continuing our conversation as we're hearing another account of what went on inside the sweat lodge led by self-help guru, james arthur ray, contributor to the book "the secret." this was a spiritual retreat, and it has turned deadly. we want to know what happened. we are finding out, we have with us ted schmidt, he is a lawyer of sydney spencer. she was inside that sweat lodge, getting his account. we have a doctor with us, telling us what happens to the body when things get hot. also with us, eric chase, criminal defense attorney. we hear this account, eric. most people hear all this and say, come on. james arthur ray set the table for this tragedy. how are you going to defend him? >> well, first we have to separate into two parts, the criminal part and civil part. in terms of the criminal part, and what happened in the sweat lodge, i don't think there is going to be any criminal liability. >> you don't think? >> i don't think. any type of criminal charge, you at least have to proceed in the face of a known risk of possible death. i think he was just stupid. and stupid does not translate into being criminally responsible. look, these people all had an option. they were all acting voluntarily. they could have left if they wanted to. they were just as stupid about what could happen in this horrible environment as he was. in terms of criminal responsibility, which is different than if you sued for money, but for criminal responsibility, i don't think there will be any. >> but civil, there are going to be good cases, is that what you're saying? >> absolutely. they put their trust in him, had a contract with him. in terms of civil liability i would be concerned for him and his estate. >> ted schmidt, can you comment on that on a criminal level? these deaths are being looked at as homicides. do you see criminal charges coming? >> i am not an expert in criminal law. i am a civil lawyer. but i will tell you, based on what we just heard, that what the -- i understand the sheriff is attempting to develop the fact that he had had sweat lodge experiences in the past, where people had passed out, and he had some -- actually did have some knowledge that there was a danger. whether they are able to prove he had knowledge that this is life threatening, i'm not sure. >> let's go back to eric. on that front, eric, we have all these people. from a lot of experts we've talked to in these sweat lodges, there's way too many people, 55 to 65, and only one nurse on hand of the is that something to where you could build a case of negligence against ray? >> i will tell you where there may be a possibility of criminal responsibility. that's what happened after people left the sweat lodge. from what i'vehead, there were some people who could have been helped by some of the other participants, and what he called his dream team, his assistants were not allowing the assistance to be given. it looked like they were protecting their own pocket books, their own program and weren't interested in protecting the people that were put at risk. that could give rise to criminal responsibility. >> we heard that account from beverly bunn yesterday. she works in the dental field. so she is trained medically and she wanted to help. but as you termed, the dream team would not let her. ted, before we let you go, does your client, sydney, have an account of what happened outside, as we know now people were dying around her outside of that sweat lodge? >> she didn't regain consciousness until she was in the hospital. but she has spoken to the woman that drug her out of there, and that woman said that she was foaming at the mouth, convulsing and her eyes were rolled back in her head. >> before we go, doctor, how quick does this get dangerous/deadly when it gets that hot in there, and there's no circulation of air? >> sure. well, it's a difficult question. i guess the people by the window did better. but once your body tempt gets above 103, 104, you're at risk for seizures, which sounds like she was already experiencing when they found her in the hospital. >> we'll continue to follow this story. ted, doctor, and eric chase, we appreciate it, guys. another disturbing story. football star, jasper howard, murdered. uconn student, he was murdered outside of a dance. somebody saw something. but potential witnesses are being bullied online, threatened about snitching. are they not telling what could bring this young man justice? we'll take your calls, 1-877-tell-hln. welcome back. football star at the university of connecticut murdered in a crowd of 300 people. and now there are violent threats popping up online to stop witnesses from going to the cops. here's just one of the threats. quoting it. stop snitching for the love of god make the cops do their jobs. jazz didn't deserve to die, and the person who killed him didn't intend to kill him. anyone who snitched should face the social consequences. some of those consequences spelled out, stabbed, mugged, beaten. for talking to the cops. unbelievable. someone even posted a threat on the victim's memorial web page, a place to remember and pay tribute to jasper howard. his mom and dad want justice. and you're going to go to a website and threaten those who might bring justice. we welcome back hln law enforcement analyst mike brooks. also with us, kate monahan for uconn's daily newspaper. kate, 300 people were at the dance. we're not sure how many people saw, but you figure somebody saw something. are authorities at this point frustrated because no one's coming forward? >> well, i think from what i've gathered, talking to them, that it's been a little frustrating, because as we've learned, the police have said that there's evidence out there, video graphic, and photographic evidence that they know exists that hasn't been brought to them yet. so i think because they've been reaching out and saying, we know there's evidence out there, we just don't have it yet, i'm sure they must be getting frustrated, they're not getting all the information from that night. >> where are these threats -- where are they popping up? facebook? where else, kate? >> there have just been a few. but one of the threats, which was taken down, was on the facebook group. and another one was on uconn student's blog, a comment on a video he had done, a student reaction to the tragedy. both of those were pretty strongly worded threats that specifically mentioned violence. and seemed as though the people were not -- they were outsiders. which we do know that the people involved in this could be non-uconn students. the police believe it's non-uconn students and uconn students were involved in the fight. >> you mentioned facebook. here's just a, a disturbing post on facebook. this was posted on a page honoring jasper howard. it's pretty rough. we had to do a lot of editing here. you'll get the gist of it. it's basically blank the snitches. i know you would not be down with that. this needs to be a lesson for all of uconn. you will be stabbed, shot, mugged or beaten for blanking around. kate, have you talked to anybody, a potential witness ho is intimidated by this and keeping quiet at this point? >> you know, we haven't found anyone to specifically say -- to point to these as a cause for not coming forward. but i have reached out to people, shoot them an e-mail, or facebook message or something like that, to try to get ahold of them if it seemed like they were a witness. some people specifically said, no, i haven't talked to police. and wouldn't say why. i mean, i guess like i'm kind of going on limited information on what people's motives are. or they just think maybe i didn't see that much. or something like that. but i think we need to look at the possibility for maybe why people aren't coming forward. >> kate, let me ask you this and i'll get mike in on the conversation. have you been threatened? do you feel threatened by bringing this piece of the story to light? >> i haven't personally, but i feel like it is the kind of thing where, you know, it is a little intimidating, because if there are these people out there that feel this vehemently about this situation, obviously i do worry a little bit about my safety, or other people's safety. but i'm happy that the police have come out to say, if you have fears about coming forward, you know, you can relay that to them and they can help protect you in any way possible. and that includes being anonymous, when you call in for tips. >> kate, we applaud your bravery, by the way, to bring this forward. let's bring in mike brooks, hln law enforcement analyst. mike, how much of a problem is this. eyewitnesses going so lent because of this garbage, threats online. >> it's a problem. it's a problem in the public on homicide seats around the city. i used to do canvases all the time. no, i don't want to say anything, they were intimidated because people would come up and say, you didn't see anything, did you? no, i didn't see anything. but the ones who say don't snitch, they are really the ones who are the cords. please, keep sending them to facebook, keep sending them to different blogs, because law enforcement can find you. you can run, but you can't hide. >> can they be traced? >> absolutely, mike. i'm not going to say how, but they can be. could there be possible charges if these are people who did see something? and are intimidated? absolutely. tampering with a witness, obstruction of justice, threats across the internet. when they started -- when the internet started becoming more popular, and just as big as it is now, it used be threat to cross the phone. same kind of things. use of interstate commerce. if it gets bad enough and the fbi gets involved, because they'll find a way to get involved, if it goes from state to state, they could also face federal charges, possibly. >> let's get a call in. kathy is with us in massachusetts. kathy, go ahead. >> caller: hey, mike, how are you doing? >> good. >> caller: these low-life making threats to the people. they really ought to be shot. i'm sorry. their own power is by threatening people. and when people talk to the police and they do it anonymously, they should help the police because the police deserve the public's help to get justice for the family. >> exactly. you look at jasper howard, described as a great young man, father-to-be, a team captain. just received the game ball after a big win over louisville. mike, talk about that. police can protect people that feel they might be threatened. they can bring their anonymous information forward, right? >> you're a number, a crimestoppers program. you don't have to give a name. they just assign you a number and they contact you that way. no, you don't have to give your name. and there are, you know, tips you can call in to the tip number we're showing right now, mike. and you don't have to give your name. but that's the problem. it's really an epidemic out there, people don't want to get involved. this poor guy, he left miami to escape the violence, and what happens to him in connecticut? >> yeah. kate, are police continually on a daily basis reaching out to the students, to please tell us something? >> pretty regularly, uconn students get e-mail updates from the police on how the investigation is going. i guess what steps they're taking. i don't think that in the last day or so, they've received too much more. so i don't know how things are progressing. but i haven't heard too many new developments. >> kate, thank you for your bravery. mike, good talking to you as well. richard roundtree, biggest movie role in the '70s, this guy, he was the man back then. well, now he's facing breast cancer. it's coming up in "what matters." high y'all doing. my name is wyclef jean. at the first annual cnn heroes tribute show, i had recognized the great works of everyday citizens changing the world. as the founder of an organization which seeks to improve lives in my native country, i am thrilled to help cnn introduce one of this year's top ten honorees. now more than ever, the world needs heroes. >> life after katrina is hard for a kid. you have violence. the drug life. i'm just tired of it. my aim is to get kids off the streets. my name is derrick tabb, and i started a free music organization for kids in new orleans. let's go, horns up. we do more than teach music. we offer transportation. we offer instruments. i feed you, so you're not hungry. i give you tut uring. i call it the no excuse policy. you have no excuse why you're not here. press down on it. just like that. we meet five days a week, year round. we constantly learn something new. that keeps the kids coming back every day. i won't say i'm saving lives, i'll say i'm giving life. a whole different life of music. everybody knows shaft, richard roundtree, made the role famous. he's now a breast cancer survivor. richelle carey had a chance to sit down and talk with him. >> you got from it being devastating to being a survivor to now calling it a backhanded blessing. >> yes. >> what was that journey? how did you get there? >> it's quite interesting what happened. five years later, when i was diagnosed as a survivor, i didn't say anything about it until that time, until i was over that hump, that five-year hump. and i was at a golf tournament in north carolina, wilmington, north carolina. and the beauty of this event is every year you get to see where the proceeds from the previous year went. and this particular year they were raising money to buy a vehicle to go out -- outside of the city and test people. and i said, that's incredible. i mean, people who can get free examinations and whatnot. it's much needed. being a survivor myself, and the shock on everyone's face. i said, yes, i am a breast cancer survivor. well, that was an eye opener. i said, you know, i should start talking about this. and the feedback, so many men have come up to me and said, you know, as a result of reading your story, i went and got tested. and i got an early i got early i've survived. i'm a survivor as well. and those stories, i characterize it as a back-handed blessing. because if shaft can survive it, it's a good thing. and men are being tested and raising the awareness level that breast cancer is not gender specific. >> absolutely. not only survived it but clearly, i think there is a certain type of man that will listen to you but won't listen to anybody else. >> i say in my speaking, when the doctor told me i had breast cancer, i said that's something that women, i thought that was only something that a box could get and not something a man could get. not something that i could get. we are talking about shaft up here. >> yes, we are. well said. well said. well, shaft, mr. richard roundtree, thank you for sharing your story with us. i think people really perk up and listen and they need to hear this message. and keep on being a hypochondriac if that's what you you need to do. we appreciate it. for more of what matters, check out the november issue of essence magazine or you can always go to cnn.com/whatmatters. ddddd tonight a devastated mother has an angry message for her daughter's killer. watch out. we're coming to get you. somer thompson, abducted, murdered, dumped in the trash. she was only 7 years old and her mystery killer is still on the loose. now her mom vows to devote her life to finding the monster who did this. meantime, cops tracking down hundreds of leads. shifting through tons of garbage, looking for any clues that could lead to this killer. and tonight's big issue, how do we stop another child from being abducted and murdered? plus, a steamy sexual affair turns really ugly. an espn analyst accused of sleeping with a 22-year-old co-worker turned jilted lover. take a look at these photos from tmz. when the tv commentator broke it off, this heart broken girl allegedly started harassing his wife with nasty phone calls and letters. she even crashed her car into his house. we'll have all the jaw dropping details. and pharmaceutical suicide. bomb shell allegations in the anna nicole smith case. a pharmacist says she had a laundry list of prescriptions including muscle relaxants and methadone. five months later she was dead. who is responsible for prescribing her enough drugs to kill her? we'll take a look. will "issues" starts now. tonight, a frantic search for a child killer. the monster who murdered 7-year-old somer thompson is still out there. cops have interviewed more than 100 sex offenders in the area. they believe none of them were involved. police zeroing in on this sinister abandoned house right there. gosh, that looks like a house. horrors. the last place they believe little somer was seen alive. could this be the house where she was murdered? crime tapes surround this dilapidated home. burned up in a fire, officers are taking bags of evidence from inside and using something called light technology presumably to detect blood and fluids. they're also combing thank you dumpster in the yard. also under investigation, a public bathroom at the park right across the street from that house. is there evidence there? the vacant home and park steps away from somer's elementary school. plus a very strange twist, a mystery woman talking to local reporters. could she know something about so many early's murder? police are following up more than 800 tips as somer's devastated family tries to cope with the unthinkable. with the killer still on the loose, communities in northern florida are living in fear. many keeping their kids inside. somer's mom spoke out on nbc's "today" show. >> we're coming for you. >> you are you confident that -- >> we're going to get you. >> are you confident they'll be able to find your daughter's killer? >> i want to be confident. but i was confident that she was going to come home. and she didn't. but i know they're working. and doing it and i have faith in them. >> somer's body you was found covered by truck loads of trash dumped in a landfill. investigators went there on a hunch, expecting to find perhaps a backpack or maybe a piece of clothing. what they found, two lifeless little legs poking out from under the rubble. this crime is just unspeakable. we need to find a way to stop these predators from terrorizing us. that's a very big issue to tackle. we've got to stop somewhere. and the first step is to say, we here on issues won't cover this as just another crime story. we're going to cover this as a national crisis that must be addressed you now. straight out to my expert panel. pat brown, psychiatrist dr. dale archer, former detective steve cardian and criminal defense attorney mike eiglarsh. we begin with wjxt. adam, you're on the scene. what is the very latest? >> we are waiting for a news briefing at any minute now from investigators. we know this. there are two very active scenes right now and you showed both of them off the top. there is that landfill in georgia where investigators found somer's body. then there is that home righted near her school. she would have walked past to it get home and that's the last place several witnesses have told police that they saw her. one of the witnesses, we're told, is a 9-year-old boy who was riding on his bike, you saw somer leave, her brother and sister, the last time he saw her you was in front of that home. now the desperate search continues at that home. it started yesterday afternoon and it is continuing today. every inch, both inside and outside. home are being looked at by investigators. >> adam, let me ask you -- let me ask you about this mystery woman. we've heard a report that a mystery woman came forward and said, oh, i was suspicious about this home and a nearby dump, or dumpster on monday, and i feel guilty that i didn't take action. tell us about that. >> yeah. police haven't said much about it. we're waiting for a news conference to start any minute. there is