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Crime and Justice With Ashleigh Banfield
Man Killed Sheriff`s Deputy During a Chase; Man Trying to Flee Caught Hiding a Dead Body; Young Man Killed Mother Over a Puppy Dispute. Aired 6-8p ET
Aired January 08, 2018 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
[18:00:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... Ashleigh Banfield. Stay tuned.
JEAN CASAREZ, HOST, HLN: I`m Jean Casarez in for Ashleigh Banfield. Thank you for joining us. It is 6 o`clock Eastern and these are your headlines.
The hunt is on for a man in Washington State suspected of shooting and killing a sheriff`s deputy during a foot chase late last night. He`s being
described as a white or mixed race male with a pony tail and pock marks on his face.
This as we learn more about the fallen officer Daniel McCartney, he was a navy vet with three sons.
Close friends are telling CNN, Oprah is thinking about running for president in 2020. She gave a rousing speech last night accepting the Cecil
B. Demille award addressing gender inequality and sexual harassment.
And three people were injured this morning in a fire that broke in in an electrical unit on the roof of Trump Tower. The exact cause is under
investigation but none of the injuries were life threatening and the blaze was put out in an hour.
O.J. Simpson has threatened to sue the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas saying the casino acted with malice and racial prejudice back in November for reported
belligerence. According to O.J.`s lawyer he is looking for at least $100 million from the hotel.
And the two Texas sisters who went missing after their mother`s mysterious death have now been placed into foster care. They were spotted on the road
last week with their mother`s criminal roommate and he`s now been charged with kidnapping.
And tonight, we do begin with a car chase like no other. A police say an SUV going over 100 miles per hour on a South Dakota interstate. When police
start to trail the car the driver clocks 118 and he guns it for about 48 miles, endangering other drivers.
But we`ve seen car chases before. But we haven`t seen is what police found inside that car when they finally through down spikes and the car landed in
a ditch. In the consul police say they found prescription bottles. In the back they found a growler and behind that they found a dead woman`s body.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTY JACKLEY, ATTORNEY GENERAL, SOUTH DAKOTA: The law enforcement is in the process letting the next of kin know. We`re also finished with the
autopsy and have made a preliminary determination of cause and manner of death. Once the next of kin have been notified we`ll issue additional
information.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: Police say they smelled alcohol on the driver and he tried to flee on foot. Nearly twice the legal limit was that alcohol but they were able
to arrest Tosten Lommen and they would soon discovered that he is the dead woman`s son. Now he is a suspect in her death.
And joining us tonight by telephone, Marnie Cook. She is news director for KOTA Radio. OK, first of all, this is South Dakota, but where were these
people from? He and his mother?
MARNIE COOK, NEWS DIRECTOR, KOTA RADIO: They were from California and we still don`t know where they were going or what they were doing, but, yes,
they were traveling east.
CASAREZ: So, you`re telling me that they are from California, they had no, no connection at all to South Dakota?
COOK: Well, we know if law enforcement is aware of that, they haven`t made any, made anyone else privy to that. But we know that they were obviously
traveling together, and...
(CROSSTALK)
CASAREZ: Yes, traveling together and she`s deceased. Do we know how long she was -- there she is. She`s beautiful. That`s his mother that was in the
back seat. And isn`t it true, Marnie, that there was a blanket that was wrapped around her deceased corpse?
COOK: Yes. It`s very true. They found after he was pulled over and he tried to run. They found her body in the back seat, and it was just announced
today the preliminary autopsy results indicate blunt trauma injury to her head and then hemorrhage interior neck musculature. So, the manner of
that...
(CROSSTALK)
CASAREZ: You`re right. You`re right. Blunt force injury to the head with a soft tissue neck hemorrhage. That`s preliminary autopsy report, but you`re
right, Marnie, they have determined it is a homicide at this point.
[18:04:54] I want to go to Steve Moore because he is our law enforcement contributor for CNN, former FBI agent, investigator. You are certified
death investigator. What do you think at this point? He`s a suspect. Not been charged. No charges. Was this trying to just run away from the law?
STEVE MOORE, LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR, CNN: Well, I don`t -- yes. Yes. I mean, he was running away from the law. I don`t think he had any grand plan
on this whole thing. The information that we`ve seen so far leads us to believe that he was probably a very unstable individual and this
instability was more than that, it was a violent instability, and people on all sides of his life knew about it. So this may not come as -- well, it
will come as a shock but maybe not as a surprise to some people.
CASAREZ: Marnie, what do we know about his background?
COOK: Well, we don`t really know much although it does appear that there were some complaints, a previous girlfriend wrote a request for a
restraining order and saying that he was saying some outlandish things.
CASAREZ: That`s right. A restraining order that actually is still in effect because she was scared for her life because of him. Do we have any details,
Marnie, about that restraining order?
COOK: Yes, the restraining order, the request for that restraining order in it she wrote quote, "Police found multiple weapons on him. He told the
police he was searching for me because he hadn`t seen me in three months and believe ISIS had killed me," unquote
CASAREZ: OK. And many, many other details too. Joseph Scott Morgan, you`re a certified death investigator, you`re a professor of forensics. Doctor,
first of all, when I think of blunt force injury to the head, we hear that in homicide cases, can it ever be because of an accident?
JOSEPH SCOTT MORGAN, PROFESSOR OF APPLIED FORENSICS, JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY: Yes. Most certainly.
CASAREZ: So they`ve already designated this as a homicide. What does that tell you?
MORGAN: A strike to the head. And the critical thing here is, was this anti mortem trauma which means prior to the death or post mortem trauma. And
that`s going to be key here. And the medical examiner will be able to determine that. And what level of lethality was it. Was there a depressed
skull fracture involved with this? How much trauma did the brain sustain?
One of the things I`m very curious about that the reporter mentioned was that it`s indicated that she`s got soft tissue hemorrhage in the muscles of
the neck. Many times, though, this can be generated by blunt force, one of the things we have to consider is that this is classic when you think about
someone being throttled around the neck like this. So all possibilities have to be left open at this time, Jean.
CASAREZ: So, doctor, do you think that`s what made it a homicide at this point, the preliminary conclusion that it was death at the hands of another
which is a homicide, because of the soft tissue neck hemorrhaging?
MORGAN: Yes, because, you know, this is an atypical area to get a, what we refer to as blunt force trauma. It`s much more consistent with someone
being choked, that is the soft tissue. You also have to consider what the condition of the organs of the neck, primarily the trachea are going to be.
Is there tissue, is there hemorrhage into this.
And it`s important to understand, this is -- this goes to timeline, which is, I`m blowing this particular case because you`re talking about
individuals that traveled from Palm Springs to South Dakota, which in my estimate is well in excess of 1,000 miles. At what point in time did she
die? Was this an event that took place in California? Did it happen in transit? Did it happen once they got to San Diego?
One of the things that the investigators I hope did in this particular case was do post mortem interval measurements that is body temperature, degree
of rigor mortis. All of the changes that we look for after death.
CASAREZ: Right. And what we`re learning here because we just spoke with authorities in the Palm Springs jurisdiction right before we went on air
and they say that there may be some evidence that she actually died in their jurisdiction.
Marnie Cook, you`re a news director at KOTA Radio, what do we know about the victim in this case? We know she`s a beautiful, was a beautiful lady.
We`ve seen her picture. What do we know? What did she do for a living in Palm Springs?
COOK: You know, I am not aware of what she does there at all. I don`t know other than the two were together traveling and their relationship as mother
and son. I really don`t have any other details about their personal lives.
CASAREZ: All right let`s go to our defense attorney extraordinaire tonight. Yodit Tewolde.
YODIT TEWOLDE, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes.
[18:10:00] CASAREZ: Thank you. So good to have you.
TEWOLDE: Thank you.
CASAREZ: All right. If this is a homicide and it occurred in California, and traveling in South Dakota, another jurisdiction, where would the murder
case be brought?
TEWOLDE: In California. So he would have to be -- he was found and arrested in another state that would have to extradite him back to California.
That`s where the crime occurred.
CASAREZ: Right.
TEWOLDE: So where the crime be the jurisdiction.
CASAREZ: What about federal charges? Transporting a corpse across state lines.
TEWOLDE: You know what, that`s a really good question. Because the only thing I was thinking of is state, state of offense murder. But that would
be a good question. I mean, there are several things that occurred. He was already charged with a DUI. He was charged with aggravated, in terms of
leading a chase with the police officers that was dangerous and could have hurt other people. So I`m not sure. But I would probably bet that they were
going to keep it on a state level.
CASAREZ: Yes, why $5.2 million bail at this point?
TEWOLDE: Why?
CASAREZ: Risk of flying?
TEWOLDE: I mean, yes, the evidence is in the putting. I mean, right there. I mean, he led a chase that could have hurt so many other people they had
to put spikes down on the ground. When you have to do then he let with no choice.
CASAREZ: Yes.
TEWOLDE: So he`s a flight risk for sure.
CASAREZ: Yes.
TEWOLDE: Yes.
CASAREZ: And you know, I think, Steve Moore, you`re a former FBI agent. You know this well. To flee for 50 miles as law enforcement is pursuing you for
no good reason just doesn`t make sense. I mean, your mother -- if you thought she was seriously injured you would welcome law enforcement, you
would pull over, help me, my mother is in the back seat. Help me. I mean, this shows his state of mind.
MOORE: It absolutely does, though I have seen people flee from the police for no good reason, but this guy, obviously had some mental issues. And you
know, in the restraining orders that I`ve seen, not just the girl -- the ex-girlfriend but her parents were listed on that as protectees.
So he may have had a thing for the parents on these things and one possibility, you know they came all the way down from Northern California
to go to Palm Springs. One possibility is maybe the mom had found somebody to give him help, you know, in Palm Springs. There`s a lot of centers for
rehab and things like that. Maybe he just decided he wasn`t going to go. Again, it`s speculation. But you start having to look at all possibilities
here.
CASAREZ: Well, a motive is not critical for prosecutors but juries want that.
MOORE: No. Right.
CASAREZ: They want to see a motive. And here you`re just lost because you need the motive. You got the facts at this point. What will they do during
the investigation to develop the motive?
MOORE: Well, I think the reason for the trip to palm springs is going to be crucial and the relationship between the mother and the other people
involved in the restraining orders will be crucial because it will tell people what the state of mind was, what the things were that he was trying
to avoid, or the things that were, the demons that were causing him to do this.
I mean, if he gets up in front of a jury and says, well, I was afraid that ISIS was going to kill my mom or something, you know, you`ve got motive
right there because he`s insane but not criminally insane.
CASAREZ: Right or the intent to kill her because he was upset at something. All right. Well now that the preliminary autopsy report says this is a
homicide, there are no charges at this point having to do with his mother`s death, we`ll keep you updated if those charges are upgraded.
Next, a Michigan teen accused of killing his mother after an argument about a puppy could soon be standing trial for murder.
[18:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CASAREZ: Tonight a young man in Michigan is in police custody and preparing himself for court because he`s just been found competent to stand trial for
his mother`s murder. Police say 20-year-old Andrew Wilson admitted to taking a rifle from a locked gun cabinet and shooting her in the back of
the head while she was sleeping. Before going for a drive and getting rid of the gun.
A judge ordered a mental examination for Andrew because of the reason he gave police. He said he killed his mother after an argument when she said
he couldn`t keep a puppy at her house. But Andrew was the one who called 911 the next morning. But here`s what he said. He told police he found her
dead body in bed, now he`s facing a murder charge. With a court ruling he knew what he was doing.
Joining us now on the phone, Ken Palmer, a reporter with the Lansing State Journal. Also Cheryl Arutt, clinical and forensic psychologist, and Yodit
Tewolde joining us all tonight.
All right. First of all, isn`t it true and I want to go to Ken Palmer first, that when this happened his mother was ambushed. She didn`t stand a
chance, Ken of being able to defend herself.
KEN PALMER, REPORTER, LANSING STATE JOURNAL: Yes, as far as we know that`s true, based on the testimony from the police detective during a hearing
that led to the murder charge being issued against Andrew.
CASAREZ: So, according to a hearing, and in open court you can get a lot of information that you can`t get otherwise, what happened that night?
[18:20:01] PALMER: The story that the detective gave to the judge in seeking the murder warrant against Andrew was that at some time during the
early morning hours Andrew removed a rifle from a locked gun cabinet inside the house, walked into his mother`s bedroom and shot her in the back of the
head. The detective went on to mention that Andrew had a disagreement with his mother some hours before regarding a puppy that he had brought home a
couple of weeks before.
CASAREZ: Right. So what do you do? You shoot and kill her. Dr. Cheryl Arutt who is joining us, clinical and forensic psychiatrist, assistant clinical
psychologist, there was a competency examination which was the right thing to do because they need to determine if he understood the charges, was able
to aid and assist his attorney. Because without that you can`t proceed to trial. And they said that he is competent. He can go forward. What does
this tell you about his mental state?
CHERYL ARUTT, CLINICAL AND FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, Jean, this is a very important distinction that a lot of people mix up. The difference
between being found competent to stand trial and insanity defense about the crime. This doesn`t make any kind of determination about whether he knew
what he was doing at the time that the crime was committed.
But what this means is that he was evaluated and a judge makes a determination that he is competent to be able to assist with his trial,
he`s able to have a trial and after that they have a chance to determine whether or not he was sane at the time he committed the crime and that`s
something that a jury would decide.
CASAREZ: Well, Ken, let`s look at what he knew at this point, from the facts that we have at this point. The gun wasn`t just lying around-the-
house. It was in a locked cabinet. So am I right that he had to unlock it and get the gun out? What do we know about those facts?
PALMER: We -- all we know about those facts are those that were related to the judge during the warrant hearing. Police have said nothing else about
the facts regarding this case and this investigation as far as we know.
CASAREZ: All right. What about -- what did he do with the gun. What do we know about what happened to the gun?
PALMER: The gun, according to the testimony in this hearing, Mr. Wilson, the son, went for a drive around the county and he discarded the gun. He
later told police that he did this and police were able to recover the weapon.
CASAREZ: All right. Yodit, I`ve got to ask you, OK? Let`s look at insanity, he didn`t know right from wrong versus an intent to kill. He went to the
locked gun cabinet. That took a state of mind...
TEWOLDE: Right.
CASAREZ: ... that you`re going to go get a gun that`s locked up and you`re going to take it out.
TEWOLDE: This whole insanity giving rise when insanity plea you have to know right from wrong at the time the crime is committed. And from all
accounts that we know for now is that he knew it was wrong because he tried to be evasive to officers, he went and discarded the gun, he made up this
lie about finding his mom in bed. If you knew that it was wrong you would do those things.
CASAREZ: Yes.
TEWOLDE: If you didn`t, then you wouldn`t have to make up stories to the police. So, that tells me right there that some sort of insanity defense
would be weak at this point from what we know so far.
CASAREZ: Yes. That`s a great, great point. Ken, originally, as Yodit just said this young man said, I came and I found my mother. He called 911.
Right. And he said, look, I found my mother. Somebody else did this. But they found that nobody else had been in that home. Ken, do we know how they
determined that?
PALMER: We do not know how they determined that. That`s what the detective told the magistrate during the warrant hearing.
CASAREZ: All right. But, obviously, some form or fashion cameras or something made them realize nobody else could have done this.
Dr. Cheryl Arutt, we do know that this young man five years ago had Hodgkin`s lymphoma and he went through very, very aggressive forms of
radiation. What does that do to a brain, and do you think that the defense will use that as a type of defense in regard to his mental state?
[18:24:53] ARUTT: I certainly think that the defense would be remiss if they didn`t look into that as part of his defense. There are doctors like
Daniel Amen who do brain scans on people just like this to determine whether there was some kind of damage to a part of the brain that happened
after the radiation treatment that might have influenced his capacity for judgment, that might have influenced his for self-regulation.
We know he had the radiation treatment when he was about 14. An adolescent brain is very impulsive at that time. And if some of the structures that
weren`t quite built yet or damaged or that tissue didn`t develop properly because of the radiation that occurred while his brain was maturing that
would be a very important thing to know because he may possibly have some kind of growth or damage or impairment that might have gotten in the way of
him making good choices when he was angry at her.
And then after he saw what he did and went, my God, I killed my mother. He started driving around and started thinking of what I do I do next, and
getting rid of the gun and so forth. So we don`t really know until we see. There will be much more in depth evaluation, a neuropsych evaluation to
determine what impact if any that had on his brain.
CASAREZ: But, doctor, this was five years ago. He`s recovered. Five years is a long time. If there was an impact wouldn`t that -- wouldn`t something
have happened closer to the five years because we`ve been told, police have said that there`s no criminal history here. No criminal record.
ARUTT: Right.
CASAREZ: Whether that includes juvenile we don`t know but I don`t think they would have told us that if he had a juvenile record.
ARUTT: Well, the history is important, too. We don`t know if he had any history of other kinds of outbursts that didn`t involve the legal system.
We don`t know when his parents split up and when he went into two households.
If damage were caused in an immature 14-year-old brain from radiation that could very well continue to cause ongoing difficulties because that doesn`t
just spontaneously necessarily grow back even though we do have neuroplasticity, and if we know there`s a problem there are some things
that we can do to help compensate and help the brain heal.
But there are often lingering and permanent damage and symptoms from, and brain injuries caused by saving someone`s life from something like a
Hodgkin`s lymphoma.
CASAREZ: You know, let`s talk about the victim for a minute. Because this woman, his mother was 51 years old. The thing that I just can`t get past is
that she couldn`t defend herself. I guess we can say she could say she didn`t suffer but she was ambushed. She was shot in the back of the head as
she slept, Lisa Marie Wilson. Ken, do we know what she did in life?
PALMER: We know that she worked for an insurance company called Accident Fund and that she had previously worked for another insurance company
called Citizens Insurance.
CASAREZ: As a financial adviser, I understand. I mean, this is a lady that was in the workforce, she was -- had her profession. Really the prime of
her life, 51 years old. And gunned down by her son. We`ll follow this case, this young man is being held without bail. Maximum penalty life in prison.
He`s young but life in prison is the maximum penalty and a very, very serious crime.
It is fair to say 911 dispatchers get plenty of calls about drunk drivers but probably not so many calls that are made by the drunk driver.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nine-one-one, what`s the address of your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to report all over Winter Haven.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. What is it that you want to report, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just drunk driving.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re drunk driving right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, all night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: Florida police say Michael Lester calls 911 on New Year`s Eve to report himself drunk driving.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know. I`m too drunk. Let me ask you a question, is this 911?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, this is Polk County Sheriff`s Office. We dispatch for Winter Haven. We have a unit coming out to you now. What is your last
name? You last name, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I`m going to get something to eat and you can catch up to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you need EMS or paramedics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I need the police department.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Well, that`s what I`m trying to get to you. So if you do me a favor, look what do you see? Do you see a McDonald`s, do you
see a bank, what do you see?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see a Publix.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You near Publix. Are you in the parking lot?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No I`m driving on the wrong side of the road.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now you`re driving on the wrong side of the road in which direction?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know. They guy won`t get out of my way though.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, sir, officers are looking for you right now. I need you to pull over right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am pulled over. You can`t tell me what to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:29:55] CASAREZ: You know I`m going to turn this around for a second. He called himself. He turned himself in. He may have prevented a very serious
accident at his hand. You don`t drink and drive though. He was arrested. He was charge with DUI improper stand or lane use, driving on the wrong side
of the road and for not wearing a seat belt.
The desperate search continues for a missing Indianapolis mother who disappeared days before the Christmas holidays. We will speak with her
mother, next.
[18:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CASAREZ: Tonight, the search is growing more and more desperate for a missing young Indiana mother. Beautiful Jaime Beasley`s family posting
flyers as police question the people who last saw her with a 9-year-old daughter asking where her mother has gone.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just love her. And I want her home. I don`t know what else to do. We did look at her. We just can`t find her. But somebody
has to see. Even if they do it anonymously. I need to find her. I have to find her. I can`t live without knowing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: The scary thing about Jaime is that she`s been missing for more than three weeks. Last spotted December 15th in Indianapolis. Disappearing
without a trace. Even missing Christmas with her family with all of her belongings. They were left at home.
Stephanie Wade joins us. She`s a reporter for CNN affiliate WRTV. All right, start from the beginning. What do we know as far as the timeline at
this point? She went missing, last seen December 15th.
STEPHANIE WADE, REPORTER, WRTV: So, Jaime was last seen on December 15th. What we know was that she was supposed to attend two Christmas
celebrations, one here in Indianapolis and then another in Kentucky, but her family has not seen her since then.
We know that she has a 9-year-old daughter. And we don`t know exactly the timeline of when she went missing, where she is right now. We did try to
contact the boyfriend of Jaime. (INAUDIBLE) on camera. We did reach him through the window. He says he has no idea where she is right now.
CASAREZ: Stephanie, I understand that she had even purchased and had wrapped Christmas presents for her little girl and her family.
WADE: Yes. That`s what we`re told. I mean, left with everything in place. The gifts. Everything ready for Christmas. And still no sign. No indication
of where she went or how this even happened, how she disappeared.
CASAREZ: Here`s the information because this is a missing person`s case. She is 32 years old, 5`2" tall, 120 pounds, brown eyes and brown hair.
You`re looking at her right there with brown highlights. Here`s what she was last wearing. Blue jeans, a pink zip-up jacket, and pink and black
high-top sneakers. Look at her face. Have you seen her at all?
Joining us tonight is her family. Sherrie Price, who is her mother, and also her sister, Susanne Billings, joining us now from Indianapolis.
I don`t think we can even begin to know what you were and are going through especially, Sherrie, the time of year because this is exactly when
Christmas was happening. She was gone over Christmas, Sherrie.
SHERRIE PRICE, MOTHER OF JAIME BEASLEY (via telephone): Yes. Yes, she was gone and we can`t find her anywhere. We have been looking everywhere and we
just can`t find her.
CASAREZ: It must just give you such -- I mean, I don`t want to put words into your mouth, but at this point, you just must feel hopeless?
PRICE (via telephone): I`ll never give up hope. I have to find her. (INAUDIBLE) otherwise. I have to find her.
CASAREZ: And your strength, your strength will not only get you through this, but I think will help find your daughter. Now, you are taking care of
her daughter Brooklyn, right, nine years old?
PRICE (via telephone): Yes.
CASAREZ: That must be very difficult. Does Brooklyn know that her mother is missing? How are you dealing with that?
PRICE (via telephone): We are trying to shield her as much as possible from all of this, but she knows something is wrong because her mom hasn`t called
her at all, you know? I mean, she`s worried though we haven`t told her how worried we are.
CASAREZ: Of course. Of course. Now, what have police told you? Where was she last seen? Who was the last person to see her?
PRICE (via telephone): The last person to see her was her boyfriend, whenever she went there to pack her things to come down and visit with us.
CASAREZ: Right. Because she was going to come visit you for Christmas and she had her presents already.
PRICE (via telephone): Yes.
CASAREZ: Have you spoken to him? I mean, there are no suspects here at all. We know law enforcement went to his home to talk with him this week,
actually, three weeks later. Have you spoken to him yourself?
[18:40:00] PRICE (via telephone): I have not, but --
CASAREZ: Have you tried and he won`t speak to you?
PRICE (via telephone): Yes, he won`t talk to me.
CASAREZ: He won`t. Had you ever met him before?
PRICE (via telephone): No.
CASAREZ: And he won`t speak to you?
PRICE (via telephone): No.
CASAREZ: Do you know what he has said to law enforcement?
PRICE (via telephone): No. They haven`t told me. They said it was an ongoing investigation.
CASAREZ: What did she leave behind? What was in that home?
PRICE (via telephone): Her purse, her cell phone, her clothes. We have since recovered those items. My niece and her husband went over there and
got those things from the house. He did give that stuff to them. But no way would she have walked out and left that stuff behind.
CASAREZ: Right.
PRICE (via telephone): She didn`t even have her coat or the presents that she got for Brooklyn, you know.
CASAREZ: Susanne, tell us about your sister. We see her on the screen. She is beautiful. Tell us a little bit more about her.
SUSANNE BILLINGS, SISTER OF JAIME BEASLEY (via telephone): She is. I have a close bond with her. We don`t know what to do. We`ve done everything. We`ve
done flyers. We contacted news agency. We walked on foot. We`ve looked in creeks and tunnels. We`ve done everything possible that we can ourselves.
She`s the life of the party. She always tries to make you laugh. She dance. She brings you up when you`re down.
CASAREZ: All right. We see that personality. We see it in the pictures. CNN law enforcement contributor, Steve Moore, you`ve covered so many of these.
This is a missing person investigation. But this is also a criminal investigation, right?
STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR, FORMER FBI AGENT AND INVESTIGATOR: At this point, you have to treat it as a criminal
investigation because there`s no indication that Jaime would be the kind of person who would just leave and not contact her daughter. So, yes, this is
being conducted as a criminal investigation.
CASAREZ: And what does it tell you that her cell phone was left in the house, her purse was left in the house, her jacket was left in the house.
You see snow on the ground out there. It`s not summer. What does that tell you?
MOORE: Yes. That kind of narrows things down a little bit. That tells me likely the last time she was where she wanted to be was in that house
because when you`re where you want to be, you`re going to have your purse, your phone, your jacket, everything like that.
If you leave that behind, all of it, I can see leaving a phone or forgetting a phone or something like that, but everything, then that means
she was last in that house. And that means, to me, that while you`re not going to say that the boyfriend is involved in it, you have to treat that
as a majority portion of the investigation. Right now, he`s got a lot of explaining to do.
CASAREZ: And there are no suspects. This is a missing person`s case. Sherrie, I want to ask you, is it true that a good friend of hers was found
dead near McDonald`s sometime in the past, recently?
PRICE (via telephone): Yes. On Christmas day.
CASAREZ: On Christmas day?
PRICE (via telephone): Yes.
CASAREZ: Oh, my goodness. My goodness.
PRICE (via telephone): She left behind a 6-year-old daughter.
CASAREZ: Steve, is that something that needs to be a part of this investigation because Jaime goes missing on December 15th, her good friend
is found dead at the McDonald`s on the 25th, 10 days later. Obviously an important part of this case.
MOORE: It is because there are similar points in life. They are friends. They have got similar backgrounds. And one thing that you see when you look
at her face, she was extremely popular. She had more than 2,000 Facebook friends.
What you need to understand is that some people involve themselves in risky lifestyles. And you have to examine her lifestyle and her business dealings
to ensure that that`s not a potential cause of her vanishing.
CASAREZ: Sherrie --
MOORE: Go ahead.
CASAREZ: I`m sorry, we have to move on. Sherrie, if your daughter is watching tonight, what do you want to tell her?
PRICE (via telephone): Please, Jaime, we just want to find you to make sure you`re OK, baby. We love you so much. And we miss you. Please come home.
CASAREZ: Jaime, your mother is crying out for you. If you are anywhere to hear this voice, contact her. And if anyone knows anything in her
disappearance,
[18:45:00] look at this family. Hear this family. Go to authorities.
And police in Texas, they are trying to nail down exactly what happened when a local sports reporter disappeared over the weekend.
[18:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CASAREZ: Tonight, there is relief in the Texas A&M community after a young sports reporter disappeared over the weekend. Twenty-nine-year-old Courtney
Roland reportedly sent a text to a friend, saying a suspicious man had been following her.
But no one had seen her since Saturday. So her picture was shared nationwide. Late yesterday, someone spotted her at a Houston mall and she
was alone. A piece of hope for family and friends before her jeep was found in a local parking lot with her phone and personal items inside.
Police waited for her to come back. It took hours, though, until she resurfaced not at her car, but beneath an overpass. Police tracked her down
at a (INAUDIBLE) nearby reporting that she was safe and saying it was medicine that may have made her confused.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
MANUEL CRUZ JR., LIEUTENANT, HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: In her state of confusion, I think she kind of lost track of time and her awareness. And I
don`t think that she was aware that she was being looked at as a missing person.
MARK LENTINI, CAPTAIN, HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: There`s no evidence to indicate that she was assaulted at this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: And joining us again, defense attorney Yodit Tewolde. This is a happy ending. We hope she is well. Hope the best for her. A young girl. A
reporter. Not a student at Texas A&M but reporting on a training camp this weekend in Houston. That`s why she was at the galleria afterwards. But this
is very bizarre. They are saying that it was medication?
YODIT TEWOLDE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: First, let me say I`m an Aggie alum.
CASAREZ: Oh, really?
TEWOLDE: Yes. What sort of struck me as weird is that when she went out apparently around midnight on Saturday, early Sunday morning, texted her
roommate or her friend and said that there was a man who was following her all the way home. And to me, that`s a flag, because why are you texting a
friend when you should be calling 911?
Two, saying that the man drove off as soon as she got out of the car. Why would you get out of the car if a man was following you? That`s another
flag too. Might have been the medication made her hallucinate. Made her paranoid that she is being followed. But nothing really made sense in terms
of anything happening criminally to her.
CASAREZ: Not yet.
TEWOLDE: Not yet at least.
CASAREZ: I mean, she was just found this morning. Do you think that they rushed to judgment here? What if someone was following her?
TEWOLDE: Well, she was pretty specific. She was. But at the same time, her actions also to me led me to believe that there was no real danger. If I`m
looking at the facts that we know of right now.
If someone were following me in a car all the way home, I`m not going to get out of my car, and I`m not going texting a friend, I`m going to be
calling 911 and say that I`m being followed and stay in my car or keep driving. I wouldn`t go to my house and park and get out of the vehicle and
let this person know that this is where I live.
Two, you can come and snatch me. It didn`t make any sense. I would probably go -- the police investigates and see what her family says about maybe any
medications that she may be taking. Any, you know, maybe they know more about her obviously her health history and see if there`s any connection
there.
CASAREZ: She was found under an overpass. Her car had her belongings in it. She was aimlessly walking towards the (INAUDIBLE) when they found her. I
mean, we`re not going to know what medication it was that did this to her, but I personally would like to know what medication can cause someone to do
this because that means it`s really a dangerous medication.
TEWOLDE: I mean, a lot of medication actually says you can`t drive and take the medication.
CASAREZ: But if you heard someone aimlessly walking, not knowing where they are, not realizing --
TEWOLDE: And that could be combined, we don`t know, with alcohol, maybe something else. And maybe it is just not the medication, but there are so
many questions that we just don`t know.
CASAREZ: That`s right.
TEWOLDE: We need to get answer --
CASAREZ: All right.
TEWOLDE: -- to piece this together.
CASAREZ: Thank you. Two Arkansas waitresses hit the jackpot, winning $300,000, but instead of living it up now, they are headed to court in a
fight over the money.
[18:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CASAREZ: In Arkansas, a boss gave two of his waitresses ten lottery tickets for their Christmas present. The only catch was that if they won, they
would have to split the pot for the Christmas bonus.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She split them. She (INAUDIBLE). We were both reading the back of it, trying to find the little, you know, your prize, but no, it
was a real one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: That`s right. They won $300,000. But now, they are on the outs. Leslie Underwood says her friend Mandy Vanhouten went and claimed the money
without her. You don`t do that. She also says she hasn`t heard from Mandy and Mandy hasn`t been back to work since they won.
What`s the other side of the story here? Well, now she and her former friend are going to have to fight this out in court. Leslie has gotten an
injunction, freezing Mandy`s assets until it can be all sorted out.
[19:00:00] An outrage tonight after a confessed murderer who dismemberment a Washington State mother is not sentenced to life in prison. The next hour
of "Crime and Justice" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A beloved young mother goes out on a date.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was funky. She was funny.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And wind up dead and dismembered in a recycling bin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This I have seen in flesh and blood in the bathtub drained.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now her killer is paying the price.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was totally different person when he was on drugs and alcohol.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But is his apology good enough?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The worst that (INAUDIBLE) the pain that I have caused.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For the love one she left behind.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You smothered her laugh. You crushed her smile. You left us with a nightmare of the unimaginable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shot in the head as she slept for saying no to a puppy. Police say her son pulled the trigger. Murdering his mother in the
middle of the night and now he is headed to court.
She has been missing for over three weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to find her. I can`t live without knowing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A beautiful mother with a 9-year-old daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She asks her grandma every day where her mom is. And I know she don`t know what to her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police are still talking to the last people who saw her alive.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) happened to her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tonight, the search for Jamie Beesly is still on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the man who tells the truth when he is drunk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m just drunk driving.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are drunk driving right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Driving down the wrong side of the road.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where have you been all night
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Driving around. Trying to get pulled over, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And calling the police on himself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I`m going to go get something to eat. They can catch up with me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CASAREZ: Good evening. I`m Jean Casarez in for Ashleigh Banfield. Thank you so much for joining us. This is the second hour of "CRIME AND JUSTICE."
Tonight, there is finally a punishment for one of the most gruesome and confusing crimes we have ever reported. That started with drinks on a date
and it ended with body parts in a recycling bin. A Seattle man returning from a trip out of town to find that his trash can was full and dumping the
contents on his lawn to find a human head and arm and a leg.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF KATHLEEN O`TOOLE, SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: At approximately 4:19 p.m., a citizen living in the 1600 block of 21st avenue reported finding
what he believed to be human remains in his recycling container. The items in question were inside plastic bags.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: Those body parts belonged to a beloved mother of three. A woman named Ingrid Lynn. Hours earlier she had gone to a Mariners Game with a man
she met online. He was her boyfriend. When they went back to her home police say he strangled her before dismembering her with a saw and
scattering her remains around time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JENNIFER WORLEY, KING COUNTY DEPUTY PROSECUTOR: The CSI unit of the Seattle police department found bits of human flesh and blood in the bathtub drain.
In the same bathtub where the saw was standing near the tub near the victim`s home. Also, last night her vehicle was located in downtown
Seattle. It appears that she was murdered in the home and transported in her own car to Seattle. The body parts were found in Seattle. He admits to
being with her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: Fast forward almost two years and Ingrid`s date is saying he is sorry. That`s him right there. He says he can`t remember everything that
night but pleading guilty to her murder.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do agree there is no word that can alleviate the pain that I have caused. For that, I`m truly sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: For those who knew Ingrid say their lives, they will never be the same especially for her three little girls. And they are expressing their
anger right to her killer`s face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHIL LYNE, EX-HUSBAND OF VICTIM: There was me telling them that mommy had died this weekend and someone had hurt her so badly that she had died. Then
came the screaming and crying.
NANCY SLIVIT, FRIEND OF VICTIM: You smothered her laugh, you crushed her smile, and you left us with the nightmare of the unimaginable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: Lynsi Burton joins us now. She is the crime reporter for Seattle and was in court for the sentencing. Also certified death investigator and
professor of forensics at Jacksonville State University Joseph Scott Morgan and defense attorney joins us also tonight.
First offal to you, Lynsi. He was convicted of first degree murder. First degree. First of all, why was he not even charged with desecration of a
corpse? He cut her up.
[19:05:28] LYNSI BURTON, WAS IN COURT FOR SENTENCING: Well Jean, it`s rather complicated. There are a lot of different factors that can go into
whether someone is sentenced to life or eligible for life in prison. In this case, first degree murder yes he pleaded guilty to first degree
murder, admitted to killing her. However, he did not use a deadly weapon in killing her. He choked her before dismembering her. There were aggravators
attached to the first degree murder charge which might have led to a life maybe imprisonment. And so there were any extra factors including criminal
-- extensive criminal history in Washington State that led to this. So basically state law ties the judge`s hands in terms of sentencing him to 28
years in prison.
CASAREZ: But the judge can go outside the guidelines. We learned that today. So could it happen? Where was she dismembered?
BURTON: So, she was apparently dismembered in her bathtub. First when police looked at the bathtub they couldn`t find any evidence of blood. They
just found a printing saw a couple of days later after her murder when they took up the plumbing. They did find tissue and flesh. So they did determine
that she was dismembered at least in her bathtub after she was killed.
CASAREZ: Right. And the pruning saw was right there in the home. Let`s look at that pruning saw. We got a picture of a pruning saw. And Lynsi, tell us
as we look at that pruning saw right there, which prosecutors say was used to dismember her, where were her remains found? How were they found?
BURTON: So, the same day she was reported missing. As you mentioned earlier in the segment a resident of an area of Seattle known as the Central
District found body parts in his recycling bin. That person called the police. They called the medical examiner. They determined a head, a leg and
an arm were found there.
Over the course of the next week or week and a half or so more remains were found in another recycling bin in that same neighborhood. And days later
found further south in the city in a different neighborhood. Her remains were distributed between plastics garbage bags and a Coleman cooler.
CASAREZ: You know, Lynsi, it`s a miracle that her remains were found. Not only found, but in three locations. I mean, how many times we covered cases
they go out to the landfill and they still can`t find any evidence of a body.
Joseph Scott Morgan, we have covered this case before. You have been with us before we have this. Because we look at that pruning saw and it seems a
little flimsy in a sense. But this man who is now convicted murder, John Robert Charlton, he actually had been in construction. That`s what he did.
And you showed us last time you were here the difficulty of sawing through bone with a pruning saw. Let`s roll that tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSEPH SCOTT MORGAN, CERTIFIED DEATH INVESTIGATOR: In this particular case we are talking about a pruning saw or limb saw that`s used for the
expressed purpose of trimming limbs.
Think about this is that limb are not near as dense as bone is. When you get into the matrix of the bone typically right here in the shaft it`s
very, very difficult to cut. Just as an example, we are going to draw the saw across the shaft of the bone. And even under these controlled
conditions it`s very, very difficult to do.
One of the other things that comes about is that you will have what is referred to as stops/starts. The individual doesn`t get started in quite
the particular angle, then readjusts the bone or readjust the saw relative to the bone and began to draw it across in multiple places.
For the police and for the forensic scientist, this is a great, great point to make because you are going to have multiple evidences of tool marks that
will match up with the blade.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: All right, Yodit Tewolde. OK. First of all, they must not have a statute in Washington of desecration of a corpse.
YODIT TWEOLDE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I mean, 28 years for a murder and a heinous one at that tells me the state was negotiating from a place of
weakness and strength. To get 28 years there must have been something that they lacked, and didn`t want to gamble by going to trial. Not to mention
they have to go and talk to the foam members.
CASAREZ: It makes no sense. They have sentencing guidelines in Washington and he had a (INAUDIBLE) score. But the statute definitively states that
for first degree murder the punishment can be up to life in prison. And the judge can go out of the bounds of the sentencing guidelines if they believe
that a murder is egregious enough. OK, let`s look at it.
[19:10:12] TWEOLDE: And his criminal history.
CASAREZ: He`s 39 years old. He got 27 years we are going to say. That adds up to 66 years old, 66.
TWEOLDE: Key still have a life.
CASAREZ: And he can be out. And the defense argued, well, his good years he will be in prison. I think 66 is - he is going to have some good years left
and this is a crime. It is horrendous.
TWEOLDE: Egregious.
CASAREZ: Egregious.
TWEOLDE: And this would be the perfect example for a judge to use their discretion in the right way. I mean, you see what judges do on cases where,
you know, men are raping women and they are just getting six months. This is a case where man killed a woman, dismembered her body and disseminated
throughout the city and you only give this man 27 years. I`m sure no one would have gone after this judge for using his discretion and giving him
life.
CASAREZ: Lynsi, you were in the courtroom for the sentencing. Number one what is the family saying of this beautiful young woman?
BURTON: So, it was a very somber sentencing and the New Hampshire is very private. But what did they say, her ex-husband Phil Line did speak to the
court. She was a vibrant woman. She loved her children so much. She was a wonderful friend. She was a sister, auntie, everything. She was a great
loss to the community.
CASAREZ: A great loss to the community. But this man can get out at 66 years old, if not sooner at this point. What did the judge say as to why
she wasn`t sentencing him to life in prison?
BURTON: The judge said her hands were tied by state law. She said several times during the sentencing that if it weren`t for the state law that she
would have certainly give him life in prison.
CASAREZ: And she didn`t talk about she could go outside of the guidelines. Remember this is not only first degree murder. This was premeditated
murder, Lynsi, right?
BURTON: It absolutely was. It wasn`t aggravated first degree murder which is a more serious charge in Washington State. It was simply first degree
murder. So that might have had something to do with it.
CASAREZ: And I looked at the aggravating factors and they are very, very particular and specific because my first thought was the green river killer
got life in prison.
TWEOLDE: Right.
CASAREZ: Why isn`t this guy getting life in prison? And you know, one of the aggravating factors is one or more victims or two or more victims. I
think the aggravating factor should be changed a little bit because they are so narrowly focused something like this.
TWEOLDE: I don`t know why this doesn`t fit under the aggravated murder and the young lady just said this is simply a first degree murder not to say
anything about what she just said. But this is not a simple thing. This is still murder the end of the day.
CASAREZ: Premeditated murder.
TWEOLDE: Premeditated murder. That`s right.
CASAREZ: And plus to make matters worse, the other charge was theft of a vehicle, nothing about the situation of the body.
All right. Thank you to all. A baby faced Michigan 20-year-old accused of killing his mother after an argument about a puppy could soon be standing
trial for murder.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:00:00] CASAREZ: Tonight a young man in Michigan is in police custody and preparing himself forecourt because he`s just been found competent to
stand trial for his mother`s murder.
Police say 20-year-old Andrew Wilson admitted to taking a rifle from a locked gun cabinet and shooting her in the back of the head while she was
sleeping before going for a drive and getting rid of the gun. A judge ordered a mental examination for Andrew because of the reason he gave
police. He said he killed his mother after an argument when she said he couldn`t keep a puppy at her house. But Andrew Wilson the one who called
911 the next morning. But here`s what he said. He told police he found her dead body in bed. Now he`s facing a murder charge with a court ruling he
knew what he was doing.
Joining us now on the phone Ken Palmer, a reporter with the Lansing State Journal. Also Cheryl Arutt, clinical and forensic psychologist and Yodit
Tewolde, joining all tonight.
All right. First of all, isn`t it true and I want to go to Ken Palmer first, that when this happened, his mother was ambushed, she didn`t stand a
chance, Ken, of being able to defend herself.
KEN PALMER, REPORTER, LANSING SATE JOURNAL (on the phone): Yes, as far as we know that`s true, based on the testimony from the police detective
during a hearing that led to the murder charge being issued against Andrew.
CASAREZ: So, according to a hearing, and in open court you can get a lot of information that you can`t get otherwise, what happened that night?
PALMER: The story that the detective gave to the judge in seeking the murder warrant against Andrew was that at some time during the early
morning hours Andrew removed a rifle from a locked gun cabinet inside the house, walked into his mother`s bedroom and shot her in the back of the
head. The detective went on to mention that Andrew had a disagreement with his mother some hours before regarding a puppy that he had brought home a
couple of weeks before.
[19:20:33] CASAREZ: Right. So what do you do? You shoot and kill her.
Dr. Cheryl Arutt who is joining us, clinical and forensic psychiatrist, assistant clinical psychologist, there was a competency examination which
was the right thing to do because they need to determine if he understood the charges, was able to aid and assist his attorney. Because we without
that you can`t proceed to trial. And they said that he is competent. He can go forward. What does this tell you about his mental state?
CHERYL ARUTT, PSY.D., CLINICAL AND FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, Jean, this is a very important distinction that a lot of people mix up. The difference
between being found competent to stand trial and insanity defense about the crime.
This doesn`t make any kind of determination about whether he knew what he was doing at the time that the crime was committed, but what this means is
that he was evaluated and a judge makes a determination that he is competent to be able to assist with his trial. He is able to have a trial.
And after that they have a chance to determine whether or not he was sane at the time he committed the crime and that`s something that a jury would
decide.
CASAREZ: Well, Ken, let`s look at what he knew at this point, from the facts that we have at this point. The gun wasn`t just lying around the
house. It was in a locked cabinet. So am I right that he had to unlock it and get the gun out? What do we know about those facts?
PALMER: All we know about the facts are those that were related to the judge during the warrant hearing. Police have said nothing else about the
facts regarding this case and this investigation as far as we know.
CASAREZ: All right. What about -- what did he do with the gun? What do we know about what happened to the gun?
PALMER: The gun, according to the testimony in this hearing, Mr. Wilson, the son, went for a drive around the county and he discarded the gun. He
later told police that he did this and police were able to recover the weapon.
CASAREZ: All right. Yodit, I got to ask, OK. Let`s look at insanity. He didn`t know right from wrong versus an intent to kill. He went to the
locked gun cabinet. That took a state of mind --
TWEOLDE: Right.
CASAREZ: -- that you`re going to go get a gun that`s locked up and you are going to take it out.
TWEOLDE: Right. This whole insanity, giving rise an insanity plea, you have to know right from wrong at the time the crime is committed. And from all
accounts that we know for now is that he knew it was wrong because he tried to be evasive to officers. He went and discarded the gun. He made up this
lie about finding his mom in bed. If you knew that it was wrong you would do those things. If you didn`t, then you wouldn`t have to make up stories
to the police. So, that tells me right there that some sort of insanity defense would be weak at this point from what we know so far.
CASAREZ: Yes. That`s a great, great point.
Ken, originally, as Yodit just said, this young man said, I came and found my mother. He called 911, right. And he said, look, I found my mother.
Somebody else did this. But they found that nobody else had been in that home. Ken, do we know how they determined that?
PALMER: We do not know how they determined that. That is what the detective told the magistrate during the warrant hearing.
CASAREZ: All right. But, obviously, some form or fashion cameras or something made them realize nobody else could have done this.
Doctor Cheryl Arutt, we do know that this young man five years ago had Hodgkin`s lymphoma and he went through very, very aggressive forms of
radiation. What does that do to a brain, and do you think that the defense will use that as a type of defense in regard to his mental state?
ARUTT: I certainly think that the defense would be remiss if they didn`t look into that as part of his defense. There are doctors like Daniel Amen
(ph) who do brain scans on people just like this to determine whether there was some kind of damage to a part of the brain that happened after the
radiation treatment that might have influenced his capacity for judgment. That might have influenced his self-regulation.
We know he had the radiation treatment when he was about 14. And an adolescent brain is very, very impulsive at that time. And if some of the
structures that weren`t quite built yet were damaged or that tissue didn`t develop properly because of the radiation that occurred while his brain was
maturing that would be a very important thing to know because he may possibly have some kind of growth or damage or impairment that got in the
way to help him make good choices when he was angry at her. And then after he saw what he did and went, oh my God, I killed my mother. He then started
driving around and started thinking what do I do next, getting rid of the gun and so forth. So we don`t really know until we see. And there will be
much more in depth evaluation in nuero-psych evaluation to determine what impact if any this had on his brain.
[19:26:02] CASAREZ: But Doctor this was five years ago. He has recovered. Five years is a long time. If there was an impact wouldn`t that - wouldn`t
something have happened closer to the five years because we have been told, police have said that there`s no criminal history here. No criminal record.
Whether that includes juvenile we don`t know but they would have told us that if he has a juvenile record.
ARUTT: Well, the history is important too. We don`t know if he had any history of other kinds of outbursts that didn`t involve the legal system.
We don`t know when his parents split up and when we went into two households. If damage were caused in an immature 14-year-old brain from
radiation that could very well continue to cause ongoing difficulties because that doesn`t just spontaneously necessarily grow back even though
we do have neuroplasticity and if we know there is a problem, there are some things that we can do to help compensate and help the brain heal.
But there are often lingering and permanent damage and symptoms from, and brain injuries caused by saving someone`s life from something like
Hodgkin`s lymphoma.
CASAREZ: You know, let`s talk about the victim for a minute because this woman, his mother was 51 years old. And the thing that I just can`t get
past is that she couldn`t eve defend herself. I guess we can say she didn`t suffer, but she was ambushed. She was shot in the back of the head as she
slept. Lisa Marie Wilson.
Ken, do we know what she did in life?
PALMER: We know that she worked for an insurance company called Accident Fund. And that she had previously worked for another insurance company
called Citizens Insurance.
CASAREZ: As a financial adviser, I understand. I mean, this is a lady that was in the workforce. She was -- had her profession. At the really the
prime of her life, 51 years old. And gunned down by her son.
We will follow this case, this young man is being held without bail. Maximum penalty life in prison. He is young but life in prison is the
maximum penalty and a very, very serious crime.
It is fair to say 911 dispatchers get plenty of calls about drunk drivers but probably not so many calls that are made by the drunk driver.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911 what`s your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am all over winter haven.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. What is it you trying to report, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drunk driving.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are drunk driving right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: Florida police say Michael Lester calls 911 on New Year`s Eve to report himself drunk driving.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know. Too drunk. Let me ask you a question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir, I have officer --.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. This is Polk County sheriff`s office. We dispatch for winter haven. We have a unit coming up to you now. What is your last
name? Your last name, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I`m going to go get something to eat. They can catch up with me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you need EMS or paramedics?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No I need the police department.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Well, that`s what I`m trying to get to you. So if you do me a favor, look out, what do you see? Do you see a McDonald`s, do
you see a bank, what do you see?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Publix.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You near Publix? Are you in the parking lot?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No I`m driving on the wrong side of the road.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, you are driving on to wrong side of the road. Going in which direction?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m going to get out of the way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sir?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Officers are looking for you right now. I need you to pull over right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am pulled over. You don`t need to tell me what to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CASAREZ: You know I`m going to turn this around for a second. He called himself. He turned himself in. He may have prevented a very serious
accident at his hand. You don`t drink and drive, though. He was arrested. He was charged with DUI, improper center lane use, driving on the wrong
side of the road and for not wearing a seat belt.
The desperate search continues for a missing Indianapolis mother who disappeared days before the Christmas holidays. We will speak with her
mother next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CASAREZ: Tonight, the search is growing more and more desperate for a missing young Indiana mother. Beautiful Jamie Beasley`s family posting
flyers as police question the people who last saw her with a 9-year-old daughter asking where her mother has gone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERRIE PRICE, MOTHER OF MISSING WOMAN, JAMIE BEASLEY: I just love her and I want her home. I don`t know what else to do. We`ve been out looking and
we just can`t find her, but somebody has to see. Even if they do it anonymously, I need to find her. I have to find her. I can`t -- I can`t
live without knowing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: The scary thing about Jamie is that she`s been missing for more than three weeks. Last spotted December 15th in Indianapolis. Disappearing
without a trace. Even missing Christmas with her family with all of her belongings. They were left at home.
Stephanie Wade joins us now. She`s a reporter for CNN affiliate, WRTV. All right. Start from the beginning, what do we know as far as the timeline at
this point? She went missing, last seen December 15th.
STEPHANIE WADE, WRTV REPORTER: So, Jamie was last seen on December 15th. What we know was that she was supposed to attend two Christmas
celebrations, one here in Indianapolis, and then another in Kentucky, but her family has not seen her since then. We know that she has a 9-year-old
daughter and we don`t know exactly, you know, the timeline of when she went missing, where she is right now. We did try to contact the boyfriend of
Jamie, he would not speak to us on camera but we did reach him through the window. He says he has no idea where she is right now.
CASAREZ: Now, Stephanie, I understand that she had even purchased and had wrapped Christmas presents for her little girl and her family.
WADE: Yes, that`s what we`re told. I mean, left with everything in place. The gifts, everything ready for Christmas, and still no sign, no indication
of where she went or you know how this even happened. How she disappeared.
CASAREZ: Now, here`s the information. Because this is a missing person`s case, she is 32 years old, 5`2" tall, 120 pounds, brown eyes and brown
hair, you`re looking at her right there with blonde highlights. Here`s what she was last wearing. Blue jeans, a pink zip-up jacket, and pink and black
high top sneakers. Look at her face, have you seen her at all?
Joining us tonight is her family. Sherrie Price who is her mother and also her sister Susanne Billings joining us now from Indianapolis. I don`t think
we can even begin to know what you were and are going through especially, Sherrie, the time of year because this is exactly when Christmas was
happening. She was gone over Christmas, Sheri.
PRICE: Yes. Yes, she was gone and we can`t find her anywhere. We have been looking everywhere and we just can`t find her.
CASAREZ: It must just give you such --I mean I don`t want to put words into your mouth but at this point you just must feel hopeless?
PRICE: I`ll never give up hope. I have to find her. Good, bad, or otherwise, I have to find her.
CASAREZ: And your strength, your strength will not only get you through this, but I think will help find your daughter. Now, you are taking care of
her daughter, Brooklynn, right, 9 years old?
PRICE: Yes.
CASAREZ: That must be very difficult. Does Brooklynn know that her mother is missing? How are you dealing with that?
PRICE: We are trying to shield her as much as possible from all of this but she knows something`s wrong because her mom hasn`t called her at all, you
know? And she`s -- I mean she`s worried that we haven`t told her how worried we are.
CASAREZ: Of course. Of course. Now, what have police told you? Where was she last seen? Who was the last person to see her?
PRICE: The last person to see her was her boyfriend whenever she went there to pack her things to come down and visit with us, she`d get back.
CASAREZ: Right, because she was going to come visit you for Christmas and she had her presents already.
PRICE: Yes, she was supposed to be there for Christmas.
CASAREZ: Have you spoken to him? I mean there are no suspects here at all. We know law enforcement went to his home to talk with him this week,
actually, three weeks later. Have you spoken to him yourself?
PRICE: I have not. But I --
(CROSSTALK)
CASAREZ: Have you tried and he won`t speak to you?
PRICE: Yes, he won`t talk to me.
[19:40:01] CASAREZ: He won`t. Had you ever met him before?
PRICE: Nope.
CASAREZ: And he won`t speak to you?
PRICE: Nope.
CASAREZ: Do you -- do you know what he has said to law enforcement?
PRICE: No, they haven`t told me. They said it was an ongoing investigation.
CASAREZ: What did she leave behind? What was in that home?
PRICE: Her purse, her cell phone, her clothes. We have since recovered those items. My niece and her husband went over there and got those things
from the house. He did -- he did give that stuff to them. But no way would she have walked out and left that stuff behind.
CASAREZ: Right.
PRICE: She didn`t even have her coat.
CASAREZ: Not ever her coat.
PRICE: Or the presents that she got for Brooklynn, you know.
CASAREZ: Susanne, tell us about your sister. We see her on the screen. She is beautiful. Tell us a little bit more about her.
She is. (INAUDIBLE) I have a closer bond with her than almost anybody in my family. And I just don`t know what to do. We`ve done everything. We`ve done
flyers. We`ve contacted news agency. We walked on (INAUDIBLE) looking at (INAUDIBLE) creeks and (INAUDIBLE) we`ve done everything possible that we
can ourselves. (INAUDIBLE) person she`s the one that -- you know, she`s the life of the party. She`s always trying to make people laugh. If you`re
down, she`s the one that brings you up.
CASAREZ: All right. We see that personality. We see it in the pictures. You know, CNN Law Enforcement Contributor, Steve Moore, you`ve covered so many
of these. This is a missing person investigation but this is also a criminal investigation, right?
STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: At this point you have to treat it as a criminal investigation because there`s no indication that
Jamie would be the kind of person who would just leave and not contact her daughter. So, yes, this is -- this is being conducted as a criminal
investigation.
CASAREZ: And what does it tell you that her cell phone was left in the house, her purse was left in the house, her jacket was left in the house.
You see snow on the ground out there. It`s not summer. What does that tell you?
MOORE: Yes, that kind of narrows things down a little bit. That tells me that likely, the last time she was where she wanted to be was in that house
because when you`re where you want to be, you`re going to have your purse, your phone, your jacket, everything like that. If you leave that behind,
all of it, I can see leaving a phone or forgetting a phone or something like that but everything, then that means she was last in that house. And
that means, to me, that while you`re not going to say that the boyfriend is involved in it, you have to treat that as a majority portion of the
investigation. Right now, he`s got a lot of explaining to do.
CASAREZ: And there are no suspects. This is a missing person`s case. Sherrie, I want to ask you. Is it true that a good friend of hers was found
dead near McDonald`s sometime in the past, recently?
PRICE: Yes, on Christmas day.
CASAREZ: On Christmas day?
PRICE: Yes.
CASAREZ: Oh, my goodness. My goodness.
PRICE: And she left behind a 6-year-old daughter.
CASAREZ: Steve, is that something that needs to be a part of this investigation because Jamie goes missing on December 15th, her good friend
is found dead at the McDonald`s on the 25th, 10 days later. Obviously, an important part of this case.
MOORE: Well, it is because there are similar points in life. They are friends. They`ve got similar backgrounds. And one thing that you see when
you look at her Facebook is she was extremely popular. She had more than 2,000 Facebook friends. What you need to understand is that some people
involve themselves in risky lifestyles, and you have to examine her lifestyle and her business dealings to ensure that that`s not a potential
cause of her vanishing. Id she --
CASAREZ: Sherrie --
MOORE: Go ahead.
CASAREZ: I`m sorry we have to move on. But Sherrie, if your daughter is watching tonight, what do you want to tell her?
PRICE: Please, Jamie, we just want to find you and make sure you`re okay, baby. We love you so much, and we miss you. Honey, please come home.
CASAREZ: Jamie, your mother is crying out for you. If you are anywhere to hear this voice, contact her. And if anyone knows anything in her
disappearance, look at this family. Hear this family, go to authorities.
[19:45:00] And police in Texas, they are trying to nail down exactly what happened when a local sports reporter disappeared over the weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:50:04] CASAREZ: Tonight, there is relief in the Texas A&M community after a young sports reporter disappeared over the weekend. 29-year-old
Courtney Roland reportedly sent a text to a friend saying a suspicious man had been following her, but no one had seen her since Saturday. So her
picture was shared nationwide. Late yesterday, someone spotted her at a Houston mall, and she was alone. Well, a piece of hope for family and
friends before her jeep was found in a local parking lot with her phone and personal items inside. Police waited for her to come back. It took hours,
though, until she resurfaced, not at her car but beneath an overpass. Police tracked her down at a Chick-fil-A nearby reporting that she was safe
and saying it was medicine that may have made her confused.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. MANUEL CRUZ JR., HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: In her state of confusion, I think she kind of lost track of time and her awareness. And I don`t -- I
don`t think that she was aware that she was being looked at as a missing person.
CAPTAIN MARK LENTINI, HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: There`s no evidence to indicate that she was assaulted at this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: And joining us again, Defense Attorney Yodit Tewolde. This is a happy ending. We hope she is well, hope the best for her. A young girl
reporter, not a student at the Texas A&M but reporting on a training camp this weekend in Houston, and that`s why she`s at the Galleria afterwards.
But this is very bizarre and they`re saying that it was medication?
YODIT TEWOLDE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, first, let me say, I`m an Aggie alum.
CASAREZ: Oh, really? Wow.
TEWOLDE: Yes, so what sort of struck me as weird is that when she went out apparently around midnight on Saturday, early Sunday morning, texted her
roommate or her friend and said that there was a man who was following her all the way home, and to me that was a flag because why are you texting
your friend when you should be calling 911, one. Two, saying that the man drove off as soon as she got out of the car. Why would you get out of the
car if a man is following you? So that was another flag, too. Might have been the medication. Maybe made her hallucinate, maybe made her paranoid,
that she was being followed, but nothing really made sense in terms of anything happening criminally to her.
CASAREZ: Not yet. I mean --
TEWOLDE: Not yet at least.
CASAREZ: -- she was just found this morning. Do you think that they rushed to judgment here? What if someone was following her? She was pretty
specific.
TEWOLDE: She was, but at the same time her actions also, to me, led me to believe that there was no real danger. I`m looking at the facts that we
know of right now. If someone were following me in a car, all the way home, I`m not going to get out of my car, and I`m not going to be texting a
friend. I`m going to be calling 911 and say that I`m being followed and stay in my car or keep driving. But I wouldn`t go to my house and park and
leave and get out of the vehicle and let this person know that this is, one, where I live, two, you can come and snatch me. But it`s just -- it
didn`t make any sense and I would probably go to police, investigate, and see what her family says about maybe any medications that she may be
taking, any, you know, maybe they know more about her, obviously, her health history and see if there`s any connection there. But --
CASAREZ: She was found under an overpass. Her car had her belongings in it. She was aimlessly walking toward the Chick-fil-A when they found her. I
mean, we`re not going to know what medication it was that did this to her, but I personally would like to know what medication can cause someone to do
this because that means that it`s really a dangerous medication.
TEWOLDE: Well, there`s -- I mean, a lot of medication that actually says you can`t drive and take the medication.
CASAREZ: But have you heard someone aimlessly walking, not knowing where they are, not realizing --
TEWOLDE: And that could have been combined, we don`t know, with alcohol, maybe something else, and maybe just not the medication. But there`s just
so many questions that we just don`t know.
CASAREZ: That`s right.
TEWOLDE: That we need to get answered. They`re great together.
CASAREZ: That`s exactly right. All right. They`re great. Thank you.
Two Arkansas waitresses hit the jackpot winning $300,000, but instead of living it up now, they`re headed to court in a fight over the money.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:59:00] CASAREZ: In Arkansas, a boss gave two of his waitresses ten lottery tickets for their Christmas present. The only catch was that if
they won, they would have to split the pot for their Christmas bonus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And she split them. She handed me five and she had five. We were both reading the back of it trying to find the little, you
know, you`re pranked. But no, it was a real one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASAREZ: That`s right. They won $300,000. But now they are on the outs. Leslie Underwood says her friend Mandy Vanhouten went and claimed the money
without her. She also said she hasn`t heard from Mandy, and that Mandy hasn`t been to work since they won. So now she and her former friend are
going to have to fight this out in court. Leslie has gotten an injunction, believe it or not, freezing Mandy`s assets until it can be all sorted out.
Thank you so much for watching. We`re going to see you back here tomorrow night at 6:00 Eastern for CRIME & JUSTICE. "FORENSIC FILES" begins right
now. Good night, everybody.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
