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To give you an idea of the lifestyle of people on our staff, we decided about 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon to send a producer to Idaho (search) to help cover that terrible triple murder and two missing children.
Getting to Idaho is not simple if you live on the East Coast. By 6:15 p.m., one producer was in his seat, buckled and on the runway out of the Washington, D.C., airport. There were few flight options and time was of the essence. Since he had a bag already packed — you never know when and where you are going so being ready is key in this business — he made the flight. We did not hear from him from the airport so I suspect it was "close." Making this flight was not easy, since it meant finding the flight, booking a seat, paying for it and then getting to the airport during rush hour. Complicating matters here in Washington is that you have to cross the Potomac and the bridges are "hell" during rush hour. They are your proverbial "parking lot." As an aside, this is not an easy business if you have children — which the producer does not. It is also not an easy business if you can't sleep on planes.
Thursday night, Mark Cuban (search), owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is on the show. He produced a documentary about the Enron Corporation that is now out in theatres. The documentary could easily have been entitled "Greed." The movie will not bore you or leave you unmoved and neither will Mark. He is a bit of a Maverick himself.
E-mail No. 1 — This next e-mail is about the two children missing in Idaho:
How did investigators NOT KNOW there were two missing children until talking w/ next of kin? Didn't they notice any items like clothing, shoes, books, toys, photos unrelated to the older murdered child whose body was found? There's a world of difference in the items worn and used by 13-year-olds and 8 and 9-year-olds. Didn't the number of beds and bedrooms tell them something? I used to clean houses and I could easily tell how many kids lived in the home, and their approximate ages, just by observing the visible items in and around the house.
E-mail No. 2
Re: the Idaho case which was discussed on your Wednesday show: I think I recall your guest mentioning that the family had a dog, and that it would be good to know whether or not the dog would have known the assailant.
Too bad pets can't testify. No doubt Nicole Simpson's Akita and Laci Peterson's old dog know who killed their mistresses.
Rosemary T.
Ravena, NY
E-mail No. 3
Dear Greta;
I really enjoy your shows and watch them often but one thing bothers me that I find to be very hypocritical. On reporting about Michael Jackson all most all your guests say that they do not want to convict him because that is up to the jury but in the Scott Peterson's case everyone convicted him and I seldom heard that it was up to the jury. I too thought he was guilty but I wanted to keep an open mind.
Why is this so in the Jackson's case? Because he is a celebrity and Scott Peterson wasn't.
Betty Romm
Caliente, CA
E-mail No. 4
I can't figure out why Greta uses a disgraced ex-police officer on her show. Surely there is at least one intelligent, well-spoken ex-policeman/homicide detective somewhere in the United States of America who did not "take the 5th" in a criminal trial, that might be available instead? Every time Mark "I take the 5th" Fuhrman is on your show, I turn your show off. Does Mark "Fabrication of Evidence" Fuhrman pay FOX News to have his mug on her show?)
Sincerely,
Dale Johnson
ANSWER: Dale, I understand your e-mail, but please think about this: I believe in rehabilitation and I think it is important for the person who does wrong that we do.
For years I did criminal defense work. I represented hundreds — maybe thousands — of people who had done wrong. My clients were men, women, poor, rich, middle class, adult, juvenile, African American, White, Hispanic, etc. In short, I represented virtually all types of people and all types of people — including very good ones — can stray and do wrong. They can also pay the penalty and become very good citizens. One mistake does not necessarily define the individual for eternity. A mistake often provides the opportunity to learn and get to be a better citizen.
After my clients completed their prison time or probation or parole, I believed they had paid back society and needed to be forgiven. It was important to them and for the rest of us. Giving someone an opportunity to redeem himself is important. I don't think we should harbor grudges if the person has completed what we ask of them. If we did, we would have grudges against everyone forever. I also want people to become productive after prison, etc., so that there is less risk that the crime will be repeated. That makes for a much better and safer society.
Yes, Mark did wrong ... very wrong. But he paid a penalty and the penalty the justice system asked of him. Now it is time to move on. It is also time to recognize that people make mistakes — commit crimes — and, once completing their penalty, that we should forgive. If he REPEATED his conduct (lying on the witness stand), then I would have a very different view. Repeat offenders are in an entirely different category for me.
Mark happens to be a very, very, very smart detective — one of the best I have ever worked with and I have worked with many. He really thinks about the investigations we book him on the show to discuss. I like a guest who is smart and thinks hard about topics. I don't always agree with him — and he does not always agree with me. But we both respect each other and I will continue to ask him on the show.
E-mail No. 5
The evidence proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Scott Peterson (search) is guilty? Is Ms. Nice sure that she listened carefully for six months? I listened and read the transcripts and I have listed some very important issues as to why I have a lot of doubt about Scott's guilt:
• They found no trace evidence at the house (this was the supposed murder crime scene)
• They found no trace evidence in either the pickup or the boat (both were supposed transport vehicles)
• There were no eyewitnesses that saw him in commission of any part of the crime
• They used a very faulty timeline; 10:08-10:18 provided by a witness who changed her story multiple times
• There was never a confession or any incriminating statements from 3000+ wiretapped phone calls
• I find doubt that 42 lbs of weight could hold down a 150 lb woman under water for four months
• I am in doubt that Conner could have washed over those rocks with only a cut on his shoulder (considering the delicate condition he was in) or that the movement from the ocean was able to tie twine around his neck into a bow tie.
I am not sure how Ms. Nice sleeps at night knowing that she sentenced a man to death without knowing where, when, why or how this horrid crime was committed.
God Bless the Petersons,
Janice Perry
Durham, NC
E-mail No. 6
As a parent, I don't blame Lee Peterson for his attitude about the jury after the comments that some of the jury members said to the trial.
Diane Kelson
MN
E-mail No. 7 — "behind the scenes" e-mail from Laura Ingle at the Michael Jackson (search) trial:
Subject: Laura note
Something appears to be going down with the attorneys. D.A. Tom Sneddon and defense attorney Tom Mesereau came out of judge's chambers at the morning break looking intense. Sneddon went over to his group of attorneys looking happy. Mesereau went to talk to Michael Jackson and looked like he was either upset or irritated. He was explaining something to Jackson at the side of the defense table before the jury came out.
Rumors are flying around the courthouse today that the defense is going to rest next week and that Jackson hired a coach to get him ready if he takes the stand in his defense. Jackson's public relations person told reporters at the second morning break that the coach story was not true and that the defense is NOT going to rest next week. Ramone Bain has been with Jackson for a while and has already given predictions as to how long the defense case will go. A week ago she told us eight to 10 weeks. The next day she said six weeks. So what exactly she knows, we aren't sure. I don't even think the defense attorneys know because there seems to be some juggling of witnesses. Who knows how long Mark Geragos will be on the stand on cross exam for instance?
When Mesereau and Sneddon came out of chambers, after Mesereau talked to Jackson, he made a beeline for Ramone sitting in the first row. I was sitting in the fourth row and was trying to hear what was being said. Mesereau looked miffed. I could hear him say, "There is NO answer to that, Ramone. It's all over the wire. We don't have an answer." I was trying to hear what the subject matter was. Did Mesereau mean there is "no answer" to how long his defense case will go? Is there "no answer" as to Jackson taking the stand? Ramone also told reporters Larry King will not be testifying until next week.
As the case comes close to a close, one thing is sure: Jackson's family is hopeful for a "not guilty" verdict. I saw Jackson's brother today, sitting in the second row with what looked like a bible. He made no secret about carrying the leather-bound, gold-page-lined book, as he was talking to Jackson's bodyguards with it in his hand in the courtroom.
The jury is still listening to tunes at the break. The Eagles seem to be jurors' favorite lately. I hear the song "Take it Easy" a lot.
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