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Nancy Grace
Nevada Police Search for Little Girl in Sex Video
Aired September 27, 2007 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. One of the single most shocking cases of child abuse revealed. Tonight, a nationwide search is on for an unidentified mystery girl just 4 years old on videotape -- on videotape -- during a brutal sex assault on her, apparently by a white male late 20s, early 30s. As we go to air, Nevada police successfully ID another girl, estimated 12 years old, also on that damning videotape.
But tonight, the search goes on to uncover the ID of the little toddler girl, the little girl videoed inside a private home, the child predator also on the video, full facial view but still unidentified, and the stunning development that a 26-year-old man claiming he found this explicit video out in the middle of the desert, then held onto the video for a full five months, even showing it to others. Tonight, he`s arrested for possessing child porn.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Authorities in Nye County, Nevada, want your help identifying a little girl who may be in danger. The child is around 4 or 5. A videotape shows a man performing sexual acts on her. Authorities don`t know who he is. There`s the little girl. The tape also shows an older girl. Authorities say the second girl was not a victim in the same way as the younger girl. The older one has been identified now, and authorities say she`s safe and well.
Authorities say the videotape was handed over by 26-year-old Darren Tuck. Tuck told detectives he found the tape in the desert more than five months ago. Investigators don`t think he made the tape, but he`s been charged with possessing child pornography.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, a murder mystery at sea takes yet another twist. An American crew taking tourists from Arkansas and Florida out on a day cruise fishing, their worst nightmare comes true. Just 60 miles off the Florida coast, hijacked. Only two survivors found drifting on the high seas. Headlines tonight: Arkansas and Missouri investigators reveal one of those survivors, a fugitive, now suspected of sex abuse on numerous young boys Arkansas, Missouri. As the feds piece together what really happened aboard that fishing boat, two other states hone in on survivor 35-year-old Kirby Archer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A Coast Guard ship hauls an empty, ghostly fishing boat to shore. The luxury 47-foot vessel is called the Joe Cool, and it may hide a bloody secret that left these four people dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we were together, I noticed him to be (INAUDIBLE) was physically, verbally, emotionally abusive towards me. So I do think of him as a violent man and he`s capable of anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you think he was the type of man that would molest a child or would have (INAUDIBLE) be put in that situation?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In my opinion, yes. I did not know it at first. Of course not. But everything`s happened over the years and everything`s unfolded, it all just makes sense now. There`s been several children involved.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Archer is also a fugitive, wanted in connection with the theft of some $90,000 from a Wal-Mart in Arkansas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us tonight.
First, some news of my own. I announced to you several months ago the U-turn my life has taken. Long after losing my fiancee to crime shortly before our wedding many, many years ago, I never expected the joy of marriage, much less motherhood. The amazing blessing is not only that I married, but I`m expecting twins. And in response to your many, many kind e-mails and calls, tonight the big news in our lives, the sexes of the twins have been confirmed by ultrasound. Think pink and blue, a boy and a girl!
And now to Nevada.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By now, most of southern Nevada and even much of the nation have seen this photo, a blond-haired girl estimated to be about 5 years old who investigators say was subjected to unthinkable sexual crimes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is probably the most disgusting thing that we`ve ever seen, especially videotaped as some sort of a -- you know, a record of it, even worse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nye County detectives were able to lift the girl`s image, as well as these of her attacker, from a VHS videotape. The tape was turned in to police by this man, Pahrump (ph) resident Darren Tuck, who claims he found it in the desert. Police say Tuck`s story may not hold water in court. For one thing, had that tape really been found out in the desert, it likely would have melted in the summer heat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s just not been cooperative at all in terms of any other forthcoming information.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tuck was ultimately arrested for possession of porn and may face additional charges. He may not be involved, but at the moment, he is the only lead. And investigators say if he does know something, this little girl`s life may depend on that information.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Found a videotape in the middle of the desert? We are taking your calls live right now.
Straight out to Michelle Sigona with "America`s Most Wanted." OK, let me get off (ph) because I`ve hiked in the desert many, many times, in deserts all across this country. I`ve never stumbled upon a videotape out in the middle of a desert. But that aside, start me at the beginning, Michelle.
MICHELLE SIGONA, "AMERICA`S MOST WANTED": At the very beginning, Nancy. Basically, what has happened is another person came forward to police in Nevada and said, You know what? I`ve been shown this videotape, I need to bring this forward. I need to tell about it. It is horrific. It`s the worst thing that I`ve ever seen.
Investigators at that point -- the person was able to identify the person that showed him the tape as Tuck. That person was able to take investigators out to Tuck, where they questioned him, interviewed him. That`s where he told investigators, Look, I found this videotape five months ago in the desert. I`ve held onto it. I`ve showed it to some people.
And that`s where things stand right now, Nancy. And what investigators have told us is that it is -- it is the worst content, the worst most imaginable thing that you can imagine happening to a young little girl. And we have got to figure out tonight who this man is and who this little girl is and get her, you know, to safety.
GRACE: If she`s still alive, her life is in grave, grave danger. We believe that she is only 4, maybe 5 years old.
I want to go out now to Detective David Boruchowitz with the sheriff`s department, with the Nye County sheriff`s department. Detective, from what I understand, when watching this videotape, the sheriffs themselves couldn`t watch the whole thing, it is so explicit with this little girl.
DET. DAVID BORUCHOWITZ, NYE COUNTY SHERIFF`S DEPT.: It`s absolutely horrible, beyond imagining.
GRACE: Tell me about the tape, Detective. What does it depict?
BORUCHOWITZ: Like I said since the beginning of the investigation, if you could take your wildest imagination of the worst things an adult male could do to a little girl and then go beyond it, it`s more horrible than that.
GRACE: It`s amazing to me that I guess he filmed this on a tripod. You see him without a shirt. It`s because he is naked in the video, performing sex acts on this little girl. And listen, I`m putting it mildly. Has the tape been enhanced? Do you have -- it`s my understanding you`ve got a full facial view of him.
BORUCHOWITZ: Correct. We just recently released an enhanced version of his face, where you can actually see much more detail than we`ve had thus far. Thus, we`re hoping, obviously, with this release that it`s just a matter of time before he`s brought to justice very quickly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They say it`s the most despicable, disgusting, animal-like act that they`ve ever seen taken out on an innocent 4 or 5- year-old girl by somebody, quite frankly, six or seven times her age. That`s why police are saying she`s in such grave danger, just by what is depicted on the videotape. And time really is of the essence. We need to find out who this guy is and we need to find out who this poor innocent little blond girl is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And disturbingly, during this video, this home-made video apparently set up on a tripod, where an adult male is brutally sexually assaulting this little girl right here, the little girl shows no emotion, no emotion whatsoever. She`s not crying. She`s not screaming. Nothing.
To Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst and author. Bethany, what does that mean?
BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: Well, I think such a brutal sex assault at this early age really paves the way for what we call the dissociative disorders. By dissociation -- in common lay language, that`s multiple personality disorder, where the child is detached from herself. This has probably happened many times before. There`s psychic numbing. There`s probably spilling (ph) of feeling she`s spilling out. Maybe she feels she`s rising up to the ceiling and watching herself, depersonalization...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Bethany, I`ve had so many adult child molestation victims say exactly what you just said. They felt like they were out of their body, looking down on what happened. I`m just a trial lawyer, but in my understanding, that was their way of surviving. They disassociated from what was happening so they could continue to live.
MARSHALL: And that paves the way for then what goes on for the rest of their lives. They can`t form relationships with others, experience psychological or emotional excitement or trust anybody. And then there`s also psychological fragmentation, which is the feeling that they can literally not hold their own thoughts together.
GRACE: I want to go now to a special guest joining us. We`ll be back with the detective on this case in just one moment. With me is Harry Kuehn. This is the defense counsel for Darren Tuck, the man who found the videotape out in the desert. Mr. Kuehn, please forgive me if I sound disbelieving, but you know, in all the times I`ve been in deserts across this country hiking, I`ve never once stepped on a videotape out in the middle of the desert. How did your guy find a videotape out in the middle of the desert?
HARRY KUEHN, ATTORNEY FOR DARREN TUCK: Well, first of all, let me congratulate you on your impending family. Secondly, I can tell you from my own youth, I have found pornography hiking when I grew up in Ohio. Thirdly, my client has told us and the police that he was out on his dirt bike...
GRACE: Wait, I didn`t say when I was walking along Vegas on the sidewalk, I didn`t see ads for hookers all over the street. But a videotape in the desert?
KUEHN: Have you come to Nevada lately and seen what people throw on the side of the road?
GRACE: Yes, actually, I have been in Nevada lately. But go ahead.
KUEHN: Well, in any event, he`s out in the desert, and he said he saw the video, took it home, viewed it until he realized what it was. And then he was wracked by indecision as to what to do.
GRACE: Why?
KUEHN: Well, he`s explained that to us. And at this point, we`re not going to share that because it goes right to the defense of the matter.
GRACE: Let me ask you something, Mr. Kuehn. I`m going to go with you on that, that he didn`t know what to do. Maybe he`d thought he`d be implicated. Maybe they`d point the finger at him. Who knows. But is it true he showed it to other people? He kept it for five months and showed it to other people? That`s sick.
KUEHN: If that happened, I agree with you. But we dispute both of those facts. We haven`t been provided anything -- we`re not entitled to anything until charges are filed...
GRACE: OK, you dispute me. With me, Harry Kuehn. He`s a veteran trial lawyer, representing this guy Tuck, that found the videotape out in the desert.
Back to Detective David Boruchowitz. He is with Nye County sheriff`s department. All right. So if he didn`t show it to anybody, then how did police find out about it, Detective?
BORUCHOWITZ: Well, in reality, Tuck came to us and turned the tape in. I know that you have some other information that was broadcasted about that. But he definitely did show it to other people. We have witnesses that have come forward that he did show to. And he, by his own oral admission to us, showed the videotape to other people.
GRACE: Why?
BORUCHOWITZ: He said because he wasn`t sure what he was -- what he was seeing.
GRACE: OK. Wendy Murphy joining us out of the Boston jurisdiction. Weigh in, Wendy.
WENDY MURPHY, FORMER SEX CRIMES PROSECUTOR: Wasn`t sure what he was seeing! Indecision about what to do! What is this guy, a flake? How can you say with a conscience, I didn`t know what to do when I saw the pictures of a 4-year-old little girl being brutally raped by an adult male? This is not rocket science. This is very simple. It`s a crime. It`s a life felony. If you know it`s happening, if you`ve got a video of it, you call police. My 5-year-old would know you call police when you see something like that!
I don`t buy the story because it`s ridiculous. And by the way, if you do find something in the desert and it isn`t melted, I think police might raise an eyebrow about your story on that one, too.
GRACE: And to Detective Boruchowitz. What was the shape, what was the condition of the videotape when it was found? Did it look new? Did it look like it was used and worn, having been out in the elements?
BORUCHOWITZ: It certainly had not been out in the desert for any period of time. There was no dirt. It was in good condition. It wasn`t melted. It wasn`t in the least bit of disarray. It just doesn`t float. That story possibly cannot be true (INAUDIBLE)
GRACE: OK. And back to Harry Kuehn, the defense attorney for Darren Tuck. Sir, I`m not saying that your guy had anything to do with the making of this videotape, all right? But the reason I`m so, let me just say, intrigued with the discovery of the tape is because if he`s not telling the truth, that means he got the tape somewhere else, which could mean he knows who the perpetrator is and he may know where the little girl is. That`s why we`re so focused on where he got the tape.
KUEHN: Well, you have to consider, too, what kind of concerns my client had. He`s previously dealt with the sheriff`s office in Nye County. It was previously unsatisfactory. I mean, in fact, as soon as I told the sheriff`s office that he wouldn`t take their phony computer voice stress analyzer test, they went out and arrested him. That`s the way he`s been treated by Nye County. It seems to me that any intelligent person would be reluctant to go to someone who`s going to treat him in that manner.
GRACE: Well, Mr. Kuehn, he did sit on child pornography of the worst type for five months...
KUEHN: We dispute that.
GRACE: ... and according to the detective, showed it to other people. So I guess the cops were, let me just say, a little upset with him. Surely, you can understand that.
Don`t go anywhere, Mr. Kuehn. With us, Harry Kuehn, defense attorney for Darren Tuck.
Let`s go to the lines. Janet in Illinois. Hi, Janet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. Thanks for taking my call. We love your show.
GRACE: Thank you for watching, dear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And congratulations. You look more radiant daily.
GRACE: What do you think about this case?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it makes me sick and want to cry. OK, first off, this guy, the defense lawyer is telling you that there`s pornography all over the desert? Hello?
GRACE: Yes, he did. OK. What`s your question? I`ve got a problem with it, too.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I know. Secondly, is there any way they can tell the actual age the tape or...
GRACE: Oh, Janet, you are right on. Straight back to Detective David Boruchowitz. Tell me about what you see in the background of the tape that is helping you date the time this video was taken of this little girl being attacked.
BORUCHOWITZ: Absolutely. The television in the videotape we`ve been able to date by the manufacturer as being produced in 2003, as well as additional electronic equipment above that. We`ve also been able to date the actual gown that the juvenile victim is wearing and been able to date that, as well, to the era of 2003.
GRACE: Wasn`t it, like, the spring line of 2003 that little dress came out?
BORUCHOWITZ: Correct.
GRACE: Spring 2003. And Detective, when did you get the videotape?
BORUCHOWITZ: We got it in September of 2007, and he held onto it for at least five months, as far as both his oral admission and evidence that we`ve acquired during the investigation.
GRACE: Back to the lines. Sue in Ohio. Hi, Sue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. I want to say thank you so much for standing up for us victims. I was sexually abused as a kid, and everything that you and that doctor said is absolutely right on the money.
GRACE: Thank you for calling in, Sue, because a lot of people don`t believe it until they hear it. They can`t believe such atrocity exists until they hear somebody like you, a coherent, intelligent, concise adult that can say, This happened to me. A lot of people think children make all this up. They do not make it all up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, they do not. And every -- like, the blank look on her face -- I mean, this went on from age 5 to age 13 with me, and then I put an end to it. But she has a lifetime of problems until she works herself from the inside out, and you know, releases it, you know?
GRACE: Sue, while we`ve got all these experts, what`s your question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. I`m sorry.
GRACE: No, that`s OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My question is, all right, I`m in the supermarket, and in the carriage I find a tape. Of course, I`m going to bring it to the police department if there`s, like, illegal activity. Am I going to also be arrested for holding onto child pornography?
GRACE: You know, let`s unleash the lawyers on this. Midwin Charles, defense attorney out of New York, and Mickey Sherman out of New York, as well. Mickey, I don`t think if you find something and hand it over immediately that you`re in any jeopardy. This guy held onto it for five months and showed it to a bunch of people, according to police.
MICKEY SHERMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: None whatsoever. You give the tape over, nothing bad`s going to happen to you. You know, the problem is, there`s nothing more vile than child pornography in the eyes of everyone, especially juries. So I think this guy was well advised to be very much afraid to give -- so that he had that tape. I mean, it was incredibly stupid and wrong because the more he held onto it, the more likely this girl is going to be harmed, further victimized or killed. But my guess is the reason he did it is he knew that every moment he hung onto it, the penalty would be stiffer.
And one production note, if I can, to step out of the lawyer`s hat. We should have this guy`s face on the screen about 24/7, Nancy, because that`s the way he`s going to get caught.
GRACE: That is the only way...
SHERMAN: (INAUDIBLE) so incredibly powerful. Put it in a box in the box. Keep that guy`s picture on the screen.
GRACE: Yes, I want to -- if we can put that picture up quickly, Rosie? Thank you. And here is the tip line, as well. I believe that says 775-751-7000.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We regret that we had to take this particular route in putting the victim`s picture on -- out for view. This is the only information that we had, and we have to work with what we`ve got. Our concern right now is looking to bring resolution to this case, rescue this girl from the situation she is in and bring the suspect in for prosecution. That`s my concern right now. My concern right now is for the young girl.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A shocking videotape has materialized. It shows this little girl being molested by an adult white male apparently in his 20s to 30s. Where is the little girl? Also pictured in that video -- to Kristen Flowers, news anchor out at KXNT AM 840 -- is a 12-year-old girl. She`s not being molested. Explain.
KRISTEN FLOWERS, KXNT AM 840: That`s correct. Well, what Nye County is telling us so far is that there is a 10 to 12-year-old girl featured in the video, and she`s not being touched at all during that half-hour videotape. They have identified the girl. Obviously, she`s being held for protection. She is (INAUDIBLE) she is safe. And she has told officials that she was not molested in that videotape.
GRACE: You know, interesting. Back to Michelle Sigona with "America`s Most Wanted." She was not molested. Isn`t there a name mentioned, one of the girls` names mentioned in the video? And if it`s not the 12-year-old, that means it`s the little girl.
SIGONA: Yes, it could possibly be the little girl, Nancy. And you know, the best part about being able to identify this other girl that`s 10 to 12 years old is that all this media attention is helping. People are out there. They`re looking. They`re calling in. And that`s what we need folks to do. Logon to AMW.com, as well, to see all of these pictures.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By now, most of southern Nevada and even much of the nation has seen this photo: a blonde-haired girl estimated to be about 5 years old who investigators say was subjected to unthinkable sexual crimes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is probably the most disgusting thing that we`ve ever seen, especially videotaped as some sort of, you know, a record of it even worse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nye County detectives were able to lift the girl`s image, as well as these of her attacker, from a VHS videotape. The tape was turned into police by this man, Pahrump resident Darren Tuck, who claims he found it in the desert.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: If you have information on the perpetrator who is there on video or the little girl, tip line 775-751-7000 or findchild@nyesheriff.net.
Out to the lines, Donna in North Carolina. Hi, Donna.
CALLER: Hi, congratulations on your baby.
GRACE: Thank you, dear.
CALLER: I was wondering, can the little girl who`s 10 or 12 that they also have identified, can she not identify the man that was in the tape?
GRACE: Let`s go out to Detective David Boruchowitz. Can she? I mean, I don`t want to show her name. I don`t want to show her picture. But what have you learned from the 12-year-old girl?
DAVID BORUCHOWITZ, NYE COUNTY SHERIFF`S DEPARTMENT: Right. Nancy, let me just make sure that we understand. On the VHS tape that we received from Tuck, there are two separate videos. I understand that some people are under the impression that the older girl is in the room while the younger girl is sexually assaulted. That is not true. These are two totally separate videos. The older girl actually was more of some sort of a Peeping Tom voyeurism-type video of herself, and she was not able to identify her videotaper, as she obviously was not aware of that.
GRACE: Ah, OK. I did not think she was in the room with the little 4-year-old. I knew she was on the same tape, but I did not know that she could not see that she was being videotaped. So when you say Peeping Tom, she had no idea this little girl, that she`s being videotaped, the 12-year- old?
BORUCHOWITZ: That`s correct. This was an incident where it wasn`t -- it`s not similar, like the little child, where obviously this is a brutal attack. This is a man obviously stalking his prey.
GRACE: Gotcha. Out to the lines, Shelly in Pennsylvania. Hi, Shelly.
CALLER: Hi, Nancy. I just was calling really to congratulate you, and I am so happy that you`re having a boy and a girl.
But I have to make a comment as I was listening to this. I am also a victim of sexual abuse, and it started in the `50s with me, at the age of 3. I have a suspicion that it`s possibly in the family, because that was my situation, and the people that I know that have been sexually abused, it seems like it`s family-oriented or friends of the family.
GRACE: You know, that`s an interesting point. We were discussing this right before the air. Out to Alison Arngrim. You may know Alison as Nellie on "Little House." She is an adult victim of child molestation, and she is involved with the National Association to Protect Children.
Alison, the fact that -- if this little girl were not related in some way or at least associated with, acquainted with her perpetrator, I feel just -- just look at the evidence, that someone would have come forward.
ALISON ARNGRIM, MOLESTATION VICTIM: Well, yes. Also, he`s had her for a long time. As they said, she doesn`t show emotion. She doesn`t cry. You know, after the first 50 or 100 times, you stop crying. This guy has been doing this to this little girl for a really long time, possibly since infancy, which is really common. And the fact that he feels confident enough to be as brazen as he is, the likelihood is it`s her father, her stepfather, her uncle, someone living in the home.
And, you know, with any hope, she`s already moved to another home, he`s lost custody of her or isn`t at her house. Or the two of them are living in a trailer somewhere, and this is still going on.
This guy who held on to a tape for five months, he`s interfering with an investigation. He`s aiding and abetting. While he wasn`t going to the police, this guy may have continued to rape this child. And if he`s doing voyeuristic stuff, sneaking around with cameras in dressing rooms or whatever with this other child, that means he probably has other victims.
GRACE: To Detective Lieutenant Steve Rogers, served on the -- with the FBI. Detective, explain to me what -- weigh in. What do you think police should be doing now?
STEVE ROGERS, FORMER FBI DETECTIVE LIEUTENANT: Well, I`m sure they`re going to put a lot of pressure on this Tuck. Look, he`s the key to this investigation. This guy has this tape for five months. You got to be kidding me. And his defense lawyer blames the police for him not turning it in? He`s the center of gravity. They`ve got to go after him.
GRACE: When we come back, a stunning twist to a murder mystery at sea. A survivor now suspected of sex abuse on young Arkansas and Missouri boys.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... who were rescued at sea and mysteriously found floating on the charter boat`s life raft appeared in federal court. Kirby archer and Guillermo Zarabozo in shackles as chilling details emerge from the fed`s criminal complaint against Zarabozo. The Hialeah man told investigators that, halfway through the charter trip to Bimini, two unknown hijackers boarded the vessel and immediately shoot and kill the captain, Jake Branam, then shoot and kill Branam`s wife, Kelley, when she becomes hysterical. He says the hijackers killed the two remaining crew members, Scott Campbell and Sammy Kairy, when the pair refused to throw the bodies overboard. Zarabozo claims he and Archer survived only after helping to remove the bodies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Well, the real hijackers must have been Olympic swimmers, because what happened to them? You`ve got the two survivors on the life raft. Nobody is on the boat. The boat was not hijacked. They weren`t on the boat stealing it. So where are the hijackers themselves?
I want to go straight out to John Zarrella, CNN correspondent there on the scene. What is the very latest, John?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Nancy, the very latest is obviously that authorities absolutely don`t believe the story at all. In fact, in the criminal complaint that we received today taken by the Coast Guard authorities, FBI, in that complaint, they say that on the way back to shore with the two men, they asked Zarabozo, "Hey, have you ever been on that boat over there?" And he said, no, he`d never seen that boat before, the Joe Cool.
Well, the Coast Guard authorities already knew they had found his Florida identification card on the boat. So they knew he had lied right off the bat. In fact, Zarabozo is charged with lying. Of course, Kirby Archer faces charges of interstate flight to avoid prosecution now. At least that going in. They will have a bond hearing tomorrow. We expect, obviously, Nancy, that bond will be denied for these two men -- Nancy?
GRACE: John Zarrella, another question. You say flight. I knew about the allegation that he had taken about $92,000 -- it was a very crafty scheme -- from a local Wal-Mart where he worked in Arkansas, putting the $92,000 inside a microwave, putting the microwave back into the box, then buying the microwave, scanning it, having it scanned as he goes out the door with $92,000, which, I might add, he`s blown. No $90,000. It`s all gone.
So now you`re telling me that he`s also wanted for alleged molestation on boys in Missouri and Arkansas?
ZARRELLA: Well, we talked to authorities in Arkansas. Police in Arkansas do tell us that, in fact, they were investigated and have been investigating allegations of child molestation against Kirby Archer, against more than one child. That`s all they will tell us. They will also say, at the time that he fled back in January, after he allegedly stole the $92,000 from the Wal-Mart, after he -- it was the time he fled that they were working with local prosecutors, the police, to see if they had enough information, enough evidence to charge him with any of these crimes.
Now, his wife we talked with tonight, as well. She says all of this stuff -- at least the charges or the accusations of child molestation had been brought up in the past. They were never proven against him. She doesn`t believe that`s true, but she is absolutely distraught. She cannot believe that the man she`s known for five years could be involved in something like this and could be, in fact, involved in the murder of an entire crew of a fishing boat -- Nancy?
GRACE: You know, another issue, out to Michelle Sigona, with "America`s Most Wanted," I was reading the sworn affidavits. And it stated, in addition to a handcuff key found on the boat, the Joe Cool fishing boat, there were also packs of cigarettes, six marijuana cigarettes. Was there any DNA on the marijuana cigarettes?
MICHELLE SIGONA, "AMERICA`S MOST WANTED" CORRESPONDENT: That part I do not know, Nancy, but I can tell you that they are investigating the fact or the possibility that there is blood on the stern of the boat. So those are some obvious key clues there in this particular investigation that they are moving forward with and that investigators are obviously combing through that boat very carefully. They`re still out there searching for these bodies. You know, who knows at this point where these poor victims are?
GRACE: With us right now, lieutenant commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District involved in the search, Chris O`Neil. I understand the search has been called off for the evening.
CHRIS O`NEIL, SEVENTH COAST GUARD DISTRICT: Yes, ma`am, we have suspended our search as of sunset this evening.
GRACE: Is that for the day, just for today?
O`NEIL: No, we haven`t suspended the active search for the crew of the Joe Cool. We have suspended that search based on our confidence that, had the crew of the Joe Cool been in the search area, we would have found them by now. Our search area has encompassed more than 14,850 square miles, an area ranging from Daytona Beach, Florida, to Cay Sal Banks, Bahamas.
GRACE: You know, Chris, I know the family is distraught, distraught that you have suspended the search. Tell us what all went into that search. You guys were searching through heavy rains, in gale force, looking for these four crew members. Explain the extent of your search, Chris.
O`NEIL: Certainly. First, I`d like to say on behalf of all the men and women of the Seventh Coast Guard District that our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the crew of the Joe Cool. We launched a massive search looking for them starting Sunday involving two 210-foot cutters, three 110-foot cutters, several 87-foot cutters, multiple flights from H-25 Falcon jets (ph), HH-65 helicopters, HH-60 helicopters. We were joined today by the Navy with the P-3 aircraft and one of our C-130 aircraft from Air Station Clearwater, Florida, commenced their search today.
Behind the scenes, there are numerous search-and-mission controllers doing search-and-rescue planning with the aid of computer-assisted search planning, everybody working towards a common goal of trying to find the crew of the Joe Cool alive.
GRACE: And you just told us that your search encompassed 14,000 miles?
O`NEIL: Collectively, if you total up all of the search areas that we covered, some areas covered multiple times, collectively more than 14,850 square miles.
GRACE: And Chris O`Neil, lieutenant commander, you found -- not only did you not find the victims, the hijackers were not found, either.
O`NEIL: That`s correct. The hijackers were not the focus of our search. The focus of our search were the crew of the Joe Cool. Our purpose was to go find them. And, unfortunately, we were not able to do that.
GRACE: But if you had seen anyone at sea wearing a life vest or out in a life raft, you would have picked them up.
O`NEIL: Absolutely. You know, we had a good search base based on the information we got from the reporting source that gave us the basis to begin our search area. We covered numerous islands. We covered great expanses of ocean. We looked in those places where we believe we might have found them based on our experience in search planning and based on what our computer models told us. And we`re confident that we have saturated that area, and we did not find anybody in distress.
GRACE: Out to the lines, Howard in Indiana. Hi, Howard.
CALLER: Hi. I`m a truck driver. I listen to you every night. Thanks for being on.
GRACE: Thank you, Howard, and thank you for listening. What`s your question, dear?
CALLER: Well, with the suspects being in custody and the accusations that the hijackers shot the crew, have the two gentlemen in custody been tested for gun residue on their hands?
GRACE: Out to John Zarrella. You know, in this condition where they`re out in a life raft in the water, you know, time has passed, you know, residue, you can go like that and get rid of gunshot residue. That`s why you don`t let suspects go to the rest room and wash their hands on a crime scene. It`s gone like that. You can put your hand in your pockets, pull them out, the residue is gone. But were they tested for residue, John, do you know?
ZARRELLA: I don`t know, Nancy. Don`t know. I think one of the things we have to make sure everybody understands is that authorities don`t believe this story. You know, and that`s why, you know, they`re holding him, Zarabozo, for lying. And so, no, they don`t believe the story to begin with that there were ever pirates.
GRACE: Very quickly to Midwin Charles, what`s your advice to the two in custody?
MIDWIN CHARLES, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, at this point, one of the things that they must do is absolutely keep their mouths should. I mean, it`s an incredible story. No one believes it. But in keeping that defense hat on, that is the one thing that they really ought to do here.
GRACE: Very quickly, everyone, "CNN Heroes."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, so let`s start.
MONICA LOVATO, "COMMUNITY CRUSADER": Espanola is a small community and the biggest thing out there they always say is the drugs, and the overdoses, and the poverty, and all the bad things, that kind of reputation. It is negative, and it hurts the kids. It hurts the kids to hear that and to think that, you know, that`s all there is.
My name is Monica Lovato, and I started a boxing program last year at the city of Espanola so that the kids would have something to do and somewhere to go after school. When I was younger, there wasn`t much to do in Espanola. We just found somebody`s house to hang out at and party.
Leroy Quintana was my boyfriend throughout high school. After high school, he got into a car accident on his way home late at night, and he was killed in the car accident. Leroy`s death really, really took a toll on me. It felt like a part of me died. To try and get my mind off of things, forget about Leroy and forget about what happened, I started boxing. It`s really changed my life around.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your winner and the new IBF women`s bantamweight champion, Monica Lovato!
LOVATO: I just recently won the IBF bantam weight world champion title belt. Last year, I made an agreement with the city that I`d volunteer my time to start the Espanola Boxing Club. It`s something for the people. It`s something for the community.
The most important part of my program is teaching self-discipline and raising their self-esteem.
Those of you who have been slacking on running, you`re only hurting yourselves. Remember that, OK? Twenty-five push-ups now. Espanola rally!
The dream is to build a big community center that`s affordable for everybody. If we don`t keep them busy and have something for them to do, well, then, we haven`t accomplished anything. I`m not just boxing in the ring, but I`m fighting for my community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Straight back to a murder mystery at sea. Out to Midwin Charles, Midwin, in this particular case, how much will this guy`s past history hurt him in cutting some kind of a deal?
CHARLES: Well, actually, I hope it doesn`t come into play at all. He has a horrible history, accused of abusing boys and the like, and it`s likely that it won`t come in.
GRACE: Talking about cutting a deal, though. To you, Mickey Sherman, especially with what we know about the alleged robbery from Wal-Mart, how can the feds believe anything he says?
MICKEY SHERMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: They can`t. That`s why, if I representing one of these guys, I`d be trying to convince them very hard to make a deal before the other guy rats him out, because that`s clearly what`s going to happen here. Maybe one of them will hold out, but both of them are not going to be able to hold out. One will crack eventually.
GRACE: You know, it`s interesting, to Dr. Bethany Marshall, why Archer is hanging around with people so much younger than him.
BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: Well, I think he might be what we call a regressed pedophile, which is an adult, when he is having a difficult time in his life, regresses back to spending time with children. And Archer met Zarabozo when Zarabozo was a child in Cuba. So Zarabozo, one of his child victims, did Archer have a svengali-type influence on him? Were they planning a crime spree together? Was the taking of the $92,000 just the beginning of a homicidal spree that they had been fantasizing about for some time?
GRACE: Everyone, let`s stop to remember Army Specialist David Lane, 20, Emporia, Kansas, killed, Iraq. Determined to fulfill a dream to enlist, had major surgery to restore hearing loss. Receiving Bronze Star and Purple Heart, a military history buff, never knew a stranger. Leaves behind grieving parents Maria and David, sister, Rachel, and brothers, Matthew and Joseph, both just 9. David Lane, American hero.
Thank you to our guests and to you for inviting us into your homes. See you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
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