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Nancy Grace
Multiple Bodies Found Inside New Jersey Home/Drew Peterson Has New 22-Year-Old Girlfriend
Aired May 16, 2008 - 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, the mystery surrounding 23-year-old mom Stacy Peterson, vanishing upscale Chicago suburbs, husband/cop Drew Peterson the suspect in his fourth wife`s disappearance, the suspicious bathtub drowning of wife number three officially ruled a homicide.
Headlines tonight. Even with one wife murdered, one wife missing, Drew Peterson still attracts women less than half his age. In fact, the mom of a 22-year-old Chicago woman so terrified her daughter`s seeing Peterson, she calls police. All the while, a secret grand jury continues to meet behind closed doors, the latest witness, the sister of Peterson`s third wife, found murdered, drowned in her own dry bathtub.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s a new lady friend in Drew Peterson`s life, and she`s reportedly just 22 years old. That`s 32 years younger than the 54-year-old Peterson. After finding out about the couple`s alleged friendship, the girl`s own mother calls police, Peterson`s new lady friend telling reporters cops warned her she could be next. Drew Peterson refuses to comment about the relationship because, quote, "She has parents to be concerned with." Meanwhile, the grand jury investigation continues, reportedly called Kathleen Savio`s sister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: So what do you make of him going to help out a 22-year-old girl in the middle of the night? He`s such a good Samaritan, isn`t he.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I -- you know, I just can`t believe it, Nancy. I would think that he would be more concerned about his missing wife and the children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You believe Stacy ran off.
DREW PETERSON, SUSPECT IN 4TH WIFE`S DISAPPEARANCE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you angry at Stacy for running off and leaving her family?
PETERSON: I`m very angry, very angry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you`re angry at Stacy.
PETERSON: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, real-life "Mean Girls" takes on a whole new meaning after a brutal all-girl gang attack on a teenage honor student cheerleader, all caught on video, the so-called popular girls accused of luring a classmate into a vicious beating in an upscale Florida home, leaving the girl unrecognizable even to her own father, and with loss of hearing and sight, the "Girls gone wild" videotaping to star themselves on YouTube and MySpace. Tonight, stunning new video and photos just released revealing even more damning evidence. Tonight, caught on video, it will be state`s exhibit number one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this new video, you can see victim Victoria Lindsay on the right, arguing inside a bedroom with one of the suspects. This was apparently happening before any of the previously seen violence began. Then, suddenly, one of the suspects starts hitting Lindsay. And even as she falls onto a bed, the beating continues. When Lindsay gets up from the bed...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mercades, give me your phone!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... she tells one of the girls she wants her cell phone so she can leave. And then in a dark room, she says the attack was planned.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) planned!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Also released by the state attorney`s office today, pictures of Victoria Lindsay after the fight, her eyes black and blue from the attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Even in the face of one wife murdered, one wife missing, Drew Peterson still attracts women less than half his age, this while a secret grand jury continues to meet behind closed doors. The latest witness, the sister of Peterson`s third wife, found murdered in her own dry bathtub.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He claims he got a call in the middle of the night to pick this woman up and drive her somewhere. He claims it`s not a girlfriend. He`s never really made it clear. He just said that this was a friend of his who needed some help, needed a ride somewhere, and he never actually made clear what their relationship is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drew Peterson reportedly has a new lady friend, a woman 32 years younger than Peterson, the woman telling reporters cops warned her that she could be next, this as the grand jury investigating the death and disappearance of Peterson`s last two wives continues, after more than six months, the grand jury now reportedly calling the sister of third wife Kathleen Savio and Bolingbrook police officer Rich Burg (ph). Just what insight could the two hold?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a normal case just like this, everybody would be saying, Don`t talk to anybody. Just keep your mouth shut. Be quiet. But I`m now dealing with the court of public opinion, and which is filled with my jury pool. So not only do I have to fight all the negative publicity, you know, I want people to see, you know, there`s another side to all this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: But first, right now, breaking news. We have just learned at least four bodies found dead in a three-story single dwelling home, upscale and wealthy Tenafly, New Jersey.
Out to Terry Sheridan with 1010 WINS. He`s there on the scene. Terry, what`s happening?
TERRY SHERIDAN, 1010 WINS: Well, right now, police and the Bergen County prosecutors have just gone into the house. Even though the bodies were found or first discovered, let`s say, about two hours ago, they had to wait for about an hour, an hour-and-a-half, we`re told, to get permission to go into the house. We don`t know exactly what that means. Prosecutors will not confirm the exact number of people inside, but we`ve found or we believe that there are four people inside. We don`t know if they`re all of the same family.
Neighbors say that the house was up for sale for a while and finally was sold. People moved in last summer, and they pretty much kept to themselves, so they don`t know even know what kind of people are in the house. So again, still a very active scene. Prosecutors and police are inside the house. Right now, they`re going around the grounds with flashlights underneath the trees and underneath the bushes, looking for clues.
GRACE: Breaking news tonight out of an upscale New Jersey home there in Tenafly. It`s a three-story single-dwelling home where at least four bodies are believed to have been found dead in the home. Now, apparently, prosecutors have had to wait outside the home for now 90 minutes before entering. They wanted to get an official search warrant. But according to 1010 WINS`s Terry Sheridan, the bodies had already been discovered.
Who discovered the bodies, Terry, do you know?
SHERIDAN: That we don`t know. Again, we don`t know the exact chain of events. We do know that there were the reports of the bodies. Bergen County prosecutor will not confirm how many there are. We do know that they had to get permission to go into the house. We don`t know why. We at first were told that it was some sort of search warrant, so we don`t know whether someone saw something from the window, someone smelled something in there and notified police. But they did have to wait to go inside. But we do know that they are in now. They`ve been in for about, I would say, 20 minutes at this point, and they`re also searching outside the house.
GRACE: Joining us live on the scene, 1010 WINS`s Terry Sheridan.
Also with us from "America`s Most Wanted," Jon Leiberman. Jon, what more can you tell us?
JON LEIBERMAN, "AMERICA`S MOST WANTED": Well, at this point, investigators are trying to determine if this is a homicide scene, or if these people died of carbon monoxide poisoning. That`s the major thing they`re trying to do right now. The reason why they got the search warrant, of course, is so that they can look under bed covers, see if there are other bodies, and actually search the house. We understand that the bodies that they did see in there were in plain view, and those are the bodies they saw prior to getting the search warrant.
GRACE: We are taking your calls live. We`re getting breaking news out of Tenafly, New Jersey, in a very wealthy and exclusive conclave there.
Penny Douglas-Furr, Daniel Horowitz both with us tonight. Basically, Daniel Horowitz, four bodies and you still have to wait an hour-and-a-half for a search warrant?
DAN HOROWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Here`s what`s going on, Nancy. The police don`t have to wait. As soon as they know there`s danger inside, they can go in under emergency circumstances. They can look for all the bodies they want, anywhere a body could reasonably be found. They can clear the place for safety, fumes, gas, anything.
Once that`s done, they have to leave. Once it`s safe, once they`ve done all the good they can do, then they have to get a search warrant to go in there and meticulously search...
GRACE: OK...
HOROWITZ: ... as a crime scene.
GRACE: Agree or disagree, Penny?
PENNY DOUGLAS-FURR, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I agree, Nancy. If there is exigent circumstances -- in other words, someone could be in danger, there could be a continuing crime -- then they could go straight in. Otherwise, I think they just decided to be on the safe side because they don`t want someone coming in later, if there a crime, and trying to hold it out because -- out of court, in other words, out of the trial, because there was no search warrant. So I think they`re just being on the safe side getting the search warrant.
GRACE: And typically, exigent circumstances applying to cases like when a car may have evidence in it and you`re going to lose the evidence. There is a completely different rationale apply when there is ongoing danger, as both Penny and Daniel are referring to.
Straight back out to the scene. Standing by, Terry Sheridan, with 1010 WINS. Terry, describe the area for me.
SHERIDAN: Well, Tenafly, as you say, is an upscale area. I mean, you would say that this is a leafy area, and that`s -- even when it`s pouring rain, you can see all the green trees. Police have surrounded, cut off Tenafly Road, where this is, for about two blocks before. They`ve also roped off the house, 169 Tenafly, and the two neighboring houses on the side. They`ve also set up tents, what you would normally call forensic tents, outside of the house.
And again, massive police response, and they are right now, as I say, going in and around the house. And you know, Bergen County police, Tenafly police...
GRACE: Right.
SHERIDAN: ... all here on the scene.
GRACE: An very quickly, Jon Leiberman, do we know if it is a family?
LEIBERMAN: We don`t know yet, no. We don`t know of the relation of the people inside.
GRACE: Everybody, we are keeping you on top of the story, breaking news right now, an upscale area, Tenafly, New Jersey, very low crime rate there. We have now learned that at least four dead bodies found in a three-story home there. We are there on the scene with WINS 1010, and we`ll bring you the latest as it develops.
Right now, the latest in the ongoing case of Drew Peterson. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He claims he got a call in the middle of the night to pick this woman up and drive her somewhere. He claims it`s not a girlfriend. He`s never really made it clear. He just said this was a friend of his who needed some help, needed a ride somewhere, and he never actually made clear what their relationship is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Let`s go straight back out to Jon Leiberman with "America`s Most Wanted." I understand a secret grand jury is continuing to meet, and now the sister of wife number three has appeared before the grand jury. Now, wife number three, Kathleen Savio, was found drowned to death and beaten to a pulp in a dry bathtub. What was the purpose of her testimony? What do we know, Jon Leiberman?
LEIBERMAN: Well, the purpose of her testimony was this. She shared with us long ago and with some other media members a suitcase of letters, where Kathleen Savio, Drew Peterson`s third wife, essentially told the family and even told prosecutors that she feared for her life. So the sister`s testimony actually is going to serve as some circumstantial evidence as to what kind of fear she was in, as to why she feared Drew Peterson, and to concrete instances of where she felt afraid of Drew.
GRACE: We are taking your calls live. Right now, to Michael in Arizona. Hi, Michael.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, Nancy. How are you.
GRACE: (INAUDIBLE) question?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to say listen to (INAUDIBLE) Whoo!
GRACE: OK. Great call.
Back to Jon Leiberman. Jon, I`ve got a question. We`ve heard a great deal about Drew Peterson being back on the dating scene. OK. Most court watchers don`t care about that, but it`s very disturbing, a la Scott Peterson, when he should be out looking for his missing wife. But what can you tell us? What`s the latest on that?
LEIBERMAN: Well, the reason why this 22-year-old girl is now so very important, Nancy, is this. She is being called to testify in front of the grand jury about what she knows about Drew Peterson. And what that says to us is she is having some sort of ongoing relationship, at least over the past three weeks or month, with Drew Peterson, and police believe she has valuable information about Drew. Did Drew share something with her, at the very least about his feelings about missing fourth wife Stacy and the third wife, Kathleen Savio, who was killed? So that`s why it`s important now, this dating relationship, because police believe it`s important enough to haul her in to the grand jury.
GRACE: And you know, it`s very interesting. To Daniel Horowitz and Penny Douglas-Furr. While we certainly don`t expect Drew Peterson to up and confess to this new girlfriend, age 22 years old, he may say something that contradicts what he has already said. What about it, Penny?
DOUGLAS-FURR: Nancy, that`s why you don`t want your clients talking if there is an ongoing investigation, because they can never keep their story straight, and they will accidentally say something thing they shouldn`t have said. So they`re looking for anyone that he`s speaking with.
GRACE: And on another scary note -- out to Andy Kahan, director of crime victims` assistance division there in the Houston mayor`s office. Andy, I guess you`ve heard about the items on eBay regarding Drew Peterson. Everybody, I hope you`re sitting down with not only your seatbelt on but your crash helmet, too. Go ahead, Andy.
ANDY KAHAN, CRIME VICTIMS` ASSISTANCE DIV., HOUSTON MAYOR`S OFFICE: Yes, American capitalism has now stooped to the newest low level. I mean, here you`ve got someone who`s offering from someone who`s obviously a suspect in the disappearance, and most people would sigh the murder, of his fourth wife, the circumstances involving his third wife. Peterson himself is now saying he`ll sign autographs for $20. This is about as low as you can get as far as capitalism goes.
And unfortunately, you`re probably going to have some sleazebag out there that`s going to go ahead and try to buy it, hoping that Peterson gets charged and convicted under some delusion that they`re going to profit from this as some investment. Unfortunately, though, the seller is breaking no laws in this country, but they are, from my perspective, breaking the law of bad taste.
GRACE: And what can you tell me about the price tag on the item?
KAHAN: It`s $1,000. And Nancy, there`s already somebody bidding for this, and that`s the scary part right here. And I am going to be contacting eBay and asking them to look into whether this does violate their policy because Peterson is a suspect in the disappearance and presumed murder of his wife, as well as his third wife. So there`s got to be some code of ethics that eBay might be able to look into, remove this product, and send the message out that the beginning of the merchandising and marketing of Drew Peterson is going to end here.
GRACE: Out to the lines. Elizabeth in Hawaii. Hi, Elizabeth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. Glad to talk to you.
GRACE: Likewise.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One way you can tell how Drew Peterson treats women is to see how he treated his dog the day he came home and the dog ran away from him.
(LAUGHTER)
GRACE: Elizabeth, I take it that you are an animal lover. You know, a lot of people may think it`s zany, but if you look back, there was the O.J. Simpson case, the Stacy (SIC) Peterson case, where dogs actually turned into witnesses.
Back out to the lines. Gregory in Pennsylvania. Hi, Gregory.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. How`re you doing, Nancy?
GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. The Savio case, if they could find out that she was murdered now, shouldn`t they have known about that when the police first did an investigation on that? I think they should investigate the police officer and the detective...
GRACE: Gregory, you are so right on. And there`s a little history to this. I`ll sum it up -- one, two, three. The coroner -- in that jurisdiction, you have a coroner that presents juries, to juries, regarding cause of death, put up evidence, in my mind, that steered the jury to an accidental death. It has been reopened, and now it has been ruled a homicide. So I think the coroner needs to be on the hot seat.
Out to the lines. Gianni (ph) in Connecticut. Hi, Gianni.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. I love your kids! I love your magazine!
GRACE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My question was, how is he attracting these young women?
GRACE: Excellent question. I think we better bring in the specialist, Dr. Janet Taylor, psychiatrist. Doctor, explain.
DR. JANET TAYLOR, PSYCHIATRIST: It`s hard to understand, but there are women who are attracted to that criminal element, that excitement. And the other thing is, I think we have to pay attention to how he targets women who are needy and dependent, that probably really accounts for why he can attract these young women, given his history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s just no possible way. My sister wouldn`t leave me, her family, her kids. She loved them dearly. She wouldn`t leave us. She wouldn`t just abandon us. We`re working with the police, and they`re looking at this as a potential homicide. And Drew is still the lead suspect in that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETERSON: The media pretty much has me painted as a sinister character, lurking around underneath the rocks and stuff, but basically, I`m just a dad raising kids.
I got kids in the car, you morons!
So I`m just a regular guy doing regular guy stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s right, everybody else is the moron. But right now on eBay, a cap signed by Drew Peterson is getting bids for $1,000.
Out to a special guest joining us tonight. Stacy Peterson family spokesperson Pam Bosco is with us. Pam, welcome. How did it strike you when you learned not only that his items are being auctioned for a huge amount of money on eBay, but that a 22-year-old woman is now dating him? It sounds -- it`s deja vu because everybody he dates is about half his age, and they all end up missing or dead. Well, two of them.
PAM BOSCO, STACY PETERSON FAMILY SPOKESPERSON: You know -- hi, Nancy. You know, the thing is, when you think about the baseball cap, (INAUDIBLE) the first question is authenticity. You don`t know who is actually (INAUDIBLE) He says it`s a friend who he signed it for, and then she passed it on to her mom. I mean, I can`t imagine a mother actually admitting this or selling this on eBay. So -- and if that is the case, then I tend to think that it`s something that Drew might be in need of money, he`s trying to find other ways to maybe get money, and these are other options. And you know, if anything, it admits that he`s thinking that, obviously, the case will go to trial. This man is trying to find money everywhere he can to help fund his trial.
And then for the 22-year-old, you know, when I first heard about that, the only thing I can say is that history repeats itself. We knew this was going to happen eventually, given the time, and that he -- this girl must have her own reasons to do it. I can only imagine it`s for notoriety. And she must know her risk. (INAUDIBLE) throughout the media for the past how many months now this case has been going on? She knows what she`s getting involved with. She`s taking her chance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just pray every day. I don`t know. I just pray every day. And we hope that the media keeps this out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: What do you make of him going to help out a 22-year-old girl in the middle of the night? He`s such a good Samaritan, isn`t he.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you know, I just can`t believe it, Nancy. I would think that he would be more concerned about his missing wife and the children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A secret grand jury still meeting behind closed doors. The sister of Peterson`s wife number three, found drowned and beaten in a dry bathtub, goes before the grand jury. All the while, we learn some of Peterson`s belongings now auctioned on eBay for up to $1,000. It`s a hat, to be specific. And Peterson romancing a woman about half his age, 22 years old. There`s nothing criminal about that. Hard to believe, yes, criminal no.
Out to the lines. Marcus in Florida. Hi, Marcus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, Nancy. I just want to say quickly, congratulations on the twins. And thank you for everything you do.
GRACE: Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My question is, if Peterson is formally charged with the murder of Stacy and the case goes to trial, would the unsolved murder of his third wife, Kathleen, be able to come before the jury as circumstantial evidence against him?
GRACE: I think it may be very possible for it to come in. However, before another so-called "similar transaction," another criminal act that helps prove the case in chief -- before it can come in, you must show identity and a similar MO, method of operation. So the state will have to show that Peterson is responsible for wife number three`s death, Kathleen Savio`s death, before it can come into evidence. Agree or disagree, Penny?
DOUGLAS-FURR: ... Nancy, and I think it may very well come in, in this set of circumstances. And I also wanted to say I think they`re trying to file a wrongful death suit, also.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The grand jury continues to meet once a week. We know that relatives of Drew Peterson`s second wife and third wife have been called in front of the grand jury.
Probably the headline that has come out of this is that Kathleen Savio, Drew`s third wife, the one found murdered in the bathtub, her former boyfriend was called in front of the jury. We assume that he was asked his first-person recollections of Kathleen Savio`s state of mind during that time. We also know that he spoke to Kathleen Savio a couple of days before she was found murdered in the bathtub.
Now Drew Peterson`s attorney has come out and said, well, I sure hope that this former boyfriend went with an attorney, and I sure hope that he took the Fifth when he went in front of the grand jury. This is another way of Drew Peterson`s sort of deflecting attention away from his alleged involvement in any of this and pointing toward this former boyfriend.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRACE: Today, we learn more about witnesses appearing at a secret grand jury, investigating Drew Peterson and the death of his third wife.
We are taking your calls live, but first to Joe Hosey, reporter with the "Herald News" and author of "Fatal Vows." He actually spoke to this young girl that Peterson is romancing. What is she thinking, Joe?
JOE HOSEY, REPORTER, HERALD NEWS, INTERVIEWED PETERSON`S 22-YR-OLD FRIEND: I`m a little more suspicious, too, Nancy. How are you doing, by the way?
GRACE: I`m good, dear. What can you tell us?
HOSEY: She seems like a very nice girl, you know, very pretty. She`s 22. Her parents aren`t happy about this, understandably, I would think. If nothing else, because he`s 30 years older than she is. They called the police. I don`t blame them. But I mean, even if there is nothing un-coy about this, he is 32 years older than her. I don`t know why she`s spending the night -- she admitted that she spent the night at his night.
She claims nothing physical is going on. But why is a 22-year-old girl spending the night at Drew Peterson`s home? I mean.
GRACE: With us is Joe Hosey with the "Herald News."
Joe, what did the parents believe police would do when they called them about her dating Peterson?
HOSEY: I can`t tell you that, but what the woman told me was they showed up at her job. They were there about two hours. They told her we know -- we`re 100 percent sure that Drew killed both Kathleen and Stacy and you`re going to be next. And she didn`t seem too concerned about that. Her response is like, if that`s true, why isn`t he in jail?
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: How is Peterson characterizing the relationship?
HOSEY: He was coy about it. He said she has parents to be concerned with so he didn`t want to elaborate too much. I mean, when I said she says nothing physical`s going on, he seemed a little surprise, I`ll be honest about that, but he didn`t want to go into it to much because she said she has to be more concerned about her parents.
GRACE: And what can you tell us about Peterson`s items on eBay?
HOSEY: I notice today that somebody put down a $1,000 bid which is the minimum bid. I doubt that. I mean maybe it is true. I -- I bet that`s a phony bid like somebody`s going to (INAUDIBLE) on that. If I had to get (INAUDIBLE) I can`t remember what the -- I.D. name was, but it was something like as S, asterisk, asterisk, you are...
GRACE: Interesting. Interesting. I wonder how that ended up on eBay to start with.
Out to Pat Brown, criminal.
HOSEY: Oh I can tell you how.
GRACE: OK. Go ahead.
HOSEY: The friend of his who was watching his children while he was in New York for the "TODAY" show, he gave her a hat, apparently he said he autographed and he gave it to her. And this woman`s mother needed some money so she put it on eBay. It`s what Drew told me.
GRACE: OK. So that mystery solved.
Out to Pat Brown, I want you to profile who would be interested. What 22- year-old would be interested in going out with this guy?
PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER, AUTHOR OF "KILLING FOR SPORT": Well, I think -- if you look at it, Nancy, Kathleen Savio was interested with going out with a man who have problems with her first two wives. Stacy was interested going out with a man who had problems with his three wives. Why shouldn`t this woman want to go out with a man who has a problem with four wives?
I mean she`s just joining a line of foolish women who likes this very -- exciting man and I say that shows a bit of a personality defect on her part. But I guess he excites her.
GRACE: And back to Dr. Janet Taylor, psychiatrist -- Dr. Taylor, for a guy knowing that he is a target of a grand jury, as we speak -- if I were him I would be laying low, I would be minding my own business, keeping a tight lip. But he has items on eBay, is appearing all over television, and is calling into radio shows. What does that suggest to you?
TAYLOR: Well, it suggests that he fits the classic narcissist, and I will add also, anti-social personality in the sense, he just -- it just almost seems like he`s making a mockery, saying, OK, what can I get away with next, how can I bring attention to myself, which is certainly not normal behavior for someone who`s under suspicion.
GRACE: Out to the lines, Samia(ph) in Illinois. Hi, Samia.
SAMIA, ILLINOIS RESIDENT: Hi, Nancy, how are you?
GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?
SAMIA: My question is, I -- me and my daughter was in the bank the other day and he walked in and my daughter was like, oh my god, it`s Drew Peterson. I`m like, and? And my, really, question is that if he is the suspect, why is he not be in jail?
GRACE: You go ahead and explain that one, Dan Horowitz.
DANIEL HOROWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: If somebody is charged with a crime, they get to walk free, even if we all know they did it. I mean it`s just the rule that you can`t try somebody in the media. There has to be evidence presented to a judge who then says there`s enough evidence to issue an arrest warrant.
GRACE: And that threshold has apparently not been met according to the local prosecutors.
Out to Charlene in Georgia. Hi, Charlene.
CHARLENE, GEORGIA RESIDENT: Hi, Nancy, congratulation on your first Mother`s Day.
GRACE: Thank you. Thank you very much.
CHARLENE: You`re welcome. My question is, when Drew Peterson`s older son went to Hawaii shortly after the disappearance of Stacy and Drew Peterson gave him a large sum of money, I wonder if they`ve ever checked on the luggage he took, how much luggage he took with him, and how much luggage he returned with, and if it was different luggage in the sense that possibly he could have had something to do with her disappearance.
GRACE: Interesting question. To you, Jon Leiberman with the -- with "America`s Most Wanted," with the stringent security checks, especially flying off the continental U.S., I don`t know if that`s viable. But what about it?
JON LEIBERMAN, CORRESPONDENT, AMERICA`S MOST WANTED: Well, we`re not sure. We know that they know about the money and about the transfer of money. And we know that something that they were asking Drew and others who knew Drew about. I`m not exactly sure, though, if that`s something that they really, you know, can go after at this point.
GRACE: Back to Andy Kahan with the Houston mayor`s office. Andy, you said earlier that under our current laws there`s nothing that can`t be done about someone who`s a suspect in likely two murders, auctioning things off and making money off their notoriety, their infamy. Why do you say that?
KAHAN: Well, "Son of Sam" laws specifically state that you must be a convicted criminal. You can`t just go on the assumption that someone`s merely a suspect and ban them from essentially profiting off their notoriety. So unless he`s convicted of an offense, Drew Peterson items, unfortunately, like it or not, can be sold from here to (INAUDIBLE), as far as I`m concerned.
But, again, we`re going to take a look and see whether eBay`s policy can prohibit, using their code of ethics, a fact that he has been identified as a suspect in not one, but two violent offenses.
GRACE: And to Dr. David Posey, medical examiner and pathologist out of L.A. -- Dr. Posey, thank you for being with us. I want to talk about Stacy Peterson for just one moment, and the possibility of bringing a criminal case when and if her body is found. It`s been several months now. What`s the likelihood of gleaning any forensic evidence if her body is found?
DR. DAVID POSEY, MEDICAL EXAMINER, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: That, Nancy, is an excellent question. It depends on the medium where her body lies. If it`s in the air now that we`re getting into the spring and summer part of the year, she`s going to decompose at a rather rapid rate. If we end up finding just bones, there may be evidence of fractures, sharp force injury, you know, from a knife, an axe, what have you, ballistic injuries.
Those things will stay with the bone forever as long as we can find parts of the bone and identify it. If, say, she`s buried in a shallow grave, her remains will last much longer. If she`s put in the water, for example, it`s kind of in between air and being in a grave. So it depends on how quickly we find her remains and what`s left and how much evidence is there.
My guess is once the body is found there will be some evidence provided we have enough of the skeletal remains so we`ll be able to find something that they`ll be able to use.
GRACE: You know, I just keep thinking about her two children, and then her stepchildren, of course, imagining leaving the twins behind and not being able to raise them and bring them into adulthood. I just wonder how they`re doing as we discuss all this tonight.
When we come back, real-life mean girls takes on a whole new meaning after a brutal all-girl gang attack on a teenage honor student. It`s all only video. Stunning new video and photos just released even revealing for damning evidence.
And as we go to break, please, continue your thoughts for district attorney and friend of the show, Sandy Schiff, one of the best lawyers in New York. She is in the fight of a lifetime. She was turned away last week for blood platelets. Not enough. To donate blood, please call the Memorial Sloan- Kettering blood donor room, 212-639-7643, or Give Life, 1-800-448-3543.
But now, we salute our troops.
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ALISHA FRAZIER, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: This is Alisha Frazier(ph) out of Isaiah, California. And I wanted to salute my little brother Sunny Frazier. He is the U.S. Air Force. He just graduated from tech school, biomedical. He`s coming home next week. I can`t wait to see him. We`re all very proud of him. We miss him and we love him very much.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: We have some new video showing an attack on a teenager in Florida. Eight other teens are awaiting trial in this case. I know you`re going to remember it. Police claim that they lured the victim in on March 30th, specifically so they could video tape themselves beating her.
According to investigators, the entire incident began with comments on a MySpace page. Now prosecutors also released photographs of the victim -- that`s Victoria Lindsay --showing the extent of her injuries. The pictures were taken by members of her family.
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GRACE: Straight out to Eben Brown, investigative reporter with Metro Networks. How are we just getting out this video? It`s kind of the lead- up video to the beating. We hear a lot of arguing, and then we see original footage of the beating right when it starts. And we learn more about the motive and intent.
EBEN BROWN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, METRO NETWORKS: Right. Good evening, Nancy.
We are seeing a little bit more -- at first when these videos had come out, we had just seen some clips of the actual beating. Now we`re beginning to see a little bit more about what happened those few seconds before hand where these girls confront their victim, saying, well, this is because you`ve been talking trash about us. This is because you`ve been promiscuous.
This is because of all these different things you said about us on your MySpace page. And then they start just to wail on her as you could see in this video. And then we also see the victim asking to stop, to, you know, please give me my phone. I`m going to call the police. If you don`t want me here, I`ll just leave. You know, please don`t do this.
You know, at some point in the video, the victim also says, well, I guess - - alleges or alludes that, why you brought me here for this reason, saying that, you know, this was a setup, and why she was brought into this home.
GRACE: You know, it`s incredible -- out to Gloria Allred. She is representing the beating victim, Victoria Lindsey.
Gloria, it`s nice to see you again. I notice that, in none of this, do we see your client throwing a blow, fighting back, certainly not starting the whole thing. How does she feel about these photos and video being released? I mean, she`s taken a horrible beating in some of the photos.
GLORIA ALLRED, REPRESENTING FLORIDA TEEN BEATING VICTIM: Well, I don`t know that she`s seen this at this point. And I mean, she`s not going to school. She`s being home schooled. I think she`s trying not to be exposed to all of this.
I can tell you this, though, her family, her parents, are, I think, especially her father is pretty upset that this is being viewed by so many people. I mean, here is a person who is a minor. This young woman is a minor.
And she is clearly a victim of a crime or crimes, Nancy, and yet, it is being shown on television, her being victimized, and, you know, is that right to show a minor who is a victim of a crime, not only on television, but now broadcast through the Internet.
GRACE: Did your client do an interview in "People" magazine?
ALLRED: Pardon me?
GRACE: Wasn`t your client in a magazine giving her story?
ALLRED: No. Not to my knowledge. She did not do an interview with "People" magazine.
GRACE: Did her parent?
ALLRED: I really don`t know what her parents did.
GRACE: OK. OK.
ALLRED: But I can tell you that this minor did not give an interview and she will not be doing any interview.
GRACE: Very wise.
ALLRED: . during the course of this because.
GRACE: Very wise, Gloria.
ALLRED: Yes.
GRACE: To Melodie Lopez, attorney for Cara Murphy, one of the girls charged in this case, when do you think the case is going to trial and what does your client have to say regarding this video released? And the photos of the victim are just brutal.
MELODIE LOPEZ, ATTORNEY FOR TEEN SUSPECT CARA MURPHY: Well, I agree the photos are brutal. As far as the trial goes, that`s set to go probably in July or August.
The photos are bad. It`s really a shame that this new video has been released, unfortunately in a lot of ways the video is worse than the first one, because, unfortunately it really -- it victimizes the victim again in that it`s maligning her character.
GRACE: Well, Melodie, I appreciate that. But what`s concerning to me is that the people would throw off responsibility. I`m not so concerned about it being released because it`s going to be state`s exhibit number one. I`m concerned it ever happened. What`s your response to that? Why did -- why was this brutal beating, why did it happen, and why was it videod?
LOPEZ: Well, unfortunately, we see a little bit more of what was behind the attack, and as I said, it was very unfortunate, but you`re seeing and you`re hearing a lot of what went on before this incident took place.
GRACE: With us is.
LOPEZ: And a lot of the accusations and unfortunately, it`s really putting the victim in a bad light and I feel bad about that.
GRACE: Whoa, you know, frankly, I think it`s putting all of the attackers in the bad light. The victim does nothing wrong.
With me, Melodie Lopez, veteran trial lawyer, and of course, Gloria Allred representing the victim.
But right now, "CNN HEROES."
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CARMEN SALVA, DEFENDING THE PLANET (Through translator): La Pachamama is what we call Mother Earth. In northern Argentina, you`ll found the town of Tilcara. It`s a tourist area. I`ve made my whole life I Tilcara. There`s no real environmental consciousness in Tilcara. We have a lot of issues to work on. Water contamination, there`s so much trash. Someone had to do something and I saw the opportunity.
My name is Carmen Salva. I began an environmental group to clean up my town and its surrounding together with children, young people and parents. I`ve been a teacher for 20 years. I believe that change begins with a child. They will teach how to care for nature and everything that`s around us.
The name of our group is "Hope for Life." When we go out to clean on Saturdays, there`s about 6,200 people. We separate the recyclables. And when we return, we load the llamas with the bags of trash.
When the students leave the group, they are the ones who pass on the lessons they have learned. It`s really fulfilling when we come back to town and they feel like, well, they feel like heroes.
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GRACE: What a week in America`s courtrooms. Take a look at the stories and more important, the people, who touched our lives.
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O.J. SIMPSON, FORMER NFL STAR: Nicole was the love of my life. I didn`t kill her no matter what everybody wants to say. I didn`t do it.
GRACE: Well, that`s not what your long-time agent has to say. "How I help O.J. Simpson get away with murder."
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: He basically confessed the murder and said if Nicole hadn`t answered the door, the night that I came over holding a knife, then she wouldn`t be dead.
GRACE: Allegations of polygamy, child sex abuse and bigamy, and welfare fraud.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Yisrayl Hawkins could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of performing polygamist marriages. It is the House of Yahweh, this group, it`s so much more darker, so much more deadly than the other groups.
GRACE: A mom of two falls overboard o a luxury cruise ship off the coast of the U.S.
MARLAINA SCHIAVO, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: She went overboard approximately 8:00 p.m. on Sunday night. And it wasn`t until 11:00 a.m. that following morning that the boyfriend called the mother.
LOUISE HORTON, MOTHER OF MINDY JORDAN: You`re trying to tell me they didn`t find her body.
GRACE: A 10-month-old babe question boy stolen from a local children`s hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The mother went into the hospital room and took the baby. The 5 and 11-year-old sister and (INAUDIBLE) walked right out.
GRACE: This lady is headed for jail. Faking a malignant brain tumor, she basically, according to cops, robbed the company of $21,000 in benefits. So she is sick in the head, right, Mickey? Right?
MICKEY SHERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, AUTHOR OF "HOW CAN YOU DEFEND THOSE PEOPLE?": No. I disagree. It`s more of an obnoxious crime than it is a serious crime.
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GRACE: Let`s stop and remember Corporal Todd Davis, 22, Raymore, Missouri, killed, Iraq. Athletic, polite, funny, brown belt in karate, loved wrestling, soccer, football. Leaves behind step mom Kathy, brother Todd.
Todd Davis, American hero.
Thank you to our guests, but especially for being with us, and tonight, thank you to Cathie Evans and Martha Dugger(ph) for the onesies and t- shirts, justice and crime fighters for the twins. And happy birthday to our show superstar, Naomi. Cutie. And special good night from the New York control room. Good night, Brett, Rosie, Liz.
Everybody, I`ll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp eastern, and until then, good night friend.
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