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Yesterday we were scrambling to try and get details of what happened to lawyer Daniel Horowitz's (search) wife. Of course we knew she had been murdered... but, by whom? And why? Was she a specific target? A random victim? Just to give you a bit of the "behind the scenes," one of the things that was done as we tried to quickly gather news was that Jim Hammer (search) went to the courthouse to dig through court filings. Often in court filings you get a glimpse into people's personal lives and whom the people might be feuding with. He wanted to know if Horowitz had sued anyone or was being sued himself. He found much more.
Jim found an application for a stay away order ("restraining order") that Daniel Horowitz wanted a judge to grant. The subject of the stay away order is/was Horowitz's neighbor, Mr. Lynch. The date on the application was June, but it was dropped when neither party showed up to pursue it or oppose it.
As soon as Jim found the stay away order application, he stepped out of the clerk's office and called me on his cell phone and read me portions of the stay away application filed and signed by Horowitz. I then "top lined" (sent a message via our internal computer system) to Shep Smith who was on the air doing his 3 p.m. ET show and suggested that he put Jim on the phone on the air. I briefly mentioned in the quick note that Jim had found an application for a stay away order in the Horowitz matter. A few minutes later, as I had moved on to preparation for our show, I heard Shep interviewing Jim. I looked up at one of the many TVs in my office and, yes, my ears were telling me the truth and already Shep was moving on the tip and had Jim on the phone asking him about the stay away application. Jim had the Horowitz application in his hand and was reading from it.
Of course, the fact that there is a stay away order application is not proof someone committed a murder. It does fairly direct our attention to the dispute and should provoke a thorough investigation into the matter. At this point, everyone who knows the victim (including family), or has been near or on the property etc., should be investigated. This could also be random — a burglar who stumbled upon their home and found someone home and murdered that person. Police need an open mind so as to not make a mistake. You know what happens when police get fixated on the wrong suspect — the real culprit walks.
I have posted many pictures today from the New Orleans (search) area taken by Fox News Channel producer Ron Ralston. Ron took the pictures soon after Katrina hit so the images are particularly powerful. You can see and almost feel the impact of the storm and the misery it caused. I assume you and I are alike — we can't stop looking at the pictures of what happened in the Gulf States. Here is part of the e-mail Ron sent me when he forwarded the pictures:
Greta,
Here are some of the pics I took in New Orleans. Most of them were taken under the I-10 overpass in Metairie, LA just outside New Orleans. Thousands of evacuees were airlifted here after being rescued from their homes after the levees broke.
Ron Ralston
FOX News Channel Producer
Incidentally, Ron spent many, many weeks in New Orleans and the area, so he helped all of us who spent time working there.
Here are more e-mails from viewers:
E-mail No. 1
Greta,
I watch your show every night and love it. However, I do have one request of you. Will you please start wearing your blouse collars outside coat over the lapels? That is the proper way to wear a blouse with a collar when wearing a jacket.
Keep up the good work and looking forward to see if you will heed my advice.
Thanks,
Carolyn Cook
E-mail No. 2
You ask the absolute dumbest questions I've ever heard any interviewer ask on a show, whether television or radio. What's the stupid point of continuing to ask how long it would take for Daniel Horowitz to get from Bob Massey's hotel to his own residence? What in the world is wrong with you? Just unbelievably adolescent, entry-level type questions.
I recall one time, a year or more ago, when both parents and their 4-year-old son were murdered somewhere in S. Carolina, and you had a cop on your show that night. You asked him if the bullet holes in the woodwork in the house were "fresh bullet holes" or "old ones."
Stupid?
Charlotte
N. Hollywood, CA
ANSWER: I read your e-mail during a commercial break. Bernie and Ted are perplexed at your e-mail as am I. Of course the question of how long it took to get from the hotel to his home is to ask whether he had opportunity to kill his wife. Does it take five minutes? Two hours? Three hours? I am not saying he did this murder at all, but every good investigator asks that type of question to determine opportunity. How could you not see that as relevant? Likewise, I asked Dr. Baden questions about how determine time of death so that police can focus in on what time is relevant when interviewing everyone. Not sure why you think it "adolescent."
E-mail No. 3
Dear Greta,
Thank you for being the first host to point out that the 4-minute segment of the Deepak tape shown on Dr. Phil and the other cable shows is edited. I would like to ask if you or your legal department had the opportunity to listen to the entire two-hour interview. If so, do you believe it is credible? If not, why was the edited version aired on your show without an explanation that it was edited? You would be surprised at the number of people who believe this edited snippet is a true and accurate representation of Mr. Skeeters' interview with Deepak Kalpoe. It is my belief that the tape consists of a series of interviews beginning in early July a day or two before Beth confronted Deepak in the Internet Cafe (according to Deepak's attorney) and ended the day before Deepak was rearrested on August 26 (according to Mr. Skeeters). I also have a difficult time believing that Deepak admitted that that Joran murdered Natalee right before Mr. Skeeters turned on the tape. Could Mr. Skeeters not have steered the conversation back to that subject at some point during the 90+ minute interview?
As far as Jossy Mansur is concerned, I have long ago discounted what Jossy has to say about this case.
All this is my opinion.
Gretchen
ANSWER: It could make a difference when the unedited version is listened to... I just don't know and won't know until we hear it.
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