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Jane Velez-Mitchell
New Twists in Jodi Arias Trial?
Aired March 11, 2013 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Breaking news in the Jodi Arias trial. Has the case just taken a screeching turn at this late stage of the trial? We have just obtained these newly-surfaced court documents about Travis Alexander. But there`s a catch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VELEZ-MITCHELL (voice-over): Tonight, is there an 11th hour surprise in the Jodi Arias trial? Are Jodi`s supporters claiming victim Travis Alexander`s past contains a dark secret about violence? But is this all just one big paperwork mix-up? We`ll investigate.
Plus, Jodi and Travis` relationship caught on tape. Do these astounding videos reveal her obsession with the man she killed? We`ll debate it with our expert panel.
Also, three young women missing in Colorado. Two are aspiring models. Are their disappearances connected? We`ll talk to a former model who was the victim of a predator but survived to talk.
And Justin Bieber`s hell week. The Biebs rants at paparazzi, angers fans, lands in a hospital and cancels a concert. Is this a scary new form of Bieber fever?
KIRK NURMI, JODI`S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: A lot of secrets went on behind those closed doors, didn`t it?
JODI ARIAS, MURDER DEFENDANT: Yes. Yes.
NURMI: Violence and sex.
TRAVIS ALEXANDER, MURDER VICTIM (via phone): I could (EXPLETIVE DELETED) at any moment. Put my (EXPLETIVE DELETED) in every orifice of your body.
JUDGE SHERRY STEPHENS, PRESIDING OVER TRIAL: "How is it you remember so many of your sexual encounters but you do not remember stabbing Travis and dragging his body?"
ARIAS: I don`t know how the mind works necessarily.
The sound waves are hitting my ears, but the brain is not computing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m a big believer that the questions of the jurors are like the windows to their soul, to their doubts, their beliefs.
STEPHENS: "Why did you put the camera in the washer?"
ARIAS: I don`t have memory of that.
If I hurt Travis, if I killed Travis, I would beg for the death penalty.
My philosophy is it`s not OK to kill somebody under any circumstance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, an unbelievable twist in the 11th hour of the Jodi Arias murder trial. Does a police report prove victim Travis Alexander had a violent past?
It appears that supporters of Jodi Arias dug up and put together a YouTube video featuring this criminal case report involving a Travis Alexander, but there`s a controversy and a catch. We`ve obtained the document. We`re going to break it down for you in a second.
Also, after hundreds of hostile juror questions, is Jodi shaking like a Chihuahua in her jail cell? And considering a plea deal? Remember, she said she shook like a Chihuahua. I`m using her phraseology.
Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell, coming to you live.
The 32-year-old aspiring photographer on trial for allegedly stabbing Travis Alexander 29 times, slashing his throat from ear to ear and shooting him in the head. Jodi said, "Yes, I did it all, but I did it in self- defense when Travis attacked me and left me no choice but to fight back," leaving these wounds. Her defense team says Travis sexually degraded and abused Jodi for months leading up to his brutal killing, using this graphic and sexually explicit phone-sex call as evidence. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXANDER (via phone): There`s been many times when you have been, like, miserable and I`ve like -- raped you.
I`m going to tie you to a tree and put it in your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) by the way.
ARIAS: What`s that?
ALEXANDER: I`m going to tie you to a tree and put it in your (EXPLETIVE DELETED). I`m going to tie your arms around a tree, blindfold you and put a camera on timer while I`m (EXPLETIVE DELETED) you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And tonight, we`re going to show you and analyze this really bizarre video of Travis and Jodi. And Jodi is running around in the corners, taking photos of Travis, who is having a good time at an exercise class. What is she? His official photographer? What does this footage say about the nature of their relationship? Is Jodi`s stalker-ish behavior caught on tape here?
I want to hear from you. Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to Beth Karas, correspondent for "In Session" on the ground at the courthouse in Arizona.
Beth, tell us about this breaking news involving these criminal case reports. What have you found out about these claims that Travis had a criminal record involving battery?
BETH KARAS, CORRESPONDENT, TRUTV`S "IN SESSION": Well, this criminal case report from Riverside Superior Court in Southern California, which is where Travis Victor Alexander, the man Jodi Arias killed, is from and used to live.
This person identified as Travis Alexander was arrested on March 7, 2002, for a shoplifting at a supermarket called Stater Brothers, and he must have gotten into a little shoving match with a man named Fred Lopez. He was arrested.
This person identified as Travis Victor Alexander, was arrested, went to jail, pled guilty to shoplifting and battery. Four days later on March 11, 2002, got an additional five days in jail. So about nine days in jail, a fine, and restitution totaling $515 and then three years` probation expiring on March 11, 2005.
So that`s what we know about this. He was ordered to stay away from Stater Brothers, the grocery store, and Fred Lopez, the person he must have got in a shoving match with. The records say it is Travis Victor Alexander. That`s what we know.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. And there is a catch. And for that we bring in journalist Shanna Hogan, author of "Picture Perfect," which is a book about this case and this trial.
Shanna, you alerted us to the story. Thank you for joining us this evening. And you even wrote about this criminal record in your book, because you say it`s not about Travis Alexander, the Travis Alexander that we`ve come to know as the victim of this hideous killing. What can you tell us, Shanna Hogan, about these criminal records involving a Travis Alexander?
SHANNA HOGAN, AUTHOR, "PICTURE PERFECT" (via phone): Yes, thanks, Jane. So (UNINTELLIGIBLE) he talked about this in his motivational speeches at Prepaid Legal, that in 2002 his identity was stolen, and he was alerted that he had spent time in jail. And he realized that he had not and that he was innocent and had ended up clearing this up.
I did a little -- did dig deeper today, did some more research and spoke -- or communicated with some of the victim`s family. And it turns out this was actually a member of the family who was involved in some problems at the time and actually used his brother`s identity and -- or Travis` identity, and it wasn`t actually him. And they actually have proof of this. So the records that they`re coming up with now are actually false.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Jon Lieberman, HLN contributor and host, "Searching for Justice" on AOL, the fact that this popped up on YouTube, these documents, and put to music -- I watched the whole YouTube video -- that would appear to be organized by a supporter of Jodi Arias. What does that tell you about Jodi Arias`s supporters?
JON LIEBERMAN, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: It`s outrageous. This is character assassination. These people know that you can`t slander or libel a dead person, and Travis Alexander is indeed dead. This is the lowest of the low. This was never even entered into the court record.
Don`t you think, Jane, that defense attorneys for Jodi Arias, if this were indeed real, that they would have tried to get this into court? Well, they didn`t. And that`s because it`s not real.
This is grasping at straws. This is character assassination. This is another side show because what`s going on in the courtroom shows that Jodi Arias is a liar, and prosecutors are trying to show she`s a cold-blooded murderer-liar.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And what I would say is this is classic for these megatrials. They are always going off the rails. I`ve covered many of these megatrials, and there`s always some kind of 11th hour surprise. I wouldn`t be surprised if there were more of these coming down the pike.
Now, meantime, what is Jodi Arias doing right now behind bars as you and I speak? She`s probably, I would guess, pacing herself, replaying the more than 200 questions from jurors, and pondering the implications for her and her life.
These juror questions ranged from snarky to sarcastic to outright hostile toward Jodi Arias. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHENS: "How can you say that you don`t have memory issues when you can`t remember how you stabbed him so many times and slashed his throat?"
"Do you agree that you came away from the June 4 incident rather unscathed? While Travis suffered a gunshot and multiple stab wounds, you only had a bump on your head, a bruise on your head, cuts or scrapes on your ankles and a possible shoulder injury."
"Would you decide to tell the truth if you never got arrested?"
"After all the lies you have told, why should we believe you now?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Full disclosure: I was actually processing this case in my sleep over the weekend. And I woke up out of a dead sleep and said, "Oh, my gosh, I wonder if it`s so bad for Jodi Arias right now, that she is going to try to negotiate some 11th hour plea deal."
Let`s bring in our expert panel to debate it: Jason Lamb for the prosecution; Rene Sandler for the defense, along with our Jon Lieberman.
So, Jason Lamb, could that be a strategy, should it be a strategy, given that these jurors are so hostile toward the defendant?
JASON LAMB, ATTORNEY: Well, what`s the point of pleading? I mean, the prosecutor has to consent to it, and if I`m Juan Martinez, why would I give her a deal? Her goose is cooked. They know she`s a liar. They`ve put it out there in the jury question. What does she want? You know, natural life? You know, it`s not going to get any worse than that for the state. It`s life or death at this point.
And I think that`s what the jury was really trying to assess in their questions. They know the domestic violence defense doesn`t work. They don`t believe any of her other stories. They wanted her to look them in the eye and let her lie again. So when it comes time to actually decide whether it`s life or death, they have a lot more insight as to who she really is. No pleas, no point.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Leaving please out of it. Rene Sandler, what do you think? Good idea to try for a plea deal?
RENE SANDLER, ATTORNEY: Look, it`s always a good idea from a strategic position, if you`re reading the evidence as being unfavorable for your client to do what you can as a defense attorney to negotiate. That`s not going to happen here. Jodi Arias has dug in. The prosecution has dug in. The chance of a plea in this case, the only thing that could be offered is life without parole and just take death off the table. Very unlikely.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, given those juror questions that were so hostile, maybe she should ask for life without parole.
SANDLER: Absolutely not. I think...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: She`s facing the death penalty. She`s facing lethal injection.
SANDLER: Jane...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: She`s facing getting a needle in her arm.
SANDLER: Jane, there are questions, 50 at least, that support the defense. Bought (ph) into the domestic violence, the abuse, asking questions about past relationships. So, no, I don`t think a plea is reasonable under these circumstances.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ten seconds, Jon Lieberman?
LIEBERMAN: Let me -- let me say this: does Mr. Martinez lock like a man who would be willing to accept a plea deal with Jodi Arias? The answer is absolutely not. There will be no plea.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I know from covering these cases sometimes it`s not just the prosecutor. Sometimes it`s all the way up to the D.A., because these trials are very expensive, and who knows how much it`s going to cost at the end of the day?
Remember how much Casey Anthony costed [SIC] -- cost, excuse me -- cost the people down in Orlando? I can`t believe I just said "costed." This case is getting to me.
We`re just getting started. Lots to debate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIAS: Now I close my eyes, I think, as the gun began to go off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One month filled with surprising twists...
ARIAS: I kind of felt like a prostitute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... sex...
ALEXANDER: I`m going to tie you to a tree and put it in your (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... lies...
JUAN MARTINEZ, PROSECUTOR: You have a problem with telling the truth, don`t you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... and Jodi`s crooked finger.
MARTINEZ: You don`t have a bent finger here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not since Casey Anthony have so many been so passionate about one woman`s fate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only this time...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHENS: "Travis stated on the phone sex conversation he did not like Spider-Man. Why did he buy you Spider-Man underwear if he did not like that character?"
ARIAS: I don`t know why, but they were Spider-Man. And I do know, however, that prior -- the year prior he -- there`s a child he was close with that really liked Spider-Man. I don`t know if that had anything to do with it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Another zinger from Jodi Arias as part of her allegation that Travis Alexander, the victim, was a pedophile, something the prosecution and Travis` family, there, are outraged about. They say it`s a complete lie.
We have obtained two videos of Travis and Jodi that give us a very rare look at their relationship. One YouTube video shows Travis having a good time doing a chicken dance in an exercise class. And there`s Jodi. You can see Jodi in the background, darting across the screen and in the background grabbing her camera and snapping away. There she is, pictures of Travis. There she is. Jodi zipping by. OK? She`s got blond hair at the time.
Now here`s another video. It shows Travis talking to a group of people. Apparently, he`s talking about a near-death experience that he had. Jodi is there laying on his lap snuggling up, looking like she`s pretty much asleep in front of this group of people. So I want to bring in Patti Wood, body language expert. What do these videos reveal about Jodi`s relationship with Travis and vice versa?
PATTI WOOD, BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT: That first video, we see that joy of, "Ooh, he`s mine and I`m taking pictures of him." So there`s great energy in her body language.
What`s interesting is in that setting where she`s asleep, she`s saying, "He`s mine. I don`t have to pay attention to you." So it`s very disrespectful of the other people in the room, but she`s all physically connected and intertwined with him. Very much about possession for her.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fascinating. Jen Heger, managing editor for Radar Online, and you`ve had videos of the two of them up. You`ve covered so many of these cases. What`s your insights into these fascinating videos?
I will say this, because in Hollywood you deal with all these stalker cases. To me, somebody who`s running around, taking photographs -- and this relates to the first video -- of a guy doing a dance class. That`s not an appropriate thing to photograph. It`s a big whoop, who cares? He`s taking an exercise class. I think it`s a stalker tendency to want to photograph that and memorialize that. What do you say?
JEN HEGER, MANAGING EDITOR, RADAR ONLINE: I absolutely agree with you. I think that it was -- it`s creepy, to say the least, that she is taking pictures of him at an exercise class.
And I think the second video, where we see him and she`s cuddled up on his lap. Something happened there during -- when he was talking about the gun, if you notice she sits up somewhat abruptly and almost as if he`s pushing her away in some way. It gives this insight into this relationship.
You know, this trial, it`s so hard to watch this trial. I feel so much for Travis Alexander`s family. But you can`t turn away, because the things that this woman is saying just do not make any sense at all. The lies that are coming out of her mouth over and over and over again. There`s been absolutely no evidence that Mr. Alexander was a pedophile. His family has to sit in court every day and watch her lie and lie...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Imagine if you`re aggravated, imagine the family...
HEGER: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... having to sit there, and they can`t make any facial expressions. They have to sit there and listen to what they believe are outright lies, defamation of character of a man who is dead. And they can`t say a word, and they can`t show their expressions. How frustrating do you think that is?
Let`s go to the phone lines. Christine, North Carolina. Your question or thought, Christine.
CALLER: Hey, Jane. Thanks for taking my call tonight.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sure.
CALLER: You know, I`ve watched this trial from the beginning, and I`m getting to the point that I don`t even think her attorneys believe her anymore. And she needs to get on the stand, tell the truth, and then it might get her a little more sympathy than she`s getting now. Because she`s getting none, because all she`s doing is lying; lie after lie after lie after lie. She knows the gun shot wasn`t first. She knows the stabbings were first.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So I think this is fascinating what you`re suggesting. And I think we should debate that on the other side. Should she throw caution to the winds and throw herself on the mercy of the court and say, "Yes, I am lying now. Everybody kind of has figured out that I`m lying. He`s not a pedophile, and all these things that I`ve said, they`re not true. Please don`t kill me"? We`ll debate it on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I`ve actually never seen a trial where jurors are allowed to ask questions.
STEPHENS: "How is it that you remember so many of your sexual encounters, but you do not remember stabbing Travis and dragging his body?"
ARIAS: I don`t know how the mind works necessarily. The sound waves are hitting my ears, but the brain is not computing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m a big believer that the questions of the jurors are like the windows to their soul, to their doubts, to their beliefs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARIAS: I understand that there will always be questions. But all I can do at this point is say what happened to the best of my recollection. And if I`m convicted, then that`s because of my own bad choices in the beginning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let`s debate with our expert panel what our caller from North Carolina, Christine, suggested: that Jodi Arias, at this point with the juror questions indicating they don`t believe her story of going into a fog, they don`t believe Travis Alexander was a pedophile, should she just throw herself on the mercy of the jurors and say, "You know what? I am lying about all that"? Let`s debate it. Starting with Rene Sandler.
SANDLER: Look, I think she has answered the questions the best that she knows how. This is her truth, this is her story, and this is her defense. So I don`t think there`s anything else, given the profile of who Jodi Arias is, that she could do at this point. And 18 days of examination is honestly bordering on the absurd. Who could hold up?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s -- yes.
SANDLER: Who could hold up under that scrutiny?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jon Lieberman.
LIEBERMAN: How can you say she`s answered the questions to the best of her ability? I mean, the best of her ability would be to tell the truth. I mean, and we`ve heard very little truth out of Jodi. She`s had five years, as you mentioned, 17 days on the stand and nobody knows wherein there lies the truth. That`s the problem.
SANDLER: Well...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jason Lamb, you`re a prosecutor.
SANDLER: It`s for the jury to decide.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`ve got a problem with the idea of she`s told her truth. Either it`s the truth or not the truth. If her truth is a lie, that`s not -- it may be her truth, but it`s a lie.
LAMB: She is a sociopath, Jane. She is molding these facts to whatever her story is. She is a true chameleon. Whether it`s, No. 1, "I was not there." No. 2, "The masked ninjas did it." And now self-defense? She carves her perception to whatever she wants it to be. You`re right, it`s her truth.
The problem is, these jurors are looking at her, and when she gets up there in the penalty phase and says, "I`m remorseful," is that going to be a lie too? That could get her a death penalty. She needs to come clean, but it`s just too late for Jodi Arias.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Rene Sandler, do you think it was a mistake for her to take the stand? I mean, given the fact that she has apparently not convinced jurors that she went into a fog and doesn`t remember stabbing him 29 times; given that jurors have expressed a lot of skepticism about her claim that Travis was a pedophile, do you think she should`ve just like Casey Anthony sat out there with the Mona Lisa smile?
SANDLER: That`s an excellent question, and obviously, only her attorneys can answer that. But let me say this: I think she had to. She told the lies, story after story, I agree with your experts, the absurd -- OK, in terms of her stories prior to this trial...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But Casey Anthony told a lot of lies, and she didn`t take the stand and she was acquitted.
LIEBERMAN: Yes, but...
SANDLER: Very, very different. This -- in this case with these facts, she had to take the stand. And she`s...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jon Lieberman.
LIEBERMAN: Well, self-defense -- self-defense is an affirmative defense. And she was the only one who could describe how she felt in fear of her life, allegedly. That`s why she had to take the stand, in my opinion.
SANDLER: Absolutely. I agree.
(CROSSTALK)
LAMB: The defense has that burden of proof. They`ve got to get the ball rolling, I agree with everybody: Jodi Arias had to get up there to start it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. I don`t know, it`s fascinating. I think she may have made her biggest mistake may have been the pedophilia accusation that may have some blowback attached to it for her.
So much more to debate in this Jodi Arias trial. And at the top of the hour, Nancy Grace takes a closer look at the defense case, "NANCY GRACE MYSTERIES" at 8 here on HLN. But we`re going to debate and bring you more information on the Jodi Arias trial right on the other side. Taking your calls too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arias, Travis Alexander`s family, the attorneys, the judge, and jury, now stand by for a return to the stand. At stake, Jodi Arias` life... or death.
ARIAS: I never wanted to admit to this. And I`d written out all my suicide letters, I sent my note -- I sent them all in an envelope to my grandmother said, "Do not open until November 10, 2008." I was hoping to be dead by then.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JODI ARIAS, ON TRIAL FOR MURDER OF TRAVIS ALEXANDER: I closed my eyes, I think, as the gun began to go off.
Things get very foggy for me.
If I`m found guilty, I don`t have a life.
I was just living this -- in this fog.
KURT NURMI, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You own you`re an idiot. You dropped a camera; even a five-year-old can hold a camera.
JUAN MARTINEZ, PROSECUTOR: Were you crying when you were stabbing him?
ARIAS: I don`t remember.
NURMI: Are you shaking? Are you in a fog?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s now changing the story yet again. Now the gun was in a holster. The jury wants some answers here.
ARIAS: I love Travis Victor Alexander so completely that I don`t know any other way to be.
NURMI: Would it be fair to say he had an all-access pass to your body.
MARTINEZ: So you are saying now that if it were up to you, you wouldn`t have brought that up?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No emotion, nothing showing. Big deal, not going to harm her, not going to hurt her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN HOST: Breaking news, an 11th hour jaw- dropper in the Jodi Arias trial. Supporters of Jodi Arias, it would appear supporters, posted a YouTube video with this criminal case report that says Travis Victor Alexander was convicted of battery.
Straight out to Jon Leiberman investigative reporter -- what`s the very latest?
JON LEIBERMAN, HLN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, the latest is that this is outrageous -- absolute character assassination.
First of all, it was never put into the court record. Second of all, it is believed at this point that this is not Travis Alexander. His identity was stolen, he talked about this, actually, in many of the motivational speeches that he gave, how his identity was indeed stolen.
And this -- you know, even if this were true, number one, these are misdemeanor charges. These are not serious charges. They don`t really display anything. But the fact of the matter is this is not Travis Alexander.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Now so many juror questions and more to come. There didn`t seem to be many juror questions, however, about Jodi`s alleged premeditation.
Here are the keys to proving premeditation in this case. Jurors should find Jodi staged the burglary at her grandmother`s home and stole grandpa`s gun with the intent to kill Travis. That she rented a car 100 miles from her home, borrowed and filled up gas cans so she could secretly drive a thousand miles to Travis` home in Arizona without leaving a trail that she was there. Prosecutors say to go undetected, Jodi flipped her rental car license plate upside down, changed her hair color.
Beth Karas, correspondent, "In Session" on TruTV -- again, not as many questions about the premeditation. So what if the jury determines, yes she killed Travis Alexander, but no, it wasn`t in self-defense. But we think that we can`t say beyond a reasonable doubt that she premeditated. What is the conviction then?
BETH KARAS, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION": Well, if the jury doesn`t believe it was premeditation or the alternative theory of first-degree murder which still qualifies for the death penalty, which is a felony murder, then the lesser charge is second-degree murder which is basically an intentional killing or it`s like a depraved indifference to human life killing. You know, basically this overkill.
Second-degree murder is significantly different from first-degree murder in that it carries a presumptive sense of 16 years in prison, but the judge could go up or down by six years. So it carries a range of 10 to 22 years.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And if she`s already done about four years behind bars, there`s a possibility that she could be out in six.
Let`s debate it with our expert panel: Jason Lamm, Rene Sandler, Jon Leiberman. Let`s start with Jason. Do you think it`s possible that she could get second-degree murder?
JASON LAMM, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know, it`s -- it`s unlikely. I think at this point, there`s so much evidence. If you look at the gas cans -- and I`m trying to think of a way Jane that it could happen. You know, you look at the gas cans, her journals, I`ve got to tell you, you said something before the break. You know this Hail Mary of Travis Alexander being a pedophile, that was just offensive.
And if there was any benefit of the doubt to give her, I think it`s out the window. I think there`s more than ample evidence there was substantial reflection on her part under Arizona law, any reflection is going to be enough.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Rene.
RENE SANDLER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The camera dropped, they had a fight over the camera. It wasn`t planned. Believe me, if she was going to plan it, she wouldn`t have planned it the way it went down. This was a fight, it happened, there was a history between them, there`s particular dynamics about their relationship that are very critical to this trial. Second-degree murder -- there`s no premeditation there at all.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Patti Wood, you`re a body language expert. You know 90 percent of the communication is nonverbal. I`m just wondering if they are going to vote to kill this woman, why would they continue to ask her questions? That to me doesn`t mesh from just a psychological standpoint or maybe it does. I don`t know. I`ve wondered about it.
PATTI WOOD, BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT: I think there`s actually in that jury understanding the nonverbal cues. A true victim, somebody that`s actually been attacked, somebody in fear for their life is going to recall that experience and they`re going to recall it, especially hitting the verb. So he body slammed me, you`re going to hear that slam, you`re going to feel that slam even years later as they recall that event.
And this case, Jodi Arias, "He body slammed me. He chased me. He pushed me down" -- even tone of voice, no facial affect. No recalling of the physical event. And that picture we have of his hands as she tried to recall, he actually went after her like a linebacker should`ve expressed that out. But if you`re not recalling a true event, that`s very complex. You`re trying to get over to the limbic brain and recreate --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got to leave it right there. But fascinating analysis, Patti Wood, I like it. Thank you, fantastic panel. Remember, Jodi back on the stand. We`re all over it.
Next: three young women, all missing in Colorado -- three beautiful young women missing. Are their disappearances connected? We`re going to bring a famed private eye on to try to break down this case and to help these devastated families right on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hey, guess who stole the show at the South by Southwest Music and Tech Festival -- the one and only grumpy cat. Grumpy is an Internet star with more than a million Twitter followers -- folks lining up to get a picture with the famous cat. We love you, Grumpy. You rock, grumpy cat.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Beautiful young women all between the ages of 17 and 22 all aspiring models.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She just could have been anything. She could`ve had the world at her feet. And to see that she`s missing now is just a crushing blow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Different things have made this disappearance -- whether you want to call it that or her actually missing more concerning has evolved into an incident of suspicion.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: They have modeling profiles online.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Could the disappearances of three beautiful young women who vanished within months of each other be connected to an online modeling site or sites; all three of the young aspiring models.
Karen Nichols, Raven Furlong, Kelsie Schelling did not know each other, but it appears all three women had modeling profiles on social networking sites. 19-year-old Kara Nichols disappeared October 9th from her Colorado Springs apartment. In a bizarre twist, Kara`s photo popped up on a Las Vegas escort Web site in November. Cops say she did not put that there. Here`s Kara`s desperate dad on our show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL NICHOLS, FATHER OF KARA NICHOLS: I didn`t get the feeling from talking to Kara that she was hanging out with bad people. But who knows? You know, she`s a teenager and we all had been teenagers before, right?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Those poor parents.
17-year-old Raven Furlong`s story chillingly similar -- Raven went missing last month from Aurora, Colorado. She was using Model Mayhem, the same modeling Web site Kara Nichols had a profile on.
And a third girl, 23-year-old Kelsie Schelling went missing a day later. It appears Kelsie also an aspiring model according to her profile on the Web site Expert Talent. Kelsie last seen driving in Pueblo, Colorado. Her car found abandoned. No trace of this gorgeous young woman.
Listen, all three of these beautiful young women are missing and their parents are desperate. The National Women`s Coalition against Violence and Exploitation has hired its own private investigators to try to see if these cases are connected and find these young women.
Are these modeling Web sites the key to finding Kara, Raven and Kelsie? Could they be victims?
Straight out to famed private investigator Vinny Parco. Police have never connected these three cases together. What do you think of this possible link -- Vinny?
VINNY PARCO, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: Well, you have a lot of sexual predators out there, especially in -- Colorado`s not far from Los Angeles and you have a lot there. I would think that these girls were probably given drugs, promised all kinds of rewards to be a model, maybe actress, and they probably fell into -- with some bad people. And I hate to think what happened to them.
But, you know, one of the things they could do is these modeling companies, they have shills (ph), they have people out there looking for girls to be models. They get a percentage of that. And I`m sure that some of these shills might have gotten these girls on drugs, probably brought them to an escort service as one of them already is featured on one. And that`s the way to locate them.
Find out who their friends are, get all their cell phone records, e- mails. One person might have spoken to these girls and they might have said something like, hey, I`m in such and such hotel, I`m with this really cute guy. And if the police can put this all together, they might be able to find out who did this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And excellent analysis, but we do not want to indict in any way, shape or form any of these sites. They may be victims - - innocent victims, as well like you said.
PARCO: That`s possible, yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: There are scouts, you know, they call them talent scouts in the showbiz world who go out and try to find pretty young women and they compliment them and they flatter them.
You may have seen the movie "Taken", it follows a father`s desperate search to find his precious daughter who is kidnapped by predators who sell women as prostitutes. Here`s a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The specialty of the groups coming out of this area is trafficking in women.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As usual, we save the best for last. Bidding will begin at $100,000.
I have 150, 200, 250, sold.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: This is not just a problem overseas. Young women are abducted right here in the good old USA and forced into prostitution in the United States as well.
And we`re very delighted to have Jillian Mourning. She is a hero of mine. She knows firsthand about the dangers of modeling Web sites -- some of them, anyway. And as a 19-year-old college student and part-time model, you became a victim of sex traffickers. And now you are advocating to get these three girls found.
Thank you for joining us, Jillian. What was your experience? And we only have a limited amount of time. But tell us essentially what happened to you. You`re gorgeous. You got duped.
JILLIAN MOURNING, FOUNDER, ALL WE WANT IS LOVE: Yes. I mean when I was 19, I had been on that Web site for about six months before I ended up meeting the guy who trafficked me. And, you know, it was a legitimate Web site that I met amazing people on, but at the same time, there are a lot of predators on that Web site that look for vulnerable naive girls who are trying to pursue a dream such as I was.
And I worked with him for that period of about six months before I went to Arizona for a job. And when I was out there he and two other men came into my hotel room in the middle of the night and raped me. They videotaped it, photographed it and then threatened me with the videotape to sell them on the Internet if I would not continue to service other clients over a period of about six months.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And so you felt like your life was possibly on the line and you were forced to continue for a limited amount of time until you got out?
MOURNING: Yes. The only reason that it ended up stopping is he actually went to prison for other crimes. So I mean it`s one of those things that you kind of feel trapped, especially at such a young age, you feel like, you know, if I don`t continue to do this, what`s going to happen to me? I don`t want my reputation ruined -- the stigma that`s really associated into it. A lot of times our society really vilifies and criminalizes the victim and then glorifies the predators in these situations.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I just want to say, I applaud your honesty and your courage to talk about a very difficult ordeal. Thank you. Thank you.
Because look at this beautiful, articulate, intelligent young woman. She was duped by people. And that`s why I am terrified for these three young women. And we need your help. And we`ve got to find them. We absolutely must find them.
I want to go very quickly to Jon Leiberman. We only have a couple of seconds. What can we do to find these girls?
LEIBERMAN: Keep your eyes open. Look at the facial features. Keep an eye online. They may be back online and law enforcement is just beginning to talk to each other in these three different cases. That`s going to be key as well because they all happen in different jurisdictions. Let`s hope these girls get home safely.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Vinny -- Vinny Parco, I want to thank you for coming in. Jillian Mourning, I know we had a limited amount of time, but maybe something we`ve said will help find these three girls. Their parents are going through hell.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Next, of course, it`s good to be Justin Bieber, at least for 51 weeks out of the year, but last week was hell week for the Biebs. What`s going on? We`ll tell you on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
JUSTIN BIEBER, SINGER: What did you say? What did you say?
(inaudible)
What did you say? (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Time for Pet of the Day. Send your pet pics to hlntv.com/jane. Rose, that`s a close up head shot. And Frederick, he also has a fabulous head shot. How sweet. Now look at Desi. Desi`s lounging, just making the scene here at the club or maybe just my apartment. Dexter and Darla, they are a pair, they are partners. We love you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s been a pretty bad week for Justin Bieber. He has gotten sick on stage, been late for a concert and had a visit to the hospital and a run in with the paparazzi.
BIEBER: (EXPLETIVE DELETED). What did you say?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You watch it, man?
BIEBER: What did you say?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The singer`s rep says that he cancelled tomorrow night`s performance in Portugal because of unforeseen circumstances. So what gives?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you say hell week? Is superstar Justin Bieber having a melt down? First, the Biebs reportedly showed up late for his London concert making many of his young fans angry -- really angry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROWD BOOING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Not your typical reaction from the Beliebers (ph).
Three days later, Justin appears disoriented on stage. His manager said the singer needed oxygen. He was taken to the hospital and then posted this racy picture from his hospital bed.
And then the next day he gets into this expletive filled shouting match with a photographer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIEBER: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) what did you say? (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You watch it man.
BIEBER: What did you say? You`re (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(EXPLETIVE DELETED)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come back you (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And we now have more breaking news from Jen Heger, managing editor of RadarOnline. What is the next thing Jen?
JEN HEGER, MANAGING EDITOR OF RADARONLINE: Well, after Justin left London en route to Portugal he and his posse of friends stopped in Amsterdam over the weekend. They were spotted in Amsterdam -- yes -- on Sunday which might not be the best place in the world for him to be right now given his state of mind and his actions of the past week which have really been out of character for him.
Something has changed within his inner circle. He has usually held it together very tightly. He is usually very on time. He`s professional. But we are seeing him acting out in a way we have not seen before.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. And I have no idea. And listen, I have seen him perform. He is incredibly talented. I know personally I was in Amsterdam recently and as a recovering alcoholic and addict had to go back to my hotel room because the smell of pot was pervasive in some areas. It`s the point where I was like, I don`t want to get a contact (ph) -- I`m going back to the hotel room. That happened to me in Amsterdam not too long ago.
All right. Listen, on the other side, you won`t believe it, we have more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Listen I feel sorry for these stars that become famous so very young. Remember Brittany Spears, she went through her phase of acting out, shaving her head.
Jen Heger, the Biebster is 19. I mean let`s cut him a little slack here.
HEGER: I agree. You know, he is 19. He has 35 million Twitter followers. He`s got this ten-month tour that he is going on. It is a lot. He is literally an overnight sensation. He has been around for a while but he was really plucked from obscurity and pushed into the limelight.
And these are formative years in his life.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: He needs to have some fun. It is a lot of work doing these concerts. All right. Good luck Biebs.
Nancy Grace is up next.
END
