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Jane Velez-Mitchell

Abused Wife Slays Husband; Day Care Nightmare Revealed

Aired January 23, 2012 - 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: Murder, stalkers, splits, secrets, so much to talk about. Let`s do it.

(voice-over) Tonight she admits she gunned down her husband, shooting him 11 times. Yet she was found not guilty of murder. So why could she still go to prison? In a primetime exclusive, Barbara Sheehan joins me live to tell me the astounding story behind why she killed her husband of 26 years.

And why was this cyber stalker sentenced to only four years in jail? He threatened to kill a woman over Twitter and sent her extremely lewd YouTube videos. Could this slap on the wrist lead to disaster? I`m taking your calls.

And how safe is your child really in day care? A jaw-dropping story that will make you demand a change to keep your kids safer.

Plus, yet another superstar romance goes up in flames. This time super model Heidi Klum and singer Seal are splitting. The PDA pair seemed almost boastful about their love, renewing their vows every year. So what are the secrets that tore them apart?

(on camera) Are you surprised this Hollywood couple is kaput? We`re revealing the secrets behind these stories starting right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) What is your emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need police right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sheehan admitted to shooting her husband 11 times with two guns as he was shaving in the bathroom of their Hallow (ph) Beach home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What`s the emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t know. Someone has a gun.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Convincing the jury she was a battered woman, fearing her husband would kill her if he didn`t kill him first.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think there was a big fight. I think she had a gun. I think she was probably challenged that she would actually shoot him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The jury may have been swayed by the emotion of Barbara Sheehan`s tearful testimony where she claimed to have been beaten by years by her husband Raymond.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, you have to send someone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her husband, he hit her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Good evening, everyone. Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live from New York City.

Tonight a woman admits to gunning down her husband, a cop, shooting him almost a dozen times at point-blank range. And now she`s in the fight of her life to stay out of prison.

Barbara Sheehan says she gunned down her husband by emptying two guns into him. But she says he beat the bleep out of her for two long decades. And the night she killed him it was either her or it was him.

Here`s her lawyer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL DOWD, BARBARA SHEEHAN`S LAWYER: When you have an armed abuser at home who has -- is a police Officer and knows his way around the system and is threatening to kill. I mean, no order of protection is going to stop a bullet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A jury bought her argument of self-defense and found Barbara not guilty of murder. But they just convicted her of a lesser weapons charge for continuing to shoot her husband with his gun. We`re going to hear the whole story in a second. She could go to jail for five long years. Tonight she is furiously appealing in the hopes of remaining free.

Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297. What do you think?

Joining me tonight in a primetime exclusive is this woman herself, Barbara Sheehan.

Barbara, thank you so much for being here. I know that your case has really Put the spotlight on women who Are battered by their husbands. So this is a good thing, because It`s happening all over America. And you have the courage to talk About it tonight and talk about Your case.

So first of all, I want to start By asking you what happened the Night before you shot your Husband?

BARBARA SHEEHAN, ACQUITTED OF MURDERING HUSBAND: The night before I shot him we had taken -- my son went to college in Connecticut, and we had taken a ride up there. We took him out for dinner and we were on our way home.

Before he pulled out of the parking lot, he punched me in my face, and he broke my nose.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So the night that all this went down where you shot your husband, you`d just gotten a broken nose from him?

B. SHEEHAN: That is correct. The night before, yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So tell us what happened when you shot your husband. Tell us the weekend.

B. SHEEHAN: Well, I -- we were supposed to go to Florida. The last vacation we had we were in Jamaica, the island of Jamaica. And he had bashed my head up against the wall in the island of Jamaica and put me in the hospital. I got stitches, and I have a scar on my head from that. So I was actually afraid to go into a vacation with him again. I was afraid he was going to kill me on the next vacation we went on. So I told him I was not going to Florida.

What had happened is he insisted that I did. And I usually gave in because of all the years that he was abusing me, I usually had given in and did what he wanted. And this -- I was not going, because I was petrified to go. And he grabbed a gun, and he put it to my head.

And I went in -- I had been in contact with domestic violence organizations, which told me I was in the most dangerous situation that I could be in. And I -- they told me to put money together and try to disappear, because that was the only way I would get out of my situation because he was a cop. And he would be able to find me no matter where I went.

So I had money hidden in my bedroom. So when he aimed the gun at my head, I ran into the bedroom to get the money that I had hidden. And in the bedroom was one of his other guns. And I picked it up, and I tried to get out of the house. And I needed to pass where he was in order to do that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And?

B. SHEEHAN: He aimed the gun at me a second time. And I took the gun that I had, and I shot him.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And how many times did you shoot him with that first gun?

B. SHEEHAN: I don`t really know. I just know that he fell -- it happened so fast. It was like an instant. He fell. And when he fell, the gun that he was holding fell out of his hand and fell on the ground. And he was reaching for it and trying to get up. And while he was trying to get up he was screaming that he was f`ing going to kill me. And for years he was chasing me. And every time he chased me, he caught me because he was a lot bigger than I was. And I -- he was trying to get up, and he was going to kill me with that gun. And I grabbed that gun also.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And?

B. SHEEHAN: I use that gun, and I stopped using the gun when I was no longer being threatened by him. When he stopped yelling and was no longer trying to get up.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Eleven bullets. I guess the essential argument is, he was down, and the prosecutors argued he was no longer a threat, and that you were convicted of weapons possession for using that second gun, his gun, when the prosecutor said he was no longer a threat, emptying, what, I think a total of 11 bullets. So five and six.

B. SHEEHAN: The prosecutor wasn`t there. So she doesn`t know nor does anyone else except me when he stopped being a threat. He was still a threat when I picked up that second gun. Absolutely was a threat to me at that point. It happened in a split second. It`s not something that happened over any period of time. But he was still a threat when I picked up that second gun.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Your two grown children testified on your behalf. They said they grew up watching their dad`s horrific violence against their mom, you. Let`s watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY SHEEHAN, SON: He was like a monster. He made us all fear him. I was scared my entire life, scared of him and I was scared of what he would do to my mother.

I don`t believe the prosecutor really understands how bad it was and how we couldn`t tell anyone. And if we did, my mom would get beaten for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Barbara, what were some of The things that your husband did to you physically? Give us a litany.

B. SHEEHAN: Numerous black eyes. I have scars on my hands, my face. Black eyes, black and blues. He choked me, held his gun to my head on several occasions. He would kick me, push me down. He broke my finger one time. He was just...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So he was sadistic?

B. SHEEHAN: Yes. In addition to verbal and emotional abuse, which is horrible also.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And the fact that he was a cop, is that one of the reasons why you didn`t just get out?

B. SHEEHAN: Well, I mean, I attempted to get out on more than one occasion, but he would threaten me with "Who are you going to call? The cops? I am the cops. How do you call the cops? I`m the cops."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We have something called the Domestic Violence Wheel. The Power and Control Wheel, which we`ll show you. And essentially it outlines -- because people -- the first thing people say is why didn`t you just leave? And it`s not so easy to just leave. There is intimidation. There`s isolation. There`s economic factors.

You were a school secretary. I understand you`ve lost your job as a result of this, as well as your health insurance. And that`s something you`re very worried about, by the way.

B. SHEEHAN: Yes, it is. Something I`m very, very worried about. Just recently January 4, actually, they took me off payroll. And I just think that that`s a horrible thing, because they`re claiming -- he says I`m a convicted felon at this point because of the one gun possession charge. But there are convicted felons that are teaching in classrooms. So I don`t understand how they can take me off payroll.

And they -- my understanding is I was going to keep my health insurance until March. Now they`ve stopped that also.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to play some of the 911 call that was made by your sister, Barbara. Because I guess you called after the shooting. Your sister, she came over and she called 911. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her husband, he hit her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He has a gun?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, he`s gone. I don`t know where he is. I think he`s upstairs or something. I don`t know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And your sister called you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. There your sister says, "Maybe he hit her." So your sister knew that there was a history of abuse dating back how many years?

B. SHEEHAN: Dating back -- I was married 24 years. I would say 18 of the 24 years, 18 or 19 of the 24 years.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And again, to those who say, "Well, why didn`t you get out a long time ago," we point to this Power and Control Wheel, because so many women don`t get out because of financial hardship, the male in the household often exerts extra power. They isolate you. There`s the emotional abuse, the intimidation.

Looking back on it, is there something else you could have done to get out?

B. SHEEHAN: No. The only thing I think that could have been done is the first signs of abuse. And that`s very important to me to explain that to people and let people know what those first signs are.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What were they?

B. SHEEHAN: The first time he pushes you or hits you he`s not going to stop. Even though he apologizes, even though he brings you flowers. Even though he cries about it and blames himself and knows it`s him, it`s bad signs. When he`s following you and wants to know where you are, what store you go to or doesn`t like any of your friends. He doesn`t want you to speak to this one or that one. Those are all very bad signs. Those are warning signs at the beginning. And that`s the time to get out before it escalates any further than that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hang on there. We`re going to have more from you on the other side of the break. Fascinating. Fascinating. And again, thanks for having the courage to talk about this. We`re going to talk more to Barbara about why she shot her husband dead and what he was doing to her.

And we`ve got other stories that will have you asking is your child in danger in day care? It involves a mouse that was found in a little girl`s mouth.

And more of my primetime exclusive interview with Barbara Sheehan coming right up. Give me a call. Up next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to send someone here, please.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to tell me what`s going on. What do you mean someone has a gun? What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t know. They -- I don`t know. It`s my sister. It`s my sister`s house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to send someone here, please.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to tell me what`s going on. What do you mean someone has a gun? What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t know. They -- I don`t know. It`s my sister. It`s my sister`s house.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. That`s the 911 call.

The twin brother of the husband that Barbara shot to death is furious over the not-guilty verdict. He says, well, his brother is the victim here, not Barbara. Listen to what he has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it was in a marriage that was in decline, like the prosecutor said. I think there was a big fight. I think she had a gun. I think he probably challenged if she would actually shoot him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. I want to give Barbara a chance to respond to that.

B. SHEEHAN: My main response is you knew about it. I told and your wife all about the abuse, and never once did you come to help me or him. Confront him, ask him what`s going on. Speak to us together and find out what the issue is.

Also, he`s not a victim. I`ve been a victim for 18 years. He`s not a victim. And though I feel very, very sorry about what happened, I don`t know how they could say he`s a victim.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did he ever attack the kids? Your kids?

B. SHEEHAN: Not physically. Verbally, yes. Emotionally, yes. Not really physically. Any time that he would get too violent I would step between them and not allow that to happen.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why do you think he attacked him so much? Was he a sadist? I read -- the one thing that disturbed me the most is that I read that he put a gun in your mouth, which to me says a sadistic person, someone who is enjoying humiliating someone else.

B. SHEEHAN: Oh, absolutely. He enjoyed every part of me being humiliated by him.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why?

B. SHEEHAN: Manipulating me. I don`t know why.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I understand the prosecution claimed that he had a sexual fetish, which is -- there`s an actual word for it. It`s called adult infantilism, where -- and I hope I`m not embarrassing you. But this is something that came out at trial. He would apparently want to wear a diaper and have you call him [SIC] "Mommy." There are -- they don`t call them fetishes unless they`re a little strange. Right? So a lot of people have strange fetishes.

Did he indeed have this? And did he -- because that could give us some insight into his character, as well.

B. SHEEHAN: Yes, he did have that. Yes. I am uncomfortable speaking about it, but yes, that`s what he had. And I believe he was embarrassed with himself for having stuff like that, and he took that out on me.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s shame. That`s shame. So sounds like he had a lot of problems.

I want to try to bring in Dr. Brian Russell who is a forensic psychologist. What do you make of this, given that we`re hearing about the sadism alleged, as well as the sexual fetish?

DR. BRIAN RUSSELL, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, what you described, with the gun in the mouth, sounds -- sounds sadistic, as you said. Sorry. The infantilism that she described would be a paraphilia, or a fetish. And so I think that these things that she`s describing, they don`t necessarily go together. Somebody can have a paraphilia without being sadistic or psychopathic.

And we also, I think, have to be a little bit careful here that we`re only hearing one side. He`s not here to tell us his side of this.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, here`s my thought. This family had a toxic secret. The secret was that the man of the house was an abuser, according not just to the wife but to his kids, as well. What I`ve learned researching secrets is the longer a toxic secret is kept, the more it festers, the more dangerous it becomes. It`s kind of like a wound that`s left untreated. So toxic family secrets, if they`re not dealt with in a therapeutic manner, will quite often ultimately explode in violence. Which I think is what happened here.

So I need to bring in Rhonda Saunders, who`s the author of "Whisper of Fear" and a prosecutor. We have to learn from this. Barbara has been courageous enough to come on our show and talk about it. But there are millions of women who are beaten, beaten up by their husbands as we speak. What should they do?

RHONDA SAUNDERS, PROSECUTOR: I think what`s very important to think about is not only the woman who is being battered but the children that are there. And there`s a thing called a cycle of violence. And when children are growing up, and they see their mother taking all of this abuse and not doing anything about it -- not making a police report. Not looking for family to escape to -- those children believe that it`s perfectly all right.

And these are -- the children are the ones who really suffer. If it`s a girl, they think, "Oh, I guess it`s just normal if I have a husband who beats me or hits me with a gun." If it`s a boy, they think, "Oh, I guess maybe this is the way that men act."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.

SAUNDERS: So it`s so important for victims Of abuse. You have to take affirmative action. And I understand all of the dynamics.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Rhonda, I want to give you the opportunity -- I want to give you the opportunity to have the last word.

SHEEHAN: How do you call the cops on the cops? You can`t do that.

SAUNDERS: Very easy. We have cops...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK, hold on. Hold on a second. OK, I understand what you`re saying. You know, it`s easy to armchair quarterback this. Very -- 15 seconds. Why didn`t she call the cops?

B. SHEEHAN: Because I was terrified of him. Terrified to call the cops. He made me terrified of him. And that is the way that we lived in that house all the time.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you for joining us. More in a moment.

B. SHEEHAN: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She could have swallowed it. Thank God for Mrs. (UNINTELLIGIBLE). She could have died.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eight-month-old Alana Babbis (ph) seems to be doing well after preschool teachers found a mouse in her mouth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the teachers told her she (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And he knew she had a cold. And so she looked again, she said, and pulled it out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Talk about a day care nightmare. A mom gets the call that her baby girl is found with a dead mouse in her mouth. It`s hard to imagine. I`m going to talk in a moment to the day care director, in just a second.

The mother of this 8-month-old, Alana, yanked her out of day care. She`s understandably very worried about her daughter`s health. We`re talking germs here that rodents can carry. Is this an isolated incident? Or an example of deplorable day care conditions?

Kiburi Tucker, director of the Donald K. Tucker Day Care Center in Newark, New Jersey. Thank you so much for joining us. I know that you`re very upset about the situation. I know that you have five kids of your own. But tell us, how could this have happened? How did it happen?

KIBURI TUCKER, DIRECTOR, DONALD K. TUCKER DAY CARE CENTER (via phone): Thank you for having me on the show.

Yes, I`m very, very upset about what took place yesterday. I do have five children. And I tried to make sure the children at the center are treated just like they were my own. This is just an unfortunate isolated incident.

How did it happen? You know, I can`t give you specifics on that, because I`m not 100 percent sure how it happened. But what I can tell you is we`re doing everything in our power to prevent it from happening ever again.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, can I ask you this question? Did you immediately rush this little girl to the E.R., to the hospital?

TUCKER: Yes, well, I wasn`t actually -- actually...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did anybody rush her to the hospital?

TUCKER: They definitely got her to the hospital. Miss Barber was actually there. And her grandmother, informed of what happened, took her to the emergency room just to make sure that she was OK. We want to make sure the child was OK before anything else.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, here`s the scary part. Parents don`t always know what`s happening as their child`s at the day care center, because they`re at work.

In Georgia, the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" reports over a third of all day cares got a failing grade at least once. Here`s how I would solve this problem. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here`s my solution. Every day care center in America should have a rating system just like the restaurants do in New York City. Now, this restaurant is rated "A." OK. You could do the same thing with day care. That way you wouldn`t have to send your child inside unless there was an "A" right on the door of the day care center.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Kiburi, a dead mouse in somebody`s food at a restaurant, that would result in a failing grade. Should your day care get a failing grade, you think, sir?

TUCKER: Yes, I believe so. I believe that the day care deserves a failing grade. And we`re going to do everything we can to -- so we can change that around. I mean, that`s what we`re doing now. We`re doing everything in our power to make sure that this doesn`t happen ever again. It`s definitely appalling. I`m very sorry that happened.

I just want to tell the family, because I haven`t had a chance to speak to them after the event, that -- you know, that we`re definitely sorry about this. And we`re going to make sure that this doesn`t happen again.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you`re honest, and I applaud you, actually, for taking responsibility and saying, yes, you deserve a failing grade and you`re going to improve.

Again, and I think a very simple solution would be to use the same system that is used for restaurants in New York City and grade them. The parent walking in doesn`t have to do research; they can see right there. Do they have a failing grade or a passing grade?

Stalked in cyberspace. A terrifying story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Patrick Macchione was convicted of cyber stalking. He used about every form of social media he could think of to go after his obsession, Kristen Pratt.

PATRICK MACCHIONE, CONVICTED OF CYBER STALKING: Do you want to test me? Don`t make me do something (EXPLETIVE DELETED) stupid.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 15 years probation is not that long. He`s free to do whatever he wants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A dangerous cyber stalker going to prison but his victim, who we`re going to talk to in just a moment, says she`s still living in constant fear.

Good evening. Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live from New York City.

Tonight, a very, very frightening story of an online obsession that almost turned deadly. Patrick Macchione was accused of posting sexually explicit videos on YouTube and making death threats to a young woman he barely knew.

Kristen Pratt was a fellow student at the University of Florida. She says these messages that he sent started out innocently and quickly, quickly spiraled to a very scary place.

He said on Twitter, quote, "It`s up to you now to save your life. I have no options. I will not be arrested," end quote. But his videos are more disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACCHIONE: I`m sorry I said some things to your aunt the other day that I hope don`t reach you. I wish I never said. I apologize. (INAUDIBLE) Please.

Talk to me.

(INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. This very scary character was sentenced just this past Friday to four years of prison and more than 15 years of probation. We contacted his attorney and told us he was going to send us a statement. We`ve yet to get one. But his victim says this sentence is nowhere near enough.

Here she is on ABC.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTEN PRATT, CYBERSTALKING VICTIM: I`m glad for the most part I will know where he`s at. But at the same time, 15 years probation is really not that long. And he`s free to do whatever he wants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Here`s the really scary part. With good behavior and time served, this character may walk out of prison in just two years. Two years. 24 months.

Straight out to my very special guest, Kristen Pratt; you are the woman who suffered this abuse, this abusive stalking. First of all I want to say bravo to you for speaking out about an issue that affects so many women. It`s a huge problem in the country.

This guy, even the defense admits according to what we saw at the trial, is mentally unstable. What are your fears about what could happen when he gets out in two years?

PRATT: It`s going to go right back to where it used to go. I`m going to have to deal with this all over again. I`m going to have to worry about making sure that I`m safe, always looking over my shoulder; always looking around a corner if I ever am coming out of a building. I have to look both ways.

I spent most of the past five years in fear. If I ever saw him, I would have to turn right back around and go back home. And I would spend most of the day in the house. I wouldn`t even leave.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did he follow you around?

PRATT: He went to places he thought I would be; so, UCF, where I went to college -- University of Central Florida. He would go to cafes or restaurants around. He hitchhiked and would just stay in Orlando -- just homeless, hang out, to try to find me.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So he`s a homeless guy. He`s not a fellow student. He`s a homeless man. How did you meet him?

PRATT: It`s a difficult story.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s all right. Give us a short version.

PRATT: There`s a program called dual enrolment where when you`re in high school classes you take college classes as well. And he was in one of those classes with me but I never knew it until he messaged me when I went to college through Facebook.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And so? So he messages you and then what?

PRATT: It was like a friendly message. Like another high school student trying to contact another former high school student. Just wondering how their life is going. And so I answered them, thinking, all right, yes, this is my life, this is how it`s going. How is yours?

And then they started getting really weird and excessive, and so I asked him to stop. And they didn`t. They just got worse and worse.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And was there a sexual component to it?

PRATT: Yes, definitely. He said some really weird things about wanting to start a life with me. Going on his land, he called it. And I would just be with him on this land and nobody else would be around. He would say things like -- I don`t know if I can get bolder here -- but he wanted to just have me stand there naked and that would be the best thing that he could think of. It would keep him for thinking about death for at least six hours was one of quotes on one of the messages.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, when you started -- and I get chills just listening to you -- when you started to realize this guy is a creep. He`s a sicko. I don`t want anything to do with him. Did he already have enough information to track you down? Was he able to get your phone number?

PRATT: He did get my phone number. Yes, he called me excessively. He called me about 40 times a day.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I presumed you changed your number.

PRATT: Yes, I changed it three times.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And what -- he would find your number again? How did he find your number if it`s private?

PRATT: I assume, from what I hear Craigslist because that`s where I think he found my work address through. I don`t really know. He`s very intelligent. He tries and finds a way to find me. He went through my friends in Facebook and would message them and try to have them to talk to me to contact him.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And this has got to have affected your entire life. I mean how do you go to work when you`re living in fear that somebody is -- tell us about the impact?

PRATT: It`s terrible. I still feel it. I can`t go to sleep some nights. Like last week up until this sentencing trial I had to write this impact statement. I tried to start it on Sunday and I couldn`t. I just broke down emotionally. I cried for hours. And that whole week I just stayed mostly in bed. I had to have friends like come and pull me out of bed because I just couldn`t get out of bed.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you`re a very attractive young women --

PRATT: Thanks Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- has this impacted your ability to have intimate relationships to trust?

PRATT: Yes. With just even friends. If I get text messages, too many text messages at one time from just friends, I get really scared. Even friends that I`ve had for a while; I get nervous and I can`t talk to them after that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What about dating? I would assume that that would have also been impacted.

PRATT: Oh, yes. Oh yes, definitely. I`m very careful about who I decide to talk to. Even a guy, who decided to come up to me at the bar and wants to be my friend, knows my friends. It`s very hard for me to allow myself the chance to go on dates with these people.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m outraged that this guy is going to be out in two years. First of all, his first trial ended in a mistrial because he was acting out. My understanding is the defense admits that he is mentally unstable.

I want to bring in former prosecutor Rhonda Saunders. I think this guy should be locked up in a mental ward. I don`t think he should be released in two years. There`s no way to guarantee her safety in two years.

RHONDA SAUNDERS, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Absolutely, I think they should throw away the key. The fact that he has a mental illness doesn`t affect that he knew exactly what he was going. And these stalkers, they never stop and they never go away.

And he`s destroyed this young woman`s life. So there`s no reason why should be released in two years because I can almost guarantee you he`ll be back again.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Michelle Ward, criminal psychologist. And you`re also a stalking victim. You`re the host of "Stalk, Someone is Watching"; what should she do?

MICHELLE WARD, CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGIST: First of all, I`m so sorry, Kristen. It`s awful. People don`t understand the psychological terror that a stalking victim goes through. And unfortunately there isn`t much she can do at this stage. She`s bought herself a little bit of reprieve. She knows where he is now. And she needs to request that they let her know when he`s released. That`s incredibly important.

Make sure you know when he`s released because Rhonda`s right, they don`t go away. And sometimes in jail they ruminate more and they become more obsessed. And I`m hoping to God that`s not what`s going to happen in Kristen`s case but I worry for you.

And when we`ve seen it in -- you know, I mean in the second season of our show and I keep up and see what happens when stalkers are released, it`s not a pretty story.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Look, this is an outrage in the sense that American women have the right to feel safe and one in 12 women will experience something like this. Honestly, I think you need to stay on top of this and make it a campaign that this guy is not released.

PRATT: Well, he gets released and then goes on to 15 years of probation where he`s not allowed to use the Internet on computers.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but somebody who is cuckoo in the head doesn`t care about probation. I`m telling you, make it a campaign. We`ll make it a campaign with you. He should not be released, in my opinion.

Good luck to you.

PRATT: Thanks very much.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Come back soon. We`re not going to let that one go.

Super model Heidi Klum and singer Seal -- lovey-dovey -- not so much. Oh, you will believe. And we`re taking your calls next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Super model Heidi Klum and singer Seal are calling it quits after seven years of marriage.

HEIDI KLUM, SUPERMODEL: I like to be bossy. You`re right.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really.

KLUM: My husband says that all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the renewed wedding vows, their four beautiful children and well, a lot of PDA later. We hoped theirs was forever. Now it appears their marriage is over.

KLUM: We did find each other in a hotel lobby in New York City. And it was kind of like two magnets that went like this.

(MUSIC)

KLUM: Do you want to marry me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you say?

KLUM: I said yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s a power couple split that has knocked Hollywood on its you-know-what; super model Heidi Klum and singer Seal, so gorgeous, so perfect. But now they`re calling it quits after seven years of marriage. Heidi and Seal -- you know these guys -- they renew their vows every year. They had what seemed to be the perfect marriage -- always a problem. And now, not so much.

In fact, here`s a quote. "While we have enjoyed seven loving, loyal and happy years of marriage, after much soul searching we have decided to separate. We continue to love each other very much, but we have grown apart."

Heidi tweeted a photo of the two of them together over the holidays. But it looks like things were way downhill from that moment at the top of the hill when he proposed in a specially-made igloo on the top of a ski slope.

TMZ says the former Victoria`s Secret model is filing for divorce because of Seal`s explosive temper. This is a total 180 from all those romantic songs. You know, "Kissed by a Rose".

(MUSIC)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I wonder if he got kissed by a pre-nup. We`re going to talk about that. What secrets are hiding behind all of this? We`re taking your calls, 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

Straight out to my good buddy from the past -- a blast from the past - - we used to work together. Gillian Sheldon from celebbuzz.com; it`s so great to see you, Gillian.

GILLIAN SHELDON, CLEBBUZZ.COM: Hi, Jane. I`m so thrilled to be here. I haven`t seen you -- I know. It`s like my old friend. I feel like it`s old home week.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is this -- are we just doing "Face Time"? No, we`re on television.

Ok. What are the real reasons behind this surprising split?

SHELDON: Well, you know, I think the temper may be it. If you watch online there are videos of Seal going off on the paparazzi. Now, you and I both know, living in Hollywood, if you`re at certain restaurants in Hollywood and you`re a celebrity, you know there`s going to be paparazzi outside, and he would freak out. Not just be upset, but genuinely go off on paparazzi.

Now who goes off on paparazzi? Somebody who, even as long as he`s been in the limelight, you kind of have to get used to it; so I think the temper, where there`s smoke, there`s fire. And just as you said, they renewed their vows every year. They seemed to be so in love.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know what, Gillian, I wonder about people who renew their vows all the time incessantly.

SHELDON: Yes, well, it`s a little gross.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s like what are they trying to prove? These were the king and queen of PDA. I mean come on.

SHELDON: Well think about it -- everybody looks at him --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

SHELDON: Everybody looked at him and looked at her. She`s this bomb super model. He`s a singer who, you know, they`re -- it`s kind of what`s strange here --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: They`re disgustingly gorgeous is what you`re trying to say. Yes I know they are. And Exhibit A, the steamy music video they released together appropriately entitled "Secrets". Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC VIDEO)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jawn Murray, this is a very sexy video, but basically, isn`t this a little too much? I mean, I`m trying to figure out what are they trying to prove? Ok. If you`re in love, do you really need to renew your vows every year? Do you really need to do a music video where you`re basically making love on camera? Looking disgustingly gorgeous, like beyond anybody`s comprehension of gorgeousness?

JAWN MURRAY, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Well, Jane, you know, everything about this couple was too much. I mean they appeared to be having the time of their life. That`s why the breakup was such a shock to everybody.

But the thing that I think was most admirable about Seal was that he met Heidi Klum when she was pregnant with another man`s baby. He supported her throughout the entire pregnancy. He was there for little Nini`s (ph) birth. And he raised her daughter as if it was his own.

Now you know "The Maury Povich Show" is only on air because of the fact that people are taking DNA tests and men aren`t raising their own kids. So the fact that he did that, it just made everybody really root for this couple.

But we know that music stars and models have not worked out in the past. I mean Rod Stewart and Rachel Hunter, Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee, Pamela Anderson and both of her rock star husbands. I mean David Bowie and Iman are the only hope for music stars and models we have left.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You have done your research, my friend.

Seal`s anger issues have been very well documented. Let`s take a look at their duet. This is the other side. This is the anger from a "Victoria`s Secret fashion show on CBS.

(MUSIC)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Again, what are they trying to prove? Get a room. Well, they don`t want a room anymore. On the other side we`re going to talk money on this split.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just feel like if they can`t make it, I don`t know who of us can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you have to constantly prove your love to somebody and constantly renewing your vows and then eventually come into a divorce, you are just fighting (INAUDIBLE) that you slowly were falling out of love.

KLUM: Yes. We did find each other in a hotel lobby in New York City. And it was kind of like two magnets that went like this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you really?

KLUM: I was just visiting a friend. And we were sitting in the hotel lobby and it was a mutual friend of ours. And my husband came into the hotel after he just went to the gym and he was wearing hot little bicycle shorts and he was very sweaty and I was like "well, hello".

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think they were in lust and you know that wears off as we all know.

All right, let`s talk money -- money, money, money.

VIKKI ZIEGLER, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: This could be another Madonna and Guy Richie divorce. I think at the end of the day, if in fact there is no prenuptial agreement -- nobody`s reported there is one -- we don`t know, she`s out-earned him and probably has about $50 million -- $50 million more in the bank.

That mean if there is no pre-nup in California which it is anticipated that they`re going to file, he could be getting about $20 million to $30 million. I mean that is some serious change. That`s not chump change at all.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s what I call being kissed by a rose, Vikki Ziegler, family law attorney.

All right. We`re going to go to the phones. Sheila in Pennsylvania, your question or thought, Sheila?

SHEILA, PENNSYLVANIA (via telephone): Hi Jane, thanks for taking my call. I think this is a case where one is in love more than the other. I think Seal is in love with Heidi more. All the pictures you ever see he is always like trying to kiss her and she seems a little uncomfortable; and I think with that could go a temper of jealously possibly.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Gillian Sheldon, celebbuzz.com; a man who was possessive and she is one of the most beautiful women in the world. You know she has to get hit on 24-7, 365, like every ten seconds.

SHELDON: Absolutely. Well, and if you think about it your caller just said she`s always seeming like she is pulling away from him and he wants to be sure that he puts his mark on her. It`s like your last segment with a stalking. I`m not saying that Seal is stalking her, but he definitely is very protective and wants to make sure that it`s very clear that he is her man.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

SHELDON: That he is the one and only. If you start to see her looking uncomfortable, there could be some control issues there, there could be -- and it goes back to that temper.

And I think as Vikki mentioned, it`s going to be about the money. Heidi Klum is a brand. She`s got clothes. She`s a model. It`s going to be expensive.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It is going to be a pricey one.

Jenna, New York; quick question or thought Jenna.

JENNA, NEW YORK (via telephone): Hi, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hi.

JENNA: I have a comment and I saw Heidi on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and she made a comment about how Seal liked his tea a certain way and she never really made it exactly right. That gives me the feeling that he is a little bit controlling.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tea -- did you say tea? Jawn Murray, help us out here, entertainment journalist, pop culture expert. She had to make him tea. I mean don`t they have a staff of several thousand if they`re worth all those millions.

MURRAY: Jane look, all this temper talk with Seal is all speculative. None of it has been confirmed or substantiated. I have my own theory. From the time in which Seal met Heidi, she was pregnant and stayed pregnant the whole first part of their marriage and the youngest child is finally 2. She said she is done. I think they are finally saying hey --

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: More on the other side.

(MUSIC)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Family law attorney, Vikki Ziegler; Seal wearing his ring and just TMZ or TMZ is reporting that it`s not going to be a nasty break up because they`re not that kind of people. What do you think?

ZIEGLER: Well, when you`re hear rumors about somebody getting divorced because of anger issues, whether it`s true or not, that is a problem. If there is no pre-nup, you know what, I hope they`re worrying about the kids. But at the end of the day, there`s $100 million to be (INAUDIBLE), nobody is nice when it comes to money.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jawn Murray, how can they have asked for a pre-nup when they got married at the top of a hill? He built an igloo for her to propose.

MURRAY: Work it out. I want them to work it out, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re a hopeless romantic Jawn; but that`s why I love.

You know what, they were beautiful together. I think if they don`t want to be married, fine. I just worry about all those kids. Now, they`ve got four; three biological and one he adopted. And it`s got to be rough for them. Then again, they probably had the best of everything else so, who knows?

SHELDON: Thank you Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Nancy next.

END