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Nancy Grace
Girl Stabbed, Strangled, Found in Baseball Dugout; Middle School Teacher is Former Porn Star; Sacramento 13-Year-Old Girl Found Murdered
Aired March 12, 2012 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HLN HOST: Breaking news tonight, live, Sacramento. A 13-year-old little girl, outgoing, computer whiz, scrubbed in sunshine, student, Albert Einstein Middle School, in the last hours, found dead. The 13-year-old`s body mangled, beaten, stabbed, dumped in a baseball dugout just yards from her own middle school.
Bombshell tonight. In a chilling twist, autopsy confirms the 13-year- old little girl beaten to a pulp, blunt force trauma to the head, asphyxiation, a stab wound to her neck. Tonight, a close-knit community on edge as detectives hunt for Jessica`s killer. And tonight, her father joins us live.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thirteen-year-old Jessica Funk-Haslam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s gone, and I`m never going to the see her!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jessica`s body was discovered lying in the dugout of this baseball field.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators say the killer stabbed, strangled, and hit her over the head.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Found dead in this park.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Viciously murdered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who would do this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators are actively seeking any information they can.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was wanting to go out and see somebody. She wouldn`t tell me who.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And when Jessica hadn`t come home hours later, Paris (ph) says she started to worry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that was the last time anyone saw her alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`ve got to find this person! Watch out for your kids!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So far, Sacramento sheriff`s investigators say they have no suspects in the case.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The big mystery tonight --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why would anybody do that to a 13-year-old girl?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who would want to hurt her?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Officers searching for clues to answer that very question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, the Florida school system gives the green light for a hard-core male porn star to teach at Dade County`s Nautilus Middle School, reading, writing, `rithmetic and porn!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A porn star teaching at a middle school in southern California.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shawn Loftis was fired from his teaching job after it was discovered that he had a previous career in pornography.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My students loved me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight, live, Sacramento. A 13-year-old little girl, outgoing, a computer whiz, scrubbed in sunshine, student at Albert Einstein middle school, found dead, the little girl`s body mangled, beaten, stabbed, dumped in a baseball dugout just yards from her own middle school.
Tonight, detectives on a manhunt. What I don`t understand is who did this crime? Who would do this crime? Why is there no suspect at this hour? Certainly, her body being found at this dugout, just yards from Albert Einstein middle school, there would be DNA, fingerprints, something to identify the little girl`s killer. And joining us tonight, Jessica`s father.
Straight out to Tim Lantz with KFBK. Let`s start with the discovery of the body, then we`ll backtrack. Tim, tell me about the location of the body, the position of the body, the condition of the body. Go ahead, Tim.
TIM LANTZ, NEWSTALK 1530 KFBK (via telephone): Well, the body was found, as you said, at 6:30 in the morning by a passerby, who was actually collecting recyclables in this park, which is just a stone`s throw away from the Albert Einstein school, where Jessica was an 8th grader, the body in horrible condition, as you said, dumped in this dugout, at the front of the dugout.
She had been stabbed in the neck, asphyxiated, and there was a blow to the head. So it was a savage crime that investigators began to investigate later on that morning.
GRACE: To Tim Lantz with KFBK. Tim, was her body clothed?
LANTZ: Yes, it was. They indicated to me when I spoke to investigators on scene that there was no evidence of sexual assault. The body was fully clothed.
GRACE: OK. Tim Lantz, this is an important question I learned to ask as a prosecutor when I would find a victim`s body clothed. Were her clothes disarranged, as if her killer had redressed her?
LANTZ: Right. No, they were not. According to the detective I spoke to, there was absolutely no sign of sexual assault.
GRACE: So what`s so disturbing about that is that it takes out sex assault as a motive.
Everyone, tonight we need your help. Take a look at 13-year-old Jessica. She`s absolutely gorgeous, outgoing, vivacious, precocious, a computer whiz. Everyone at school loved her. When I went on line and saw all the comments her fellow students had made, it broke my heart. This little girl scrubbed in sunshine. And tonight, I want to know who cut her life short?
And joining me in that quest is Jessica`s father, who is with us live. With me right now, her dad. Sir, thank you for being with us. Allen Porter, are you with me?
ALLEN PORTER, JESSICA`S FATHER (via telephone): Yes. Yes.
GRACE: Allen, describe when you learned Jessica was missing.
PORTER: Well, it was Tuesday morning her mom called me that -- and she was gone. I mean, and then we find out that this -- this had happened, and I mean, you know, that there had been somebody found at Einstein -- oh, God! I mean, there`s no words to describe how scared and how terrified you are.
GRACE: With me, everyone, is Allen Porter. This is Jessica`s dad -- every parent`s worst dream come true. You know, Mr. Porter, when I put my twins to bed tonight, I pray so hard because, a parent can do all they can to raise their child, to love them more than anything in the world, to accept them just as they are, to nurture them, to teach them. But then they go out in the world, and the world is not so loving.
Just give me your thoughts. What are police telling you at this hour, sir?
PORTER: They haven`t been telling me anything. And I want them to be able to get their job done, and I understand that. And I mean, honestly, I don`t -- they shouldn`t tell me until they get their job done. That`s how I feel about it. I mean, so --
GRACE: Who were Jessica`s friends? What can you tell me about her friends? The evening before she was found dead in the baseball dugout, she wanted to meet someone. She begged her mom, could she go out and meet someone. And her mother wisely said, No, it`s getting dark, you can`t go out. Who was that someone?
PORTER: I have no idea because I didn`t even -- her mom didn`t tell me that part of it.
GRACE: OK. What can you tell me about her activity on line? I know she was a computer whiz. Were there adult controls on the computer? Had she met somebody on MySpace or FaceBook? What do you know about that?
PORTER: Well, mostly, she just played games like Runescape (ph) and things like that and listened to YouTube videos. I don`t think it -- you know, I kept control on what she saw. But no, I don`t -- I don`t know of anybody that she met on FaceBook or anything like that.
GRACE: With me is Jessica`s father. And joining me now live is Pat Lalama, correspondent with Investigation Discovery. Police are canvassing schools and the neighborhood for clues in little Jessica`s death.
For those of you just joining us, a 13-year-old schoolgirl at Albert Einstein middle school has been found dead. Her body shows signs of intense beating, a stab wound to the neck, her body mangled.
What do we know, Pat Lalama? Police canvassing the school and neighborhood at this hour. What can you tell me, Pat?
PAT LALAMA, INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY: They`re getting lots of tips, but so far, no one brings them to the person we need to find, and that`s the killer. They`ve knocked on more than 250 doors. They`re doing searches.
There were no cameras -- there were cameras on the school grounds, which is adjacent to the park, but not in the park. So at this point, no footage that might lead them to anyone.
As you mentioned, asphyxiation, a stab wound, and no sign of sexual assault. She was still clothed in a zebra-striped hoodie.
GRACE: Joining me right now, special guest Sheriff Scott Jones with the Sacramento County sheriff`s department. His people doing all they can at this hour, but now we need your help. Sheriffs and police canvassing the area, the neighborhood, people that went to the school, anyone that would have been seen there near that baseball dugout.
Sheriff, thank you for being with us. Everyone, Sheriff Scott Jones taking your calls. Sheriff, describe the location, the dugout to me.
SHERIFF SCOTT JONES, SACRAMENTO COUNTY (via telephone): The dugout is basically -- it`s in a normal -- it`s in Rosemont Park. It`s concealed on three sides with a block wall. It`s not actually dug into the ground, but it`s level -- it`s ground level, like so many would be in a park, and it`s chainlink on the front.
So it was visually obscured from three sides and had chainlink in the front. Nobody would actually see the goings-on unless they walked right in front of that dugout area.
GRACE: Sheriff -- Sheriff Scott Jones with us, everyone, the Sacramento County sheriff department sheriff. Sheriff, could you tell me about how the little girl`s body was discovered?
JONES: It was discovered by someone the following morning, Tuesday morning, that was actually looking for recyclables, who actually noticed her body in there and notified authorities.
GRACE: Was that a man or a woman that discovered her?
JONES: I believe it was a man.
GRACE: A man. And he has been investigated, correct, Sheriff Jones?
JONES: What`s that -- I`m sorry. The one who discovered her body was a woman, and they have been cleared, yes. We`ve done an extraordinary amount of investigation.
GRACE: Right. OK. It`s my understanding that it was a woman out looking for cans and recyclables and she discovered the body. Sheriff, when was the last activity on the ballfield? Had there been a game that day, that evening, the night before?
JONES: There was. On Monday evening, there was a Little League game that cleared the field about 6:00 PM.
GRACE: And she was last seen a little after that. So who -- do we know who was playing and who would have been there the night before, someone that may have seen this girl walking by? What do we know, Sheriff?
JONES: Well, we`ve done -- we`ve actually done knock-and-talks, actual knocking on the doors. We`ve done a neighborhood canvass of over 200 homes. We`ve looked at all the surveillance that we have available to us.
We`ve done interviews, clearly, at the elementary school. We engaged the entire Albert Einstein middle school in a writing exercise to try and get some workable leads. We`ve got about 20 investigators actually on this case, working it day in and day out, even over the weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who would want to hurt her remains a mystery. Jessica`s body was discovered Tuesday lying in the dugout of this baseball field in Rosemont Community Park, her father still trying to make sense of his enormous loss. Her father believes Jessica left her mother`s house after they argued. And that was the last time anyone saw her alive. Her mother says she left because she wanted a little space.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Detectives are still looking for anyone who may have seen her in her zebra-print jacket.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`d be hard-pressed to think she had no contact with anybody over that extended period of time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Medical examiners say when she was found at this softball field dugout, she was beaten, strangled or choked, and had at least one stab wound.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why anyone would want to kill Jessica, the big mystery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know who did it, to be honest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why would anybody do that to a 13-year-old girl?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators say the killer stabbed, strangled, and hit her over the head.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jessica was found dead in this park. Deputies say she suffered from blunt force trauma.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jessica`s body was discovered lying in the dugout of this baseball field in Rosemont Community Park.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There have been some initial reports coming our way about people, about activity at the park.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I never, never would have thought it would have been like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators are actively seeking any information they can as to the whereabouts of Jessica. They were going door to door in the neighborhood surrounding Rosemont Park.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But who would want to hurt her remains a mystery.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`ve got to find this person! I mean, it`s not fair!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A 13-year-old little girl, a student at Albert Einstein middle school in the Sacramento area, found dead, her body mangled, beaten, choked, stabbed. Why? And her body left there, dumped in a baseball dugout just yards away from the middle school.
OK, I`m understanding that it`s a 17-acre community park with four tennis courts and two Little League fields, a softball field, a playground, a tot lot, a group picnic area. So when we`re all out taking our children to the tot lot and the playground and the softball field and the picnic area, who`s standing around? Who is there watching for little girls like this girl?
Take a look at 13-year-old Jessica, her little body found mangled. Right now, in a nutshell, Sheryl McCollum, crime analyst, director of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute -- Sheryl, weigh in. It sounds like an adult committed the crime.
SHERYL MCCOLLUM, CRIME ANALYST: It does, in a way. I think the person`s a little bit younger than you may think. The whole crime is from the neck up -- the strangulation, the stab wound, the blunt force trauma. This was personal. This person met her in a park where he was familiar, and killed her out of revenge. He wanted to keep her quiet.
GRACE: OK, Pat Brown, criminal profiler, author of "Only the Truth," agree or disagree?
PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: Well, I agree with part of that. I believe that she was -- obviously, she was going to see someone she didn`t want her mother to know about, so this wasn`t a great person or persons. It could have been a group, as well. Somebody had it out for her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Late-breaking development in the case comes from two psychics who visited the area near the dugout where Jessica`s body was discovered. The female psychics reportedly discovered a piece of tape affixed underneath a park table. They say Jessica could have sat at the table the night of her murder. On the tape were the words "Skittles was here." Both psychics say they think Jessica met up in the park are with a male attacker between the ages of 16 and 19.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A 13-year-old girl.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jessica Funk-Haslam viciously murdered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The discovery of his daughter`s body inside a baseball dugout.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I`m never going to see her!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Deputies say she suffered from blunt force trauma, stabbed, strangled, and hit her over the head.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To catch her killer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don`t know who would do, this to be honest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never would have thought it would have been like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why anyone would want to kill Jessica, the big mystery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Why? Why? I don`t care why! Why is not my concern. My concern is that a 13-year-old girl, basically in her own neighborhood, just yards from the Albert Einstein middle school, is found dead, is found mangled, bludgeoned, asphyxiated, stabbed in the Little League dugout. That is my concern tonight! You can tell me why right before they pull the switch on Old Sparky. Feel free to tell me why then, OK?
We are taking your calls. Out to Suzanne. Suzanne, what`s your question, dear?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m wondering if it could be done by a group of her peers because we had a case similar in Victoria, B.C., where a girl was murdered by her peers.
GRACE: OK, let`s talk about that. I understand that that does happen. I have prosecuted what was then called "wilding" cases, where a group, typically of young boys, goes wild and they attack people, much like the Central Park jogger case, where on their own, they may not have done such a thing, but together, they did.
Unleash the lawyers, former prosecutor Ken Padowitz, Miami, Joe Lawless, defense attorney, author of "Prosecutorial Misconduct," Holly Hughes, defense attorney, Atlanta.
All right, first to you, Holly Hughes. Yes, it`s possible that it was a group. However, when there`s a group, Holly, and you know this, it`s more likely that somebody will start talking. In my mind, it was a single individual. Go ahead, Holly.
HOLLY HUGHES, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I agree, Nancy, because if it had been a group, we would have seen more wounds to the body. There would have been more involvement. She would have been hit around her arms, her middle, something like that. You wouldn`t have been able to contain all those people.
GRACE: And to you, Padowitz. Why? Why do I care why? It doesn`t matter why. There`s no reason -- there is no "why" as to murdering a 13- year-old girl. Hey, tell me on death row, Padowitz!
KEN PADOWITZ, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Well, there was a -- this is a sick individual or individuals, obviously. They need to immediately just start looking for latent prints on this girl`s skin, on her neck. They can do it with fumes from Superglue. It`s been done before. They can find it.
GRACE: OK, you`re talking about touch DNA. Joe Lawless, weigh in.
JOE LAWLESS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think Padowitz is right. Forensics are going to be critical here because DNA, fingerprints, the angle of the wounds will give you some idea of the size of the person who assaulted her.
GRACE: OK, Joe Lawless --
LAWLESS: Was she killed in the dugout or somewhere else.
GRACE: I`ve got a doctor on to discuss forensics. I asked you what difference is motive?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The eighth grader that was viciously murdered.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Jessica was found dead in this park. Deputies say she suffered from blunt force trauma.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s gone and I`m never going to see her.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Her father believes Jessica left her mother`s house.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: It`s been three days since the discovery of his daughter`s body inside a baseball dugout at Rosemont Park behind the school she attended.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But who would want to hurt her remains a mystery. Jessica`s body was discovered lying in the dugout of this baseball field in Rosemont Community Park.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And when Jessica hadn`t come home hours later, parents say she started to worry.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: A time to reflect and remember a 13-year-old girl, many described as sweet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are taking your calls. Straight out to Ellie Jostad, chief editorial producer.
Ellie, let`s take it from the top.
ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE CHIEF EDITORIAL PRODUCER: OK, Nancy. So this is a Monday night, it`s about 5:30 p.m. Jessica is talking to her mother. She says she wants to go out, her mother doesn`t want her to go out, because it`s getting dark. Jessica leaves. Now that -- what happens after that --
GRACE: Hold on, Elle. Elle. Elle.
JOSTAD: Yes.
GRACE: Isn`t it true she wanted to meet somebody?
JOSTAD: Correct.
GRACE: And wouldn`t tell her mother who it was?
JOSTAD: That`s right. That`s right. And what happens --
GRACE: So obviously, in her mind, it was some little boy, or so she thought, I`m just telling you, Ellie, I know you never did anything wrong growing up, but I`m just telling you, as some who did, she probably thought she was going to meet another little boy. Go ahead.
JOSTAD: Right. Right. And her mother has said that she thought she was going to go meet a friend or something like that. Now the problem is, police don`t have any witnesses that have come forward to say that they saw Jessica after that point. At some point, obviously, she`s in the park. Her body is discovered there the next morning at 6:30 a.m. But what happened in between is what police are trying to find out. They don`t know if she went straight to the park, if something happened elsewhere and her body was dumped at the park. So that`s what they`re trying to figure out.
GRACE: Everyone, fundraisers going on, memorials going on in remembrance of this beautiful girl. And I appreciate all that. I`m happy that there are vigils and fundraisers. But what I want tonight is justice.
I want to go back to Pat Brown and Sheryl McCollum. Also, Dr. Bill Manion. Let`s see them in a three box, Liz. Pat Brown, Sheryl McCollum, Bill Manion.
First of all, Dr. Bill Manion, renowned medical examiner joining us from Philadelphia tonight. Dr. Manion, with this kind of a slaying, there`s got to be forensics. Help me out, Manion.
DR. BILL MANION, M.D., MEDICAL EXAMINER, BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ: I believe there will be, as was mentioned earlier. There could be some fingerprints on the neck. It sounds like she was strangled. If he used a knife, oftentimes the assailants will cut themselves as they use the knife, as they struggle. So if they find any other --
GRACE: OK. Put Manion up, please. Put Manion up.
Manion, explain that how the actual killer, when using a knife, wielding a knife during an attack, ends up cutting himself. Show me.
MANION: Well, as they thrust the knife in, if the person is struggling and fighting, one thing that they look for also is defensive wounds on her hand. Did she see the knife coming at her and try to grab the knife? If not, maybe she came up behind her and surprised her and just stabbed her. But the knife oftentimes will slip, as the knife slips, the blade will cut the assailant, and many times the assailants have left their own blood at the scene. I`m not sure -- I`m not sure if she was killed in the dugout. There may be a crime scene close by. If she was assaulted near the picnic bench or something, some place where there might be a brick.
If there was serious blunt force trauma, there might have been a stone or brick. So I`m sure they`re looking for a different crime scene.
GRACE: Good point. Hold on, Manion. Hold on, Manion. Hold on. Hold on. Keep McCollum and Brown, but I want to go to Sheriff Scott Jones.
Sheriff Jones, he brings up a good point, that this, the dugout, could be the second crime scene, the disposal of the body. The actual murder likely happening nearby with a blunt object. What about that, Sheriff Jones?
SHERIFF SCOTT JONES, SACRAMENTO COUNTY, SHERIFF`S DEPT.: Well, certainly, the evidence supports that she was actually killed in the location, but we are not ruling out the possibility that she was killed elsewhere and brought to that location. So the crime scene at the scene was very wide with that in mind.
GRACE: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Why, Sheriff Jones? Sheriff, based on what you`re finding as to the stab, was it a stab in the neck, as I recall?
JONES: Yes.
GRACE: OK. Based on what you`re finding with the stab, can you tell what kind of a knife was used? What type of an instrument was used? Was it serrated?
JONES: Well, it`s -- what we`re releasing now is it`s a stabbing incident -- instrument. We don`t want to release too much information about the specifics of it.
GRACE: OK.
JONES: And of course, either -- any of the three listed causes of death would have likely caused her death. That`s why they`re all three listed.
GRACE: So the beating was brutal, the asphyxiation was brutal, the stabbing was brutal. Can you tell if it was manual or ligature strangulation, Sheriff?
JONES: Well, we know in what manner she was asphyxiated, but we`re not releasing that at this point so as not to hinder the investigation.
GRACE: OK, that`s suggesting to me ligature. Was there a ligature at the scene such as a jump rope, a rope, a bell, panty hose, anything like that, Doctor -- excuse me, Sheriff.
JONES: Well, I don`t want to start going down the wrong road as to say it was a ligature, because I`m not saying that at all. But there was no strangling instruments found at the scene in response to your question.
GRACE: OK. Got it. So now I`m getting the idea it was manual. But let me ask you, were there any baseballs at the scene? Baseball bats?
JONES: No baseball bats, no.
GRACE: We are taking your calls. Out to Brandon, New Jersey, hi, Brandon, what`s your question?
BRANDON, CALLER FROM NEW JERSEY: Hey, Nancy, I just want to say, I appreciate everything that you do for victims` rights.
Nancy, I wanted to know, did they think it was somebody that has experience or knowledge of the area, because they don`t think that cameras were viewing the dugout? Do they have access to her Facebook messages and her text messages?
GRACE: OK, good question. It`s my understanding, Pat Brown, Sheryl McCollum, and Ellie Jostad, that there were cameras all around, but they didn`t go that far. Who would know that?
Weigh in, Sheryl McCollum. Give me your assessment.
SHERYL MCCOLLUM, CRIME ANALYST, DIRECTOR OF COLD CASE INVESTIGATIVE RESEARCH INSTITUTE, POLYGRAPH ANALYSIS EXPERT: Nancy, I`m going to tell you again, this person knew this area. There`s no question about that. That floor of that dugout is either dirt or it`s semen. They`ll know if she was dragged in there. The amount of blood will tell them whether that was a primary or a secondary scene. This person hit her in the head. At that point, he had control of her.
How much, you know, the depth of the entry to the wound of her neck will tell them whether it was kind of a hesitation or if he went all the way in. That`s why he finished her off by strangulation. He had control of her. This was one person, it was one person that knew her. It was one person that wanted revenge. He either wanted her to be quiet because of a past crime or he was getting revenge for something else.
GRACE: And to you, Pat Brown, the suggestion that all of this brutal attack is out of rage, because apparently there was no sex attack. Let me hear your thoughts on that, Pat Brown.
PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER, AUTHOR OF "THE PROFILER": Right, I do think there was rage, but I don`t know at one point and I don`t know if I agree with only one person. There could have been another person involved holding her arms back, could be more than that.
I do think she was lured, and I think she was -- thought she was going to something really cool, because she really, really wanted to go. So I think she thought she was going to move up in -- you know, in her peer group, essentially. I am looking at slightly older teenagers. I wouldn`t be surprised if this was a kind of wilding thing, but also possibly just a -- if they lured her over there to make fun of her, they said, hey, we`ve got you over here, and then who knows what happened from that point on.
GRACE: Ellie Jostad, what more do we know?
JOSTAD: Well, Nancy, you`re right about the cameras. The school has a network of surveillance cameras, but they say they don`t capture that park area. And police tell us that the ballpark itself did not have any surveillance video. So it sounds like they don`t have any clues at least from the area where her body was found.
GRACE: Wendy Walsh, psychologist, co-host of "The Doctors."
Wendy, let`s hear your analysis.
WENDY WALSH, PH.D., PSYCHOLOGIST, CO-HOST OF "THE DOCTORS": Well, you know, I`m a mother of a 13-year-old girl myself, Nancy, so this terrifies me. I`m a little concerned about what was happening online for her. Because -- and some of her friends must know something because they`re all talking online, and I would definitely look closely at her text messages and her private Facebook messages. This will be where the clues are found.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I ignored what they were saying. It happened again about a month later. A student came right up to me and said, oh, are you the porn teacher? I ignored the student and continued on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some students started a rumor that there was a porn star at the school. A counselor said, do you believe that that is one of your teachers? And we said, yes, it is possibly one of our teachers.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The rumor --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Oh, no, it`s not a rumor. Male porn star Shawn Loftis has a green light to pursue his teaching career at the Miami-Dade Public School System. Miami-Dade School Board number, 305-955-1000.
All right, Alexis Weed, what happened?
ALEXIS WEED, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, not only can he go back and teach these middle schoolers and high schoolers in the Miami-Dade area, he can also go back there saying this Florida commissioner has ruled that he can go back and apply for a full-time job.
GRACE: OK. Joining me right now is special guest, it is Shawn Loftis, former male porn star/teacher.
SHAWN LOFTIS, FORMER PORN STAR, TEACHER: Yes, I`m here.
GRACE: Shawn Loftis, thank you for being with us. Shaun, how many films would you say you`ve done? How many porn films?
LOFTIS: I would say probably about 25 in about five or six years.
GRACE: All right. So you originally answered that question to our staff by saying, not many.
LOFTIS: Yes.
GRACE: Just 25. Sir?
LOFTIS: Yes.
GRACE: I realize that to you, 25 porn movies may not be many, but to a lot of us, one is a lot.
LOFTIS: It isn`t a lot.
GRACE: Can I ask you how you reconcile your porn star background with teaching in the Florida middle school?
LOFTIS: Well, basically, I just wanted to change my life. I wanted to move forward. I wanted to take the experiences of, you know, I`m 36 years old, I was involved in the industry for my whole life, obviously, or even a large part of it --
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Sir, sir, sir, sir, wait, wait, wait. Let`s not put perfume on the pig. Let`s not say "the industry." It`s porn, all right?
LOFTIS: Yes. Yes.
GRACE: It`s pornography.
LOFTIS: I understand.
GRACE: It`s not, "the industry." It`s not like you`re in the literary society. It`s not like you`re in sales and merchandising down the street at Target.
LOFTIS: But Nancy --
GRACE: All right. It`s pornography. It`s porn.
LOFTIS: Yes, I understand.
GRACE: Excuse me?
LOFTIS: Yes, I understand.
GRACE: What were you saying about --
LOFTIS: I don`t deny my background --
GRACE: About being a bachelor?
LOFTIS: No. Let`s go back. I have a Masters in public administration from the University of Miami, a bachelors in Middle Eastern Politics from Florida International University. I have traveled the world, I have five filled passports. And I don`t know how many teachers are out there with Masters degrees on the K-12 level.
GRACE: A lot. A lot. There`s a lot of teachers out there unemployed right now with Masters -- sir, let me just clue you in that I studied education as well, and actually taught while I was waiting to get into law school. So I`m very familiar with the teaching process and getting a Masters, all right? My family`s full of teachers. So I`m proud of you. I`m proud of you, in the sense that you have achieved your degrees.
But the porn pass, not so much. And it seems to me that anybody in their right mind would know when they first strip down and started having sex on camera for sale that that would preclude a teaching career to little children.
Mr. Loftis, some of your hits are "Mo Bubble Butt," "Humping Iron," "Desperate Husbands," "World of Men." I mean all those times, at least 25 pornographic films over five to six years, when you started having sex on camera. And hey, fine, go at it. But then teaching, teaching in the public school system, that`s a whole another can of worms, sir.
I`m not the church lady. You can star in all the porn films you want to. Don`t care. Care about school system.
LOFTIS: Yes.
GRACE: And you in the school system. Now what aged students do you intend on teaching, sir?
LOFTIS: I prefer to teach high school students.
GRACE: Now I understand you`ve been a math teacher at Florida`s Nautilus Middle School. Florida`s Nautilus Middle School. What ages are students in Florida`s Nautilus Middle School?
LOFTIS: Well, whatever middle school kids are. They`re, I would say --
GRACE: Well, don`t you know?
LOFTIS: Probably 12 to 15. You know, in that --
GRACE: Twelve 12-year-old students. And am I correct, Mr. Loftis, that students would run up to you and ask you, are you the porn teacher?
LOFTIS: Well, to go in the backstory of this, two separate times in the hallways, it was yelled out. And it was my fault. When I stated it to the commission on Friday, I let them know what my fault was. And that was when I was done with the porn industry, I was through with it. And I left loose ends up. That was a Facebook fan page that was completely locked, they couldn`t look on it unless I accepted them as a friend, and I never did. Basically, what they did --
GRACE: Whoa, wait, wait, wait. So I`m supposed to ignore you being a male porn star, having sex for pay on camera -- you didn`t just star in the movies, you actually, what, directed them and commissioned them? You actually owned the company?
LOFTIS: Yes. I owned the company for about five years.
GRACE: So -- and now you`re upset because somebody, unbeknownst to you, befriended you and you think that`s the problem? Clue, that is not the problem.
LOFTIS: Well, no, they didn`t friend me. What happened is, I believe that they saw my image and made the connection between their teacher and the image that they saw on the initial Facebook fan page. That`s my mistake. I didn`t take that down. And that`s the only mistake that I believe that, you know, I should have taken that down, the Facebook fan page.
GRACE: So that -- you think that`s the mistake. OK, Nicole Partin, investigative reporter.
Nicole, what can you tell us? What`s the thinking with the Miami-Dade school system? Hey, I`m very happy he`s starting over. I`m very happy. And I`m very happy for him that he`s gotten all these advanced degrees. That`s not easy.
OK, Liz, I`ve seen that the particular shot enough. You can stop showing it. But thanks.
So, Nicole Partin, the fact that he has reinvented himself and is starting over, does that leave me no choice but to have him teach 12-year-old boys and girls?
NICOLE PARTIN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Good evening, Nancy. According to the commission, they are saying that his past was not illegal, so they`re saying that the school did not have authority to dismiss him. However, information that I have obtained says as recently as this year, while he was challenging the school system, Mr. Loftis was, indeed, engaged in the porn film industry.
GRACE: OK, Loftis, what about that?
LOFTIS: That`s not true. I had -- I was in the negotiations of handing my business over to another company. I had sold it. And I was not involved in it. Now, whether they used my company name and people are connecting me to that, that`s one thing.
GRACE: Well, let`s find out. Nicole Partin, what exactly did you mean by that?
PARTIN: Well, we`re hearing information that even from his Twitter account messages were being sent out that he was abroad in a foreign country in Cuba engaged in the porn film industry and he was sending out messages concerning his acting and his co-actors that were with him.
GRACE: OK, you know what, Nicole. I appreciate that, I really do. I`m very concerned more, I`m more concerned about the school board`s decision, and in all fairness, let me also report that Shawn Loftis has been a CNN iReporter as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: We are live and taking your calls. The Miami-Dade School Board has given the green light to male porn star Shawn Loftis to teach in their schools.
Unleash the lawyers. Ken Padowitz, Joe Lawless, Holly Hughes.
OK, Ken Padowitz, I never said porn is against the law. If it were, I would say about 75 percent of America`s men would be behind bars right now. That`s not the issue. The issue is, is he going to teach 12-year-old boys and girls. Padowitz, weigh in.
KEN PADOWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I have a degree in education, I have been a law professor, and I`ve been a professor for 17 years. As long as it`s in his past, I don`t have a problem with it. He may be a fantastic teacher. So I think he should be able to teach as long as it is actually in his past.
GRACE: OK. Thank you, Thomas Jefferson, for defending our First Amendment right to porn.
Holly Hughes, what`s the deal on morals clause?
HOLLY HUGHES, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, again, if it`s in the past, he`s not currently engaging, Nancy. But I`ll tell you what has me more concerned, why are middle-schoolers looking at porn anyway? That`s what I want to know. Where are the, you know, parents who are supposed to be stopping them from seeing that stuff?
GRACE: OK.
HUGHES: On a legal footing, he is fine.
GRACE: Sheryl McCollum, Holly Hughes playing hide the ball. Sheryl McCollum, porn star, middle school, doesn`t mix, Sheryl.
MCCOLLUM: It does not mix. And I`ll tell you something, Nancy, I`m glad he`s here with you. My question for him is why would he put himself in that position. If he does any little thing, those kids are coming right at him.
GRACE: OK. Loftis, what about it, Shawn Loftis?
LOFTIS: Sure. And basically that`s what the conditions said, that I -- that if this is brought up, if they bring it into the classroom any more, that I have the right to then deflect the issue and become re-effective as a teacher again, you know, be effective.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: All right. You know what, Mr. Loftis -- I appreciate that. I appreciate that, Loftis. And I want you to know that I actually sincerely mean congratulations on all of your degrees. You have the right to deflect, but I have the right to say I don`t want you to teach my children. Now, the issue is this is a public school system. And parents don`t have the right to move their kids out of your class. It is going to be very difficult for them. No offense to you. But this was a tough decision that you`ve made over six years, and according to Nicole Partin, in the very recent past.
Let`s stop and remember, Army Sergeant Paul Dumont, Jr., 23, Williamsburg, Virginia, killed Afghanistan. On a second tour, Bronze Star, Army Achievement, Army Commendation, Global War on Terrorism Service medals. Served Iraq. Loved outdoors, beaches, camping, paintball. Family says never a dull moment with him. Leaves behind parents Paul, Sr. and Bonnie. Three sisters, three brothers. Widow, Candace.
Paul Dumont, Jr. American hero.
Thanks to our guests but especially to you for being with us.
Everyone, I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
END
