Return to Transcripts main page
Jane Velez-Mitchell
Football Legend Accused of Rape
Aired May 06, 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, fast-breaking news in the war on women. An NFL football legend is accused of raping a 16- year-old runaway girl. Football great Lawrence Taylor has been arrested in New York. This isn`t the Hall of Famer`s first run-in with the law. What happened inside Taylor`s hotel room?
Plus, young, athletic, and entitled. Tonight, we`ll go inside Yeardley Love`s tragic murder. Her boyfriend is accused of beating her to death at the University of Virginia. George Huguely comes from a wealthy family. Friends say he was an angry drunk who always got his way. Was Yeardley Love the first person to ever tell him no?
Plus, Rachel Uchitel fights back. Tiger`s famous alleged mistress is now smack dab in the middle of another Hollywood sex scandal, this time with a TV star. Tonight an ISSUES special guest. I`ll talk one on one with Rachel`s famous attorney, the one and only Gloria Allred, to get the whole scoop.
ISSUES starts now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news tonight as a sports icon is accused of a sick crime against a child. Just moments ago NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was freed on $75,000 bail, walked out of jail. He is charged with raping a 16-year-old girl inside a New York hotel room.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER ST. LAWRENCE, RAMAPO POLICE COMMISSIONER: This morning we arrested Lawrence Taylor. He will shortly be arraigned on a felony, E felony, rape in the third degree.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Police also arrested a man they say is the girl`s pimp, Rashied Davis. The teen had been staying with Davis since she ran away from home back in March. Davis allegedly brought the girl to Taylor`s hotel room. Cops say Taylor had sex with her and paid her $300. L.T. was arraigned earlier today on two felony counts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ST. LAWRENCE: The officers responded. They interviewed and investigated the individual that answered the door, identified himself as Mr. Lawrence Taylor. Subsequent investigation, Lawrence Taylor was charged with rape in the third degree. It`s an E felony. Rape in the third degree states 21 years or more engages in sexual intercourse with another person under the age of 17.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, here on ISSUES, we ask why only a charge of third degree statutory rape? Police say the alleged pimp beat the girl before she got to Taylor`s hotel room. She had a bruise on her face. Doesn`t that automatically make her an unwilling participant? Is Taylor getting special treatment?
Here is his attorney in court today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARTHUR AIDALA, TAYLOR`S ATTORNEY: My client did not have sex with anybody, no. Period. Amen. Is that enough? I did not say it was consensual. I said that the district attorney`s office is charging him with a consensual act. He didn`t have a -- he did not have consensual sex with anyone. Lawrence Taylor did not have consensual sex with anybody last night. Lawrence Taylor did not rape anybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: L.T. became famous for his play on the field but became infamous for his messy life off the field. We will detail his slew of arrests and his well-documented cocaine addiction. Can we believe this guy when he insists he is stone-cold sober?
What do you think? Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to my outstanding expert panel: defense attorney Bradford Cohen, who knows Lawrence Taylor personally; Charles Mittelstadt, criminal defense investigator, whose previous clients include Ben Roethlisberger; Ryan Smith, sports attorney and host of "In Session" on TruTV; Mike Walters, assignment manager for TMZ.
But we begin with "In Session" correspondent Beth Karas.
Beth, spell out the dramatic story of what cops say happened.
BETH KARAS, "IN SESSION": Well, dramatic indeed, Jane. These are pretty amazing events that have unfolded in the past 24 hours. These are the allegations, of course all denied by the defense.
But it is alleged that at 1 a.m. this morning a man named Rashied Davis brought a 16-year-old girl to a hotel room in Rockland County, New York where she had sexual intercourse with Lawrence Taylor, and he paid her $300 for it. She arrived with a bruise on her face that police are saying was there before she met with Taylor.
She then left with this man, Rashied Davis, and entered the Bronx. Somehow, en route, she was able to communicate with an uncle. You see, she was a runaway. They were looking for her since March. She was 15 then. She`s had a birthday since. She texted her uncle, reportedly. Her -- she must have said the location, because her uncle called the NYPD, and the NYPD was waiting for them at whatever the location was, picked him up, and took him, Rashied Davis, into custody, spoke to her.
She told them about the events in this hotel room in a town called Ramapo, New York. She even gave them the room number of the hotel. So they realized they had a possible rape on their hands.
They then called the Ramapo police. This is the NYPD. The Ramapo police knock on Lawrence Taylor`s door at 5 of 4 this morning, wake him up. He says, "I want to go to the bathroom."
They say, "You`re not going to the bathroom," pull him out. They search the room, and they arrest him.
Now, they say he`s been extremely cooperative. His attorney, of course, is saying that this did not happen. However, she, this young girl, who remains unidentified and will remain unidentified, says that he paid her $300 for sex. He`s charged with basically a statutory rape.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow, what a story. Mike Walters, assignment manager of TMZ. I understand you have new information and it involves a condom?
MIKE WALTERS, ASSIGNMENT MANAGER, TMZ: Yes. Basically, Jane, our law enforcement sources tell us, and you heard the defense attorney say that he had no consensual sex with anyone. Well, guess what? They have physical evidence. Now, I don`t know what the evidence shows. But they took a condom out of that room when they entered his room. He was asleep. They went in, and they searched the room. They did find a used condom and took it as evidence. You know and I know they`re going to be searching that for DNA for the victim and, obviously, Lawrence Taylor. So we`ll see whether or not this actually was what it was.
But you know what? When they get something like that, and if it is what it is, it`s a smoking gun, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ryan Smith, though, if they can`t connect the DNA in the condom to the girl, that could be a problem for prosecutors.
RYAN SMITH, SPORTS ATTORNEY/HOST, "IN SESSION": It really could be. I mean, in this case, it all comes down to this. If she`s under 17, and if they had sex and they can prove that they had sex, done deal, guilty, guilty, guilty.
But here, they have to prove that sexual contact. He`s saying right now he didn`t have any sex with her. There are reports that his wife is saying the same thing. You saw his lawyer out there, making some very bold statements.
But that`s going to be key. You know that right after this happened they probably did a rape kit on her to make sure that she`s OK and see what`s -- see what evidence might be on her. But that`s the key. They have to have that evidence in order to -- in order to prove a case.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here is my big issue. This is swinging in the other direction. Why only a charge of third-degree, i.e. statutory rape? You`re telling me that a 16-year-old runaway was beaten up by her alleged pimp and then went willingly to Taylor`s hotel room for sex? I don`t buy that.
Cops charged the alleged pimp with assault. So, if the pimp beat her in the face before she arrived, wouldn`t she be naturally terrified that, if she didn`t go through with the sex, he`d beat her up some more?
The alleged pimp eventually left the hotel room with her. So he`s lurking around somewhere. It`s not like she`s free to leave. The alleged pimp is charged with unlawful imprisonment.
And also, by the way, initial published reports quoted NYPD spokesman Paul Brown as saying the alleged pimp, quote, "struck the young girl with his fists, kicked her, and brought her to the Holiday Inn against her will," end quote, after she initially refused. That`s from the Associated Press.
So Charles Mittelstadt, why not a charge of forcible rape?
CHARLES MITTELSTADT, CRIMINAL DEFENSE INVESTIGATOR: You know, Jane, at this point obviously I can`t answer that. But there`s clearly much more to this story.
We don`t know what the history is between this alleged pimp and the accuser. We don`t know how long that relationship goes back. At one point she became connected with him. And whether she had been forced or had performed sex willingly in the past through this pimp.
So there`s obviously so much more to know, and it`s very difficult to predict or anticipate why we`re dealing with the charges that we`re dealing with.
BRADFORD COHEN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Jane, I can answer...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead.
COHEN: I can answer that. There`s no evidence that Lawrence Taylor - - if we`re assuming that he did have sex with her, there`s no evidence that he forced her to have sex with her. Because the pimp may have forced her to go to that room and may have forced her to do something before she got to that room.
And again, we`re assuming he even had sexual intercourse with her. That doesn`t say that Lawrence Taylor forced her to have sex with her. He might have not known what went on before that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait a second. Wouldn`t he be an accessory to forcing her to have sex...
COHEN: If he knew.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... if the girl is ...
COHEN: If he knew.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: She`s got a bruise on her face.
COHEN: That has nothing to do with his knowledge.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: A bruise on somebody`s face. You`ve got a bruise on your face. That means, oh, if it`s a fresh bruise, oh, I`m there willingly? I don`t know.
COHEN: Well, he has -- he has no idea. You have to go into his mind. And that`s going to be very difficult to do.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Maybe they charged him with statutory rape because it`s a lot easier to prove than all of this stuff we`re talking about.
COHEN: I would say that`s probably another good guess.
MITTELSTADT: That`s accurate.
KARAS: This is the initial charge. This case is going to go before a grand jury. Grand jury notice was served today. And they could, if the evidence shows it, charge something higher. This is not the final accusatory instrument.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Everybody, stay right where you are. We`re just getting started.
Lawrence Taylor went from NFL superstar to drug abuser to now accused rapist. Where did it all go wrong? We`re taking your calls on this, your theories: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Plus, from one entitled athlete to another. George Huguely accused of murdering his young girlfriend. Tonight we`re going to go inside the mind of this young college athlete. Did he have a rage problem?
But first, an NFL legend accused of raping a 16-year-old girl. What happened inside that hotel room?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AIDALA: He is charged with rape. Lawrence Taylor did not rape anybody. Am I clear?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE TAYLOR, PRO FOOTBALL PLAYER, ACCUSED OF RAPE: Sympathy is not what you look for, you know, what I look for. You know, I don`t run from anything, you know. I played the game as hard as I could. I lived as hard as I could. The only thing I feel sorry for is what I put my family through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, you`re doing it again, dude.
That was NFL superstar Lawrence Taylor in 2003. He was charged today with raping a 16-year-old girl. Police say the girl`s pimp brought her to Taylor`s hotel room. Taylor had sex with her, allegedly, and then paid her 300 bucks. This is a child, a runaway.
Taylor`s kids were teenagers when he made this emotional statement on "60 Minutes."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR: My kids, you know -- I thank God for them. I`ve come a long way. And you know what? This is so easy for my friends and my kids to just let me go by the wayside. But they was there, stood beside me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hmm.
Let`s take a look at Taylor`s extensive criminal history. 1988 Taylor tests positive for cocaine. The NFL suspends him for 30 days. 1989 Taylor arrested for DUI. 1991 Taylor arrested after an incident with a cab driver. Ninety-five, Taylor enters rehab twice for addiction. Ninety-six, Taylor arrested in South Carolina for allegedly trying to buy crack cocaine from undercover agents.
Ninety-eight, Taylor arrested in Florida for allegedly buying crack from undercover officers. Later that year, Taylor`s arrested for failure to pay child support. 2000 Taylor sentenced to three months house arrest for filing false tax returns.
And then just this past November he was arrested for allegedly leaving the scene of a traffic accident. But his attorney insists he is clean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AIDALA: ... in the court`s mind about drugs or his use of drugs, the court should be made aware, and Mr. Taylor could be put under oath right now, that he hasn`t touched a drug in over 12 years. He has been stone- cold sober from that past life for 12 years. That`s behind him. That`s the old Lawrence Taylor. The new Lawrence Taylor is a caring and loving family man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Really? Well, my experience as a recovering alcoholic is that people in true recovery don`t get into these kind of jams. He`s just alleged. But still.
So my question is, when they arrested him, did they test him for drugs? Does anybody on our panel have the answer to that one?
KARAS: At the press conference today, Jane, the police said that there was no evidence -- initially they said of drugs or alcohol use. And then corrected that statement to say there was a bottle of alcohol in the room. Did not say that he appeared to be under the influence. But there was a bottle. We do not know the details about that bottle. We don`t know the size. We don`t know if it was brand new.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me just tell you, Beth Karas, as a recovering alcoholic myself, if I`m in a hotel room, I`m not going to have a bottle of alcohol unless it`s in the little thing that they -- you have to have a special key. And I leave it there. I`m not going to have a bottle of alcohol out, because that`s what -- alcoholics and drug addicts aren`t supposed to do that.
Melody, Ohio, your question or thought.
CALLER: Hi, Jane. How are you? Always a pleasure speaking with you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you. You too.
CALLER: How many felonies does this gentleman have? And did they do a rape protocol on this child? Thanks, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Excellent question. Rape protocol. Ryan Smith.
SMITH: I would think that they would have done a rape protocol as soon as she reported it and as soon as they got all these arrests together. It`s one of the first things they do. So that should tell us a whole lot.
Now, in terms of his felony record, that`s something I`m a little unsure about. He has a lot of arrests, a few convictions. And if he does have a felony, if he was ultimately decided to be guilty in this case, if he was judged by a jury of his peers and they found him guilty, that could affect his sentence. So that remains to be seen.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to get back to the information we`re getting that he had a bottle in his hotel room. First of all, Bradford Cohen, I believe he has a house in Florida.
COHEN: He does.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I heard at one time at least...
COHEN: Pembroke Pines.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... he had a house in New Jersey. OK. What is he doing in a hotel room in a suburb outside New York City? Do you know why he`s there with a bottle of alcohol?
COHEN: No. No idea. And again, we don`t know whose bottle it was, what kind of bottle it was, what kind of alcohol it was. Really we have to...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do you know if his wife was there with him?
COHEN: I don`t believe that she was. My belief is that -- I`ve met Lawrence Taylor before. We`ve had dinner before. I`ve met him at functions before, and he is just as his attorney described, a family man. I`ve never known him to be out of line, always a gentleman. From the Lawrence Taylor that I`ve met, I`ve never met an individual -- a nicer guy than Lawrence Taylor.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fantastic panel, stay right where you are.
From Hall of Famer to crack addict to accused rapist. Much more on Lawrence Taylor.
Plus, Rachel Uchitel, one busy woman. She`s smack in the middle of another Hollywood sex scandal. Coming up, a very special guest. I will sit down with Rachel`s famed attorney, the one and only Gloria Allred.
Mother`s Day just three days away. The countdown`s on. Time to pay tribute to moms everywhere for all the wonderful things they do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA RINNA, ACTRESS: Happy Mother`s Day, Mom. You are the wind beneath my wings. And I would not be standing right here. I mean, I would not be anything without you. So I love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF PETER BROWER, RAMAPO, NEW YORK, POLICE: Mr. Taylor was very cooperative, and he is very concerned about any allegations of injury to the victim, and we have no evidence to indicate that he caused any injury to the victim.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news tonight. NFL legend Lawrence Taylor charged with raping a 16-year-old. Police say she`s a runaway who became a prostitute. They arrested her alleged pimp, as well.
Lisa, Connecticut, your question or thought, ma`am -- Lisa.
CALLER: Yes. Hello.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hi.
CALLER: Hi. I was wondering why there`s no child trafficking charge.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fascinating question. Ryan Smith.
SMITH: That`s interesting. I mean, it could be a part of it. As Beth mentioned, you go in front of the grand jury, maybe the charges will be upped.
But I think what they`re trying to do is they`re trying to prosecute what they can prove, what they can actually get him on in court, if he in fact, did do something, if he in fact, had sex with her. That`s why you have the third-degree charge at least now, and something against the pimp.
But child trafficking, a lot harder to prove. That relates more to the pimp in this instance. And very hard to tie to Lawrence Taylor.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but he paid $300, allegedly.
SMITH: That doesn`t mean he`s a trafficker, though.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. I attended a conference on sex trafficking earlier this year. It was a shocker. Experts told me runaways will be approached within 45 minutes by a pimp. Forty-five minutes after they end up on the street or a bus station. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEXIE WOODWARD, NOT FOR SALE: They run away. They don`t know where to turn or who to go to, and the pimp is right there waiting for them.
Typically, a pimp will recruit all day every day and until they find somebody that`s vulnerable enough. And that the break and fake can take a couple days to a year. Once they`re broken in, the pimp owns them, and they can do whatever they want. Typically, the girls will service anywhere between 5 and 20 men nightly, and that money all gets turned over to their pimp.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Charles Mittelstadt, do you think this case is being handled differently because the victim is an alleged prostitute, even though she might have been forced into that because she`s a runaway?
MITTELSTADT: Well, I do think that the fact that we`re dealing with a runaway does make this case very different. If this was a date rape case or a stranger on stranger that didn`t involve a runaway, I think it would be very different. The fact that this young lady has been on the street for some time...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Just since March.
MITTELSTADT: Well, that`s some...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s only May.
MITTELSTADT: It`s quite a bit of time to be trying to survive in the streets on your own. I would imagine you have to compromise your integrity on multiple levels. You have to tell a lot of stories. I mean, survival on the streets is a very, very difficult thing.
So clearly, that puts this case in a very, very different light. And it also calls into question her credibility.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, boy, I disagree respectfully 100 percent.
Beth Karas, the sex trafficking conference made it clear: as soon as they arrive at the bus station, they`re hungry; they have nowhere to stay. A pimp comes up and says, "I`ll buy you dinner. I`ll give you a place to crash," and the next thing you know they are sex slaves.
KARAS: You know, he is charged with some prostitution-related charges and unlawful imprisonment. I always think of trafficking as crossing state lines, from one country to another. I never charged it as a state prosecutor within the state of New York. But perhaps it`s still possible. But there are other probably equal-level charges that are being leveled against him now anyway.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ryan Smith, quickly, we only have a couple seconds. What can we learn from this pathetic story?
SMITH: You know what? No matter how you look at this, Jane, there is no way that Lawrence Taylor should have put himself in this situation. You`re talking about a 16-year-old girl.
So I don`t know what the case is here. We don`t have all the evidence on the table yet. But you know what? Just the fact that he puts himself in this situation, to be involved with this young girl, this troubled young girl, is just abhorrent.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree with you.
Thank you, fantastic panel.
What happened the night Yeardley Love was murdered? Is this the case of a jilted lover with a bad temper?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Young, athletic, and entitled: tonight, we`ll go inside Yeardley Love`s tragic murder. Her boyfriend is accused of beating her to death at the University of Virginia. George Huguely comes from a wealthy family. Friends say he was an angry drunk who always got his way. Was Yeardley Love the first person to ever tell him no?
Plus, Rachel Uchitel fights back. Tiger`s famous alleged mistress is now smack dab in the middle of another Hollywood sex scandal, this time with a TV star. Tonight, an ISSUES special guest: I`ll talk one on one with Rachel`s famous attorney, the one and only Gloria Allred, to get the whole scoop.
Mind-blowing new insight into the young man accused of murdering University of Virginia lacrosse player Yeardley Love. It seems UVA senior George Huguely was full of rage.
We are now learning more about a very public, violent fight he had with his girlfriend, Yeardley Love, two months before her murder. Plus, tonight we`re hearing about his two other run-ins with the law in Florida.
Love was found dead in her apartment Monday morning. Autopsy results are not back yet. But court documents show George Huguely admitted to shaking her and hitting her head against the wall. His peers reportedly knew about his violent tendencies but university officials, clueless.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have not heard it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no knowledge of any of that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are a number of gaps.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And for the first time we hear George Huguely`s voice from ABC`s "Nightline", when he was interviewed in 2004 of the "Athlete of the Week".
Listen to the suspect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE HUGUELY, YEARDLEY LOVE`S BOYFRIEND: It`s more important that we won as a team today. We tried really hard to win.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did this star college athlete feel he was entitled to treat people however he saw fit? It is time to reel in some of these athletes. It is time for people in authority to treat these jocks like everybody else.
Agree? Disagree? Call me. 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to my fantastic panel: clinical psychiatrist Dr. Dale Archer; and we`re delighted to have famed defense attorney Linda Kenney-Baden with us. Linda --
LINDA KENNEY-BADEN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hi Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- is one of the lawyers -- how are you doing -- in the Casey Anthony murder trial in Orlando. We are very delighted to have you with us tonight.
And as always, HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks with us. Plus, Mark Moses, with News Talk Radio WCHV joins us by phone.
But first, "Washington Examiner" reporter Hayley Peterson; Hayley, you broke the story of some incidents down in Florida. Tell us all about them.
HAYLEY PETERSON, REPORTER, "WASHINGTON EXAMINER": It was back in December 2008. George Huguely was out on his family yacht. It`s a 40-foot yacht. It`s called "The Real Deal". he was out there with his father and his cousin.
And they got into a heated argument because the younger Huguely, George Huguely, wanted to go back to the beach but his father did not want him to do that and he wanted to take him home. He offered to take him home. Huguely refused and jumped off the boat and wanted to swim the remaining quarter mile back to the beach.
At which point the -- George Huguely Sr., his father, called for help. And that`s when the police came out and responded. Another vessel picked up his son in the water. And the police report said that there were no -- there was no evidence of any physical blows. It was all just a lot of screaming and yelling according to the police reports.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: When you jump off, however, a boat, that says a lot, jumping off a yacht into the middle of the water. Was there another incident at all?
PETERSON: There was another incident in Palm Beach a year earlier. But it did not involve any violence or any fights. It was simply a minor in possession of alcohol.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, what was it? I mean what incident -- what happened?
PETERSON: There were really no details in the police report. It was simply that he was in possession of alcohol and he was under age. He was 20 years old at the time.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but that`s an important detail, possession of alcohol. Alcohol is a theme in all of this.
Now, this suspect is actually George Huguely V.
PETERSON: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Published reports say that he comes from a wealthy family, grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. His dad, George Huguely IV reportedly has real estate interests, property in North Carolina, and they have a winter home, a $2.5 million winter home in the Palm Beach area.
PETERSON: That`s right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So all of this was happening while they were wintering in Florida?
PETERSON: Yes. It was on the 29th of December. So they were down there for vacation.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: George Huguely is on 23-hour lockdown. Long-time neighbors Peter and Kathy Preston told ABC`s "Nightline" this is not the George Huguely they know.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHY PRESTON, HUGUELY`S NEIGHBOR: It`s just tragic. It`s tragic for the girl, and it`s tragic for the -- for George. And it`s just awful.
PETER PRESTON, HUGUELY`S NEIGHBOR: That wasn`t George that night. That was somebody that had taken over. That is not him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Two months before Yeardley Love`s death, George Huguely`s anger was very apparent. It took three powerful lacrosse players to pull Huguely of Yeardley Love, who is a petite young lady, when he allegedly attacked her at a party.
Mark Moses, anchor for News Talk Radio WCHV, what do you know about this other incident with the victim two months before he`s accused of murdering her?
MARK MOSES, ANCHOR, NEWS TALK RADIO WCHV (via telephone): Well, it just seems very interesting here that after yesterday, we had a press conference with UVA official John Casteen (ph) where he was shocked and stunned that there was no idea that he had an arrest two months ago, you know, in 2008 and 2007. And they`re just shocked.
And he wants to meet with Governor Bob McDonald and go over what we should do from here because they don`t want this to happen again. I think everyone`s just shocked here in Charlottesville that stuff like this was going on and no one knew about it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. It is shocking. And I want to really try to figure out if there`s a bigger problem here in terms of these sports teams and alcohol.
In light of Yeardley Love`s death, UVA`s president says the school will now screen students against public records, in other words, arrest records before each semester, adding that he didn`t know about any of Huguely`s prior incidents of violence.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN T. CASTEEN III, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: The loss of a student in this way is both an agonizing thing for the family and a challenge for every system in a university. There is no protocol to deal with this kind of death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Linda Kenney-Baden, here is a shocking statistic. Eight out of the 41 players on the men`s lacrosse team have been arrested for alcohol-related offenses. Six were convicted or pleaded guilty.
KENNEY-BADEN: That`s right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I mean, we`re talking about DUIs, Linda, fake IDs, underage consumption. What`s going on here?
KENNEY-BADEN: Well, you know, I don`t think that`s limited to sports teams. If you look at the statistics that are kept by universities now under the federal law, I mean, there`s alcohol and drug problems rampant in our society. It`s not just sports teams.
But what has to happen is you have to have a system when you have a violent student, a violent child, someone exhibiting violence, to catch them and either put them into a support system or to boot them out. You can`t pretend like it doesn`t exist when you have somebody who`s so violent as this kid was.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Linda, he`s the son of privilege. He`s had all these run-ins and he managed to skate each and every time.
KENNEY-BADEN: No doubt.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we`re going to get to the biggest run-in with the cop in a minute, and that`s part of the problem. These guys --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- act like they own the world and everybody defers to them.
KENNEY-BADEN: Yes. But I don`t think that`s athletic. I think that`s privilege here. And you know what`s interesting to see is I see -- I read in the paper all the time about sports figures and poor sports figures and poor kids who may be violent. It`s not limited to that. It`s limited to students no matter where they are.
And this kid may be violent because of his privilege. No one addressed the problem. They were embarrassed. They want to hide it.
But the victim and the victim`s family obviously have been devastated here. She`s dead. And this family is never going to recover.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The biggest sign of trouble came in 2008, when Huguely stumbled drunk into the street and came face to face with a Lexington police officer.
Listen to her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OFFICER R.L. MOSS, ARRESTED HUGUELY IN 2008: He became more aggressive, more physical toward me, started calling me several other terms that I`m not going to state now. Surprised that he was involved in another type of incident involving physical violence? No. An incident to this extent? Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Officer Moss saw the dark side of George Huguely. She said Huguely shouted racial and sexual profanities to her, threatened to kill her, and she finally had to subdue him with a taser. Officer Moss said Huguely told her, "I will kill all of you b-words."
Mike Brooks, there`s a point where youthful shenanigans cross the line into real criminality. And we have to be able to discern that line
MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Oh, absolutely, Jane. In fact, in this particular case in Lexington where Washington University is, you know, she tried to cut him some slack and let somebody take him home. But no, he wanted to push the issue.
And yes, one of the things universities, not only UVA but you know -- Linda`s right, it`s across all schools that there`s issues like this. It`s not only University of Virginia.
You know, and are they equipped to handle incidents like this? Should they have some kind of program, you know, where someone can go?
Just like we heard at Times Square; you see something, say something. There needs to be some kind of support.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree.
Dr. Dale Archer, you`ve heard his story. What do you make of this young man?
DR. DALE ARCHER, CLINICAL PSYCHIATRIST: Well, I think the thing that jumps out at me is that I`m all in favor of giving a 22-year-old kid a second chance after the fact that he was drunk and disorderly. Maybe even for shouting obscenities.
But when he assaulted the police officer and had to be tasered, I think that`s a red flag that this guy is dangerous to society. They should have drawn the line right there and said you are going to be punished for this no matter what. Clearly, that didn`t happen. And look at the results.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Linda Kenney-Baden, is there a two-tiered system of justice in this country where if a kid who, you know, is wearing his chinos and his blazer gets into trouble, basically it`s almost like -- it`s almost impossible to get that kid arrested?
LINDA KENNY BADEN, : I think the more problem is that -- is that you don`t have a system which delineates between things that are normal when kids do such as, you know, when I was a kid people stole bicycles or whatever, and things that are violent.
Here we have to look at violence. This kid exhibited violence in front of a lot of people. That should have been taken seriously. And that is what we have to look at to try to help them. Because if we tried to help this kid, maybe this young woman would be alive rather than --
BROOKS: And mommy and daddy should have been -- should have stepped in when the incident happened in Lexington.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree.
ARCHER: A lot of people should have stepped in.
BADEN: They may be afraid of him themselves. Who knows?
ARCHER: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s come back and talk about teen violence again soon. Thank you everyone. Great to see you Linda.
BADEN: Thanks Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Bret Michaels opens up speaking about his brush with death. You won`t believe this development.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Coming up, I am talking to famed attorney Gloria Allred about her infamous client, Rachel Uchitel, Tiger Woods` alleged mistress.
But first, "Top of the Block" tonight.
Good news here. Bret Michaels` speedy recovery after a near- fatal brain hemorrhage, it has been astonishing. Now the 47-year-old rocker is opening up about his frightening ordeal with "People" magazine.
Michaels said on the night of April 21st he was enjoying a night at home with his girlfriend and two daughters when he suddenly felt an explosion inside his skull, feeling the most excruciating pain of his whole life.
He was raced to the hospital where he told doctors, quote, "If I`m dying, I want to see my kids. But if I have a chance, I don`t want them to see me in this condition." Wow. That`s pretty amazing that he had the gumption to have that kind of care for his kids at that moment.
For nine days he underwent testing, discovering that he had suffered a hemorrhage which doctors say happened for no apparent reasons. The reality star fought for his life. He is now in a rehab center expected to make a full recovery. As he put it, it just wasn`t his time yet. And we are so happy about that.
That is tonight`s "Top of the Block".
Well, Tiger Woods` most infamous alleged mistress strikes again, this time in Hollywood. Is Rachel Uchitel at the very center of yet another celeb cheating scandal? "Bones" star David Boreanaz admits to "People" magazine, I cheated on my wife. He says he is coming clean because his mistress is blackmailing him.
Now, David refused to name this other woman, but some published reports pointed the finger at Rachel Uchitel. She is furious about that. The alleged husband-huntress, as some call her, cut short her Mexican vacation to address the press and clear her name.
But first, of course, she had to hit the clubs. Check out this TMZ video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RACHEL UCHITEL, ALLEGED DAVID BOREANAZ MISTRESS: You guys -- I would never do this again. Ok?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rachel, any comments about the extortion --
UCHITEL: Oh, my goodness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UCHITEL: Who are you with?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: TMZ.
UCHITEL: Oh, of course you are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any comments at all?
UCHITEL: No, I don`t.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She can`t see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rachel, what do you plan on doing while you`re in L.A.? You have any fun activities planned?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, it looks like she`s having a good time last night on the streets of Hollywood; didn`t seem too worried about her name being dragged through the mud.
It was rumored Rachel got millions from Tiger to keep quiet about their affair. She even cancelled a big tell-all news conference.
Rachel is now a host on "Extra" and says she is a changed woman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UCHITEL: My whole life has changed. I mean, I would love to have a family of my own. And I just really want to be happy and content. Ten years from now I would just like to be able to look back. I`ll be 45. And I want to be at that stage in my life where I`m happy and proud and excited of where I am and that I have purpose every day to get up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Rachel hired high-powered attorney Gloria Allred to clear her name. And joining me now is Gloria Allred herself. We`re so delighted to have you here, Gloria. Along with --
GLORIA ALLRED, RACHEL UCHITEL`S ATTORNEY: Thank you, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- chief correspondent for "Inside Edition" Jim Moret.
But first out to Gloria; again, thanks for joining us. Now, Rachel just released a statement. Can you characterize essentially what her point is, what she is trying to get across?
ALLRED: Yes. Very simply, Jane, that David Boreanaz is not part of her life. She doesn`t wish him to be part of her life. She`s never made a claim against him in the past and does not intend to do so in the future. And that she is just hoping that one day her life will be scandal-free and she`ll be able to move forward.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, do you also represent another alleged mystery mistress who had an affair allegedly with David Boreanaz?
ALLRED: Yes, I do.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, is she the one that is the center of these allegations about alleged extortion that are being made by David`s camp?
ALLRED: Yes, I might add that those allegations are completely baseless. That his highly-paid legal mouthpiece and David may be trying to divert attention away from David`s extramarital infidelities, or they may be attempting to intimidate my client or myself from speaking out about what he has done.
But I can assure you, Jane, that neither she nor I will be intimidated by that kind of smear and that kind of baseless attack.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And you`re representing this mistress because you feel she has some kind of grievance against another party?
ALLRED: Well, when I spoke to Mr. Singer, he knows very well, because he and I speak frequently, that it was in the context of a mediation. And the mediation would be about legal claims that she believes that she has against Mr. Boreanaz.
So now I guess, perhaps people panicked. I don`t know what that was. But you know the point is the headline should be cheater-gate and not any other headlines.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, I agree with you. Everybody always points the finger at the mistresses. What about the cheating husbands? They`re the ones that took the vow, Gloria. Rachel Uchitel didn`t take the vow.
But hang on, we`re going to get to Jim Moret right on the other side of the break and get a man`s perspective on this latest scandal. Rachel Uchitel looking good as she weathers yet another scandal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UCHITEL: I don`t have any comment. I`m not going to have any comment. And so, I have to live my life. I would appreciate you guys not being on my property and not bothering me while I`m trying to be here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We`re just trying to get one comment from you about Tiger because, you know, they`re spreading those rumors that he was here with you. But no one`s really seen you with him. That`s why we`re just trying to clear it up.
UCHITEL: I know. I have absolutely no comment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was Rachel Uchitel reacting to the Tiger Woods` scandal. And now Rachel Uchitel in the center of another scandal involving "Bones" star, David Boreanaz.
My big issue tonight: sincere pain -- really?
David`s co-worker on the show, "Bones" tweeted, "David has asked to express to fans his sincere pain. Thanks for support and determination that his family will get through this.
You know, Jim Moret, author of the fabulous book, "The Last Day of My Life", he is in sincere pain? What about his wife`s pain. He is the one who was allegedly texting a mistress as his wife was in labor?
JIM MORET, CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, "INSIDE EDITION": A couple of things going on here. First of all, I can`t believe this is yet another celebrity scandal with serial mistresses, alleged mistresses.
I want to be clear, Gloria represents Rachel Uchitel and this other alleged mistress and there`s no question that what she says is true. She will not back down. I`ve known her for years. I know that`s true.
Rachel Uchitel says she is not the woman who was at the center of this particular controversy, although she has been linked to David Boreanaz in the past. But what my understanding of about this story is that David Boreanaz came out publicly and admitted his affair not out of altruism, but because he felt he believed that he was being blackmailed by this woman and that she was going to come forward.
Gloria, I talked to her the other day about this and just recently earlier today. She said, "Look, this is an attack against my client." But as far as I know, that client has never been named. I don`t know how this is a personal attack against her.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Gloria, you want to respond to that?
ALLRED: It absolutely is a personal attack. David and his attorney knew what they were doing. They knew that my client has what she believes to be are legal claims and that she could possibly assert them.
So now what they`re doing is -- and they`re successful in some regard -- trying to change the subject making allegations that my client has tried to do one thing or another in reference to David.
Let me just tell you something. David`s wife really needs to talk to David and really find out everything; everything that went on between my client and him and the true story. And my client will be telling her story very, very soon. And then everyone will see what the truth is, and the truth will come out.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So I`m trying to read between the lines. A, when you say my client, you`re not referring to Rachel, you`re referring to the mystery mistress --
ALLRED: Yes, that`s right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That allegedly had an affair with David Boreanaz, even though some say Rachel also did?
ALLRED: I have no comment on whether Rachel did or did not have a relationship with anyone.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But you`re claiming that there`s something that happened between your other mystery client and David Boreanaz that, A, his wife doesn`t know about, and that she feels entitled to some sort of legal claim?
ALLRED: Well, that any discussions had to do with a mediation in reference to a legal claim. And his attorney knows that. I don`t know whether he knows that. I would expect that he would know that.
So all I can tell you is that the focus really needs to be on David. A lot of celebrities, when they know they`ve engaged in wrongful conduct then they try to change the subject away from their wrongful conduct. It`s not going to be successful.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re out of time, Gloria. But I want to say, thank you for coming on.
And we invite David Boreanaz or his lawyer on as well any time.
You`re watching ISSUES on HLN.
END
