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NANCY GRACE

Missing Newlywed`s Husband Arrested for her Murder

Aired February 17, 2010 - 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: Breaking news tonight. Salinas, California, a gorgeous 23-year-old bride, talented, creative, a florist, vanishes. She goes shopping that afternoon with a sister for their father`s birthday party and then never makes it to the party. Twenty -- three-year-old Ryann Crow vanishes, never seen again, her Chevy Malibu abandoned 90 miles to the north. Investigators combing every square inch of Ryann`s car for evidence. The new groom lays out of the search for his wife and then completely avoids the bride`s family.

Bombshell tonight. Just hours after we covered the 23-year-old bride missing, police close in on the groom, 26 miles away heading south. In the car, another woman. The groom, Jesse Crow, behind bars tonight on $3 million bond. The charge, murder one. The bride`s body, missing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breaking news. An arrest in the disappearance of beautiful newlywed Ryann Crow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We arrested Jesse for the homicide of Ryann Bunnell Crow.

GRACE: We are talking about a 23-year-old young lady, a bride, who has gone missing, vanishing without a trace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police said they had the goods on Jesse Crow, despite not finding his missing wife`s body.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe we have enough evidence to show that Ryann has passed and that Jesse is responsible for her death.

GRACE: Even though it was early on in the marriage, the bride and the groom had some sort of tiff and Ryann Crow was actually staying at her sister`s home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was a quick, head-over-heels type romance, where apparently, Ryann met her husband, Jesse Crow, in July, married him a few weeks later in August.

PAMELA PIPITONE, RYANN CROW`S MOTHER: I cannot put it in words, the pain that I feel right now. It is almost unbearable. But I have to move on for Ryann. I have to do this for Ryann because I want to find Ryann.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Law enforcement says there was some fear Crow might flee. Pressure was mounting, so they took action and made an arrest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s very disconcerting that this guy`s not helping with the searches and not making public pleas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crow`s bail set at $3 million. Jesse Crow sits in a Monterey County jail cell tonight, facing the possibility of death if convicted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And tonight, breaking news in the search for a 2-year-old Florida girl, Caylee. While tot mom breaks down crying in court, her parents, George and Cindy Anthony, storming out of the courtroom, tonight the state reveals the murder weapon they say tot mom used in the death of her 2-year-old little girl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, tell me your name, please.

CASEY ANTHONY, CAYLEE`S MOTHER: Casey Marie Anthony.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Caylee was almost 3 when she died.

CINDY ANTHONY, CASEY`S MOTHER: There`s no evidence that Casey has ever done any harm to her child.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the duct tape over her nose and her mouth...

CINDY ANTHONY: We`re talking about a 3-year-old little girl!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the killer looked into her face, maybe her killer even saw her eyes as the tape was applied.

CASEY ANTHONY: I take complete and full responsibility for my actions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... first one piece...

CINDY ANTHONY: I don`t know what your involvement is, sweetheart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... then two, then three...

GEORGE ANTHONY, CASEY`S FATHER: There was an overpowering smell. I`ll admit that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... so that no breath was possible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The duct tape was placed there to, in fact, stop breathing.

CASEY ANTHONY: They`ve already said they`re going to pin this on me!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The face that Caylee Anthony saw in those final moments of her life was her mother`s face. Could Caylee have understood what was happening to her?

CASEY ANTHONY: As a parent, you know certain things about your child.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She tried to resist.

CASEY ANTHONY: Can someone let me -- come on!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could her killer see the fear in her eyes as the tape was applied?

CASEY ANTHONY: I just want her to come home. I just want my baby back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anyone who contends that no juror could find that these conclusions call for a sentence of death is only fooling themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Breaking news tonight, Salinas, California. Just hours after we cover the 23-year-old Ryann Crow missing, police close in on the groom 26 miles away, heading south. In the car, another woman. The groom, Jesse Crow, behind bars tonight on $3 million bond. The charge, murder one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cops swoop in, arresting husband Jesse Crow, charging him with the murder of his newlywed bride, Ryann Crow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Monday, Jesse John Crow was cleaning out the Prunedale rental he shared with his missing wife, Ryann. Tuesday night he was pulled over in Pacific Grove while driving with his girlfriend in this silver Honda. He was arrested on the spot for the murder of Ryann Crow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The evidence led us in a certain direction. And we`re finders of facts, and the facts that we found led us into a certain direction and ended tonight with the arrest of Jesse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve heard from multiple sources that, in fact, the couple were separated. The family says they have not spoken to the husband since Ryann went missing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Action News has learned that there was a history of violence in the Crow household that culminated in an extremely violent confrontation just before the couple split. And we also know that police went to a Prunedale hardware store to see if Jesse John had bought rope in connection with his wife`s disappearance.

GRACE: Apparently, your wife goes missing, that`s a great time to do a little house cleaning. What`s he got in those big, black bags he`s throwing into a dumpster? Why the sudden neat jag when he should be out looking for his wife?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was going on with her husband?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s had a criminal record since 1996.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are still a lot of unanswered questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For now, the investigation shifts to finding Ryann`s body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Right now, while the groom is behind bars on $3 million bail on a charge of murder, the wife`s body, the bride`s body, still missing.

Straight out to Mark Carbonaro, program director at KION News/Talk. Welcome, Mark. What can you tell me about the arrest?

MARK CARBONARO, KION NEWS/TALK (via telephone): Well, thank you, Nancy. Good to be with you. Well, I understand that the Salinas police picked up Jesse Crow in Pacific Grove last night, a city which is about 20 miles west of Salinas on the Monterey peninsula. He apparently cooperated with the police. There was no incident. They took him into custody at that time.

Now, I talked with the public information officer of the police department just a few minutes ago, and he informed me now that the woman that Jesse Crow was with, Ms. Summer Donovan, is a person of interest in this case. So there`s more that`s going to be coming out on this, and apparently, the police have scheduled a news conference...

GRACE: OK, hold on. Hold on.

CARBONARO: ... for tomorrow afternoon.

GRACE: With me, Mark Carbonaro, KION News/Talk. This is news. We heard rumblings about it, but you are confirming the other woman is now a person of interest. Now, this is the woman, Summer Donovan, that was in the car with the husband, the groom, Jesse Crow...

CARBONARO: Correct.

GRACE: ... about 20, 26 miles, headed south. Now, where does she fit into the picture? My sources are telling me that she had been a previous girlfriend. Then Crow meets up with Ryann. They have a whirlwind romance. They race off and elope to Vegas. And now the ex, who is Summer Donovan, is back in the picture, and the wife, the bride, is missing? Her body can`t be found?

CARBONARO: That`s correct. And the police have not indicated why Ms. Donovan is a person of interest. They are just saying that she is a person of interest. They also say they have a motive in this case, but they would not discuss that with us and they said that we have to wait for the news conference tomorrow for that information.

GRACE: Well, you know, Mark, you know, I know you`re a journalist and you have excellent credentials, but two and two still equals four.

CARBONARO: You`re right.

GRACE: Husband arrested for murder. He`s in the car with the ex, the girlfriend, and now she`s a POI.

Is it true -- out to you, Clark Goldband, our producer on the story -- that they searched Summer Donovan`s home?

CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Yes, Nancy. We`re trying to confirm she is a person of interest ourselves with law enforcement. What we were able to confirm is law enforcement served a search warrant on her home, Nancy, her home in Pacific Grove, California, the location where that car was pulled over and husband Jesse Crow was arrested.

GRACE: Let`s go out to Chris Saffran. Everyone, we are taking your calls live. Chris, former NYPD detective, CEO of Kindershield Agency. Chris, it`s great to have you.

CHRIS SAFFRAN, FORMER NYPD DETECTIVE: Thank you, Nancy.

GRACE: Chris, come on. They search her home. They search his home. They find about 300 pot plants in a very sophisticated hydroponic marijuana growing operation. There had to be some kind of DNA, something in one of those two homes, his or hers, the girlfriend, evidence that says murder. They don`t have a body. They don`t have a body, so they don`t know where she is, if she`s murdered. They have reason to believe she`s murdered. What do you think? Blood spatter? What did they find?

SAFFRAN: Well, I`m thinking they probably -- they probably -- you know, they`re saying that they have information that led them to the direction of an arrest. You know, I`m thinking they probably found sufficient evidence of blood either in -- most likely in the marital residence. You know, as far as the person of interest in this case, you know, I`ve been trying to figure out how does -- how does that car get -- her car get 90 miles away? You know, if he drove it out there, someone had to drive him back.

GRACE: That`s a good point, Chris Saffran. Maybe her fingerprints are popping up in the bride`s car.

We are taking your calls live. Breaking news tonight. The groom of Ryann Crow, dead -- Ryann Bunnell Crow, just 23 years old, believed to be dead, the groom now behind bars.

Out to Laneese in Oregon. Hi, Laneese. Laneese, are you with me?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I am.

GRACE: Hi, dear. What`s your question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy.

GRACE: Hi, Laneese. Thank you for calling in. What`s your question, dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. My question -- OK, I have a question and a comment.

GRACE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My comment -- at first, I thought he was innocent because, you know, if you kill someone, you wouldn`t -- and you think the police are coming, you wouldn`t have 300 pot plants. So I figured, you know, he didn`t do it. But now I`m wondering what would be the motive of him killing her, if they weren`t together, he`s with his ex- girlfriend or whatever, and they`re not together? What could possibly be the reason to kill her?

GRACE: Well, let`s unleash the lawyers. Joining us tonight, Sue Moss, family law attorney, New York, John Burris, veteran trial lawyer out of the San Francisco jurisdiction, and out of New York, former prosecutor, now defense attorney Doug Burns.

You know, Sue Moss, when you have a violent relationship, which is what we`re learning that there had been domestic violence in the past, alleged, there doesn`t have to be a motive. You get angry, you have a fight, and husband kills wife.

SUSAN MOSS, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY: Absolutely. Marijuana may be his vice, but I think this guy killed his wife. Maybe she was going to call the police and tell them about this tremendous pot plant business that he had. I mean, he had this extraordinary system set up. Maybe he was afraid that all of his money was going to go bye-bye.

GRACE: Right now, breaking news in the search for Ryann Crow, a 23- year-old bride there in Salinas, California. Her husband, the groom, just arrested for murder, the bride`s body missing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIPITONE: I cannot put it in words, the pain that I feel right now. It is almost unbearable. But I have to move on for Ryann. I have to do this for Ryann because I want to find Ryann. I`m trying to hold onto hope that she`s still alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police arrest Ryann`s husband, Jesse Crow, late last night, charging him with murder. Even though the arrest goes down, police say they still haven`t found Ryann`s body.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Action News has learned that Jesse Crow has been living on and off with another woman even before his wife, Ryann, went missing. We want to know if she`s the reason Crow isn`t talking about his missing wife or taking part in any efforts to find her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police say Crow did not resist arrest. He went into custody without incident. After two weeks of investigating, police felt they were running out of time and had to get Crow Tuesday night. The media pressure for Jesse to explain why he wasn`t looking for his wife or talking publicly about her was mounting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pressure was pretty intense and we were afraid that, you know, Jesse may try to flee the area or something, so we felt that we had to take some actions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Just hours after we covered the missing bride yesterday evening, police hone in on the groom. He was found about 26 miles away, heading south. In the car, another woman. Turns out it`s a girlfriend in the early stage of their marriage.

We are taking your calls. Out to Diane in Florida. Hi, Diane.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy.

GRACE: Hi, dear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think he killed her because he wanted out of the marriage because she`s so young?

GRACE: You know, I`ve been thinking about that. Let`s go to Caryn Stark, psychologist, joining us tonight out of New York. Caryn, just because you`re back with your girlfriend in your marriage -- and apparently, he had been going back and forth to the ex`s house -- usually, you don`t get killed over that. Don`t you think there had to be something more?

CARYN STARK, PSYCHOLOGIST: I would think so, Nancy. None of it makes a lot of sense. Here`s a guy who...

GRACE: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Right there. Now, Caryn Stark...

STARK: Yes, Nancy?

GRACE: ... you see hundreds of patients. You`ve had many years in practice. You cover crime stories along with me. And you`re trying -- are you actually trying to apply logic to the murder of this beautiful young bride? Did you just say it doesn`t make sense? Of course it doesn`t make sense!

STARK: Well, that`s what I was trying to explain, that somebody like this man, who has been flaunting the law, he seems to be playing a game, like "Catch me if you can." So think about -- he had this girlfriend and then he got married to this woman, and it`s not like he was forced to marry her. So he really isn`t somebody who would ever make any sense. He really is somebody who is just having a good time. That`s why he doesn`t care if the pressure is mounting that he`s not talking about her or he`s not looking for her. He really is saying, "Catch me."

GRACE: Back to the lawyers. John Burris joining us out of San Francisco. Weigh in, John.

JOHN BURRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think that -- I have some concern about whether the police had enough evidence to arrest him at this time.

GRACE: Oh, really? What`s your concern, John?

BURRIS: It sounds as if...

GRACE: Please put Burris up.

BURRIS: Well, my concern is that they...

GRACE: I want to see his face.

BURRIS: Yes, because -- the concern is they said that they had to hone in on him right now because they figured they were running out of time. The question, did they have evidence or not, or is this really an effort to bring him in, to hold him, maybe to squeeze him, maybe he`ll talk? But the question I have is what evidence do they really have? The fact that the body is missing doesn`t make that necessarily should be a basis for an arrest. What evidence do they have? And did they feel like they were running out of time? Or have they jeopardized this particular investigation by arresting him before they really had solid evidence?

GRACE: Doug Burns, correct me if I`m wrong, but I know this is the state of California, but don`t you still have to have a little thing called an arrest warrant, in which you lay out to an objective judge or magistrate your grounds for arrest? Only if you have exigent circumstances...

BURRIS: Absolutely -- - no, but -- that`s right. You got to have exigent circumstances. Otherwise -- now, the question is, what was the basis for the arrest? We don`t really know that and -- and my...

GRACE: Hold on. Hold on.

BURRIS: ... question is...

GRACE: Let me throw that to Burns. What about it, Burns? Don`t you have to have an arrest warrant?

DOUG BURNS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, you need to establish probable cause, which in simple English means that he probably did the crime. I think John`s point is that the police, on the one hand, were showing a lot of confidence, which is fine. And in other words, you don`t need the body to go forward. But then on the same token -- and I`m not so sure they should have done this -- they threw in this comment how, We felt he was going to flee the area. So it does sort of suggest that they might have done it hastily. But I think they probably have pretty good evidence, if I had to guess.

GRACE: You know what? Both of you guys are reaching. You`re at the bottom of the barrel. You`re scratching with your 10 little fingernails, trying to come up with something. They had to have an arrest warrant to make this arrest. This was not exigent circumstances. Police have probable cause, which means they`ve got reason to believe the groom murdered the bride.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PIPITONE: On one point, it`s a blessing because they can find leads from that car. And the other part -- point is that I`m aware that she`s not going to be driving that car up my driveway anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The evidence led us in a certain direction. And we`re finders of facts and the facts that we found led us into a certain direction and it ended tonight with the arrest of Jesse. The pressure was pretty -- pretty intense and we were afraid that, you know, Jesse may try to flee the area or something, so we felt that we had to take some action tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: This is what we know. We know that the groom, Jesse Crow, arrested for murder. We know he was caught in the car heading south. In the car, another woman. We also know the bride`s body still missing. Now, here`s Crow and the other women, Summer Donovan. Tonight, we are learning from Mark Carbonaro from KION News/Talk she is a person of interest. Did she help in the murder? Without the body, we really don`t know. And what is leading police to believe she is, in fact, dead? What evidence have they found to suggest that Ryann Crow, a 23-year-old bride, is, in fact, murdered?

We are taking your calls live. To Jessi in Nevada. Hi, Jessi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Nancy. We love your show, and we pray for you and your family every night. We just love you to death.

GRACE: You know what, Jessi? I firmly believe that the only reason I and the twins, specifically Lucy, are still here after that emergency delivery and everything that happened, and then being in the intensive care for so long -- and I want to thank you for those prayers because I do believe that God heard them, and I thank you. Now, what`s your question, dear?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re welcome. My question is, do you think that the ex-girlfriend helped the groom with the murder? Or if she knows that he did it and he told her anything, do you think he knows?

GRACE: Susan Moss, they`re saying right now, according to Mark Carbonaro, that`s she`s a person of interest, the other woman. That could be anything from accomplice after the fact, it could be helping to hide the car. Remember, her car, as another caller pointed, out was 90 miles to the north. It could be any number of things.

MOSS: It also could mean that she`s a material witness or has some other amount of information that could help solve this case. But I`ll tell you something, only a louse doesn`t help look for his spouse. That alone says there`s something very fishy going on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We arrested Jesse for the homicide of Ryann Bunnell Crow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m not going to go into details. We believe we have enough evidence to show that Ryann has passed and that Jesse is responsible for her death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Ryann Crow was reported missing the same day deputies raided the Prunedale home he was renting and hauled away more than 300 pot plants. Investigators not denying the bust may be connected to Ryann`s murder.

But Action News has learned that there was a history of violence in the Crow household that culminated in an extremely violent confrontation before the couple split. And we also know that police went to a Prunedale hardware store to see if Jesse John had bought rope in connection with his wife`s disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Monday Jesse John Crow was cleaning out the Prune Dale rental he shared with his missing wife, Ryann. Tuesday night he was pulled over in Pacific Grove while driving with his girlfriend in this silver Honda. He was arrested on the spot for the murder of Ryann Crow.

Police said they had the goods on Jesse Crow despite not finding his missing wife`s body.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY GRACE, HOST: We are taking your calls live.

Out to Mark Carbonaro, KION News/Talk Radio, joining us from Monterey.

Mark, tell me how the arrest went down and do you have any idea what is the evidence? I mean, they don`t have the body. Whatever he did with the body remains a mystery. The bride`s body is missing.

So what do they have that they went to a judge -- they sealed all the documents. We can`t get our mitts on them.

MARK CARBONARO, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, KION NEWS/TALK (via phone): That`s correct. There are three warrants were issued. One for the Crow home in Prunedale. One for the home of Jesse Crow`s parents, also in Prunedale, and then another search warrant for Summer Donovan`s home.

And those are sealed for a minimum of 10 days, so Judge Wills who issued those warrants can keep that sealed for at least another 10 days from the time that he issued them.

Now the arrest happened in Pacific Grove. In talking with the public information officer at the police department this afternoon I really couldn`t get him to admit how did you -- you know, actually embark upon the arrest? Did your officers follow Mr. Crow from his home in Prunedale through Salinas to Pacific Grove?

They don`t even want to let that out as to that`s part of their, quote, "technique." But he did -- he was apprehended without incident and the other woman was in the car with him.

I will tell you this, Nancy, Jesse Crow is no stranger to the criminal court system in Monterey County. Looking at an index search on the Monterey County`s Superior Court System, Mr. Crow has eight arrests, four for misdemeanors and four felony charges, since 1996.

Now his latest arrest besides this one`s last arrest came on January 25th, a misdemeanor arrest. And we don`t know the -- what those charges are because today is a furlough day for the court system in California because the state budget problem, so -- and that`s also why the arraignment of Mr. Crow is taking place tomorrow and didn`t take place this morning.

GRACE: You know what? I find it hard to believe that that was not planned.

Out to Natisha Lance, our producer also on the story.

Natisha, take me back. What were the circumstances surrounding the bride`s disappearance?

NATISHA LANCE, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, Nancy, she wasn`t feeling well at work. Her sister came to pick her up. It was her father`s birthday that evening. They went to CVS to get a card for their father. She said she was going to go to the mother`s house to lay down for a bit. She dropped her sister off. And the last time she was seen was in the Prunedale area where the husband lived.

GRACE: OK. So she was going to the mother`s home? That`s where she said she was headed?

LANCE: Correct.

GRACE: Now, Clark, I had the understanding that she was going back over to the groom`s home.

CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: Well, that`s what we heard from the sister. Our impression was that she was headed towards that direction where the groom`s home that had the marijuana also was.

GRACE: And we are just getting -- I`m hearing in my ear right now, police are confirming the girlfriend, Summer Donovan, is a person of interest in the murder of the bride Ryann Crow, the 23-year-old young girl who marries Jesse Crow.

Whirlwind romance. They go to Vegas and get married. Ten years older than her. Got a criminal record. Suddenly she drops out of her school plans. She`s working at a florist shop. She`s extremely creative. Next thing you know she`s missing.

Out to the lines, out to Tessa in Washington. Hi, dear.

TESSA, CALLER FROM WASHINGTON: Hi, Nancy. I just wanted to let you know you`re truly an inspiration. I watch you every night and I`ve seen the twins grow up so fast.

GRACE: It`s been just like that, Tessa. I mean, if the next 16 years happen as quickly as these two years they`re going to be in college tomorrow.

TESSA: I know.

GRACE: I can`t believe it. I keep whispering in their ear that they can stay at home and live with mommy and go to college.

TESSA: Forever.

GRACE: But so far they have not committed. Oh, tell it. You know, gladly. They`re the joys of my life. And when I think about this girl, Ryann Crow, she was the joy of her parent`s life. They nurtured her. They grew her.

Look at her. She`s beautiful. And now this.

TESSA: She`s gorgeous.

GRACE: What`s your question, love?

TESSA: Anyway, what I wanted to know, if he was truly a grieving husband, why is he out with some woman who is a person of interest and not out putting together search groups and talking to the cops and all this.

And another question is, has there been any incidence on file between them two?

GRACE: Excellent question.

TESSA: Domestic files?

GRACE: Whether there has been domestic violence. What do we know, Mark Carbonaro?

CARBONARO: Well, we don`t -- actually in talking with the police this afternoon they said they had no reports of domestic violence. And had there been actually any reported domestic charges and charges brought against, you know, either one of them, and particularly Mr. Crow during the five months that they were together, that would have been on the court records, and I saw nothing of that.

GRACE: To Dr. Jake Deutsch, doctor of emergency medicine, he is joining us out of New York tonight.

Dr. Deutsche, thank you so much for being with us.

DR. JAKE DEUTSCH, M.D., DOCTOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE: Thanks, Nancy.

GRACE: How much blood or other evidence would have to be found, in your mind, to show that someone is actually dead? Do you think it`s not so much the quantity as possibly the location of the blood?

DEUTSCH: I think yes. The pattern of blood, if there was spatter from high velocity, if there was an arterial injury, certainly if there`s a large quantity, I mean, if you`re talking several liters that would be compatible with death.

And I think that it`s going to be important whose blood it is. So they`re going to have to do genetic testing in order to determine exactly whose blood.

The other thing that came to mind, Nancy, is if there`s cerebral spinal fluid that may be indication of a head injury that could have been compatible with death or fatal. So those are the possibilities.

GRACE: I would never have thought of that.

DEUTSCH: That`s right.

GRACE: Cerebral spine fluid would suggest a head injury. You know, it just brings to mind the Tallahassee murders with the serial killer.

DEUTSCH: Right.

GRACE: Blood spatter was found on the ceiling. Ted Bundy, obviously, is what I`m talking about. And when you find blood splatter on the ceiling, you know somebody`s dead. If that`s the only thing you find, because the velocity -- it would require from a blow to go from even a standing position to the ceiling?

DEUTSCH: It`s unbelievable when you see it in action.

GRACE: Or even if it`s throwback, Dr. Deutsch. In other words a person is hit with a blunt instrument and when you sling it back blood spatters up to the ceiling.

The location of the blood, even if it`s not a lot of blood, or as Dr. Deutsch has just told us, cerebral spine fluid. Now that is an interesting theory to show a head injury.

What are your other thoughts, Doctor?

DEUTSCH: The other thing that I was actually interested in was, why was she feeling sick that afternoon? Was there foul play prior to her disappearance that she was feeling sick from?

You know, there`s obviously been a mention of drugs in this case. And was she, in fact, drugged and that led to her disappearance? Purely speculatory.

GRACE: So you`re bringing up the specter of a possible poisoning.

DEUTSCH: That`s what came to my mind. You know, I always think about the emergency medical type of situation.

GRACE: Right.

DEUTSCH: And perhaps that`s why she wasn`t feeling good that afternoon and in fact --

GRACE: And it was enough, Doctor, to make her stay home from her father`s birthday party that she had just gone shopping for. You know you`re thinking along those lines. I`m thinking along lines of throwback blood found on the ceiling.

And what`s so interesting about that to -- out to you, Chris Saffran, is that it only takes a minuscule amount of blood in the right place to suggest a murder.

CHRIS SAFFRAN, FMR. NYPD DETECTIVE, CEO OFF KINDERSHIELD AGENCY: Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, especially if you have -- you know, an artery in the neck that`s been severed. That can cause a projection of an arterial spray. And sure, if you find anything, any blood on the ceiling that is a good indication.

GRACE: Yes, it`s over. Case closed.

SAFFRAN: That you got. Yes. Absolutely.

GRACE: Everyone, quick break. We`re taking your calls live. Breaking news, there has been an arrest in the disappearance of a young bride, Ryann Crow.

As we go to break, the Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Foundation is fighting the number one cancer killer in the world. Lung cancer. Claiming more lives than breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate, melanoma and kidney cancer combined. You don`t have to smoke to get lung cancer.

Joan Gaeta, beloved wife. Mother of five. Teacher. Lost her battle with lung cancer. In her honor, the third annual Dancing for Joan fundraiser for lung cancer research this Saturday, February 20, Marietta, Georgia. For info or to make a donation for the cause, go to forjoan.org.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY ANTHONY, MOTHER OF MURDERED CHILD CAYLEE ANTHONY: I just want to let everyone know that I`m sorry for what I did.

CINDY ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY`S MOTHER: I still believe my daughter.

GEORGE ANTHONY, CASEY ANTHONY`S FATHER: I believe in my daughter.

CINDY ANTHONY: You`re not telling me where she`s at.

CASEY ANTHONY: Because I don`t (EXPLETIVE DELETED) know where she`s at. Are you kidding me?

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The bombshell, and most damning evidence in the autopsy report is that Caylee Anthony`s killer, allegedly her mother, Casey, put several overlapping layers of duct tape over her mouth and jaw.

ROY KRONK, DISCOVERED CAYLEE`S REMAINS: A human skull dropped out with the hair around it and duct tape across the mouth.

CINDY ANTHONY: My daughter may have some mistruths out there or half truths but she is not a murderer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I looked at it and I examined it and I saw the duct tape and I saw the eye sockets and I realized what it was.

CASEY ANTHONY: I have no one to comfort me but myself.

CINDY ANTHONY: My husband`s a deputy sheriff. Years ago. And the first thing he thought was human decomposition. I`m a nurse, I thought human decomposition.

GEORGE ANTHONY: I got within three feet of my daughter`s car and the worst odor that you could possibly smell in his world.

CINDY ANTHONY: It smells like there`s been a dead body in the damn car.

CASEY ANTHONY: My entire life has been taken from me. Everything has been taken from me.

COL. ERIC EDWARDS: Do you have any interest in helping us?

CASEY ANTHONY: I`ve had interest in helping law enforcement from the beginning. Unfortunately my hands were literally tied and I was put in a position where someone`s trying to trick a confession out of me.

EDWARDS: Well, I don`t want -- no, don`t --

CASEY ANTHONY: And that`s not going to happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If she was physically restrained her killer would have to have restrained her arm by some means. Applying tape while she was conscious. As the killer looked into her face maybe he -- maybe her killer even saw her eyes as the tape was applied. First one piece, then two, then three so that no breath was possible.

Caylee was almost 3 when she died. With duct tape over her nose and her mouth. Any child of that age should have had the physical ability to remove the duct tape covering her airway and preventing her from breathing.

And the evidence in this case would indicate that Caylee was, if not average, above average in that regard.

A juror might conclude, then, that she must have been restrained, either chemically or physically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: The prosecutor goes on to say the last thing the baby saw before she died was her mother`s face.

We are taking your calls live. Today we find out the prosecutor has laid out the theory and the murder weapon.

To Ellie Jostad, chief editorial producer. Ellie, break it down.

ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: Well, Nancy, we got a better look at some of the evidence the state has in this case. That bottle of Gatorade that had traces of chloroform, a syringe found at the scene with the remains that also contained traces of chloroform.

But what seems to be the most important, Nancy, is that duct tape. And what you just heard was from a hearing where the defense tried to get the death penalty off the table. The state laid out what sure sounded like their closing argument, their theory about how Caylee died.

That a piece of duct tape -- not one piece, actually, but three pieces of duct tape -- placed over her mouth. She couldn`t breathe. She died. They also explained that she had to be sedated somehow or restrained somehow. Possibly with chloroform. That may be their argument later, and that is how she was unable to resist when that tape was placed over her mouth.

GRACE: Why was tot mom crying in court?

JOSTAD: Well, Nancy, we`ve recently seen her cry for the first time. Number one, when the prosecutors were describing that, what they said were Caylee`s last moments, she began crying in court.

She also cried when she finally apologized to her friend, Amy Huizenga, for using the checks. She pled guilty to the check fraud and she tearfully apologized for not being a very good friend.

GRACE: Now let me get this straight. Let me go to the lawyers on this. Sue Moss, John Burris, Doug Burns.

Sue Moss, the whole time they`re looking for her daughter who turns up about 10 houses down from her house, buried, really just to start, and not really even buried, but just thrown away like trash. Triple bagged in garbage bags.

The whole time they`re looking for her she doesn`t cry. But then when she faces her girlfriend in court over some checks that she stole, she cries. Why? I don`t understand it.

SUSAN MOSS, FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY & CHILD ADVOCATE: Because lights, camera, action. The cameras were looking at her and she was playing to the crowd. And finally, finally she was probably taking her lawyer`s advice.

But I got to tell you something about this theory, it just doesn`t seem right. I mean I don`t know about this duct tape. I think it was still the chloroform that led to this death.

GRACE: Out to Bill Scheaffer, special guest joining us, former prosecutor, now WFTV legal analyst who was in court.

Weigh in, Bill Scheaffer.

BILL SHEAFFER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY, WFTV LEGAL ANALYST (via phone): Well, Miss Moss is absolutely correct. It was lights, camera, action. It was a very poignant moment. It was riveting when Jeff Ashton, the prosecutor, laid out their theory of their case.

And certainly from an emotional standpoint it is very, very difficult for jurors to listen to the fact that this mother put duct tape over this child and very well may have smothered her to death and with the dying breath of this child that the child was looking into the killer`s face, that is, the mother.

GRACE: You know, Bill, when you were saying that I was just thinking about tonight when I go home, first thing I do, I drop all my bags, Purell, and head straight to the twins` room.

And Lucy has now become attached to bows and barrettes. She wants one right in the middle of her head. A big one. And she goes to sleep with it. And during the night I`ll go in and take it out. And I don`t even want to pull one hair on her head. I don`t even want to yank her little hair.

And the thought of putting this duct tape around the child`s head is disgusting.

And to Ellie Jostad, it`s not just duct tape. It`s very difficult to find this duct tape. I didn`t realize how difficult it was to find until this hearing.

JOSTAD: Right, Nancy. What the state is alleging is that this type of tape, it`s called Hankel Brand tape, it`s a special fire-resistant type of tape. It`s not sold in many stores. They say this is also linked to the Anthony home.

GRACE: Out to a special guest, joining us via Skype in Sacramento, bounty hunter Leonard Padilla.

Now it`s been time for the defense to show their hands they said somebody else did and they`ve got proof. But they haven`t come up with a single witness except the meter reader, Kronk.

LEONARD PADILLA, BOUNTY HUNTER: Well, he`s -- thank Mr. Kronk the body was found and got things rolling in the direction of a trial. But right now I think the defense is about to take a deposition from one of his ex-wives, which I don`t know why. It doesn`t have anything or any bearing on Mr. Kronk finding the body. Other than they`re going to say well, she alleges that she used duct tape on her.

GRACE: Well, you said all along --

PADILLA: And therefore he might -- should be investigated.

GRACE: -- that Kronk found out about a tot mom confession behind bars and that`s how he knew where the body was.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If chemically restrained, her killer prepared some substance in advance that would render her physically unable to resist, administered the substance, awaited its effect and then methodically applied three pieces of duct tape to completely cut off the flow of air through her mouth or her nose, and let nature take its course. At least Caylee wouldn`t have had any fear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: To the lines, Cindy in North Carolina, hi, Cindy.

CINDY, CALLER FROM NORTH CAROLINA: Hi, Nancy. First of all, I just want to say cheers to those two babies. I have one that just turned 18 and I`ve got getting ready to turn 16. Cherish every moment with them.

Second of all, Sheeba, I`m so jealous. She gets through every week. I get to talk to you once a year. So I`m privileged to be talking to you. You`re my hero.

GRACE: Thank you.

CINDY: Third, my question is, if they find one shred of evidence more on this duct tape, can they convict her, give her the murder sentence? Will it stick? Can the state overturn it?

GRACE: You mean, can the defense overturn it?

CINDY: Yes, ma`am.

GRACE: If she gets the murder one.

CINDY: Can the defense -- yes.

GRACE: Weigh in, John Burris.

JOHN BURRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, of course, if they convict her and they find there`s evidence on the duct tape that ties her to the crime, of course, that`s powerful circumstantial and physical evidence.

On the other hand, if they don`t have that, and she gets convicted, there might be evidence to go against them and the case could be overturned. But you`ve got to look to see what kind of direct evidence that ties her into this and/or direct circumstantial evidence and I`m not certain that exists at this moment other than the fact she`s the mother of the child.

GRACE: Well, Doug Burns, you`ve also got human decomposition in her car and some of the little girl`s hair, postmortem, absolutely postmortem, with a death band at the root of the hair in the back of the trunk. I think that`s pretty strong evidence.

DOUG BURNS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, the point you`re making which is a very good one is you have what`s called the -- you know, harmless arrow, which means OK, an arrow may have been made but there was very compelling evidence otherwise.

The other point for the caller, I understand, is that most often than not on appeal you`re litigating whether an error was made during the trial, not so much the question of guilt or innocence. On appeal.

GRACE: Everyone, breaking news in the tot mom case. The state has released more evidence today, including honing in on the murder weapon. Apparently they believe little Caylee was murdered by placing duct tape, thick duct tape.

It wasn`t just the homemade chemicals. It was basically suffocating the little girl to death.

Let`s stop and remember Army Sergeant Nicholas Getz, 25, Stokesdale, North Carolina, killed Iraq. Awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal. Loved sports. Deep basketball, Ohio State football, Miami Dolphins.

Compassionate, beautiful smile. Leaves behind parents Debbie and Mike, two sisters, three brothers.

Nicholas Gibbs, American hero.

Thanks to our guests but especially to you for being with us. And thoughts and prayers for New York friend Michael McFadden. Michael heading into surgery. A very dear friend.

Please, stay strong.

Everyone, I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.

END