Post by timetraveler on Jun 29, 2007 21:11:23 GMT -5
continuation of CNN, Nancy Grace Show March 30, 2007
JOHN BURRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Absolutely. But he has cooperated, and so obviously, he wants to, you know, protect himself as best he can. If I were representing him, I think that I would probably have a polygraph taken so that I`m clear about some of the things that have taken place and...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: A private poly?
BURRIS: Of course. You know, I`d have a private one that -- because the question is this. How much do you want him to talk to the police or not? And obviously, he wants to create -- he wants to be cooperative, but at the Same time you know, these are situations where suspicion`s going be on him, no matter what. And so cooperation in and of itself may never help him out because unless he has a foolproof alibi, the suspicion is going to be on him, so...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Well, in fact, I don`t believe he was working that night that she was last seen. I don`t think he was working with the police. That`s a very good point, John Burris.
And to you, Mickey Sherman. The reality is, a lot of things can screw up a polygraph.
MICKEY SHERMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, but they`re generally reliable, as much as we hate to admit it. You know, the wife is missing. The guy went -- the husband`s gone fishing when she`s missing. Didn`t we do this story already a couple of years ago?
GRACE: Hey, you are supposed to be taking the defense side, OK?
(LAUGHTER)
SHERMAN: And I am. The bottom line is that they`re always going to look to the husband. They`re always going to look to the spouse.
GRACE: That`s normal. That is not anything unusual.
SHERMAN: Statistically, they`re the ones who are generally guilty. And the guy`s backed into a corner. That`s the problem he has.
GRACE: Agree, disagree, Burris?
BURRIS: No, I recognize...
(CROSSTALK)
BURRIS: ... police focus on him. But from a defense point of view, you`ve got to decide how much you want to allow for the police...
GRACE: OK.
BURRIS: ... to have access to him. And given he can`t get himself out of it, I think I would shut down.
GRACE: Everybody, we are talking about a woman, a lady police 911 dispatcher, who is now gone day nine. We are piecing together the clues that we know about tonight and taking your calls.
Very quickly, to tonight`s "Case Alert." The search for a 3-year-old boy kidnapped on a parking lot in Mesa, Arizona. Police say Isaiah Vargas was with acquaintance when he was snatched at the apartment complex. It all went down Thursday night, the acquaintance assaulted by two suspects described as black males in a dark green Volkswagen Jetta. A third suspect believed to be the driver couldn`t be identified. Vargas, the little boy, 3 feet, 29 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes. He has a slight scar on the right forehead. Last seen wearing bluejeans, red jersey. If you have info, please take a look. Call 480-644-2211.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... forty-one-year-old Theresa Parker. The 911 dispatcher scheduled to be at work but did not show. Detectives say no one has heard from her since last Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re still looking at a missing person. There`s no conclusive evidence that would point to anything as foul play.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police say they`re worried because although Parker had gone out of town on trips before, she always stayed in very close contact with her family, but not this time. Police used GPS to locate the phone, and they say they know the last time it was used, information they say they cannot release.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A lady police 911 dispatcher missing now day nine. I`m stunned anybody would say they don`t believe foul play is involved. This is nothing like her, her car parked indefinitely in the front of the home she once shared with her estranged husband.
With us tonight, a very special guest, Sheriff Steve Wilson with the Walker County sheriff`s office. Again, thank you for being with us. Sheriff, you mentioned you`re a launching massive 40-mile search tomorrow. Why?
WILSON: Well, it`s south of the marital home, in an area that would extend from Lafayette, Georgia, down to the Trine (ph), Georgia, area. This is in a somewhat rural area of Walker County.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sam appears to be extremely worried about his wife. He`s distraught in regard to his wife. But as he told me, he said his best medicine was to stay active and keep his mind busy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: He is the husband, the estranged husband, of the lady 911 police dispatcher, now missing day nine. Tonight we are piecing together clues.
Out to the lines. Sharon in Tennessee. Hi, Sharon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. We love your show.
GRACE: Thank you. What`s your question, dear?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have two. Has anybody checked to see if they used her for fish bait in these fishing waters?
GRACE: If he did what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he used her for fish bait in his fishing waters.
GRACE: OK. And?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And have they sprayed the boat with luminol?
GRACE: I can answer one of those, I believe, but I`ve got Sheriff Steve Wilson with me. He went fishing with a local attorney, right?
WILSON: That`s correct, Nancy. We have...
GRACE: OK. She`s not fish bait. We know that much.
WILSON: We have confirmed that story. We have interviewed the attorney. And Sam -- the police officer`s story and the attorney`s story corroborate each other, so we feel confident that we`ve ruled that out.
GRACE: Sheriff, have you guys used luminol in the car, the boat and the home yet?
WILSON: Well, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations has used investigative techniques similar to that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We first told you about the GBI taking possession of Sergeant Sam Parker`s patrol car Thursday. But Fayette Police Chief Tommy Freeman says another officer drove it to the Walker County Sheriff`s Department eight days after his wife, Theresa Parker, disappeared. Investigators searched it.
They also say that Sergeant Parker has cooperated fully and answered all questions during at least three interviews. Although investigators don`t call Parker a suspect, this ordeal has stressed him and the department out. The search for Theresa Parker and suspicion around her husband has placed tremendous pressure on the department.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Parker`s family says she`s traveled out of town before but always stayed in close contact with her mother and sister with her cell phone. Police say no one has been ruled out as a suspect. Sergeant Parker continues to work his overnight patrol shift while the search for his wife continues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A lady 911 police dispatcher missing day nine. Out to Nicole Partin, investigative reporter, had there been any history of domestic violence?
NICOLE PARTIN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yes, there had been, Nancy. In both 2002 and 2004, 911 calls show that there had been calls of domestic violence in the home. And then again in May of this year, calls had came in, both from Mr. Parker and then, 30 minutes before that, from Miss Parker, as well, claims of domestic violence in the home.
GRACE: Hold on. Hold on. That`s three calls, one in one day, and two in another day?
PARTIN: There were calls in 2002.
GRACE: Right.
PARTIN: Calls in 2004, and then again in May, there were also calls, 30 minutes she calls, 30 minutes later the husband calls, and says, you know, she`s claiming I`m ransacking the house, I`m abusing her. Come over here and see that I`m not. So both of them actually dialed 911 in one day.
GRACE: So she called claiming domestic abuse, and he called basically to tell?
PARTIN: Exactly.
GRACE: OK, so that`s three separate domestic abuse allegations. Did any of those go to court?
PARTIN: They did not. As far as we can tell, they did not. They were dismissed. Nothing became of it. I think on one occasion they sent an officer over. But we`ve got to remember, the estranged husband is a sergeant with the police department.
GRACE: Now, what am I supposed to remember about that, that you can`t have a domestic if you`re a police officer?
PARTIN: I think that you can, but I think in some cases -- this is a very small town. And from what I`ve been told, that a lot of this was kind of swept under the rug, and, you know, they would send an officer over, and he would kind of talk to Sergeant Parker, and that would be the end of it.
GRACE: To you, Sheriff Steve Wilson, what about it? Is that true?
SHERIFF STEVE WILSON, WALKER COUNTY SHERIFF`S OFFICE: That is totally untrue. These were never swept under the rug. They were fully investigated, and no arrest was made of either party out of these two calls. There was one call in 2002. And then in 2004, as your reporter said, Theresa called first, and then Sam called second, about 30 minutes apart.
So we`re talking about two events, actually two domestics with three telephone calls. They were fully investigated. And reports were made on these. Of course, in Georgia domestic violence reports are not subject to public review. But I can assure you they were fully investigated.
GRACE: What was the nature of the call? What was the claim?
WILSON: They came in as domestic -- the event, when the calls come into 911, each call is classified into categories. And both of these, or all three calls, both events were classified as the domestics, which is, you know, pretty generic for all types of domestics.
GRACE: We don`t know exactly what the allegation was?
WILSON: Well, we believe in both events that they were verbal, verbal domestics. Domestics are classified in two or three different ways. They can be of a verbal domestic, a physical domestic. And we believe -- and the evidence, I think, would support that -- that these were very heated, domestic-type arguments.
GRACE: Let`s go to Chloe Morrison there with the "Chattooga Times Free Press," Chloe, isn`t it true that that coming Friday, they were to finalize the financial settlement?
CHLOE MORRISON, "CHATTOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS": I am not aware of the financial situation. All I know is, you know, they both were working -- she was working for the county, and he was working for the city.
GRACE: OK. Nicole, are you familiar with that? Was there a financial settlement to be done on Friday?
PARTIN: They were actually selling the family home. And on Friday, the closing was to take place. And they were actually, at that point, going to settle the funds on the closing of the home.
GRACE: Out to the lines, Kathleen in Florida, hi, Kathleen.
CALLER: Hi, Nancy. My question is, if they`ve established his whereabouts on Wednesday evening, that maybe she didn`t go missing Thursday morning. Maybe it more than likely happened Wednesday evening. And where was he?
GRACE: And, again, the husband is not a suspect, has been not named a suspect. He is being cooperative. We`re still waiting for him to take a polygraph, but still cooperative.
To you, Sheriff Steve Wilson, you know, I was asking that earlier. He was off on Wednesday, correct?
WILSON: That is correct.
GRACE: The same night that call came from the home they shared, right?
WILSON: That is correct.
GRACE: What`s his alibi for that night?
WILSON: He was at home off and on that night working in the yard. He was burning some leaves. As you know, springtime is coming in this area, and he was kind of clearing some winter rubbish. And we have confirmed that with a young man that he had hired to work in the yard that night.
GRACE: And how long did he work in the yard?
WILSON: Up until about dark, which here is around 8:00, 8:15.
GRACE: And that mysterious phone call that came from the home to the sister was around, what, 9:30, 10:00?
WILSON: I believe you`re correct, yes.
GRACE: Interesting. Who owned the boat?
WILSON: Sam Parker owned the boat.
GRACE: It was his boat. Who owned the home?
WILSON: The home was jointly owned by Theresa and Sam.
GRACE: Had there ever been any break-ins?
WILSON: None that I am aware of, no.
GRACE: Do we know if she had boyfriends?
WILSON: We have not found any evidence of that.
GRACE: To you, joining us tonight, Beatty Cohan, psychologist and author, welcome back to the show. It`s nice to have you. You know, just because police start with the boyfriend or the husband does not indicate anything. That`s where all missing people, missing person`s cases start, with the family. Why?
BEATTY COHAN, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Exactly. Exactly, Nancy.
GRACE: But why?
COHAN: Well, I think that the people who are very, very close to the person, it would be the logical place to certainly start there. And I think, you know, if you look at the history of this particular couple -- I mean, one of the sheriffs said that, well, there were domestic issues. And his definition was that the domestic issue was probably verbal.
We don`t know whether or not it was verbal. We don`t know whether or not it was physical. And I`ll tell you, in the 35 years that I`ve been a psychotherapist, the majority of people do not call 911 if there are verbal altercations going on. So that`s number one.
Number two, the question that I have is, how did this husband feel, really, about her moving in to her own apartment and setting up home? And was it as amiable of a divorce as we`ve been, you know, led to believe?
GRACE: Well, so far, that`s the report. We`ve checked it out from many sources. They were trying to remain friends. We`re still on the story of the 911 lady dispatcher missing.
END
JOHN BURRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Absolutely. But he has cooperated, and so obviously, he wants to, you know, protect himself as best he can. If I were representing him, I think that I would probably have a polygraph taken so that I`m clear about some of the things that have taken place and...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: A private poly?
BURRIS: Of course. You know, I`d have a private one that -- because the question is this. How much do you want him to talk to the police or not? And obviously, he wants to create -- he wants to be cooperative, but at the Same time you know, these are situations where suspicion`s going be on him, no matter what. And so cooperation in and of itself may never help him out because unless he has a foolproof alibi, the suspicion is going to be on him, so...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Well, in fact, I don`t believe he was working that night that she was last seen. I don`t think he was working with the police. That`s a very good point, John Burris.
And to you, Mickey Sherman. The reality is, a lot of things can screw up a polygraph.
MICKEY SHERMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, but they`re generally reliable, as much as we hate to admit it. You know, the wife is missing. The guy went -- the husband`s gone fishing when she`s missing. Didn`t we do this story already a couple of years ago?
GRACE: Hey, you are supposed to be taking the defense side, OK?
(LAUGHTER)
SHERMAN: And I am. The bottom line is that they`re always going to look to the husband. They`re always going to look to the spouse.
GRACE: That`s normal. That is not anything unusual.
SHERMAN: Statistically, they`re the ones who are generally guilty. And the guy`s backed into a corner. That`s the problem he has.
GRACE: Agree, disagree, Burris?
BURRIS: No, I recognize...
(CROSSTALK)
BURRIS: ... police focus on him. But from a defense point of view, you`ve got to decide how much you want to allow for the police...
GRACE: OK.
BURRIS: ... to have access to him. And given he can`t get himself out of it, I think I would shut down.
GRACE: Everybody, we are talking about a woman, a lady police 911 dispatcher, who is now gone day nine. We are piecing together the clues that we know about tonight and taking your calls.
Very quickly, to tonight`s "Case Alert." The search for a 3-year-old boy kidnapped on a parking lot in Mesa, Arizona. Police say Isaiah Vargas was with acquaintance when he was snatched at the apartment complex. It all went down Thursday night, the acquaintance assaulted by two suspects described as black males in a dark green Volkswagen Jetta. A third suspect believed to be the driver couldn`t be identified. Vargas, the little boy, 3 feet, 29 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes. He has a slight scar on the right forehead. Last seen wearing bluejeans, red jersey. If you have info, please take a look. Call 480-644-2211.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... forty-one-year-old Theresa Parker. The 911 dispatcher scheduled to be at work but did not show. Detectives say no one has heard from her since last Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re still looking at a missing person. There`s no conclusive evidence that would point to anything as foul play.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police say they`re worried because although Parker had gone out of town on trips before, she always stayed in very close contact with her family, but not this time. Police used GPS to locate the phone, and they say they know the last time it was used, information they say they cannot release.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A lady police 911 dispatcher missing now day nine. I`m stunned anybody would say they don`t believe foul play is involved. This is nothing like her, her car parked indefinitely in the front of the home she once shared with her estranged husband.
With us tonight, a very special guest, Sheriff Steve Wilson with the Walker County sheriff`s office. Again, thank you for being with us. Sheriff, you mentioned you`re a launching massive 40-mile search tomorrow. Why?
WILSON: Well, it`s south of the marital home, in an area that would extend from Lafayette, Georgia, down to the Trine (ph), Georgia, area. This is in a somewhat rural area of Walker County.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sam appears to be extremely worried about his wife. He`s distraught in regard to his wife. But as he told me, he said his best medicine was to stay active and keep his mind busy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: He is the husband, the estranged husband, of the lady 911 police dispatcher, now missing day nine. Tonight we are piecing together clues.
Out to the lines. Sharon in Tennessee. Hi, Sharon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. We love your show.
GRACE: Thank you. What`s your question, dear?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have two. Has anybody checked to see if they used her for fish bait in these fishing waters?
GRACE: If he did what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he used her for fish bait in his fishing waters.
GRACE: OK. And?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And have they sprayed the boat with luminol?
GRACE: I can answer one of those, I believe, but I`ve got Sheriff Steve Wilson with me. He went fishing with a local attorney, right?
WILSON: That`s correct, Nancy. We have...
GRACE: OK. She`s not fish bait. We know that much.
WILSON: We have confirmed that story. We have interviewed the attorney. And Sam -- the police officer`s story and the attorney`s story corroborate each other, so we feel confident that we`ve ruled that out.
GRACE: Sheriff, have you guys used luminol in the car, the boat and the home yet?
WILSON: Well, the Georgia Bureau of Investigations has used investigative techniques similar to that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We first told you about the GBI taking possession of Sergeant Sam Parker`s patrol car Thursday. But Fayette Police Chief Tommy Freeman says another officer drove it to the Walker County Sheriff`s Department eight days after his wife, Theresa Parker, disappeared. Investigators searched it.
They also say that Sergeant Parker has cooperated fully and answered all questions during at least three interviews. Although investigators don`t call Parker a suspect, this ordeal has stressed him and the department out. The search for Theresa Parker and suspicion around her husband has placed tremendous pressure on the department.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Parker`s family says she`s traveled out of town before but always stayed in close contact with her mother and sister with her cell phone. Police say no one has been ruled out as a suspect. Sergeant Parker continues to work his overnight patrol shift while the search for his wife continues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A lady 911 police dispatcher missing day nine. Out to Nicole Partin, investigative reporter, had there been any history of domestic violence?
NICOLE PARTIN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yes, there had been, Nancy. In both 2002 and 2004, 911 calls show that there had been calls of domestic violence in the home. And then again in May of this year, calls had came in, both from Mr. Parker and then, 30 minutes before that, from Miss Parker, as well, claims of domestic violence in the home.
GRACE: Hold on. Hold on. That`s three calls, one in one day, and two in another day?
PARTIN: There were calls in 2002.
GRACE: Right.
PARTIN: Calls in 2004, and then again in May, there were also calls, 30 minutes she calls, 30 minutes later the husband calls, and says, you know, she`s claiming I`m ransacking the house, I`m abusing her. Come over here and see that I`m not. So both of them actually dialed 911 in one day.
GRACE: So she called claiming domestic abuse, and he called basically to tell?
PARTIN: Exactly.
GRACE: OK, so that`s three separate domestic abuse allegations. Did any of those go to court?
PARTIN: They did not. As far as we can tell, they did not. They were dismissed. Nothing became of it. I think on one occasion they sent an officer over. But we`ve got to remember, the estranged husband is a sergeant with the police department.
GRACE: Now, what am I supposed to remember about that, that you can`t have a domestic if you`re a police officer?
PARTIN: I think that you can, but I think in some cases -- this is a very small town. And from what I`ve been told, that a lot of this was kind of swept under the rug, and, you know, they would send an officer over, and he would kind of talk to Sergeant Parker, and that would be the end of it.
GRACE: To you, Sheriff Steve Wilson, what about it? Is that true?
SHERIFF STEVE WILSON, WALKER COUNTY SHERIFF`S OFFICE: That is totally untrue. These were never swept under the rug. They were fully investigated, and no arrest was made of either party out of these two calls. There was one call in 2002. And then in 2004, as your reporter said, Theresa called first, and then Sam called second, about 30 minutes apart.
So we`re talking about two events, actually two domestics with three telephone calls. They were fully investigated. And reports were made on these. Of course, in Georgia domestic violence reports are not subject to public review. But I can assure you they were fully investigated.
GRACE: What was the nature of the call? What was the claim?
WILSON: They came in as domestic -- the event, when the calls come into 911, each call is classified into categories. And both of these, or all three calls, both events were classified as the domestics, which is, you know, pretty generic for all types of domestics.
GRACE: We don`t know exactly what the allegation was?
WILSON: Well, we believe in both events that they were verbal, verbal domestics. Domestics are classified in two or three different ways. They can be of a verbal domestic, a physical domestic. And we believe -- and the evidence, I think, would support that -- that these were very heated, domestic-type arguments.
GRACE: Let`s go to Chloe Morrison there with the "Chattooga Times Free Press," Chloe, isn`t it true that that coming Friday, they were to finalize the financial settlement?
CHLOE MORRISON, "CHATTOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS": I am not aware of the financial situation. All I know is, you know, they both were working -- she was working for the county, and he was working for the city.
GRACE: OK. Nicole, are you familiar with that? Was there a financial settlement to be done on Friday?
PARTIN: They were actually selling the family home. And on Friday, the closing was to take place. And they were actually, at that point, going to settle the funds on the closing of the home.
GRACE: Out to the lines, Kathleen in Florida, hi, Kathleen.
CALLER: Hi, Nancy. My question is, if they`ve established his whereabouts on Wednesday evening, that maybe she didn`t go missing Thursday morning. Maybe it more than likely happened Wednesday evening. And where was he?
GRACE: And, again, the husband is not a suspect, has been not named a suspect. He is being cooperative. We`re still waiting for him to take a polygraph, but still cooperative.
To you, Sheriff Steve Wilson, you know, I was asking that earlier. He was off on Wednesday, correct?
WILSON: That is correct.
GRACE: The same night that call came from the home they shared, right?
WILSON: That is correct.
GRACE: What`s his alibi for that night?
WILSON: He was at home off and on that night working in the yard. He was burning some leaves. As you know, springtime is coming in this area, and he was kind of clearing some winter rubbish. And we have confirmed that with a young man that he had hired to work in the yard that night.
GRACE: And how long did he work in the yard?
WILSON: Up until about dark, which here is around 8:00, 8:15.
GRACE: And that mysterious phone call that came from the home to the sister was around, what, 9:30, 10:00?
WILSON: I believe you`re correct, yes.
GRACE: Interesting. Who owned the boat?
WILSON: Sam Parker owned the boat.
GRACE: It was his boat. Who owned the home?
WILSON: The home was jointly owned by Theresa and Sam.
GRACE: Had there ever been any break-ins?
WILSON: None that I am aware of, no.
GRACE: Do we know if she had boyfriends?
WILSON: We have not found any evidence of that.
GRACE: To you, joining us tonight, Beatty Cohan, psychologist and author, welcome back to the show. It`s nice to have you. You know, just because police start with the boyfriend or the husband does not indicate anything. That`s where all missing people, missing person`s cases start, with the family. Why?
BEATTY COHAN, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: Exactly. Exactly, Nancy.
GRACE: But why?
COHAN: Well, I think that the people who are very, very close to the person, it would be the logical place to certainly start there. And I think, you know, if you look at the history of this particular couple -- I mean, one of the sheriffs said that, well, there were domestic issues. And his definition was that the domestic issue was probably verbal.
We don`t know whether or not it was verbal. We don`t know whether or not it was physical. And I`ll tell you, in the 35 years that I`ve been a psychotherapist, the majority of people do not call 911 if there are verbal altercations going on. So that`s number one.
Number two, the question that I have is, how did this husband feel, really, about her moving in to her own apartment and setting up home? And was it as amiable of a divorce as we`ve been, you know, led to believe?
GRACE: Well, so far, that`s the report. We`ve checked it out from many sources. They were trying to remain friends. We`re still on the story of the 911 lady dispatcher missing.
END