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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Convicted Cannibal Murderer Could Be Released; TV Executive Convicted of Beheading Wife; Did Boyfriend Kill Mom and Kids; "Celeb Rehab" Rocker Found Dead
Aired March 09, 2011 - 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, public outrage over a child-killing cannibal. Over 35 years ago, an innocent young boy was viciously murdered, and now the monstrous killer could be released 12 years early. The father of the victim is publicly threatening to kill him on sight, warning that this guy could eat someone else`s flesh. How can we stop this failure of the juice system?
And the war on women, a high-powered TV executive found guilty of murder in the brutal beheading of his wife. The jury reached its verdict in under an hour. You`ll hear the judge read this sicko the riot act. But how long will he really do behind bars?
Also, shocking new information about the two precious children killed and stuffed into suitcases found floating down a canal in Florida. Cops say they`ve got a suspect: the man the kids lived with. In a horrifying twist, this is the very same man the police suspect in the murder of the kids` mother last summer. So why in the world were these children staying with him? And why wasn`t he arrested sooner?
Plus, another horror rocks Hollywood. Rock music icon Mike Starr from Alice in Chains found dead. Could the former "Sober House" star have lost his battle with drug addiction? I`ll talk live with his "Sober House" co- star who saw his addictive demons up close.
ISSUES starts now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN FOREMAN, MURDER VICTIM`S FATHER: I do intend, if this man is released anywhere in my vicinity, or if I can find him after the fact, I do intend to kill this man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a tormented father becomes unhinged, understandably, when he hears his son`s demented killer may get out early for good behavior. And now the father wants the ultimate revenge.
Michael Woodmansee has served 28 years, just 28 years of his 40-year sentence. He could be released as early as August. Woodmansee was convicted of stabbing this precious child, this precious 5-year-old, his 5- year-old neighbor, Jason Foreman, to death in 1975.
One of the detectives told CBS about the shocking discovery inside the killer`s home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON HAWKSLEY, POLICE DETECTIVE: We found a shoe box that had bones in it. They were all cleaned and shiny. They`d been shellacked.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The medical examiner said Woodmansee had methodically removed all the flesh from the bones.
Jason`s family wanted to spare themselves all the horrific details of this terrible murder and how Woodmansee may have eaten the boy`s flesh. Not easy to say, so the Foremans gave their approval for a plea deal all those many years ago. They never imagined this monster could get out 12 years early just for following prison rules.
John Foreman, the victim`s father, says he is now consumed with thoughts of exacting his own justice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: As long as he`s going to be out there, this will happen to someone else. I`m just angry. I`m beside myself. I can`t think, I can`t sleep. All I think about is trying to find a way to get to this man to kill him. That`s my every thought.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What do you think about this really shocking case? Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Tonight, in an ISSUES exclusive, we begin with Eric Wallin, the attorney for the victim`s dad, John Foreman.
Thank you for joining us, sir. I certainly can understand this father`s rage and anguish, having to relive this after all these years, with our pathetic criminal justice system that lets these dangerous criminals out, while keeping nonviolent drug offenders locked up for decades and decades. I totally understand his frustration.
I`ve got to ask you, how serious is he about killing Michael Woodmansee?
ERIC WALLIN, ATTORNEY FOR JOHN FOREMAN: Well, I think his comments have to be taken in the context of the fact that John Foreman learned that the killer who committed this detestable crime was going be released by an interview through a reporter. A "Journal" reporter actually came to him and spoke to him. Not by any means of the state or the attorney general`s office, or the Department of Corrections.
So certainly, this was bringing back memories that had long been suppressed by Mr. Foreman, and he is very emotional, and rightfully so. The justice system has failed him.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, we hear this so often. I cannot tell you how many times we hear about a horrific killer getting released, or a rapist, and the victim and the victim`s family is not informed. We heard this with the woman who was raped by Phillip Garrido. They let him out. They never even told her. And Phillip Garrido shows up at her job, terrifying her all over again.
Honestly, our parole system is messed up, and it needs change. You`ve got to inform the victim`s family so they don`t hear about it on TV, or from a reporter who`s knocking on their door. Now, will the father of the victim...
WALLIN: Absolutely.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, it`s just pathetic. It really is.
Will the father of the victim, John Foreman, and his threats against his son`s killer, come back to haunt him? You have to wonder if he could be charged for making some of these statements. Let`s listen once again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: And I just need that other information, so I can kill him as aggressively and as painfully as he killed my son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So Eric...
WALLIN: I`m confident...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... are you concerned at all that he could be charged with making threats?
WALLIN: I`m confident that no legal action will be brought against Mr. Foreman. I think in the context of how this occurred, everyone understands his impassioned plea, and need for justice, and I`m confident that the authorities of the state of Rhode Island will understand where that came from.
And quite frankly, Mr. Foreman desperately wants the alarm to be sounded on this kind of a statute, which allows someone to earn literally half of every month that they serve off of a sentence.
And I should say that this is not limited to Rhode Island, although we do have one of the most generous good-time statutes. But people around the country need to be aware that this may be going on in their states.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, I`ve got warn you, the clip we`re about to play is very disturbing. The father of the victim made some stunning statements in his radio interview, affirming a rumor that Michael Woodmansee cannibalized his son body. This is so disturbing, but it`s an important part of the case, so listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: He ate the flesh of my son. He ate his meat off of his bones before he cleaned the bones. So this is the kind of man. He`s a cannibalism person, a murderer and a cannibalism person. That`s what he thinks about. And that`s what is still on his mind, I`m sure, when he gets out again, to do this again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And I totally agree. Somebody has crossed that line, they are a danger for the rest of their lives. I don`t care what any psychiatrist says.
Woodmansee recorded all the really gruesome details of the murder of Jason in his journal. The police chief has that journal under lock and key for decades.
I want to go back to Eric Wallin and ask you, what argument would you make to give the victim`s father, John, your client, that journal?
WALLIN: Well, it`s not that he wants the journal. He wants to make sure that the journal is made available to the psychiatrist who will be conducting the evaluations at this point as, hopefully, the state moves forward. And I understand that is what`s happening, to potentially civilly commit him, once he flattens his date sometime in August. So that`s really what Mr. Foreman is desiring, not necessarily to have possession of the journal itself.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to bring in...
WALLIN: Be aware that the family...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead.
WALLIN: The family, you know, was aware of some of the contents of that at the time of the plea negotiations, when this case was first dealt with.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And of course they wanted to spare them. The father probably was trying to spare his wife these horrific details, as well. Who wants to relive that?
I want to bring in one of my heroes, Mark Lunsford, the father of Jessica Lunsford whose daughter was killed by a sexual predator, who`s become a leader in speaking for victims` rights.
This creep not -- he murdered and dismembered this precious 5-year-old child. But then he also leaves the boy`s parents to agonize for seven long years, not knowing what happened to their son when he had killed them right down the block from where they live.
Mark? Mark, can you hear me, sir?
MARK LUNSFORD, FATHER OF JESSICA LUNSFORD: Yes, I can hear you now.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. This is beyond comprehension what this man did to this family. He destroyed this family.
LUNSFORD: It`s -- it is -- it`s way beyond that. And it`s the system that`s failing. I mean, this is why I try to tell people that mandatory sentence is important, very important, without parole, 25 years to life, 40 years to life. Let them do the 40 years. You can`t let them out like this.
It`s -- it`s just amazing what the system is doing to this family, rehashing this all over again and then failing them as victims. And victims have rights, too. We have the right to know when these inmates are being released. We have a right to know everything that`s going on.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, absolutely. And I`ve got to tell you, my big issue here is that we`ve got senseless sentences in this country. Senseless. Senseless sentences. There is zero logic in how we dole out justice. A ruthless child killer serves just 28 years, yet right here on ISSUES we profiled Dejarian Eckles (ph), who is serving 20 years for a first-time drug offense. He was caught with the equivalent of ten tablespoons of crack. And so he is going to jail for a mandatory sentence for a non-violent offense. And yet where are the mandatory sentences for the rapists and the murderers?
All right. There`s something that`s got to be done. This -- this situation is out of control. Hang in there. We`re going to have more on this story in a moment. We are just getting started. We`re going to take your calls on the other side of the break: 1-877-JVM-SAYS.
Coming up, it`s a curtain call for a high-powered TV executive. A jury convicts him of beheading his wife. But how long will this sicko really spend behind bars?
But first, a shocking and disgusting failure of our criminal justice system. Could a cannibal killer, literally -- literally a cannibal, get out of jail early? And now the grieving father of the victim says he`s going to take matters into his own hands. What do you think?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: I do intend, if this man is released anywhere in my vicinity, or if I can find him after the fact, I do intend to kill this man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He stated at the time that he did intend to kill him. He said that he did not have a particular reason to kill him, that anybody that happened to be there at the time, he would have killed him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: He confessed to murdering a 5-year-old boy. Now Michael Woodmansee could stroll out of prison a dozen years early. Can you blame the boy`s dad for wanting revenge? The dad, John Foreman, said publicly if Woodmansee gets out, he`s going to hunt him down and kill him.
Straight out to the phone lines. Miseka, New Jersey, your question or thought -- Miseka?
CALLER: Hi, Jane. How are you doing? Thanks for all the work that you`re doing. I really, really look up to you.
My sister was murdered in 1984, and her killer was released in 2001. And the reason how our family knew that he was released is because I went online and -- just to look up a little information and found out that he is released and was released in 2001 and could be walking around. Anyone can bump into him. He murdered her brutally.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unbelievable.
CALLER: He raped her. And my grandmother found her dead in the house when she got off of work. And nobody was informed in our family that this guy is walking around on the street.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Miseka, the system...
CALLER: They need to -- they need to, you know...
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re raising an absolutely crucial question. And we have it in this case. We have it on so many cases. It seems like 90 percent of the stories we cover, it`s the same thing, Janelle Weinstein. And it`s an absolute outrage. How hard is it to make a phone call?
And you know why they don`t want to make the phone call? I`ll tell you why. Because of this. Because if they make the phone call, the outraged family will call the media, and there will be a whole debate and discussion over whether the killer should be released. Which, of course, they shouldn`t be -- Janelle.
JANELLE WEINSTEIN: Absolutely, Jane. They keep it on the down low. And so flawed what the system does. But you do see some prosecutors that stay in the system, that haven`t retired, that follow a case, and they do notify the victims, because they are so involved in it.
But like you said, if the media`s involved, and there`s going to be an outcry, they`re never going to do it. But that shouldn`t be the way it is. That`s just an excuse. And there`s no reason for this system not to change.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s politics. We need to have a new law that says that the victim`s family must be notified for any felony defendant who is a convict, who is released, period, end of story.
Now, the killer might never have been caught in this case had he not struck again. Seven years after killing Jason Foreman, Woodmansee tried to strangle another boy. That kid got away, reported to police. And then Woodmansee ended up confessing.
Dr. Robi Ludwig, two psychiatrists are supposedly going to do evaluations before they let this guy out, or they could decide not to sign off, and he could end up being deemed dangerous and going to a psychiatric institution.
Now, given that he has behaved very well, supposedly in prison and done everything and been in total compliance, what questions should these psychiatrists ask this guy to try to draw out his real character, what`s really going on?
DR. ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHIATRISTS: I think it would make sense to find out what this man`s fantasies are, what excites him, because that`s where the sexual compulsion, or the killing compulsion lies, in this man`s fantasy. So perhaps being in jail allows this man to function well where there are rules and limits.
The question is, how is this man going to behave when he`s not in a structured environment? Will he be obsessed with fantasies of killing little boys and eating them? Is that going to be something that he won`t be able to stop himself from acting on?
My guess is this person may need a long-term psychiatric forensic unit where he`s not a danger to himself or other people, and can get the kind of treatment that he really needs.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Eric Wallin, here`s what I don`t understand. This sicko is a cannibal. How can anybody say that a cannibal is ready to be released into society and has been reformed? I mean, that just blows my mind that that`s even a suggestion, Eric.
WALLIN: Well, I agree. And you know, I was a prosecutor here in Rhode Island, as well as in the military. And I always argued that the predictor of future behavior, the best thing to look at is past behavior.
And of course, in this case, you know, we didn`t just have this individual doing this, Woodmansee, at the age of 16. He then had, as you pointed out, a second victim, some seven years later that ultimately led to this discovery. So I don`t foresee any circumstances in which this person is appropriately released into the community.
But of course, that decision is going to be in the hands of two psychiatrists, and ultimately a judge, who will make a review of this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Well, I want to go to Richard in Rhode Island. Your question or thought, Richard?
CALLER: My thought is, I remember this very clearly when this all happened. And I`ll be honest with you, in talking to a lot of my friends, I stand 100 percent behind the father of this -- the son. One hundred percent. And I believe this man should not be released from prison. It`s an absolute outrage.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It is.
Mark Lunsford, you certainly must understand the feelings of this guy, this father, when he says, "I`ll kill him."
LUNSFORD: You can`t really expect him to feel any other way. I mean, these are -- these are anger words, spoke from the heart. I mean, you know, he`s a father. A 5-year-old little boy was murdered. A 5-year-old little boy. Twenty years, 30 years, 40 years is not going to take that pain away.
And if you put this man back out on the street, you`re asking for nothing but another child being murdered. People like this have to be put in civil confinement. That`s what it was created for. Put him in for his 40, civil confinement. I mean, we have no choice.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We have no choice. And we`re going to leave it right there. We`re on your side. Keep us posted, Eric. Our hearts are...
WALLIN: I will, thank you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... with this father.
Cops have a suspect in the murder of two innocent children. Next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUZZAMMIL HASSAN, CONVICTED OF BEHEADING WIFE: I deeply regret that things came down to what they came down to. And I truly wish there would have been alternative mechanism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What? An alternative mechanism to beheading your wife? Really? Defendant Mo Hassan`s pitiful, ridiculous words meant nothing, zero to the no-nonsense judge on sentencing day. Moments later, the TV executive convicted of brutally murdering his wife in their television studio two years ago by slicing off her head got the maximum sentence: 25 years to life behind bars.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS FRANCZYK, NEW YORK STATE JUDGE: And he`d been through two failed marriages. You knew you had an out, a nonviolent option. But instead of leaving as you had done twice before, what did you do?
We know what you did. You went out, you bought two hunting knives. You tested them for sharpness. You laid in wait in a darkened hallway. You ambushed your unsuspecting wife, and you butchered her. Self-defense? I don`t think so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Way to go, judge. I love hearing those comments, straightforward.
Midwin Charles, this judge seemed completely fed up with wife killer Mo Hassan. Most of our viewers are probably wondering why the heck didn`t he sentence him to life without parole instead of just 25 years to life.
MIDWIN CHARLES: Exactly. Very, very good question, Jane. Particularly since this is a judge who appears to have been paying attention throughout the duration of the trial. But you`re not going to get a life without parole here, because the charge was second-degree murder and not first-degree murder, which often is only charged in cases where judges or police officers are murdered. So that`s why you have that here.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. He stabs her more than 40 times with two hunting knives and cuts her head off. And that`s second-degree murder? Wow. What a crazy system we live in, huh? The judge also granted...
CHARLES: It is.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. It`s just beyond comprehension, actually. I mean, if beheading your wife doesn`t give you life in prison, what will? Except for the previous one we just covered?
The judge also granted an order of protection for Hassan`s children against this guy, meaning he cannot be harassing them with phone calls from prison. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCZYK: You also claim that you did this out of concern for your children. Well, how ironic is that your two little ones are now without their father and their mother?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What`s so sick is this guy claims he was the victim of battered spouse syndrome and he just broke. Well, guess what? There was evidence he forced her to sign a contract allowing him to punish her if she disobeyed him. Your thoughts on that one, Midwin?
CHARLES: Oh, my goodness. I can`t even believe I`m even hearing this. To think that he would even have the unmitigated gall to go through such extremes to get her to sign a document that basically grants him a position to -- to abuse her and to harm her? It is despicable and unbelievable.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, really, it`s beyond comprehension what we deal with, with these stories. Sometimes I go home and I figure I need after-care from a psychiatrist just having to read the details. And so much of it is a war against women, and a war against children.
CHARLES: It is.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we`ve all got to stand up and say, "Enough." And this -- this is a classic case. I mean, this is just clear-cut, beheading, right? Midwin, I mean, that says it all.
CHARLES: It is atrocious. I don`t understand how a human being can do that to another human being. Particularly one that you married and fathered children with. It is absolutely despicable. And just something we can`t comprehend as a society. And I`m glad that he was punished to the fullest extent of the law.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Great seeing you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN HOST: Shocking new information about the two precious children killed and stuffed into suitcases found floating down a canal in Florida. Cops say they`ve got a suspect, the man the kids lived with. In a horrifying twist this is the very same man the police suspect in the murder of the kids` mother last summer. So why in the world were these children staying with him? And why wasn`t he arrested sooner?
Plus, another horror rocks Hollywood: grunge music icon Mike Starr from Alice in Chains found dead. Could the former "Sober House" star have lost his battle with drug addiction? I`ll talk live with his "Sober House" co-star who saw his addictive demons up close.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA FLINT, LOST GRANDMOTHER AND GREAT GRANDCHILDREN: God knows, I pray for my granddaughter, too. That`s about all I can say. I can`t bring them back. I can`t bring them back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That poor woman.
Tonight, an agonized, tortured great-grandmother falls to pieces before our eyes. She talks about the horrific deaths of her two great- grandchildren, sobbing all the while.
Their bodies found stuffed in luggage floating down a Florida canal last week, in an absolutely shocking twist when cops identified these two dead children, they then realize their mother had been murdered months earlier, a case that had remained unsolved.
Homicide cops found a decomposing body in a garbage dump about 30 miles away last August. And they believe it was Felicia Brown. Felicia is the mother of those two dead children. What sick monster would literally wipe out an entire family? Possibly on two completely separate occasions. Or three separate occasions.
Cops say they now have their prime suspect. You`re looking at him right there, 34-year-old Clem Beauchamp, the dead mom`s on-again-off-again boyfriend.
Just hours ago, a judge ordered him held without bail. It turns out that that beautiful mom that you saw, of those beautiful children, well, she was going to be a witness against this guy, Clem Beauchamp. But why would he allegedly murder her kids?
You know, there`s no explanation to all of this. But relatives of the mother say she and the kids used to live with Beauchamp. After she vanished last summer, the kids continued to live in his home. Are you following along? Well, I hope so, because it really doesn`t make a lot of sense.
Why? Why would those kids just stay there after their mother disappears? Because nobody reported the mother missing for months on end. Nobody reported the mother missing for months on end. What on earth is going on here? Call me, 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to investigative reporter Michelle Sigona joining us via Skype. Michelle, dare we ask on this one, what is the very latest?
MICHELLE SIGONA, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, at this point investigators are still working to put the pieces of three murders together, of the mother from last summer, of the two children just found floating down the canal last week. And now that they have the person that they believe could possibly be their main suspect in the case, try to get that physical evidence to possibly tie him to these crimes and to figure out how they were murdered, when they were dumped and the time line.
At this point, investigators are figuring out that the mother`s body was dumped at some point last summer, about eight or nine months ago. And the children were recently dumped. So it`s also trying to figure out, Jane, when they were murdered and how they were murdered.
As you mentioned, today he did appear in court. The suspect seemed very worn out, dragged down. He said that he didn`t have means for an attorney. And that he, as you mentioned, held without bond for possession of an unregistered silenced handgun, and with another charge today that was brought down today, a new charge of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.
And the mom that was found last summer --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So he has a rap sheet.
SIGONA: He`s got a long rap sheet. The mom last summer has been in an on-again, off-again relationship with the suspect along with another woman. And there`s a long history of violence between the three and just kind of a web of bizarre, violent --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: This could be a love triangle kind of situation, that`s a yes or no?
SIGONA: You`re exactly right. It could be.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Here`s my big issue. Missing in silence, our first reaction here on ISSUES to the story was wait a second, why didn`t cops go straight to the boyfriend when the mom disappeared. And if they had done so, why didn`t they just pull those kids out of that alleged hell hole of a home.
Well, guess what. We spoke to cops and learned that nobody reported the mother missing. So where was everyone? The kids must have said something to friends or teachers. You have to realize there were several people living in that house. What about the Department of Children and Families? Didn`t somebody realize the mother of a 6 and 10-year-old was gone?
And by the way, Midwin Charles, this woman had been on the Department of Children and Families radar for a long time. They had at one point taken these kids away from her and given them to another relative. So why weren`t they checking up on these kids repeatedly? Had they done so, the Department of Children and Families would have realized this mother is missing.
MIDWIN CHARLES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: But of course. I mean this is yet another horrible example of when things fall through the cracks, when it comes to DCF. Their job is to step in when they believe parents are missing the mark in parenting, and ensuring that the welfare and well-being of children are being taken care of.
They already knew that wasn`t happening here. So they should have proceeded with extra caution. They failed to do that here, Jane. And it`s unfortunate.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, I`ve got to say, have you noticed, if you`ve been watching this entire show there`s a theme here. In the last story oh, the parole department, the probation department failing. In this story, the Department of Children and Families which we call DCF, failing. These government institutions that are using billions -- well, millions and millions and millions and millions of taxpayer dollars are not doing their jobs.
They`re bloated bureaucracies, in my opinion, that need a complete overhaul. We`ve got to do something about these institutions because people are dying.
The grieving great-grandmother of these two murdered kids didn`t last very long at today`s news conference because she was just so distraught. She did agonize over why these kids were never brought to live wither. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FLINT: (INAUDIBLE) and my daughter has been open to any of my grandchildren, any of my children. I want to know who did this. What it`s all about. I don`t know what to say. But if they had nowhere to live, they should have came there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We know that nobody reported the mom missing, ok? We know that the Department of Children and Families didn`t go there to check up on these kids, which they had taken away from this mother at one point. But there was also other people living in the home, which we`re going to get to. This other on-again, off-again girlfriend of Clem Beauchamp and there were three kids with her. Two of whom are the biological children of this Clem Beauchamp.
So you`ve got a whole bunch of people in this home, Dr. Robi Ludwig, and yet nobody is letting the police know that there`s a missing woman. And apparently the missing woman`s relatives have not visited her often enough to figure out that month after month she`s missing.
DR. ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Well, I imagine that the people in the home were threatened. They were probably told to keep it secret, or it was their lives that were in danger next. I mean, when you think about an abusive person and perhaps he was abusing drugs, there`s probably a lot of fear going on in that household, and a lot of abuse before it even got to a murder.
So you have kids who are very frightened and don`t have anybody else to rely on but this abusive man. They`re going to listen to what he tells them to do.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Now, try to follow along here, because it`s complicated. Relatives of the mom say she and her alleged killer had been together since 2007. And that even after she vanished, as we know, the kids stayed with him. But they weren`t the only residents in the suspect`s home.
So we`ve done a graphic. Clem Beauchamp had another reported on- again, off-again girlfriend. And her three children had recently moved into his home. Two of those kids are his biological children. So that second woman might have moved in after the mom vanished. We don`t really know.
But in any event, the court records show the two women involved with this Clem guy had vicious fights. The dead mom once accused this other woman, this female rival of putting a knife to her throat and threatening to kill her. Cops say this other woman is not a suspect although DCF investigators have reportedly called her a person of interest.
We have no idea. What do you know here, Michelle Sigona? This is a can of worms but I want to say that. It`s big mishmash how about that?
SIGONA: It is. And so DCF did speak out and say that Michelle -- that they consider her a person of interest. Police however are saying not at this point. It`s not really a route that they`re looking on. Even if they are, it may not be something that they`re telling us right now.
I think at this time they`re just trying to figure out why the children were murdered, how they were murdered. And maybe they knew something, maybe they heard something, maybe they started asking questions. I mean you have to figure out that the little girl was only 6 years old and the little boy, he was 10-year-olds. But still inquisitive enough and asking questions enough and knowing that long enough that, hey, mom`s missing. There`s something not right here.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me tell you this, as we wrap up. When the DCF gave these kids to a relative, the relative said please don`t give them back to the mother. And DCF overruled reportedly and reunited these kids with their mother. And now the mother and the two kids are dead.
What a tragedy. What a horror. Somebody investigate why that happened.
Coming up next: rock icon, Mike Starr, from Alice in Chains, dead. Unbelievable shocker hits Hollywood. What happened to this grunge music heavy weight? I`m going to talk to his "Sober House" co-star about this man`s battle with addiction.
We`re taking your calls on this, 1-877-JVM-SAYS. It`s 1-877-586-7297.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, FORMER CNN HOST: What were you addicted to, Jane?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I was a lush, Larry. I was a black out drinker.
As a recovering alcoholic, I`m offering you a unique view of our nation`s problems, from the perspective of addiction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. My new book "Addict Nation" available at amazon.com right now. Check out "Addict Nation". I call it an intervention for America.
Find out how you can climb out of a hole of self-destructive behavior, or somebody that you know and love has addiction. This is a solution.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight Hollywood is stunned. Has addiction claimed another celebrity life? Former Alice in Chains bassist Mike Starr found dead in his Utah home. He was only 44 years old. Was the grunge rocker mixing a lethal cocktail of dangerous medications right before he died?
Starr publicly battled his addiction to heroin on VH-1`s "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew". He opened up about the traumatizing death of his best friend and Alice in Chains band mate, Layne Staley who also -- well, he died of an overdose in 2002. Listen to Mike Starr on VH-1.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DREW PINSKY, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: When did Alice in Chains form? How old were you?
MIKE STARR, BAND MEMBER, ALICE IN CHAINS: I was 20.
PINSKY: Were you using?
STARR: We were just casually using except for Layne. We had to give him a different (INAUDIBLE) because he was using heroin. The day they kicked me out, I was like, come shoot me up. We were trying to get (INAUDIBLE) we were playing in South America.
PINSKY: So Curt shot you up?
STARR: Layne shot me up first a couple of times. Then Curt shot me up. Then Layne shot me up that same night. And I died, like 11 minutes.
PINSKY: You were not breathing?
STARR: Dead for 11 minutes Layne said. I woke up, I was all wet. And I was in a different room. I was in the bathroom. (INAUDIBLE). And I let him die, too. And he saved my life. Isn`t that terrible? On my birthday.
PINSKY: We don`t know what happened.
STARR: Yes.
PINSKY: Somebody died of addiction. I wish all the people that died of addiction that I took care of I could have saved. I don`t want to lose another one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight that man has tragically died. Friends and family feared if Mike didn`t stay sober, he would end up dead. Authorities are awaiting the autopsy report, but say there are no signs of foul play.
The rocker`s roommate tells TMZ, Starr was mixing methadone and anti- anxiety meds hours before he died.
Our very special guest tonight, Jennifer Gimenez, who co-starred with Mike on VH-1`s "Sober House"; Jennifer, you were a sober coach on that show and provided tough love as Mike prepared to try and live a life without drugs.
Let`s take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER GIMENEZ, "SOBER HOUSE": (EXPLETIVE DELETED) get out.
STARR: You`re kicking me out.
GIMENEZ: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) get out. I`m kicking you out. Go. Get out. Get out, Mike.
STARR: You have somebody kick me out.
GIMENEZ: No. I`m the someone that`s kicking you out. Get (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out. It`s over.
STARR: Sure it is.
GIMENEZ: Yes, it is.
STARR: Sure, it is. Watch out. Get out of the way. I`m going to the bathroom. You`re such a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) drama queen.
GIMENEZ: Go get (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and get out.
STARR: Drama queen. (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
GIMENEZ: You`re a liar, a cheat and a thief. Go get your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and get out. Go get your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) and get out.
STARR: Shut up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jennifer, I know this has got to be very tough for you. Obviously what you were doing there was tough love, which is what you need to do in rehab. And you never know the outcome. Nobody else is ever responsible for anybody else`s sobriety. It`s really up to them at the end of the day. What are you feeling right now?
GIMENEZ: Oh, to see him move right now, it`s a little hard. I`m sorry. It`s devastating, you know, especially when you have worked with him, and you have tried to help him. You know, I lived with him, in sober living for a month. I tried to enforce the rules and give him the foundation that he needed, as well as Dr. Drew and the whole team did on "Celebrity Rehab".
It`s a tragic loss, you know. He was an addict who was suffering. And he was a severe addict. And this disease, once you get it, it doesn`t matter who you are or what you do, it just wants you dead.
I want you to know that after the show, I did see Mike Starr well for a while. And that was the beauty is that there was some sobriety and some foundation in his life. And I saw him when he went back into treatment, into meetings, you know. We went to lunch, we had -- you know, we went to meetings together.
The last time I had seen Mike, we hugged at the end of our conversation. And he told me he loved me and I told him I loved him. And that`s the relationship that we had. I`m grateful that I got that opportunity.
And, you know, a lot of people go, oh, does this work. Does reality, you know, celebrity, getting going into rehab work. I want you to know that it saved me and it`s saved so many people out there. And it`s helped people out there. And it helped Mike for a while.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Obviously the 12 steps, sobriety, it`s a gift. But it`s a gift that you have to earn every day. And all we have is today.
I`m going to be 16 years sober, hopefully, in April. But if I don`t work it, I could easily fall off. Everybody is at risk. Once an addict, always an addict and that`s why it`s really that you just get a daily reprieve from this deadly addiction.
We`re just getting started. More on the other side of the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight former Alice in Chains guitarist Mike Starr found dead in his Utah home. Was the rocker mixing dangerous prescription meds the night he died along with methadone? Starr battled his addiction - - battled his addiction to heroin on VH-1`s "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew".
He relapsed and he was arrested about a month ago for possession of prescription drugs. So my question tonight -- we don`t have the answer to it. But I`m wondering did addiction kill him?
Jennifer Gimenez, you said you hung out after you were on the show with him. Did he seem like he was doing well? Did he seem like he had gotten it? That he was happy, joyous and free, or was he white-knuckling it?
GIMENEZ: You know there were moments. The only requirement is the desire. And he definitely had the desire during the show and after the show. And I did see a growth in him. I saw his spirit come alive and his eyes start lighting up.
There was, you know, I think when you have to start to face yourself without drugs and alcohol, you`re left with yourself and there`s a lot of issues there. There were moments when he was joyous and free. But there was a lot of demons overriding him. And there was a lot of monkeys on his back.
And that`s where it`s up to us. Like the foundation is laid to us, but this is all about us wanting it and going for it. You know, I`m no farther away than you are or than he was from a drink or a drug. I`m an arm length away. But I work really hard for this.
And it doesn`t make me feel like, oh, I`m proud of it. Like, look at me, I can be fine for two more days. I have to constantly, rigorously work this and so did he. And I think His addiction overrode that unfortunately.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Tragically. And you make an excellent point. Again, as I said, all we have is today. We have to work it every day or we go right back.
I go back to the addict mind in two seconds flat. I fall off that spiritual beam so quickly I have to crawl back on several times every day because of all the mistakes that I make as I get ego-based, et cetera and then try to remember to be of service.
It`s a struggle. Despite successfully getting sober on "Celebrity Rehab" and staying sober throughout taping VH-1`s "Sober House", Mike Starr did relapse. About a month ago he was arrested in Utah for drug possession. He was carrying, according to cops, an unmarked bottle of prescription drugs when cops cuffed him. It apparently contained six pills of a painkiller called Opana (ph) and six pills of Xanax, which is an anti- anxiety drug.
Howard Samuels, founder and CEO of the Hills Treatment Center; then you have TMZ reporting that he was mixing methadone and anti-anxiety meds hours before he died. We don`t have independent confirmation. TMZ is quoting his roommate. What do you make of it?
HOWARD SAMUELS, FOUNDER AND CEO, HILLS TREATMENT CENTER: Well, first of all Jane, I`ve also known Mike for many, many years. He was such a great guy and very much loved by me and many people in the recovery community. But like so many addicts, alcoholics, Mike was a relapser. He was a hardcore drug addict who never seemed to quite grasp the severity of his addiction.
And you know, unfortunately relapse is a part of the recovery process. But the problem with that is not everybody makes it back. And Mike is one of those people unfortunately that did not make it back and I feel so horrific for his sister and his father. I mean, it`s just such a tragic situation.
But it`s got to be also an example that this is serious business. If you don`t get sober, you`re going to die. And if Mike`s passing can save another addict/alcoholic`s life, then maybe he didn`t die in vain, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s hope. Our condolences to his family. Thank you both so much.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL; Judgment day tomorrow for Lindsay Lohan, and here`s a sneak peek of what`s to come from TMZ.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looking pretty good. You been working out? Are you ready for Thursday? Is there any -- any way you may accept a plea bargain? All right. Good luck, Linds.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: It appears she can`t stop herself from motioning no, she won`t accept a plea bargain. The judge made it crystal clear; any deal will involve jail time. We`re learning Lindsay could be sent to the clink as early as tomorrow.
ISSUES will be all over this with all angles. Will Lindsay accept a plea deal? Will she go to jail? Be sure to tune in to ISSUES tomorrow night to find out. We are tracking it. You know it`s going to be a day of total dramarama over the necklace.
Nancy Grace starts now.
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