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Jane Velez-Mitchell

Producer Accused of Murder Speaks Out from Prison

Aired September 21, 2012 - 19:00   ET

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let`s get to Jane right now.

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Tonight, dramatic new twists in a Hollywood murder mystery. Did a hot-shot TV producer murder his beautiful wife during a tropical family vacation? He`s been the one and only suspect in her brutal slaying. But in a brand-new interview from his Mexican prison cell, Bruce Beresford-Redman insists the case against him is falling apart. Is he right?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL (voice-over): Tonight, an explosive twist in the murder case of the former producer of the hit show "Survivor," accused of murdering his wife on a Mexican vacation. Bruce Beresford-Redman speaks out for the first time from his Cancun jail cell. His dead wife`s family calls the evidence against him overwhelming. But he claims the case is falling apart. We`ll investigate.

Then never-before-revealed secrets in the Amanda Knox murder case. You`ll learn why the American beauty dubbed Foxy Knoxy did cartwheels after her roommate was murdered. And why Amanda showered in the crime scene.

Now freed from an Italian jail, Amanda and her ex-boyfriend reunite. Is love still in the air? I`ll talk to Amanda`s ex tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where her body was found. Basically, it`s an opening to an underground sewage system.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Murdered in Mexico where her husband is the prime suspect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The family was staying in a room right over here in this building up on the second floor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was somebody they knew intimately and they spent a lot of time with. And it`s been really devastating that not only is she gone, but he is responsible for it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a fight so loud in the family`s room the front desk called.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There have been many misperceptions in the media.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He reported her missing. They`ve been trying to work on a troubled marriage.

JEANNE BURGOS, SISTER OF MONICA: And I say, "What? Where are the kids?"

"Oh, the kids are with me." My sister would never leave the kids with him for a whole day ever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Charged with murder in Mexico.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She would do anything he wanted because she was in love with him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Found strangled and dumped in the sewer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She recalls that her mother was wearing a blue dress, that she left the hotel room after they had been playing a game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No sign of Bruce Beresford-Redman and no comment from his parents as they whisk his children, their grandchildren, into his Palos Verdes home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are they doing there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reality show producer is living a real-life drama that could very well land him in a Mexican jail for years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a "Survivor" producer turned accused killer speaks out from his Mexican prison cell.

Good evening. Jane Velez-Mitchell.

Bruce Beresford-Redman, the TV producer, allegedly strangled his wife at a Mexican resort and dumped her body in a sewer. But he says he`s innocent and says the prosecution`s case is falling apart.

Now, cops claim Bruce killed his wife, Monica, in the early morning of April 5, 2010, following an argument. But Bruce claims the coroner puts her time of death hours later at about 11:40 that evening. Listen to this from "48 Hours" on CBS.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His testimony to me obliterates their entire theory. He`s the expert. It`s his job to determine when she dies. And he was quite clear about it: 11:40 is pretty definite. And that`s 18 hours off when they say it happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Coming up, I`ll get reaction from Bruce`s attorney as well as the attorney for the murdered woman`s family. Prosecutors also expected to present evidence showing blood in the couple`s room. Explained cuts and scratches on Bruce`s neck, hands and knees along with witnesses who say they heard the couple arguing big time around the time of the murder.

Bruce says the day Monica was killed she had left the resort to go shopping without her cell phone and never returned. But the security guards who check everyone coming and going from the resort said they never saw her leave the property. This highly-charged case has pitted Monica and Bruce`s family against each other and left the couple`s two young children hanging in the balance. Bruce had this message for his kids on "48 Hours."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE BERESFORD-REDMAN, SUSPECT IN WIFE`S MURDER: Hi, guys. I mess you very much. I love you. Hopefully, I`m coming home soon. I`m really, really proud of both of you. And I`m really glad that things are going so well with Grandma and Grandpa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You can see the entire interview tomorrow on "48 Hours Mystery" at 10 p.m. Eastern. Check it out.

Now, straight out to Bruce`s attorney, Richard Hirsch. Thanks for joining us. Why is your client saying that the case against him is falling apart?

RICHARD HIRSCH, ATTORNEY FOR BRUCE BERESFORD-REDMAN (via phone): Well, Jane, first of all, nice to talk to you.

The information that I have -- and keep in mind that I`m getting this from secondhand in Mexico from people down there -- there was a probable cause hearing in Mexico when Bruce was first taken to Cancun. And evidence was brought into the court and opened up, and it was found to be deteriorated, moldy, falling apart. This is forensic evidence that they were going to use in their trial.

So there`s just one example of the way the case is being handled in Mexico. It`s not being handled as a case would here, where evidence would be preserved. And for that reason alone, I think they`re going to have a difficult time convicting him on these charges.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, can I jump in? Monica`s relatives have reportedly said they wonder if the entire trip might have been planned so that she could be killed on foreign soil where the judicial system and the forensic system is so inferior to our system.

HIRSCH: Well, that`s about the most absurd thing I ever heard.

First of all, the trip to Mexico was to celebrate Monica`s birthday. It was contrary to any other representations that had been made. The family, you wouldn`t take your wife and two children to some place if you`re going to kill -- kill her. It`s just ludicrous.

They were staying in one room together. And according to the authorities in Mexico, she was murdered in the room. Now, that does not -- it just does not pass the smell test if that would be the case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Bruce -- sorry, Richard, let me ask you this. Here`s a complaint that I`m holding in my hands written up by the U.S. attorney. It says that Monica found out that Bruce was having an affair with another woman. That Monica confronted him about the infidelity, that he acknowledged it. And then she withdrew his assets from the joint bank account, she asked for a divorce. She told him to stay away. She told the school that their kids should not be allowed to leave with him.

I mean, the list goes on and on. Does it make sense, that, "Oh, come. Let`s go for a fun little family vacation" with all that?

HIRSCH: Well, Jane, even for the sake of argument that that`s true, the trip to Mexico was booked by Monica. The -- the -- it was booked on her credit card with her name on the account for the trip. They were going there not only to celebrate her birthday but to work things out in the marriage.

They certainly had had problems over the years. Both of them were involved in extramarital affairs. They were trying to keep their marriage together for the sake of these two children. And they weren`t there to work things out.

So naturally, a husband is the -- is always the suspect, but the evidence in this case is either nonexistent -- existent or points to other possible suspects, as well.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So the big question obviously, could Bruce have gone so far as to murder his wife? Now, he maintained his innocence to "48 Hours." Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERESFORD-REDMAN: I`ve been accused of a really, really horrible crime. And I would like very much to have the chance to exonerate myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Again, from the documents that I`m holding in my hand, prosecutors believe Bruce killed his wife after a fight. These court documents say at about 6 in the morning on the day Monica vanished, Monday, April 5, two English teens were awakened by screams crying for help and an extremely loud banging from the room above their room. It sounded like a woman in extreme distress. Went on for about 15 minutes. A woman crying, they heard, and things being dragged across the floor.

And then when the maid goes to clean the room that day, the "Do Not Disturb" sign is on all day. And Bruce, according to these allegations in this document, says, "I don`t want any towels." Now, what do you say to all that?

HIRSCH: All right, let me take those step by step.

First of all, the authorities in Mexico, the so-called experts in this case, have inconsistent theories as to when Monica died and where she died. One expert says it was in the room. Another expert says it was at the sewer where her body was found.

There was no evidence found at the location of the body that were tied to Bruce. There were footprints found which did not match Bruce`s shoes. There was a small speck of blood on a pillow days later in the room. And Bruce explained to the authorities -- he gave a statement to the police in Mexico. He told them that they had gone on several excursions when they were down there. He cut his neck on a rope. He explained how any bruises that he had took place.

The -- as far as the noises in the room are concerned, Bruce`s daughter, who`s a very, very intelligent and articulate young girl, said that they were playing a game that morning where they were banging around. It was called Mater. Her brother was screaming. He was at the time 5 years old.

So all of the evidence that is consistent with innocence was explained by Bruce and explained by other witnesses.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Richard, I want to say thank you. I`ve asked you some tough questions. And I appreciate it. Keep coming back. We`re going to stay on top of this story.

But we`re not done. Because on the other side we`ve got the attorney for Monica`s family to respond to everything that was just said here. And, boy, I bet her blood`s boiling right now. So we`re going to get to her in a couple secs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BURGOS: And I asked, "What? How come she`s missing?"

And he said, "Well, she went out yesterday morning to town to do some shopping, and she never came back."

And I say, "What? Where are the kids?"

"Oh, the kids are with me." My sister would never leave the kids with him for a whole day ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s the angry, devastated family of the victim saying that this man, the husband of the victim, they believe murdered his wife in Cancun at a resort.

I want to go to Alison Triessl, the attorney for the Burgos family. What do you make of what you just heard?

ALISON TRIESSL, ATTORNEY FOR BURGOS FAMILY: Well, Jane, I have a lot of respect for Richard Hirsch as an attorney, but I respectfully disagree with almost everything that he just said.

The uncontradicted facts in this case are when they went to Mexico, Bruce was involved in an affair. There was a fight the night before that one of the hotel employees saw that it almost resulted in a physical attack. That that night Bruce went in and out of the room despite the fact that he said he was sleeping multiple times as the card key indicated.

He said that his wife went shopping for an entire day. However, she didn`t bring her phone. She didn`t bring her hotel room key. And she didn`t bring anything that would indicate that she`d be gone for the day, including her passport.

In addition, a hotel security guard who was manning the gate said he never saw her leave.

Her body is discovered days later just -- just feet from their room. There`s blood found in their room. There`s scratches all over his body.

He`s told not to leave Mexico and to surrender his passport. And he leaves anyway. And only hours after his wife`s body is found he pays to have her cremated.

So certainly all those facts, which Mr. Hirsch, who is a great attorney, glosses over, proves that this man unfortunately did this horrible offense.

And the sisters that I represent are absolutely devastated over it. And they`re fighting to ensure that there is justice for their sister.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Here`s what I`m worried about, Wendy Murphy, former prosecutor. This is all going down in Mexico. And the judicial system is not as good as the United States system. And there can be corruption. And you heard it from the attorney for Bruce: "Oh, the evidence is disintegrating." I mean, this is a nightmare potentially for this family seeking justice.

WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Yes. You know, it is a different system. I might disagree with you about whether it`s worse. We like to think we have the best legal system on earth, but frankly -- and I write about it in my book, "And Justice for some" -- we only have the best legal system if you`re a criminal. If you`re a victim, our system isn`t so good.

In Mexico because it`s inquisitorial in nature in some ways, because that means they want to get at the truth, could be a better place.

There is also a risk of corruption especially in a place like Mexico. And hopefully, the family shining a light on this and working with the prosecutors are preventing that.

And, look, I don`t care about moldy clothes or whatever he`s complaining about. The issue is there was motive. There was intent. There was opportunity. She died from strangulation, which is such a typical domestic violence expression of range. It`s an expression of emotion.

And what do you do, when you`re a woman being strangled and you`re dying, you`re trying to save your life? You pull on your strangler`s fingers. That`s where guys get defensive wounds. If that`s the story, if that`s all they have, that`s a good case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, the blood found in the hotel room could be a huge piece of evidence. But could it work in the defense`s favor? Listen to this. This is kind of shocking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: While there were microscopic evidence of blood found in the bathroom in the sink area and in the shower area. None of it matches Monica Beresford-Redman. And none of it has been matched...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Joey Jackson, criminal defense attorney. If it doesn`t match, does it help?

JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It certainly does, Jane. If it doesn`t match, it certainly would be supportive to the cause and show that he`s innocent.

A couple concerns I have, though. The first we have to understand is there was an extradition proceeding here. Which means when he did leave Mexico, although he was told not to, he was brought back, as we know, from Los Angeles on an arrest warrant.

The U.S. magistrate, when she evaluated the facts in the case, did say there was probable cause which would suggest that he was guilty of this crime.

A problem, though, that the defense is going to have -- and, you know, there are multiple problems -- are all the things you brought up in terms of the scratching and she`s in a ditch and he burns her and, you know, he has her body cremated.

However, the final thing I should say, though, Jane, in terms of the other side, the prosecution, a coroner indicated that the time of death was 11:42 p.m. Although there was the indication and the argument is is that she died in the morning. So which one is it?

And so in any case, of course, there are going to be conflicting points. I think in this particular case, however, there`s a strong argument to be made as to his guilt.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And you never know. There could have been an argument, and she could have been incapacitated and then -- I`m just speaking hypothetically, I don`t know -- and then incapacitated or drugged. She could have been murdered later. I have no idea.

But wow, this is a stunning development. More on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her husband kill her. It`s very clear. It`s very clear. Everybody feels better now. I hope she have peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The friends of the murdered woman, you see her right there with her husband, who is now accused of killing her, are furious, saying they had a horrible marriage, he was cheating on her, she discovered it. She cleaned out the bank account, and it was motive for murder. That`s what they`re saying.

I want to go to Levi Page, crime blogger. You`ve been listening to all sides. Put it in perspective for us.

LEVI PAGE, CRIME BLOGGER: You know, I think that it`s very noteworthy, Jane, that Bruce was having an affair, that Bruce had an argument with his wife. He confronted -- she confronted him after she saw text messages between him and a co-worker that were sexually charged. They`d go to this vacation.

I wonder if he manipulated her to go to this vacation in Mexico and had this all planned out because he was apparently very angry with her because she wanted a divorce. She was keeping the children away from him. She told people at the children`s school that he was abusive and things of that nature.

And I think that the case against him is very strong, including all the physical evidence of the scratches on his neck, hands, chest, legs that law enforcement say is consistent with a struggle.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me say this. Here`s what really irks me. He`s the suspect, but the couple`s two children are living in Los Angeles with Bruce`s parents. They were granted temporary custody by the courts. Here`s Bruce`s mom on "48 Hours."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is so hard for me is that my son is in a Mexican prison where there are stabbings and riots and teargas. This is just so horrible. His children need him. He needs his children desperately. He is desperate to be back with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: On the other side, Allison Triessl joins us. She`s the attorney for the murder victim`s family.

So what say you to the courts giving the children to the suspect`s parents?

TRIESSL: Oh, we`ve always been devastated over this. The -- the sisters and her whole family have always wanted justice for their sister. And they`ve also wanted the best interests for these children. They wanted to be able to raise and care and love for these children and give them all that their sister would have.

I do have to talk a little bit more about the facts. First of all, there`s never been any proof at all that Monica was having an affair. That`s outrageous. So any claim that she was having an affair is just categorically untrue.

Also, all these other claims that the case is falling apart and these cries that he makes out to his children, he has repeatedly used his children as his alibi in this case. And now he`s using them to try and garner support. So we really find his use of his children to be just outrageous. And awful. Awful. These are two young children who should be protected.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unfortunately, we`re out of time. But fascinating story. We`re staying on top of it. Allison Triessl, thank you for joining us.

On the other side we`re talking to Amanda Knox`s boyfriend, ex- boyfriend, who wrote this extraordinary book. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A media frenzy. Life with tails of cover-ups and sex games turned deadly. All centered around the beautiful young student dubbed Foxy Knoxy by the tabloids.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, the whirlwind romance that turned into a bizarre murder-mystery that riveted the whole world. We`re talking about Amanda Knox, dubbed Foxy Knoxy by the European media. The beautiful American was studying in Italy, and her then-Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, their nine-day fling turned into a four-year prison sentence.

Tonight Raffaele Sollecito is here. Just a few days into their relationship Amanda`s British roommate, Meredith Kercher, was found dead in her bedroom, stabbed 40 times, her throat slashed. Immediately, police began to get suspicious of Amanda Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele.

Five days after Meredith`s murder, Amanda Knox and Raffaele were arrested for murder. And this would kick off a legal firestorm of epic proportions that engulfed the world. How could this beautiful American student commit such a gruesome crime?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA KNOX, CHARGED WITH ROOMMATE`S MURDER (through translator): I am not what they say I am. Voracity, violence. I respect life and people. And I haven`t done the things that they are suggesting that I`ve done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, almost a year later, Amanda`s former boyfriend is speaking out about his relationship with Amanda Knox, his time in prison, how the couple was railroaded by Italian police. Raffaele Sollecito`s new book is "Honor Bound: My Journey to Hell and Back with Amanda Knox".

Raffaele, I hope I`m pronouncing your name right. Thank you so much for joining us. I was up all night until 2:00 in the morning reading your book. I couldn`t put it down. It`s fantastic. Do you still love her?

RAFFAELE SOLLECITO, AMANDA KNOX`S FORMER BOYFRIEND: No. Now I`m single. I`m moving on with my life. She`s completely different than my life -- I used -- as it was first. My life -- my previous life is gone completely. Now I`m moving on.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Now I want to move onto another question.

SOLLECITO: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to move on to the famous or infamous kiss at the crime scene. A lot of people say you brought suspicion on yourself because you and Amanda started kissing each other even though Amanda`s roommate had just been discovered murdered.

But you were telling in the book that you were trying to comfort her but that the media misrepresented it as sexual urges of two stone-cold killers. If you could go back and do it all over again, would you not kiss Amanda?

SOLLECITO: I just wanted to comfort her. So a kiss or a caress, whatever was just to say "I`m here for you. I want to comfort you," because I was the only one who she could trust at that moment because her family was really on the other side of the world at the time.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to say I think you`re a gentleman. I know that everyone wanted you to cut Amanda loose. You were her only alibi. And you stuck with her, gallant and loyal, even though you could have saved your own skin and said, she did it and I didn`t. And you didn`t do that. And for that I`m very proud of you.

Your book is extraordinary. I couldn`t put it down. Everybody should read it. And I think you are adorable. And good luck with your life. Thank you, Raffaele.

SOLLECITO: Thank you so much.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Here`s your "Viral Video Pic of the Week". Looks like somebody`s happy to see daddy -- talk about unconditional love. Everybody loved this video. And look at that unconditional love. Don`t you wish humans were as happy when you walk in the door as our companion animals are? They`re so innocent and full of love. Let`s protect them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIULIANO MIGNINI, PUBLIC PROSECUTOR (through translator): It is an appealable conviction and we will see all of this on appeal. But convictions must be respected by all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s the controversial prosecutor. Ok.

Amanda Knox is free and her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, has written this extraordinary book about the inside story. Let`s show you the man who is serving time for the murder of Amanda`s roommate, Meredith Kercher. And that man`s name is Rudi Guede and he was convicted on DNA evidence including a bloody hand print on a pillow at the scene.

But here`s the problem, Joey Jackson. And that is that Amanda behaved in a very strange way at the police station. She actually started doing cartwheels and splits.

Now, in his incredible book he explains that, hey, she was feeling really stiff and achy because she was tired and she was being interrogated. And he suggested, well, why don`t you stretch, you`ll feel better. So a cop saw her and said, oh, you`re so flexible. And then she decided to show off with a cartwheel and some splits.

Is this a cautionary tale how not to bring suspicion on yourself with your own behavior?

JOEY JACKSON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know what, Jane, it really is. I just met Raffaele. I share with you I think he`s very brave. I admire his resolve. But the problem that I have at this point is, remember that there`s a prosecution -- a prosecutor`s appeal pending. And of course, the high court is going to be evaluating that in March.

And as a result of that it may not be such a great idea at this point, you know, to be writing things about what happened and what your thoughts are about Amanda and her strange behavior. So let`s just hope that the judges have other things on their mind other than reading the book because it could shed some problems on it here.

But ultimately I think they got the right. I mean this was a travesty of course as we know from the beginning. And you can imagine, Jane, think about it and put yourself in that position where you`re told that you are going to spend 25 years in jail, if you`re him, Raffaele, or 26 if you`re her, and four years later what do you get? Vindication. It`s amazing.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wendy Murphy, you`re disagreeing with this.

WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Oh, my goodness. First of all, I think this was an intentionally-timed campaign. And, you know, Knoxy got a book coming out in a couple weeks, all designed in my opinion to influence the public, keep the pressure on the Italian court to sustain the acquittal.

I think that`s outrageous primarily because victims can`t do that. Meredith Kercher doesn`t have a book coming out. Her family can`t write a book. Because if they did and they told the whole truth, Knox and Sollecito would be able to say it interfered with our fair trial rights to put all that poisonous information in the public realm. That I find disgusting and distasteful and wrong. And I`m offended.

But let me just say this. Sollecito --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait a second. Are you suggesting that they might actually be guilty? Because I don`t think so -- I read this book and it explains everything.

MURPHY: No. Jane, not only am I suggesting they might be guilty, there`s a ton of evidence that they are guilty. Let me just say three quick things.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What?

MURPHY: First of all, Amanda Knox -- Amanda Knox, you played a clip of her saying, "I respect life. I care about people." She falsely accused an innocent black man of the crime and let him rot in prison for four days. A lot of respect she had for him. She knew he was innocent. She was so selfish, so evil that she would let an innocent black man sit in prison. She knew he had nothing to do with it. She did nothing because she doesn`t really care about people that much.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we`re not talking about the man that was convicted. We`re talking about someone else.

MURPHY: Right. A different guy -- a totally different guy. And shame on her. And that`s the kind of person who could kill -- somebody with no feelings.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That doesn`t mean she killed though because --

MURPHY: I`m just saying let`s not romanticize. This is not Romeo and Juliet. They had what -- five days together. That`s a booty call. Let`s not turn this into a love affair.

And by the way, her DNA was mixed with Meredith Kercher, the victim`s DNA in spots all over that apartment. That is not innocent evidence.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait a second, they were roommates. They were roommates.

MURPHY: For two weeks. They hadn`t bled. Nobody had bled --

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: He says in this book she goes back to the house after spending the night with him and goes in the, the door`s open and she proceeds to take a shower and there was blood on the tub.

MURPHY: That`s a lie. She lied. No Jane. And she first said --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t know that.

MURPHY: -- but look, the first night she said -- first time she spoke she said I have an alibi. I was at Sollecito`s apartment. The second time she gave a story she said, ok, I was there. I heard Meredith screaming. I was scared, but I was there. But I didn`t do it. But I heard everybody killing her. Third time, oh, no, I was at the apartment.

She`s a liar. She is guilty in my opinion. And I hope the Italian court treats this case fairly for the victim.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I have to say this, Wendy, I respectfully disagree with you 100 percent. That young man I met on the elevator actually and we just interviewed struck me as a wonderful young man who has been trapped in a hellish experience. And again, I think you should read his book.

Now this prosecutor who prosecuted them, Giuliani Mignini -- I think I`m mispronouncing his name probably, Mignini. He is a mess. He has had so many problems. Here he is talking with CNN`s Drew Griffin. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Prior to the forensic investigation, prior to everything really, your intuition or your detective knowledge led you to Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito?

MIGNINI: After the first few weeks we were convinced because of the behavior of the two people and especially Amanda that they were both involved in the crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Joey Jackson, this guy has gotten in trouble before. I mean, he just whipped up this satanic sex orgy it would seem out of thin air. Raffaele describes how they go to his house and they pick up a knife and say, oh, this looks good -- basically like this looks good as a murder weapon. I mean, this was a railroad job if this book is true.

JACKSON: No. You know what, Jane, you`re absolutely right. And you know, what we expect of prosecutors is to behave responsibly. And we know that convictions are part of the mix, but ultimately -- and I know you`ll agree with this, Jane -- we want justice, right?

And of course victims deserve justice. But that justice has to come at the expense of holding the right people accountable and not saying things as a prosecutor that are irresponsible that are going to incite people just for the benefit of getting a conviction.

And so ultimately I think, you know, the appellate court will rule on it. It will have some finality in March it will be over and done with. But I think they got it right after those long, four, torturous years in that prison. Amen.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, we`re all disagreeing. I`m going to give Levi Page, crime blogger, the final word.

LEVI PAGE, CRIME BLOGGER: Well, you know what Jane, I think what`s very telling in this case is that the police had thought that the crime scene was staged because the room was ransacked. The victim, Meredith Kercher`s room was ransacked, objects everywhere.

And the glass that was broken, the glass fell on top of those objects, which means the room was ransacked before the window was broken. Who could have staged the crime scene other than Amanda and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito?

I agree with Wendy Murphy. I think there`s a lot of evidence against them.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I am shocked. I am shocked. And I got to tell you, you decide for yourself. Read this book. I couldn`t put it down. If I`ve got circles under my eyes, you know why. I was reading it until all hours of the night. And that`s all I can say.

More on the other side.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Time for our "Pets of the Day". Send your picks to hlntv.com/Jane. Phoebe you are gorgeous. And Lassie. Lassie. Lassie. And Gracie, oh, my God, going out tonight, honey? Yes, you cutie. And I think is Deuce -- well, he`s making the scene with cool shades. Way to go, Deuce.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- confused and they don`t know what`s going on. They have no idea what`s going to happen to them in the morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They take the boats around to a secret cove that nobody can see.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`re afraid of cameras. They said if the world finds out what goes on here, we`ll be shut down.

They were hiding something.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Americans need to know about this because you can help stop it. I`m talking about a senseless slaughter. Thousands of dolphins and whales mercilessly herded into shallow waters and killed.

It is once again, the terrible time of year of the annual dolphin massacre off the coast of Taiji, Japan. It is a horror that the fishermen and perpetrators are trying to keep secret. But we are determined to spread the word and awareness to try to end this slaughter.

Straight out to my dear friend and animal advocate Melissa Sehgal who is with the animal welfare group, Sea Shepherd, in Japan. She is standing there at the infamous cove where this is going down. You may remember it as the site for the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove".

Melissa, I know that this has been a very emotional day for you. Tell us what you are seeing and what it`s like to be able to witness this, helpless to do anything to stop it.

MELISSA SEHGAL, SEA SHEPHERD COVE GUARDIAN LEADER: For the volunteers that travel all over the world here to give their voice to dolphins, it`s not only mentally, emotionally, physically grueling for us, but we do it because we want to expose what is happening here at Taiji. The atrocity that happens, the inhumane slaughter that happens to these dolphins and whales, and to share with the world what is happening here. Everybody needs to know the brutality that occurs here in Taiji.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And is it happening right now? What are you seeing? What are you learning?

SEHGAL: Right now, at this minute I`m standing at the cove. The killing boats are currently at sea, hunting dolphins. We don`t know at this time if a pod will be brought in today. Over the past week, we`ve witnessed hundreds of pilot whales driven into the cove, killed one by one as their family members witness them slaughtered, and swimming in the blood of their family.

It`s very brutal. It`s very inhumane. These whales and dolphins are conscious as they`re taken to the butcher house. We have footage of that, that`s why we`re here, to take footage, photos, and share it with the world through social media.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This brutal hunt where thousands of dolphins and whales are trapped every year in shallow water and then slaughtered was the subject of an academy award-winning documentary called "The Cove". Check it out.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They take the boats around to the secret cove that nobody could see. They`re afraid of cameras.

They said if the world finds out what goes on here, we`ll be shut down.

They were hiding something.

We need to get in there and film exactly what happens.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. Melissa, that was a bit of "The Cove". I understand that you actually had been harassed and the others who have tried to stop this -- first, tell us who were taking these dolphins and where are they going? Because I understand that dolphin meat is not that popular anymore.

But there`s also the issue of dolphinariums. I don`t want to get into any company names, but why are these dolphins being captured, slaughtered and what`s the reason behind it? The motive?

SEHGAL: Taiji is ground zero for the live captive dolphin trade. These dolphins are hand-picked in the killing cove by dolphin trainers and taken out to holding pens while the rest of their families are brutally slaughtered.

Yes, the meat is worldwide distributed. But the live captive dolphin trade is where the money is coming from. This is not about tradition, this is about money. Again these dolphins are sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars to "Swim with Dolphins" programs in marine parks all over the world. People that buy tickets to these dolphin shows are contributing to the Taiji dolphin slaughter and have blood on their --

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: More on the other side.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These poor dolphins are confused and they don`t know what`s going on. They have no idea what`s going to happen to them in the morning. I just pray that my day here -- expose this to the world. It will help to end this finally.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: People are putting their lives on the line in some cases to expose this to the world. Melissa, you are there at the infamous cove. You recorded video of pro-slaughter groups in Japan following and harassing you and fellow activists.

Critics say the Japanese government hands out as many as 19,000 permits to kill dolphins and small whales each year. Last year that was the figure. We reached out to the Japanese embassy in Washington without success. What could the Japanese government do to stop this?

SEHGAL: Well, Taiji goes to many extremes. They`ve doubled police surveillance to follow Sea Shepherd around Taiji. They put up barricades. They`ve even closed the tsunami escape at the top of the hill, which looks down into the cove, so activists cannot view the dolphin drive. They`re going to great extremes, spending many, many -- much money to hide what happens here.

We are reaching out to the world to logon to seashepherd.org to contact the Japanese embassy, contact the mayor of Taiji to stop this inhumane slaughter.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: If you want to get involved, you can go to, as you just heard, seashepherd.org and also, saveJapandolphins.org. You can find all of this information on my Web site hlntv.com/Jane, Hlntv.com/Jane.

And so just to understand, these animals, these sentient, very intelligent, highly intelligent sensitive animals, dolphins and whales in some cases -- small whales I understand -- are herded into this cove because it`s easier once you catch them there. And they use all sorts of techniques to get them into this cove and they just slaughter them. But they keep some of them, the prettiest ones to go to dolphinariums where then people go and swim with the dolphins.

So what you`re saying is that if you`re swimming with the dolphins, you`re part of the process that involves this. I don`t have independent confirmation, but that`s what you`re saying, is that true?

SEHGAL: Absolutely. People that buy a ticket to dolphin shows, any kind of dolphinariums, are directly contributing to the dolphin slaughter. These wild dolphins are caught and captured and shipped all over the world for human entertainment purposes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Melissa, my hat`s off to you for having the courage and bravery to go there. You were my neighbor in California. I know you`re doing everything you can, because you have a heart. Americans, we can all together stop this. Nancy is next.

END