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Strauss-Kahn Freed From House Arrest; Casey Anthony Murder Trial
Aired July 02, 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: Right now on CNN, on the eve of closing arguments with the verdict drawing ever so near, live pictures of a candlelight vigil for young Caylee Anthony across the street from where her body was found. Her mother is accused in her death. Court was in recess today but will be back in session on Sunday.
I'll be talking tonight with people who have covered the trial for six weeks now -- former prosecutor Holly Hughes is on the set with me here in Atlanta; in Orlando, our very own Jane Velez-Mitchell and local reporter Drew Petrimoulx; and in Los Angeles, former FBI criminologist Jim Clemente. We'll tell you all the information you need to know before the court battle begins in just hours.
Also tonight, fellow soldiers honor one of their own. He was lost in combat in Afghanistan. He was serving as an openly gay soldier. His parents are honoring his memory by fighting for same-sex marriage in Minnesota. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you enter the military, you have to take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, and it protects the country against foreign and domestic enemies. The enemy here is intolerance, misinformation, bigotry, probably greed. So, as a soldier, that is what he was fighting for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I'll talk to them and a lawmaker in the state who wants to outlaw gay marriage.
Plus --
The Rochester New York woman arrested for videotaping police in her own front yard gets the last laugh, but now fears she's being targeted by the cops. My conversation with her just moments away.
Those stories and much, much more, but first the news and it's a developing story.
The former head of the International Monetary Fund is freed from house arrest. Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his wife today left the Manhattan townhouse where they've been staying. He was arrested in May for an alleged sexual assault against a hotel housekeeper. But in recent days, the case appears to be unraveling because of the alleged victim's own credibility issues. CNN's Susan Candiotti is covering the story for us in New York.
Susan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As Dominique Strauss-Kahn waits to hear whether the district attorney will pursue sex assault charges against him or drop the case altogether, there is new detail about credibility issues involving DSK's accuser.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And for Mr. Strauss-Kahn's release on his own recognizance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: A bombshell discovery came only one day before prosecutors told the defense team about the maid's credibility issues. A source with knowledge of the investigation tells CNN the D.A.'s team got a translation of a jailhouse phone call recorded in Arizona. As first reported in the "New York Times," a source now tells CNN that the call in the dialect of the maid's native Guinea was made between the maid and a boyfriend the day after the alleged sex attack. The source tells CNN the maid said, quote, something like, "She says she's fine and this person is rich and there's money to be made."
Investigators also discovered several bank accounts in the maid's name in different states, accounts the sources says she did not disclose to investigators on her own.
Quote, "She was getting deposits of several thousands of dollars at a time," the source tells CNN, "from people she knew, potentially involved in drug dealing."
Strauss-Kahn's attorneys insist he is not a rapist and they want the case dismissed.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Susan, thank you.
A tragic holiday weekend for a family in Indiana. One boy is dead and his older stepbrother now faces a murder charge. Police arrived at the home near Martinsville on Thursday. The 6-year-old had been shot in the head and later died. Family and friends are still struggling to understand exactly what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARRI VANDAGRIFFT, AUNT OF THE TWO BOYS: They got along just fine, all normal, nothing out of the ordinary to suggest that anything would happen.
I was crushed. I cried all night. My kids didn't know what was going on. It's hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The 11-year-old stepbrother has a hearing next Wednesday. He could be charged as an adult.
A Missouri man has been charged with felony sexual assault after allegedly raping an unconscious woman on a city sidewalk. 48-year-old Melvin Jackson told Kansas City police he thought the woman was dead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANE PETERS BAKER, JACKSON CO-PROSECUTOR: This is a new one. This is not one that I've seen come through before. There were witnesses that saw this happening and they stepped up and they reported it. They gave help to this woman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The alleged victim said she got dizzy after walking in the heat. After lying down, she lost consciousness. She said she awoke to a good Samaritan shouting at the suspect to get off of her. Jackson is in jail on a $70,000 bond.
A grandfather and former cop has been charged with the kidnapping and murder of a little girl 54 years ago. 71-year-old Jack Daniels McCullough was arrested in Seattle, Washington. He had been living with his wife in a retirement community where neighbors say they were often with their grandchildren. Investigators in Illinois say evidence shows McCullough killed 7-year-old Maria Ridulph outside Chicago in 1957. McCullough was a suspect back then, but police lost track of him when he changed his name and joined the military. Some of his family attended court hearing today.
JEN HOWTON, MURDER SUSPECT'S NIECE: There's a family out there who lost a child. That should be remembered and considered. And my uncle is a wonderful and kind and loving person, and I don't know anything other than that. That's all that I know. OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: McCullough did not appear at today's hearing and the judge said he had been taken to a medical center for treatment.
No more executions in Illinois. Fifteen inmates already on death row have had their sentences commuted to life in prison. Governor Pat Quinn signed the ban on capital punishment in March and it officially took effect today. No one has been executed in Illinois in more than a decade. Governor George Ryan imposed the moratorium after a review cleared more than a dozen condemned inmates.
A big moment in the Casey Anthony murder trial this week. The defense rested its case without calling Casey to the stand. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE BELVIN PERRY,ORANGE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT: Mr. Baez, do you intend to present any more live witnesses?
JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY OF CASEY ANTHONY: No, sir, we do not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will the defendant be testifying?
BAEZ: No, sir.
PERRY: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Coming up, an in depth look at how this could affect her trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sorry I'm standing in the front yard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And remember this video? Video of this arrest went viral and outrage online grew. Now this Rochester New York woman has every reason to say, "in your face" to the officer who handcuffed her.
And many of you have been asking for information on social media. You can reach out to us on Twitter, on Facebook, cnn.com/don, and on Foursquare, and make sure you check out my book. It's about my life and my journeys in journalism. Available anywhere books are sold.
All right, Twitter world, look who I have here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, COMEDY CENTRAL'S "THE COLBERT REPORT": Hi, everybody.
LEMON: What's your name?
COLBERT: What?
LEMON: What's your name?
COLBERT: I have to -- do I have to say my name?
LEMON: Yes. What is your name? Who are you?
COLBERT: Stephen Colbert.
LEMON: Why are you here?
COLBERT: I'm here to support Don Lemon's Twitter account. LEMON: Which is?
COLBERT: donlemon@twitter.com.
LEMON: @donlemoncnn.
COLBERT: All right. @donlemoncnn. Go to it.
LEMON: What are you doing at my show, in my green room?
COLBERT: What am I doing in your show? I'm stealing your cheese platter.
LEMON: This is your green room, Stephen, by the way.
COLBERT: I know it is. Thanks for denying my reality, Don.
LEMON: Get out of here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE BELVIN PERRY,ORANGE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT: Is it your decision not to testify based upon consultation with your counsel?
CASEY ANTHONY, MURDER SUSPECT: Yes, sir.
PERRY: You understand that your decision to testify or not testify is solely your decision and your decision alone?
ANTHONY: Yes, sir.
PERRY: And it is your decision not to testify?
ANTHONY: Yes, sir.
PERRY: Have you had ample time to discuss this matter with your attorney, that is the pros and cons of testifying or not testifying?
ANTHONY: Yes, sir.
PERRY: And has anyone used any force or pressure in making you arrive at that decision?
ANTHONY: No, sir.
PERRY: And that decision -- is your decision freely and voluntarily?
ANTHONY: Yes, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: All right, so there you heard it. Casey Anthony declining to testify in her own defense. Her sensational murder trial is now winding up and is going to go to the jury, as they say, soon. Both the prosecution and the defense have rested. There won't be any more testimony. The jury could get the case as early as Sunday. The young woman is accused, of course, of killing her 2-year-old daughter Caylee back in 2008.
My panel tonight is Holly Hughes, a criminal defense attorney and a former prosecutor; Jim Clemente, a former FBI agent and profiler who now serves as an adviser to the show "Criminal Minds;" Jane Velez- Mitchell, host of "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell" on HLN; and Drew Petrimoulx, reporter with WDBO Radio in Orlando.
To my guest here in Atlanta first. Her not testifying, is it a done deal, Holly?
HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It is a done deal because what happened was we all know the prosecution has the burden of proof. Defense doesn't have to do a thing, but Jose Baez had shifted that burden when he stood up in opening and promised the jury, "I'm going to show you evidence, there's hard and fast evidence that Casey was molested by her father George, molested by her brother Lee, and by the way, this child was never missing, she drowned in the family swimming pool on June 16th."
They didn't do any of that. There's no evidence. And the order that is entered in every criminal case in the state of Florida from the judge says you cannot argue in closing argument anything that's not presented to the jury. If there's no evidence of it, you can't argue it.
So, you know, her not testifying to all of those things that was promised, it's big, and the jury is going to know why.
Jane Velez-Mitchell, do you agree? And you have been there covering the trial. You have been there since the beginning -- you've been covering since the beginning and you've been watching for the last couple of weeks up close and personal.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, HLN'S "ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ- MITCHELL": Well, they can get in something that is based on a reasonable inference. So, I think that's going to be a source of contention. I think you're going to hear a lot of objection from the prosecution tomorrow because Jose Baez has a track record of trying to sneak things in with inference and asking questions that he knows are going to be objected to and that objection is going to be sustained and he doesn't care, he does it anyway.
But the rules are, again, you cannot discuss facts not in evidence. So, Jose Baez should not be able to say, "Little Caylee drowned accidentally in the pool as he did in opening statements, but he might be able to say, "We saw evidence that little Caylee was capable of getting into that pool herself and Cindy testified that she believes that the pool ladder was left in a position that would have allowed her to go in there and drown accidentally. So, really, the devil is in the details. It's going to be a lot of nuance and a lot of debate.
LEMON: All right, Drew, as a reporter there who's covering the case and also as an observer, as you're watching the faces of the people who were on that jury, she's saying, "I'm not going to testify, I'm doing it under my own will," what are they doing, what's their reaction?
DREW PETRIMOULX, REPORTER, WDBO RADIO: Yes. You know, there's really not been a lot of reaction from this jury. I think probably a lot of that is upon the instruction of the judge, but I think that they have paid very close attention to testimony. I have noticed a lot of the jurors watch Casey Anthony a lot, which I think is very interesting. Some of them take notes. Some of them don't. I have also noticed throughout this trial that they have become friendly with each other, the people, especially the ones that are sitting close. So, it will be very interesting to see who is elected the foreman and how these deliberations start going once they get the case.
LEMON: All right. Now to Jim Clemente, former FBI profiler. When you have someone on trial like this and they don't testify and you're watching their behavior, what does it say to you about guilt or innocence, if anything?
JIM CLEMENTE, ADVISER, "CRIMINAL MINDS": Well, the one thing we can say for sure is that when the jury is not allowed to draw an inference from that. But anything can happen. It certainly leaves them with a gap and something they were promised in the opening statement.
LEMON: What do you mean, it leaves them with a gap? So, what does that do for the jury?
CLEMENTE: well, they're going to ask these questions. Why didn't she take the stand and explain what actually happened? Why couldn't she tell us the truth about what her father did or didn't do? And why she went out partying for a month after her daughter died?
LEMON: All right.
CLEMENTE: They're going to ask those questions.
LEMON: All right. Stand by to my panel. We're going to continue to talk about this because investigators found searches for chloroform on the Anthony's home computer. Prosecutors point the finger at Casey. Later, in her defense, her mother says she also searched for chloroform. Now there's a new witness who says that's not true.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: March 17th, 2008.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can just say between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. Eastern time when user cmanthon entering information into Gentiva's Unity System at a work station?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Who is telling the truth? We try to sort it all out for you, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you recall in March of 2008 you doing any type of searches for any items that might include chloroform?
CINDY ANTHONY, MOTHER OF CASEY ANTHONY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mrs. Anthony, is it your testimony that despite the fact that your work records show that you worked on Monday, March 17th of 2008, and Friday, March 21st of 2008, that you were home between the hours of 1:41 p.m. and 1:55 p.m. on March 17th of 2008.
ANTHONY: It's possible, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you home on March 17th of 2008 between 1:43 and 1:55 p.m.?
ANTHONY: If the computer entries were made, then I made them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: March 17th, 2008?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can just say between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. Eastern time when user cmanthon entering information into Gentiva's Unity System at a work station?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Let's discuss it all now with a panel of experts tonight. Holly Hughes, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, Jim Clemente, former FBI agent who now serves as an adviser to the show "Criminal Minds," our very own Jane Velez- Mitchell, host of "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell" on HLN and Drew Petrimoulx, reporter with WDBO Radio in Orlando.
Jim, OK, Cindy Anthony, is it obvious that she's trying to help her daughter, and did she do so in the process of her testimony?
CLEMENTE: Well, I think in my opinion her computer testimony is a desperate attempt to try to save her daughter's life. Unfortunately, she was shut down with the facts. She could not have been at home making those searches when those searches were made. The thing is that what it does is a real bonus for the prosecution because if Cindy Anthony, somebody who would go to that length to actually lie about making these computer searches, if she actually knew that her husband George was a cheater and a child molester, she would have been screaming on that stand, she would have swore all up and down about it. She didn't do that because it's not true.
LEMON: Hey, Jane, I have to ask you because you're -- I'm sure that other people had interactions with them, but you had a very close interaction with Cindy and I believe with other members of the family on an elevator, and you drew your own assessment from that, talk to me about it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I saw them get into the elevator. I got in with them. This was after some of the most emotional testimony by this family, and they rode down together, and Lee and Cindy were talking to each other in an animated fashion. George turned and faced the wall of the elevator with his nose almost at the wall, not the door but the wall of the elevator. This hit me that this family is, A, in collaboration with each another. They're talking to each other, so they know exactly what they needed to say since Cindy has been in there taking notes the whole trial in an attempt to get Casey off.
The thing is that it was proved pretty clearly that Cindy was at work when these sinister internet searches were done for chloroform, for neck breaking, for acetone, for things that the prosecution says Casey looked up in her plotting of the murder of the daughter.
But think about this for a second because I was thinking about this today. I think about these jurors in a room. It's one thing to say you looked up chloroform, even if they proved the Casey did that. It's another thing to show that she actually went out and made chloroform. Has the prosecution shown when she concocted this chloroform, how she did it, how she actually purchased those ingredients, those household products?
I think there's still a lot of unanswered questions here. And so if the jury which is going to be deliberating, begin really the deliberations on the Fourth of July, a holiday, wants to get out early, I'm thinking they may throw a lot of that stuff that's going to require a lot of extensive conversation out the window and say, "We might give her second degree murder," which is a dangerous act by a depraved mind with disregard for human life. I'm just saying it's a possibility. And either it's going to go very fast or it could go for a long time.
LEMON: I want to bring in Holly because Holly is shaking her head intently. And, Holly, I remember having you on and you called her "Spindy Anthony" instead of Cindy Anthony.
HUGHES: Yes. It's pretty obvious to everybody that she absolutely lies. She committed perjury on the stand, and she did so to save her daughter's life. We get that and we understand it. But the question that all those jurors who are sitting there and asking themselves is, "Why does Cindy feel the need to lie to cover for her daughter? If these searches aren't sinister, if this chloroform wasn't used on this baby, if this is not part of how she died, why do you have to lie about it? Why do you have to cover it up?
And as for the holes, I actually done a bunch of presents tonight, OK?
LEMON: Yes.
HUGHES: I've got this little thing that I made up that I show to my jurors when doing a closing argument. And as you can see, it is a puzzle. And what is it a puzzle of, Don, can you tell?
LEMON: Spidey.
HUGHES: Yes, it's Spidey Man. That's right. Now, look closely at it and you'll see that there's a piece missing here, right? There's a piece missing over here and here and here.
So the bottom line is although you don't know what every single little piece of this puzzle looks like, you know what the big picture looks like. So, therefore, I think what the jury is going to do with those questions that Jane just raised, they are going to think about it, but then they're going to go, yes, but you know what, in the grand scheme of things, when I look at this entire puzzle -- because this is what Jeff Ashton is going to argue to them, you might not know every single little tiny piece, but when you step back and you look at how I put all these pieces together, you know what that picture is.
LEMON: You get the big picture.
HUGHES: Absolutely.
LEMON: Drew Petrimoulx, not to worry, we'll get to you in the next block. So, stand by, all of you. A lot "he said, she said" this week after George Anthony's alleged mistress took the stand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said it was an accident that snowballed out of control, but I was in shock, and by the time I looked up, his eyes were filled with tears. And I didn't elaborate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Surprising claim from Crystal Holloway coming up. Hear what else she had to say on the stand. And we'll also have the other big stories of the day coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's get you caught up on the headlines right now. Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his wife left the Manhattan townhouse today for the first time since he was released Friday from house arrest. The former head of the International Monetary Fund is accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid in May. In recent days, serious doubts have been raised about the alleged victim's truthfulness and credibility.
A new warning from Moammar Gadhafi to Europe. The Libyan leader is vowing vengeance for NATO's bombings in his country. He says homes and offices across Europe could be potential targets. The State Department spokesman says the U.S. takes Gadhafi's threats seriously and will continue to support NATO's mission in Libya.
Texas authorities are urging Americans to stay away from the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo this weekend. The warning indicates a violent Mexican drug cartel plans to target Americans for robbery, extortion and carjacking. Nuevo Laredo is just across the border from Laredo, Texas.
There's news from Iowa about a pair of Republican presidential hopefuls. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is in a multi-city bus tour -- on a multi-city bus tour trying to build on her strong showing in a recent state-wide poll. Iowa, of course, kicks off the presidential campaign season with the Iowa caucuses early next year.
And a shift in the Iowa staff for Republican Herman Cain. Two top Iowa staffers have resigned. The Cain campaign is downplaying the changes and insists new hires are coming on board in key states.
Rhode Island has legalized civil unions. Governor Lincoln Chafee signed the bill into law today. It will give same-sex couples a bunch of new state tax breaks, health care benefits and other legal perks, but it falls short of same-sex marriage. The bill sailed through the state senate earlier this week despite some strong opposition.
Up next, jaw-dropping testimony from the woman who said she had an affair with Casey Anthony's father in the weeks after little Caylee went missing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you get to know Mr. Anthony a little better?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you develop a relationship with Mr. Anthony?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, sir, I did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And was this an intimate relationship?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: What else did Krystal Holloway have to say? We'll hear that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you develop a relationship with Mr. Anthony?
HOLLOWAY: Yes, sir, I did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And was this an intimate relationship?
HOLLOWAY: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you have a romantic relationship with her?
GEORGE ANTHONY, FATHER OF CASEY ANTHONY: No, sir, no. She made that -- that's very funny.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you read the date of that text message to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury and then its context.
HOLLOWAY: Tuesday, December 16th.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What year?
HOLLOWAY: It doesn't say.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Go on.
HOLLOWAY: From George Anthony. Just thinking about you. I need you in my life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you at any time ever tell her not to say anything about your affair with her?
G. ANTHONY: Sir, I never had a romantic affair with Krystal Holloway, River Cruise or whatever name she wanted to give you or the world. If I'm not mistaken, sir, she has a questionable past.
HOLLOWAY: I didn't think that he could raise somebody that was capable of harming her child. And that's when he said it was an accident that snowballed out of control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. Let's get back to my panel tonight -- Holly Hughes, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, she's here in Atlanta; Jim Clemente, former FBI agent and now serves as an adviser to the show "Criminal Minds," he's in Los Angeles; Jane Velez- Mitchell, host of "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell" on HLN; she is in Orlando as well as Drew Petrimoulx, he is a reporter with WDBO Radio in Orlando. And we're going to go to Drew now.
Drew, who is telling the truth here? Is it Krystal Holloway? Is it George Anthony? What is going on?
DREW PETRIMOULX, REPORTER, WDBO RADIO: You know, Don, I couldn't tell you. Honestly, I really do not know. But I think her testimony serves some important purposes in this case. One, the defense is trying to label George as a liar. And if he could lie about this, maybe it's possible he's lying about other things that he's testified, too. Of course, that would be key for the defense.
Also, she testified that George Anthony told her that Caylee died in an accident that snowballed out of control, so partly aiding the defense theory. But on prosecution cross, Prosecution Jeff Ashton got her to talk about her story changing when she was initially confronted by law enforcement. Also, there's some tabloid money involved with her story...
LEMON: Oh, my God.
PETRIMOULX: ... And she also said that -- and she also said that while George said it was an accident, he didn't say that he knew it was an accident. So it's not clear if he had said it as maybe that's what he was thinking in his head. But she never said -- she never that he came out and told her that he found her in the pool and that there was this whole cover-up.
So, I think it was a good witness for the defense but not great.
LEMON: All right, Jane, there have been so many twists and turn, a left turn here and then left turn again and then oops. Where did Krystal Holloway come from? Where did she come from?
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, HLN'S "ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ- MITCHELL": Krystal Holloway was a volunteer who went there to presumably look for little Caylee when it was believed that she was missing and taken by Zany the nanny. Prosecutors insinuated that she sought George out and that she was publicity hungry, and again, she sold her story to "The National Enquirer" along with her sister for $400,000 so that she has a reason to insinuate herself into this case.
But I got to say she seemed pretty believable to me. The old hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. It resonated. Who knows for sure without giving all these people polygraphs?
But I do think that this works in the defense case in the sense that if the jurors believe that Cindy is a liar and they believe that George is a liar, doesn't that dovetail with the defense argument that, hey, this whole family is filled with toxic secrets, taught Casey to lie, and that's why she lied and went out and partied for 31 days instead of calling the police to report her daughter's accidental drowning.
LEMON: Yes. And when you -- I was talking to Drew and I said, "Who's telling the truth there?", Holly is like --
You think that -- you think that they had an affair?
HUGHES: I do. I'm with Jane. I find her credible. But here is why, Don, because we have so much outside information the jury is not getting, OK? The day George Anthony took the stand and he denied having an affair with her, I was listening to the Levi Page Radio Show on Wild Talk Radio and she called in. Krystal Holloway, aka River Cruise, called and she was hot. She was cussing like a salty sailor, OK. She was going on and on. And let me tell you something, she was credible. She's like, "How dare he deny he slept with me." And she's giving out details that didn't come out in court.
So, yeas, I do, I think that there was an affair, but the jury is not going to know that because Jeff Ashton on cross-examination did what he always does, he went right into the heart of the matter. He's not a dog with a bone, he's a dog with a whole cow, OK.
LEMON: All right, all right. Jim, I'm going to give you the last word. I'm going around to all of you guys. If you can, just quickly, give me what do you think when it comes to the verdict.
HUGHES: I think it's going to be first degree murder, no death penalty, because they're going to want a partial blame out and the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. They know Cindy is a liar. No death penalty.
LEMON: All right, Drew, I don't know if you can do this as a reporter. Do you care to take a shot at it?
PETRIMOULX: I really can't. I think one of the key things we have to look at is see what the state says in its closing argument there. As Jane was talking about, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Will they lay out the time, the place, how they think she was actually killed or would they leave that up to the jurors and then how much will the jurors take that into consideration.
LEMON: You know, Jane, you're going to be very reticent to say what's on your mind. What do you predict?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: One thing I have learned, Don, never predict what a jury is going to do because they don't hear all the hullabaloo, all the protests and all the -- they're in a vacuum and so they're experiencing this trial in a completely different way than you and I are. So I'm not going to predict.
LEMON: And so, Jim, you have seen this case from start to finish and have been in court with many of them. Talk to me, what do you think?
JIM CLEMENTE, ADVISER, "CRIMINAL MINDS": You know, I think this is a very difficult case. I think you could get a compromise verdict from the jury where they step back a little bit and maybe convict her of first degree murder but not the death penalty or you can get even a less conviction. But the point is they've been in there. They're charged with actually looking at the evidence and evaluating it, and, hopefully, they take that responsibly seriously and really weigh that evidence, not just look at arguments that people are making.
LEMON: Thanks to all of you. We're going to speak to you tomorrow night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, and who knows what turns will have happened then. Appreciate it tonight.
And we have a program note for you. Complete coverage of closing arguments in the Casey Anthony trial begin tomorrow morning, Sunday morning, 9:00 Eastern. You can watch it in its entirety on our sister network, HLN. And remember, you can watch Jane Velez-Mitchell on "Issues" every night at 7:00 Eastern on our sister network HLN as well.
Some political news breaking in just the past couple of hours. Another name now in the running for president. And this is the video that caused outrage when it went viral. Tonight, new developments in the story that we have been following, and the woman who shot this video is talking to us.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are arresting me! What is going on!
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to stand in my yard, if that's OK.
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LEMON: All right. Remember this video? Emily Good of Rochester, New York recording police as she stood in her yard. Then police put Good under arrest, causing an outcry that the officer overstepped his authority. The outrage turned to tears after prosecution -- or the prosecutor, I should say, dropped the charge against Good, seen here hugging her attorney. Good spoke with me earlier along with Erica Bryant, a columnist for the Rochester "Democrat and Chronicle." Good says she's relieved the charges were dropped but is disturbed Rochester police still find nothing wrong with her arrest.
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EMILY GOOD, ARRESTED AFTER RECORDING POLICE: Justice has not been done, and that officer has not yet been brought to justice. He still hasn't faced the reality that he committed an unlawful act.
LEMON: This week, I have to say the union, the Rochester Police Locust Club, right, said your episode, Emily, has created a defiant and dangerous attitude.
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MIKE MAZZEO, PRES., ROCHESTER POLICE LOCUST CLUB: Mrs. Good's message that has gone out to the public that you have a right to interfere and question the actions of a police officer is irresponsible, and it is a danger to the officers, the individuals the officers are dealing with and any other bystanders. A simple street stop can turn deadly in seconds.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Emily, what is your response to that?
GOOD: If we don't have a right to question police officers, then we're living in a police state.
ERICA BRYANT, COLUMNIST, "DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE": If you are in a situation where you feel that your rights are being violated, you should stand up and say something. But the column that I ended up writing about this incident was my husband and I were talking about Ms. Good and how she stood her ground and how brave that was, but I said that I wouldn't want my son to do that because I would fear for him due to cases like Amadou Diallo, where a man who was reaching for a wallet was actually believed to have been thought to be reaching for a gun and was shot 41 times.
LEMON: Emily, I have to get to this. There have been some other questions involving you and police. Last week, your supporters came together and police came out and issued five parking tickets. Look at this quickly.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, really, you have civilian complaints? You are in a parking, being further than 12 inches from the curb?
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LEMON: You can see the officers brought out rulers showing how far people had parked from the curb. Some say this was police retaliation. And you also had a burglary in your home, and the iPod that was used to shoot your arrest was taken, and police took some time to respond to your home. What do you think? Was it retaliation, the parking, and what do you think happened with your iPod and the police response?
GOOD: I do feel that the burglary was suspicious concerning my iPod was the thing that was targeted. I can't speculate any further than that on the burglary. I feel like the meeting of my supporters in which four uniformed police officers showed up in four patrol cars and issued tickets is clearly a case of intimidation.
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LEMON: Emily Good said she plans to sue. And we asked to interview the officer involved and Rochester police officials and police union leaders, but they declined or did not respond to our request.
Let's talk some politics now. Add a new name to the list of Republican presidential candidates, Michigan Congresswoman -- or Congressman, excuse me, Thad McCotter. He announced his candidacy today at a festival in his suburban Detroit district. Party insiders consider him a long shot. McCotter is a five-term congressman who started his own law practice. He's also the 10th Republican and the third member of the House to join the presidential race. Meantime, another GOP candidate, Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is in Iowa, and CNN's Shannon Travis caught up with her at an Iowa city diner. He was the only reporter to speak with Bachmann. He asked her why Iowa is so important.
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REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Because Iowa is the first in the nation. It's important to be here and have a presence here because the values and the opinions that people have in Iowa count. They count for the nation. So it's important that we come here. This is the bread basket of the world for a reason. This is where the food is grown. We have the best farmers in the world right here in Iowa. So, it's important to come and listen to what people have to say here in Iowa and then take that message back to Washington, D.C.
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LEMON: Michele Bachmann has been on a roll recently, joining Mitt Romney at the front of the GOP presidential field in a recent Iowa poll. She officially kicked off her campaign in Iowa just last month.
And more personal changes for Republican hopeful Herman Cain. Two top Iowa staffers have resigned, one of them blamed Cain's lack of commitment to winning an upcoming straw poll, which is often considered an early test of Iowa support. The Cain campaign is downplaying the changes and insist new hires are coming on board in Iowa and other key states.
A mother and father who lost their son while he was fighting in Afghanistan are taking on a fight of their own here for same-sex marriage rights. Coming up, hear why this cause is so important to them.
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LEMON: That flag-draped coffin holds the remains of Army Corporal Andrew Wilfahrt. He was killed by an IED in February while on patrol in Afghanistan, and Wilfahrt was 31 years old. And since he died, some unusual things have happened. His parents have become very active in the gay community, especially in defending same-sex marriage. You see their son was gay. Andrew Wilfahrt served openly and proudly with his unit without any problem. He was the first openly gay service member killed since the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Now the State of Minnesota, where Wilfahrt is from, wants to amend the state constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. Wilfahrt's parents say that is wrong. They say their son and people like him deserve the same right to marry as anyone else. Earlier, I spoke with state senator Warren Limmer, the author of the ballot initiative that defends marriage as between a man and a woman. I asked him why he does not want to allow gay people to marry each other.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WARREN LIMMER (R), MINNESOTA STATE SENATE: I believe that marriage should be defined simply between one man and one woman. That law is being challenged in the courts. It could be decided by one judge rather than a reflection of the value system that is reflective of our entire society here in Minnesota. The people of Minnesota should have a right, and it's their right to define the moral code, the value code that goes into their laws. And giving this decision to the public to decide in the next election is absolutely the best way to do it.
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I also spoke with Jeff and Lori Wilfahrt about why they believe the ballot initiative is a mistake.
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LORI WILFAHRT, MOTHER OF A GAY SOLDIER KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN: We have a budget problem in Minnesota, and all these people were elected to create jobs, balance the budget. They were not asked to legislate on gay marriage and these guys pushed it through, pushed it through, and they aren't listening. But yet, they want the people to vote. Well, now the people are going to vote, and we're going to do whatever we can to change this here in Minnesota.
JEFF WILFAHRT, FATHER OF A GAY SOLDIER KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN: There's money at play here. There are people being manipulated, i.e. politicians and they're in the back pocket of these guys. This is not -- this is really not about a social issue, this is about driving a vote out, the conservative vote out to the polls.
And you know that most Minnesotans are going to step into that voting booth and they're going to look at that ballot, which they have never considered the constitutional implications of, and it is going to read Minnesota shall define the union of one man -- marriage as a union of one man and one woman, and they're going to reflexively going to vote yes to that because they're not going to consider the constitutional implications here.
The younger generation coming up is going to pay hell getting this out of the constitution. So, it's a lot easier to put things in than to take things out.
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LEMON: Much more from both State Senator Limmer and the Wilfahrt family Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. Eastern. You can also learn more about Corporal Andrew Wilfahrt, how he lived and how he died on my blog at cnn.com/don.
The world waited with breathlessness and anticipation for April's royal wedding between Prince William and Katherine Middleton. But there was not quite that much anticipation for this one. No commemorative plates, but still a big ceremony today in Monaco. We'll take you there for the nuptials.
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LEMON: Prince Albert of Monaco married Charlene Wittstock of South Africa today before a crowd of dignitaries one day after tying the knot in a civil ceremony. The bride, a former Olympic swimmer, wore an Armani gown. 3,500 guests were present including 20 heads of state.
Just before the top of the hour. Let's get you caught up on the headlines.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his wife left the Manhattan townhouse today for the first time since he was released Friday from house arrest. The former head of the International Monetary Fund is accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid in May. In recent days, serious doubts have been raised about the alleged victim's truthfulness and credibility.
A new warning from Moammar Gadhafi to Europe. The Libyan leader is vowing vengeance for NATO's bombings in his country. He says homes and offices across Europe could be potential targets. The State Department spokesman says the U.S. takes Gadhafi's threat seriously and will continue to support NATO's mission in Libya.
Texas authorities are urging Americans to stay away from the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo this weekend. The warning indicates a violent Mexican drug cartel plans to target Americans for robbery, extortion and carjackings. Nuevo Laredo is just across the border from Laredo, Texas.
There's news from Iowa about a pair of Republican presidential hopefuls. Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is on a multi-city bus tour, trying to build on her strong showing in a recent state-wide poll. Iowa, of course, kicks of the presidential campaign season with the Iowa caucuses earlier next year. And a shift in the Iowa staff for Republican Herman Cain. Two top Iowa staffers have resigned. The Cain campaign is downplaying the changes and insists new hires are coming on board in key states.
Rhode Island has legalized civil unions. Governor Lincoln Chafee signed the bill into law today. It will give same-sex couples a bunch of new state tax breaks, health care benefits and other legal perks, but it falls short of same-sex marriage. The bill sailed through the State Senate earlier this week despite some strong opposition.
And before we go, have you heard about this presidential seal fell off the side of the White House limousine -- the White House limousine this week as President Obama headed to the Philadelphia airport? Now you know the president's car is one of a kind, bullet- proof glass and all of that. The seal is not. It is magnetic, just like those NASCAR numbers and college team logos that you see everywhere. A Philly police officer later found the seal along side Interstate 76 and returned it to the Secret Service.
It would be kind of cool to drive around in your car with a seal on the side, don't you think? Would you like that?
Yes. I saw the logo fall next to me. Nice job, team. Thank you.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Thanks for watching. I'll see you back here tomorrow night, 6, 7 and 10 p.m. Eastern. Have yourself a great evening.
