Questions for CNN reporter Jim Spellman - Q & A Only **NO DISCUSSION HERE PLEASE**

[spamelope]

Hi Jim, Welcome to Websleuths! Thank you very much for agreeing to do this. As you can probably tell, we are a nosy bunch. Earlier on, it was reported that DB's brother was at a deli in the wee hours after Lisa "went missing". What, if anything, do you know about this?

 

[cityslick]

I'm not family but if they have to have an attorney, why not JT? Michelle Parker's ex has Mark Nejame.

I'm not understanding why it's such a big deal, frankly. Maybe I'm missing something. People may not like JT but the important thing is he does what he's supposedly paid to do and that is to defend his clients.

IMO, but I've always thought that certain lawyers get involved in these cases less for the client and more for the 'prestige' that it brings. I think since he came on, he has been the one that has dictated everything. I don't think his involvement has helped the parents at all.

I find it facinating that it's not just the parents who have a low view of KCPD, it's the family as well. That goes a long way in explaining why the parents want no part of talking to LE again. Not only are the lawyers telling them not to talk to LE, everyone else is as well. That's why I'm curious if JS can tell if they've been talking to the FBI. If that is the case, that tells me they are still vested in trying to find their daughter in some way, but they've issues in working with KCPD.

 

[Jim Spellman CNN]

Any chance, Jim, that we can say that the number dialed ( I hear it didn't go through) was simply a wrong number?

Was the call to Megan Wright's phone simply a random wrong number? Sure its possible, but the odds would be pretty long that a random wrong number would end up being that of a woman with ties to that immediate neighborhood.

 

[tehcloser]

Can we please just keep this for questions for Jim and his answers so he won't have 6785934930 post to read through? TIA.

 

[Jacie Estes]

Jim, thank you for entertaining our questions.

Do you have any thoughts about Meghan Wright moving away and others, such as Shane, flying under the radar at the moment. I have mad respect for KCMOPD; they and KCMOFD are the best [they both were a tremendous help with a terminally ill family member, always reassuring everytime they had to come to the house]. That said, it seems as if there are loose ends that only good investigative work, and a certain amount of luck, will tie up. thanks

~~~~
I'm bringing this over from the other thread, re: Mike Thompson:

Originally Posted by Jim Spellman CNN
HE called KCPD, then KCPD interviewed him, then Gil Abeyta went to see him and showed him pics, then Gil Went to Cyndy ( Counsel at the time) and Cyndy then took Mike to KCPD downtown for further interview. He lives 90 miles from KC, but works in North KC, or maybe just outside the city.

Jim, this is where he works; it's near 435, north of where Lister is.

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Kansas_City_Assembly_Plant"]Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

[Jim Spellman CNN]

Do you know the custody status of Jersey? Is he just a recluse or are they keeping him isolated? Do you know if he has visitors? Any chance of getting on the list if he does?

I'd feel a lot better about this case if LE didn't have him so holed up.

We spent weeks trying to talk with him by going to various jails where he was supposed to be, going to a hearing for him, and going through a couple of different lawyers and were never successful. It's not usually that hard to speak with or visit someone, especially someone who is on for relatively minor offenses. It's not like he was arrested for terrorism charges or anything like that. He has a hearing coming up in the next week or so.

 

[Jim Spellman CNN]

What has happened to Mike Lerette? He was quite prominent in the beginning. I don't understand what he does and how he has a connection to this benefactor who has put up $100,000 reward. I don't understand her role. I was told she sent Bill S. there, for what, I can't figure out. He is not investigating anything.

But how does he fit in with this benefactor? Has she sponsered other missing children cases?

Mike has told me travels back and forth between his home in Texas and KC. I never really pursued figuring out who the benefactor is. I've read all the rumors on line about it but I focused my reporting on trying to figure what was going on that night on that block.

 

[kansascitypi]

I've confirmed the benefactor through several sources. But like Jim says, the benefactor is not the story here. I think other reporters hold the same opinion. Knowing who the benefactor is is interesting, but once I confirmed it from a handful of different sources in passing conversation, I just smiled and turned my attention back to the case.

 

[Sparklin]

Moved over from the other thread:

Hi Jim, are you able to tell us more about the 'rift' that has occurred in the family circle?

This was a shocker to me when I heard you on Vinnie Politan yesterday, as was the fact that you invited Lisa's parents on HLN and they never took you up on the offer.

Not Jim, but quotes by him, from twitter, posted by octobermoon, explaining some of the 'rift' in the family circle. Read from bottom to top

[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7541617&postcount=189"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community - View Single Post - Debbie Bradley and Jeremy Irwin on Dr. Phil?[/ame]

 

[Jim Spellman CNN]

Okay, I could go on and on with questions. I want to know about this company JI works for. I know a little. It is a VERY tiny business.

....sombody else jump in. I could write a blog with all my thoughts....

It just seemed like a small electrical company. The producer I was working with when I was in KC tracked them down and they didn't want to talk, but that s not unusual in a story like this. Their address is one of those PO Box stores but we found their physical location. No indication of anything sinister happening there. Just seemed like a regular small business, per my producer.

 

[cityslick]

Jim,

With this latest appearance on Dr. Phil, there's been talk about money, specifically the rumor that the parents had a secret deal with ABC. Were you ever able to confirm this or is it just still a rumor?

 

[melissasmom]

Jim,

With this latest appearance on Dr. Phil, there's been talk about money, specifically the rumor that the parents had a secret deal with ABC. Were you ever able to confirm this or is it just still a rumor?

Actually, cityslick, not to intrude on your question, but....Isn't Dr. Phil syndicated? I don't believe this is an ABC show. In fact I think here in my area it is on a CBS station. Could be wrong though. Again, sorry to break into your question.

ETA: Oh nvm, I re-read and I see you are talking about BEFORE when they did interviews. My bad. Carry on.......

 

[Minette]

Jim, thank you very much for participating here and answering questions! I have been following your reporting on this case closely and appreciate that you have been boots on the ground talking with people and sticking with the facts in your reporting.

One of the many curious aspects of this case was the attempt by the grand jury to subpoena the raw footage taken in the early days of the case by various media organizations. As I recall, some stations complied, others refused. Could you speak to how common such a request/subpoena is, and why the media outlets might have refused? To my mind it was a rather extraordinary request, and I would appreciate any thoughts you are able to share.

 

[Whisperer]

Just a comment

If I were working the case, I would like nothing more then to get the outtakes on all the interviews of people involved in the case. It would be a treasure trove.

Media are denying access from what I heard. Can you imagine how much info is there if they interview for an hour and only broadcast x5min...wow! They do so much clipping and snipping that oftentimes the message is not clear.

 

[Jim Spellman CNN]

Moved over from the other thread:

Hi Jim, are you able to tell us more about the 'rift' that has occurred in the family circle?

This was a shocker to me when I heard you on Vinnie Politan yesterday, as was the fact that you invited Lisa's parents on HLN and they never took you up on the offer.

I'll tackle a few different questions in this answer...

The divide in the family: Some in the family fully support Joe Tacopina's approach, which has been to not speak to the press. Except in a few cases when they have done hand picked national media going back a few months and the upcoming Dr. Phil appearance.

The other group think they should be out in front of the media...local, national, anyone!..every day trying to keep the case alive and hopefully generating useful leads.

Everyone in the family that I am in touch with thinks they are innocent and all are critical of the KCPD for focusing too much on Deborah and not enough on other leads.

As for them not coming on HLN it's not surprising..the family just hasn't done any media since their round of network interview a couple weeks after the disappearance ( i don't have the date in front of me...Vinnie went over the calendar yesterday). I certainly don't take it personally. The few times I ran into Deborah and chatted woth her she was very nice but say she "wasn't allowed" to talk.

Why not Tacopina? As I said above some of the family have not agreed with his media strategy and they think they would be better served by someone else. I don't think anyone begrudges them counsel at all, but some of the family members who are anti-Tacopina say he is (naturally) acting like a defense attorney with a client charged with something while the family , who all think Deb was not involved, feel like he should be leading a sort of search and rescue mission. I hope this makes sense.

And BTW the KCPD absolutely does NOT want to talk to them without attorneys, they want to talk to them with restrictions about what they can talk about and they want DB and JI to be separate. That has been stated to me clearly by KCPD many times.

 

[Jim Spellman CNN]

Jim, thank you for entertaining our questions.

Do you have any thoughts about Meghan Wright moving away and others, such as Shane, flying under the radar at the moment. I have mad respect for KCMOPD; they and KCMOFD are the best [they both were a tremendous help with a terminally ill family member, always reassuring everytime they had to come to the house]. That said, it seems as if there are loose ends that only good investigative work, and a certain amount of luck, will tie up. thanks

~~~~
I'm bringing this over from the other thread, re: Mike Thompson:

Originally Posted by Jim Spellman CNN
HE called KCPD, then KCPD interviewed him, then Gil Abeyta went to see him and showed him pics, then Gil Went to Cyndy ( Counsel at the time) and Cyndy then took Mike to KCPD downtown for further interview. He lives 90 miles from KC, but works in North KC, or maybe just outside the city.

Jim, this is where he works; it's near 435, north of where Lister is.

Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Re:the Ford plant...yes I'm familiar, just wasnt sure if it was inside the KC city limits.

Anyway, as for Megan I am in regular contact with her and have spent a lot of time with her. I don't have any indication that she moved away to try to hide or anything like that. She is probably the most accessible person in this whole case. She leads a pretty unstable life and obviously bounces around a lot. She came back to KCMO for Christmas then went back to Springfield. She says she would like to come back to KCMO when she can get some money together or find a job there.

She is no doubt an important part of the case because of the phone calls, I don't know in what way. As I said before despite all the bits of info out there about the phones that whole thing remains a mystery to me i that I have no idea what , if anything, it all means.

As fro Shane Beagley, I'm not sure what you mean by flying under the radar. He was interviewed by multiple LE agencies, gave DNA and continued to come and go in the neighborhood. He didn't ant to go on camera but I interviewed him off cam and spoke with him less formally several other times and he answered all my questions in a straight forward way and the parts of it that i could confirm with others seemed to line up just fine. When I interviewed him I don't think he had spoken to any other media because no one knew that he was involved until I interviewed James Brando..not sure if either of those guys have done interviews since they spoke to me. They both came and went all the time and certainly weren't hiding.

As for the KCPDs investigation, all I can say is that every person I interviewed had already been interviewed by KCPD and often the feds as well and some gave DNA or did lie detector test. There were also extensive physical searches of various wooded areas around the neighborhood. So, I certainly can't draw any conclusions but I can say that I saw many signs of a vigorous and thorough investigation.

 

[matou]

Thank you Jim!

Do you remember how many vehicles the family had access to? I remember watching you do a walkabout and a drive through the area. You showed a vehicle up on blocks in the driveway. I think it was a white vehicle.

 

[iamnotagolem]

What was Tamara Sparks cause of death and is there any progress in solving her murder? Yes I realize there has been nothing official tying her to the missing Lisa Irwin case. Its just that I can only handle a certain number of coincidences in a case.

 

[Jim Spellman CNN]

Jim,

With this latest appearance on Dr. Phil, there's been talk about money, specifically the rumor that the parents had a secret deal with ABC. Were you ever able to confirm this or is it just still a rumor?

I have no idea what arrangements they may have made with other news outlet. Not really my business, I can say they we don't pay for interviews. Beyond that those other news outlets would have to speak for themselves.

I will say that yesterday a family member who went with them to NY for the Dr.Phil taping told me the family received no money, cars, or donations in their names ( those were rumors floating around).

I'm sorry I cant name these family members that i have mentioned in the last 2 days. Anyone who has followed my reporting knows how rare it is for me to not name a source, but this is a case where I am comfortable just describing this person as a family member.

 

[Jim Spellman CNN]

Jim, thank you very much for participating here and answering questions! I have been following your reporting on this case closely and appreciate that you have been boots on the ground talking with people and sticking with the facts in your reporting.

One of the many curious aspects of this case was the attempt by the grand jury to subpoena the raw footage taken in the early days of the case by various media organizations. As I recall, some stations complied, others refused. Could you speak to how common such a request/subpoena is, and why the media outlets might have refused? To my mind it was a rather extraordinary request, and I would appreciate any thoughts you are able to share.

It is definitely rare, but not unprecedented. I came to the story about one week after Lisa disappeared ( a different CNN reported handled the firs week) and I missed that part. I don't think we were subpoenaed and I don't know how those stations handled the subpoenas...basically, I dont know anything about it.