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NANCY GRACE

Laurean`s Pick-Up Found at Morrisville, NC, Hotel

Aired January 15, 2008 - 20:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


NANCY GRACE, HOST: Tonight: A gorgeous young Marine vanishes into thin air at Camp Lejeune. Kicker? She`s eight months pregnant when she goes missing. Headlines tonight -- bombshell developments. Burned remains from the backyard of suspect 21-year-old Marine corporal Cesar Laurean positively identified as 20-year-old Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child. Cause of death, blunt force head trauma. Police reveal blood evidence at the crime scene torpedoes Laurean`s story that Lauterbach killed herself.
In the last hours, police find Laurean`s black pick-up. It was abandoned North Carolina. And today, the Marine Corps finally addresses the rape investigation, or lack thereof. Tonight, the manhunt by the FBI and U.S. Marshals for 21-year-old rape and murder suspect Cesar Laurean.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not far from Raleigh-Durham, a truck has turned up belonging to the Marine wanted in the murder of Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach. This is the motel, a Microtel Inn in Morrisville, North Carolina. A nationwide manhunt is under way for Marine corporal Cesar Armando Laurean. Lauterbach was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when she was killed by a blow to the head. Her body and her infant, unborn infant, was buried in Laurean`s backyard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The autopsy was completed yesterday, at least (INAUDIBLE) autopsy that they have been able to confirm the identity of the remains recovered from the shallow grave here in Onslow County this past weekend. They have conclusively identified the remains to be that of Maria F. Lauterbach. My understanding is that she -- the (INAUDIBLE) cause of death was blunt trauma to the head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Breaking news. Cause of death in the brutal murder of a young Marine and her unborn child, the manhunt for rape and murder suspect Cesar Laurean. And why was Lauterbach`s rape allegation totally discounted?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Reports from Morrisville, North Carolina, meanwhile say that authorities have found Corporal Cesar Laurean`s pick-up truck. Video shows license plates on that truck, which was at a hotel, match those on a black Dodge pickup police say belongs to him. An autopsy meanwhile is confirming what investigators believed, that remains found over the weekend are those of Lauterbach and her unborn child. This morning, Onslow County sheriff Ed Brown says Lauterbach died from a blow to he head and she was likely killed December 15.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are still working very hard to locate (INAUDIBLE) Mr. Laurean, if you`re watching, I urge you to surrender yourself to local law enforcement officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Today, the cause of death in Maria Lauterbach`s death, blunt force trauma to the head. Now, we also know that the inside of the suspect`s home is covered with her blood. That blood was part of an attempted coverup, a coverup that went so far as to have fresh paint painted over the blood. But it didn`t work.

What are the developments today? Out to CNN correspondent Rusty Dornin, joining us in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Hi, Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Nancy. Of course, the big developments, as you say, is the release of the one line out of the autopsy report, that it was blunt force trauma to the head, which, of course, directly contradicts the note that Cesar Laurean, the suspect, left for his wife, claiming that Maria Lauterbach had committed suicide.

Also, Cesar Laurean`s truck is discovered in Morrisville, North Carolina. The Onslow County sheriff`s department received a tip. They call up the authorities in Raleigh, who reach out and find the truck in the parking lot of a Microtel motel. They do not know how long that has been here.

Also, the Marine Corps for the very first time has a press conference outlining day by day what happened in the rape allegations of Maria Lauterbach and Cesar Laurean. We find out that she made two allegations of rape, and she -- and she reported -- about a week after the second one, she makes a formal complaint in May. They discover that she is pregnant, that she conceived, actually, in May. The military launches a rape investigation.

They have a military protection order that is put in place in May. It is renewed in July. It is renewed in September, and it goes right through July 23.

We also find out that it was the Marine Corps who was the first to find out that Maria Lauterbach was missing. When she did not report for work on December 17, they called her mother. They are the ones who told her mother. Her mother was the one who notified civilian authorities.

We also learned that on December 19, the Onslow County sheriff`s department, who had told us previously that they did not know the name of the person who was suspected of sexually assaulting her, that investigators then were told by the Marines that that suspect was Cesar Laurean -- Nancy.

GRACE: Rusty, when do you believe -- or when did they say, Marine Corps say that they told local police the name of the rape suspect, Cesar Laurean?

DORNIN: They said today in the press conference that they told investigators that it was on December 19. Now, previously, Sheriff Ed Brown has told reporters that they were told there was a person suspected of sexual assault, but they were not given that name until January. Also, they did not indicate to us that they had ever spoken to Cesar Laurean. And I asked the sheriff directly why they didn`t intercept him at some point to speak to him. He said they really didn`t have a reason. But it turns out they had interviewed him, but Laurean apparently refused to talk to them and demanded to see civilian attorneys. And that was on January 8.

GRACE: Well, here`s the bottom line. Rusty Dornin joining us there on the scene in Jacksonville, North Carolina. We had Sheriff Ed Brown on last night from the Onslow sheriff`s department. The military Marine Corps gave a long press conference today. Long story short, they`re both pointing the finger at each other.

You know, it doesn`t matter. Either they should have known all the facts -- both of them should have known all the facts, gone out and gotten all the facts, or if they didn`t know the facts, they were simply derelict in their duty. Either they were not doing their duty, or they were blissfully, willingly ignorant of the facts.

Let`s go out to the lines. Jeri (ph) in Indiana. Hi, Jeri.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, I`m really glad to have you back, and I`m glad you`re all healthy.

GRACE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My question is, since the wife was there and all the repainting was done and all that stuff, can she be held as an accessory to the murder?

GRACE: Let`s go out to the lawyers. Let`s unleash them, Kathleen Mullin, Michael Mazzariello and Tim Susanin. Welcome to all of you. First to you, Michael Mazzariello. Unless it can be proven, in my mind, that she took part in the murder, which I doubt very highly, she won`t be an accomplice. However, Michael, couldn`t she be held liable if she helped him get away, get on the run, if she concealed evidence?

MICHAEL MAZZARIELLO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Absolutely. In the acting in concert theory, Nancy, absolutely. If she helped before or after, you`re absolutely correct, and she will be charged if they find that to be true.

GRACE: Following up on Jeri`s question, to you, Tim Susanin, former Navy JAG, former federal prosecutor. Thank you for being with us.

TIM SUSANIN, FORMER NAVY JAG, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Thanks, Nancy.

GRACE: I find it highly coincidental that he allegedly vanishes or hits the road at 4:00 AM and she contacts police around the same time. If she gave him a head start, if she fell for some line he told her and helped conceal him, if she is in any way harboring a fugitive, what would the likely punishment be, her charges be? Remember, her cooperation is needed, needed desperately to make this case, and you`ve got the husband-wife privilege looming over the whole investigation.

SUSANIN: That`s right. And things don`t always add up as far as she`s concerned, Nancy. There were reports that she had tried to talk her husband into turning himself in, and that`s directly at odds with the facts that you just recounted, that is, you know, she wakes up and finds the note...

GRACE: Right.

SUSANIN: ... and turns it in to NCIS later. Also, another bit that`s leaked out today is that a neighbor was over and admired their new paint job. And Laurean and his wife said, yes, we`ve have done this room, we`re going to do the garage next. So you know, we really need to know what she knew and when. Of course, even if she did have information, it`s possible that she has obtained some kind of immunity deal and she`s going to agree to cooperate in exchange for not being prosecuted. That`ll be interesting to see that play out because it seems like there`s a little more going on there than...

GRACE: Yes.

SUSANIN: ... at first glance.

GRACE: Kathleen Mullin, this is why you never want your defense client to speak because in one report, we read that she confronted him about the affair, or as Lauterbach said, the rape -- that she confronted him about the whole thing. Then she says, Well, I didn`t know anything, I found this note, and he was gone at 4:00 AM.

KATHLEEN MULLIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right, Nancy. I mean, it`s always advice of defense counsel, when you have a client either under suspicion, part of an investigation, a witness, or the actual target of the investigation, for them to not make any statements for a variety of reasons.

But Nancy, don`t forget, we don`t know the state that the Marine himself was in, and we don`t know whether or not he threatened his wife, whether or not he held her there under some threat. We don`t know what went on inside of that house.

GRACE: We absolutely do not. And it`s my understanding, Rusty Dornin -- Rusty joining us there in Jacksonville, North Carolina -- that Cesar Laurean is a Mexican national?

DORNIN: That`s right. Well, he was born in Mexico, Nancy, but he is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He still has family in Mexico, and his parents do live in Las Vegas, Nevada.

GRACE: Well, it seems to me that that would be the perfect place for him to head to because we all know there, Rusty, Mexico will not extradite a defendant if the U.S. is seeking the death penalty. So this would be a perfect place for him to go.

DORNIN: Right. I mean, that`s what a lot of people are saying. And of course, the sheriff at this point is also saying he`s not sure if that`s where he`s headed, but that may very well be.

GRACE: Joining us right now is a very special guest. It is Sherrie Joyner. She is the front desk clerk there at the Microtel Inn and Suites where the suspect`s vehicle, the black pick-up, was found. Ms. Joyner, thank you for being with us.

SHERRIE JOYNER, FRONT DESK CLERK AT HOTEL: Thank you.

GRACE: Ms. Joyner, were you there when the vehicle was recovered?

JOYNER: Actually, when I arrived at work, everything had already unfolded. I was here when they towed it away. The FBI did come to the front desk and gave me all the aliases of Mr. Cesar, (SIC) and we looked it up and I couldn`t see where he had stayed here.

GRACE: So he had several aliases?

JOYNER: Yes, ma`am.

GRACE: Wow. Do you remember any of his aliases?

JOYNER: No, ma`am, I`m sorry. I don`t.

GRACE: Wow! How many did he have that they told you about?

JOYNER: I saw at least three or four.

GRACE: Rusty Dornin, did you know that Cesar Laurean had aliases?

DORNIN: No. That`s the first I`ve heard of that, Nancy. None of the authorities here have talked at all about any aliases. In the Marine Corps press conference, they didn`t talk about it, either.

GRACE: Holy moly! So this guy could be traveling under an alias. Back to Sherrie Joyner, the front desk clerk there at the Microtel Inn and Suites, where the black pickup was recovered. Sherrie, again, thank you for being with us. How close are you to the airport?

JOYNER: We are about approximately a half of a mile from the airport.

GRACE: Do most of your guests have a flight to catch?

JOYNER: Yes, ma`am. Most of our guests do stay here and park their car and fly out.

GRACE: Do you guys have a shuttle, like a van that takes people back and forth to the airport?

JOYNER: Yes, ma`am, we do.

GRACE: How often does it leave?

JOYNER: It leaves every 30 minutes in the mornings, and we go to the airport as people call for a shuttle.

GRACE: OK. Can someone who`s there at the Microtel, if it`s not in the morning, still get a shuttle to the airport?

JOYNER: Yes, ma`am.

GRACE: What, do they just call the front desk and ask for it?

JOYNER: They can come to the front desk and request a shuttle, yes, ma`am.

GRACE: Sherrie, do people just wait out front, or do they -- and they get onto this shuttle, or do they have to have a reservation to get onto the shuttle?

JOYNER: They do not have to have a reservation. They can just be in the lobby and request one.

GRACE: So anybody in the morning hours, essentially -- you said it leaves every hour?

JOYNER: Yes, every 30 minutes...

GRACE: Thirty minutes.

JOYNER: In the morning, they would have to be on our shuttle list as the room number that needs to go to the airport.

GRACE: Could someone walk in from the parking lot and get into the group and get onto the bus?

JOYNER: It is possible.

GRACE: OK. All right. Do you guys have cameras in your parking lot, security cameras?

JOYNER: No, ma`am, we do not have cameras in the parking lot, only at the exit doors.

GRACE: At the exit doors. Was the black vehicle parked anywhere near an exit door?

JOYNER: It was actually parked on the back side of the hotel, right out of the back door, but it`s not visible from the camera.

GRACE: What kind of ID is necessary to check into the Microtel?

JOYNER: We do require driver`s license upon checking in.

GRACE: Rusty, do we have any idea whether this guy, Cesar Laurean, has any false IDs with him?

DORNIN: Well, no. That`s what we were just saying. They have not indicated whether or not he was carrying any false ID. They have not released any information like that.

GRACE: To Mike Brooks, former fed with the FBI, I hate to be too fundamental here, but he is parked at the Microtel by the airport...

MIKE BROOKS, FORMER D.C. POLICE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Right.

GRACE: ... and there is a free shuttle to the airport.

BROOKS: Right.

GRACE: We know he has aliases. Has anybody checked out whether he took a flight?

BROOKS: Well, that`s one of the things they should have done, Nancy, already in the past (ph). They should have gone to check whether -- to see whether or not he was on any kind of a manifest. And also, all of his aliases, Nancy, are on the FBI wanted poster. They`re all listed on there. So if anybody wants to go on FBI.gov, they can see all the aliases that he`s listed under.

But also, keep in mind, also checked out today, Nancy, that apparently, right near the airport, there`s also a small Greyhound station, but it doesn`t sell tickets. You`d already have to have a ticket. And keep in mind also her ATM card was found in Durham, and this town is right between Raleigh and Durham.

GRACE: We also learned that the December 14 ATM withdrawal, which was called suspicious, was actually made by her for $700. A lot was going down on December 14, Rusty Dornin. You`ve got her ATM withdrawal of $700. You`ve got her speaking to her mother for the last time on December 14. You have the roommate -- her leaving the note behind saying, I`ve had it with the Marines, the roommate thinking that she has left. The bus ticket was bought in her name on the 14th. Don`t know if she bought the bus ticket herself, Rusty, or someone bought it for her.

DORNIN: They do.

GRACE: Tell me.

DORNIN: They do. The bus -- the ticket clerk did say that a woman matching the description of Maria Lauterbach did buy that bus ticket, Nancy. And of course, that was the last day she spoke to her mother, as well. And all of those things are the reasons the Marine Corps thought that she left of her own volition, that these are all actions taken by someone who is leaving voluntarily, that is not under any kind of threat, that doesn`t sound like they`re being intimidated. And that`s when they did put out, though, on that -- on the 17th, when she didn`t show up for work, that`s when they reported her missing and that`s when they called her mother.

GRACE: Mike Brooks, absolutely right. We caught you being right again. Here are a few of Cesar Laurean`s aliases: Cesar Gudino, Cesar Sanchez, Cesar Armando Laurean Ramirez. Those are the ones that we know of at this juncture. According to Sherrie Joyner, the clerk there at the Microtel Inn and Suites, the FBI was all over these aliases to determine whether or not Laurean had checked in at the Microtel.

Back to Sherrie Joyner. You mentioned that you`re about a half a mile or so from the airport. And what about a bus station?

JOYNER: I did hear that there`s a bus station close by that the ATM card was found at. It`s probably around 15 minutes from here.

GRACE: You know, that`s very interesting, Mike Brooks, because the whole thing could have been set up to make it look as if she had gone out of town.

BROOKS: Absolutely. And keep in mind, Nancy, that this past weekend, there was an alleged sighting in Shreveport, Louisiana, at a bus station of someone fitting the description. But absolutely. And who`s to say that he didn`t have help and someone else didn`t get the name -- didn`t get a hotel -- a room there in their particular name?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An autopsy was completed yesterday, at least (INAUDIBLE) autopsy that they have been able to confirm the identity of the remains recovered from a shallow grave here in Onslow County this past weekend. They have conclusively identified the remains to be that of Maria Lauterbach. My understanding is that she -- (INAUDIBLE) cause of death was blunt trauma to the head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Welcome back. Even more developments in the last 24 hours regarding the case of missing, now known to be murdered, Maria Lauterbach and her unborn child.

Out to the lines. Sheeba in Illinois. Hi, Sheeba.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. My question is, it seems like they (INAUDIBLE) no means no, in mine and your world. Does the Marine Corps not think that way? And could they have possibly let even a rapist who was going to become a serial rapist loose in the city of Jacksonville?

GRACE: Out to Rusty Dornin. What do you make of that question, after hearing the Marine presser today?

DORNIN: After hearing the Marine Corps presser, it was a very difficult situation, Nancy. Maria Lauterbach had come forward with two allegations, one in late March and one in early April. And she ended up telling the prosecutors that one of them did not involve any kind of -- one of them was non-consensual and the other was consensual. She also said she never felt threatened by Cesar Laurean, that she -- and all along, through the eight months of investigation, she was always telling prosecutors that she never felt physically intimidated or physically threatened by Cesar Laurean.

GRACE: I want to go back out to Sherrie Joyner, the front desk clerk there at the Microtel Inn and Suites. Sherrie, somebody had to call that tip in about the black truck being parked at your hotel. Any idea who first spotted it?

JOYNER: No, ma`am, I have no idea. Like I said, when I arrived at work, everything was already in chaos and everything was roped off. I do not know. I did overhear that there was some kind of tip that was given.

GRACE: Sherrie, did you guys go back through your records to determine if anybody matching his description had checked in?

JOYNER: Yes, ma`am. We have gone through everything, trying to figure out if he has stayed her. And to our knowledge, he hasn`t.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When Sergeant Durham arrives home from work, he finds a note left for him by Lance Corporal Lauterbach stating, I can not take this Marine Corps life anymore, so I`m going away. Sorry for the inconvenience, Maria. Sergeant Durham notices that some of her personal items are missing. She does not leave the house key behind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Welcome back. As you know by now, the Marine Corps has issued a statement today. That was just part of it. It was an extensive statement. And it seems as if the Marine Corps and the Onslow County sheriff`s department are pointing the fingers at each other regarding who dropped the ball. And the reality, Mike Brooks, is this. Either they knew and ignored the rape allegations, or they should have known. It was their business to go out and find out about the rape allegations.

BROOKS: Yes, it does, Nancy. It seemed like that a little bit. In fact, I expected today -- when they had this conference, I expected a big "cover your butt" kind of statement. But as they kind of went down the timeline on exactly what they did, I mean, it seems like they did everything that they needed to do with the information, with the facts presented to them at the time.

GRACE: Everything except arrest the rape suspect, which if they had done that, this woman -- if either party had done that, this woman would be alive right now.

And I want to go to Bethany Marshall. Weigh in, Bethany.

BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: Well, given the fact that women are at the greatest risk for homicide when they`re pregnant, I mean, the Marines should have known. And Lauterbach said that she didn`t feel at risk. I mean, she had a baby growing in her tummy and she was around the rapist. And it seems to me that something happened where the rapist simmered and then had a massive rage attack towards her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Marine Corps actually broke its silence today about the death of that pregnant Marine as well as the fugitive Marine who`s suspected of killing her. Investigators said that Corporal Cesar Laurean never violated the military protective order directing him to stay away from Lance Corporal Lauterbach. And they said Lauterbach never indicated she felt threatened by him.

Now earlier today North Carolina authorities confirmed remains found at the Marine`s backyard were those of Lauterbach and her fetus. The autopsy showed she died of a massive blow to the head. Investigators found blood inside Laurean`s home. They say it appears he tried to clean the scene. Police today also confirmed the truck found parked near (INAUDIBLE) airport belonged to Laurean about two hours away from the base.

The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for any information leading to his arrest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRACE: That`s right. According to the Marine Corps statement today, Laurean never violated the temporary protective order against him unless, of course, you count the murder that he is now accused of. I guess that would be a violation of a protective order.

Let`s go back out to the lines, Joyce in Florida. Hi, Joyce.

JOYCE, FROM FLORIDA: Hi. Hi, Nancy.

A few days ago, Sheriff Brown said that Corporal Laurean`s lawyers told him not to talk to the sheriff`s department. These lawyers advising Laurean, I assume they`re military attorneys. But isn`t it obstruction of justice to tell your client not to cooperate with police investigating a murder?

GRACE: Joyce, if your client is a target, a suspect, a defendant, you have a right to completely remain silent, even in the police investigation, not just in a court of law. So if they felt or believed that he was a target at that juncture, then he had the right to remain silent.

Out to Rusty Dornin. Were his lawyers military or civilian? I believe civilian.

DORNIN: They were civilian lawyers, which he does have a right to.

I think one thing, Nancy, I want to bring up that, you know, by the time the Onslow County Sheriff`s Department was notified of Laurean`s name, that was December 19th, that was four days after Maria Lauterbach was murdered. So obviously this agency and the sheriff did say today that they could not have prevented her death. Certainly they might have been able to apprehend Laurean before and not have this massive manhunt. But they would not have been able to do anything about it by the time they found out.

GRACE: Well, it seems to me, Mike Brooks that if the defendant had been arrested on the rape charge, which is a military matter because it apparently happened there on the military premises, this murder would never have happened -- if the arrest was made on the rape.

MIKE BROOKS, FMR. DC POLICE DETECTIVE, SERVED ON FBI TERRORISM TASK FORCE: Yes, it did. But again, you know, we talked -- we looked at the initial investigative report, Nancy. If you recall, the initial investigative report by the sheriff`s office mentioned inconsistencies. And then today you heard from the Marine -- the colonel, Lieutenant Colonel and the NCIS again, again talking about the exact -- what the inconsistencies were and, you know, then on November 5th, she said she had originally said that she was pregnant by one of the alleged -- by the alleged sexual assault, then she adjusted her claim back on November 5th.

So, you know, again, I`m not defending them, but they only can go on the information that they have on hand on trying to say whether or not they`re going to place charges against him.

GRACE: You know, to me, those are issues to be determined by a jury, Mike Brooks. Typically, when a rape allegation is made, there is an arrest, just like with every other felony, such as an aggravated assault, an armed robbery, a shoplifting. Then the onus is upon the prosecution to prove that case. And those issues that you have just brought up are issues that the defense could bring out in front of a jury.

But when a rape allegation is made, typically that case moves forward. Here, a grand jury had never even been empanelled. Even in a military capacity, it seemed as if the rape investigation stalled and sputters at the get-go.

Out to the lines, Jonathan, West Virginia. Hi, Jonathan?

JONATHAN, FROM WEST VIRGINIA: How are you, Nancy.

GRACE: I`m good, sir.

JONATHAN: I got a question for you. Would he be charged for capital murder? Now if he does, will he be -- like, will he be executed for it?

GRACE: Well, he may very well seek the death penalty. Last night we had on with us the (INAUDIBLE) district attorney in that jurisdiction who said he believed this would qualify as a death penalty case, but had not made that decision yet.

Very typically, Jonathan, you go through a consensus vote within the district attorney`s office. You`ve got to make sure that the aggravating circumstances have been met. Sometimes there`s circumstances like more than one murder victim, a police officer or a peace officer being killed, lying in wait, a torture killing, the killing of a very young child or an elderly person. Many of those are aggravating circumstances. And in this case, lying in wait or a premeditation may qualify him for the death penalty.

Speaking of extradition, back out to Kathleen Mullin.

Kathleen, if this guy is headed to Mexico, as many people believe, how will that extradition work and what will the prosecutors have to give up in order to get him home?

KATHLEEN MULLIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, I was just thinking to myself while you were answering Jonathan`s question, they will not seek to death penalty if they want him back from Mexico, because in Mexico, they will extradite him to the U.S. if we are not seeking the death penalty again when he arrives back here. If he is in fact found there, the prosecution will have to make the decision about how important it is for them to get him extradited back here.

GRACE: I want to go to Dr. Ken E. Harshbarger. He is a medical examiner. He is a forensic pathologist.

Doctor, thank you for being with us. We know that the cause of death is blunt trauma to the head. What typically would cause that and how would the blood spatter be any different from that type of infliction of a mortal wound as opposed to, say, a gunshot wound or a stabbing death.

DR. KENT E. HARSHBARGER, MEDICAL EXAMINER AND FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: Sure. Blunt trauma to the head essentially means something with a dull surface and also has mass or density to imply or impact energy to the head. So at some point, a device, an object where the head struck that device or object causing injury typically a crushing type injury to the head and blunt force injury. And then the blood spatter compares to that, typically in my experience with an instrument, if an instrument is used as cast off so as the multiple blows are done, blood is imparted to the instrument, and then blood is coming off that instrument, particularly in this case, I`ve read reports about being on the ceiling, that would be unusual on a typical blunt force injury scenario without castoff from an instrument.

GRACE: You know, you`re absolutely correct about the castoff. I remember the first time that I encountered castoff blood spatter was in a Ted Bundy murder down in Florida in a sorority house, where with a blunt force -- the bludgeoning death, the item, when you lift it back up, the castoff goes up and hits the ceiling, that is how blood often gets on a ceiling from blunt force trauma injury.

Back to you, Dr. Kent Harshbarger, the remains we believe to be burned. How difficult is it to get DNA from bones that have been burned?

HARSHBARGER: It`s more difficult than the typical autopsy but still certainly possible, and it`s because it`s difficult, particularly in an outdoor fire setting to completely char the remains where DNA is not usable. So bone, teeth are still available with DNA within those tissues.

GRACE: Out to Mandi Sheridan, reporter with CNN affiliate WDTN.

Mandi, it`s great to have you back with us.

MANDY SHERIDAN, REPORTER, WDTN: Thanks, Nancy.

GRACE: You`ve spent a great deal of time with Maria Lauterbach`s family.

SHERIDAN: Yes.

GRACE: Do they feel that the rape allegations were largely discounted by the Marines?

SHERIDAN: When I spoke with Maria`s uncle, he feels that she was not properly protected by the Marines. Her family tells me that she told them she was raped from day one. They tell me that they have stood behind her on that rape allegation. They absolutely believe that she was raped. They tell me that she did not have any type of friendly relationship with Laurean and they do feel, I mean, I cannot speak for the family, but from what they have told me, they feel that she was not protected.

GRACE: Mike Brooks, you advised me that there is a large outlet mall near this microtel where his vehicle was discovered. What are your opinion -- what`s your opinion on that and not only that, but the video cameras there at the microtel, if they`re like banks, very often they roll over each other every 24 hours.

BROOKS: They do. Sometimes -- that depends, Nancy. Sometime it`s on a 24-hour loop, sometimes it`s on 48, 72, it depends on that particular hotel. But also with the outlet mall, you`re going to have a lot of cameras, and the outlet mall was just a short distance away from this hotel. And they`re also going to have other -- he had to get there from Lejeune. So take every route that he possibly could have gone, stop at all of the bus stops, stop at all of the rest stops, take a look at anything that they have, it could glean some kind of evidence.

GRACE: And to Michael Mazzariello, there`s no way this wife is going to testify at trial.

MICHAEL MAZZARIELLO, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, that depends on whether or not they determined she has something to say, Nancy. She has to be able to testify that the wall was painted, there was blood on the wall. So it`s going to be an issue, definitely for the prosecutor.

GRACE: It will be because he can invoke the husband-wife privilege, however things of that nature that you just brought up whether the wall had been painted would be in protected communication.

MAZZARIELLO: Exactly.

GRACE: We`ll all be right back, everyone. But very quickly. APB, all points bulletin, on special moms and dads. If you know a parent who deserves recognition, an inspiration to others, go to CNN.com/nancygrace. Click on "i-Report" and enter that mom or dad in the "Nancy Grace Extraordinary Parent Contest."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MARINE CORPS OFFICIAL: There was no information that would lead the regimental commander to believe that force was applied by Corporal Laurean or Lance Corporal Lauterbach at no time did she indicate that she was threatened by Corporal Laurean. The (INAUDIBLE) was correct and they - - when she was specifically asked by each of those individuals whether she felt threatened by Corporal Laurean, she responded that she was not and did not feel threatened by Corporal Laurean.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Welcome back. The charred remains of Maria Lauterbach have been found in the suspect`s own backyard.

Out to the lines, Stephanie in North Carolina.

Hi, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE, FROM NORTH CAROLINA: Hi, Nancy, welcome back.

GRACE: Thank you, dear.

STEPHANIE: Being pregnant myself and living down here in North Carolina so close to this, my question is that they said that the baby`s hand was burned. Now is that going to be considered that the baby was pre-born before she died and he`ll be charged with a double murder? Or are they just going to not do anything about it?

GRACE: Stephanie, you are incredibly astute. That is a detail that many people have missed and on a list of questions I have to ask because we couldn`t get a confirmation. Was the baby born? Was the baby unborn?

Rusty Dornin, Stephanie in North Carolina is correct. If the hand of the baby was burned, that suggests that the child had been born.

DORNIN: Well, not necessarily, Nancy, in terms of the body was that charged -- the baby`s hand could have been sticking out. But they, as you said, they will not confirm whether or not the baby was born. We only heard the hand.

GRACE: How could the baby`s hand be sticking out? And burned?

DORNIN: If the body was charred.

GRACE: No, and the baby`s hand was burned?

DORNIN: If the body was charred...

GRACE: And the baby`s hand was burned.

DORNIN: Yes, I`m not somebody who probably should be answering that question. Probably more of a medical examiner but.

GRACE: No, I was just wondering because you said --you know, you intimated that there was a way that was possible. What way is that possible?

DORNIN: Well, I mean, if the part of the abdomen had been burned, you know, charred, then the baby`s hand could come through as well and was charred.

GRACE: Interesting.

I want to go to Dr. Kent Harshbarger. What do you make of it, doctor?

HARSHBARGER: It would be possible to burn the fetus still on the womb if the body is burned enough to then burn the fetus, for instance, if the abdominal walls burns away then the fetus will also then be burned or exposed to the heat. You have to be careful by just saying burned hand, the terms can be misused that an artifact after death or burned -- you know, after life. So we`re not really sure what they`re saying, just the hand being burned will not tell us that it`s a live birth.

GRACE: You know what? That makes perfect sense. Thank you.

Out to Mary in Pennsylvania. Hi, Mary.

MARY, FROM PENNSYLVANIA: Hi. Welcome back, Nancy.

GRACE: Thank you.

MARY: You were sorely missed.

GRACE: Thank you.

MARY: One question. I don`t know if they ever asked or not but the bus ticket that Maria Lauterbach purchased, for what destination was it?

GRACE: I believe it was for El Paso, Texas. It was for a place in Texas.

Rusty, where was that?

DORNIN: That -- it was for El Paso Texas, it was a one-way ticket, and that ticket was never used.

GRACE: Out to Judy in Georgia. Hi, Judy.

JUDY, FROM GEORGIA: Hi. I was just wondering what was (INAUDIBLE) about doing at the Corporal`s house and has anybody thought that maybe the wife was involved in some sort of confrontation?

GRACE: You know, that`s a very interesting theory and that has been kicked around.

What about it, Mike Brooks?

BROOKS: You know, I`ll tell you what, Nancy, that`s just -- I find it so hard to believe that she did not know what was going on in her own house. And apparently, you know, he bought all this -- there was talk that he bought the charcoal of large amounts. And sort of -- you know, what are they having? A -- you know I just don`t buy it that she doesn`t know something about this, Nancy. I just don`t buy it.

GRACE: Out to Tim Susanin, and former Navy JAG, the judge advocate general former federal prosecutor.

Tim, hearing the Marine Corps`s statement today, it was very revealing. However a lot of it, in my mind, was double talk and totally CYA. What did you make of it?

TIM SUSANIN, FORMER NAVY JAG, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: I think I had a different reaction than you, Nancy and here`s why. We`ve been talking on your show and on other shows on the network about this lack of regard the Marines seem to hold the rape charges in, and the question was why. What they laid out today was a situation where Maria, going back to last March, last April, last May, made two allegations of rape and then also said she was impregnated by Laurean. And in the statement she gave, she also then discounted rape charge number one and said, "Well, that was consensual."

And then she kind of half way knocked down rape charge number two by saying, "Well, look, he didn`t threaten me. I didn`t," you know, "He stopped as soon as I said please stop." And then if she goes on to say, "And by the way, it`s not his baby." So now we have the context in which we understand long before she leaves a note saying, "I`m leaving town, I want to get out of here." As to why, they thought there was some credibility issues about the rape, first of all, and why she voluntarily departed secondly.

GRACE: Out to the line, Judy in Georgia. Hi, Judy. I lost Judy. Jake in Texas. Hi, Jake.

JAKE, FROM TEXAS: Hi, Nancy. Welcome back.

GRACE: Thank you.

JAKE: I was wondering maybe if he was found, you know, and this went on to trial, if he would plead insane, because evidently for somebody to commit a murder this profound has to be insane.

GRACE: To Bethany Marshall, Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst and author.

You know, Dr. Bethany, the street, the lay person definition of crazy is very different from the legal definition. The legal definition, under the old legal McNaughton test is did you know right from wrong at the time of the incident. By him covering up the crime and going on the run, it shows me he knew it was wrong.

DR. BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST, AUTHOR OF "DEALBREAKERS": And a great deal of planning went into this. He has the aliases, he paints the wall. Also mental illness is psychosis, not being able to distinguish reality from non-reality. He also perhaps had his wife under his firm control. And I think what we really might find out about this guy is that now, since the simmer went to a boil in the form of homicide, he might be on a spending spree, a sex spree, a crime spree, and there might be actually a pleasurable quality to have gotten away with this at this time.

I think that`s going to be the profile that we see, rather than one of mental illness.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRACE: To "HEADLINE PRIME`s" Glenn Beck.

Hi, friend.

GLENN BECK, CNN HOST: A conservative that has been saying that we need a conservative in the White House for quite some time. (INAUDIBLE).

It looks like now finally some people agree with me. But who is that conservative that should get that job? In just a bit, I`ll tell you who definitely shouldn`t get that job. Then drop houses, there`s a newest target in the fight against illegal immigration. Find out how stopping illegals by hitting the middle man may be the best idea.

And Christmas brought us jingle bells and the subprime mortgage crisis now giving way to jingle mail. You will not believe the photos I`m going to show you tonight. Coming up.

GRACE: Out to the lines, Harley in Maine. Hi, Harley.

HARLEY, FROM MAINE: Hi, Nancy. I got a question for you.

GRACE: OK.

HARLEY: With him being military.

GRACE: Yes.

HARLEY: Do they have -- military has the right to bring him back from Mexico if he is in Mexico for AOL, right? I mean for AWOL, right?

GRACE: AWOL. AWOL. Yes. So you`re saying he could be extradited on AWOL as opposed to the murder case so the death penalty still could be sought. That`s a viable possibility, yes, no, Tim Susanin?

SUSANIN: Well, I think what we`ve heard from the DA there, then the answer is no, I think.

GRACE: OK.

SUSANIN: The DA has basically said, "Look, I`m going to exercise jurisdiction here and not cede to the military in trying the case."

GRACE: To Mike Brooks, question for Rusty?

BROOKS: Rusty, again, the ticket -- the one-way ticket to El Paso, it wasn`t used, but was it recovered in her car or recovered anywhere?

DORNIN: It was -- I`m pretty sure it was recovered from her car.

GRACE: Another piece of the puzzle fitting together. A big thank you to Rusty Dornin, braving the elements there outside, joining us from North Carolina.

Let`s stop and remember Army Private First Class Joshua Anderson, just 24, Jordan, Minnesota killed in Iraq. A combat medic, his fellow soldiers affectionately called him Doc. He dreamed of becoming a paramedic and having more children after Iraq. Loved handing out candy and cookies to Iraqi kids. Leaves behind parents, Kevin and Lynne, grieving widow Hannah, and a 3-year-old little girl Savannah.

Joshua Anderson, American hero.

Thank you to our guests, but most of all to you, for inviting us into your homes. And a special prayer out to the Lauterbach family tonight. See you tomorrow night at 8:00 sharp Eastern.

Until then, good night, friend.

END