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Jane Velez-Mitchell

Did Police Chief`s Daughter O.D.?; Mega Church Pastor Accused of Sexual Abuse

Aired September 22, 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, shocking new twists and turns in the mysterious death of a North Carolina police chief`s daughter. The convicted sex offender wanted for preschool teacher Valerie Hamilton`s murder now claims she died of a drug overdose. A medical examiner found no signs of trauma, and cops have admitted finding evidence of drug use. So could this ex-con and alleged heroin junkie actually be let off the hook?

Also, three men claim a mega church pastor used his power to force them into having sex, sexual relationships. TV personality Eddie Long denies the charges. Is there a church cover-up? We will go deep inside the appalling allegations of sex and corruption.

Plus, a married Wisconsin D.A. under fire for sending a slew of racy - - and I mean raunchy -- text messages to three women. He`s admitted to sending 30 scandalous texts to one victim while prosecuting her ex- boyfriend for a beating. Now the third woman to come forward is bringing even more shocking charges against this dirty D.A. You will not believe what victim No. 3 is saying about this sick, pathetic prosecutor. You`re going to hear from her tonight.

Also, has the unsolved murder of Paula Sladewski gone cold? The "Playboy" model went missing in Miami. Hours later, her body was found burning in a Dumpster. It`s been nearly nine months since she was brutally murdered, so when will Paula`s heartbroken family get answers? I will talk one on one with her outraged sister.

ISSUES starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, stunning allegations from the convicted sex offender accused in the murder of a police chief`s daughter. Murder suspect Michael Harvey now says, hey, it wasn`t murder at all. He claims 23-year-old Valerie Hamilton overdosed on drugs in her sleep. And that he got scared and dumped the body.

Tonight cops confirmed evidence of drug use. So what happens now? Could this suspect be off the hook?

This beautiful preschool teacher, also a swim instructor, disappeared one week ago after a birthday party at a Charlotte, North Carolina, bar. Her body was found stuffed inside a storage locker four days later. Cops now know Valerie Hamilton left the bar on her own free will with this suspect. In fact, she called a friend and at about 3 in the morning, inviting that friend to go hot-tubbing with her and her new "friend," now believed to be the suspect, Harvey.

This convicted rapist is charged with Valerie`s murder. But listen to what he told reporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael, did you kill her? Just trying to get your side, buddy.

MICHAEL HARVEY, ACCUSED OF MURDER: She O.D.`d in her sleep. You want to hear that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep walking.

HARVEY: She overdosed in her sleep. This is not a murder. This is not a murder. There`s no murder at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you give her -- what did you give her?

HARVEY: I didn`t give her anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Cops admit there was no physical trauma to Valerie`s body. And that they found evidence of drug use. But if drug use was involved, how do we know she wasn`t drugged by the suspect? He is a known drug user. This investigation just got a whole lot more complicated.

Straight out to my fantastic expert panel. But first to renowned investigative reporter Michelle Sigona.

Michelle, what is the very latest?

MICHELLE SIGONA, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, Jane, as you mentioned that the preliminary autopsy results are back. And although there`s no traditional signs of physical -- physical evidence, such as gunshots, stab wounds, strangulation, things of that nature, that the toxicology reports and also the sexual assault kit has not been returned yet. So depending on what comes out of that, I`m sure that investigators will have a better idea as to where they will take this particular investigation. That`s the first thing.

And then, as you mentioned, Michael Harvey said that he is innocent, that he did not have anything to do with her murder and that she did O.D. in her sleep. And they may have taken, possibly, black tar heroin together.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. That`s what I want to get to right now. TV station WBTV, with an astounding new report that Michael Harvey claimed he and the police chief`s daughter, Valerie Hamilton, did black tar heroin the night she died.

Now, cops say witnesses told them that Valerie needed medical help but nobody called 911. Once again, here`s what Michael Harvey blurted out to reporters during his perp walk after his court appearance. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael, did you kill her? Just trying to get your side, buddy.

MICHAEL HARVEY, ACCUSED OF MURDER: She O.D.`d in her sleep. You want to hear that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep walking.

HARVEY: She overdosed in her sleep. This is not a murder. This is not a murder. There`s no murder at all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you give her -- what did you give her?

HARVEY: I didn`t give her anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Harvey has a history of heroin abuse. He was arrested in a house littered with needles and evidence of heroin. And cops say Harvey was actually high on heroin when he was caught.

Stacey Honowitz, Florida prosecutor, how difficult is it going to be to prosecute this as a murder case if Valerie, in fact, did die of a drug overdose?

STACEY HONOWITZ, FLORIDA PROSECUTOR: You`re going to have a very difficult time with it, Jane. Especially if there`s no evidence of any kind of trauma to her body, physical trauma.

Now I know Michelle talked about sexual assault coming back. Even if it comes back that she had sex that night, you`ll never be able to prove whether or not it was consensual sex, because she`s not here.

Also, murder charge, you know, there`s got to be some kind of nexus. If there`s no physical evidence tying him to her in any kind of way, you will have a difficult time.

On the other hand, there will be an investigation to figure out if, in fact, she never did drugs before, if he`s the one that supplied her with the drugs. That`s a whole different ball of wax. So I`m sure they`re going in many different directions now.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me ask you about that. What about a lesser charge? If not murder, something like involuntary manslaughter. We all remember the Michael Jackson case where the doctor, who had given him Propofol, ends up being charged. What about that, Stacey?

HONOWITZ: Well, in this case, you`re going to have more of a difficult situation, Jane. Because we don`t know, quite frankly, what kind of drugs she was into. If in fact, she was a severe substance abuser, it`s going to be very hard to prove that he`s the one that forced her or gave her those drugs.

So they are really up against the wall. We`re going to have to wait to see. The investigation is so preliminary right now. All we know from this so far is that we don`t have the traditional trauma that you want to see in a homicide case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But I`ve got to say this. Any allegations of drug use do not jive with what friends are saying about this victim, Valerie Hamilton. They describe her as a very good person who worked with children and was actually training for a triathlon.

Here is her dad, the police chief, on "GMA" right after his daughter`s body was found.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POLICE CHIEF MERL HAMILTON, VICTIM`S FATHER: I hope the other young ladies out there, that they`ll remember the lessons they were taught as youngsters about being safe. It carries into when you`re in your 20s, ladies. Make sure these men treat you with respect and be safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Valerie Hamilton wasn`t just hanging out at a bar the night she was killed. She was there for a good reason: celebrating a friend`s birthday party. That friend told ABC she remembered Valerie talking to a man but didn`t notice anything unusual. Valerie was, quote, "never did drugs and was not drunk" and was not a, quote, "party animal."

So Pat Brown, you`re the criminal profiler. That doesn`t sound to me like a girl who`s going to go off with some stranger and do black tar heroin.

PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: Well, it doesn`t sound that way, Jane, but the fact is, they do say that she left with him of her own accord. So that`s one of the questions they`re going to really have to look at. Was there anything going on that she was roofied of any sort when she left the bar.

Also when she made the phone call later on. How did she sound when she did that?

Unfortunately, we have heard circumstances where before, creeps like this take somebody home with them. They`re drinking; they`re drugging; and they do indeed wake up and find the dead body in bed with them.

But what they -- instead of calling 911, they freak because they know the police are going to nail them for something. So they get rid of the body, which then, of course, delays even more evidence, you know, that we could have found out earlier. So they`re going to really have to do a lot of victimology in this, to see what truly was in her life prior to this moment and what her body holds in the mouth (ph).

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, here`s my big issue tonight. This is salt in the wound. All these new allegations, salt in the wound for Valerie Hamilton`s devastated family. Her father is the local police chief and talked about their favorite song at a very emotional vigil held a couple of days ago.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC: "TIME AFTER TIME")

HAMILTON: That was our song. I look to my daughter in heaven time after time, baby, time after time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That poor man. Valerie`s family devastated over her sudden death. Now her dad, who`s a police chief, has to endure allegations that his daughter used drugs on the night she died. And she`s not here to defend herself.

Dr. Dale Archer, is this all going to come down to the toxicology report?

DR. DALE ARCHER, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, I think that`s going to be important. But there are a couple of things to think about.

No. 1, did she have needle marks elsewhere on her body, i.e., was she a user? If there`s only one needle mark from one injection of heroin, then we have to assume this is the first time she did it. This guy is a heroin addict. He could be responsible.

No. 2, in terms of the medical side, there is a drug called Narcan that, if you give a heroin overdose, can wake the person up immediately. It`s like they`re not even on a drug. So if she was in a coma, and people are saying, look, you`ve got to get her help, and he didn`t do it, I would think he would be complicit in that, as well.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s right. Because witnesses have reportedly said that they saw her, and she needed medical attention. And that they told the person they believe to be a suspect "Call a doctor," and he did not.

So five seconds, Stacey Honowitz.

HONOWITZ: That certainly is a spin. I mean, certainly he could be charged for failing to get her medical help. So again, Jane, it`s early in the investigation. We`re going to have to see what all the witnesses say.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got to leave it right there.

Three women accuse a Wisconsin D.A. of sexting. This story is going to shock you.

And just hours ago, a third man comes forward in another church sex scandal, bringing appalling allegations, unbelievable allegations against a world-famous mega church pastor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

B.J. BERNSTEIN, PLAINTIFF`S ATTORNEY: And I said, you are going to be crucified for what you`re saying. There are people who love this man. Just like any other abuse victim. And they just said, "We have to do it." And they know there are others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNSTEIN: On that trip, he accompanied the bishop everywhere the bishop went, including sharing a bed in the same hotel room on that trip and many others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, explosive sexual allegations against the pastor of a mega church. Three young men now suing Bishop Eddie Long of Atlanta`s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. He is a millionaire televangelist with a long history of condemning homosexuality. But tonight his male accusers claim he used his power and influence to sexually abuse them.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNSTEIN: The allegations are that sexual things started to happen at the ages of 17 and 18 years old. The age of consent in Georgia is 16 years old. So this is not an offense of child molestation under Georgia law. But it`s absolutely pastoral church abuse of two young parishioners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That was the lawyer for Long`s accusers. They say the bishop showered them with gifts, cars, lavish trips, even paid college tuition. Now, the bishop vehemently denies the accusations. Here is the Reverend Long`s spokesman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTHONY FRANKLIN, SPOKESMAN FOR BISHOP: This is actually a case of retaliation and a shakedown for money by men with some serious credibility issues who are trying to mount their own defense. This is something that went from 48 hours with contact with the attorney to outrageous demands to the dog-and-pony show that we began seeing yesterday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here we go again, yet another trusted and powerful religious leader accused of sexual abuse. Can the allegations be proved? And will more alleged victims come forward?

Straight out to my fantastic expert panel.

But first to CNN`s correspondent, Ed Lavandera.

Ed, what is the very latest?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest is we`ve got a third accuser who has come forward today. And also learned that Bishop Eddie Long is supposed to hold a press conference Thursday, at some point on Thursday. So there are many people in his church who are desperate to hear what he has to say in this case. And it appears that we will be hearing from him within the next 24 hours.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`ve got to tell you, I got a hold of the lawsuit by the third accuser. And I`ve got to read you some stunners. Again, the pastor denies it. This is in the lawsuit against him. "During services to the congregation at large, defendant Long uses pastoral sessions to discuss biblical verses that indicate to his sons that the spiritual son should follow his master."

Here`s another one. "Typically, when the young males, confused by the sexual conduct with the defendant Long find girlfriends or engage in sexual contact with females pursuant to their own personal desires, defendant Long initially attempts to block those relationships by increased contact and spiritual talks as to the covenant between the spiritual son and himself."

And finally, we`ve got "Defendant Long, who discussed the Holy Scripture to justify and support the sexual activity."

Got to throw it out to psychiatrist Dr. Dale Archer on that.

ARCHER: Well, it`s sounding to me like this is a classic reaction formation, which is where you have a thought or a feeling that you don`t like, and you develop a whole reaction against it. So homosexuality is classic for this. You may have an urge or a feeling that you`re gay, but that`s important to you. So you develop a public persona where you`re homophobic, you`re against gay marriage, you may bash gays, you may call it an illness or may say it`s a biologic mistake. It goes on and on. But you have a public side, but you still have the cravings and the urges on the other side. You eventually act on those, and the result is a complete dichotomy in who you are.

And I will tell you this. You can run, run, run away from a lot of things in life, but you can`t run away from yourself. And the key to happiness is to understand and accept who you are.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, the bishop`s accusers claim he systematically groomed them for several years, starting when they were minors. They say they had sexual contact with Long during overnight trips that he paid for. The bishop allegedly gave the men cash, expensive gifts, even a Mustang, college tuition.

The plaintiff, Anthony Flag, says he and Long were involved in something called a covenant ceremony. Now, this is where it gets a little weird. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNSTEIN: Eventually, it turned into such a relationship that the bishop had a ceremony with Anthony Flag called a covenant. Within that covenant, it was essentially a marriage ceremony where there was candles, exchange of jewelry and biblical quotes given in order for Anthony to know and for the bishop to tell him, "I will always have your back and you will always have mine."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: James Walker, you know Bishop Eddie Long. Those are some really shocking allegations of this bizarre covenant ceremony. And there`s also allegations in the lawsuit that employees knew about this, some of them anyway, and did nothing to warn the young men.

What`s your side of the story?

JAMES WALKER, ACQUAINTANCE OF BISHOP EDDIE LONG: Well, my side of the story, Jane, is that we must first realize these are allegations. He`s not issued a statement. He`s not had his press conference yet, so we want to remember what we learned when we covered the Jackson trial. A lot of kids came out and in many of those cases Michael Jackson was never found guilty. And similarly here, we don`t know Bishop Eddie Long could be found not guilty of any of this. So we want to be very clear.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Stacey Honowitz, Florida prosecutor. If these three men were of age, if -- even if they had sexual contact with him, even if it`s proved, could he be charged with anything if they`re of age?

HONOWITZ: No, there`s lots of difficulties in this case. Certainly, if they were being groomed and having sexual contact with them at a very young age. One would expect that someone might have gone to the police or gone to the state attorney`s office. But I know, prosecuting these cases, many kids will never come forward.

This case does prove to be difficult because they are of age. And what did they know? And what -- who did they tell? So I think right now, what we`re looking at are allegations, certainly, but as you know, Jane, in all of these cases, whenever there`s a sexual abuse case, what`s the first plan of attack? To attack the victim, to see what`s in their past, to really look at their credibility. And that`s exactly what`s going to happen in this case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Stay right there. On the other side we`re going to talk to the comparisons with the Ted Haggard scandal. Remember him? We`re going to talk about that on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNSTEIN: I am ready to put them under oath with Bishop Long spending the money on the best attorneys in the world, and they can question these young men. And that I`ll get to question the bishop, and we`ll really see what`s really going on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This case has striking similarities to the Ted Haggard sex scandal. Remember him? That evangelical mega star fell from grace after a gay prostitute claimed Reverend Haggard was a longtime client of his.

Haggard now says he is cured of his homosexual compulsion.

Incidentally, Bishop Long`s church offers a program claiming to help gays and lesbians convert to heterosexuality. The Southern Poverty Law Center calls Bishop Long, quote, "one of the most brilliantly homophobic black leaders in the anti-gay movement." Long, in fact, led a march against gay marriage a few years ago.

Dr. Dale Archer, do you see a parallel between these two cases?

ARCHER: Yes, I mean, absolutely. And I`ll also tell you that the American Psychiatric Association dropped homosexuality as a diagnosis over 30 years ago. So I don`t know what this talk about cured of his impulses or whatever.

I think it`s just a question of, again, people want to try to have a public persona that doesn`t jive with who they really are. And that always fails. I mean, you may not get caught, but you`re never going to be happy in life.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, again, these are accusations.

In 2000 -- in 2005, I`ve got to get to this, there`s a report in the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" that raised serious questions about the pastor`s finances. The newspaper claimed one of Long`s own charities made him his biggest beneficiary. His lavish lifestyle was scrutinized. Let me -- scrutinized.

Let me read you a part of the bishop`s response to that quote. "I deal with the White House. I deal with Tony Blair. I deal with presidents around the world. You`ve got to put me on a different scale than the little black preacher sitting over there that`s supposed to be just getting by because people are suffering."

Ed, again, there has been past scrutiny of this individual.

LAVANDERA: Well, there`s no question. That scrutiny is still out there. And -- and it`s a huge spiritual empire that he`s built. He`s also written ten books. He`s worth millions.

Also, remember that one of the men who accused him -- accused him of this sexual abuse also broke into his office back in June, where they stole $100,000 worth of jewelry.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, well, that`s interesting. James Walker, again, you know Bishop Eddie Long. What about the break-in?

WALKER: Well, I want to clarify a few points, Jane, that the doctor has said. We`ve got to be careful here we don`t rush to judgment. I`m getting from the doctor that Bishop Long has some kind of secret life. You know, he`s protested or been in anti-gay marches, but at the same time he`s got a secret life. We have no evidence of any of this stuff. All we have is a complaint in front of us...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We know that he marched against -- against gay marriage. That`s a fact.

WALKER: What we don`t know -- what we don`t know if we don`t know whether or not he has been living some kind of secret life, and now it`s all coming out. So I think we want to be very careful. And that borders on defamation, to be clear to the doctor.

I think what we have here is a very high-profile minister who`s built an incredible ministry. I know him in passing, because many of my high- profile clients have obviously ministered at his church, and I can tell you, we`ve never heard anything remotely like these charges.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What about -- what about his lifestyle? What about his Bentley?

WALKER: Well, but that`s not an issue. Tonight the lifestyle of the Bentley is not in issue. The lifestyle of the bishop and his Bentley is not an issue. What`s an issue tonight is you have two or three young men who have made some allegations that he somehow sexually abused him and abused the power he holds in that church.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got to leave it there, sir. Thank you. I want to be fair to both sides.

A D.A. in a scandal next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Some married Wisconsin DA is under fire for sending a slew of raunchy text messages to three women. He`s accused of sending three scandalous texts to one victim while prosecuting her ex-boyfriend for abuse. Now the third woman to come forward is bringing even more charges against the dirty DA You will not believe what she`s saying about this sick, pathetic prosecutor.

And has the unsolved murder of Paula Sladewski gone cold? The "Playboy" model went missing in Miami. Hours later her body was found burning in a dumpster. It`s been nearly nine months since she was brutally murdered. So when will Paula`s heartbroken family get closure? I will talk to her outraged sister.

Yes, tonight another sick case of rampant abuse of power. A highly regarded, married Wisconsin prosecutor is at the center of a sexting scandal. Three women have now come forward claiming Ken Kratz bombarded them with a slew of lewd, creepy sext messages. But is this just the tip of the iceberg? Tonight, the latest victim to come forward says she is sure there are more victims out there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA RUSKIEWICZ, RECEIVED SEXTS FROM KRATZ: Not only is he picking on women, but he`s picking on women in vulnerable positions such as domestic abuse, or people coming up from the criminal system trying to break that cycle and become better who have to reach out for his support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That woman, Maria, was an impressionable young law student when she first met with Kratz. She was trying to get some help getting an old drug conviction from her teenage years taken off her record. Kratz demanded Maria, quote, "please him between the sheets", end quote. She was terrified that if she reported him, he would put her future law career in jeopardy. This is despicable.

Kratz apologized for his behavior at a news conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN KRATZ, CALUMET COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: My behavior was inappropriate. I`m embarrassed and ashamed for the choices that I made and the fault was mine alone. This behavior showed a lack of respect not only for my position, but for the young woman that was involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He`s apologizing. But he is not stepping down. He`s hanging on to his job as DA Now, the Associated Press reports that he thinks some of these claims could be driven by financial opportunity.

Straight out to my fantastic panel and I`ve got to begin with prosecutor Stacey Honowitz. Stacey, why on earth is this "bleep" still the district attorney?

STACEY HONOWITZ, FLORIDA PROSECUTOR: You know what, Jane, I have no good answer for that because I can`t figure it out. Certainly in this case, when you have a number of women coming forward -- and he admits to inappropriate behavior -- you know that a leopard really doesn`t change its spots.

I think a lot of women feel they didn`t want to come forward before, but there`s strength in numbers. Once they heard one victim come forward, they were then not ashamed. Her beef was very legitimate, the law student, but saying she thought he could damage her career which is a very legitimate concern.

DAs wield a lot of power and in this case, the bottom line is, he should be stepping down. He should be admitting to his faults and he should really get out of office.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, here`s another victim, Stephanie Van Groll was a victim of domestic violence. Kratz was assigned to try her case. She claims he texted her that she was quote, "a tall young hot nymph" and, quote, "Are you the kind of girl that likes secret contacts with an older married elected DA, the riskier the better?"

She says he essentially threatened her, hinting that if she didn`t do what he wanted, he would drop the case against her ex-boyfriend.

This is absolutely outrageous. People are furious.

Phone lines lighting up. Diana, Washington, your question or thought, ma`am?

DIANA, WASHINGTON (via telephone): Hi, Jane. It`s good to talk to you. I think this man is a dirty, filthy pig and he should be ousted. He was elected by the people, for the people to protect the people and he is abusing his power. He should be brought up on ethics charges, disbarred, and he should be charged with sexual harassment, among other things.

That`s all I can think of. You know, off the top of my head. Why isn`t something happening? What are they waiting on?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t understand it. Now, Dr. Dale Archer, the arrogance of this man blows my mind. He has taken a medical leave and he says he`s going into therapy which he definitely needs. I would encourage him to go into therapy after he`s left the DA`s office.

But why is this man hanging on? Is he in such denial about the extent of his behavior?

DR. DALE ARCHER, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, yes. He`s even made the comment that other DAs have done worse than I have, so why should I step down. But you know what bothers me the most, and Jane, you alluded to it, is that what in the world are the other women out there who are afraid to come forward, maybe he did them a favor, he did something for them, and yet they can`t come forward because they are still scared.

So I think that if he were to step down, probably everything would be dropped. Go into therapy, end of story.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Here`s my big issue tonight, is he a poisonous prosecutor? This man allegedly hinted that he would be willing to adjust the outcome of a criminal case based on whether or not he got sexual favors from a victim.

Now, Stacey Honowitz, you`re a prosecutor in Florida. Doesn`t that hypothetically taint every single case he has handled as a DA? I picture defense attorneys who have had cases argued by this man, or his office, coming out of the woodwork and saying, I want a new trial. I want to throw this conviction out.

HONOWITZ: Absolutely. I mean, when you are tainted like that, every defense attorney does have a right to then come in and say anything that he touched, any case that he prosecuted, any paperwork that crossed his desk, we want to re-cross examine and investigate. Because he is, as you said, - - it`s a poison.

The bottom line is, Jane, the ethics committee, the bar, everybody is going to be looking at him. While he takes his medical leave right now, don`t think that there`s not an investigation going on behind the scenes. Your viewers can be rest assured that when allegations like this pop up against an elected official, especially in the district attorney`s office, there will be a behind-the-scenes investigation.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And indeed, the governor already said he`s going to try to get this guy out.

A woman who wishes to remain anonymous has also come forward. Three victims, remember, alleged. She says she met this DA, Kratz, online and he insisted on telling her graphic details about an ongoing murder investigation. She says he also invited her to witness the victim`s autopsy, telling her, quote, "Act as my girlfriend, wear high heels and a skirt."

Now, Dr. Dale Archer, thank God you`re a psychiatrist, because we need a psychiatrist on this. I have to point out that we need to question authorities. This is one of the reasons; this is the theme in our show tonight, whether it`s prosecutor or pastor. There`s an old saying, "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely," doctor.

ARCHER: Yes. And this is a case of narcissism again and we`ve talked about that a lot. But this is a guy that feels that he`s in a position and he can do what he wants when he wants to. And because of his power, that will never be held accountable, or against him.

And so I think that right now he is still in denial. He thinks he can get out of this. And I don`t think anyone anywhere thinks there`s any way that he can survive except to give up his office and go into treatment.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, I want to talk to Stacey Honowitz, the prosecutor, about a couple things. Civil lawsuits -- could some of these women sue Kratz for harassment? And could there also be potential criminal charges if he`s abusing his office and basically dropping threats to a victim about the outcome of the case. Isn`t there a crime in there somewhere?

HONOWITZ: Well, of course there is. It`s totally abusing your power and using it in such a way that it`s almost like an extortion type of thing. If you don`t do this, then I`m going to do that. I mean certainly every state has different laws about that.

But that`s what I said before, the local bar, and certainly the DA`s office, they will send that out because it will be a conflict for his own office to investigate. But certainly an investigation into criminal charges, a civil lawsuit for sexual harassment certainly if they`re within the statute of limitations that could come up and there will be ethics charges.

This guy really is in denial. Really just thinks that taking a medical leave is going to solve everything. He`s mistaken. This is going to haunt him. And quite frankly, I think at the end of all this, he will choose to leave the office.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We`ve got a caller from Mississippi, I believe his name is -- well, what`s -- hey, Buddy?

BUDDY, MISSISSIPPI (via telephone): Buddy.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: How are you doing?

BUDDY: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Your question, sir?

BUDDY: I was quite aghast (ph). I would say it`s his fault. But it takes two to tango. You know, if he sent her 30 text messages, she probably sent him 35 or 40. I so, I mean, everybody always blames the guy. You know? I don`t understand that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, because he`s a district attorney. What if it were your daughter who was beaten up by her ex-boyfriend and you go to the police saying I was beaten up. And then you find a prosecutor saying, put on a skirt, whatever it was he said. That is completely offensive.

I don`t understand how that`s even open to debate, Dr. Dale Archer.

ARCHER: No. And it`s about who has the power and control. It`s not about who`s the guy and who`s the girl. It`s who is in the position of authority. Who is in the position to be able to make a decision to be able to grant you a favor? That`s what it`s all about.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Again, this is why we have to question authority and not just hand over power to people and give them blind authority over our lives.

The body of "Playboy" model Paula Sladewski found burning in a Miami dumpster nine long months ago. Her killer is still on the loose. I will talk next to her outraged sister about this horrifying case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY FARRIS, PAULA SLADEWSKI`S SISTER: -- voice for her, you know Paula can`t speak anymore. Paula can`t, you know, only God knows and the killer what happened to her. And he needs to pay for what he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, will the depraved and vicious murder of a beautiful aspiring model go unsolved forever? The burning body of 26-year- old Paula Sladewski was discovered in a dumpster in North Miami more than nine months ago.

Paula and her boyfriend were partying at Club Space in Miami into the wee hours of the morning on Sunday January 3rd. Cops say the couple fought and he was asked to leave. Surveillance video captures the boyfriend begging bouncers to ask Paula to leave with him. They reportedly tell him, Paula doesn`t want to go.

Just four minutes later, grainy video shows Paula leaving that nightclub. The next time Paula is seen, 14 hours later, murdered, discarded in a burning trash bin.

Her family`s private investigator set the scene outside the nightclub.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID WASSER, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR ON SLADEWSKI`S CASE: This woman came out -- came of this club, she was wearing a sexy dress, an aqua blue dress with a silver cross on the back. She`s a 10. She`s a "Playboy" model. She`s a girl that`s got long blond hair, a big chest and beautiful legs. Everybody else is wearing jackets and coats. And it`s a cold night in Miami.

I have to believe that every eye on the street was on her when she came out -- came out of that club.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: In early February, a month after the brutal slaying, cops finally had enough information to release a composite sketch of a possible suspect. Who is this individual? Is he somebody Paula met inside the club or is it a total stranger.

Paula`s distraught family deserves answers. North Miami cops tell ISSUES tonight they are making progress in this case, and they have been able to eliminate many of the tips they`ve received allowing them to narrow their focus in the investigation.

Joining me, Kelly Farris, Paula`s sister.

Kelly, I know that you`re so frustrated and so devastated, because this case has not yet been solved. Are you terrified at this point that Paula`s murder case will never be solved?

FARRIS: Yes, I definitely am. It`s been very frustrating. It`s -- it`s very upsetting. I don`t know anything more than we knew back in -- in January.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, do cops talk to you? Do you call them? Do they get back to you?

FARRIS: Everything -- all the communication goes through my mother. They don`t want to talk to me anymore. All the communication has to go through one person. And they just tell her the stock answer that "we`re still following leads". We don`t even have autopsy results back.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s it?

FARRIS: Yes, that`s it, the stock answer, "We`re still following leads." We don`t know how far they are in the investigation. We have no idea.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Pat Brown, why wouldn`t they give the family the autopsy results?

PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: I absolutely don`t know. That to me is something that should be very easy to give the family. But some places won`t do it. They are giving the stock answer which I call, "We`re working on it."

It`s very frustrating for the family because quite frankly, they don`t know what the issue is about we`re working on it. If you`ve got a third party in there to give an opinion on it, let`s say if I were allowed to come in and take a look at the case, I could say you know they are following up the lead that they`ve got but really they just don`t have anything so they just keep hoping that they`re going to get something. Or they are thinking the boyfriend squirreled and they`re checking him out.

Or they -- they -- they simply are going down the wrong track completely. I`m looking at this case and I`m seeing a different track but they refuse to go down it.

There`s nobody to tell the family what the real story is. And they`re going to get that same answer unless they arrest somebody.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok now, the big question, did Paula leave the nightclub by herself, or with somebody else. Did she meet somebody inside after her boyfriend was kicked out? Did somebody follow her? The attorney for Paula`s boyfriend, Kevin, offered this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARC BEGININ, LAWYER FOR SLADEWSKI`S BOYFRIEND: The video that we -- we`ve just obtained today, that I reviewed, shows that Paula left the club alone. And additionally, it shows another gentleman following her out of the nightclub and so that gentleman, that the police should be looking for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok cops -- cops say Kevin claims he begged the bouncers to get her to leave with him, after he was 86`d. She reportedly refused. He leaves at 7:17 in the morning. But she is caught on tape leaving four minutes later.

Now, some claim she walked off with a mystery man. Kevin Klim the boyfriend has said he believes that it had to be somebody she met at the club, not just a stranger off the street.

Now, Kelly, North Miami police are telling ISSUES tonight that Kevin is still, the boyfriend is still a person of interest, because he hasn`t been completely eliminated from the investigation. Kevin`s lawyers didn`t return our phone calls.

But what are your thoughts? Do you think the boyfriend is responsible?

FARRIS: He has not -- he didn`t murder her with his own hands. I mean, he -- he definitely shouldn`t have left her there. But no, they`re - - they`re following the wrong lead on that, because I followed around, I drove the scene from the nightclub to the dumpster. They had no rental car. He had no way of getting her there. I don`t know why he`s still being looked at.

And one thing I would like to say is I have asked third parties to get involved in this. I have asked Miami police. And they said they would get involved if North Miami asked them. North Miami refuses to let anybody help them with this case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`ve got to say --

FARRIS: I don`t understand why.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- there was initial suspicion surrounding her boyfriend, Kevin, because the couple has a documented history of a rocky relationship. In December last year he was arrested --

FARRIS: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- after she accused him of punching her in the face, breaking her nose and cheekbone (ph). But days earlier she had been arrested for domestic assault and larceny.

FARRIS: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Kevin -- we don`t say this to -- to embarrass the family. We are in the search for the truth like you. Did she have bad habits in other words would there be any reason why she would go off with a stranger?

FARRIS: I don`t -- I don`t think so. The only -- the only way she would go off is if she was offered a ride back to her hotel. It`s the only reason I could see her going off with a stranger.

They did --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes and you never know what people say.

FARRIS: Exactly. Exactly. I do believe that it was somebody from the club. I do not believe it was some random stranger that walked up to her. She is smarter than that. Intoxicated or not.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Stay right where you are. We are going have more on this tragic mystery -- the murder of Paula Sladewski. Her sister right here, she is demanding answers and hasn`t gotten any. More next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FARRIS: This is great. Thank you to whoever came forward and gave us information. Thank you, thank you, thank you very much.

You can run and you can hide. But you can`t run and hide forever. I mean, your face is out here now. And you need to pay for you what you did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That is the sister of murder victim Paula Sladewski. We are talking to that sister tonight; she is demanding answers.

Paula and her boyfriend, Kevin, had been partying at a club in Miami. Paula`s body was found burning in a trash bin in North Miami, about ten miles away from the club.

Who put her there? Judge Karen Mills Francis weighed in previously on ISSUES.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE KAREN MILLS FRANCIS, HOST, "JUDGE KAREN`S COURT": Club Space is in downtown Miami and where this dumpster is -- you really would have to know the area to know where this dumpster is. So it has to be somebody that knows the area.

I say locally in the city of North Miami. It has to be somebody locally. I don`t know what the leads are, the police officer has.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. So take a look at this map. This is a Google Map. Club Space is in the city of Miami. The dumpster is located behind a propane company in North Miami -- again, ten miles away. This location reportedly did not have security cameras.

Pat Brown, criminal profiler. Can we infer that a local person committed this horrific murder?

BROWN: I mean it most likely does look that way that the reason that body was ten miles to the north and that area was selected is because the person knew the area very well. But the police can`t get tunnel vision on this. They have to be sure that`s the reason and not some white guy just trying to dump a woman in a black area of town to make the -- everybody look that direction.

I just want to point out even if you don`t have a rental car, if you know a lot of people in the street and you know some druggies and things like that, you can get what`s called a (INAUDIBLE) -- which basically you find some crackhead who stole a car and give him some money and borrow the car a few hours and bring it back. That`s done all over the United States.

They can`t get tunnel vision. I hope they are looking at every possibility that they can look at.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here is my big issue. Is this a cold case? I hope not. Cops insist they are making progress in the case and that they`ve been able to eliminate a lot of leads. They say they`ve narrowed the focus of the investigation. But they have not narrowed it down to one person even though they released this sketch in February.

This apparently, Kelly -- you are the sister of the victim -- is the man that she was seen purportedly walking away from the club with, is that correct?

FARRIS: Correct. That`s my understanding, yes. I`m not sure who came forward and gave that.

(CROSSTALK)

FARRIS: You know, the only thing -- like I said before, she had to have been talking to somebody in the club. It was not some random stranger that walked up to her. She is smarter than that. He could have told her anything. He could have told her he was taking her to his hotel. He could have told her that Kevin was waiting over here for her. Who knows?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Kelly I have to ask you this. What`s it like going through this -- not knowing?

FARRIS: It has been hell. It is really -- it is very frustrating. It weighs heavily on you. It really does. Me and my family, it is weighing very heavily on us. We just want some answers.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: She was -- a beautiful young woman. Obviously everybody`s eyes in the club were on her. That was said by several people.

If you saw anything, we are appealing out there, if you were in Miami and you saw anything that night, there is a family that is living with torture of not knowing what happened to this precious relative. Please call authorities.

Thank you so much for joining me tonight Kelly and we`re going to stay on top of your case. We`re not letting go.

FARRIS: Thank you.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You are watching ISSUES on HLN.

END