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LEGAL VIEW WITH ASHLEIGH BANFIELD

Aaron Hernandez Deliberations Continue; Details of Philadelphia Child Endangerment Case; Judge to Decide Jodi Arias Sentence; Game of Thrones Online Leaks Examined. Aired 12:30-p ET

Aired April 13, 2015 - 12:30   ET

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


[12:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: A verdict in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial could come down at any time.

It is day five of deliberations and the jury has a lot to consider. The case is lasted 10 weeks. They've heard 41 days of testimony for more than 130 witnesses. And they have more than 400 exhibits to consider. And today the only peek we've heard from the jury is regarding smoke breaks.

Our Susan Candiotti is live right outside the courthouse in Fall River Massachusetts with more. So Susan as we said it's day five. What is the say to you about a possible verdict -- guilty verdict?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Pamela good morning it could mean so many things as you pointed out there is so much for this jury to consider they've seen so many exhibits, videos here from so many witnesses.

They could very simply be taking their time and looking at everything they have after receiving so much information over the past 10 weeks. But of course like said it's impossible to know for sure.

BROWN: So, they have a lot to consider here. And if he is found guilty Susan how do they decide first or second degree?

CANDIOTTI: Well, you know, that is it. They have to decide if it is first degree murder, there are two other things they must answer. And that is, was it premeditated and or was Odin Lloyd murdered with six shoots is that with extreme cruelty or with atrocity.

Now if they reject the idea that Aaron Hernandez orchestrated and fully participated in a plot. He still could be found guilty of second degree murder which eliminates the need of premeditation.

[12:35:05] So there is a lot for this jury to think about as we pointed out time and again.

BROWN: OK. And any minute we could hear from them jury.

Thank you so much we appreciate it Susan Candiotti.

Well is he a quadriplegic suffering from cerebral palsy as police say he was left alone in the woods, abandoned by his own mother.

The disturbing details up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: A young man paralyzed was abandoned in the woods four days, police say, by his own mother while she went to visit her boyfriend. Now 41 year old Nyia Parler is in police custody in Maryland. And she's facing several charges including reckless endangerment of another person, neglect of care of a dependent person and kidnapping.

Authorities say she left her quadriplegic son in Cobbs Creek area of Philadelphia.

The 21 year old was found more than four days later with only a blanket and a bible.

Police say low temperatures plummeted to the mid 30s in the night he was exposed. The victim is now in a hospital in Philadelphia recovering from several ailments.

And joining me now is CNN Commentator and Legal Analyst, Mel Robbins and Former Federal Prosecutor and Patents attorney Fred Tecce.

Mel starting with you, I mean aside from just a sheer repulsiveness of this action by a mother. What is she facing criminally?

MEL ROBBINS, CNN COMMENTATOR: Pamela, she's facing a lot there are seven counts that range from kidnapping to aggregated assault, aggregated assault being a first degree felony in the state of Pennsylvania.

And under that particular crime Pamela, if you cause injury to somewhat serious injury to somebody which she certainly did to her 21 year old son with recklessness and with a lack of disregard for human life. You can be convicted and sentence to minimum of two years in jail.

[12:40:08] So this is a very, very vial disturbing and criminally serious case Pamela.

BROWN: And Fred I want to go to you because we've learned that some of the family members apparently his aunts wanted to take him in and adopt him before this happened. What do you make of that and how could that factor in to the charges that she could face?

FRED TECCE, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: Well I'll tell you what Pamela, you know, I spent years as a prosecutor and sometimes I would be some overly aggressive. But I think this is a case that calls out for it.

This woman had a place to put this child he had relatives that would be willing to take him. And she left him in Cobbs Creek Park on Philadelphia. But I can tell you that's not a place you want to leave someone. She left him on the ground with a blanket, with no food and no water for an extended period of time in the face of cold weather. If I'm a prosecutor I'm waiting to put together enough of a case to actually bring additional charges because what I think what this woman did was absolutely reprehensible.

BROWN: Do we know by the way who will care for this victim going forward Fred, or Mel?

TECCE: You know, what child services in the city of Philadelphia will take over and step in. I mean I know there are family members who have been with this child in the hospital the entire time want to take him and want to care for him. I mean obviously the mother does not.

ROBBINS: So that she made clear.

TECCE: Right.

BROWN: Yeah, it just unbelievably disturbing. Mel and Fred thank you very much.

TECCE: Thanks Pamela.

ROBBINS: Thanks Pamela.

BROWN: So, you thought you may have heard the last of Jodi Arias. Well maybe you have.

After today her final sentencing and HLN Nancy Grace joins me live to talk about this case coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:45:14] BROWN: It is sentencing day for Jodi Arias. She was convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander, slitting his throat from ear to ear.

But two juries could not decide whether she should live or die. So now it is up to a judge. Arias faces life in prison or life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years.

And just a short time ago, the judge heard from Travis' little sister, Hillary Wilcox. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY WILCOX, TRAVIS ALEXANDER'S SISTER: I want my brother very much and I miss him very much. Travis was not only my brother but we were really close friends. Travis and I had many of the same goals. He wanted to get married. He wanted a family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: His little sister obviously very emotional there.

HLN Host and Former Prosector Nancy Grace joins me now to discuss. Nancy, you have been following this from the very beginning. What has this poor family gone through?

NANCY GRACE, HOST, HLN'S NANCY GRACE: Hello Pamela. When I hear that in the courtroom, you know, I've been in the courtroom from the get go and have spent many hours with the family during all of these, sitting behind him in court, listening to them.

But I got to tell you something, when they went in for sentencing today, this morning, they crystalized everything. They had been thinking and feeling from the very beginning, they went all the way back.

And they talked about learning that their brother was dead, how they raced to his home and it didn't seem real. And they went in and two other sisters set out outside his bedroom. They couldn't walk in and then one sister goes in and see the carpet torn out by investigators and smells the room and sees the room where her brother was slaughtered where he was sliced ear to ear, stabbed 28 times, and shot in the head after a day of sex with Jodi Arias which she photographed, which became state's exhibits.

They talked about how every morning of trial, this has been going on for years now that they prayed every morning that Arias would just tell the truth and end this. But she never did.

Then Martinez as the prosecutor comes on and he very eloquent talks about how Jodi Arias talks at the both sides of her mouth and this is very important, Pamela. Depending on who she's stalking too, she tells some people Travis Alexander was the love of my life. He is brilliant. He is everything. And to others, he's a pedophile.

That all can't be true, the point is, what will she say to this judge that try to save her own skin. That was the point he was making?

BROWN: And you summed up, just the emotion coming from the family members, I want to listen now to what another sister said, Tanisha Sorenson, and let's take a listen to her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TANISHA SORENSON, TRAVIS ALEXANDER'S SISTER: I've been here every pain single phase and its pain staking trial just as you have so I'm sure you know this is no easy task. Every single day that I've sat here has been very painful and swearing on my spirit viewing my brother's autopsy photo, hearing the lies has just been about all I can take.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So the judge (Inaudible) had listening and certainly they're -- I know that you've done a special on this prison life for Jodi Arias a little over a year ago, Nancy. Tell us what is prison life going to be like for her?

GRACE: Well, I've been behind bars there at the jail. They're in Arizona and is run by Joe Arpaio, the famous judge that makes the inmates wear pink underwater and he was all of these innovative ideas about how to handle inmates.

Let me tell you this, Jodi Arias is making a mint behind bars. She is selling her art and since you can't see me, let me tell you Pamela, I did that in quotes because she traces pictures out of magazines and then sells it for thousands of dollars online or art.

She has rings of lovelorn men sending her money which I guess she buys stuff in the commissary. She's got Twitter. She's got Facebook. She's got a very active online presence. So, you know, she also want American Idol behind bars with oh holy night.

So with all that in mind, I think she'll have a pretty full life. What concerns me is the sentence. Now, I've been pretty hard on the judge because she conducted this trial and sits and starts, so the jury never got a smooth, comprehensive presentation of the evidence by the state, which they deserve and they never got.

[12:50:01] However, a lot of times we don't know why the judge delays. Why the judge makes the decision she does.

So I don't really know why she did that, I just know that it hurt to states presentation. She's got two choices Pamela life without parole, life with parole.

She could be out in about 17 or 18 years. Time enough for her to be young woman and kill another man.

BROWN: And I guess what decision you think should be made here Nancy Grace.

GRACE: Well, you know, I think it's always up to the jury. I'm more concerned with a verdict that speaks the truth. You know, after all my years as a prosecutor I wanted that verdict speaks the truth for the victim, eyes of crime victim that matters to me.

The jury sort of the dead lock on the death penalty twice, I think the judges going to get life without parole but she is certainly surprise me before.

BROWN: All right we will have to wait and see Nancy Grace, thank you so much.

And Nancy shows airs on HLN weeknights at 8 P.M. Eastern time.

Well another huge leak in the entertainment world. How did the new episode of Game of Thrones get out and what's HBO going to do about it. We're going to discuss this up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Police aren't corroborating but a British tabloid says this is the video of that spectacular I should say jewelry heist in London take a look it was so massive.

[12:55:01] Authorities haven't even put a value yet on the missing loot. Originally it was said to be $300 million worth jewels stolen. But that might be dramatically low. And the biggest question of all why did police decide not to respond to the burglar alarm that went off during the heist.

Leaks online are words that can make a company sweat. And today HBO was feeling the heat after four episodes of the unreleased season of Game of Thrones pops up on piracy websites hours before the season premier last night.

CNN's Brian Stelter is here to tell us how they're responding and the implications for HBO when it's newest online only service HBO Now.

Brian, how does HBO think these episodes got out?

BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: They have a theory they're investing now Pamela and this is a big deal for them because Game of Thrones is the biggest series in HBO's history, even bigger than The Sopranos and it's one of the biggest shows on all of television.

By the time all the ratings come out, about 20 million people watch the show every week and people are fanatical about it. So the idea that this could get out ahead of time is a very big deal and frankly a big bruise for HBO.

And we should remind people HBO and CNN both own by the same parent company, Time Warner. You know, Time Warner and other big media companies, they have to worry a lot about these issues, about content being pirated, being stolen online.

And in this case, HBO's statement makes it sound like maybe somebody that had an advance copy then put it online. They said it seems the leak's four episode of the upcoming season originated from within a group approved by HBO to receive them we're actively assessing how this breach occurred.

So what could that mean? Well, it could mean that some of the reporters, some of the T.V. critics, they get them ahead of time. Maybe one of those people either accidentally or intentionally leaked the episodes. Or maybe it was members of the production crew. Maybe members of the production team or international distributors, these distributors, excuse me, one of those sorts of groups that had copies of the show.

In other words, HBO says they weren't hacked. These episodes were given to somebody, you know, on purpose and then they got on to the internet. And this is important of course because Game of Thrones, one of the most pirated shows on all of television.

BROWN: Right, and routinely done, Brian, where there is an advance copy given to critics, reporters.

STELTER: Yeah.

BROWN: Are they going to launch any sort of investigation and to how this happened? STELTER: They've indicated that they are looking into exactly what the source was. I have a feeling they'll be able to figure out where these episodes came from, and that's because, you know, when I get embargoed T.V. of shows, usually they're watermarked in some way so that you're able to get back to the original source of where they came from.

You know, ultimately this is also significant for HBO because they are trying to build a brand new business all about internet distribution. You know, usually get HBO through cable the way people are watching us right now.

But you can now sign up for HBO via the internet. And so they're going out to exactly the kind of people that would in the past have tried to pirate their episode, try to go online and find stolen version.

HBO is now trying to turn those people into paying subscribers and that's one of the reasons why this is an embarrassment for the network.

BROWN: Well, inline of that, inline of its new venture here, how much do you think this leak hurts the rollout?

STELTER: Yeah. You know, in some ways it just creates more present attention for the new season of Game of Thrones. The first episode came online last night and on TV last night, suspected to be an even bigger season that the ones before. But I do think it goes to show how all these major media companies have a significant issue with piracy.

We have seen them on Capitol Hill and with their lobby is trying to have stronger protections against these sorts of pirated episode, the sort of pirated content. We've see it in movies, in music, and we definitely see it in television.

It can affect the show and in fact HBO because millions of people in the past have watched there pirated copies. So if you can watch them even before they're legally available, that is a problem.

BROWN: Absolutely. And in this case Brian, do we know how many people have watched the leaked shows and how this will affect the ratings?

STELTER: It's almost definitely millions for these pirated episodes because in the past we've seen many millions of people watching the elicit, illegal copies of these episodes online.

In the ratings through, this is trending to be an even bigger season. Like I mentioned, eventually 20 million see this show. That makes it bigger than just about everything on T.V. except like NCIS and the Walking Dead.

HBO definitely had a huge hit on its hand and the fact that these episodes got out ahead of time, the fact that somebody was motivated to leak the first four, actually just goes to show how big a deal this series is.

BROWN: It absolutely does. All Brian Stelter thank you so much and just to reiterate what Brian said for disclosure, CNN is owned by parent company Time Warner which is the same that owns HBO. We appreciate you watching on this Monday.

Wolf starts right now.