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Nancy Grace
Police Report Details Stephany Flores`s Injuries
Aired June 07, 2010 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight in the disappearance of Alabama beauty Natalee Holloway, missing off her high school senior trip, Aruba. Aruban police refuse to make a case against judge`s son Joran Van Der Sloot, even after high-tech surveillance catches him describing Natalee`s death. After Van Der Sloot`s father, Judge Paulus Van Der Sloot, key in the coverup for his son, collapses dead, speculation Van Der Sloot would slip. Well, sure enough, just days after Daddy`s cremated, video emerges of Van Der Sloot claiming he sees Holloway fall from the balcony to her death and that he hid her body.
But hold on. Not so fast, Van Der Sloot! Just when he thinks he`ll walk on the murder of American girl Natalee Holloway, live tonight, Peru. Joran Van Der Sloot kills again, say police. Another young girl, just 21, meets Van Der Sloot at a resort casino. Just like Holloway, she`s found dead just hours later, brutally beaten, her neck broken, blood trickling from her nose, partially clothed, on the floor of Joran Van Der Sloot`s own hotel room.
What does he do? He runs, crossing the border to Chile, his appearance totally altered to elude police. After a massive manhunt, Van Der Sloot captured. Chile kicks him out of the country and back to Peru, so reviled, Van Der Sloot has to be strapped in a bulletproof vest.
Bombshell tonight. Police confirm the murder weapon, as we obtain spine-chilling surveillance video of Van Der Sloot with 21-year-old Stephany Tatiana Flores just before she ends up dead, partially clothed, blood dried, bruised, her neck broken, on the floor of Van Der Sloot`s hotel room. We also obtain video and photos of the judge`s son as police comb through his backpack and Van Der Sloot getting a police physical, police obviously looking for cuts and bruises sustained when 21-year-old Stephany Tatiana tried to save her own life.
We learn investigators discover bloody clothes Van Der Sloot still has on him! He still had the bloody clothes with him on the run three days later! This as U.S. feds bust Van Der Sloot on a quarter-million-dollar- scam he tried in exchange for him naming the location of Natalee`s body. And what does the Dutch embassy have to say in all this? That they don`t like the way Van Der Sloot`s portrayed in the U.S. media. Well, guess what? We don`t like the way they did nothing to find Natalee Holloway!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you kill Stephany?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Caught on tape...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police released this hotel surveillance video.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... new surveillance video...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s Van Der Sloot and Flores together, going to his room.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the last time she was seen alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... links Joran Van Der Sloot to a young woman murdered in Peru.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There they go. Three hours later, he leaves alone with luggage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He beat her up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... multiple stab wounds...
GRACE: ... beaten, bruised, stabbed...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Joran Van Der Sloot will remain in a Peruvian jail for at least another week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The extension will enable Peruvian authorities to gather more evidence...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he`s a psycho.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s the only suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... murder...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Surely, this is not happening again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... very tense, very chaotic situation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has to pay for his actions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): How do you know she`s dead, Joran?
JORAN VAN DER SLOOT (through translator): I just know.
BETH TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY`S MOTHER: It`s just despicable what he has done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want this person to not hurt another family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight. Police confirm the murder weapon, as we obtain spine-chilling surveillance video of judge`s son Joran Van Der Sloot with 21-year-old Stephany Tatiana Flores just before she ends up dead, partially clothed, the blood dried on her body, bruised, her neck broken, there on the floor of Van Der Sloot`s hotel room.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police have released new surveillance video...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... video showing Van Der Sloot and the victim, Stephany Flores, entering a Lima hotel on May 30th at 5:16 in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She didn`t even have an eye.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Van Der Sloot leaves alone more than three hours later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was unrecognizable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police say Stephany Flores may have been beaten with a tennis racquet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He leaves the hotel by himself, carrying a backpack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police say he told a hotel worker, Don`t bother my girl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t bother my girl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The trail of evidence linking Joran Van Der Sloot was growing this morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A judge will keep Joran Van Der Sloot in jail for yet another week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... incriminating evidence, bloody clothes he was carrying with him when he was caught in Chile.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her face, her body -- you can`t recognize her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From a scientific standpoint, it will point to him absolutely conclusively.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s not going to get away with any kind of defense now. He`s really cooked on this one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justice will come.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want justice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want justice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She sacrifice her life to put this killer in jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Straight out to Jean Casarez, legal correspondent, "In Session." She is joining us live, Lima, Peru. Jean, break it down. What`s the latest?
JEAN CASAREZ, "IN SESSION": Well, the latest, Nancy, is the criminal investigation continues. Joran Van Der Sloot is in a single holding cell in the building right behind me. Now, as this criminal investigation goes forward, one of the most important investigative tools and reports was leaked today to a local television station here in Lima. We were able to get a copy of it. And it diagrams step by step by step how the body was found and what the body`s condition was.
GRACE: Everybody, I`ve got in my hand the police report that Jean Casarez is talking about. Not only is she there on the scene in Lima, fluent in Spanish -- Jean, you have translated the police report and everything else that you`ve learned. What did we learn?
CASAREZ: Well, what our producers also working on this have learned is that at 11:00 o`clock at night on Tuesday, last Tuesday, a phone call came in from the Atlantic casino. That phone call was a woman who wanted to be connected to Joran Van Der Sloot`s room. There was no answer. That led to the front desk clerk looking through the records, realizing he hadn`t paid his room rent in two days. She went to the room. She knocked on the room. She heard a television inside, but nobody came to the door.
After that, she went to her supervisor. The supervisor said, Get the spare key. Go in the room. He hasn`t paid his rent. She went in the room. She saw lights on all over. The television was on. She saw the mattress on the bed was totally off its box springs. The sheets were off the bed.
And then she looked on the floor and she saw a body. She saw long hair on the body, and she saw the knees were up and to the left. She saw blood coming out of the nose. She saw bruising all over, from the bottom of the feet to scrapes on the chin to an open wound on a middle finger on the right hand. That was the body of Stephany Flores.
And she left, called 911, police arrived, and that is how police saw the condition of that room. And there`s so much more, Nancy, than I`ve already told you. But they saw that room and the condition of Ms. Flores.
GRACE: Let`s go through what we know so far about the autopsy report. If you don`t mind, Dana (ph), let`s put up our autopsy body, what we know about Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramirez`s injuries. We see -- at the top -- let`s take it from head to toe -- dark red bruising on the face. That would be her left cheek, just beside the nose. Scratches along the chin. Broken neck. Scratches on the chin -- that`s extremely interesting to me. That says to me that she was thrown to the floor and that she was scratched, possibly by carpet. Also, it could reveal that she was grabbed around the neck and that she was scratching at Joran Van Der Sloot`s hands and scratched her own neck. It could also be Van Der Sloot`s fingers on her chin as he grabs her neck.
Let`s go down the body. Broken neck, blunt trauma to the torso. And as you see in this figure, that blunt trauma goes from just below the shoulders all the way down to the navel. Dark red bruising on the inside of her right elbow, the inside. What is that? Guarantee you that will end up to be thumbprints of her attacker grabbing her like this by the arms with such force, it leaves bruising on the inside of the elbow.
Put that diagram back up, please, Dana. As you can see, on her right arm, a circle on the dark red bruising. On the finger, her right index finger it looks like to me -- no, forefinger -- there is an open wound, likely sustained during a struggle. What does this say? This says she was fighting.
What does that mean to me? That means that when you prosecute this case, there should be DNA fibers, hair from him on her body and vice versa, unless he took a shower.
Jean Casarez, isn`t it true that when he leaves his hotel room -- let`s see the video, Dana. As he leaves his hotel room on this security surveillance that we have obtained -- leaving his hotel room -- we`re taking it right here of them going into the hotel. Look at what he`s got on. Look at what she`s got on, all right? When he leaves his hotel room, he has on a completely different outfit.
There they are. They`re going into his hotel room. She`s following along meekly behind him. Remember, they just met that night. He has watched her win, win, win at the tables.
And there he is. He`s emerging in a different outfit. Jean Casarez, very possibly, he took a shower and changed clothes. That gets rid of forensic evidence.
Back to the autopsy photo. As you see, on her knees, both knees, dark red bruising. She was thrown to her knees. Multiple green bruises on her feet.
Back to you, Jean Casarez. Tell me, where`s he being held right now? What are the conditions? Is he in general population?
CASAREZ: All right. This is the building he`s being held in right behind me. This is the criminal investigative building of the Peru national police. He is in a holding cell. He`s in a holding cell in this facility because the criminal investigation is continuing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Peruvian police released the hotel surveillance video that shows Joran Van Der Sloot and Stephany Flores entering on Sunday, May 30th, at 5:20 in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this going to seal the case?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is absolutely brutal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is somebody who has a lot of rage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This guy is a psychopath.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police say he told a hotel worker, quote, "Don`t bother my girl."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police released this hotel surveillance video.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the last time she was seen alive...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s Van Der Sloot and Flores together, going to his room.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police say they think Stephany Flores was beaten with a tennis racquet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her face was bashed in. Her neck was broken. Her body was bruised from head to toe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need justice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... justice...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justice will come. It may take a long time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A judge in Peru will keep Joran Van Der Sloot in jail for another week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... so that they have time to gather more evidence and build a stronger case against the Dutchman.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he`s a psycho, a murderer, and he has to pay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there capital punishment in Peru?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, there`s no capital punishment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s a very, very dangerous man.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will justice finally prevail?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prosecutors will seek the maximum sentence for the suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He will pay for what he has done.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... for our family, for Natalee`s family, too...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls live, including Jean Casarez and Rafael Romo, standing by with us live there in Lima, Peru. Out to you, Rafael. Thank you for being with us. Rafael, is it true that when police apprehend Joran Van Der Sloot about 2,500 miles away from the dead body, on the run, he still is carrying bloody clothes with him?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: That`s correct, Nancy. You were mentioning before that he changed clothes and he appears with a different set of clothes when he`s leaving a hotel. Well, he was carrying a different set of clothes that had traces of blood in one of the bags that he was carrying. So that`s become part of the evidence that police here in Lima are going to take a look at, a very important piece of information. And the reason why prosecutors requested more time is because they want to go through that evidence. They want to gather as much forensic evidence as they can to build a very strong case, Nancy.
GRACE: Rafael, we had a little bit of interference. What did you say about the bloody clothes Van Der Sloot had with him when he was arrested?
ROMO: Those may have been the clothes that he changed after he left the hotel. Remember, you were mentioning before that once he goes out, he`s wearing a different set of clothes. Well, those clothes were found in the bag, and those clothes had traces of blood. And prosecutors are going to take a look at that. They`re going to use that forensic evidence to build a stronger case, Nancy.
GRACE: Back to Jean Casarez, joining us there in Lima, Peru. She is standing out in front of the jail where Joran Van Der Sloot is being held. Jean Casarez, what do we know about the murder weapon?
CASAREZ: Well, what we`re hearing now, that it is a type of a bat instrument. But in fact, in English, we call it a tennis racquet, that it is a tennis racquet that was found in the room along with tennis shoes that were found in the room. But as far as clothes, you know the surveillance video showing him going into the room with Stephany? That white shirt, according to this investigative report that we got our hands on, was on the floor, partially covering her body.
GRACE: Jean Casarez is standing there in front of the jail. You see behind her? That is where Van Der Sloot is being held. Jean, what more can you tell me about her body? Is it true that Stephany Tatiana was partially clothed?
CASAREZ: Yes, this is brand-new information. When I initially read this report that we were able to get today, I was shocked by this because, initially, I believe her father had said that there was no sign of sexual assault at all. But the report cites something possibly vastly different. She was clothed from her top torso to her waist with the T-shirt you see her walking in on, but her lower torso did not have her jeans on anymore. She solely had her panties on. And that is very, very significant to this entire case.
GRACE: Everyone, we are taking your calls live, but as we go to break -- when we come back, we`ll be back live in Lima, Peru. Tonight, help us. The search for a 7-year-older Oregon boy vanishing from his elementary school, Portland, Kyron Horman last seen Friday morning by his stepmother walking down a school hallway to his classroom, the 2nd grader vanishing into thin air. How did it happen? School staff hasn`t seen him since the 7-year-old did not return home on the school bus, little Kyron wearing a "CSI" shirt and dark cargo pants. Look. If you have any information, call Multnomah County sheriff, 503-261-2847.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police did release hotel surveillance video. This is Van Der Sloot and Flores going into his hotel room.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought my sister was kidnapped. And then when we went to the casino and saw the surveillance video, I saw my sister walking out of the casino with this guy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): This killer is going to pay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You see him go in...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three hours later...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... and he goes out...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... alone with luggage...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Joining us right now, a very special guest out of Miami, Rafael Vertiz. This is a family member, a relative, of murder victim Stephany Tatiana Flores Ramirez. Rafael Vertiz, thank you for being with us.
RAFAEL VERTIZ, STEPHANY`S COUSIN: Thank you.
GRACE: Sir, what do you make of the arrest of judge`s son Joran Van Der Sloot?
VERTIZ: I just hope that we get him this time and that he pays for what he`s done. Hoping he gets a fair trial, but all the evidence say that he did it, so he`ll pay for it this time.
GRACE: To what evidence, Rafael, are you referring?
VERTIZ: Basically, what we -- what everybody knows, you know, the video and probably be some physical evidence. I`m not sure. I haven`t been able to speak to my family about the specific details of what happened.
GRACE: About the evidence.
VERTIZ: Yes, that`s not something...
GRACE: Rafael Vertiz, I know that -- I know that your mother is there now in Peru. How is Stephany`s family?
VERTIZ: Yes. They`re -- you can imagine they`re very saddened by this. They`re all together, the five sisters, and they`re staying together and they`re trying to support each other as much as they can. But...
GRACE: What can you tell us about your cousin, Stephany?
VERTIZ: She was one of the younger cousins. She was 21. She was full of life, bright future, very smart. Nice girl.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Joran Van Der Sloot in jail for another week.
JEAN CASAREZ, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": A gruesome homicide case.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: A young woman was found dead in his hotel room.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Beaten to death.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And the trail of evidence is growing.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Police say they think Stephany Flores was beaten with a tennis racket.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Blunt force trauma to head, neck and torso.
ROBERTS: Police have released new surveillance video --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: That shows him walking past the front desk. Picking up his key, going into the room with Stephany Flores.
CASAREZ: There was a computer, business cards, possessions that he had within his control.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: He was arrested and released twice in connection with the Natalee Holloway disappearance in Aruba.
CHETRY: A criminal attorney tells CNN prosecutors will seek the maximum sentence for Van Der Sloot if he`s convicted.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Police say they have several pieces of evidence.
CASAREZ: Did you see he and Stephany Flores walking into what is believed to be his room?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Three hours later, he leaves alone.
CASAREZ: We have gotten a hold of an investigative police report describing the first few hours before the body was discovered. The hotel front desk attendant looked to her right and she saw a body. She was severely bruised all over.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Stephany Flores was not fully clothed. The receptionist found her in that disheveled hotel room with signs of violence every where.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Out to the lines, to Michelle in Indiana. Hi, Michelle.
MICHELLE, CALLER FROM INDIANA: Nancy, I can`t believe I`m finally talking to you.
GRACE: Thank you for calling in, dear. What`s your question?
MICHELLE: OK, how -- what`s the difference between the Peruvian justice system and the Aruban justice system? And can they actually tie Natalee Holloway into this case somehow?
GRACE: Good question.
To you, Jean Casarez, explain the Peruvian justice system to us.
CASAREZ: Well, the Peruvian justice system involved a judge. Once formal charges are filed -- we don`t have formal charges yet. Once the investigation is finished, formal charges are filed. He will go before one judge and that`s when the legal case will begin.
The culmination will be a three-judge panel. The trial could take 22 to 36 months. If he pleads guilty it will probably be about a six-month procedure. But it`s 15 to 35 years for murder here in Peru.
At the conclusion of that the United States could extradite him to the U.S. for that federal complaint filed last week.
GRACE: So, Jean, they don`t have a jury of their peers, correct?
CASAREZ: That is what I understand. It is a three-judge panel. And it is a good thing they don`t, Nancy, because when I was coming in last night and I talked to the taxi driver, I was asking about Joran Van Der Sloot, and he said, oh, a criminal, a criminal. He has a lot of opinions from the people of Peru.
GRACE: Yes, it`s a whole different ball game this time, everybody, because this isn`t the judge`s son there in daddy`s hometown. This is, as the papers in Peru refer to him as, the Dutchman or the foreigner who killed a local girl.
Unleash the lawyers. Joining me tonight, a very special guest, Michael Griffith. He is an international law attorney, criminal defense attorney. He`s handled cases all over the globe, including -- Michael, weren`t you involved in the case that later became the movie "Midnight Express"?
MICHAEL GRIFFITH, INTERNATIONAL LAW ATTORNEY, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: That was my first case as a young lawyer, Nancy.
GRACE: Straight out of the chute. Anne Bremner, high-profile attorney out of Seattle and Doug Burns, former fed turned defense attorney.
Welcome to all three of you. First to you, Griffith, what`s he up against in Peru?
GRIFFITH: Nancy, I`ve had a couple of cases down there and I will tell you I`ve been --
GRACE: I just bet you have, Michael Griffith.
GRIFFITH: I have been in prisons, Nancy, in over two dozen countries, Lurigancho prison where he`s going to be sentenced, in my estimation is the worst prison I have ever been in. It`s entering the gates of hell.
GRACE: It`s Lulu Grancho, correct?
GRIFFITH: No. It`s called Lurigancho.
GRACE: OK. Lurigancho. In fact, the area where the casino was -- where he was staying, I`ve been there. It`s called Mira Flores. It`s a very tony resort area like Southampton, Long Island where my office is.
And the -- it`s the only about 10 minutes outside of Lima when he is convicted, and it`s going to be after a three-judge panel. When he goes into this prison, if he is convicted of 15 to 35 years, he is eligible for parole after approximately one-third to one half.
But this prison, Nancy, is inhabited by the Sendoro Luminosa, or the Shining Path Guerillas. But when I went to see a client there --
GRACE: Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Back it up. What did you just say?
GRIFFITH: There is a dormitory there occupied by the Shining Path Guerilla group, 124 of them were killed in one day a number of years ago in an uprising. In this prison, there are 600 prisoners to a dormitory.
The dormitory is composed of three different floors. There are approximately 35 prisoners to a room, 25 by 15. The toilet is a hole in the floor. The prisoners get a shower once a week for 15 minutes for 600 prisoners.
In this prison, when I was visiting a client there, a prisoner was stabbed 10 feet from me. The food there is totally inedible. The only way you can survive by the food, unless you are a local, is to have food brought in, be paid by women who are -- or friends of people that you know. I would --
GRACE: Let me ask you this, Michael Griffith.
GRIFFITH: Yes.
GRACE: What about the British Pavilion? It`s a special branch of Lurigancho prison where it`s not as overcrowded?
GRIFFITH: No, it`s not the British Pavilion. I`ve been in that pavilion. It`s called the tourist pavilion and in that pavilion it`s the same standards as the others. Six --
GRACE: Good -- good to know.
GRIFFITH: Yes. And I`m telling you, I`m telling you that if someone wanted to get to this man -- if a family member, these people have nothing. For $50, they will be standing in line to cut this man`s throat. This man`s got a terrible -- he`s entering the gifts to hell, Nancy.
GRACE: OK. I hope all three of you lawyers can see the video. Wait, Dana, take the lawyer and me down. I want to see the video. Look -- catch that face right there. Walking out of the room. Looking up. He kind of look like a possum blinded in the car light.
Let`s take it from the beginning. Lawyers, I want you to see this. Here he is leaving. He apparently is taking his -- he`s cleaned out his hotel room. He`s leaving nothing behind, except of course a tennis racquet. And here he is coming in. Notice this is what he`s been wearing all evening at the casino.
Right behind him is Stephany Tatiana. She`s following right along behind him. No words exchanged between them as they are walking along. Next thing you know they pop up inside the hall, the hall on which his room is located. There you go. Straight in.
Now, lights on, door shut. Now they can tell us exactly how much time passes before this.
GRIFFITH: Right.
GRACE: Walks out. Leaves the lights on. Makes sure the door locked. Walks away. Here he is leaving, as cool as a cucumber. And right there he says something like -- right before he comes through there, "Don`t bother my girl." The girl up in the room. The dead girl up in the room.
OK, Anne Bremner, if you`re the defense attorney, what do you do with all this?
ANNE BREMNER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I -- you know it`s like he wanted to get caught again, Nancy, after Aruba. And the fact is they`ve got to wait for the forensics, but you don`t do anything right now until you figure out what all the facts are.
But this -- I mean, right now it`s such a circumstantial case, it is open and shut from what you`ve just shown there. So there`s got to be something else. We had a steady drumbeat of media on the case in Aruba for years until Katrina took it off the air, and he walked.
The question is, what did he do here? Did he go crazy and decided to do this so someone would catch him, on the anniversary to the day of Natalee Holloway`s disappearance? There is more to be seen, there`s more forensics, he is going to the gates of hell.
GRACE: I don`t know what forensics are really necessary when you`ve got all this evidence.
BREMNER: No, I --
GRACE: But I do believe --
BREMNER: But Nancy --
GRACE: -- that there will be forensic s. What about it, Doug Burns? I think Anne is right about that. There will be forensics in a scene as bloody as this.
DOUG BURNS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I mean, you said it earlier and you`re right. You talk about hair fibers, blood evidence, fingernail scrapings. That is what is going to prove the case.
The fact, honestly, and don`t get angry at me, that he went into a room, then came out of the room doesn`t technically proved that he killed her. Somebody else could have killed her, but the forensics will seal his fate if they come out the way I expect they will.
GRACE: Very quickly, back to Rafael Romo. What can you tell me about him leaving the room about 90 minutes before he leaves for good to get two coffees and bread across the street?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SR. LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: That`s right. Once they analyze the timeframe there, there`s all kinds of possibilities, Nancy, when did the killing took place. Authorities need to determine if it happened on Sunday or later in the day.
That`s really going to depend on the forensic evidence that prosecutors are -- and the police here in Peru are taking a look at. They have forensic evidence that they are analyzing right now as we speak and they want to build a case as fast as they can.
But they say they needed seven more days. That`s the reason why they asked the judge to give them more time over the weekend.
GRACE: Everybody, as we go to break we`d sure like to know about that coffee order. Did he kill her and just those 90 minutes remaining with the coffee order, two of the same? Was it different to suggest she was going to have the coffee? Or they`re both black to wake him up to hit the road.
As we go to break, a miracle. Good news. Our show`s executive producer, Dean Sicoli, and his beautiful wife, Karin, welcome their newest little crime fighter, a baby boy. He`s got two older brothers to look up to, Luke and Will.
Hey, people, we are waiting on a name. Can you call into the show and tell us the name, Dean?
Karin, I know you are a little busy right now. Congratulations and love, love, love to baby Sicoli.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Police have released new surveillance video.
ROMO: 5:16 in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Van Der Sloot and Flores going into his hotel room. Joran Van Der Sloot --
GRACE: Chief suspect.
ROBERTS: The last time that she would ever be seen alive.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Three hours later --
ROMO: Van Der Sloot --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: He leaves alone.
GRACE: What was he doing in Peru?
ROMO: In Lima to play in an international poker tournament.
GRACE: Why doesn`t he have a job? Why isn`t he in school?
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: He told the hotel worker, "Don`t bother my girl".
ROMO: Speaks fluent Spanish.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Police say they think Stephany Flores was beaten with tennis racket.
ROMO: He met the victim, Stephany Flores, at the gambling casino where the tournament was being held.
GRACE: Alleged two-time killer.
ROMO: The family of Stephany Flores say all they want is justice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just brings back the memories that we have dealt with for the last five years of knowing that he was twice arrested and then released. And it is some comfort knowing that he is now arrested and it looks like, based on the information that we have received in news, that he doesn`t have an alibi.
There`s not an out this time. Base on the video camera, that doesn`t lie.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Back to Jean Casarez. What can you tell me about the coffee order? Was she alive? In this last 90 minutes, Jean, he goes out for coffee.
CASAREZ: You know, Nancy, you taught me long ago, the devil is in the details, and if you look at that investigative report, here`s what it said. It said that there is Coca-Cola bottle in the room that has a little bit of Coca-Cola left. There is a Coca-Cola Light bottle in the room that doesn`t have any left.
Significance? Looks like two people, right?
GRACE: Yes.
CASAREZ: They drink different things it says, quote, "coffee cup with coffee residue." Singular.
GRACE: And also what can you tell me, Jean, about the cigarettes, five cigarettes smoked, butts -- five of them in an ashtray on a night stand beside the bed?
CASAREZ: That`s right. Five cigarette butts in an ashtray near the bed. I think we can understand that we heard he was smoking as he was driving in that taxi, but here`s what I can`t figure out.
There is, in the report, a white leather purse that says "Flower Power, Peace and Love." A woman`s white leather purse. I think it`s small, is how it describes it. But when you watch that video where she`s walking into that room, I don`t see her carrying a purse.
I don`t see a pocket where or a coat that a purse could be put in. Now we don`t know if it`s her purse, but it`s still a question.
GRACE: To Pat Brown, criminal profiler. Weigh in, Pat.
PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER, AUTHOR OF "KILLING FOR SPORT": Well, Nancy, I think this whole information about her body and how it was found is fascinating to me. I think this proves very well that this was an attempted rape, because she is only missing her pants.
If it had gone further, we`d you see a little bit more. I think that you were right earlier on when you said he was grappling with her and had his arm around her neck and on around her chin.
I think that is correct. I think he pulled her pants off, she was fighting like crazy. He grabbed her on the chin. I believe he broke her neck. And you can see with the bruising on her feet, I bet she was kicking like crazy, trying to get away from that man. A horrible, brutal crime. And I think all of this forensics is going to prove exactly what happened.
GRACE: To Dr. Lillian Glass, psychologist, what do you make of it, Lillian?
LILLIAN GLASS, PSYCHOLOGIST, BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT, AUTHOR OF "TOXIC PEOPLE": Well, the body language is very, very telling, when she goes into the room with him. Her head is down. And he walks ahead of her. It shows that he has no respect for her whatsoever.
And also what`s really annoying is that smile, that smirk that he gives. Does he know what he is going to do ahead of time? Possibly.
GRACE: To Dr. Michael Arnall, board certified forensic pathologist joining us out of Denver.
Dr. Arnall, you`re just who we need. What do you make of the broken neck? How hard is it for one human to break the neck -- snap the neck of another person?
DR. MICHAEL ARNALL, BOARD CERTIFIED FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: I think that`s extraordinarily difficult and suggests significant blunt force to that area.
GRACE: Explain.
ARNALL: Well, particularly if it`s been hit with the tennis racket, I can see the tennis racquet causing a laceration in the scalp, maybe even a skull fracture. To actually break that neck, that would take some force in the range of motor vehicle accident, something of that nature.
Just a broken neck with that type of blunt trauma, unless a person is a trained military personnel, that`s a lot more difficult than you would think.
GRACE: I`m just trying to understand and comprehend. I`ve never had a homicide, Doctor, that involved a broken neck. How he must have done it.
To Lou Palumbo, former Nassau County Police investigator, now private investigator. Lou, have you ever had a case, a homicide case, where the neck was forcibly broken by the perp?
LOU PALUMBO, FORMER NASSAU COUNTY POLICE INVESTIGATOR, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: No, actually I haven`t, Nancy, but -- and I don`t want to contradict or disagree with this gentleman, but if you look at Mr. Van Der Sloot, he is a rather large individual, and if you look at this young lady, she is rather demure.
All you`ve got to do is check them on tape. But to speak to one very relevant part of this case and it deals with the timeline. The cameras clearly indicate him entering the room at a specific time. Clearly indicate him leaving the room at a specific time.
They -- well, hopefully, if they`re up to task be able to determine the time of her death, and if that falls within that timeframe, it should be it.
GRACE: And tonight, the Dutch embassy is angry about how Van Der Sloot has been portrayed in the media.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Police in Peru built their case against Joran Van Der Sloot.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Top story right now.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Hotel security camera footage showing him entering the room and you`ll see Stephany Flores right behind him.
CASAREZ: Glaring television and radio sound coming from the room.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: We get a glimpse of the last hours of the woman he`s accused of killing.
CASAREZ: A body on a floor.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The last day, the last moments she was seen alive.
CASAREZ: She thought it was Joran and then she thought it had long hair and she realized it was a female, called police, and that`s when police discovered the body of Stephany Flores.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: So, bottom line, what does Aruba have to say about all of this? Well, the Dutch embassy is angry about how Joran Van Der Sloot, the judge`s son, has been portrayed by the American media.
I would be beeped if I said what I really thought about that, so to you, Rupa Mikkilineni, they claim they`re launching another search for Natalee in Aruba?
RUPA MIKKILINENI, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: That`s right, Nancy. Our sources in Aruba are saying that the two bodies of water that were in question before that you may recall the police did not properly search, in particular, the pond where Joran was seen that night, is being searched and the swampland is going to be searched.
GRACE: Well, it`s about time. They`re a day late and a dollar short, as usual.
Back to you, Jean Casarez. Standing there in front of the jail house where Joran Van Der Sloot is currently housed. What next? And what can you tell me, Jane, quickly before we sign off, about the search of Joran Van Der Sloot`s body?
CASAREZ: Well, that is taking place, if it is, in the cell. Not a lot of information is being released about a search of his body. There was a computer on him when he went into -- interjected with them at the border, so that computer is forensically being searched.
But I -- as you can see from everything we discussed tonight, this criminal investigation is massive. It really is. And that is why a judge is allowing this week for it to be completed before those formal charges, and we don`t know all of them yet, will be filed.
GRACE: Everyone, you are seeing a physical search of Joran Van Der Sloot`s body right now. These are images that we have obtained immediately after his arrest.
Let`s stop and remember. Army Sergeant Gregory Wahl, 30, South (INAUDIBLE), North Carolina, killed Iraq. Awarded Bronze Star, Iraq Campaign medical, loved camping, hiking, fishing with family.
Leaves behind grieving parents, Janice and Leonard, brothers, Joseph and Evan, widow, Marcela, daughter Alexa.
Gregory Wahl, American hero.
Thanks to our guests, but our biggest thank you is to you for being with us tonight. God be with the families of Stephany Tatiana and Natalee Holloway. And our love across the airwaves to Dean Sicoli, Karin, Luke, Will, and baby Sicoli.
I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern, and until then, good night, friend.
END
