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Jane Velez-Mitchell

Husband of Murdered Woman Arrested for Hiring Hitman; John Edwards, Mistress Split Up

Aired June 26, 2012 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I want to bring in Jane Velez-Mitchell. And Jane, I know you`re passionate on behalf of the environment. And I`m wondering what you think. Is it us causing some of this?

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: I believe yes. I know that climate change is causing the ice caps to melt. Scientists have seen it. They`ve been able to quantify that. And we know that the melting ice caps have a way of increasing the sea level. So we are seeing an increase in the sea level that, even if it`s relatively minor in a global sense, it can devastate our coastal communities.

And I think we also have to do a little common sense in terms of what our reaction is. If I read one more news story that says, "My gosh, I`ve never seen anything like this before." I told you, I lived in Fort Myers, Florida, for a year and a half. I never saw any flooding on the Caloosahatchee River.

I was just in New Orleans, and I was told by people who live there that the levee build-up is not enough, because the marshes are gone. So because the marshes are decreasing, there is no natural buffer against that rising water as it comes up to the levee, the wall.

So I do feel that we are seeing changes. And let`s assume that most of it isn`t human caused. Even if it`s a small percentage that we`re causing, it`s in our self-interest to change so that we don`t accelerate it.

Coming up, we`ve got an incredible story from the tony town of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Cops now investigating a possible double-murder-for-hire plot. A Detroit dad and real-estate mogul is not only called a person of interest in his wife`s murder. Cops now believe that Bob Bashara allegedly tried to hire a hitman to kill his wife`s confessed killer, a killer who tells cops that it was Bob who made him do it. We`ve got all the dramatic developments next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL (voice-over): Tonight, unbelievable developments in a murder-for-hire plot. Cops arrest Michigan real-estate mogul Bob Bashara for allegedly ordering a hit on a handyman. That handyman is charged with killing Bashara`s wife, Jane. But in a bizarre twist, the handyman claims Bob Bashara`s the one who ordered the hit on his wife in the first place.

All this against a backdrop of reported S&M parties. We`ve got the details. And I`m taking your calls.

And the illicit affair that destroyed a presidential candidate`s White House dreams finally bites the dust. It`s Splitsville for Rielle Hunter and John Edwards, just days after the release of her tell-all book attacking Edwards` late wife, Elizabeth. Just wait until you hear how the ladies of "The View" tore Rielle to pieces.

Plus, new documents and video released in the Trayvon Martin shooting. Police now say George Zimmerman followed the unarmed teen and ignored two chances to identify himself as a Neighborhood Watch volunteer before the deadly encounter. How will this impact his murder trial?

Then, kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart is here to tell us about a new app that could protect your children from being abducted. It`s the latest in a slew of new crime-fighting technology. And we`ll show it all to you live.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you kill your wife, Jane?

BOB BASHARA, SUSPECT IN WIFE`S MURDER: Absolutely not. Had nothing to do with it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you hire someone to kill your wife, Jane?

B. BASHARA: No, I did not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A shocking discovery here in this alley on Detroit`s east side. Jane Bashara found dead in her car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Found strangled in the backseat, trauma to her throat. Sources tell Action News the keys to her SUV were found on the floor of the vehicle and the contents of her purse emptied out. And any cash was missing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Grosse Pointe man at the center of his wife, Jane`s, murder investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her husband reported her missing later that night.

B. BASHARA: I thought she was running an errand. And the time elapsed. Got to be 9, 9:30, and she wasn`t answering her phone, I became very concerned.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what about all the talk of a double life?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you involved in S&M?

B. BASHARA: No. And you know what? I don`t want to get into that, because I have my children to worry about.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then there`s the reported mistress, named Rachel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the reports of another woman by the name of Rachel, you would characterize that as?

B. BASHARA: She was a good friend. That`s it. If you don`t believe what you hear, this has been sensationalized. This has been -- things have been brought up that aren`t true.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Breaking news tonight: a major arrest in a murder- for-hire case with an unbelievable twist. Cops have just arrested this Michigan real-estate mogul, Bob Bashara. He is accused of ordering a hit on a handyman -- there he is -- who allegedly killed his wife.

But here is the stunning twist tonight. That handyman has told cops Bob Bashara himself paid him to kill his wife. Here`s a neighbor describing the moment of the arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was just standing there. Had a pink shirt on. I don`t know if it was shorts or white pants. And it looked like he was cuffed, but I can`t say for sure because the car was between me -- he had his hands back like that. And I didn`t hear all the stuff he said. I heard something about he`s being arrested, and then he got in the car.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jane Bashara, seen here in -- well, she`s been murdered. So she is certainly in happier times here.

She was found strangled in the backseat of her Mercedes in a Detroit alley five months ago, hours -- just hours after her husband reported her missing.

Bob Bashara has long denied any involvement. Listen to him, though, speak in the third person.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

B. BASHARA: Bob Bashara wants to find out who killed his wife; wants to find out what happened and the truth. I`m cooperating fully and will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, we`re learning Bob was arrested at one of the properties he owned. It`s the same location where he allegedly had a sex dungeon in the basement.

This scandal has rocked ritzy Grosse Pointe, Michigan, where the Basharas lived. It`s one of the most exclusive communities in Michigan, filled with old-money heirs to automotive fortunes.

Bob Bashara`s alleged secret double life came to light in the wake of his wife`s murder with claims of an affair and a hidden S&M lifestyle. As we speak, Bob Bashara`s behind bars tonight, expected to be arraigned tomorrow for solicitation of murder of a witness. His lawyer says he`s on suicide watch.

What are your thoughts on this very bizarre case? Call me: 1-877-JVM- SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.

Now, let`s take a look at the handyman, Joe Gentz, who`s accused of murdering Jane Bashara. There he is.

Tonight, my exclusive guest is the ex-wife of this handyman, Lorrie Vanmeter.

Lorrie, thank you so much for joining us. Your ex-husband has not yet entered a plea, but cops say he turned himself in and confessed to killing Jane. Do you think he`s capable of murder?

LORRIE VANMETER, EX-WIFE OF JOE GENTZ (via phone): I think he`s easily influenced to do something like that, yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, describe him. Because we`ve heard that he`s a man who some reports claimed he`s developmentally disabled. What can you tell us about him?

VANMETER: He is a little slow. He is a very nice guy. I would never have pictured him doing something like this ever. But he is a very nice person. We were only married for a year or two, so I didn`t know him that well before we got married.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: My understanding is that he was actually a handyman who worked for Bob Bashara. Do you know anything about that?

VANMETER: No. I don`t. I`ve heard that on the news and read it in the paper. But I do not know anything about that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Gentz told police that Bob Bashara offered him money and then forced him at gunpoint to kill his wife in the garage of their home, an accusing that Bob Bashara hotly denies.

What is your assessment? Do you think that your ex-husband, who we`re looking at here, the handyman who cops say has confessed to killing Jane Bashara, is the type of guy who could be either coerced or coaxed into killing somebody, either for murder or just because he was told to do it?

VANMETER: Yes. I do believe he would be that type of person. He was easily influenced.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He was easily influenced. OK.

Well, let`s recap and review. Bob Bashara, a real-estate mogul in Michigan, and his wife, Jane, were married 26 years. They have two grown children together.

On January 25, the 56-year-old female marketing executive and mom found dead in her luxury car. An autopsy showed she had bruises on her upper body and a crushed windpipe. Shortly after her body was found, Joe Gentz, this handyman Bob Bashara had hired him to reportedly -- allegedly to work around various properties. This guy comes in and turns himself into cops and confesses to murder and tells cops, "Oh, Bob paid me to kill his wife."

Now, Bob, again, denies it and reportedly said the handyman had a gripe with him, was angry at him over a business deal.

I will say this: we tried to reach Bob Bashara`s attorney. We were unable to get any kind of comment and reach him. He is invited on our show any time. We want to be fair. We want to get all sides of the story.

The investigation basically turned up Bob allegedly, purportedly, living some kind of double life, complete with an alleged mistress and an S&M lifestyle. Again, these are things that he has taken issue with. But many published reports claim that he allegedly hosted wild sex parties with dominatrices, whipping, spanking, bondage stations.

Here`s what Bob had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you having an affair?

B. BASHARA: No. I was not. I loved my wife. I love my children. And I would do nothing to hurt them. And I just -- she was -- she meant everything to me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the reports of another woman by the name of Rachel, you would characterize that as?

B. BASHARA: She was a good friend. That`s it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: HLN legal analyst and law-enforcement analyst Mike Brooks, this case is so complicated. Just trying to explain it to our viewers has been a challenge.

How are cops going to investigate this process and connect the dots? This handyman says, "Oh, yes, I did kill Jane Bashara, but he told me to do it." And now cops say he actually tried to kill the handyman who was behind bars.

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW-ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Right. And now, you know, whodunit? Now Bob thinks this is all set up.

But apparently, you know, Jane, we never saw an arrest in the murder charge. And, you know, Joe Gentz, he`s sitting in jail, but what role did Bob Bashara really play?

Look, as an investigator people have asked me, well, what is law enforcement doing? I don`t think they`ve been sitting around on their hands. Really. I think that they didn`t have enough to arrest him. Because what do you need, Jane? You need probable cause. But apparently, they had probable cause to lock him up for solicitation of murder of a witness or else they wouldn`t have done that.

What do they have? Well, I said all along that, most likely, they have some kind of electronic surveillance going on with him. Maybe he said something that was overheard on -- on a wire or something to that nature. And that led them to lock him up.

What we -- what do we know for sure? Not a whole lot. But that, as a former investigator, that`s what I think happened, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Joe Gomez, investigative reporter, this handyman has been behind bars. So if you hypothetically try to kill somebody who`s behind bars, the list of suspects who would be the hitman of the alleged hitman would be rather small.

JOE GOMEZ, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: I would imagine, Jane. But, you know, what we also have to understand, that Bob Bashara allegedly is involved in this subculture with S&M and sex-slave parties and all of that. I mean, if he has any kind of connections in this underground culture, I mean, maybe he does know somebody that could arrange this hit.

What really is bizarre to me, though, is Joe Gentz has an I.Q. of a third grader. Was Bob afraid that maybe he would spill the beans if easily pressed? I mean, Gentz alleges that Bob paid him to murder his wife. Who knows? I guess we`ll find out, Jane.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was shocked when I told him what the charge was going to be. And he -- I think he believes that this is all part of a setup.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, again, we have reached out to Bob Bashara`s lawyer, but we`ve gotten no response. And, again, he is invited on our show any time.

Mark Eiglarsh, once again, if Bob Bashara tried to have a handyman killed, wouldn`t there be another hitman, obviously? and since the handyman was behind bars, you`d think cops would have an idea of who this alleged would-be hitman is?

MARK EIGLARSH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I would like to think so, just like Brooke said. There better be some electronic surveillance. I hope we`re not relying upon the word of somebody who`s on the inside immediately becomes somebody who you could discredit by suggesting to kind of work off some of their time by snitching with law enforcement.

And one thing I do want to say, Jane, we keep bringing up as evidence, you know, whenever you ask that question of any of your guests, they immediately want to bring up his lifestyle. You know, at the risk of defending S&M, which is something I`m not into, what does that have to do with him being more likely to hire a hitman to kill his wife, or to hire someone who killed his wife? I don`t -- I don`t see it. I missed that study, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I agree with you there. There may be absolutely no correlation. You know, often we have these people who are pillars of the community, and they`re going to church or any other religious institution.

Look at the BTK serial killer. Yes. He was a pillar of his community. And he was a serial killer.

Bob`s lack of emotion, however, has been -- well, called suspicious by some. Here`s Bob Bashara addressing the media outside his home with his son and mother.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

B. BASHARA: This is an unconceivable tragedy. We have cooperated with law-enforcement agencies and will continue to do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, I want to go out to George Hunter. You`re a crime reporter with "The Detroit News." You know this story inside-out.

Following Jane Bashara`s murder, both Bob`s mistress and his mother- in-law filed police reports against him. Now, let`s show you Bob`s alleged mistress. Her name, Rachel Gillette. She was granted, actually, a personal protection order. There she is, alleged mistress. She was granted a personal protection order against Bob Bashara. And then, even more recently, Jane`s mother filed a report saying she was afraid of Bob.

What do you know, George?

GEORGE HUNTER, CRIME REPORTER, "THE DETROIT NEWS": Well, you`re right. Both of those were filed. And I just spoke with -- with Rachel`s attorney earlier today. And she`s having police do extra patrols around her house, because now she`s worried that a hit may have been taken out on her.

You know, she`s also one of the potential key witnesses if this thing ever does get to trial, which it probably will. And she`s worried about her own life.

So the police -- the attorney won`t disclose where she moved. She moved to another city, because she just wants to kind of stay out of -- out of the spotlight. And, frankly, because she says she`s afraid of Bob.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that is new information that is coming in right now that the alleged mistress has now said, "I want cops watching me 24/7, because I am worried."

Bob`s kids have stood by him. Here`s his daughter explaining to ABC News why she believes her dad, Bob Bashara, is totally innocent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you believe there`s any chance that your father could be capable of murdering your mother?

JESSICA BASHARA, DAUGHTER: No. Not at all. Without a doubt in my mind. I know that he did not do it. There`s no way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why are you so sure? How can you be so sure?

J. BASHARA: I just know how my mom felt about him. There was never any even hint towards violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s go out to the phone lines now. Helen, Michigan, your question or thought, Helen.

CALLER: I`m just calling to say that Channel 4 news tonight here in Detroit said that the person Bob tried to hire was wearing a wire.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, OK. Well, thank you, ma`am.

Mike Brooks, HLN law-enforcement analyst. If the person that was allegedly hired to kill the alleged hitman, who failed to do so, is wearing a wire, what`s the implication?

BROOKS: That they had reason to wire this person up for this particular meeting if this, in fact, is true. And what are they going to say? Defense attorneys like my friend Mike Eiglarsh are going to probably say, "Well, he was entrapped." But it`s going to be interesting to hear exactly what was on that recording if this, in fact, is true, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, but, Joe Gomez, quickly. This Bob Bashara says this handyman had a grudge against him, right?

GOMEZ: Yes, that`s right. He said that this handyman wanted some money that was owed for some work that he apparently did and wasn`t paid for. I think it was about $600. The handyman said he was going to get some money and a used car to kill Bob Bashara`s wife, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unbelievable story. And you`ve got to imagine how this has shaken up the very exclusive, very ritzy community of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Absolute old money. Very exclusive, very proper community. And this is one of the most sordid scandals to hit in decades.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rielle Hunter gets down and dirty telling all about the affair she had with John Edwards.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As it turned out Mr. Two Americas here had two very different faces himself, and one of them wasn`t very pretty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A presidential candidate and former U.S. senator with a cancer-stricken wife has an affair.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We said to him, don`t you think it`s about time to actually tell everyone that you are actually the father of this child?

JOHN EDWARDS, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I want to find the person who should be held accountable for my sins, honestly, I don`t have to go any further than the mirror. It`s me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, Rielle Hunter, the infamous mistress of former presidential candidate John Edwards -- obviously we all know, the world knows, she recently released a controversial tell-all book, but apparently she`s not done blabbing. Oh, no.

All right. Just this morning she sat down with ABC`s "Good Morning America" to tell the world she and John Edwards are no longer an item. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIELLE HUNTER, JOHN EDWARDS` FORMER MISTRESS: We are a family, but as of last -- the end of last week, John Edwards and I are no longer a couple.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC: You ended it definitively once and for all?

HUNTER: We decided together to end it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you feel good about that decision?

HUNTER: It`s hard. It`s painful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But just a week ago the pair, well, they were caught making kissy face on a luxury beach vacation. Could Rielle`s claims in her new blockbuster book that John Edwards had multiple mistresses and her insulting comments about John Edwards` deceased wife, Elizabeth, who died of cancer, have caused the split?

Just hours later, Rielle also visited "The View," and Whoopi Goldberg didn`t pull any punches. Listen to this from "The View."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHOOPI GOLDBERG, CO-HOST, ABC`S "THE VIEW": In your book, you trash a dead lady whose husband you had an affair and a baby with. Did it not occur to you that maybe that might not be the right tone to take? Particularly if you`re trying to get people to see you as part of this sort of new couple? I mean, it`s kind of a crappy thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I love Whoopi. Here`s Barbara just looking on.

Straight out to TV personality Rolonda Watts. What do you make of this breakup of Rielle Hunter and John Edwards in the wake of this book many are calling tacky and tasteless?

ROLONDA WATTS, TV PERSONALITY: Well, a lot of people are. And a lot of people are agreeing with Whoopi Goldberg and saying take the hard line. This woman is a home-wrecker.

But, Jane, as you know, as we`ve covered so many stories as journalists, there`s more than the demon, the saint and the home-wrecker here. There`s a lot more behind the scene, but we don`t know what`s going on in people`s houses and even where they tick (ph).

But I`ll tell you what, it would not surprise me if the two of them got back together. I`m sorry, but maybe because I`m in Hollywood. I believe in these kind of weird stories. But they may get back together.

I will never forget the interview when John Edwards broke into tears talking about baby Quinn. He didn`t even break into tears talking about his -- about his daughter with his wife. He broke into tears talking about baby Quinn. It would not surprise me if they get back together.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I agree. Water finds its own level.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, CHARGED WITH MURDER: She said a few stitches.

Ended up on top of me. And he kept punching my face. My head. I was screaming for help.

Put his hand on his nose -- my nose and the other hand on my mouth and said, "Shut the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) up."

SYBRINA FULTON, MOTHER OF TRAYVON MARTIN: Our son was not committing any crimes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No justice! No peace! No justice! No peace!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No justice! No peace! No justice! No peace!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No justice! No peace! No justice! No peace!

ZIMMERMAN: My head was going to explode.

He said, "You`re going to die tonight, (EXPLETIVE DELETED)."

He says, "You`re going to die tonight. You`re going to die tonight, (EXPLETIVE DELETED)."

BENJAMIN CRUMP, LAWYER FOR TRAYVON`S PARENTS: His credibility is the most important thing in this entire case.

ZIMMERMAN: I didn`t think I hit him because he like sat up and was like, "Oh, you got me. You got it, you got me, you got it," something like that.

Want to just focus on my head?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZIMMERMAN: Tonight more new evidence pouring out of Florida. We finally learn why cops doubted George Zimmerman`s story.

Jane Velez-Mitchell back with you live.

What you`re going to see right now is a just-released video documenting Zimmerman`s injuries on February 27. That is the day after he shot and killed unarmed teen Trayvon Martin. These wounds are crucial because they help to prove or disprove Zimmerman`s claim that he acted in self-defense.

Also, for the first time, we are hearing George Zimmerman talking about his injuries in detail. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, CHARGED WITH MURDER OF TRAYVON MARTIN: I have a broken nose. She said I could use stitches, but she would rather not put them in as long as I didn`t mess with my head because the skin was already -- a mess (inaudible)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The mountain of new evidence released today includes the official police report where cops seem to blame Zimmerman saying this whole tragic event could have been avoided. It reads, quote, "Zimmerman had at least two opportunities to speak with Trayvon in order to diffuse the circumstances surrounding their encounter," end quote.

All right. That`s bad news for George Zimmerman.

On the positive side for Zimmerman, you might say, Zimmerman was given a lie detector test. Watch this key exchange between Zimmerman and the cops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this the month of February?

ZIMMERMAN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you in fear for your life when you shot the guy?

ZIMMERMAN: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, tests showed that the quote, "examinee has told substantially the complete truth". In other words, according to that report from cops, Zimmerman was truthful when he said that he was in fear for his life.

So who do you believe? Call me, 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.

Straight out to Mark Eiglarsh, criminal defense attorney, former prosecutor -- you`re in Miami. What does this new batch of evidence tell you, Mark?

MARK EIGLARSH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, nothing has changed since the last batch of evidence. What we`ve got is we`ve got injury to the back of his head. We`ve got a broken nose. Let`s start there because that doesn`t lie.

No matter how you feel about this, that doesn`t lie. It wasn`t self- inflicted. It was there when the cops got there. So he gives a version of events. This latest batch of evidence tells us that it wasn`t inconsistent with his story. In other words, they can`t say that he was lying.

They can`t necessarily prove what he`s saying is truthful, but the fact that they can`t negate what he`s saying means in a court of law, not necessarily the court of public opinion where everybody is right regardless of what they have say. In a court of law, that should equal an acquittal unless there`s more evidence to contradict his version of events.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, we are also joined tonight by someone who I think will probably disagree with you. Daryl Parks, Trayvon Martin`s family attorney, thank you for joining us, sir. What does this new batch of evidence tell you?

DARYL PARKS, ATTORNEY FOR TRAYVON MARTIN`S FAMILY: I have to respectfully disagree with the other gentleman. It`s rather clear to us that based on what the investigators talk about the next day. They said the alleged injuries that Mr. Zimmerman said were life threatening had cleared up. So the severity he claimed earlier just wasn`t there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, to that point, George Zimmerman refused to go to the hospital the night he shot Trayvon Martin dead. So who treated his injuries? Watch this. It`s fascinating.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZIMMERMAN: He was just focused on my head. There`s a little bruising there. There`s one here. There`s a cut here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (inaudible) I remember yesterday seeing swollen around right here and I don`t see it now.

ZIMMERMAN: My wife is an RN student so she went to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZIMMERMAN: Ok. So he`s saying his wife, Sherrie -- there you see her from her mug shot -- his wife, Sherrie, treated his wounds because she apparently had some training as a nurse.

I got to go back to Daryl Parks, Trayvon Martin`s family attorney. Is it suspicious to you that he allowed his wife to bandage all these wounds instead of going to a hospital where there would be records?

PARKS: Well, I think, we do know he did go to his family physician. However, I think the significant aspect of it is they were not severe. I mean, the records that came out today said that most of the things had cleared up. The wound on the back of his head did not need sutures.

So all of that`s very clear that the big fight, the life threatening fight that he alleges was not as severe as he would like for us to believe. So I think that given the low minimum magnitude of the injuries, it further brings into question George Zimmerman`s credibility of the alleged bad injuries that he once said.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you just raised a point. After Trayvon`s shooting, Zimmerman was grilled by Sanford police. And they questioned him darn hard about these injuries and the severity of these injuries. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As far as 25 or 30 punches, I`ve consulted with other people, not consistent with your injuries. This has been interpreted as capillary cuts, lacerations not really coinciding with being slammed hard into the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Rolonda watts, a police report released today states that Zimmerman`s physical injuries are marginally consistent with a life- threatening violent episode. What does that tell you?

ROLONDA WATTS, TELEVISION PERSONALITY: Well, it says to me that while people point and say well, there was fear and there was injury, we have to remember that it has to be about the level of fear and injury. And did that lead to the death, the murder, the killing -- whatever you call it -- of a child, basically, here.

The investigators have said both the fear and injuries were minimal. And also the credibility of that couple -- that couple has already been accused of lying on two different occasions. One with the bond, the wife was accused of lying. And then here we are with Zimmerman who came and admitted that he was guilty of misleading the court.

The bottom line is, is Zimmerman`s story credible? Does the jury really believe that he had enough of a reason to kill that little boy and hunt him down like an animal, which it appears he did.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Zimmerman, by the way is going to be in court on Friday. He`s already apologized for essentially lying to the judge about not having any money when he did. We`re going to be all over this Friday.

But now let`s go out to the phone lines. Darlene, Michigan, your question or thought, Darlene.

DARLENE, MICHIGAN (via telephone): Hi, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hi.

DARLENE: First of all, I want to congratulate you, lady, on your sobriety and your recovery. You`re beautiful. I love you dearly. I watch every night.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.

DARLENE: Yes, ma`am. I wanted to get into the Zimmerman thing. You know, he`s the son of a judge. And like the guy -- I can`t remember his name that killed that one girl, he had a father that was a judge and he`s now in Peruvian jail or whatever.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Joran Van Der Sloot, yes. Your point though.

Caller: Ok, yes. My point is, Jane, they said that his injuries were reported basically the next day. A couple of callers previous or whoever it was said they didn`t think the injuries were bad enough. Well, he`s indicated that his nose was broken. How much more damaging could it be that he shouldn`t have gone to the hospital, you know what I`m saying?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Let me say, Daryl Parks, give us your final word on these injuries.

PARKS: I think it`s rather clear that although there was an altercation, there`s no way that he could claim from these injuries that he feared for his life. And now that we are clearly seeing what the injuries are the night of from the video. And now we have the indication from the law enforcement what they saw and how they viewed the injuries.

So it`s not -- you know, it`s certainly looking that he`s going to be held responsible for Trayvon`s death.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, the only advantage I think he has here is that he`s the one essentially kind of controlling the video portion of this because he`s the only one on videotape. Unfortunately, the other person on the other side of this confrontation is deceased.

Thank you so much, Daryl Parks and the rest of my panel.

Now, I want to tell you about a chilling new development in the Jerry Sandusky child molestation case. For the very first time we are hearing Matt Sandusky, the adopted son of Jerry Sandusky, describe alleged sexual abuse at the hands of his adopted father, Jerry. He says Sandusky abused him from the age of 8 to 15.

NBC obtained the 29-minute recording. It was taped by detectives June 15th, a week before Jerry Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of child sex abuse.

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MATT SANDUSKY, ADOPTED SON OF JERRY SANDUSKY: With like the showering, with the hugging, the rubbing, with the talking to me, the way he spoke. If you were pretending you were asleep and if you were touched in some way, you could just act like you were rolling over in your sleep, so you can change positions. I know that I really wanted to die at that point in time.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: I really wanted to die -- that from Matt Sandusky. Matt first went public with his abuse claim just last week. The state planned to use him as a surprise rebuttal witness if Jerry Sandusky took the stand. But of course Jerry Sandusky did not take the stand.

Nancy Grace up next at 8:00 p.m. Eastern -- Nancy, tell us what you`re working on tonight?

NANCY GRACE, HLN HOST: Jane, you`ve got Craigslist, e-Bay, Amazon, Marketplace, webclassify.com; they`re used every day by millions to sell everything from furniture to cars. But selling your baby boy online? Not only does mommy put her 4-month-old baby boy up for sale online, she reduces the price, Jane.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Elizabeth Smart next. But first, your "Viral Video of the Day".

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible) oh, my god. Oh, we`re going to do one more? Oh, take me up again. I`ll do it with you, honey.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hold on, dad.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a dramatic verdict in the Elizabeth Smart case. After being abducted and repeatedly raped as a teen and years of waiting for justice, a jury finally reaches a decision. Was Brian David Mitchell found guilty or insane?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s called "hero" and it`s being backed by no less than Elizabeth Smart, who of course was kidnapped from her home in 2002.

ELIZABETH SMART, KIDNAPPED FROM HOME IN 2002: I can`t say for sure it would have prevented me from being kidnapped. But if I did have the Hero app with me, it has a location tracking device that drops a pin exactly where you were at.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Literally when you push a button, it sends instant video, sound and location to all your friends, family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, an unbelievable follow-up to the horrifying kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart -- an abduction that stunned the nation. Nine months of hell -- that`s how Elizabeth Smart describes her kidnapping when she was just 14.

She was taken from her Salt Lake City bedroom as her terrified 9-year- old sister helplessly watched. The brazen crime just captivated the nation. Miraculously nine months later Elizabeth was found alive, her kidnapper, a former street preacher, Brian David Mitchell, got life in prison.

Now, ten years later Elizabeth is a 24-year-old crusader helping parents keep their kids safe from predators with amazing crime-fighting technology. She`s a superhero as far as I`m concerned.

Elizabeth has teamed up with a company called Apptooth. It developed the Hero Smartphone app. It can track a child`s location and sound the alarm in case of trouble.

Straight out to kidnapping survivor, and again, my personal hero, Elizabeth Smart; I`m so excited to have you on. You`re joining us live from Salt Lake City. You are promoting I think appropriately since you`re a hero, the Hero app. Here`s what I want to ask you, had the Hero app existed in 2002, could it have prevented your abduction? And if so, how?

SMART: Hi, Jane. You know, I really couldn`t say that it would have prevented me completely from being kidnapped. I can`t say that it would have stopped me from going through nine months of hell, but I can say had the Hero app been there, been available, if I had it with me, I know that where I was being held was less than five miles away from my home. With that location tracking device it could have located me easy.

I believe that I would have been found before we ever made it back to the hiding space -- place. Even if I didn`t have that app with me, if I wasn`t allowed to take my phone with me, my younger sister who lay in bed petrified next to me for three hours after I was kidnapped until she finally had the nerve to go up and talk to my parents, she could have just reached over to her phone, pressed a button, that button would have sent out an immediate alert to my family, anyone with that Hero app within five miles. That would have been immediate.

And when a child goes missing, really the most important thing is time. The faster you act, the more likely you are to bring your child home safely.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s show our viewers exactly how this Hero app works. It can work on a Smartphone or as I`m holding, an iPad. Now, we`re going to show you the tutorial. There it is. Ok. You go here. You see that you have friends. You have friends, you can even zoom in maybe a little bit tighter. And it will show you, oh, I`m in distress. So you can actually, actually alert your friends that you`re in distress.

But this is the absolutely amazing part of it. What you can do is, you see, it will give a GPS of where you are on a map. And it will also allow you to activate video of where you are. So, Elizabeth, if you were in trouble and you had this, you could literally press a button and suddenly all your friends would see videotape of you and maybe this perpetrator?

SMART: Absolutely. If you are in distress, you hit that Hero button and it will immediately start recording video and audio. And it will stream it out to everyone within that five-mile radius who has the Hero app as well as those people who you`ve pre-selected to be your individual heroes.

For instance, my dad - he`s my hero. He always has been and he always will be. But now he`s my hero on this app. So would it matter if I was here in Salt Lake City or, I don`t know, in China. I could say I was in distress, I hit my alert, it starts video recording. That video goes out to everyone within that five-mile radius, but it also goes out to my dad back in Salt Lake City, Utah.

And whether anyone has in the five mile radius, at least my dad does and he can contact police. He can contact people who can come and help me.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: We asked you, our viewers, for fun pics and videos of your pets. And boy, did we get some.

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SMART: I hope that not only is this an example that justice can be served in America, but that it is possible to move on after something terrible has happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Your abductor is doing life behind bars, thanks in no small part to your courageous testimony. Now you`re showing more courage in a new way. Becoming a superhero and really helping parents.

So let`s show some other techniques. Let`s zoom in on this, this is the Spark nanotracker -- we`re going to show you this. This is just a little tiny gizmo, you can throw it in your child`s backpack, somehow sew it into their clothes and it will essentially function as a GPS device and track your child wherever he or she goes, you can go on the computer and see literally down to the street corner where the child is.

I want to show another one, because these are fascinating. Here is one called the Brick House Security, we`re going to show you this. This goes on the child, the one I`m holding here, this goes on the child with the little tether there. The other one the parent holds, and if the child goes outside a certain perimeter, 30 feet, it alerts the parent with an alarm.

Elizabeth, thank God for this because they`re pro-active, we`re not reacting after something bad happens, we`re stopping something bad from happening.

SMART: You`re right. They are every step we can take to protect our children, everything we can do to make this world a safer place is one big step in the right direction.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And I want to show one more. Here is a watch and it comes in kids sizes as well. It`s again a GPS tracker, all right. And then the parents have this and essentially you put this watch on -- and I think this is brilliant Elizabeth because I don`t think an abductor would think to take off a watch off a child, right?

SMART: Right. These are all great, they`re all needful.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And so many stories now, we hear that the abductors throw away the cell phones because they know there`s a tracking device, so a watch is fantastic. Final thoughts?

SMART: I think all of these are great, great tools to have. I think also though the important thing about this Hero app that we talked about just momentarily ago was that this uses the power of the crowd, this uses the power of everyone around you, so it`s not just limited to you and your child. This goes out to every person within a five-mile radius, which I think is amazing.

Time really is one of the most important commodities we have when a child goes missing. And so, all of these are wonderful tools to come together and work together to make this place safer.

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TOM HOLLAND, FITNESS EXPERT: You don`t need a lot of time, you don`t need a lot of equipment, don`t waste your money on expensive piece of equipment that you`re not going to use.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

HOLLAND: If you have dumbbells, great. If not, grab those.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Right.

HOLLAND: I don`t know why suddenly someone said you have to go to the gym for an hour.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

HOLLAND: You`re going to do work-out here that would take the time it takes you to get to the gym.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: I wasn`t so jazzed about the idea of, like, hitting the floor. But you ought to try this. If you just take two minutes you can do this while you`re watching TV.

HOLLAND: Exactly.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It can transform your life if you do these things for a couple of minutes.

HOLLAND: Exactly. The number one reason people say they don`t have to work out -- they don`t work out is because of time.

This is really basic. And I know you were talking about your neck, just relax your neck, and it`s not a big movement. Really starting to work the abs, the six pack.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, see I like this because I`ve never been able to do sit-ups.

HOLLAND: Right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We continue on our adventure to slim, tonight fitness guru, Tom Holland here to tell you and me about a cheap, easy tool you can use to tone up just about anywhere -- home, office, you name it.

And you know, I`m a little unstable. I think you guys know that by now. That`s why I need the stability ball. Take it away before I keel over.

HOLLAND: Well, you`re working your abs right now, you can feel it, right?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

HOLLAND: So you use this at your desk. You use it at home, in front of the TV.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Instead of a chair?

HOLLAND: Absolutely. It`s so much better, Jane, because you`re going to have good posture. You`re not going to slouch. And as you said it feels unstable which means it`s working your abs.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, show me -- actually we tried to have me do some of these -- it`s ugly. You don`t want to see it.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You do it.

HOLLAND: Shoot one leg out.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That I can do. Yes, that I can do.

HOLLAND: Don`t you feel how you have more balance, right?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Show me the tough stuff.

HOLLAND: Roll back a tiny bit and now just crunch forward. Lean back just a tiny bit then now come forward. So that`s a crunch.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, that`s a crunch.

HOLLAND: Farther -- you know the farther back you go, the harder it is.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok.

HOLLAND: So you`re sitting at your desk, right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

HOLLAND: You`re working away. Every half hour, hour, you just work some crunches in.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Do the one that I can`t do without keeling over.

HOLLAND: You can stretch your back, you know. What a great back stretch for people. 80 percent of people have back pain --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.

HOLLAND: -- so, such a phenomenal inexpensive say to work it. And then, you know, you can also do things like the plank on this. So you just sit here and hold -- that`s a great lower back and abdominal exercise. So there`s so many different things, you know.

Again, your regular crunches, just roll back and you control how much tension.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait a second. Can I do this at work? Is the executive producer around here? I may. I may, I`ve been given approval.

HOLLAND: So inexpensive -- $20. You can do an entire full body work- out with this.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And I have to tell you, there are people who are actually sitting at their desks --

HOLLAND: We got these from people at your office. We took these from them.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- who are using these.

HOLLAND: They`re phenomenal. Full body work-out.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m unstable. Nancy`s next.

END