Return to Transcripts main page

Jane Velez-Mitchell

Murder Victim`s Friend Speaks out about Jodi Arias

Aired October 04, 2012 - 19:00   ET

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


UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL starts right now. Thanks for joining us everyone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See you.

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Did obsession lead to murder? Tonight we are going inside the mind of accused killer Jodi Arias as her murder trial draws near. Prosecutors say she viciously killed her ex-boyfriend, a motivational speaker. But why?

I`m going to talk to one of the victim`s closest, dearest friends, who tells us what he observed in the days and months leading up to this horror. Next.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL (voice-over): Tonight, secrets exposed. What was California stunner Jodi Arias like before the brutal murder of her ex- boyfriend, motivational speaker Travis Alexander? The 31-year-old is accused of slitting her ex`s throat and stabbing him 27 times. But she says it was self-defense. Was she obsessed?

Tonight, Travis`s close friend joins me live. What were the warning signs he saw in Jodi and Travis`s relationship? And was Jodi`s behavior increasingly creepy? We`ll analyze and take your call.

Then a stunning twist in the mysterious death of beautiful mom Michelle Warner. Tonight we dive deep into the secrets of an accused killer, her ex-boyfriend and father of her son, as he tells Dr. Phil one story and turns around and then turns around and tells cops a totally different one. But did his words reveal the truth? We`ll tell you about his shocking confession tonight.

And is it a battle of the divas on "American Idol"? You won`t believe the Twitter war of words and jaw-dropping claims of insults as superstars Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj take their seats on "American Idol." Has the celebrity showdown gone too far?

(on camera) Jodi is facing the death penalty, because she`s accused of unimaginable brutality against her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The soft-spoken 28-year-old remained calm and composed during this jailhouse interview.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jodi Arias is behind bars on a charge of first- degree murder. The petite 28-year-old from Yreka, California, is accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander. His body was discovered June 9 in his Mesa home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Motivational speaker Travis Alexander was viciously murdered at his Mesa home back in June, stabbed 27 times, his throat slit. He was also shot in the head. Police say DNA evidence, including a bloody palm print found at the scene, links Jodi Arias to the murder.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, stunning new insights into the secrets that led to the brutal murder of a young and upcoming motivational speaker, allegedly at the hands of his beautiful ex-girlfriend.

Good evening. Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live.

Prosecutors say photographer Jodi Arias went to the Mesa, Arizona, home of ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander in June of 2008 and shot him in the face, stabbed him 27 times, and slit his throat from ear to ear. Sounds like a rage killing to me. And the killer took bizarre photos before and after the crime.

Tonight, I`m going to talk to Taylor Searle, one of Travis`s closest friends, who met the suspect, the defendant, Jodi Arias, on several occasions. We`re going to find out what Jodi was really like. And one thing we do know for sure is that she loves the limelight. Even as a jail inmate facing the possibility of a death sentence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JODI ARIAS, MURDER SUSPECT: I guess that`s really all I need. Sorry. Don`t roll the tape yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jodi and Travis were actually broken up at the time of his murder. But we`ve since heard that they reportedly continued to have sexual relations on the Q.T. Jodi says his friends didn`t like that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIAS: As much as Travis and I told ourselves and everyone that we were just friends at time, I think that our behavior was not as innocent as we tried to make it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Even after they broke up, Jodi decided to relocate from California, which was her home base, to Mesa, Arizona, where Travis lived. He didn`t want her to. But she did it anyway. Does that sound like obsession to you? We`re just getting started.

Tonight, we`re going to dive deep into the very sick dynamics behind this horrific crime as this trial gets ready to start in just a few weeks. Some say it`s going to be the biggest trial since the Casey Anthony case.

I want to know what you think. What questions do you have? Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.

Straight out -- straight out to Taylor Searle, one of Travis`s closest friends.

Taylor, thank you so much for joining us tonight. And I know that you are speaking out because your dear friend, Travis, was brutally murdered. And you want justice. And obviously, he cannot speak for himself anymore. So we`re trying to understand some of the sick dynamics, as I said, behind this case.

What was your impression of the accused murderess, Jodi Arias? You met her on several occasions. Tell us some of the stories that made you very, very creeped out by her, for lack of a better word.

TAYLOR SEARLE, FRIEND OF TRAVIS ALEXANDER: Well, you know, she is really good at making people think that she is an angel and a super nice person. And she really is a nice person if you meet her.

When I first met her, however, I kind of got the vibe from her that she was putting a front up and that she really had different intentions.

And I think the way it played out is it seemed like those intentions were just to be really close to Travis. And I think, looking back, it seemed like she just wanted to be the one that got him, because he was always flirting with lots of girls and going on lots of dates with lots of girls and very flirtatious and social. And I think it was kind of a trophy or a catch for her to try and stake her claim.

So that`s kind of the vibe I always got from her. And I didn`t really like how she went about it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, my understanding from reading the research is that a lot of people, perhaps yourself, feel that Jodi was obsessed with this man, your friend.

Jodi allegedly slashed Travis`s tires at least twice. And even the tires of his new girlfriend. And then, after that incident the girlfriend got an e-mail from a John Doe, but she has said that she thought that e- mail came from Jodi. It reads, "If you let him stay in your bed one more time or even sleep under the same roof as him, you will be giving the appearance of evil. You are a daughter of God and have been a shameful example. Be thou clean, sin no more."

Now, I want to stop right there and ask you about that, Taylor, because that sounds like very kind of strange language. I understand she also adopted your friend, Travis`s, the victim`s religion of Mormonism. To me that smacks of somebody who is completely obsessed with another human being. What are your thoughts on that?

SEARLE: Yes. Well, I mean, towards the end of their relationship after they had kind of broken up and he had put some distance between them, it really was an obsession type of a thing. And the way he described it is that she was really stalking him.

And those stories that you bring up about the slashing of the tires and the e-mails, and those things were really -- they really started to take a toll on him. And really have created problems for his other relationships. And as far as the faith goes, Travis really...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Can I jump in, Taylor, and ask you one question as a follow-up?

SEARLE: ... chose to create an environment where he could follow the teachings of the church. And what ended up happening is she adopted that and kind of tried to use it against him to drive wedges between him and the other girls.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I understand that Taylor actually said at one point and according to the reports that I`ve read that he told the victim, Travis, long before he died, hey, are you worried that she is going to hurt you?

I want to bring in Jon Lieberman, HLN contributor, investigative reporter. We are analyzing this. People say this is going to be the biggest trial since the Casey Anthony case. Why are people saying that?

JON LIEBERMAN, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, because you have a captivating, good-looking defendant who loves to talk. She loves the cameras.

But the difference here, Jane, is that, in my opinion at least, there`s a lot more solid evidence against Jodi than there was against Casey Anthony.

I mean, first of all, you have all of Jodi`s statements. First she said she wasn`t at the home at the time of the murder. Then she said, according to police, that it was a home invasion, that she ran away and some unknown men killed her ex-boyfriend. Then she said, well, she was there, but it was self-defense. Well, Jane, I`ve never seen a case of self-defense where the injuries were as severe and huge as they were in this case.

And you have DNA evidence. And you have the bloody palm print. And you have, as you alluded to, pictures from a camera. Somebody tried to erase some of the photos, but police recovered it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And I want to go to Shanna Hogan. You`re a journalist, a true crime writer. You`re writing a book about this case. Tell us about the photographs that cops found in the camera, where the camera was.

SHANNA HOGAN, TRUE CRIME WRITER (via phone): Yes. The camera was located in the washing machine. And it had been run through the wash. And it had been destroyed. And the camera, the memory card inside had been wiped clean.

But what the cops were able to do was recover those photos. And they showed pictures of Jodi and Travis in sexually provocative poses. And then moments after those sexual poses of him in the shower, of him being murdered. Just minutes after. And I think that`s an important thing...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait, wait, wait. You`re saying to me in the same kind of, it`s not a roll of film anymore. That`s the old days.

HOGAN: No. They...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But there`s a digital card. You first have photos of this woman we`re looking at and the man who was ultimately murdered in poses together, sexually provocative poses. And then at a certain point, the photos turn and then what do you see again, Shanna?

HOGAN: You see Travis lying down on the bottom of the shower with blood around his neck, which are consistent with the wounds that they found on his body. So they showed his body and the blood just moments after. So it shows him being smiling and then him being attacked.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unbelievable.

On the other side, we`re going to bring in a shrink. We have to analyze this behavior. Between love and madness lies obsession. That was an old tag line for a cologne or a perfume. But does it apply to this case?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIAS: He admitted a lot he got a lot of grief from his friends about the amount of time that we spent together.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did they not like it?

ARIAS: I don`t know that it was so much that. I think they were more concerned with his future prospects for marriage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Even though Jodi Arias is facing the possibility of a death penalty, accused of savagely, savagely killing, murdering her ex- boyfriend or on-and-off-again-type boyfriend. But here`s the wild part. She doesn`t appear concerned about her upcoming trial. She even took part in a singing contest at the jail. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIAS (singing): Oh, holy night, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear savior`s birth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And she actually won that contest. And then I`ve got to show you her very, very smiley mug shot. It looks like an actress`s head shot. We`ll show it to you in a second. There it is. Does that look like a mug shot to you or a college graduation photo?

Robi Ludwig, psychotherapist, is this woman a sociopath?

ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: You know, it`s hard to know exactly. She does sound like somebody who distorts reality. That she is a lethal, romantic obsessive.

I think this woman thought she was in some ways married to Travis or that he made some promise to her that he was not allowed to break. And she has the kind of persona or character where she doesn`t feel complete or filled up unless she has the right man in her life. So I think she clung onto him for dear life.

And this woman just likes attention. She needs to feel connected. But if you notice her affect, her smiley affect, her singing, it`s all so off. It makes you wonder what her real understanding of reality is. I think she distorts reality to the point where she might even be mildly psychotic, even though she doesn`t look it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, it`s fascinating. Speaking of mildly psychotic, a friend of Travis`s said that Jodi snuck into Travis`s house and watched Travis and his new girlfriend sleeping. I don`t know if you`d call that psychotic, but that is very, very bizarre, strange, I would say demented behavior.

Let`s go out to the phone lines. Julie, Delaware, your question or thought, Julie.

CALLER: Hi, Jane. First I want to say, you rock in my world.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.

CALLER: I love animals as much as you do.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.

CALLER: What you do on TV every night and your funny videos for just a moment, they`re great.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.

CALLER: You need to be able to smile through all this stuff. But anyway...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s hard to smile through this case.

CALLER: I find this young lady, gosh, she sounds so angelic. And she`s just very soft-spoken and comes across as being, just with the singing and everything, she couldn`t do anything wrong. But, boy, different as night and day.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Taylor, you are a close friend of the victim, Travis Alexander, who cannot speak for himself. So you are speaking for him. Are you concerned that this demeanor, this affect, the smiling and the soft-spokenness, might have some kind of sway with the jury?

SEARLE: Well, I hope not. That`s probably something I`m most afraid of. People who are close to her, even after evidence started coming out and she was arrested, wouldn`t believe that she could have done this thing, just because she`s such an angel. And so I`m honestly afraid of the effect that she might have on people who give her the benefit of the doubt and are swayed by her personality.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I think it`s a genuine concern. People talk about Casey Anthony. We know, I think, that the jury did form some kind of relationship subconsciously with Casey Anthony, staring at her day after day, week after week during that trial. We have no idea if something like that would happen here. But it`s important to be vigilant about the possibilities.

More on the other side. Just getting started.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIAS: All of that -- all of the resources that one needs can be found on a Web site, like LDS.org. But he kind of gave me a more personal perspective on things. There were just some questions where I was like why? Why this? Why this? And he was able to answer those.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: They`d only dated five months when that woman, the defendant, converts to Mormonism, which is the religion of the murder victim. I mean, that is bizarre. Who does that?

Shanna Hogan, you`re a journalist writing a book about this case. What is her background? Where does she come from that she`s behaving in such a bizarre way?

HOGAN: You know, from everything I`ve discovered in research, she actually has a fairly normal background, surprisingly. She grew up with a younger sister and a younger brother and one older sister up in Yreka, California. And described her own background as having an ideal childhood. So it really runs contrary to the person she grew up to be and what she`s accused of doing.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: One of Travis`s sisters exchanged e-mails with an HLNTV.com producer, and she said she is tired of Jodi manipulating the system and getting delay after delay in court. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARIAS: There have been a lot of people that have been speaking out and saying things, you know, on their side. And this isn`t a two-sided story. This is a multi-faceted story. There are many sides to this story. And I just don`t feel like mine has been represented.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jon Lieberman, we`re finally going to trial next month. But why have there been so many delays? This young man, this poor young man who had his whole life ahead of him, was killed in 2008.

LIEBERMAN: Well, for one, Jodi`s public defender, who was death penalty qualified, withdrew from the case. She essentially quit. So it almost started the clock again, because it`s not always easy to find a public defender who is death penalty qualified.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Didn`t Jodi Arias try to defend herself at one point?

LIEBERMAN: And then she tried to defend herself after this attorney withdrew. So there have been a number of these delays, which all simply reset the clock on the case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Taylor, again, a close friend of the victim, are you, the family, everybody going to be at this trial, watching this trial carefully to make sure that his side is told?

SEARLE: I think at this point, for me at least, it`s a -- I`m going to wait to see the jury selection actually starts before I believe that the trial`s going to happen. I know that the last time around that the date wasn`t going to move. The family rented a house here close to the courthouse and came out to stay so that they could attend the trial.

But as of right now I haven`t heard any plans to do so. And I don`t know if anyone`s gotten over the skepticism of it just being delayed again for some reason.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, they say justice delayed is justice denied. I hope, for the sake of the family of Travis Alexander, that this trial starts as it`s supposed to next month.

Thank you, Taylor. Thank you, fantastic panel.

We`ve been just talking about the Jodi Arias trial being the biggest case since the Casey Anthony murder trial. Well, we`ve got some breaking news in Casey`s civil trial. You know, Zenaida Gonzalez, Zanny the nanny, she`s suing Casey for defamation, saying basically, she ruined her life when she made up this fake babysitter, Zanny the nanny, who she claimed kidnapped little Caylee.

Attorneys from both sides went to court today to decide whether details of Casey`s murder trial should be brought up during Casey`s civil trial. Here`s the answer. The judge decided the details of Casey`s criminal case cannot be brought up unless the judge says it`s OK. So that`s going to limit the amount that this jury gets to hear about that sensational murder case.

More on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We did locate a grave or partial grave containing the body of one female.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Houston Police Department confirms it`s 31- year-old Michelle Warner.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her family and friends became highly suspicious. They say she would never leave her 11-year-old daughter and her 3-year-old son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To just disappear and walk away from the kids and everything else, just no way.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very outgoing. Very talkative.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The 32-year-old was last seen Friday night. They say she left her apartment here at the Regency Square without her keys, purse and car.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shocked. Obviously worried.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her estranged boyfriend, Mark Castellano, confessed to the murder and is in custody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, the ex-boyfriend of a beautiful missing woman is caught in a web of secrets and lies as he finally confesses to her murder.

The desperate hunt for missing mom 31-year-old Michelle Warner started when her estranged boyfriend, Mark Castellano, told investigators that she stormed out on him and their 3-year-old son after the couple had a fight, without taking her car, mind you.

But the search ended in total tragedy. Mark finally broke down and told police he`d snapped Michelle`s neck before burying her in a Texas oil field.

In an eerie twist, just days before his confession, Mark went on the "Dr. Phil" show and claimed his total innocence. Listen to what cops say is a man lying through his teeth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. PHIL MCGRAW, TALK SHOW HOST: Did you do anything to her that would be considered foul play or criminal?

MARK CASTELLANO, EX-BOYFRIEND OF MICHELLE WARNER: No. No.

MCGRAW: Did you kill her?

CASTELLANO: No, sir.

MCGRAW: You didn`t do anything to her? You don`t have her --

CASTELLANO: No.

MCGRAW: -- hidden somewhere? You have no --

(CROSSTALK)

CASTELLANO: No. Like I said. She has run over me. I have let her - -

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, no, no, no. Well, of course Dr. Phil didn`t believe his story for a second. He called Mark out on talking about Michelle in the past tense during that interview. Then just 48 hours after that remarkable interview Mark went to cops and came clean saying, "Yes, yes, yes, yes -- I did kill Michelle."

He didn`t just confess to cops. He then called Dr. Phil back and gave him the gruesome details of the killing. Listen to this. It`s extraordinary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASTELLANO: You know, we were fighting and, you know, she was looking at me. And I grabbed her, you know. Her neck snapped and I fell on the bed choking her and the next thing I know it was over with. Her tongue was sticking out and it was too far. I went too far.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mark tonight is being held behind bars on $150,000 bond for Michelle`s murder. He has yet to enter a plea.

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

Straight out to investigative reporter Jon Leiberman. Jon, what were the reasons why so many people immediately were suspicious of the ex- boyfriend`s original story that he had absolutely nothing to do with her at the time of disappearance?

JON LEIBERMAN, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, for one, because at first he said that they simply had an argument and his estranged girlfriend walked out, leaving her three-year-old child behind. A three-year-old I might point out, Jane, that according to police had to see his mother`s lifeless body hanging off the bed. And then according to police this suspect tells their son that mommy is just sleeping.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unbelievable. LEIBERMAN: Well, the reality was mommy had had her neck snapped. And then according to police in the confession the suspect says he put mommy in the closet and put a bag over her head and then drove her dead body along with this three-year-old 500 miles away. And that`s just one of the web of lies here.

It`s such a tragic and horrifying case.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Poor child.

LEIBERMAN: But kudos to Houston police because as I reported here, Jane, about a week ago, police stayed in contact with this suspect the whole time. They weren`t buying his lies. And eventually they got him to come back to Houston. And they got a confession.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And look at this beautiful woman. And look at this precious child. So, so damaged by this poor little boy three years old losing his mommy and seeing her legs dangling. And he apparently, the suspect said mommy is sleeping. Unbelievable.

Now, we want to understand the pathology of lying tonight. Mark went through a two-hour interview with Dr. Phil claiming he had no idea what happened to Michelle. Watch when he describes his grief. Then we`re going to analyze with our psychotherapist.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASTELLANO: I cry every once in a while. I don`t know what to think. I mean it`s tearing me in half.

MCGRAW: But you`re hurting inside.

CASTELLANO: Yes, I`m hurting inside. This is killing me. I mean I`ve always ultimately rather hurt myself than anybody else.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, my gosh. It`s such bad acting, Robi Ludwig, psychotherapist. He`s saying -- he`s talking about grief but he`s smiling and laughing at the same time. What do you spot here?

ROBI LUDWIG, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Well, I think this is a man who ended up killing a girlfriend who was about to leave him. But that didn`t mean that he didn`t love her. And I do think what he did actually was tearing him apart. And I think he went on Dr. Phil with the hope that Dr. Phil would confront him to the point that he would have to be honest and it would be a cathartic experience for him.

This is not a professional killer here. When he`s talking about the situation is killing him, I do think that is the case. He`s just leaving out the part that he actually killed his girlfriend and --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, well --

LUDWIG: That`s what`s killing him.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I mean you`re much kinder and more forgiving than I am. To me this is a man who is lying and who did something violent. And when I heard the story, and I must say he hasn`t entered a plea, often people "confess" quote-unquote to cops or cops say they confessed and then they turn around and plead not guilty.

We want to make certain that everybody understands he still has to go through the criminal justice system. He hasn`t entered a plea yet in this case. But when I heard his story I didn`t believe it for one flat second because it`s an absolute powder keg.

They had broken up but they were living together in the same household with this child. And that is a prescription for disaster.

Josey Crews, HLN producer, you have talked to the family of this beautiful woman who they`re devastated. But they always had problems with this guy and with the relationship. Tell us about that -- Josie.

JOSEY CREWS, HLN PRODUCER: Right, Jane. The mother says that back in the past she noticed some problems that were going on. She says that there was on occasion a time that Mark actually became physical with Michelle. She had warned Michelle about the problems and that they shouldn`t be living together. But ultimately Michelle wanted Cayden (ph), the three- year-old in Mark`s life. So she felt this was going to be the best situation.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh my gosh. Look at this beautiful woman making sacrifices for her child, three-year-old Cayden. And now she`s gone. And apparently, Josey, there`s now a custody battle over this child. What can you tell us about that?

CREWS: Well, Jane, the problem is young Cayden has now lost his dad and his mom. So that`s going to create some problems for both of the grandparents. At this time Cayden`s with Mark`s parents. But of course Donna, the mother of Michelle, wants custody as well. So this is going to create quite a new drama, a new tragedy for the family.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Jon Leiberman, you wanted to jump in?

LEIBERMAN: Yes, I need to say one thing, Jane, because if you listen to the suspect`s comments to the Dr. Phil producer after he confesses, he`s already setting up a self-defense argument. Listen very closely to it. He says that she came after him first and then her neck snapped. Listen closely to this.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s play this. Mark didn`t just confess to Michelle`s murder. He ultimately explained in grizzly detail what he says happened in the moments after he killed her. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASTELLANO: I wrapped her up before I left.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you wrap her up in?

CASTELLANO: A blanket and I put her head in a trash bag so I didn`t have to look at her face. I stood there looking at her. I almost called the police then.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Robi Ludwig, psychotherapist, her friends, her lifelong friends said that this guy had psychotic spells, episodes, considered suicide, he`d threatened her, he had pushed her against a wall. And I think there`s very lack of affect when he`s describing, oh, my gosh, this horrific cleanup.

LUDWIG: Yes. I mean, clearly he was very detached. And perhaps in going over the actual murder in a step-by-step fashion that got him to feel strong and somehow virile and manly. He had a moment where telling it and revealing helped him to feel like the strong man he always wanted to be and he never gets to feel like.

And that`s why this woman was leaving him. He couldn`t tolerate what it felt like to be left. So I think this is a man who struggles with being suicidal. But sometimes those suicidal people can be very dangerous.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You are so right. Suicidal people can be very dangerous. And we need to parse out between being violent and being manly. Being manly in my opinion is being peaceful and resolving things in a peaceful, mature way. And I think it`s absolutely extraordinary that we got to look in and see before and after of somebody who is lying, according to cops, lying absolutely through his teeth. And then when you hear him telling the truth, the fake tears and then the real lack of affect -- absolutely fascinating stuff.

Thank you fantastic panel.

On the other side, Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And here`s your "Viral Video of the Day". One family`s kitty cat likes to help out with the baby sitting. Check this out -- playing rock-a-by-baby. The relationship between pets and children is so profound and it`s so extraordinary when they keep the cat part of the family after the child`s birth. Beautiful.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Season 12 of "American Idol" hasn`t even hit the air waves yet there`s already big, big drama happening on the set.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trouble between Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. Nicki Minaj was cursing Mariah out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are rumors about you all not getting along. How are you all getting along?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t you want to watch now?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Two hot "American Idol" judges going at it. One corner Mariah Carey, the other Nicki Minaj. The two divas caught on camera duelling yesterday. And today on "The View", Barbara Walters dropped a bombshell. She called Mariah and actually got the dirty details. Listen to what the singer told Barbara Walters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": She said that what you heard was troublesome, but that`s not what really worried her. She said that when Nicki walked off the set, most of her people heard Nicki say, "If I had a gun, I would shoot the (EXPLETIVE DELETED)." She doesn`t feel anything would happen, I`m quoting now, "but Nicki is unpredictable" and Mariah says she can`t take a chance and she has hired extra security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. This did not go over well with Nicki Minaj. Nicki took to Twitter. Oh, my god, with shooting fingers, "Ironically, no camera or mic heard the gun comment though. Not even the producers believed you. Say no to violence barbz." Then after that Nicki wrote, "I don`t call TMZ and Barbara Walters because I stand on my own two feet. Never needed an army. Insecurity`s as cruel as the grave." And "I guess it hurts to have the producers tell you to your face that Nicki is the best judge we`ve had since Simon. Oh, poor you. Keep them lies coming."

Wow. You know, put all that energy into rapping and you would have a hit that would make Eminem proud.

Straight out to TMZ news manager Mike Walters, what on earth was the original confrontation? Where did it happen? What words were exchanged?

MIKE WALTERS, TMZ NEWS MANAGER: Well, you`re going to like this one, Jane. The original argument started because Nicki Minaj was late on the first day of taping with Mariah Carey. And as everyone knows Mariah Carey is a very, very famous, punctual, classy-type artist and apparently she was really upset.

Now, the fight that we got on tape, here`s how that part started. Apparently when they got together, all the contestants were going through and Nicki Minaj got upset because Mariah Carey was going down her resume every time while critiquing the contestant saying this is how many Grammys I have, here`s how many number one hits I have, here`s how important and special I am.

And Nicki Minaj -- these girls are divas -- she got so upset because she said I don`t want to sit around and listen to how famous and good Mariah Carey is. And that`s what started the cat fight that ended in the video that we put on the Web site.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I hate to use the word cat fight. But I love you. Mike Walters, I love the fact that they are talking about TMZ, your three letters are all over the place. Good to see you as always. Thank you, Mike Walters.

WALTERS: You too, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey used to get along. I mean my gosh, they even made a music video together, "Up Out My Face". That`s the name of the music -- "Up Out My Face" is the name of the music video from Island Def Jam music group. Listen.

(MUSIC)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Alexis Tereszcuk, ok, there they are, right. Having a good time together, doing the song together. Now they`re in this fierce feud. You know there are those that think, is this all being drummed up by somebody who might want more ratings? Let me think, who might that be? The producers? Have you heard anything?

ALEXIS TERESZCUK, RADARONLINE.COM: Yes. This is everywhere. Everybody`s saying this is just another play. The show doesn`t premier for three more months. They`ve got to drum up publicity for it. Last year the numbers were the lowest that they`ve been since like 2002; they`re desperate to make sure that this show is a hit on top again. It needs to beat "The Voice". It has to beat "The X Factor" and the only way to get drama now without introducing the contestants is to have the judges fight. And who better to fight with than Minnie and Nicki.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I say next time guys, producers just schedule a hot wrestling contest. That would be more fun. More on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Time for "Pets of the Day". Send us your pet pics to hlntv.com/jane.

Kota, I love you. Oh, my gosh. And Tia and Ted, they are just a perfect couple. And Princess Cleopatra, oh, my gosh, a bunny. A beautiful bunny. Roper -- you rock, Roper. There`s Roxie.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mariah and Nicki, I know both who you are. There are rumors talking about you all are not getting along. How are you all getting along?

MARIAH CAREY, SINGER: A few, it takes a little longer.

KEITH URBAN, SINGER: We`re having fun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Is "American Idol" sort of pumping up this Mariah Carey-Nicki Minaj feud for publicity? Listen to what Ryan Seacrest said on his radio show 102.5 KISS-FM.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

RYAN SEACREST, HOST, "AMERICAN IDOL": It went far last night. And yes, you know, there`s video that`s out from TMZ and there`s a story that`s out, a transcript that`s out. So it did get intense. And we did rap after it.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I love Ryan Seacrest. He is a fabulous guy but he is part of "American Idol". It kind of sounds like he is hyping up this feud or whatever you want to call it. Let`s go out to the phone lines.

Macy, Ohio, your question or thought, Macy. Macy -- I guess she is getting ready to practice her song at karaoke tonight.

You know what really bugs me, Alexis Tereszcuk, is why do people always have to talk about women fighting? I hate that phrase, "cat fight". I try to erase it from the dictionary. Let`s not use it. Listen, what about the time that Paula Abdul and what was that woman`s name, Kara Dioguardi, they were also supposedly going at it as judges. Why are women in our culture pitted against each other?

TERESZCUK: Because men like to see it that way and that`s the way it goes. But the other thing is it is sort of exciting. These two gorgeous women -- I mean you couldn`t have two prettier women on television right now, going, having a fight. This is what everybody`s sort of, sexual fantasies are, right? Can I say that?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Whoa, whoa. I think you`d better explain. Everybody`s sexual fantasies?

TERESZCUK: Not everybody`s. Not everybody`s, no, no. Oh, gosh.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. All right. A very common fantasy of two -- my understanding is it`s a very common fantasy of two women being together in a perhaps sexual way. That is a common fantasy. But two women fighting and screaming at each other and tweeting? I don`t know what is sexy about that. Care to explain, Alexis?

TERESZCUK: I think that a lot of people think that that is sexy. And you know what? Fighting on television, we`re looking at Ellen. Those little girls, they`re not fighting. I think that Nicki Minaj is somebody that everybody looks up to. But she is a sassy woman and Mariah is the ultimate diva. So the things that these two can`t get, that`s something that everyone is going to tune into.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, to me, it is almost like who is the most famous? Who is on top so to speak? These are two very talented women. And I think that we could actually give everybody sort of a new twist on this if they would just embrace each other`s talents, embrace each other`s accomplishments instead of being threatened by them.

Word to the wise, ladies, this is old school. Let`s get 21st century on you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And tonight our kooky fun video of the day, two dogs playing volleyball with a balloon. Look at this. I think they`re going to enter this competition into the Olympics next time around because these guys are talented.

Oh, my gosh. That just shows you animals have not just a sense of fun but a sense of humor as well.

Finally tonight, we want to congratulate one of our most fantastic producers, Katie Rogers and her husband Eric. They welcomed in yesterday little Samuel Reese. The future Hokie came in at a healthy 6 pounds, 9 ounces. Mom says little Sam looks like big sister Devin. We are so happy to say that everyone is doing great. Congratulations, Katie. Way to go.

Nancy Grace is up next.

END