http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1301/24/ijvm.01.htmlJANE VELEZ-MITCHELL
Surprise Arrest in Pediatrician`s Murder
Aired January 24, 2013 - 19:00 ETTHIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But it`s official. So we`re happy that it is official.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Big day for a lot of people in the military.
And folks, Jane Velez-Mitchell starts right now.
JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST: Tonight, a surprise arrest in the horrific murder of a beautiful young pediatrician in Philadelphia. What led cops to search the suburban home of an exterminator and popular family man? And what secrets was he hiding that could have led to such a vicious, violent act?
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VELEZ-MITCHELL (voice-over): Tonight, a stunning arrest in the murder of this beautiful popular pediatrician, who was bound by her hands and feet and set on fire in her own basement. Cops arrest an exterminator described as a good family man. But new reports claim he had a secret addiction. Is that what allegedly pushed him to commit murder?
And Jodi Arias like you`ve never seen her before. We`ll show you the inside of her jail cell, and her fellow inmates will tell us what they really think about her. Plus, is this proof of her ability to seduce? Will she mesmerize these jurors?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She needed an exterminator.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A beautiful young doctor found murdered in her hometown in an affluent section of Philadelphia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had some type of argument. It went terribly wrong.
PAMELA RIMATO-TIRONE, NEIGHBOR: I left the house about 20 after 12:00. And everything was fine. And I came back, this horrible thing happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He struck her while she was in the basement, knocked he down, strangled her to death. And then ultimately set her body on fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A murder mystery unfolding right now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looking for video that will possibly show her killer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He doesn`t seem like that kind of guy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Tonight complete surprise and horror. Cops arrest a very unlikely suspect in the vicious murder of a beautiful, respected, popular pediatrician.
Good evening. I`m Jane Velez-Mitchell coming to you live.
All of Philadelphia was on edge, wondering who was the demonic killer who strangled Dr. Melissa Ketunuti, seen here in photos from Blogspot. Look at this beautiful young woman who did so much good for the world.
She was found in the basement of her home, her hands and feet bound behind her, strangled with a rope. Her body set on fire. An unimaginable crime.
And now the city is shaken to its core after learning a well-liked family man and father who lived in a quiet suburb of Philadelphia 30 miles outside town, he is tonight charged with this horrific murder of this wonderful doctor.
Cops converged on this quiet neighborhood, and the people in this suspect`s community poured out on to their lawns. What was happening? They were absolutely stunned to find out that 36-year-old Jason Smith`s truck was being confiscated and that this man was the suspect in this hideous killing that has all of Philly rattled.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s always outside playing with his children. I mean, he doesn`t seem like that kind of guy. So that`s why I`m really shocked at, like, what`s going on right now, because he does seem like a family man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: She`s talking about Jason Smith.
People thought Melissa`s killer must have been a sex fiend or a stalker or a secret lover. Some had even suggested calling into our show, was it an honor killing? But tonight we find out, no, cops say it was this exterminator on a service call to her home. A man cops believe she let in voluntarily because of rodents in her basement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only thing I can tell you is that she needed an exterminator. She called a service. He was subcontracted out. During the course of him servicing her, they got into some type of argument. It went terribly wrong. At that point he struck her while she was in the basement, knocked her down, strangled her to death, and then ultimately set her body on fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: But obviously you`re not hearing all sides of the story. The woman who was killed cannot tell her side.
So what drove this alleged murderer, Jason Smith, up until now a well- liked family man, to kill Melissa? Was he living a double life? Did he snap, or was a secret addiction behind this vicious act?
Call me: 1-877-JVM-SAYS, 1-877-586-7297.
Straight out to Walt Hunter, reporter with KYW in Philadelphia. Walt, what are you hearing about the exterminator`s claims that this was some argument that got out of control?
WALT HUNTER, REPORTER, KYW: Well, Jane, that`s what`s in his alleged confession. No sooner has Smith been brought out of his home in Levittown, Bucks County, which as you say, is 30 miles outside of Center City, then he began spilling everything he was able to tell to investigating detectives.
In that alleged confession, he claims that, when he went into the house as an exterminator, they went down to the basement. He claims he was basically being told that he would be belittled. He was being made fun of. He was not doing his job properly.
Then he claims he became enraged. He, first of all, hit the doctor, then got on top of her, strangled her and then set her body on fire, then tied her hands and legs behind her. He is claiming it was an act of rage provoked by her.
Homicide detectives, who have fielded their share of confessions here in Philadelphia over the years, are a little bit, behind the scenes, skeptical of that confession. They suspect perhaps while they were inside the house, that the suspect may have been up to something else.
Was it perhaps a rejected advance, although there are no signs of sexual assault at all in this case? Or perhaps did the victim catch him trying to steal or even take something from her, called him on it, and that prompted the argument?
There is what the suspect allegedly says in his confession and, of course, the victim is not here to tell us anything. And that`s all we know at this point.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you`re absolutely right. She is not here to give her side of the story. If you can stand by, Walt. Thank you for all the information.
We may have some other questions. Melissa, so respected for her work at the famous Children`s Hospital of Philadelphia, beloved by patients and staff; and the neighbors are singing her praises saying she loved her dog, she was a busy, active woman. Listen to this.
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RIMATO-TIRONE: I only knew her a little bit as a neighbor. I knew that she exercised all the time. I used to see her out running in the morning sometimes. She was very busy, I know that. Sometimes I used to see her jumping into a taxi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: And that lovely neighbor is caring for this poor murdered woman`s dog now. Given -- his name is Pooch, by the way. And she was devoted to her dog, devoted to the children she helped.
Given her stellar reputation as a kind and gracious professional, in fact everything we`ve heard about Melissa is all positive. I`ve got to ask Florida prosecutor Stacey Honowitz, do you -- do you buy this story, reportedly from the suspect, that she began arguing and belittling this man, Jason Smith, and that he snapped and went into a rage?
I mean listen, he tied, allegedly -- if this is the person who did this -- and that`s her beautiful dog, by the way -- he tied her hands and her feet and her legs behind her back. All right? And then there`s a noose around her neck, and he sets her on fire? All because of an argument over an extermination job?
STACEY HONOWITZ, FLORIDA PROSECUTOR: Well, the way you`re questioning it, it`s probably the way most people are thinking. Why would a man go into a rage and go to the extent that he did to kill her if it was just over the fact that she made fun of the fact that he was an exterminator?
I mean, we are so early into the investigation, and you`re correct. That`s the side of the story that he`s giving. That he felt like he broke into a rage and he killed her based on what she had to say.
Based on everything we know about her thus far, it seems highly unlikely that that was her personality. And so we`re going to have to wait and see what comes out. We`re going to have to know about his background, we`re going to have to know about his psychological background and we`re going to wait and see what the investigation rules out.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, when I heard what I`m about to tell you, I said, "This makes sense."
A reporter with "The Philadelphia Enquirer" told HLN just a few minutes ago that investigators may not be buying Jason`s story about an argument, and here`s what else this reporter said, according to his sources. Listen to this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via phone): The investigators that I`ve been speaking to aren`t necessarily buying that. They feel that this Smith had told them that he battles a drug addiction. And they feel -- they theorized that maybe this was a doctor`s home he was in. Perhaps maybe he tried to steal medicine or prescription pads. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) description. Maybe he stuck his hand into her purse, and she caught him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Now, we cannot independently confirm that suspect Jason Smith has a drug addiction.
But Howard Samuels, you`re an addiction specialist joining us tonight. We sent you his mug shot. Look at his eyes. What do these eyes tell you? And if we can, as you talk, go back into that zoom. Howard?
HOWARD SAMUELS, ADDICTION SPECIALIST (via phone): Yes, Jane. Well, first of all, he definitely looks like he`s high on drugs. But the eyes are pinned. And when the pupils are pinned, that usually points to opiate use. When you use opiates, your eyes get -- your pupils get very, very small.
Now, normally when you`re on opiates, you become very passive. But the issue is, when you get off of opiates or when you start to get dope sick, so to speak, and you need another fix, you become very irritable. You become prone to losing control. You have no impulse control. So -- and you can go into rages when you get, you know, emotionally triggered.
So I can definitely see some drug involvement occurring here because of the rage issue.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, again, "Philadelphia Enquirer" reporter says his sources are telling him that the suspect in this case, a well-liked family man up until now, had a drug problem and admitted that to authorities. We can`t independently confirm that.
His attorneys are invited on our show any time.
On the other side of the break, we`re going to tell what you the suspect was doing when he was arrested. You won`t believe that.
And also, coming in just a little bit, a look inside Jodi Arias` secret life in jail. You will not want to miss that. That`s later.
Next, the shocking arrest in the murder of this Philadelphia pediatrician. We`ve got more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s always outside playing with his children. I mean, he doesn`t seem like that kind of guy. So that`s why I`m really shocked at, like, what`s going on right now, because he does seem like a family man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thirty-four-year-old female. Her hands and feet had been bound behind her with some type of rope. There was some type of rope around her neck, which right now appears to be the cause of death, strangulation. And her body was set on fire.
Checking videos, talking to neighbors, following on several tips and leads in from the homicide unit, we developed a suspect, Jason Smith.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Police say this 36-year-old exterminator, Jason Smith, basically had up until now, a very clean record except for a couple of traffic offenses. Check this out.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing major. He had some, like, minor traffic offenses. He`s really not known to police for anything serious. Until now.
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VELEZ-MITCHELL: Philly.com reports Jason`s neighbors said he was always helpful, that he always seen walking his dog. He lived in a two- story home with a white-picket fence with his girlfriend of six years, her daughter, and her parents.
When cops got to his home to arrest him, they found him and his family watching "American Idol."
Mike Brooks, HLN law enforcement analyst, that`s like a Norman Rockwell painting, Mike Brooks. I mean, the picture of normalcy. Could he have been living a double life?
MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Absolutely. And that`s what it sounds like, Jane. In fact, I`d go back to some of his other customers that -- where he`s done work in the houses to see if maybe anything else had been missing that they may not have noticed yet.
But you know, law enforcement think this happened within an hour`s window between 10:15 and 11:15 in the morning, Jane. And apparently, the surveillance video that they got from a coffee shop, a Walgreen`s drugstore and a -- and a hospital nearby, that`s what basically led them to this guy and then from the exterminating -- exterminating company, where she had made an appointment.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, you`re absolutely right. And at their news conference just a couple of hours ago, police disclosed that that`s how they cracked this case. Surveillance video the key. Check this out.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They went through hours of surveillance. Like I said, detectives did an unbelievable job of finding every bit of footage that was in that area. And what we saw was the eventual suspect actually following about 30 seconds behind the decedent down 18th Street and then onto Naudain Street. Which led us to him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he let himself in?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, she let him in. She was expecting him. They had an appointment. She had an appointment for an exterminator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Do you see all these surveillance cameras in the area? They`re all over the area. Those helped cops catch the accused killer. Cops say they show Jason going inside Melissa`s home for the appointment, leave about 50 minutes later. And then he got in his truck and circled the house, which -- this is the truck they now have in their possession, authorities do.
I want to go out to the phone lines. George, Virginia, your question or thought? George, Virginia.
CALLER: Hey, thanks. Good evening, Jane. Thank you for having me on.
I`m an I.T. professional. And there`s two things -- three things that stand out. First off, the family man maybe, but I don`t make -- see him being a family man (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Although the method of killing is very heinous, a lot of intent and energy went into the style or style that he used.
Additionally, I believe, based on the background of this wonderful woman who is a doctor -- I have a sister who`s a doctor, and most doctors I know are very loving, open people. That`s why they`re doctors. Anyway, I believe that she would not have resulted to snide comments. And I believe that she was probably intelligent enough that she would have avoided a level of confrontation with more dignity and class.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: So you don`t buy the story, basically?
CALLER: No. I don`t buy the story. I see this guy`s picture. I see his eyes, and I see, wow, this could be somebody that is potentially very disturbed. But I don`t draw any correlation between him being a family man. People murder...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Oh, of course not. Listen, yes, let me just say this, George. Yes, look, the BTK serial killer was not only a family man, but he was, like, active in his church, and he was a prominent member of the community. His own wife had no idea that he was a serial killer going around torturing and killing people. That means absolutely nothing.
Sarah Hoye, you`re a CNN reporter. You`ve been talking to neighbors in the area where this happened and also you have gone to this suspect`s neighborhood, as well? What have you learned?
SARAH HOYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good evening, Jane. So today I did spend the afternoon outside the home of Jason Smith. Neighbors there either did not want to talk or were not home. But the one thing that was common among those who did talk was how surprised they were.
Last night there was police descending upon the neighborhood, helicopters. There was a lot of commotion going on at that house. Completely caught the neighbors off-guard.
Today, they`re behind closed doors. They don`t want to talk. This thing has really shocked people.
The other thing that`s interesting about this neighborhood was this house has now become an attraction. You have people, not who live on that block but who live in the neighborhood, who are now passing by the home, checking it out. They want to know what`s going on. They`re yelling things at the house. So this...
VELEZ-MITCHELL: What are they yelling?
HOYE: ... residential. There was a couple cars going by who were yelling "murderer, murderer" and just speeding on past, or they were just slowing up and just in shock, and they want information.
A lot of people were talking about this at the local gym. They`re talking about this at the grocery store. They`re talking about it at McDonald`s. Everybody was completely shocked by this.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, on the other side of the break, I`m going to relate to an experience I had once, which gave me an alarm, that I was alone with a service person who I really believe was high on drugs. We`ll talk about that and what women can do to protect themselves.
There`s wonderful service people. They come, and they save us when we`re having floods and fires and things aren`t working. So we applaud all those service people who do such a great job. Plumbers and the electricians and all that. But I think women do have to be careful and also find ways to protect themselves in situations like this.
More on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only thing I can tell you is that she needed an exterminator. She called a certain service. He was subcontracted out. During the course of him servicing her, they got into some type of argument. It went terribly wrong. At that point he struck her while she was in the basement, knocked her down, strangled her to death, and then ultimately set her body on fire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via phone): Investigators that I`ve been speaking to aren`t necessarily buying that. They feel that -- this Smith had told them that he battles a drug addiction, and they feel, they theorize that maybe he -- this was a doctor`s home he was in. Perhaps he tried to steal medicine or prescription pads. She was a surgeon; she could write prescriptions. Maybe he just stuck his hand into her purse and she caught him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Drew Findling, our addiction specialist says his eyes, his pupils seem very pinpoint and that -- I wonder, should cops give him, have given him a test to see if there were drugs in his system at the time of his arrest?
DREW FINDLING, ATTORNEY: Well, I think if they didn`t, they should. And remember what the doctor told us. His analysis is he supported the allegation of rage.
And when we think about the allegation of rage, to me, all I can fathom is his defense attorneys are going to go after not his statement but really, what he made is a confession. I mean, rage is not a defense. It`s something that can get you a life imprisonment when you go to trial. So I don`t see why that is so offensive. I see that`s problematic to whoever his defense attorneys are going to be.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Mike Brooks, HLN law enforcement analyst, my hat`s off. I have been helped by so many service people over the years...
BROOKS: Sure.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: ... when I have a flood or something doesn`t work. So I`m not putting anybody down. I mean, addiction comes in all sizes, shapes and colors. Gosh, do I know that. I`m almost 18 years sober. Knock on wood. In April it will be 18.
But I did have a weird experience once where I had a plumber, and I can tell he was high, because he was telling me to do things like, "Oh, you have to go buy this," and there`s water pouring out. He wasn`t making any sense. He was telling me to buy two knobs when obviously on my shower there`s only one knob. So why would I be replacing it with two knobs? It didn`t make any sense. And I`m saying to myself, I`m alone, and this guy is high.
How can women protect themselves in these kinds of situations?
BROOKS: You know, Jane, one of the things is before you get a contractor, do your homework. Does this contractor drug test their people? Do they have background checks? Because there`s many plumbers, many other service people -- I know here in the Atlanta area that they advertise that "our people are drug tested. Our people go through background checks." You want to make sure that that company that you hire, that person is going to be coming out there, is recommended by the Better Business Bureau. These kind of things, to do your homework before you hire somebody.
But the other thing, no matter if you -- what company you get, don`t be there alone. Try to have someone there with you.
I would tell men also, if you`re there, have someone there with you also. Because, you know, safety. There`s usually safety in numbers. But do your background before you hire a contractor.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: I agree with you. Have somebody there with you when it`s a stranger, not somebody you`ve ever had any interaction with before coming to your house.
Let`s go to the phone lines. Suzanne, Canada, your thoughts or question? Suzanne, Canada.
CALLER: Hi, Jane. I`d like to say that I love you and your show and how you set up for the animals.
My question is -- I think when this is going to end up being in court, that they`re going to find that he was either insane or has he had a history of mental illness? Has he a criminal record that he had any drug offenses or anything along those lines?
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Suzanne, he has a relatively clean record. There is no record except for a couple of tickets.
But Stacey Honowitz, now he`s admitted this drug addiction to prescription pills, which of course, is overtaking illegal drugs as the crisis of our times in terms of addiction. Could he suddenly turn around and try to say not guilty by reason of insanity?
HONOWITZ: Oh, sure, Jane. You know, when you`re accused of a crime, you can try whatever defense you want. The problem is whether or not it`s going to work in court. That`s what we`re going to have to see.
And what happens is he has to be evaluated. I`m sure, in a heinous crime like this, where all of us are sitting here saying, "You know what? It just sounds so unbelievable that he broke into a rage because she belittled him for being an exterminator after she called an exterminator to come do her house," that certainly his lawyers will try to have him evaluated to see if there is any kind of mental disability or defect.
VELEZ-MITCHELL: Well, what a tragedy. And again, our condolences to the family of this wonderful doctor. They`re flying in from around the world. I think her mom is from Belgium and her father is from the Philippines, and they`re flying in.
What a sad, sad thing. What a promising, promising future wiped out. It is a tragedy and a crime.
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