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Nancy Grace
Children Removed From Ex-Fiance of Missing "People`s Court" Mom
Aired November 29, 2011 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight, live Orlando. A gorgeous mom of three fights it out on "The People`s Court" over a luxury diamond engagement ring. A stormy relationship with her ex plays out in front of millions of people. Just hours later, she`s gone, vanishing without a trace, her black Hummer found at a complex just down from her home, decals carefully scraped off the SUV`s windows.
Police desperately searching for Mommy`s iPhone while fielding tips on a diamond cross necklace she`s wearing the day she disappears. Reports the young mom caught on surveillance in that Hummer just moments before she disappeared. We have the surveillance video. The last so-called "ping" on Mommy`s phone 8:00 PM, then that cell phone powered down for good.
After an armed SWAT team, CSI and K9s pull a nighttime raid at the ex`s family home, bombshell tonight. In the last hours, investigators announce they have a prime suspect. After the suspect refuses a polygraph, does not fully cooperate with police and says he`s too busy to look for Michelle, the ex, the fiance, lawyers up.
And tonight, shocking reports Michelle`s ex linked to a previous murder. This as we uncover stunning photos of Smith, Jr., dancing and stripping down in a, quote, "hot man" contest. Child services literally as we go to air, strips the ex-fiance of the twin children. Michelle`s family saying no way would she ever leave those children behind, including the 3- year-old set of twins, boy and girl. Never! Tonight, where is missing mom Michelle?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are officially naming Dale Smith, the ex- fiance...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I will say to him directly, Help us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could have avoided this (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the primary suspect in the disappearance of Michelle Parker.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you had cooperated with the police and took a polygraph test when we asked you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He refused to take a polygraph test.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And she is still missing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 33-year-old mother of three.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The surveillance video captured her black Hummer pulling up to his townhouse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vanished after she dropped off her twins at his condo.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That same day, she and Smith appeared on an episode of "The People`s Court."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For a dispute over her lost engagement ring.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He actually has a history of domestic violence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is the father of my sister`s children. That`s really hard to think about something (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The primary suspect in Michelle Parker`s disappearance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And love those children enough (INAUDIBLE) to have their mother...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, the sudden death of music icon Michael Jackson. After a jury finds Jackson`s live-in doctor, Conrad Murray, guilty in the superstar`s death, a judge brings down the hammer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) four years.
-- four years...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they gave him all the time in the world...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s not going to bring my brother back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the Los Angeles County jail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Horrible medicine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) we have a personal doctor here with him, sir.
911 OPERATOR: Oh, you have a doctor there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Jackson was his children`s world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Propofol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And their world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medicine madness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Collapsed when he left.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Murray abandoned his patient. Unacceptable, egregious.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he does not feel guilty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely no sense of remorse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After Mr. Jackson was pronounced dead...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely no sense of fault.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His daughter, Paris, was crying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Bible reminds us that men cannot do justice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And stated, I want to go with you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They can only seek justice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Referring to her dad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight. A gorgeous mom of three fights it out on "The People`s Court." Over what? A luxury diamond engagement ring. Then just hours later, she`s gone, vanishing without a trace. In the last hours, investigators announce they`ve got a prime suspect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Smith is our primary focus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell the truth. You know, be a man. Step up to the plate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Michelle`s Parker`s ex-fiance the only suspect in her disappearance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unfortunately, you brought this on yourself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he simply refused the polygraph.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe if he had nothing to hide, he would have taken the polygraph test because I would have.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We couple that with the violent past that they have.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has a very bad temper.
(CROSSTALK)
MICHELLE PARKER, "PEOPLE`S COURT" CONTESTANT: (INAUDIBLE) and he shouldn`t have put his hands on me and he shouldn`t have put his hand on me prior (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m going to bring that girl home. We are going to find her.
MICHELLE PARKER: It`s been a hell of a roller-coaster ride. And it`s poison and we`re done. He doesn`t deserve it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: As we go to air, stunning bombshells. Number one, police announce they`ve got a prime suspect. Number two, literally in the last hour, we learn child services has stripped the ex of the twins, ages 3, a boy and a girl. Number four, video surveillance emerges of Mommy, we believe, en route, taking the twins to the ex. And apparently, a stunning admission on his part that he was the last person to see her alive. He says she dropped the twins off, then she never showed up for work.
Take a look at this surveillance video. That is believed to be Michelle Parker`s Hummer right there. Let`s see it again, Liz. Now, interesting. We`re going to be able to look at that and determine whether those decals were still on it. Apparently, they are when she goes to the ex`s home to drop -- check it out. There you go. Thank you, Liz -- to drop off the twins. When the car, the Hummer, is finally found, those decals carefully scratched off.
We are taking your calls. Rory O`Neill, Metro Networks, what can you tell me about the ex, the guy, Smith, Jr., that appears on "The People`s Court" with her? It was on "The People`s Court" that aired that day. She tells the world that he was physically, verbally and emotionally abusive. Why has he been named the prime suspect, Rory?
RORY O`NEILL, METRO NETWORKS: Well, Nancy, that is interesting. And the other bombshell of the day was when we learned that Smith was actually tied up in a murder case some 20 years ago, that he may have been a leader of a group of seven people that attacked and stabbed a man in downtown Orlando.
But it was last night when Orlando police chief Paul Rooney (ph) really changed course and announced that it was Dale Smith who is the only and the primary suspect in Michelle Parker`s disappearance.
GRACE: To Alexis Tereszcuk, senior reporter, Radaronline.com. Alexis, the question is -- cops have just announced they`ve got a prime suspect in the disappearance of this young mom. Why is the ex named the prime suspect?
ALEXIS TERESZCUK, RADARONLINE.COM: They said they have no evidence that it is anyone else, that he is solely the person that they are focused on. They`ve said he has refused to take a polygraph test. They`ve asked him repeatedly to be interviewed. He has not cooperated with them. And he wants -- they want people to know he is the only one. Everything else -- they have had hundreds of tips. Hundreds of people have been searching for her. There have been phone calls, lots of leads that they`ve followed up on. And they said that all arrows point towards Dale Smith, Jr.
GRACE: Matt Zarrell, what more can you tell me?
MATT ZARRELL, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, just hours -- within hours of police announcing that he was, in fact, the prime and only suspect in the disappearance, what does he do? He goes and hires Mark Nejame, who we are all familiar with. He once represented George and Cindy Anthony. Nejame held a press conference today, where he said his client is innocent, he`s cooperating, and there`s no point to taking a poly because, he said, Damned if you do, damned if you don`t.
GRACE: Whoa! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! You`re telling me that Mark Nejame, the lawyer we all met and came to respect during the tot mom trial, says there`s no use in taking a poly? Did Nejame actually say that?
ZARRELL: Yes, what he said is he said police announcing that he refuses to take a poly is the epitome of hypocrisy. He claims that what happens is that when police officers themselves are investigated, the department will not allow them to take a polygraph because they know it`s scientifically unreliable, so why should he have his client take a test?
GRACE: Well, Nejame is a veteran defense lawyer, so I can tell you this. It`s not in Smith, Jr.`s, best interests to take a polygraph. That is why Nejame is not letting him take a polygraph.
We are taking your calls. Let out the lawyers, Randy Kessler, Remi Spencer, Remi out of New York, Randy out of Atlanta.
OK, Randy Kessler, that`s not enough, to name somebody a prime suspect just because they won`t take a poly and because the cops don`t know who else it could be. There`s more to it than that, Kessler.
RANDY KESSLER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Oh, there`s a lot more to it. And now all this background we`re hearing about -- he`s got problems and he`s got perception problems and there`s problem some evidentiary problems. His lawyer is doing a lot of homework right now and his lawyer`s doing the right thing by telling him to clam up and don`t take a poly.
GRACE: Remi Spencer, cops come out tonight and they say they got a prime suspect in Michelle`s disappearance. At the same time, as we go air, we learn DFACS, department of family and children`s services, has stripped the ex of the 3-year-old twins, all right? They`re in foster care tonight. This is serious, Remi. So why are they naming him the prime suspect?
REMI SPENCER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, why they`re naming him the prime suspects -- I don`t think we`ve yet to learn those facts. I think that the police are holding onto information. At least, I would hope they are before they come out and say that he`s a prime suspect. We know that the law does not allow...
GRACE: Well, you know what?
SPENCER: ... that children be taken...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Let me help Remi Spencer and Randy Kessler out, all right? These are a few of the reasons he`s been named the prime suspect -- to the two of you. Let`s go back to -- think back, Criminal Law 101. All right. She`s on her way to his house to drop off the twins, all right? She`s never seen again. He`s got the twins. She`s gone. She obviously made it that far, then she`s never seen again, all right?
Number two, somebody who ditched that Hummer did not want it to be identified. That`s not a random carjack, all right? Somebody went to the trouble of scraping those tanning salon ads off of her Hummer. Who has time for that?
Number three, her cell phone goes dead and is apparently discarded a few miles from where he lives. Number four, within the hour of her going missing, national TV has the two of them on. They`re fighting over an engagement ring, and she labels him on national TV to be emotionally, verbally and physically abusive and, quote, "a mean drunk."
All right, those are just a few of the reasons that he has been named the prime suspect. And let me repeat, he has not been arrested in this case.
We are taking your calls. But there`s another thing, to the two of you. I don`t know if this is going to come into evidence or not, but let`s take a look at the prime suspect, the fiance, Smith, Jr., in his "hot body" contest. Let`s just -- let`s just take a look at that.
To you, Matt Zarrell. When did the -- OK -- when did the hot body contest occur, may I ask, Matt Zarrell?
ZARRELL: Nancy, it was in 2007. Apparently, he was also involved in a calendar with these other competitors in the contest. And all the proceeds from this contest reportedly went to a charity for underprivileged children.
GRACE: OK. Matt, speaking of underprivileged children, his children are in foster care tonight, Matt Zarrell! So don`t throw that at me! His own children are in foster care! What about that, Alexis Tereszcuk?
TERESZCUK: Yes, this was an emergency move by the department. And what they said is they have had countless reports, a lot of tips, same as the police, people calling in and talking about the horrible domestic violence of Dale Smith, Jr., that he perhaps did to Michelle Parker. And they wanted to make sure that the children were safe, so they yanked them out of the home immediately.
GRACE: And Tereszcuk, let me also bring to your attention that they apparently have had a chance to interview the children. Don`t know whether that happened or not. They had the chance to. And now they`re taken out of his custody.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My wife`s out there searching. And let`s hope we find her and bring her home!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s tough for you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s tough. You know, it`s -- the longer we wait, you know, (INAUDIBLE) running out of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE PARKER: Hi, Dad. It`s about 8:40. This is Michelle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police have announced that they have a suspect in the disappearance of Michelle Parker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dale Smith, the ex-fiance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s him! That`s him!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get out of here!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s been their prime suspect from the beginning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is the one who saw her last.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our family needs to have Michelle home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just want everybody to be, like, OK, we have a suspect named. We still need to get back out there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police say that Michelle Parker has a violent history with her ex.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has a very bad temper.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell the truth. You know, be a man. Step up to the plate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Family members will continue to scan through areas they`ve already searched based on tips still coming in until they can bring Parker home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want her home.
MICHELLE PARKER: I love you. I`ll talk to you soon. Bye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: As we go to air tonight, cops release the name of the prime suspect in Michelle`s disappearance, a missing mom, including 3-year-old twins, boy/girl, last seen on national TV as she fights it out on "The People`s Court" with this man, her ex-fiance, over a luxury engagement ring. She`s never seen again after he admits she came and dropped the twins at his place.
We are taking your calls. Out to Mary in Florida. Hi, Mary. What`s your question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. It`s wonderful to talk to you.
GRACE: Thank you, dear. What`s your question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I just -- I -- what I want to say first is your work for missing and exploited children, in my opinion, is near and dear to my heart. And I thank you so much for it.
GRACE: Thank you, Mary in Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And going to the other question regarding this case...
GRACE: Yes, ma`am?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... I have a problem with coincidences. Nothing is a coincidence. I don`t want to point the finger, but I`ll be really honest with you. They named a suspect, and ding, ding, ding, yes, that is the person.
GRACE: So your comment is that you don`t like coincidences. Hold Mary in Florida on the phone, Liz.
Joining me right now is Michelle`s father, Brad Parker. Brad, I know that you are especially close to Michelle. In fact, the last audio we have of her is her calling you, just trying to hook up with you, trying to have lunch, trying to see you at some point. And I`ve listened to that over and over and over. There`s no hint that anything is wrong in that message. You would never know she was having a problem.
What do you think, Brad Parker?
BRAD PARKER, MISSING WOMAN`S FATHER (via telephone): Hey, Grace, can you hear me?
GRACE: Yes, I can. Can you hear me, Brad?
BRAD PARKER: Yes, I can hear you. You`re breaking up a little bit, but I can hear you. What was your last question?
GRACE: OK, the last audio we have of her was to you, asking to hook up with you for lunch or just to get together. There was no hint that anything was wrong in that message, was there, Mr. Parker?
BRAD PARKER: No, there was no clue at all. I mean, it aired on "People`s Court," and she didn`t even mention to me that it aired that day. She -- there was -- it`s like you hear the voice message. There was no clue or nothing wrong with her or anything. We had made plans to...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The question remains, where could Michelle be?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the necklace that she bought me. I love her so much!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Much speculation is centered on Michelle`s ex- fiance, Smith.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re looking at finding Michelle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As seen in this cell phone video, SWAT members raided Dale Smith, Sr.`s, Orange County home in the search for the missing mom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police confirm they had a search warrant, but no arrests were made and it`s still unclear if anything was taken from the home on Rose Boulevard.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They must have had a very good, good clue that Michelle was in there. Evidently, she wasn`t.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are live and taking your calls. This gorgeous missing mom of three disappears within an hour after she appears on national TV, fighting it out with her ex-fiance on "The People`s Court." Millions of people see them argue. She goes and drops her twins off, ages 3, a boy and a girl, at the ex`s home. She`s never seen alive again.
With me tonight, her father, Brad Parker. Brad, we were talking about the last message she left with you. You would never know anything was wrong. She didn`t even mention being on "People`s Court," it airing that day. But she later told people she was humiliated by it. Why was she embarrassed?
BRAD PARKER: She never told me -- I don`t -- she never told me she was embarrassed. I think Dale was embarrassed, you know, what I`ve heard.
GRACE: Well, he should have been, Brad Parker. He`s referring to Dale Smith, Jr., the ex-fiance who has now lawyered up. Mr. Parker, he`s being called a primary suspect in Michelle`s disappearance. What do you make of that?
BRAD PARKER: It don`t surprise me one bit. From day one, I thought it was Dale. I mean, Michelle dropped those -- the twins off and Michelle disappears in broad daylight. I think he planned it, staged it. And I think -- I mean, from day one, I thought he did it, so -- (INAUDIBLE) It`s from the police, the evidence from the vehicle, but they are not saying nothing right now.
GRACE: With me is Michelle`s father, Brad Parker, one of the last people she spoke to before she disappeared. Mr. Parker, it`s very interesting to me that whoever dumped her Hummer in that parking lot took the time to scrape her business ads off of it. Those were pretty substantial ads. Somebody really wanted to make sure that that Hummer would not be identified. Right now, you`re seeing exclusive video of her Hummer right before she disappears.
What do you make of those decals being scratched off, Mr. Parker, and the fact that Dale Smith, Jr., will not take a poly?
BRAD PARKER: For the stickers first, it took somebody some time. And there`s got to be fingerprints on there. The police will not tell me if they have any fingerprints. And about the vehicle -- the vehicle was just parked in. It wasn`t backed in. So no one was trying to hide it. But their taking the decal off is -- I mean, sure, they`re driving it someplace. Maybe they don`t want to see the decal...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After numerous tips and investigative leads --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love our Michelle so much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- we are officially naming Dale Smith --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The primary suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The only suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- the ex-fiancee as the primary suspect in the disappearance of Michelle Parker.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never really cared for the guy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has a very bad temper.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We offered him a polygraph.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He refused to take a polygraph test.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he simply refused.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Parker`s family has been confident for nearly two weeks that Smith was not involved.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was cooperating. That`s why.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now they belief he is. But they still have faith she`s alive.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If she`s not --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no reason to believe she`s dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- then may god have mercy on the soul who did it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Welcome back. We are live and taking your calls in the search for the missing mom, Michelle Parker. With me her father also taking your calls. You know, Brad Parker, you have stated openly you thought from day one her ex-fiancee, Dale Smith Jr., is responsible. Why? What made you think that from day one?
BRAD PARKER, FATHER OF MICHELLE PARKER: Just the way he`s treated Michelle. He`s actually thrown clothes out going down the road. He left her in Jacksonville all by herself. Michelle had to get a rental car. And she didn`t have enough money to get a rental car. They actually gave her a rental car and she drove back to Atlanta. He`s just very abusive to her.
He just, you know, from day one, I thought he did it. I mean, you don`t -- a woman don`t disappear in broad daylight with a hummer and as pretty as Michelle is and no one has seen nothing.
GRACE: Another question I have is about him saying he`s too busy to go out and look for her. He blamed the children. He doesn`t have the children now. They are in foster care. They have been taken away from him. Has he helped at any point try to find her?
PARKER: No. Not one bit. He has not called me. He hasn`t done one thing. He said something today that someone else did it. They will find out that he has not said anything.
Another thing, Michelle was missing Thursday. Friday he gets off and takes off to Titusville and goes to work. I don`t know if he went to work by himself or some co-workers. He`s got a work van. I asked some of the co-workers to speak up. Did he go over there by himself? Are we looking in the wrong area or what?
GRACE: You know what, that`s an excellent point. I wonder if the search should be expanded toward Titusville. What about it Mr. Parker?
PARKER: I agree. I want his co-workers to come forward and his boss. I want the business they work for, I want two weeks prior, where was Dale? Dale does construction in Titusville. He travels wherever they tell him to go. Does he travel by himself or with co-workers? I don`t know if the police are ahead of me, but I`m behind the police trying to figure out where Michelle is.
GRACE: With me right now, Michelle`s father, Brad Parker joining us exclusively and taking your calls.
To Rudy, former police commander, what benefit is it to the cops to publicly name Dale Smith Jr., her ex-fiancee, as the prime suspect? How does it help them?
WOODROW TRIPP, POLYGRAPH EXPERT: Well, Nancy, it puts him on the spot. There`s no hiding. He`s there. He`s in the spotlight. The light is on him. It`s like bugs when you cut the light on. The light is on now and there`s absolutely no doubt. Nancy, I have to say, I wonder, has he created the perfect alibi? Maybe there`s other people interested in this. He made the state me he didn`t do it. That`s somewhat telling.
GRACE: You know, another issue is watching him now because you remember when Scott Peterson, before he was named a suspect, would go back out to San Francisco bay and cops had a GPS on his car. He would go out there over and over looking out at the water, wondering if Laci and his unborn son Connor would pop up and they did, which they did. I only hope the cops have a GPS on this guy`s car.
To Dr. Leslie, psychotherapist. Weigh in, Dr. Leslie.
DR. LESLIE, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: I think it`s very telling. I would like to know everything about who saw him the day she disappeared? Did anybody have contact with him? I think Mr. Parker has a lot of important points about what was he like the next day? Statistically, the domestic partner is the most likely person to hurt someone in a situation like this. It`s most often the husband, the wife, the fiancee, unfortunately.
GRACE: And to Dr. Kathleen London, attending physician and New York Presbyterian, Dr. London, thank you for being with us. If she had defensive wounds, what would you expect to be on her and on him?
DR. CATHLEEN LONDON, M.D., ATTENDING PHYSICIAN, NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN: From her, usually people, their arms are like this, and you see wounds all along their arms, their hands. If she tried to scratch, his DNA, would he have scratches somewhere? Those are the most common types of wounds we see, hands and arms.
And in this case, I agree it`s telling he said I didn`t do it. 20 years ago, he didn`t technically do it either but he was the ring leader. I don`t know. We also have the statistics of the partner, the domestic partner, violent history. I see where the police are going with this one, unfortunately.
GRACE: You know, another place that defensive wounds pop up is on your knees. If you are being beaten or attacked, you curl up. A lot of murder victims and beating victims that I represented as a prosecutor would have defensive wounds on their knees. Did you see that as well, woody?
TRIPP: Absolutely. Part of that is going into the fetal type position. It`s a natural position people go into whether its sleeping or a defensive type mode, yes, absolutely.
GRACE: Brad Parker, Michelle`s father is with us. Brad, your grandchildren, the twins are in foster care tonight. Do you know anything about the family that has them?
PARKER: Well, as far as I know, Dale`s parents had them. But as of right now, they are in foster care, they took them overnight for their safety. I would rather, you know, don`t let him have them than be sorry later. Take the kids and solve this. Let`s take care of those babies. They are number one now. Michelle is number one --
GRACE: They are in -- they are in protective custody right now. I would be doing a back flip if my twins were anywhere but with me. Mr. Parker, I know you must be going out of your mind. We heard Dr. Kathleen London refer to this. But she mentioned 20 years earlier. Explain what we are talking about.
MATT ZARRELL, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER COVERING STORY: Dale Smith Jr. was a codefendant in a murder case where one of his friends, an alleged gang member with him, part of his gang of seven teens and Smith, who was 20 at the time, attacked these two young men coming out of a nightclub on Memorial Day weekend in 1992. The 16-year-old was arrested, charged and pled guilty for stabbing one of the victims. Smith himself was put on trial. He pled guilty -- he pled no contest to attempted aggravated battery for kicking the victim`s friend in the head. Adjudication of guilt was withheld, which would explain why four years later he was able to register for the army and nobody noticed any prior conviction.
GRACE: And then he got discharged over domestic abuse over that. Mr. Parker, did you have any idea about his past when Michelle started dating him and had children by him?
PARKER: No. I don`t even think Michelle knew that. I had no idea.
GRACE: The tip line, 800-423-8477. Please help us find Michelle.
As we go to break, our family album is back, and we are showcasing your photos from the iReport. Here are photos of my twins. They are baking cookies while helping mommy with her dance moves while I was on "Dancing with the Stars." There she is and there he is. We were having a good time. We were having a good time.
Now your photos. Ohio friends, the Taylors, a real-life family in singing competing all over. Cincinnati`s got talent. The dad plays guitar and banjo, 14-year-old the accordion, 12-year-old Mason, lead singer plays mandolin. Look at that. Share your family photos with us. Go to HLNTV.com/NancyGrace. Click on "Nancy`s Family Album."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dale, honestly, if you are out there, honey, and listening to me, I have always said from day one, it`s OK if couples fight. I`ve fought. I fought with my sister, with my husband, with my kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Welcome back, everyone. We are helping in the search of a missing mom, Michelle. She leaves behind three children, including three- year-old twins and an 11-year-old son. Her father is with us tonight. Police just dropped the bombshell. They`ve got a prime suspect, her fiancee. Brad Parker, Michelle`s father, did you contact Smith Jr.`s parents about seeing the children? If so, what did they say?
PARKER: You mean contacting the parents?
GRACE: Yes.
PARKER: My wife did. And first of all, he wanted to know who we were. Then he realized he did a roof job on my house, a repair, and he said he didn`t like how Orange County busted in his house. He didn`t want to talk to nobody and he wanted nothing to do with us. He said thank you and hung up the phone.
GRACE: Woody Tripp, polygraph expert. Why is Smith Jr. refusing a poly? Weigh in.
TRIPP: Obviously, if he`s refusing one, Nancy, there`s an issue. And there`s a couple types here. There can be a polygraph test to determine the location of a person or object is in addition to a polygraph test that asks about a crime.
GRACE: You are right. You are right, Woody Tripp. Out to the lines. Lisa in Michigan. Hi, Lisa. What`s your question?
LISA, CALLER FROM MICHIGAN: Hi, Nancy. I have a quick comment and a question. Your viewers are very, very proud of you for all the work you do for these people. We watch every night just to pray that some of these people are found OK. It just is devastating what happens with these children, these women that end up missing. But we all are praying for her and hope she is safe.
But, I would like to know, also, last night I was listening, did anything come about with the body they found in the river in that area?
GRACE: Matt, what do we know?
ZARRELL: Nancy, police identified the body. It was a man. It was not connected to Michelle Parker`s disappearance.
GRACE: Not connected in anyway, Lisa in Michigan. Brenda in California, hi, Brenda. What is your question?
LINDA, CALLER IN CALIFORNIA: Hi Nancy, it`s Brenda. Is there a way to backtrack the car or her hummer and see on satellite, you know, where --
GRACE: Good question. Let me ask brad Parker. Did her car have GPS in it?
PARKER: I believe she had that on star, but I believe I heard she had it shut off. Either she shut it off or one of the two shut it off.
So Brenda in California, there`s your question.
Kathy in Massachusetts, what`s your question, dear?
KATHY, CALLER FROM MASSACHUSETTS: Yes, hi. I was wondering actually about the text message she sent to her brother. I think it`s significant because she texted him that she was going to Waterford, but she was supposed to go to work. She texted him while going to work and texted Waterford.
GRACE: You know what --
CATHY: That poly wouldn`t hold up in court, right?
GRACE: We have to see if it`s remotely similar. We would have to see if that would be introduced at a court proceeding. However he has not been arrested or charged. He has just been named a prime suspect at this hour. Let`s go to that first question, Matt, what is your answer?
ZARRELL: The text message was tent 4:26 p.m. The brother says where are you? She says Waterford. A one-word text from her doesn`t make sense. She was supposed to be at work at 7:30 at the bar and she never showed up for work.
GRACE: To Brad Parker, Michelle`s father, what do you make of that one-word text to her brother?
PARKER: I`m not a text person. Maybe my wife could answer that.
GAIL PARKER: Hi, Nancy, I`m Gale. Go ahead.
GRACE: Hi, Gale. What do you make of the text?
GAIL PARKER: I`m concerned about that quite a bit. They say it`s not her style. If you are in a situation where you don`t have time, you do it quickly as best as you can. And quite frankly, I went to the movies with her and the baby on October 12th. When she told me she was at the movie theater, she just wrote the word here because we were meeting there. Sometimes you are driving or not in the right situation.
GRACE: That`s a good point, gale. Let me ask you, is Waterford near the exes home?
GAIL PARKER, MICHELLE PARKER`S MOTHER: I think it`s north and east of there. Who`s to say if it`s the Waterford area or Waterford Street or whatever. The word "Waterford" may be something significant. I don`t know what the follow up is with the police. I know they have been doing a lot and they don`t tell us everything.
GRACE: Right. Also, we don`t know if she`s the one that wrote that word in there.
Everyone, the tip line, 800-423-8477.
Right now, very quickly, a judge brings down the hammer in the sentencing phase in the Michael Jackson death trial. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The court has determined that the appropriate term --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Murderer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- of four years imprisonment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You went after Conrad Murray like no one else has.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: With me right now, Jane Velez-Mitchell, host of "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell." Weigh in Jane.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, "ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL": I think this was a message to all doctors who are Dr. Feelgoods and who violate their oath and motivated by greed and profit. I hope any doctor who is a Dr. Feelgood is quaking in their boots tonight because I think the mood shifted in the country. Prescription drug overdoses are skyrocketing. The district attorney, Steve Cooley, issued a warning saying we are making an example of Dr. Conrad Murray.
GRACE: Well put, Jane Velez-Mitchell. What about it, Alan. How long will he serve, Alan Duke?
ALAN DUKE, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, "THE CNN WIRE": About two years. It seems he gets on day reduced from the sentence for every day he serves. That means two years for the four year sentence. The news we got is that he apparently is not eligible for early release under house arrest as Lindsay Lohan was. The federal court ordering overcrowding measures at the L.A. jail, but that will not benefit Conrad Murray according to the L.A. sheriff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How he was playing Russian roulette with his patient.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a gentleman here that needs help and he`s not breathing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s involved in a cycle of horrible medicine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: The judge in the Michael Jackson death trial brings down the hammer, sentencing Dr. Conrad Murray to the max, which is only four years. Way to go, judge. A little bit of common sense out in L.A. To Brian Oxman, attorney for Joe Jackson in a wrongful death suit, weigh in on the sentence, Brian.
BRIAN OXMAN, ATTORNEY FOR JOE JACKSON IN WRONGFUL DEATH SUIT: I think the Jackson family is pleased with the results that happened today. There`s only one problem, Nancy. It`s still just watered by so many tears. It doesn`t bring Michael back.
And what Randy Jackson had to say is now what, where do we go from here. Michael is gone, and no matter what you say about Conrad Murray, no matter what the judge had to say, the loss is there. Justice, I don`t think there was justice. Everybody was a loser today.
GRACE: You know what, Brian. I felt the same way at the end of so many murder trials I prosecuted. You can get a conviction, you can get a sentence, but everybody leaves with a broken heart. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is with us, friend and adviser to Jackson for years, author of "Ten Conversations you need to have with yourself." Rabbi, thank you for being with us. When I heard his mother, Katherine`s statement in court today, she just cried as it was being read. I want to hear your thoughts, rabbi.
RABBI SHMULEY BOTEACH, AUTHOR: Well, Conrad Murray is someone who is a sociopath. He has no conscience. The shocking part of this story is not only what Jane Velez-Mitchell said about doctors that overprescribe medication. You`re talking about someone on the phone talking to women he met in strip joints while his patient was gasping for breath and he could later never say to the family of Michael Jackson I am so sorry for what I did. For the rest of my life I will pay for this.
As the judge so notably pointed out, he was blaming Michael for having died. I mean, all of us have to have a degree of self-awareness and we have to have a conscience. And Conrad Murray evinces neither.
GRACE: Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of "Ten Conversations you need to have with yourself," close friend to Michael Jackson. You stated so much on his behalf so many times, rabbi. Thank you.
Let`s stop and remember Army Sergeant First Class Jared Monti, 30, killed in Afghanistan. Awarded two bronze stars, Purple Heart, army commendation, talented artist, remembered as a gentle soul. Leaves behind his parents Paul and Janet, sister Nicole, brother Timothy. Jared Monti, American hero. Thanks to our guests but especially to you for being with us. See you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp eastern. And until then, goodnight, friend.
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