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The Casey Anthony Trial; New York Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
Aired June 25, 2011 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Tonight we begin with a stunning development in the Casey Anthony murder trial. It's not what happened in court today, but what didn't happen.
Discussing it all tonight and what this abrupt halt in testimony means, "In Session" correspondent and attorney Jean Casarez. "In Session" correspondent Beth Karas who is a former prosecutor, and criminal defense attorney Holly Hughes who is also a former prosecutor.
But before we get to them, David Mattingly reports on what happened in court today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Casey Anthony murder trial, the jury never got a chance to come into the courtroom. Instead, the judge and the attorneys went into a closed-door meeting, which is unusual because usually, they just go to a sidebar where they discuss whatever matters they need in front of everyone.
This time they went behind closed doors with a court reporter to record the proceedings. What was said in there they would not reveal. But when the judge came out, he had this announcement for a very surprised courtroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE BELVIN PERRY, ORANGE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT: As both sides concur that a legal issue has arisen unrelated to the issue that we talked about first thing this morning, dealing with Dr. Furton that would necessitate us recessing for today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: What this legal issue might be no one is really sure because the judge did not elaborate, and none of the attorneys afterward would comment at all about this.
But what we do know if it's something minor at the very least, it will push this trial further into the 4th of July weekend. The judge had hoped the jury would begin deliberating a week from today. That obviously now will probably not happen. But if it's something major, if it's something that could affect the outcome of this trial, it could be an issue involving one of the jurors. One of the witnesses.
Some of the testimony we've heard in this case, possibly even one of the attorneys. But we just don't know. We may have to wait until Monday for any sort of elaboration on possibly what the effects of this delay might truly be.
David Mattingly, CNN, Orlando.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, David, thank you very much.
Our guests tonight have been doing their own digging on the possible reasons. Today's court session was abruptly recessed until Monday. But first let's revisit the key moments that brought Casey Anthony before the court, accused of murdering her 2-year-old daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VINNIE POLITAN, HOST, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: June 9th, 2008 is the day that Casey tells investigators is the last time she saw her daughter. Here's her statement right here. It says, "Monday, June 9th, 2008, between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., I, Casey Anthony, took my daughter Caylee Marie Anthony to her nanny's apartment."
June 15th, 2008. This is really where that 31-day period begins because Caylee, and we've all seen these pictures with her great grandfather Cindy's dad at the nursing home. And it's Cindy who's actually taking the pictures. Investigators found these images on the Anthony laptop.
June 16th is a big, big day. There's a lot of things going on. First, that's the day at 12:50 p.m. when Casey's dad George says that he last sees little Caylee. Then investigators have a bunch of phone records from that day. And looking at these records, Casey making a ton of calls including eight calls to her mom, Cindy.
Also, this is the day that Casey Anthony moves out of her parents' house. She leaves. Then things get even more interesting. Later in the night around 7:54:00 p.m., at a Blockbuster, there's a surveillance video. You can see her then boyfriend Tony Lazaro and Casey Anthony arm-in-arm walking into that Blockbuster to rent a couple movies. But what's also noticeable about that picture, there's no Caylee there.
June 18th or 19th, this is when Casey Anthony's neighbor says that she came over knocked on the door to borrow a shovel. Now, according to the neighbor, she needs the shovel to take care of some bamboo shoots or something in the backyard.
It's also on these days and this is interesting because the neighbor said he never saw Casey Anthony really use the garage. Yet, sometime during those days she uses the garage, but doesn't pull into it straight. She backs her car into the garage. And this is where Casey Anthony worked as a shot girl. This is where Casey Anthony is up on stage dancing with that other woman in those pictures. All that during that same time frame when her child's missing and she says she's looking for Caylee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Now to our panel of guests to talk about the case. "In Session" correspondent attorney jean Casarez, "In Session" correspondent Beth Karas, who's a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney Holly Hughes who is also a former prosecutor.
First to you, Jean. I know you have been there, and Beth, as well, but Jean I want to go to you.
What is the mood there now? We've had this abrupt halt in testimony. What's going on?
JEAN CASAREZ, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: A lot of speculation. And I did speak with Cheney Mason tonight who is the attorney for Casey Anthony. And he is telling me that all of the speculation that the media is doing, that it is all wrong. That nobody has it right.
So there is no plea deal as to what everyone is speculating to. And he's very upset actually because he believes that the speculation is made from wild imagination, not based at all, in facts. And he is also saying that the most recent thing around town here is that there is a polygraph that has appeared suddenly, and that is laughable, he says.
LEMON: OK. All right, Beth, you're down there, as well. What are you hearing from the folks you're talking to?
BETH KARAS, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: Well, apparently it's not any fault of the defense attorneys what is going on right now. They know that at least at this point, the judge is not upset with the defense. He's been upset with the defense many times during this trial. He is not upset right now. I understand that we may never know what it is that caused this delay. The record is sealed and it is unclear that we'll ever know.
LEMON: OK, thank you Beth and Jean.
Holly, this is strange. And I know you were waiting to go on television this morning. And a lot of people, I was watching the shows and all of a sudden, it's just everybody is sitting around, talking with no testimony. No trial.
What do you make of this? This isn't something small to have this trial halted.
HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right. This is so odd, Don. But once again, you know, just when you think this trial can't get any weirder, it's like Alice in Wonderland. What did she say to the white rabbit? Curiouser and curiouser? I mean, it's just -- we have no idea. And, you know, Jean and Beth nailed it. We don't know. It's been sealed. Now if they sealed it, yes, it's a big deal.
Look at it this way. Anytime something has arisen, Judge Perry has managed to say, all right, you know what? We'll take care of it at the end of the day. We're still going to go forward with testimony, but we will do it at the beginning of tomorrow morning. We're still going forward with testimony. So whatever this was, was significant enough for him to say we have to come to a screeching halt.
LEMON: But you're watching the judge, you're a former prosecutor. In his actions, if you're reading body language and what he was doing today and saying, what do you see in that?
HUGHES: I saw him angry. He got off the bench and he did something he doesn't usually do, Don. And, of course, we're watching. You know, Beth and Jean are in the courtroom. I'm watching on TV. But what I saw him do, was he strode through that courtroom and he was pumping his arms and he was moving like a man on a mission like he was mad about something. He had a purpose.
And you know, Beth is reporting he's not mad at the defense attorney, which is a little unusual because we've seen a lot of that going on this time. But I saw him just kind of moving with a purpose and very quickly out of that courtroom. And he just looked like he was angry. And it's probably because he doesn't want to lose the day. He has to, but he doesn't want to. He's done a great job of moving forward.
LEMON: Yes. This has gone on for so long, and it's still much, much more to go.
Jean, my next question is for you.
Again, as we are watching this and paying attention and you are talking to folks there, I know that you have some -- you run into the players every once in awhile. Did you happen to run into anyone at the court today who talked to you about what's going on behind the scenes?
I know it's sealed, but every once in awhile you talk to folks that may give you information.
CASAREZ: The only other thing I can tell you that is on the record from Cheney Mason is that he believes this issue. He hopes this issue will be solved very quickly. And does believe the trial will continue Monday morning. So that's what we have at this point. But it is sealed. This shows the judge does not want it public at this point. And so I think we're going to have to wait together and see it unfold.
But I do want to tell you that when attorneys left court today, the cameras, the microphones were right there in their face. And there was a little bit of an issue because the attorneys lost their files. Their notebooks got opened. One of the paralegals lost her shoe. And the defense attorneys are saying look, you know, we're just trying to get back to our office.
LEMON: Wait, wait. What happened? Was there a ruckus? What went on?
CASAREZ: The cameras and the camera did not show this because we do have video of the attorneys leaving the courthouse. The defense attorneys. But the cameras and the mics as they kept following the defense lawyers were in their face and in the way of their walking that Cheney Mason told me he almost lost his glasses, his files fell to the ground. His briefcase opened up and his paralegal lost her shoe.
LEMON: Oh my God.
CASAREZ: And the attorneys are saying, we just can't do this anymore. We are fighting for someone's life. And we don't need to be concerned about our physical injuries. We're trying to get out of court back to our office.
LEMON: Jean, stand by. It has become a circus. And usually you see the people who are fighting to get seats in court, that sort of behavior.
All right, so thank you, Beth, Jean and Holly. Stand by. We're going to talk about actually the testimony that did happen in court.
Coming up, the defense begins to make its case. Almost immediately the tone in the courtroom takes a dramatic turn.
Is the prosecution's case in trouble? Our legal team tackles that after the break.
Also ahead, it is the second anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. His father Joe Jackson shares his thoughts about his famous son in an interview you don't want to miss.
And many of you have been asking for information on social media. If you want to weigh in on this Casey Anthony trial or the Michael Jackson anniversary, you can reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, CNN.com/Don, and on FourSquare.
And my new book, "Transparent" is out. It's about my life and my journeys in journalism, available in Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and anywhere books are sold.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: In March of 2008, you doing any types of searches for any items that might include chloroform.
CINDY ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY'S MOTHER: Yes.
LINDA DRANE BURDICK, PROSECUTOR: Do you recall denying that you made any searches for how to make chloroform?
CINDY ANTHONY: I didn't look up how to make chloroform. I looked up chloroform.
BURDICK: Did we cover whether or not you did a search for the word shovel?
CINDY ANTHONY: No, I wouldn't need to look up the word shovel.
BURDICK: Do you recall denying that you searched for self- defense?
CINDY ANTHONY: Yes, I did not search for self-defense.
BURDICK: Household weapons?
CINDY ANTHONY: I did not search for household weapons.
BURDICK: Neck breaking?
CINDY ANTHONY: I did not search for neck breaking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Now to our panel of guests talking about the case. "In Session" correspondent and attorney Jean Casarez here again. "In Session" correspondent Beth Karas, who is a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney Holly Hughes, who is also a former prosecutor.
OK, so Cindy Anthony, Holly, I have to be quite honest. Whose side is she on? What's going on here? There's a nickname for her.
HUGHES: OK, yes, they are now calling her Spindy instead of Cindy, OK.
LEMON: You think this is really spin?
HUGHES: You know what I think, I think this is her trying to save her daughter's life. I think this is a woman in an impossible situation.
LEMON: What is she spinning?
HUGHES: I think she is taking credit for these chloroform searches, and I don't think they were hers. And I think what's going to happen on rebuttal, Don, is that the state is going to bring their computer expert back and they're going to say two seconds before the search for chloroform, what was happening?
Well, PhotoBucket was up. Cindy's already testified she doesn't know about Facebook. She doesn't PhotoBucket. Those were Casey's accounts. Eight seconds after the last search for chloroform, what was up? Casey's Facebook page.
So what we're going to see is it's physically impossible for Cindy to have slid in there, two seconds, type something, slid back out. I mean, it's craziness. And I think they're going to get caught up in it.
LEMON: So, Beth, here's I have to ask, before Cindy Anthony was on the stand crying very believable. Now that it is the defense's turn, is she a believable, credible witness now as you're watching people in the courtroom?
KARAS: I've always believed that Cindy and the rest of the family are not going to help the prosecution any more than they did in the beginning. Cindy was crying when the 911 tapes were being played. She didn't know when she was making those calls that her daughter was going to face murder charges. Those were helpful calls, and some of the early statements to the police.
Early on in the investigation when they consent to everything being searched and the police didn't have to get search warrants, they didn't know where this was going. So that stuff is in the case. They're a part of it, and it's helpful to the prosecution. And now they are going to step back and do whatever they can to save Casey because they've already done enough.
They're not at fault for doing what they did for sure. It was necessary. But right now, the only people in that courtroom speaking for little Caylee are the three prosecutors at their table.
LEMON: OK. So this was a big week, Beth, when it came to the brother and the mother. This is the brother and the mother's week. Did they help their sister or daughter's case at all?
KARAS: Yes. Lee, the point was to show, because he wasn't let in on the big secret, which was a big secret in plain sight. Casey's pregnancy. He wasn't made a part of that. It shows, according to the defense, the dysfunction in this family, a family with deep dark secrets. That's the beginning of establishing what Jose Baez said he would show when he gave his opening statement on May 24th.
And Cindy, by talking about how much Caylee loved to swim and those photos of her climbing up that ladder --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: And the access to -- yes, showing that she had access to the pool.
(CROSSTALK)
KARAS: Yes, that's the beginning...
LEMON: I'm going to ask you, Jean...
KARAS: ...that's the beginning of accidental drowning.
LEMON: ...as well of the same question. I'm up against a break here.
Did they help?
CASAREZ: You know, we don't have evidence of accident yet in this trial. But if a juror wants to hang their hat on those photographs of little Caylee almost getting into that pool by herself and Lee testifying about a secret within that home that we may never know about, then I think that could help Casey with the jury to not be convicted to first degree murder.
LEMON: OK. Same question to you. I got to go. But did it help?
HUGHES: It will only help if it stands. I think the prosecution is going to bring people in on rebuttal and show that these are lies in which case, the jury's going to hold it against Casey because the whole family is going to turn out to be liars.
LEMON: And what did Beth say, the only two people speaking for little Caylee are the two prosecutors.
HUGHES: Right, the prosecutors.
LEMON: OK.
HUGHES: The three -- yes.
LEMON: Thank you, guys.
When we come right back, Jane Velez-Mitchell gives us some personal moments viewers haven't seen from behind the scenes at the Casey Anthony trial. Don't go anywhere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It is a soap opera, a reality TV show and a Shakespearean tragedy all rolled into one. You can watch the Casey Anthony trial from start to finish on our sister network "In Session" on TruTV.
But if you want to hear what's happening behind the scenes, then you have to hear from our Jane Velez-Mitchell.
I spoke with the host of "Issues" on HLN. She's in Orlando for the trial and dishes on what's happening outside the courtroom away from the cameras.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: I know that you've had a chance to be in the courtroom, to be around all these people and what many people are calling a circus. So if you can give us a personal moment, or something that you found interesting yourself that the viewer hasn't seen, I would really appreciate it, and I'm sure the viewers would, as well.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, HLN'S "ISSUES": Yes, I have a couple. First of all, after Cindy's emotional testimony on one day, I rode down with the prosecutor, Jeff Ashton. And I asked him for his reaction. It was just him and me in the elevator. And he said they are torn. He smiled ruefully, which I took to mean, they don't want their daughter to be put to death.
Now, after Lee's emotional testimony, I got in the elevator again. And guess who I'm in the elevator with, Lee, Cindy and George and their attorney. And yes, Cindy and Lee are talking in a very animated fashion to each other, which to me says they are working together, if you know what I mean.
And George is turned his face to the wall. I'm not talking about the door of the elevator. I'm talking about the wall of the elevator. Facing the wall holding a Bible. He's been accused of molestation by his daughter. I think of all the people, Cindy's scrappy, Lee is young, I think George is really suffering the most. I have total compassion for him.
LEMON: I have never heard a moment like that. And, you know, can you imagine what this family is going through.
You said they're working together. But the dad, you say, is the one who is probably -- this is tougher on him than anyone.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I always say that murder cases make for strange bedfellows. Jose Baez has accused this family of all sorts of things, especially George and Lee by extension of molesting Casey. And yet, outside court, you'll see Cindy and Jose Baez chatting amicably with each other.
So obviously, they have aligned, it would seem to me anyway, with the person who accused them of all these things, but is also the person, the very same person who is trying to save their daughter's life. It's such an odd situation. Really, really bizarre and fascinating.
LEMON: Absolutely right, Jane. I've never heard anything like the exchange you said in the elevator. That is great information. I'm sure our viewers will be fascinated by -- everyone is fascinated by this case.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes.
LEMON: Jane Velez-Mitchell, down in Orlando, covering this Casey Anthony trial. We really appreciate every night on HLN at 7:00 p.m. Make sure you watch "Issues."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thanks, Don.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: When we come right back, the day's other top stories, including this.
History being made with New York becoming the largest state to legalize same-sex marriage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time now for your headlines. A lot of celebrating in New York today.
(VIDEO CLIP)
That's because last night, the state became the latest and most popular to legalize same-sex marriage. Governor Andrew Cuomo wasted no time signing the measure into law that is set to take effect in 30 days. Six states and the District of Columbia now recognize the right for gay couples to marry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell her to hang in -- yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Investigators say at least two people were killed when a tractor- trailer rigged hit an Amtrak train near Lovelock, Nevada. The Nevada Highway Patrol says there could be more bodies in two train cars badly damaged by fire.
Our affiliate, KRNV, reports at least nine passengers were hospitalized, including two in critical condition. The train, bound from Chicago to California, was carrying a total of 218 passengers and crew.
(VIDEO CLIP)
A fresh waive of clashes across Syria. Anti-government protesters on one side, police and Syrian troops on the other. A human rights group reports at least ten people died in street fighting across the country, Friday. The government blames armed gangs for keeping the violent uprisings alive.
We lost a beloved member of the CNN family today. Nick Charles was this network's first sports anchor. He died of cancer at the age of 64. Nick was here on day one and he stayed for more than two decades. He covered everything from the Olympics to the Super Bowl. But boxing was his blood. He loved it. It was in his blood.
Earlier, I spoke to one of the greatest boxers ever, Sugar Ray Leonard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUGAR RAY LEONARD, BOXING CHAMPION (via-telephone): It came as a shock to me. I mean, Nick was such a proud guy, you know? And he was such a fighter himself. And he didn't really want to let on that he was ill. In fact, I didn't know the severity of his illness until recently. But Nick was a class act, no question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And exactly two years ago on this day, the world lost Michael Jackson. The King of Pop died on June 25th, 2009, before he could mount a comeback tour. The official cause was a prescription drug overdose. Jackson's doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, will be tried for manslaughter in September.
I got a chance to speak today to Jackson's father, Joe Jackson. He defended himself against rumors that he was too rough on Michael and his brothers and sisters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S FATHER: Everybody back in those days abused -- they didn't abuse the kids, they whipped the kid when they did wrong. And now you can't do that these days because if you whip a kid now, they call 911 on you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: More from my interview with Joe Jackson later on in this show.
North Carolina's governor declared a state of emergency today in 29 of its 100 counties because of massive wildfires. The flames have scorched more than 70,000 acres in the eastern part of the state, mostly in Dare County. The state has also put 12 counties near the coast under a code purple alert meaning the air is very unhealthy due to fire.
Record flooding in Minot, North Dakota, now threatens to wipe out a large part of the city. About a third of the residents have evacuated. Hundreds of homes are underwater. Officials say the city will have to deal with the high water for at least a week.
We get the latest now from CNN's Jim Spellman.
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been a heartbreaking few days for the people of Minot, North Dakota, as they watched their city just fill with water. Just a few days ago, this was one of the busy main intersections in downtown Minot.
There's a railroad trestle over there. A tunnel underneath it. Right now it looks like a pond, a lake right here in the middle of downtown Minot. 4,000 homes underwater, 12,000 people evacuated. They knew days ago that they couldn't stop this onslaught of water from flooding the bulk of the town. They've had to concentrate their efforts on saving vital infrastructure like this police station and city hall complex here.
So far these temporary dikes are holding, there's already water seeping in to the other side and storm drains filling and backing up that necessitated them pumping water out like this.
We've seen residents coming back to try to peer into the flood zone and see if they can get any information about their own homes. So far what they're finding is mostly bad news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STUART COLLUM, MINOT EVACUEE: I hate to say it, but I had tears in my eyes this morning, you know? Sickening feeling, you know, because I know when I come back, it's probably not even be worth fixing because the house is almost 100 years old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SPELLMAN: And, Don, it's going to be a long way for people like Stewart Collum to get back into their homes. We've just learned from the National Weather Service that it's going to stay just about at this same level through Thursday, and at least another week above record flood levels here in Minot.
So it's going to be a long-term disaster for all the people here and all the authorities dealing with it.
Don?
LEMON: All right, Jim, thank you very much. A woman gets arrested for recording a police incident that took place in front of her home.
Was she interfering with police business or did police go too far? I asked her and her lawyer -- next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. This is a story that has all of you tweeting me. Everybody is talking about a woman recording video of what looked like a police arrest in Rochester, New York, eventually gets arrested herself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What in the world? I'm sorry. I was standing in my front yard. Concerned about what was going on in my neighborhood and you're arresting me. What the hell is going on here?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Emily Good was in her yard filming a police traffic stop when an officer took her in for obstruction of governmental administration. She is to appear in court on Monday.
In an exclusive interview, Good with her attorney explained why she was taping police in the first place.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EMILY GOOD, ARRESTED BY POLICE: I was concerned about the racial profiling. I had just read an article that week in the local paper about racial profiling and how difficult it is to prove.
And when I saw the lights come in through my window, I peeked outside and saw three white officers engaging with a black man. And so, I decided to film it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOOD: I'm allowed to stand in my yard. I'm going to stand -- POLICE OFFICER: I'm going to ask you one more time. We don't feel safe with you standing right behind us when we're doing a traffic stop. I'm going to ask you to go into the house.
GOOD: It's my right to be in my yard and I'm sorry you don't feel safe. All I have is a camera. I'm clearly wearing nothing, I have no weapons.
POLICE OFFICER: It does not matter. You're not listening to our orders right now. We don't feel safe if you're standing behind us. You're not moving a foot further back.
GOOD: Do you want me to move a foot further back?
POLICE OFFICER: You're going to get arrested. I already warned you.
GOOD: I will move a foot further back. I'm not going to go inside my house. I feel like I need the fresh air right now.
POLICE OFFICER: I'm going to arrest someone for not following police orders.
GOOD: I'm asking you what the order -- I don't understand your order.
POLICE OFFICER: It seems very simple.
GOOD: I don't understand your order.
POLICE OFFICER: I asked you to not stand behind us, OK?
GOOD: You didn't ask me to not behind you.
POLICE OFFICE: OK. Listen, I'm not going to explain myself to you. What you're going to go is you're going to jail. I'm trying to give you a warning, OK.
You know what? You're going to go to jail. This is not right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I want to get this straight -- did you have something in your free hand that police may have been worried that you were carrying a weapon?
GOOD: No. I was carrying nothing. I was in bare feet and pajamas.
LEMON: So, Stephanie, what do you make of this? As an attorney, were the police -- was it OK for the police to do this? Do they have a legal right to do this in someone's front yard?
STEPHANIE STARE, GOOD'S ATTORNEY: Our position is that Ms. Good was well within her rights to be on her front lawn filming a traffic stop of a public servant. What the officer may or may not have felt, I can't speak to. But she was well within her rights, and was not given any lawful order at any time.
LEMON: When an officer asks you to do something, do you feel that you should do it and then ask questions later?
STARE: If it's a lawful order, someone should obey. If it's not, and if you're well within your rights, you're fine to assert your rights.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: The Monroe County DA will not comment, but Rochester's mayor said, quote, "Police Chief Sheppard has initiated an investigation to the extent that some form of discipline is appropriate, he will see that it occurs. I also need to be sure that we are fair to the officers involved. I am not going to prematurely reach a conclusion."
We're going to follow up on this one.
A woman leaps into a moving car to stop thieves and it's all caught on tape. Look at this. It's crazy. You got to see it.
Not only will you see it play out, but I asked her what she was thinking. Wait until you hear her answer. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I told the cashier do something. You know, they are leaving. And she couldn't do anything. So I just told her, watch my purse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right, so police don't like citizens getting directly involved if they see criminal activity because it's really dangerous. But Monique Lawless, well, she was so angry when she saw three young men allegedly shoplift three cases of beer from a Houston Wal-Mart, where she was shopping. Pretty slowly because I want you to see this video. She leaped into action. There she is, literally.
She chased them outside and jumped on their car before they sped away, dragging her for a second. There you see. They didn't get far before the police caught them. I asked her what was she thinking?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MONIQUE LAWLESS, TRIED TO STOP ALLEGED THIEVES: I was just reacting really. I was mad. I saw these kids walk in there and walking out with beer. You know, I asked or told the cashier, you know, do something, do something. People were standing around. We were all waiting in line to check out, so they heard me telling her and saw me pointing at them and no one was doing anything. So when it became obvious that Wal-Mart couldn't do anything, I just told her, you know, watch my purse and my basket and I took off after them. LEMON: You weren't afraid that they could have -- you were going to get hurt by the car. They could have beat you or they could have a weapon of some type. You didn't think about that?
LAWLESS: No. When I first saw them, they looked fairly young. I knew they couldn't -- you know, I was thinking 19, 18 years old, my kids' age, you know. And when confronted by an adult, my kids are going to stop, and yes, sir, no, ma'am, yes, ma'am. Where these kids didn't have any fear whatsoever or any kind of respect for authority for adults or anybody. They didn't care.
LEMON: Yes. We were just showing the video of them actually getting caught. Listen, did they drag you for a little bit -- it looks like in that video you got dragged just for a minute or a second there?
LAWLESS: Yes. When I opened the driver's side car door, he took off then and I had a hold of the door and it pulled me forward and I lunged forward and I did a face plant into the asphalt.
LEMON: And that's where the black eyes came from?
LAWLESS: Yes.
LEMON: OK.
LAWLESS: That's where the black eyes, the bruised nose, everything, yes.
LEMON: You've got some news that you haven't told anyone else. That is?
LAWLESS: I received a Facebook message from family members of the Sylvester boys, and, you know, they apologized to me from the family. They said, you know, we're really, really sorry that you had to go through this event but we're thankful for what you did. We're thankful for your actions, and that they deserve whatever punishment they get. They deserve to be in jail right now and pay for what they did. They were wrong. And I told the family member, thank you, thank you, thank you, because I felt bad. I feel for the family. Everybody's affected by this.
Your community is affected, their family, right down the line. And I want to say thank you to that family for reaching out to me and letting me know that they felt like I did the right thing.
LEMON: Why does it mean so much to you to hear from them?
LAWLESS: Because I'm not here to destroy these kids, you know. But I want them to realize that this is -- we're human beings. This is a society that we all want to live in safe and peacefully. We don't want to worry about our kids every time they run down to the park or to the store or to the movies. We don't want to fear for our lives any time, much less in broad daylight on a Sunday, Father's Day at Wal-Mart, in a small town.
LEMON: Yes.
LAWLESS: I want them to know, you can't do this. It's not right. Get a job.
LEMON: Yes. Listen, I've got to run here. Just answer yes or no. Would you do it again?
LAWLESS: Yes, absolutely.
LEMON: Thank you, Monique Lawless. We appreciate people like you.
LAWLESS: Thank you.
LEMON: Good luck. We're going to check back with you, OK? Give us an update.
LAWLESS: Thank you. God bless you.
LEMON: You as well.
LAWLESS: OK.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Straight ahead here on CNN. Joe Jackson, the father of the legendary Michael Jackson talks about his famous son on the second anniversary of his death.
But first, all this week, CNN has been shining a spotlight on modern day slavery.
In Nepal, one woman has fought to save sex trafficking victims for nearly two decades, hoping to rescue and rehabilitate more than 12,000 women and girls. That earned her the title of 2010 CNN Hero of the Year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANURADHA KOIRALA, 2010 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: In the West, America, Europe, if someone comes and says I want to make your child a prostitute, they would give them one slap or shoot them. But here, families they are tricked all the time.
Girls are brought from the villages by people who can lure them and tell them that they're getting a nice job. The border between India and Nepal is the conduit point of trafficking, once they're here, there's no way to escape.
I am Anudradha Koirala, and it is my strong hope to stop every Nepali girl from being trafficked. When you go to the border at this point, we are intercepting four girls to five girls per day.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
After the rescue, the girls have taken to my place in Nepal. We started this, rape survivors, trafficking survivors, we take everybody. The girl who is come back from brothels, they are socially, psychologically broken. We give them whatever work they want to do. Whatever training they want to do. One day we will really stop it. Trafficking will end. These are all convicted. There is always a small (INAUDIBLE) that, yes, one day I was trafficked. But today, I have something new in my life. They are my strength.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Actress Demi Moore recently went to Nepal to work with Koirala. And CNN's cameras were there. Make sure you tune in Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern to see "Nepal's Stolen Children: A CNN Freedom Project Documentary."
And make sure you join me an hour earlier when I talk with actress Mira Sorvino about the worldwide plague of human trafficking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIRA SORVINO, UNODC GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: Let me tell you one fact. The war on drugs in one month spends more than all the money that has spent up to date by the United States government in all of its domestic and international programs on human trafficking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: It is an important topic. Watch our conversation Sunday night, 7:00 Eastern right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Two years ago, today, the world lost Michael Jackson, the King of Pop was a singular talent, a man who lived big and left behind a legacy of musical excellence.
On this anniversary of his death, I had a chance to speak with his father Joe Jackson and I asked him if he's been able to move beyond the grief.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JACKSON, FATHER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: I'm fine, thank you. I'm glad you asked that question, you know. I'm still grieving over Michael because -- I don't know. It's going to take me a long time to get over what happened to him.
LEMON: Why is that? Is it part of the mystery surrounding his death? Because I know you said you believe that, I guess, that was some people conspired to kill him, is that correct?
JACKSON: Michael told his mother and he told his manager, Dieter Wiesner, who is writing a book now, the truth about Michael Jackson. He told them they were going to kill him for his publishing. He told his mother that, he told Dieter Wiesner that, but he never did tell me. I didn't know that until after he was dead.
LEMON: Do you know who those people are, who wanted to kill him for his publishings?
JACKSON: We got a great idea who they are, and a lot of other people know who they are as well.
LEMON: You won't say, though?
JACKSON: Don, I didn't say that. I'm not saying -- calling names right now, but you'll know in the book.
LEMON: There's been a legal battle between your family and the executors of his estate. Has that been resolved?
JACKSON: No way. Not yet. Not yet. That's why we are striving for justice, because there's more to it than what they're claiming out there. There's somebody else involved. Remember, the doctor was getting paid by somebody else and not by Michael.
LEMON: So are you anywhere close to agreement with the executors, legal agreement?
JACKSON: That's a hard question you threw at me there, Don, because we're looking for justice. You know, it's very important, and justice has to be served because of the very important -- Michael was known all over the world, behind all borders, and that's why he was trying to build amusement parks all around the world. That's what I'm trying to do, carry out his legacy.
LEMON: Michael's doctor, Conrad Murray, goes on trial in September, manslaughter charges. What do you think deserves to happen to him?
JACKSON: What I hope happens is that justice is done, you know, the right way, the truth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: More with Joe Jackson when we come back, including this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACKSON: I don't care if it's a minute after Michael's death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Joe Jackson responding to the criticism he received for something he said in an interview with me just three days after Michael died.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. More now from my conversation with Joe Jackson. Exactly two years after the death of his superstar son, Michael Jackson. We got into some pretty tough topics. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: So Mr. Jackson, I want you to take a look at you and I on the red carpet two years ago and then we'll talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The last couple days, I know it's been really tough for you guys.
JACKSON: And? Yes, it has. It has been really tough. Remember, we just lost the biggest star in the world. But I want to make this statement. This is a real good statement here.
Marshal and I have -- we own a record company called -- tell him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ranch Records.
LEMON: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK? Distributed by Blu-Ray technology. And that's its next step.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: What do you think when you see that, Mr. Jackson?
JACKSON: I don't think nothing about it because Blu-Ray -- I mean, that company don't exist now. It went out -- as soon as it happened, it went out of business. So it's no big deal to me.
LEMON: But this was only three days after Michael's death. That's what I'm asking. What do you think of...
JACKSON: I don't care if it's a minute after Michael's death! And listen, I am -- the Blu-Ray did not even exist as a record company with the same guy that I was talking with, you know? That don't even happen. What I'm here now is promoting Happy Land (ph) and promoting the things that I'm doing now.
LEMON: And what about the children? How are they?
JACKSON: The children are fine. They are fine. They're going to acting school. And Prince is taking up -- I think he's taking up martial arts and all that stuff. And Blanket, he's just happy. He's a happy little kid. He's sturdy. He wants to be a producer or something, but you know, they're fine.
LEMON: People have talked about the -- your alleged treatment of Michael Jackson. Some of the family members, even him, said that you were abusive, in a sense, that you pushed them too far.
JACKSON: Don, Don, Don, Don, Don! I know what you're trying to, do! I ain't going there. But everybody back in those days abused -- they didn't abuse the kids, they whipped the kid when they did wrong. And now you can't do that these days because if you whip a kid now, they call 911 on you. But if you don't train them to be right towards people and how to conduct themselves when they were young, if you don't do that, you can have some kids in prison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Let's get you updated on the top stories now.
A lot of celebrating in New York today.
(VIDEO CLIP)
Last night the state became the latest and the most populist to legalize same-sex marriage. Governor Andrew Cuomo wasted no time signing the measure into law that is set to take effect in 30 days. Six states and the District of Columbia now recognize the right for gay couples to marry.
North Carolina's governor declared a state of emergency today in 29 of its 100 counties because of massive wildfires. The flames have scorched more than 70,000 acres in the eastern part of the state, mostly in Dare County. The state has also put 12 counties near the coast under a code purple alert meaning the air is unhealthy due to the fires.
Investigators say at least two people were killed when a tractor- trailer rigged hit an Amtrak train near Lovelock, Nevada. The Nevada Highway Patrol says there could be more bodies in two train cars badly damaged by fire.
Our affiliate, KRNV, reports at least nine passengers were hospitalized, including two in critical condition.
I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for watching. Have a good night.
