Sunday, November 14, 2010

Nancy Grace on 'Don't say anything until Mikes off'

GERRY MCCANN, FATHER OF MISSING CHILD: Certainly not scared. You know, if there is anything in the DNA results, we don`t know them. We cannot know them, and I don`t believe anyone in the press knows them, either.

But there is nothing in those DNA tests related to Kate and I that will show anything other than completely innocent. And whether that is enough to eliminate us, I don`t know, but we will be eliminated. I`m quite certain of that, because we`ve done nothing. It`s ludicrous. And these sort of questions and the publishing of them annoys us. And it shouldn`t be getting in the "Times" there (INAUDIBLE) no suggestion that Maddy or the children were drugged. That`s outrageous.

KATE MCCANN, MOTHER OF MISSING CHILD: All I`m going to say is, I`m Madeleine`s mom. I know she was taken from that apartment and she`s out there. And I want her back. I mean, that is all. I mean, everything else, I`m sorry, is rubbish.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: A 3-year-old baby girl, baby Maddy, disappears from a luxury resort vacation. Her parents take to the airwaves to defend themselves. Out to Jerry Lawton, the chief reporter with "The Daily Star." Jerry, what`s the latest?

JERRY LAWTON, REPORTER: Well, Nancy, quite dramatic development. For the first time since the McCanns were named suspects in the case, they have finally broken their silence. They have hit the airwaves. They`re given quite an emotional television interview basically defending themselves against the allegation that they were somehow involved in their own daughter`s disappearance, and also to launch an counter initiative, their own investigation in a bid to find their daughter that they`re convinced and indeed insist was snatched from their luxury apartment on holiday in Portugal.

GRACE: Well, what seems so odd to me about this interview that they just gave is, at one point, the mom breaks down, Kate McCann breaks down, and starts crying. She kind of hunches forward and she`s crying. And instead of reaching out to her and comforting her, the husband says, "Honey, don`t talk while you`re still miked up." Did that happen, Jerry Lawton? LAWTON: Indeed it did. He actually said, "Don`t say anything until they`ve taken off your microphone." He wished this to his wife, but it was picked up and was broadcast to millions of people who saw it. And it seems to have had quite a dramatic impact, because a telephone poll of viewers who witnessed the interview, 70 percent of calls to that phone call said they were convinced that the McCanns were not telling the truth about what they say happened to their daughter. GRACE: To Dr. Bethany Marshall, you would think going to the airwaves, they would be talking about the night baby Maddy went missing, what they think, what their theory as to what happened to her, begging the public to help them, instead of spending all that valuable air time defending themselves. BETHANY MARSHALL, PSYCHOANALYST: They sound very defensive to me. I keep wishing the mother would just look at the camera directly, like people do when they`re telling the truth, and saying, "Honey, we want you back. Please come home to us." She`s not connecting with her daughter through the camera as if she really feels her daughter is gone, so the behavioral evidence I don`t think looks so good.

GRACE: Well, I know, in this interview she is looking at a report that was speaking to her.

MARSHALL: True.

GRACE: But on prior instances, I think you may be right. Let`s take a look at the interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

K. MCCANN: I strongly believe that Madeleine is out there. I think she`s probably in someone`s house. I don`t know why. And I suppose it`s a feeling, but I feel, as Madeleine`s mommy, I feel in my heart really that she`s there. And I don`t believe Madeleine has been taken away from us permanently. I don`t believe that. I don`t feel it.

G. MCCANN: I don`t know who would harm her.

K. MCCANN: I don`t think anybody could harm someone as beautiful as Madeleine. I don`t say beautiful as in her appearance. I mean, beautiful as she is, a beautiful little person. I don`t think anybody would harm her.

There`s a couple of reasons why we haven`t spoken. There`s obviously quite a lot that we haven`t been able to speak about in the last couple of months under the circumstances. If I`m honest, I`ve been a little bit disheartened, disillusioned with the media coverage. And I think now -- I mean, you mention it`s six months, and it`s a long time to be without Madeleine.

And we believe she`s out there. And we just want to appeal again once more to the people of Spain, Portugal, North Africa. Help us really. And that`s why we`ve got a new central phone number that people can ring.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: This is an interview given by baby Maddy`s parents to Antenna Three there in Spain. And joining us right now from Antenna Three there in Spain, Maria Bayon. She was there during the McCann interview. Maria, welcome. What did you observe during the interview? MARIA BAYON, ANTENNA 3 REPORTER: Hello. Thank you. I`ve been hearing you from the beginning of this, and I think I quite agree with some points. She was quite emotional, Kate McCann, and he was colder. He was the colder part of this couple. During the interview, she was quite devastated, but the cameraman who was shooting her said that he didn`t really see her shed a tear. So it was quite a forced interview, in a way. GRACE: You know, that`s very interesting. I`ve seen so many defendants and suspects act like they were crying, but yet they never shed a tear. On the other hand, frankly, she may be just cried out. With me, Maria Bayon, reporter in Antenna Three TV in Spain. She was there during the McCann interview. Maria, there at the end of the interview, apparently, Kate McCann broke down in tears, kind of slumped over, and instead of hugging her or comforting her, the husband says, "Honey, be quiet while you`re still miked up. Don`t say another word." What was that all about? BAYON: Well, we didn`t know until we were doing the review of the interview, and we were quite shocked when we saw that. We don`t know exactly what happened. She was quite devastated. At the end, she was more emotional than we are used to seeing her. And once the interview has finished, he said exactly that. "Don`t say anything until they have taken off your microphone." After that, he gave her a small hug, and he left the room. And she was there for a few seconds, and later on she left the room, as well. GRACE: Maria Bayon with us from Spain. Maria, why did that shock you that he said that? BAYON: I don`t know. It`s difficult to explain in a logical -- in a logical way the whole thing about the McCann couple and McCann mystery, the disappearance of Madeleine, because I would have to say they`re a couple that have lost her child will be more sad about the whole story. It would be more devastated or even more emotional. But they were quite professional in front of a crew of six people, you know what I mean? GRACE: Out to the lines. Cindy in Alabama. Hi, Cindy.

CALLER: Hi. How are you, Nancy?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

CALLER: I would like to know, since they determined that there was a drugging, have they determined the type of drug? Was it a narcotic? Was it just a cold medicine?

GRACE: Out to Jerry Lawton, chief reporter with "The Daily Star." I know the parents are denying any type of drugging.

LAWTON: Nancy, categorically are they denying it. Even further than that, they`re considering taking legal action against Portuguese newspapers that have made this claim. But forensic tests are still ongoing. Those have been carried out in England.

And we understand that those tests do involve the possibility that toxicology tests could show the presence of some kind of sedative in strands of Madeleine`s hair. At this stage, the McCanns are categorically denying it. They say that these are just slurs and that they are damaging, as two professionals, both in the medical industry, they`re grotesquely damaging to their careers.

GRACE: Out to the lines, Tammy in Ohio. Hi, Tammy.

CALLER: Hi. How are you tonight, Nancy?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

CALLER: My question is, is they`re a reporting that there may be DNA evidence in the first suspect`s apartment. Do the McCanns know him? Why aren`t they following up on that?

GRACE: Tammy, it is a real bombshell that Maddy`s DNA evidence may be in the first suspect, Robert Murat`s, home. Out to Jerry Lawton, what can you tell me about that? Why are we just hearing this?

LAWTON: Well, Nancy, we`re hearing it because the Portuguese secrecy laws forbid police from revealing information, which has been one of the problems of the case all along, but it has now been reported recently in the past few days that minute traces of DNA that may -- and I stress may -- belong to Madeleine and may, indeed, match DNA traces found in the McCanns` hired car.

GRACE: Well, if that is true, that is true that there`s DNA in his home, that would go a long way to clearing the McCanns.

LAWTON: Indeed, it would. And it would cause a problem for Robert Murat.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

GERRY MCCANN, FATHER OF MISSING CHILD: Certainly not scared. You know, if there is anything in the DNA results, we don`t know them, and we cannot know them, and I don`t believe anyone in the press knows them, either. But there is nothing in those DNA tests related to Kate and I that will show anything other than completely innocent. And whether that is enough to eliminate us, I don`t know, but we will be eliminated. I`m quite certain of that, because we`ve done nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Three-year-old baby Maddy goes missing from a luxury resort vacation. Her parents take to the airwaves to defend themselves. One last question, to Marilyn in California, hi, Marilyn, what`s your question?

CALLER: Hi, Nancy. You have such a glow about you. You`re going to be an awesome mommy because you`re such an awesome individual.

GRACE: Thank you. Thank you.

CALLER: You`re welcome. Now, my question is, if -- they were saying the baby, she was kidnapped and all that stuff, if she was kidnapped, why would the kidnappers take her and leave the twins untouched? GRACE: Excellent question. Mike Brooks, what do you say?

MIKE BROOKS, FORMER D.C. POLICE: Tell you what, Nancy, that`s a great question. You know, is it because they were looking for someone older? You know, there`s been all these theories that she was kidnapped, could be in Portugal, Morocco, somewhere there. And that`s why they`ve now focused their search through this new company in that particular area. But right now, that`s a mystery.

COMMENT: Gerry McCann has since said he now believes all three children were drugged, I wonder what Nancy would have to say on this turn around?

http://shadplay.blogspot.com/2010/11/dont-say-anything.html