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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Missing Teen Texted `I`m Scared`; George Zimmerman Out of Hiding; Florida`s Next Explosive Trial
Aired August 23, 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: Tonight, breaking news. A Kentucky family`s desperate search for their beautiful teenage daughter, who seemingly vanished without a trace after a night out. Adding even more mystery, Brookelyn Farthing reportedly sent out text messages hours before she disappeared saying she was scared.
Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell.
Tonight, we will talk with Brookelyn`s stepfather in an exclusive interview. We want to help bring his beautiful stepdaughter home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: State police started a missing person`s investigation at this Berea home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now I`d spend everything I have just to have her here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was last seen here at 6 a.m. on June 22.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re still conducting our missing person`s case.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don`t know if Farthing is alive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But this, not knowing, is the hardest thing that I`ve ever been through in my life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Nineteen-year-old Brookelyn Farthing was last reportedly seen around 6 in the morning on June 22. That`s two long months ago. This all happened in a very small town 40 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky, called Berea.
Brookelyn was at a party, didn`t have a ride home, ended up borrowing a man`s vehicle and returning it to his home. Search parties are desperately looking for this gorgeous missing teen.
Cops say Brookelyn texted her ex-fiance "I`m scared" at 4:25 a.m., asking him to get her from the house, which reportedly had no electricity and was going into foreclosure. An hour later, at 5:30 in the morning, a mysterious text was sent from Brookelyn`s cell phone, saying, "Oh, I`m fine. I don`t need a ride."
Well, Brookelyn`s stepfather thinks that text is a phony, that it didn`t actually come from her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ve had loved ones pass away quickly and without warning, and it`s hard. But this not knowing is the hardest thing that I`ve ever been through in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And in another incredibly strange twist, as dawn breaks after the night of her disappearance, a mysterious fire breaks out in the house she was visiting. So what on earth happened to beautiful Brookelyn Farthing? Could her text messages and the mysterious fire be a clue to unlock this mystery? And who is this mystery man who supposedly lent her his car and then invited her back into his home.
Tonight in our Lion`s Den, we have an incredible panel tonight, including attorney Lisa Bloom and host of "Justice with a Snap!" Judge David Young. But first straight out to our senior producer, Selin Darkalstanian.
You`ve been on the phone with investigators, working this case. Selin, what have you learned?
SELIN DARKALSTANIAN, HLN PRODUCER (via phone): That`s right, Jane. And I just hung up the phone with the Kentucky State Police, who told me that they are still getting in leads daily, even though Brookelyn has been missing for two months but that those leads aren`t getting them anywhere. They`re still considering this an open investigation.
And what`s interesting is there was a fire, and that the police tell me that this fire is very important, because this was the last known location where they know Brookelyn was out before she went missing.
So they`re treating this fire at this house as a suspicious fire, and it`s very, very important to their investigation to find out what happened to Brookelyn.
And the police are actively searching for her. They`re saying they`re getting in leads daily. So if anyone has any information, call the Kentucky State Police because they are on this case.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Look at this couch, and it`s sitting right in the front yard, which I find very bizarre. I mean, isn`t this a key piece of evidence? Shouldn`t this be locked up in some locker somewhere? Or maybe they took all the information they had to from it.
Look, this beautiful 19-year-old girl vanished nearly two months ago. The mystery starts June 22. She`s at a party with a friend. Her stepfather says Brookelyn and her friend get into a fight. The friend leaves Brookelyn without a ride home from the party, so she reportedly borrows some guy`s car and uses it to drop off an inebriated friend off at his house. And then she has to return the vehicle to this guy`s home.
Now, 4:26 a.m., things take an ominous turn. Brookelyn starts texting people to pick her up, telling her ex-fiance, "Come and get me, because I am scared." OK? "Hurry, I`m scared." That`s at 4:26.
Later, at 5:30 in the morning, a text from Brookelyn`s phone comes in saying, quote, "Never mind. I`m OK. I`m going to a party in Rock Castle County." All right.
And then 6 a.m., this homeowner claims he leaves her on the couch smoking a cigarette, and that`s the last time anyone sees her. Seven a.m., firefighters called to the same house because the couch is on fire. But the only thing that is burning is the couch. Brookelyn is never seen or heard from again.
Straight out to the Lion`s Den. Let me tell you something. Something is very, very wrong, Lisa Bloom, with this entire picture. A little convenient, I think. Oh, she`s last seen smoking a cigarette on the couch, and then suddenly, the couch is on fire. I mean, what`s the theory, that she spontaneously combusted and disappeared into thin air? It makes no sense.
LISA BLOOM, ATTORNEY: Yes. It sounds like we have a wrongdoer here who`s interested in covering his tracks by setting the couch on fire to destroy evidence and by sending a text that supposedly is her going off to another party, but obviously is not.
If she was in more danger, she could have continued texting. I would like to see a comparison of the language that she used when she was texting and that text at 5 a.m., that I think was probably from somebody else, somebody who is a wrongdoer here, somebody who did her wrong and then was trying to cover his tracks.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you`re absolutely right.
Wendy Walsh, psychologist, author of "The 30-Day Love Detox," what immediately struck me is this second text where she says, "Oh, I`m fine. I`m going to a party in Rock Castle County." What girl ever names a county, OK? I don`t care where you are, whether you`re in Hollywood or whether you`re in New Jersey or whether you`re in Kentucky. A girl, a young woman doesn`t say, "I`m going to a party in Rock Castle County."
WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST: Right. And who would she be going with? A girl would talk about who she was going with, whose house it would be at, how she was getting there. And first of all, when this happened, Jane, she was still 18.
Now, let`s think about this. She`s at a party all night long. She`s 18 years old. She`s tired, maybe she`s been drinking a little but obviously that she could drive the more drunk friend home.
And now it`s 4:30 in the morning. She`s with a guy in the pitch black dark because there`s no power in that house, and the guy is getting creepy, so she`s texting her friends, "Come get me, come get me, come get me." And then all of a sudden, "Hey, the sun is coming up. I think I`ll go to another party." No, she wants to go to sleep. She want to go home and be safe at that point.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. There`s something very wrong with this, and we are very honored to have with us tonight as our exclusive guest Randall Walker, Brookelyn`s stepdad, out of Kentucky. Are you there, sir?
RANDALL WALKER, BROOKELYN`S STEPDAD (via phone): Yes, I`m here.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: First of all...
WALKER: Yes, I`m here.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... my heart goes out to you, sir. I know you`re going through hell. You raised your stepdaughter since she was 4. You said that you would give anything to have her back, and we want to help you get her back.
WALKER: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t -- I don`t want you to name names, because we -- you know, for the sake of legality and also because we don`t want to cast aspersions on anybody, but let me ask you this. Do you know who this mystery man is who allegedly lent Brookelyn his car and who owns the home where she returned the car? Do you think that authorities have any information about who this individual is? I mean, a quick check of records would determine who he is.
WALKER: Well, I can`t talk about the investigation. But we do know who this individual is. But I can`t go talking about the investigation.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Randall, tell me about your stepdaughter and speak up, sir. It`s hard to hear you.
WALKER: OK.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Speak up and tell me about this beautiful, gorgeous stepdaughter of yours. She`s model beautiful.
WALKER: Brookelyn -- are you there?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
WALKER: OK. Brookelyn was 18 years old. She is -- she just turned 19 last Monday. She just graduated last year. She just got her license. She has her whole life ahead of her.
She -- she was not fighting with the family. The family and us were getting along great. She was -- she was your typical 18-year-old girl ready to live, ready to just attack life at full force. She was outgoing. She loved the outdoors. She loved fishing. She loved hunting, and she loved her friends quite a bit.
And for her not to return calls, for her just to disappear like this is very odd. Very, very odd.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me -- first of all, we want to do everything we can to help find this beautiful young woman.
WALKER: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I have to ask you a quick question, Randall, because the gentleman who -- the man who says he last saw her at 6 in the morning and that he left her on the couch smoking a cigarette, and the couch later went on fire, does she smoke cigarettes?
WALKER: Yes, she did smoke.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hmm. Well, let`s -- let`s put something together, because her cell phone actually pinged off a tower in Blue Lick, which is a neighboring county about an hour and a half north of Berea, where that house was.
So here`s what I want to know, all of this happening in a very small part of Kentucky. Do we know if investigators have looked at surveillance tapes along the highways or gas stations?
That cell phone pinging far away certainly does not match what the homeowner said, which is that she was sitting on the couch in this house when she [SIC] left.
I want to bring in Judge David Young, former Florida Circuit Court judge, host of "Justice with a Snap!" Judge Young, the pinging far away, that is really, really ominous. And then this idea that suddenly she`s smoking a cigarette and that couch would go on fire. A little too convenient for me.
JUDGE DAVID YOUNG, HOST, "JUSTICE WITH A SNAP!": There`s something on that couch that that person wanted to get destroyed. It`s so clear to me, Jane. It`s so clear.
Why did the authorities leave that couch outside? Why did it get contaminated? If they want to get this guy, whatever he did to her, if there`s any DNA, that`s no longer available. I`ve got to tell you, it would make a defense lawyer`s dream. What a sloppy bunch of police work that went on out there. I`m just -- I`m horrified and I feel really badly for this gentleman, and I`m so sorry that you`re going through this. I really am very, very sorry.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Michelle Suskauer, criminal defense attorney out of Fort Lauderdale, I understand the family doesn`t want to reveal anything, because they`re cooperating with investigators, and sometimes it`s better to keep things under wraps.
But I mean, there`s something really wrong with this entire situation. You`ve got this stunning girl. She has no history of problems. And suddenly, she disappears. Look at her. She looks like she could be a movie star.
MICHELLE SUSKAUER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It seems like it`s been too long: two long months. There`s a very narrow window of time in which she disappeared. The police were called; the fire was called at 7 a.m.
SUSKAUER: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: She`s texting at 4:26. That`s a very small window. Why is it taking so long to get more information, and why aren`t we hearing about this all across the country? This is the first time.
SUSKAUER: I don`t know why there wouldn`t be a nationwide search. It seems very unusual. And there`s also a lot of pieces, obviously, they can`t disclose, and they don`t want to compromise an ongoing investigation. And hopefully, there is a very significant ongoing investigation.
But there are some very big unanswered questions for me. She takes this gentleman`s car. She drives someone else home. Is he with her when he drives her home? Why does he then not drive her home? She has the keys to his car. Why doesn`t she drive herself home?
There`s some things that are just -- there`s so many things that are not making sense to me, but I am concerned, just like the judge said, about the potential corruption of evidence, as well. That`s very upsetting to me.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, yes. I mean, Lisa Bloom, when I saw that couch out there, and I -- I was told that`s the couch that was on fire, it`s two months later and the couch is still sitting there outside the house? I mean, is that possible?
BLOOM: Well, it`s not hard to put together a scenario of, God forbid, what may have happened. If there had been a sexual assault and there was semen or blood or hair on that catch, it is now gone or deteriorated to the point where it`s completely useful [SIC] at trial. And that`s, to me, that`s how my mind goes. Worst-case scenario, we hope we find this girl. We hope she`s OK.
But this does not look good. And obviously, this is not the way that you preserve evidence.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Randall Walker, Brookelyn`s stepdad, the missing teen`s stepdad, you wanted to jump in, sir? You`re joining us...
WALKER: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... out of Kentucky, exclusively.
WALKER: Yes, I do. I want to clarify a couple of things with you. We have not gone nationwide because we have been requested to wait on the state police to run their investigation, and they have done a very real good job, I believe, in investigating this. The couch was gone over time and time again by the state police.
Also, Blue Lick, Kentucky, is not an hour and a half from Berea. It is just a short drive from Berea. It is in the same neighborhood.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh. OK.
WALKER: The tower that it came from was very close to Berea.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s good information. Look, you know, we`re looking at maps, and these counties spread over a large area. So what you`re saying is that where the cell phone pinged is a lot closer to this house than we know?
WALKER: Yes. It could have pinged from -- from near that house, yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: In other words, the ping could have actually been from the house itself and not some faraway place?
WALKER: Very close, yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold on one second. We`re going to take a very short break. We want to find this beautiful young woman together. If somebody knows something, please say something. We`ll be back in a moment, and we`re taking your calls.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The state police told me they do have a suspect. They will not tell me what has happened, for investigation purposes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Brooklyn`s 19th birthday was just a few days ago, despite the mystery surrounding her sudden disappearance. Her family remains hopeful.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s a real good person. Real friendly. But if you got on Brooke`s bad side, she could hold her own.
I want Brooke back. I want answers. I want to know where Brooke is. I want to know what`s happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Many of Brookelyn`s possessions were found in the house where she was reportedly last seen by this guy who lent her this car and then said, "Please bring it back to my house."
Now, her cowboy boots and dress clothes were in that house.
So back to my special guest, Brookelyn`s stepfather, Randall Walker, joining us exclusively tonight.
Mr. Walker, you raised Brookelyn since she was 4 years old. She`s definitely a girly-girl, very beautiful. You told police she never left home without her dress clothes. What -- what do you make of the fact that her boots and her dress clothes were found inside this house?
WALKER: Well, they were there -- I know she was there, because she had plans on staying with a friend that night, and Brooke didn`t leave without her stuff. She made sure she had everything. If she was going out on the town or going out, you know what I`m saying, going out with friends, she would have her nice clothes with her.
If she was going to go fishing or hunting, as I say -- she`s an outdoors girl -- she would have her clothes with her. And so she was prepared to stay the night with this young lady.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And so tell us what happened. I mean, I think we`ve all read the wire copy. It`s -- She goes to a party, and as often happens, well, the ride, you know, they flake out -- Let`s put it that way -- so you don`t have a ride home.
And then she borrows this man`s car that apparently he`s a friend of the ex-fiance or he`s known. And then she drives her other friend home, who`s had a little too much to drink.
And then she has to return that car to this friend. And so that`s where -- that`s where it ends up, where she pulls up to this house. But apparently, this house doesn`t have any electricity and is going into foreclosure. And you`re not telling me this, sir. This is in the wire copy that`s all over and is widely known at this point.
So if I could ask you to stand by.
Let`s go back out to the Lion`s Den. We`ve got a fantastic panel that`s going to try to break this down. Lisa Bloom, as you listen to all these facts come together, I`m very struck by the fact that this house has no electricity, reportedly, and is going into foreclosure, and then the house suddenly combusts in flames.
BLOOM: Yes. And she`s scared. She sends texts from that house that she`s scared. So there`s no 18-year-old girl who goes in the middle of the night to a house with no electricity that`s in very bad condition that`s happy about it. She doesn`t want to be there. She wants to be with her friends. That`s why she`s at a part in the first place. As soon as she`s concerned, she sends out texts to a friend saying, "I`m scared; I`ve got a problem."
You know, this story that`s being told by other people really does not hang together. And I hope the police are taking a very, very close look at the people who are telling this story.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, Wendy Walsh, psychologist, yes, as we were deconstructing this story, we always have to step back, instead of saying she was last seen at 6 in the morning, say according to some individual, who spoke to police...
WALSH: That man.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, according to that man, who is unidentified, she was last seen at 6 in the morning, because really, we have no idea what happened between 4:26, around 4:30 and 5:30. There`s an hour window.
That second text, which we`ve all kind of concluded probably didn`t come from her, because it doesn`t sound like a teenage girl going to another county at 5:30 in the morning, something happened at 4:30. By 5:30, whatever happened may have -- may have already happened, if you know what I mean, Wendy.
WALSH: Exactly. You know, the big take home for parents out there, of course, is monitor your teens. I know they`re considered adults at 19, but really, do they need to be out until 3 or 4 in the morning? Because not good stuff happens in those hours.
So having said that, I`ll tell you how he may have lured her. All he had to say -- so she`s mad. She`s at the party. Her girlfriend stomped off. She`s got no ride. So she`s got this other guy friend, who`s a little drunk that she wants to get home safely.
And oh, Mr. Hero steps in: "Hey, sweet thing, take my car. Drive your buddy home. And then I`ll meet you back at my place, and I`ll drive you home. It will be fine. I`ve got a ride with my other buddy."
So she does all this, just trying to be a good Samaritan, help her friend get home safely, figures that she`s going to get a ride back to her house or to her girlfriend`s house once she got back to meeting this guy. And then the texts start: "I`m scared. Who`s coming to get me?" Clearly, there was no ride for her.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think your analysis is fascinating, but I have to say that this homeowner is not mentioned as a suspect or a person of interest.
WALSH: Not yet.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: There is -- there is, reportedly, a suspect, but our producer could not get the cops to confirm that. We don`t know who the mystery suspect is. May have nothing to do with the man who owns the house. We can`t always jump to conclusions. There are many sex offenders, for example, living in this area.
Wow. We want to find her and get her home safe. We`re just getting started.
Later, what a shocker with George Zimmerman. You won`t believe this. He`s all smiles. So what is making the man who shot and killed Trayvon Martin so happy these days? You will not believe it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH VOLUNTEER: I got to right about here, he yelled from behind me to the side of me. He said, "Yo, you got a problem?"
I turned around and said, "No, I don`t have a problem, man."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ve had loved ones pass away quickly and without warning, and that`s hard. But this, not knowing, is the hardest thing that I`ve ever been through in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Gorgeous teen Brookelyn Farthing, where is she? Her desperate family hunting for her in Kentucky tonight. One of the possibilities is that she could have been lured away and abducted by a stranger.
Take a look at this map of registered sex offenders in the neighborhood where she was. Berea is about 40 miles south of Lexington, Kentucky. It shows eight registered sex offenders living and working in this very small area. It has been two months since she vanished.
And straight out to Michelle Suskauer. Do you have an important point you want to make? Go to it.
SUSKAUER: Well, I think it`s important to note that these were texts and not calls, which is -- gets me thinking that she was really not free to speak, not free to leave and not free to call. So she was surreptitiously texting and trying to get out of there, and I think that really points in a pretty ominous direction, as well.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree, because if she really just wanted a ride, she could have called and said, "Hey," or written a more expansive text. The idea that it`s that short is really quite ominous.
Straight out to the phone lines. Susan, Illinois, your question or thought, Susan?
CALLER: Hi, Jane. Thanks for taking my call. You know, as an 18- year-old girl myself once, none of this makes any sense to me at all. I think whoever has her still has her, and God, just let the girl go. It is so heartbreaking what this world has come to, and these people running around, taking people, killing people, it`s ridiculous. It`s got to stop. If she is out there, just send her home to her family.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, a very good point. Judge David Young, former Florida Circuit Court judge, what gets me absolutely steaming is that, if we had cameras on every street light, I`ve been photographed innumerable times going through the red light, you know, and I get it through the mail. Well, if they can do that to me for going through a red light, certainly, we have more important things to use cameras for.
I know everybody is anti-surveillance, and I am too. But listen, these girls are disappearing. These beautiful young women are disappearing, and we`ve got to do something to stop them. And if we had those cameras, we would know if anybody went down the block with her.
YOUNG: We would, and you`re right. I`ve got one of those letters, too, and I swore it was not me. And I looked at it: "Oh, my God, it is me."
I think we`ve got to be a lot more vigilant, Jane. Something happened in that house. I have no doubt. I don`t know whether it was a homeowner. I don`t know whether it was a friend of hers. I don`t know who it was, but something happened in that house; something happened on that couch. That`s why the only thing that burned up was that couch.
And yes, Lisa is absolutely right, this police work has been kind of shoddy, and I`m concerned for when this case goes to trial.
And I also believe that someone out there knows something. This is not a girl that was a wallflower. She was very popular; she was very sociable. She had a fiance who cared about her. Somebody out there knows something. And it`s their obligation to come forth. And hope to God that that happens.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re going to stay on top of this case.
Up next, George Zimmerman, he`s all smiles right now. He`s out of hiding. You will not believe what he`s up to. Believe me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does he look hurt to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can`t see him. I don`t want to go out there. I don`t know what`s going on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell them to call the cops.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They`re sending.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you think he`s yelling help?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right. What is your...
(GUNSHOT)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, ACQUITTED OF TRAYVON MARTIN`S MURDER: Hi, We`ve had some break-ins in my neighborhood and there`s a real suspicious guy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just said he shot him. Yes, the person is dead, laying on the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Sanford Police Department is conducting a fair investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s gunshots.
SYBRINA FULTON, MOTHER OF TRAYVON MARTIN: Our son was not committing any crime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
CROWD: No justice, no peace. No justice, no peace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you following him?
ZIMMERMAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ok, we don`t need you to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We the jury find George Zimmerman not guilty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN HOST: Tonight, George Zimmerman out of hiding, mugging for the camera. You won`t believe where.
Check out his huge grin during a visit to a Florida gun manufacturer. That`s right. One of the nation`s most infamous gun-toting volunteer neighborhood watchman is touring a gun plant about 40 miles away from where he gunned down unarmed teen Trayvon Martin, sparking a national controversy. The company, Kel-Tec makes the gun Zimmerman used in the shooting.
According to TMZ, Zimmerman took this photo with an employee and toured the plant but did not buy a gun. He was acquitted of murdering 17- year-old Trayvon Martin last month. Zimmerman`s brother and attorney say since then, he`s got more reason than ever to be armed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN JR., BROTHER OF GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: The press are vile. They`re vicious, they disgusting and they are sometimes in person, like people wearing shirts with my brother`s face on it in cross hairs or encouraging others to act out violently against him.
MARK O`MARA, ATTORNEY FOR GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: I think he has to live mostly in hiding. He`s got to be able to protect himself from that periphery that still believes that he`s some racist murderer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Straight out to "The Lion`s Den" -- so much for a life in hiding. Lisa Bloom, what do you make of this photo touring a gun manufacturing plant? I mean, is he exercising his rights or is he kind of thumbing his nose at all the people who thought, "Well, you got away with murder?"
LISA BLOOM, ATTORNEY: Right. What he fails to understand is that he took a human life and that there are people who are still grieving over that. So to get the idea that it would make some sense, that it would be a lot of fun to go to the manufacturer of the same gun, Kel-Tec, that he used to take the life of an unarmed 17-year-old boy --
MICHELLE SUSKAUER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Please --
BLOOM: And post a picture and send it out I mean that is just so insensitive.
SUSKAUER: Ok, he was acquitted, ok? He has a right to go anywhere he wants to go, and do whatever he wants to do. And he has --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But he doesn`t have to gloat about it.
SUSKAUER: Ok, I`m not saying that that -- and we don`t know whether he was invited there, whether he went there. He didn`t buy anything. He didn`t show what he was purchasing.
BLOOM: Why doesn`t he go dance on Trayvon Martin`s grave? He has a right to do that, too.
SUSKAUER: You`re right, I guess. But this certainly should not be compared to dancing on his grave.
But I`ll tell you something -- that he has, Lisa, a target on his back forever. He will always be looking behind him, because he needs to, because there are people who are crazy -- just like with Casey Anthony -- who want to do him harm. So he better be armed.
BLOOM: Yes, but you`re not talking about --
SUSKAUER: But wait a minute, you`re not listening --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold on a second.
JUDGE DAVID YOUNG: Nobody is making any sense. The fact of the matter is this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) posed for pictures. He didn`t go to buy a gun, he didn`t go for self defense -- posed for pictures. This tells me -- and I may be off base -- that he`s looking to be a sponsor for that gun manufacturer. Because that gun manufacturer --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, wow. That is --
(CROSSTALK)
YOUNG: Because the people who will buy that gun will love George Zimmerman.
SUSKAUER: You know what? You know what -- that is -- that is absolutely ridiculous.
YOUNG: Makes sense to me Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hold on a second. Let me ask Wendy Walsh. Is it a question, a psychological question, you`re a psychologist, of being tone deaf? In other words, some people are just inappropriate. Their responses don`t quite mirror what the average person would do in this situation.
WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST: Missing a social chip, perhaps.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
WALSH: Well, let me say this, Jane. I`ve always felt that George Zimmerman was pretty paranoid, that he has very fear-based thinking, no matter what. So add on top of it now his perception that everybody wants to kill him and he`s thinking --
SUSKAUER: That`s not a perception. It`s a reality.
YOUNG: Oh, please.
WALSH: -- I`m going to align myself with the gun manufacturers. He`s trying to align himself with a group of people in America who think he totally did the right thing. And this is where he`s finding a safety zone.
YOUNG: Right.
WALSH: I will say that.
But he`s not thinking about the people who think he did the wrong thing, and the families who are mourning -- the murder of Trayvon.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So you`re saying, Wendy, that he`s kind of like a rock star at the gun plant and that culture.
YOUNG: Absolutely.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s what you`re suggesting. Michelle you want to respond to that?
SUSKAUER: It`s not a (inaudible). And first of all that wasn`t a self (inaudible) taken himself, this is probably something -- it got out. And look, I`m not going to say that I think that that maybe slightly bad judgment. It certainly wouldn`t be what I would advise him to do in terms of taking a picture there but he has a right to do it and he certainly has a right to arm himself because he should.
YOUNG: How did TMZ know he was there? Was that a courier pigeon?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: TMZ knows everything. TMZ finds it all out. I used to work for Harvey Levin. He has event sources in America.
SUSKAUER: Are you kidding me? You know that that employee definitely said oh my gosh, I`m going to sell this picture and I`m going to contact TMZ.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well we don`t know that it was sold.
YOUNG: In Cocoa Beach, Florida, really? Have you been to Cocoa Beach, Florida? There`s little sophistication there --
BLOOM: And how about the responsibility of this gun manufacturer?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: One at a time.
(CROSSTALK)
YOUNG: -- like it is in Los Angeles or Miami -- please.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me jump in here and say that Zimmerman`s trial is getting the small screen treatment. Yes, NBC planning an episode of "Law and Order: SUV" inspired by the tragic death of Trayvon Martin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- cases bother me more than most but there`s big issues with the outcry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s still coaching, Captain. I just think we need to dot the Is and cross the Ts on this one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no physical evidence, no corroborating witnesses, not to mention our complainant has a long history of drug arrests.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It doesn`t mean something.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. And that episode is still in production. Now, it raises the question, you mentioned Michelle Suskauer, and certainly his attorney mentioned that he either feels or does have a target -- that he`s become a target. Could this be a way of him sending a message to anybody out there who may have threatened him that you better not, because I could be packing?
And we know that he legally got his gun back or is getting his gun back because he was acquitted. He`s getting his gun back.
SUSKAUER: Maybe that is subliminally a message saying hey listen, I`m going to be protecting myself, because I know there are crazies out there. And he has an absolutely right to do it, and he`s nationally known. He certainly does have a target with his face on it.
YOUNG: How many guns does he need? How many guns does he -- he was pulled over in Texas for driving for speeding with a gun in the glove box. How many guns does a person need?
SUSKAUER: He didn`t buy one. Judge, he didn`t buy one. He went --
YOUNG: How many do you need? Answer me this. How many guns does a person need to defend themselves?
WALSH: Jane -- actually.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Lisa Bloom.
WALSH: Jane -- go ahead Lisa.
BLOOM: Listen, you know, 99 percent of the people who protested did so peacefully and nonviolently. And I resent all of this implication, like people are rioting, they`re going to come and get him, they`re going to kill him. In fact, there`s not been a single act of violence against him.
And yes, I think he should be cautious. I think he should keep his eyes open because there are people who are unhappy with him but let`s also give a shout-out to frankly the African-American community, which has been very restrained and has conducted itself with a lot of dignity in all of the protests after the verdict.
YOUNG: Absolutely. Lisa you`re 100 percent correct.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: There were many (inaudible) many segments of the society that were upset that across the board -- crossing all racial, ethnic, socio-economic lines; in other words, the case many different ways. But I agree with your sentiment.
But Wendy Walsh you wanted to get in there.
WALSH: Yes, Jane it`s important to understand that since the 1950s gun ownership has continued to go down in America but we`re seeing a small population of people who are stockpiling lots of guns. The really paranoid trigger-happy bunch are the ones you have to watch out for.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me say this. If the gun ownership is going down, the population is going up. So I think we have to take a look at what the real stats are.
YOUNG: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok. On the other side, is there a case coming up that is far more explosive than the Zimmerman case? In Florida, yes, we`re going to tell you about it, next. Stand your ground.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was about what -- nine shots. Yes. It was about nine shots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. It was like pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. Then it stopped for a second, then you hear pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who shot him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have no idea. Please can you bring help? Please, now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Michael Dunn is accused of murdering 17-year-old Jordan Davis at a gas station last year. Dunn allegedly fired repeatedly into a car of teens after telling them to turn their music down.
He claims the teens threatened him. He saw a gun in their car. Police say no guns were found. And unlike George Zimmerman, Dunn was not injured during the confrontation.
Michelle Suskauer, you`re down there in Florida -- Fort Lauderdale. Could this be more explosive than the George Zimmerman trial because this defendant was not injured?
SUSKAUER: That`s right. Although, Jane, you don`t have to be injured and certainly that added to the mix with the Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin situation. But this makes it certainly more explosive, because there wasn`t that physical altercation. But remember, the law was changed years ago in Florida. There`s no duty to retreat. We have that stand your ground. But I think obviously this is going to -- there`s no way. This is not going to be compared to the Zimmerman situation.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Judge Young, you`re also in Florida, do you think this is going to be as explosive or more, briefly?
YOUNG: I don`t think it`s going to be that explosive, because I don`t think the media is going to really want to cover it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What?
YOUNG: Yes. That`s my feeling.
SUSKAUER: Why not.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, if there`s cameras in the courtroom, I`m going to cover it. You`re going to see it right here on this show. So stay tuned.
YOUNG: Good. Thank you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It`s going to be happening I believe in the beginning of next year.
Ok, up next -- thank you, fantastic panel.
Convicted murder Jodi Arias will be in court for a huge hearing on Monday. Will she face the death penalty for killing her ex-boyfriend? We`ll be all over it on HLN, and on this show, Monday night, 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What really enraged me about this case was that there`s only one person left to tell the story, and that`s Jodi Arias. And through her lies and through her manipulation, she basically assassinated this man a second time -- assassinating his character the second time around. Accusing him of something so outrageous, so outlandish, without really any factual basis, and it was horrifying.
She painted him as a pedophile. I could tell you, as a journalist, he`s not a pedophile. He was not a pedophile. It`s all made up. But she was allowed to get on the witness stand with Travis Alexander`s grieving siblings sitting just a few feet away from her, and spew this garbage about him. It was infuriating, and it actually enraged the nation.
Jodi Arias tried to make Travis Alexander the person on trial. She tried to make herself the victim. In this book, we outline precisely why Travis is the victim, and she is the villain. It`s really her demonic behavior in trying to turn him into the monster that makes her the true monster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Time for Pet of the Day. Send your pet pics to hlntv.com/jane. Mayzie -- you are not lazy Mayzie. I know you`re not. You`re beautiful and frisky. And there`s Goldie and Sophie -- wow, they are just quite a stunning couple, ebony and ivory. Three`s Company -- well, they should have their own TV show, for sure. Oh, and take a look at Earl. He`s a pearl. And he has a little doggy toy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hey, little Rico. Tonight we`re talking about America`s horses and why some critics say our U.S. government has declared war on America`s wild horses.
Our tax dollars pay for round ups of wild horses, innocent animals rounded up often by helicopter and then we pay to keep tens of thousands of wild horses packed in government holding pens.
Here`s breaking news on a new round up. New video from the America Wild Horse Preservation campaign is what you`re looking at. They`re showing what they say are horses in pens awaiting auctions.
Tonight, some are outraged over claims that our government gave its blessings to this latest round up of almost 500 horses from the Nevada/Oregon border. Animal groups raced to court to try to save the horses arguing the roundup violated federal law.
Animal groups lost in court and the auction of many of the horses went forward. But then animal advocates jumped in and rescued at least half of the horses that were rounded up by literally buying them.
Straight out to Suzanne Roy, director of the American Wild Horse Preservation campaign -- you were at the auction. What did you see?
SUZANNE ROY, AMERICAN WILD HORSE PRESERVATION CAMPAIGN: I was Jane. And it was heartbreaking. I saw injured horses and lame horses, horses with bloody faces and gashes on their face. Orphaned foals, probably the worst part was the tiny foals who were ripped from their mothers moments before being shoved into the auction ring. They were so scared, they were crying for their moms and they were sold off one by one.
And then the moms came in and they are five at a time. They were huddled together just dazed.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Animal advocates went to court to stop the sale of many adult horses without brands arguing many of these horses were wild, they claim, from government land and therefore protected under the Wild Free Roaming Horse Act. But the judge ruled that a Nevada tribe legally owned the horses and had the legal right the sell them at auction.
Straight out to Arlo Crutcher, vice chairman of Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone tribes of Nevada and Oregon. Thank you for joining us sir. I`m not suggesting you did anything illegal but did your tribe remove hundreds of horses off the range and sell them at auction and if so, why?
ARLO CRUTCHER, FORT MCDERMITT PAIUTE AND SHOSHONE TRIBES (via telephone): Yes, we did. We rounded up horses off the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation off of our own land and we removed them because of the drought situation that we have here in the west and also --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me ask you this question. Let me ask you this question because people are always saying they were removing the horses for the horse`s sake. But if the horses were starving, they wouldn`t be having as many foals. I mean don`t you think it`s better for them to be on the range as opposed to what this woman has described as terrifying conditions. And there are claims that a number of the horses went to killer buyers. What`s your reaction to that, sir?
CRUTCHER: Well my reaction to that is that we took them to public auction and we gave everybody an opportunity to buy and the horse activists, I guess I can tell you that they also bought some and they bought more. You know, we`re giving everybody the fair opportunity. There was a lot of bad stuff written on the media about us, a lot of lies. I wanted to make that clear.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But you`re taking the horses off the land.
CRUTCHER: What`s that?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You`re taking the horses off the land.
CRUTCHER: Yes. We are --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s what they`re upset about.
CRUTCHER: We are a sovereign nation. We have laws on our reservation that we have to protect our land, our people, our livestock.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Thank you Arlo for joining us. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, Rico, that does it for us.
Nancy Grace is up next.
END
