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Nancy Grace

Suspect announced in bikini strangling case at Clemson University

Aired June 06, 2006 - 20:00   ET

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

NANCY GRACE, HOST: We are going live to South Carolina and a presser in the Clemson bikini murder mystery. Elizabeth, let`s go straight to Bob Ariail.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

BOB ARIAIL, PICKENS COUNTY SOLICITOR: No, I won`t comment on that.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) 175, last time I checked, calls in to the hotline. Any of those calls help you crack this (INAUDIBLE)

ARIAIL: Everything that we got helped us, through one way or another, either excluded somebody, included somebody, but it gave us leads to follow up on. So yes. And we would encourage people to continue to make those calls. I don`t want to make it sound like those are not important because they are. Even the most minor thing would be important to us.

QUESTION: When you released information on Friday, is this the suspect you had in mind?

ARIAIL: Well, I can`t -- I don`t know how to answer that. I didn`t have a suspect in mind on Friday. I had a photograph, an ATM, a car. But I would say based on now the combination with the DNA, yes, I think he`s the suspect I would have had in mind had I known the DNA at that time.

QUESTION: How certain are you that this is the guy?

ARIAIL: Pretty certain.

QUESTION: Why do you say that?

ARIAIL: DNA is a pretty tough -- pretty tough thing to distinguish.

QUESTION: Now, was this DNA found at her apartment, then?

ARIAIL: From processing the crime scene, yes.

QUESTION: Do you think that he was lying in wait for her when she came home?

ARIAIL: Won`t comment on that.

QUESTION: What was she bound with, do you know?

ARIAIL: Won`t comment on that.

QUESTION: Is it fair to say that the DNA is the strongest piece of evidence that you have linking him to this?

ARIAIL: Would I say that? Yes, I would.

QUESTION: I mean, it sounds DNA is the only thing you have (INAUDIBLE)

ARIAIL: Well, I don`t know. It`s certainly not the only thing we have. We have a photograph from an ATM of a guy with bandannas who`s driving an S-10 car that we told you about before we knew this guy had one. We have reason to believe that some of the other physical evidence which we have processed also will be corroborated as the investigation goes on.

QUESTION: Were the sheets taken? We heard there was that rumor that her sheets will taken.

ARIAIL: Well, we`ll leave that as rumor. I won`t comment on that.

QUESTION: Are there any other suspects, any other people who are involved in this?

ARIAIL: Not at this moment.

QUESTION: But there could be?

ARIAIL: I`m sorry?

QUESTION: But there could be?

ARIAIL: Well, no. Well, I`m -- I can`t answer that. That`s just -- that would be sheer speculation. This is our focus right now.

QUESTION: You mentioned you talked to either Bren or Jim about the -- the parents -- Tiffany`s parents, Bren and Jim, had mentioned -- I think you mentioned earlier that you talked to them?

ARIAIL: I talked to their lawyer.

QUESTION: Talked to their lawyer. OK.

GRACE: Their representative.

GRACE: We are bringing you a live press conference near Clemson, South Carolina. There you see the prosecutor, Ariail. Let`s see if he answers one last question.

ARIAIL: See the lady in the blond hair back there? She`ll spell it for you. And he probably could spell it.

GRACE: And there you see the prosecution leaving the press conference. This is what we have learned tonight live in that press conference. Warrants have been issued for a young man, Jerry Buck Inman, warrants, felony warrants for murder, criminal sexual conduct in the first degree and kidnap. Repeat, Buck Inman, Jerry Buck Inman, not in custody, the alleged killer still at large. We also learned tonight that he is a registered sex offender.

Let`s go straight out to Kevin Miller with WPTF radio. It seems to me that the prosecution is very convinced they`ve got the right guy. And it also seems to me, by this last press conference we heard, Kevin, that there is DNA from the first sex offense that they have compared to DNA found at the scene where Tiffany Souers was murdered, hence the comparison and the near certainty with which the prosecution is speaking, Kevin.

KEVIN MILLER, WPTF RADIO: Nancy, you`re correct when you look at this idea of what`s going on with the DNA, and the idea that, in fact, the prosecutor, Bob Ariail, is confident of that. You look at the coordination of these efforts. You have the Pickens County Police Department, Anderson (ph) County Police Department, and Greenville County, along with the state of South Carolina, plus the resources of over 200 phone calls, 50 people, 15 to 20 giving DNA samples. So you see the culmination of some great police work, and Nancy, people that are very confident in what they`ve done.

GRACE: Joining us right now, in addition to Kevin Miller with WPTF radio, Tiffany`s mother is with us by phone, Bren Souers. Ms. Souers, thank you for being with us.

BREN SOUERS, TIFFANY`S MOTHER: Sure.

GRACE: First of all, our condolences and our prayers to you, Ms. Souers.

SOUERS: Thank you.

GRACE: We`ve all been thinking about you a great, great deal. Does it give you any ease, any condolence at all to know that your daughter`s chief suspect has a name, has a face, they know who they`re looking for now?

SOUERS: Yes, that`s a relief. It`ll be more of a relief when they get him in custody. Seeing his face was disturbing, of course. It`ll be in my mind for a long time. I know -- I know somebody sees him when he`s - - you know, where he`s at right now, and all they have to do is call and get him turned in.

GRACE: Mrs. Souers, when you hear that it is now believed your daughter put up a valiant struggle, what are your thoughts?

SOUERS: Well, I believed that all along. She was a fighter, and I didn`t for a minute think that there were no -- no wounds or anything on him. I just knew that.

GRACE: And of course, her fighting back would have taken on a very different mode, depending on how the attack went down. Tell us the last time that you actually got to speak to your girl, Tiffany Souers.

SOUERS: The Thursday afternoon before it happened. You know, it was just a general, casual conversation. And we had planned to speak the next day. We generally spoke on Fridays, and we planned to talk again on Friday.

GRACE: With us is Tiffany Souers`s mother. We have just brought you live the press conference in which the local prosecutors have announced a name to go with part of the face that we have been looking for since Tiffany was killed, killed in her own apartment. Tonight, authorities announced they have issued arrest warrants for murder, rape and kidnapping against a Tennessee man in the death of a Clemson University student, Jerry Buck Inman. Apparently, his DNA matches samples taken from Tiffany`s apartment. He is, in fact, a registered sex offender. He is considered extremely dangerous, and is likely in a green Chevy Camaro or an Econoline van, according to prosecutor Bob Ariail.

With us is Tiffany`s mom. When you think back on that conversation, your last conversation with your girl, what strikes you? What do you recall the most?

SOUERS: It was just a normal conversation. There wasn`t anything that kind of stuck out out of the ordinary. She talked about her classes and what she was doing that afternoon. And we talked about the upcoming weekend because it`s a holiday weekend. Just normal, you know, mother- daughter conversation.

GRACE: What was she planning to do for the holiday?

SOUERS: She didn`t have plans.

GRACE: Ma`am?

SOUERS: She didn`t have any plans yet. She hadn`t made them yet.

GRACE: Tell me about her charity work. She was so involved.

SOUERS: She was. From the time was a little tiny girl, she had a mission. And she was just a very genuine little girl that was kind to everyone and wanted to help anyone she saw. And so she got involved very early in charity work and volunteering in a lot of different organizations.

GRACE: With us is Bren Souers. This is Tiffany`s mom. Tiffany`s face, we have all grown to know, a beautiful young girl, her eyes set on a civil engineering degree. She was planning to finish it in four years, as opposed to the traditional five years, really pouring her heart and soul into being a star student.

Take a listen to what prosecutors had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIAIL: ... be aware that we now have a face to go with this crime, a name, a physical description of a vehicle, which gives the public -- should give the public some degree of confidence. And hopefully, we`ll begin to develop those type things about where he was, why he was here, what he was doing, what kind of work he was doing and who was he connected with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: In addition to Tiffany`s mother with us tonight, we also have with us Kevin Miller, joining us from Raleigh, North Carolina, with WPTF radio. What else did we learn about James Buck Inman tonight?

MILLER: Well, Nancy, as you said, he`s a registered sex offender. In addition to that, you have the counts against him. And as Bob Ariail did say, they`re looking to put a face with the crime and they are asking everyone who has helped to solve this case over -- so many people that have called in nationally and locally in the upstate in South Carolina to help them bring this person to justice.

GRACE: OK, I`ve got a problem. I`ve got a problem right now. A guy -- and I`m going to try to confirm this during the show, Kevin, but I`ve got in front of me this guy`s photo from his rap sheet. I`m going to confirm that this is the right James Inman. But it says, Aggravated sexual battery, May 7, 2002. Am I in a time warp, or is that just four years ago and he`s already walking the streets? What do we know about his prior?

MILLER: Well, Nancy, you`d have the advantage on me on that. Again, we just found this out right before we went onto air. So again, we know that. We know he`s a registered sex offender, and we know the police are looking for him.

GRACE: Back to Tiffany`s mother. Bren Souers is with us tonight. Did you already know what we learned tonight in the press conference that the prosecution just gave, Bren?

SOUERS: We did. We learned that about an hour before the press conference.

GRACE: What do you know about this suspect`s criminal history? Is it true this offense just went down in 2002?

SOUERS: I hadn`t even heard his offenses until you just mentioned them. So we really haven`t gotten our arms around any of that stuff yet.

GRACE: OK. There are a lot of James Inmans floating around out there and we will confirm during this telecast whether or not this is the correct -- the correct criminal history.

Back to Kevin Miller. We understand there is a sex offense, there is kidnap, and there is murder. Tell me what you can, Kevin, about these warrants.

MILLER: Well, you look at this -- South Carolina, like North Carolina, takes it very seriously. They do have the death penalty in South Carolina. And again, you have a law enforcement state that`s going to take these charges very seriously. You`re looking at a lot of time. And if this person is the person that they say it is, a past offense, the criminal justice system in South Carolina is very severe. They`re a law-and-order state, and they pride themselves, particularly in the upstate, where, again, Clemson University, wherever, they aren`t used to things like this happening. So when this person is apprehended, expect a quick trial.

GRACE: Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIAIL: Investigators believe it is very likely that others saw him or saw something significant during the time of the murder in the apartment complex, or around the apartment complex. They may not have recognized it at the time as being significant, but if people who were in the area that night -- those people are urged to contact investigators and give them whatever information they may have as to people they saw in the area in automobiles and vehicles that they saw.

The murder has become a heavy burden for this offender, and in likelihood, it is all-consuming to him at this time. He will likely exhibit changes in his eating habits, his sleeping habits, his consumption of alcohol and drugs. He may try to isolate himself from his family. He may try to isolate himself from his friends. He may cancel plans and appointments without notice. He may be absent from classes or work, or he may be avoiding all instances of that type altogether.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That "he" that the prosecutor is referring to is Jerry Buck Inman. His DNA apparently matched samples of that taken from Tiffany Souers`s apartment.

I want to go out to Daniel Sieberg, CNN technology correspondent. Daniel, one of the ways that this guy has been pinpointed in order to get the DNA, to get the DNA match -- you know, to make a match you`ve got to have somebody to compare it to -- is because of the ATM photos. How were police able to so accurately and quickly get the picture? And how did this guy -- how was he able to use her ATM?

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, he tried to use her ATM card. And you know, there are about 400,000 ATM machines in the U.S. not all of them have surveillance cameras like this one. And he was basically trying to access her account. He tried it at a few different banks. He was unsuccessful. As I understand it, the card was captured or grabbed. And that sets up a red flag. As soon as you`re entering the wrong code, authorities are going to look into that and see if there was some sort of, you know, action going on that shouldn`t have been happening.

GRACE: You are seeing a photo of the perpetrator -- the alleged perpetrator. He`s the chief suspect. Allegedly, his DNA is matching that found in Tiffany Souers`s apartment. This is a shot of Jerry Buck Inman, apparently, a registered sex offender. This is the man police are looking for. He is considered armed and dangerous. He is at large. We were hoping tonight police would announce that they had him in custody. Not so. Jerry Buck Inman.

Very quickly, everyone, let`s go to tonight`s "Case Alert." Finally, some good news to report. A newborn baby we told you about last night found alive, Lubbock, Texas. Just 5 days old, Priscilla Moldano was kidnapped by a woman posing as a nurse who befriended the child`s family. Stephanie Lynn Jones tonight facing kidnap charges. Jones`s husband also being questioned. Baby Priscilla found abandoned in sweltering 104-degree heat, the baby miraculously in good condition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought I was never going to see my baby ever again. And when I finally did, I was -- I was overwhelmed. (INAUDIBLE) and I`m glad that that person caught and I got my baby back because of that person. I really appreciate them. I really do. I really thank them from the bottom of my heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIAIL: The focus of the task force that`s working on this case is becoming sharper, and they are committed not to stop until we have identified and apprehended the person responsible for this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: In just this hour, prosecutors there in South Carolina have announced they have a chief suspect in the Clemson University bikini murder mystery. As you know by now, a beautiful young girl, 20-year-old Tiffany Souers, was found strangled in her own apartment. She was there at Clemson in summer school to become a civil engineer. The murder weapon, her bikini bathing suit top. Tonight, police announced this man, Jerry Buck Inman, is the chief suspect. DNA from Inman from a prior sex assault -- he is a convicted sex offender -- has matched samples taken from Tiffany`s apartment.

With us tonight, Kevin Miller with WPTF radio, and Tiffany`s mom, Bren, is with us, as well.

Let`s go straight out to the lines. Ellen in Michigan. Welcome, Ellen.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good evening, Nancy. My question is, since they have matched DNA in this case, will authorities continue to investigate the other rape cases that have happened on that campus in relationship to this man?

GRACE: Do you mean are they comparing DNA to him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will they continue to...

GRACE: Oh, I believe I can answer for them. I`m sure they`ll use this DNA to compare to other rape cases there on campus. A lot will also depend, Ellen, on when this guy got out of jail. We know he`s a registered sex offender. Rapes that occurred while he was behind bars, of course, are not going to be matched up to him. But others, I can guarantee you, they are trying to make matches right now. Good question, Ellen.

Let`s go to Pam in North Carolina. Hi, Pam.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.

GRACE: What`s your question, dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, ma`am. I noticed that he has tattoos.

GRACE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has anyone been able to distinguish what they are? Does he have any more -- any on his body that would help the public to help to identify him?

GRACE: That`s a darn good question because, Pam, when someone is booked in, and he would have been booked in on his first -- yes, let`s close in on that, Liz, if we can -- on his first offense. I`m seeing tattoos on either side of the neck. Elizabeth, when you can, let`s try to isolate that and see what the hey. Elizabeth, can you take down the words on the screen so we can see? What is that? Take a look at that, Dean (ph). What is that on the guy`s neck?

Very good question, Pam.

When somebody is booked in, isn`t this true, Lisa Wayne, all of their identifying markers on their bodies, birthmarks, tattoos, piercings, any type of unusual marking is listed on the booking sheet. That should be disseminated almost immediately, Lisa.

LISA WAYNE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: That`s correct, Nancy. I mean, it should be listed there. Scars, birthmarks, any unique identifying feature is always documented for -- in fact, for future use, used to identify somebody.

GRACE: Let`s go out to Ray Giudice, veteran defense attorney, as well, along with Lisa Wayne. You know what is additionally disturbing? This guy is on the loose, Ray Giudice. This guy has nothing left to lose.

RAY GIUDICE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Nancy, with his history of clearly aggressive and violent behavior, they need to get this guy as quickly as possible. I think the prosecutor has done a great job in managing the dissemination of information here to, number one, push his investigation to this point, and secondly now, to lead to the capture of this guy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She didn`t have her plans for the weekend yet. We talked about that. And you know, she was fine. It was our normal conversation. When we hung up, I said, I`ll talk to you tonight or tomorrow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Prosecutors have just announced a chief suspect in the murder of a 20-year-old girl, a Clemson student, Tiffany Souers, his name Jerry Buck Inman. He is a registered sex offender.

I`ve gotten some more information about him. His DOB is 12-19-1970. I found out about the question regarding his tattoos you`re seeing on his neck. His body is covered. People, if we can`t find this guy -- on his back is a skull tattoo, on his left chest a tiger, left hand a skull and a pentagram, left leg a skill and a dagger. On his neck is the tattoo of a bat. Repeat, a bat. Tattoo right arm, skull and dragon cross. Tattoo right hand, skull. Tattoo on his stomach, a female and a gun. Now, I would say that`s pretty identifiable.

Let`s go out to Shawna in New Mexico. Shawna, hi, dear. What`s your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. This guy reminds me of the red dragon (ph). But what I want to know is, is there is the death penalty in this state?

GRACE: In South Carolina?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

GRACE: Oh, yes. It is a red state. It is death penalty. And I`ve got to find out if it`s "two strikes and you`re out." That really, however, wouldn`t qualify here. It may not matter about two prior strikes because being a death penalty state. What about it, Ray Giudice?

GIUDICE: This has all the earmarks of the death penalty. He was either laying in wait -- it`s aggravated robbery, kidnap, rape, flight. I mean, it`s a double death penalty case in South Carolina.

GRACE: And repeat, authorities looking for a red 1990 Chevy S-10 Blazer, Silver trim, Tennessee license tag 158-DCX.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... criminal sexual conduct in the first degree is the charge. Our single focus right now until we get him. Then we`ll focus on whether or not we can spin out from there to whatever evidence other crimes have been committed, but that`s certainly a possibility that we will definitely look into.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Tonight, South Carolina prosecutors announced the chief suspect -- here is his picture, Jerry "Buck" Inman. He is age 35, soon to be 36, a white male. He is tattooed all over his body, most notably to the observer a bat tattooed on his neck. On his hands, tattooed skulls, right arm, skull, dragon, and cross. Take a look at this guy.

Out to Kevin Miller, reporter with WPTF Radio, Kevin, what, if any -- is this guy -- a registered sex offender, a freak by all accounts, a registered sex offender?

KEVIN MILLER, WPTF RADIO: Right.

GRACE: What is his relation to this girl? She`s 20.

MILLER: Well, Nancy, from what we know and from published reports, from police reports, from people that have known the victim, that this was a great community, Clemson. You have the Reserve apartment complex...

GRACE: Relationship. Relationship.

MILLER: Well, I can`t comment on that, Nancy, if there was any.

GRACE: OK, was he a construction worker?

MILLER: Yes, he was a construction worker.

GRACE: OK. Was there a construction worker near her apartment?

MILLER: Well, yes, he was near her apartment.

GRACE: Huh. Let`s see two plus two. It equals four. Where do we think this guy lived, Kevin? Any idea yet?

MILLER: Well, he`s listed as being from Blunt County, Tennessee, right now.

GRACE: You know what`s interesting? I`m taking a look at what little bit of the rap sheet we have on this guy, and it says he is a sex offender under Florida law.

What does that mean, Lisa Wayne, joining us out of Denver, Colorado? He`s out of Tennessee, and he`s a registered sex offender under Florida law. And here, according to prosecutors, he`s popped up in South Carolina in this girl`s apartment.

WAYNE: Well, it means either he was convicted under Florida law, or he moved from Tennessee, got a conviction somewhere else, and he had to register because of that prior conviction.

GRACE: Got you.

WAYNE: So someone has him, and that`s who`s supposed to be keeping track of him.

GRACE: And that`s not all. To Ray Giudice, it sounds to me like this guy has jumped registration.

GIUDICE: Yes, I agree, Nancy. Somebody wasn`t following him. He wasn`t living where he was supposed to live, playing by the rules of the sex offender, registered sex offender laws in various states, although there is a possibility that his probation may have been transferred to South Carolina.

GRACE: You mean his parole.

GIUDICE: His parole, right. Small chance of that, but that`s a possibility.

GRACE: And you know another thing, Ray Giudice, you don`t get to be a registered sex offender typically by fondling some lady on a bus. To be a registered sex offender, you usually have been convicted of something much more serious.

GIUDICE: Nancy, I`m going to disagree with you there. That`s not correct. Actually, some very minor offenses -- obviously not minor as a criminal offense, but even some minor offenses can be classified as sex offender offenses, and not all child molestations and rapes. That is a problem in many of...

GRACE: Like what?

GIUDICE: Well, exactly, a fondling case. That can be a sex offense case. It depends how it`s charged. If it`s charged as just a misdemeanor simple battery, but if it`s charged as a misdemeanor sexual battery, which is a misdemeanor offense we have here in the state of Georgia, you must register as a sex offender for a misdemeanor fondling.

GRACE: Ray, Ray, wait a minute. Wait. Wait.

GIUDICE: I`m not saying that`s what he did, Nancy.

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: No. Elizabeth, put this guy back up, please, Elizabeth. Ray, take a look at this.

GIUDICE: Well, he didn`t get four years...

GRACE: Look at this guy. You think his conviction is for a fondling?

GIUDICE: Nancy, he didn`t get...

GRACE: I`m going to let you think about that for a moment.

GIUDICE: He didn`t get four years for a misdemeanor; I agree with you. But that`s not the question you asked me. The question is that there are some offenses that are not at the upper end of the sexual strata that can get you a sex offender status.

GRACE: OK, OK, I will agree with that.

I want to go out -- Elizabeth, do we still have Tiffany`s mom with us, Bren? Mrs. Souers, do you have any idea how this guy -- oh, darn, we just lost her. See if you can get that satellite back up.

I`m trying to determine how this guy would have come into contact with Tiffany. And I want to go to Caryn Stark, psychotherapist. So many people have referred to this as a robbery gone wrong or a sex offense gone wrong.

Maybe I`m the crazy one, Caryn, but does any sex offense or any armed robbery have a good ending? Why are we saying "gone wrong"?

CARYN STARK, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Well, Nancy, I agree with you. I can`t imagine how it could have a good ending. But I believe that the reason they`re saying "gone wrong" is that he may not have intended to kill her. Nevertheless, it`s a horrendous situation. And I feel regrets for the family who have to live with this violence, as well as losing their daughter.

GRACE: OK. Thanks, Elizabeth. We`ve got Bren Souers back. Mrs. Souers is Tiffany`s mom.

Mrs. Souers, I just don`t understand how a guy like this, this registered sex offender, came in contact with your girl. Do they think...

BREN SOUERS, MOTHER OF TIFFANY SOUERS: Nor do we. It`s very disturbing.

GRACE: Do you think he was working on a construction site around the apartment?

SOUERS: That would be my best guess, yes. He didn`t look like a student.

GRACE: No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This 35-year-old going on 36, with at least one criminal conviction under his belt for sex offense, is not your typical student, I agree with that.

SOUERS: No.

GRACE: We also know there was another rape in and around those apartments. And I`m just wondering how long this guy`s been hanging around.

Did police divulge anything about this guy`s background to you, Mrs. Souers?

SOUERS: No. We had pretty much just the information that was released in the press release, and that was about it.

GRACE: To Harold Copus, former FBI agent, now a private investigator, this guy clearly had only done four years behind bars and was on the loose. How long till he slips up again? He`s already used Tiffany`s ATM.

HAROLD COPUS, FORMER FBI AGENT: Oh, I don`t think it`s very long at all. And I think that`s the urgency now. And I`m being -- I`d be very concerned. Every law enforcement in the Southeast should be looking for this guy.

GRACE: You`re not kidding.

Everybody, we are talking about Jerry "Buck" Inman. His name and his photo just revealed in the last half hour by South Carolina prosecutors. The chief suspect -- repeat, chief suspect -- in the murder of a 20-year- old civil engineering student there at Clemson University.

I want you to meet two very special guests joining me on the set tonight, Elizabeth Kennedy, the senior instructor at Modern Warrior. She teaches police and civilian self-defense and founded American Women`s Self- Defense Association.

And joining her, her assistant, Louis Sevelli (ph).

Thank you. Thank you to both of you. If this were an attack on Tiffany from behind, what defensive wounds would you expect on this guy`s face, neck and arms? Help us out.

ELIZABETH KENNEDY, AMERICAN WOMEN`S SELF-DEFENSE ASSOCIATION: The average person is going to panic -- and rightfully so -- when they are feeling this choke from behind. The important thing to do is, if you feel the choke, rather than doing this and pull away, but to go in, and snag, and attack the person behind you, attack vital target areas.

GRACE: I definitely want a piece of that.

KENNEDY: It`s very cathartic.

GRACE: If I`m watching for Jerry "Buck" Inman tonight, what, Elizabeth, would I expect to find on his face and arms and hands, other than a tattoo of a bat?

KENNEDY: Yes. Probably what most people will do is, on the choke, they will bring their hands up, maybe reach behind them, try and undo the choking, and then reach behind them to get the person to let go, struggling with the person, so maybe try and scratch the face, attack the face and attack the arms.

GRACE: Or the hands. Or the hands.

KENNEDY: The arms and the hands.

GRACE: Everyone, the reason we are asking -- in addition to giving tips about how to fight back -- is what to be looking for with this Jerry "Buck" Inman guy. I`m hearing from Elizabeth in my ear, joining us right now, is Jennifer Johnson from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.

And we`re so happy to speak to her. Her agency has been assisting in the investigation all afternoon. Inman is from Tennessee.

Welcome, Jennifer. Thank you for being with us.

JENNIFER JOHNSON, TENNESSEE BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: Thank you.

GRACE: Jennifer, we`ve got a lot of questions about this guy. Is he from Tennessee? Where was he a sex offender? I see he`s registered in Florida.

JOHNSON: Well, it`s my understanding that he registered in December of last year here in Tennessee, so I don`t know that he`s necessarily from here, though I believe he does have family in the area. But December 19th is the day that he first showed up on our sex offender registry here in Tennessee.

GRACE: Now, if he registered in Tennessee, what the hay is he doing down in South Carolina near Clemson University?

JOHNSON: Well, you know, we`ve said this many times, but nothing short of electronic monitoring or some kind of device is going to prohibit these people from traveling across state lines. I mean, just because he`s registered here doesn`t mean that he won`t get in a car and leave tomorrow, and I think maybe perhaps that`s what`s happened here.

GRACE: Do you have any idea about the circumstances surrounding his last sex conviction?

JOHNSON: I don`t. I just got off the phone with a supervisor who said that the charge that he was registered for here is sexual battery, and it`s my understanding that those are out of Hillsboro, Florida. So they don`t necessarily have to be charges that occurred here in Tennessee.

GRACE: Got you.

JOHNSON: If you have charges anywhere, you`re going to have to register here. And each state is different, of course.

GRACE: With us is Jennifer Johnson from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, her agency assisting in the naming and the identification of this man, Jerry "Buck" Inman, chief suspect in the murder of 20-year-old Clemson student Tiffany Souers.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything that we got helped us, one way or another. It either excluded somebody, included somebody, but it gave us leads to follow up on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Tonight, breaking news out of South Carolina in the Clemson University bikini murder mystery. As you know, a 20-year-old civil engineering student was found dead in her apartment. This is the man police named tonight as the chief suspect, based on DNA found in the apartment of Tiffany Souers.

Who is he? Jerry "Buck" Inman, 35, going on 36. He is a convicted sex felon out of Hillsboro, Florida. We now know that offense. That offense was, surprisingly, like this offense, kidnap, commission of a felony, sexual battery with a weapon. We also know that, as of December 19th, he was a registered sex offender in Tennessee, and then ended up there in South Carolina.

Elizabeth, do I still have Jennifer Johnson with the TBI? With us, Jennifer Johnson with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Her agency has been assisting South Carolina.

Again, welcome, Jennifer Johnson. What has the TBI been doing to help South Carolina?

JOHNSON: Well, we were contacted this afternoon. I mean, we had no idea, obviously, that he was a suspect or that he was living here in Tennessee, but we were contacted by authorities in South Carolina regarding this case and they let us know about his role in this crime or what they believed was his role.

So we have been helping them throughout the afternoon, in conjunction with the Jefferson County sheriff`s office, to try and locate him. We`ve had some limited information about his life, and so we`ve been following up on those leads and just trying to help locate him for that agency in South Carolina.

GRACE: Jennifer Johnson with the TBI, what limited information about this guy`s life do you have?

JOHNSON: I don`t want to reveal too much, because I don`t want him to know what we know. You know, he may be watching TV right now; we don`t know exactly what his knowledge is. He`s probably just now finding out tonight that he is a suspect, perhaps on your show, so we don`t want to tip our hand too much to him.

GRACE: Tip line, everyone: 1-800-442-2746.

I`m not going to press Jennifer Johnson for more, but I will tell you what we know. We know that this guy is considered armed and dangerous. We also know that he has been spotted or he is suspected to be in a red Jeep pickup. It`s a 1990 Chevy S10 Blazer with silver trim, Tennessee license tag -- take a listen to this -- 158-DCX, white male, 5`10", 160 pounds, numerous tattoos.

And as we mentioned earlier during the show, we have gotten our mitts in the last 15 minutes on his booking, his booking which details tattoos around his body. This guy has a tattoo of a bat -- that`s attractive -- on his neck. He`s got a tattoo on his right arm, skull, dragon and cross, left hand, skull and pentagram. Now, you don`t see that every day. Left chest, tiger, back, skull. On his stomach, if you dare see it, is a tattoo of a female and a gun.

Very quickly, I want to go to Dr. Jonathan Arden, medical examiner. A lot has been made of possible defensive wounds on Jerry "Buck" Inman. If someone were to see them -- remember, this girl was strangled from in front or behind - what defensive wounds might we see on Inman?

JONATHAN ARDEN, MEDICAL EXAMINER, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: I think the kind of thing you`re most likely to see was just what was demonstrated in the self-defense you did earlier. I think a person who is being strangled from behind is probably instinctually going to be grabbing for the face or the hands around her neck, and that will probably be scratching and clawing at the skin, so you`ll see perhaps lines of scratches, parallel lines, which is the kind of thing you get if fingers are drawn across the surface.

So it may be something even a little less random than just scrapes and bruises, but especially if you see curved marks like fingernails, and if you see lines that are parallel, where the nails have been drawn across a portion of the skin.

GRACE: Right. So, Dr. Arden, I`m thinking this guy, if there are defensive wounds that we can see, are going to be on his hands, his lower arms, near the wrist, neck, possible face, maybe lower chest. And you can actually look and see the half moon of a nail in certain defensive wounds.

Everybody, here on the set to back up what Dr. Jonathan Arden has told us, two special guests, Elizabeth Kennedy. She teaches police and civilian self-defense and the founder of American Women Self-Defense Association. Her assistant, Louis Sevelli (ph).

Explain how these defensive wounds can happen.

KENNEDY: Well, if the choke is coming from the front, the person might try and hold the choke, stop the choke, and hit with the hands, try and scratch for the eyes. And going for the eyes is a great thing to do. Attack the eyes violently. Attack. And then use all of the other weapons that you have.

Follow him down to the ground. Use all your weapons, knees, elbows, drop back, use your feet to attack the person`s head. Go for vital targets, vision, wind, limbs.

GRACE: And now we know why she is the founder of American Self- Defense Association.

Back to Daniel Sieberg, our CNN technology correspondent. We are talking a lot about possible defensive wounds on this guy.

Liz, if we could show his photo again, Jerry "Buck" Inman, convicted sex offender out of Florida, registered in Tennessee, popping up through DNA identification in South Carolina.

Daniel, another thing, the ATM. I just don`t have in my head how this guy knew her ATM. Do you think possibly she had it in her wallet, the code?

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, he probably couldn`t get her code; that`s why he was unsuccessful trying to use her card and they captured it.

You know, when you try to use your card at an ATM machine, they give you a few times to get it right. Maybe you forgot it and you need to try and remember it again. And if you don`t get it right after three times, most of the times they`ll capture it.

Now, if it`s a swipe when you go to the ATM machine, they might have to just try and block the account. And when you go to another one, they can capture it. So whether or not he was able to get her code or at least try to get her code doesn`t seem like he was very successful in this case.

GRACE: So that`s the reason we have so many repeat photos. You`re absolutely correct, Daniel Sieberg.

Very quickly, Teresa in Kentucky. Hi, dear, what`s your question?

CALLER: The complex looks like a fairly decent complex. Was there security? And, if so, where were they?

GRACE: Kevin, was there security at the apartment complex, Kevin Miller?

MILLER: Yes, Nancy, at the Reserve there are. From what we`ve heard, there are panic buttons in the room, and security does go around the complex every night to take a look at it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would encourage people to continue to make those calls. I don`t want to make it sound like those are not important, because they are. Even the most minor things would be important to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: You`re taking a look at Jerry "Buck" Inman, the chief suspect in the case of Tiffany Souers, the 20-year-old Clemson University student found murdered in her own apartment.

I`ve just received some very disturbing news. This guy convicted at age 17 for sexual battery with a deadly weapon, robbery, grand theft motor, armed robbery. This was back in 1989 that he was adjudicated. His tentative release date was today, June 6, 2006.

If he had been kept behind bars as long as he was supposed to have been, he would not have been in Tiffany Souers` apartment, according to prosecutors.

Let`s go right back over to Elizabeth Kennedy. What can people do? What can ladies do to avoid being killed?

KENNEDY: It`s so critical.

GRACE: By a perpetrator in the home by strangling?

KENNEDY: It`s so critical to be violent and vicious, to give yourself permission to attack.

GRACE: Go.

KENNEDY: If this were to be -- I would have to go in to him and lean on him, and attack violently and viciously with everything I`ve got, finger jabs, elbows, elbows, elbows, knee kicks, knees, and then drop down and attack with my feet again.

GRACE: With us, showing how to fight back is Elizabeth Kennedy and Louis Sevelli (ph). I pray to God, I wish to God that this girl could have fought back that night.

We have been bringing you breaking news tonight, breaking news out of South Carolina. As you know by now, a chief suspect has been named in the murder case against Tiffany Souers. This is the man law enforcement all across the country is looking for, Jerry "Buck" Inman.

Thank you for being with us tonight. Thank you to all of my guests, but most of all, thank you to you for being with us as we bring you the latest about Tiffany Souers. I`m Nancy Grace signing off again for tonight. See you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern.

Thank you, Mrs. Souers, for being with us tonight.

Good night, friend.

END