Case of Robyn Conner: Missing in Aruba; Therapy Dogs in Courtrooms Garner Controversy
BALDWIN: A therapy dog named Rosie caught in the middle of this legal battle, and a deja vu case just slightly here with an American woman missing in Aruba. Sunny Hostin is on the case as always. And Sunny, we want to begin with this woman here, missing in Aruba. Take a look at her picture. Her name is Robin Gardner from Maryland. She was last seen on August 2. And I know a lot of people -- look, it's easy to do this, drawing parallels with Natalee Holloway, another American woman disappeared from Aruba back in 2005. But it's important to point out these are very different circumstances here, are they not?</s>SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: They really are because the man she was last seen with she met online. They actually traveled to Aruba together both from Maryland. So that was a very different circumstance than Natalee Holloway. This woman is 35. Natalee Holloway was a teenager celebrating her senior trip and met someone from Aruba and then of course has never been found.</s>BALDWIN: And you mention, this woman, Robin Gardner, she met this man online she goes to Aruba with. Who is he, what do you know about him? And what are police looking for from him?</s>HOSTIN: Certainly they want to know what happened. He was the last person that she was seen with. His name is Gary Giordano. He's 50-year-old. He's from Maryland. They traveled to Aruba July 31. They went snorkeling together August 2. And he claimed that she never came to shore. He does have a criminal history, Brooke, in Maryland. Two women, one, his ex-wife, they filed orders of protection against him. So perhaps a violent person. And the Aruban police certainly have him for questioning.</s>BALDWIN: OK, so they're questioning him. Now, something I didn't realize, you could have dogs in a courtroom. But it makes sense. There's a case of Rosie the therapy dog. Rosie here was allowed to be in a witness box to comfort a teenage girl who was on the stand testifying that her father had raped her and not only that, actually got her pregnant. So her father was convicted, but now, Sunny Hostin, lawyers for the father are crying foul. Why?</s>HOSTIN: They sure are. She sparked this legal debate because they are saying that it is possibly that Rosie swayed the jury. In Rosie comforting this poor young girl -- she's only 15 years old -- perhaps the jurors thought she was certainly telling the truth because she needed the therapy dog. But I will say this, Brooke. I've tried a lot of child sex crimes, and the most difficult thing for prosecutors is to get that victim, especially children, on the witness stand to be face to face with the perpetrator. And so I think this is a natural extension of other things, other tools that prosecutors have used. There's typically a children's victim advocate in the courtroom in the line of vision for a child while testifying. And certainly I won't say that this is unique. It's actually</s>BALDWIN: Does it happen pretty often?</s>HOSTIN: I wouldn't say often, but it started in about 2003. There's been this growing trend. You see it in Arizona. You see it in Idaho. You see it in Hawaii. This is the first time you have seen it in New York and this is a very important case. I think this will end in appeal. I think the highest court of New York will look at this. But again, I think it's just the natural progression of trying to make sure victims of crimes especially child victims, Brooke, are comforted while on the witness stand.</s>BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin on the case. Thanks, Sunny. Now take a look at this.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started CPR on my own son. My face was covered in blood. My hand was covered in blood. Why? Why?</s>BALDWIN: A dad watches his own son die on the London streets where is answers say everyone has gone mad. Up next, we will take you to the middle of the chaos there in London. Dan Rivers is there live. We're back in 70 seconds.