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Nancy Grace
Tot`s Carseat Switched Just Before Hot Car Death
Aired July 08, 2014 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. The tragic death of 22- month-old toddler boy Cooper, seemingly left alone for hours in a baking hot car by Daddy. But tonight, was the tot murdered?
Damning details emerge as Daddy sits unemotional, evidence coming out he`s sexting six different women, including sending pictures of his erect
penis, as his toddler boy bakes dead in his car, evidence indicating the baby scratching his little face, crying out loud, abrasions on his head as
he bangs back and forth, screaming out for Daddy. We obtain detailed information behind newly executed search warrants and the prosecution`s
plan to seek the death penalty.
Bombshell tonight. In the last hours, Cooper`s mother, Leanna Taylor Harris, turned away as she tries to visit her husband behind bars. Why?
This as we learn just before toddler Cooper bakes dead, Daddy switches out a brand-new front-facing carseat to an older, rear-facing seat that was way
too small for the boy. Why? And tonight, as cops hone in on the deadly carseat switch, we do the same.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The child appeared wide awake and happy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What he was doing that day while his child was out in the car?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was having up to six different conversations with different women sexting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No tears, no, you know, real emotion coming out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Photos back and forth between women and the defendant during this day while the child`s out in the car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. There were photos of his exposed penis, erect penis being sent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, the 16-year-old girl, OK -- did she send him a picture that day?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She sent a picture of her exposed breasts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And did he send any pictures to her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He did. He sent a picture of his exposed erect penis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He also did a search how to survive prison.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) sub-Reddit. It was called child-free, and child-free is a -- people who advocate living child-free.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wanted to live a child-free life, or there`s evidence to suggest that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And to New Canaan. A veteran White House lawyer during Bush accused of strangling his wife. A neighbor says the wife`s so bloody, she
looked as if she was in a horror movie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said, I`m killing you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
The tragic death of 22-month-old toddler boy Cooper, seemingly left alone for hours in a baking hot car by Daddy. Was the tot murdered?
Damning details emerging as Daddy sits unemotional until evidence comes out he`s sexting six different women, including sending pictures of his erect
penis, while his boy bakes dead in the car, the baby scratching his face, banging his head back, trying to escape, all the while calling out for
Daddy. We get detailed information behind newly executed search warrants and the prosecution`s plan to seek the death penalty.
In the last hours, Cooper`s mother, Leanna Taylor Harris, seemly turned away as she tries to visit her hubby behind bars. Here she is. But
why?
This as we learn that just before toddler Cooper bakes dead, Daddy switches out his brand-new front-facing carseat to his older, rear-facing
carseat. Just before he dies, they buy a new carseat, one that fits him, and Daddy switches it to a smaller carseat that was way too small, that
held the child in tightly when he died. And tonight, as cops hone in on that deadly carseat switch, we do the same.
Straight out to Steve Helling, writer with "People" magazine. Right now, the case could hinge on who switched out the carseat and why. It`s my
understanding, Steve, Daddy did it.
STEVE HELLING, "PEOPLE": Yes, absolutely. And you have kids. I have kids. We know that it goes one way. You get bigger and bigger carseats.
They go from facing the rear to facing the front. That`s just the way it goes. So it`s really strange that he would get a carseat that would --
that he would go back into a carseat that faced backwards. It makes no sense, Nancy, none at all.
GRACE: I`m going to follow up on that very quickly. Ninette Sosa, in the last hours, Mommy goes to the jail. We have the video of Mommy going
to the jailhouse in the last hours to visit with the husband. She`s seemingly turned away. When she was asked by reporters, Did you speak to
your husband, she shook her head no. You`re seeing video from NBC network. It`s of Leanna Harris at the Cobb County jail after trying to visit her
husband, Cooper`s father, behind bars.
Ninette, what happened?
NINETTE SOSA, NEWSRADIO 106.7 (via telephone): She did make the visit. Visits like that are on videoconference. They need to be requested
24 hours in advance. So this would place Leanna Harris making the request at least by Monday at 8:00 AM in order to make the Tuesday 8:00 AM morning
visit.
She did get there. She was with a friend. And the actual visit lasted about 35 minutes. And then when she left from there, that`s when
reporters were asking her questions. She -- neither woman answered. They got into the car. But it`s reported that she had just put her hands on her
face for a moment, and then they left the Cobb County jail.
But this was something that was planned. It`s done via videoconference. So she did not speak to him per se face to face or any
hand touching, nothing like that. It`s strictly kiosks and on the phone, and they did speak.
GRACE: OK. Everybody, she was in there for 35 minutes speaking. The timed visit timed out at 36 minutes. So apparently, it took about a minute
or two to get to him.
Now, back to you, Ninette Sosa, Newsradio 106.7. The visit did go down. And according to your calculations, she would have had to request
this on Monday by 8:00 AM, is that correct?
SOSA: Yes. It`s a 24-hour in advance request for this visit, for this style of visit.
GRACE: Now, Ninette Sosa, explain to everyone how you actually get to speak to an inmate. Every time I`ve been to the Cobb County jail, I spoke
to the person directly with no glass between us because I was the prosecutor and they were a cooperating witness. But what happens if you`re
visiting, for instance, your husband? How does it work?
SOSA: Like anybody else, there is no special treatment here. She puts her request in, like everyone else. And it was granted and it was
handled videoconference. Now, why it was not face to face, that`s yet to be answered, or someone else might have that answer. But this was
definitely a videoconference. It was done via kiosk. Only two people are allowed to be present during the visits. And as I said, she did bring a
friend, a female friend, with her.
GRACE: OK, everybody, you`re seeing the kiosks where Leanna Harris just visited her husband, the toddler, Cooper`s, father, Justin Ross
Harris. Now, it`s very, very significant what Ninette is reporting. As you all know, phone calls made from the jail, be it a local county jail or
a federal penitentiary, are recorded, as are visitations. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY ANTHONY, CHARGED WITH MURDER: Can someone let me -- come on!
CINDY ANTHONY, MOTHER: Casey, hold on, sweetheart. Settle down, baby.
CASEY ANTHONY: Nobody`s letting me speak. You want me to talk, then give me three seconds to say something.
CINDY ANTHONY: Go ahead, sweetheart.
She could be out of the country or anywhere.
CASEY ANTHONY: Mom, I don`t know...
(CROSSTALK)
CASEY ANTHONY: ... going through the same thing that it`s always been, so please stop it! This is why. This is one of the main reasons
that I chose Dad is because he won`t sit there and keep asking me the same questions 500 times over, like you and Lee have done.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As soon as they find out what happened to Haleigh (ph), everything will be different.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can`t believe (INAUDIBLE) No, no. It`s crazy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s ridiculous because they got my bond set so high just because of that. And that`s not fair. This has nothing to do
with it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know. But that`s exactly what it is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s what they think, I`m going to break. There`s nothing to break me on, so they need to leave me alone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: So everybody knows, and lawyers, defense attorneys, should be telling their clients, Everything you say, phone or visitation, is
recorded. There you can see two examples of people who did not keep that in mind.
So in the last hours, we know that -- there she is, Leanna Taylor Harris -- has just visited with Justin Ross Harris behind bars. What could
they talk about? What could they talk about that they didn`t want recorded, is the big question. Many people suggesting they could even be
talking in code. The only thing that is not recorded is when lawyers visit with their client. That is under the law not allowed to be recorded.
We are taking your calls. Straight out to Lisa. Hi, Lisa. What`s your question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. Thank you. I just want to say quickly, please -- I`m just wondering, like I always have been with this
case, when you see Leanna, little Cooper`s mother, why don`t we hear her crying and begging for her son? She only seems to be doing that for the
father locked up.
GRACE: You know, that`s an excellent point, Lisa. Let`s go out to licensed psychologist Erik Fisher. Erik, even at the preliminary hearing,
the bind-over hearing, the investigator, the lead detective, said he could hear Leanna Harris`s mother, screaming on the other end of the phone going,
Why aren`t you reacting? Why aren`t you upset? Your son is dead. Cooper is dead!
Also, when given a choice to go see her child, she chose to go see her husband. And the first thing she said was, Did you tell police too much?
At the funeral, she stated that if she could bring Cooper back to life, she wouldn`t do it, which was very difficult for many people to comprehend.
Could you take on Lisa`s question?
ERIK FISHER, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, there`s a lot of pieces here to consider. One is, we don`t rehearse for grief. People don`t plan on, What
am I going to do when a child dies? And we don`t know how we`re going to respond until we get in those situations.
She may have been overcome to the point of being in shock. But how somebody in a position of shock self-monitors to know that they`re in
shock, that raises a question. In terms of...
GRACE: Excuse me. Whoa!
FISHER: Yes?
GRACE: Wa-wa-wait. So at the very best, Erik -- at the very best -- her husband accidentally leaves the baby to bake dead in the car,
scratching his face, throwing his head back, trying to get out. So at the funeral, she solicits a standing ovation for her husband`s fathering
skills? See, that doesn`t jibe with what you`re saying to me.
FISHER: Well, there`s a lot of information again here that wasn`t known at the funeral yet. They`re finding out more details. They`ve been
continuing to find out more details. And I think, again, in any of these cases, we`re hearing mostly the prosecution`s side of it, and it is a
balanced tale. Does this add up to most people? Probably not.
GRACE: Everyone, although Justin Fisher (sic) seemed to think it might be OK, I agree with the mother. You just find out 30 minutes ago
that your son is dead, and you`re not upset.
Everyone, in the last hours, Leanna Taylor Harris goes to visit her husband. But also this what is we learned, the theory police are going
along with right now, that the father switched out the new forward-facing carseat and put in the baby`s old rear-facing one, even though it`s too
small. As they hone in on that deadly carseat switch, we do the same. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that the family actually had two carseats that they could have used. This is the smaller version. But cops are
telling us that little Cooper actually exceeded the size of that carseat. The other carseat that the family, in fact, did go out and purchase is a
larger size made for children as they continue to grow. The day that little Cooper died, they were using the smaller carseat, and the straps
were tightened as tightly as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Everyone, you are seeing video from NBC network. That`s Leanna Taylor Harris at the Cobb County jail in the last hours, after
visiting husband Ross Justin Harris behind bars, Cooper`s father. At first, it was speculated she was turned away from the jail. That`s not
true. She actually completed a 35-minute visit with the little boy`s father. All of these visitations are recorded.
At this hour, police are honing in on the fact that the dad switched out little Cooper`s brand-new forward-facing carseat and put in an old
rear-facing one, even though it was too small, just before the incident. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that the family actually had two carseats that they could have used. This is the smaller version. But cops are
telling us that little Cooper actually exceeded the size of that carseat. The other carseat that the family, in fact, did go out and purchase is a
larger size made for children as they continue to grow. The day that little Cooper died, they were using the smaller carseat, and the straps
were tightened as tightly as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: To Ninette Sosa, reporter with Newsradio. Ninette, cops honing in on this deadly carseat switch. We are doing the same. Why would
he switch out the much smaller carseat? The boy was already past the weight limitations on the carseat, was almost 2 years old. There has to be
a reason, Ninette.
SOSA: One item that was speculated was that the proper carseat, the front-facing carseat, was in the mother`s car, therefore, leaving the
smaller one. However, a parent -- responsibilities are responsibilities. You need a proper-sized carseat.
GRACE: Well, you know what, Ninette? There are other reasons that police now believe Daddy made the deadly carseat switch. We did the re-
enactment ourselves, and this is what we learned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The day Cooper Harris died, Ross Harris reportedly drove from Chick-fil-A to his place of employment. Now, one question on
many people`s minds is how could he have done this without seeing the little boy in the carseat?
Our re-enactment of this drive took under two minutes. But during that time, we identified three instances when Ross Harris would have likely
had to look to the right over his shoulder and the carseat would have entered his field of vision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: We reenacted the drive. There`s one time already that he would have to notice his son in the carseat. Take a look -- the next turn.
That`s at least the second time, that we know of, a turn is required that would force Justin Ross Harris to look over his shoulder and see his son
sitting practically next to him.
Now, as he approaches his place of work, Home Depot, he`s going to take another right turn. And once again, he turns. The baby`s right here.
There`s no way he can argue to this jury he didn`t see the baby or he forgot about the baby.
In the last hours, we comb back over the search warrants that we obtain and we find out why police seized the carseat. They are looking for
DNA on the carseat.
To Dr. William Morrone, medical examiner, forensic pathologist, toxicologist, renowned in his field, joining me from Madison Heights. Dr.
Morrone, the child died of heat stroke. That`s the layman`s term. It`s hypothermia. What evidence could they find? Describe the death so we can
determine what they hope to find on the carseat.
DR. WILLIAM MORRONE, MEDICAL EXAMINER/FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: It`s obvious that the child is going to have its own DNA. The parent`s going to
have its own DNA. But if there`s a third party that is not related to this family, that`s at the other end of the cell phones or in a suspicious
relationship with the father, then that will bring a whole new insight and motivation.
Motivation is part of this whole thing. This appears to be an encouraged suffocation, encouraged asphyxiation. So if there`s other DNA,
then how does that play into the asphyxiation? That`s what they`re looking for.
GRACE: What do you go through with a heat stroke? Heat stroke is the same thing as hyperthermia, correct?
MORRONE: Correct. Hyperthermia can be gradations, but heat stroke is the actual clinical damage that`s being done. In a 57-degree temperature,
it takes 10 to 15 minutes for a car to get deadly. In Georgia, 80, 90 degrees, it takes six or seven minutes before a car gets deadly, and
metabolic disorganization, heat to the brain, seizures, possibly vomiting, and pain.
GRACE: Vomiting. Why do you -- if it`s that hot, why do you stop sweating?
MORRONE: Well, sweating is the body`s mechanism to cool. But then sweating dehydrates the body, and you lose electrolytes. And that
electrolyte imbalance in the blood causes the brain to lose its balance, and the nausea that comes and vomiting comes after that comes from the
electrolyte disturbance in the blood.
GRACE: OK. Everybody, with me, Dr. William Morrone. And you know, we`re just laypeople and lawyers trying to figure out what you`re saying,
Doctor. Dummy down for me. So they see -- everything I`m talking about, Dr. Morrone, is as it relates to evidence, the probative value of every
single fact -- every single fact, Dr. Morrone. They seized the baby`s carseat for a reason. They state they`re looking for DNA. So I`m assuming
they`re looking for vomit.
Would the child upon death lose control over his bowels? Would he urinate or defecate?
MORRONE: In the end stages of death, yes, because the body loses tone. And all bodies sooner or later lose control of the bowels and the
bladder, and especially in a violent death. Heat stroke in a 22-month-old child is a violent death. This child is being baked. That`s violence.
And if the child had been drugged, the evidence will come out in the toxicology.
GRACE: Why are you saying that this is a violent death? And another thing, Dr. Morrone. Would they be using the carseat to match it up, if
possible, to the abrasions on the back of Cooper`s head?
MORRONE: You have to see, does the damage on the child`s body match parts of the carseat. And in a normal situation, would a child moving
cause that contact, or was there excessive force on the child in the carseat? And if there`s excessive force that would transfer DNA or
transfer fabric, then it`s more than just asphyxiation. It`s blunt force trauma and made to look like it was heat stroke. It could be either one of
those.
GRACE: OK. Dr. Morrone, I`m trying to follow along with what you`re saying. OK, heat stroke -- you said it was a violent, violent death. You
know what`s bothering me, Dr. Morrone? People are saying, Oh, well, you know, it only took 15, 20 minutes for this child to die, like somehow, that
lessens what happened.
What actually happened to this baby?
MORRONE: This baby began feeling external heat that just got deeper, and dehydrated. And this child does not understand pain, so it was a
tremendous amount of fear, the first time you experience something and you don`t know what`s going on.
But being strapped in a carseat that`s too small is being suffocated. So the question is, are all the things happening in the heat stroke all
alone, or is being strapped in making it even more intense? And that`s why I called it an encouraged asphyxiation because the chest can`t expand. The
child can`t move. It`s almost abuse, like physical abuse, in addition to the heat stroke, seizures, everything. It`s all mixed up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: In the last hours we learn of a deadly car seat switch where daddy took away the brand-new car seat for Cooper and put him back in his
old much too small car seat. Encouraged asphyxiation, joining us Dr. William Morrone. Dr. Morrone, would you explain the significance why cops
are honing in on this deadly car seat switch?
MORRONE: You know, if somebody falls down and their mouth is covered up and they asphyxiate, that`s one thing. But if they`re caught from
behind and there`s force on their chest and force on their mouth, then that kind of asphyxiation is premeditated. And if you put a child in a smaller
car seat and you really cinch it down tight, it`s not for safety sake, especially when it`s hot out there. You`re preventing lungs from
expanding. And lungs are also trying to transfer heat and breathe. So if you`re encouraging the asphyxiation by creating a restrictive environment,
it`s not I forgot my kid. It`s premeditated. It`s the same as making that car seat some kind of weapon ahead of time.
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Out of New York, Jeff Gold, out of L.A., Brian Claypool. All right, say the state puts Dr. William Morrone on the
stand and you hear that, Claypool. Where are you going to go as defense lawyer?
CLAYPOOL: Well, Nancy, you need to have an actual re-enactment. You need actually the mechanical engineer who manufactured this car seat to
come in and say the amount of force that would have been put upon Cooper`s chest No. 1. No. 2, we haven`t seen the autopsy report to see whether
there are any abrasions along the chest of Cooper. Because if this seat was so tight along his chest or the belt was so tight, wouldn`t you think
if he was jerking back and forth, you would see some abrasions along his chest? So we don`t have any scientific evidence connecting a smaller car
seat to an accelerated death of Cooper.
GRACE: Okay, I see where you`re going and I guess that`s where I would go if I were a defense attorney. You know why? Because there`s
nowhere else to go. But police know where the car seat was notched. They already know that, Jeff Gold. So we don`t have to really experiment with
it.
GOLD: Look, but dad`s not a medical examiner. He doesn`t have to know that`s going to happen. What we heard earlier is that mom had the new
car seat in her car. So it`s reasonable that he had the other one. He doesn`t necessarily know all this medical stuff and what`s going to happen.
15 kids have died this year in a car because of heat stroke. It`s possible that that`s just another one.
GRACE: I don`t have to have an M.D. to know that the car seat`s too tight. I remember when the twins` car seat was too tight. I could hardly
buckle it anymore. I let it out all the way. It was too tight. He did it on -- he knew it was too tight on the child.
GOLD: We don`t know, Nancy.
GRACE: He goes all the way to Home Depot to get light bulbs but he can`t go get a car seat that fits? Ding ding? Hello. He dragged his
friends to Home Depot to get light bulbs but he couldn`t get a new car seat. What? Who`s saying Nancy Nancy Nancy?
CLAYPOOL: Nancy?
GRACE: What?
CLAYPOOL: He would have been criticized if the car seat was too loose. So it`s a no win situation for Justin Harris. I have a little
girl. I make sure she`s very snug in her car seat. So there`s one thing to say, wait a minute, it`s a different car seat. But you actually need
tangible, scientific evidence. You also need a forensic pathologist to make the connection between the smaller car seat, how tight it was on
Cooper, and if that actually means that Cooper died sooner.
GRACE: I want to show you something else about backing in and out of the parking spot. We also took a look from his own words what he did.
Pass the parking space. Take a look at no. 1. No. 2, backed into one spot and then pulled forward. We`ve got it numbered for you one, two, three.
Wouldn`t you think that at that juncture he would have to look over his shoulder and see his baby? Joining me, Ben Levitan, telecommunications
expert out of Raleigh, North Carolina. Ben, do you believe that cars that have for instance GPS or Onstar, do they have internal tracking devices?
Can police figure out exactly what he did that day, his movements in the car?
LEVITAN: Absolutely, Nancy. As long as that GPS is on. We don`t know if the GPS was on or not. But it`s keeping a detailed report of his
location, his speed, and the time he was there. So if that GPS was on and for a mile and a half, we don`t know if it was on. But the cell phone is
going to provide a plethora of information. This is an iPhone 5. Keeps very good track of location. It may serve just as well a benefit in giving
us this information. And frankly, police have not -- have been very careful about that. Right now they`ve seized four computers, an iPad, and
this Apple iPhone 5. They have put out search warrants to allow them to look into those devices.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tragic accident or premeditated murder?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was yelling, hollering, screaming.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The spotlight on Cooper`s mother. She looks at him and says did you say too much? Ross must have left him in the car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is this the sign of guilt?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight all eyes on Liana Taylor Harris. She just came back from a visit with Cooper`s father, Justin Ross Harris, behind bars, their
visit lasted about 35 minutes. The whole thing was recorded by the jail facility in Cobb County. We are taking your calls. Speaking with Ben
Levitan, regarding the iPhone 5 tracking daddy`s movements. In the last hours we learned that since the death of baby Cooper, there have been
multiple copycat deaths. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police say a 30-year-old father left his 2-year- old daughter inside his 120-degree car while he went shopping. A fellow shopper walked past the car and heard the baby crying and called 911.
A Tennessee couple were arrested after cops say they knowingly left their 15-month-old child in the car while shopping. The car was parked in
direct sunlight, windows were up, the car was not running, and the temp outside was over 90 degrees.
Cops charged a Florida mother with one count of child abuse after allegedly leaving her 4-month-old daughter in her van for about 3 1/2
hours.
Cops say a 23-year-old nanny left two small children in a sweltering minivan while she went tanning. With the temperature over 90 degrees
outside, police found the 3-year-old boy and 2-month-old girl drenched in sweat and crying inside the car with the windows sealed up. The nanny
allegedly exited the tanning salon as cops were rescuing the children.
A Connecticut man is facing charges after cops say he left his 6- month-old baby in a car while he shopped at the supermarket. When cops got there, only one window was open less than an inch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: So all of these have occurred since we began to publicize the case of little Cooper. Coincidence? I don`t know. We are taking your
calls, out to Ron, Nebraska. Hi, Ron, what`s your question?
RON: Hi, Nancy. Thanks for taking my call.
GRACE: Thank you.
RON: You know, I`m an animal lover. When I see a dog in a vehicle left alone on a warm day, it makes my blood boil. But here we`re talking
about a child. This guy should be ashamed of himself. My question is, where was everybody? Why didn`t anyone hear this kid and call 911 sooner?
It was screaming, it was crying. Where I come from, I can`t imagine myself or anyone I know hearing and seeing this poor baby and not doing anything
about it.
GRACE: Out to Ninette Sosa, we`ve all gone to look at the parking lot where the father was parked. It was about 9:30 in the morning, 9:00 to
9:30 when he got to work. Do you think police are going to pursue a theory that he parked in an area that was already congested because those people
had already gone to work? As opposed to a spot where there was nobody on either side because those people would be pulling in beside him?
SOSA: Also, Nancy, he backed into the parking space versus just parking frontward in a space. So if you were to walk by even if you were
at a shopping center or whatever, you would be passing by the front of the car. Also I noticed on video that the rear windows appeared to have a tint
on them. So this vehicle is backed into the spot. However, police here did do a re-enactment like you guys did and they used a mannequin in the
car seat that`s similar to Cooper`s height and weight. His head would have been protruding from the top of that car seat. So there`s also that
shadow, that figure, versus just an empty car seat. So those questions just remain unanswered as to --
GRACE: Are you saying, Ninette, he backed into the car seat? Because I thought that he went forward, backed up, and then pulled forward into the
parking spot.
SOSA: My understanding is he backed into his sparking spot.
GRACE: Okay, we`ll find out. Either way, Ninette, we`ve already figured out that he parked between two cars whose owners had already gone
into the building. Out to Steve Helling, a writer with People magazine. Right now tension is mounting as it relates to the mother, Liana Harris.
We looked up their wedding and marriage information. And it`s already been stated they had a very peculiar marriage, to say the least. That she was
aware -- let`s show that engagement photo we dug up. That`s in the Tuscaloosa news. He was working at the University of Alabama, she was
attending it, and majoring in food and dietitian.
She knew he was cheating based on texts. And he was always kind of clumsy and awkward meeting people. He had been on these chat lines
forever. He seemed to do a lot better just chatting as opposed to meeting in person.
HELLIGRACE: Absolutely. You know, we spoke to some people who knew him back in college. They just said he was socially awkward. He felt more
comfortable behind a computer screen. And he had a lot of game when it came to the ladies on the computer. But not as much in a face-to-face
situation.
GRACE: What do you mean by that, he had a lot of game when it came to ladies on the computer? Please let me see Steve Helling from "People"
magazine. So is it your idea of (inaudible) ladies sending a naked picture of a penis? That game?
HELLIGRACE: I`ve never done that, Nancy.
GRACE: That`s how to get the ladies to love you? You know, I would just totally slap his face at the least. I mean, really? That`s how you
court a woman, sending a picture of your penis?
HELLIGRACE: Well, I`ll tell you I`ve never sent my picture -- anyway --
GRACE: That wasn`t the question. I don`t know why you`re answering that way.
HELLIGRACE: I don`t think that that`s the way it works. But what I`m saying is he was a lot more bold when he was on the computer, when he was
on his phone, than he was meeting a woman face-to-face. So how did that extend into his real life outside of the cyber world? We don`t know yet.
But clearly there were some issues in this marriage. Clearly his wife Liana did know about them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: And switching gears, now to Connecticut, a veteran White House lawyer during Bush accused of strangling his wife. A neighbor says the
wife was so bloody, she looked like she was in a horror movie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Slamming my head into the floor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her face was -- you almost couldn`t even see it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He kept beating me. I was having a very difficult time maintaining consciousness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brutal beating that she said occurred --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: To Noam Laden, (inaudible). This is a White House lawyer. A White House lawyer. I mean, you can`t get any more -- let me just say, at
the top of the food chain than that. This guy is accused of beating his wife with a mag light.
LADEN: -- a White House attorney in both Bush administrations. Well thought of. But also apparently had a really, really hot temper. So when
Mary Farren went to serve his papers to divorce him after getting tired of his temper, he took that temper out on her. Showed up at the house with
their two kids at home. A 6-year-old and a 4-month-old in the home and just beat her silly.
GRACE: Whoa, did you say a 4-month-old old? They had a 4-month-old child?
LADEN: They had a 4-month-old child and a 6-year-old.
GRACE: Just stop, please stop. She must have been desperate. To seek a divorce with a 4-month-old child, as if her hands weren`t full
enough. Now she`s got a divorce proceeding. Is it true, Noam, that this former White House lawyer not only tries to strangle his wife, he beat her
with a mag light?
LADEN: Yes. He took it to her head after smashing her head on the bathroom floor. He took that flash light and smashed her over the head
with that. And then while he was doing it, he said to her, I want to kill you. I want to kill you. He repeated it a couple of times.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: A White House lawyer under two administrations charged with strangling his wife, beating her with a mag light after she files for
divorce. Got a 4-month-old baby and seeking divorce. I guarantee you, there`s a reason for that. Noam Laden, oh, dear lord in heaven, I thought
that was a museum. That`s the house? Oh, okay. I wonder what those neighbors thought when she showed up on the front porch bleeding profusely
from that beating. Noam Laden, okay, hold on. I thought I was in a museum for a moment.
Noam, is it true that this judge, presiding over this case, let this guy, John Michael Farren, stay home during the trial? Are you kidding me?
He is letting the guy not face the jury? For what? Why?
LADEN: Usually that only happens when someone skips bail, but that`s not the case here. He said he didn`t want to be in the courtroom because
he was going to have psychological problems afterwards if he had to hear the story be replayed by --
GRACE: Okay, you`re making my head hurt. I`m pretty sure it`s about to blow up. He said, Noam Laden, he beats his wife according to police,
with a mag light. Strangles her. The neighbor said she is from a horror movie she is so bloody. And he asked the judge not to come to court during
his own trial because it would affect him psychologically and the judge let him? What judge is that?
LADEN: Well, the judge not only said it was okay but instructed the jury to have no bias against him --
GRACE: What is his name? Matt Zarrell, what is his name?
ZARRELL: Judge Richard Comerford.
GRACE: Comerford. Oh, okay, I hope he`s elected and I hope New Canaan is hearing this, that this judge, Richard Comerford, let this White
House lawyer stay home from this horrific case because he didn`t want to face the jury. OK. We`re on it.
Let`s stop and remember American hero Marine Lance Corporal Jacob Toves, 27, Grover Beach, California. Purple Heart, National Defense
Service Medal. He loved music, snowboarding and surfing. Father, Joe. Jacob Toves, American hero. Everyone, thank you for being with us tonight.
What a night in American justice. Drew up next. I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
END
