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Nancy Grace
Is Texas Church SWAT Murderer a Woman?; Blake Shelton Wins in Defamation Lawsuit. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired April 20, 2016 - 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. A mom of three, Missy Bevers, at the local Creekside church, 4:00 AM, to teach Gladiator boot camp
aerobics when Missy is murdered in cold blood in the church, surveillance video inside the church catching the murder suspect in full police SWAT
gear. Arriving just before Missy does, he kills her and leaves, face hidden.
Bombshell tonight. Is the killer a woman? Tonight, focus shifting as police now claiming it is absolutely possible the killer is female.
Tonight, we bring in experts to analyze newly obtained murder scene video. Missy`s autopsy done, but police refusing to release cause of death.
And tonight, we reveal the believed murder weapon, a crowbar, as Missy`s husband insisting, My wife was not targeted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who killed a popular personal trainer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) in and out (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This surveillance video...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: May hold the key...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A very distinct walk.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A mom with three kids found dead inside the Creekside Church of Christ.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police released a second video today of the suspect, he or she. The suspect`s gait could be a familiar trait.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Country music star and the star of the hit show "The Voice" Blake Shelton suing for $2 million over booze and rehab claims!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Country superstar Blake Shelton scores a big legal victory in his $2 million defamation lawsuit against "In Touch Weekly."
The magazine published a cover of the star with the headline "Rehab for Blake."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s from "The Voice" from 19 Entertainment, Freemantle Media North America.
Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. A mother of three, Missy Bevers, there at the local Creekside church, she`s there at 4:00 AM to teach a Gladiator boot camp
aerobics class. Missy is murdered in cold blood there in the church that morning, surveillance video in the church catching the killer, decked out
in full police SWAT gear, arriving just before Missy, kills her and leaves, face hidden.
Tonight, focus shifting. Bombshell tonight. Police claiming it is absolutely possible the killer is female.
I want to go on the scene to Lisa Pineiro joining us, investigative reporter. Lisa, can you describe the scene for us?
LISA PINEIRO, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: You know, first I need to say, being here on the ground in front of this very quiet church in this extremely
rural community, it feels almost eerie thinking about 45-year-old Missy Bevers, who came to this church early in the morning to conduct her
exercise class that she`d been doing many times before, thinking that she was safe inside this church.
Nancy, a couple new developments in the case, as well. Police are now saying they`re not sure if the suspect is a man or a woman. I think
initial reports said that it was a man. Certainly, if you look at the video, it`s very hard to tell. This person in their police tactical gear
could very well be a man or a woman. So police are now not saying specifically if they are looking for a man or a women.
Another development was Missy`s autopsy results. Police are keeping those results extremely private. They say right now, authorities and the suspect
are the only ones who know exactly what happened to Missy.
GRACE: Everyone, joining us at the scene, Lisa Pineiro, investigative reporter there in Midlothian. We have obtained the new surveillance video.
Back to Lisa Pineiro at the scene. Lisa, surveillance video is absolutely critical to cracking this case. It`s all we`ve got. What do we know?
PINEIRO: Nancy, you`ll see part of the crime scene behind me. There`s a door with a window broken out, and also the door latch has been broken,
windows broken out here on the side of the church, and then also on the back of the church.
The police are saying that the suspect was likely inside the church, wrecking the place, vandalizing everything for a full 30 minutes before
Missy ever showed up.
[20:05:03]One of the other more interesting things about the case is, of course, the video that we`ve been looking at and the way that the suspect
is walking, a very distinctive gait. And so authorities are calling on members of the community to really look at that video and see if it perhaps
matches anyone they might know.
GRACE: I am looking at the video, and I have been looking at it since police backpedalled a little bit. Now, watch this move when the killer
backs up and swings out the left hip. Please keep the video going as he/she backs away from -- yes, OK. There you go. Let`s watch it like
that. That`s much easier to see. Watch.
Something about the movements. The uniform is so bulky, I can`t tell a lot. Watch the movements. And we have new video that we`re going to
incorporate with what you`re showing now. Liz, please roll the new video, as well.
Now, watch the gait. Watch how the person is walking. Watch this. Very often, you`ll see the toes pointed, the swinging back of the hip, standing
on -- watch the gait. That`s what cops are saying.
But my question, Robyn Walensky, senior news anchor with The Blaze Network -- I`m telling you, it`s not just the gait. They know something else.
Something is making them question was the killer a woman. Robyn Walensky, The Blaze, what do we know?
ROBYN WALENSKY, THE BLAZE NETWORK (via telephone): I`ll tell you, Nancy, I have looked at this, like you have, 100 times. The person does have a
distinctive walk. But you know what it really reminds me of? A little kid, you put them in a snowsuit and a heavier outfit, and it`s hard kind of
to maneuver. Perhaps it is a woman wearing heavier clothing, and the walk is because it`s too heavy or the outfit doesn`t fit right.
GRACE: You know what I was thinking, Robyn Walensky? It seemed to me like a woman dressed up in a Halloween outfit that they`re not used to wearing.
It reminds me of dressing my children up in an astronaut outfit we got down at the Kennedy Space Center, and they walked around crazy. They just
couldn`t make it work for them.
Something about this is making cops believe the killer is a woman. Who would kill Missy Bevers?
Now, another thing that has developed, the husband of Missy Bevers has come out and said his wife was not targeted and he let it slip that he does not
believe the killer had their car near the church.
So Liz, let`s pull up an overhead or any video you can of the scene because I want to see where somebody could have parked. Is there a place --
there`s the husband talking. Is there a place in the nearby woods? What do we know about businesses nearby? How far away are they?
Take a look at this. There`s the entrance to the church. There`s highway 287, parking lot, parking lot, but look at all the heavily wooded area
around there.
Lisa Pineiro, have cops looked for tread marks? Has somebody parked their vehicle in these woods and walked up to the church? Could that be?
PINEIRO: You know, Nancy, that`s a good question, and I would assume that police are investigating the area. Now, (INAUDIBLE) scene today. There is
no crime tape around the outside of the church anywhere. Now, I don`t know if that means that there`s crime tape of the scene inside, but certainly,
around the outside, you would have thought that they`d keep it a little protected.
But as far as, you know, could a car have driven up? You know, I think so. The church is literally surrounded by parking area. And it, as you
mentioned, has a vast forest area behind, a heavily wooded area.
GRACE: I would think that the perp would have parked away so their car wouldn`t have been seen by chance by one of the women coming to this
exercise class.
Joining me right now, body language expert Susan Constantine. Susan, I know you have viewed over and over and over the person`s gait and their
mannerisms because you know what struck me is when that gait -- when that - - there you go. Something about this, something about opening those cabinets and then sauntering off. My first thought was saunter.
Now, it`s so bulky, it could very well be a man. But I want to hear -- you`re the expert. Take a look at it. What do you see, Susan?
[20:10:00]SUSAN CONSTANTINE, BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT: OK, I looked at it several times myself, Nancy. One thing that I want you to really point to
is when you see where the left foot, the knee kind of collapses into the other knee? That`s a feminine movement, OK? When you also see the shift
of the hip -- generally, women do that.
Coming out of the gait, this suspect started off with the left foot moving forward. And you can see the left foot kind of dragging along, which tells
me again that there was either the fabric or whatever was underneath it was very heavy, and they were trying to pull it along. I think there`s a lot
of effeminate qualities in the stance, the gait and the stride.
GRACE: You know, I remember, Susan Constantine, when I was in court and I`d be arguing in front of a judge or a jury, I very often would just
naturally stand on one leg, and you know, stand over, like you`re saying. And I noticed none of the men were doing that. They`re all standing up
like they`re about to engage in a fistfight. So I started standing up like I was going to engage in a fistfight and kept doing it for the next 10
years. I`m seeing what you`re saying.
Hey, Liz, could you start it at the beginning again like you just did? Charles (ph) -- let`s see what Susan`s saying. She said the left leg knee
collapses in. And this is what I saw, although I`m no expert. I saw the hip swivel out. Yes, right there, that move, I`m telling you!
What do cops know? Listen to what Susan`s saying and watch the video. At this hour, police backtracking, now saying it is absolutely possible this
killer who brutally bludgeoned Missy Bevers dead could be a woman.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:15:38]UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Investigators hope someone will recognize the person`s walk or stature.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Video shows the suspect, as she said, walking through the building. We don`t have anything identified yet that...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The suspect`s gait could be a familiar trait.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There may be something more here than just a burglary or even a murder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: The stunning possibility, police backtreading (ph) a little bit tonight, saying the killer could absolutely be a woman. Newly released
video that we have obtained shows what police are talking about, judging on her gait.
But Justin Freiman, what can we learn by looking at those squares the killer is walking on?
JUSTIN FREIMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): That`s right, Nancy. You can see there are squares there. Any crime scene technician can go in,
they can measure those squares, and then from that, figure out approximately what the shoe size is on this suspect and maybe even the
height.
GRACE: And the other issue -- to Robyn Walensky with The Blaze -- why is the perp covering their whole body, not just their face?
WALENSKY: Yes. You know, Nancy, there -- the person, he or she, is wearing gloves. So they don`t want there to be a trail, fingerprints or
anything of that kind.
GRACE: But I`m saying their face, Lisa Pineiro, investigative reporter -- Lisa, not only are they covering up their face, which I get it -- a lot of
robbers cover their face -- they`re covering their whole body. They`re covering their hands, as Robyn Walensky pointed out. There`s got to be a
reason for that, not just avoiding fingerprints, but they don`t want one bit of their body -- there you go with the knee, like Constantine was
telling us. The one knee coming into the other knee is a distinctively female gesticulation.
What about it, Lisa?
PINEIRO: Yes, I agree. I mean, you look at the video, and certainly, that`s a possibility. You know, why is this person in head-to-toe tactical
gear? I mean, gosh, there are so many questions just regarding that fact.
GRACE: Lisa, hold on. I`m being joined right now by the owner of Texas Cop Shop, Steve Schneider joining me from Conroe (ph). Steve Schneider,
thank you for being with us. Steve, I got a lot of questions for you. With me, Steve Schneider, the owner of Texas Top Cop Shop that caters to
law enforcement, government detail. Steve, can anybody walk in and buy SWAT gear?
STEVE SCHNEIDER, TEXAS TOP COP SHOP (via telephone): No ma`am.
GRACE: Did you say no?
SCHNEIDER: No.
GRACE: Explain.
SCHNEIDER: I sell SWAT gear to agencies, sheriff`s office, police departments. I sell no SWAT gear to individuals.
GRACE: Aha. So question. Do you believe, Steve Schneider, that someone could buy SWAT gear on line?
SCHNEIDER: I`m sure they could.
GRACE: So tell me this. An individual couldn`t come in your place and buy SWAT gear, correct?
SCHNEIDER: That`s correct, they cannot.
GRACE: How much does SWAT gear cost?
SCHNEIDER: A full SWAT outfit, depending on the company, it`s going to cost in the neighborhood of $5,000.
GRACE: Holy moly! Whoa, whoa, whoa! We had $999. Where are you getting $5,000 from, Steve Schneider?
SCHNEIDER: A vest will cost you $900.
GRACE: Whoa! Did not know that. What is that over the face, Steve Schneider?
SCHNEIDER: Appears to be a helmet with a shield over it.
GRACE: A helmet with a shield. Let`s look at the perp again. Helmet -- yes, he`s right, it is a helmet with a shield. But I can`t even see the
neck, Steve Schneider. I can`t see anything about this person. What is covering the neck?
SCHNEIDER: Probably a -- oh, they call them balaclavas and...
GRACE: Yes. Yes, balaclava, balaclava, yes.
SCHNEIDER: ... (INAUDIBLE) that you could put on and...
GRACE: Let me ask you this, Steve Schneider. When you sell a SWAT uniform, does it have the name like Houston SWAT or Dallas SWAT on there?
Because all this says is "Police," generic police. Doesn`t have a city, a county, nothing.
[20:20:10]SCHNEIDER: Well, depending on the agency, you can put the name, if that`s what they require. (INAUDIBLE) generic...
GRACE: Well, what do they normally ask for?
SCHNEIDER: ... police patches that we use, but usually, it`s based on the specifics of the agency that`s ordering the product.
GRACE: Can I ask you, Steve Schneider, when police ask for a uniform, such as a jacket, they normally put the city or the jurisdiction, the county on
there?
SCHNEIDER: Not necessarily. It`s going to just have a badge, and their shoulder patches will indicate what agency it`s from.
GRACE: You know, I`m curious about whether law enforcement could somehow - - let me throw this to you Robyn Walensky. Could law enforcement identify who in that area has ordered on line SWAT outfits?
PINEIRO: I think, Nancy, it would be easy to do. Again, we go back to that Midlothian -- this an area, a rural area about 25, 30 minutes outside
of Dallas. It`s not a heavily populated city. It would be a finite number of people.
GRACE: Who wanted to cover not only their face -- I mean, they knew there was video in this church where Missy Bevers was going for an early, early
morning boot camp workout. They knew they were going to be on video, OK? They also wanted to cover their neck, their hands, their face and their
entire body before they murdered Missy. Why?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:26:04]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) evidence of forced entry into the building.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Different type of walk than most males would.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a very distinct mannerism.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But also warns he or she appears to have carefully planned out the crime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Now, the husband -- for all of you out there that believe the husband had to do it -- the husband has been talking quite a bit. Now,
that is very rare because -- remember Teresa Sievers`s husband, Mark Sievers? He wouldn`t say a word, would not issue a public plea, nothing.
Missy Bevers`s husband is talking, and he`s doing quite a bit of it. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I haven`t had a lot of time to get emotional about this yet. I`ve been dealing with the immediate needs of my children. This
morning, I finally started thinking about the events that occurred.
She was very passionate about changing people`s lives with fitness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A helmet and police jacket disguised the intruder`s appearance, but investigators hope someone will recognize the person`s walk
or stature.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s just a very distinct mannerism about this person that should be very apparent to somebody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: He also said -- the husband says that his wife was not targeted. I don`t know if anybody asked him that, but he said, he volunteered, My wife
was not targeted, I don`t think she was targeted, number one.
He also said that he does not believe the killer pulled their car up to the church and let it there and went in, which has led me and my staff to
research where the car could have been hidden.
And number three, he also says that he believes the killer is six feet tall. Now, I guarantee you he got that from the police.
Unleash the lawyers, Areva Martin and Alex Sanchez. Alex Sanchez, typical -- I mean, I`m projecting here, but if this guy had anything to do with it,
I don`t think he would be talking so freely to the press.
ALEX SANCHEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I agree. And more than likely, he`s probably consulted with an attorney and he`s probably told the attorney
what happened. The attorney probably believes him and says, Listen, cooperate with the police. Hopefully, we`ll track this killer down.
GRACE: Yes. And Areva Martin, of course we`re looking at the husband because that`s Investigation 101. That`s true in every, every murder. You
look at the person closest to the victim. He was out of town fishing in Mississippi. And I think we would see the cops dragging this guy in for
polygraph, there would be a different theory floating around out there.
But all that aside, my point is, A, he`s not a suspect or a person of interest. But he`s saying that he believes the perp, the killer, is six
feet tall.
AREVA MARTIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes. It sounds like he`s getting some pretty specific information from law enforcement to have arrived at that
conclusion. And maybe there is some information that the police isn`t sharing with us about this perpetrator. And hopefully, it`s going to cause
this perpetrator to be found. And if anyone is looking at the video and they hear these facts, they should go to the police.
GRACE: You know, another issue coming up now -- we`re talking about this perp could very well be a woman. Now, that is the very latest from the
police. This perp could be a woman.
Another issue is the murder weapon. We have reason to believe it is a crowbar or called a pry bar. To Dr. Ken Redcross, board-certified internal
medicine and concierge doctor in New York. Dr. Redcross, let`s talk about death by crowbar.
[20:30:00] Dr. Redcross, let`s talk about death by crowbar.
KEN REDCROSS, BOARD-CERTIFIED INTERNAL MEDICINE: Yes.
GRACE: How much force, I mean couldn`t a woman affect -- that is like a Louisville slugger or a metal bat. You don`t have to be six feet tall to
kill somebody with one of these.
REDCROSS: No, you really don`t, Nancy. But I`m going to tell you, it`s going to take a tremendous amount of force to actually result in death.
Even with the crowbar, you have to understand that you don`t necessarily get death immediately.
You can get a loss of consciousness, but not necessarily death. Usually it`s the problem of internal bleeding. But even though this could be a
female suspect it`s going to take a lot of blunt trauma to really cause that outcome. Even with something like that.
GRACE: You know, another issue, Alex Sanchez, Areva Martin, to you Alex, we handle a lot of homicides. I prosecute them. You and Areva have defended
them. And if you carefully study, you know this seminal textbook on method and assessment of homicide and suicide. For a woman to bludgeon another
woman dead by crowbar, Alex, that`s highly unlikely.
SANCHEZ: It`s highly unlikely and it`s obvious whoever did this is a very disturbed individual.
GRACE: Here we go, I`m not asking you about your future defense.
SANCHEZ: No, but we need...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: I`m talking about the assessment of homicide in this case. I mean, Robyn Walensky, don`t police believe right now that they`re not putting it
out that the weapon, the murder weapon is a crowbar?
WALENSKY: Absolutely, that`s what`s being said. There`s no evidence of a gun or knife.
[20:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Country music star, and I mean, this guy is awesome, and star of the hit show "The Voice," Blake Shelton, is suing for millions of dollars
after it`s claimed he has a drinking problem, a booze problem and then he goes to rehab.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rehab for Blake. Shelton claims the magazine was fully aware Shelton was not in rehab.
GRACE: I mean, that`s the voice from 19 Entertainment from North America and he is great. OF course, he is great. Of course he`s great on "The
Voice." I mean, this guy singing, this country superstar singing is like incredible.
Let`s take a listen to Blake Shelton singing.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GRACE: That is "The Voice" from 19 Entertainment Fremantle Media North America. So, you know, what I have to see to you Alan Duke, you know,
editor-in-chief, Leadstories.com, a, he did not go to rehab, number one. B, he does not have an alcohol problem and it landed on the front page of a
magazine.
And I think it was in the middle of a big, fat divorce with his then wife, Miranda Lambert, which could not have come at a worse time, right, when
they are trying to hammer out a divorce settlement, but at any time.
You know, Blake has hit rock bottom. His friends terrified he will end up dead. His drinking and womanizing are what helped torpedo his four-year
marriage. You know what, put up duke. You know what? I swear I would be tempted to burn the place down.
Because that`s not just messing with your reputation, that is messing with your marriage, with your family, everything about you that you are
cheating, all right, that you are drunk, that you have to go in rehab and this isn`t true, Alan. It is not true.
ALAN DUKE, LEADSTORIES.COM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Well, it`s very clear he drinks, he likes to drink. In fact, he is the face of a vodka brand.
GRACE: Well, wait a minute.
DUKE: And that`s not illegal.
GRACE: I mean, look, it is -- come to me, please. Nobody said...
(CROSSTALK)
DUKE: Doesn`t mean you got to go to rehab.
GRACE: Everybody, that`s what Shelton music video "Honeybee" from Warner Bros. Records. Alan Duke, did I ever say the guy is afraid of a cocktail?
Did you hear me say...
DUKE: No.
GRACE: ... Blake Shelton won`t take a drink? You`re still talking he`s afraid of a cocktail. No, you did not hear that.
DUKE: Right.
GRACE: That`s a far cry from saying he`s torpedoed his marriage because he`s just drunk and he is going to rehab. OK. Tell me what happened, Alan.
DUKE: So, In Touch magazine does actually two articles. But the one they are being sued over is one that said that implied on the cover that Blake
was going into rehab. He didn`t go into rehab. That is not true.
[20:40:03] And so, he sued. But, what In Touch lawyers say is, look, this guy makes his living tweeting about being drunk. In fact, tags many of his
tweets saying that he is drunk and bragging about it.
GRACE: Wait a minute. But you put, Alan Duke, up please. I tweet about murder all the time. But I`m not going to kill anybody...
(CROSSTALK)
DUKE: It doesn`t make you a killer.
GRACE: ... because I don`t want to go to jail, number one. But, I mean, just because he tweets about it, his songs, I mean, how many country music
songs talk about being miserable and getting drunk? That`s something I like to hear about it.
DUKE: Yes.
GRACE: I like to hear the songs, OK?
DUKE: Right.
GRACE: That doesn`t mean that he`s a drunk and he`s going to rehab. So, when you say, he tweets about it, that`s your defense, Alan Duke?
DUKE: Well, that`s not my defense, In Touch says...
GRACE: He said it.
DUKE: ... that he is libel proof, that they can`t -- they can`t libel him because they`re just reflecting what he tweets himself about being drunk a
lot and being drunk work and that sort of thing.
GRACE: Drunk at work?
DUKE: And drugs recently found that...
GRACE: Who said he`s drunk at work? Everybody you`re saying "The Voice" from 19 Entertainment Fremantle Media North America Chris Spargo, reporter
of Dailymail.com, when was he ever drunk at work?
CHRIS SPARGO, DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER: He was -- he was joking on Twitter. He made a joke about being drunk in going on "The Voice" just like he tends
to do. Anyone who knows, personality knows he`s the kind of guy who just jokes around about stuff like that. He wrote a tweet and at the end he
wrote that he was drinking or drunk which clearly not the case.
Anyone who has ever seen "The Voice" can see that he is sober. He`s won at multiple times over the past eight seasons. This is not a guy who is
clearly boozing up on live television.
GRACE: Hey, you know what, it`s so dangerous, Alan Duke and Chris Spargo. Let`s unleash the lawyers. Areva Martin and Alex Sanchez. Areva Martin, a
lot of times when comments are made or allegations are made, claims made against someone, you hear us say, well, nobody has filed a lawsuit. OK?
If it`s not true, then sue. Well, he is suing and you know what I think, Areva? I think he had to sue. Because if he didn`t sue, people could say,
hey, they said he went to rehab and he never fought it.
MARTIN: No, absolutely. His reputation is at stake. But I think...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: What`s at stake Shelton.
MARTIN: ... it is important to note that this guy has built his whole persona around being drunk. And that`s what In Touch magazine said.
GRACE: I disagree with that.
MARTIN: We only are repeating what he says himself.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Did you just say, Areva Martin...
MARTIN: But we`re not saying that this is a description. Not that he is actually going to rehab but that his plans are concerned that he needs to
go.
GRACE: I`m sorry. I kept hearing something. Areva, are you saying he built his career on drinking?
MARTIN: Well, he, himself...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: No, I`m asking you.
MARTIN: ... has used the term drunk and inebriated to death attention and to expand...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: OK. I want you to listen to something.
MARTIN: ... his brand. That`s undeniably true. That`s a fact -- that`s a fact you object.
GRACE: OK. You have to cut her mike. That is really starting -- my teeth are starting to hurt. I can still hear her. OK. Let`s hear Blake Shelton.
And, Areva martin, I don`t know if you are familiar with country music, but when you hear this guy`s voice, he did not build his career on alcohol.
Listen.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GRACE: That`s "The Voice" from 19 Entertainment Fremantle Media North America.
[20:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Country superstar, Blake Shelton, scores a legal victory in a $2 million defamation lawsuit against In Touch Weekly. The
magazine published a cover of the star with a headline, "Rehab for Blake."
GRACE: That is "The Voice" from 19 Entertainment Fremantle Media North America. A $2 million lawsuit. And you may say why does a big country music
star like Blake Shelton, is also the star of, "The Voice," for those of you that may not like country music.
I don`t know who that would be, Liz, but he doesn`t need the money, that`s true. He doesn`t need the money. It is the point. So, Chris Spargo,
Dailymail.com, what exactly are the claims?
SPARGO: Well, the first thing that was made by the magazine was about a divorce and the second claim was about rehab saying that he was at rock
bottom, his friends are staging an intervention with him, they were concerned about his drinking and they were whimsical of these things which
none of which were true.
GRACE: Now hold on, Alan Duke, Leadstories.com. Didn`t he and Miranda Lambert get a divorce and now he`s dating Gwen Stefani, am I wrong about
that?
DUKE: You are very right. It`s a very public relationship his relation there.
GRACE: So, the divorce part then would not have been slander or libel. Slander is oral defamation.
DUKE: Yes.
GRACE: Libel is written defamation.
DUKE: Right.
GRACE: So, what is the gist of it? I mean, the man he`s got to have a reason he`s suing for $2 million.
DUKE: Well, the judge, just a few days ago, made the point that the headline was possibly libel and suggesting he went to rehab saying that
maybe going into rehab is...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Somebody suggest that...
DUKE: ... libel.
GRACE: Oh, yes. So, Tiffany Sanders, psychologist, this could be claims like this, his friends terrified he could end up dead. I mean, does he have
or he have any children, Alan Duke? Does he have children from another marriage?
DUKE: No, I don`t think that he does. You caught me on that one. I don`t know the answer but...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: I think -- Google that for me real quick. Tiffany Sanders, when you have a family, how does it affect a family to see daddy is in rehab, daddy
has an alcohol, daddy is drunk at work. I mean, really?
[20:50:06] TIFFANY SANDERS, PSYCHOLOGIST: Nancy alcoholism is a disease.
GRACE: It is.
SANDERS: It is a very difficult disease to control. So, people will be very nervous and worried and they`ll be concerned about their loved one.
Always looking to see if they have alcohol hidden somewhere.
And that`s undue stress for a child or girlfriend or even a parent to worry about their child struggling with alcoholism. And I think he`s right for
trying to fight this because it places a worry and it places -- cast a doubt on his ability to manage or manage himself from dealing with alcohol
or even drugs.
GRACE: You`re right, Tiffany Sanders. That is the voice from 19 Entertainment Fremantle Media North America. Not only that, Stacy Newman.
When you are a performer, and it gets out there. Remember when Michael Jackson had all this drug problems? He could hardly get insured.
When it`s out there that you`re a drunk and you got a problem and you`re showing up drunk to work. I mean, alcoholism is an illness. It is not, oh,
gee, I think I`ll go get drunk. It doesn`t happen that way. You can`t stop it. That could ruin him. If industry insiders say won`t give him insurance,
won`t book him because of false reports like this, Stacey?
STACEY NEWMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Yes, Nancy. And here`s the empire. I mean, he`s got this verge, he has hit records, he`s on tour. But some of
the claims and this could be a country song themselves. They`re claiming he urinated on mailboxes, he was caught betting and boozing with women and
being in hot tubs in Mexico and his ex, Miranda Lambert caught him in their Nashville home with women all over the house.
GRACE: You know, that`s just not right. Guys, now you just heard Areva Martin say that he had founded his career on drinking. That`s Blake
Sheldon`s music video voice from Warner Bros. Records.
But take a look, listen to this guy. He is nothing but talent. He`s lightening in a battle.
[20:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Liz and Charles in the New York control room, every sound you played a Blake Shelton, you have picked songs where he is singing a song
about alcohol. As if the two of you have never had a cocktail. OK. Whatever. That`s a whole another can of worms.
This is not the first time a celebrity has sued over claims. It goes all the way back to Carol Burnett suing for almost $2 million when it was
claimed that she had a drinking problem. That`s quite a long time ago. OK. In which of course, it was not true. It was absolutely not true.
She continued the lawsuit that it also claimed that she was drunk in a Washington restaurant. Then there`s Cameron Diaz. She sued because it was
argued she had dated quite a few celebrity men and that she was cheating on Justin Timberlake. She was not cheating. She was out with one of her
producers standing out on the sidewalk. Not cheating at all.
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony sued because they were linked to a drug scandal which could not have been further from the truth. Katie Holmes. I
don`t think she even wet her pants as a little girl. She is absolutely perfect. She sued for $50 million over claims she was too addicted to drugs
to leave her then-husband Tom Cruz. OK. Absolutely not true.
And speaking of Tom Cruz. He sued because of reports he cut off all ties with his little girl Suri after divorcing Katie Holmes, a $15 million
lawsuit. I mean, it has been done and it has been successful.
That`s Blake Shelton`s music video "God Gave Me You" from Raizor and Time Music Publishing. So, bottom line, when are we going to have an answer,
Alan Duke?
DUKE: Oh, I bet you this one is going to be just settled quietly and they`re going to shake hands and forget about it. Maybe somebody exchange
and...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Well, let`s hope so.
DUKE: But I think that he needs In Touch magazine and those magazines like that. All these celebrities do. So there is a symbiotic relationship.
GRACE: Everyone, let`s remember American hero, a border patrol agent, Jose Barraza, just 29, killed in the line of duty. Loved that canine partner,
Vino. His beautiful widow Donna, two sons left behind. Jose Barraza, American hero.
Break her legs to our intern Katherine off to study journalism at Rutgers. And every one, seventh grader Ryan Diamond selected as an honored hero for
the Crohn`s and Colitis Foundation of America. Ryan battling Crohn`s disease raising thousand in his very own Mitzvah so he could help other
children with the disease.
The CCFA take steps walk in Atlanta, May 1. Go to ccfa.org., click on 2016 take steps walk. Stay strong, Ryan Diamond. You`re proof heroes come in all
sizes.
Thanks to our guests but especially to you for being with us. Nancy Grace, signing off. See you tomorrow night, 8 o`clock sharp Eastern. Until then,
good night.
[21:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
