Return to Transcripts main page
Nancy Grace
Stanford Rapist Gets Six Months; Did Yoga Star Kill Identical Twin?; Desperate Search for Florida Girl and Mother. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired June 07, 2016 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HLN HOST: Breaking news tonight. Stanford University ex- champion swimmer gets a slap on the wrist for raping an unconscious co-ed, just six months in the county jail after a jury hears the evidence and
finds him guilty of three felony sex attacks on the unconscious girl outside a campus frat party. To top it all off, the perp`s father writes,
prison is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action?
Bombshell tonight. We dig up the champion swimmer-turned-rapist`s original mugshot, not the glamour shot he wants you to see. This as a move afoot to
get the judge off the bench. And in a stunning new revelation, was the judge`s sweetheart sentence actually illegal?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Outrage over the star college swimmer sentenced to six months in jail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her voice is finally being heard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "The only thing between my vagina and everything else was missing."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Comments from the swimmer`s father adding fuel to the fire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Calling the assault "20 minutes of action"...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "I decided I don`t want my body anymore."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s from ABC`s "GMA."
Did 37-year-old yoga expert Alexandria Duval intentionally drive her beautiful identical twin sister off a 200-foot cliff, plunging the Ford
Explorer on to a rocky shore?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The SUV cliff crash that killed her twin sister, Anastasia. Witnesses saw the sisters fighting right before the crash.
According to court documents, the SUV accelerated, made a sharp turn into a rock wall and showed no signs of braking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight, a gorgeous young woman and her 9-year-old little girl go missing near the Florida Everglades. As we go to air tonight, have drag
marks been detected in the Everglades` swampy grass?
Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. Stanford University ex-champion swimmer gets just a slap on the wrist for raping an unconscious co-ed -- I mean out cold, I
mean, this girl is lying in the dirt in the pine straw, unclothed from the bra down -- just six months in county jail after a jury hears the evidence
and finds him guilty on three sex attacks?
To top it all off, the perpetrator`s father writing that prison is a, quote, "steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action"? He calls it action?
Like a wild sex party?
We dig up the champion swimmer-turned-rapist`s original mugshot. Now, if you look at this mugshot, you can see a lot, especially under the correct
light, blurry eyes. His eyes are like little pinpoints. His face is red. He`s unshaven -- not the glamour shot he wants you to see.
This as a move afoot to kick the judge off the bench. And in a stunning new revelation tonight, was this judge, Aaron Persky -- was his sweetheart
sentence actually illegal? This is Judge Aaron Persky`s shot right there. At this hour, around 250,000 people are joining together to get him off the
bench.
But first of all, let`s talk about that mugshot. Joining me on the scene is Sara Sidner, CNN correspondent. You know, aside from the mugshot, there
is growing outrage against the judge in this case. How many people have actually signed the petition to get him off the bench?
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we`re talking about 250,000, plus it is growing, like, hourly. We`ve been looking at it. We`re nearing 300,000
people.
Look, it`s not just -- you know, they`re looking at this perpetrator and they`re angry with what he has said. They`re really angry about what his
father said with the statement of "20 minutes of action." That really sent people over the edge. But now they`re turning their anger and frustration
towards the judge, trying to recall him, Nancy.
GRACE: You know, I want to get back to that mugshot. Take a look at the mugshot that was taken that night. Can I look at it by itself, Liz?
Because when you don`t see it air-brushed for TV purposes, his eyes are glassy. They`re little pinpoints. Remember, he was well over the legal
limit himself.
Leaving that shot up, let me go to Hannah Knowles, reporter with "The Stanford Daily." Hannah, what was his blood alcohol?
[20:05:06]HANNAH KNOWLES, "STANFORD DAILY" (via telephone): It was two times the legal limit.
GRACE: Whew! Take a look at this. No, you wouldn`t see it by a glamour shot, but his hair is unkempt. He`s sporting a little goatee in the actual
picture, not as it shows up on TV. He is wrinkled, disheveled. He looks drunk.
But when you see the new shot -- let`s see the new shot isolated. There you go. Wow! OK. What a difference a suit can make. And that is the
appearance he gave in court, as well.
Unleash the lawyers, Alex Sanchez, defense attorney, New York, Kenyan Johnson, defense attorney, Atlanta. First to you, Sanchez. It was well
after the trial is over and the judge had deviated from the jury`s decision and his sentence that the mugshot taken the night of the rape was finally
dug up. We finally get ahold of it tonight.
Now, why is that? How can a defense team manage to suppress a mugshot?
ALEX SANCHEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I have no idea. But I`ll tell you one thing. I`m looking at those two photographs. And to tell you the truth,
the first photograph, he looks more innocent looking. The second one, he looks a little more wild-eyed there. So I don`t know what you`re looking
at or what the general public`s looking at, but the first one...
GRACE: Can I get back to the question?
SANCHEZ: ... looks better than the second one.
GRACE: I appreciate that, photographer-turned-lawyer Alex Sanchez. But my question is, what took so long for it to emerge?
Let me go to Kenya Johnson. Kenya, I`ll rephrase the question. Why was this mugshot hidden for so long? Why didn`t the defense want anybody to
see him the night of the rape?
KENYA JOHNSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: You know, sometimes, there are various reasons why mugshots are suppressed. He may have gotten bond very quickly.
They may have questioned whether he made it past the preliminary hearing stage, maybe a bunch of reasons. However, he -- now that mugshot`s a
public record. It`s definitely available for everyone to see. And that mugshot can possibly be used in his subsequent trial to show how he looked
the day of the incident.
GRACE: You know, right now, we`re taking a look not only at his father`s letter but at a friend`s letter. Liz, let`s see the letter that his long-
time friend writes. I don`t think it`s fair to base the fate of the next 10 years of the perp`s life on the decision of a girl who doesn`t remember
anything but the amount she drank to press charges.
Hold on. Unleash the lawyers, Alex Sanchez, Kenya Johnson. Alex Sanchez, it`s not her decision. This letter from this friend did more harm than
good. It`s not the girl`s decision to seek charges. And to say the girl can only remember how much she drank and we shouldn`t believe her?
Remember, he admitted to quite a bit. This is not what she said. She was comatose.
Why are you looking like that, Kenya? Are you surprised?
SANCHEZ: You know, listen, nobody deserves to be the victim of any sexual assault. But doesn`t this bring up another issue, Nancy?
GRACE: I knew there`d be a "but."
SANCHEZ: Yes, but you know, shouldn`t people engage in common sense behavior? I mean, what -- what kind of...
GRACE: Yes, like not rape an unconscious girl?
JOHNSON: No. No. Wait a minute. What kind of sense does it make for anybody, a girl, a boy or anybody, to get stinking drunk to the point
that...
GRACE: You mean, like the defendant did?
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: ... to the point that you don`t -- you don`t know what`s going on. You have no conscious (ph) about where you are or what you`re doing or
who you`re going with. Shouldn`t people engage in some type of behavior so as not put themselves in a vulnerable position.
GRACE: Yes. You`re absolutely right.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... the fact that while she`s unconscious, he rapes her?
SANCHEZ: Well, he`s not saying that. He`s saying that he thought it was consensual.
GRACE: Well, that`s not what he first said.
SANCHEZ: And let me tell you something...
GRACE: You can`t have it both ways!
SANCHEZ: No, he was drunk...
GRACE: You can`t have her comatose and she`s so drunk she`s comatose and...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... and say, yes, she consented.
SANCHEZ: No, he was -- he was...
GRACE: You can`t have it...
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: ... have the right to say what they want to say in court...
SANCHEZ: He was drunk, also. He was drunk, also. And he`s saying, I thought it was consensual. And you know what? When you drink, your
judgment is impaired.
GRACE: Well, wait a minute! Now you`re -- now you`re changing gears again. First, you said she`s comatose. Oh, she`s bad. She`s a bad girl.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: No, I`m not saying she`s bad. I`m saying it was poor judgment.
GRACE: ... because she drank about what he drank.
SANCHEZ: No...
GRACE: Now you`re saying, Oh, no, she was not comatose, she gave consent. Then the third thing you said was the defendant, who`s been convicted of
rape, says, Oh, I thought it was consensual.
SANCHEZ: Well, the defendant...
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: ... you`re looking at a sexual assault.
SANCHEZ: The defendant thought there was consent. She may have been comatose...
GRACE: OK, let`s get back to the letter.
SANCHEZ: ... but he thought it was consent.
GRACE: Oh, he thought that in his drunken stupor. He thought that.
OK, if he -- put him back up! Hold on. I`m sorry, Liz. Hold on.
Back to you. Sanchez, if he thought it was consensual, when those two grad students came by on bikes and said, Hey, hey, what are you doing, why did
he get up and run away? Why did he leave the girl laying there half naked with dirt and pine straw all in her private area?
[20:10:13]SANCHEZ: I don`t know.
GRACE: Why did he do that if it was consensual?
SANCHEZ: I don`t know. But I do know that his judgment was seriously impaired because by your own admission -- not your admission, but by the
scientific evidence, he had twice the legal amount of alcohol in his body. And when you have that much alcohol...
GRACE: So it`s OK for him...
SANCHEZ: ... your judgment is impaired.
GRACE: ... but not for her. OK...
JOHNSON: But nevertheless, he was convicted by a jury and there`s no way he should have made that kind of statement. There are no mitigating
factors when you`re looking at a sexual assault.
GRACE: That`s true.
JOHNSON: He should have just apologized to her and asked for the mercy of the court.
GRACE: Well, you know, that brings up an interesting issue, Kenya, that he never showed remorse or apologized to her in court.
Let`s get back to the facts. Put up that screen, please, if you don`t mind again.
I`m not blaming her directly because that`s just not right. But here I go, I`m blaming her directly basically in this letter. Where do we draw the
line and stop worrying about being politically correct every second of the day and see that rape on campuses -- it isn`t always because people are
rapists.
I think what she`s trying to say is the girl was drunk. I think that`s -- he used to be a swim star, now he`s the face of rape on campuses.
Joining me right now in Colorado Springs is Cheryl Hunter, a sex assault survivor, author of "Use It: Turn Setbacks Into Success."
Cheryl, this judge, who also went to Stanford, who also was an athlete, I believe a lacrosse player at Stanford, who was a political appointee -- he
didn`t ever win an election -- he`s up on the bench basically reversing the jury`s verdict, giving the guy probation -- he got six months in county
jail. He`ll probably do about two months of that.
Explain why this girl is never going to be the same.
CHERYL HUNTER, SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVOR: You know, they look at -- in the letter, he said this could haunt this kid, Brock Turner, for possibly 10
years. Well, guess what? This is going to haunt the victim for the rest of her life.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:16:08]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The victim`s letter has been viewed more than six million times.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "I was butt naked all the way down to my boots, legs spread apart."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t think anything like it has ever been written.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "And had been penetrated by a foreign object by someone I did not recognize."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s really hard for victims to come into court and face their perpetrators.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s from ABC`s "GMA."
At this moment, a move afoot to have the judge, Aaron Persky, thrown off the bench. After a jury brings down a verdict of three convictions on
felony sex attacks, he sentences the guy to just a couple months behind bars, six months. He`ll probably do two months behind bars. Why? Also,
is that sentence even legal?
Let`s take a look at where the defendant is going to be behind bars, Brock Allen Turner, 20 years old, Stanford champion swimmer. There you go.
Stacey, what can you tell me? Is it true he can take special classes and get care packages?
STACEY NEWTON, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Oh, yes, he can take all kinds of classes. He can do...
GRACE: Such as?
NEWTON: Woodshopping, Nancy. He can take religious classes. He can take computer classes. And he can receive care packages from loved ones through
the Internet. One of these packages called "All that and a bag of chips" has every snack known to man, including honey buns...
GRACE: Trauma recovery? Hold on. Leave that screen up a moment. What? Art, self-esteem, cultural awareness, trauma recovery. What! OK, so he`s
going to be taking all these classes, is that what you`re telling me, Stacey? How do you get a care package to this guy? What`s that?
NEWTON: There`s a Web site you can go to that directly makes these packages that contain snacks and all kinds of goodies for inmates. And
your loved ones can send these directly to the prison for you to enjoy behind bars.
GRACE: OK. Joining me right now, Professor Michele Landis Dauber, a law school professor from Stanford University. Professor Dauber, thank you for
being with us.
MICHELE LANDIS DAUBER, STANFORD LAW PROFESSOR: Thank you for having me.
GRACE: I really appreciate you coming forward. You know, I remember on one of the many rape cases I prosecuted, Professor, that the paper and the
news stations wanted to come in, and I told them they had to get out. And the rape victims -- there were, like, eight or nine of them -- came up and
went, No, we didn`t do anything wrong. He did something wrong.
And I remember that moment, and it just hit me in the middle of trial how so many rape victims feel like they`re the ones that did something wrong.
You are a friend of the victim, and you are working on a campaign to get the judge recalled. And I am completely on your side. And I want to hear
your thoughts on this, Professor Dauber.
DAUBER: Thank you. Well, you know, the victim is a remarkable young woman. She wrote an incredible statement. I really hope that your
viewers, if they haven`t had a chance to go to Buzzfeed and read the entire statement, that they do do that.
And she wrote that not because she was trying to, you know, affect so many millions of people as she has, but she was really writing it with one
person in mind, and that was Judge Aaron Persky because she wanted him to understand the severity of this impact of this crime on her.
And of course, that`s one of the factors under California criminal sentencing law that he is supposed to carefully consider when he gives out
his sentence. Unfortunately unlike the millions of people around the world who have been so impacted by her important words, Judge Persky did not seem
to be persuaded.
[20:20:18]GRACE: I`m stunned because he could have gotten, I believe, 10 to 14 years, and he got 6 months. And the reality is -- it`s all well and
good in the judge`s ivory tower, but the reality is, he`ll probably do about two months in county jail.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Everything inside me was silenced."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s really hard for victims to come into court and face their perpetrators.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Reading the statement in court, Turner`s victim said that hours after the assault, "I wanted to take off my body like a jacket
and leave it at the hospital with everything else."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s from ABC`s "Good Morning America."
[20:25:00]Backlash on the judge that sentences a convicted rapist -- true, he`s a Stanford swimming star, and that is the judge`s alma mater, the
judge also a lacrosse player at Stanford -- to just six months after three convictions on felony sex attacks?
Now, take a look at this letter that was given to the judge to help him make up his mind, where the defendant`s friend says this was all just a
huge misunderstanding? What?
Hannah Knowles with "The Stanford Daily," a misunderstanding? What am I not understanding about what happened? Is that what the judge thought when
he just gave him six months, it was just a misunderstanding, not a rape?
KNOWLES: Well, essentially, Turner hasn`t admitted to committing assault. He says that he wants to devote his life to educating other young people
about the dangers of alcohol and sexual promiscuity (INAUDIBLE)
GRACE: Hannah, you`re cutting out on me just a little bit. Liz, let me know when we get her satellite back up.
And the father goes on, Sara Sidner, CNN correspondent joining me there in the jurisdiction -- Sara, the father of the perp says it`s so sad that his
son is no longer enjoying his favorite pretzels and ribeye steaks. OK.
Let me ask you a question, Sara. What`s the likelihood that this recall effort is going to work? Or come November -- I mean, right now, he is not
even on the ballot. That`s going down right now, the vote in California.
SIDNER: Right.
GRACE: What about in November? Is this just going to be swept under the rug and business as usual?
SIDNER: So here`s the deal. It is difficult to recall someone in this state, as in many states. Basically, for judges, 20 percent of the votes
cast for the judge in the past election -- so 20 percent of those who came out to vote, the numbers, numbers-wise, that`s how many people have to sign
a petition in order for it to even go forward.
And so that`s the number of people. And we`re not talking about just anybody. You can`t just go on social media and say, I want a recall, and
sign up on line.
GRACE: Then how do you do it?
SIDNER: You have to be voters. You have to be someone in his district. So you and I, if we don`t live in that district, we can`t have anything to
do with the recall. And so it has to be those people who he would affect and those voters in his constituency -- 20 percent have to come forward and
sign the recall, and then it goes forward from there.
So we`re talking about a difficult thing to do, to say the least, because that many people have to be interested in that. And this is part of the
California constitution.
GRACE: Well, what do you think about this, Sara? It is true that the defense is vowing they`re going to appeal the sentence?
SIDNER: That`s what they`re saying they`re going to do. They`re going to...
GRACE: Oh, I hope they do. I hope they do appeal it because maybe there`s a chance he could actually get jail time versus three of months probation
and a couple of months in the county jail.
What about the sentence? Now, is there a mandatory minimum on any of these charges? Is the judge`s sentence actually legal under the statute?
SIDNER: It is. And here`s why. There is one of the charges -- and oddly, it`s a charge that people would not think of as the most egregious charge.
It`s the attempt -- attempted rape that is considered something where the judge has to make a ruling for the assault with intended rape against what
would be the norm.
So I think it`s two, four and six years for that. Those are the norms, right, six years being the most, two years being the least in prison -- not
jail, prison.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... an exception, right?
SIDNER: Right. So the judge has to find an exception in that one case, and he said he did and gave him six months.
[20:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Did a 37-year-old yoga star, Alexandria Duval, intentionally drive her beautiful identical twin sister off a 200-foot cliff, plunging that
Ford Explorer on to a rocky shore?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A yoga teacher whose identical twin sister died after their vehicle sped off a 200-foot cliff that police said intentionally
caused the death of her sister Anastasia. Witnesses say Duval appeared to be in a rage before the vehicle took off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Right now, the breaking news in a search that turns desperate for a 9-year-old little Florida girl. Straight out to Michael Christian. Michael,
what has changed in the search? Is there an update? What do we know?
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, authorities are searching a town, an area called Yeehaw Junction in Florida. It`s about 100 miles from
Fort Myers where this girl went missing. It`s a grassy, wooded area and apparently they are searching with ATVs and horses.
GRACE: OK, guys, the search for Diana goes on. We`ll bring you the latest.
Back to the story of a yoga expert. Did she intentionally drive her identical twin sister off a 200-foot rocky cliff?
Joining me right now, Chris Spargo, reporter with dailymail.com. Chris, these two seemed to have it all. The two sisters. Do we have a shot of
them? They had opened pricey posh yoga studios in Palm Beach. There were two in Palm Beach, there was another in West Palm.
Then they left and went to another equally posh, pricey area, Park City, where all the rich people have their second houses to go skiing.
And now one has actually been the target of a police investigation? Tell me what happened, Chris Spargo, dailymail.com. Why do we believe she killed
her identical twin sister?
[20:35:00] CHRIS SPARGO, DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER: Well, as you said, these girls really seemed to have a great relationship, getting along great,
spent a lot of time together. But apparently in the dates prior to what happened, there had been some arguing and on the day, there had been some
drinking, some more arguing. According to witnesses the two girls were sitting in a car together, one was driving and one was a passenger. There
was some arguing, possibly some physical interaction. The girl in the passenger seat ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. Let`s not put perfume on the pig, Chris Spargo. Why do you say physical interaction? What are you talking
about? What happened?
SPARGO: The sister was pulling her sister`s hair, apparently. Alexandria was driving and her sister Anastasia was pulling her hair when all of a
sudden, out of nowhere, the car went into drive ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: I know this is a crazy question, but which one is which? Did -- who pulled - OK, this is crazy. They pull their hair? That`s not a motive for
murder. But are you saying they got into a physical fight and they had been arguing before the fight?
SPARGO: That`s true, yes ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: About what, Spargo? What were they arguing about?
SPARGO: It`s not clear. According to her boyfriend, they were just having fights, maybe it was over the boyfriend, maybe it was over some sort of
relationship, but it`s still not very clear. Nothing that seemed to be that important at the time.
GRACE: OK, it seems like this is a long-simmering feud between these two. Chris, the two are not just identical twins, they`re also business
partners. And there`s been a lot of upheaval in their yoga studios.
They`re pretty successful there in Palm Beach, moved to West Palm, expanded, then suddenly pack up and move to Park City. So, explain to me
what was the crisis in the management of their yoga studio empire?
SPARGO: Well, in Palm Beach, apparently, there are some rumors they might have run into financial trouble. They basically just upped and left one
day. They had all these clients, and they were gone.
They also had a lot of people that they hadn`t paid a lot of money to when they went to Utah. And then in Utah, it seemed they ran into the same
problem and then they had moved to Hawaii now to maybe try this again.
GRACE: So bottom line, they get tons and tons of students. They`re having a yoga studio full all day, seven days a week. They take all the money, all
the memberships and pack up and leave, Chris Spargo?
SPARGO: Yes.
GRACE: They leave with all that money?
SPARGO: They do.
GRACE: Ooh. OK. That`s not good. So then they basically start cranking up again in Park City with a lot of rich clients out there in Utah. So what
goes wrong in Park City?
SPARGO: Well, in Park City, eventually they file for bankruptcy, saying they owe hundreds of thousands of dollars from these ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Where did all the money go, Chris Spargo?
SPARGO: It is not clear.
GRACE: Matt Zarrell, also on the story. What happened to all the money, Matt Zarrell? Because I`m hearing there`s a fight about a boyfriend. But,
you know, no offense to you, Matt Zarrell, men are like buses.
There`s another one that will come along in 15 minutes. So I think that this is over something more than a boyfriend. What was their feud over?
MATT ZARRELL, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, we actually don`t know. But we can tell a little bit about the lavish lifestyle which included they drove
around in matching Porsches and ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What?
ZARRELL: Yeah. Reports are that they drove around in Florida in matching Porsches and shopped at very, very high-end retail places like Armani and
Chanel.
GRACE: Oh, I think I know where all the money went, Matt Zarrell.
OK, so these two were driving in matching Porsches and they are bringing in the money hand over fist, and they start feuding.
You know, one thing -- I`m going to go to the expert. Corporal Dwaine Parker joining me right now, accident reconstructionist joining me out of
Naples.
Corporal, these two had it all. I mean, stunning good looks, built like a brick house, rolling in money from their yoga studio empire.
But according to witnesses, Corporal, that sister hit the gas. There was no slowing down at all straight over a cliff.
In fact, the guy that was leading a Boy Scout group there was afraid they were going to run over him.
So how can we look at the evidence? This is my narrow question to you, Corporal. How can we look at the evidence and determine did she do it on
purpose, did she kill her identical twin on purpose?
[20:40:00] CORPORAL DWAINE PARKER, ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTIONIST: Well, Nancy, the investigator is going to rely solely and majority on the recorder
that`s inside the vehicle. Most modern-day cars now have recorders in there and they record all the parameters from an ECM, which is an electronic
control module. And electronic control module will tell you if you hit the gas, what gear the transmission was in, how much fuel is going, if they
used their blinker, if the air bags were deployed, if they used their brakes.
It controls all that. And that electronic data recorder records that data and then they download it and they`ll be able to tell immediately prior to
the crash what was going on with the vehicle.
And from what I`ve seen and read so far, they`re saying that the driver never touched the brake and that she was actually ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Wow!
PARKER: ... accelerating at the 40 miles an hour when she came off that cliff.
GRACE: And you know another thing, Chris Spargo, dailymail.com, backing up what Corporal Dwaine Parker is telling us out of Naples, Chris, we have
reason to believe that she knew the dead sister didn`t have on her seat belt because the dead sister was observed by witnesses sitting in the front
seat.
But when the car, when the Ford Explorer was pulled up, she had been thrown to the back seat. That wouldn`t happen if you`re strapped in. Let me ask
you this, Chris Spargo, I know the defense is going to argue, this is all just a big misunderstanding and an accident, but isn`t it true, Chris, that
right after her twin sister is pronounced dead, she tries to leave, to leave the jurisdiction?
SPARGO: That is correct, and not just once. Twice, she was trying to leave the jurisdiction. And before she can the second time, she actually gets
picked up.
GRACE: Whoa. Dr. Tiffany Sanders joining me right now, psychologist, joining us out of Chicago. Dr. Sanders, what do you know about this, and
this has been the subject of many studies, this peculiar bond between twins, particularly identical twins.
DR. TIFFANY SANDERS, PSYCHOLOGIST: Right, Nancy. Identical twins usually have this connection that they can think what each other is thinking. They
finish each other`s sentences. They can feel what each other is thinking. So, it`s very uncommon to hear that one sister tried to kill another.
It makes me wonder was there jealousy, hatred, some sort of conflict going on between the two of them because it`s very unheard of for twins to be at
each other`s throats like that.
[20:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: A gorgeous young mom and her 9-year-old little girl go missing near the Florida everglades. As we go to air tonight, have drag marks been
detected in the everglades` swampy grass?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police searching from the air with K-9s in a field and along the side of a busy Okeechobee Road, all to find 43-year-old Liliana
Moreno and her 9-year-old daughter Daniela.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight, what do those drag marks mean that have been found in the high grasses of the Florida everglades? And why would a mother be out alone
with her child in the middle of that? Why? None of it makes sense to me.
Joining me right now, Monse Medina, anchor/reporter with WIOD. Monse, thank you for being with us. I want to start with why are we focused on the
everglades? Why are cops looking in that area for a mom and her 9-year-old little girl?
MONSE MEDINA, NEWSRADIO 610 WIOD ANCHOR/REPORTER: Thank you, Nancy, for having me. Well, yeah, that is the area that they`re focused on right now.
It is an area west of the Dauphin Mall and this is because they received a tip, the family of her, she says they received a tip and that is why police
are focusing on this area right now.
But they haven`t found anything. As you mentioned there are K-9 units right now on that area which is Southwest 8th Street and Krome Avenue, but they
have yet to find anything, Nancy.
GRACE: Tonight, the desperate search for a mother and her 9-year-old little girl near the Florida everglades.
Also, joining me right now, Assistant Director Thomas Hanlon with the Miami-Dade Police. Thank you so much for being with us. I can`t even
imagine trying to search through all that thick scrub brush, the tall grass, the swampy terrain. How are you actually conducting a search in the
everglades, Director Thomas Hanlon?
THOMAS HANLON, MIAMI-DADE POLICE DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Good afternoon. Thank you for having me. Basically, we do it with K-9s, we do it
with boats, we have a lot of -- we use all of our partners throughout South Florida, all of our resources to be able to conduct these great searches
out in the everglades area.
GRACE: Everyone, this little girl, just 9 years old is missing. Justin, what can you tell me, when did they go missing? How were they reported
missing? And when were they last spotted? This mom is absolutely stunning beautiful. What can you tell me, Justin?
JUSTIN FREIMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: That`s one of the biggest problems here is that police are having a problem getting a reliable timeline
because it was a family member who doesn`t even live in the area who noticed she hadn`t been in contact with the family for a while and called
the police to check in.
So, there`s reports that they were seen at a restaurant, there`s reports that the little girl`s dad had actually dropped them off near a gas
station. So the timeline gets fuzzy, which makes the search that much harder.
GRACE: Let me go to Monse Medina, anchor with WIOD. Monse, what about their vehicle? Has a car been found anywhere?
MEDINA: The car that belongs to Liliana was found at her apartment. They also found her wallet, her keys -- I mean, just her basic items.
So, police think that they left in a rush. And that`s true. You know, there`s been just so many reports that the timeline is just all over the
place, and it`s just making it -- this investigation that much more difficult.
GRACE: Oh, yeah, that is step number one, establishing a timeline. Without that, it`s like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Back to Assistant Director Thomas Hanlon with Miami-Dade Police. Director Hanlon, where are you starting your timeline? I mean, if her car is still
at her -- this luxury apartment complex, where -- how did you get from there to the everglades? The little girl was actually in school on
Thursday. Sunday, mom possibly seen at a local restaurant. The father said he dropped them at a gas station, on the 30th. Is he the last one to see
them?
[20:50:00] HANLON: Yes. At this time, he was the last one to advise that he saw them and that he dropped them off at that gas station.
We are also just doing grid searches of the general area where they were last seen and trying as tips come in ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Yeah.
HANLON: ... we`re dealing with those tips as they come in and ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Has anybody assisted ...
(CROSSTALK)
HANLON: ... uncovering this.
GRACE: Director Hanlon, has anybody -- even if the tip has been corroborated or not, say they`ve seen them since the husband dropped them
at the gas station?
HANLON: No. Not at this time.
GRACE: OK. Joining me right now the attorney for the husband, Michael Grieco joining me out of Miami. Michael, thank you for being with us. Why
did your client, by his own admission, he says he dropped them at a gas station, why did he drop them at a gas station? Her car is back at her
apartment?
MICHAEL GRIECO, ATTORNEY FOR FATHER OF MISSING GIRL: My understanding is that my client advised police that she had requested that she and the
daughter get out at that location.
GRACE: OK. So, what, he gave them a ride?
GRIECO: Yeah, I think they were either coming to -- going to or coming from lunch. I think that`s my understanding.
GRACE: OK, so -- oh, I understand. It`s not like he said, `get out`, at the gas station. She said she wanted to be dropped there. Was something wrong
with her car?
GRIECO: No, not that I know of. Not that I know of. I think they were all together in the vehicle.
GRACE: I don`t understand why she would want to get out at a gas station.
GRIECO: I don`t have an answer to that. Listen, my client`s been in the hospital since, I think, Thursday or Friday. So it`s ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: What`s his ailment?
GRIECO: He lost his eye.
GRACE: Right. OK. Yes, I recall that. I recall that fact.
Back to Monse Medina joining me in addition to Michael Grieco, the lawyer for the husband.
Everybody, the husband is not a suspect right now, OK? He`s not. That`s just another piece of this puzzle. What we`ve got right now is a mom and
daughter that we believe are somewhere in the Florida everglades. Why? I can`t tell you.
Dr. Michelle DuPre, forensic pathologist, Dr. DuPre, how can a mom and a daughter survive in that kind of terrain?
DR. MICHELLE DUPRE, PSYCHOLOGIST: Nancy, that would be very difficult. Water is so important, and if they can`t find fresh water, they have very
little time. Food is important, but water is the most important.
[20:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So far, no sign of mom or daughter.
Moreno`s sister called police because she hadn`t heard from her in two days. And Daniela wasn`t in school.
When detectives arrived at their home in Doral, they found a purse and a wallet as though Moreno left in a hurry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: I don`t like the sound of that, her purse and wallet back at the apartment. Another issue, let me go to you, Justin Freiman, on the story.
Joining me also, high-profile lawyer, Michael Grieco who is the lawyer for the husband, the father of the child.
Also with me, Monse Medina, WIOD, and Assistant Director Thomas Hanlon with Miami-Dade Police.
Justin, what can you tell me about drag marks that were seen in that high grass in the Florida everglades?
FREIMAN: Right, Nancy. One of the investigators who was going through the everglades area did see markings, almost like a path, that looked like
something could have been dragged through as well as some buzzards flying around a particular area.
GRACE: Buzzards?
FREIMAN: Correct.
GRACE: Did you say buzzards?
FREIMAN: Yes, I did.
GRACE: Did they go to that area with dogs?
FREIMAN: Apparently that area was thoroughly searched with dogs, but so far nothing has been found.
GRACE: OK. Unleash the lawyers, Sanchez and Kenya Johnson. Again, I`m stating the husband -- that`s where all investigations start, Kenya. That
does not mean the husband is a suspect.
You start with the family, the father of the child, and then you move out. Would you agree with that?
JOHNSON: I would agree with that, however, there`s lots of other factors to consider. The husband tried to kill himself and he was subsequently tazed
in the eye by the police.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Hold on.
JOHNSON: That doesn`t mean he was guilty.
GRACE: Michael Grieco - Well hold on, I`ve got Sanchez right there.
Sanchez, did you hear that? Why would the husband suddenly try to kill himself and then ...
SANCHEZ: I don`t know, but you know, I think ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... the little girl, his daughter?
SANCHEZ: We have to face reality. He`s number one suspect here and ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: He has not been named suspect.
SANCHEZ: And if the defense is not out to help the police and -- the defendant or the possible defendant in this case should remain silent.
GRACE: Very quickly, back to Michael Grieco, attorney for the husband. So your client is saying he dropped her off at a gas station and she had the
girl with her, correct?
GRIECO: Yes, Nancy.
GRACE: When did your client try to commit suicide as it relates to her disappearance?
GRIECO: This was about three days later. He had been fully cooperative with the police throughout the process. He gave consent to search his home, his
phone up, his van up, everything ...
GRACE: So three days. Still in the hospital.
Everybody, I want to give you a tip line to find this beautiful young mom and her 9-year-old girl, 305-471-TIPS, 305-471-8477.
Let`s stop to honor American heroes, Ohio State Troopers, saving a kidnapped female passenger begging for help, interstate 275. Suspect
leading police on a high-speed chase, before losing control, crashing. Police smashed the windows, they arrest the suspect and rescue the victim.
Ohio State Troopers, American heroes.
"Forensic Files" next. Thank you to our guests but especially to you for being with us. Nancy Grace, signing off. I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8
o`clock sharp, Eastern. Until then, good night.
[21:00:00]
END
