Joran van der Sloot

The Prairie Chicken
June 21, 2010

Today we wait with bated breath to hear which version of the "truth" Joran van der Sloot decides to tell to Lima Superior Court Judge Juan Buendia. I have no doubt he will have a story, but which one?

He told arresting officials in Chile that two intruders came in his room and killed Stephany when he went to get coffee and breakfast pastry.

That is also the scene he was trying to set up when he left the room for a few minutes, then asked a hotel employee to open his room for him. I believe he wanted the employee to find Stephany beaten and bloody, so he could stand there with the cups and say, no I'm clean, see, no blood, couldn't have been me. But instead, the employee simply unlocked the door and stepped back.

What could van der Sloot have been thinking when the plan didn't work? When he realized that the security camera was only a couple of meters from his door? Since he carried the story to Chile with him, I am guessing he was taking a chance that the cameras were not operating.

Lots of businesses put camera's in place to deter theft, but they aren't hooked up to anything, or they tape over every so often, destroying any images, to save the cost of a few tapes.

I have to tell you I am very impressed with Peru. Last night Dateline showed even more video--of Stephany cashing in before they left the casino, and another of Stephany before she entered the casino. To call Lima "third world" hardly seems appropriate.

And the gentle nature of most Peruvians was exhibited when Nancy Grace asked Stephany's father via telephone if he and the family was calling for the death penalty (not that Nanc would instigate blood letting...) Her father responded, "no, here we have no death penalty," and said it with a genuine show of support and respect for the laws of Peru.

There is much speculation as to why Mama van der Sloot hasn't flown to be by Joran's side. In fact, speaking of the devil, Nancy Grace ridiculed her about how to buy airline tickets: "you pick up the phone, you dial the airline, etc..." The Mrs. has never appeared too sharp, if you know what I mean, but when the Aruban reporter told ole' Nanc that mama was trying to figure out how to get tickets, I'm pretty sure she meant that the van der Sloots are low on funds.

Once Paulus died, she lost his income and now is making it on a teachers pay. According to newscasts, the family had depleted their savings five years ago paying off lawyers (and probably judges and any witnesses as well.)

She gave a statement to a Netherland news source that she wouldn't be going to Peru, but staying on Aruba. Good for her. Why should she run out to a country where she doesn't know the language, or have any friends, or know where to stay, or what the procedures and customs are there. What if she got over there and was taunted like Joran was when they took him to jail? She may have been overindulgent with her son, but she loves him.

It seems like early on in the Natalee Holloway case, mama van der Sloot said Joran had been in counseling in for his temper, so she is not in total denial. While she still believes Joran to be innocent of Holloways disappearance, she said it appears very clear that he is responsible for the death of Flores.

But you know what? This guy is 22 years old. That is SO young. What could have made this p.o.s. a murderer at such a young age and to completely ruin the life laid out before him? He is smart, evidently charming (altho I don't see it) and with a good education he could have done anything.

One more thing about Nancy Grace. Of course, she is following this case closely and Jean Casarez from tru.tv is in Lima reporting live every day. But Nancy must have been told that she is not allowed to speak rudely to Jean. I thought it was odd at first that Jean was escaping the wrath, but towards the last of the week it was obvious. Nancy is almost shooting smoke rings out of her nose, but is still quite polite to Jean. On Friday, she even waited until Jean was no longer on the line, then said to one of her whipping boys "What Jean just said is total BS." tsk.

Judge: Nancy Grace's deposition can be videotaped

The Associated Press
The Miami Herald

miamiherald.com

January 26, 2010

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A judge has ruled that talk show host Nancy Grace can be videotaped while answering questions in a Florida wrongful death lawsuit,
but lawyers representing Melinda Duckett's family can't share the recording with "any third party"...Grace accused Duckett of hiding something. Duckett shot and killed herself the day the taped interview was scheduled to broadcast.

read entire article here

Lawsuit: Nancy Grace employee knew of Melinda Duckett's mental instability

By Stephen Hudak, Orlando Sentinel
February 5, 2010

OCALA - A filing in a federal lawsuit against Nancy Grace says an employee of the cable talk show knew Melinda Duckett had once been involuntarily committed for mental instability before the Florida mom was grilled on the show...

Duckett reported that her 2-year-old son, Trenton, was missing from his bedroom of their garden-floor apartment in Leesburg on Aug. 27, 2006. She then committed suicide at her grandparents' home in The Villages on Sept. 8, 2006, hours before her interview was scheduled to air on Headline News or HLN, a division of CNN.

Grace, the host of a self-titled show on HLN, formerly CNN Headline News, is being sued by Duckett's family. They blame her for inflicting emotional distress on Melinda Duckett during a taped interview for the show...

[The lawsuit] suggests negligence and can prove that Grace and her show's employees "tricked" Duckett's lawyer into allowing the 21-year-old mother to appear on the program...Schulte, who testified at a deposition Dec. 21, was not told that Grace planned to interrogate Duckett...

Grace, who testified in a deposition Jan. 28 in Atlanta, said she was not informed of Schiffman's representations to Duckett's lawyer and did not read any pre-interview notes Schiffman made about Duckett.

Grace also testified that she routinely throws out pre-interview notes. (Well, this explains why she gets so many things wrong.)

Melinda Duckett is now dead, and Trenton Duckett remains missing.

Leesburg police have labeled Melinda Duckett as the lone suspect in the boy's disappearance.
The trial in the wrongful-death lawsuit is set for July 6 in federal court in Ocala, Orange County, Florida.

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Grace didn't read notes about Fla. mom

The Associated Press

via The Miami Herald

miamiherald.com

February 7, 2010

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A filing in a lawsuit against Nancy Grace says the talk show host's guest booker knew a Florida mother who killed herself after being grilled on the show had been previously committed for mental instability...
read entire article here

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A federal judge in Ocala Monday signed the order preventing the release of any video. Duckett's family is asking for damages in excess of $15,000. OK, when I read that I had to read it twice. They are asking for 15K, probably just the cost of her funeral. That and a heartfelt apology from Nancy Grace for being such a bitch to their granddaughter, and the whole thing would probably go away. Would that be so hard for Grace?

Nancy Grace denies mental abuse allegations in Melinda Duckett suicide case

Orlando Sentinel
Stephen Hudak Sentinel Staff Writer
September 29, 2009

OCALA - Cable TV talking head Nancy Grace denies that she subjected the mother of a missing Leesburg child to mental abuse during a testy taped interview that preceded the young mother's suicide.

In a routine motion filed last week in a wrongful-death civil suit in federal court in Ocala, lawyers for Melinda Duckett's estate attached Grace's responses to their interrogatories, a set of written queries that Grace and her lawyers were required to answer...

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"Ms. Duckett was amiable when on the telephone immediately prior to her appearance, then abruptly left the call during her appearance."
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...Grace describes her cable program in the interrogatories as "television's only (?) justice-themed/interview/debate show, designed for those interested in the breaking crime news of the day.

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Trenton Duckett was 2-years-old when his mother, Melinda, reported him missing Aug. 27, 2006, from the bedroom of their apartment in Leesburg. She then shot and killed herself at her grandparents' home in The Villages on Sept. 8, 2006, the day the interview with Grace was broadcast.

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The case is scheduled for trial in July.

Nevaeh Buchanan's mother talks to CNN

Nancy Grace spits back.

June 9, 2009

She faces tough questions on the 'Nancy Grace' show
By Tanveer Ali, Steve Pardo and Mark Hicks

The Detroit News
Monroe --In her first national, sometimes heated, interview, Nevaeh Buchanan's mother was grilled by CNN Headline News' Nancy Grace about her relationship with a convicted sex offender.

During the Monday night broadcast, Jennifer Buchanan, the mother of the 5-year-old, missing since May 24 and whose body is believed to have been found along the River Raisin in Monroe on Thursday, said: "... I have made a lot of bad choices. ... And who hasn't? And I know that somehow," she said of her relationship with George Kennedy, 39.

Grace interjected: "Whoa, you know what? You can stop right there. You can just stop right there, Miss Buchanan, because most mothers that I know have never knowingly exposed their little girl, a 5-year-old little girl, to a sex offender. So when you say who hasn't? I for one haven't. I haven't."

Buchanan then replied: "Well, I just believe that everyone deserves a second chance." Earlier in the broadcast, Buchanan said she wonders if an acquaintance could have been involved. "All these scenarios are just running through my head constantly," she told Grace. "All these thoughts are just running through my head."

Buchanan described the last time she saw her daughter. But her responses sometimes did not fully address Grace's hard-charging queries. Grace pointed out discrepancies in her recounting the exact time Nevaeh left, and what she was doing.

In the interview, according to transcripts, Grace asked... "So your child is out. It's been 30 minutes since you last saw her. Did you think maybe I should check on my preschooler? See if she's dead or alive? I mean did that cross your mind?"

Buchanan responded, "No, because I knew that she was upstairs at her friend's house until the little girl came up to me and said that Nevaeh was out riding her scooter in the road. That's the point I'm. .."

Grace interrupted: "How did you know she was upstairs? Did you check on her? Did you go up there ever?" "No, she's -- I watched her walk in through the door," Buchanan said, to which Grace replied, "Really? Because earlier you said she went out the door..."

After several more exchanges and trying to defend herself, the show went to commercial break. During the break, Buchanan and a friend who had joined her both exited the interview.

Earlier, when Grace asked Buchanan about another interview in which Buchanan said Kennedy "may have owed somebody some money," Buchanan said: "I'm not too sure... I'm not too sure on anything."

Grace said, "How could that possibly be linked to your daughter's disappearance, the fact that this sex offender, friend of yours, owed somebody some money? How could that remotely be linked to your child's disappearance?" Buchanan replied, "I honestly don't know..."

Meanwhile Monday, stuffed animals and artificial flowers, a Precious Moments princess and a fairy with butterfly wings share space on a guardrail on the remote, two-lane Dixon Road.
Fifteen feet from the guardrail, the ground drops a precarious 60 degrees, falling 30 feet to the River Raisin.

It's a muddy climb down to the water, but several made it. There are more artificial flowers. And someone planted a cross on or near the spot where a body was found, covered with quick-set concrete.

"It's a violation. A violation of humanity," said David Marietta, who lives off the river a few miles away. "People here, they're hugging their babies a little harder now." But answers to the tragedy remain elusive.

Wayne County Medical Examiner Carl Schmidt said in a statement Monday that it could be weeks before test results come in. Tissue samples were sent for special testing.

Investigators have also been stymied by a lack of fingerprints or dental records for the girl, forcing them to rely on time-consuming DNA identification. Though authorities say the body appears to be Nevaeh's, the delay in testing puts off the closure that the family has sought since the girl went missing May 24.

"It's lonely now not hearing her voice in my back seat. I just hope nobody else has to go through this again," said Sherry Buchanan, Nevaeh's grandmother and legal guardian.

Nevaeh's Mother Walks Off 'Nancy Grace'

Tuesday, 09 Jun 2009

My Fox Detroit

The mother of missing five-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan did not stick around to answer viewer questions after her first segment on CNN's 'Nancy Grace' Monday night.

Jennifer Buchanan, 24, came under fire with a barage of questions from Grace on the situation surrounding Nevaeh's disappearance in the city of Monroe, south of Detroit...

Host Nancy Grace replied most mothers haven't "knowingly exposed their little girl" to sex offenders. Buchanan and a friend exited during a commercial break

The family and community are still waiting autopsy results on the body of a little girl matching Nevaeh's description.

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Nancy Grace was completely out of line. I had flashbacks of Melinda Duckett when Nancy grilled her, just before she went home and killed herself. The way I see it, thanks to Nanc, we'll never know what really happened to little Trenton.

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Now she gets another mother in front of national news camera's and deep-fries her. Maybe Navaeh's mom would never be mother-of-the-year, but she didn't want her child to be murdered. Nancy Grace is nothing but a bully herself.

Lawyers will not object to release of Melinda Duckett's mental-health records

Sentinel Staff Writer
11:53 AM EST, January 5, 2009

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Lawyers suing CNN and Nancy Grace on behalf of Melinda Duckett's estate will not object to the release of the young mother's mental-health records.

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The psychiatric records are relevant to the estate's wrongful-death claim against the cable giant and Grace, a network personality whose grilling interview of Duckett preceded the 21-year-old mom's suicide in 2006, lawyer Kara Skorupa told the Orlando Sentinel today.

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The network asked a federal judge on New Year's Eve to force Lifestream Behavioral Center in Leesburg to surrender documents detailing its treatment of Duckett, mother of missing Leesburg toddler Trenton Duckett.

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The mental-health center has refused to honor a defense subpeona.

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Melinda Duckett shot herself at her grandparents' home in The Villages in September 2006 the day the network aired Grace's taped interview with her.

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Skorupa also dismissed unsourced reports that CNN and Grace were seeking amateur, pornographic videos of Melinda Duckett in their defense of the lawsuit, which also accuses them of "intentional infliction of emotional distress."

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Skorupa said she gave the videos to law enforcement officers investigating Trenton's disappearance. "I don't think they're relevant to what we claim CNN and Nancy Grace did to Mindy," Skorupa said.Lawyers representing CNN and Grace did not return a call seeking comment.

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Leesburg police consider Melinda Duckett the prime suspect in the disappearance of her son, Aug. 27, 2006.

CNN's lawyers seek court order to get Melinda Duckett's mental-health records

Stephen Hudak Sentinel Staff Writer
January 2, 2009

Melinda Duckett, the mother of missing 2-year-old Trenton Duckett, holds a picture of her and her son following a news conference at the Leesburg Police Department on Aug. 29. Melinda Duckett, 21, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Friday, Sept. 8, 2006.
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STEPHEN M. DOWELL, ORLANDO SENTINEL / August 29, 2006
OCALA - Lawyers for CNN and the network's host Nancy Grace want a federal judge to order a Lake County mental-health facility to turn over its treatment records of Melinda Duckett, who was mother of missing toddler Trenton Duckett and who committed suicide.
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In documents filed New Year's Eve, the lawyers contend Duckett's mental-health history is relevant to her family's wrongful-death lawsuit, which accuses Grace and her show of "intentionally inflicting emotional distress" on the 21-year-old mother.
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Officials for LifeStream Behavioral Center in Leesburg, which treated Duckett, told the cable network's lawyers last month that they would not honor a deposition subpoena but would follow a judge's order.
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Duckett shot herself in her grandparents' home in The Villages on the day that Grace planned to air a taped interview with Duckett. Duckett reported her son missing from his bed in her apartment on Aug. 27, 2006.

Nancy Grace Jesse Grund Interview Pt 1

courtesy Nancy Grace, HLN, CNN

Nancy Grace Jesse Grund Interview Pt 2

courtesy Nancy Grace, HLN, CNN

Nancy Grace Jesse Grund Interview Pt 3

courtesy Nancy Grace, HLN, CNN

Nancy Grace Jesse Grund Interview Pt 4

courtesy Nancy Grace, HLN, CNN

Nancy Grace Jesse Grund Interview pt 5

courtesy Nancy Grace, HLN, CNN

Remains Found With Hair Attatched to Duct Tape

Investigators are wrapping up their forensic search for the night at the location where a skull and other remains were found Thursday.

WDBO reporter, Drew Petrimo stated tonight on Nancy Grace, that he has learned from sources inside the scene that the duct tape was wrapped all the way around the skull, not just on the mouth. Thus causing flesh to remain intact on the duct tape as well as hair that is similar in color and length of that of Caylee Anthony.

As disturbing as it was to hear and type this information, Justice for Caylee will come from evidence such as this.

It is duly noted the excellent work that Orlando LE and CSI is performing by carefully sifting through buckets of soil to make sure that every last bone fragment is collected so that Caylee may have a proper burial.

Also, to guarantee that every piece of evidence is gathered to ensure Casey Anthony remains behind bars for the remainder of her life.

Please visit Nancy Grace's Find Caylee Blog. Updated blogging by Natisha Lance and other NG producers in the field daily. http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/09/08/NGfindcayleeblog/index.html

Dr. Henry Lee Working Pro-Bono, Grace Agrees Defense Has No Right To Crime Scene

Dr. Henry Lee tell Nancy Grace Monday night, 12/15/08 episode, that he is working pro-bono for the Casey Anthony defense team, as a forensic expert.

Nancy Grace also agrees that the defense had no right to be on the crime scene without proper identification of the remains being those of Caylee.







courtesy CNN / Nancy Grace

Greta Gets Nasty with Padilla

Tonight, during the last ten minutes of her show, "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren", Greta had Leonard Padilla on as her next to final guest.

After Greta made her ratings for the night off of Caylee's possible remains being found, she fired at and made pot shots at Leonard Padilla for travelling to Orlando tomorrow.

Greta asked Padilla, in an almost pissed sounding tone,"What are you going to do down there?" Padilla answered that he had spoken to Richard Grund and wanted to meet with him and be with his family during this time.
Greta then asked "Who is Richard Grund??"
Are you kidding me?? What planet have you been on Greta?
Greta continued to push the matter with Padilla, to which he replied AGAIN, he wanted to meet with friends that he had made over the times he visited Orlando, and through the case. Also, maybe have dinner and talk about what has transpired.
Greta then made a face uglier than her normal one.
Imagine that she had just smelled a whiff of someone passing terrible gas. She then said to Leonard, "Oh well, I just think it odd, but, uh, it's your dime. And it will be uh, interesting to see what you do, Leonard, while down there."
She looks into the camera and says, "I'm admittedly confused."
Leonard in his "black hat" laid-back way, replies, "Well ask me and I'll clear it up for you."
Greta says, "I just did, and you said you were going to have dinner." "Okay, Leonard, we have to go, but um, we'll talk."
On the split screen, calm Lenny was just as cool as ever and replied, "You're welcome". All of this taking only 2 minutes.

What a bitch, Greta. I have never seen you treat a guest that way. Are you now sorry you left this story to the back burner and it has now become even more bizarre and complicated for you. How rude and obnoxious. I will not watch your show again after that little episode.
I assume you were thinking Padilla was going to Orlando to get air-time or something of the sort. Are you not the same?
You mentioned he did not know the family before all of this and now he was going back. Hey, Greta,here's a thought, did you know the Anthony family before you went on a tour of their home with them? Are you going back? What about your colleagues Geraldo and Craig? They get plenty of face time on this story.
I can not believe you did not even recognize the name of one of the players in the story, as Mr. Richard Grund. Well, yes I can, you haven't been following the story.
Why did you have Leonard on in the first place?
You made an ass out of yourself and I was embarrassed for you. You showed the real bitch you are.
You can't begin to compare to Nancy Grace or entwine the comments and dry humor that Nancy throws out to her guests, so don't try. Nancy may come off as rude at times, but those that are regular watchers of her show, know that is part of the show, not her.

Your comments tonight were your own. Your own bitchy and tactless self.

I used to enjoy your show and your different perspective, but over the past few weeks and after several comments you have made, I have decided I will practice what I preach, and to not turn Fox on again. The only reason I did in the past was for you, but no more, not after tonight.
You and Hasselbeck would make a great pair, now that I think about it.

Nancy is the Queen of this case, so do us all a favor and leave it alone.
Leonard has made more trips to Orlando, searched, covered and reported on the case, more than you can say, Greta. He lived outside the Anthony's home, for crying out loud.

You got your top story and ratings in the beginning and then dropped the story cold when it came to the elections.
Now tonight, you get another top story. Caylee may have been found. You were all over it.

Myself, I like to mix it up a little, but mostly, I like consistency, it's proven that is what works.
Why don't you try it?

Commercial break is over and you are repeating your "tour of the Anthony home" from 5 months ago. I Love how you stand there and not call out Cindy on her lies about the "inconsistent alerts" regarding the cadaver dogs. Both cadaver dogs, that hit on two different spots. In Cindy's mind, this meant that since both the dogs didn't hit on the "same spot" nothing was found. Wrong. But you just kept walking on with her, no hard questions, nothing. Why Greta? Why didn't you ask the questions? Guess I'll never know your version.

Casey Anthony: 100 percent Innocent

Judge Won't Nix Suit Against Nancy Grace in Mom's Suicide

First I have the utmost respect for Nancy Grace, as an active advocate for victims. I post this, not as a slap at Nancy Grace, but because of the similarity of the cases of Trenton Duckett and Caylee Anthony. They both have mothers who were spoiled and pampered, manipulative and used their children as bargaining chips, Melinda to get what she wanted from Josh; Casey to get her way with her parents. Mothers who were cold and indifferent. Good Luck, Nancy.

OCALA, Florida — A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that claims CNN's Nancy Grace pushed the mother of a missing toddler to suicide through aggressive questioning.

CNN and Grace argued the wrongful death lawsuit brought by Melinda Duckett's family would "severely chill" journalists' coverage of missing-persons cases. But U.S. District Judge William Terrell Hodges on Thursday denied their motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

Duckett, 21, was on Grace's show after her son Trenton went missing from her apartment in August 2006. Grace grilled the woman, accusing her of hiding something because Duckett did not take a lie-detector test and answered vaguely regarding her whereabouts.

Duckett fatally shot herself before the network aired the pre-taped interview.

The family claims Grace's intense questioning caused severe emotional distress that led to the suicide. The lawsuit also claims that the decision to air the interview after her suicide caused the family to suffer severe emotional distress and media and public harassment. They are seeking a jury trial, unspecified damages more than $15,000 and punitive damages.

Trenton family attorney Jay Paul Deratany said attorneys will begin taking testimony.
"There is more information out there to be gleaned," said Deratany. "If Melinda had any information, Nancy Grace stopped the investigation in its track."

Police have said Duckett is the only suspect in her son's disappearance.

A message left Friday for an attorney representing Grace and CNN were not immediately returned.