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Jane Velez-Mitchell
Suspect in Hannah Graham Disappearance Arrested
Aired September 25, 2014 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Tonight, breaking news as the man cops believe kidnapped 18-year-old Hannah Graham is hauled into court in
shackles after being captured in Texas, over 1,000 miles from the scene of the pretty co-ed`s disappearance.
Now cops prepare to shift Jesse Matthew back to Virginia, but police admit just a little while ago at a news conference, despite thousands of
tips, despite days of frantic searching, they have no clear where Hannah is, and their suspect isn`t talking.
Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jesse Matthew is in custody in Galveston, Texas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. is now in custody, charged with abducting missing UVA student Hannah Graham.
JOHN GRAHAM, FATHER OF HANNAH: She`s our only daughter. All we want to do now is to bring Hannah home safely. Please, please help us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Just yesterday, police finally nabbed Matthew, a 32- year-old hospital nursing assistant, while he was camping on a beach at Galveston, Texas, a full 1,300 miles from where police say he abducted
University of Virginia sophomore Hannah Graham with the intent to defile, meaning with the intent to commit some sort of unlawful sexual activity.
The 18-year-old sophomore was last seen almost two weeks ago. Her friends say she left the party intoxicated and on foot. Hannah was caught
by several surveillance cameras walking around Charlottesville before police believe she and Matthew got drinks together and then she vanished
into thin air.
Police have now charged Matthew with kidnapping and are holding him with no bond. They expect to extradite him from Texas and back to Virginia
tomorrow. Now during his court appearance today, the alleged kidnapper spoke to the judge. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSE MATTHEW, SUSPECT IN HANNAH GRAHAM DISAPPEARANCE: Sir, I`ve got a question for you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
MATTHEW: Well, they took all my clothes, and they got me sleeping with an alarm (ph) thing. I almost feel like I`m a -- I should be able to
have some kind of clothes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You appear to me to be dressed in a jumpsuit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Clothes? That`s his concern? Matthew was very chatty about clothes, but he has not said a word about Hannah, though cops
say he was the last one seen with her. She has been missing for 13 days now. Are cops running out of time?
And this just breaking. Does Matthew have an accusation in his past? We`re going to get to that.
Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297. And please join the conversation. Go to my Facebook page, Jane Velez-Mitchell Facebook, or
talk to me on Twitter; @JVM is my handle.
Our expert Lion`s Den panel is fired up, and they are ready to debate. But first, straight out to CNN correspondent Erin McPike.
Erin, you were on the ground in Charlottesville. You were at the news conference held a couple of hours ago. Tell us the most crucial
information that cops revealed.
ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, we know that Jesse Matthew is coming back to Virginia, where he will be charged with abduction
and the intent to defile. If convicted, he could face a life in prison.
Now, as far as where Hannah Graham is, as you mentioned, cops have no idea. And they are asking residents here to search and re-search their
property, check wildlife cameras, if they have that on large plots of land here. He re-described what she was wearing that night, that she had an
iPhone 5 with a pink case. He was saying that if anyone sees anything like that, they shouldn`t touch it; they should call police immediately.
If they see any tire tracks that they hasn`t seen before, he wants people to call police for that, as well. Because they have no indication
of where she is, and they need every clue possible in order to shrink down the time from when she first disappeared to when they first learned of
this.
They`re -- they`re in a bad place in terms of finding her. They still have no idea.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, police say they`re looking for any clues about remote areas, as you mentioned, farmland that Matthew liked to visit.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF TIMOTHY LONGO, CHARLOTTESVILLE POLICE: Lots of people know Jesse. They know his habits; they know his customs; they know who he is.
The things he liked to do. Someone was talking, and they mentioned that Jesse liked to fish. Well, where did he like to fish? Where did he go
fishing? Was there a particular pond, a particular farm, a particular location that he was comfortable with?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, going back to you, Erin, for a second. Obviously, he fled from Charlottesville, Virginia, all the way to
Galveston, Texas, but despite that, they believe that Hannah is somewhere in the Charlottesville area or the surrounding nine counties. Do you have
any idea why they believe that?
MCPIKE: No, they don`t. They just simply said that they have no reason to believe that she is in Texas. And they essentially said they
knew he was on his way to Texas, was traveling, was in Texas but didn`t disclose that information because they were trying to find a link. But
they have no idea why he chose Galveston, Texas. There isn`t really any link there.
Now, I will also tell you that they spoke to Jesse Matthew twice before. They spoke to him after they searched his apartment and car and
again the following day -- this is last Saturday, when they asked him to come in, and he asked for an attorney. He later left the police station
with his mother, went to his grandmother`s house and was seen driving recklessly away. But the cops have spoken to him before.
From his car and from his apartment, they got some pieces of evidence. They took away some bags of materials that they had forensics testing done
on. It was after that point that they were able to issue a warrant for his arrest. They will not talk about what the evidence is or if it`s really
the clinching factor, though it seems that that is the case. And the police chief said today that he wouldn`t talk about it, because it would be
prejudicial, but it will be important at the time of the trial.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So what I`m hearing from you is that they don`t think that whatever he did with Hannah, he took her on his road trip from
Virginia to Galveston, Texas, presumably to try to get out of the country via Mexico and stopping at a beach along the way because he was tired, and
that`s where he was nabbed, thanks to a deputy that had some eagle eyes and a tipster.
So they believe whatever he did with Hannah, he did before he went on that road trip to flee. And there`s a narrow window of time for that,
which leaves them to believe that the radius in which he could have left her is somewhere in the general vicinity. Is that basically a good summary
or not?
MCPIKE: That`s correct. And what they are trying to do is talk to anyone who may have seen or had contact with Matthew in the time after that
Friday night appearance at the bar. They want to shrink the time from when he was last seen with Hannah to when he was discovered. They want to talk
to everyone that he came in contact with, get to know his habits. He liked to fish. As you played that clip there, they want to see where he fished,
where he would go to think, where he could have gone, because they hope that would lead, then, to Hannah.
But really, they`re focused on the Charlottesville area and the nine surrounding counties, and talking about farmland or any sort of rural tract
of land. That`s where the search is focused right now. So you`re correct in stating that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Well, thank you so much for that report, Erin McPike on the ground in Charlottesville.
Now there`s more breaking news that we can tell you. This is just breaking as we speak with CNN, confirming some aspects of this new
development that concerns this suspect, Jesse Matthew`s past.
At the news conference today, a reporter asked the police chief about Matthew`s past, including allegations of a past alleged sexual assault.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As part of your investigation looking into Matthew`s criminal history is there anything about that you can share?
We`re hearing lots of discussions of allegations of sexual assault, any of that you can talk to us and share with us?
LONGO: I`m precluded from speaking to his prior criminal history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Now, he can`t say anything about it, but CNN has just confirmed that Jesse Matthew, this suspect, was investigated for an
alleged sexual assault at Liberty University in 2002. And that`s where he was a football player. Matthew said that the alleged victim consented, and
that the alleged victim did not go forward with the investigation. He was not charged. There were no charges ever filed, because the commonwealth
attorney of Virginia says there was not enough evidence.
So I want to go straight out to a very special exclusive guest right now, former football captain of the team who played football with this
suspect, Jesse Matthew, who was known, I believe, as L.J.
Thank you for joining us. May I call you William or Bill?
WILLIAM HAITH, PLAYED COLLEGE FOOTBALL WITH MATTHEW: You can call me William.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK, William. Thank you for joining us. Now you played with Jesse Matthew, known as L.J., who friends call L.J., for two
years before he left the team. And you knew about this controversy that he got into. What is your understanding of what went on?
CALLER: Well, my understanding was that it came from the standpoint of the coaches informing us of why L.J. was being put off the team and then
later being put out of school. We were told that he was engaging in sexual activities with another female student. Therefore, the administration was
made aware of it. Engaging in those type of activities were against the school rules. And those were offenses that would allow an athlete to be
either be taken off scholarship and put out of school.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Was it your understanding that it was unwanted sexual activity or that it was consensual?
HAITH: You know, I would be really guessing at that point. And this is what I mean. I would think that it was consensual, for the simple fact
that no police came and arrested L.J. No one kicked down his door. It was just a simple administrative matter. And so I would think that it was
consensual.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But it was Jesse Matthew who said the alleged victim consented, and the alleged victim did not go forward with the
investigation, no charges were filed. But there was an allegation that there was an unwanted sexual incident involving this man, who is now
accused of abducting the young lady who was seen here on-screen.
Now, when you heard -- given everything that you went through with L.J. back during this controversy, scandal, what have you, when you heard,
when you found out your former teammate was accused of abduction with the intent to defile of a young woman, who is still missing and has not been
found despite 13 days of frantic searching, what was your initial reaction?
HAITH: Well, my initial reaction, the first thing that came to mind was the situation back at Liberty, back then. I don`t know his name came
up, so I immediately thought about that. So that was -- that was the first thing that came to my mind.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And did it -- so what was the thought?
HAITH: The thought was that could he -- is he capable of doing something like that? And, you know, I just wasn`t sure. The L.J. that I
had known was -- seemed to be a little -- a subtle person. He really didn`t seem to bother too many people. He didn`t seem to be too
aggressive. And so therefore, it just ran across my mind: "Wow, could he do this?"
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, he seems to have a lot of roots in the community. Just hours before he allegedly abducted Hannah, you see him
playing as an assistant football coach at a private school game. And this video shows somebody who`s very, very much a part of the community, not a
loner. He volunteered as an assistant football coach, and he worked at a hospital as a nursing assistant.
And so do you think he has like -- if indeed he`s responsible for this and if indeed whatever happened is back at school is what the young lady,
who is anonymous claims, as opposed to what he claims, and we have to stress no charges were ever filed.
But given all that, do you think it`s possible, if indeed he`s responsible for what happened to Hannah Graham, that he`s living some kind
of double life or he has two different personalities?
HAITH: You know, I think I would want to be careful with saying that it`s possible, because I have known L.J. for a long time. He`s not an
immediate friend. He was a teammate. And I had seen -- I had never seen him get involved in situations like this.
You know, that doesn`t say that doesn`t -- you know, I don`t want to say that it`s not possible. We don`t know what skeletons people have in
their closet, so I just hope that, you know, that both families can come away with this with a win. I would hope that, you know, Hannah could be
found, and I would hope L.J. didn`t play part in this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me ask you one last quick question, William. Did he ever say anything that would give you an indication that he had an odd
relationship with women, that he was sexually obsessed or had any violent tendencies whatsoever? Did you ever get that kind of feel from him?
CALLER: You know, L.J. seemed to always kind of have a small-figured female around. You know, he had never mentioned any type of sexual
frustration or any type of harm he wanted to do to a female, not that I`m aware of. But, again, you know, you just never know what -- what a person
is capable of.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: William Haith, thank you so much for joining us to try to give us some insight into this horror story. Imagine what Hannah`s
parents are going through tonight. Yes, they found a suspect, but he`s not talking; and they still don`t know where his daughter is.
On the other side of the break we`re going to bring in our Lion`s Den panel and ask them, what can cops do to put pressure on this man, this
suspect, to tell everything he knows? To start talking?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To kill or hurt somebody, that`s not my son.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For a big man, he`s as gentle as they come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW: Sir, I`ve got a question for you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
MATTHEW: They took all my clothes and they got me sleeping on an alarm (ph) thing. I almost feel like I`m a -- I should be able to have
some kind of clothes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You appear to me to be dressed in a jumpsuit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thirty-two-year-old Jesse Matthew, a suspect in the abduction of Hannah Graham, concerned about his clothing.
Simone Bienne, behavior expert, we`re going to do a round-robin with our panel. But I want to start with you. Is there a disconnect there to
be concerned about clothing when the entire country is staring at him, thinking "You may know -- you allegedly know where Hannah is, and you`re
not talking"?
SIMONE BIENNE, BEHAVIOR EXPERT: Oh, yes. I mean, look at him. He`s trying to paint himself as the victim here and put himself, rather
beautifully and narcissistically, above the law. "Oh, my goodness, I mean, I`m not dressed properly. They haven`t brought me my clothes." I mean, he
is painting himself as the victim. And that really concerns me, coupled with the fact that he`s not talking, I just do not feel good about this,
Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And then, J. Wyndal Gordon, you heard that there was an accusation in his past from 2002, that he forced himself on a woman in a
college situation. No charges ever filed. He claimed it was consensual. The prosecutor said they didn`t have evidence to proceed. But is there a
pattern here?
J. WYNDAL GORDON, ATTORNEY: I say not. And I didn`t get the understanding that he forced himself on a woman. And my understanding that
it was a consensual arrangement and there was no prosecution of the matter.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s what he says. But there was an investigation into an allegation of sexual assault.
GORDON: Well, if a woman says he forced himself on her, I mean, that`s enough to get the wheels of justice turning. So evidently, there
must have been a breakdown with that. So I put zero -- zero credibility with that -- with that allegation.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Does our panel agree with that? Evangeline Gomez?
EVANGELINE GOMEZ, ATTORNEY: This is Liberty University. It`s a very Christian university. Did they maybe have a chastity code that was
violated because someone engaged in sexual relations with another student, two students engaged in it? I`m not exactly sure, but perhaps that was the
situation here.
Given what his friend said and given what`s out in the media, they seem to be two different accounts. So I`ll have to agree with the person
who spoke before.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Sierra Elizabeth, attorney.
SIERRA ELIZABETH, ATTORNEY: I think I disagree. Because it`s certainly relevant that he was kicked out of school for having a sexual
relationship or encounter with someone. It must have been a pretty grave situation the school would kick him out for that reason.
And this guy does not look credible right now. I mean, he`s accused of this and then he flees? He leaves Charlottesville and goes all the way
to Texas? I mean, this guy doesn`t look like the great Samaritan that you`re pointing him out to be.
GORDON: What is it about him that makes him look incredible? You don`t know anything about him.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Evangeline.
GOMEZ: We can`t -- we can`t look at somebody and say they`re guilty because they look a certain way.
(CROSSTALK)
GORDON: What is it about him that makes him look...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: One at a time, please. Go ahead.
GOMEZ: It`s inappropriate to say. You don`t look at someone...
GORDON: Very inappropriate.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Excuse me, Evangeline. It`s called consciousness of guilt. Why would he flew 1,300 miles when he...
GOMEZ: I don`t know.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Excuse me. Let me just say this: if you have nothing to hide -- and I`m not convicting him. He deserves his day in court. But
he was, according to witnesses, the last person who was with Hannah Graham before she vanished off the face of the earth as the police chief so aptly
put it. Now, if he did nothing wrong, why not tell them, "Hey, we had a drink. I got in my car. She went on her merry way"?
GORDON: I can answer that. I can answer that. Let me answer that.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Go ahead, J. Wyndal.
GORDON: I`ll answer that. Because sometimes when you go into the police department to give help they end up turning the tables on you. Once
he realized that the focus was on him instead of the information he was trying to provide, he shut it down and he wisely did so. He requested an
attorney, and he shut it all down.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And then he went on the -- excuse me, hold on. Then he went on the run for 1,300 miles. He took off at a high rate of speed.
GORDON: Doesn`t seem like he went on the run. I mean, his whole behavior is consistent...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: It doesn`t?
GORDON: ... with "Hey, I told you guys I was going to Galveston."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: No.
GORDON: His behavior was consistent with "Hey, I told you guys I was going to Galveston."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, no, no.
GORDON: "Why do you make it like it`s some big surprise?"
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Are you kidding?
GORDON: That`s why he`s concerned about his clothes. He like, "Look, y`all are acting like I tried to run away from you. Y`all took my clothes.
You took everything from me. And it`s not right." So he`s protesting that.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: One at a time. All right, J., you made your point, J. Wyndal. Let`s let other people speak. Because this was not a road trip
for vacation purposes. There was a warrant for his arrest. There was a poster, which I`m looking for right now, which I will hold up, seeking him.
And therefore, this was not him going on vacation. He was fleeing. He took off and lost the cops tailing him, took off at a high rate of speed.
There`s the wanted poster.
GORDON: I don`t believe that either.
GOMEZ: Perhaps the cops were following him, as opposed to chasing him because he was fleeing. I mean, that typically happens in these types of
information.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK.
GOMEZ: The information that`s been presented in the media is entirely different than what factually occurred.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Evangeline, hold on a second. Hold on a second. You know what? We`ve got to go back to planet earth here. Sierra Elizabeth,
take it away.
ELIZABETH: When the police are looking for you, you don`t leave your home, your job, your family, your responsibilities because if you do,
they`re going to think you`re guilty. Hello.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. I think you make a very good point, Sierra Elizabeth. And you add to that right now, he is, according to the police
chief, still not speaking. He has invoked his right to remain silent. He has an attorney and he is not speaking. So on the other side of the break,
what can cops do to make him talk? Stay right there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: This is every parent`s worst nightmare. I`m certain that everybody in this room and those watching knows that what happened to
Hannah could happen to their child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you had an opportunity to talk to Matthew?
LONGO: As you know, he invoked his right to remain silent and his right to counsel. We cannot re-approach him until such time as he chooses
otherwise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to ask my panel what they can do to get this suspect, Jesse Matthew, to talk. This is a race against time. This young
woman, Hannah Graham, has been missing for 13 days now.
But first I want to go to the very patient Kate, Pennsylvania -- Kate, what do you have to say?
KATE, PENNSYLVANIA (via telephone): Yes, hi, Jane. Thanks for taking my call.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sure.
KATE: We always enjoy your show.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.
KATE: The reports are from the witnesses in the bar where this man bought Hannah her last drink, are that when they were getting ready to
leave, she couldn`t even walk out on her own. So I`m wondering if he used rohypnol (ph) on her. And the reason I say that also is the charges from
the police are so unusual, with the intent to defile. So I`m wondering if they found rohypnol either in his apartment, in his vehicle? It doesn`t
make sense.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Kate, that`s a very good question. We do not know what they found. We knew they took three bags out of his apartment. They
tested his car. They`re doing forensic tests to find DNA and blood and hair and fibers and they`re not revealing what they found yet. So
essentially we don`t know. We do know she was intoxicated.
I want to go to the Evangeline Gomez, criminal defense attorney, what can they do to get him to talk. Now, we hope that she`s alive but
obviously we have to consider the possibility that she`s deceased.
EVANGELINE GOMEZ, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, either way, under Virginia state law, you would get a death penalty if you`re charged with
first-degree murder and convicted. They can remove the death penalty. Say look, we`ll remove that off the table if you talk to us, assuming that he`s
the person who is responsible. If you know anybody who`s responsible, they can downgrade the charges, remove the charges that he has. Obviously, he`s
also concerned about his freedom.
So they`re going to do everything they can to get him to talk. She may be alive, he may be able to direct or may know someone who can direct
them to where she is if she`s in live. Or in the event -- unfortunate event that she`s deceased, also where her body may be. And for her
parents, that would be closure for them.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Of course, closure.
When do you think, Sierra Elizabeth, they might start that? Because they seem to indicate he`s he invoked his right to silence -- almost like
we can`t even approach him to ask him if he wants to talk again.
SIERRA ELIZABETH, ATTORNEY: They have to start that right away. They need to contact his attorney ASAP because, you know, even if she -- if
she`s not alive, if she`s dead, I don`t know why they think that they can only search the Charlottesville area and the surrounding counties. She
might be anywhere between Charlottesville to Texas -- and anywhere in between. So it`s absolutely critical that they talk to his lawyer
immediately and get this case resolved not only for the family but for all of us sitting here watching this drama unfold.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I pray that she`s alive. I pray -- you know, we`ve seen with the Cleveland house of horrors and with Elizabeth Smart that
women and girls do turn up. I pray that. But if not, there`s also the question of, you know, deterioration of evidence we have to worry about.
My heart again goes out to the family. We`re going to stay on top of this story -- developments every single day.
Next, unbelievable, shocking, shocking, shocking dash cam video -- a trooper pulls a guy over claiming he`s not wearing a seatbelt and then
shoots him. It`s unbelievable. What was this cop thinking?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN GROUBERT, SC STATE TROOPER: May I have your license, please. Your license, please.
Get out of the car. Get out of the car.
Get on the ground. Get on the ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: In tonight`s "Naked Truth", this is truly shocking video. I just couldn`t believe it when I saw it. We`re going to show it
to you in a second. A South Carolina state trooper opens fire on an unarmed man during a very routine traffic stop. Trooper Sean Groubert
pulled over 35-year-old Levar Jones on the grounds he thought the driver wasn`t wearing a seatbelt and then this happened. Watch. I have to warn
you, it`s disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GROUBERT: May I see your license, please?
Get out of the car. Get out of the car.
Get on the ground. Get on the ground.
LEVAR JONES: I just grabbed my license. You said get my license. I grabbed my license, right there. That`s my license right there.
GROUBERT: Put your hands behind your back. Put your hands behind your back.
JONES: What did I do, sir?
GROUBERT: Are you hit?
JONES: I think so. I can`t feel my leg. I don`t know what happened. I just grabbed my license.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The trooper hit him four times. Once in the leg -- fortunately he survived. The trooper has been fired, he`s charged with
assault and battery. He`s 31. He could do 20 years behind bars.
Straight out to my "Naked Truth" -- J. Wyndal Gordon, what the hell? I mean this makes absolutely no sense from my perspective. Obviously it`s
a white state trooper, an African-American driver. Do you think this could have been racial profiling from the start?
J. WYNDAL GORDON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think this is another example of the war on black America. That`s what I`m going to call it.
Law enforcement seems to have declared war on black America. They`re beating our women, they`re killing our men. They`re killing our children.
And it`s -- I`m tired of. I`m utterly sick of it.
There was no reason whatsoever for this trooper to even pull out his service weapon much less to discharge it. And I`m just sick of these cases
day after day a day. Finally, this one is being charged without taking months and months to place him under arrest. And hopefully he will meet
justice the same as he attempted to dispense his injustice.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, to me, what doesn`t make sense is he seemed to be complying, this guy, with the officer`s orders. You show me your
license --
GORDON: Absolutely.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: -- ok, I`m going. So here`s the explanation. Let`s listen and then we`re going to debate it.
JONES: Why did you shoot me?
GROUBERT: Well, you dove head first back into your car and then jumped back out. I`m telling you to get out of your car.
JONES: I`m sorry. I didn`t hear two words --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok, Stan Hayes, firearms and combat instructor, he says, show me your license, the guy turns around to grab the license and
then he shoots him. Is there any explanation for this?
STAN HAYES, FIREARMS AND COMBAT INSTRUCTOR: I mean other than the cop just being a complete moron, I can`t think of one at all. It just -- you
know, let me back up. Body alarm responses is an incredible physiological change that takes place but the reality is he shot this guy when the guy
turned around and was facing him. The guy was actually facing him with his hands in clear view and he showed that he had nothing in his hands. Then
the officer starts firing and fires four shots into him.
So there`s no reason for this at all. And let`s be clear. He didn`t pull this guy over. If you look at the beginning of the video, he was
sitting behind the building and he proceeded to leave the parking area and he was completely facing the trash area -- the trash collection area behind
Circle K. All right.
I did some digging and I was able to pull up a Google Maps and identify that this trash area was behind Circle K. This guy never even
left the parking lot of Circle K. He backs up, does a K turn and approaches the driver. All right. In South Carolina --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So what you`re saying essentially is that you don`t think he saw his seatbelt off and in fact, gee, I`m going to rethink this
one, but me, like a lot of people when I`m pulling into a parking lot, I`m usually in a hurry, I take my seatbelt off as I`m pulling in.
Was the stop questionable to begin with? Let`s watch this aspect. This is fascinating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GROUBERT: May I see your license, please?
Get out of the car. Get out of the car.
JONES: Why were you pulling me over, I just pulled in --
GROUBERT: A seatbelt violation sir.
JONES: Seatbelt? I just pulled it off right there at the corner to pull in the gas station.
GROUBERT: I`ve got help coming to you, ok? I`ve got help coming to you.
JONES: Why was I shot? All I did was reach for my license. I`m coming from work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Sierra Elizabeth, this would be almost funny if it weren`t so tragic that this guy ends up shot. Luckily he`s going to
survive. But I mean people do take their -- go ahead.
ELIZABETH: Jane, I`m actually disappointed at the prosecutors here for only charging this officer with aggravated assault and battery. They
should have charged him, in South Carolina, with assault with the intent to kill because this looks like a targeted approach on this man. It`s totally
out of character.
The fact that the police department fired him basically on the spot is so telling. And this guy -- he intended to kill his man.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jackie -- YackieJackie, the hashtag hub, very quickly, what are people saying?
JACKIE TAURIANEN, HLN PRODUCER: Jane, you know what -- cops released this video yesterday but it started going absolutely viral first thing this
morning. A few of the comments I`m seeing. Miss T says, "Kudos to the South Carolina Police Department for doing the right thing and firing Sean
Groubert for his blatantly unnecessary use of force."
Nikael says, "There needs to be a better screening process for the people we choose to protect and serve citizens."
Carol says "I thought he was reaching for a weapon and I bet that`s what the officer thought, too."
Ray Lee says, "Mark my words the only reason Sean Groubert is getting in trouble is because Levar Jones didn`t die and can defend himself
verbally."
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I`ve got to say this. The attorney for this guy is invited on any time. But it seems like some people think maybe he
thought he was reaching for a weapon. I`m sorry. I`m sorry. This was an alleged seatbelt violation? That guy`s going to make a lot of money, the
guy who was shot, I predict. He`s going to make a million at least.
Next, Kim Kardashian gets stuck in the middle of a melee in Paris you will not believe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tyson Toussant (ph) is reincarnating dead plastic.
TYSON TOUSSANT, FOUNDER, BIONIC YARN: Most people aren`t educated enough to feel the burden that we`re putting on the environment. So you
kind of have to like slip the medicine in with your ice cream.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That medicine is thread, he calls it bionic yarn. Up to 45 percent of this yarn comes from plastic bottles and it can be used in
anything from camping gear to jeans to even the shoes on your feet.
This summer alone, more than 70 tons of recycled plastic has been used in these bionic products, even big name products like the Gap and
Timberland are on board.
TOUSSANT: Our approach to this was how do we make this appealing to the people who aren`t really thinking about it?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Grammy winning artist Pharrell Williams happened to be one of those people. He`s now Bionic`s creative director, creating
designs for G Star, Montclair and Adidas.
TOUSSANT: Farrell made a giant bucket hat, he made skateboarding an urban thing. And it`s just like the king of the outsiders comes and he`s
like the alternative is now the standard.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Toussant hopes Bionic will encourage more people to be socially responsible in what they choose to buy.
TOUSSANT: Over time you reveal what the purchases have done to let them know if you guys have been helping the environment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Kimye crisis -- Kim Kardashian on her way to a Paris fashion week event. The reality star, hubby Kanye West and mamager Kris
Jenner pull up to this mob scene. Out of nowhere, a man grabs hold of Kim Kardashian`s legs and tried to tackle her to the ground. Security jumped
the whacko and subdued him. Luckily, they did that before Kanye could come to Kim`s rescue. Who knows what would have happened.
TMZ reporting the attacker maybe an infamous prankster known for harassing celebrities. That name is Vitalii Sediuk, he crawled under
actress America Ferraro`s gown at a premiere. He also grabbed Bradley Cooper by the legs at an award ceremony. He was indicted in May for
charges of assault and battery after he did something similar to Brad Pitt. And he got a slap on the wrist -- community service.
Now, he has managed apparently to gain access to these exclusive events using press credentials from a former employer. We tried to reach
him for comment.
Straight out to the "Lion`s Den", Simone Bienne, we need a behavior expert. If it is this guy, what it his deal? What is his problem?
SIMONE BIENNE, BEHAVIOR EXPERT: I think he has got a huge problem. Number one he`s got absolutely no talent because at least if you`re looking
at Ali G when he pranked celebrities, there`s some kind of comedy element. There`s some kind of brain being used. But this guy, I`m sorry, I`ve got
to say is really annoying and he`s creepy.
What he did to Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper, I think he even tried to kiss Will Smith and Will Smith got rapped on the knuckles because he tried
-- he slapped the guy. He has got a real issue and I think he should be --
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What is that issue? What is that issue? That`s what I don`t -- I don`t really -- he`s not a stalker per se -- he`s not like
following -- what?
BIENNE: It`s the attention. It`s the fame. Look how he is a world- wide sensation. The guy has got a publicist. They guy has got an attorney. Well, obviously he needs an attorney. This guy --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: He needs a psychiatrist.
BIENNE: He does. It is fame by association isn`t it? The whole world is looking at him. And that is -- you know, that is wonderful for
him.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We`re going to show it again.
ELIZABETH: He needs to be banned from all of these events. How does he still get in, Jane? How does he get --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, look at the map -- we got to show it again. Let`s show it again. As you listen to it, there we go. Let`s just play
it.
(VIDEO TAP FROM PARIS FASHION WEEK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. So how did he get in? Get into what? This is like being on the IRT subway at rush hour. There`s no getting in
here. I have to say something Sierra. It`s a good thing Kanye who got out on the other side, if he had gotten on the same side that guy might have
been, you know, six feet under right.
ELIZABETH: Yes, I agree with you Jane. I mean we all know Kanye is crazy so if he would have been on that side it would have been an even
bigger deal. But, you know, think what you might of Kim K, look what she has to deal with on a daily basis. I mean look at this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, poor Kim.
ELIZABETH: I know people -- I love Kim K. I do, I have to admit. But look what she has to deal with. It`s so unfortunate. It really is
unfortunate Jane. You don`t want anyone grabbing your legs. You don`t want somebody grabbing your leg.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t want anyone grabbing my leg or doing anything to my leg if you know what I mean. Well, maybe some people. But
seriously, you have to wonder if she brings it on herself. She said she wanted her privacy and she had her baby. And then she did that very sexual
video where she and Kanye were on the motorcycle and they looked like they were having you know what --
ELIZABETH: I don`t believe you Jane. I don`t believe you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know. There it is.
BIENNE: I`ve got to tell you she was wearing fur and thank goodness so she is used to this. Look, she has more money than I`m sure you, me,
all three of us would ever earn in our lifetime. She needs better bodyguards. That`s what she needs.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know what -- listen, I agree with you. Do not wear fur Kim or Kanye. That also opens you up to criticism. I just wanted
an excuse to play that video because I think it`s really hot but in kind of a silly, goofy way.
Stay right there. We`re going to be back. We`re going to play it again because you just can`t see it enough can you?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And there it goes. She gets out of the car and mamager Kris Jenner is right there.
Stop it. Stop it. Oh, my gosh. It`s not funny. I`m sure it was very, very scary. For some reason it tickled my funny bone. I apologize.
It`s not funny.
Debbie, California. Am I being inappropriate? Debbie, California.
DEBBIE, CALIFORNIA (via telephone): Hi.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hi.
DEBBIE: How are you guys? I love you, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.
DEBBIE: I just wanted to say sometimes I wonder if they go out and pay people to do things like this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I didn`t say it. You may possibly think so but I couldn`t possibly comment. That`s from the original "House of Cards".
Nancy is next.
END
