ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL
Ron Cummings Tells Anthonys to Stay Away
Aired May 20, 2009 - 19:00:00 ET
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0905/20/ijvm.01.html(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST (voice-over): Tonight, a truly bizarre turn of events in the Haleigh Cummings disappearance. The missing girl`s dad, Ron, puts his foot down, releasing a statement through his lawyers telling George and Cindy Anthony to butt out of the search for little Haleigh. Ron accuses of the Anthonys of having their own agenda and stresses there are no similarities between these two cases.
But is this a case of doth protest too much? Wouldn`t Ron want all the help he can get?
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ISSUES starts now.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: A shocking development just in, in a very disturbing case out of Birmingham, Alabama. The video you are about to see, very graphic. Five -- count them -- five Birmingham police officers have been fired after beating a seemingly already unconscious suspect after he flew out of a vehicle -- You just saw that there -- during a high-speed chase. There it is. There is the controversial beating. We`re going to analyze it. We`re going to slow mo it for you.
Details in a moment, including what the suspect did that might have provoked this violent reaction from the cops. We`ll show you that, as well.
But first, the clash of two worlds as a battle, and I mean a battle, erupts over twin tragedies in Florida. Ron Cummings, the father of missing 5-year-old Haleigh Cummings, tells George and Cindy Anthony, the grandparents of murdered 2-year-old Caylee, "I don`t want your help."
Through his attorneys, Cummings lashed out at the Anthonys after they spent Sunday with his ex and frequent opponent, Crystal Sheffield who is missing Haleigh`s mom. Are you keeping track of all this? The Anthonys and Haleigh`s mom rallied together for all missing children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ANTHONY, GRANDFATHER OF CAYLEE: Helping with someone missing is the most gut-wrenching, sick, open-wound feeling that you could ever, ever have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: When Haleigh first went missing three months ago, Ron and his then girlfriend, now wife, Misty Croslin accepted help and comfort from George Anthony. But Ron doesn`t want it now, because according to his statement, the Anthonys have their, quote, "own agenda" citing the Anthonys` recent media tour. George and Cindy have been making the TV rounds -- we all know that -- ever since their explosive depositions last month.
But are they really missing persons advocates when their granddaughter`s case is actually a murder case with no proven link to an actual abduction?
Ron trying to distance himself and his daughter`s disappearance from the tragic case of little Caylee Anthony, who was allegedly killed by her own mom. The question is, why is Ron so opposed to having the cases compared? Insisting there are no similarities.
Let`s take that question right out to my fantastic expert panel: Dr. Dale Archer, clinical psychiatrist; Art Harris, investigative journalist; Lisa Bloom, an anchor on the legal network In Session; CNN analyst and judge Karen Mills-Francis, host of "The Judge Karen Show"; along with Kim Picazio, the attorney for Haleigh`s mom, Crystal Sheffield.
Judge Karen, we get to start with you, because you are in Florida closely tracking these two cases. Why do you think Ron has taken such a dramatic stance and appears so very afraid of having people compare these two tragedies? One where his child is missing, and the other where a child is dead and her own mom is accused of killing her.
KAREN MILLS-FRANCIS, HOST, "THE JUDGE KAREN SHOW": Well, you know what? There could be several reasons for this. But, you know, we`re talking about a man who married his 17-year-old girlfriend, the person with whom this child was seen last, within 30 days after this child is reported missing.
I believe the reason why he doesn`t want the Anthonys` help is because he`s afraid of analogies being made between what happened in their case and what`s happened in his case.
Also, there`s 2,300 kids that go missing every day. We tend to forget about so many children. Maybe he`s hoping we`ll forget about it. And if the Anthonys are involved, then you can best believe the press is going to be behind him.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, the war of words accelerated after Haleigh`s mom, Crystal Sheffield, joined forces with Cindy and George Anthony this past weekend at a rally for missing kids. Listen to what Crystal said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRYSTAL SHEFFIELD, MOTHER OF HALEIGH: Whoever has her, I know you`re watching. Please just bring her home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, Crystal reportedly owes Ron Cummings $4,000 in child support, and there has been an ongoing custody battle regarding Ron Jr., missing Haleigh`s little brother. So my question to you, Lisa Bloom, do you think Ron is lashing out against the Anthonys` involvement just because he has a feud with Crystal, and Crystal has aligned herself with Cindy and George?
LISA BLOOM, ANCHOR, IN SESSION: Well, you know, that`s a lot of sophisticated thinking to impute to him. I think he probably feels that this relentless media drum beat against George and Cindy Anthony, which I think is terribly unfair to them, may have something to it.
I mean, look, they`re not defendants. They are not suspects. Yet, they go to a vigil, and everybody screams and yells about them having some kind of a hidden agenda. These people cannot breathe or take a drink of water without everybody in the media attacking them. And so I`m sure he does not want to be associated with them, because he doesn`t want his family to become suspects in Haleigh`s disappearance.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Yes. I think you just hit the nail on the head. He doesn`t want to become a suspect, and he is not a suspect. And he doesn`t want more fingers being pointed at Misty, who was the last person to see little Haleigh before she vanished, the person on whose watch the little child vanished. And they have since gotten married.
Kim Picazio, put all this in perspective for us. You are the attorney for Crystal Sheffield. There is a feud between Crystal and Ron. Is that why Ron is so upset with the Anthonys coming, being a part of this rally with Crystal?
KIM PICAZIO, ATTORNEY FOR CRYSTAL SHEFFIELD: Well, I guess it is. And I can`t knock his attorneys for attempting to raise his public image, which has been very damaged lately with all of the allegations that have come out and the witnesses that have come out on the media, to make statements against him.
And I`m sure that he`s trying to distance himself away from a family whose daughter has actually been charged with murder. And I`m -- not to say that I`m accusing him of murdering Haleigh, because Haleigh is not found.
But you know, you can read between the lines. Ron always only comes out in defense of himself. He was not at that vigil. It`s my understanding his mother has stated to some of the media that she would have been there, had she known about it.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, listen, Kim, let me ask you this. I read a report that claimed that that vigil was organized by the former spokesperson for Cindy and George Anthony. In other words, it`s not totally up front what`s going on there.
PICAZIO: Well, we went to the vigil. Actually, my client did. I was going to go, but I had a sick child at home. So my client went with her mother to show support. It`s a National Coalition for Missing Children.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Was it organized with Cindy and George?
PICAZIO: No, absolutely not. We had no idea that they were going to be there. And it wouldn`t have mattered. My client would have still attended. We were grateful that the Anthonys were there to show support. They`ve got two losses on their hands: their daughter and their granddaughter. So I think that it was only appropriate that they try to show the community and the world that they want to show support.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: There`s a slight problem with that theory, OK? And whoever`s laughing, feel free to jump in.
DR. DALE ARCHER, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: I`ve got to say I totally disagree with this. I think this is probably the best judgment Ron Cummings has shown throughout this entire ordeal. I think having the Anthonys involved in looking for your lost toddler is like having Michael Vick run your local Humane Society. I think it just doesn`t make any sense.
BLOOM: That`s really -- that`s really unfair to people who have never been charged, who are not suspects. That`s really unfair to people who have lost a grandchild.
ARCHER: But the reason I`m making the comparison is because of the fact your motives will be suspect no matter what you do. They don`t need the distraction in this case, just like if Michael Vick were to get involved. People would question his motives.
BLOOM: Vick is a convicted felon. That`s a big difference.
ARCHER: It`s a media circus no matter what.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, let me -- let me bring in this angle. George and Cindy Anthony, as you know, spoke at the rally for missing children. So first, let`s listen to what Cindy herself said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CINDY ANTHONY, GRANDMOTHER OF CAYLEE: Do not give up hope. Do not give up hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: You know, George and Cindy are out there advocating for missing children. But according to prosecutors, Caylee was never a missing persons case. She was a murder victim, allegedly at the hands of her mother, who is the daughter of Cindy and George.
You know, the Anthonys have actually been accused, Lisa Bloom, of hurting the efforts of missing children`s organizations by blending what cops say is a murder case with missing children`s cases. And some of the groups have said, "We don`t want your participation." This isn`t the first time.
BLOOM: They can say that if they want. But I`m just shocked at the lack of empathy for these two people who have lost a granddaughter, have not done anything wrong, have completely cooperated with law enforcement from the very beginning. George Anthony testified at the grand jury...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, we`ve got -- we`ve got outtakes on that, too. Let me bring in Art Harris. Put this in perspective.
ART HARRIS, INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST: Jane, if you look at the car, or the truck that Ron Cummings drives, you`ll see on the windshield, he says -- it says, "Only God can judge me."
He doesn`t want to be judged any more than he`s already been. He`s been slammed. And here you have parents of an alleged mom, tot killer as she`s called.
And he is married to, as you pointed out, the last woman who saw Haleigh. And so, you know, he doesn`t want the blending of analogies and doesn`t want to be judged any more than he`s already has been, especially not as the parents of Caylee Anthony.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: All right. Fantastic panel. Sit tight; more analysis on the way.
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To be continued....
Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:46 am
