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Nancy Grace

Christie Brinkley`s Divorce Testimony Day Two

Aired July 07, 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, superstar cover girl Christie Brinkley takes the stand. Day two, testimony against her own husband, architect Peter Cook. Trouble in paradise starts when Brinkley learns about her husband`s double life, a teenage sex affair, swinger Web sites and a $3,000-a-month porn habit -- Hello? -- just some of the MO in Brinkley`s arsenal of allegations. At stake, over $80 million in real estate alone, three luxury yachts, and the jewels in the crown, custody of their two little children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will yet another one of architect Peter Cook`s affairs emerge on the stand? Reports reveal Christie Brinkley`s lawyer set to use Cook`s romantic liaisons to prove the philandering architect is an unfit parent, Cook and Brinkley fighting over reported $80 million in property and custody of the couple`s two children, all in a nasty divorce battle, the world-renowned supermodel back on the stand today, breaking down all over again about the fallout from her husband`s affair and her devotion to their young kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you looking forward to cross-examination?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know -- the truth comes out in the courtroom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And tonight, mystery surrounding the brutal death of a 21- year-old University of Miami student, a 21-year-old biology major found dead in the college senior`s own living room just two minutes from campus. Reports of blood evidence emerge, including a five-foot pool of blood at the crime scene. Cause of death still unknown as police search for clues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Miami-Dade police are investigating the death of a University of Miami student found dead in his own home. Police are treating the death as a homicide and continue to comb the crime scene for possible evidence. A friend found the victim, Eddie Peteron (ph), lying on the floor and ran to a neighbor to get help. The neighbor, who saw the gruesome aftermath, says there was a five-foot pool of blood, blood on the walls and the couch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As I got to the door, I noticed a lot of blood on the floor, like some blood spatters from bloody footprints and smears. I saw the victim, a body, I guess you would say, lying in a very large pool of blood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Tonight: Superstar cover girl Christie Brinkley takes the stand. Day two, testimony against her own husband, architect Peter Cook. At stake, $80 million in real estate alone, three luxury yachts, and the jewels in the crown, custody of their two little children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A teenage sex affair, $3,000 a month on porn Web sites and millions in real estate just some of the battles in the nasty divorce between supermodel Christie Brinkley and her architect husband, Peter Cook, Brinkley back on the stand, fighting for primary custody of the couple`s 13 and 10-year-old children. An emotional Brinkley says she did everything she could to save face and shield her kids from the messy scandal, a scandal that ultimately led to Cook admitting in court to a costly affair with an 18-year-old. Brinkley`s defense expected to put Cook`s romantic liaisons front and center at the trial, calling former and current girlfriends to testify, all to prove Cook`s bad judgment makes him a bad dad. But Cook`s attorney says Brinkley has anger management issues and will put up a court-appointed shrink to back those claims.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY, FORMER MODEL: It was wonderful. And I`m looking forward to my independence day now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: He`s spending $3,000 a month on pornography alone, and he says she`s got an anger management problem?

To Sophia Hall with WCBS radio, in court all day long. I`d have a problem, too, an anger management problem, if my husband spent $3,000 a month on pornography and I was footing the bill.

SOPHIA HALL, WCBS RADIO: Oh, my gosh, definitely! But she`s on the stand saying there is a certain amount of anger that a person is going to have in this situation. But not only the Internet sex sites, he was also masturbating on a Webcam looking at Hornyporny.com.

GRACE: Sophia?

HALL: Yes?

GRACE: You`ve already told me about that. Thank you.

HALL: Sorry.

GRACE: You know, what we need to clarify, Sophia Hall with WCBS, is that these were not just Internet porn sites, these were hook-up sites, not sites where you`re talking to some anonymous person over in Russia or Sweden, you`re talking to somebody you can apparently pick a geographic location, and he had picked a location right where they lived, a site where you meet up with people. You don`t just -- here`s the site. Thank you, Elizabeth. You don`t just talk to them about some imaginary meeting you`re going to have some day, it`s the real thing.

HALL: And he promised -- he wanted the young girls who he wanted to date and he was going to take them shopping as a gift, if they would go out with him. And he definitely wanted hot girls, he said. And he said he was -- and I`m sorry, I have to say this -- horny dude -- that`s what he called himself.

GRACE: Out to Dorothy Cascerceri, entertainment editor with "The National Enquirer." Also in court today, he wants a hot girl. He`s married to a hot girl. Hello! Supermodel Christie Brinkley.

DOROTHY CASCERCERI, "NATIONAL ENQUIRER": That`s a great point, Nancy. I mean, here you have a beautiful blond woman who has aged quite gracefully, and yet Peter Cook is still out on the Internet...

GRACE: OK, Dorothy, before you go any further -- I mean, I know you`re the reporter, along with Sophia. But news flash. Anybody can be blond. Beautiful just doesn`t come naturally. So you`re right, she`s beautiful. So has anything come out on the stand, Dorothy, to suggest what his problem was?

CASCERCERI: You know, Nancy, that`s something that we`re still waiting to hear about. Everyone`s curious, what drives a man to the Internet for sex when he has a lovely wife? It seems like he was very distant in the end, and we`re definitely curious to see if Christie was the cause of this.

GRACE: We are taking your calls live. Let`s unleash the lawyers. Joining us tonight, Marlene Brown, family lawyer and author of "Boomer`s Guide to Divorce," Anne Bremner, high-profile lawyer out of the Seattle jurisdiction, and Daniel Horowitz, veteran defense attorney joining us out of California.

Out to you, Ann Bremner. It`s my understanding there`s a thing called no-fault divorce.

ANNE BREMNER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right.

GRACE: You don`t really even have to name grounds for divorce anymore. You don`t have to claim he`s a perv, she committed adultery, she lied to me. You don`t have to name grounds. So why are we having a divorce trial, Anne Bremner?

BREMNER: Well, you`re exactly right, Nancy. It`s because it`s about the custody of the children. And what Christie Brinkley is trying to say is he shouldn`t have custody of the children because he has very poor judgment, as is evidenced by everything you just talked about. So she`s saying that he`s done terrible things and he can just have visitation. And you know, it`s a very public and salacious trial, and I think that she wants a public airing of everything he`s done to basically malign her, and that`s the cheating, all the cheating.

GRACE: Well, hold on. Hold on with that. Daniel Horowitz, last time I checked the U.S. Constitution, we still had the open courtrooms, no secret proceedings in this country, except, of course, if you`re dealing with a juvenile and other certain narrowly delineated circumstances where you have a closed courtroom. Why should this be any different? Why should Peter Cook have a closed courtroom?

DAN HOROWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know, Nancy, the children are entitled, in my opinion...

GRACE: The children!

HOROWITZ: That`s right because they`re being hurt by this...

GRACE: Wait. Is this the same kid that stumbled on Peter Cook`s pornography with women layered on top of each other?

HOROWITZ: Maybe. And you shouldn`t be knowing about it and Anne shouldn`t be knowing about it and I shouldn`t be knowing about it. It should be private for the sake of those children. Something wrong with our system.

GRACE: Well, you know what? That`s certainly, Marlene Brown, having your cake and eating it, too. You got to do what`s best for the children all along, not just when it suits you to do what`s best for the children.

MARLENE BROWN, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: Well, that`s true. But if I can go back to something that was said before -- New York is not like California. New York is the only state in the country that requires fault be tried. Christie had to put on those witnesses last week in order to get herself a divorce. So I know it`s unusual for lawyers who don`t practice in New York to know this, but in New York, Christie was doing what she had to do. And as for the children...

GRACE: Well, my question, I guess, is why didn`t they go with a no- fault, Marlene?

BROWN: There is no no-fault in New York unless you`ve lived...

GRACE: You have to name a reason for a divorce? You can`t just say, I want a divorce, irreconcilable differences?

BROWN: Absolutely not, not in New York. It`s the only state in the country like that.

GRACE: So there`s no irreconcilable differences grounds for divorce in New York?

BROWN: That is absolutely correct. And everyone who practices in New York knows this. And people have been trying to change it for years. We went through the very same thing with Ronald Perlman (ph)-Patricia Duff (ph) divorce. So yes, New York is notorious. And if A-Rod divorces Madonna -- I`m sorry -- A-Rod divorces -- I had a Freudian slip there...

(LAUGHTER)

GRACE: So bottom line, to Anne Bremner, the only way they could have avoided this, then, is for them to agree up front on custody and division of assets so there wouldn`t be any trial.

BREMNER: Right. But they could have a stipulation up front on the differences. I mean, she put that forth in the beginning of the hearing. The question is custody, and she wants to have all this public. The guardian in this case, of the children, said, We don`t want it public. We do have open courtrooms, but you don`t have to have something like this open to the public when it harms the kids.

BROWN: But New York law requires that courtrooms are open.

BREMNER: Not -- you always have circumstances when you can seal a courtroom.

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: Daniel, what about it?

BREMNER: We have that in every single state.

GRACE: Daniel?

HOROWITZ: Yes?

BROWN: I disagree.

GRACE: Daniel, what about it?

HOROWITZ: I think -- well, first of all, I think -- and I don`t want to disagree with everybody. I think this is about money. I think, ultimately, the more dirt they throw at each other, the better they think their monetary settlement will be. Everybody knows she`ll get primary custody, he`ll get liberal visitation. That`s how it`s going to end up. So I think that there`s an ulterior motive here.

GRACE: Back to see Sophia Hall with WCBS radio, in court today. Dirt. Dirt. The most dirt I`ve heard on Christie Brinkley is that they claim she`s got an anger management problem. I`d be angry, too. I think everybody can understand she`s angry. She should be angry.

HALL: She definitely should be angry and she admits she`s a little bit angry. The other thing that they said, sometimes she liked to sleep in to get her beauty rest and he had to dress the kids and take them to school.

GRACE: Oh, boo-hoo.

HALL: Otherwise, she...

GRACE: You`re kidding me.

HALL: I know. I know. So -- but that`s the only dirt that actually has come out of this. For him, on the other hand...

GRACE: Wait. Wait. So...

HALL: Yes?

GRACE: ... sometimes he had to dress the kids for school? Did I just hear that? And that`s a problem?

HALL: Well, by the way, he also had the help of a nanny that she paid for, so...

GRACE: OK. We`re taking your calls. To Betsy in Ohio. Hi, Betsy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy.

GRACE: What`s your question, dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My question is, if Christie Brinkley knew about how Peter Cook treated her daughter, Alexa Ray, why did she stay with him?

GRACE: Interesting. What do we know about that? To Dorothy Cascerceri with "The National Enquirer." Tell me about his treatment, his alleged treatment of Billy Joe`s daughter, biological daughter, Alexa Ray.

CASCERCERI: This is a very interesting point in the trial because Alexa testified that Peter Cook was very critical of her, and she mentioned that one of the areas where he was very critical was her weight. But then Peter got on the stand on Thursday and testified that Christie had actually mentioned to him that Alexa had gained weight when she went away to college. So you`re hearing a lot of different sides of the story.

GRACE: Well, wait a minute. To Dr. Robi Ludwig, psychotherapist and author. Dr. Robi, there`s a big difference speaking in private to your husband about a potential problem you perceive with a child and riding the child like a mule. There`s a big difference in those two things.

ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Right. And especially when you`re a step-parent. You don`t have the same rights as a biological parent. Listen, it`s not ideal for a biological parent to criticize a child, but he was certainly out of line. And it also objectifies and sexualizes a child if you`re talking about their weight too much. It`s just really inappropriate.

GRACE: Back to Sophia Hall. So what was the alleged poor treatment of Alexa Ray that Betsy in Ohio was asking about?

HALL: Well, not only did he supposedly call Alexa`s butt fat, but apparently, when she was taking a shower, the ceiling started to leak. He rushed in. Alexa says she was naked at the time. He dunked her head into a bucket and said, You`d better clean up this mess.

GRACE: You know, very interesting the way this is all playing out in a court of law.

We are taking your calls live. Out to Carol in Massachusetts. Hi, Carol.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. God bless you and your beautiful twins.

GRACE: I`ve got some new photos for you. I`m going to show them later in show.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, great!

GRACE: What`s your question, dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If Peter didn`t have much of his own money, was he given an allowance that he didn`t have to account for? If not, why didn`t her accountants tell her that this money was spent every month on the porn?

GRACE: To Dorothy Cascerceri. How did he get away with the $3,000 a month on porn alone?

CASCERCERI: This idea of how their assets were split up is still something everyone is trying to figure out. Christie ended up buying a lot of their properties. And Peter did have his own money. Certainly not as much as Christie, but he did have his own money to spend the way that he would like. So I guess he spent it on the porn.

GRACE: And she never noticed?

CASCERCERI: Well, I`m not sure if she noticed or not. There are a few other things that were mentioned in court about how he would buy her flowers for Mother`s Day and then bill those flowers back to her, or go out and buy the children clothes and then Christie would end up footing the bill. So I guess there was a lot of spending going on in the household and it was hard to keep track of who was spending on what and when.

GRACE: Out to Howard Bragman, founder of 15 Minutes PR, public relations expert. Howard, a lot of people have criticized Christie Brinkley for insisting on an open courtroom. Her husband, Peter Cook, wanted it to be shrouded in secrecy. You know, I think that most women would agree this is really his decision. We have open courtrooms. And if he wanted to carry on like this during the marriage, resulting in a divorce, what did he expect, some type of special treatment to avoid the Constitution?

HOWARD BRAGMAN, PR EXPERT: No, I don`t think it`s about special treatment. And I always tell clients in these cases you have to try them in the court of law, but you also have to try them in the court of public opinion. And I think she`s trying to try this in the court of public opinion by having this court case happen, by having this testimony out here.

But what I`m really concerned about is the effect it`s going to have on a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old child, who are old enough to read the transcripts, old enough to see what`s going on on the Internet and old enough to follow the news coverage. I really prefer my clients handle this in private, no matter how salacious it is.

And I agree with one of the earlier speakers. I think there`s a financial motivation here, too. I think something else is going on besides just custody because that feels like a slam-dunk to me right now, Nancy.

GRACE: Out to the lines. Carey in Nevada. Hi, Carey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.

GRACE: Hi, dear. What`s your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I tried to get through last week, but I couldn`t. The questions about Diana Bianchi...

GRACE: Yes?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... if she kept the $300,000?

GRACE: If she did what?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did she take the $300,000?

GRACE: Yes, she certainly did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And does she have to pay taxes on it?

GRACE: You know, that`s an interesting question. To Dorothy Cascerceri, I understand that she may have an IRS issue over all that money.

CASCERCERI: Well, one would guess that if you`re getting paid $300,000 for something, you`re going to have to pay taxes on it. I mean, she hasn`t received the entire $300,000 yet. Peter testified last week in court that he was somewhere over the $200,000 mark of paying her and continuing to shell out money still.

GRACE: And to Sophia Hall. What about the way she was paid at his architecture firm? Is there going to be an issue whether she was an employee or and independent contractor? That`ll make a big difference with the IRS.

HALL: Well, according to Peter`s testimony, she was an independent contractor. She actually signed some kind of paperwork to be paid $20,000 to type stuff in for their Internet Web site, on the company`s architecture Web site.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They started to pick at the idea that Christie has painted this perfect life, and that, in fact, for a long time and in many interviews, she had praised Peter as a wonderful father. So they`re just starting to pick at that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The big moment in the courthouse was when Christie basically spelled out why it is that she`s pursuing this case. She said, I`ve had to deal with you having an affair with a teenager. She had to deal with the Internet porn. And she said that she herself has been able to move on. But the big question is, she questions his judgment and is concerned as it relates to their children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: We are taking your calls live. Day two of Christie Brinkley, superstar model, on the stand, testifying against her own husband, architect Peter Cook.

Out to Sophia Hall with WCBS. What actual allegations came out? This is all about custody regarding husband Peter Cook`s treatment of the children and how he would not be a good parent, allegedly.

HALL: Well, first off, he has two children, Jack 13, Sailor 10. Brinkley claims that he treats Jack very rough. Sometimes he doesn`t talk to him. If Jack is bad, he actually grabs him, hurting his arms, and the child starts screaming, and Christie`s, like, Stop! Stop! As far as Sailor is concerned, he goes out and gets her clothing, of course charges the bill to Christie afterwards, and he loves that child more than he loves the other one. So he`s very rough. Plus the treatment, as we discussed earlier, about Alexa Ray.

GRACE: What about it, Dorothy?

CASCERCERI: Christie also has painted Peter as kind of this absentee father. She did acknowledge his special affection for Sailor, which is realized by the other children. But she painted him as kind of this cold person that would come home from work, sit down at the table, drink a bottle of wine, go sit on the couch and then put Sailor to bed. And it seemed like he almost ignored a lot of the other family members.

GRACE: Out to the lines. To Lynn in Maryland. Hi, dear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. I`m so thrilled to talk to you. After all the tragedy that you suffered in your life, did you ever think there`d come a time when you would rejoice so much?

GRACE: No, I really didn`t. But I can tell you, it makes it that much sweeter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it really does. My question is, I keep hearing people say, what was it about Christie that made him go to porn? I`m so sick of listening to people constantly blame the victim. This woman...

GRACE: You know, Lynn, you`re absolutely right. Dr. Robi, why has that approach been taken? She`s right.

LUDWIG: You know, I`m not really sure. I mean, clearly, this guy had an addiction, a sexual addiction. And I think we need to understand that that`s what contributes to his behavior.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Peter Cook`s going to have to get some parameters on his computer so when he sees the children, whether it`s going to be supervised visitation or not, there`s not going to be pornographic material laying around. I think also he may have to have some parenting classes because as it`s been reported, you know, dating an 18-year-old, really, having an extramarital affair is terrible to begin with, and having one with an 18-year-old is disgusting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Out to Pat Brown, criminal profiler and author. Pat, you`ve seen so many, many cases in so many courtrooms. I find it so self-serving to claim you want a private trial for the sake of the children, yet you`re the one that brings down the marriage.

PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: Well, exactly. I mean, he wants what he wants for himself. But I think one of the biggest issues here, which kind of concerns me, is what is his behavior with the girls in that family? Is there a possibility of sexual abuse? After all, he`s obviously into control and power. He`s on the Net for $3,000 a month, which, I`m sorry, but you can get free trailers and you can (INAUDIBLE) 50 bucks a month. For $3,000, I`m looking at S&M and wondering whether (INAUDIBLE)

GRACE: Sophia, it`s my understanding there is no suggestion of a sex allegation, is there?

HALL: No, there is no allegations at all. In fact, I asked that question today to her attorney, and he says, I just want the testimony to come out and stand as is.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The big moment in the courthouse was when Christie basically spelled out why it is she`s pursuing this case. She said, I`ve had to deal with you having an affair with a teenager. She had to deal with the Internet porn. And she said that she herself has been able to move on.

But the big question is, she questions his judgment and his concern as it relates to their children. So that was really (INAUDIBLE) but she was revealing the reason why she`s pursuing this case. She says it`s basically because she questions his judgment.

(INAUDIBLE) painted this perfect life and that, in fact, for a long time and in many interviews she had praised Peter as a wonderful father. So they`re just starting to pick at that.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How was your 4th?

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY, FORMER SUPERMODEL: It was wonderful and I`m looking forward to my independence day now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: Out to Sophia Hall with WCBS. It`s my understanding there is not a single charge of sex molestation or sex allegation regarding any inappropriate activity within the family.

SOPHIA HALL, REPORTER, WCBS RADIO: That`s correct. But there have been certain things that Brinkley has said that made me question it. That`s why I asked her attorney.

For example, she said, Peter bought our daughter little shirts and little skirts and he was very protective of her. He really didn`t want me talking to her or our son talking to her. He would put her to bed at night. He would dress her in the morning, which is what made me ask that question.

But there is no allegations.

GRACE: OK.

Out to the lines, Martha in Illinois. Hi, Martha.

MARTHA, ILLINOIS RESIDENT: Hey.

GRACE: What`s your question, dear?

MARTHA: I was wondering is he facing any charges for the girl that`s 18? I know she`s 18, but I also know that there are sex acts that can be charged for -- with adults.

GRACE: What is the statute in New York, Marlene Brown?

MARLENE BROWN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: 16 age of consent, Nancy.

GRACE: I`m sorry, I couldn`t hear you. Repeat.

M. BROWN: 16, age of consent.

GRACE: So there is no criminal activity even possible regarding the affair with the 18-year-old?

M. BROWN: Right.

GRACE: Out to the lines, Stella in Michigan. Hi, Stella.

STELLA, MICHIGAN RESIDENT: Hi, Nancy, how are you?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

STELLA: Well, I think it was answered about the kids, you know, being with him, with the young, you know, teenager having sex and the porn. Is there going to be any like court order to, like, for counseling for these kids?

GRACE: To do what for the children?

STELLA: Counseling.

GRACE: I`m sorry. I couldn`t understand your question -- counseling, counseling.

STELLA: Yes.

GRACE: To Dorothy Cascercen, aren`t they already in counseling?

DOROTHY CASCERCEN, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, NATIONAL ENQUIRER: Yes, Nancy, they are. Christie revealed that today on the stand that the two young children have been in counseling. She described how she would take them over to the doctor and she would have Sailor`s friend at a restaurant with a nanny.

She would take Sailor over then she would come back, and she would pick up Jack and she would take both of them in the same evening, and make, kind of, like a fun little dinner trip out of it, I guess.

GRACE: You know, Sophia, it`s my understanding that the snarky comments just keep on coming from Peter Cook and his lawyer.

Number one, they should both clam up. They both already said too much. But things like, Shrek is more believable than Christie Brinkley`s performance on the stand. I believe today -- I guess it was the lawyer said, well, her cover girl makeup is certainly holding, suggesting that she put on this makeup to avoid it being ruined when she pretended to cry on the stand.

You know, if they really wanted to make PR points, if that`s what they`re after, shouldn`t they just say something like, you know what, I really screwed up in the marriage, right now I`m all about putting it back together to work out something for our children so we can rebuild our family as best as we can.

Wouldn`t that be a good thing to say? What other snarky comments do we know about?

HALL: Well, I mean, like today, for example, when I walked into the courtroom, he was actually sitting where the reporters sit. And he`s like, I like it back here, it`s much more quiet and peaceful than up there.

And there`s a lot of times he`ll just kind of lean back and stare at her on the stand. And then he`ll shake his head saying, no, no, no, as if to say whatever she is saying on the stand she`s lying about.

GRACE: What about the Shrek comment and the cover girl makeup comment, and the fact that she`s no actress, which I believe she responded to.

HALL: She did respond. She said, that`s flattering that you think I`m an actress. Yes, I was in National Lampoon`s "Vacation." It`s recently coming out on DVD. But she said, I`m no Meryl Streep.

Great quote.

GRACE: You know, I found that, Dr. Ludwig -- Dr. Robi -- to be very self effacing, very modest, playing it off. I mean she is a mega star cover girl. And for him to mock her about her acting career, I don`t know, why? Why are they taking these punches at her?

ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST, AUTHOR OF "TILL DEATH DO US PART": Well, obviously, he`s very angry with her. And I wonder if in the marriage he somehow fell less than than her. Here she is, she`s paying for everything. She`s beautiful. She`s successful.

And although he`s a very good looking guy, at the end of the day, who really is he if he`s not connected with his wife? And maybe that`s why he turned to other women outside of the marriage, 18-year-olds where he could play the big successful guy who is throwing out a lot of money to these women feeling like he`s important.

GRACE: And hiding it under a rock.

LUDWIG: Yes.

GRACE: Isn`t that correct, Sophia Hall? Didn`t he hide money under a rock for the girl to find?

HALL: Not only under a rock, under a rock in front of the house he shared with Christie Brinkley, $500. She went to the house, picked it up. He also hid money underneath a painting or behind a painting in his office. The painting is called Zeus.

GRACE: OK. Maybe I`m crazy. Robi Ludwig, hiding money under a rock?

LUDWIG: Well, that`s sneaky. They call that financial infidelity, too.

GRACE: It sounds sophomoric. It sounds like a little kid would come -- financial infidelity, what?

LUDWIG: Yes, that`s what they call it. When two people in a marriage lie to each other about what`s going on financially or hide money so that they can do whatever they want with it.

GRACE: OK. The plot thickens.

To Barbara in Ohio. Hi, Barbara.

BARBARA, OHIO RESIDENT: Hi, Nancy. Peter Cook is not biological father of Jack. And where is the biological father? And maybe that`s why Peter Cook treated Jack differently.

GRACE: Dorothy, response?

CASCERCEN: Christie revealed today that the biological father has not had any involvement with Jack at all. And it`s interesting that Peter did, in fact, adopt Jack. So it is different maybe perhaps than Sailor, who is his real biological daughter. But that`s still no excuse for separate treatment of the adopted son.

GRACE: Now, we were just showing a shot of Christie Brinkley, I believe, with Taubman. Wasn`t that her third husband? Didn`t they -- were they in a plane crash together of some sort and then they married on the side of a ski slope?

CASCERCEN: It was something like that, yes. You`re right, Nancy.

GRACE: OK. And that is where Jack came from, right?

CASCERCEN: Right, exactly. One of four husbands of Christie`s.

GRACE: OK. To Albert in Kentucky. Hi, Albert.

ALBERT, KENTUCKY RESIDENT: Hi, Nancy, how are you?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

ALBERT: I`m not downgrading or I`m not against Christie Brinkley in any way. I actually support her.

GRACE: Well, you`ve got me suspicious right now. I mean you started off the question. OK, I`m prepared. Go ahead.

ALBERT: OK. But I just want to know -- because she`s a supermodel or whatever her title may be at that, is it possible that the judge will be star struck or will it affect his decision in any way?

GRACE: Mm-hmm. You know what, good question. What about it, Sophia?

HALL: I don`t think so, because today Christie Brinkley was kind of - - for lack of a better term -- going on and on on the stand and the judge looked at her and said, this is the third day. You know the rules, don`t do that. And she apologized.

So I`m going to disagree. This seems like a very fair judge.

GRACE: You know, let`s unleash the lawyers. Marlene Brown out of New York, Anne Bremner out of Seattle, Daniel Horowitz, San Francisco.

Daniel, don`t you hate it when a judge sua spontee on their own? Nobody asked to, nobody makes an objection, the lawyers are happy with the way their case is going, suddenly injects himself and starts, you know, educating the witness or the jury or the lawyer without anyone asking them to?

DANIEL HOROWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I know. You hate it as a trial lawyer, Nancy. And there.

GRACE: I hate it.

HOROWITZ: You know sometimes they just get bored, I think. They`re sitting there, watching the show go on and they just want to play the game. That`s really how it is.

GRACE: And you know, Anne Bremner, sometimes they can really, really destroy your trial strategy. If there`s a question you which usually don`t ask.

ANNE BREMNER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right.

GRACE: . or you have it timed out a certain way and then the judge injects themselves.

BREMNER: Yes. You`re always like, wait a minute, wait a minute, this is my witness. It`s something that totally wrecks your whole examination and then you`re done.

GRACE: OK. So the judge injecting himself, but hey, there`s nothing wrong with that.

Everybody, quick break. At your request, here are those pictures of the twins. I`ll be posting them tonight.

Here`s John David, first organic squash. Little Lucy making an important overseas phone call with her plastic telephone. Lucy today with her grandfather. John David, sleepy time. Sleepy time for the twins.

Everybody, when we come back, mystery surrounding the death of a 21- year-old University of Miami student. Police are searching for clues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A University of Miami student was found dead in his home surrounded by a five-foot pool of blood, according to a neighbor.

Police are saying the death of Eddie Pieron is a homicide and continue to investigate the scene for any evidence to determine what happened to him. The 21-year-old biology major was found dead by a friend who ran to a neighbor to get help after she found Pieron lying on the floor of his own living room.

The neighbor described the horrible scene telling local reporters there was blood on the walls and on the couch. Police are searching for answers and have not yet released the cause of death for the student.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: Police combing the scene for clues. As of yet, no break in the death of a 21-year-old University of Miami student.

Let`s find out the latest. Hugh Nolan, investigative reporter, what can you tell me, Hugh?

HUGH NOLAN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, Nancy, as we heard, the body of 21-year-old Pieron was found in his home in south Miami on Saturday afternoon. It was discovered by a girlfriend who had expected to meet up with Pieron. He had failed to meet her. She went to his home to investigate. She ran to a neighbor`s house upon discovering the body.

And that neighbor is the one who has given local media of that very vivid description of five-foot pool of blood, spreading out from Pieron`s bloody. Blood on the couch, bloody footprints. This apparently is not going to be a scene that is not going to give police physical evidence.

However, they have not, at this time, released the names of any suspects or even indicated what they believe the motive might have been.

GRACE: To Hugh Nolan, investigative reporter joining us there in Miami -- Hugh, is it true that since the body of this young college student was found, the roommates have not been located?

NOLAN: The roommates have not been located. As a matter of fact, Nancy, there`s still some question as to precisely how many roommates there are. Neighbors spoke of three or four roommates. Other students at the University of Miami which Pieron attended spoke of believing that as many as six people may have been living there whether formally or informally. And those people have not all been identified and contacted by police at this point.

They very much like to speak to them.

GRACE: And they`ve all just disappeared? Nobody`s home?

NOLAN: No one has been able to -- no one has been reachable by law enforcement authorities at this point. We have not heard of any contact that they have made trying to reach out to law enforcement and we have not heard of law enforcement having some tips.

GRACE: OK. Right there, right there, I`ve got a problem, Pat Brown. What about it?

PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER, AUTHOR OF "KILLING FOR SPORT": I do, too. It sounds like they`re all off camping and don`t have any connection with the real world.

I`m having a problem with this, too. That`s a lot of people for one house. Somebody should know something. So they`re going to have to look at that timeline. Who was there, when were they there, and when did this man die?

GRACE: Back to Hugh Nolan joining us out of Miami.

Hugh, were any of those roommates at his party the nights of the birthday party?

NOLAN: There hasn`t been any confirmation of specific identities of people who attended that party. It was a large party. It was celebrating not only the Fourth of July but the Fourth of July happened also to be young Pieron`s 21st birthday.

Presumably, these people would not have been out of the house for such a gathering that wasn`t going to include friends and common fellow students. But again that is presumably. There has not been specific identification made public by the police as to who was in attendance at that party which lasted well into Saturday morning.

GRACE: We are talking about the death of a 21-year-old biology major, Edward Pieron, found dead there in his own apartment just about two minutes from campus. If you have any information, please help police. They are desperately seeking a break in the case. 305-471-8477, 305-471-TIPS.

Back to Hugh Nolan, what can you tell me about the blood at the scene? At first, I learned that there was about a five-foot -- I assume in full circumference -- pool of blood that he was lying in. Then I learned there was blood on the walls. And I`m especially interested in this.

Let`s hold that picture just one moment. That is not a spray from a gunshot wound. That is not -- apparently not dripping from the victim himself. That looks like transfer marks to me. Do you see what I`m talking about? Do you have a monitor that you can see this blood marking on the sofa, Hugh Nolan?

NOLAN: Yes, I do, Nancy. Yes, I do. And the police have not even confirmed the manner in which Pieron was killed. We have not heard of any allegations that it was by gunshot, by stabbing. Only that this was an extremely bloody scene.

Certainly the police have plenty of evidence to work with in a physical sense. In fact, they were seen carting out pieces of furniture with bloodstains on them by neighbors on Sunday afternoon.

GRACE: So Pat Brown, what does that suggest to you? And look especially at the bottom of the sofa. It looks maybe like a futon type sofa where there was a pool of blood at the bottom of the sofa. Look at that blood marking, Pat Brown.

P. BROWN: Well, you know, this is such a large amount of blood. It seems like he did not die instantaneously. It seems like he bled out for a long time. And it is going to be, like you said it, look at the actual blood spatter pattern. Are they transfers? Were people touching him -- touching the scene and moving the blood around or was he still moving around himself?

GRACE: Looking at that, you`d have to see the crime scene to determine whether the blood led from where he was lying in the floor. I`m interested in the blood on the walls. Was it back spray from a bludgeoning death? Was it a spray from a gunshot wound? Probably not.

Out to Dr. Zhongxue Hua -- he`s the medical examiner there in New Jersey Union County. He was found on a Saturday afternoon. We still don`t a COD, a cause of death. Why?

DR. ZHONGXUE HUA, UNION CO., N.J. MEDICAL EXAMINER: The most likely - - the mostly likely scenario police tried to hold the cause of death, I mean, they don`t want to release it for some reason immediately, and then the possibility is some jurisdictions have a tendency not perform the autopsy on a weekend. People`s case can be hold over and there is a delay.

GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not in Miami. Believe me, the crime rate is so high there, Doctor, you don`t hold bodies over the weekend. I`m sure they`ve got a medical examiner on 24/7, 365.

So you think this is just part of police strategy to hold the cause of death close to the vest?

HUA: That`s most likely reason.

GRACE: Out to the lines, Dana in Washington. Hi, Dana.

DANA, WASHINGTON RESIDENT: Hi, Nancy. Those children are beautiful.

GRACE: Thank you. Thank you very much.

DANA: You`re very welcome. I have the question, do they think that maybe drugs were involved? And this could have been a bad drug deal? Have they been searching for the roommates, et cetera? I mean, there`s got to be a reason this student was murdered.

GRACE: Out to Hugh Nolan, investigative reporter, joining us in Miami. Has there been any suggestion that drugs were involved?

NOLAN: There`s been no suggestion, Nancy. There have been reports. This is not something I`ve been able to confirm independently, but there have been published reports that some small vials of some sort of liquid were removed by investigators from the scene earlier today.

Again, it`s not confirmed that that is so. And even if it is, I`d have to point out that there was a large celebration for the Fourth of July just a few days ago. This may even have something to do with the fireworks or some other sort of celebratory material.

There simply isn`t any word yet from police. They are holding more than just the manner of death.

GRACE: Right.

NOLAN: . close to the vest. They clearly are being very protective of.

GRACE: To Anne Bremner and Daniel Horowitz, even if there was a vial of medication of some sort or an illegal drug, Anne Bremner, that in no way negates what this boy suffered.

BREMNER: Absolutely not. And the only thing we don`t know right now is what we don`t know. I mean, it`s wide open and just because there`s something like that, you`re absolutely right as usual, Nancy.

GRACE: Daniel?

HOROWITZ: I have a few thoughts about the crime scene itself. We may find paraphernalia for drugs because young people use it. But is that his blood alone or did other people bleed? I have a lot of questions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Pieron was a biology student at the University of Miami, and police say he was a victim of a homicide inside this off- campus rental. But they have not released how he was killed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: We are taking your calls live. To Toni in New York, hi, Toni.

TONI, NEW YORK RESIDENT: Hi, Nancy. Thank you for speaking for people who do not have a voice.

GRACE: Thank you.

TONI: My question is like my son, when he was in college, he had an apartment at college but he came home for the summer. Could that have what happened to his roommates?

GRACE: Interesting. And I was also thinking about the holiday weekend. Maybe they left for that. But it would seem to me with the big party happening they would have -- somebody out of six roommates would have been there for that party, and for none of them to have called in or tried to contact police after learning their roommate has been murdered? I find that very, very disturbing.

We don`t know an answer yet. We don`t even know the names of the roommates, much less whether they`d gone home for the summer.

To Drissa in Florida, hi, Drissa.

DRISSA, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Hey, Nancy, how are you doing?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

DRISSA: Yes, my question is did any of the police investigate whether or not this is gang-related? Because a photograph you that showed before you went to commercial break of him standing with his friends and his hand is up, that`s a gang symbol.

GRACE: To Hugh Nolan, investigative reporter, what about it?

NOLAN: That has not been noted by any investigators so far as I know. Now, again, they`re playing it very close to the vest with this, and the fact that they`re not talking about that does not mean necessarily that they haven`t noticed it.

But there hasn`t been any suggestion made public of some sort of gang activity involving Pieron himself. This may have been something that was more casual than that.

GRACE: Everyone, let`s stop and remember, Army Corporal Albert Ditton, 20, Chicago, Illinois, killed, Iraq. An army medic, awarded the National Defense Service medal, Iraqi Campaign medal, and Army Service Ribbon.

Had a smile that lit up a room. Loved painting, drawing, videogames. Dreamed of being a surgeon. Leaves behind parents Ely and Sylvia, widow and high school sweetheart Melissa.

Albert Bitton, American hero.

Thanks to our guests, but most of all, thank you for being with us. I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END