. This was compelling. He said it to the jury: Michael Jackson`s a pedophile.

GRACE: I think Jackson is going to catch at least one guilty count.

A beautiful teenager on her senior trip, destination Aruba, vanishes into thin air. Natalee Anne Holloway, last seen driving away from a local nightclub.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is totally out of character for her to just up and go missing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We pray that Natalee senses God`s protection over her in whatever is going on right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: I want to thank all of my guests tonight, but as always, my biggest thank you is to you for being with us and inviting all of us into your home. Coming up, headlines from all around the world, Larry on CNN. I`m Nancy Grace signing off for tonight. See you right here Monday, 8:00 o`clock sharp Eastern. Until then, good night, friend.

END


Aired June 3, 2005 - 20:00:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight, a beautiful teenager on her senior trip destination, Aruba, vanishes into thin air. The search intensifies tonight, including helicopter searches of Aruba`s rocky shores and known drug houses.
Also, as of tonight, are investigators stumped in Coeur d`Alene, Idaho, in the case of two missing children, Dylan and Shasta Groene?

And it was a fight to the finish in the Michael Jackson trial today. Closing arguments raged on in court. And now we are in a verdict watch in the Michael Jackson case.

Good evening, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. Thank you for being with us tonight.

The Jackson case finally goes to the jury. We are in a verdict watch for Michael Jackson trial.

And we go live to Idaho amidst press reports the search is ending for 8- and 9-year-old Shasta and her brother Dylan Groene, last seen in the home of a triple murder, victims including their own mother and 13-year-old brother. Tonight, we want to know, where are you, Shasta and Dylan?

And Aruba police and the FBI working around the clock continue to scour beaches and scrub land for 18-year-old Natalee Holloway. This beautiful Alabama girl vanished from her senior trip.

Tonight, in Birmingham, Alabama, CNN correspondent Rick Sanchez; with us by phone from Aruba, Natalee`s mother, Beth Holloway Twitty; also on the phone from Aruba, the president of the International Friends of Aruba, Maschelle Zeolla -- that`s the group in charge of the search for Natalee; also with us, from L.A., defense attorney Debra Opri; in New York, defense lawyer Bruce Koffsky (ph); in L.A., psychoanalyst Bethany Marshall.

But first, to Birmingham, Alabama, and WBRC reporter Tiffany Bittner. Welcome, Tiffany, bring me up-to-date, friend.

TIFFANY BITTNER, WBRC REPORTER: Well, what we know so far is Natalee Holloway has been missing since Monday morning around 1:30 a.m. She was last seen leaving a nightclub in Aruba and has not been seen since. It`s believed that she was leaving the club with three men. No word on that yet.

But five days later, the search continues in Aruba, in the island there, as both locals and visitors alike join in to help search for 18- year-old Natalee Holloway.

GRACE: We have established our link with Natalee`s mother now. Beth Holloway Twitty is with us.

Thank you for being with us, Ms Twitty.

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, MISSING GIRL`S MOTHER: Well, please, I want to thank you for allowing me this opportunity. And thank you so much.

GRACE: Yes, ma`am. I`m showing a photo of you and your daughter right now. She is absolutely gorgeous. Ms. Twitty, when did you go down to Aruba to start the search for your girl?

TWITTY: We flew in about 11:00 p.m. on May the 30th.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, is there any way Natalee went of on her own?

TWITTY: Oh, absolutely not. Natalee`s bags were packed and ready to go. Natalee is ready to go home.

Everything was packed. Her passport was in her purse. She even had the remaining cash that she had on her in her purse. It was in the room. Everything was zipped up. She was ready to go home.

GRACE: I was going to ask you, what did they find in the hotel room to suggest to me whether she had left? If her identification and her pocketbook, say her cell phone, her passport, was all in her room, it sounds like she was packed up and ready to go.

TWITTY: She was ready. Natalee is ready to go home. The only thing that she has on her is her driver`s license.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, where do you think Natalee is?

TWITTY: You know that everyone in the United States and everyone in Aruba, we wish we knew. We wish we knew.

GRACE: Tell me about Natalee. I see pictures of her. I feel like I`ve gotten to know her. I know she`s an honor student. I know she had a full scholarship to University of Alabama. She looks like a beauty queen.

Tell me about her. Has she ever left home and not come back for overnight before?

TWITTY: Oh, absolutely not. Natalee has an impeccable record. She is truly the most amazing young 18-year-old girl that I know.

And you are exactly right. Natalee`s National Honor Society and several other honor societies. She was in so many extracurricular activities. Natalee`s on the dance team for four years, was extremely focused and driven.

And she was on her way. She was college-bound, you know? It`s just - - Natalee has a lot of things that she`s ready to do.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, are the local police helping you as you see fit down there? I know you want more U.S. help. Tell me what`s going on down there.

TWITTY: Well, yes, we are working with the Aruban government. And I want to say they have -- the citizens of Aruba have been so supportive. And we have been overwhelmed.

There are probably 125,000 residents here. And 124,000 of them, they know who Natalee Holloway is. So that`s just -- that`s huge, I think.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty...

TWITTY: And they all want to find her.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, could you tell me about the search? What are they doing to find your girl?

TWITTY: Well, they`re doing several things. I mean, fliers, like I said, you cannot go to an individual in Aruba -- and they don`t need a flier. They already have a flier. So they have been distributed.

The governor had called for the Dutch marines to organize a thorough search of the island. They`ve had helicopters searches. They`ve called in diving teams. I mean, we are looking for Natalee just everywhere. I`m confident, though, that we will find Natalee and that we will bring her home safe.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, that night, I understand, there were about 125 to 150 students that went on the trip?

TWITTY: Yes, you`re right.

GRACE: And about 40 -- did I get that right -- about 40 chaperones and relatives?

TWITTY: I really don`t have any, you know, information that would be pertinent about that. And I just really want to focus on that, from that time when Natalee left Carlos and Charlie`s at 1:30, she has simply vanished. And our efforts -- we just want to concentrate all our efforts on staying focused and staying focused on finding Natalee.

GRACE: Well, my point, Ms. Twitty, was it seems to me that there were a lot of chaperones. This was not some lark that was poorly planned. There were her high school friends there with her at Carlos and Charlie`s that night. It`s not like she had gone off on her own. It seems like she was following all the rules that you try to tell your kids to follow.

TWITTY: Oh, absolutely, absolutely. That`s why, you know, this is such a mystery. It`s a mystery to Aruba, and it`s a mystery to the United States. So we just -- we will find her.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, what are you doing to find your girl? I know one night, my mom visited me here in New York. I left her at the corner. I went across the street to get coffee and doughnuts. I came back, and she was gone.

I called 911. I was literally running up and down the streets trying to find her. I was in the back of a police car trying to find her. Well, of course, we found her. She was on the wrong floor of my apartment building. But it was a period of hours I will never forget.

Now, what are you doing to find Natalee?

TWITTY: We have not stopped. When our plane landed at 11:00 p.m. on the 30th, I know I did not stop to eat, drink -- I may have had a little bit of water or sleep for at least 48 hours. I was so focused, and driven, and still am. I have been nonstop.

GRACE: We`re showing pictures now of Natalee. It looks like she`s in the dance corps holding a flag. Was she a flag girl?

TWITTY: She was a member, like I said earlier, of a dance team for four years at her high school...

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: Just beautiful. Ms. Twitty, I understand the reward is up to $50,000 -- is that correct -- for information on your girl, Natalee?

TWITTY: Well, I really can`t comment on that. I`ve got someone else in charge of keeping up with that.

GRACE: Well, I will announce it for you. I`m hearing it in my ear from my producer, Elizabeth, the reward has climbed now to $50,000 for information on this girl. We`re also showing you a toll-free number. The number in Aruba -- Elizabeth, is that 011-297-111-41?

Ms. Twitty, what can we do for you tonight?

TWITTY: You know, I think the most that everyone can do is just to continue with the support, continue with Natalee in your prayers, and, you know, be as positive as we can, and just pray for the safe, fast return of Natalee.

GRACE: Ms. Twitty, we will do just that.

TWITTY: OK. Thank you so much.

GRACE: No, ma`am, thank you for you. Our prayers and thoughts, not just of myself and the crew, but everybody watching tonight go out to you.

Beth Holloway Twitty, this is Natalee`s mother joining us from Aruba. Thank you, ma`am.

TWITTY: Thank you.

GRACE: Everybody, we will all be back with all of the latest, including the search, what direction it is turning, the latest from Aruba, and the reward. Please stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TWITTY: This was her senior trip. There were 150 American students here from Mountain Brook, Alabama.

Something I`d like to comment on. Natalee`s hair is blond and straight, but here it might be curly. It could be curly; it could be straight. She`s approximately 5`5". She weighs about 110 pounds. She has blue eyes, and she`s very petite, very petite.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TWITTY: We are here today to ask the Aruban and Dutch governments to officially invite the United States government to participate in the investigation. The additional resources can only help in finding Natalee. And in closing, we want to thank everyone again. And on behalf of Natalee, please, please make that one phone call so that we can return Natalee home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Can you imagine finding yourself in another country on an island looking for your little girl? This little girl, Natalee Holloway, went away on her senior trip. She has never been seen again. She vanished.

Welcome back, everybody. We are going to take you live to Aruba and the latest on the search.

But first, let me go to Tiffany Bittner, WBRC reporter. Tiffany, again, could you explain how the search has changed? What are they doing now? What`s the new phase of the search for this girl?

BITTNER: Well, what we`ve heard so far, according to her uncle, as of yesterday, that they have started searching in some of the surrounding water around the island. Today, of course, many more locals and visitors that are on the island, that are pitching in to help search for Natalee, looking high and low.

So at this point, it`s just a matter of time to see if and when they can find any detail that can lead them to Natalee.

GRACE: To Rick Sanchez, CNN correspondent. Rick, what can you tell us about these three guys that were seen with Natalee leaving the nightclub?

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this point, it`s really about trying to match faces with names and then find them. And it`s a small island, so it`s not hard to find some of those people, Nancy.

But let me tell you what some of the students and some of the parents that I`ve talked to here have told me. There is a Web site for Carlos and Charlie`s. And on that Web site, when students go down there, they take their pictures while they`re on the dance floor partying and having a good time, as kids are apt to do.

And in those pictures, some of these students said they were able to identify some of the young men that they saw dancing or hanging around with Natalee. They have, as far as I understand, made authorities aware of those young men. And authorities are now trying to match those faces, those young men, those pictures on that particular Web site with some of the officials on the island.

We do understand, as you mentioned, that there were three people that they talked to. And those three individuals are on the island. They were spoken to once by officials -- interviewed. And we understand, according to some of our sources there, that they have been called back for a second interview. Exactly what`s come of it, we don`t know at this point.

GRACE: A second interview. Rick Sanchez, have they been called -- have they been considered persons of interest?

SANCHEZ: At this point, you know, when it comes to legal terms, Nancy, whether they`re focuses of the investigation, targets of the investigation, or persons of interest, we`re not sure.

I think they`re kind of keeping it close to the vest, though I can tell you this. I was monitoring a conversation not long ago with a lieutenant who is in charge of one of the investigations there in Aruba. And he said, and I`m going to quote him now, that he expected there could be arrests soon. And then he said that they expected to have some more news tomorrow.

Whether that means that they`re going to have arrests to announce tomorrow, I don`t know. But he did use those two words in conjunction.

GRACE: Rick, arrests for what?

SANCHEZ: We don`t know. We don`t know. It was left at that. That`s what the lieutenant said. There has been word coming out of there throughout the day that they wanted to do something regarding some of the people on the island who they think came in contact with Natalee.

Now, we don`t know if they`re speaking specifically about the three young men who were last seen with her or perhaps some other people who may have been seen with her that night.

GRACE: Let me go to the president of the International Friends of Aruba. Joining us from Aruba, Maschelle Zeolla.

Ms. Zeolla, thank you for being with us. What exactly is your group doing to find this girl?

MASCHELLE ZEOLLA, LEADING SEARCH FOR MISSING TEEN: Well, we`ve been working with them from the very beginning, really at their beck and call, not to interfere with them or their family, because obviously it`s an extremely difficult time for them, but for them to understand that we`re there to support them in any way that we can.

And what we have done is, we have taken fliers, and we have canvassed the entire island at this point, and have spent, since Wednesday, going down, and talking to people, and just trying to find anybody who might have seen Natalee that`s afraid to come forward, and to pass that information back to the police so that they might be able to act on it.

GRACE: Let me go back to Rick Sanchez, CNN correspondent. Rick, if you look at what we know tonight, your information is, a lieutenant has told you that there could be arrests tomorrow, correct?

SANCHEZ: It was not a conversation that was related directly to me. It was a conversation that took place after my story ran on CNN tonight.

GRACE: Right, OK.

SANCHEZ: And in that interview, the lieutenant specifically said -- or mentioned the word "arrests" possible soon. He then mentioned that tomorrow they expected to make some type of announcement. Those were his words.

GRACE: Got you.

SANCHEZ: I don`t know exactly how far I can go with that at this point.

GRACE: Right. OK, Rick, my point is, if a lieutenant is mentioning arrests in the plural, and we know that divers are currently looking in the water, and helicopters are surrounding the island looking in the water, that does not sound good.

SANCHEZ: Well, we know the FBI is there. And we know, as you have experienced, as well, Nancy, working on these types of prosecutions, that oftentimes they`ll go there and they`ve just got to track things back. They`ve got to work backwards and find out who she was with, who she spoke to, where that person is, and interview them.

And on an island as small as Aruba...

GRACE: Yes, show a picture of the island, Elizabeth.

He`s right. The island is only 19.6 miles long, six miles across. There you see exactly where the Holiday Inn is and Carlos and Charlie`s where she was last seen.

Very quickly, before we go to break, to Tiffany Bittner with WBRC-TV. Tiffany, there is the possibility that the waters are being searched because she may have left the island. Someone could have taken her off the island by boat.

But that certainly narrows who would have taken her, who has a boat to take her off the island.

BITTNER: Of course, that is one possibility. But I have to say that her family, of course, is staying optimistic and hoping, of course, that that is not going to be the case. And they`re looking for anybody and anyone that can help them find out where their young 18-year-old daughter is.

GRACE: We are staying with the story. Before we take you out to Santa Maria, California and the Jackson trial, we`ll be back in Aruba when we come back from this break. Please stay with us.

But very quickly, to "Trial Tracking." Tonight, a family pleads for your help. Briana Matelyn (ph), 17-years-old, missing over a year. Briana left home then went waiting tables at her job at the Black Lantern Inn in Montgomery, Vermont. She never made it back.

Briana`s family tonight doubles the reward to $20,000 for info on their girl. If you know anything about Briana Matelyn, please contact the Vermont state police, 802-524-5993.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUTH MCVAY, FRIEND OF TEEN MISSING IN ARUBA: She`s the most responsible, smart, beautiful, incredible friend that I`ve ever known. This is out of her character. And all we want to stress is that it`s of the utmost importance to pray as much as you can because she is such a wonderful person, and we know she`s coming back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Natalee Holloway on her senior trip disappeared from the island of Aruba. Honor student, full scholarship to University of Alabama coming up. She would be heading there in the fall.

Welcome back, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace.

We`re about to take you out to Santa Maria and the latest in the Michael Jackson trial, but I just want to stick with this story for just a little bit longer.

Back down to CNN correspondent Rick Sanchez. Rick, according to the A.P. wires, not only has law enforcement now started circling the island with helicopters looking at the water, they are also looking, as they said, in known crack houses. Have you heard that?

SANCHEZ: You know, what`s interesting -- no, we have not. But we can tell you that it`s an island that`s usually known for having very little crime. Three murders in the last three years, something like 12 sexual assaults in total. So it`s not a place that`s rampant for crime.

Whether there is some drug activity there, I`m not sure. But it certainly wouldn`t surprise me, given its proximity to both Colombia and Venezuela.

GRACE: And back to Tiffany Bittner with WBRC-TV. How many family members are now down in Aruba trying to find Natalee?

BITTNER: I`m sorry, I missed your question.

GRACE: How many family members are now down there trying to find Natalee?

BITTNER: Well, we know, of course, her mother, who you just both with, Beth, is down there, along with her stepfather and her biological father, who is from Mississippi. We know that all three are those relatives are down there, as well as her uncle.

As far as other family, I`m not sure. We do understand that there is a group of people that are not only just family members, but friends of hers that are down there with her.

I wanted to share with you a little bit, Nancy, about what`s going on here in Birmingham with her friends and family. Of course, they are remaining steadfast and praying for Natalee`s safe return, holding yet another prayer vigil today.

Now, speaking with her aunt Marsha Twitty, who was in Birmingham. She`s become the family spokesperson here. She says, of course, today she was sort of defending Natalee`s character, if you will, saying that this is nothing unusual for her niece to go on her senior trip, that their family are, quote, "normal people." And she echoed what her mom told you earlier, that Natalee, of course, is an intelligent girl, she is responsible, and this is totally unlike her character.

GRACE: Tiffany, thank you so much for being with us.

Also, thank you to Rick Sanchez, CNN correspondent.

Hopes out tonight for Natalee Holloway.

We at NANCY GRACE very much want to help solve unsolved homicides, find missing people. Take a look at Marie Fleury, 64-years-old, found murdered in her own home in Constable, New York, October 2002. If you have any info on Marie Fleury, please call the Carole Sund Carrington Foundation toll-free, 888-813-8389.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Las Vegas -- the place is up for grabs tonight, odds now 2 to 1 Michael Jackson will be convicted in one to five counts. Welcome back, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. Let`s go straight out to Santa Maria, California. With us, BBC correspondent Peter Bowes. But first to "Celebrity Justice" correspondent Jane Velez-Mitchell. Jane, I understand it was the battle of the videos in closing arguments. Explain.

JANE-VELEZ-MITCHELL, "CELEBRITY JUSTICE": Well, it certainly was. I got to tell you we have now entered the nail-biting phase of the Michael Jackson trial. The jurors got this case at exactly 12:24 this afternoon. They deliberated for just two hours. We are told they did pick a jury foreperson. They then left for the weekend. But one thing is for sure, these closing arguments are ringing in their ears right now because they were fierce, they were intense, they were ferocious. They were delivered by two very skilled and determined litigators. It was truly a duel of words.

Now, Tom Mesereau, the defense attorney, hammering home on this theme, his central theme, that these were grifters, that this family accusing Michael Jackson cannot be believed. They have told too many lies to count, he said, and this is the biggest con of their careers. But then deputy DA Ron Zonen having the final-final word, and he hammered home on the central theme, which is Michael Jackson`s very strange relationship with boys. He says Michael Jackson`s relationship is not innocent, it is sexual. He has seduced boys in the past. He seduced this boy to the point where this boy was, quote, "in love with him and would do anything he said."

And then, as the capper, he actually played the videotape of this boy when he was 13, in July of 2003, talking to sheriff`s investigators, telling them for the very first time what he says Michael Jackson did to him sexually. And it all boils down to, will these 12 jurors believe what`s on that videotape, or will they believe the other videotape played by the defense, the outtakes videotape of Michael Jackson saying that he loves children, it`s totally innocent, it`s totally non-sexual.

GRACE: Let`s go to BBC correspondent Peter Bowes. Peter, Jane`s response answered a lot of questions for me. I had heard so many conflicting reports as to how that video of the little boy went down with the jury, whether it was effective, whether it was not. But for the prosecution to choose to end their closing argument and play that video to the jury again, in my mind, speaks to the fact the prosecution thought it was very strong. You were in the courtroom, Peter Bowes. What did you see?

PETER BOWES, BBC CORRESPONDENT: I saw the jury watching it very, very closely. And I think you`re absolutely right. The demeanor of the young boy is the whole reason why they were shown that videotape. Did he look like a boy who was reluctant, who was shuffling down in his chair, who was looking down a lot, who was playing with the sleeves on his shirt, who really didn`t want to tell the story, who didn`t want to be there, who started by asking, How long is this going to take?

I`m convinced that the prosecution believed that it shows a young boy who had a harrowing story to tell and really just didn`t want to say. He had to be coached by the detectives -- not coached, but just encouraged to get it of his chest, that he would feel better at the end of it. I think they believe that this jury think this shows a boy who was molested by Michael Jackson, and that will be the most damning evidence. That`s why they played it today. That`s why they played it last week.

GRACE: In a recent announcement from the courtroom, Judge Melville, the trial judge in the Jackson case, has stated he will allow a live feed of the Michael Jackson verdict to come out of the courtroom. So we will know at the same time Michael Jackson knows his fate.

To Debra Opri. She is the Jackson parent lawyer. Debra, why did Michael Jackson go back to the hospital last night? I heard it was dehydration.

DEBRA OPRI, JACKSON FAMILY ATTORNEY: Yes, he`s just not drinking fluids because he doesn`t get any bathroom breaks other than those breaks that have been prearranged. So it`s just a matter of necessity. He drinks little, so he doesn`t have the need to use the rest room. And people are making more out of that then they should. The big story should remain with the closing arguments and the jury deliberation and the lack of proper seating and the number of seats for the Jackson family (INAUDIBLE)

GRACE: Well, doesn`t everybody in the courtroom get the same bathroom breaks?

OPRI: It`s a non-issue. Everybody`s body is different.

GRACE: Well, you`re the one that brought up bathroom breaks, for Pete`s sake, not me! I asked why he had to go to the hospital!

OPRI: Dehydration, you know, and he`s not drinking enough fluids because he doesn`t want to -- there aren`t too many bathroom breaks. That`s all. That`s what we understand. And he didn`t check himself into a hospital. He wasn`t rushed to the hospital. He went there for electrolytes, and that should be the end of the discussion. The real discussion should be the jury deliberation and closing arguments for today, dueling videos.

GRACE: OK. To Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst. Bethany, have you noticed that every time Jackson gets in a jam, he gets sick?

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: Yes.

GRACE: Remember when he had that lawsuit over some canceled concerts...

MARSHALL: Right.

GRACE: ... he said he had a spider bite...

MARSHALL: Right.

GRACE: ... and he showed up hobbling on crutches. Then the day he -- that the accuser was supposed to take the stand -- oh, that was a great shot, Elizabeth -- there are the crutches...

MARSHALL: ... pajama day?

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: There`s the spider bite day. Then we had the pajama day when he went to the hospital. There have been several, actually. So Bethany, what do you make of Jackson`s latest trip to the hospital?

MARSHALL: Well...

GRACE: Wouldn`t a glass of water have fixed dehydration?

MARSHALL: Of course not. It`s not unusual for people who have done things that they`re overwhelmed by, when it comes to the point that they have to take responsibility, they fall apart. And one way to fall apart is to go to the doctor and get a shot, show up in pajamas, take drugs, maybe engage in a drug addiction. But falling apart seems to be a coping mechanism for him, so I`m really not surprised that it happened for him at this juncture.

GRACE: Bruce Koffsky, what do you make of Jackson`s demeanor in court and his trip to the hospital overnight?

BRUCE KOFFSKY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think this is a very, very difficult time for him. His life is on the line. People are saying horrible things about him. He`s watching videotapes of his life passing before his eyes. I think he`s just having trouble sitting still, making sure that all of this sinks in.

GRACE: OK.

KOFFSKY: That`s what I think he`s doing.

GRACE: OK. Back to Jane Velez-Mitchell with "Celebrity Justice." Jane, when the jury was watching the video of Michael Jackson today, everybody doing closing arguments, the defense showed the favorable portions of the Bashir documentary and outtakes to the jury, and the state showed the little boy`s statements to police that he was molested. How did the jury respond to both of these dueling videos, Jane?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I have to tell you that there was a lot of controversy and debate over this outtakes video the defense played. I think it was risky. I think it was a wild card, and it could have backfired on the defense because I noticed -- it was very long, and it went on and on, and they`ve seen it before. And it doesn`t play as well the second time around. And some of the jurors were looking around while this tape was playing. He doesn`t just talk about his love for children. He talks about a lot of strange stuff, how he wants to have a celebrity party for celebrity animals, how he...

GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa!

VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... believes that...

GRACE: Wait, wait, wait! Wait! He wants to what?

(LAUGHTER)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He wants to have a celebrity animal party for celebrity animals.

GRACE: But -- but -- but...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: There have been certain animals that have been featured...

GRACE: What celebrity animals?

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: Debra Opri, do you know about this?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He had one of his chimps, and he wanted that chimp, of course, because it`s Michael Jackson`s chimp, was a celebrity, and then he wanted to get other celebrity animals together and have a celebrity birthday party for the animals. That`s the very kind of thing that the jurors might be wondering about right now as they go home for the weekend.

OPRI: Debra?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t understand why the defense is playing that, frankly.

GRACE: Debra, response.

OPRI: Listen, this is a case where it`s going to be who does the jury believe. Now...

GRACE: I`m asking you about the celebrity animal party.

OPRI: Why do you give me the real serious questions all the time? I can`t handle them.

GRACE: To torture you.

OPRI: You know, Nancy, we need to be a little sober tonight in our responsibilities here...

(CROSSTALK)

OPRI: Let me tell you...

GRACE: ... the defense played the video where Jackson...

OPRI: No, not tonight!

GRACE: ... wants to have a party with celebrity animals.

OPRI: No, the defense played the highlights of Michael Jackson`s testimony as last impression before they went into the jury room. And then the prosecution came back and played that last interview of the accuser with the police. Now, let me tell you something. Jane said everybody the second time around -- his thing doesn`t mean anything. Well, the second time around with the accuser, that doesn`t mean anything too much, either. And listen, I hope they play that boy in with the police three and four times in the jury room because then they`ll start seeing the acting, frankly.

GRACE: Back to you, Jane Velez-Mitchell. I was asking you specifically about jury response. I get the...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s what I was saying.

GRACE: ... animal celebrity party -- OK, go ahead, dear. I`m sorry.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, no, I`m just saying that they were kind of -- some of them were kind of wandering. Their eyes were wandering. We`ve seen these tapes before. Anybody who sees a movie twice, it`s not as compelling the first time around. And I agree with Debra. It`s very possible that the other tape is not as compelling the second time around, either. So I think it`s a question of -- it all boils down to...

GRACE: Wait! Let me rephrase my question. What did you specifically see this jury do during the playing of the videos?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I saw some of the jurors in the Jackson outtakes video looking around and not watching it. And I got a sense that some of the older jurors, particularly, were annoyed and didn`t want to have to listen. Their body language was, like -- like, kind of like that, like -- they`re not really buying it anymore. And so that`s why I think, for the defense particularly, it was a risky strategy to play that tape because it was long and went on and on. And I think if they had edited it more carefully and just presented the snippets with Michael Jackson talking about his love for children, it would have been far more effective.

GRACE: Is there anything else in there, Jane Velez-Mitchell, other than the celebrity animal party, that you think the defense maybe should not have played for the jury?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: For example, he talked about how trees and grass have emotions and they respond to music, and that`s why he plays music at Neverland, because the trees and grass grow better. Now, I`m not a scientist. Maybe there`s some scientific basis for that, but it sure sounds strange. It sounds flaky. He talked about the fact that he likes to climb trees. Other people watch sports, he climbs trees. And often, his staff have to get him and say, Hey, you got a phone call, Mr. Jackson, because he`s up in a tree.

And so those are the kinds of things that are just -- they`re kooky, and I don`t know if that`s exactly the last impression you want to leave.

GRACE: But -- hey, Jane, I`ve got to go to break. We`re be right back with Peter Bowes and Jane Velez-Mitchell there at the courthouse. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Michael Jackson during happier times, but still on the evening news.

Welcome back, everybody. Straight back out to Santa Maria. Standing by, "Celebrity Justice`s" Jane Velez-Mitchell. Jane, I`ve grilled you about the defense video. Was there a response? You`re such a good sport. Thank you, friend. What was the response from the jury, if any, when the state played the little boy video, when he spoke to police?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, full disclosure here, I have to run out to do my stories, and I was in overflow. But I can tell you that those who were in the courtroom at the time said that it was very grim. And in overflow, which is a secondary courtroom, which is considered a courtroom -- it`s just like the regular courtroom, and it was packed to the gills with a whole crew of reporters -- it was very somber, as well. And you know when it`s somber amongst the reporters, who will laugh at just about anything, it was very grim.

There is no laughing when that boy tells his story. It`s a very -- it`s depressing, frankly, and it was obviously depressing for everyone. I was told that Kathryn Jackson, at the end of this very somber day, began crying, and the jury was very, very somber and grim as they left to begin their very difficult job.

GRACE: We are switching gears now, leaving Santa Maria, California, and taking you back to a case out of Coeur d`Alene, Idaho. Two young children, Dylan and Shasta Groene, still missing tonight, and there have been wire reports that the search is ending. Tonight, with us on the phone from Kootenai County, we have with us a spokesperson from the "Spokesman- Review," Susan Drumheller (ph).

Susan, there are reports flying that the search for Dylan and Shasta is ending. Is that true?

SUSAN DRUMHELLER, "SPOKESMAN-REVIEW": Not as far as I know. That has not been announced to the media here. And as far as I know, it won`t end until they find them.

GRACE: What are they doing now for the search, Susan?

DRUMHELLER: Well, as far as we know, they`re still interviewing people and following any number of leads, but the search of the landfill is over, and they didn`t find any evidence there. So you know, I`m not sure exactly where the search for the kids (INAUDIBLE)

GRACE: Let me go back to Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst. Bethany, they have searched literally hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash in landfills.

MARSHALL: Right.

GRACE: They have searched every nook and cranny surrounding the home. We`re talking about Coeur d`Alene, Idaho, Dylan and Shasta Groene still missing tonight, the 8 and 9-year-old children.

MARSHALL: Right.

GRACE: There have been several false reports. Bethany, as you look back at the crime, the mom, the boyfriend, the 13-year-old brother all found murdered...

MARSHALL: Right.

GRACE: -- what`s your take on the abductors? I hope they`re abductors and not killers of these two children.

MARSHALL: Here`s my take on the abductors. This particular crime has all the markings of a methamphetamine-related crime, and this is why. With meth-related crimes, the killing usually starts out in a ritualized manner. And these three victims were bound. And then the perpetrator or perpetrators go into explosive rage and paranoia. And then they literally engage in something we call overkill. And you can see this with these three victims. They were bludgeoned to death. There was blood all over the place.

So what I`m thinking about these two little kids, that they were taken away by -- or abducted by somebody on methamphetamine. He may, in a psychotic kind of way, have believed that he was emancipating two good little kids from a bad household. But what`s going to happen when the kids become hungry, tired, thirsty and cranky? They`ll become bad little kids in the perpetrator`s mind, and then they themselves are at risk for being murdered.

GRACE: I want to give everybody...

MARSHALL: Unfortunately.

GRACE: ... the tip number. You see it at the bottom of the screen -- 208-446-2292. The reward for any tips on these two children, Shasta and Dylan Groene, is now over $100,000. Also Elizabeth, if you can show the more recent photos. We have new photos of these two missing children as we head into the weekend. Please take a look. This is Dylan and Shasta Groene, 8 and 9 years old. We do have reason to believe they may still be alive.

Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. BEN WOLFINGER, KOOTENAI COUNTY SHERIFF`S DEPARTMENT: As far as their own motivation, I think it was best said by one of the investigators who was at the landfill. After doing a full shift down there in the heat last week, they volunteered to come up and follow leads up here. They`re, like, Why? (INAUDIBLE) Well, you know, we have children, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Well, according to the police there, the search will not end, contrary to wire reports to the opposite direction. And we pray that search goes on.

Very quickly, to tonight`s "All Points Bulletin." FBI and law enforcement across the country on the lookout for this man, Alfredo Ramirez Rosas, wanted in connection with the rape and murder of a Texas woman. Rosas, 37, 5-8, 210 pounds, black hair, brown eyes. If you have any info on Alfredo Ramirez Rosas, please contact the FBI, 713-693-5000.

Local news coming up for some of you, but we`ll all be right back. And remember, live coverage of the Jackson trial Monday, 3:00 to 5:00 Eastern on Court TV`s "Closing Arguments." Please stay with us as we remember Sgt. Jacob M. Simpson, just 24 years old, an American hero.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: What a week in America`s courtrooms. Take a look at the stories, and more important, the people who touched all of our lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): An Ohio teenager wiped out his family -- his mom, his grandparents included.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s telling me that there`s five dead! There`s another one on the couch!

(END AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can`t describe how you feel about it. It`s tough for everyone. I feel so bad for the families and the community.

GRACE: A stunning blow tonight as we learn America`s rape victims have even more to be afraid of, a therapist being forced by a judge to hand over an alleged rape victim`s therapy notes. Has anybody heard of doctor- patient privilege?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jennifer Bier has been subpoenaed to turn over her records to the Air Force...

JENNIFER BIER, RAPE COUNSELOR: Am I willing to render my whole entire field moot by surrendering records? And the answer is no.

GRACE: Two pilots on trial for getting a snootful and then landing themselves in the cockpit of a jumbo jet plane full of innocent passengers. They partied until about 4:30 AM, and then they made a morning flight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of the issues that they have been raising is whether or not they were operating the aircraft at the time.

GRACE: Press reports the search is ending for 8 and 9-year-old Shasta and her brother, Dylan Groene. New photos of these two released.

The Michael Jackson courtroom exploding with tension.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mesereau articulate, meticulous, specific. He laid it out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The prosecutor`s closing was like a Beethoven sonata. This was a masterpiece. This was compelling. He said it to the jury: Michael Jackson`s a pedophile.

GRACE: I think Jackson is going to catch at least one guilty count.

A beautiful teenager on her senior trip, destination Aruba, vanishes into thin air. Natalee Anne Holloway, last seen driving away from a local nightclub.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is totally out of character for her to just up and go missing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We pray that Natalee senses God`s protection over her in whatever is going on right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: I want to thank all of my guests tonight, but as always, my biggest thank you is to you for being with us and inviting all of us into your home. Coming up, headlines from all around the world, Larry on CNN. I`m Nancy Grace signing off for tonight. See you right here Monday, 8:00 o`clock sharp Eastern. Until then, good night, friend.

END