On September 3, 2013, after Castro was sentenced life in prison without the possibility of parole and given an additional 1,000 years for his crimes, Castro was found dead, hanging in his prison cell at the State Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, located south of Columbus.
JoEllen Smith, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokesperson stated authorities found Castro at 9:20 p.m., Sept. 2, 2013. Prison staff performed CPR but to no avail, Castro was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:20 p.m.
Jane Velez-Mitchell Transcript
Ariel Castro Gets Life Plus 1,000 Years
Aired August 1, 2013 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Tonight, breaking news. Could what we heard today about this demented Cleveland kidnaper/rapist who subjected three survivors to a decade of torture as sex slaves, could all that be just the tip of the iceberg? We`ve got new information tonight that is absolutely stunning.
As a defiant Ariel Castro sat in court in his orange jumpsuit today, chained in shackles similar to the ones he forced women to wear in his home-turned-dungeon. Look at those chains. A place one survivor called hell on earth. You will not believe how this brazen criminal justified and minimized his behavior, even blaming the victims themselves.
Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell, coming to you live. And tonight we are going inside one of the worst criminal minds in recent memory.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARIEL CASTRO, DEFENDANT: I am not a monster.
MICHELLE KNIGHT, KIDNAPPING SURVIVOR: You took 11 years of my life away.
CASTRO: I am not a violent person.
KNIGHT: Now your hell is just beginning.
CASTRO: I do have a sexual addiction. Please find it in your hearts to forgive me.
KNIGHT: You will die a little every day. After 11 years I am finally being heard.
CASTRO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
KNIGHT: I can forgive you.
CASTRO: I did not prey on these women.
KNIGHT: But I will never forget.
CASTRO: I am not a monster. I`m sick. I am truly sorry for what happened.
KNIGHT: We said we will someday make it out alive, and we did.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ariel Castro sentenced just hours ago to life in prison plus 1,000 years. As a judge tells him, there is no place in this world for those who enslave others.
Last week this monster pleaded guilty to 937 counts against him, including murder, kidnapping, rape, assault. Today we saw for the very first time photos of his house of horrors. Hidden rooms. Tons of chains. Look, they`re drilled right into the wall. Boarded windows. These chains used to bind the women that he raped repeatedly and forced to wear motorcycle helmets. And he also used a gun to threaten them if they tried to get out.
Tonight we`ve got a very special guest who has an astounding story. He says Ariel Castro tried to shift the blame to him and even got him put on trial for sex crimes.
One of the survivors, Michelle Knight, a woman who was impregnated five times, beaten, starved, punched by Castro until she miscarried had the courage to take -- go there in open court right there, standing just a few feet from this monster, and issued this statement. Listen to her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KNIGHT: I spent 11 years in hell. Now your hell is just beginning. I will overcome all this that happened, but you will be in hell for eternity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: That brave young woman held her head high as she told her haunting story and managed to restrain herself, as the judge pointed out. Moments later she listened to this demon try to blame her and the other two women he kidnapped.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASTRO: Most of the sex that went on in the house and probably all of it was consensual. This -- these allegations about being forceful on them, that is totally wrong. There was times that they would ask me for sex. Many times.
And I learned that these girls were not virgins from their own testimony. They had multiple partners before me. All three of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unbelievable. Talk about blaming the victim.
I want to hear from you. Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to the Lion`s Den. Are you kidding me? This monster saying, "Oh, well, it was consensual. They asked for sex"? It`s outrageous beyond words. And gee, I don`t think we`re going to really debate this. It`s obviously outrageous beyond words. But I want everybody to weigh in on just how outrageous. Anahita Sedaghatfar.
ANAHITA SEDAGHATFAR, ATTORNEY: Jane, life plus a thousand years doesn`t even come close to what this creep deserves.
And to respond to his statement in court today where he said, "I`m not a monster," well, I`ve got news for you Mr. Castro: You are a monster. You are the worst kind of monster. And I don`t even think ten life sentences, Jane, would quite frankly be enough for this man.
And in all my years as a defense attorney, Jane, I thought I`d seen it all, but this takes the cake. Not only what he did to these poor girls for over a decade, but that deplorable statement he made in court today where he absolutely accepted no responsibility for what he did. He showed no remorse, and then he had the audacity to blame the girls for some of his actions. To say that it was consensual, they lived in a harmonious home?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The only thing -- the only thing that gives me any solace is that he is now going to know what it`s like to be confined. And not for a decade but for the rest of his life. And so he`ll get a taste of his own medicine and see how much he likes it. Evangeline Gomez.
EVANGELINE GOMEZ, ATTORNEY: These women have lived through an absolute world of horror.
The good thing about this, if there`s anything good to come out of it, is that you`ve seen states now enacting laws. They`re looking to enact legislation regarding sexual slavery. You`re going to see police officers who are going to get training on these issues.
Also, there`s been federal legislation that`s been proposed to terminate the parental rights of people like Castro, rapists, to make sure that they have no access to their children and that they can no longer continue to re-victimize the victims in the situation.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Right. Jordan Rose, he`s conceived a 6-year-old -- now 6-year-old girl by raping one of these three women. He wanted to reach out to her. The judge said no way.
JORDAN ROSE, ATTORNEY: That`s right. Thank God the judge said no way. It`s so disgusting that Jane, in thinking about this and preparing for your show, I just -- I wanted to -- I wanted to throw up. I wanted to go take a shower. I mean, it`s hard to even fathom.
And then I keep thinking to myself -- and I know I shouldn`t, and frankly, I don`t even know that I should say this. But I keep thinking, boy, I hope somebody gets this monster in prison. I really do.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Loni Coombs, former prosecutor.
LONI COOMBS, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Yes. I`ll tell you, Jane, on so many levels this was so disturbing. I mean, even after all the horrendous things he did, and he pled guilty, when they came into court today for the sentencing, his defense attorneys essentially told the judge, "Look, we don`t need to talk about anything. He`s already pled guilty. Just go ahead and sentence him. This is all private matters. People don`t need to know the facts."
Thank heavens the judge said, "Are you kidding? I have discretion to hear the facts. And I need to hear the facts so that I can make a determination here if this is the appropriate sentence."
If there is ever a case for a death penalty it would be this one. But when Michelle Knight, who I am speechless in my respect for her courage, for what she did there every day to stand up to this man. And we understand now that...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I have to jump in here for a second. Because look at these chains. This man says, "Oh, we all lived in harmony. They -- they wanted to have sex with me." Look at those chains that are drilled right into the wall. Give me a break.
COOMBS: Yes, yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And now, I hope -- I`m glad my panel is sitting down. I hope you at home are sitting down. Because there is more. There is more. We have breaking news.
For the first time today, we saw the hell these women were forced to live in and again these chains. They were shackled. He put motorcycle helmets, tied them up with zip ties and repeatedly raped them. Unbelievable as he insisted, "Oh, there was harmony in this house. They were happy." Listen to this, and then a shocker on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASTRO: I just hope they will find it in their hearts to forgive me. Because we had a lot of harmony going on in that home. And you can see a YouTube video of Amanda this weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give it up for Amanda Berry!
CASTRO: That right there in itself proves that that girl did not go through no torture. Did not go through any torture. Because if that was true, do you think she would be out there partying already and having fun? I don`t think so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Just because she`s celebrating her freedom doesn`t mean she enjoyed her imprisonment, idiot.
All right. Denial and defiance. Ariel Castro, as you heard, refused to accept responsibility, but it goes way beyond that. Breaking news: Could Ariel Castro have tried to put the cops on the trail of an innocent man? Our guest tonight says yes. His name is Fernando Colon. He dated Castro`s ex-wife.
OK, Fernando, are you there with me?
FERNANDO COLON, DATED CASTRO`S EX-WIFE (via phone): Yes, ma`am, I`m here.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. So you say his ex-wife, his then wife is coming to the hospital where you worked as -- in security.
COLON: That`s true.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: She`s got all these injuries from his beatings. And so ultimately, you feel sorry with her and then become romantically involved with her. And at that point, Ariel Castro threatened, "I`m going to get even with you." So what did he say and what does he do to get even with you?
COLON: Well, in 2004 he accused me of molesting his daughters. At the beginning he told me, "Remember this. You took my wife, and I will destroy your life and I`m going to get even with you at some point."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, at this point he has at least two, possibly all three women in his basement. He`s holding them in shackles, and he`s saying to you, "I`m going to get even with you." And then he, according to you, basically sets you up for molestation and bribes people to testify against you, and you get convicted for molestation.
And now, in the wake of this, you are going to challenge your conviction. Is that correct?
COLON: That`s correct, ma`am. In 2004 when he when he made those accusations against me, he had those three women in that basement. God knows what he was doing with them at that point, you know.
He used his daughters, offered them to buy them a whole bunch of stuff -- cars, cell phones, everything that he could possibly think that a young girl would brighten her eyes up -- and buy their testimony to get all the police and the FBI`s attention off of him and put the attention onto me. That was my thought when he did that.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you tell the FBI, "Look at this guy"?
One thing all three female victims had in common is that they were all friends with Ariel Castro`s children. He had four children by this now ex- wife, who`s now deceased, that had you ended up dating.
So did you tell the FBI, "Look at this guy? He`s the commonality in all of these kidnappings"?
COLON: That`s correct. The FBI came and picked me up at my job, took me to the FBI headquarters in downtown Cleveland, interrogated me about the situation, gave me a polygraph test. I passed the polygraph test.
I told them, "Look, why are you doing this to me?"
They said, "Well, the father told us that you had molested his daughters and on top of that, you are the stepfather of these girls, their friends, the girls that are missing."
And at that point, I said, "OK, I can understand that. You`re doing your job. That`s great. But don`t you think if I`m the stepfather and you`re checking me out, why don`t you check the biological father? He`s got the same -- even more opportunity than me. Because I never met these girls personally. And he did."
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And what did they say?
COLON: They did not reply. At that point, they took me out, they put me back in the polygraph room, and they discussed something outside in the hallway. Then they picked me up from the room and took me back to my residence.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh my gosh. The monster next door with three women in the basement. And you say -- now I have to say the FBI says they have no record of you saying that. But you were prosecuted and convicted of molestation of his daughters at the very time that he had three women secretly being held as sex slaves in his basement. And after he said, "I`m going to get you."
This is a mess. And it`s the tip of the iceberg. More on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANDA BERRY, KIDNAPPING SURVIVOR: I`ve been kidnapped, and I`ve been missing for ten years and I`m here. I`m free now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The three kidnap victims say they never left Ariel Castro`s property.
Pregnant at least five times, but was starved and punched until she eventually miscarried.
KNIGHT: I spent 11 years in hell. Now your hell is just beginning.
CASTRO: I`m not a monster. I am just sick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This man is going to prison for the rest of his life. He`s never coming out except nailed in a box or a -- in an ash can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KNIGHT: I may have been through hell and back, but I am strong enough to walk through hell with a smile on my face. And with my head held high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All three of the missing women had one thing in common. They were all friends with some of Castro`s children. Today Ariel Castro even blamed the FBI for not looking at him more closely as a potential suspect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASTRO: The FBI questioned my daughter. That`s OK. But they failed to question me. I`m her father. If they would have questioned me in `02 or whenever it happened, it`s possible it would have ended there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right, so Castro accuses our guest tonight, Fernando Colon, of sexually assaulting two of his daughters back in 2004 while he has women hidden and kidnapped in the basement of his own home. Fernando was dating Castro`s ex-wife.
And Fernando just told us he told the FBI "Please investigate Castro" nine years ago for these disappearances, because his children know everyone who disappeared. He says they didn`t follow through.
I have to mention, the FBI says it has no record of him suggesting that they look at Castro.
But straight out to the Lion`s Den. Given that these three missing women were friends with his daughters, and given that one of them, Gina DeJesus, was with one of his daughters right before she disappeared, should the FBI have looked more carefully at Castro and maybe gone into his basement? And I`ll throw it to Jordan Rose.
ROSE: Absolutely, Jane. And you know what? I live in Arizona, but I`m originally from Ohio. And my family lived in Cleveland. And so I`m familiar with the area. And I really think, Jane, that if these three girls were from upper-middle-class neighborhoods and not the lower-class neighborhood that they were in, that the FBI and every one of them would have been all over the situation. This never would have gone on for a decade. That`s outrageous. And it makes me sad to think that that`s what happened here.
Because why did they look the other way? Turn every single stone over. Knock on every single door. I mean, three girls of the same age disappear within a few years of each other? That`s -- that is -- you know there`s a stalker in the neighborhood. If it was in a rich neighborhood, something different would have happened. Not what happened here.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me bring in Elsie Cintron. You`re a former neighbor of Ariel Castro. Do we have you with us tonight?
Ariel [SIC] -- are you there, Ariel [SIC]?
ELSIE CINTRON, FORMER NEIGHBOR (via phone): No, this is Elsie.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Elsie. Sorry. Elsie. Elsie Cintron. You`re a former neighbor of Ariel Castro.
Did you see a cop, over the course of the decade that these girls were missing, go into Ariel Castro`s house? I mean, it looks like it has a giant arrow pointed at it and say, "Look at me. I`ve got a chain-link fence surrounding this house. My windows are boarded up. All these girls disappear from this neighborhood." I would think just driving around the neighborhood -- now, it`s easy for me to say. I`m not a cop. But I would look at that house and say, "They`re probably in there." Elsie.
CINTRON: Yes.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did you see police go into that house before the girls escaped?
CINTRON: No, no, no, no. No, I didn`t.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Did anybody in the neighborhood think it was weird that he has this chain-link fence, that the windows were boarded up?
CINTRON: Well, we thought that, you know, that was odd (ph). That that was something strange.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. You did.
Stacey Kaiser, psychotherapist, there with so many people in the neighborhood who were eating on his stoop. And they would hang out. They thought he was a regular guy. But if you just look at this house. Something screams out weirdo at the very least.
STACEY KAISER, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: It absolutely does scream that out. But I will tell you this. I did happen to talk to someone that used to live in that neighborhood, and they said it wasn`t unusual for people to have their houses boarded up.
And this guy, as sick as he is, was very smart. He was manipulative. He knew how to engage people. He was chatty. And so I think, even if people thought there was something wrong with him, they dismissed it and saw him as a good guy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, that`s so frightening. And you can see it. Because he does have a conversational manner. But so did the BTK serial killer. I think we all remember when he gave his statement and congratulated police for a good job investigating him. It`s unbelievable.
And it`s a warning! Parents, women, just because somebody is a good chatter doesn`t mean they`re not a killer or a snatcher.
All right. On the other side, Dr. Drew joins us. And he has an analysis of this very demented individual. And we`re just getting started. Stay right there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES RAMSEY, GOOD SAMARITAN: She says, "Help me get out. I`ve been in here a long time." So, you know, I figured it was a domestic violence dispute. So I opened the door. We can`t get in that way. How the door is, it`s so much that a body can`t fit through. Only your hand.
So we kicked the bottom, and she comes out with a little girl. And she says, "Call 911. My name is Amanda Berry."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASTRO: I`m not a monster. I`m just sick. I have an addiction. Just like an alcoholic has an addiction. Alcoholics cannot control their addiction.
These accusations that I came home and beat them, those are totally wrong, your honor. Like I said before, I am not a violent person. I know what I did was wrong. I`m not a violent person. I simply kept them there without being able to leave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. Drew Pinsky, your jaw just drops when you listen to this guy. "Oh, there was harmony in the household," while we`re looking at video of chains and hearing stories about he put helmets on these women and zip ties and took them down to the basement, raped them and left them there in the dark. Didn`t let them bathe and only gave them one meal a day. And then beat one of them into miscarriage after miscarriage.
Let`s just talk, first of all, about is he a porn addict? And he does show some of the hallmarks of addiction, which is defiance, denial, self- pity, resentment, et cetera, et cetera.
DREW PINSKY, HOST, "DR. DREW ON CALL": I agree that, Jane, he may be that, and he`s also a monster.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Right.
PINSKY: This is not just addiction. Absolutely not. This is manipulative, systematic torture.
And then in the face of having been caught of the most disgusting, disgusting perpetration on another human being you can possibly imagine, he has the temerity to stand up and go, "Well, I`m a good guy. And they kind of wanted it."
And the way his brain works is the lowest form of vermin. Humans -- it`s just so crazy the human brain will work like this, but it will.
Yes, he may be a porn addict. Yes, he may be a sex addict. And for anyone else out there who is suffering with that, please get help before you hurt somebody else. That is the credo we put out there over and over again.
But once you hurt somebody else, God help you. Because not only will the force of law come to bear on you, if you continue down that path of depravity, you could end up like this guy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What kind of scares me, though, is that he`s trying to use his so-called porn addiction as an excuse. In other words, that he`s a victim.
First of all, being an addict is not equivalent to being a victim. And secondly, from my experience, looking at a wide variety of criminal cases, most people who do horrible things have some kind of addiction. They`re drug addicts, alcoholics, porn addicts. There`s any number of addictive behaviors that ducktail with criminality, Dr. Drew.
PINSKY: Well, for sure. But Jane, usually, when somebody is doing horrible things, as a component of an expression of their addictive pathology, it`s often because of the pharmacology and the brain effects of the drugs. That people`s brains aren`t working right at all. These are things they, in fact, would not do. But by the way, still will be held accountable. This is an explanation but not an excuse for any of this behavior.
And if people don`t get help for their treatable addiction, whatever kind of addiction it might be, and they begin, as a result of that addiction, to engage in behaviors where you harm others, sorry, Jane, it`s -- it`s all over at that point. It comes to the criminal justice system, and I lose sympathy at that point. You`ve got to get help when you`re helpable.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree. And I say, in agreement, as a recovering alcoholic with 18 years of sobriety. What are you doing on this case tonight on your show, Dr. Drew?
PINSKY: We`re getting into it deep the way you are. We`ve got the Behavior Bureau analyzing this. We have a young woman who actually survived something similar to this.
I am very anxious to hear what my Behavior Bureau has to say about this guy, because I -- from the moment this case hit the -- hit this wire, I have been disgusted by this man. And now to see the magnitude of his narcissism, his manipulation, I`m dying to hear what they think about this guy and his brain function.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. I can`t wait to watch.
And I`m going to be on your show, as well. So I`ll be watching and contributing.
Great to see you as always, Dr. Drew.
PINSKY: Thank you.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You also gave me some very good insight into the Jodi Arias case, which I included in my new book.
If we don`t learn from cases like the Jodi Arias case and the Ariel Castro case, then we`re not going to get anything out of these horrors. We need to learn in order to make sure that the victims have not suffered in vain. And that`s why I wrote this new book about the Jodi Arias case which hits August 20. It`s called "Exposed: The Secret Life of Jodi Arias."
Like Ariel Castro, Jodi never accepted responsibility for his own hideous actions. It`s always somebody else`s fault. Isn`t it?
Just like Castro, she tried to blame the victim.
Listen, people, we`ve got to learn to stop the hallmarks of pathological and violent behavior before it strikes. Defiance, denial, lying, self-pity, rationalization, possession, rage. Whether it`s Ariel Castro, Jodi Arias or any of the other monsters that we`ve covered on this show, we need to learn. That`s why I wrote the book.
I talked to a lot of Travis`s friends who told me they saw Jodi morph before their eyes into the dangerous pathological liar she actually was.
So that`s why I wrote the book. I wrote the book because we have to learn from these cases. A portion of the net proceeds of this book go to charity. My book is dedicated to victim Travis Alexander and his siblings.
And if you`re interested in reading it, preorder it now online or go to HLNTV.com/Jane. I worked very hard on that book. And I hope you read it, because we all need to learn something from these cases.
And speaking of cases, a horrific murder case right on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH GOUKER, CONVICTED OF MURDER: I would not plan on killing Trey for nothing. That`s what we wanted them to think. That Josh did it, because he`s a juvenile.
I said, "Josh, if they catch us, you just play crazy. You know, you`re a minor."
Josh loves me. And I let him down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSH GOUKER, CONVICTED MURDERER: There`s something in me. I`m just (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you set your son up to kill Trey Zwicker?
GOUKER: No. Absolutely not. That`s what we wanted them to think that Josh did it because he`s a juvenile. He would get less time. He would be out, you know, three or four years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The motive for the murder, revenge. He wanted to kill him because his mother aborted their baby.
GOUKER: Look, Amanda killed my kid. Yes, that`s just (EXPLETIVE DELETED) crazy. We`re even.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HLN HOST: Tonight a murdered boy`s mom in the hot seat. She`s forced to defend herself on the witness stand and explain her fatal decision to keep her kids under the same roof as her monster husband, the man who eventually beat her 14-year-old son to death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANDA MCFARLAND, MOTHER OF TREY ZWICKER: I struggle with thinking that somebody who lies down with me and said they loved me, someone who claimed to stand up for my son at the bus stop with the neighborhood bullies. I struggle with the idea that he could do such a heinous thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But he pleaded guilty to it. That mother`s husband pleaded guilty to bludgeoning her son to death and dumping his body in a ditch behind this high school. And now a jury has to decide whether he acted alone or if his teenage son also took part in the vicious and deadly beating of the boy you see right there. They all lived under the same roof.
In a blow to the baby-faced defendant`s case, the victim`s mother testified today that her husband, the guy in orange right there, the admitted killer was in bed with her until at least 1:30 in the morning on the night of the murder. She also dropped a bombshell in court, testifying about her toxic relationship with this guy and their kinky sex life on the very night that he, according to his own admission, murdered her son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you want him gone out of your life.
MCFARLAND: Yes, mostly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But part of you wanted to keep bringing him back?
MCFARLAND: Sometimes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The night that Trey died you had sex with him on two occasions that night.
MCFARLAND: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that supposedly he made a video of that.
MCFARLAND: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Straight out to "The Lion`s Den", you hear this woman admitting they made a sex tape essentially on the very night that her son is killed purportedly by the man that she`s having sex with. And now it looks like she may be giving this admitted killer an alibi, saying "Well, he was in bed with me until 1:30 in the morning when I fell asleep and they don`t know exactly what time her son was killed.
And I`ll start with Loni Coombs, former prosecutor.
LONI COOMBS, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Look, Jane, it`s very clear this woman was in an abusive and controlling relationship with this man. She went back to him after he had been in prison, after she thought she was done with him and took up with him again with her son. And she described her son as a soft-hearted young man and had this abusive controlling stepfather living together.
And then the stepfather brings in his own son who is not like her son. He`s also very aggressive and not a nice kid is the way she described him. And this is where she`s leaving her young boy, -- very vulnerable. She`s not thinking clearly, obviously because she`s got her own issues with this controlling relationship.
And now when she`s talking about the night that this happened and she says that they had sex and then they fell asleep together. She was clear to say look, I don`t know what happened after 1:30 in the morning. He may have left the bed, this or that. Honestly, I don`t know whether to believe that the father or stepfather did it or now he`s trying to cover for his son.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, remember this is the guy who originally said "I didn`t do it. My son did it. I`m going to take the wrap because he`s a minor and he`s going to be let off easy."
COOMBS: Exactly.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And then I guess, I don`t know what`s the exact timeline but at some point the son is charged as an adult and he says, "Well, no, I did it."
COOMBS: Right.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And now we`re hearing he was in bed with his wife until 1:30 in the morning. What do we make of this?
The victim`s mom testified today about some of the killer`s very disturbing behavior in the days and the weeks after her son was murdered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCFARLAND: After Trey had died I locked his room and I took to my bedroom his pillow and some clothes that still smelled like him. And he said something along --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who`s he?
MCFARLAND: -- Josh Gouker told me not to bring my dead son to bed with me every night. So that was another extremely alarming situation that caused a lot of doubt in his story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So you have to wonder -- I feel for this woman. She`s lost her son. My heart goes out to her. But you have to wonder when exactly did she figure out she was sleeping with the enemy? Sleeping with the guy who ultimately says I killed your son.
Terry Zwicker, you are the victim`s father -- my condolences to you, sir. You also are the ex of the woman who has been testifying today. When you hear that now she`s saying that the adult, Josh Gouker, the man she`s sleeping with and having sex with is in bed until 1:30 in the morning on the night your son dies, does it sound to you like she`s propping him up and giving him an alibi even though he`s already pleaded guilty?
TERRY ZWICKER, FATHER OF TREY ZWICKER: I don`t know what her motive is and to be honest with you I was not in presence of the court today or inside the courtroom. Due to the fact that they had told me at the closing of yesterday that I was still listed as a witness and could not come in. Then they called me this morning and told me I --
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me ask you this.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Ok, let me ask you this. She has said essentially, you didn`t complain about your son being in the house because I`ve spoken to you previously. You said, "I didn`t want my son in that house. I thought this guy was a monster," or words to that effect. "And I was trying to work with the courts to see what my rights were as a father." She kind of pooh-poohed that on the stand today. What do you make of that Terry?
ZWICKER: Well, I mean pretty much all they have to do is pull my cell phone records and they`ll find the phone calls that I already made to the courthouse to find out if our agreement would still be in effect after all these years. Of course, they told me yes. And the whole purpose of her telling me "No he wasn`t even living in the house in the first place" is because she knows I was on the way to take him out of there.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So you wanted him out.
On the other side, we`re going to talk to Trey Zwicker -- the dead boy`s stepmother and get her perspective on all of this. This is a horrible story and everybody is very intertwined in this community where everybody knows each other.
More on the other side.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Earlier we showed you developments today in the Ariel Castro case. Castro`s tactics included luring victims into his car. With parents` permission we wanted to see what children would do when faced with a similar situation. Look,
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, HLN HOST: I`m Kyra Phillips from HLN`s "RAISING America". We think our kids would do the right thing. But would they pass the predator test?
What do you think your kid would do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what? I need to go get him water. Do you all want to come with me and help me feed him?
CHILDREN: Yes, yes, yes.
PHILLIPS: It happened right in front of your face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you want to feed him a treat?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Did you think it was going to be that easy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Not at all.
PHILLIPS: It`s the oldest trick in the book, and we put it to the test.
Catch "The Predator Test" tomorrow noon eastern only on HLN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCFARLAND: He got a little bit aggravated, irate. That`s when he began to change. He grabbed my arm to sit me down to make me understand his side of the conversation. I didn`t want to hear it. I tried to flee the room that he was in. It escalated to him pushing a door.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Broke the door?
MCFARLAND: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Very honored tonight to have with us Teri Zwicker, the victim`s stepmother and I understand, ma`am, you`re speaking to us from Louisville, Kentucky. You were in court today. What did you make of this witness` testimony -- the mother of the boy who died but who was living with the very man who says I killed this child? It`s mind boggling to me. What was your reaction to her testimony?
TERI ZWICKER, STEPMOTHER OF TREY ZWICKER: I believe a lot of what she said was not true or not accurate. My husband was trying to get Trey back into our home. And I don`t believe that it was just domestic violence on his part. I believe they was violent towards each other.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now she admitted that they had sex I believe twice on the very night that Trey Zwicker was hideously murdered. And they made a tape of it or tapes of it. Others have said that things that were deviant were going on in the home -- drug use, videotaping of sex. What do you know about that?
TERI ZWICKER: Trey really didn`t tell us much of what went on in his mother`s home. So I really don`t know about that. But she did admit in court today that they did smoke marijuana, her and Josh Gouker.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So my understanding is that the father, the patriarch of this household was giving pot to both boys which is certainly something that is right there bad -- bad, bad, bad. So these kids were in an environment that was definitely not conducive to good behavior and that`s why this young man, Josh is on trial right now.
Do you think, Terry, that the young defendant did it? Or do you think the dad did it? Or do you think they did it together?
TERRY ZWICKER: They were there together.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So you think they`re both guilty?
TERRY ZWICKER: Yes, ma`am.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I want to thank you both for joining us tonight. My heart goes out to both of you. We`ve had a lot of breaking news tonight. So my condolences; if our interview was compressed in any way I would like you to come back as we continue to cover this case.
Um, very sad.
TERRY ZWICKER: Yes, ma`am.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: More on the other side.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Time for the Pet of the Day. Send your pet pics to hlntv.com/jane. Arthur -- you are regal. Padme and Quinny -- look at you. Are you in a water boat? A motor boat? You`re living large. And Stash -- he says "I`m cool. I`m hanging out here on the floor looking up at you. What do you say?" And Arcadius is very, very regal. That`s in his forest. He owns all that land -- all of it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: An extraordinary story that you have to see to believe. It`s up next. Right after this short break. Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Animals definitely in distress.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What made Tilikum snap?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: If you were in a bathtub for 25 years, don`t you think you would get a little psychotic?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They still don`t give back to these animals that are making all this profit for them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The film is raising some serious questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I don`t fight for these animals from the inside, who is going to fight for these animals?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What makes six-ton whales in captivity kill?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hey, little Rico. Tonight we talk about allegations of cruelty to killer whales. An extraordinary new film, "Blackfish" has Americans coast to coast wondering if keeping whales in theme parks amounts to torture. The movie argues years of captivity make these animals aggressive and even deadly because they`re locked up in what for them is the size of a closet.
Critics charge the whales basically go crazy. Killer whales are used to roaming huge distances, and they`re known to be highly social marine animals, highly intelligent.
This whole question exploded on the world stage when SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was pulled under water by an Orca whale named Tilikum and killed at SeaWorld in Orlando. This chilling new film called "Blackfish" claims trainers are in danger and the whales suffer in captivity. They argue the capture of whales for theme parks is cruel and their lives inside the parks miserable. Claiming babies have been ripped from their moms, causing anguish for the animals.
Listen to this from a former SeaWorld trainer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The screaming and crying that she did by herself in the pool that night, I cried on my way home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Straight out to my very special guest, "Blackfish" director, Gabriella Cowperthwaite. Gabriella, you spent two years working on this movie, which is in theaters right now and has Americans taking a new look at whales at SeaWorld and other theme parks. What`s the bottom line message of your movie?
GABRIELLA COWPERTHWAITE, DIRECTOR, "BLACKFISH": You know, I think SeaWorld has controlled the message for 40 years. They have been around for 40 years. And they really are the message about killer whales. We all believe in this happy shamu iconic image. And you know, our film looks at the stuff that SeaWorld doesn`t want you to know.
For 80 minutes, we`re showing you the things they fought hard to keep under wraps. And I think it`s important we all know the truth.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The movie "Blackfish," your movie, says, well, we talked to disenchanted and disillusioned former trainers who say, guess what, the critics are right. Whales do not belong in captivity. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Captivity definitely, without a doubt, increases the stress level of these animals. And stress leads to frustration, frustration leads to aggression.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: SeaWorld responded in this statement. Quote, "This film is inaccurate and misleading. The film fails to mention SeaWorld`s commitment to the safety of its team members and guests, and to the care and welfare of its animals. Gabriela, what`s your reaction to SeaWorld`s statement?
COWPERTHWAITE: You know, we fought -- I fought very hard to have them be interviewed for the film. I wanted them to have a voice in the film. They declined after about six months. So it`s only natural that they come out right now.
Again, I`m fighting very hard to, you know, show and expose the information they have tried very hard to keep under wraps. But the facts in the film are indisputable. The facts are themselves indisputable. People can go research this, look it up on the Internet. There is really nothing there in terms of what their retorts are. We debunk everything they bring forth. We debunk it all in the film. And, you know, I only expect, I guess, that they have to have a reaction.
(CROSSTALK)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me say this. We only have a couple of seconds. What should people do?
COWPERTHWAITE: Sure. You know, we have to -- we have to stop going through those turnstiles until we are able to encourage SeaWorld to evolve. We need to evolve past animals for entertainment. We need to get into sanctuaries, to sea pens, to rehab and release. I think these are models that could make a profit for a place like SeaWorld. But if we keep going through the turnstiles, they have no incentive to change.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I want to say, the movie "Blackfish" is in theatres and you can also check it out by going to magpictures.com/blackfish. Congratulations on your film.
Remember, Rico, we have to speak for the animals, because they can`t speak for themselves.
Nancy Grace is next.
END
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