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Nancy Grace

Daring Jailbreak in Ohio

Aired August 08, 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: Tonight, breaking news. We go on the offense in the manhunt for one of America`s most dangerous fugitives. Thirty-five- year-old John Parsons makes a daring escape from behind jailhouse walls, plunging from the jail rooftop with nothing but a homemade rope, Parsons wanted in the shooting death of Ohio officer Larry Cox during a foot chase after an armed robbery, authorities now working 24/7 to bring Parsons in. Tonight, Parsons, incredibly eluding police, now going on two weeks. And in the last few hours we have learned Parsons believed to be getting help from local citizens. And just in: Police swarm the home of Parsons`s mother, leaving with multiple bags of evidence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think God can forgive him, but he has brought harm to somebody else, and he needs to pay whatever price there is to pay for that life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: I`m Nancy Grace. Thank you for being with us. Straight out to Columbus, Ohio, with "The Columbus Dispatch" reporter Kelly Hassett. Kelly, right now, what`s happening in the search for John Parsons, and where is he believed to be?

KELLY HASSETT, "COLUMBUS DISPATCH": Right now, they`re entering about a week-and-a-half into the search. Tonight, we did hear they searched John Parsons`s mother`s house in Frankfurt (ph), which is about 13 miles north of the main search area, where they were last week. At this point, it`s really anyone`s guess if he is still in the area or has made it outside of Ohio.

GRACE: Kelly, what led police to search the mom`s home?

HASSETT: That -- I`m not sure what led them to go there tonight. I know they had been in touch with the Parsons family, and were aware of where they were and where else relatives were this week and last week. So not quite sure what led them to go there tonight.

GRACE: Kelly -- with us, "Columbus Dispatch" reporter Kelly Hassett - - how long has it been now since Parsons made off from the county jail?

HASSETT: Today I believe is the tenth day. He escaped July 29. That was early Saturday afternoon. And that jail is in downtown Chillicothe, Ohio.

GRACE: Take a listen to what the local sheriff had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re looking for a very serious individual that`s committed a serious crime of murder, killing a police officer. And our focus right now is apprehending him.

I myself and the officers will go until we can`t go no longer.

We hope that we have some good news. But you know, again, we`re talking a very thick area, and it`s very difficult to go through.

We`re just keeping moving down the wooded area and do just grid searches.

Experience tells us that either he`s not moving or he`s inside this wooded area and can`t get out and may be down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: What`s amazing to me -- out to Kelly Hassett -- is how he has managed to elude police now going on two weeks. This is, to my understanding, a very rural area. There are a lot of abandoned barn, house structures. It`s a very rugged area, forest. And is it true, Kelly, that people have actually been seeing him darting in and out, once on a bicycle?

HASSETT: That was a sighting very early on. I believe that was Sunday morning, the day after he escaped. There were a couple residents on McDonald (ph) Hill Road, which is pretty much in the center of their search area, saw a person they thought was Parsons on a bike, and they saw him riding along the road. But then when they made eye contact, when they saw him, he darted into the woods.

GRACE: And Kelly, is it true that over 125 police officers have been called in at one time or the other to help in the search for a believed cop killer, John Parsons? And not only that, we have the unprecedented joining of forces between the FBI, the ATF. Who else is trying to find this guy, Kelly?

HASSETT: Well, there are law enforcement agencies from up and down Ohio, from as far north as Delaware County, as far south as Lawrence (ph) County. There are U.S. Marshals involved now. So pretty much everyone that they`ve turned to has -- everyone has really been willing to offer them help. And at one point last week, at the height of the local search, there were nearly 200 officers out looking.

GRACE: How has the heat affected the search?

HASSETT: That`s -- that`s really made it very difficult for them. Last week, we had temperatures in the mid to upper 90s. So they had bloodhounds and canines out searching. They only wanted them out two hours at a time because of the intense heat. Same with all the people out looking.

And one interesting thing. They used infrared devices at night. They took that up in a plane to do night searches. And it was so hot that they weren`t getting clear images because there wasn`t that much difference between the air temperature and body heat.

GRACE: Here is what more of the sheriffs had to say -- an incredible escape, a daring escape off the top of the jailhouse roof with nothing but a homemade rope. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have picked up several scents which we consider hot trails. So that`s good.

It would appear that he`s darting out, seeing law enforcement, darting back into the woods.

There`s no question our escapee was here. There`s no question about that.

Using the infrared system, that does give a certain advantages that he doesn`t have. He can`t see. We can. We can see in the dark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Tonight, we are joining forces along with the FBI, ATF and local police in the search for one of America`s most wanted and most dangerous fugitives. He is believed to be armed. John Parsons is wanted in the shooting death of law officer Larry Cox. This is following a foot chase post-armed robbery. Cox shot in the neck, leaving behind a family. As a matter of fact, according to reports, his family may actually have heard the gunshots that killed Larry Cox.

Straight back out to Kelly Hassett with "The Columbus Dispatch." Explain to me how this guy managed to escape jail walls.

HASSETT: Well, what we`re hearing -- what we believe at this point, he made a rope out of bedsheets and scraps of toilet paper. And he fashioned that rope. He was able to hide it. He pulled a cement block out from the wall and hid the rope in there as he was making it, pushed the cement block back in with -- and sealed it with toothpaste. And...

GRACE: OK, let me get this straight. So with toilet paper, toothpaste and bedsheets, along with what my research shows to be the metal leg from a table or a metal strip from a table, he escapes, right?

HASSETT: Right. That`s correct.

GRACE: And this is a guy wanted for a cop killing. And this is not his first brush with the law, correct, Kelly?

HASSETT: That`s correct. He has -- he does have a record.

GRACE: In 1993, three separate citations, disorderly conduct. In `94, two counts receiving stolen property. That goes on. Can you give me screen two, please, Rosie? In `95, obstructing official business. In `99, two-and-a-half years for aggravated robbery, breaking and entering. That was in a gas station. This most recent robbery was an armed robbery, the same MO, modus operandi, of a BP station. Leaving the station, apparently, Officer Larry Cox joined in the foot chase. Cox was off duty but heard his friends on the search and joined in as part of that foot chase -- Cox gunned down, shot in the neck.

Now, Rosie, this is a shot -- this is a shot of Parsons. Let`s see the sketch of the armed robber, as soon as you can pull that up, Rosie.

Let`s go back to Kelly Hassett with "The Columbus Dispatch," reporter. What do we have linking him to the cop killing?

HASSETT: That -- what exactly led police to Parsons and charging him with that, we`re not exactly sure. That information really hasn`t been -- wasn`t released at the time of the investigation last year. We do know there was a surveillance video at the gas station. There were some witness descriptions. And police did know Parsons. They were familiar with him.

GRACE: I know they were familiar because they had arrested him before. But hey, Rosie, see if you can pull up the gas station surveillance video.

Let`s think this through, Greg Skordas, joining us out of Salt Lake City, veteran trial lawyer. The indictment has been handed down. Here is the surveillance video. And of course, this can be enhanced easily by the FBI. Let`s keep it going, Rosie.

We know that a car was stolen from a local restaurant. The BP was -- there you go, thanks, Rosie -- was then arm-robbed, leaving that -- and there`s surveillance in the BP station -- Officer Larry Cox joins in the foot search and is then killed.

We`re taking a look at surveillance video. There you go. Here`s the surveillance pictures. I wonder how much the FBI could enhance this.

While we`re looking, Greg Skordas, I`ve been taking a look at the evidence that we have so far. What links him to the cop killing? We know the robber is the one that shot the cop. Now, right there, you`re seeing a shot of the eyewitness who saw this guy underneath the hood. The robber is not masked, Greg. He had a full, plain view of his face. And remember, Greg, we also know this alleged cop killer jacked a car, so his fingerprints were probably all over this car.

GREG SKORDAS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: And that`s why it`s surprising because they have a trial coming up in October. Certainly, they would have had something akin to a preliminary hearing. They may have had a probable cause statement issued in connection with the indictment or information that was filed...

GRACE: Well, it was a grand jury indictment, Greg, so there`s not a preliminary hearing that goes with that in every jurisdiction. That is the equivalent in a lot of jurisdictions of a preliminary hearing.

SKORDAS: But nonetheless, there was evidence presented to the grand jury. That evidence has been released to his defense counsel, and I`m surprised that we don`t know at least a little bit more about the probable cause that led to the police and the prosecutors charging him, at this point.

GRACE: To John Burris, veteran trial lawyer, like Greg Skordas. You know, John Burris, when I would take things to the grand jury, that information was not always -- grand juries act in secret, all right? That information is not always released to defense until the time of the trial. This is a death penalty case, shooting down a cop, so I doubt that the defense at this juncture would have the grand jury proceedings. But we do know an indictment is out.

If you take a look at the evidence, John Burris, let`s try to deduce - - there`s a shot of Officer Cox -- what is linking him to this cop killing.

JOHN BURRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I would say this. Number one, every jurisdiction -- most state court jurisdictions will release the grand jury testimony much earlier in the case than in the federal system. In the federal system, you may not get the testimony of witnesses until the time that person testifies. But I got to believe that if you got a grand jury indictment, a prosecutor would not have taken the case before the grand jury unless there was some connection. And it might have been the photos, it might have been fingerprints. We just don`t know. It is surprising that none of that information has been leaked. I think, though...

GRACE: John Burris, the guy -- did you -- Rosie, pull that video back up for Burris to take a look at. You`ve got the clerk three feet from the guy`s face. He doesn`t have on a mask. I`m talking about the pix, Rosie. Go ahead, John.

BURRIS: Well, that only means to me that there`s some eyewitness testimony that has been given at the grand jury. The witness has already testified as to what it was. I think, to the extent that that has not been leaked, that`s certainly a good thing for the defendant because that means it has not -- the jury pool has not been pre-judged already by evidence that has already been leaked.

Now, I`m certain the defense has it. They would have to have it by now, in terms of what those statements are and what the evidence is. So you know, I think that you`re right, that the photograph themselves, witnesses are there, only go to the question of probable cause, and it certainly suggests there must be some strong evidence. My experience is that when the prosecution seeks the death penalty, they generally have strong evidence. The question is not guilt or innocence, the question is whether or not the person is going to die and or get the death penalty, and that`s the function of the strength of the evidence at the guilt phase.

GRACE: Wait a minute! John Burris, you`re just laying down and letting me roll over you like that? You`re admitting guilt?

BURRIS: Oh, no, I...

GRACE: We haven`t even instructed the jury, for Pete`s sake!

BURRIS: No, no. I`m not doing that by any stretch of the imagination.

GRACE: Yes, you are.

BURRIS: You know -- no, I would not do that. I`m only telling you the prosecution must have some evidence. As a defense counsel, obviously, I`m going to challenge the credibility of the witness, and more particularly, the eyewitness testimony of those who say they saw. As we know, eyewitness testimony undoubtedly is always the most suspect of all evidence because it`s someone`s perception of a particular event at the time, particularly a fast-moving event.

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: Right. Burris, you and Skordas at the masters at telling people they didn`t see what they just saw. Scary part, you actually make juries believe it.

But hold on. Don Clark is with us, former head of the FBI Houston bureau. Let`s think this thing through. Why are they so convinced this guy`s a cop killer? Of course, we know he`s an escaped inmate. But let`s think ballistics. The cop, Larry Cox, was shot in the neck. They`ve got the bullet. Would this guy be such an idiot that he would use one of his guns? There`s a lot of suspicion, Don Clark, that there`s a wheel man involved with the original escape. But would this guy used his own gun?

DON CLARK, FORMER HEAD, FBI HOUSTON OFFICE: Well, that`s very possible that he could use his own gun. But here`s the deal, Nancy, is that they certainly have a plethora of evidence that they are using to get this indictment in this case and take -- and call this a death penalty case. They`re not going to just do that on an eyewitness testimony alone. They`re going to have ballistic evidence there. They may even have fingerprints. We don`t know exactly...

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: You got to have a fingerprint out of that jacked car.

CLARK: Absolutely. You got to have a fingerprint out of the car. You also may have a fingerprint -- I don`t know if he was in the store or not. He may have been in the car. But they...

GRACE: He was in the store.

CLARK: Yes. So they may have a fingerprint there, as well. And plus, they`ve got video, and not withstanding the eyewitness testimony. And yes, eyewitness testimony may be suspect at some times, but a lot of times, it can be very accurate, as well. So they`ve got a lot of evidence there. They just didn`t just fly by the seat of their pants and decide, Let`s just go and get an indictment for this guy.

GRACE: When we come back, we`ll be going out to the lines. Marianna in Ohio, hang tight. And also when we come back, we will meet Dan Silcott (ph). Silcott is the defense attorney that turned down this case because he knew the victim, Larry Cox. He has represented Parsons at his initial hearing, and due to a conflict, an ethical conflict, said no to the case. He`s joining us when we get back.

Let`s quickly go to tonight`s "case alert." A suspect in the Phoenix serial shooter investigation denies he`s involved in an estimated 40 -- that`s right, four-zero -- shootings claiming the lives of seven people in the desert town. Suspect Dale Hausner now says he kept a map of all the crime scenes only because he was, quote, "interested" in the case. He blames his roommate and co-suspect Samuel Dieteman, saying Dieteman did the shooting while he, Hausner, slept.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DALE HAUSNER, PHOENIX SERIAL MURDER SUSPECT: I have a 2-and-a-half- year-old daughter who`s got a terminal disease, and you know, I`m not going to be out shooting people for no reason. If I`m going to shoot someone, it`s going to be because they`re doing a threat to me or my daughter, coming into my house to hurt me. I`m not going to be driving around at night, shooting people with any type of a weapon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More than seven agencies teamed up to search for 35-year-old John Parsons, some standing ready with a shotgun, and K-9 dogs tracking Parsons`s scent. North County sheriff says Parsons was spotted by neighbors this morning riding the same bike he stole after breaking out of the Ross County jail. Police may have sighted him again late this afternoon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve had a possible sighting with one of our officers that are on the perimeter duty. We`ve got the whole area sealed. We`ve got a complete -- practically an iron fence around this area right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We`re not just sitting back and taking it, we`re trying to do something about it, and we ask that you help us by calling tip line, toll- free, 888-400-8477, Crimestoppers, $25,000 reward to bring in John Parsons, accused cop killer. This guy`s got a resume as long as my arm of prior felonies. His MO is to rob gas stations at gunpoint. This time, somebody got killed, and it was a cop. In fact, our reports indicate the cop`s son actually heard the shot that claimed the life of his father. That is absolutely unacceptable!

Let`s go out to the lines. Let`s go to Marianna, calling us from Ohio. Hi, Marianna.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. Thanks for taking my call.

GRACE: Yes, ma`am. What`s your question?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, my question is, you know, this case has definitely caused a division in the community, as far as who supports the police force and this individual. My question is, what`s your opinion on how, as a society, do we gain that support back for our police force to find somebody like this?

GRACE: You know what? That`s a really good question. And as you can see, people that escape from jail somehow become romanticized, like the birdman from Alcatraz or "Cool Hand Luke." I don`t know how that happens. But you know what I think the answer is, Marianna? To get the facts out there, why people believe this guy not only robbed two gas station but killed a cop. As opposed to getting taken in on a theft, he chose to kill a cop, to kill a cop, a volunteer cop. He wasn`t even on duty! And I`m stunned that people are siding against the cops. I agree with you, Marianna.

Let`s go out to Marilyn in Missouri. Hi, Marilyn.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I was just wondering if he`d ever escaped any other jail time?

GRACE: Jail time or jailhouse?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jail -- jailhouse.

GRACE: Kelly, I don`t believe he`s ever made an escape before, has he?

HASSETT: No, not to my knowledge.

GRACE: And I know he did jail time on the other gas station robbery. In fact, I would put money on it tonight, the MO -- modus operandi -- is the same there as it is here. Kelly what, do you know?

HASSETT: I`m not sure exactly what method he used. I know he did serve between two-and-a-half and three-and-a-half years for that, and it was for a gas station robbery, for aggravated robbery.

GRACE: Was it in the area, the same area?

HASSETT: I believe it was in the same general area.

GRACE: Same county?

HASSETT: Ross County. That`s right.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Theresa (ph) Cox remembers her reaction when police told her John Parsons was out. And when she learned he simply scaled the wall of the recreation yard, she admits there was anger. After all, this man is charged with the murder of a police officer, her husband.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It shouldn`t have happened, but you can`t really put the blame on just one person. Everybody`s human. Everybody makes mistakes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Take a look at this, two angels facing each other, this tattoo on the back of this guy`s neck, John Parsons, 35, 5-10, 190 pounds, brown hair and eyes, tattoo on the back of his neck, two angels facing each other, other tattoos on left leg and right shoulder, scar on abdomen. This guy is wanted not only in the armed robbery of a gas station but for gunning down a local police officer.

Let`s go out to Pam in Ohio. Hi, Pam. Pam, are you there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

GRACE: What`s your question, dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. Thanks for taking my call.

GRACE: Yes, ma`am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, Nancy?

GRACE: Yes? What`s your question, Pam?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was just wondering -- they just brought down a change of venue right before he escaped. They were going to take it to Sioda (ph) County, and it was supposed to start in October, the trial was. I wonder how long -- if they would catch him now, how long it would be before the trial starts.

GRACE: Well, as soon as they do catch him, which in my opinion, he`s way long out of the state by now, he`ll have to be reindicted on escape, Pam. We`ll all be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Parsons clearly isn`t interested in surrendering. And a police pilot thought he spotted the fugitive trying to steal a car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was over here between the tractor and the trucks where they`d sighted him at.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Deputies and dogs swarmed the property, but the pilot says the man disappeared back into the woods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He just keeps hiding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the law just keeps trying to flush him out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: You are seeing shots of the funeral and memorial for fallen officer Larry Cox with the Chillicothe police department in Ohio, age 44, tour of duty, 19 years, badge number 21, is put to rest, leaving behind one teenage boy that we believe heard the shot that claimed the life of his father, fallen officer Larry Cox.

Thank you for being with us tonight. Tonight, we are on the offense trying to help in an unprecedented joining of forces of the ATF, the FBI, the U.S. marshals, and local Ohio police, trying to find this guy, John Parsons, last seen on foot in a daring escape from a jailhouse rooftop. He escaped with a homemade rope made of sheets and toilet paper.

Back to Kelly Hassett with the "Columbus Dispatch." It`s amazing to me that this guy could take a table leg or a strip from a table, carve out a cement chunk in his cell, where he would keep this homemade rope he had been working on for God knows how long, and then put it in at night and mortar it up, caulk it up with toothpaste, and nobody knew what he was doing.

Then he gets out on the recreation rooftop, I guess sticks the rope down his overalls, jumps off the top, gets through barbed wire, takes off the overalls, has a different set of clothes underneath, and makes off. Is that a general description of what happened, Kelly?

HASSETT: Yep, yep, that`s it.

GRACE: And nobody noticed the chunk missing out of his cell wall? Actually nobody caught the toothpaste caulking job?

HASSETT: Apparently not. I know there were some inspections.

GRACE: Ouch.

HASSETT: No.

GRACE: Let`s go out to Detective Lieutenant Steven Rogers, computer specialist. Detective, there`s been a lot of blogging, as our caller called in earlier, taking the side of John Parsons.

STEVEN ROGERS, COMPUTERS SPECIALIST: I know it.

GRACE: And running the police into the ground. I don`t understand it.

ROGERS: I read some of those blogs. But first, Nancy, I want to commend you for the service you`re rendering this nation, and crime victims, and law enforcement. When that lady called earlier about how people should get involved, well, you`re a role model, and I want you to know, as one police officer to you, we deeply appreciate what you`re doing through your program.

GRACE: Thanks, Detective.

ROGERS: Now, getting back to this issue of the bloggers supporting the police, you`re going to have two -- I mean supporting the suspect.

GRACE: I can`t believe it. Did you read these things?

ROGERS: Yes, I did. And one of them...

GRACE: You`ve got a dead cop, and they`re saying he`s not getting his rights.

ROGERS: Well, one of them I believe is a relative. I read that one twice, and I believe it`s a relative of his. And the other is no doubt an anti-police individual who will just sympathize with anyone who even kills a cop. So these are the problems we face in law enforcement when people start publicizing such opinions against the police.

GRACE: You know, what about it? To you, John Burris, you`ve seen your share of community police problems.

BURRIS: Well, you know, my feeling is obviously you have to support the police in areas when they do -- trying to do the right thing. At the same time, though, one has to be mindful of the checks and balances that exist within the society itself.

It doesn`t trouble me at all if someone says that, "Look, he may be innocent of this case." He has a presumption of innocence, and the system only works if, in fact, he has a trial and the evidence is presented. If you have a state of mind by everyone that he`s guilty, then he`s going to have a difficult time having a fair trial.

My view is, is you ought to be able to, if you got the evidence, bring it to court, prosecute the guy, convict him, and let the system work. But when you say to him that he has no rights and that everyone should be against him just because he`s alleged to have committed a crime, I think that`s fundamentally wrong.

GRACE: OK, hold on, hold on, wait a minute. Maybe I just heard a completely different conversation, but did anybody hear someone say this guy doesn`t have any rights? OK, I didn`t think so. Where are you digging that up from, Burris?

BURRIS: ... no, I`m still digging it up because the bloggers -- you`re suggesting that the bloggers didn`t have a right to say that the position is that everyone is wrong in trying to prosecute this guy the way they`re doing it. I`m just saying there`s another view to all of these issues and we want to be able to have those views.

GRACE: OK, let me go back to our detective, Steven Rogers, computer specialist. Take a look at this blog. All right, this guy says, "I wonder how in 2006 America people can actually sleep at night knowing our sheriff`s department is hunting down a man like an animal."

ROGERS: Nancy, as you said, attorneys can twist things around, make you see things you didn`t see and make you believe things that are not written. I read those blogs. Those blogs are clearly anti-police. They`re clearly saying that this man is innocent.

It has nothing to do with civil rights, nothing at all to do with them, and what happens is, when these blogs are publicized, it emboldens people to do what is fundamentally wrong. And you know what`s wrong? Hiding criminal suspects, giving them evidence of escape. We need to give information to the police, not the criminals.

GRACE: Well, speaking...

BURRIS: And you`re right on that. He`s absolutely right on this. People should not be assisting anyone who is alleged to have committed a crime. You`re right. They should not do those kinds of things, and people who do that should be punished.

I think I`m only going to the fundamental aspect of the system itself in that, if you`re going to prosecute someone, you ought to do it in accordance with the law and not engage in propaganda, necessarily saying, just because this particular person was killed, that the rights are not there. The rights have to be fundamentally...

(CROSSTALK)

ROGERS: Sir, if that`s what was being said on those blogs, I agree, but that is what not has been said.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I thought they meant he had made some kind of bond. And I`m thinking, "OK, he didn`t have a bond set." You know, and then they said, "No, he escaped." And I`m just really dumbfounded.

I guess maybe I thought he should have been watched more closely, more one on one. It shouldn`t have happened, but you can`t really put the blame on just one person. Everybody`s human; everybody makes mistakes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: You are hearing from the wife of Officer Larry Cox, slain in the line of duty. These are shots of his funeral and memorial. Badge 21 put to rest.

And now to the search for someone considered to be armed and dangerous, I want to go out to Dan Silcott, joining us tonight, a special guest, public defender, Ross County. He actually represented Parsons at an initial hearing and then removed himself from the case because of ethical considerations. He knew Officer Larry Cox.

Mr. Silcott, thank you for being with us.

DAN SILCOTT, ROSS COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER: Thank you.

GRACE: Mr. Silcott, when did you realize that the guy you represented was accused of killing Larry Cox?

SILCOTT: Well, I learned that Larry was killed -- I was actually at a seminar in Cleveland. And a friend called me and told me that Larry had been killed. And ethically, I`m not required to accept any case just because it`s offered to me, and I knew Larry from the time he was a new cop. I knew I wasn`t going to sit on the case.

Because I`m the public defender in the county, I`m the director of the public defender`s office, it`s very frequent that I sit with people, that initial appearance before other counsel is assigned, and that is all it was in this case. I haven`t been trial counsel in the case and made it pretty clear that I was not interested in accepting any appointment in this one.

GRACE: Mr. Silcott, I know that you may not be allowed under the brief attorney-client privilege you had with him on this case to discuss any of the facts of this case, but his last gas station robbery, what were the facts surrounding that?

SILCOTT: I wasn`t trial counsel on that case either, so I can`t answer that.

GRACE: I know that it was in the same general area. It couldn`t have been more than 15 miles apart.

I want to go out now to psychologist Dr. Melanie Whiteway. There you go. Oh, keep that going, Rosie. These are shots, still shots taken from the gas station, and I wanted to see if this guy had touched anything. And there we can see he`s got his hands all over a lot of things, including that front counter in front of the register. I guarantee you that place was printed but good.

Kelly Hassett with the "Columbus Dispatch," isn`t it true that they suspect civilians in the area -- that`s Melanie. Let`s go back to Kelly, Rosie. Hold on, Melanie.

Are people, civilians in the area believed to be helping him, specifically a former co-worker, Orlando Crockett, that has now been arrested?

HASSETT: Yes, Orlando Crockett was arrested yesterday for obstruction of justice. Police believe that he assisted Parsons Saturday night, the night he escaped.

GRACE: And back to Dr. Melanie Whiteway, psychologist, specifically Orlando Crockett who I -- there you go -- who worked with John Parsons, one of America`s most wanted, gave the guy something to drink, gave him a different shirt to wear, so we would not be identified in his prison garb, and then waited several hours to report him to police.

Now, he`s already out on bond on an obstruction of justice charge, but let`s talk about it for a moment, Melanie, how we, these bloggers and others, romanticize escapees, all the way back to Ted Bundy. Ted Bundy escaped not once but twice. He jumped out of a library window and then escaped through a heat vent.

Rosie, do we have a shot of Ted Bundy? There you go.

A lot of people thought he was attractive. Not me. Then you have the Olympic bomber, Eric Rudolph. He stayed on the run in the forest and mountains for a couple of years. This guy claimed the lives of many. Brian Nichols, on the run, he was helped.

Then of course, the modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, Jennifer and George Hyatte, their shooting death, their shooting rampage at a local courthouse claimed the life of Officer Wayne "Cotton" Morgan. Then of course, there is Johnny Brewer (ph), Jim Causey (ph). Let`s see, there was the Bird Man of Alcatraz. There was Straud (ph). There was Bonnie and Clyde. They`ve made movies about them.

I mean, the list goes on and on, all the way back to Jessie James, for Pete`s sake, Melanie Whiteway, "Cool Hand Luke." Why do we romanticize fugitives?

MELANIE WHITEWAY, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, I can`t really answer that specifically. I think people forget the specifics of the crimes at hands that they do commit. And clearly the killing of a police officer should not be romanticized in this case.

We are dealing with a very dangerous man here. He has a history of drug abuse. There are actually people apparently helping him, which amazes me, but sad but true. He has nothing to lose. He was looking at life in prison for killing a police officer. There is nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose, and I don`t find it romantic in the least, but I guess that`s Hollywood.

GRACE: You know, let`s talk about it, Sheriff James DiPaola, Middlesex County sheriff, who closed in on the Entwistle search, which went across the oceans to get Neil Entwistle back home in the murders of his wife and little girl. These bloggers taking the side of John Parsons and downing the police officers.

Glamorized? There`s nothing glamorous about a volunteer cop joining in a foot chase on his off-time, and taking a shot in the neck, and dying in an alley, and his own son hears the gunshot. There`s nothing glamorous about that, Sheriff. What do these cops need to be doing now? You brought him in home from Great Britain.

SHERIFF JAMES V. DIPAOLA, MIDDLESEX COUNTY: Absolutely. And I think the police are doing the best they can do right now. I know the sheriff has had some spottings in that area. They`ve used some technology. They`ve got UFAP from the FBI already issued out for the unlawful flight to avoid apprehension. And I think they`re doing the best they can out there right now.

And the most important thing right now is the citizens speaking out if they see anything. As you mentioned earlier, Nancy, that tattoo on the back of his neck is very, very significant. For somebody to be able to spot that and to be able to call that in immediately would be very helpful to the police.

GRACE: What`s amazing to me, Sheriff DiPaola...

DIPAOLA: Yes.

GRACE: ... is somehow people are forgetting a cop, all these years in the line of duty -- small town cop, he never did anything wrong -- took a bullet in the neck, and people are helping this guy escape. For what? Holding up a gas station. It`s the oldest trick in the book. And you know what? He took a life this time. It`s not the same anymore as grabbing a fistful of dollars and making off.

DIPAOLA: No, this is absolutely appalling that there actually would be people out there trying to assist somebody that`s escaping. If they really want to assist him, they should help and convince him to turn himself in right now, to call the police, to try to end this thing peacefully, because, you know, the police take a real interest in this case. And we just hope this doesn`t end tragically for the defendant.

GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! "Tragically"? It`s already tragic to me. You know, just ask Larry Cox`s his family. I know what you mean, Officer, but I just -- how this guy -- and I want to go to you, Don Clark, former head of the FBI Houston bureau -- this guy is eluding over 125 officers, the FBI, the ATF, U.S. Marshals Department.

He`s fighting over 100-degree weather. Dogs have come out looking for him. They`ve used helicopters to try to find him, infrared light. And it was so hot out there, they couldn`t distinguish a human body heat detector from the heat. The dogs are practically passing out. This guy has managed to elude them all.

CLARK: Yes, he has for the moment, Nancy, but this is not going to go on for a long time. I would say that, in due course, that they`re going to have this guy kind of caged in, because this guy...

GRACE: He`s gone, Don.

CLARK: No, he doesn`t look like to me that he has the expertise to be able to maneuver and get away from that area.

GRACE: How do you think he got off that jail roof?

CLARK: He`s going to stay right in that area. I`m convinced that he has. Now, what the law enforcement has to do though, Nancy, is that they have to continue to be reactive and they`ve got to react to phone calls, and sightings, and all the like, as the investigative work proceeds.

But at the same time, they`ve also got to be very methodical here, too, in their investigative efforts and try to figure out where he might go next, with whom he may be in contact with.

GRACE: Well, somebody is helping him. Somebody is giving him wheels...

CLARK: Well, of course.

GRACE: And what gives me a little bit of hope in this is that they just, tonight as we went to air, as we came to studio, were searching his mother`s place, 14 miles away, and taking bag after bag of evidence. P.S., note, they had to do it pursuant to warrant. Apparently they didn`t think she would let them in.

Let`s go to the lines. Kara in Arizona, hi, Hara.

CALLER: Hi. My question is, can they charge everybody that is helping him, even if they`re giving him a glass of water? Can they charge them?

GRACE: Oh, yes, they can. Go ahead, Greg Skordas, hit me with your best defense on aiding a fugitive.

SKORDAS: Well, in fact, the local sheriff and the chief of police have said that they are going to arrest and they`re going to charge everyone that`s helped him. You have to keep in mind...

GRACE: It`s going to be pretty tough to charge his own mother, but, by God, I would do it.

SKORDAS: I know you would, but this is a mother. This is somebody...

GRACE: Hey, mothers don`t get a free pass. This guy is allegedly a cop-killer.

SKORDAS: Yes. And keep in mind, Nancy, not a single witness has been called in this case. Not a single person has been in a jury box and heard any of the evidence in this case. He`s presumed innocent.

GRACE: Hold on, can we burn that bridge when we get there, Skordas? All right, right now we`re just trying to catch a fugitive. Do you doubt the guy is a fugitive? You need a jury to tell you that?

SKORDAS: Absolutely not. He`s a fugitive. And let`s go get him. And let`s go bring him in, and let`s put him at trial.

And keep in mind this is a person who`s accused of killing a police officer. And you`ve hit that hard pretty well tonight, but let`s give him his day in court.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GLENN BECK, HOST: Hi, I`m Glenn beck, and we have been following a story of Kalie McArthur. She`s a mentally handicapped girl who was sexually assaulted at her school by her peer counselor, a peer counselor who had a history of trouble, a zero grade point average. He got two weeks in jail. Outrageous? Wait, it hasn`t even started yet.

The school then hired an expert who actually said that Kalie found the experience "pleasurable," and that`s a quote. So far no elected official has stepped to the plate to answer for it, until tonight. I`m going to talk to the mayor of Kalie`s town. Finally he steps to the plate. That`s coming up.

GRACE: Thanks, Glenn. And back to our search tonight, as we are joining forces with ATF, FBI and U.S. marshals, trying to bring in an alleged cop-killer who has amazingly eluded police now going on two weeks, last seen on foot. Tonight we know his mother`s home was being searched.

I want to go back to Kelly Hassett. Where do we stand now?

HASSETT: Well, at this point, they have brought in the search. It is nationwide, obviously. They`re hoping for tips from anywhere. They`re still patrolling the initial search area in Ross County, and they have upped the reward to $25,000. So they`re hoping that will get some information coming in.

GRACE: Sheriff DiPaola, any hope in your mind that he`s still in the area?

DIPAOLA: You know, Nancy, he could easily have slipped through out of there. You know, it`s a lot of times -- if there`s people helping him like you say, Nancy, they could be calling in phony tips to keep all the police in that area.

We`ve definitely -- you know, our heart goes out here in Massachusetts to all those police officers. Because, you know, it`s just that haunting sound of bagpipes at that funeral that I`m sure are going through their heads right now as they`re trying to apprehend this guy.

GRACE: For anyone glamorizing this guy, just think of Officer Cox dying in an alley, badge 21 never worn again.

Tonight, we are stopping to remember Marine Sergeant David Christoff, Jr., 25, Rossford, Ohio. He was on his second tour of duty, left the university to join the Marines after 9/11. He dreamed of a career in law enforcement. Only child, Christoff leaves behind a grieving family. David Christoff, American hero.

Thank you to our guests. Our biggest thank you, to you, for being with us, inviting us into your homes. Our thoughts and prayers with the family of Officer Larry Cox. Nancy Grace signing off. See you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END