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Jane Velez-Mitchell

Backpack of Missing Girl Found; Jerry Sandusky Speaks Out

Aired October 08, 2012 - 19:00   ET

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jane Velez-Mitchell coming up next.

KYRA PHILLIPS, HLN ANCHOR: We`ll be back tomorrow night.

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Tonight, 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway vanishes on her way to school. We`ve got breaking news just in, including a sketch that we`ve just received from law enforcement about the man who -- there he is -- was allegedly, purportedly, according to kids, trying to lure kids towards his car. So we`re going to bring you the latest breaking news just in, in just seconds. Stay right there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL (voice-over): Tonight, the desperate search for a missing Colorado girl takes a frightening turn. An army of volunteers search for 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway, last seen Friday walking to school. This as a homeowner makes an ominous discovery, finding a huge clue more than six miles from her home. Tonight, where is Jessica?

Could reports of a man trying to lure kids into his car hold the key to her mysterious disappearance? We`re investigating, and I`m taking your calls.

Then, shock rips through a Texas town as cops arrest a 17-year-old boy who calls 911 and calmly informs the operator that he just executed his mother and sister, adding he wasn`t really angry at them, but he had planned to kill someone for a while. Did this homeschooled boy snap? We`ll play the bizarre and chilling call tonight.

And an outrageous wedding brawl caught on tape. How did two weddings turn into a violent fight that spiraled out of control, leaving three arrested and one man dead? Is the nonstop fighting shown on reality TV seeping into our daily lives? We`ll show you the outrageous video tonight.

Plus, "Kill Bill" star Darryl Hannah joins me live tonight to tell us why she just got arrested.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Big development in the case of a missing 10-year- old Colorado girl. Jessica Ridgeway`s backpack was found in a subdivision more than six miles away from her home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police were alerted that a resident of Superior had discovered a backpack.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For Jessica Ridgeway`s neighbors, any sign of the 10-year-old girl is better than nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s awful. It`s awful. It`s just...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bloodhounds searched again today. Police have constant patrols, and neighbors want everyone to know what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police say they do not have a person of interest at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Agencies that are assisting us today will be using approximately 125 people to search that area. We still will be searching and conducting canvasses using dogs in and around the neighborhood of Jessica`s home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, breaking news in the frantic search taking place as we speak for a missing fourth-grader. She vanished on her way to school four long days ago. Ten-year-old Jessica Ridgeway has been missing since Friday. The clock is ticking.

Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live.

Police discovered a huge clue yesterday. A local homeowner found Jessica`s backpack and water bottle more than six miles away from her home. But how did they get there?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don`t know when the bag was put there. Obviously over the weekend, kids are out of school. There is the chance that -- that kids may have gone by, playing, riding bikes. We`re not going to go into detail just -- just for the purpose of the investigation. We`re not going to discuss the details of the backpack or, again, the contents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jessica`s mom told us every school morning Jessica walks three blocks to meet up with friends before the whole group walks the rest of the way together to Witt Elementary School, which is about a mile from her home.

When Jessica did not show up for class Friday, the school called her mom. But since her mom works overnights, the mother was asleep and did not get the message until late Friday afternoon. Cops say because of that delay, they lost valuable time.

Neighbors say they cannot believe this is happening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s just awful, it`s awful. That she`s gone. So we`re just -- any of us would give whatever to do whatever we could to help to bring her home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Police and an army of volunteers were out searching again today with bloodhounds for any sign of this precious child. We can all help by getting the word out, because by now, Jessica could be anywhere.

And tonight, an ominous development. We`re learning that just three weeks ago, students in the area reported seeing a man in a dark sedan trying to lure kids close to his car. And we just got this sketch moments ago of what this potential abductor looks like. Now, could there be a connection? Remember, this sketch is not necessarily the person who is responsible for the disappearance of Jessica. This is a sketch that police have put together based on what kids said about a man trying to lure them to his car. Something -- about three weeks ago, it occurred.

All right. What is your theory or question? Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS. All this happening in Colorado. 1-877-586-7297.

Straight out to reporter Marc Stewart from KMGH. Marc, this little girl`s been missing four days now. A lot of breaking news developments. What have you learned tonight?

MARC STEWART, REPORTER, KMGH: Jane, the big headline from here is that everything is on the table. That case you mentioned about a potential abductor a few weeks ago, that is on the table along with everything else. I talked to a source very close to this investigation who tells me nothing is being ruled out.

But here`s what`s of concern. And you will understand from covering many of these cases. This little girl, Jessica, is seen as emotionally strong. She didn`t have anything in her past that would suggest she would run away. And, even though her parents are involved in a custody dispute, which is very common for these abductions to take place, there is nothing in that history that would indicate something as a family abduction, as we often see these cases, would happen.

For that reason, everything is on the table. That`s why they are trying to get that little girl`s picture out as much as possible, along with this man who was perhaps involved with the case just a few weeks ago in the same area -- Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, as you mentioned this man, let me go to my producer, Selin Darkalstanian. You just told us about this sketch. I just got it on my Blackberry moments before we went to air.

Selin, what are you learning tonight from the school district and law enforcement?

SELIN DARKALSTANIAN, PRODUCER (via phone): That`s right, Jane. I literally just got off the phone with the police. And they`re saying that there was two separate incidents, not one but two incidents of a child being approached by a stranger offering candy and asking them to get into the car.

And so these two incidents were reported to the school by the children. The school then went to the police. The police thought that this was very credible, what they had seen reported.

And then what the school did is they sent letters home in the children`s backpack to 35 to 40 schools in their district. They sent letters home to the parents, warning them that these incidents had occurred and giving them, you know, stranger danger tips on how to speak to their children about being careful.

So that is what the school had just told me they did. And we just saw the sketch of the male that the two kids had reported, you know, being approached by.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s show that sketch again. There, just released, is this individual connected to the disappearance of this precious child, Jessica Ridgeway?

I want to go to Wendy Murphy, former prosecutor. Again, this information just coming in. This sketch just released by law enforcement. Now we`re learning it`s not one incident, but two incidents, where somebody who fit this is description is telling kids, "Hey, come to my car. I`ve got some candy for you." And now this child disappears on the way to school.

WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Yes. I mean, look, it`s a parent`s worst nightmare that it might be a guy like this, the stranger in the car trying to lure the child. Presumably, this is a child who`s been told more than once in her life never to go with such a guy. You know, it`s an old trick, right? Either the puppy or the candy.

And good parents and even, you know, not-so-vigilant parents know enough to say to the kids when that happens, run and scream and yell. So one hope is that that happened with this girl and that this is not the story behind the story.

I always worry first not about the stranger so much as who would have been motivated to touch a child like this and who in the area where her backpack was found, which is six miles from her house -- that`s a pretty good distance -- who might be in that area that knows something about this family? That`s what I worry about.

I read the story that said they don`t think this was an abduction. But they did use an Amber Alert, Jane, which means they think her life is in danger. That doesn`t square with me. Her life is in danger, but she wasn`t abducted. What do cops really think happened? That sounds inconsistent to me.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let`s talk about this. Jessica`s parents are divorced. Her dad lives in Missouri. Police say they do not suspect any family involvement in Jessica`s disappearance.

But there is this, and this is the father. According to one of our affiliates, K-D -- T-V-R, Jessica`s dad, Jeremiah Bryant, is on felony probation in Missouri for two separate domestic violence arrests.

And Jon Lieberman, investigative reporter, he was reportedly in court on Friday in Missouri for a child custody hearing. Now Jessica disappears in Colorado. Isn`t that an alibi for the dad, because you cannot be in two states at once?

JON LIEBERMAN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Well, it could be an alibi. But another theory, another possible hypothesis could be that the father`s involved, but he had somebody else involved with him, perhaps hiring somebody. That`s just a theory.

But police are looking at everything. They`re looking at familial involvement, the family. They`re also looking at registered sex offenders in the area. You`re looking at more than 80 sex offenders in this general area, as well.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, listen, Marc Stewart, the police have said that they do not believe this is family involvement. By the way, we tried to reach this dad. Unable to. He`s invited on our show anytime. Marc, your thoughts on this aspect?

STEWART: I just want to elaborate on something that Wendy brought up: why was an Amber Alert issued? And the reason, according to police, is this: mom works the overnight shift. She saw Jessica leave at 7:30 in the morning. She went to bed. Got a phone call hours later saying, your daughter had not shown up at school.

But Mom only got that message later on in the day, realized almost eight hours later what had happened. That`s when she called school. That`s when things moved into action. And that`s when the Amber Alert was issued...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right.

STEWART: ... because so much time had passed she had not been seen. So that`s why there was concern.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Marc Stewart, thank you so much for your reporting from Colorado where this is all going down.

You know what? This is ridiculous in today`s day and age with high- tech, we need to get to parents immediately or the cops when an elementary school child does not show up at school.

We`re going to talk about that as well on the other side of the break and take your calls.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Somehow the backpack got there. So just keeping your eyes open and creating awareness. I mean, I think the guy there didn`t actually even know it was connected to this. So I think if more people can be aware, just might notice things differently.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: The other breaking development in this child`s disappearance is that her backpack and water bottle were spotted on the sidewalk Saturday night, six miles from the home where she was last seen.

Now, this child goes missing Friday morning, and the homeowner says, well, he didn`t see the backpack when he left Saturday evening to go out for the evening. But when he returned late Saturday night, around midnight, he sees the backpack.

So T.J. Ward, private investigator, to me that says, whoa, maybe this child remained in the area with whoever took her, and this person then at some point on Saturday evening throws that backpack and water bottle out on the sidewalk.

T.J. WARD, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: One of the things, Jane, that hasn`t been mentioned about the backpack, the police are being quiet about, maybe there was a cell phone that this little girl had that may have been in that backpack. And if so, the police will be able to triangulate where that phone has been and what time it got there and what time. So that may be a possibility of why they`re not discussing the backpack.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, also DNA. I mean, we could get DNA. You could get fingerprints.

WARD: Exactly, exactly.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: If this perpetrator had this backpack in his hands, and I say "he" because -- it could be she or he. We don`t know if this is the same person. This is the person who was luring kids, allegedly, with candy to his car a couple of weeks ago. But if it is the same person or if it`s not the same person, whoever`s responsible for her, may have left his fingerprints on the backpack.

I want to go to somebody who really understands what this family is going through: Diena Thompson, one of my heroes. Her beautiful, precious 7-year-old daughter, Somer, vanished while innocently walking home from school back in 2009. Somer was with her siblings and simply ran ahead. It`s a gut-wrenching tragedy. Her body was found two days later in a landfill.

This neighborhood man, Jarred Harrell, a monster, ended up pleading guilty to Somer`s death. He lured Somer to his house with a puppy.

Diena, again, you`re one of my heroes, created a foundation in your daughter`s name. What are your thoughts as you listen to this story about Jessica Ridgeway disappearing on the way to school?

DIENA THOMPSON, CREATED FOUNDATION TO HONOR MURDERED DAUGHTER SOMER (via phone): It`s gut-wrenching, obviously. We are just a little under two weeks until it`s actually Somer`s anniversary. So anytime something like this happens in October, it is a little extra close to home.

But I am praying, obviously, for the child`s safe return and also want to implore the people to let them see that it just happens that quick.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. What about this man luring children with candy, Diena?

THOMPSON: Well, you know, they have Web sites set up, these animals do. And they share their information with each other. And even if he`s not involved with Jessica`s disappearance, I definitely think that they need to still find that person, because obviously, there`s a threat.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What I`d like to know, Jon Lieberman -- and I`ll bring Wendy in this, as well -- why are we just getting this photograph now? It was a couple of weeks ago that this guy was going around and trying to lure kids with candy.

Now we have a child who`s missing and now -- and I`ve got to bring this to Wendy, because my blood is boiling. Why didn`t every single homeowner and parent in this entire region have this description? Why are we getting it right now?

MURPHY: You know, Jane, my only guess is that cops are really worried and school administrators are really worried about getting parents into a frenzy. I mean, I`ve been in this kind of situation with my own kids when something happens or they`re suspicious about a character in town. The last thing in the world they want to do is make people upset, because it makes everybody anxious in the community. Gives the community a bad name. So they try to keep things on the down-low, hoping this was just some weirdo passing through town.

The problem is it is too late. I`m not sure anybody can at this point can remember back to seeing that guy around when this poor little kid went missing.

And by the way, I just want to add one quick thing about the location of the backpack. If this were a stranger, this is just common sense for a minute here. If this were a stranger, no way is a guy in a car going to dump a backpack. That`s just too much evidence against him. That`s what makes me suspicious about the story of the possibility of this being a stranger. A stranger is not going to be stupid enough to leave crime evidence like that six miles...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well -- well -- yes...

LIEBERMAN: Unless, unless, unless -- unless the perp is rushed. For example, somebody startles them, comes up and sees him with this girl. At that point, he might discard evidence quickly just to get out of that situation. But we don`t know if Jessica was actually there where the backpack was found or if this person just dumped the backpack.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And not only that, but people who do these kinds of heinous things -- and let`s hope -- let`s hope that this is all a big misunderstanding and she shows up safe and sound. But people who do these heinous things are not bright, and they don`t think logically. They`re -- they`re sick.

More on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don`t have reason to believe that there`s a person that is going around abducting children. We are working a case, but at this time, we don`t have information to believe that there`s going to be another abduction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: But a letter did go out to parents about a man in a dark sedan, two incidents, trying to lure kids to his car, on two separate occasions. And this is the just-released sketch from law enforcement. This is what that man may look like.

Let`s go out to the phone lines. Kathy, Oklahoma, thanks for your patience. Kathy, what`s your question or thought?

CALLER: Hi, Jane. I don`t understand this. I live a block from an elementary school. I see children walking, little girls, all by themselves. You never -- she shouldn`t have went to sleep. Should have made sure for that child`s safety before she went to bed, because this is on the news every day. And if you care about your children, see to it they get to school, because it can happen in an instant.

Now she can sleep in every morning. She doesn`t have that worry.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, now, I understand your thoughts. But I have to say that this mother is probably going through hell undoubtedly right now.

And she works. She`s a hard-working woman, works the night shift. And she comes home at 7:30 in the morning. She sees her child off to school. And so she`s trying to make money to put food on the table. And then she goes to sleep.

Now, the school called. The school is the one that called her. And I guess they left a message to say, "Your child didn`t show up." In fact, one of our producers who has a young child said she often gets these -- she has heard in the past this message, and usually there`s a good explanation.

But my question is -- and Jon Lieberman, in this day and age of texting, of e-mails, of all sorts of ways to get information across, can you really just leave a voice mail when a 10-year-old doesn`t show up at school and there`s no note that says she`s sick, doesn`t more need to be done? This is a call to action for me.

LIEBERMAN: Well, it is troubling. And hindsight is always 20/20, and the school generally believes, like you said, the child is sick or something like that.

One lesson to parents here is this: it`s that you should not let your children do the same routine every single day. Predators watch routines. This girl every day walked three blocks to the park and then walked with her same group of friends another mile, which is a long way, to school. But urge your kids to vary up their routine. Because this is the type of activity that predators look for.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re covering more of this on the other side. We`ve got new information just in. Stay right there.

But first, our "Shocking Video of the Day." It`s absolutely bizarre. This is an all-out brawl between two wedding parties as these two receptions collide. And it`s all caught on camera.

This got so out of control, cops had to literally use batons. You could see them using batons to break it up. They even Tasered one guy, force cops say was justified. There`s screaming. There`s yelling. There`s fighting. Three people were arrested, and tragically, one man died of a heart attack.

So what a way to start off two sets of lives together, with violence and craziness. I`ve got to wonder, do you think alcohol might have been involved? You think? Perhaps? Possibly?

More on missing Jessica on the other side. We want to find her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Big development in the case of a missing 10-year- old Colorado girl. Jessica Ridgeway`s backpack was found in a subdivision more than six miles away from her home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police were alerted that a resident of Superior had discovered a backpack.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For Jessica Ridgeway`s neighbors, any sign of the 10-year-old girl is better than nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s just awful, it`s awful, that she`s gone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bloodhounds searched again today. Police have constant patrols, and neighbors want everyone to know what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police say they do not have a person of interest at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Agencies that are assisting us today will be using approximately 125 people to search that area. We still will be searching and conducting canvasses using dogs in and around the neighborhood of Jessica`s home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Where is Jessica Ridgway? This beautiful 10-year-old girl walked to school Friday morning. She was going to go three blocks, meet up with a group of her friends. Then they together walk a mile to school. She never made it those three blocks.

And now we`re getting breaking news just in, information that a couple of weeks prior to this, the district sent out a warning about this man, this is a composite sketch that was just released by police, a description that kids, I believe, gave of a man trying to lure children to his car with candy.

I want to go to Selin Darkalstanian, our producer, who`s been on the phone with the school district and with local authorities. What have you learned -- Selin?

SELIN DARKALSTANIAN, HLN PRODUCER (via telephone): The police are releasing additional information on this suspect who was approaching children and trying to lure them into his car by offering candy. They`re saying that he has a vehicle that`s royal blue, dark blue vehicle, similar to the blue worn by the University of Kentucky, a four-door sedan possibly from the mid-90s and may have dents on the right side of the door. And they`re saying this is the car that has been driven, that has been described by the children of the suspect who was circling these schools.

So they want all the parents know that -- you know, to remind their children to yell, shout, run and immediately tell an adult if he or she is approached. That`s what the police department is releasing.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Why are we just getting this composite sketch now? This happened a couple of weeks ago, is my understanding -- something like three weeks ago. There were two incidents. Why did we get this literally a minute before we went on the air?

DARKALSTANIAN: I think that the police -- they were saying -- the description they were getting from the children were two different types of descriptions so it`s taken them a while to put the sketch together. The police department also told me there were different rumors flying around about the suspect so they wanted to put out one sketch.

But that`s a good question. Why now? Is it too little too late?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. And I`ve got to go to Diena Thompson. You were the founder of the Sommer Thompson Foundation. You try to protect children. Your precious daughter was abducted and killed. Does that upset you? I mean I think in today`s high-tech world, we need to get all this information disseminated immediately to all the parents and additionally when a child doesn`t show up in the morning, especially a 10-year-old. There can`t just be a phone message left because people do go to sleep. There`s got to be some kind of protocol where police are immediately notified so that there is no delay if a child is abducted, Diena.

THOMPSON: I completely agree. We cannot hope that things are going to go all right or things are going to be ok. And our children should be afforded the opportunity to be allowed to walk to school because that`s the right thing for them to be able to do.

But I agree with you totally that if your child doesn`t show up to school, the school shouldn`t be calling at the end of the day to say, you have this student missing today. We need to be calling as soon as the kid`s not showing up because sometimes parents don`t call and let the school know that their child is sick. And I`d rather know even if my child were skipping, I would rather know than not know and have this lapse in time where we have this much time already ahead on that clock that we weren`t able to look for this child.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Diena, I`m so pleased that you agreed to come on and talk to us tonight. We`re all over this story. We are searching for Jessica Ridgway and we`re going to stay on top of it tomorrow.

Also tomorrow, Jerry Sandusky`s sentencing and guess what? We have just gotten in, this is more breaking news. We have just gotten in some new information on the eve of his sentencing. It appears that the former Penn State coach is talking. He is still defending his innocence and guess what? He is blaming the victims.

This is audio that was just released moments ago. It`s just coming in. Remember, this is a man convicted of 45 counts of child sex abuse. His sentencing is tomorrow. And we understand that he has just spoken and that we have the audio. Do we have the audio and can we play it now?

Ok. Let`s listen.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: This audio, we`re putting it together and we`re going to play it. But Jon Leiberman, we are both reading what he says. And it`s absolutely outrageous that on the eve of his sentencing, now we`re hearing that he`s blaming the victims.

JON LEIBERMAN, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: My blood is boiling right now. That`s what I just said to you because I have interviewed so many sex abuse victims who don`t deserve -- let me read you a little bit of what Sandusky says. He`s blaming the first young man who testified. He`s saying, "A young man who was dramatic, a veteran accuser and always sought attention, started everything. He was joined by a well-orchestrated effort of the media, investigators, the system, Penn State, psychologists, civil attorneys and other accusers. He`s blaming everybody and taking no responsibility for being the monster he is."

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And he is the ego maniac he always was.

Wendy Murphy, this is a part of his remarks. "I am responding to the worst loss of my life." This is the first thing he has to say. He is still self-obsessed, Wendy. All the lives he ruined. And he is saying here, "Why have so many people suffered as a result of false allegations?" He`s pretending that others have suffered because of false allegations. They`ve suffered because of his behavior.

WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: You know, right, so I don`t feel outrage so much as I feel like I should laugh out loud and roll my eyes. This guy may be setting up a post-conviction insanity defense. I don`t know what the hell he`s doing. This is going to get him nothing.

Mind you, he`s got like 480 years behind bars he`s facing so he doesn`t really stand to lose very much by making up more nonsense. To me, what he`s trying to do by all of this, I think, is to threaten -- I think the purpose here is to threaten some of the people that he knows know more about what was going on.

Remember, there`s a new story from just a couple of weeks ago that he was involved in a tri-state pedophile ring with little kids. You read the Huffington Post --

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, well -- you know, let me say this Wendy. I do have no confirmation of that. But I will tell you that on the other side of the break we`re going to hear from Jerry Sandusky in his own words. We`ve cued up the audio. It`s just been released. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Our "Viral Video of the Today", it`s another wacky wedding proposal. This one made by Bradley Jansen (ph) for his fiancee, Emily. And it features friends and family doing a lip synch-dance. This is just a tiny part of it. You can check it out at hlntv.com. Wow, it`s like a music video.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY SANDUSKY, CONVICTED OF SEXUAL ABUSE: They can take away my life. They can make me out as a monster. They can treat me as o monster. But they can`t take away my heart. In my heart, I know I did not do these alleged, disgusting acts. My wife has been my only sex partner and that was after marriage. Our love continues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You are hearing, as we are for the first time, this breaking news, Jerry Sandusky speaking out from behind bars on the eve of his sentencing -- the former Penn State coach still proclaiming his innocence and even blaming the victim. He is convicted of 45 counts of child sex abuse and could be sentenced tomorrow for the rest of his natural life -- the rest of his life in prison.

Let`s listen to more as we`re just getting it in of Jerry Sandusky, convicted -- convicted of 45 counts involving pedophilia, to his statement, apparently talking to somebody on the phone, some news organization from behind bars. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDUSKY: The young man who`s dramatic, a veteran accuser and always sought attention started everything. He was joined by a well-orchestrated effort of the media, investigators, the system, Penn State, psychologists, civil attorneys and other accusers. They won. I`ve wondered what they really won. Attention, financial gain, prestige will be temporary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. He`s really playing himself as the victim. How about they`ve won the truth? How about they`ve won justice? How about they`ve won some kind of closure for the abuse that they suffered?

Wendy Walsh, psychologist, as you hear his voice what I hear is a ginormous pity party and often when people do the worst things somehow they convince themselves that they`re still the victims.

Wendy.

WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST (via telephone): -- of the statements of O.J. Simpson immediately after his trial. You know, what I hear here is somebody not really talking to us. He`s talking to potential inmates. Remember, he`s going to be in a very unsafe place for the rest of his life. If he can blame the man, if he can blame the system, if he can blame everybody else and keep proclaiming his innocence, then maybe they won`t think he`s a pedophile who is a very vulnerable person, by the way, in a jailhouse.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And he brings his wife into this. Dottie Sandusky, you remember that one young man testified that he was downstairs in the basement of the Sandusky home screaming for help and he was hoping somebody, because he thought that Dottie was upstairs, would hear him.

Let`s listen to what Jerry Sandusky says on the eve of his sentencing from behind bars to a local reporter just coming out now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDUSKY: They can take away my life. They can make me out as a monster. They can treat me as a monster but they can`t take away my heart. In my heart, I know I did not do these alleged, disgusting acts. My wife has been my only sex partner and that was after marriage. Our love continues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You will hear more of Jerry`s disturbing message tomorrow right here because this is the day that this convicted pedophile is going to be sentenced -- tomorrow. So stay right here for that.

Wendy Murphy, former prosecutor, his attorney said that he had been working on a statement that he plans to read in court. But if he`s saying this the day before court, isn`t the judge going to possibly get wind of this and be even less forgiving and harsher at sentencing?

MURPHY: Yes. But he must have a sense of where the judge is going and he decided this couldn`t hurt him. I mean look, he`s an old guy. He faces almost 500 years behind bars. The judge -- he must have wind that the judge was going to give him 420 and it doesn`t hurt for him to do this. He`s not going to lose anything.

Look, the guy is a low life. His wife is a low life -- she deserves him. They deserve each other. Remember she`s the one who testified she didn`t hear the kid screaming. We know she did. We know what this guy did.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, wait a second. Wendy. Wendy, Wendy. Wendy. My gosh, we can`t say that. A person who`s married to somebody like this may be deceived. You might say that they lived perhaps with their blinders on but you certainly can`t say there`s absolutely no indication that Dottie -- there`s no proof -- she`s not charged with anything. There`s no proof that she knew anything.

Jon Leiberman --

MURPHY: I believe the kids. You say what you want. It`s your show. I believe the kids. He says they can`t take away his heart. He`s right about that Jane, because he doesn`t have one. That guy`s a piece of -- I wish I could say what he`s a piece of.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. You can`t. Ok. Wendy, thank you. Yes Jon, last word.

LEIBERMAN: Two things. Number one, you could tell he spent a lot of time on that statement. He was reading it. He`s going to have a lot of time to spend on many more of these statements when he gets 400-plus years tomorrow. He`s going to have nothing but time sitting in jail.

And if you read the whole statement, he`s using his wife now as kind of a compassionate figure. He`s saying, when we couldn`t have kids, we adopted. When we didn`t have time to prepare for a trial, we still gave it our best. He`s saying "we".

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And remember, one of those adopted kids said after the jury went to deliberate that he, too, was a victim.

More on the other side.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Time for our "Pet o` the Day". Zeke, love that look. It`s like a head shot for the movies. Sadies and Prissy -- they say, well, we`re sitting pretty. And Kismet is studying on his iPad there. And Gracie and Pea -- two peas in a pod. Abby.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actress Daryl Hannah was arrested while protesting an oil pipeline.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She and this fellow protester were arrested yesterday, trying to stop the construction of this southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get off my land -- period.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Movie star Daryl Hannah joining me right now telling me why -- and you, she is fighting back, taking on bulldozers, waging war against a pipeline that she says could devastate the environment.

You remember Daryl Hannah from "Kill Bill", seen here on YouTube.

Daryl`s latest adventure, taking on Trans-Canada and the Keystone XL pipeline -- a 2,000 mile pipeline designed to bring crude oil from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Daryl Hannah, actress/ activist, so glad to have you. Why did you risk getting arrested and indeed you got arrested?

DARYL HANNAH, ACTIVIST: Yes. Well, here we`ve got a foreign company, Trans-Canada, who is actually using America, sacrificing our climate, our fresh water resources, our water security, our soil, uncontaminated soil, and trampling property owners` rights for their own private financial gainful this is an export line and many people aren`t aware of that. They think it has something to do with energy security here in the country but it is really just oil that is for export. So they`re only using America as a passage way because they can`t get it to the Canadian coast because the first nations won`t allow it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, here`s what the company says. They say they followed all the rules and regulations. We got a little thing we can put up. This pipeline will be the safest one they`ve built. That the crude oil is no dirtier than the oil currently coming into the country and that they have the legal authority to build under Texas state law. I want to get your reaction to their statement.

HANNAH: Well, there are thousands of people that were protesting the Keystone XL. It has had opposition all the way down the line from South Dakota, the Lakota nations to the Nebraskan farmers and now through Oklahoma and Texas. And it still continues to have opposition.

But it was fast tracked, the southern leg was fast tracked by the state department without any environmental reviews and everything because there was so much pressure during this political campaign time to look like we were strong on energy. But this has nothing to do with energy security for Americans.

In fact, I was with Eleanor Fairchild. We were on her land. I was invited by her. We were on her land when we were arrested for trespassing.

Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A couple things. I can`t independently confirm what you`ve said. However on the other side, we`re going to talk to Eleanor Fairchild whose land, you see her right there. That`s the lady. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m here with movie star Daryl Hannah who got arrested along with a Texas great grandmother Eleanor Fairchild. You`re the property owner. Why did you decide to get arrested, Eleanor, to protest Keystone XL pipeline?

ELEANOR FAIRCHILD, PROPERTY OWNER: I decided to get arrested because I thought we needed some press and to get it out there so people can understand what we`re fighting, that this is not, it`s the fuel that`s the dirtiest fuel on earth. And I`m concerned about our water and our environment and I think it is just a project they ought to leave alone. They don`t have the technology. Keystone, their first segment is Kansas and stuff, had at least 12 times in 12 months on the new line.

(CROSSTALK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I cannot confirm anything that you`re saying, Eleanor, but see that gray-haired lady over there? That`s Eleanor, that`s Daryl. Daryl, this was her property and she is getting arrested for trespassing on her own property essentially?

HANNAH: Yes. Her own property which she still has to pay taxes on -- that`s what`s really interesting about this struggle because it is bringing together all factions. Tea partiers, conservatives, liberals. This is just a foreign company coming in and trampling American`s property rights and endangering our earth water and it is just not acceptable.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me say this. It is a complicated story. I`m sure you would be willing to come back, Daryl, and debate the other side. The other side is invited on any time. Maybe we can arrange that and I love seeing you, Daryl. Thank you for coming on.

END