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Nancy Grace

Nancy Grace for June 29, 2005, CNNHN

Aired June 29, 2005 - 20:00   ET

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

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight, a primetime, live exclusive. The former suspect in the Aruba missing girl case, the party boat deejay Steve Croes, is out and he speaks out. Why did he land behind bars over the disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway? He is with us tonight.
And Semper Fi, send in the marines. Marines head to Aruba to search for the 18-year-old American girl. She vanished from her high school senior trip.

And tonight, stunning developments out of Homosassa Springs, Florida, in the case of 9-year-old Jessie Lunsford. Convicted sex offender John Evander Couey admits to molesting and burying the little girl alive. But tonight, reverberations that a jury may never hear Couey`s 30-plus page confession to murder.

And across the country to Idaho and the case of then-16-year-old Sarah Johnson. She went on trial for the double murder of her mother and father. Today, the junior predator has a date with Lady Justice.

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

John Evander Couey, he confessed he buried 9-year-old Jessie Lunsford alive, confessing horrific details in Jessie`s kidnap and murder. But tonight, will a jury ever hear Couey`s confession or could a legal loophole save Couey from the death penalty?

Also tonight, sentencing goes down in the Sarah Johnson double-murder trial today. The victims? Her own mom and dad. The motive? They disapproved of her dating an illegal alien with a drug problem. He was selling it. That`s a problem.

But first, to Aruba, an Alabama star student, Natalee Holloway, still missing tonight. But now, the Netherlands sends in the marines.

A primetime, live exclusive tonight. Party boat deejay Steve Croes speaks out about his time behind bars as a suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Tonight, in Aruba, the deejay who landed in jail over Natalee`s disappearance, Steve Croes is with us.

But first, let`s go down to Aruba and CNN correspondent Karl Penhaul. Karl, what`s the latest?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Nancy, the Texas Equusearch volunteers have been on the move again today. They say that it was searching rock quarries on the north side of the island. Nothing was found, though.

They say some of the challenges on that side of the island is that the terrain is very rocky. It`s a very rugged piece of land there. That`s one of the challenges. And also, they don`t know the island particularly well because they`re here for a short-term. They`re still finding their way around.

Now, you`ll remember that just over 20 people, I think 24 volunteers, were here from Texas helping out that search. Because they`re volunteers, nine of them have now had to leave the island and return to their jobs. But Equusearch spokespeople do say that they`re hopeful that more volunteers will come from Texas.

And of course, as you mentioned, the Dutch marines, we understand that the prime minister here on the island has done all the paperwork and those Dutch marines can once again join the search to help out looking for clues as to Natalee`s whereabouts or what may have happened to her, Nancy.

GRACE: Before we go to deejay and former jailbird Steve Croes -- he was just released under suspicion of having something to do with Natalee`s disappearance. He is free, and clear, and with us tonight.

Karl Penhaul, very quickly, what is leading them to search in these rock quarries? You told me the other day they were searching in kind of a manmade lake that was kind of a dump. Found nothing so far. Now they`re searching in quarries. Did one of these brothers, or did Joran Van Der Sloot, say something to make them go search in these areas?

PENHAUL: Well, what Joran Van Der Sloot may or may not have said is always subject to his latest statement. In fact, the chief prosecutor on the island, Karin Janssen, told us today that Joran Van Der Sloot has once again changed his story.

You`ll remember that he did say that he`d walked home from the beach after leaving Natalee. Now Karin Janssen tells us he`s changed that story. So we don`t know if there are specific leads leading Equusearch to look at certain parts of the island. More particularly, they`re looking at areas that they`ve flown over in a helicopter and saying, "OK, let`s take a closer look here."

GRACE: OK, well, if this is -- if my math is correct, this is at least his third statement. And I can tell you right now, there is nothing good about that.

Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARIN JANSSEN, ARUBA CHIEF PROSECUTOR: However, in this stage of the investigation, we cannot exclude the possibility that something happened to Natalee. We are determined to find a truth, to find Natalee, and in case somebody harmed her, to find those who are responsible.

Out of respect for the family Holloway, we did not want to speak about murder and homicides because we did not want to hurt their feelings. It`s human, you know? And because, in that early stage, they were searching for their girl alive. And it was at that time just not suitable to talk about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: If something happened to Natalee? Here`s a clue to the Aruban prosecutor: Something has happened to Natalee Holloway.

Very quickly, tonight in a primetime exclusive interview, we are very happy to have with us Mr. Steve Croes. Now, Steve Croes is the deejay off that party boat, I think it was called "The Tattoo." And it is parked not too, too far from the Holiday Inn where Natalee Holloway was staying.

Mr. Croes, thank you for being with us.

STEVE CROES, FORMER SUSPECT IN NATALEE HOLLOWAY CASE: Hi. How are you doing?

GRACE: I`m great. Mr. Croes, how did you land behind bars in connection with Natalee?

S. CROES: Well, it was a mistake that I did, by telling the cops something that wasn`t true. And I really like -- how you say, you know, if I could change it, I change it, like, right away. But I`m glad that I prove everybody that I`m innocent. I didn`t have nothing to do in there. So that`s about it.

GRACE: Well, Mr. Croes, what did you tell the cops to make them arrest you?

S. CROES: You know, what exactly I told the cops is -- you know, I didn`t really like to go into those details. Why? Because, you know, it`s like something that...

GRACE: Mr. Croes, Mr. Croes, Mr. Croes, isn`t it true that you were at the Internet cafe and heard a Kalpoe brother on the phone cooking up a story?

S. CROES: Yes.

GRACE: Now what was the story he was cooking up?

S. CROES: The story that everybody knows here on the island, which they dropped the girl at the hotel and left her there. And that`s it.

GRACE: So you heard a Kalpoe brother on the phone at an Internet cafe cooking up this story. And you told the cops, right?

S. CROES: Yes.

GRACE: Now, when you were behind bars, how did you convince the cops that you didn`t have anything to do with it, that you overheard it?

S. CROES: Well, I just start talking everything the truth, like where I was that day, the day I had, like, a night shift on the boat, like as a watchman. So I was sleeping on the boat. And, yes, that I wasn`t even there.

GRACE: Is it true that you have been fired from your job over this whole thing?

S. CROES: Yes. Yesterday during the afternoon I had, like, this meeting with my ex-boss and his lawyer, and they told me that I was fired.

GRACE: Steve, while you were behind bars, did you speak to or overhear Van Der Sloot or the Kalpoe brothers talking?

S. CROES: No, I didn`t -- I don`t even know these guys. The only thing that I know is what I heard, that this guy talking on the phone. But I don`t know these guys. They don`t know me.

During my confrontations with the cops with these guys, they also admitted that they don`t know me. So I just put myself in trouble without knowing anything. So it was like a stupid mistake that I did.

GRACE: Steve, when you overheard the Kalpoe brother talking on, I guess, the cell phone at the Internet cafe, was it Deepak or Satish Kalpoe?

S. CROES: Deepak, Deepak, yes.

GRACE: OK. What was it exactly that he was saying, that you overheard?

S. CROES: Just the story that they dropped the girl at the hotel. The girl fell from the car, and they tried to help her to go back into the lobby, and that was the story.

GRACE: And let me go back to Karl Penhaul, CNN correspondent, standing by there with Steve Croes. Karl, that was the Kalpoe brothers` and Joran Van Der Sloot`s original story to police, exactly what Steve Croes told them.

PENHAUL: It was exactly that, Nancy. In fact, talking to David Kock, the defense attorney for Satish Kalpoe, he backs up what Steve is, in fact, saying, in that Deepak and Joran Van Der Sloot, first of all, cooked up a lie to cover their tracks that night in two or three days subsequent to Natalee`s disappearance.

They then contacted Satish and explained the cover story to him. What David Kock says at that stage is that they invented this cover story because they realized that Natalee had disappeared. And although David Kock still insists on the innocence of Satish Kalpoe, he does say that all three boys were very worried that they were the last three to have seen a girl who had then disappeared.

GRACE: You know, my question to you, though, regarding this whole story, Karl Penhaul -- you`re telling me that Joran Van Der Sloot`s story has changed yet again. What`s his new story?

PENHAUL: Well, David Kock, again, the defense attorney for Satish Kalpoe, has a right to see a number of statements from the other suspects which are presented to him as evidence against his client. He told us that in the file that he had, as of Sunday, bearing in mind that he gets witness statements and suspect statements approximately four days after they`re made, he said, until that point, he had eight different statements by Joran Van Der Sloot, four of them were substantial changes in the story.

He said he expected to get more paperwork through, bearing in mind, as I say, that he`s getting the statement four days late.

GRACE: Steve Croes, when the police came to you, where were you when you were arrested?

S. CROES: I was at home.

GRACE: Did they try to get you to talk?

S. CROES: No, they just came. They tell me that I was arrested for the reason, like, for the confession, for confession stuff. And then that they give me my rights. And then I was, like, in a boxer short.

So I tell them, "Please, let me just get a t-shirt and a short." And they went with me to my room. And I put on my shirt, and then I went with him.

GRACE: Once you got to the police station, did they try to get a statement out of you?

S. CROES: Yes. The first thing they wanted to do is, like, for me to, like, talk. And they wanted to see if I knew anything, like, for real or something like that.

GRACE: Did they ever hit you, touch you, threaten you, harm you in any way?

S. CROES: Not at all, not at all. They treat me good. They treat me good.

GRACE: When you realized -- you had to know about Natalee`s disappearance when police came to arrest you. When you realized they had zeroed in on you in Natalee`s disappearance, what did you think?

S. CROES: Excuse me, I didn`t understand the question so good.

GRACE: When you realized police thought you had something to do with Natalee disappearing, what did you think?

S. CROES: Well, I was relaxed the whole time, because I know that I didn`t have nothing to do. But I was, like, a little scared.

GRACE: OK. Let me take you back one last time to this Internet cafe where you overheard Deepak Kalpoe talking on the phone. Could you tell that he was trying to make up a story?

S. CROES: No. I couldn`t tell that, because I believed him, you know what I mean? So I couldn`t tell if it was true or a lie. But he was just talking like so serious that, you know, anyone could believe what he was saying there.

GRACE: Do you know who he was talking to?

S. CROES: No. I don`t even know the guy. I`m just a client of the Internet cafe where I was there. So I didn`t even know the guy.

GRACE: OK.

Back to Karl Penhaul. Karl, do we have any reason to believe or hope that the Aruban police have gotten the cell phone records from Deepak Kalpoe to prove what Steve Croes is saying is correct and to tell us who Deepak Kalpoe was talking to?

PENHAUL: We do know that the Aruban police and investigators have seized cell phone and internet records. In my conversations with David Kock, the defense attorney for one of the three suspects, he was referring specifically to cell phone records from earlier, the night and early morning of Natalee`s disappearance.

That when supposedly Joran Van Der Sloot, according to cell phone records, called Deepak Kalpoe. And according to Deepak Kalpoe`s statements in that conversation, which was about 2:40 a.m., Joran said, "I`ve left Natalee at the beach. I`m walking home."

And then, about 40 minutes later, what the cell phone records show is that Joran Van Der Sloot sent a text message to Deepak Kalpoe saying, "I`ve arrived home." And then, of course, the Internet records which show, at the time that the text message was sent at about 3:20 a.m., at that time, Deepak Kalpoe was at his house and on the Internet in a chatroom at the time, Nancy.

GRACE: You know, the telephone records, the Internet cafe records, are going to come back and hit these guys in the head like a boomerang.

I want to thank Steve Croes. He is with us tonight in an exclusive interview. As you recall, Croes is the deejay from the party boat that has been behind bars on Natalee`s disappearance. He is out tonight, and has explained his involvement, or lack thereof.

Thank you, Mr. Croes, for being with us.

Also, thank you to Karl Penhaul.

When we come back, will a legal loophole allow the killer, the alleged killer, of 9-year-old Jessie Lunsford walk free? Stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CROES: They were accusing me for some things that`s don`t think there was, like, necessary, to accuse me of, or something like that. They treat me good, but you know, you`re still in prison, you know what I mean?

The first day that I went to the second day they arrest me, they were getting a little hard. Why? Because they wanted me -- they`re doing their job. I understand, you know. They maybe want to get the truth from my mouth or something like that. But besides that, it was, like, just cool, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK LUNSFORD, FATHER OF JESSICA LUNSFORD: Couey is a pathological liar. He`s a piece of shit. Sorry, but it`s the truth. If he was so willing to leave Jessie alone and afraid to go as she wanted to, then why he did tie her up and put her in the hole? Him and that other guy, Onstott, they need to be put to death, and so do the rest of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: But will a legal loophole keep a jury from ever hearing John Evander Couey`s 30-plus page confession to Jessie`s murder?

Tonight, in Homosassa, Florida, Jessie Lunsford`s father is with us, Mark Lunsford, a tireless victims` rights advocate; in Miami, defense attorney Bruce Fleischer (ph); in New York, defense attorney Alan Ripka and psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere.

But first, let`s go down to Miami and CNN correspondent Susan Candiotti. Susan, thank you for being with us. Explain to me how this statement, which I have read, frankly, in chilling detail, how can that be kept out of court, Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The possible problem with it is this. On March 17th, the day before he gave that statement to authorities, John Couey was questioned by detectives with the Citrus County, Florida, sheriff`s office.

During the middle of that questioning, he is asked by the detective -- and prior to this, he`s talking about his background as a child molester, his other habits, smoking crack, drinking booze, that kind of thing. In the middle of that, the detective asks him, "Well, what about taking a lie- detector test, because we do have some questions here, some potential conflicts here?"

At that point, John Couey says, "I want to talk to a lawyer." But he doesn`t say it just once. He says it at least seven times in rapid succession, "But I want to talk to a lawyer." And that`s the red flag, according to many legal experts.

GRACE: Oh, yes, it`s a red flag, all right, Susan. Go ahead.

CANDIOTTI: After that, the detectives don`t stop questioning. They say, "Well, let`s talk about some other stuff." And they go on. And there are pages and pages of additional questions.

That day ends. The next day, according to my law enforcement sources, John Couey is approached by an FBI polygraph expert. And I am told, according to my source, that he proceeds to confess almost as soon as the lie-detector test begins. He spilled his guts.

At the end of that, according to my sources, he says, "You know," after having confessed in so many words, "I feel bad about lying to those guys yesterday where I said I didn`t know anything about Jessica or her disappearance. Bring them back in."

And at that time, he is Mirandized again -- and you can read it in the statement -- and he proceeds to allegedly confess to these people. I`m also told that he was Mirandized before taking the lie-detector test.

GRACE: Well, Susan, I`ve got with me -- Dusty, if you could come over here -- the two statements. I`ve got a 3/17 where -- you`re right, Susan - - he says over, and over, and over, "I think I want a lawyer. I think I want a lawyer. I think I want a lawyer."

None of that, none of what he says on the 17th is going to come in. I`ll tell you that right now. He asked for a lawyer.

Then, Dusty, look at this, 3/18, the next day, just as you`re saying, Susan Candiotti, they`re doing this polygraph, I think. And he suddenly starts blurting out what happened voluntarily. And that may be the only thing that saves the prosecution in this case.

We`ll all be right back in just a moment. Our legal panel and Jessie`s father, Mark Lunsford. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUNSFORD: There is so many other children that`s missing and not been found. And it`s not right for these kind of things to go on happening. And we can stop it by keeping these people in prison. If we can put an ankle bracelet on Martha Stewart, why can`t we put an ankle bracelet on these guys?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Tell it, Mark Lunsford. That is Jessie`s father. He is with us tonight.

Mark Lunsford, have you read or heard John Evander Couey`s statement about your little girl and how he killed her?

LUNSFORD: Yes. I`ve read that, Nancy. And I heard about it. Well, you know, they let me know everything before they release it to the press.

GRACE: What are your thoughts tonight on the possibility that a legal technicality could suppress this statement and a jury will never hear it?

LUNSFORD: I talked to -- I knew about that for quite some time. And I spoke to the sheriff about it. And he told me not to worry about it. Even without the confession, that they have enough on Couey to still keep him right there in prison.

GRACE: You know what, Mr. Lunsford? I think you`re right. I think you`re dead right.

LUNSFORD: Oh, yes.

GRACE: Everybody, when we come back, Jessie`s father is still with us, along with Susan Candiotti, and a legal panel to explain, can Evander Couey beat this thing on a legal loophole?

As you know, we at NANCY GRACE want very much to help solve unsolved homicides, find missing people. Tonight, take a look at Sandra Kerby, 52- years-old, last seen leaving her daughter`s Fresno, California, home, July 11, 1999. Her car found two days later, but now, 16 years later, no one has seen Sandra.

If you have any information, please call toll-free the Carole Sund Carrington Foundation, 888-813-8389. Please help us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)





ROBERTS: Hi, everybody. I`m Thomas Roberts. And here`s your HEADLINE PRIME Newsbreak.

A twin engine airplane triggered the evacuation of the Capitol Building at the White House early this evening by entering restricted D.C. airspace. President Bush was temporarily relocated while lawmakers cleared out.

Military jets were scrambled. Once the breach was reported, the evacuation lasted just a few minutes. And people were already back at work.

We`re learning more about the second confirmed case of mad cow disease in the U.S. Officials now say the cow was from Texas. The USDA has been criticized for waiting to publicize those results for seven months. This latest case is spurring new talks of a national livestock tracking system.

All 17 passengers of a special operations helicopter shot down over Afghanistan are now feared dead. That`s the latest word from the Pentagon. The chopper came under enemy fire before it went down near the Afghan- Pakistani border, and the rescue effort is being hampered by bad weather and rugged terrain.

That`s the news for now. Thanks for joining us. I`m Thomas Roberts. We take you back for more of NANCY GRACE.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUNSFORD: Couey is a pathological liar. He`s a piece of (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Sorry. But it`s the truth. And if he was so willing to leave Jesse alone and free to go as she wanted to, why did he tie her up and put her in a hole?

Him and that other guy, Onstott, they need to be put to death. And so do the rest of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Welcome back. I`m Nancy Grace. Thank you for being with us.

Straight back to Mark Lunsford, Jesse`s father.

As it turns out, Couey repeatedly asked for a lawyer before he gave his statement. They quit questioning him after a few moments. Then the next day during a polygraph is the way Susan Candiotti is explaining it to me, and I think she`s absolutely correct, he broke down and started telling police what happened.

Mark Lunsford, another thing I don`t understand about this case is why the roommates of John Evander Couey are not being charged. You can`t tell me that Couey kept Jesse in a mobile home for all this time and they didn`t know anything about it.

LUNSFORD: Well, and I`m glad you brought that up. I`ll try to be as quick as I can about it.

In 1998, there was a guy named Carr (ph) who shot and killed three police officers, one state patrolman, two detectives. A woman lied to the police about his name, and then they arrested her for lying to the police about his name...

GRACE: Yes.

LUNSFORD: ... and gave her life in prison for accessory to murder. So a lie is a lie, and the police is the police. So what about my daughter?

GRACE: I agree with you. And not only that, I don`t understand how these people didn`t know what was happening in the next room of a mobile home. I mean, the mobile home is not that big, for Pete`s sake.

I want to go back to Susan Candiotti.

Susan, what can you tell me about this family, these people that were living there in the mobile home with Couey while little Jesse was there?

CANDIOTTI: Well, according to Couey, they didn`t know that Jessica was in there. Now, we are hearing from our, again, law enforcement sources that it`s not a done deal that these people might not eventually be charged.

Yes, the misdemeanor charges were dropped against them and the statute of limitations ran out on that. But we are told that authorities actually have about two years before they could decide to charge them with something depending on how this investigation runs its course.

And naturally, they`re going to need to bring them in. They could be charged with a felony. And they could be brought in, naturally, to testify at trial.

I`m told that their testimony in parts could be crucial to proving the state`s case against Couey. And they are said to be cooperating.

GRACE: But Susan, you`ve got a confession. You`ve got Jesse, who was buried in Couey`s backyard, essentially. You know there are fingerprints all over the bag that Jesse was put into when Jesse was buried.

I say try them all, take them all down. I don`t know, Susan, that they necessarily need them. But let me ask you this, how many of them are there?

CANDIOTTI: Let`s see, I think there are four of them, if I`m not mistaken. There were three or four that were originally charged that were in there. Three. It`s his sister and his relative and one other person.

GRACE: Got you.

So to defense attorney Bruce Fleisher, joining us out of Miami, Bruce, I know we`re usually on opposite sides of the fence. But doesn`t it make sense to pick the least culpable of the four, get them to turn state`s evidence and then bring down everybody else?

BRUCE FLEISHER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think in a case like this, the prudent thing to do would be to see what was their involvement in this case. And after that is determined, they`ll probably make some plea negotiations or give them immunity to testify against Mr. Couey. Certainly it was a very small trailer, so someone there had to have known what was going on.

GRACE: Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Bruce, why do you want to cut a deal with the devil? Why do you want to give them immunity? The state doesn`t need them.

FLEISHER: Well, the state may need them, because there is a question on the voluntariness of Mr. Couey`s statement. Remember, he asked for an attorney seven times.

GRACE: OK.

FLEISHER: And at that point, all the questioning should have stopped.

GRACE: For that day, it`s my understanding that it did. But, OK, granted that you`re right, let`s just throw out the confession.

Say you win, you win in court, the confession is out, the jury never hears it. What about Jesse`s body. What about evidence there in the home? Won`t that prove the case?

FLEISHER: Well, I understand that there is blood evidence in the home, and there are the fingerprints. However, the prosecution tries to build the best case they can. Without a statement, it`s a total circumstantial case. And the question is, what can they prove as far as his involvement?

GRACE: Hey, Bruce -- Bruce, you may call a 9-year-old girl dead, buried in the backyard circumstantial, I think it`s direct evidence. I think that`s a pretty strong case.

To Alan Ripka, defense attorney, agree, disagree?

ALAN RIPKA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I agree with you, Nancy. I don`t think that these people can get way with this. I think the prosecutor should cut no deals. They have enough evidence to get this guy and everybody in the house.

GRACE: To Dr. Jeff Gardere.

Jeff, this is something interesting that maybe a problem for the state. At first, you`ve got couey saying, "I want a lawyer, I want a lawyer, I don`t want to talk." And then, according to the prosecution -- to the police, he`s taking a lie detector test the next day and he has an epiphany and breaks down and starts yacking.

I`ve seen it happen. So I believe it can happen that way.

JEFFREY GARDERE, PSYCHOLOGIST: Sure.

GRACE: But why would he do that?

GARDERE: Well, a couple of things. For one, we`re talking about a polygraph. He`s been told that this is a test that can differentiate between the truth and lies. So now he`s already thinking, well, maybe I better tell the truth.

The other thing is, this was a horrible crime. If he did it, he wants to confess. He may have a conscience.

He may have been scared, Nancy, that he was going to get caught. He couldn`t get any further into this web of deceit.

GRACE: OK. You know what? I`ve got his record right here. He`s a multiple child molester.

So your conscience -- got a conscience? I`m not buying that.

To Jesse`s father, Mark Lunsford.

You know, Couey could be lying about a lot of his statement. He was high as a kite. He said he was using crack and drugs at the time. And when they looked in Jesse`s stomach, she hadn`t eaten a thing. So all his stories about them bonding and having chicken fingers and pizza and hamburger, that was all a big fat lie.

LUNSFORD: Oh, it was, yes. Most definitely.

I mean, we`ve all known that Couey ain`t done nothing but lie since the get-go. He`s worthless. He don`t know how to do anything right. He can`t even lie right. So, I mean...

GRACE: What do you think about this psychologist theory that he suddenly got a conscience and decided to confess to save you any more pain?

LUNSFORD: Well, I think -- I think we ought to just execute him and be done with it. I mean, let the courts -- let it take its course, and you`ll see, the sheriff has got enough on him.

I know this first guy that spoke said this or that, but my sheriff has got enough on this guy, he don`t need the confession. That`s what the sheriff told me. And that`s the way it is.

Couey will still get convicted. He`ll still spend the rest of his life in prison. And he`ll die in prison.

GRACE: Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

Susan Candiotti, what about the death penalty? Is that out of the question? Has that been announced yet?

CANDIOTTI: No, the prosecutor has said he`s going to seek the death penalty in this case. And the sheriff has certainly publicly said that that is what he would like to see done too, though, of course, it`s not his call.

And it`s also possible, of course, that there will be a change of venue. But quite clearly, outside of south Florida, you`re going to find mostly conservative areas in the state of Florida. So if you were to suspect that the statement would be thrown out, I don`t -- given the set of circumstances here, probably not a very good chance of that outside of south Florida.

GRACE: Hey Susan, what can you tell us about Couey`s previous record?

CANDIOTTI: Well, Nancy, you`ve got it there in front of you. And you can help go down the list a bit.

But he certainly -- he has exposed himself in the past. And, in fact, he talked about that, exposed himself to children. He talks about doing that repeatedly with the police officers.

He talks about -- I don`t know how far I can go. You know, I`m just trying to delicate about this, quite frankly.

GRACE: OK. You know what, Susan? I will spare you. Here you go. I`ve got my mitts on it.

1991: arrest in Florida, fondling a child under 16. `78: during a burglary he noted -- it was noted he entered the bedroom of a juvenile female, grabbed her, placed his hand over her mouth and started kissing her.

It`s the same scenario as with Jesse. Also, burglary, concealed weapon, DUI, just -- it goes on and on.

I`ve only got a few seconds left. Mark Lunsford, tell me what you`re doing in Washington.

LUNSFORD: I lobbied on the House side. Chairman Sensenbrenner, I can only thank him for his role in this. And he`s just doing the best he can.

I`ve got word that the Senate side, the chairman on that side, that they`re trying to come up with a bill. And I just want everybody to put everything together, get the best, toughest laws that we can get, don`t water nothing down, OK? No trial basis. We just do it. We just get it done.

GRACE: Mr. Lunsford, I agree with you. And you always have a home here with us. Thank you, sir.

LUNSFORD: Thank you.

GRACE: Very quickly to trial tracking. Twenty-four-year-old Tamika Huston vanished a ear ago out of South Carolina. Police found her blood in an ex- boyfriend`s apartment. And could there be a link between her and a 911 call?

As of tonight, no arrests. You`ll hear Tamika`s full story right here on Monday night.

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REBKAH HOWARD, TAMIKA`S AUNT: I do think that producers have found a formula that works. And I think it may stretch back to the Chandra Levy case, or even before that, where they tended to be young, white, attractive, missing women that come from either middle class or affluent background. I really have had a difficult time getting national public attention for this case.

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GRACE: Well, she will have it here. But first, take at a look at Tamika. If you have any info on Tamika Huston, call toll free, 864-596-2035. There`s a $30,000 reward.

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LORNA KOLASH, SARAH JOHNSON`S GODMOTHER: If you could ever tell us why, why you didn`t come to me for help, how it could go so bad that you would do such a horrible thing -- your mom and dad were wonderful, loving people who cared about you. You have to pay for what you`ve done.

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GRACE: What she`s done, precisely, according to a jury, is gunned down her mother and her father with a high-powered rifle when they disagreed with her dating a boyfriend, Bruno Santos, an illegal immigrant that was selling dope. Tonight in Idaho, Sarah Johnson`s lawyer, Bob Pangburn. Agree or disagree with that jury, he`s been in there fighting tooth and claw for his client.

But first to KTVB reporter Andrea Dearden.

Andrea, what`s going on in the courtroom? When will the sentence go down?

ANDREA DEARDEN, REPORTER, KTVB: Well, the sentence will happen tomorrow. The judge will issue that ruling.

Today it was about the testimony from family members and friends. These are people who are victims, people impacted by the murders of Diane and Alan Johnson.

The circumstances of this murder trial most definitely adding to the emotion in the courtroom today. Many of them spoke directly to Sarah. They told her and the judge that they need to know why this happened, they need her to admit the killings, they also need her to take responsibility and show some remorse. And they say, until that happens, there should be no forgiveness from the family or the court.

GRACE: I got to tell you, Bob Pangburn, when Sarah Johnson`s brother took the stand and her grandmother today, it reduced everyone to tears. Now, how are you going to combat that and try to get a lesser sentence for your client? Will she testify in front of the judge?

BOB PANGBURN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think at this point she will. Our belief, our intention -- we talked to her today. Our intention is that she will give a relatively short statement.

Obviously she`s not going to admit anything. It`s my belief still, and give given the status of -- that we`re going to be having an appeal in this case, she simply cannot admit any guilt, and will not be admitting guilt. But she will give a statement to the judge.

GRACE: Bob, can I cross-examine her?

PANGBURN: I don`t think anybody will be able to cross-examine her tomorrow.

GRACE: OK. Take a listen to this.

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MATT JOHNSON, SARAH JOHNSON`S BROTHER: And Judge, I would like to see the maximum, because after tomorrow, when you read your sentencing, I don`t want to ever have to hear about her or this event ever again.

I feel that she has no remorse, and that she would do it again today, except she would do better planning. She would try to get away with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA VAVOLD, DIANE JOHNSON`S SISTER: She killed the two people who loved her and gave her life for no other reason that they were in the way of what she wanted. There is something very wrong with Sarah, and we need to make sure she does not have the opportunity to hurt anyone else. I ask the court to sentence her to the maximum time possible with no chance of parole.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: According to the prosecution, Sarah, with a high-powered weapon, shot her mother to death as she lay sleeping, and then ambushed her father as he came out of the shower.

Very quickly, back to Andrea Dearden from KTVB TV there in Idaho, what did you find to be the most compelling testimony today?

DEARDEN: Well, clearly, it is unusual to see some of the people take the stand and speak directly to the defendant. But these are people who said they have not spoken to Sarah, their granddaughter, their sister, their niece, since she was arrested for these killings.

And so this was their first opportunity to really tell her and explain to her how they were feeling. And there was much emotion there. They spoke directly to her, saying that she needed to come clean about this.

It is very compelling how much that this family believes that she is in fact guilty. And they want to hear that from her. They say they believe that strongly. They need to hear it directly from her mouth.

GRACE: When that grandmother took the stand, Bob Pangburn, that was some powerful evidence. Bob, I`ll tell you, I think the strongest thing you`ve got going for you is her looks, in that she looks like a school girl. It is going to be hard -- it`s going to be hard for a judge to bring down the hammer on a school girl.

PANGBURN: Well, she is a school girl. And at the time these events occurred, she was only 16 years old. I think she needs to be treated look a school girl, not like a hardened adult criminal.

GRACE: But Bob Pangburn, she may have been a school girl, but according to a jury, she knew how to pull a trigger twice.

PANGBURN: Well, but she is still a child. This occurred when she was a child. Whether I believe she is guilty or not, the fact -- the fact remains that at the time that these events occurred, she was 16 years old. And I think she deserves to be -- that needs to be taken into consideration.

GRACE: Well, Mr. Bob Pangburn, Sarah Johnson`s lawyer, we`ll be watching you tomorrow.

Thank you to both of you for being with us.

Very quickly to tonight`s "All Points Bulletin."

FBI and law enforcement across the country on the lookout for Brian Michael Jones. Jones wanted in connection with the kidnap and rape of a woman in Vegas in 1999. Forty-nine, 5`11", 180 pounds, brown hair, blue eyes. If you have any information on Jones, call the FBI, 702-385-1281.

Local news coming up for some of you, but we`ll all be right back. And remember, live coverage of the Sarah Johnson`s sentencing tomorrow, 3:00 to 5:00 Eastern, Court TV`s "Closing Arguments."

Please stay with us as we remember U.S. Army Specialist Christopher Hoskins, just 21, an American hero.

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GRACE: Tonight, stories that touched our hearts. Some with bittersweet endings. Others with no resolution.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE (voice-over): Stunning developments in the John Evander Couey case out of Florida, the convicted sex offender charged in the kidnap and murder of 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford.

CANDIOTTI: He did very bury Jessica alive. He says in his words, "I`m a sick person. I don`t even know why I did it to her."

LUNSFORD: Couey is a pathological liar. He`s a piece of (EXPLETIVE DELETED). Sorry. But it`s the truth.

GRACE: The aunt of 8 and 9-year-old Shasta and Dillon Groene, both missing from their Idaho home after their mom and brother`s murder, begs you to continue the search over the July 4th holiday.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re just trying to get the pictures out there and not to let people forget that these kids are still out there. And we want them home. Dillon`s birthday is July 16, and we would like to have him home for his birthday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shasta is about 3`10", real small, about 40 pounds. Dillon is about 4`even and about 60 pounds. Pretty small kids.

GRACE: We need your help. Tamika Huston vanished spring 2004. Last seen near Spartanburg, South Carolina. Tamika`s car abandoned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the trail is not cold. We have worked almost the entire year on this case.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone, anyone that knows something, to please come forward with information about that Tamika`s disappearance.

GRACE: The family of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway, who vanished from her high school senior trip to Aruba, stunned and shocked by Aruban Judge Paul Van Der Sloot to be released from jail. Natalee`s mother convinced this judge is hiding information about her girl`s disappearance.

BETH TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY`S MOTHER: I was devastated. I felt like we worked so hard for a month, and I can`t believe it was ripped away from me.

I don`t know. Am I back at square one?

And once I spent that 90 minutes in his home, I had the confirmation that I needed to know, yes, yes, he does have some information. I don`t know what he has, I don`t know how he`s involved, but he can help give us information on this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: I want to thank all my guests tonight. But my biggest thank you is to you for being with us, inviting all of us into your homes.

Coming up, headlines from around the world. And I`m headed over to "LARRY KING."

I`m Nancy Grace, signing off for tonight. I hope to see you right here tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, goodnight, friend.

ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hi, everyone. I`m Erica Hill.

MIKE GALANOS, HEADLINES NEWS ANCHOR: And I`m Mike galanos.

"PRIME NEWS TONIGHT" coming your way in just a couple of minutes. And we`ve got a lot more on the big story Nancy Grace has been talking about: the latest twist in the Jessica Lunsford case. The confession of John Couey, the man who admitted to killing and raping the Florida 9-year-old, may not be heard by a jury. We`re going to tell you why.

HILL: Bullies have moved from the playground now to the Internet. And experts say it hurts just as bad, maybe even worse. Studies show more and more kids are being harassed by cyber bullies. Tips for you on how to protect your kids.

GALANOS: Investors are gaga for Google. The search engine`s stock has tripled since it went public and is trading in over 300 bucks. What`s fueling the boom and is it still smart to buy?

HILL: Plus, "War of the Worlds" isn`t lacking for publicity. Did you know Tom Cruise was in it? Yes. His antics help him get a little press, but is the movie actually any good? Fans and critics will weigh in.

We`ll have those stories and more coming up.

GALANOS: Stay with us. "PRIME NEWS TONIGHT" next.

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