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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Manhunt on for Serial D.C. Rapist; Valentine`s Day Bloodbath: Did Obsession Spark Killing Spree?
Aired February 14, 2011 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, a serial rapist terrorizing a Washington, D.C., suburb. Cops say one man is viciously sexually assaulting elderly women, putting an 87-year-old woman through hell. Now these victims are fighting back in the war on women. As cops search for a monster on the loose, one 68-year-old woman was raped on two separate occasions by this very same sicko. We`ll tell her story of survival right her on ISSUES.
And a Valentine`s Day killer. A man accused of murdering four people in a stabbing rampage in New York City says he`s the victim of a setup. Did drugs and obsession drive him to kill? You`ll hear from a victim who survived this terror.
Then, Charlie Sheen`s jaw-dropping new interview. The troubled actor is talking about how he doesn`t believe in AA and thinks some people can do crack socially. I`ll tell you why Charlie`s denial is so dangerous, and we`ll talk to Dr. Drew, live.
Plus, the murder that rocked an upscale Atlanta community. A highly educated family friend charged with gunning down the husband of a woman he supervised outside their son`s day care. The question is, why? I`ll talk to the suspect`s lawyers in a national prime-time exclusive interview.
ISSUES starts now.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am determined to do everything I can to see to it this arrogant little twerp doesn`t get away with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Brava. Tonight, a triumph in our battle against the war on women. Victims of a serial rapist strike back. Two women attacked by the very same rapist say they are not letting this violent sicko keep them silenced. Even though he is still on the loose right now as we talk about this.
I will speak to one of these very brave women in just moments.
Cops, meantime, furiously hunting for this monster after he raped a 68-year-old woman in her Maryland home not once, but twice. The same woman! Twice. The same suspect! The same place. All of it, twice! A horrific deja vu.
He also raped an 86-year-old woman -- 86 years old -- who lives across the street from the other woman, and the 86-year-old lives in an assisted living center.
The rapist`s spree of terror began last June when he climbed through a ground-floor window at the home of that 68-year-old senior citizen in the middle of the night, sexually assaulting her. Cops say he came back to that very same home more than six months later and attacked the very same woman again, just last month.
Meantime, last August, cops say he broke into the first floor room of an assisted living facility right across the street and raped an 86-year- old woman as she was lying in bed. Did I mention, 86 years old, the victim?
Tonight, both courageous women are taking the power back by speaking out. You will not believe the poem the 86-year-old victim, who is now 87, wrote about the hell she experienced. And the poem is appropriately called "Hell." You`re going to hear parts of it in a moment.
But first, we`re so delighted to meet Joy. For her safety, we are not using her last name, and we have put her in shadow.
Joy, welcome to ISSUES.
JOY, RAPE SURVIVOR: Thank you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I cannot tell you how heroic I think you are for speaking out about your horrific experience. The nightmare has to be, obviously, fresh in your mind, and you courageously decided not to let this monster silence you. Why have you decided to speak out?
JOY: Well, because it`s something I can do. I currently have some physical limitations that I never imagined even five or six years ago I would ever have, but I flatter myself my mind`s still working pretty good, and I want to do what I can to help catch this individual and to save me, if he has the arrogant company (ph) to try to come back again, and also a lot of other women in similar circumstances in the neighborhood.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I absolutely applaud you. And this is what we`re talking about. Fighting back in the war on women, that we as women need to band together and stand up and say, "Enough! No! We are not going to put up with this as individuals or as a society."
JOY: Right. And it`s getting to be a cradle to the grave thing, literally.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It is. I mean, the sickness of attacking senior citizens, attacking a woman who is 86 years old! My God!
And this kid -- and I say kid, because the police are saying he could be as young as 16. I want to bring in Officer Paul Starks, who is the PIO of the Montgomery County Police.
Sixteen, Officer Starks?
OFFICER PAUL STARKS, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: Yes, that`s correct. The description given by both ladies involved here has an age range of 16 to 25.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What is a 16-year-old, or even a 25 -- I mean, this is beyond comprehension. That somebody -- that anybody -- would want to attack a senior citizen, but much less somebody who might still be in high school. And I`ll get back to you in a second, Officer Starks.
But Joy, you`re courageously speaking out about how you were raped twice by this very same monster who used the same M.O. each time. And here`s how you describe your horrific second encounter.
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JOY: We looked at each other, and we knew. You wonder, why me, God?
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Joy, we pray that they catch this demented individual and make him face justice. But I have to ask you, can you describe what went through your mind when you realized this same individual, this same man had broken back into your home to attack you for the second time? What ran through you?
JOY: Well, you think of 100 things, but I tried to control both fear and anger, because the main point is to survive and not make him mad, because you could just tell by the look in his eyes, or at least that`s when I felt, that if he was crossed, he could be very dangerous.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you get the feeling that he came back and targeted you specifically, or is he just so dumb that he decided, "Well, oh, I`m accidentally going to hit the same apartment again"?
JOY: I think he`s a night crawler that looks for targets of opportunity and, of course, the other lady had since moved out of the senior citizen`s facility, and he just was looking around.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you exchange any words with this individual?
JOY: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What`d you say or what did he say?
JOY: Well, the odd thing about him, really, is that he used no profanity, no vulgarity, no street language. He just gave orders. Very arrogant and specific orders, about what he wanted and what he expected. And if I thought it was something that was a problem, I tried to phrase it in a way that would protect myself and not make him too mad.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You are so incredibly brave. Despite being attacked twice in your home, you`ve live there had for a quarter of a century and you`re saying, "He`s not forcing me out. I`m not leaving. I am staying right where I want to be, my home." Is that true, Joy?
JOY: That is true. And it`s comfortable. It`s spacious for a condominium garden-style apartment. I even have a wood-burning fire place and the washer/drier right in the unit. My doctors are within a few miles. Why should I let him totally discombobulate me?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The other victim, 86 years old when she was attacked in her bed across the street from where you live, Joy, at her assisted living facility, she expressed her rage with an icy poem she calls "Hell" directed at this rapist. Listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have experienced hell. You made the choice to prey on elderly women, knowing they could not defend themselves.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Her gripping poem goes on to say, quote, "You tried to dehumanize me, to take away who I am, but my soul speaks out loudly, who I am."
Go ahead, Joy.
JOY: I met her for the first time last Friday, and she showed me that poem. And not only is it beautifully done, but she has wonderful penmanship for anybody, much less an 86-year-old.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Captain Starks, what are you doing to protect Joy, given that she is so courageous, that she is not leaving her home, despite having been raped by the same man twice in her home.
STARKS: Montgomery County police have coordinated a survey done at her home. We`ve looked at her doors and windows and tightened up her house appropriately.
But on a global scale, we`ve also handed out the sketches, flyers to homeowners and business owners. We`ve even done traffic enforcement in the area, stopping people who are traveling through that portion of Montgomery County who may not live or work there, seeing if they recognize this person in the composite.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do you feel defeated in any way, that this guy was able to come back into Joy`s home and rape her twice over a period of six months, Captain?
STARKS: Defeated? No. Shocked? Yes. But the investigators working on this case are even more determined. They`ve taken the composite to schools, showed it around, seen if he currently goes to schools in the area or maybe attended in the past.
I spoke with one of the two lead detectives this afternoon, and he stated one of the theories now is that the suspect may not live in the area, but comes back periodically to visit. That`s something they`re looking into.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hmm. Interesting. Well, we have a call for action on the other side of this break, and we`re also going to talk to a team of experts.
Joy, I just got to say -- let`s see Joy for one more second -- you are my hero, Joy! You are fighting back in the war on women. You are speaking out for women, and I hope that every woman who`s experienced rape takes inspiration from your courage and speaks out, as well.
Thank you, Joy.
JOY: You`re welcome.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, everybody. Hang tight.
This man is charged with gunning down the husband of a woman that he supervised outside their son`s day care. And now I`m going to talk to this suspect`s lawyers in a national prime-time exclusive interview.
And much more on this sicko serial rapist declaring war on elderly women in the nation`s capital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am determined to do everything I can to see to it this arrogant little twerp doesn`t get away with it.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: You look at this assisted living facility, you`re supposed to feel safe there, as well as you`re supposed to feel safe at the apartment complex.
ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: This guy is really angry with mothers or grandmothers, because look at who he`s targeting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a manhunt underway for a monster who cops say raped two senior citizens. One of the women -- what a courageous woman -- we just heard from her right here on ISSUES a moment ago. She was raped twice in her home in the middle of the night, six months apart by the same man. The other has penned a very biting poem aimed squarely, squarely at her attacker. Both of these courageous victims taking the power back by speaking out.
And I want to go to Angela Rose. You are the founder of PAVE, Promoting Awareness and Victim Empowerment. But you, yourself, were attacked at knifepoint at 17 and sexually assaulted. What do you make of these women, these elderly women having the courage to -- go ahead!
ANGELA ROSE, FOUNDER, PAVE: It`s incredibly inspiring to see these women speaking out, and that is really an example of them taking that power back. You know, it`s important to realize that sexual assault, it isn`t a crime of sex; it`s a crime of power. And so being able to shatter that silence surrounding sexual violence allows them to take that power back.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And you bring me to my big issue. We all need to take the power back, by talking about the horrific nightmares that we experienced at the hands of these assaulters, expressing rage against the attacker. These women are seizing control from this monster.
Tonight, we have two purposes in talking about this story. One is to help law enforcement get the sicko off the streets, and that`s why we`re talking to Captain Paul Starks, and we`ll get back to him in a moment. But the other is to give voice to the pain of rape victims, to help them take the power back and pass it along to other victims.
Do you with realize that 60 percent of rape victims don`t report their rapes and only 6 percent of rapists will ever spend a day in jail?
And I am reminded, Jayne Weintraub, of this Georgia state representative who just last week suggested that we redefine rape victims as accusers until there`s a conviction, really trying to minimize rape and essentially call out the victims and say, "Well, are they telling the truth?"
So this is the mentality, this state senator`s mentality is the mentality that we have to stamp out, Jayne.
JAYNE WEINTRAUB, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think we need somebody to run against him right away. That`s No. 1. I mean, that`s kind of scary for somebody who represents the community to be thinking like that.
You know, someone who preys on an elderly person is even more pathetic, as Joy says, more of a twerp, because they`re banking on the fact that an elderly person won`t be able to I.D. him properly, will not go to court, will be easier prey. Because he`s not even man enough to go after somebody his own age. That`s what I have to say about this young kid.
I think it`s awful. And I think it is important that we get the power back, for everyone.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, we`re doing that right now. We are doing that right now. There`s a woman watching at home. If you`ve been raped and you haven`t reported it, report it now. Do not -- there`s no reason for you to feel ashamed. You did nothing wrong. You are the victim. Not the accuser, the victim.
Now, this elderly victim, who, by the way, was sleeping in her bed. Both of them were sleeping in their bed when they were attacked in the pre- dawn hours by somebody who broke into their homes. The oldest victim, the 86-year-old, now 87, turned to technology to call for help once her attacker left. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As soon as he had gone back out the window, I hit the Life Alert button that I have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank goodness for that Life Alert, that this senior citizen used. But I have to say, maybe she wouldn`t have needed it if this guy would have been stopped after his first attack.
So here is my call to action. And it`s something we`ve suggested time and time again here on ISSUES. Isn`t it time for cameras on every street corner? I mean, there`s no expectation of privacy when you are out in public. Isn`t it time for society to rise to the next level of crime fighting by preventing it, not waiting until it happens and then going after the criminal?
"USA Today" reports that many big cities and small towns facing budget crunches are now using cameras, because they actually can`t afford to put more cops on the street.
So I want to turn to Paul Starks, the captain who is the spokesperson for the Montgomery County Police Department where this happened. Why can`t we put high-resolution cameras on every street corner? Had we done so, let`s say after the first attack, this guy would have been caught going into the house for the second time.
STARKS: Well, that is an issue that brings in finances, and as you say, some people feel that is an invasion of privacy and Big Brother looking at them. I think it`s a decision that every community, every jurisdiction has to make based on the circumstances that they`re in.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, while we`re looking -- while we`re talking to you, we`re looking at Google Maps that shows every single neighborhood in America, and almost the entire world, at this point. Angela Rose, do you think we should have the cameras on every corner to stop rapes?
ROSE: Well, I think, actually, what Captain Starks is doing does work. In my case, it was a repeat sex offender. And very similar to what he`s doing, going out and spreading the message, they were able to catch him. Just like I`m confident they`re going to be able to catch this person.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want them to be caught before they commit the crime. Honestly, we`ve got to switch to prevention. It`s a lot cheaper to prevent a crime than chase after a criminal after he`s raped twice.
Charlie Sheen next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHELDON POTTINGER, CARJACKING AND STABBING VICTIM: It looked crazy. It looked like a crazy guy. As soon as he reached my car door, he pulled in there and pulled out a knife and said, "Get out of the car. I`m going to kill you."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a Valentine`s Day massacre. Police say a 23-year-old man obsessed with a beautiful woman who wanted nothing to do with him flew into a rage and went on a 28-hour bloody crime spree, terrorizing New York City. Maksim Gelman, accused of stabbing seven people, hacking three people to death -- yes, this guy right here -- and murdering a fourth person with his car.
Listen to this from ABC`s "Good Morning America."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH LOZITO, SURVIVED ATTACK ON NYC SUBWAY: Basically, he was about two or three feet away from me, and he took out a, you know, giant knife and just looked at me and said, "You`re going to die. You`re going to die." And then he lunged at me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That guy`s a hero. We`ll get to that in a second.
Investigators say the killing spree started when the Ukrainian immigrant stabbed his step-dad to death after the man refused to give up the keys to his car. Gelman then allegedly stole that car and drove to this young woman, Yelena Bulchenko`s house. There she is. He stabbed her mother to death, waited for her to come home. She`s 20. When she did, police say he chased her into the street and when she did, brutally stabbed her 20 times. She is now dead.
"The New York Post" reports cops found spray painted red hearts with Yelena`s name on the walls of Gelman`s old hangout, a rundown shack in Brooklyn. Beer cans, hypodermic needles littered the floor. Inside, surrounding this homemade shrine.
HLN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks, did this psycho`s infatuation with that beautiful 21-year-old woman spark this horrific bloodbath?
BROOKS: Well, they`re -- that`s what they`re trying to figure out right now, Jane, and find what had led up to the hours before all this happened.
But it was a 28-hour killing spree, if you will, through all different boroughs of New York. I`ll tell you what, if it hadn`t have been for that man who wrestled with him, and was stabbed in the head himself, more people may have been killed. That guy is a true hero, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, he is, and we`re going to hear from him right now. One of Gelman`s victims/hero spoke out this morning on ABC`S "Good Morning America". Listen to him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOZITO: When I sat up, that`s when I noticed all the blood pouring down on me. I`d never seen anything like that in my life. And another person on the train -- and I didn`t see him at all -- I wish I did -- you know, he had napkins and came up behind my and just basically, the whole time, just pressed on this wound, which I think ended up being the deepest wound back here. And he just, you know, stayed there the whole time with me. He didn`t blink. He just did it and to me, he`s my hero. I`m not the hero.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, he says he`s not the hero, but he certainly did a lot. What did this guy, this hero that we just heard from, do, Mike?
BROOKS: Apparently, he started stabbing someone or went after someone, hollering and screaming on the subway, and this guy went ahead and just grabbed him, and when he did, he turned around and started stabbing him, because apparently he had jumped tracks.
There were some -- there were two officers in one of the booths there that were chasing him, and the officer finally got -- the two officers got to this guy, but during that time, he was stabbing Mr. Lazito. And you saw where the wounds on Mr. Lazito`s neck is. He could have killed him also. Because that was a good-sized kitchen knife that we saw just a few minutes ago that had blood all over it that he was able to take away from this guy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Look at these wounds!
BROOKS: It`s amazing.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That is unbelievable! All this happening on a New York City subway, in the streets and elsewhere.
BROOKS: Right in Times Square.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s a rampage. It`s a rampage in the biggest city in America and -- wow. Hats off to the officers involved, as well as that hero citizen.
Thank you so much, Mike.
Charlie Sheen`s crazy new interview. He talks about doing crack socially? I will talk to Dr. Drew live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Charlie Sheen`s jaw-dropping new interview. The troubled actor`s talking about how he doesn`t believe in AA and thinks some people can do crack socially. I`ll tell you why Charlie`s denial is so dangerous. And we`ll talk to Dr. Drew live.
Plus, the murder that rocked an upscale Atlanta community: a highly educated family friend charged with gunning down the husband of a woman he supervised outside their son`s day care. The question is, why? I`ll talk to the suspect`s lawyers in a national prime-time exclusive interview.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
DAN PATRICK, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: But you`re clean though, now, right?
CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: Oh, yes, 100 percent -- 100 percent. Peeing clean.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, Charlie Sheen speaks out in a shocking new radio interview on "The Dan Patrick Show". The actor proclaims, quote, "I`m peeing clean". But then he proceeds to shock us. I mean shock us -- totally opens up about everything from his new mystery girlfriend to "dabbling with crack". Yes. Listen to this.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SHEEN: People kind of know that I`ve had some problems lately and this and that. And I`m sort of notorious for, you know, surfacing, you know going deep undercover, deep underground. So I said, stay away from the crack, which I think is pretty good advice unless you can manage it socially, Dan. If you can manage it socially then go for it, but not a lot of people can, you know.
PATRICK: Did you think you could?
SHEEN: Did -- sorry?
PATRICK: Did you think you could?
SHEEN: Yes, yes, but that kind of blew up in my face. Like an exploding crack pipe, Dan.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Huh? Charlie apparently thinks he can dabble with crack, do it socially and not get addicted? Is he crazy?
Plus, Charlie says after just a few days of rest, he has quote "gotten his act together" and he`s ready to get back to work. Charlie says it`s actually the "Two and a Half Men" executives who are holding things up. He said he showed up on the set and nobody was there. Listen to this from "The Dan Patrick Show".
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SHEEN: I was banging on the stage door, hello. Where`s everybody? I don`t know what happened. I guess they`re closed.
PATRICK: They won`t let you back in?
SHEEN: I -- nobody told me. Nobody told me. I just figured, you know, I`m supposed to go back to work, because I`m ready.
PATRICK: Wait, you`re on hiatus?
SHEEN: No, we`re on forced hiatus. They said, you get ready, we`ll get ready. And I got ready and went back, and nobody`s there.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
SHEEN: Hold up. Charlie has had disastrous all-night ragers, where he`s, let`s see, allegedly terrorized porn stars, he`s allegedly ordered up cocaine, he`s definitely ended up in the hospital. Yet he claims he is now peeing clean and ready to get back to work after just over two weeks of rehab in his home. Is Charlie the poster boy for classic addict denial and defiance?
Straight out to addiction specialist, Dr. Drew Pinsky, whose new show premieres nightly on this network, HLN; can`t wait for that that happen. Dr. Drew, thanks for joining us again.
There are a lot of disturbing things coming out of this interview with Charlie Sheen, but what really hit me was the comment that he felt he was able to do crack socially. I`m just going to toss that one to you.
DR. PINSKY, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Well, I`ve never met that person. And certainly his attempts at this have not been so successful thus far.
And, you know, as you know, Jane, you`re right. This is -- he`s becoming the poster child for distorted thinking and denial. And it`s very sad. Because, you know, listen, it`s not about telling somebody how to live their life or the kind of life they need to lead.
It`s that, given the condition he has and the behaviors he`s manifesting, the substances that he`s relating to, it`s very predictable where this is going to go. It`s going to go to horrible places.
And a feature of addiction that people really have trouble getting their head around, and you were sort of alluding to it, Jane, is that addicts use their thinking as a way of justifying their behaviors and the choices they make.
You know, it`s funny, when I was -- when a colleague of mine was saying, when he would relates to me a patient`s history one day, he would say, here`s my patient`s history, he lies, lies, lies, distorts, obfuscates, cheats, lies, lies, lies, lies. And they don`t even know they`re doing it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Of course.
PINSKY: They`re thinking is so distorted from this part of the disease. So, to talk to an addict about why they`re doing what they do is a mistake because you`re going to get all kinds of justifications.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here`s the old joke. Dr. Drew, how do you think an addict is lying? Because they`re talking, they`re moving their lips.
PINSKY: That`s right. Their lips are moving. And I`m not saying he`s lying in this case in some sort of conscious attempt to distort, but that`s a feature of this condition. We call it stinking thinking.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh yes.
PINSKY: His thinking is distorted. So here he`s had these horrific consequences, social, financial, interpersonal, medical, and yet he thinks he`s on the right path, he can handle this. And I wish it were true. God bless him if he can. Many have tried -- came before and tried. And I can tell you as a physician, this is going to go to a very, very unhappy ending.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, I`m afraid of that as well.
And you bring me to my big issue: denial and defiance. Sheen says sobriety bores him and that he doesn`t believe in AA. Listen to this from "The Dan Patrick Show".
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
PATRICK: You want to go --
(CROSSTALK)
SHEEN: Oh, yes.
PATRICK: How long have you been sober?
SHEEN: Well, I don`t use sober anymore, I`m not in AA, I don`t believe in that. You know, it`s off and on. It`s been -- I was sober for five years a long time ago, and just bored out of my tree, and decided, this is not who I am. Like, Dan I didn`t drink for 12 years, and man, that first one, Dan, wow.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So he`s still on the side of being an addict. He`s not giving any kind of recovery program any kind of a chance, Dr. Drew.
PINSKY: That`s right. He`s defiant. He`s being very clear that he hasn`t capitulated to the treatment process. And let`s be fair, I mean 12- step doesn`t work for everyone. There`s rational recovery and there`s cognitive behavioral therapies and there are sort of these -- what you call -- harm avoidance kind of therapies. They end up, in my experience, in a similar -- not such a great place, in my experience. But, fine, he can try those things.
But he`s not even willing to try those things. And that is very scary. And I must tell you, I`ve treated lots and lots of addicts who have been in recovery for a period of time. And by the way, when he was in recovery, I know lots of people that knew him when he was in the program, and he was actually richly and deeply involved in the program. And now he`s sort of looking back on it as some sort of a boring experience.
And when an addict says they`re bored, they usually mean they`re depressed. And so something was happening to him then that could have been treated, perhaps, but instead, and again, his addict brain kicked in and said, I know what to do, we`ll use, and pow, he was off and running again.
But once we have these patients who have been in long-term recovery, who relapse, they tend to be very difficult to get back into treatment.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
PINSKY: They sort of know too much and it`s a very desperate situation when you have a patient like that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, it`s a chronic slipper. Now, we`ve got a call from David. David, you have a question for Dr. Drew?
DAVID, NEW JERSEY (via telephone): yes, I do, Jane. One of the things I -- you know, obviously, he knows that he`s in the public eye. Don`t you think that these are just outrageous comments he makes sort of a cry for attention? Like, obviously, he`s attention-starved, and maybe it is a cry for help.
PINSKY: Yes, well, I must tell you, that is a very interesting way of looking upon it, and that`s what a rational person would do. I`ve never met a drug addict that cries for help. They go until they can`t go any further and then they ask for help.
So when they`re about to die, when they`re about to lose everything, then they reach out and ask for help. This is bravado and denial and all the distortions that we`re used to seeing. These aren`t cries for help. I wish they were. They sound like it to us, but no, the addict himself is actually not crying for help.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: During this interview, Charlie covered his love of baseball. He also cracked jokes about his drinking. So let`s analyze this from "The Dan Patrick Show".
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SHEEN: Incidentally, beer drunks, worst in the world.
PATRICK: Yes?
SHEEN: At least you know what you`re getting with a vodka drunk. They`re more linear. Beer drunks are just like falling out of the back of pickups and stuff.
PATRICK: You`ve done your research?
SHEEN: Right. Well, yes. Clearly, in the field.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, Dr. Drew, it sounds like Charlie`s romanticizing his addiction. And we want to bring in also Marvet Britto, who is president and CEO of the Britto Agency.
What impact is all of this having on his career? Because he`s now sort of attacking "Two and a Half Men" saying, hey, I went to the office and I knocked on the door and they weren`t there. So he`s really now biting the hand that feeds him.
MARVET BRITTO, PRESIDENT AND CEO, BRITTO AGENCY: Well, he`s biting the hand that feeds him in ways that are symbolic of the persona and bad boy antics he`s been displaying. He`s become a liability and not an asset to the show.
So he said in his interview that they said, when you`re ready, I`m ready. Well, you know, communication has to take place, and they don`t know when he`s going to be ready. So I think, as far as the public is concerned, they`re becoming desensitized to Charlie Sheen`s antics. But as far as his -- the network`s -- they really need to know that he is going to be an asset and he can show up and deliver --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But look, he can`t show up and deliver if he`s doing crack socially, which is a contradiction in terms.
BRITTO: Correct.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: He`s been in quote-unquote, "recovery", which I don`t think really it`s recovery. Rehab at home for two weeks, and he`s already talking about going to work, at the same time as he`s joking about as he doesn`t like to be described as sober.
I mean, this is all over the map. And I think that this is going to quickly spill over into his work, where he`s so far compartmentalized it away from work, Dr. Drew.
PINSKY: Yes. Yes. Yes. And Jane, let me just say two things. One is that for some reason in our culture, we have not gotten our head around what this is, what we`re seeing with Charlie Sheen. We want him to be the cartoon character that he is on "Two and a Half Men".
That`s not what this is. That`s not just some guy with some lifestyle choices. We are looking at someone with serious, serious life threatening psychiatric problems here. And people have to understand that when they`re exposing their brain to these drugs, their thinking, everything becomes distorted as a result.
And I`ve never seen anybody stay the same in a condition like this, by the way. They get worse or they get better, but they don`t stay the same. It`s not like you can kind of go along like this for a while and see how it goes. And we`re all witnessing the progression right in front of our says.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, all it takes is one bad car accident and it could be all over.
PINSKY: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Marvet Britto, thank you so much for joining once. And Dr. Drew, always a pleasure -- can`t wait for your show to hit this spring here on HLN.
All right. We`re moving on to another wild story. The day care murder that rocked an upscale community took a shocking turn when a family friend was charged with gunning down the husband of a woman he supervised, right outside their son`s day care. Now I`m going to talk to this man`s attorneys, the suspect`s attorneys in a national prime-time exclusive interview next.
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STEVE SNEIDERMAN, VICTIM`S BROTHER: Our whole family has lost its brightest light and we don`t know why. Can you imagine that?
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SNEIDERMAN: My brother was murdered. No one should have to face that.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, an ISSUES exclusive: attorneys for Atlanta day care murder suspect Hemy Neuman are here with his side of the story. Neuman is accused of gunning down 36-year-old Rusty Sneiderman steps away from his son`s Atlanta a day care. It had all the ear marks of an organized hit job.
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CHIEF BILLY GROGAN, DUNWOODY GEORGIA POLICE DEPT: This case appears to be a cold and calculated murder. It does not appear to be random in nature. The victim was shot multiple times from what appears to be point- blank range.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Rusty`s widow says she was floored when police arrested Neuman, a man who supervised her at work. She said, quote, "I was shocked to learn that the man charged with the murder was my former boss, a person who we thought was a friend of our family. I have been assured by the Dekalb County district attorney`s office that Mr. Neuman is Rusty`s killer," end quote.
The prosecutor sounds very confident, yet we have not heard any details about evidence, motive, or what links Neuman to the murder of this man. So do investigators have their man, or is Rusty Sneiderman`s killer still on the streets?
We`re delighted to be joined tonight by Douglas Peters and Robert Rubin. They are attorneys for the suspect in this murder case, Hemy Neuman. So tell us, if you will and I`ll start with I guess, Douglas -- the gentleman with the bowtie -- about your client`s relationship with the victim`s family. They did know each other?
DOUGLAS PETERS, ATTORNEY FOR HEMY NEWMAN: Well, clearly they knew each other. Clearly they worked together. And beyond that, at this point in time, this is a tragedy. It`s a tragedy to the community. And everyone is stunned by what has happened.
And Mr. Neuman is in a position right now where he is simply asking that the community allow this case to be handled in the courts and that people not rush to judgment at this time.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I understand he`s a family man who has -- what -- three kids?
ROBERT RUBIN, ATTORNEY FOR HEMY NEUMAN: Three kids.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. So he has no criminal record, right? Never got in trouble with the law before.
PETERS: His background has just been absolutely perfect. He is very well educated himself. He`s been a very committed father through the years, a good employee at General Electric here, and nothing to indicate that he would be responsible for anything like this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, there are several local reports that Neuman and his wife, your client and his wife separated last October after 22 years of marriage. Now, that was before the shooting occurred.
Now, the attorney for the estranged wife, the estranged wife, your client`s estranged wife, called that a private matter. So I`ll throw this out to Robert Rubin. I mean, private matter, that`s often a euphemism for infidelity. Was your client having an affair?
RUBIN: Well, it is a private matter. And what`s important to remember is that Mr. Neuman is the father of three children, who are touched by this whole tragedy, just as the Sneiderman family is touched by it. And we need to respect their position in this matter and not really comment on those personal matters.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, now the shooting -- let`s talk about just the facts of the case. It happened during morning rush hour in the middle of a bustling shopping center. Witnesses say the gunman walked right up to Rusty, fired several shots, and then escaped in a gray minivan.
A witness described the horrifying scene right here on ISSUES. Let`s listen for a second.
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MARK, WITNESS: There was a man on my right and he was yelling out, are you on with 911? And he said, we`re on, we`re on. And that man to my right was standing over a body that appeared to be dead. I could see at that point that the guy had been shot at least in the chest, so there was blood pooling from all around.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: So, Douglas, does your attorney -- does your client own a minivan and does he have an alibi for the morning of the shooting?
PETERS: Well, we have agreed with the district attorney that we are not going to discuss the facts of the case. We are here to ask that everyone understand that simply because there`s been an arrest, simply because there`s been an indictment, there has still not been any hearing where any of the evidence in the case has been tested and has been ruled on by an independent judge.
The danger of a case such as this, whether there`s so much in the media, where it is such a tragedy is that people rush to judgment, and really, the tragedy just continues where people rush to judgment and do not --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Have police told you what they think their theory is of why?
RUBIN: Miss Velez-Mitchell, we haven`t had the first hearing. We haven`t had a trial. We haven`t had an arraignment or even a preliminary hearing. So we have not even yet received discovery.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you, gentleman. I appreciate you coming on. More in a second.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GROGAN: There doesn`t appear to be any exchange of words between the suspect and the victim. From our witnesses` accounts, the suspect just walked up to the victim and started shooting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: A father murdered in cold blood, in broad daylight executed. Did Hemy Neuman gun down a beloved Atlanta dad? Why would he or anyone want Rusty Sneiderman dead? The suspect supervised the wife of the victim and that`s the key point.
Mike Brooks, you heard the attorneys for the suspect, what do you make of their explanation?
MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, they`re not really saying much and I don`t blame them. And neither does law enforcement Jane. But I can tell, you know, I know a lot of law enforcement in the Atlanta area; my sources are telling me that they do have a lot of evidence. And the Dekalb district attorney`s office here, just right up the road, Jane, say that Neuman is the shooter. Now, he`s been charged with two counts: one with malice murder and the second count is possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Again, they`re holding everything very close to the vest. I`m hearing they do have lots of evidence against Neumann.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, it was execution in broad daylight so you have to wonder were there witnesses who identified this person and also the vehicle. I mean I can`t imagine anybody using their own vehicle to go and commit a crime. But you`d have to wonder if the vehicle matched up as well, right, Mike?
BROOKS: Exactly. And I can tell you, there`s a lot of businesses around there. One of my doctors right across the street. And there are a lot of surveillance cameras at gas stations, there`s a bank right there. So, I`m sure they have a lot of --
JAYNE WEINTRAUB, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It`s in front of a preschool.
(CROSSTALK)
BROOKS: And the crime in front -- right in front of the preschool. They`re not saying if there`s any video surveillance there or not for security reasons. I would seriously doubt if there`s not.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And that`s what horrified me about this story that this person who executed could have killed kids who are going into school not to mention their mothers and dads. It`s a horror story all the way around.
Now, I want to ask you Jayne Weintraub. Police came to the house of Rusty Sneiderman about a week before he was murdered because he had reported a suspicious person in the backyard. They haven`t said that`s linked to the shooting. But certainly you have to wonder if the suspect in this case has an alibi for that night as well.
WEINTRAUB: Well, of course he doesn`t have to come forth with an alibi, he has the right to not say anything at this points or any point. But he does --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You don`t think they`re going to ask what he was doing that night, the night about a week before the murder when Rusty Sneiderman calls 911, because he thinks someone`s stalking around in the backyard? Of course they`re going to ask.
WEINTRAUB: Well, they may want to ask, but of course, he`s got lawyers and I`m sure that he`s remaining silent and exercising his right to remain silent and not speaking with police.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Look, Mike Brooks, obviously the link here is that the suspect was the supervisor of the wife of the victim and she`s speaking out, saying she`s horrified, she thought this was a friend.
He, the suspect got separated from his wife of more than two decades before -- not so long before the shooting. Thoughts?
BROOKS: You know, I -- what is the motive. We don`t know, but it is very curious. This whole string of events leading up to this, and I can guarantee you one thing, law enforcement if they haven`t done it already is going to subpoena all of his cell records for that particular night that you`re talking about, Jane, when Mr. Sneiderman reported a suspicious person. Did he have cell phone pings from his phone anywhere near the Sneiderman house? I`d like to see those records?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And they`re going to be talking to co-workers.
BROOKS: Oh, yes.
WEINTRAUB: I`m sure they always --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re watching ISSUES, thank you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: In case you missed it, I want to share my fun-filled appearance on "The Soup". Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh.
Jane Velez-Mitchell of ISSUES, Jane Velez-Mitchell of HLN; what are you doing here?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I look hot. I`m going everywhere, even to this rinky-dink production. By the way, which gavel goes best with a dress?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, they`re both the same.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, they`re not. This one`s oak. This one`s mahogany.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why are you hitting me, Jane Velez-Mitchell?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Watch out, Joe, you know I love my gavels. A big thank you to everybody at "The Soup"; we had a great time, and can`t wait to goof around again.
Nancy Grace, up next.
END
