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Nancy Grace

Nancy Grace for June 16, 2005, CNNHN

Aired June 16, 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, is there any chance 18-year-old Natalee Holloway is still alive? The Alabama beauty vanished into thin air while on the tiny island of Aruba on her high school senior trip. Her mom, vowing tonight not to leave the island without her girl. And tonight, local police honing in on the son of an Aruban judge as a suspect in Natalee`s disappearance.
And, everybody, hold on to your seats. Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride, the one who sent the entire city of Duluth, Georgia, and the police force on a wild goose chase, well, tonight, the cat`s out of the bag. Wilbanks set to score a reported half-million dollars to sell her story. Talk about jackpot justice.

Good evening, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. And I want to thank you for being with us tonight.

Runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks ties the knot with a movie deal. After a sweetheart plea in court, Wilbanks is set to make a mint off hoodwinking the police and hundreds of volunteers who worked `round the clock to help find her. Prayer vigils, search teams, tracking dogs, and a river of tears. Tonight, Wilbanks cashes in.

But first, to Aruba and the story of a missing American girl, Natalee Holloway. Three suspects behind bars tonight, pointing the finger at each other. Police seize two cars and bags full of evidence in a search of the suspect`s homes, a judge`s son, specifically. But still, no Natalee.

Tonight in Aruba, spokesperson for the Aruba prosecutor, Mariaine Croes; in West Tampa, Florida, defense attorney Joe Episcopo; in Seattle, trial attorney Anne Bremner; and in New York, psychologist Dr. Patricia Saunders.

But first, let`s go down to Aruba and CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul. Karl, bring us up-to-date, friend.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Today there has been little new information coming out of police investigators. The court was expected to rule on two motions filed by the defense attorneys for the suspects yesterday. We haven`t heard the full results of that motion yet. The ruling was expected earlier in the day.

Seems to have been delayed a little bit, Nancy. We haven`t heard any further information about any fresh searches or anything more that may be coming out in the interrogation of those three young suspects -- Nancy?

GRACE: Well, Karl Penhaul, the two motions that are pending are, one, this young man`s father, an Aruban judicial official -- we would call him a judge -- wants to see his son. And number two, they want the release of documents between the defendants. What`s the hold up?

PENHAUL: Correct. Those are the two motions. And in fact, as a minor, 17-year-old Joran Van Der Sloot is entitled to receive visits from family members. The prosecution, however, is also entitled, I`m told, to decide whether certain family members should not attend any jail visits. That`s the decision they took initially in the case of Paul Van Der Sloot, Joran`s father. His mother, though, Anita, has, we understand, been visiting her son in the jail.

GRACE: Very quickly to Mariaine Croes. She is a spokesperson for the Aruba prosecutor there.

Mariaine, we here in America are trying to understand your system. And we have never heard of not allowing a defendant, a suspect`s, father not to visit him behind bars. What is the reasoning?

MARIAINE CROES, SPOKESPERSON FOR ARUBA PROSECUTOR: This decision was made by the prosecutor based on the fact it`s not something that`s out of the blue or very strange here. Sometimes when the prosecutor is of the opinion that visits may influence the investigation, or it can be or may be harmful to the investigation, the decision can be made for a certain period of time, no visits are allowed.

GRACE: To Dr. Patricia Saunders, clinical psychologist. Dr. Saunders, it sounds like to me that the best evidence they`re getting right now is between these three defendants pointing the finger at each other. And if one of them gets visits from the family, that could affect what they tell police. They are still on a desperate search to find this girl.

DR. PATRICIA SAUNDERS, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Let`s hope that these boys have a modicum of a conscience and that they will feel some guilt if they do see the family or that the family speaks with them in any way. I think, if the authorities keep questioning them, they`re going to crack eventually.

GRACE: Take a listen to this, Doctor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, MOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: Some days are -- they are agonizing. They are so difficult. And some days, Soledad, I have the deepest hurt that anyone could ever imagine.

This moment right now I feel like that we are working in a collaborative effort. And I feel like now I can say that, from the family to the FBI, to the local authorities, to the Arubian government, to the United States government, I feel like we are now all in this investigation. And I do feel like we are beginning to proceed forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Well, there has been many days since Natalee went missing.

Very quickly, back to Karl Penhaul, CNN correspondent there in Aruba. Karl, what can you tell us about this evidence that was seized? We know many bags of evidence were taken from these three suspects` home.

And let`s get it straight, Karl. At the beginning, two minority security guards were arrested, all right, taken into custody in connection with Natalee`s disappearance. The three young men that took her from the bar, Carlos and Charlie`s, that night, were not arrested. They were questioned and released. Now they`re behind bars, and the two security guards have been released. Now, what was in the evidence taken from these three young men`s home?

PENHAUL: The only evidence that we can confirm we know has been taken was that, in the first raid on the three suspects` homes, which was a week ago last Thursday, we saw taken out of the Kalpoe brothers` houses a computer hard drive. And we also saw a silver gray Honda being impounded at that house.

And then yesterday, there was a second raid on the Van Der Sloot home. That was the second raid on their home within the week. And at that time, two more cars were impounded, and bags of items were taken away in plastic bags. We don`t know precisely what was in those plastic bags, though, Nancy.

And you say, yes, two black security guards were the first two to be arrested. They were arrested six days after Natalee Holloway`s disappearance. And the other three suspects, the young suspects, the three last seen in Natalee`s company, were then arrested ten days after her disappearance.

GRACE: Joining us tonight, Mariaine Croes. She is a spokesperson for the Aruba prosecutor.

Mariaine, what evidence was seized? We know bags of evidence were taken from the home. But what`s in the bags?

CROES: At this moment, that is something that we cannot comment about. I can only say that what is in those bags will be submitted to further technical investigation.

GRACE: Mariaine, how much longer will these suspects be held before they go back to court?

CROES: At this moment, the prosecutor has petitioned to prolong their detention. So they will be heard in the couple of -- in the next couple of days by a judge of instruction who will then decide if he will prolong their detention with a period of eight days.

GRACE: Mariaine, when does the prosecution have to disclose the evidence on which they are relying to keep these three behind bars?

CROES: Normally, the disclosure of all of the evidence that has been accumulating during an investigation will be disclosed during the trial.

GRACE: Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANITA VAN DER SLOOT, SUSPECT`S MOTHER: He was not upset. He understood the police. He was quiet. He was open. He helped the police as much as possible. He was willing to speak to the parents. He was willing to help with anything.

And he had a kind of quietness -- and he said, "Mom, don`t be upset, because everything will be fine. I know I`m innocent. I didn`t do anything." And in a very almost naive way, he was very open with us, told us everything what happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That is the mother of Joran Van Der Sloot, the son of an Aruban judge who is now in custody. This is a shot of him. He, along with two others, took Natalee, escorted her -- she went along willingly -- from Carlos and Charlie`s bar the night she disappeared.

Karl Penhaul, before we go break, there are two other suspects still behind bars, the Kalpoe brothers, friends of Van Der Sloot`s. They want to see al the documents in the case. So far, they have not even been allowed to see all of the documents. Will they get to see them?

PENHAUL: Again that`s something that will depend, we understand, on the prosecution`s service. What the prosecution heads have told us is that they have to present enough evidence to defense attorneys that will suggest why they`re keeping them in detention, why they want to continue to keep them in detention.

But they`re not at this stage under any obligation to provide full disclosure of all of the evidence at that stage against the clients, just sufficient to make their case to keep them under arrest.

GRACE: A justice system very different than that in America. We are struggling to understand it. The latest reports are that these statements of the three co-defendants are changing as they remain behind bars. We`ll have a crack team of attorneys to analyze it when we get back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBEN TRAPENBERG, ARUBA GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON: Situations like this, we don`t get on the island. We don`t have people go missing, you know, every day. So that`s why, as a country, it`s a national -- it`s of national importance to us that she is found. But the FBI has been giving expert technical assistance, and also, we have had from the police teams in Holland. So the work is ongoing. There are professionals at work. And we want results now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICKEY JOHN, FORMER SUSPECT IN MISSING GIRL CASE: Told me the story about dropping the girl off (UNINTELLIGIBLE) all made up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why? Why would they make it up?

JOHN: Because he told me apparently that no one -- somebody is missing, like a young tourist person missing. They`ll find them, like in a few days, in some crack house or with some beach (UNINTELLIGIBLE) So they thought they would find her a few days after. When push come to shove, and they couldn`t get her, they decided to tell the truth. He told his brother to tell the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That is the young man that was held behind bars, a local security guard. He has hasnow been released. We`re talking about the disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway, not only an Alabama beauty, but an honor student, as well, with a full scholarship waiting for her. She planned to go to medical school.

On a trip as innocent as a high school senior get-together to Aruba, she went missing. Her family ensconced in Aruba, vowing not to leave until they bring their girl home. The reality is, is that possible?

Natalee, where are you?

Tonight, Karl Penhaul joining us, CNN correspondent from Aruba. Karl, I understand that these three young men, the ones that took her from the bar that night, a bar restaurant, their stories are changing the more they`re questioned, the longer they`re behind bars.

And it happened pretty quickly. Their stories started to drift apart, inconsistencies manifesting themselves. What do we know of their conflicting statements tonight, Karl?

PENHAUL: Little more than that at this stage, Nancy. A law enforcement source close to this investigation has told us that there are cracks, there are discrepancies in their stories. He`s also told us that the three continue pointing fingers at each other.

We understand that that includes discrepancies in where they say that they dropped Natalee off and where they went after leaving Carlos and Charlie`s bar, discrepancies about who of the boys got out of the car first. But beyond that, publicly, nothing more has been said about it, Nancy.

GRACE: Well, you know, I`m several thousand miles away, and I know some inconsistencies.

To Joe Episcopo, number one, they first said they dropped her off at the Holiday Inn where she was staying, along with many of the other kids from her high school. Then suddenly it turns out they dropped her off at the Marriott, Joe. And we know that there was a huge area called lover`s lane that was then searched by search teams and with tracking dogs.

We know that Van Der Sloot says -- Joran Van Der Sloot, the judge`s son -- that they all three left her at the same time. The Kalpoe brothers that were with him, two of them say, "Oh, no, no. We left her with Van Der Sloot."

Then the story morphed, Joe Episcopo, that instead of taking her straight home to the Holiday Inn, they went to a lighthouse, that they went down on a beach, that they had fun on the beach. Then it morphed that Van Der Sloot had been kissing her in the back of the car. The story has definitely -- let me say euphemistically -- evolved, Joe.

JOE EPISCOPO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Nancy, you know, I`m surprised because Van Der Sloot has a lawyer, Antonio Carlo. I would think he`d tell him, "Maybe it`s better not say anything." I don`t know if the Kalpoe brothers have an attorney. But certainly, these contradictory statements have led to these additional searches and investigations. So they are getting some information, even though it`s contradictory. And I think they should probably keep their mouths shut.

GRACE: Well, you`re coming at it from a defense point of view. And believe me, Joe Episcopo has won a lot of cases.

Anne Bremner, what it means to me is somebody is lying. With these inconsistencies, they can`t all three be telling the truth. That leads me to my next question, Anne. Why would one of them be lying?

ANNE BREMNER, TRIAL ATTORNEY: Well, because, you know, falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus, which is, you know, false in one, false in all.

They`re lying because they`re involved. And you look at all of the history of criminal cases, Leopold and Loeb, you know, Clarence Darrow`s case, the Charles Manson case, even in cold blood with Perry Histock (ph), the finger-pointing amongst defendants and the lies usually turns out in those situations that they`re involved.

Why do they think they`re going to be exonerated and let go by giving more stories? They`re implicating each other thinking they`re going walk. And the fact is, they just get in deeper and deeper. And it`s usually the case that they`re involved, they implicate each other. And in doing that, they implicate themselves.

And these inconsistencies are very telling. And they`re going lead to a more thorough investigation. All`s well that ends well, Nancy, as you know, with an investigation fueled by this information from defendants for the prosecution.

GRACE: Well, Anne, if you take a look at the timeline here, the more they talk, the more the searches hone in on Joran Van Der Sloot.

BREMNER: Right.

GRACE: Now we have the computer search, the bags of evidence, additional cars being towed. So whatever they`re saying, it`s leading to more specific and focused investigation.

Very quickly, we`ll all be right back. We are live in Aruba.

But to "Trial Tracking." Former KKKer, Edgar Ray Killen, taken from court today on a stretcher, allegedly for high blood pressure. Today, day one of testimony in Killen`s trial for the `64 murders of three civil rights workers just outside Philadelphia, Mississippi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had a smothering sensation. That`s when he first put into with his nurse for observation and treatment. And then they called in some oxygen for him, and then they call the paramedic, and the paramedic suggested taking him to the emergency room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Killen now standing trial for the shooting deaths of James Chaney, a Mississippi man, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, both civil rights workers from New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROES: At this moment, we have three suspects in custody, and we are investigating every lead concerning all three suspects. They are being interrogated on a daily basis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Welcome back, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace.

We are live in Aruba and the latest on the Natalee Holloway disappearance. Before we switch gears and go to our next story, straight back down to Aruba and CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul.

Karl, what`s next in the investigation? I`m still confused as to why they are not bringing in divers. We know that the young men said they dropped her off at Holiday Inn. That`s one spot they could search. At the Marriott, where they said they went, they could search. At the lighthouse, where they said they went, they could search.

I find it hard to believe, Karl Penhaul, that they cannot target a spot to dive.

PENHAUL: Well, I`ve also been talking to search-and-rescue experts on the island. That search-and-rescue team here is a civilian team, not officially part of either of the police force or obviously the Dutch marine force. What they say is this, that the currents and the tides around the island are very consistent.

But also, if you want to put an object in the sea, and hope for it to drift away, one would have to go out probably 50 or 100 yards, because Aruba is on a plateau. You walk out and for 150 or 100 yards, the sea is only waist-high, here on the west side where the currents are strongest, drifting westward into open ocean.

You go on the north side, any object that one were to put in the sea would immediately be pushed back to the shore. That`s the reason that the geography of the island doesn`t at this stage merit that, in terms of what has been pinpointed, what hasn`t been pinpointed. The search is focused on the land areas, Nancy.

GRACE: Well, Karl Penhaul, if the island -- number one, as a diver myself, I`m also concerned that they have a civilian dive recovery team. Why aren`t experts being called in to find this girl? I`m sure that the FBI divers would be happy to help if they were allowed to.

But you`re saying, Karl, that the focus is on the island. Where? Where on the island?

PENHAUL: On the land itself. The search-and-rescue teams together with police and Dutch marines say that they`ve searched most of the public areas on the island. Talking, though, to one of the search-and-rescue leaders, he says that he believes now more thorough searches of certain parts of the island need to be carried out, particularly, he says, an area of sand dunes up by the lighthouse on the northwest tip.

And also on the northern side of the island, there are a number of old gold mine shafts. Those have been disused for more than 100 years. Some of them are very deep, and they`re now flooded by sea water. We don`t believe that any specialized teams have gone down into those dive shafts with ropes. It`s very difficult to do that.

GRACE: Very quickly, Karl Penhaul, how is this affecting the people there in Aruba? I know that the mini-carnival, which was a big tourist thing for them, has been called off. I get the sense they`re not doing everything we would expect them to do to find the girl. And it`s hurting them.

PENHAUL: The Aruban people from the get-go have been very anxious about the developments in this case, first and foremost, because of Natalee, the girl. A girl is missing here. That`s very much out of context for this island where the tourist trade is very rarely affected by any kind of violent crime.

Second to that, yes, Aruba is highly dependent on tourism trade. They don`t want this to affect their standing, either. But first, concern for the girl.

GRACE: OK, Karl Penhaul, thank you, friend. Karl Penhaul, CNN correspondent there in Aruba.

As we go to break, we at NANCY GRACE want very much to help solve unsolved homicides, find missing people. Please, take a look at Tamika Huston, 24-years-old, from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Tamika mysteriously disappeared one year ago.

Police call it a kidnapping, but they also found Tamika`s blood in a boyfriend`s apartment. A 911 caller contacted police shortly after, describing how his brother had a fight with a girl and drowned her in a lake. Police wonder, was that Tamika?

Please help us find this girl. If you have any information about Tamika, please call 864-596-2335. There is a $30,000 reward for this beautiful missing girl.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Jennifer Wilbanks got a sweetheart deal, the so-called runaway bride, straight probation and a $13,000 payback to the city of Duluth after she pulled the wool over the eyes of police and hundreds of volunteers. Wasn`t so long ago there were prayer vigils, tracking dogs, hundreds of volunteers fighting through the forests and the brush around the Chattahoochee River there in Georgia. She had just taken a powder, a case of cold feet, just before a gigantic wedding, 600 people invited.

But stunning developments tonight. Looks like she`s lined up to make a reported $500,000 -- you heard me right, half a million dollars -- to sell her story.

Tonight, in Houston, Texas, the director of the victims crime office there in Houston for the mayor of Houston, Andy Kahan. But first let`s go to "Washington Post" reporter Howard Kurtz. Welcome, Howard. Thank you for being with us. What is your take on the -- cha-ching! -- half a mill Jennifer Wilbanks reportedly is going to get paid?

HOWARD KURTZ, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, what`s really unusual about it, Nancy -- I have the deal memo right here from super-agent Judith Regan offering the half million dollars to Wilbanks and her fiance not just for the TV movie rights, which we probably all expected, but to be paid after the completion of the first interview with Jennifer Wilbanks and John mason. So this interview went to NBC and Katie Couric. NBC says it didn`t pay a dime for it. But Jennifer Wilbanks not only sold her TV movie rights, she sold her first interview to Judith Regan. I`ve never seen that before.

GRACE: You know, have you ever seen anything like it, Howard?

KURTZ: Well, I watched day after day after day, first when we thought Jennifer Wilbanks was missing, abducted, maybe dead. And then when it turned out she didn`t want to go to this wedding, it became a two-week media extravaganza. I thought the press devoted way, way too much coverage to it. But now, for her to plead guilty, pay the fine, turn around and strike this big-bucks deal, I`m already getting bombarded with e-mail from people who are angry that this self-inflicted tragedy that she imposed on her family, and in a way, the country, has turned into a big payday for her.

GRACE: Elizabeth, hold that photo just one moment. I remember having Jennifer`s father on one night. And yes, we covered it a lot here, Howard, on our show because we thought there was a chance we could help find the girl. She pulled the wool over my eyes, all right, taking her cell -- leaving behind her cell phone, credit cards, driver`s license, money, everything, and disappearing into thin air. And I was so worried about the girl we later found out that -- there you see prior booking photos.

And I`m going to go quickly to Andy Kahan. Andy, you remember the search for Jennifer Wilbanks. I had her dad on. We cried during a commercial break. I was so distraught that this girl had been kidnapped.

ANDY KAHAN, DIR., VICTIMS CRIME OFFICE FOR HOUSTON MAYOR: Yes. We all did.

GRACE: What do you think about the $500,000, half a mill?

KAHAN: I`m telling you, Nancy, she`s a despicable, pathetic, lousy excuse for a human being. If I was the court right now, I would order her back into the chambers. I would bring her in front of the judge. I would amend her conditions of probation. And I don`t see why they`re not doing it. And it would state that, During the conditions of your probation, while you`re on probation, you are not going to sell your rights for books or movie deals.

What has she accomplished? Let me see. She`s a thief. She`s a convicted liar. She`s a con artist. And now she`s a convicted felon. Where on earth are we -- are we doing about this? That`s the problem that you`ve got with this. Bring her back before the court, enforce conditions and let Regan Media take it all the way to the Supreme Court. And I know you`ll agree with me, Nancy, but I am sick and tired of convicted criminals who are using the ill-gotten deeds, that notoriety that they achieve by committing crimes, and now being able to profit off it. This to me is the end of the line!

GRACE: Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - April 29, 2005)

HARRIS WILBANKS, JENNIFER WILBANKS`S FATHER: Right now I would hope and pray it would be a case of cold feet. I don`t think that`s -- I don`t think that`s what it is, but I would certainly welcome that, at this point in time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That was Jennifer`s father -- is Jennifer`s father during a search for Jennifer. And you know, Joe Episcopo, this was one of those rare times I said don`t prosecute this girl, save those bed spaces in jail for robbers and rapists and murderers. She got a case of cold feet. Just make her pay back the city of Duluth. Well, guess what? That search cost tens of thousands of dollars. She only had to pay $13,000. Now she`s making half a mill! Joe Episcopo, under the law, is there really any way her probation can be amended?

JOE EPISCOPO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No. I think it would be an unconstitutional condition. Listen, let`s calm down about this. How come nobody`s upset about John Mason`s half? Does he get -- is he going to get all this retribution for this, too? Look, she`s broke. They approached her. They made an offer. She took it. She can pay off her debts. She can pay back her parents. And John Mason also gets a quarter of a million dollars. How come nobody`s mentioning his name?

GRACE: Well, because he`s not the one that pulled the wool over everybody`s eyes and cost the city of Duluth thousands and thousands of dollars. Not only that, police working overtime. You know, Elizabeth, will you that that shot of her with that blanket on her head -- I have just about had it with her, after so many people begged for mercy, not to have her prosecuted, prayed for her return, and now a $500,000 reward for her?

You know, Anne Bremner, I agree with Andy. This is making money off a crime.

ANNE BREMNER, TRIAL ATTORNEY: But you know, Nancy, life doesn`t imitate art, it imitates bad TV. And you know, that`s what comes to my mind. She`s not -- she`s just like anybody else. Look at Mary Kay Letourneau. She just...

GRACE: Oh, good Lord!

BREMNER: ... almost a million dollars for a wedding when she was involved with a 12-year-old.

GRACE: Look, you know what? Anne, does that mean it`s OK just because Mary Kay Letourneau did it? That`s a heck of a standard to live down to!

BREMNER: Nancy, what I`m saying...

GRACE: Back to "Washington Post" -- hold on just a sec -- to Howard Kurtz. You know, I want to get back to you, Howard, about this interview, about what all this deal could include. And Andy Kahan is right, Howard. Thanks to our U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. v. Simon Schuster (ph), you can make money off a crime.

KURTZ: But you know, Nancy, Jennifer Wilbanks and her fiance are only worth $500,000 if there`s some television network out there that is willing to put on the inevitable made-for-TV movie. And they will get an hour of free advertising when Katie Couric and NBC do their primetime special on the poor runaway bride, which is supposed to air next Tuesday. So the media are complicit in this.

And just to clarify, I was a lot less critical of the coverage when she was missing and thought to be abducted or maybe dead...

GRACE: Right.

KURTZ: ... a lot more critical of the orgy of televised psychoanalysis that followed when we knew that she was safe, and why did she do it, and she couldn`t face the wedding, and all of that.

GRACE: Well, I got to tell you, I`m going to plead not guilty to that. Once she was found, I`m, like, OK, you know what? It`s over! But during that search, Howard, I agree with you, I really wanted to do all we could do to find her.

You know, and another thing, Howard, before we go to break -- everybody is joining me when we get back -- I don`t blame the media or say they`re complicit in this. This is all Wilbanks and Mason going to the bank, Howard.

KURTZ: (INAUDIBLE) -- create the market value. If every network in America said, You know what? We`re not going to pay any money for her TV movie, then she would be off.

GRACE: Quick break, everybody. We`ll all be right back.

Let`s go to tonight`s "All Points Bulletin." FBI and law enforcement across the country on the lookout for this man, Gary Gene Smith, wanted in connection with the `82 kidnapping and rape of a 19-year-old woman in Geneseo (ph), New York. Smith, late 50s, 6-1, 180 pounds, brown hair, possibly dyed blonde, hazel eyes. If you have any information on Gary Gene Smith, take a look, contact the FBI, 716-856-7800.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Jennifer Wilbanks got a sweetheart deal, the so-called runaway bride, straight probation and a $13,000 payback to the city of Duluth after she pulled the wool over the eyes of police and hundreds of volunteers. Wasn`t so long ago there were prayer vigils, tracking dogs, hundreds of volunteers fighting through the forests and the brush around the Chattahoochee River there in Georgia. She had just taken a powder, a case of cold feet, just before a gigantic wedding, 600 people invited.

But stunning developments tonight. Looks like she`s lined up to make a reported $500,000 -- you heard me right, half a million dollars -- to sell her story.

Tonight, in Houston, Texas, the director of the victims crime office there in Houston for the mayor of Houston, Andy Kahan. But first let`s go to "Washington Post" reporter Howard Kurtz. Welcome, Howard. Thank you for being with us. What is your take on the -- cha-ching! -- half a mill Jennifer Wilbanks reportedly is going to get paid?

HOWARD KURTZ, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, what`s really unusual about it, Nancy -- I have the deal memo right here from super-agent Judith Regan offering the half million dollars to Wilbanks and her fiance not just for the TV movie rights, which we probably all expected, but to be paid after the completion of the first interview with Jennifer Wilbanks and John mason. So this interview went to NBC and Katie Couric. NBC says it didn`t pay a dime for it. But Jennifer Wilbanks not only sold her TV movie rights, she sold her first interview to Judith Regan. I`ve never seen that before.

GRACE: You know, have you ever seen anything like it, Howard?

KURTZ: Well, I watched day after day after day, first when we thought Jennifer Wilbanks was missing, abducted, maybe dead. And then when it turned out she didn`t want to go to this wedding, it became a two-week media extravaganza. I thought the press devoted way, way too much coverage to it. But now, for her to plead guilty, pay the fine, turn around and strike this big-bucks deal, I`m already getting bombarded with e-mail from people who are angry that this self-inflicted tragedy that she imposed on her family, and in a way, the country, has turned into a big payday for her.

GRACE: Elizabeth, hold that photo just one moment. I remember having Jennifer`s father on one night. And yes, we covered it a lot here, Howard, on our show because we thought there was a chance we could help find the girl. She pulled the wool over my eyes, all right, taking her cell -- leaving behind her cell phone, credit cards, driver`s license, money, everything, and disappearing into thin air. And I was so worried about the girl we later found out that -- there you see prior booking photos.

And I`m going to go quickly to Andy Kahan. Andy, you remember the search for Jennifer Wilbanks. I had her dad on. We cried during a commercial break. I was so distraught that this girl had been kidnapped.

ANDY KAHAN, DIR., VICTIMS CRIME OFFICE FOR HOUSTON MAYOR: Yes. We all did.

GRACE: What do you think about the $500,000, half a mill?

KAHAN: I`m telling you, Nancy, she`s a despicable, pathetic, lousy excuse for a human being. If I was the court right now, I would order her back into the chambers. I would bring her in front of the judge. I would amend her conditions of probation. And I don`t see why they`re not doing it. And it would state that, During the conditions of your probation, while you`re on probation, you are not going to sell your rights for books or movie deals.

What has she accomplished? Let me see. She`s a thief. She`s a convicted liar. She`s a con artist. And now she`s a convicted felon. Where on earth are we -- are we doing about this? That`s the problem that you`ve got with this. Bring her back before the court, enforce conditions and let Regan Media take it all the way to the Supreme Court. And I know you`ll agree with me, Nancy, but I am sick and tired of convicted criminals who are using the ill-gotten deeds, that notoriety that they achieve by committing crimes, and now being able to profit off it. This to me is the end of the line!

GRACE: Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - April 29, 2005)

HARRIS WILBANKS, JENNIFER WILBANKS`S FATHER: Right now I would hope and pray it would be a case of cold feet. I don`t think that`s -- I don`t think that`s what it is, but I would certainly welcome that, at this point in time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That was Jennifer`s father -- is Jennifer`s father during a search for Jennifer. And you know, Joe Episcopo, this was one of those rare times I said don`t prosecute this girl, save those bed spaces in jail for robbers and rapists and murderers. She got a case of cold feet. Just make her pay back the city of Duluth. Well, guess what? That search cost tens of thousands of dollars. She only had to pay $13,000. Now she`s making half a mill! Joe Episcopo, under the law, is there really any way her probation can be amended?

JOE EPISCOPO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No. I think it would be an unconstitutional condition. Listen, let`s calm down about this. How come nobody`s upset about John Mason`s half? Does he get -- is he going to get all this retribution for this, too? Look, she`s broke. They approached her. They made an offer. She took it. She can pay off her debts. She can pay back her parents. And John Mason also gets a quarter of a million dollars. How come nobody`s mentioning his name?

GRACE: Well, because he`s not the one that pulled the wool over everybody`s eyes and cost the city of Duluth thousands and thousands of dollars. Not only that, police working overtime. You know, Elizabeth, will you that that shot of her with that blanket on her head -- I have just about had it with her, after so many people begged for mercy, not to have her prosecuted, prayed for her return, and now a $500,000 reward for her?

You know, Anne Bremner, I agree with Andy. This is making money off a crime.

ANNE BREMNER, TRIAL ATTORNEY: But you know, Nancy, life doesn`t imitate art, it imitates bad TV. And you know, that`s what comes to my mind. She`s not -- she`s just like anybody else. Look at Mary Kay Letourneau. She just...

GRACE: Oh, good Lord!

BREMNER: ... almost a million dollars for a wedding when she was involved with a 12-year-old.

GRACE: Look, you know what? Anne, does that mean it`s OK just because Mary Kay Letourneau did it? That`s a heck of a standard to live down to!

BREMNER: Nancy, what I`m saying...

GRACE: Back to "Washington Post" -- hold on just a sec -- to Howard Kurtz. You know, I want to get back to you, Howard, about this interview, about what all this deal could include. And Andy Kahan is right, Howard. Thanks to our U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. v. Simon Schuster (ph), you can make money off a crime.

KURTZ: But you know, Nancy, Jennifer Wilbanks and her fiance are only worth $500,000 if there`s some television network out there that is willing to put on the inevitable made-for-TV movie. And they will get an hour of free advertising when Katie Couric and NBC do their primetime special on the poor runaway bride, which is supposed to air next Tuesday. So the media are complicit in this.

And just to clarify, I was a lot less critical of the coverage when she was missing and thought to be abducted or maybe dead...

GRACE: Right.

KURTZ: ... a lot more critical of the orgy of televised psychoanalysis that followed when we knew that she was safe, and why did she do it, and she couldn`t face the wedding, and all of that.

GRACE: Well, I got to tell you, I`m going to plead not guilty to that. Once she was found, I`m, like, OK, you know what? It`s over! But during that search, Howard, I agree with you, I really wanted to do all we could do to find her.

You know, and another thing, Howard, before we go to break -- everybody is joining me when we get back -- I don`t blame the media or say they`re complicit in this. This is all Wilbanks and Mason going to the bank, Howard.

KURTZ: (INAUDIBLE) -- create the market value. If every network in America said, You know what? We`re not going to pay any money for her TV movie, then she would be off.

GRACE: Quick break, everybody. We`ll all be right back.

Let`s go to tonight`s "All Points Bulletin." FBI and law enforcement across the country on the lookout for this man, Gary Gene Smith, wanted in connection with the `82 kidnapping and rape of a 19-year-old woman in Geneseo (ph), New York. Smith, late 50s, 6-1, 180 pounds, brown hair, possibly dyed blonde, hazel eyes. If you have any information on Gary Gene Smith, take a look, contact the FBI, 716-856-7800.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: If you are a crime victim with a story to tell, if you know of an injustice or a case that needs a spotlight, please call 1-888-GRACE01. That`s 1-888-472-2301, or go on line to CNN.com/NancyGrace.

Welcome back, everybody. Jennifer Wilbanks, the so-called runaway bride, set to cash in reportedly to the tune of half a million dollars. Hello!

Final thought, Andy.

KAHAN: Convicted felons should never profit from their crimes. And the citizens of Duluth should seriously consider filing a civil suit against Wilbanks for the pain, grief, misery and agony that she caused them. And if I were the judge, I`d bring her right back into court and I`d have her on 24-hour surveillance, and if she spit the wrong way, I`d violate her probation and throw her in jail.

GRACE: Joe Episcopo?

EPISCOPO: You know, newspapers and media are the first ones to cry and complain if their 1st Amendment rights are restricted. But how about this take on the 1st Amendment right of free speech? That`s not approved by the media, and now they want to take it away.

GRACE: Patricia Saunders (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their naked greed and avarice makes me really wonder if these aren`t two sociopaths who cooked up this whole plot to make some buckage.

GRACE: Anne Bremner?

BREMNER: Inquiring minds want to know, Nancy. And hope springs eternal. Maybe she has something to say that`s helpful, and maybe she`ll donate the money.

GRACE: Howard Kurtz from "The Washington Post?

KURTZ: I wonder whether people will actually watch this TV movie, and if this couple belatedly finally actually does get married, will CNN and the other networks be there to provide live coverage or will we just say no?

GRACE: I wonder, Howard, if they will sell rights to their wedding, the way Mary Kay Letourneau did. But I guess that`s another paycheck for another day.

I want to thank all of my guests tonight. But as always, my biggest thank you is to you for being with all of us, inviting us into your home. Coming up, headlines from around the world on Headline News, Larry on CNN. I`m Nancy Grace, signing off again for tonight. Hope to see you right here tomorrow night, 8:00 o`clock sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END


Aired June 16, 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, is there any chance 18-year-old Natalee Holloway is still alive? The Alabama beauty vanished into thin air while on the tiny island of Aruba on her high school senior trip. Her mom, vowing tonight not to leave the island without her girl. And tonight, local police honing in on the son of an Aruban judge as a suspect in Natalee`s disappearance.
And, everybody, hold on to your seats. Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride, the one who sent the entire city of Duluth, Georgia, and the police force on a wild goose chase, well, tonight, the cat`s out of the bag. Wilbanks set to score a reported half-million dollars to sell her story. Talk about jackpot justice.

Good evening, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace. And I want to thank you for being with us tonight.

Runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks ties the knot with a movie deal. After a sweetheart plea in court, Wilbanks is set to make a mint off hoodwinking the police and hundreds of volunteers who worked `round the clock to help find her. Prayer vigils, search teams, tracking dogs, and a river of tears. Tonight, Wilbanks cashes in.

But first, to Aruba and the story of a missing American girl, Natalee Holloway. Three suspects behind bars tonight, pointing the finger at each other. Police seize two cars and bags full of evidence in a search of the suspect`s homes, a judge`s son, specifically. But still, no Natalee.

Tonight in Aruba, spokesperson for the Aruba prosecutor, Mariaine Croes; in West Tampa, Florida, defense attorney Joe Episcopo; in Seattle, trial attorney Anne Bremner; and in New York, psychologist Dr. Patricia Saunders.

But first, let`s go down to Aruba and CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul. Karl, bring us up-to-date, friend.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Today there has been little new information coming out of police investigators. The court was expected to rule on two motions filed by the defense attorneys for the suspects yesterday. We haven`t heard the full results of that motion yet. The ruling was expected earlier in the day.

Seems to have been delayed a little bit, Nancy. We haven`t heard any further information about any fresh searches or anything more that may be coming out in the interrogation of those three young suspects -- Nancy?

GRACE: Well, Karl Penhaul, the two motions that are pending are, one, this young man`s father, an Aruban judicial official -- we would call him a judge -- wants to see his son. And number two, they want the release of documents between the defendants. What`s the hold up?

PENHAUL: Correct. Those are the two motions. And in fact, as a minor, 17-year-old Joran Van Der Sloot is entitled to receive visits from family members. The prosecution, however, is also entitled, I`m told, to decide whether certain family members should not attend any jail visits. That`s the decision they took initially in the case of Paul Van Der Sloot, Joran`s father. His mother, though, Anita, has, we understand, been visiting her son in the jail.

GRACE: Very quickly to Mariaine Croes. She is a spokesperson for the Aruba prosecutor there.

Mariaine, we here in America are trying to understand your system. And we have never heard of not allowing a defendant, a suspect`s, father not to visit him behind bars. What is the reasoning?

MARIAINE CROES, SPOKESPERSON FOR ARUBA PROSECUTOR: This decision was made by the prosecutor based on the fact it`s not something that`s out of the blue or very strange here. Sometimes when the prosecutor is of the opinion that visits may influence the investigation, or it can be or may be harmful to the investigation, the decision can be made for a certain period of time, no visits are allowed.

GRACE: To Dr. Patricia Saunders, clinical psychologist. Dr. Saunders, it sounds like to me that the best evidence they`re getting right now is between these three defendants pointing the finger at each other. And if one of them gets visits from the family, that could affect what they tell police. They are still on a desperate search to find this girl.

DR. PATRICIA SAUNDERS, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Let`s hope that these boys have a modicum of a conscience and that they will feel some guilt if they do see the family or that the family speaks with them in any way. I think, if the authorities keep questioning them, they`re going to crack eventually.

GRACE: Take a listen to this, Doctor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, MOTHER OF MISSING GIRL: Some days are -- they are agonizing. They are so difficult. And some days, Soledad, I have the deepest hurt that anyone could ever imagine.

This moment right now I feel like that we are working in a collaborative effort. And I feel like now I can say that, from the family to the FBI, to the local authorities, to the Arubian government, to the United States government, I feel like we are now all in this investigation. And I do feel like we are beginning to proceed forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Well, there has been many days since Natalee went missing.

Very quickly, back to Karl Penhaul, CNN correspondent there in Aruba. Karl, what can you tell us about this evidence that was seized? We know many bags of evidence were taken from these three suspects` home.

And let`s get it straight, Karl. At the beginning, two minority security guards were arrested, all right, taken into custody in connection with Natalee`s disappearance. The three young men that took her from the bar, Carlos and Charlie`s, that night, were not arrested. They were questioned and released. Now they`re behind bars, and the two security guards have been released. Now, what was in the evidence taken from these three young men`s home?

PENHAUL: The only evidence that we can confirm we know has been taken was that, in the first raid on the three suspects` homes, which was a week ago last Thursday, we saw taken out of the Kalpoe brothers` houses a computer hard drive. And we also saw a silver gray Honda being impounded at that house.

And then yesterday, there was a second raid on the Van Der Sloot home. That was the second raid on their home within the week. And at that time, two more cars were impounded, and bags of items were taken away in plastic bags. We don`t know precisely what was in those plastic bags, though, Nancy.

And you say, yes, two black security guards were the first two to be arrested. They were arrested six days after Natalee Holloway`s disappearance. And the other three suspects, the young suspects, the three last seen in Natalee`s company, were then arrested ten days after her disappearance.

GRACE: Joining us tonight, Mariaine Croes. She is a spokesperson for the Aruba prosecutor.

Mariaine, what evidence was seized? We know bags of evidence were taken from the home. But what`s in the bags?

CROES: At this moment, that is something that we cannot comment about. I can only say that what is in those bags will be submitted to further technical investigation.

GRACE: Mariaine, how much longer will these suspects be held before they go back to court?

CROES: At this moment, the prosecutor has petitioned to prolong their detention. So they will be heard in the couple of -- in the next couple of days by a judge of instruction who will then decide if he will prolong their detention with a period of eight days.

GRACE: Mariaine, when does the prosecution have to disclose the evidence on which they are relying to keep these three behind bars?

CROES: Normally, the disclosure of all of the evidence that has been accumulating during an investigation will be disclosed during the trial.

GRACE: Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANITA VAN DER SLOOT, SUSPECT`S MOTHER: He was not upset. He understood the police. He was quiet. He was open. He helped the police as much as possible. He was willing to speak to the parents. He was willing to help with anything.

And he had a kind of quietness -- and he said, "Mom, don`t be upset, because everything will be fine. I know I`m innocent. I didn`t do anything." And in a very almost naive way, he was very open with us, told us everything what happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That is the mother of Joran Van Der Sloot, the son of an Aruban judge who is now in custody. This is a shot of him. He, along with two others, took Natalee, escorted her -- she went along willingly -- from Carlos and Charlie`s bar the night she disappeared.

Karl Penhaul, before we go break, there are two other suspects still behind bars, the Kalpoe brothers, friends of Van Der Sloot`s. They want to see al the documents in the case. So far, they have not even been allowed to see all of the documents. Will they get to see them?

PENHAUL: Again that`s something that will depend, we understand, on the prosecution`s service. What the prosecution heads have told us is that they have to present enough evidence to defense attorneys that will suggest why they`re keeping them in detention, why they want to continue to keep them in detention.

But they`re not at this stage under any obligation to provide full disclosure of all of the evidence at that stage against the clients, just sufficient to make their case to keep them under arrest.

GRACE: A justice system very different than that in America. We are struggling to understand it. The latest reports are that these statements of the three co-defendants are changing as they remain behind bars. We`ll have a crack team of attorneys to analyze it when we get back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUBEN TRAPENBERG, ARUBA GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON: Situations like this, we don`t get on the island. We don`t have people go missing, you know, every day. So that`s why, as a country, it`s a national -- it`s of national importance to us that she is found. But the FBI has been giving expert technical assistance, and also, we have had from the police teams in Holland. So the work is ongoing. There are professionals at work. And we want results now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICKEY JOHN, FORMER SUSPECT IN MISSING GIRL CASE: Told me the story about dropping the girl off (UNINTELLIGIBLE) all made up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why? Why would they make it up?

JOHN: Because he told me apparently that no one -- somebody is missing, like a young tourist person missing. They`ll find them, like in a few days, in some crack house or with some beach (UNINTELLIGIBLE) So they thought they would find her a few days after. When push come to shove, and they couldn`t get her, they decided to tell the truth. He told his brother to tell the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That is the young man that was held behind bars, a local security guard. He has hasnow been released. We`re talking about the disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway, not only an Alabama beauty, but an honor student, as well, with a full scholarship waiting for her. She planned to go to medical school.

On a trip as innocent as a high school senior get-together to Aruba, she went missing. Her family ensconced in Aruba, vowing not to leave until they bring their girl home. The reality is, is that possible?

Natalee, where are you?

Tonight, Karl Penhaul joining us, CNN correspondent from Aruba. Karl, I understand that these three young men, the ones that took her from the bar that night, a bar restaurant, their stories are changing the more they`re questioned, the longer they`re behind bars.

And it happened pretty quickly. Their stories started to drift apart, inconsistencies manifesting themselves. What do we know of their conflicting statements tonight, Karl?

PENHAUL: Little more than that at this stage, Nancy. A law enforcement source close to this investigation has told us that there are cracks, there are discrepancies in their stories. He`s also told us that the three continue pointing fingers at each other.

We understand that that includes discrepancies in where they say that they dropped Natalee off and where they went after leaving Carlos and Charlie`s bar, discrepancies about who of the boys got out of the car first. But beyond that, publicly, nothing more has been said about it, Nancy.

GRACE: Well, you know, I`m several thousand miles away, and I know some inconsistencies.

To Joe Episcopo, number one, they first said they dropped her off at the Holiday Inn where she was staying, along with many of the other kids from her high school. Then suddenly it turns out they dropped her off at the Marriott, Joe. And we know that there was a huge area called lover`s lane that was then searched by search teams and with tracking dogs.

We know that Van Der Sloot says -- Joran Van Der Sloot, the judge`s son -- that they all three left her at the same time. The Kalpoe brothers that were with him, two of them say, "Oh, no, no. We left her with Van Der Sloot."

Then the story morphed, Joe Episcopo, that instead of taking her straight home to the Holiday Inn, they went to a lighthouse, that they went down on a beach, that they had fun on the beach. Then it morphed that Van Der Sloot had been kissing her in the back of the car. The story has definitely -- let me say euphemistically -- evolved, Joe.

JOE EPISCOPO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Nancy, you know, I`m surprised because Van Der Sloot has a lawyer, Antonio Carlo. I would think he`d tell him, "Maybe it`s better not say anything." I don`t know if the Kalpoe brothers have an attorney. But certainly, these contradictory statements have led to these additional searches and investigations. So they are getting some information, even though it`s contradictory. And I think they should probably keep their mouths shut.

GRACE: Well, you`re coming at it from a defense point of view. And believe me, Joe Episcopo has won a lot of cases.

Anne Bremner, what it means to me is somebody is lying. With these inconsistencies, they can`t all three be telling the truth. That leads me to my next question, Anne. Why would one of them be lying?

ANNE BREMNER, TRIAL ATTORNEY: Well, because, you know, falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus, which is, you know, false in one, false in all.

They`re lying because they`re involved. And you look at all of the history of criminal cases, Leopold and Loeb, you know, Clarence Darrow`s case, the Charles Manson case, even in cold blood with Perry Histock (ph), the finger-pointing amongst defendants and the lies usually turns out in those situations that they`re involved.

Why do they think they`re going to be exonerated and let go by giving more stories? They`re implicating each other thinking they`re going walk. And the fact is, they just get in deeper and deeper. And it`s usually the case that they`re involved, they implicate each other. And in doing that, they implicate themselves.

And these inconsistencies are very telling. And they`re going lead to a more thorough investigation. All`s well that ends well, Nancy, as you know, with an investigation fueled by this information from defendants for the prosecution.

GRACE: Well, Anne, if you take a look at the timeline here, the more they talk, the more the searches hone in on Joran Van Der Sloot.

BREMNER: Right.

GRACE: Now we have the computer search, the bags of evidence, additional cars being towed. So whatever they`re saying, it`s leading to more specific and focused investigation.

Very quickly, we`ll all be right back. We are live in Aruba.

But to "Trial Tracking." Former KKKer, Edgar Ray Killen, taken from court today on a stretcher, allegedly for high blood pressure. Today, day one of testimony in Killen`s trial for the `64 murders of three civil rights workers just outside Philadelphia, Mississippi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had a smothering sensation. That`s when he first put into with his nurse for observation and treatment. And then they called in some oxygen for him, and then they call the paramedic, and the paramedic suggested taking him to the emergency room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Killen now standing trial for the shooting deaths of James Chaney, a Mississippi man, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, both civil rights workers from New York.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROES: At this moment, we have three suspects in custody, and we are investigating every lead concerning all three suspects. They are being interrogated on a daily basis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Welcome back, everybody. I`m Nancy Grace.

We are live in Aruba and the latest on the Natalee Holloway disappearance. Before we switch gears and go to our next story, straight back down to Aruba and CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul.

Karl, what`s next in the investigation? I`m still confused as to why they are not bringing in divers. We know that the young men said they dropped her off at Holiday Inn. That`s one spot they could search. At the Marriott, where they said they went, they could search. At the lighthouse, where they said they went, they could search.

I find it hard to believe, Karl Penhaul, that they cannot target a spot to dive.

PENHAUL: Well, I`ve also been talking to search-and-rescue experts on the island. That search-and-rescue team here is a civilian team, not officially part of either of the police force or obviously the Dutch marine force. What they say is this, that the currents and the tides around the island are very consistent.

But also, if you want to put an object in the sea, and hope for it to drift away, one would have to go out probably 50 or 100 yards, because Aruba is on a plateau. You walk out and for 150 or 100 yards, the sea is only waist-high, here on the west side where the currents are strongest, drifting westward into open ocean.

You go on the north side, any object that one were to put in the sea would immediately be pushed back to the shore. That`s the reason that the geography of the island doesn`t at this stage merit that, in terms of what has been pinpointed, what hasn`t been pinpointed. The search is focused on the land areas, Nancy.

GRACE: Well, Karl Penhaul, if the island -- number one, as a diver myself, I`m also concerned that they have a civilian dive recovery team. Why aren`t experts being called in to find this girl? I`m sure that the FBI divers would be happy to help if they were allowed to.

But you`re saying, Karl, that the focus is on the island. Where? Where on the island?

PENHAUL: On the land itself. The search-and-rescue teams together with police and Dutch marines say that they`ve searched most of the public areas on the island. Talking, though, to one of the search-and-rescue leaders, he says that he believes now more thorough searches of certain parts of the island need to be carried out, particularly, he says, an area of sand dunes up by the lighthouse on the northwest tip.

And also on the northern side of the island, there are a number of old gold mine shafts. Those have been disused for more than 100 years. Some of them are very deep, and they`re now flooded by sea water. We don`t believe that any specialized teams have gone down into those dive shafts with ropes. It`s very difficult to do that.

GRACE: Very quickly, Karl Penhaul, how is this affecting the people there in Aruba? I know that the mini-carnival, which was a big tourist thing for them, has been called off. I get the sense they`re not doing everything we would expect them to do to find the girl. And it`s hurting them.

PENHAUL: The Aruban people from the get-go have been very anxious about the developments in this case, first and foremost, because of Natalee, the girl. A girl is missing here. That`s very much out of context for this island where the tourist trade is very rarely affected by any kind of violent crime.

Second to that, yes, Aruba is highly dependent on tourism trade. They don`t want this to affect their standing, either. But first, concern for the girl.

GRACE: OK, Karl Penhaul, thank you, friend. Karl Penhaul, CNN correspondent there in Aruba.

As we go to break, we at NANCY GRACE want very much to help solve unsolved homicides, find missing people. Please, take a look at Tamika Huston, 24-years-old, from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Tamika mysteriously disappeared one year ago.

Police call it a kidnapping, but they also found Tamika`s blood in a boyfriend`s apartment. A 911 caller contacted police shortly after, describing how his brother had a fight with a girl and drowned her in a lake. Police wonder, was that Tamika?

Please help us find this girl. If you have any information about Tamika, please call 864-596-2335. There is a $30,000 reward for this beautiful missing girl.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Jennifer Wilbanks got a sweetheart deal, the so-called runaway bride, straight probation and a $13,000 payback to the city of Duluth after she pulled the wool over the eyes of police and hundreds of volunteers. Wasn`t so long ago there were prayer vigils, tracking dogs, hundreds of volunteers fighting through the forests and the brush around the Chattahoochee River there in Georgia. She had just taken a powder, a case of cold feet, just before a gigantic wedding, 600 people invited.

But stunning developments tonight. Looks like she`s lined up to make a reported $500,000 -- you heard me right, half a million dollars -- to sell her story.

Tonight, in Houston, Texas, the director of the victims crime office there in Houston for the mayor of Houston, Andy Kahan. But first let`s go to "Washington Post" reporter Howard Kurtz. Welcome, Howard. Thank you for being with us. What is your take on the -- cha-ching! -- half a mill Jennifer Wilbanks reportedly is going to get paid?

HOWARD KURTZ, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, what`s really unusual about it, Nancy -- I have the deal memo right here from super-agent Judith Regan offering the half million dollars to Wilbanks and her fiance not just for the TV movie rights, which we probably all expected, but to be paid after the completion of the first interview with Jennifer Wilbanks and John mason. So this interview went to NBC and Katie Couric. NBC says it didn`t pay a dime for it. But Jennifer Wilbanks not only sold her TV movie rights, she sold her first interview to Judith Regan. I`ve never seen that before.

GRACE: You know, have you ever seen anything like it, Howard?

KURTZ: Well, I watched day after day after day, first when we thought Jennifer Wilbanks was missing, abducted, maybe dead. And then when it turned out she didn`t want to go to this wedding, it became a two-week media extravaganza. I thought the press devoted way, way too much coverage to it. But now, for her to plead guilty, pay the fine, turn around and strike this big-bucks deal, I`m already getting bombarded with e-mail from people who are angry that this self-inflicted tragedy that she imposed on her family, and in a way, the country, has turned into a big payday for her.

GRACE: Elizabeth, hold that photo just one moment. I remember having Jennifer`s father on one night. And yes, we covered it a lot here, Howard, on our show because we thought there was a chance we could help find the girl. She pulled the wool over my eyes, all right, taking her cell -- leaving behind her cell phone, credit cards, driver`s license, money, everything, and disappearing into thin air. And I was so worried about the girl we later found out that -- there you see prior booking photos.

And I`m going to go quickly to Andy Kahan. Andy, you remember the search for Jennifer Wilbanks. I had her dad on. We cried during a commercial break. I was so distraught that this girl had been kidnapped.

ANDY KAHAN, DIR., VICTIMS CRIME OFFICE FOR HOUSTON MAYOR: Yes. We all did.

GRACE: What do you think about the $500,000, half a mill?

KAHAN: I`m telling you, Nancy, she`s a despicable, pathetic, lousy excuse for a human being. If I was the court right now, I would order her back into the chambers. I would bring her in front of the judge. I would amend her conditions of probation. And I don`t see why they`re not doing it. And it would state that, During the conditions of your probation, while you`re on probation, you are not going to sell your rights for books or movie deals.

What has she accomplished? Let me see. She`s a thief. She`s a convicted liar. She`s a con artist. And now she`s a convicted felon. Where on earth are we -- are we doing about this? That`s the problem that you`ve got with this. Bring her back before the court, enforce conditions and let Regan Media take it all the way to the Supreme Court. And I know you`ll agree with me, Nancy, but I am sick and tired of convicted criminals who are using the ill-gotten deeds, that notoriety that they achieve by committing crimes, and now being able to profit off it. This to me is the end of the line!

GRACE: Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - April 29, 2005)

HARRIS WILBANKS, JENNIFER WILBANKS`S FATHER: Right now I would hope and pray it would be a case of cold feet. I don`t think that`s -- I don`t think that`s what it is, but I would certainly welcome that, at this point in time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That was Jennifer`s father -- is Jennifer`s father during a search for Jennifer. And you know, Joe Episcopo, this was one of those rare times I said don`t prosecute this girl, save those bed spaces in jail for robbers and rapists and murderers. She got a case of cold feet. Just make her pay back the city of Duluth. Well, guess what? That search cost tens of thousands of dollars. She only had to pay $13,000. Now she`s making half a mill! Joe Episcopo, under the law, is there really any way her probation can be amended?

JOE EPISCOPO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No. I think it would be an unconstitutional condition. Listen, let`s calm down about this. How come nobody`s upset about John Mason`s half? Does he get -- is he going to get all this retribution for this, too? Look, she`s broke. They approached her. They made an offer. She took it. She can pay off her debts. She can pay back her parents. And John Mason also gets a quarter of a million dollars. How come nobody`s mentioning his name?

GRACE: Well, because he`s not the one that pulled the wool over everybody`s eyes and cost the city of Duluth thousands and thousands of dollars. Not only that, police working overtime. You know, Elizabeth, will you that that shot of her with that blanket on her head -- I have just about had it with her, after so many people begged for mercy, not to have her prosecuted, prayed for her return, and now a $500,000 reward for her?

You know, Anne Bremner, I agree with Andy. This is making money off a crime.

ANNE BREMNER, TRIAL ATTORNEY: But you know, Nancy, life doesn`t imitate art, it imitates bad TV. And you know, that`s what comes to my mind. She`s not -- she`s just like anybody else. Look at Mary Kay Letourneau. She just...

GRACE: Oh, good Lord!

BREMNER: ... almost a million dollars for a wedding when she was involved with a 12-year-old.

GRACE: Look, you know what? Anne, does that mean it`s OK just because Mary Kay Letourneau did it? That`s a heck of a standard to live down to!

BREMNER: Nancy, what I`m saying...

GRACE: Back to "Washington Post" -- hold on just a sec -- to Howard Kurtz. You know, I want to get back to you, Howard, about this interview, about what all this deal could include. And Andy Kahan is right, Howard. Thanks to our U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. v. Simon Schuster (ph), you can make money off a crime.

KURTZ: But you know, Nancy, Jennifer Wilbanks and her fiance are only worth $500,000 if there`s some television network out there that is willing to put on the inevitable made-for-TV movie. And they will get an hour of free advertising when Katie Couric and NBC do their primetime special on the poor runaway bride, which is supposed to air next Tuesday. So the media are complicit in this.

And just to clarify, I was a lot less critical of the coverage when she was missing and thought to be abducted or maybe dead...

GRACE: Right.

KURTZ: ... a lot more critical of the orgy of televised psychoanalysis that followed when we knew that she was safe, and why did she do it, and she couldn`t face the wedding, and all of that.

GRACE: Well, I got to tell you, I`m going to plead not guilty to that. Once she was found, I`m, like, OK, you know what? It`s over! But during that search, Howard, I agree with you, I really wanted to do all we could do to find her.

You know, and another thing, Howard, before we go to break -- everybody is joining me when we get back -- I don`t blame the media or say they`re complicit in this. This is all Wilbanks and Mason going to the bank, Howard.

KURTZ: (INAUDIBLE) -- create the market value. If every network in America said, You know what? We`re not going to pay any money for her TV movie, then she would be off.

GRACE: Quick break, everybody. We`ll all be right back.

Let`s go to tonight`s "All Points Bulletin." FBI and law enforcement across the country on the lookout for this man, Gary Gene Smith, wanted in connection with the `82 kidnapping and rape of a 19-year-old woman in Geneseo (ph), New York. Smith, late 50s, 6-1, 180 pounds, brown hair, possibly dyed blonde, hazel eyes. If you have any information on Gary Gene Smith, take a look, contact the FBI, 716-856-7800.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: Jennifer Wilbanks got a sweetheart deal, the so-called runaway bride, straight probation and a $13,000 payback to the city of Duluth after she pulled the wool over the eyes of police and hundreds of volunteers. Wasn`t so long ago there were prayer vigils, tracking dogs, hundreds of volunteers fighting through the forests and the brush around the Chattahoochee River there in Georgia. She had just taken a powder, a case of cold feet, just before a gigantic wedding, 600 people invited.

But stunning developments tonight. Looks like she`s lined up to make a reported $500,000 -- you heard me right, half a million dollars -- to sell her story.

Tonight, in Houston, Texas, the director of the victims crime office there in Houston for the mayor of Houston, Andy Kahan. But first let`s go to "Washington Post" reporter Howard Kurtz. Welcome, Howard. Thank you for being with us. What is your take on the -- cha-ching! -- half a mill Jennifer Wilbanks reportedly is going to get paid?

HOWARD KURTZ, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, what`s really unusual about it, Nancy -- I have the deal memo right here from super-agent Judith Regan offering the half million dollars to Wilbanks and her fiance not just for the TV movie rights, which we probably all expected, but to be paid after the completion of the first interview with Jennifer Wilbanks and John mason. So this interview went to NBC and Katie Couric. NBC says it didn`t pay a dime for it. But Jennifer Wilbanks not only sold her TV movie rights, she sold her first interview to Judith Regan. I`ve never seen that before.

GRACE: You know, have you ever seen anything like it, Howard?

KURTZ: Well, I watched day after day after day, first when we thought Jennifer Wilbanks was missing, abducted, maybe dead. And then when it turned out she didn`t want to go to this wedding, it became a two-week media extravaganza. I thought the press devoted way, way too much coverage to it. But now, for her to plead guilty, pay the fine, turn around and strike this big-bucks deal, I`m already getting bombarded with e-mail from people who are angry that this self-inflicted tragedy that she imposed on her family, and in a way, the country, has turned into a big payday for her.

GRACE: Elizabeth, hold that photo just one moment. I remember having Jennifer`s father on one night. And yes, we covered it a lot here, Howard, on our show because we thought there was a chance we could help find the girl. She pulled the wool over my eyes, all right, taking her cell -- leaving behind her cell phone, credit cards, driver`s license, money, everything, and disappearing into thin air. And I was so worried about the girl we later found out that -- there you see prior booking photos.

And I`m going to go quickly to Andy Kahan. Andy, you remember the search for Jennifer Wilbanks. I had her dad on. We cried during a commercial break. I was so distraught that this girl had been kidnapped.

ANDY KAHAN, DIR., VICTIMS CRIME OFFICE FOR HOUSTON MAYOR: Yes. We all did.

GRACE: What do you think about the $500,000, half a mill?

KAHAN: I`m telling you, Nancy, she`s a despicable, pathetic, lousy excuse for a human being. If I was the court right now, I would order her back into the chambers. I would bring her in front of the judge. I would amend her conditions of probation. And I don`t see why they`re not doing it. And it would state that, During the conditions of your probation, while you`re on probation, you are not going to sell your rights for books or movie deals.

What has she accomplished? Let me see. She`s a thief. She`s a convicted liar. She`s a con artist. And now she`s a convicted felon. Where on earth are we -- are we doing about this? That`s the problem that you`ve got with this. Bring her back before the court, enforce conditions and let Regan Media take it all the way to the Supreme Court. And I know you`ll agree with me, Nancy, but I am sick and tired of convicted criminals who are using the ill-gotten deeds, that notoriety that they achieve by committing crimes, and now being able to profit off it. This to me is the end of the line!

GRACE: Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - April 29, 2005)

HARRIS WILBANKS, JENNIFER WILBANKS`S FATHER: Right now I would hope and pray it would be a case of cold feet. I don`t think that`s -- I don`t think that`s what it is, but I would certainly welcome that, at this point in time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That was Jennifer`s father -- is Jennifer`s father during a search for Jennifer. And you know, Joe Episcopo, this was one of those rare times I said don`t prosecute this girl, save those bed spaces in jail for robbers and rapists and murderers. She got a case of cold feet. Just make her pay back the city of Duluth. Well, guess what? That search cost tens of thousands of dollars. She only had to pay $13,000. Now she`s making half a mill! Joe Episcopo, under the law, is there really any way her probation can be amended?

JOE EPISCOPO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No. I think it would be an unconstitutional condition. Listen, let`s calm down about this. How come nobody`s upset about John Mason`s half? Does he get -- is he going to get all this retribution for this, too? Look, she`s broke. They approached her. They made an offer. She took it. She can pay off her debts. She can pay back her parents. And John Mason also gets a quarter of a million dollars. How come nobody`s mentioning his name?

GRACE: Well, because he`s not the one that pulled the wool over everybody`s eyes and cost the city of Duluth thousands and thousands of dollars. Not only that, police working overtime. You know, Elizabeth, will you that that shot of her with that blanket on her head -- I have just about had it with her, after so many people begged for mercy, not to have her prosecuted, prayed for her return, and now a $500,000 reward for her?

You know, Anne Bremner, I agree with Andy. This is making money off a crime.

ANNE BREMNER, TRIAL ATTORNEY: But you know, Nancy, life doesn`t imitate art, it imitates bad TV. And you know, that`s what comes to my mind. She`s not -- she`s just like anybody else. Look at Mary Kay Letourneau. She just...

GRACE: Oh, good Lord!

BREMNER: ... almost a million dollars for a wedding when she was involved with a 12-year-old.

GRACE: Look, you know what? Anne, does that mean it`s OK just because Mary Kay Letourneau did it? That`s a heck of a standard to live down to!

BREMNER: Nancy, what I`m saying...

GRACE: Back to "Washington Post" -- hold on just a sec -- to Howard Kurtz. You know, I want to get back to you, Howard, about this interview, about what all this deal could include. And Andy Kahan is right, Howard. Thanks to our U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. v. Simon Schuster (ph), you can make money off a crime.

KURTZ: But you know, Nancy, Jennifer Wilbanks and her fiance are only worth $500,000 if there`s some television network out there that is willing to put on the inevitable made-for-TV movie. And they will get an hour of free advertising when Katie Couric and NBC do their primetime special on the poor runaway bride, which is supposed to air next Tuesday. So the media are complicit in this.

And just to clarify, I was a lot less critical of the coverage when she was missing and thought to be abducted or maybe dead...

GRACE: Right.

KURTZ: ... a lot more critical of the orgy of televised psychoanalysis that followed when we knew that she was safe, and why did she do it, and she couldn`t face the wedding, and all of that.

GRACE: Well, I got to tell you, I`m going to plead not guilty to that. Once she was found, I`m, like, OK, you know what? It`s over! But during that search, Howard, I agree with you, I really wanted to do all we could do to find her.

You know, and another thing, Howard, before we go to break -- everybody is joining me when we get back -- I don`t blame the media or say they`re complicit in this. This is all Wilbanks and Mason going to the bank, Howard.

KURTZ: (INAUDIBLE) -- create the market value. If every network in America said, You know what? We`re not going to pay any money for her TV movie, then she would be off.

GRACE: Quick break, everybody. We`ll all be right back.

Let`s go to tonight`s "All Points Bulletin." FBI and law enforcement across the country on the lookout for this man, Gary Gene Smith, wanted in connection with the `82 kidnapping and rape of a 19-year-old woman in Geneseo (ph), New York. Smith, late 50s, 6-1, 180 pounds, brown hair, possibly dyed blonde, hazel eyes. If you have any information on Gary Gene Smith, take a look, contact the FBI, 716-856-7800.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: If you are a crime victim with a story to tell, if you know of an injustice or a case that needs a spotlight, please call 1-888-GRACE01. That`s 1-888-472-2301, or go on line to CNN.com/NancyGrace.

Welcome back, everybody. Jennifer Wilbanks, the so-called runaway bride, set to cash in reportedly to the tune of half a million dollars. Hello!

Final thought, Andy.

KAHAN: Convicted felons should never profit from their crimes. And the citizens of Duluth should seriously consider filing a civil suit against Wilbanks for the pain, grief, misery and agony that she caused them. And if I were the judge, I`d bring her right back into court and I`d have her on 24-hour surveillance, and if she spit the wrong way, I`d violate her probation and throw her in jail.

GRACE: Joe Episcopo?

EPISCOPO: You know, newspapers and media are the first ones to cry and complain if their 1st Amendment rights are restricted. But how about this take on the 1st Amendment right of free speech? That`s not approved by the media, and now they want to take it away.

GRACE: Patricia Saunders (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their naked greed and avarice makes me really wonder if these aren`t two sociopaths who cooked up this whole plot to make some buckage.

GRACE: Anne Bremner?

BREMNER: Inquiring minds want to know, Nancy. And hope springs eternal. Maybe she has something to say that`s helpful, and maybe she`ll donate the money.

GRACE: Howard Kurtz from "The Washington Post?

KURTZ: I wonder whether people will actually watch this TV movie, and if this couple belatedly finally actually does get married, will CNN and the other networks be there to provide live coverage or will we just say no?

GRACE: I wonder, Howard, if they will sell rights to their wedding, the way Mary Kay Letourneau did. But I guess that`s another paycheck for another day.

I want to thank all of my guests tonight. But as always, my biggest thank you is to you for being with all of us, inviting us into your home. Coming up, headlines from around the world on Headline News, Larry on CNN. I`m Nancy Grace, signing off again for tonight. Hope to see you right here tomorrow night, 8:00 o`clock sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END