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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Husband Accused of Murdering Newlywed; Suspect Arrested in Psychic`s Murder; Randy Quaid Alleges Celeb-Killing Conspiracy
Aired November 01, 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, horrific cases in the war on women. First, a Halloween horror that gives new meaning to the phrase "honeymoon`s over." After just three weeks of wedded bliss, cops say this man murdered his wife, then roamed the streets of Atlanta stark naked. Why do cops think this new groom killed his bride?
Then, the frantic search to find the husband of a slain psychic comes to a dramatic end. John Marks Jr. arrested in Colorado, accused of brutally murdering his wife. Family members say she decided to leave him after years of alleged abuse. Did that drive him to kill?
And star-whacker conspiracy theory. Movie star Randy Quaid`s jaw- dropping claims that a Hollywood hit squad wants him dead.
And Casey Anthony`s crazy day in court. She`s sporting a new look, and she gets a scolding from the judge. He bluntly tells her, "I`m not going to write you an open check." Plus, you won`t believe what Zanny, the other nanny, is doing now.
ISSUES starts now.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news tonight: a case of honeymoon homicide. That`s right. A beautiful newlywed murdered in cold blood. Her own husband of just three weeks arrested, found buck naked, stumbling around in a park. Why would he want his lovely bride dead?
Early Sunday morning, police got reports of shots fired at an Atlanta home. They also responded to calls about a naked man in a nearby park. They discovered Madison McLester dead on the floor of her home. You`re looking at the home right there. Several gunshot wounds inside her.
Cops found her husband, Minchillo McLester, a block or so away, walking around, and he was completely stark naked. This guy, stark naked. They arrested him and charged him with his new wife`s murder.
Police say the couple had recently gotten home from a Halloween party. Neighbors reportedly said the couple was arguing before the shooting. There are still unopened wedding gifts inside their home. Whatever happened to the honeymoon phase? And what`s up with the suspect being naked?
What are your theories at home? Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1- 877-586-7297.
Straight out to HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks.
Mike, you`ve been working your sources, we told you there was a witness in the home. What do you know?
MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT: Well, apparently, it was the -- it was the suspect`s cousin who was actually in the house when this happened.
Now, law-enforcement sources closest to the investigation have told me they`re still looking at a lot of different things right now, because apparently this guy was never known to act like this. And in fact, one of the investigators who spoke to him at the scene said he was acting erratic. He was almost unintelligible in some things he said.
And apparently, the cousin tried to get between the two during an argument. Now, she -- they wouldn`t say what the argument was over, but a whole group had been out earlier that evening at a restaurant, celebrating Halloween. They`d come home. They`d gotten into an argument, and the cousin tried to step between the two after he went and got a gun.
They said even the victim`s family members are saying this is not at all the way this guy has ever acted before. They said that he was very loving towards their daughter. And as you just said, there were even, after they did the search warrant of the house, they found unwrapped Christmas presents still in the house, Jane.
And this guy was running around naked. Now, one of the things, one of the investigators told me, was there`s a possibility that some people are thinking that maybe something had been slipped into his drink at the party, because he has never acted this way before. But this is all being -- still being investigated right now.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I wonder if that could be a defense. You know, even though they were newlyweds, the couple had been together for years, and apparently, her family loved this guy and said he was a loving person and a loving companion.
BROOKS: And had never -- and had never -- apparently never acted out at all like this before. They said sure, during the course of a relationship you have a little bit of ups and downs, just like any other relationship, but everything since the marriage had been going on, had been going really well.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Casey Jordan, as soon as I hear a story like this, I think drugs and/or alcohol. It`s almost always the case, especially because this guy was seen walking around the streets of Atlanta buck naked.
CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: Right. And you`re absolutely correct. I mean, the police say they don`t know the motive, but there probably isn`t one. What you probably have is just a complete loss of control, possibly brought on by involuntary intoxication or drugging or voluntary consumption of drugs and/or alcohol. Who knows what the argument was about, maybe jealousy, maybe flirting at the party.
The naked factor reminds me of a case of a guy named Mark Hackey (ph), who killed his wife, Lori, several years ago and was running around naked outside. And he suffered from a literally psychotic breakdown. He was mentally ill. There`s a lot of possibilities that could explain it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And I`ve got to just tell you a little about this victim. Everybody loved her. She was a team player. She had just changed her name to her husband`s last name. The guy who is accused of gunning her down.
She attended Georgia State and turned an internship into a full-time job as an accountant. She was a volunteer who worked for Habitat for Humanity and recruited students -- recruited students into her firm, trying to get jobs for people who were interns, like the intern she once was. This good person, completely gunned down for no apparent reason.
Now, here is my big issue. Could this be a case, perhaps, of bridal backlash? Even though they had been there together a long time before marriage, marriage does change the equation. Some men might have a delayed reaction to what they perceive of as a loss of freedom and new restrictions. They had just made a lifelong commitment, so I`ve got to wonder if that`s going to be a factor. Dr. Dale?
DALE ARCHER, CNN PSYCHIATRIST: Well, I think that yes, there are two aspects to that, Jane.
No. 1, the loss of freedom but No. 2, when you get married, the husband starts thinking in some cases that the wife is a possession, and at that point the rules change. So what was acceptable for a girlfriend, maybe not for a wife.
And clearly, they had an argument earlier which led to this crime of passion. We can only speculate.
But I do think that there is another explanation other than the alcohol and drug one, which is possible, and that`s the fact that the rules changed, they had the argument, and he snapped.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Snapping. I`m sick and tired of hearing about husbands snapping.
BROOKS: Well, Jane, apparently, the house hadn`t been torn apart -- the house hadn`t been torn apart inside. They just got done renovating this whole house on the west end of Atlanta.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Maybe it was the remodel. That can be very stressful.
BROOKS: Yes, very stressful. But put everything together -- we`re going to stay on top of it. Still don`t know for sure what the motive was.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mary, Texas, your question or thought, ma`am?
Hey, Mary?
CALLER: Hello.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hi, there. What`s your question or thought, ma`am?
CALLER: Well, I was calling about the man that was naked that killed his wife.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
CALLER: I think that he had just -- probably had just something snapped, and he probably didn`t know what to do. And it scared him, and they may have had a fight and he might have been drunk.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Well, that -- we`ve been talking about all of that. I got to tell you, I think that we`ve got a big societal problem on our hands, with especially husbands and men who live with women snapping and resorting to violence. I don`t know whether it`s on the rise, but it sure seems like it.
A story we`re about to cover in a couple minutes is about another husband who`s accused of murdering his wife. She was trying to get out of an abusive relationship. So I think we`ve got a big, big problem in this country we`ve got to look at.
We attack other countries for how they treat women, Casey Jordan, but are a lot of women sleeping with the enemy, and they don`t realize it until hubby snaps, Casey?
JORDAN: Well, and by that time -- I love it when I teach this in my own classes, I use the metaphor of the frog boiling slowly, which is that this doesn`t happen overnight. Usually, the inculcation is very slow. The wife acclimates to the control issues.
I`m with Dr. Dale. I think that after they got married and perhaps he began to see her as more of a possession and began to even try to control her more. But this is a rare case in that you have a complete personality change overnight. Nobody was expecting it. For most women, the danger is that they acclimate to the control and the abuse until it`s too late, and they don`t have the mindset to get out.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s a cautionary tale.
JORDAN: Yes, it is.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Women, if your man is trying to control you, do not get married to them. I don`t care where you`re registered. I don`t care if you`re in the middle of a remodel. Do not marry them.
Thank you, fantastic panel.
Now, tune in to Nancy Grace right after ISSUES. She`s got the very latest on this newlywed murder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIENA THOMPSON, DAUGHTER ABDUCTED AND MURDERED: About 4 p.m., I texted him and said I just wanted to make sure all the kids made it home OK. I got a text message that she didn`t come home. And I personally knew right then I was probably never going to see my daughter again. I don`t know why. I just know that I had this overwhelming dread in my stomach, and I was right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Diena Thompson`s daughter, Somer, was kidnapped, raped and murdered. Diena and four other parents tell their gut-wrenching stories of pain and survival so no other parent will ever have to go through this hell. "Every Parent`s Nightmare," this Thursday and Friday, right here on ISSUES. Whether you`re a parent or not, this is must-see TV.
Next up, another tragic story in the war on women. The frantic manhunt for Psychic Kay`s husband is finally over. He`s been arrested for murder after her body was found in a ravine. Another outrage in the war on women. What is going on here? We`re taking your calls on this: 1-877-JVM- SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297. Call me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our family is outraged. We`re very hurt. Emotions that we`re going through is that we don`t -- we`re going through so many mixed emotions: anger, hurt.
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JOEY ADAMS, NEPHEW OF KATHY ADAMS: John was a very abusive husband. And it`s been going on for a long time. My family actually paid a plane ticket for Kathy to come home on the weekend of -- she went missing on October the 8th, and she was supposed to leave John that weekend.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, fast-breaking developments as the family of a murdered Colorado psychic gets their wish: an arrest in her murder.
John Marks Jr., the common-law husband of the popular psychic known as Psychic Kay is in jail right now. He was caught last Friday at a restaurant, of all places, and now he`s charged with second-degree murder in psychic Kathy Adams` death. Tonight, he`s stewing in a jail cell on $1 million bond.
Kathy Adams found dead in a ravine about a week ago. Her family feared the worst when they couldn`t get a hold of her. And then John Marks, Jr. went missing, and that put Kathy`s family in crisis mode. They say John Marks Jr. was abusing Kathy Adams for years, and that`s why Kathy Adams` nephew wanted cops to conduct a full-out manhunt to find him. Listen.
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SEAN ADAMS, NEPHEW OF KATHY ADAMS: I believe that this has been too long. I believe that there should have been a nationwide manhunt from the get-go.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Kathy Adams` family says she disappeared while trying to leave this guy for good. She even had a one-way plane ticket to freedom. Did that decision to leave ultimately end her life?
Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to Kathy Adams` nephew, Sean Adams. Sean joins us by phone, because this devastated family just returned from burying Kathy Adams.
Sean, first of all, I am so sorry for your loss. Our deepest condolences go out to you and your family. What`s your reaction to the arrest of your aunt`s common-law husband in her murder?
Hello?
Hello, Sean. Can you hear me?
S. ADAMS: Yes, Jane. I can barely hear you. Go ahead. I`m sorry.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Your reaction, your reaction to the arrest of John Marks?
S. ADAMS: Yes, John Marks was arrested.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, your reaction, sir?
S. ADAMS: Oh, my reaction. Is they arrested him in Colorado, Jane, and my reaction is we`re very happy that he`s arrested. It doesn`t make anything right, Jane, but it kind of puts a little peace of mind that at least we know where he`s at. We don`t have to look for him.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Take a look at this -- this mug shot. He looks like a wreck. His hair is a mess. He looks like he hasn`t shaved in days.
I got to take you back, Sean, to the actual moment that your precious aunt died. She died of blunt force injury.
S. ADAMS: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why do you think he`s accused of second-degree murder? Do you have any more information on what exactly happened to your aunt?
S. ADAMS: Jane, from what I`m understanding, again, this is not directly from Solerno County or the district attorney`s office. Again, it`s second-hand information, but what we`re hearing is that, as of right now, the charge is second-degree murder we understand that he`s being charged with. He is under a $1 million bond.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But why second degree? Do you have any idea what happened in that house? Do you have any idea what the weapon was that was used?
S. ADAMS: From what I understand, the weapon, the only thing they`re telling us, Jane, is blunt-force trauma to the head. The district attorney`s got a lot of evidence in hand. They`ve got evidence of a hammer, from our understanding. It was something that was blunt force to the head.
She was -- actually, we buried her today. We couldn`t have an open casket on her. He took my aunt, basically, from the house. He tried to hide the murder scene by buying chemicals, cleaners, carpet washer. He tried to clean the whole house up. He smoked a lot of cigarettes in between time. He had plenty of time to think about what he was doing, where he was going, where he would place the body at. He took the body on, I believe, on highway -- U.S. Route 36.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me -- let me bring in Mark Eiglarsh. Why do you think he`s just been accused of second-degree murder? What does that indicate?
MARK EIGLARSH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, it means that that`s all the investigators have. Either he gave a statement that would tend to show that it was second-degree murder, or in the absence of a statement, you can`t just charge him with first-degree murder because you think maybe he might have planned it. They actually have to prove that fact in front of a jury. All the elements must be there. And if they don`t have it, then they can`t charge it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Shelley Hale, you`re a psychic investigator. You`ve been hired by the family, or brought on by the family. What are they going through tonight?
SHELLEY HALE, PSYCHIC INVESTIGATOR: Well, they`re going through a lot. Today they buried him [SIC]. I actually am in Colorado right now. I attended the bail hearing, and it looks like more charges will be filed against John Marks Jr.
S. ADAMS: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Sean, a couple of seconds. I`m so glad that an arrest was effected in this case, and again, our hearts go out to your family. Thank you.
A judge cracks down on Casey Anthony`s defense spending as her lawyers fight the release of public records. I`m going to tell you what they want to keep under wraps and why. And you won`t believe actor...
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RANDY QUAID, ACTOR: We believe there are -- to be a malignant tumor of star whackers in Hollywood. How many people do you know personally who have died suddenly and mysteriously in the past five years? Heath Ledger, Chris Penn, David Carradine among them. I believe these actors were whacked, and I believe that many others, such as Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Mel Gibson, are being played to get at their money.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Or is he perhaps whacked? A bizarre claim by actor Randy Quaid in an impromptu news conference in Canada. Randy Quaid had roles in "Brokeback Mountain" as well as "Christmas Vacation." He`s the older brother of the very famous actor, Dennis Quaid. Randy and his wife, Evi, arrested after allegedly squatting in and trashing their former California home. Also accused of skipping out on a $10,000 hotel bill, which was eventually paid.
If you ask them, it`s a conspiracy to kill them. This from ABC`s "Good Morning America."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVI QUAID, RANDY`S WIFE: Who would be trying to kill us? An estate planner who had created a living trust in a county that could cash Randy`s royalties for him forever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would they want to kill you?
E. QUAID: So that they could take the money.
R. QUAID: Easier for them to take the money that way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you faking any of this?
E. QUAID: Absolutely no.
R. QUAID: No.
E. QUAID: No.
R. QUAID: Why would we fake?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Are they saying all of this with a straight face?
Straight out to Bonnie Fuller, president and editor in chief of HollywoodLife.com.
Bonnie, are they crazy or are they crazy like a pair of foxes?
BONNIE FULLER, PRESIDENT/EDITOR IN CHIEF, HOLLYWOODLIFE.COM: I think they`re crazy. I think that they can say it with a straight face because they believe it. They truly believe that they are being tracked by star whackers.
And, you know, I talked to a doctor about this, and I believe that what happened is that it was first Randy Quaid who became paranoid, and apparently, it goes back to an episode, I think, around 2007, where he was having some other troubles. And his wife just, you know, in order to be closer to him, kind of bought into it. And now they both believe it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: They`re both drinking the same Kool-Aid.
FULLER: They are.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Here`s another clip of Randy`s fascinating news conference in Canada. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
R. QUAID: I have personally known eight actors, all of whom -- all of whom I have worked with and was close to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Bonnie Fuller, it appears that he`s breaking down crying there, and he is talking about some tragic cases. For example, Heath Ledger. I`ve got to wonder. He`s also supposedly worried about his kid brother, the very famous actor Dennis Quaid. What is going through Dennis Quaid`s mind right now about his older brother?
FULLER: Well, I hope what`s going through Dennis Quaid`s mind is how can I help him, how can I reach him? And I mean, if I was Dennis Quaid, it was my brother, I`d be on a plane up to Canada and try -- trying to get him into some very serious therapy with his wife. I mean, they need treatment, serious treatment.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I just got to wonder, he`s an actor. He got into some legal jams, the alleged squatting and the alleged running out on hotel bills. Is this -- could this be an act, yes or no? Could it be?
FULLER: I don`t think so. I mean, this is too extreme. He is a well-known actor, but what is he doing? He`s driving away work. Why would any actor in his right mind do that? Who`s going to hire him -- who`s going to hire him when he`s got -- behaving like a whack job?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Excellent question. Up next, Courteney Cox and David Arquette. Oh, you won`t believe...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Casey Anthony`s crazy day in court. She`s sporting a new look as she gets a scolding from the judge. He bluntly tells her I`m not going to write you an open check. Plus, you won`t believe what Zanny, the other nanny, is doing now.
Tonight, another wacky twist in a very public Hollywood split. Are Courtney Cox and David Arquette divorcing or not? He was universally slammed for telling Howard Stern and millions of Howard Stern`s listeners all about his sex life with and without Courtney. Listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DAVID ARQUETTE, ACTOR: After our 11th year anniversary she gave me the motorcycle and she said I don`t want to be your mother anymore. I got it.
HOWARD STERN, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: So that was sort of it?
ARQUETTE: We go to do Scream 4.
STERN: Right.
ARQUETTE: And I`m feeling distanced obviously from my wife. We had not had sex in quite a -- like -- at that time, a month or so. Since then, it`s been like four months or so.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, what a class act. Not. That`s how he treats his wife of 11 years, the mother of his child? Courtney apparently is trying to currently quiet down all the divorce rumors. She told "TV Week" magazine quote, "I don`t know what happened but this is not like we`re getting divorced. This is a separation and I think that takes a lot of courage," end quote.
You know what takes a lot of courage, Courtney? Staying married to a guy who talks about how he hasn`t had sex with you in four months and how he did have sex with other women.
Straight out to Hollywood insider Bonnie Fuller, editor in chief of Hollywoodlife.com. Bonnie, I know you`re not a shrink but please analyze what is going on with these two.
BONNIE FULLER, HOLLYWOODLIFE.COM: Well, I think that she is -- I think she is taking a lot of courage and she`s being very courageous about dealing with his big blabbermouth of a husband that I suspect she does still love but that she can`t live with.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but I don`t get this. Is she the one who said hey, get out of here, because she did say I`m sick and tired of being your mother, and apparently she also said something like do what you got to do. In other words, did she give him the boot?
FULLER: I think she did give him the boot. I think, listen, she`s older than he is, she`s more mature. I mean, she herself said today in that same interview, David`s a kook, he`s an entertainer. He couldn`t just go on Howard Stern and basically in his mind and tell him you know, we grew apart. So he had to come up with some stuff. I mean, it sounded like a woman who was being very understanding.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Co-dependent. It sounds like a woman being co- dependent. Now, David Arquette put his foot in his mouth a lot more than once during his Howard Stern interview. Listen to this bombshell.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ARQUETTE: I had sex with a girl once.
STERN: Oh, this girl that`s in the paper?
ARQUETTE: Yes.
STERN: Ok. So she`s not your girlfriend?
ARQUETTE: Maybe twice.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But he also said that he cried after he had sex with some woman because it wasn`t Courtney and it didn`t have the love factor. So --
FULLER: I think --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead.
FULLER: I think he still loves her. I think he`s crazy about her. I think he`s having a meltdown. I think she understands that he`s having a meltdown. They have a daughter. She is trying to tap things down and by saying hey, we`re not getting divorced, she`s kind of taking the steam out of the story, so I do think it`s very smart of her.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`ll have to see how smart it is. I mean I think that if they do stay together, they really are going to have to look at their issues, because they`ve got a heck of a lot of them.
They`re an attractive couple, I wish them the best. They say you`re only as sick as your secrets so maybe there is something healthy about all this airing of your dirty laundry.
Thank you so much for your analysis.
FULLER: Thank you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: If you sense a building rage amongst American citizens, you are not imagining things. More and more people feel we`re going from the American dream to an American nightmare. Check this out from Fox News and YouTube.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the police out here. Get the police out here. Get the cops.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: What`s going on? Now one of the world`s most powerful opinion makers is warning America is going from being the world`s leading superpower to becoming a backwater Banana Republic. In fact, Arianna Huffington`s new book is called "Third World America". Her blog Web site, the "Huffington Post", ranks number one in the world. Forbes magazine calls Arianna one of the 100 most powerful women in the world. And now this media powerhouse is on the attack against a political and financial system that is failing most Americans.
I`m honored to welcome "Huffington Post" co-founder and editor in chief, Arianna Huffington to ISSUES. Arianna, why did you decide to call this fantastic book that I have been reading "Third World America"?
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, CO-FOUNDER, "HUFFINGTON POST": Jane, first of all, thank you so much for reading it and for resonating with the themes in the book.
I decided to write it because as an immigrant to this country, I have believed the American dream. I believe in America and the dream and the promise. And I began to see in recent years how as you said in your introduction, for millions of people, actually, the dream has become a nightmare.
And many people would expect that if they worked hard and played by the rules, they could have the upward mobility that their parents experienced; and now in fact, experiencing downward mobility. We have with 100 million Americans who are worse off than their parents were.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The Tea Party movement argues federal spending, deficits and taxes are too high and nobody is listening in Washington. And then we have this other movement called the Rally to Restore Sanity led by "The Daily Show`s" Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert is involved.
Arianna, you`re actually paying for buses so people can go to this rally. Why did you decide that this was an important movement, this restore sanity?
HUFFINTON: Well, this is really a rally to point attention to the fact that during times of economic anxiety, a lot of people are not just disagreeing with each other, but they`re demonizing each other. And we saw that in the picture that you showed us of stomping, stomping that woman in Kentucky.
So what I`m saying, and what in a sense Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are saying, that while we`re disagreeing, while we are having a big debate about the direction of the country, can we at least not call each other Hitler and Nazi and Communist and all the other things that we`re hearing.
And while that is going on, I really want to stress, Jane, that the most important section in my book is actually the last section, which is the section about solutions. Because we still have time to practice the solutions and for me, the most exciting thing is to see how many people around the country are actually turning things around.
You know, people who are creating their own jobs, using social media, going to se.com (ph) or bonanza.com and turning their hobbies into their livelihood. All people who take their time and skills and help others. That`s a very important movement. That`s really the movement to get behind.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to talk about another point you make in your book, "Third World America". You talk about -- and I love this phrase -- corporations gone wild.
Case in point: the BP oil spill, one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history, and now on the cover of "The New York Times", Arianna, it says right here BP and Halliburton knew there were flaws in the cement used to reinforce the oil well weeks before that rig exploded. We knew the rig`s government inspectors were in the pocket of oil executives who really actually, the government inspectors allowed the oil company executives to fill out their inspection reports.
Arianna, why have so many American and multinational corporations seem to have thrown ethics out the window for short-term profit?
HUFFINGTON: Well, that`s really what has happened. In a way, we have become like a Banana Republic where special interests, big donors with hundreds of lobbyists in Washington can buy public policy, can buy regulators, not literally, but corrupt them. It`s called regulatory capture. We have seen that with BP, we saw that in the mining industry, we have seen it in the financial industry, and the consequences are huge.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`ve got to leave it right there. But I want to tell you, I think your book is astounding, "Third World America". It`s something every American should read. Great to have you on our program and hope you come back real soon, Arianna.
HUFFINGTON: Thank you very much, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Coming up, new developments in the search for a missing and presumed dead Zahra Baker.
Also, Casey Anthony: another courtroom drama. Why does a judge scold Casey`s defense team? Plus, what Zanny the nanny -- you know her -- is doing now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY ANTHONY, ALLEGEDLY KILLED DAUGHTER: Come on.
CINDY ANTHONY, MOTHER OF CASEY ANTHONY: Casey, hold on, sweetheart. Settle down.
CASEY ANTHONY: Nobody`s letting me speak. You want me to talk. Then --
CINDY ANTHONY: All right. I`ll listen to you.
CASEY ANTHONY: Give me three seconds to say something.
CINDY ANTHONY: Go, sweetheart.
CASEY ANTHONY: I`m not in control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: All the latest twists and turns in the Casey Anthony dramarama in just one moment.
But first, "Top of the Block" tonight.
It is confirmed the prosthetic leg recovered last week is that of missing and presumed dead little Zahra Baker. You see her right there, what a beautiful little girl.
North Carolina cops found the 10-year-old`s artificial leg near where Zahra`s stepmother used to live and matched the serial number with Zahra`s medical records. Officials did not release any other information, but they did say they`re continuing to search her family`s home for more evidence. Evidence that shows poor little Zahra was let down by every single adult that was supposed to be protecting her.
That is tonight`s "Top of the Block".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY ANTHONY: Can someone let me -- come on.
CINDY ANTHONY: Casey, hold on, sweetheart. Settle down.
CASEY ANTHONY: Nobody`s letting me speak. You want me to talk, then --
CINDY ANTHONY: All right. I`ll listen to you.
CASEY ANTHONY: Give me three seconds to say something.
CINDY ANTHONY: Go, sweetheart.
CASEY ANTHONY: I`m not in control over any of this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, the judge in the Casey Anthony murder trial lays down the law, warning Casey`s defense dream team that the case which has already cost a whopping $300,000 clams, is getting way too pricey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HON. BELVIN PERRY, PRESIDING OVER CASEY`S MURDER TRIAL: I am not going to write an open check. I`m just not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Casey`s lawyers wanted tens of thousands of dollars more. We`re going to tell you why they also got a big fat "No way, Jose" when it came to a bid to have Casey`s jailhouse records sealed.
And by the way, check out Casey`s new cleaned-up look. She appears to have had yet another makeover, looking pretty good in court this time.
Meantime, will Casey`s defense suffer in the wake of another major player quitting the case? That`s right, famous defense attorney, Linda Kenney-Baden off the team. So is Casey facing a big dilemma? I`m taking your calls, 1-877-JVM-SAYS.
Straight out to bounty hunter Leonard Padilla; Leonard, one of the reasons Casey`s defense wants more money is to interview possibly hundreds of EquuSearch volunteers who were looking around the general vicinity where little Caylee`s remains were eventually found. What exactly is the defense aiming to prove by interviewing all those EquuSearch volunteers?
LEONARD PADILLA, BONDED CASEY OUT OF JAIL IN 2008: Well, if -- if you go back to when the body was -- even before the body was found and she was back in custody on October 14th of 2008, you`ll hear statements from individuals and the statements were made that hey, the body has to be found while she`s in custody, otherwise, it will point to her while she`s out of custody if the body is found.
Jose right now has to find somebody that`s credible that can say we searched there and there was no body there. But that`s not going to happen. All of the people so far that have been interviewed will tell you there was too much water for a small body or a small package like that to be found there. He`s got to hope that he can find somebody that`s credible and he`s just not going to do it.
The -- the EquuSearch people will tell you well, I was there or I was by there, well, I`ll tell you this. We were there and we were at that intersection many times. We were at the end of that fence many times but we were up on the road, and it was full of water in -- in August when we were there. There`s just not going to be something --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, what I have to -- what I have to wonder about this whole thing, is that given that it was so close to the Anthony home, why the heck they didn`t just drain it?
I have seen them drain other areas in the past. They did it when Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba. And you`ve got to wonder Levi Page, why the powers that be, especially when there`s a guy calling them in August named Roy Kronk, the meter reader, saying and I think something`s -- something`s smelly down there, something is wrong, there is something there, why they didn`t just drain it, Levi?
LEVI PAGE, CRIME BLOGGER & INTERNET RADIO HOST: Yes, you know, that`s very puzzling why they didn`t just drain the area, Jane. I mean, it would make sense to do that. I think you`re absolutely right.
But another thing that I want to bring up is the fact that there are two members of the defense team, well, actually one member, her name is Laura Buchanan. She`s not a member, she is formerly with EquuSearch. And she is accused of trying to falsify documents, saying two EquuSearch members were near the area and the area was not under water. She`s accused of trying to change their testimony.
Also, a private investigator named Jeremy Lyons is also accused of trying to change the testimony of two EquuSearch volunteers, trying to tamper with them and say you were at this area, there was no water in the area, but guess what? Those two EquuSearch members say hey, those two people are lying, they`re tampering with us and this is unethical behavior. And if this defense money is going to individuals like Jeremy Lyons, who is accused of this frivolous activities, then I think that`s a big problem for the taxpayers.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let -- let me say this --
(CROSSTALK)
PAGE: I think they should be outraged.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- yes first of all, I want to say that we invite Jose Baez and defense team members on the show at any time to tell their side of the story. There`s always two sides of the story so we want to be fair. You were talking about the money issue, Levi. The judge warned Casey`s lawyers hey, I`m not going to hand you a blank check.
PAGE: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The taxpayers of Florida are footing the bill for her defense and they are already in the hole for something like $300,000. Now Casey`s team wanted another $20,000 for her new death penalty lawyer, and another 300 hours of investigation time as we talked about to interview these hundreds of EquuSearch volunteers, and Mark Eiglarsh, they also reportedly wanted money for a mitigation specialist.
Mark, in people terms, tell us what mitigation specialist means and whether it indicates that they might be resigned to a conviction?
MARK EIGLARSH, FLORIDA CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: No, no, no, no. The defense has to prepare for the unfortunate circumstance -- again, I`m talking from the defense perspective, that she might be found guilty. You can`t wait to -- to research her background and the mitigation until -- you have to do it right away.
So they have to have a specialist -- this is the defense talking -- in order to come up with reasons why she shouldn`t be put to death. And ultimately, the jurors are going to be in the penalty phase, weighing the aggravating factors versus the mitigating factors. A specialist would definitely help the defense. That`s what they want.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mara, Indiana, your question or thought, ma`am?
MARA, INDIANA (via telephone): Hi Jane, thanks for taking my call.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hi, thanks for calling.
MARA: My question is I know that where -- that anybody is entitled to a defense, and if you can`t afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you. So why is it that we`re paying for this dream team legal team --
EIGLARSH: We`re not.
MARA: -- and she`s not having a public defender?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well --
EIGLARSH: We`re not.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think that`s a good question, Mark. Yes the taxpayers are paying.
(CROSSTALK)
EIGLARSH: No, no, no. The taxpayers are paying for the costs -- the costs are different than Jose Baez`s $200,000 that apparently he got. The cost, assuming the defendant has no more ability to pay for depositions, for experts, they can petition the court and the court can, and under the law should, grant reasonable costs for the cost of depositions, investigation -- those things.
If we don`t do it, then if she`s convicted and it comes back on appeal, you`re going to have to do it all over again. So give her the costs -- it sucks from a taxpayer`s perspective, especially those who think that she is guilty, but that`s the process for her and every other accused here in Florida who is indigent.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I know the judge said it was crossing the line for taxpayers to have to pay for certain travel costs. I mean, who draws the line as to what`s exorbitant and whether you need to bring in somebody from halfway around the world, or if they can find a local lawyer who doesn`t need a hotel and airfare?
More on Casey Anthony right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ANTHONY, FATHER OF CASEY ANTHONY: Hey, gorgeous, how you doing?
CASEY ANTHONY: I look like hell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Casey was looking pretty good during this Friday`s hearing, especially when you compare her to past court appearances. She`s really had her ups and downs. You see her there Friday, that`s in the lower corner, she looks good. Her hair is pulled back, she looks slim. She wasn`t sobbing the way she did uncontrollably the day after her parents and her brother, Lee, took the stand.
You got to wonder if somebody`s advising her how to look in the courtroom and telling her hey, stay trim, look good, because that`s part of what it`s going to take to get you to get a fair hearing.
Danielle, Massachusetts, your question or thought?
DANIELLE, MASSACHUSETTS (via telephone): Hi. Yes, my question is what will they gain by having them say the area wasn`t under water when it was? Are they being paid? Are these volunteers being investigated? Is that where the money for her defense is going?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Levi Page, why don`t you take that one?
PAGE: Well, what is happening is that a member of the defense team who is a private investigator, his name is Jeremy Lyons, is being accused by two Texas Equusearch volunteers of trying to change their testimony. He tried to get them to lie and say that they were at the area --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, allegedly.
PAGE: According to these two people, tried to get them to lie, they were at the area and the area was not under water, and the defense is trying to plant seeds of doubt saying well, if the area was not under water, then they would have found the body if it was there. But it`s completely BS.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And all of this could have been avoided if the police had simply drained the area. It was so close and a lot of people are pointing to that area saying that`s where they she used to bury her pets, et cetera, et cetera.
What about the civil suit against Casey by Zenaida Gonzalez? You remember her. Zenaida claims Casey ruined her life by accusing a woman of the same name of kidnapping little Caylee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CINDY ANTHONY: She doesn`t have perfect teeth. She`s not a 10. I`m sorry ma`am, you`re cute but you`re not a 10.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. That was Casey`s mom, Cindy, insisting there is indeed a Zanny the nanny but she just has to be a heck of a lot hotter than the woman who is suing Casey by the same name.
There was another big depo today, reportedly Zenaida`s lawyers were set to question Robin Adams, said to be -- she`s one of Casey`s jailhouse pen pals who apparently confided that Casey told her Zanny the nanny never existed. The significance of that, Leonard Padilla?
PADILLA: That`s absolutely true. It was a situation where she made it up back on the 17th when she was at the Sawgrass Apartments and happened to run across an application by Zenaida. So it`s all -- it`s just all made up in her mind. But that`s the way Casey is.
If you were to talk to Tracy, who lived with her for those nine days while she was out on our bond and Rob Dick, who drove her to and from the attorney`s office, you would get insight into how she comports herself when she`s not being cross-examined or anything like that.
EIGLARSH: I`m not buying --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s hear from mark. Mark, you have the last word.
EIGLARSH: I am not buying that she actually opened up to anyone in the jailhouse. This girl kept a tight lip, hadn`t said anything at all to law enforcement.
PAGE: You`re wrong. She wrote letters to people.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: One at a time.
EIGLARSH: I don`t believe that someone in a jail cell somehow could be trusted and is credible to recite what they claim that flowed from her lips. I don`t buy it.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Got to leave it right there, gentlemen. I know you all disagree. We`re going to stay on top of this one, obviously.
Thank you, fabulous panel.
Remember, Thursday and Friday, right here, courageous parents whose children were raped and murdered. We`ll tell their heart-wrenching stories.
END
