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Jane Velez-Mitchell

Tiger Avoids Big Questions at Press Conference

Aired April 05, 2010 - 19:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, he`s back. Tiger Woods faces the media.

TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I lied to myself; I lied to others. Just (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The billion-dollar golfer answered questions for 30 minutes, but why didn`t anyone address the big elephant in the room? No questions about sex, mistresses, infidelity or addiction. Nothing. So was Tiger sincere, or was this all a charade?

And fireworks erupt in the Casey Anthony trial.

JOSE BAEZ, CASEY`S LAWYER: They`re trying to kill Miss Anthony, and we`re trying to save her life here.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tempers flare in the courtroom. Casey`s lawyer, Jose Baez, takes on EquuSearch. Was little Caylee`s body dumped in the woods after Casey was already behind bars?

Plus horrifying death threats target Erin Andrews, e-mails claiming somebody should shoot her in the face, and she`ll never see it coming. This beautiful sports reporter was already secretly videotaped naked in her hotel room. Now this? Will these disturbing threats stop Erin from "Dancing with the Stars"?

ISSUES starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a stunning range of reactions to the highly- anticipated Tiger Woods news conference. Did Tiger come clean? Or was today`s Masters media event a total farce? The word "sex" wasn`t even mentioned. Not once. Tonight, we will get to the bottom of why the elephant in the room was never mentioned.

Tiger`s back at the Masters Tournament this week in Augusta, Georgia. Will the four-time title holder be on his game? Or will the steady stream of every-more-lurid details about his sex scandal mess with his legendary ability to focus?

Just last week, "Vanity Fair" ran an explosive expose of Tiger`s alleged sexual exploits, including the claim that he paid many tens of thousands of dollars for sex with call girls. Wait a minute. Hold on. Isn`t that against the law? I think it is.

If it`s not true, why not tell us? Well, nobody even asked Tiger about that today. Why not? When Tiger was asked a couple of direct questions, his responses were not revealing, to say the least.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOODS: I still continue with my treatment. That`s going forward. That`s not going to continue -- not going to stop in the near future for sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was it for?

WOODS: That`s personal. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did Ambien play a role in the car crash? You were described by the witnesses as mumbling, snoring. Obviously sockless (ph) and according to a hospital report, were admitted as a possible O.D.

WOODS: Well, the police investigated THAT -- the accident. And they cited me 166 bucks. And it`s a closed case.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Closed case. Hmm.

Meantime, one of Tiger`s alleged mistresses, Joslyn James, was watching the news conference. We`re going to hear from her in just a moment.

So what do you think of Tiger`s media availability? Give me a holler: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.

Straight out to my fabulous expert panel: Lisa Guerrero, sports reporter and special correspondent for "Inside Edition"; Marvet Britto, entertainment, public relations and brand strategist; Ryan Smith, entertainment attorney and host of "In Session" on our sister network TruTV; and we begin with Rafer Weigel, sports anchor on HLN`s "MORNING EXPRESS WITH ROBIN MEADE."

Rafer, you were in that room with Tiger where everybody in the world wanted to be. What was the atmosphere inside that news conference?

RAFER WEIGEL, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, Jane, at first it was like we were waiting for the president to come in. And actually, when he did finally enter into the back, one of the sports writers made a joke and said, "All rise."

And then at that point it was just raise your hand and hope you get called on by the moderator. I felt like I was in third grade again, because I was holding my hand up the entire time and never got called on by the moderator, who knew most of those people by name.

But Jane, you know what? This was a big opportunity to finally ask Tiger Woods some poignant questions. A couple of them were, but a lot of them, I`m starting to agree with you, Jane, were softball questions, asking, "Are you nervous out there?" We`re only going to get one question, and that was it. And a couple of them didn`t really dig that deep.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, former porn star Joslyn James, who claims to be one of Tiger`s mistresses, has repeatedly asked Tiger Woods for an apology, only to hear crickets. Well, today after watching that news conference, she was fuming. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSLYN JAMES, CLAIMS TO BE TIGER`S MISTRESS: I`m not really seeing the sincerity of anything that he`s saying. I think he`s still a big, fat liar. And I really, really hope that, you know, he has told Elin the truth, because she deserves the truth. And we all deserve an apology, those of us that were hurt throughout all this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Lisa Guerrero, TMZ reports Tiger paid another alleged mistress, Rachel Uchitel, $10 million in hush money. Do you think perhaps somebody should have asked Tiger about that alleged payment so he could set the record straight?

LISA GUERRERO, SPORTS REPORTER, "INSIDE EDITION": Yes, I do. And I think, Jane, this was definitely a case of somebody preaching to the choir. He was talking to people that he knew on a first-name basis. These reporters -- in fact, one of the reporters he even referred to as "bro." So, you know, he was getting softball questions from them.

And I think, also, the sports media didn`t feel like they wanted to get down and dirty with the tawdry details of the affairs themselves, but isn`t that, in fact, what we`re talking about and what the problem is? And you`re right, Jane. This has to do about sex, and he didn`t address those issues at all.

Think about -- the other thing I took away from this, Jane, which I thought was interesting, is he said over and over and over again how important -- the priority was in his life right now was his family. His family is important. "That`s my priority."

But Elin is not there. And that speaks volumes about the fact that, obviously, his family isn`t a priority, because if it was, he would be taking the time off of golf to focus on his family, and when he does return to golf, Elin would be by his side.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, OK, I think you make some excellent points. Let`s hear the other side of this. Tiger`s news conference wasn`t exactly a tell-all. In fact, some of the questions, in my humble opinion, were ridiculous softballs. Here are a couple.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tiger, how is your knee? And is it still giving you pain on a daily, weekly, monthly basis?

WOODS: You know, my knee feels great.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tiger, in light of the off-course pressure that you`ve been experiencing, how important is the support that you have on the first tee when it`s just you and your caddy, Steve Williams?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOODS: My big issue, the unspoken word, S-E-X, never uttered one time in a 33-minute-long news conference. Ryan Smith, what were those reporters afraid of?

RYAN SMITH, ENTERTAINMENT ATTORNEY/HOST, "IN SESSION": You know what it was, Jane? They have to work with the greatest golfer of all time. And they don`t want to make him mad. That`s the key. This is a golf interview. And in a golf interview, they`re going to focus on golf. They`re going to try to stay away from those other questions, because if they approach those other questions, what`s he going to say? "No comment. I can`t tell you. It`s a personal matter." That`s his favorite.

But the thing is, they have to continue to work with him long after this controversy is over. And he will shut them right out if they ask him those kinds of questions.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Marvet Britto, I understand everybody talking about this is golf, but these people are journalists. I know Rafer wanted to ask a question. He actually said on HLN long before the news conference started, "Here`s what I want to ask him," and there were tough questions. But as you just heard from Rafer, they didn`t pick him, OK? They picked someone else.

So there seemed to be a sense of...

WEIGEL: Right. And I don`t know if that was...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead. Go ahead, Rafer.

WEIGEL: I don`t know if that was -- I don`t know if that`s because the guy didn`t recognize me or not, Jane. There definitely seemed to be a dynamic of familiarity. This man who just was speaking is correct. This is the golf media that has to cover him on tour the entire time.

And also you wanted to ask a question that you knew was going to get at least some kind of response. If you did ask the S-E-X question, you knew he was going to say, "No comment." That`s why the one reporter, a colleague of mine from "The L.A. Times," Bill Clasky, had the guts to ask what are you in rehab for, and when he said, "That`s personal," to me that was an opportunity to set the record straight, and Tiger didn`t take it. But that`s the way he was going to respond to any question like that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Marvet Britto, you know how these things operate. What`s the inside story about -- what`s -- what is the inside story on this news conference?

MARVET BRITTO, ENTERTAINMENT, PUBLIC RELATIONS AND BRAND STRATEGIST: Well, the inside story is that the only credentialed media who have covered the Masters in the past. Certainly, they left out mainstream media, media that they knew would come and ask tough questions. You know, these are beat writers. These are golf beat writers who, you know, like everyone has said on this program, will be covering Tiger all year long.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You had told me that there was a -- there was a network, which shall remain nameless, that wanted to send a reporter from one of its top shows, and they said no.

BRITTO: Absolutely, and they said no. They said, "No, thank you. If you haven`t covered the Masters previously, you know, we`re not going to give you a credential." So that certainly censored it and made sure that Tiger spoke in a room that was an incubator, one that he`s grown accustomed to.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We are taking your calls on this. What would you like to ask Tiger Woods? 1-877-JVM-SAYS. We`re just getting started: 1-877-586-7297.

Also, a judge rules on Casey Anthony`s request for all of Texas EquuSearch records. I will tell you about the drama that erupted in court today. You won`t believe it.

And much more on Tiger Woods` first news conference and his return to the Masters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOODS: It`s not about the championships. It`s about how you live your life. And I hadn`t done that the right way for a while, and I need to change that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOODS: I`m actually going to try and obviously not get as hot when I play, but then again when I`m not as hot, I`m not going to be as exuberant either. I made a conscious decision to try and tone down my negative outbursts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tiger giving us a little insight into his mercurial disposition. Aside from his repeated mea culpas, this was one of the few new things we learned about him. Now let`s see if he can temper his temper when he tees off at the Masters on Thursday. That`s when the real tournament starts.

Jessie, Florida, your question or thought?

CALLER: Hi, Jane. Thanks for taking my call.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thanks for calling.

CALLER: I hate to bring this down to race, but I`m a black woman, and I feel like you had the wrong audience, you had the wrong media sitting in that conference, press conference. Had that been a bunch of black women, they would have put it to Tiger, big-time. No pun intended. Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Who wants to take that one? I don`t know.

GUERRERO: Well, not just -- I`ll take it, Jane. Because it`s not just -- it`s not just black women. I think if he would have been in a Wal- Mart holding a press conference and a group of married women, and not just black women, but Hispanic women, white women, all kinds of women, I think we would have had very different questions for Tiger instead of the question he got from his buddies.

SMITH: Jane, your viewer is absolutely right. It would have been totally different, but that`s why he doesn`t do that. That`s why he talks to golf writers only at the Masters so he`ll get the softball questions that he`s expecting. And for him, it`s way better than the last press conference, so he`s actually over-performed. And people can say, "Wow, look at how open he is compared to before."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, I mean, I felt, as a woman, I little offended by the fact that we could talk about drug use or allegations of drug use -- that was brought up -- but the idea that you can`t bring up sex, that that`s somehow a taboo that somehow would embarrass him, given that we`ve all read the most lured details of this case, I felt it`s a double standard. I felt that it was really an obligation on the part of these journalists to ask that question, Rafer.

WEIGEL: Well, let me chime in on that. It`s not a double standard. I think that the reason that we weren`t asking questions about sex and his personal life was out of respect for Elin. She would be the one that would be more embarrassed by that, No. 1.

No. 2, we know he`s not going to answer it.

And No. 3, some would argue that cheating in the sport of golf with performance-enhancing drugs, which made you millions of dollars, is a bigger offense than cheating on your wife, whom you have to answer to her. We are not the judge and jury in your personal life in that regard, but out here on the course, if you`re cheating, yes, that is something that we have to address.

But I do agree these questions are not going away. By side-stepping them, they are going to be continued to be asked but not by this group. Just wanted to stick up a little bit for my peers.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, yes. Sure, sure. And we`re just debating this. I mean, it`s not like I`m really pointing the finger, but I do -- I was stunned. Frankly, I expected one question and then as the -- half an hour ran out, I was like, "No, they`re not going to ask, are they?"

In 2008, fellow golfer John Daly was taken into custody by cops after he was found drunk outside a Hooters. He is just weighing in now. This is new, just in. Listen to what he has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DALY, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: The true fans are going to come out and watch Tiger. They`re used to seeing him win. And that`s what -- that`s what he`s known for is winning golf. It`s really none of our business what he does off the course, you know. He didn`t kill anybody. He didn`t kill himself, you know. There`s no arrests or anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. But, Ryan Smith, you`re an entertainment attorney and the host of "In Session" on TruTV. Here`s my problem with it. There are legalities involved. It`s not just about sex. There are allegations in the new "Vanity Fair" that Tiger Woods paid many tens of thousands of dollars with -- for sex with call girls. That`s against the law. The very same alleged behavior caused the downfall of Governor Eliot Spitzer.

It`s not just about sex. It`s about breaking the law, allegations of. If he didn`t do it, this was his chance to set the record straight.

SMITH: Yes, but Jane, if I`m his lawyer, the first thing I`m telling him is, "Hey, you saw that in `Vanity Fair.` Don`t say a word. You don`t have to say a thing until officers or law enforcement comes to you and asks about it. Until then, do not say a thing, because that can be used against you later."

So I can understand why he wouldn`t talk about that.

Now, as for it being his own personal business, this is a huge role model, probably the No. 1 athlete in the world. He is responsible to his fans. He is responsible to his public, and he has to say something. As Rafer said, the more he dodges these questions, the more trouble he`s going to have because they`re not going away.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here`s another question. How much did team Tiger know about his cheating? Here`s what Tiger said a couple of weeks ago to the golf channel. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY TILGHMAN, INTERVIEWED TIGER FOR GOLF CHANNEL: It`s been reported that members of your team, your inner circle, were involved in your misdoings. Is it true?

WOODS: That is not true. It was all me. I`m the one who did it. I`m the one who acted the way I acted. And no one knew what was going on when it was going on. I`m sure if more people would have known in my inner circle, they would have -- they would have stopped it or tried to put a stop to it, but I kept it all to myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But waitress Mindy Lawton in the new issue of "Vanity Fair" claims the inner circle did know. She claims when she told Tiger`s agent that a tabloid had spotted an alleged sexual encounter between her and Tiger in a church parking lot, he told her, quote, "We`ll take care of it." The agent had no comment to ISSUES.

Meanwhile, alleged mistress Jamie Junger`s claim to "Vanity Fair" that she would go through Tiger`s BFF Byron Bell when it came to scheduling rendezvous with Tiger. So somebody -- my producer said somebody there is shaking their head.

WEIGEL: That`s me, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ryan, take it away.

WEIGEL: That`s me. You know why, Jane? Because this is why you hire an agent. You hire an agent to handle the problems when they come up. He doesn`t just, you know, take care of your deals. I would -- look, I don`t profess to know about his personal relationship with these agents or his reps, but it would not surprise me at all if they knew all about this. Why else would they be there?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think the point is that Tiger said they knew nothing about it just a couple of weeks ago after getting outed...

WEIGEL: And he actually -- he actually hedged on that, Jane. He hedged on it. That "New York Times" asked him that same question, actually, about a week ago, and he hedged on it a little bit from his statement. He backed off, saying they may or they may not have known. I discussed that with other reporters. "Are you guys going to ask him about this `Vanity Fair` thing, because it doesn`t sound like he`s telling the truth?"

And guys were like, "Oh, yes, yes, yes, we`re going to ask him about the `Vanity` -- and it never came up.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, I think it`s a fascinating conversation. It`s not over. Stay right there, fantastic panel.

Casey Anthony, courtroom drama. Her defense team going after Texas EquuSearch. Was Caylee`s body dumped while her mother was behind bars?

And more on Tiger`s very first media appearance -- news conference, anyway -- since his sex scandal broke. We are debating. What do you think? Give me a holler.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAUREEN DECKER, TIGER`S KINDERGARTEN TEACHER: If Tiger is truly following a 12-team program for so-called sex addiction, he needs to apologize to all those he has hurt by his words and actions, and that includes me, his kindergarten teacher.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Even Tiger`s kindergarten teacher had the chutzpa to use the "S" word. Maureen Decker claims Tiger was lying when he claims he was discriminated against on his first day of kindergarten.

And, you know, you have to wonder, Marvet Britto, is Tiger a chronic fibber, or is this woman just piling on, seeing an opportunity to take a swipe at him?

BRITTO: I mean, why are we hearing from Tiger`s kindergarten teacher in the first place?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

BRITTO: I mean, at this point, you know, it really isn`t about Tiger defending himself. What it really is about is us seeing Tiger`s behavior moving forward. Words don`t mean anything. We really have to judge Tiger and, really, if he`s remorseful and contrite by his continued behavior.

I think that`s what we should be looking at, rather than wanting to hear a play-by-play of what took place. That only hurts Elin. It doesn`t really help in the recovery process or in the process of him healing and moving past this transgression.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I would never want him to do a play-by-play. I just think...

BRITTO: But people do.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Just, I`m a sex addict. I`m a sex addict.

BRITTO: You know what?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead.

BRITTO: If he comes out and he -- and he apologizes to one alleged mistress, then he`ll be apologizing to -- they`ll all want apologies. For Tiger and in P.R., less is more. He is dealing with the issues that have been presented to him in a very broad way.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Vague, yes.

BRITTO: And we`re never going to hear Tiger accept -- we`re never going to hear Tiger come out and -- and really give a play-by-play ever of what took place. We just won`t ever hear it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I just think that there`s a desire by the public for some kind of catharsis. And I don`t think we`ve gotten it quite yet. And so it`s sort of maybe, perhaps, prolonging the agony, but I could be wrong.

Jessie, Florida, your question or thought?

Hey, Jessie?

All right. Tiger was asked about how important his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus` record was to him. He mentioned his children`s birth and his father. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOODS: I went through that period when my father was sick and my father passed away. It put things in perspective real quick. It`s not about championships. It`s about how you live your life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We`ve got Muriel, it turns out, in New Jersey. Your question or thought, ma`am?

CALLER: I don`t understand how all these women are looking for an apology. I feel that they owe an apology to his wife.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.

CALLER: Even if he lied to them, they knew he was married, and they knew what they were getting into.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Good question. Lisa Guerrero, I`ll give you the last word.

GUERRERO: I absolutely think that he owes his wife an apology. He owes his fans an apology. He owes his sponsors an apology. I don`t know that he owes these women an apology. But you`re right; they knew that he was married. And if anything, he probably -- these women owe Elin an apology. I totally agree with the caller.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, I do think that this scandal is not over. And one of the reasons I think it`s not over is because there`s approximately half a dozen books that are being written. And some of them are being written by the alleged mistresses. So I think we`re going to hear more lurid details. And fantastic panel, when we do, we`ll have you back.

Bombshell allegations in the Casey Anthony trial. Her attorney now claims there`s proof she didn`t do it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fireworks erupt in the Casey Anthony trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE BAEZ, ATTORNEY FOR CASEY ANTHONY: They`re trying to kill Miss Anthony and we`re trying to save her life here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tempers flare in the courtroom. Casey`s lawyer, Jose Baez, takes on Equusearch. Was little Caylee`s body dumped in the woods after Casey was already behind bars?

Plus, horrifying death threats; target: Erin Andrews. E-mails claiming "Somebody should shoot her in the face" and "She`ll never see me coming."

This beautiful sports reporter was already secretly videotaped naked in her hotel room. Now this? Will these disturbing threats stop Erin from "Dancing with the Stars"?

Fireworks erupt in court today as Casey Anthony`s attorneys say there is proof -- proof -- the accused child killer is innocent. The defense is fighting to get their hands on thousands of pages of documents about volunteer searchers that they say the prosecution is hiding. Could these documents prove Casey did not kill her daughter, Caylee?

Casey`s lawyers say they want to know more about one searcher who claimed that in September of 2008, he scoured the very spot where Caylee`s body was found and there was nothing there -- zero, zip, nada. Three months later, Caylee`s remains were discovered there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m down by the school. I need you like now. I just found a human skull.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Casey`s defense team says that proves the child`s body was dumped in the woods while Casey was behind bars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAEZ: After Casey Anthony was locked up, she obviously couldn`t have moved it there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But search group Texas Equusearch says they only sent 32 volunteers to the area and none of them could even get close to that crime scene because it was underwater.

Take a look at this photo released as evidence. You can see the spot where little Caylee`s remains were found. It is completely flooded. Was Caylee`s body there in the woods under water the entire time or was she dumped there while Casey was in jail?

The burning question: if Casey didn`t kill her daughter, why did she constantly lie to investigators?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can tell you just for a certainty that everything you`ve told me so far has been a lie.

CASEY ANTHONY, ACCUSED OF KILLING DAUGHTER: Not everything that I`ve told you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok. Pretty much everything that you`ve told me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Straight out to my fantastic panel: criminal defense attorney, Mark Eiglarsh; former Miami-Dade County court judge and the star of the new show "Judge Karen`s Court", Judge Karen Mills-Francis -- great to see you. You look great in red.

JUDGE KAREN MILLS-FRANCIS, FORMER MIAMI-DADE COURT JUDGE: Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Joining us by phone, the director of Texas Equusearch, Tim Miller, and correspondent for "In Session" on TruTV, we begin with Beth Karas.

Beth, what is the very latest?

BETH KARAS, TRUTV CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": Well, the judge denied the defense`s motion today to have copies of all these documents of the searchers. He said, "Look, they`re available for inspection as they have been all along in the office of the Texas Equusearch Orlando attorney Mark NeJame. If you see anything that`s relevant, flag it. They`ll either copy it if they agree with you or bring it to me to decide if it`s relevant."

But the defense says, "Look, we`ve learned about other searchers they didn`t include in their list and they didn`t give us information that we believe is out there and maybe included in the document. Maybe somebody missed it. We need to take a look. We want all of these documents."

They cannot inspect the documents and take notes. The judge is prohibiting note-taking. There are thousands of pages. They can`t even write one name down. So that`s why they want copies of the documents. They want to talk to the searchers.

Joe Jordan is the searcher who says that -- he sent an e-mail to the police, by the way, two days after her body was found -- Caylee`s body was found December 13th 2008, saying I searched that area. I believe her body was placed there after I was there. He was there September 1st.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tim Miller, you`re the director of Texas Equusearch. What do you make of this discrepancy that basically the prosecution is saying, "Hey, we`ve got 32 Texas Equusearch volunteers who searched the area and they didn`t find anything. They couldn`t get close enough because it was under water." Now you`ve got this one guy, Joe Jordan, who says, "Uh-uh, I searched the area and she wasn`t there."

TIM MILLER, DIRECTOR, TEXAS EQUUSEARCH (via telephone): You know, Jane -- thanks for having me on to start with.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.

MILLER: We have, actually, one of our members that was with Joe Jordan`s team actually took pictures while he was there and how high that water was in September. And I believe it was on that day even some of the volunteers had our Kawasaki Mule (ph) four-wheel drive totally sunk underneath the water. And did -- I mean, totally destroyed the motor.

I made the best decision that could have been made on that search is when I suspended that search back then and said if that little child is dead, which she was, if she is under water, which she was, we`re not going to take a chance on a horse a four-wheeler or even a person stepping on her because she`s going to be skeletal remains. We`re going to jeopardize --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Right. But what about this Joe guy? What`s his story?

MILLER: I`m asking myself what about this guy Joe? Joe seemed like a good guy. When we came back in November even, the conditions were not as what we wanted.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do you think he`s lying?

MILLER: You know, who knows whether Joe made a decision two days after Caylee`s body was found, he wanted five minutes on TV or what. But I think Joe has a lot of answering to do when the trial comes up. And, you know, and Joe retracted that statement. But, you know, the damage is already done.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.

There was a war of words in the courtroom today. Jose Baez accused the prosecution of hiding key evidence. The prosecution in turn said Jose Baez was, quote, "lazy and sloppy and could look at the documents at their office anytime". Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BAEZ: We have a case, judge, where the defense is getting discovery a year later, stuff that will help our investigation, where everyone clearly sees we are seeking out this information, they don`t want to give it to us. I don`t understand why everybody is so afraid of uncovering the truth in this case.

And that`s the problem here is that there`s a lack of cooperation for whatever motivations the court chooses to accept. You have a serious issue where they`re trying to kill Miss Anthony.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, wow. The drama. Judge Karen Mills-Francis, how does discovery work? Aren`t you supposed to hand everything to the other side, not just pick and choose what you want to hand?

MILLS-FRANCIS: Jane, this motion was originally filed January of last year. So it`s not -- this is not a new issue. Mr. Baez and the defense team has had at least a year to go through the documents that are now in question. It seems to me they still haven`t figured out now two years into this thing almost what their defense is.

It`s a moving target. But I used to be a criminal defense attorney myself and I have to say if I got somebody saying, listen, I checked that area, there was nobody there, and this little girl`s body was found while the mother was in jail, then this is something that they need to pursue.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But, Mark, they can`t take notes. I kind of understand their position.

MARK EIGLARSH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How do you memorize 4,000 pages of documents?

EIGLARSH: I was going to actually throw that in. While Judge Karen looks fabulous tonight, I disagree that he sat back and was lazy about this whole thing. You have 4,000 documents. You go into a room with no paper, no pad, and then like rain man you`re supposed to remember hours later it was page 732, 1,360. How are you supposed to know that?

As a practical matter, I wouldn`t sit in that room and try to look through 4,000 documents. I`d go back to court and get the judge to let me have copies of this stuff.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.

Beth Karas, tomorrow, big day; they`re going to release 250 secret jailhouse letters. Tell us what you know. We`re going to cover it here on ISSUES, by the way.

(CROSSTALK)

KARAS: Well, Jose Baez did tell us today that he`s not concerned about the release. In fact, the defense did not object to the release. They didn`t file any motion trying to prevent it. So they`re not that concerned about the content.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What are these letters?

KARAS: Well, they`re letters that Casey Anthony wrote to another inmate who was also in administrative segregation. That inmate has now been transferred to another jail, another facility. She`s a federal prisoner.

And the guard, who was the conduit apparently passing the notes, has been suspended and she`s under investigation because Casey Anthony wasn`t supposed to have any contact with anyone except authorized individuals like her attorney; just 23 hours a day in her cell.

We don`t know the content of the letters, the details yet. We`ll learn soon enough. But Jose Baez said some of them were just sort of talking about things they like or don`t like. There`s no confession in the letters.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.

EIGLARSH: They`ll never be introduced. It`s not going to be relevant in this case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But it might be interesting reading.

EIGLARSH: Oh, sure.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we`re going to tell you all about them tomorrow here on ISSUES. So we`ll probably have this fantastic panel back, if you`ll come back. Thank you so much.

Erin Andrews targeted again. This time the beautiful sports reporter getting death threats. Why do nut jobs keep going after this poor woman?

We`re taking your calls on this: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) ERIN ANDREWS, ESPN SPORTSCASTER: My name is Erin, my last name is Andrews. I`m all over the news right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m not familiar. I don`t follow the news.

ANDREWS: I`m the girl that was videotaped without her knowing, without her clothes on in the hotel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really?

ANDREWS: And I have two (EXPLETIVE DELETED) sitting outside my house.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: (AUDIO GAP) ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, first, she had to face a stalker who videotaped her naked in her hotel room. And now it`s death threats; some other nut job has been sending poisonous e-mails about her to a sports radio show hosted by former ESPN anchor Dan Patrick.

First, they were sexual. Then they turned very threatening. Here`s just a sample.

"Dear Dan, I hope Erin Andrews gets murdered in L.A. Somebody should shoot her in the face. I would love to get close enough to her to show her my suicide vest. I`m one in a million. She`ll never see me coming."

These horrific e-mails were turned over to the Feds. Erin says she will not let these sickos dictate her life. Good for her. She is committed to competing on ABC`s "Dancing with the Stars" even though she and the show had to step up security.

So what is going on here? Can`t a beautiful woman have success on TV and not attract lunatics?

Straight to my amazing panel: L.A. prosecutor Rhonda Saunders, stalking expert and author of the terrific book "Whisper of Fear". Lisa Guerrero, sports reporter and special correspondent for "Inside Edition".

Lisa, we want to hear about your horrifying experience with stalking.

But I want to start with Mike Walters, assignment manager for TMZ. Mike, the very latest, where are these e-mails coming from?

MIKE WALTERS, ASSIGNMENT MANAGER, TMZ: Well, the e-mails Jane are coming from Newport News, Virginia. And I`m told that the FBI in Virginia are actively investigating the case. Now, they have made no arrests. Although we are told they do know who is sending these e-mails.

This guy didn`t even hide who he was when he sent it. A lot of those crazy people a lot of times use e-mails that they don`t know where they`re from and all of that. This guy sent it straight from his own e- mail.

But unbelievable e-mails Jane. I mean, this stuff got so -- it started sexual and it got so violent and sick that the guy says, "Let`s see if Erin can dance her way out of a hail of bullets." I mean, that`s how intense this got. And right after all of the stuff with Erin Andrews and this peephole camera guy, I mean, how much more can this girl take?

And we`re told right now she`s filming with "Dancing with the Stars" and they are taking extra, extra security and carefulness with Erin as she goes up on set tonight.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, quick question Mike, if they know who this guy is, why don`t they arrest him already?

WALTERS: You know, that`s a great point. I mean, I was told earlier today they knew who he was, they knew his identity; that the FBI was all over the case in Virginia. I have no idea, Jane. But me and you`ve talked about this several times with celebrity cases. Go arrest him right now.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

WALTERS: Right now so that he`s not a danger to anybody else or her while she films "Dancing with the Stars."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, let`s talk about another sicko. Michael Barrett was sentenced to 30 months in prison for stalking Erin. This is a different wing nut. He videotaped her naked through an altered peephole in her hotel room. There he is. Barrett posted the videos on the Web and even tried to sell them to Mike Walters` employer, TMZ.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREWS: I am constantly looking around, thinking that he is there. Even in my house, I worry. And it`s something I have to deal with in my job as well. It`s -- I`ve been humiliated. I`ve been embarrassed. And my career -- I feel, has been hurt as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Rhonda Saunders is it just coincidence that she`s getting the focus of all of this weirdo attention or does one case feed on the next?

RHONDA SAUNDERS, L.A. PROSECUTOR AND AUTHOR, "WHISPER OF FEAR": I think one case feeds on the next and there`s copycat stalkers. But the fact is that she`s out there on television now every week. And we know that there are fans and there are fanatics. And the fanatics are the people who think that they have a relationship with her.

So now with all of the publicity surrounding her and the rumors of is she dating one of the people on "Dancing with the Stars", this person out there is thinking to himself, well, we`re supposed to have this relationship. How dare she do this? And it turns into anger and rage.

And that`s when you get those types of e-mails where they`re actually threatening to kill the celebrity.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Olympian and "Dancing with the Stars" champ Shaun Johnson also had to deal with a cuckoo for cocoa pop stalker. Last year, Robert O`Ryan showed up outside the "Dancing" set. He jumped the fence and thank God he was caught by security but he had -- get this, two loaded guns, duct tape, zip ties, and tons of love letters written to -- there she is, the very pretty Shaun Johnson. Love letters and loaded guns.

I mean, Judge Karen Mills-Francis, do you think the criminal justice system -- and I`ll switch this to Lisa Guerrero. Do you think the criminal justice system treats stalkers too lightly, thereby encouraging other?

LISA GUERRERO, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": I don`t know about that, I think we`re learning more and more about this kind of behavior as the years go on. You know, I had a stalking incident in 2002 when I worked for Fox Sports Net where somebody flew from Florida to Los Angeles, broke on to the set in order to try to find me and follow me home. And they took it pretty seriously in 2002.

Apparently this guy had been sending me letters as well. I didn`t know about a lot of the letters, but they found out about it and they arrested him. So I think we`re learning more and more.

One of the things the cops told me in 2002 I think is very important and telling. They said the reason that so many of these nuts get fixated on people that are broadcasters rather than actresses is that we as broadcasters break the fourth wall. And we`re looking right at you into the camera, into, you know, where you`re sitting at home. And a lot of delusional people think that we`re talking only to them.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, that`s scary. Don`t tell me that.

GUERRERO: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mike Walters --

GUERRERO: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, it is scary. You kind of -- you know, threw me there for a second. Because I have to think of that now every time I talk. I hope I`m not talking to somebody crazy. But I know -- I know our viewers are very sane people.

I have to ask you, apparently these e-mails, Mike Walters, started coming in, in September, but Erin was first notified just last Thursday morning. That doesn`t seem right.

WALTERS: Yes. I mean, this has been going on since last September. And apparently they were coming in to Dan Patrick`s show and this specific show decided last week to tell somebody. And of course, the FBI swooped right in, took the e-mails, contacted Virginia, I mean, they worked very quickly.

But it was interesting. This was going on while Erin Andrews was dealing with the other guy, Michael David Barrett. So you would think that any e-mail that came in, in September, you would immediately tell the authorities because her name was already in lights because of this other thing.

So it didn`t seem right to us, but apparently there was a lot of e-mails sent in the last three weeks. That`s when they started paying close attention. That`s when they sent it to the FBI.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Rhonda, quickly, so they -- never want even to approach blaming the victim and I am not, but is there any type of person who`s maybe particularly charismatic that attracts like -- acts as a weirdo magnet?

SAUNDERS: Absolutely not. It can be anyone who`s on the TV, anyone who`s in the movie.

I mean, I prosecuted a stalker who wanted to harm Steven Spielberg. And Steven Spielberg even said at trial that he never thought of himself as a sex symbol.

It`s the problem of the stalker. It is not the stalking victim who brings it on. And that`s a message you have to tell your viewers. It`s not their fault.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s why I asked you. We`ve got to set the record straight on that one.

All right. We`re going to have more on Erin Andrews. Why is she a target for creeps?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREWS: This only gets worse. He didn`t do this to one person. He did this to many people. So what happens after the videotaping? What happened if I had walked out of my hotel room and I`d seen him there? Was he going to do something?

So yes, I think he`s a sexual predator. I think he should be classified as one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was ESPN`s Erin Andrews shortly after her stalker was sentenced to just 30 months in prison. Now she`s facing death threats from a different cuckoo person.

Lisa Guerrero, you say you`ve been stalked. How does that affect your performance? I mean, this girl`s got to go on "Dancing with the Stars" and that pressure is unbelievable. That would make me faint just to go on "Dancing with the Stars" and have to dance in front of all those people.

On top of this she`s got the added pressure of this nut job who is threatening her.

LISA GUERRERO, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": Well, I`m sure this is in the back of her mind as she performs. You know, I think that she, like a lot of athletes and a lot of people that work in television, they`re used to doing live TV like she does.

She`s probably able to compartmentalize a little bit and to be able to focus on the job at hand. She`s probably very worried before and after and maybe to and from the studio. But I think while she`s performing she`s going to be just fine and focused on the task at hand.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you know, let`s be honest here. You see her dancing. She`s very sexy. She`s very attractive. She`s wearing a skimpy outfit.

But sexiness should never be a green light for stalkers. Some women are just sexy. That`s the way they are. Here is Erin right after Michael Barrett was sentenced.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREWS: I don`t know if there`s any words of warning because I never knew that this was happening to me for the many years that he was doing this. But I think the one thing I would tell them, because it was written to me, is I didn`t -- you didn`t do anything wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Of course, she`s pretty emotional.

Lisa, were you emotionally affected by your stalking experience? Did you feel, for example, the need to dress more -- in a more conservative fashion after you were stalked?

GUERRERO: Oh, heck, no. I did not let that affect my behavior at all. My emotions ran more toward me being angry, like I wish I would have caught that guy because I would have had something to say to him. And I wish I would have had a baseball bat in my hand at that same time.

So my emotions, it wasn`t about me being scared. I got very angry. And frankly, I never decided to dress or to change my behavior based on what anybody else thought other than what I think.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Rhonda, what is the best way to deal with a stalker? So many women, probably our viewers watching tonight, have faced this problem. What`s the strategy?

SAUNDERS: Ok. 3.4 million people a year get stalked in the United States; that came out of the Department of Justice.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unbelievable.

SAUNDERS: There are people out there. If you`re being stalked, don`t believe it`s your fault. And document everything. You need to write down if you`re getting phone calls. If you go outside, you see your stalker is standing there, write down the date, the time. Look around and see if there`s a neighbor who`s walking by or the mailman is there. Write down their names. This way we have evidence to go forward and take these jerks off the street.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but should you engage with them? Because I`ve been told --

SAUNDERS: No.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- the best way to deal with a stalker is to completely 100 percent ignore them.

SAUNDERS: You have to ignore them. Because if you give in, if you talk to them or agree to meet them for coffee down the block when they promise, "meet me one time and I`ll never talk to you again," you`re giving in to them and they win.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. I agree.

SAUNDERS: So you should have nothing to do with them at all.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Act like they don`t exist except write it all down. Do not --

SAUNDERS: Absolutely.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- say like leave me alone. That`s the worst thing you can do because it excites them.

Thank you, fabulous panel. You`re watching ISSUES.

END