TrialAddict
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Which phone she she using when the neighbor saw her outside talking on the phone in the early morning before Ron came home from work that day?
2010.05.13 ~ Werter speaks out ~ another plea?
- Thread starter Kimster
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Maryann123
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Levi, I'm from NC, and I totally get what your saying. I could say more, but I'd be taking a big chance on being banned from WS! I sometimes think we southerners are just too practical for the rest of the world, and using our common sense is rampant too! Keep up the good work, Levi! Besides you and Pat Brown, I don't know too many people that are getting it right!
kimmera
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BBM~
Yeah, I saw that! The whole story is a bit hard to swallow, and frankly, if this (something) lawyer thinks that this defense will fly in court, then God help him is all I can say! I am a new fan, but wanted to thank you for being 'our' voice in the mainstream media...keep up the good work, Levi! :dance:
Kat
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I agree Krkrjx. When did Werter sign on with ToC? Why didn't he work this deal out before the LDT? That's his job as a defense attn if he was ToC's at the time of the LDT. KWIM?
I did listen the video. I did read almost 3 pages of responses before I posted this post.
IMHO Werter is doing his job. The reduction deal should have happened before ToC took the LDT and opened his mouth. Now, Werter is giving quite a bit of air time (compared to other attn's of all the players now) setting up a defense for ToC but in relation to Haleigh.
Call me jaded but a good defense attn will do exactly what he is doing right now. Deflect blame. Make his client appear to be willing to cooperate and make his client appear to be assisting LE. It's a game. It's his job. JMHO.
I don't see LE giving ToC a reduction in possible sentence over this LDT on a drug case. But, Werter's got to put it out there the he (Werter) is open for one. JMHO.
grandmaj
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When did this thread become a discussion of Regionalization in this Country? Calling anyone a name is unacceptable on any thread in this forum and will get you a TO.
This is what Werter said. The transcript. He was trying to make a point about alligators and Ms. Bloom is the one that confused that conversation.
Please read. And get back on topic.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1005/14/ijvm.01.html
snip:
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mind-blowing new developments in the case of missing 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings. We have more of the chilling jailhouse phone calls that proved to investigators they were no longer searching for a missing little girl.
Misty Croslin was babysitting Haleigh on the very night she vanished. More than a year passed before cops determined the child was murdered. Tonight the attorney for Misty`s brother, Tommy Croslin, confirms for the very first time that, when Tommy took investigators to this dock along the murky banks of the St. Johns River, he was leading them to little Haleigh`s body.
Now, it was this phone call that you`re about to hear that Tommy made to his Grandma Flo that sparked the massive underwater search for the little girl`s remains. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOMMY CROSLIN, MISTY CROSLIN`S BROTHER: Tell her I`ve got to do something that I should have done a long time ago.
FLORA HOLLARS, TOMMY`S GRANDMOTHER: Do what, baby?
CROSLIN: Tell her I have to do something I should have done a long time ago.
HOLLARS: He said he`s got to do something that he should have done a long time ago, and I don`t want to hear the answer to it because I already know it.
CROSLIN: I`m just -- just scared. I don`t want no one to hurt my kids.
HOLLARS: I know it, I know it. Oh, my God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: They are both crying in that phone call. Tommy insists he was not involved in Haleigh`s murder, but in the beginning, Tommy said he didn`t know anything at all about little Haleigh`s disappearance. When he was arrested on drug charges, he even told his dad he was not going to make up a story to get out of jail. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROSLIN: I hate (EXPLETIVE DELETED) having to be here myself. I would do anything to get up out of this situation, but besides make up a story, I ain`t making up no damned story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now Tommy is the one cracking this case? Hmm, how can they trust him?
Straight out to my fantastic expert panel: CNN legal analyst Lisa Bloom; crime blogger Levi Page, and I am very delighted to welcome Tommy Croslin`s attorney, James Werter.
Jim, thank you so much for joining us. I think the big question is, why did you release the audio of the telephone conversation between your client, Tommy, and Grandma Flo, and what is significant to you about those phone calls?
JAMES WERTER, ATTORNEY FOR TOMMY CROSLIN: Well, there are a number of reasons. The No. 1 reason is that, for the past few days, or ever since, there`s been a lot of disinformation, a lot of speculation, a lot of hearsay and reporting as fact. And I`m here to set the record straight, just like I was the last time, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, set it straight. What exactly is your point with the release of these recordings?
WERTER: If you listen to the tape, you hear him do a tearful -- and I don`t want to use the word -- I`ve heard the word "confession" made. Wrong word. He was setting the record straight that he had to come forth finally and that he was operating for the past year under a veil of fear. Fear for his kids. You listen to the tape, you hear him complain about it. "I don`t want him near my kids." You know, "I was afraid for my kids." Things of that nature. So it lends to his present credibility.
Plus, he has been cooperating over the last month with law enforcement, and his story is now corroborating Misty`s current version. Both of these people have been operating out of fear for the past year, year and a half. And it adds a new twist and turn when you`re afraid for your life and you`re afraid for your kids` lives.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why should we believe him now, when he has told several stories. One, we heard him on camera telling his dad, "I`m not going to make up a story just to get out of jail." So in that sound bite he`s essentially saying he didn`t know anything, and he`s also reportedly said that he went to the trailer the night that Misty disappeared, knocked and there was nobody there. So that`s another story.
WERTER: Well, look at the story now. Both of these individuals are being interviewed or have been interviewed by FDLE and Putnam County Sheriff`s Office separately. They have not had time to corroborate or collaborate in the story they are presenting to the sheriff`s office and law enforcement today.
And I am told by law enforcement that they are comfortable with the version that they are getting today. They are -- they do kind of back each other up. And so...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I guess are you -- are you admitting that Tommy lied previously when he said that he wasn`t going to make up a story and then was at the house and knocked?
WERTER: In the past I told you it was out of a veil of fear. The individual that they point to, and both of them are pointing up north. OK? And again, Misty never pointed at Tommy, and Tommy never pointed at Misty. That`s another fallacy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me play this -- let me play this sound bite, and then we`ll get your reaction on that. Tommy and Misty Croslin, just to bring our viewers up to date -- I think we all know this. They`re behind bars on drug trafficking charges. Grandma Flo Hollars spoke to her jailed grandkids, Tommy and Misty, over the phone on April 11. And after those conversations, Flo made some stunning allegations. Now listen to this. This is Grandma Flo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLLARS: What I was told by Misty this morning was that Tommy and Joe took Haleigh and wrapped a yellow rope around her and carried her to the dock and put a -- tied a brick around the bottom of the other end of the rope and throwed her into the river. Now that comes from Misty`s mouth into my ear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK, so Jim, Grandma Flo is saying Misty implicated Tommy and Joe Overstreet, the cousin.
WERTER: When did that statement come out? I think that statement came out around April 21, way after the time. There was a lot of speculation and leaks out of -- out of different agencies about...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa Bloom, your reaction.
LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I`m not buying this story, Jane. First of all, jailhouse snitches are notoriously unreliable. And if this story is true, where is Haleigh?
And really? Fear? Fear is what kept these people from coming forward? How about the fear that little Haleigh felt the night that she was abducted and whenever something terrible happened to her, as it probably did by now? I just don`t buy any of this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Levi Page, you`re the crime blogger who`s been on top of this story. What is your reaction to the attorney for to Tommy Croslin, coming out and saying, basically, he`s the good guy in all this. He did the right thing by telling cops where to look, and he`s not involved.
LEVI PAGE, CRIME BLOGGER: He`s a good guy? He waited a year to come out with this information. He`s not a good guy who`s been lying through his teeth for a year. If he was a good guy, he would have come out as soon as Haleigh went missing and provided this information to law enforcement.
Because this Joe that they`re afraid of, he lives in Tennessee. He lives in a completely different state than Florida. Give him up and give him up quick if he`s the one that did it.
In my opinion, Tommy may know information. I don`t think that he`s the main perpetrator in this case. The people that I`ve zoned in on from the very beginning is Ronald Cummings and Misty Croslin. They got married a month after Haleigh went missing. And in my opinion, that was a big old shenanigan that showed that they didn`t care about Haleigh. Ronald was doing drugs a year after Misty went missing, because guess what? He knew what happened in this trial, and he`s out there dealing drugs, dealing OxyContin instead of searching for her.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Take a look at this guy. This is Cousin Joe. That`s not Cousin Joe, but we were just looking at Cousin Joe Overstreet. That`s Ron Cummings. There`s Cousin Joe.
OK. Cousin Joe Overstreet in Tennessee, he says, "Hey, I`m -- I`m being framed. I`m being framed by my cousins down south." So everybody in this family is pointing the finger at the other. He says he`s not involved in any of this.
Why haven`t, Lisa Bloom -- why haven`t we found the child`s body already, if Tommy took authorities down to the river, and Misty also went down to the river and they all pointed to the very dock where supposedly she was thrown into the water?
BLOOM: That`s the key question here, Jane. If this story is true and not just being told to get somebody out of another criminal matter, then where is the body? You know, bodies -- I hate to get this grisly -- but usually rise to the surface, eventually come to the shore. They are usually found. It hasn`t happened in this case, so it undercuts this entire story.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, according to Grandma Flo, little Haleigh`s body was weighted down with a cement block. Authorities did remove a couple of cement blocks from that river. We haven`t heard anything about the tests on those cement blocks, but it was a long time that they were in the water. So who knows if they would be able to find anything, even if those blocks were involved.
Everybody stay right where you are. Much more on the Haleigh bombshell. Are we any closer to finding answers?
Plus, horrifying new details in the gruesome murder of a 4-year-old boy. This is such a sick story it turns my stomach. How could anyone do such things to this beautiful little boy?
But first, theories swirling out of control. What happened to Haleigh Cummings? We are investigating tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLLARS: Well, if it was your child or your stepchild, would you be walking and laughing with her gone? Look how Misty is laughing. She doesn`t care. She had Ron by herself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROSLIN: I need her to get my lawyer down here, very important.
HOLLARS: What`s the number, baby? Nine-oh-four?
Hey, Lindsay, I`ve got Tommy on the other line.
What is it you want me to tell her, baby?
CROSLIN: Tell her to get my lawyer down here. It`s very important. I`ve got to do something that should have been done already.
HOLLARS: Get the lawyer down here. It`s very important. Do what, baby?
CROSLIN: Tell her I`ve got to do something.
HOLLARS: Do something.
CROSLIN: Should have been done already.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The shocking, emotional jailhouse phone call that sparked a massive underwater search for the body of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings.
Haleigh vanished in the dead of night more than a year ago. Tonight, we are speaking to Tommy Croslin`s attorney about his breakdown in prison. Tommy was desperately asking for his lawyer so he could talk to investigators and, quote, "do something he should have been done a long time ago." That according to Tommy, who is Misty`s brother.
And we are with James Werter, Tommy Croslin`s attorney. The big question for our panel: why did he wait so long? If this is the truth, why not solve this mystery that has perplexed the entire universe a lot sooner?
WERTER: Well, if you listen to that tape, it`s right there on the tape, the fear of what was happening for the past year and a half. Tennessee is not China, as Levi would say. Tennessee is so far away. It`s not that far away. He does not know what these people grew up with. It`s pure speculation on Levi`s point.
As far as the body, I think Lisa, you might be from up north, judging from your accent. I`m from up north too, but I`ve been down here 30 years. Come on down. It will take me five minutes to show you there might not be a body down here. It`s unfortunate. It`s ugly. The police, the law enforcement know where the dots lead to. It`s time for the state attorney`s office to make a final decision. I don`t know if it`s going to get better.
BLOOM: Do the laws of physics not apply south of the Mason-Dixon Line? I -- I mean, I don`t understand what geography has to do with it.
WERTER: We have a little community down here called alligators. And let me tell you, it`s no joke. It really isn`t. I had an eight-foot alligator in my back yard last summer. It`s -- it`s a real problem here. It was talked about way early on, after the river.
BLOOM: I don`t understand the fear.
WERTER: No, I`m talking about the body.
BLOOM: He`s afraid of somebody who would abduct a little girl? What`s the fear factor?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me -- let me do this. Let me first of all -- I`m going to set up the clip. And, yes, Grandma Flo referred to the alligators, and there was even some talk in all the -- what I would call speculation that maybe somebody put blood on little Haleigh and threw her in the river so that the alligators would eat her. Deer blood is what we heard. And that is certainly gruesome.
Now, Tommy, your client, Jim, told his Grandma Flo that he waited this long to tell the truth because, as you were saying, he was scared to death of his Cousin Joe hurting his two young kids. Let`s listen to that sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROSLIN: His (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is crazy.
HOLLARS: Yes.
CROSLIN: He tried to kill all of us. Don`t be telling them until they get this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) because they`re going to get his (EXPLETIVE DELETED). I don`t want him getting my kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, I have to say that Joe Overstreet, the cousin in Tennessee, is saying he has been framed by his cousins, Tommy and Misty. He -- he claims he`s totally, and he has been interviewed by police and has not been named a suspect.
But Jim, I want to ask you, as Tommy`s attorney, what has Cousin Joe done in the past that is so violent that your client would be so afraid of him?
WERTER: He does not have a criminal record, per se, but his activities, fights, actually use of firearms. I think his MySpace Page has him holding a couple of guns, one of them aimed at the camera on his MySpace Page. I don`t know if that page is still up. And I saw that picture of myself. This is a guy who prides himself on being a tough guy. Even though, as you look at him, you wouldn`t think so. You know, he`s a skinny guy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re looking at him right now.
WERTER: At the MySpace Page?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, we`re looking at video of Cousin Joe as you speak, and you`re right: he`s a very thin kind of guy. He`s not like a hulk. And that`s Tommy. That`s your client, Tommy.
All right, let`s move on to another issue. On last night`s show here on ISSUES, investigative journalist Art Harris broke some news that Tommy`s wife, Lindsay, is divorcing him. Let`s listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ART HARRIS, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Jane, I can tell you that this is taking a toll on the family. And Tommy Croslin`s wife, Lindsay, is filing for divorce. This is an emotional bombshell to Tommy, who adores his wife and their three children. And this could pulverize it right from under him, and he`s now at his most vulnerable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jim, why is Tommy`s wife divorcing him, and first of all, is it true to your knowledge?
WERTER: Yes, she did file the divorce. That`s a matter of public record. But I will tell you this. That was a knee-jerk reaction. She is a mother, so she feels for Haleigh. She feels for the family of Haleigh. And obviously, you`re going to react that way. My wife is the same way.
However, in court yesterday, who was standing by my side and who has put the divorce on hold? Lindsay.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait, you`re saying now that there`s yet another new development, that she`s putting the divorce from the man you`re seeing right there on tape, she`s putting it on hold, so she`s not going to, perhaps, go through with it?
WERTER: This is correct.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why?
WERTER: Because she loves her guy, and she believes the story that has come out and that law enforcement has accepted.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa Bloom, you`ve been listening. Final thoughts.
BLOOM: Well, the final thoughts is that this story came out too little, too late. Let`s not forget that there`s a little girl who`s missing here, and I really don`t buy this fear story that he`s so afraid of somebody who would do something like this to a little girl that, rather than catching the perpetrator who abducted and probably murdered this child, he`s watching out for himself all of this time. And now he`s accused of a drug crime, now he comes forward, trying to curry favor. It`s just not plausible.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Quick answer, Jim, to that last word.
WERTER: There`s no deals on the table. It`s been voluntary. There`s no plea bargains on the table. And additionally, like I said in your last show, Jane, this is speculation, based on Lisa`s own upbringing and experiences. And you can`t translate it to the community here (ph).
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got to leave it right there, but we were trying to be fair to all sides. Thank you so much, Jim. Fantastic panel.
This is what Werter said. The transcript. He was trying to make a point about alligators and Ms. Bloom is the one that confused that conversation.
Please read. And get back on topic.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1005/14/ijvm.01.html
snip:
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mind-blowing new developments in the case of missing 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings. We have more of the chilling jailhouse phone calls that proved to investigators they were no longer searching for a missing little girl.
Misty Croslin was babysitting Haleigh on the very night she vanished. More than a year passed before cops determined the child was murdered. Tonight the attorney for Misty`s brother, Tommy Croslin, confirms for the very first time that, when Tommy took investigators to this dock along the murky banks of the St. Johns River, he was leading them to little Haleigh`s body.
Now, it was this phone call that you`re about to hear that Tommy made to his Grandma Flo that sparked the massive underwater search for the little girl`s remains. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOMMY CROSLIN, MISTY CROSLIN`S BROTHER: Tell her I`ve got to do something that I should have done a long time ago.
FLORA HOLLARS, TOMMY`S GRANDMOTHER: Do what, baby?
CROSLIN: Tell her I have to do something I should have done a long time ago.
HOLLARS: He said he`s got to do something that he should have done a long time ago, and I don`t want to hear the answer to it because I already know it.
CROSLIN: I`m just -- just scared. I don`t want no one to hurt my kids.
HOLLARS: I know it, I know it. Oh, my God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: They are both crying in that phone call. Tommy insists he was not involved in Haleigh`s murder, but in the beginning, Tommy said he didn`t know anything at all about little Haleigh`s disappearance. When he was arrested on drug charges, he even told his dad he was not going to make up a story to get out of jail. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROSLIN: I hate (EXPLETIVE DELETED) having to be here myself. I would do anything to get up out of this situation, but besides make up a story, I ain`t making up no damned story.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now Tommy is the one cracking this case? Hmm, how can they trust him?
Straight out to my fantastic expert panel: CNN legal analyst Lisa Bloom; crime blogger Levi Page, and I am very delighted to welcome Tommy Croslin`s attorney, James Werter.
Jim, thank you so much for joining us. I think the big question is, why did you release the audio of the telephone conversation between your client, Tommy, and Grandma Flo, and what is significant to you about those phone calls?
JAMES WERTER, ATTORNEY FOR TOMMY CROSLIN: Well, there are a number of reasons. The No. 1 reason is that, for the past few days, or ever since, there`s been a lot of disinformation, a lot of speculation, a lot of hearsay and reporting as fact. And I`m here to set the record straight, just like I was the last time, Jane.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, set it straight. What exactly is your point with the release of these recordings?
WERTER: If you listen to the tape, you hear him do a tearful -- and I don`t want to use the word -- I`ve heard the word "confession" made. Wrong word. He was setting the record straight that he had to come forth finally and that he was operating for the past year under a veil of fear. Fear for his kids. You listen to the tape, you hear him complain about it. "I don`t want him near my kids." You know, "I was afraid for my kids." Things of that nature. So it lends to his present credibility.
Plus, he has been cooperating over the last month with law enforcement, and his story is now corroborating Misty`s current version. Both of these people have been operating out of fear for the past year, year and a half. And it adds a new twist and turn when you`re afraid for your life and you`re afraid for your kids` lives.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why should we believe him now, when he has told several stories. One, we heard him on camera telling his dad, "I`m not going to make up a story just to get out of jail." So in that sound bite he`s essentially saying he didn`t know anything, and he`s also reportedly said that he went to the trailer the night that Misty disappeared, knocked and there was nobody there. So that`s another story.
WERTER: Well, look at the story now. Both of these individuals are being interviewed or have been interviewed by FDLE and Putnam County Sheriff`s Office separately. They have not had time to corroborate or collaborate in the story they are presenting to the sheriff`s office and law enforcement today.
And I am told by law enforcement that they are comfortable with the version that they are getting today. They are -- they do kind of back each other up. And so...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I guess are you -- are you admitting that Tommy lied previously when he said that he wasn`t going to make up a story and then was at the house and knocked?
WERTER: In the past I told you it was out of a veil of fear. The individual that they point to, and both of them are pointing up north. OK? And again, Misty never pointed at Tommy, and Tommy never pointed at Misty. That`s another fallacy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me play this -- let me play this sound bite, and then we`ll get your reaction on that. Tommy and Misty Croslin, just to bring our viewers up to date -- I think we all know this. They`re behind bars on drug trafficking charges. Grandma Flo Hollars spoke to her jailed grandkids, Tommy and Misty, over the phone on April 11. And after those conversations, Flo made some stunning allegations. Now listen to this. This is Grandma Flo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLLARS: What I was told by Misty this morning was that Tommy and Joe took Haleigh and wrapped a yellow rope around her and carried her to the dock and put a -- tied a brick around the bottom of the other end of the rope and throwed her into the river. Now that comes from Misty`s mouth into my ear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK, so Jim, Grandma Flo is saying Misty implicated Tommy and Joe Overstreet, the cousin.
WERTER: When did that statement come out? I think that statement came out around April 21, way after the time. There was a lot of speculation and leaks out of -- out of different agencies about...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa Bloom, your reaction.
LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I`m not buying this story, Jane. First of all, jailhouse snitches are notoriously unreliable. And if this story is true, where is Haleigh?
And really? Fear? Fear is what kept these people from coming forward? How about the fear that little Haleigh felt the night that she was abducted and whenever something terrible happened to her, as it probably did by now? I just don`t buy any of this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Levi Page, you`re the crime blogger who`s been on top of this story. What is your reaction to the attorney for to Tommy Croslin, coming out and saying, basically, he`s the good guy in all this. He did the right thing by telling cops where to look, and he`s not involved.
LEVI PAGE, CRIME BLOGGER: He`s a good guy? He waited a year to come out with this information. He`s not a good guy who`s been lying through his teeth for a year. If he was a good guy, he would have come out as soon as Haleigh went missing and provided this information to law enforcement.
Because this Joe that they`re afraid of, he lives in Tennessee. He lives in a completely different state than Florida. Give him up and give him up quick if he`s the one that did it.
In my opinion, Tommy may know information. I don`t think that he`s the main perpetrator in this case. The people that I`ve zoned in on from the very beginning is Ronald Cummings and Misty Croslin. They got married a month after Haleigh went missing. And in my opinion, that was a big old shenanigan that showed that they didn`t care about Haleigh. Ronald was doing drugs a year after Misty went missing, because guess what? He knew what happened in this trial, and he`s out there dealing drugs, dealing OxyContin instead of searching for her.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Take a look at this guy. This is Cousin Joe. That`s not Cousin Joe, but we were just looking at Cousin Joe Overstreet. That`s Ron Cummings. There`s Cousin Joe.
OK. Cousin Joe Overstreet in Tennessee, he says, "Hey, I`m -- I`m being framed. I`m being framed by my cousins down south." So everybody in this family is pointing the finger at the other. He says he`s not involved in any of this.
Why haven`t, Lisa Bloom -- why haven`t we found the child`s body already, if Tommy took authorities down to the river, and Misty also went down to the river and they all pointed to the very dock where supposedly she was thrown into the water?
BLOOM: That`s the key question here, Jane. If this story is true and not just being told to get somebody out of another criminal matter, then where is the body? You know, bodies -- I hate to get this grisly -- but usually rise to the surface, eventually come to the shore. They are usually found. It hasn`t happened in this case, so it undercuts this entire story.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, according to Grandma Flo, little Haleigh`s body was weighted down with a cement block. Authorities did remove a couple of cement blocks from that river. We haven`t heard anything about the tests on those cement blocks, but it was a long time that they were in the water. So who knows if they would be able to find anything, even if those blocks were involved.
Everybody stay right where you are. Much more on the Haleigh bombshell. Are we any closer to finding answers?
Plus, horrifying new details in the gruesome murder of a 4-year-old boy. This is such a sick story it turns my stomach. How could anyone do such things to this beautiful little boy?
But first, theories swirling out of control. What happened to Haleigh Cummings? We are investigating tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLLARS: Well, if it was your child or your stepchild, would you be walking and laughing with her gone? Look how Misty is laughing. She doesn`t care. She had Ron by herself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROSLIN: I need her to get my lawyer down here, very important.
HOLLARS: What`s the number, baby? Nine-oh-four?
Hey, Lindsay, I`ve got Tommy on the other line.
What is it you want me to tell her, baby?
CROSLIN: Tell her to get my lawyer down here. It`s very important. I`ve got to do something that should have been done already.
HOLLARS: Get the lawyer down here. It`s very important. Do what, baby?
CROSLIN: Tell her I`ve got to do something.
HOLLARS: Do something.
CROSLIN: Should have been done already.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: The shocking, emotional jailhouse phone call that sparked a massive underwater search for the body of 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings.
Haleigh vanished in the dead of night more than a year ago. Tonight, we are speaking to Tommy Croslin`s attorney about his breakdown in prison. Tommy was desperately asking for his lawyer so he could talk to investigators and, quote, "do something he should have been done a long time ago." That according to Tommy, who is Misty`s brother.
And we are with James Werter, Tommy Croslin`s attorney. The big question for our panel: why did he wait so long? If this is the truth, why not solve this mystery that has perplexed the entire universe a lot sooner?
WERTER: Well, if you listen to that tape, it`s right there on the tape, the fear of what was happening for the past year and a half. Tennessee is not China, as Levi would say. Tennessee is so far away. It`s not that far away. He does not know what these people grew up with. It`s pure speculation on Levi`s point.
As far as the body, I think Lisa, you might be from up north, judging from your accent. I`m from up north too, but I`ve been down here 30 years. Come on down. It will take me five minutes to show you there might not be a body down here. It`s unfortunate. It`s ugly. The police, the law enforcement know where the dots lead to. It`s time for the state attorney`s office to make a final decision. I don`t know if it`s going to get better.
BLOOM: Do the laws of physics not apply south of the Mason-Dixon Line? I -- I mean, I don`t understand what geography has to do with it.
WERTER: We have a little community down here called alligators. And let me tell you, it`s no joke. It really isn`t. I had an eight-foot alligator in my back yard last summer. It`s -- it`s a real problem here. It was talked about way early on, after the river.
BLOOM: I don`t understand the fear.
WERTER: No, I`m talking about the body.
BLOOM: He`s afraid of somebody who would abduct a little girl? What`s the fear factor?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Let me -- let me do this. Let me first of all -- I`m going to set up the clip. And, yes, Grandma Flo referred to the alligators, and there was even some talk in all the -- what I would call speculation that maybe somebody put blood on little Haleigh and threw her in the river so that the alligators would eat her. Deer blood is what we heard. And that is certainly gruesome.
Now, Tommy, your client, Jim, told his Grandma Flo that he waited this long to tell the truth because, as you were saying, he was scared to death of his Cousin Joe hurting his two young kids. Let`s listen to that sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROSLIN: His (EXPLETIVE DELETED) is crazy.
HOLLARS: Yes.
CROSLIN: He tried to kill all of us. Don`t be telling them until they get this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) because they`re going to get his (EXPLETIVE DELETED). I don`t want him getting my kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, I have to say that Joe Overstreet, the cousin in Tennessee, is saying he has been framed by his cousins, Tommy and Misty. He -- he claims he`s totally, and he has been interviewed by police and has not been named a suspect.
But Jim, I want to ask you, as Tommy`s attorney, what has Cousin Joe done in the past that is so violent that your client would be so afraid of him?
WERTER: He does not have a criminal record, per se, but his activities, fights, actually use of firearms. I think his MySpace Page has him holding a couple of guns, one of them aimed at the camera on his MySpace Page. I don`t know if that page is still up. And I saw that picture of myself. This is a guy who prides himself on being a tough guy. Even though, as you look at him, you wouldn`t think so. You know, he`s a skinny guy.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: We`re looking at him right now.
WERTER: At the MySpace Page?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, we`re looking at video of Cousin Joe as you speak, and you`re right: he`s a very thin kind of guy. He`s not like a hulk. And that`s Tommy. That`s your client, Tommy.
All right, let`s move on to another issue. On last night`s show here on ISSUES, investigative journalist Art Harris broke some news that Tommy`s wife, Lindsay, is divorcing him. Let`s listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ART HARRIS, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Jane, I can tell you that this is taking a toll on the family. And Tommy Croslin`s wife, Lindsay, is filing for divorce. This is an emotional bombshell to Tommy, who adores his wife and their three children. And this could pulverize it right from under him, and he`s now at his most vulnerable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jim, why is Tommy`s wife divorcing him, and first of all, is it true to your knowledge?
WERTER: Yes, she did file the divorce. That`s a matter of public record. But I will tell you this. That was a knee-jerk reaction. She is a mother, so she feels for Haleigh. She feels for the family of Haleigh. And obviously, you`re going to react that way. My wife is the same way.
However, in court yesterday, who was standing by my side and who has put the divorce on hold? Lindsay.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wait, you`re saying now that there`s yet another new development, that she`s putting the divorce from the man you`re seeing right there on tape, she`s putting it on hold, so she`s not going to, perhaps, go through with it?
WERTER: This is correct.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Why?
WERTER: Because she loves her guy, and she believes the story that has come out and that law enforcement has accepted.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa Bloom, you`ve been listening. Final thoughts.
BLOOM: Well, the final thoughts is that this story came out too little, too late. Let`s not forget that there`s a little girl who`s missing here, and I really don`t buy this fear story that he`s so afraid of somebody who would do something like this to a little girl that, rather than catching the perpetrator who abducted and probably murdered this child, he`s watching out for himself all of this time. And now he`s accused of a drug crime, now he comes forward, trying to curry favor. It`s just not plausible.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Quick answer, Jim, to that last word.
WERTER: There`s no deals on the table. It`s been voluntary. There`s no plea bargains on the table. And additionally, like I said in your last show, Jane, this is speculation, based on Lisa`s own upbringing and experiences. And you can`t translate it to the community here (ph).
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Got to leave it right there, but we were trying to be fair to all sides. Thank you so much, Jim. Fantastic panel.
Regardless of what we think happened, JW is doing what he feels is best for his client. ToC has a lot riding on this case, obviously, but JW is not going to make himself look bad as this is a national case. I feel, that JW is going to give 110% to this case, not only for his client but also because it's good for him. That's reality. I think the above applies to every attorney in this case.
Peliman
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Here's some info from Steph Watts and Tim Miller which will lead me to an assumption which not having personally seen or examined the assault rifle in question is only an assumption on my part.
From Steph Watts:
You can read the rest of the story (worth reading) at the below link.
http://stephww.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/haleigh-cummings-will-ronald-cummings-loose-another-child/
Based on this info, I'm assuming we're talking about a 9 mm AR-15 (variant). There are many variants of the original military issue and I suspect this is only one of the variants available for purchase by the general public. I also believe RC's model was a semi-automatic and not fully automatic.
(Disclaimer) Without having seen or examined RC's particular weapon, I cannot give exact specifics.)
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It's only a "defense" if the person telling the story is defending himself or herself--not if the person actually thinks Joe is guilty. Misty might be defending herself; Ron and Chelsea might have believed Joe was a viable suspect. Even if two people say that same thing at the same time, that doesn't mean that both are lying or both are telling the truth.
debs
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You're right; in another point of view, it could be deflecting one's guilt onto someone else.
Whisperer
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I don't know but whoever it belonged to, misty didn't say...she gave ron's number has her number in the original police report.
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Really?? Now I had never thought of that as a possibility.
Maven2379
Member
.... of course, and he gave it back to her the next day when they were hanging posters. :crazy:
Zoe Bogart
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Not to attack you in any way, just bouncing off your statement, but a good defense attorney would keep his mouth shut, stay off TV. I wouldn't want my attorney blabbing on TV that I went to borrow a gun from someone's house and say the child died in that house! I'd prefer my attorney to issue one statement saying it's an ongoing case and it can't be discussed but I'm innocent of these accusations. Something like that. I wouldn't be stupid enough to place myself there if I weren't there and I hope I'd have enough courage to fuss up if I were.
I remind everyone of Jose Baez always yakking on TV about his client's innocence. It doesn't help Casey, in fact, it puts JB in a poorer light, too. Werter isn't helping Tommy. In fact, his assertions of that night only raise my eyebrows higher. He's enjoying the media attention far too much, a la JB. :shakehead:
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