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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Teen Twins Accused of Killing Mother; John Mark Karr Renames Self, Tries to Start Cult
Aired May 25, 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, horrifying family violence. Twin sisters accused of brutally murdering their own mother. These girls are just 16 years old. Cops say they stabbed and beat their mother to death, then sauntered back to high school. Tonight, could other family members be involved in this cold-blooded murder?
And John Mark Karr is back, and creepier than ever. The self- professed pedophile lied when he tried to take responsibility for killing JonBenet Ramsey. Now reports say Karr has undergone a dramatic makeover and is recruiting JonBenet look-alikes to start a cult. Believe it or not, that`s just the beginning.
Plus, Jesse James breaks his silence. Boo-hoo. The motorcycle bad boy admits cheating on Sandra Bullock but says he still loves her. Really, Jesse? Did you love her when you were hooking up with tatted-up strippers? Tonight, Jesse in his own words, tries to explain himself.
ISSUES starts now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a horrifying brutal murder. A young Georgia mother is savagely beaten and stabbed to death. For almost six months this case is ice cold. Then tonight, the unthinkable: cops arrest the dead woman`s own daughters, 16-year-old twins, and charge both of the twins with murder.
Back in January, these two beautiful teen girls, Tas and Jas, claim they were traumatized when they found their mother dead, beaten and stabbed multiple times, lying in a pool of blood. They even raced to get help, flagging down a cop -- officer.
But police now say these two teenage twins are cold-blooded killers who almost got away with murder. And they were just 15 years old at the time. Now both girls are behind bars. They were arrested after lab results allegedly linked them to the crime scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENE WILSON, CONYERS POLICE CHIEF: I`m not sure that we could say that we felt they were the ones all along. I think, again, as you talk to people and you take statements and you compare evidence and compare statements and compare witnesses` testimony, some people will begin to emerge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But friends of the twins -- and here is Tas`s photo from her Facebook page -- are reportedly not surprised. One friend even tells the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," "I knew it was them."
Tas and Jas had moved back in with their mother just eight days before her murder. The "Atlanta Journal" reports the twins had gone to live with their 80-year-old great-grandmother for about a year after they physically attacked their mom. Their great-grandmother was reportedly so scared of the girls, she had to get a dead bolt for her bedroom door. Are these innocent-looking girls somehow evil twins?
I want to hear from you. Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586- 7297.
Straight out to my fantastic expert panel: attorney and host of "In Session" on TruTV, Ryan Smith joins us tonight; and former homicide detective, Rod Wheeler; psychiatrist Dr. Dale Archer. We need you, my friend.
And we begin with investigative journalist, Michelle Sigona, joining me by phone. We are also delighted to have the twins` aunt, Aneesa Whitehead, and we are going to start with you.
Aneesa, this has got to be a triple tragedy for you. Your sister is murdered, your between twin nieces are accused of killing her. Do you think they did it, and if so, why?
ANEESA WHITEHEAD, TWINS` AUNT (via phone): Well, yes, I do. And I feel that way because of how everything happened the morning of my sister`s death. And my nieces, they got to school pretty late, at 10:30, and by me knowing my sister, I know that would have never happened. And by that happening, it just didn`t sit well with me. And prior to that, the girls just have been very rude and disrespectful, and basically just very unruly.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, your sister is really a beautiful woman. We`re looking at a picture of her now, and she worked as a beautician. Of course, her friends are devastated. People who work with her at the salon are devastated.
But some friends say they were not surprised when your nieces were arrested. They weren`t shocked that their friends could be capable of cold-blooded murder. Others, however, say these girls were sweet.
Now, take a look at this photo, posted on the "Atlanta Journal- Constitution." You`re about to see it. They look very innocent. And it is apparently them in some kind of prom situation. There it is. Take a look at these girls. They look very well-dressed; they look very well- groomed.
How is it possible, Aneesa, that your nieces could transform from these very pretty, seemingly well-groomed, apparently well-behaved young ladies, into these wild, out-of-control teens that we also heard they were?
WHITEHEAD: Yes. Basically, I feel that it`s, like, involving adolescence, their peers, and at the same time, my grandma was a negative influence on them. And I say that, because my sister went to her numerous times to try to resolve the issue as a family.
And my grandmother never, never showed any concern as far as them respecting their mother, doing as their mother says. It`s just like she will always go against the grain with whatever it is my sister was trying to do, as far as discipline.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, and Nikki -- Nikki Whitehead, your sister, the victim, had a boyfriend. Her boyfriend of ten years is now speaking out, and he is making some shocking allegations. He says the twins were both being tried as adults are good kids, and he claims their great-grandmother, who they`d been living with, who is in her 80s, is somehow behind all of this.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT HEAD, NIKKI WHITEHEAD`S BOYFRIEND: I`m relieved, and I`m sad, because I think somebody else should pay for the things that they did. I think the grandmother should pay, instead of them. And they`ve been real good kids, but they -- I think they just got caught up in a bad situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, I mean, this is outrageous in the sense that authorities are not pointing the finger at the great-grandmother, who is 80 years old. She is a senior citizen, for gosh sakes. What is your explanation, Aneesa, of this comment?
WHITEHEAD: Well, I just feel that, you know, she had a strong influence over them, and -- and like I say, she never gave any -- any type of positive feedback towards my sister about the situation that they were in.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You mean the fact that, when they were just 13 1/2 years old, they beat their mother up. And that`s why they were sent to live with the old lady.
WHITEHEAD: Well, in the beginning, they did that, and they were sent to juvenile.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh.
WHITEHEAD: They locked them up the first incident. And that`s how they got placed in the home with my grandmother under a temporary custody.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I see. Dr. Dale Archer, what do you make of it? How do you diagnose these two girls?
DR. DALE ARCHER, PSYCHIATRIST: Well, first of all, we have to understand that it`s normal teenage behavior to cycle between obeying the rules and pushing the limits. So I don`t place any stock whatsoever into some folks saying, "Oh, they seemed like nice girls" and others saying, "No, they had a problem."
But you go back to the violent assault when they were 13. That is a huge red flag. Two 13-year-olds attacking their mom, that`s a problem. And so I think that what we have here is a situation where our culture of violence has struck again, and we have a situation where arresting them and convicting them is not going to solve the problem. We have to attack the root of the problem, which is violence in our culture.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Michelle Sigona, investigative journalist, what are you hearing?
MICHELLE SIGONA, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, I can also tell you that three days prior to the murder, I can confirm that investigators -- police were called two times by the mom. One was for a disorderly teen, and the second was for a disturbance. There were no arrests made in either one of those incidents. But again, two more red flags that were present there coming out of this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What do you know about that, Aneesa, as the aunt? Did you know of these calls to cops?
WHITEHEAD: Yes, ma`am, I did. And basically, it was after they just -- the court system put them back in the home on January the 5th. They -- they just had an attitude of being unruly. And...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But -- but ma`am, there`s a difference between being unruly as a teenager and beating your own mother to death and stabbing her repeatedly.
WHITEHEAD: Right. That is something I would have never -- would never think of happening, in a million years. Never.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Will you wait for two seconds? We`re going to go to a quick break, and we`re going to come back and get some more from you, Aneesa. Hang in there, OK?
WHITEHEAD: OK.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re going to have more on this really shocking murder.
Also, Jesse James is finally speaking out in his first TV interview since his cheating scandal broke. Jesse talks about his marriage to Sandra Bullock and even addresses allegations that he is a bigot. I will tell you all the shockers.
We want to hear from you. Give me a call: 1-877-JVM-SAYS.
Plus, the man once at the center of the JonBenet Ramsey case, John Mark Karr, surfaces. Is he trying to recruit Ramsey look-alikes, young girls, into a cult? You will not believe this story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was not in first-class. He wasn`t enjoying himself. He was just sitting there, and if anybody looked at them, he just stared back at them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There he is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seeing him actually made my blood curdle a little bit. I didn`t -- I didn`t like the feeling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His eyes are so weird. That`s what I think the most -- is the weirdest, is his eyes. They`re just so, like, scary looking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Twin girls accused of murdering their own mother when they were just 15 years old. They are behind bars tonight. My big issue. Good twin, evil twin?
Take a look at these two mug shots. Tas looks angry and defiant, and Jas, well, she looks extremely sad. That dovetails with what police say, that one of the twins was extremely difficult when they brought her in.
All right, phone lines lighting up. Lewis, Illinois, your question or thought, sir.
CALLER: Yes, hello?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lewis.
CALLER: Yes, Jane?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, Dr. Dale Archer, with twins, is it possible that one dominates the other, and could one have possibly been the ring leader of this heinous crime?
ARCHER: Common that one can dominate the other, but often what you can say with twins, when they have a problem such as this, is called a folly a deux, and that is a shared madness. And basically, they both buy into the false belief system.
And if one could convince the other that, "Look, the mom is the problem; she`s causing difficulties for us, and we have to take action," you can understand that. Where this goes outside the lines is that murder was the option. Not just a yelling, screaming argument, running away like we would expect, perhaps. But murder.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Lewis, Illinois. We got your back, sir. Question or thought?
CALLER: Yes. First and foremost, I want to say I love your show, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thanks.
CALLER: And my comment is, what would possess these two twins to do such a horrific act against their mother? I mean, it`s insane. I mean, a mother is the epitome of God, you know. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) My thought is they should just send them to jail for life. Because there`s just no other way.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, I don`t know about that.
Ryan Smith, host of "In Session," thank you for your patience. You cover stories like this all of the time. And even the police are now starting to say, "We can`t solve these kinds of societal problems by locking up everybody." We have to look at this underlying trend of teen violence, which is really escalating out of control.
RYAN SMITH, HOST, TRUTV`S "IN SESSION": It really has, Jane. And you know what? We see it more and more each day, especially in the trials we cover, where teens are just doing things that you never thought they would do before.
And I think your viewer Lewis brought up a very good point. What would possess someone to do this? Because when I first saw this, my first thought was what`s the motive here?
But you hear that both of these teens, they called the police a couple times before this happened. That could be a mode of retribution. But you know, you look at this kind of crime, and you say how could this happen? Could it be teens going out of control, maybe wanting to assert their power over their mother? But clearly, this is a disturbing situation.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, this whole situation sounds eerily similar to the Menendez brothers. Who could forget them? Lyle and Eric Menendez were found guilty of shooting and murdering their parents. The handsome brothers shot their dad in the head, shot their mother in the leg, chest, arm and face, leaving her unrecognizable. The brothers ditched the guns, and then they went to a movie. They later called 911 when they got home. But Eric had a breakdown and told his psychotherapist what happened.
In the brothers` first trial, both juries deadlocked. After the second trial, both brothers were sentenced to life without parole.
Rod Wheeler, former D.C. homicide detective, there is a pattern here. And in the case of the Menendez brothers, one was stronger than the other, who was kind of a bit of a ring leader. In this case, it also seems that one girl is a little more aggressive than the other.
ROD WHEELER, FORMER D.C. HOMICIDE DETECTIVE: You know, Jane, it appears to be that way right now. But I think the facts shall bear themselves out.
Here`s the bottom line. You have two very, very evil young girls who, for some reason or another, decided that they want to do whatever they wanted to do to their mother because they were upset with their mother. They had the opportunity, Jane, to leave that house, to go back to the grandmother. They didn`t want to do that.
Let me tell you what they did real quick. They decided to kill their mother. First, they beat their mother to death. Then they took a knife, Jane, stabbed her multiple times. Not only that, it didn`t stop there.
Then they concocted a story after all of this to give to the cops to make it seem like they walked in and found their mother like that. That is the reason why they are being charged as adults.
This probably was a case of -- a case in which they planned this thing out, and they prematured [SIC] it. And let me tell you, they need to definitely be held accountable for what they did.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, and they have not been convicted yet. They`ve just been charged. Go ahead. Who wanted to talk, Michelle?
SIGONA: Also, I just wanted to mention really quickly that, after the girls came home from school, there was a sheriff`s deputy in the neighborhood, and they went inside the house and came back outside, and were in the streets, screaming.
And that`s when the sheriff`s deputy came up. He was serving paperwork throughout the neighborhood. He went inside, and that`s when he found the crime scene. So it appears that they -- if they are, in fact, guilty, they went inside to make it look like, oh, someone else had murdered their mother and came out to make a scene.
WHEELER: Exactly. And you know what they also, Jane, they could have left the house before any of this had even taken place. But they decided not to do that.
ARCHER: But I think the important thing to point out here is that in the old days, that`s what would have happened. They would have left the house. There would have been an argument.
In today`s culture of violence, murder has become acceptable. That`s the problem. That`s the problem.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s such a sad thing that you just said. Thank you, fantastic panel.
The obsessed man who once claimed he killed JonBenet Ramsey back in the news. Now John Mark Karr reportedly is creating a cult of JonBenet look-alikes!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, astonishing new revelations about John Mark Karr, the guy who falsely insisted that he killed JonBenet Ramsey. He shocked the whole country in 2006. We all remember this. Remember when he claimed responsibility for the 6-year-old beauty queen`s death? Who could forget it?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MARK KARR, CONFESSED TO MURDER OF JONBENET RAMSEY: I love JonBenet, and she died accidentally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: DNA cleared him of JonBenet`s murder.
Well, now he`s back in the headlines, and this time it`s more bizarre than ever before. A 19-year-old woman claims Karr is trying to recruit a cult of JonBenet look-alikes, a group of young, blonde girls with small feet, called the Immaculates.
The accusations come from Samantha Spiegel, who has a restraining order against Karr. She claims he`s been stalking her. Here is Spiegel on "Inside Edition."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA SPIEGEL, ACCUSED KARR OF STALKING: He didn`t want me talking to males of any sort. E-mails constantly. I mean, back and forth. And if I don`t respond quickly enough, I get, you know, five more angry e-mails, saying, like, "Where`d you go? Where`d you go?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Karr legally changed his name to Alexis Divella (ph) Reich and is reportedly living as a woman in Seattle.
"Inside Edition" posted these before and after photos of him. Spiegel claims Karr is living as a woman so he can get close to young girls. Is this guy a threat to children? You think? Are police trying to track him down? I hope so.
Welcome back, fantastic panel. Straight out to investigative reporter Michelle Sigona. What do you know about this alleged cult?
SIGONA: Well, at this particular time, I do want to make clear that the San Francisco police are investigating this -- this case, Jane, but there are no officials charges brought down. However...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why the heck not? Go ahead.
SIGONA: Well, because they`re looking through the thousands of e- mails that are sent between Samantha and also between John Mark Karr. They`re checking phone calls. They`re working with Samantha`s attorney. And they`re moving forward in that particular area, No. 1.
No. 2, based on those e-mails, the thousands of e-mails between Samantha and John Mark Karr, there`s a lot of information there about the cult, and about if she stands in the way. That`s when he starts to threaten her life, if she tries to get the in the way of recruiting -- recruiting these children.
And what he`s doing, allegedly -- and Robin Sachs and I spoke a lot about this -- was that he has these minions that are going out to try to recruit these children in.
What we don`t know for sure is if there are, in fact, victims out there. And this is another interesting line. Because is he just crazy, crazy? Or crazy, dangerous? That`s another thing. You know, these are obvious red flags. Someone who has stepped forward that has, you know, admitted to killing a child, and then now allegedly trying to recruit other children into this cult. It appears to be a danger to me.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I mean, come on, Lisa Bloom. This is beyond comprehension sick. And how is it possible that when some of his e-mails say, "If I find you`ve been deceiving me, I will kill you and laugh as you die." How is it possible that cops cannot arrest him for threatening this 19-year-old?
LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it certainly sounds like a criminal threat to me. It sounds like stalking. It sounds like conspiracy to contributing to the delinquency of a minor. I mean, there are a lot of serious facts here.
And Michelle is absolutely right. I mean, this is a man who said, essentially, that he had killed JonBenet Ramsey. It turned out to be false. He apparently never was even in the state of Colorado. But nevertheless, somebody who would fantasize about killing a child in the brutal, tortured way poor little JonBenet was killed, is obviously a menace and a threat. Law enforcement should be watching him very closely.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We will have more in a minute. Stay with us. This a crazy story. A lot more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: John Mark Karr is back, and creepier than ever. The self-professed pedophile lied when he tried to take responsibility for killing JonBenet Ramsey. Now reports say Karr has undergone a dramatic makeover and is recruiting JonBenet look-alikes to start a cult. Believe it or not, that`s just the beginning.
Plus, Jesse James breaks his silence. Boo-hoo; the motorcycle bad boy admits cheating on Sandra Bullock but says he still loves her. Really Jesse? Did you still love her when you were hooking up with tatted-up strippers? Tonight, Jesse, in his own words, tries to explain himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MARK KARR, SEL-PROFESSED PEDOPHILE: Since this has happened, I have been harassed by law enforcement for sitting on a park bench in the middle of the day overlooking the golf course. You know, just different things. I`ve been -- I`ve had police come in my yard for thinking that my girlfriend, Brooke, was a girl in her early teens, and we were merely getting coffee at a gas station.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Welcome back.
We are talking about breaking news, the latest chapter in the John Mark Karr saga. How ironic that John Mark Karr would complain about negative attention. He basically invited it by falsely confessing to JonBenet Ramsey`s murder. And now Karr`s former student, a 19-year-old girl claims he is trying to create a cult of JonBenet look-alikes.
Nancy in New York, your question or thought, ma`am.
NANCY, NEW YORK (via telephone): Yes, Jane. I watch your show every night, and I love it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you so much.
NANCY: But what is wrong with this guy? He`s sick in the head. He shouldn`t be allowed out anywhere. I just don`t understand it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Dr. Dale Archer, I think it`s time to give you the stage, because I cannot figure this one out. This guy is so strange in so many bizarre and unusual ways that it defies description, really.
DR. DALE ARCHER, CLINICAL PSYCHIATRIST: Well, I tell you who it reminds me of is Charles Manson. And when Charles Manson first came to the authorities` attention, he was considered crazy, but harmless.
This guy is dangerous. And he has all of the characteristics of a cult leader. He is charismatic. He has a wacky belief system, and he has the ability to convince others that what he thinks is true.
I think he`s dangerous, I think he needs to be brought in for questioning. And I`m very, very worried.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And let`s go back in time and revisit how this nut -- wingnut really entered the world stage.
JonBenet was found dead in the basement of her Colorado home, way back in 1996. Her parents were eventually cleared as suspects after they went through hell. But the case remains unsolved.
In 2006, a Colorado journalism professor told police that this John Mark Karr fellow was sending himself incriminating e-mails about JonBenet`s death. Police arrested Karr in Thailand where he looked right into a camera and said he was with JonBenet when she died. Later, he completely denied that.
Listen to him on "LARRY KING".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, CNN HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Wouldn`t you wonder if someone came on television tonight and confessed to an outstanding crime that has never been solved, and said I did it, and was -- all the photographers came in toto and then they found out that he didn`t do it.
KARR: You know what, Larry --
KING: Wouldn`t you wonder.
KARR: I don`t recall ever saying that I did anything. So that`s where I`m confused as to the question, as well. I never said -- I never gave a definitive, overt yes or no to anything. And I never said I did anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, DNA tests prove that Karr was not responsible for JonBenet Ramsey`s death. However, he had been earlier sought for possession of computerized child porn, and that`s why he fled the country to Asia.
So my question to Lisa Bloom, why didn`t they lock him up when they caught him in 2006, instead of letting him do the talk show circuit? Because cops lost the computer that contained his porn. Now, had they not bungled that initial case, we wouldn`t be here talking about him creating a cult of 4-year-old blonde girls with small feet called the Immaculates.
LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Oh Jane, you are so right. And I remember covering this in detail. It was horrifying at the time. How could they possibly lose the computer hard drive with the child porn? But apparently that`s exactly what happened.
You would think they would make up for it by following him very closely, tracking his every move since. Ok, we understand under our system he has to be free, he`s not convicted of any crime. There`s no proof beyond a reasonable doubt, but good grief, follow this guy, especially when he`s around children.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, my god. You know, the criminal justice system repeatedly drops the ball with these cases.
But my question tonight and I have to go back to Michelle Sigona on this. This guy claims, or let me put it this way, the young lady who was exchanging e-mails with this wingnut claims that he said he has as many as 30 followers who are helping him recruit these young blonde 4-year-old girls with small feet to become the Immaculates.
Is there any proof or evidence at all that he does have Internet followers? Because this girl you`re looking at here says that when he communicates on the Internet, he is very effective and very charismatic.
MICHELLE SIGONA, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: For what I have learned from Robin Sax, who represents Samantha and is very -- is immersed in this case, is that he does have people that he communicates with. He does have followers.
People -- and also, he usually wakes up around 12:00 in the afternoon. He`s on the Internet all day long. He`s obsessed with coverage about him, about people saying negative things about him. So he`s a very odd creature.
But although he`s odd, it still doesn`t take away from the fact that there could be victims out there, we just don`t know for sure.
ARCHER: That`s right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, here is my big issue. Does Karr have a sick obsession with this murdered 6-year-old girl? Obviously, he`s obsessed if he is trying to create a cult of JonBenet Ramsey look-alikes.
Rob Wheeler, you`re a former D.C. homicide detective. Why haven`t they caught this guy and found a whole bunch of reasons to lock him up once and for all? He calls himself essentially a pedophile.
ROB WHEELER, FORMER D.C. HOMICIDE DETECTIVE: Well, that`s exactly what he is. But, you know, the problem here, Jane, you talked about it earlier, is the criminal justice system overall. The police have done just about everything they can possibly do including losing the computer hard drive years ago.
But that aside, I`m sure there has been some police department that has kept tabs on this guy. The problem here is that this guy is very dangerous right now. We need to find this guy. And I`ll tell you, every viewer out there that`s a parent, if you have a young daughter, you need to really seriously be checking what e-mails they`re getting and from who, because this guy, I guarantee you, Jane, is watching this show right now, and probably texting some child trying to lure that child into his cult. He is very dangerous.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And remember, this guy is now a girl.
WHEELER: That`s right.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And a lot of people who have sex change operations for legitimate emotional reasons, this guy, police say, is not one of them. He is doing it because he wants to fly under the radar. So you`re looking at a -- you`re looking for a female who used to be John Mark Karr.
WHEELER: That`s right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fabulous panel, thank you so much.
We are moving on to stunning new revelations tonight from chronic cheater, Jesse James. The soon-to-be ex-husband of actress Sandra Bullock is coming clean about his cheating ways. Did Sandra Bullock know what was going an? Some interesting new revelations there.
And tattoo model/Jesse James mistress, Michelle "Bombshell" McGee also weighs in. Does she think Jesse is a sex addict?
The host of "Monster Garage" did what most famous cheaters do, go on TV and say, "I`m so sorry" but I have to admit, he does seem sincere at least about his embarrassment. ABC`s "Good Morning America" said that he threw away his amazing marriage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSE JAMES, SANDRA BULLOCK`S ESTRANGED HUSBAND: I think she has had her suspicions, you know, in the past. But, you know, I lied and lied my way out of it. You know, I lied to everyone about everything. Even to myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But the truth is, it appears he`s been lying to the other women as well. In particular, mistress and tattoo model Michelle McGee, seen here on TMZ.com. She is an original.
She talked with KTLA`s Wendy Birch. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE MCGEE, MISTRESS OF JESS JAMES: I think sex addiction is a load of crap. It`s for celebrities that don`t want to admit that they got caught cheating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jesse James says he thinks he wanted to get caught. Well, guess what? He got his wish. But I have to wonder if he ever thought he was really worthy of Sandra Bullock in the first place.
I`m taking your calls on this one; 1-877-JVM-SAYS, that`s 1-877- 586-7297.
Straight out to my fantastic panel: clinical psychiatrist, Dr. Dale Archer, back with us -- and, again, we need you desperately; and I would love to welcome my dear friend, KTLA reporter, Wendy Birch -- great to see you, Wendy, it`s been a while --
WENDY BIRCH, REPORTER, KTLA: Good to see you, Jane. L.A. misses you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.
And "Extra" weekend co host, Lauren Sanchez -- great to have you as well.
LAUREN SANCHEZ, WEEKEND CO-HOST, "EXTRA": Thanks.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lauren, let`s start with you. What is the buzz about this interview in Hollywood?
SANCHEZ: Well, the buzz is, Jesse is trying to repair his image, desperately trying to repair his image. Remember, this guy has a brand that he is trying to sell that has been completely damaged.
So he doesn`t need to apologize to Sandra. He has already lost her. I don`t think he`s trying to get her back. Sandra wouldn`t take him back.
So what he is trying to do now is say hey, America, I`m not that bad of a guy. I`m not the most hated man in the world, as he says. And he`s trying to like slowly convince all of us that he`s ok. And please still buy my stuff. What else is he going to do?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I still hear a lot of grandiosity in him debating whether he`s the most hated man in the world. Guess what, the whole world isn`t thinking about you, Jesse James. All right?
You`re a cheater, you know.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
WENDY BIRCH: It`s true. The world has some bigger issues.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, Wendy, weigh in on that for a second.
BIRCH: You know, look, I had a very unique opportunity to sit down with Michelle "Bombshell" McGee and if you hear her side of the story. When Jesse James talks about being a liar, according to Michelle, that`s exactly what he was doing to her.
She says that their whole relationship with her was a lie. It was based on the fact that he was adamant, that he and Sandra were separated at the time that they began their tryst, their relationship, whatever you want to call it. They are together time.
And so she says that he was very convincing and very charming. So when he says that he was pulling the wool over people`s eyes, I think he was doing it to just about every woman in his life.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, right on the other side of this short break. We`re going to hear your interview from Michelle "Bombshell" McGee and more from the one and only Jesse James who is embarrassed. And he should be.
Plus, Amber Dubois raped and brutally murdered. Now her parents are demanding change. What you can do to help. That story --
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jesse James comes clean, more on that next.
But first, "Top of the Block" tonight.
Here with some really important day here in ISSUES. Today happens to be National Missing Children`s Day. Parents are urged to take just 25 minutes to learn how to protect their kids from violent predators.
Parents please do not take this lightly. We are in a war. Every day it seems another child vanishes. Never to be seen again. And now it is time we take back control and really fight for our kids.
Here is a perfect example. Today, Amber Dubois`s mother and father proposed four -- count them -- four new pieces of legislation in California, all focused on missing children. One of the bills would even require sex predators to carry special identification cards, clearly marked with a distinctive color.
Bravo, Mr. and Mrs. Dubois. Their beautiful daughter was kidnapped, raped and murdered. Now they`re fighting to make sure it never happens again.
How about if you sexually assault a child, one strike and you are out? How about that -- first-strike law for sexual predators?
That is tonight`s "Top of the Block".
And back to lighter matters. Jesse James was reportedly still texting tattoo model Michelle McGee even after his wife won her best actress Oscar. McGee sat down with KTLA`s Wendy Birch for a fascinating and candid interview. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE MCGEE, MISTRESS OF JESSE JAMES: I don`t feel like angry, I feel bad for Sandra. I really feel bad, I just know how important becoming a mother is and what a wonderful time it should be for her. And how excited she must have been to finally have a child, and to have this man that she thought was supporting her, doing this behind her back. It just is sad. I`m very, very sad for her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wendy Birch, does Michelle "Bombshell" McGee take responsibility for her part in any of this?
BIRCH: Oh, sure. Sure, you know, the one thing about Michelle is that she is truly authentic. I mean, come on, Michelle has her body 90 percent tattooed. She has made a living for a number of years as a stripper to support her two children. She is the single mom of two boys.
So, like I said, she comes across very authentic. I mean, she feels badly that Sandra got hurt, and that people got hurt in all of this. However, if she said she had to do it all again, she says that at the time she really believed Jesse James when Jesse James said that he and Sandra were separated. She said that he made a very convincing story that they were living two separate lives, that she had a life in Austin and he had a life in Long Beach and that they just weren`t coming forward.
And he said to her he couldn`t talk more about it for legal reasons.
She says she further believed him when he was at his West Coast Chopper`s location one night, they were watching TV and they watched Sandra Bullock make a presentation at the MTV Movie Awards that were taking place up here just about 20 miles away.
So she said at that point, that was further proof in her mind that the two were leading very separate lives.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. Dale, he sounds like a pathological liar to me.
DR. DALE ARCHER, PSYCHIATRIST: Yes, he is a pathological liar but you know -- and he actually admitted to that. He said he was lying to himself. But I think that the underlying cause here -- and Jane, you alluded to it at the start -- is many men that are married to very powerful women have low self-esteem and feel that they`re not good enough.
And what they do is they use a macho bravado at that point to go out and sleep with women, and they fool themselves into thinking, you know what, "I have lots of women out there, she is just one of many. I don`t really need her. I`m really the guy."
So I think that it all boils down to the fact, in the end, he didn`t feel --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.
ARCHER: -- that he was worthy of her.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, I think in this case, he was right. He`s not worthy of her.
And here is my big issue tonight. I have to give -- I have to give him a little credit. He is facing the music. I`m getting the idea that Jesse James is sort of --
SANCHEZ: That`s true.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- growing up from his incredible immaturity as a result of this embarrassment. Let`s listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES: I just told her I was going to get some help. And I told -- you wanted to make sure that she would take care of Sunny.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what did she say to you?
JAMES: No problem. Ok. And she told me she was proud of me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I wish Tiger Woods would have done --
SANCHEZ: Wow.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- the same thing.
ARCHER: Absolutely.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You remember this? Let`s listen to Tiger.
SANCHEZ: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, PRO GOLFER: I was unfaithful. I had affairs, I cheated. What I did is not acceptable. And I am the only person to blame.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Lauren Sanchez, Tiger was so generic and robotic. And it was a prepared statement. At least this guy is answering questions.
SANCHEZ: He did. Tiger Woods, it was like he was reading a written statement, which wasn`t surprising. But I think Jesse James, he was sincere, but where else is he going to go? He went to sex rehab. He said Sandra was glad that he went there, into rehabilitation, that she was proud of him.
You know, this is a guy that is desperately trying, like I said, to win back some type of forgiveness from anyone, I think at this point.
And now the big question is where is Sandra? What is she going to do next? She has Louis and a lot of people are saying that she might attend the MTV Awards coming June 6th. She`s up for three awards.
So another -- and a lot of this, in here is where is Sandra, when are we going to see her out again? So maybe that will be the first time.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, quick question for Dr. Dale. Let`s show the Nazi photo. It`s him posing as Hitler. He`s got his arm up in a salute. He`s saying he`s very embarrassed about this; that this was a joke but he could see why it was inappropriate now. Dr. Dale, ten seconds.
ARCHER: Obviously it`s inappropriate, but look, this is a guy that has exhibited bad judgment in everything that he`s done, so why should we be surprised by this?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. I mean this kind of says it all --
ARCHER: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It really does. Grow up, Jesse James. But you`re still not getting Sandra back, you blew it, dude.
Fantastic panel thank you so much.
Horror in the Gulf of Mexico and you will not believe some of the things we are finding out about the agency that is supposed to monitor this stuff. It`s scary.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Escalating outrage over the Gulf oil spill. Just hours ago a senate committee called for a criminal investigation into this gigantic disaster and I believe it is criminal, as the Gulf is turned into a giant wasteland.
Guess what, it turns out the federal agency in charge of monitoring the oil industry is already an ethical wasteland. That`s right. The Interior Department admitted today that federal inspectors accepted gifts from the very oil companies they monitored. One inspector revealed, quote, "Everyone has gotten some sort of gift before at some point from companies they regulated."
And who is divulging this? The guy in charge: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Joining me now, CNN legal analyst Lisa Bloom. Lisa, this is the problem with our government. Secretary Salazar is acting outraged. Ok, oh, this is another reason to clean house. But shouldn`t he have known about this already? Shouldn`t the buck stop with him? Isn`t his responsibility to make sure something like this doesn`t happen?
BLOOM: If this were an isolated incident, Jane, I would say, no, he can`t be responsible for everything. But apparently this is a fairly widespread pattern within the regulators at the Department of the Interior. There are even allegations of sexual relationships between the regulators and the companies that they`re supposed to be regulating. I mean talk about being in bed with one another literally.
And the pictures we`re looking at are the result. I think until there`s a political will in this country to get very serious about environmental protection, to give the Department of the Interior and the EPA teeth to go after people who pollute our environment and companies that devastate with the oil in the Gulf, nothing is going to change. We have to have that political will. It`s up to all of us to insist on strong enforcement of the environmental laws.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I think if the people are morally bankrupt who are in these agencies, it`s not going -- it`s not really going to matter what power you give them because these people are morally bankrupt. Ok?
Get this, I spoke to the executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity about whether the government is essentially just rubber stamping drilling permits one after the other instead of doing proper analysis and inspection.
Listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Minerals Management Agency was involved in a sex and drug scandal, accused in 2008 of taking gifts from oil companies and the agency was described as an ethical wasteland.
KIERAN SUCKLING, CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: Yes. I mean the problem here isn`t that they need 90 days instead of 30 days. What are they going to do with that extra 60 days, do more cocaine with the oil execs?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s not get -- no, I don`t want to go there. I don`t have any proof of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, guess what, it turns out that he was right on the money. A 2008 report found regulators in the Minerals Management Service, Colorado office which is under the Interior Department, not only took gifts but also took drugs and sex. Ok, that was Colorado.
But there`s a much larger picture here. Now, these reports, the reports about the sex and the drugs came out in 2008. So Ken Salazar, when he took office in 2009, should have known about this corruption in his agency and cleaned house, Lisa.
BLOOM: Yes, because if he doesn`t clean house, this is the foreseeable result. Because it`s not just about a bunch of people doing drugs and having sex with one another, it`s about people failing to do their jobs as inspectors for the environment. Obviously, if you`re cozying up with the big oil companies and the companies that you`re regulating supposed to be regulating they`re not going to be enforcing the laws --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re out of time.
You`re watching ISSUES.
END
