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ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL

More Remains Discovered on Long Island; Woman Killed after Break-Up Fight; Toddler Served Alcohol in Applebee`s

Aired April 11, 2011 - 19:00:00   ET

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


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, stomach-turning violence in the war on women. Cops say a high-powered public relations executive nearly decapitates his stunning 23-year-old live-in girlfriend. Neighbors say they heard the screams as they frantically tried to figure out where they were coming from, but they`ve heard this couple fighting for months. Could this nightmare have been averted?

And public outrage. Cops say a toddler was accidentally served a margarita in a sippy cup at Applebee`s. Reports say the 15-month-old had a blood alcohol level of .10, more than the legal limit for an adult. How the hell did this happen?

Also, horrifying new developments in the Long Island Craigslist serial killer. New reports say the killer is taunting a surviving relative of one of his victims. Police add the killer is familiar with law enforcement. Could this demented murderer of at least eight women be an ex-cop? And new reports that one of the bodies might be a kid.

Plus, the royal wedding craze is hitting a fever pitch. Is the stress driving the soon-to-be princess to dieting extremes? Friends say they`re worried about Kate`s shocking weight loss and cigarette smoking. Will this fairytale romance spell big-time health problems for the stressed-out bride? I`m taking your calls.

ISSUES starts now.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPTAIN JAMES DEWAR, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: I won`t be describing the bones, but they were located on the north side, approximately a mile and a half east of the tower, east of the Jones Beach tower.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Fast-breaking news tonight. Just in in the Long Island serial killer case. We are now up to -- count them -- nine bodies with the discovery of a skull just a little while ago. Will that number keep on growing? When will this vicious murderer be caught?

Straight out to investigative journalist Jon Lieberman.

Jon, you are just getting new information from law enforcement as we speak. Tell us what you know.

JON LIEBERMAN, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Well, here`s what we know, Jane. We reported on your program early last week that police fully expected to find more sets of remains today.

They found several sets of remains. Many of them were ruled to be animal remains. Then there`s the skull that you just referenced, which is confirmed to be a human skull. That is victim No. 9. And there is still yet another set of remains, potentially victim number ten on Long Island, that the medical examiner is looking over right now to determine whether, in fact, they are human remains.

But sources are saying it appears on the surface that they are remains and that the victims on Long Island, the number is going to be up to ten very shortly. As soon as that gets confirmed, then the M.E.`s office goes over those remains.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unbelievable. We`re also hearing some shocking reports that this serial killer is taunting a relative of one of the women that he has murdered.

LIEBERMAN: Well, there are. There are so many shocking reports in this case. It just keeps getting more and more disturbing. There are reports that the killer made phone calls to the young teenage sister of one of the victims.

And, Jane, also it appears at this point that one of these victims was actually a child, a toddler. And police have not fully confirmed that, but sources are making it pretty clear that it does appear one of these victims was a toddler. They`re also making it clear that they do believe that these bodies on Long Island are linked to the bodies of four prostitutes found in Atlantic City.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Unbelievable.

LIEBERMAN: So conceivably, we`re talking about up to 14 victims right now, and the search will continue tomorrow morning.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. We are going to have much more on this fast-breaking story at the bottom of the hour. That`s just in about 15 minutes from now.

But first, another tragic war on women horror story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They come into my -- hit the door to my -- when I was sleeping.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard female screams of, "No, no, don`t hurt me."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, the war on women strikes again. A stunning, athletic and vicious young woman, beautiful, brutally murdered just as cops say she was trying to end a stormy relationship with her boyfriend.

Thirty-three-year-old Raul Barrera allegedly took a knife and nearly beheaded this gorgeous girl, 23-year-old Sarah Coit, in the living room of their trendy Manhattan apartment, all this at 2:30 Sunday morning.

Neighbors say they heard screams coming through the walls for at least 20 minutes. The victim was yelling, "Help me, help me." Another heard, "No, no, no, stop. Don`t hurt me."

One man said neighbors were yelling back, "What apartment are you in?"

But somebody else said the couple had been fighting like that for months. So how come they didn`t know which apartment to check?

A total of four 911 calls were made.

Just hours ago, prosecutors charged this creep, the boyfriend, with second-degree murder and revealed he was allegedly making a run for the train station until his own father told him, "Turn yourself in." Cops say he first told them that Sarah, the victim, grabbed the knife first. But it was the female victim who ended up dead and almost decapitated.

I`m taking your calls: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.

Straight out to attorney Lisa Bloom. Lisa, why was this creep only charged with second-degree murder? Why not first-degree if it went on for 20 long minutes?

LISA BLOOM, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, the good news is, this isn`t necessarily over. This is probably based on what law enforcement has so far. And they do have all the testimony of the neighbors, as you just said, that she`s screaming for help. So this doesn`t sound like a self- defense case to me.

And even if she did grab the knife first, as he says, that doesn`t explain his nearly decapitating her. Once she`s down, once she`s incapacitated, he has to stop. So these charges could be upgraded, but for now, this is what we`re looking at. With all of these witnesses, at least ear witnesses to what happened, he`s in very bad shape. I think he`s going down for this.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Dr. Janet Taylor, psychiatrist, this is a rage killing. This young woman`s head was also decapitated. Her torso, there was a gaping stab, and her internal organs were pouring out. Could you say a rage killing?

DR. JANET TAYLOR, PSYCHIATRIST: Well, absolutely. Clearly, there was so much rage. There was no way he was going to let her leave him. And let this be a warning to women involved in domestic violence, get out and get someplace safe, because you never know what can happen.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Absolutely. In fact, we talk about that all the time here on ISSUES, and it is my big issue tonight with Sarah Coit at a deadly juncture. How many times here on ISSUES have we covered horrific issues of women getting murdered precisely at the time they try to leave a violent relationship?

Remember ex-NYPD cop Eddy Coello? He allegedly killed his wife as she was trying to separate from him.

And then there`s the infamous Mo Hassan, the guy you`re looking at right there. He`s the TV executive who was convicted of murdering his wife, of beheading her when she was reportedly trying to divorce him. Yes, a chilling coincidence there. Beheading her with a knife in the case we`re talking about. Tonight, the beautiful young woman was almost decapitated.

So domestic violence experts say, Lisa Bloom, it`s critical. And we`re not blaming the victim here. There is -- there is no...

BLOOM: Right.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... what so ever justification but to save other lives. If you`re breaking up with somebody who has a violent streak, get out of harm`s way, get a lawyer, get your family around you, and then break up with him from a distance.

BLOOM: That`s right, Jane. And people always say why do battered women stay? Sometimes it`s not an irrational behavior. Sometimes they stay because they know the most dangerous part is the moment at which they leave.

And look, we`ve all had arguments with a lover in the middle of the night. This is not to blame the woman. She was stuck in this situation, and she suffered this horrendous outcome.

But you`re right: those of us who have a moment to think, who are in a violent relationship, you know, you have to get out, you have to get safe, as you say, and then break up from a distance. Surround yourself with family and friends but get away.

But even then, Jane, the guy can come after you. A piece of paper in the form of a TRO may not protect you. It`s a very, very dangerous time, as this case demonstrates.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, I`m wondering who is this guy is cops say murdered his live-in girlfriend? Well, get this. This guy is a public relations executive in Manhattan, living in a very trendy area.

The couple apparently had a historically violent relationship. One neighbor in their building said they had been fighting audibly for months. That means you could hear them screaming and yelling. A police source said cops were called to the couple`s apartment in January because of a shouting match. What else do we know, Jon Lieberman?

LIEBERMAN: Well, we know that this guy has a violent streak. We know that back in February he pled guilty to bashing a glass bottle onto another guy`s face inside that same apartment, and for that he got ten days of public service. That was it, because he pled out to a very minor charge.

And I`ll tell you, Jane, the other disturbing thing here is, when police got to the house, this young lady was still alive. Now, she probably wouldn`t have survived, but just think of this scenario. If they guy wouldn`t have delayed, if he wouldn`t, like cops alleged in court today, if he wouldn`t have been heading to the train station, and then called the dad, turned himself in, I mean, there was an hour of delay there. Had cops been able to get to that house quicker, we never know if this young lady would have survived.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And I just want to say, this woman, not only a 5`10" stunning beauty, she was working in a boutique in New York City. She had studied at Hunter College, studied marketing and advertising. She really had a whole future ahead of her. Cut short because of a violent, violent boyfriend, say authorities.

Thank you, fantastic panel.

Coming up later, more developments in the Long Island serial killer case. We`re hearing a tenth body now, possibly; definitely a ninth. They found a skull.

But, first, was a toddler accidentally given a margarita in a sippy cup at Applebee`s? How in the hell could that happen? Give me a call. I`m taking your call, parents. What can we do about this? It`s happened before. Maybe not a margarita. In the last case, it was a Long Island Iced Tea. 1-877-JVM-SAYS. That`s 1-877-586-7297.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The doctor told us if he would have drank that whole glass, he would have died.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The doctor told us if he would have drank that whole glass, he would have died.

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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, a story every parent needs to hear. A little boy from Michigan has a big scare when a server at a popular family chain restaurant, Applebee`s, pours booze into the toddler`s sippy cup instead of juice. Precious 15-month-old Dominic Reese was supposed to get a cup full of apple juice, but instead he was given a margarita.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAYLOR DILL-REESE, SON WAS SERVED MARGARITA: We took it from him and he kind of laid his head on the table and dosed off a little bit and woke back up and got real happy and was saying "bye" to people or "hi" to people. His food came, and he wouldn`t eat it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So does this mean the tiny toddler, who probably weighed somewhere about 25 pounds, accidentally pounded down a mixed drink containing tequila?

Now, we`re hearing some conflicting reports. We`re hearing claims that when the mom rushed the little boy to the hospital, he had a blood alcohol level of .1, which would be more than the legal limit for an adult driver.

However, just moments ago, we heard from Applebee`s -- they are watching this program -- and they say, no, that`s not true. He didn`t have a .1, which would be above a .8, would be really above what an adult could drive legally with. That he only had trace amounts.

And they sent us over this police report. They faxed it over. I just got it in my hands. It`s still hot to the touch. And it says here, "Wilson checked the drink with my B -- PBT, and it registered a .014," .014. So that would tend, I think, to back up Applebee`s contention that it is trace amounts.

We want to be fair here, and by the way, Applebee`s, if you want to come on any time and talk about this, you are welcome. We want to get both sides of the story.

Call us: 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

We`re going to go out to pediatrician Gwen O`Keefe.

Gwen, in general, because there`s a dispute about how much alcohol this little boy got, but in general, why is it dangerous for a year-and-a- half-year-old who weighs about 25 pounds or so, to have alcohol?

GWEN O`KEEFE, PEDIATRICIAN (via phone): You know, it`s interesting, because we don`t know a lot about little tiny kids and alcohol, but what we do know is that the blood alcohol level isn`t really important in little tiny children, because they metabolize it differently than you and I would. So they can have a very teeny amount and get drunk very quickly.

And what a little bit of alcohol does to them is it screws up their metabolism of blood glucose. And that`s what makes it so dangerous in small children. So we worry a huge amount of just a sip of alcohol. It could plummet their sugar, and that`s what makes it very dangerous in kids.

And when I used to work in emergency rooms, I`d panic if I would hear that a child might have mixed up, you know, apple juice for wine at a holiday party, because you`d worry about that sugar and also the body temperature. So it becomes a metabolic issue, not so much a blood alcohol issue. You can handle that.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Thank you for that explanation.

Now, this is not the first time, allegedly, Applebee`s has had a booze-for-juice mix-up at Applebee`s. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYNTHIA PERELES, SON GIVEN ALCOHOL IN 2006: When the waiter came over and actually brought our drinks and he took a sip from the kiddy cup, he just thought it was the nastiest thing. He said, "Mommy, it`s so nasty."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Now, back in 2006, a 5-year-old New York City boy was allegedly given a Long Island iced tea rather than the apple juice he ordered. Now, he survived. His mother sued Applebee`s for shock and mental anguish.

Joining me now, attorney Stephen Krawitz, who is a personal injury attorney, who represented the mother in this lawsuit.

Now, first of all, I want to say, I`m sober 16 years, but I remember the Long Island iced teas, because they were -- wow. They knocked me on my you know what. Because they are a combination of all sorts of different alcohol, but because they`re sweet they don`t taste like you`re drinking alcohol. So you drink a lot of them. And then all of a sudden -- bing.

But be that as it may, what is your reaction to this latest development, with this mother saying her child had a similar incident where she got some booze in the sippy cup?

STEPHEN KRAWITZ, ATTORNEY: Well, Jane, when I got a call from your producer that asked me about this, I was absolutely shocked that Applebee`s had actually done the exact same thing again.

We`re not talking about serving a minor or an infant, in this case a 15-month-old, in a glass or in a paper cup. We`re talking about a bartender taking a mixed drink, mixing a drink up, in this case, a margarita, and pouring it into a sippy cup, a child`s sippy cup that has a top with a little nipple on top that they drink out of it. That is unbelievable, that they`re not even paying attention to where they`re pouring the alcoholic beverages.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me say this. We reached out to Applebee`s, and they told us that after this latest incident they are going to change how they serve apple juice to kids and they`re going to -- instead of putting it in a big container and serving it out, they`re going to have individual containers that they give the kids so they know it`s apple juice. They`re going to retrain all their servers.

And they say that alcohol and nonalcoholic beverages are going to be stored completely separately. Does that reassure you, Stephen?

KRAWITZ: No, it doesn`t. Because, again, the drink had to be prepared and actually poured into the sippy cup, and the sippy cup had to be -- the lid had to be affixed to the top of it. And then that drink went out to be served to the infant minor. It`s not a question of them keeping these in a refrigerator and (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What`s your take on this...

KRAWITZ: My take on this is...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: No, Lisa Bloom. What`s your take on it, Lisa? Are you still there?

BLOOM: Yes, I am here.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Your voice has dropped a couple of octaves.

BLOOM: I am here. I just didn`t want to interrupt. I mean, I`m hopefully -- hopeful this is just a terrible accident. But it certainly is shocking. I mean, restaurants should have procedures in place to present this kind of thing from happening. I mean, look at this little guy.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, well, stay right where you are. We`re going to have more on this booze mix-up in a moment.

Also, are cops finally closing in on the Long Island Craigslist serial killer?

And how did a margarita get into a toddler`s sippy cup at Applebee`s? We`re examining that question.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERELES: He was basically, you know, laughing uncontrollably, licking the things on the table like the bread basket. You know, he was speaking very loudly. And I asked him, you know, to calm down, kind of lower his voice, and he said to me that he couldn`t because of what was in the cup.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Imagine realizing your child has just been served hard liquor instead of apple juice. That mom you just heard from lived through that nightmare in 2006, and tonight we`re talking about a similar case at the same restaurant chain. This time the boy was just 15 months old. We`re happy to say that that youngster is doing fine.

Now, Stephen Krawitz, you represented the mother in a lawsuit against Applebee`s in the 2006 case. And I`ve been reading that you claim that this child is still suffering ill effects or did suffer for quite a while? Tell us about that.

Stephen, are you there?

KRAWITZ: Yes, I`m here. I`m sorry.

Well, the child was rushed out of the restaurant after the mother found that he had been drinking a Long Island iced tea, which is a very potent cocktail. And they rushed him to the hospital, and the sirens were blaring, and the police were all around him, and the kid was, you know, extremely traumatized. He was crying.

The mother said he had nightmares after he got home. He couldn`t sleep well. He wouldn`t sleep alone in his room. He actually was afraid to go into a restaurant. And she took him to a child psychologist, who spoke to him, and they did some play therapy. And the kid, you know, was talking about his problems, but he did suffer traumatic injury. I mean...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: You called it Applebee`s dreams, that he was having nightmares called Applebee`s dreams?

KRAWITZ: I don`t think I...

VELEZ-MITCHELL: That`s what I read.

KRAWITZ: I don`t know if I called it that, but the fact is that he was having bad dreams about this -- all the commotion and the sirens and the police and firemen. And he was at least -- you know, he was at least aware enough at that age to -- to be afraid.

I mean, I don`t know about a 15-month-old, but he was -- I think Seth was 5 or 6 at the time and he was aware what was going on around him. And it was -- it was disturbing.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Traumatic experience, in your opinion?

KRAWITZ: Yes.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: OK. Marilyn, Michigan, your question or thought, ma`am?

CALLER: Yes, hi, Jane.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Hi.

CALLER: Love your show.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Thank you.

CALLER: I`m horrified by this, because I have grandchildren myself. And Applebee`s claims that they`ll retrain their servers. Well, this is my issue. Since this now -- knowing that this is not the first time, why didn`t they train their servers when it first happened? Did somebody have to die before they realized the seriousness of this?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa Bloom, thank God the mom noticed her son was acting strangely and grabbed that sippy cup before he drank more of it.

BLOOM: Yes, they`re in a heap of trouble, because this has happened before. I think anyone can understand that a restaurant or a place of business can make a mistake once. But this has happened before. So obviously, whatever they did in terms of retraining did not work.

Although, I have to say, I question the damages here. Thank goodness both of these kids are OK. It could have gotten a lot worse. But I think most kids, if they drink alcohol, they`re going to go "Puh," and spit it out right away. So thank goodness he`s OK. I don`t see a huge award coming down against Applebee`s for this.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. Well, we live in a litigious society, so we`ll have to see what happens. We`re going to stay on top of this.

And I`ve got to say: my big issue in this, it`s a wakeup call for parents. We live in a fast-food world and do everything quickly. I`m not blaming the parents here at all. They did a great job. But let`s look for what other pernicious things might be in the food and the drinks that we`re giving, whether it`s pesticides, sugar or -- sugar, sugar in all these juices. All right? So let`s stay alert, because it`s not just alcohol.

All right. Coming up, we`re going to have more on the Craigslist serial killer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today we found several sets of remains. Many of them were ruled to be animal remains. Then there`s the skull that which you just referenced which is confirmed to be a human skull. That is victim number nine. And there is still yet another set of remains, potentially victim number ten on Long Island.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight, breaking news out of Long Island: cadaver dogs sniff out more remains of the Long Island serial killer case. We have just learned cops have found the ninth body in this same deserted beach area; specifically, what appears to be a human skull. And remains found earlier today could be a tenth victim.

Another stunner: new speculation that this killer -- this serial killer could be somebody very, very familiar with police procedure, possibly an ex cop. At this point, only the bodies of four women have been identified. All four they worked as Craigslist prostitutes.

And how is this for sick? We`re hearing reports that this killer taunted the family of one of the victims by calling the murdered woman`s little sister. Listen to this from "Good Morning America". The young woman is in silhouette because she`s afraid for her life tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t understand why he chose me; there`s how many other girls and how many other families. I don`t understand why I was chosen or I was taunted. They were very taunting and angry words.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can`t understand --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. That was hard to understand but essentially this creep called her up and was taunting her about the murder of her sister and they think -- cops think this is the serial killer. They think this is actually the serial killer making this phone call.

Now, the sister said, the man actually told her he murdered her sister Melissa. Not only has he devastated this family, he`s also degraded with them by toying with their emotions.

Cops now combing every inch of these Long Island beaches to find out how many women this guy has murdered and the question is, is this murder spree still in progress tonight, just 40 miles outside of New York City? Give me a call, 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

Straight out to former FBI agent and criminal profiler Joe Navarro, also the author of "What Every Body is Saying". Joe, more remains found; we`re up to nine remains, possibly ten. Now this information, this guy is allegedly taunting a female relative of one of his female victims. What does that tell you about this sicko?

JOE NAVARRO, FORMER FBI AGENT AND CRIMINAL PROFILER: Well, what it tells me is that we are really dealing here with a psychopath. And as I`ve always said and you`ve heard this before, any time we`re dealing with psychopaths, the debris field of human suffering is always larger, not smaller, than we can imagine. And I suspect there will be more victims out there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I cannot get over the fact that this man had the audacity to call the sister of one of the victims, Melissa Bartholmy (ph).

Here is Melissa`s sister again on GMA in silhouette. Let`s listen carefully. She`s in fear of her life. Just -- you have to hear her carefully because she`s hard to understand. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m scared of my own protection, the fact that he was calling my phone. I have to be worried about, is that going to happen to me one day, like scared to even walk out the door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And get this, investigators say he always called her from crowded locations in New York City like in station and Times Square so he couldn`t be picked out on surveillance cameras. He also kept the calls under three minutes so that the call could not be traced; at Madison Square Garden, another place that he called from.

The guy knows all the tricks to avoid being arrested and investigators think this guy could be a cop or somebody very familiar with law enforcement. Dr. Janet Taylor, what do you think?

DR. JANET TAYLOR: Hey, it`s pretty scary. But you know, think about how re-traumatized this sister is. But it fits; you know a psychopath has no remorse. There`s a sadism that come along with it and also, the fact that they are an odd kind of guy. But clearly he has a knowledge of police techniques.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, the fact that they found a ninth set of human remains today brings me to my big issue tonight. Is this not over yet? Could this killing spree be in progress as we speak?

Now, here`s what we know about today`s horrifying discovery of a skull. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. JAMES DEWAR, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: At approximately 11:20 a.m., a state trooper using a cadaver dog did locate some bones on the Ocean Park Way on the north side, the bay side. Those bones will be transported to the Nassau County Medical Examiner`s Office where a determination as to whether they are human will be made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. And here is a map of the area. We`re talking about these new bones found about a mile and a half from Jones Beach, a very popular beach in Nassau County; crews expanding their search to nearby Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County.

If this killing field keeps on expanding, you have to wonder, could there be more than one killer? It`s some kind of crazy where everybody goes to dump bodies. I remember that used to be the case when I worked in L.A. everybody seemed to dump the bodies in the Angeles National Forest. So, who knows? Maybe that`s an explanation.

Barbara, New Jersey, your question or thought, ma`am.

BARBARA, NEW JERSEY (via telephone): I was wondering that police officer that was riding by with his dog and spotted this odd thing and he walked up and it was a body, did they question him?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m not sure I understand your question.

BARBARA: All right. There was a police officer driving by the beach, with his dog, and he said he spotted something strange on the beach.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh.

BARBAR: I was wondering if they questioned him because --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Brilliant, brilliant, Barbara, New Jersey. Yes, of course.

Joe Navarro, they are saying it could be a law enforcement officer. You have all these law enforcement officers who -- let`s presume that they are wonderful guys who are working a very horrible assignment in the cold and the dank and the wet. But you have to wonder, given that they are saying it could be a cop, whether they are questioning these people.

NAVARRO: Well, I wouldn`t jump to too many conclusions. I`m sure they are going to be talking to everybody. But let`s face it with so many hours of hours of television shows we`ve seen this coming up in the last ten or 20 years. A lot more people know about criminalistics; a lot more people know about police procedures. So I wouldn`t be surprised if in this case the psychopath is not in fact not a member -- I mean he`s not a member of the police department. I think this is a person who is very smart and very well read or knowledgeable in the area of criminalistics.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I think you`re right Joe because he used disposable cell phones to contact the four victims who have been identified as advertising their prostitution services on Craigslist. So we all know to use disposable cell phones, Lisa Bloom, by now. Anybody who has watched "CSI" or "Law and Order" knows you use a disposable cell phones --

LISA BLOOM, FOUNDER, THEBLOOMFIRM.COM: Or your show.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Or this show.

BLOOM: Yes, but Jane, you know what; I wouldn`t have known to make a call from Madison Square Garden and I`ve been covering crime stories for 10 years and been a lawyer for -- I don`t know -- 27 years. This is somebody with really specialized knowledge. Yes, you can get that maybe from watching all these shows, reading a lot of books but I wouldn`t rule out law enforcement. I think everything is a possibility at this point.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. And again we are not impugning the men in blue and the women in blue that you`re seeing on this videotape. These people are working really hard out there.

Mark, North Carolina your question or thoughts, sir.

MARK, NORTH CAROLINA (via telephone): Hi. I was just wondering if you think possibly that the suspect could be a (INAUDIBLE) --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Could be what?

MARK: Do you think the suspect could be a (INAUDIBLE)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, that`s funny. That`s one of the Howard Stern callers. Well done. Well done, sir. You`ve managed to trivialize a very serious case here. But you know, I always get a laugh out of those Bubba Booey (ph) folks. No harm, no foul.

Let me ask you this question and I`m going to go back to Joe Navarro on this. There is speculation this has to be a local person because you`re talking about transporting potentially nine bodies, possibly ten, to this one location, which is very risky if you`re coming from a remote location. So some experts have said well, it`s got to be a local guy because nobody else would take the risk of going through toll booths, et cetera, et cetera.

NAVARRO: Well, and you know they`re probably right. I mean what history has taught is these individuals usually operate between six to eight kilometers from home. They know the area well. They`ve been there before. They traverse there. Maybe they dumped -- maybe that`s where they go to dump the grass clippings that -- on a weekend and so forth. So they know this area well.

It`s usually that. It`s familiarity. It`s comfort. And I wouldn`t be surprised if this individual hasn`t been there 20, 30 times.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Wow. And we cannot forget about four prostitutes found murdered in nearby Atlantic City five years ago.

Now, investigative journalist Jon Lieberman told us right here on ISSUES this past Friday those prostitutes found in Atlantic City were all posed in very specific ways. Let`s listen to what he has to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEBERMAN: The women were posed. They were face down; the bodies were face down. Their heads were facing east and their shoes and socks were taken off. That`s the type of killer they were dealing with in Atlantic City. So we can only imagine what was done to the bodies on Long Island.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: So Dr. Janet Taylor, the four women identified in Long Island, they were in burlap bags. Given the different MO, do you think it`s a different serial killer even though cops think it could be connected?

DR. TAYLOR: Well, I mean I have no knowledge of that aspect but certainly with serial killers there is a ritualistic aspect of it. And the other part is typically if they`re serial killers, they are not sloppy. So they know pretty much how to cover their tracks and what they`re doing to make sure that they don`t get caught at certain times.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, I also heard last week that the cops think they have their eye on somebody as we speak. I hope so. We`re staying on top of this story. I hope we can report an arrest very, very soon. I pray.

Thank you, fantastic panel.

Coming up next, we`re switching gears to the royal wedding. Is royal wedding stress putting the beautiful princess-to-be over the edge? You won`t believe what she`s doing now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE WILLIAM, GREAT BRITAIN: We`re actually excited; quite happy when the interview` over. But no, she`s excited and we`re looking forward to spending the rest of our times -- you know, the rest of our lives together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE WILLIAM: I just decided that it was the right time really. And we`ve been talking about marriage for a while so it wasn`t a massively big surprise. But I took her out somewhere nice in Kenya and I proposed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. I had no idea what he just said. Marrying a prince might be all it`s cracked up to be. From what we`re hearing it can be a lot of stress. Just ask Kate Middleton.

PopEater.com reports the bride-to-be is shockingly skinny and she started smoking again; something Prince William hates. Friends say she is so thin she`s had to buy new clothing and have her wedding dress taken in.

If you ask me, she doesn`t have much weight to lose. My gosh. She`s stunning and perfect as she is. Why lose more weight?

Now, here`s Kate talking about the first time she met her future husband, the future king of England, and here`s the pick-up line. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATE MIDDLETON, PRINCE WILLIAM`S FIANCEE: Actually, I think when you said (INAUDIBLE) and scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Again, no idea what she just said. The big day is two weeks from Friday. Can Kate keep it together? Girl, fainting as you walk down the aisle is going to annoy the in-laws.

All right. Folks at home, give me a call, 1-877-JVM-SAYS.

Popeater`s "Naughty but Nice" columnist Rob Shuter joins me in just a hot second, with the smoking and the weight loss rumors.

But first, I`m very excited to have our own royalty from Beverly Hills. Lisa Vanderpump Bravo`s "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is our exclusive HLN royal wedding contributor. And she joins us tonight with her very royal pooch Jiggy. And you`re going to see Jiggy in a second and they are both going to join us. Can we raise Jiggy up a little bit, Lisa, so we can see the Jigster? There you go. Yes. You guys have matching outfits. Oh, yes.

LISA VANDERPUMP, "REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS": Of course.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Of course. Well, give us the skinny, so to speak, on this approaching wedding and why do you think Kate continues to lose weight when she was just about perfect a month ago?

VANDERPUMP: Hi, can you hear me in.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes, absolutely. Carry on. Carry on.

VANDERPUMP: I mean, I think it`s normal for a bride to lose weight before you get married. I mean it`s a big day. There`s a lot of pressure. But, yes, I hope she doesn`t kind of fall into that trap that Princess Diana did with the bulimia and weight loss issues.

But certainly she is looking worryingly thin right now for me. Yes, absolutely. The last pictures I saw of her, I think it`s a little kind of worrying right now.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. You don`t want to be too thin. Even the princes, they like a little, you know, something to hang on to.

VANDERPUMP: Exactly.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Whether she wants to be or not, Kate is the new Diana. She`s even wearing Diana`s sapphire engagement ring and those are some pretty big shoes to fill. She`s having to live up to somebody who, let`s face it, is beyond adored.

Diana`s wedding to Charles was the biggest, most storybook wedding most of us have ever seen in our lives. Now Kate`s wedding to Prince William is being called the wedding of the century. What pressure, especially the wedding night of the century. Talk about performance anxiety, I`m getting nervous just thinking about it, Rob Shuter.

ROB SHUTER, COLUMNIST, POPEATER.COM: Absolutely. Now, remember, Diana had incredible pressure. But what Diana did not have was Diana to live up to. There was no princess out there whose shoes she needed to fill. So the fact that Kate has this extra ghost, if you like, of Diana on her shoulder, must make her terrible frightening for her.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What about the weight loss and the smoking?

SHUTER: It`s really scary. Brits are really, really talking about the weight loss. She`s believed to have dropped two dress sizes and now she`s --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: What is she, minus one now?

SHUTER: She`s a zero now, so she`s a size zero and it is causing concern, especially because the Brits all remember Princess Diana and how much weight she lost and how she suffered terribly with bulimia after she got married, not before.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I just -- it drives me crazy when I see these gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous women who -- obviously something has to be going on inside to make them insecure that they would want to lose more weight when they are absolutely perfect and stunning just as they are.

Art is never completed. It is abandoned. Sometimes you`ve just got to say stop and say, I`m good enough.

Joyce in Pennsylvania, your question or thought?

JOYCE, PENNSYLVANIA (via telephone): Well, my thought is, I work in a bridal shop and I have to tell you, whether they are a size 2 or a size 32, the first thing out of their mouths when they put on a wedding dress is, "I have to lose weight."

It`s the first thing they say and they all look so beautiful as they are. But it`s the first thing -- it always amazes me that that`s the first thing that they say when they put the dress on.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: And one day they will get to be my age and I can look back on the days when I really was skinny and I never even appreciated the fact that I was skinny. I was so busy losing weight and now I`m not really skinny anymore and I don`t care.

So, it`s such a crazy game Lisa, that we play on ourselves, we women. Terrible.

VANDERPUMP: I know. It`s ridiculous. I absolutely hate that, this obsession with losing weight.

(CROSSTALK)

SHUTER: You look great.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. On the other side of the break, more from you and Jiggy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MIDDLE: I was quite nervous about meeting William`s father, but he`s very, very welcoming and very friendly. (INAUDIBLE) It couldn`t have gone easier really for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Those two are getting hitched, and we`re talking about it; the royal wedding almost upon us. The guest list is growing, and it`s full of exes, as in Kate`s exes and Will`s exes; now, two of Kate`s ex-boyfriends on the list and four of the groom`s ex-love. Even Prince Charles invited his rumored first love.

And then, of course, there are the big stars. Soccer star David Beckham and his wife, Victoria; Elton John and all of those people. The list goes on and on.

Lisa Vanderpump, tell us about these exes. I find that rather Peculiar, and also noticed that Jiggy seems to be very bored by the subject and seems to be almost quite asleep.

VANDERPUMP: I know I`m sorry about that. I`ll wake him up.

I think it`s quite customary in those circles really because the circles are so small it`s like the exes have to get on. Camilla was at Charles and Diana`s wedding, much to Diana chagrin, I suppose. And also at Camilla and Charles` wedding she had her ex-husband. Yes, I just think that`s kind of like, like it or lump it. Sort of make the best of it and get on with it.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I don`t know who all those people running track were, but maybe they`re coming to the wedding, too. Now, this could be an episode of "Three`s Company" when the honeymoon is over, because from what I understand William and Kate and Prince Harry plan to live together.

Here`s Prince Harry talking about his future sister-in-law on "Good Morning America". Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE HARRY, GREAT BRITAIN: She`s a fantastic girl. She really is. My brother is very lucky, and she`s very lucky to find my brother. The two of them are a perfect match.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Apparently the threesome won`t share a house for long, just until William and Kate can find a house of their own.

But Rob Shuter, what is this with the royals rooming together? I think a lot of people don`t realize that these palaces, like Kensington Palace, they`re kind of like glorified apartment complexes where the royals are kind of assigned to live with each other whether they like it or not.

SHUTER: Yes. They`re massive, massive buildings and they have many wings to the buildings. And within the buildings they do have almost suites of apartments. So a lot of these royals do live in the same palaces and actually very rarely get to say hello to each other. You can stay in the West Wing, I`ll stay in the East Wing and they all seem to get along and come together for dinner.

But I do have little juicy piece of information for Jiggy who is watching. The queen`s nine corgis will be at the party following the wedding. If you don`t like your duck (ph), you can drop it onto the table and somebody will whisk it away, so the dogs will be there.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Any reaction, Jiggy? Jiggy would you like to --

VANDERPUMP: I love that. Jiggy can`t believe that he`s not invited. Maybe his invitation is still in the post. But Jiggy does need that --

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Jiggy, you`re one of those people who say, I couldn`t care less about the royal wedding. Apparently there`s coffee cups going up with that sign on there.

Everybody gets nervous before their wedding, and Prince William pretty much admitted he and his bride are no different than commoners in that regard.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRINCE WILLIAM: We are, we are. We`re like sort of ducks; sort of very calm on the surface, but those little feet going on under the water. It`s really exciting. We`ve been talking about it for a long time. For us it`s a real relief and it`s really nice to be able to tell everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Lisa, ten seconds, all kidding aside, I love these two. They`re so elegant. They`re so beautiful. They seem so nice.

VANDERPUMP: They really are. I think he`s made a brilliant choice. We`ll see how it pans out but I think she`s fabulous.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: On the other side, some more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELEZ-MITCHELL: A brutal blow in the war on women. Cops say a PR executive stabbed his girlfriend and nearly decapitated her. Investigators say this last and deadly fight started when she tried to break off the stormy relationship.

Sadly, this isn`t the first time we heard this story. Remember the ex-cop, accused of murdering his estranged wife when she tried to leave him? Or, what about that high-powered TV executive who was convicted of beheading his wife -- beheading her when she asked for a divorce?

We can`t blame these victims, but there is a dangerous, deadly pattern. I mean come on. When you are in a violent relationship, you don`t negotiate face to face. Do not have a face-to-face talk with the man who has abused you. Get to a safe place. Stay with family and friends. Call the police. Call a lawyer. Do anything but talk to the person directly. We have to arm ourselves and be smart not to walk into a trap.

Nancy Grace is up next.

END