[Jane Velez-mitchell, Host:] Tonight, breaking developments in the brutal murder of Sandra Cantu. Melissa Huckaby called in front of a judge to be formally charged with murder and kidnapping. But in a gut-wrenching twist, I`ll tell you if this young mother was also charged with rape with a foreign object. And speculation mounts. Did this atrocity happen in the church where the suspect taught Sunday school? And a shocker in the Caylee Anthony murder case. The death penalty on the table as prosecutors seek to put mom Casey on Death Row. Did new evidence lead to this decision? Or is it an act of desperation? I`ll examine the prosecution`s strategy and how Casey`s defense will respond. Why critics say Jose Baez doesn`t have the experience to fight a death penalty case. Then from "Braveheart" to broken heart. Mel Gibson`s wife of 28 years wants a divorce from the devout Catholic Gibson, worth almost a billion dollars. But with no prenup, the star`s wallet could be the biggest casualty in a legal battle that could make the clashes in "Braveheart" look like a walk in the park. Plus, Octomom Nadya Suleman now has all 14 kids at home. So now will she stop mugging for the cameras and get down to mothering? And I`ll examine all her expenses that are piling up. Who`s going to foot the mammoth bill? ISSUES starts now.
[Velez-mitchell:] Stunning breaking news tonight in the brutal murder of 8-year-old California girl Sandra Cantu, found stuffed in a suitcase that was dumped into an irrigation pond. Just hours ago Melissa Huckaby, a 28-year-old mother and Sunday schoolteacher, was hauled into court and officially charged with raping and killing the adorable second grader. Huckaby broke down and cried as the judge read these mind-boggling charges.
[Unidentified Male:] There`s been a complaint filed in the case of in 111539A, that is count one, that on or about March 27, 2009, the crime of murder in violation of section 27 of the penal code, a felony, was committed by Melissa Huckaby, who at the time willfully, unlawfully and intentionally with malice aforethought against Sandra Cantu.
[Velez-mitchell:] Unbelievably, Melissa Huckaby`s own 5-year-old daughter was a playmate of the 8-year-old murder victim who lived five doors down from this suspect. This young mom did not enter a plea, and she did not utter a single word as she was formally charged. Along with murder she is also accused of kidnapping, lewd conduct with a minor and it makes me sick to say it rape with a foreign instrument. These three special circumstances mean, if convicted, she could face the death penalty. Tonight, disturbing questions. People are asking did the crime occur in the very church where this woman teaches Sunday school? Also, new questions about the suspect`s troubled past. Records show a bankruptcy and rap sheet for petty theft which she denies. Relatives say she suffered from depression, but does any of that indicate a capacity for the horrific crime she`s accused of, allegedly raping and murdering an 8-year-old neighbor? This is surreal. What`s your take on this outrageous case? I am taking your calls. So sound off. But first, my expert panel: Bradford Cohen, criminal defense attorney; Remi Spencer, criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor; Don Clark, former special agent in charge, Houston FBI; Judy Kuriansky, Dr. Judy, clinical psychologist, who has written extensively about sexual dysfunction; plus, Sergeant Tony Sheneman, public information officer for the Tracy Police Department. But first, we begin with Bob Moffitt, reporter with KFBK Newstalk 1530. Bob, you were inside the courtroom. Paint a picture of what it was like inside.
[Bob Moffitt, Reporter, Kfbk Newstalk:] The red eyes of the defendant matched her red jump suit. She was not the only one who was close to bursting into tears. The packed courtroom also had plenty of members of the victim`s family. Sandra Cantu`s aunt and uncle made an appearance, as did many others wearing T- shirt with colored imprints of Sandra`s face on them. The victim or defendant, rather, said nothing, look at the judge, as the judge read the charges aloud against her and then was led away. She will appear back in court April 24 as the arraignment continues, as she did not enter a plea. In the meantime, she will also undergo a continuing medication evaluation, and we will see what happens from that.
[Velez-mitchell:] All right. Listen again as the judge reads the astounding charges to Sunday schoolteacher Melissa Huckaby. Listen and watch.
[Unidentified Male:] Very special circumstance, it is further alleged that the murder of Sandra Cantu was committed by Melissa Huckaby. Also, it was engaged in the commission, attempted commission or immediate flight after the commission or attempted commission of the crime of rape by an instrument in violation of penal code section 289.
[Velez-mitchell:] Dr. Judy Kuriansky, everybody in our newsroom noticed the same thing: certain words, specifically the word "rape" and Sandra`s name, the victim`s name triggered sobs. What does that tell you?
[Dr. Judy Kuriansky, Clinical Psychologist:] It tells me that she possibly has been raped herself, and this was a re-enactment of that experience. The statistics have shown that this is the case: up to 80 percent of these situations happen when the woman has been raped herself.
[Velez-mitchell:] You know, just to put that in perspective, Dr. Judy, you and I have talked about how sometimes sexual crimes and again, this woman is just accused. She hasn`t been convicted of anything. She hasn`t even entered a plea. So we have no idea whether she`s innocent or guilty. But hypothetically, we have talked at length about how sexual crimes are often an acting out of a childhood trauma. And we`ve used the example of Phil Specter. Now, Phil Specter`s father and of course, he was just convicted this week Phil Specter`s father committed suicide. Many years later he ends up shooting a woman in the mouth with a gun and then saying to the world that she committed suicide. So we saw that childhood trauma go full circle. So you`re saying the same principle could apply here.
[Kuriansky:] Exactly. And put this piece together, because you`re so good at that. The fact that not only was this happening in the church, something, I would say, happened to her in the church area. And the body was found near the church. This is always very telling: where is the body found? It`s found in the neighborhood and in the area where I suspect that something happened to her.
[Velez-mitchell:] Well, we don`t know for sure that this happened in the church.
[Kuriansky:] Right.
[Velez-mitchell:] It`s one of the many unanswered questions, although there have been news reports quoting sources as saying that investigators believe it may have happened. We have with us right now Sergeant Tony Sheneman, who is a public information officer for the Tracy Police Department. First of all, I want to congratulate you on and your entire department, excellent police work getting this case cracked so quickly and, really, moving very, very fast. We`ve seen cases that have dragged on for so long with no resolution. So congratulations on that. But I know there are so many questions, Sergeant. People want to know, did it happen in the church? If you`re accusing this woman of taking her from the mobile home park to the church, where was her daughter when this allegedly occurred? I know you can`t answer a lot. What can you tell us tonight?
[Sgt. Tony Sheneman, Public Information Officer, Tracy Police Department:] There there is an allegation that it did happen in a church. I can`t confirm that. I can tell you that the allegations that were read today were a result of the investigation that was conducted over the course of the last week and that the congratulations actually goes to the investigative team.
[Velez-mitchell:] Now, a lot of people are wondering. Correct me if I`m wrong. Apparently, she went in. She was released from the hospital. She was suffering from some sort of stomach ulcer on Thursday. Friday, she goes in to talk to you, does something like a five- or six-hour interview with you. And at that point you decide you have probable cause to arrest her. Did she confess, or was it just a question of her story didn`t make any sense, and you felt you had probable cause?
[Sheneman:] I can`t speak to a confession, but probable cause was developed during the course of the interview that gave us reason to arrest her.
[Velez-mitchell:] I want to thank you, Sergeant. I know that you`ve got a lot to do and there`s only so much you can say. So I appreciate you taking the time. Bradford Cohen, criminal defense attorney, why did she not enter a plea?
[Bradford Cohen, Criminal Defense Attorney:] I think what`s going to happen is she`s going to get psychologically evaluated. There`s a lot of things going on. The P.D. was just appointed today. He or she is definitely going to take a look and she if she`s going to need some psychological evaluation prior to entering a plea. I believe that even when they come up for arraignment again, they might not even be ready at that time to enter a plea. So there`s a lot of things going on behind the scenes in this case.
[Velez-mitchell:] Well, do you think it`s a build up, Remi Spencer, for not guilty by reason of insanity plea?
[Remi Spencer, Criminal Defense Attorney:] I think you`re very right. I mean, I think it`s very possible that you`re right, because if that`s going to be her defense, how could she enter a knowing plea today? I think her lawyer is doing the right thing holding off before entering any kind of plea, and I think that we`re going see an evaluation.
[Velez-mitchell:] One of Melissa Huckaby`s friends spoke out on "Good Morning America," visibly upset that she could have reached Melissa with one phone call. Listen to this.
[Emily Fontes, Friend Of Melissa Huckaby:] One phone call to call her and see how she was, and that`s really hard to know I can`t go go back.
[Velez-mitchell:] Some believe Melissa was in some kind of downward spiral. The reports of trouble with the law which she denies. There`s bankruptcy reports, trouble keeping jobs, struggling to raise a small child as a single mom, depression. But Dr. Judy, none of that, none of that seems to explain the horrific nature of these specific allegations.
[Kuriansky:] Yes, that`s true, but it`s part of the picture. It`s part of the picture of a person who was extremely distressed in her own life and fell apart, and it is telling. It`s telling that, with my idea of what might have happened at this time, psychologically as a profiler, she ends up re-enacting, as we`ve said, this kind of abuse. The child may have said something like I`m going to tell. She panics and projects herself into what happened and how she felt as a child, how she would have wanted to kill her abuser. All of this gets mixed up in her mind, and that`s what my thought is what happened.
[Velez-mitchell:] All right, everyone, more on the brutal, incomprehensible murder of little Sandra in just a moment. What evidence could have caused this Sunday schoolteacher to be charged with such a horrific crime? Weigh in: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297. Sound off. And in the Caylee Anthony murder case, prosecutors seek the death penalty now against mom Casey. Do they have new evidence, or are they just desperate? I`ll have an update. But first, everyone is stunned by the grotesque allegations against Melissa Huckaby in the murder of little Sandra, even the suspect`s own family.
[Joni Hughes, Melissa Huckaby`s Aunt:] Very shocked. Very out of character for Melissa. We love her dearly.
[Unidentified Male:] Fantastic mother. Very, very loving.
[Hughes:] Very loving. A great sadness for our family, and it`s a very difficult time for us and very difficult to express to you right now how we`re feeling.