tomorrow night snoop lion will talk fame, family, music, guns, drugs and spiritual

transformation. the artest formerly known as snoop dogg, a fascinating encounter. that's all for us tonight. "anderson cooper" stars now. we're following even more dangerous winter weather tonight. massive snowfall, deadly, icy roads, and the wind you normally see in hurricanes. we'll show you who got hammered and who is still in harm's way. also breaking news from a place dedicated to preserving dedicated animals. a woman is mauled to death taking care of a lion she was trying to save. a lion which once appeared on "the ellen degeneres show." we begin though with crime and punishment in the jodi arias trial and what could be a unique preview of what way the jury is leaning. what happened today in court is only permitted in two other states. jurors asking questions of a witness. and they had questions for the woman who shot, slashed, and stabbed her boyfriend to death. and now says her unbelievably

brutal attack was self-defense and not cold-blooded murder. more now from our randi kaye. >> reporter: more than 100 questions from the jury to jodi arias delivered by the judge. they started with a zinger about the digital camera the couple used to take naked pictures of each other right before the killing. >> why did you put the camera in the washer? >> i don't have memory of that. i don't know why i would do that. >> reporter: again, arias's memory fails her, preventing her from explaining why she put the camera in travis alexander's washing machine after she killed him. the camera contained pictures of alexander in the shower, including this one taken two minutes before his death. photo time stamps put arias at alexander's house at the time of his death. and what about the gun? the state says she brought it with her to kill but arias says it was alexander's gun, that she grabbed it from his closet shelf. >> how did you get time to get the gun down if he was right behind you? >> i don't know if he was right behind me or not i just had the

sense he was chasing after me. >> reporter: after she killed alexander, investigators say arias dragged his body through the house and put it in the shower. the jury wanted to know why. >> why did you place travis's body back in the shower? >> i could only speculate because i don't remember. >> reporter: nor could she remember for the jury what she did with the clothes she was wearing when she killed alexander. or what she did with the knife used to stab him nearly 30 times and practically cut his head off. >> why is it that you have no memory of stabbing travis? >> i can't really explain why my mind did what it did. maybe because it's too horrible. >> reporter: the jury also wanted to know why arias didn't just run for help the day of the killing. >> it's hard to describe the fear. it was -- it was like mortal terror. it really was. i thought that he had intentions to kill me. >> reporter: arias claims

alexander physically and sexually abused her during their relationship. she says she killed him that day in self-defense. the jury wanted to know if she ever documented past abuse she's testified about. >> did you ever take pictures of yourself after he hit you? >> no, i did not. >> reporter: the jury had a lot of questions about the couple's sex life which included recordings of phone sex played in court. jurors asked about specific events like when alexander tied her to his bed. without flinching, arias answered each and every one of those embarrassing questions never taking her eyes off the jury. >> did you ever voice any concern to travis about being uncomfortable with some of his sexual fantasies? >> yes. there was one fantasy that he wanted to do which was pulling off on the side of a freeway exit and having sex on the hood of a car and i was -- i told him that that would be impossible.

>> reporter: the jury also wanted to know this. >> why would you continue to stay with someone who had sex with you while you were sleeping? >> i was in love with travis. i knew i was in love with him and my only concern was that i believed from a religious and spiritual perspective that our relationship would not be blessed if we acted that way. >> randi joins us now live in phoenix from outside the courthouse. 150 questions, randi, asked and fascinating the level of detail of the jurors. clearly they've been listening very carefully. there were also some questions about the basically three versions of her story that she's given over time about what happened that night. how did she explain that? >> reporter: well, the jury had asked why she didn't just tell police the truth from the start and jodi arias said that answer is, well, quote, complicated. she said she didn't want people to know what was going on in their relationship. she certainly didn't want police to know he had apparently been physically and sexually abusing

her, as she said. she didn't want the dirty details of their sex life out there, and didn't want to tell police about the moment she said she caught him masturbating to the photo of a young boy, all of this was so embarrassing. but anderson, as you know, because of those lies, the dirty text messages, recorded phone sex sessions, that's on full display not only here in court but also in the media now for weeks. >> i was curious to see. i mean, we couldn't see it on the camera. how did the jurors react while she was answering their questions? >> reporter: they were taking notes. they were listening intently. just sitting in that courtroom, it almost felt like the jury and jodi arias were having a one-on-one conversation, even though the judge was the one asking the questions and they had been submitted anonymously. it was just so strange because they were almost spending time with her because she was answering their questions. and some of the experts have said the more time she's on the stand, the more they get to know her and talk to her so personally like that, the less likely they'll give her the

death penalty. >> that's what the defense is hoping. randi, appreciate it. joining me now, nancy grace, jeffrey toobin and mark geragos. coauthor of "mistrial, an inside look at how the criminal justice system works and sometimes doesn't." nancy, what do you make of the questions that the jurors themselves were asking today of arias? >> anderson, i've got to tell you that i was frankly very concerned when i realized the judge was not going to allow recross-examination which is, you know, discretionary to the judge in this jurisdiction. after the defense had redirect. but when i got a load of the jury questions, i could not have been happier. questions like, why did you take time to delete photos off your digital camera after you had just killed travis alexander and her response was, oh, that's one of those things i tell you, i just can't remember that. questions like, well, if your phone, your cell phone died, why

didn't you plug it into a wall charger? they clearly have latched on to every minute fact she has testified to on the stand. and they're calling her on it. >> mark, what about you? you said you didn't like the idea of jurors asking questions. >> i don't. for precisely the reason unintentionally nancy just mentioned. it's an adversarial system. adversarial between the defense and prosecution. structurally, this is supposed to be jurors who are sitting there as impartial finders of fact. nancy is delighted because they're acting as mini prosecutors. that is exactly why i don't like it. >> no. because they're asking truthful questions, mark. you just don't want to hear the answers. >> i don't care whether -- actually, that's not true. if i'm trying the case -- >> oh. >> if i'm trying the case -- if i'm trying the case, i love to hear the jurors questions even if they're not asked, because it gives you some indication of where their head is at. and you can still tailor it. they're still on, you have an

expert, the expert can deal with that. >> we have a system where jurors are asked to make a life or death decision in this case. isn't it rational to allow them to ask questions? they're the fact finders. i wouldn't want to make a decision without having the opportunity to ask questions. >> only a few states have this system. >> three. only three. but i think it's a good system. >> have you ever had that? >> no, i have not. >> yes, i have. in california it's permissive. >> where i was trying cases, they didn't have it. but mark and jeff and anderson, i had a judge to try cases in front of. he was about 80 years old. he would let the jury do it anyway and i'm telling you, both sides are shaking in their boots right now because the number one rule on questioning a witness is do not ask the question you don't know the answer to. i've done it a couple of times and had an 80% failure rate with those questions. so that's exactly what's happening right now. they don't know the answer to these questions and a very good one was, i'm going to throw this one at you, anderson. they just asked a couple of

hours ago, if you didn't like the sex fantasy that travis came up with of tying you to a tree and ravishing you, why did you go scouting for just the right tree? now, that's a good question, anderson. >> also equally questions to spin as being defense oriented questions, as well. there was a number of those. >> like what? >> the problem with this -- well, the ones about your dad slapping you, the ones about the spider-man underwear and things of that nature. >> did you hear the answer? >> they're focused on the spiderman underwear, that's not a great thing for the prosecution. >> the other thing that's interesting is that -- >> you've got to focus on the question. >> frustrated by the limits of the rules of evidence. you know, they want to know the context. one of the questions i thought was so interesting from the jurors, describe, jodi, your relationship with your parents. now, that's a question that if you were sort of writing a short story or a journalistic account of her life, i don't really know

why it's admissible evidence and why the judge allowed it but it shows how the jurors think. i thought it was fascinating. >> there were -- >> anderson, please call on me. >> go ahead, nancy. >> please call on me. >> i'm calling on you. >> i hope you heard that. i hope you heard that, geragos and toobin. he called on me. let's get back to what geragos said about the spider-man underwear. her testimony was direct was he wanted her to dress up like a little boy and have anal sex from behind with her to suggest he was a pedophile but what the jury asked actually about those underwear, those spiderman underwear, if you took all those picture of you in these underwear that said travis alexander on back, how come you didn't take pictures of the spidey underwear you talked about? >> some of the details they picked up, she -- one of jurors asked, if you're nearsighted, how do you drive? she didn't wear glasses and she sort of has a long story of how

i don't -- i don't -- i don't have trouble driving. but you know, i just thought that was a perceptive picking up of a detail and most of the questions i thought were very hostile to her position, so i don't know how the defense could take much solace in that. >> they don't take much solace. >> you make it sound so good, toobin. hostile to her position. i like that. >> the problem -- >> okay. >> the problem with it is that the jurors are -- i don't care what anybody says. if you have tried any number of jury trials, jurors pay attention. they really pay attention. >> absolutely. >> that's the reason you have 12 jurors. they get back there. they act like a supercomputer. people always, i think, mock the jury system. i think it's one of the greatest inventions ever in terms of a civilized society. i'm not saying they're asleep at the switch or anything else. i think jurors always -- never a trial i tried where they haven't come up with something nobody in that courtroom thought. >> call on me, call on me. >> nancy? >> thank you, teacher.

jeff, you are so right about them asking about her vision because in court, oh, i wish i had a pair of glasses. she'll take off the glasses to read and to look around which makes me wonder, why do you have glasses unless you want to look brainy like geragos and toobin here? but what she answered to that question was basically, anderson, i have essentially seen the world fuzzy my entire life, and i just realized recently that i need glasses. >> somebody want to explain to nancy the difference between nearsighted and farsightedness? >> i don't know the difference. to be honest. >> i always get confused. >> mark? >> and i only play an ophthalmologist on tv. maybe someone can tweet to nancy -- the difference between near sighted and far sighted. >> i put on the glasses to include me in the smart category of people that wear glasses. >> brainy. >> we have a digital dashboard question for you. barbara asked, says i think they have lost sight of what the

trial is about. didn't jodi arias kill travis? as a person who lived through an abusive relationship, it's insulting for her to use that as a defense when you listen to the facts. where is there any proof of that? has there been any proof of that? of an abusive relationship. >> well, i'm very sensitive to that question, anderson, because while i was prosecuting, i spent ten years volunteering at the battered women's center, and became intimately familiar with the battered women's syndrome defense, and frankly, when i believed it was a battered women's syndrome defense, i would see the case in a whole different light. and what's concerning me along with barbara is, there is no evidence of battered woman syndrome in this case at all other than a few incidents she testified to and has been caught in lies about. so if she is faking this defense, that hurts all battered women because when they go to trial, people are going to go, hey, you remember jodi arias,

that was a sack of lies. that's going to hurt them. i completely understand what barbara's saying. >> i hate to agree with nancy, but she's right. there is a -- i can hear prosecutors all over this country in the future mocking defense lawyers on battered women defenses because of this case. there is a certain degree of irony -- >> only if they're liars, mark. >> the violence that was done here or the extreme violence was demonstrable was not by travis, so that's concerning. and having defended women who were the victims of it, it's a difficult situation. >> well, let's -- hey, nancy. are you wearing handcuffs as a necklace? >> yes, i am. would you like a pair? >> well no. i just -- my -- i guess i'm nearsighted or farsighted. >> i did it for you. >> i saw something shiny, and the more i was looking, i thought, are those handcuffs? they really are? >> yes, they are and they work, just in case i need to arrest somebody.

>> i'm glad it didn't come to that. >> subscribe to the premium channel, you get them as a free bonus. >> nancy grace, always love to have you on, mark geragos and jeff toobin, thanks. let us know what you think about the idea of jurors being able to ask a defendant questions on the stand. let's talk about it on twitter @andersoncooper. up next, why this senator is still talking. been at it for hours now. senator rand paul trying to bring back the talking filibuster. we'll tell you why he's doing it and whether anything is going to come of it. to be 4x better at smoothing lines and deep wrinkles than professional treatments. roc® max for maximum results.

blast of cold feels nice. why don't you use bengay zero degrees? it's the one you store in the freezer. same medicated pain reliever used by physical therapists. that's chilly! [ male announcer ] bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on. welcome back. something's happening, straight out of mr. smith goes to washington, an old-fashioned talking filibuster. republican senator rand paul of kentucky had the floor since 11:47 this morning trying to block a vote on president obama's nominee for cia director with nothing more than the vocal cords and keeping hydrated,

eating candy and voicing objection to the administration's use of killer drones. the odd thing is under current senate rules, senator paul doesn't have to be talking to maintain the filibuster and he himself acknowledges when it comes time for a vote to break the filibuster, possibly on friday, chances are he'll probably lose. what is he doing? let's hope we don't be filibustering here. joining us margaret hoover, peter barnhart and gloria borger. gloria, let me start with you. liberal senators almost sounded happy with what he's doing and the bigger issue pushing on the administration's use of drones or lack of transparency is controversial with people on both sides of the aisle. >> it is. and they were happy to hear him talk about it. i mean, this filibuster, mr. paul goes to washington, is all about getting attention because he knows he's not going to stop the nomination of john brennan to head the cia. so he's trying to place attention on this issue of drones and the question of whether drones can actually be used in this country potentially on an american citizen. i mean, he clearly believes it's unconstitutional and illegal and

he asked the attorney general for a letter about it and the attorney general ruled it out but not completely unequivocally. >> he said hypothetically given a 9/11 type of situation, the military might be able to do that. >> that's right. and so this is a question about how far's the attorney general willing to go? how far's the president willing to go? also another question here that liberals agree with rand paul on and that's a question of transparency. the president has said he's going to talk about that again which is how much do we in the american public, how much should we know about the use of drones? >> peter, what do you make of the filibuster? >> i think it's terrific. this is what a filibuster is supposed to be. we have defined -- we have created this kind of virtual filibuster and you say i filibuster and then go and have dinner. a filibuster is supposed to be hard and have a cost to you. this is what he's doing.

it's on a matter of principle and not party. he said bush is continuing, obama's continuing the policies which are right and he's doing it on the right subject which is this is the guy who's actually nominated to head the cia. it is not like the republicans who were threatened to filibuster hagel because of bengal ghazi which hagel had nothing to do about, and he's shaming liberals, i say this as a liberal. he's shaming us into saying we have to not put our partisanship ahead of ourselves and what the obama administration is doing and setting a good example. >> he's been going on for more than eight hours. for people who have not heard, let's see what he's talking about. let's hear what he's saying. >> the problem is, once he gets into the fbi, the ludicrous nature of what he's asserting will be paramount. i can't imagine that he can argue at that point that we're not going to obey the bill of rights with the fbi because we already do with the fbi. so many of the answers are pretty simple here and pretty easy, and i just can't imagine why he's resisting doing this. >> right now also at the

jefferson hotel, president obama has been meeting with republican senators, i understand, it looks like the senators, some of them have been leaving the dinner. it appears to be over. these things both going on different parts of washington. margaret, what do you make of it? >> the filibuster, i can't believe peter and i agree on it. it's a good, old-fashioned filibuster. it's not strom thurmond reading from webster's dictionary. it's a well prepared senator making well -- >> there were tweets read earlier while he was taking a bathroom break. >> he is making the case for the point of his filibuster which is is there a constitutional question to the kill list that president obama's employing abroad? can he do that on american citizens not an imminent threat to american security here in the united states? that's a real question, a thoughtful question. >> not just president obama. can any u.s. president kill an american citizen at home using drones. >> unilaterally or should there be some balance or checks and balances on that question. >> it is an important question. this is obviously an important

question. >> beyond that. drones are an important question. look, president obama's move towards drones because they're cheap. this is what we do when we as a country don't want to expend the blood and treasure to invade countries anymore. that's why it's attractive to him, but with it comes really, really big concerns. about this should not be -- i don't care which president you a are, whether it's a party you like or a president should not be invested with this much power to make the decisions without oversight and i think rand paul is not going far enough in the questions he's asking. >> anderson, i think the president and the white house have sort of been caught offguard by this. i don't think they really understood what kind of an issue this would be for john brennan during his confirmation fight. and i think this whole issue of transparency and this is sort of ironic coming from a president who when he was a senator always called for transparency, who's a constitutional scholar himself. i think in a way, they have created this problem for themselves because they did not lift the veil for people on the

intelligence committee about how they made the decision to use drones. and so, now, they're going to have to go back at it and say, you know what? we were wrong and we need to be more transparent about it to people we trust in the congress. >> you're going to start to see, too, ron widen there, a democrat from oregon who joined the filibuster along with others, technically a filibuster, and what happens is the high water mark of the influence of president obama's is right now. eventually the coalition on the left and the right begins to fray. so what you see now is president obama also concurrent to this having dinner with republicans for the first time in a couple of years. i think that is indicative of a new tact and hopefully a recognition that president obama knows it's in his court to try to get some sort of legacy legislation through now. >> peter, lindsay graham earlier was saying, look, this is a sign of just how divided the country is that the fact that president

obama's having dinner with some republicans is a major news story. >> right. and it's a sign that the obama administration realized that just because the republicans are losing the fight over the so-called sequester, he can be losing, too. he has further to go down in the polls. >> poll numbers are higher than the republicans. >> because his poll numbers are much higher. but they have gone down. >> his numbers -- >> they have gone down and realized that his strategy of making -- of trying to force a complete capitulation is not working. >> his numbers are heading in the wrong direction. if you look at "the washington post"/abc poll today by a 2-1 margin, people say they generally approve the sequester. and by the way, the president has absolutely nothing to lose. by having dinner with these people because even if it doesn't work, he can tell the american public, i tried it. it didn't work. so i'm doing it, and that's what the american public wants to see. >> hoping to peel away whatever republicans he can.

he's not hoping -- >> by the way, he has to work on democrats, too, though. this is a president that doesn't have a great track record with democrats in the senate either. >> look at the senators. new hampshire, pennsylvania, wisconsin, these are blue states where obama feels like he can put a little bit of pressure on these guys to compromise. >> senator lindsey graham came up with the invite list, and the invite list is not a bunch of moderates. >> there are no moderate left in the republican party. >> these are conservative republicans. some of his biggest critics and what the president's going to get from them is, okay, if you want a grand bargain, here's what you need to do for us and that's what lindsay graham and john mccain want to do. >> it looks like it's not a late dinner because a bunch of them already left. >> early birds. >> appreciate it. just had breaking news. african lion hand raised at a sanctuary devoted to saving exotic cats, an animal on the "ellen" show a while back, killed a 26-year-old woman.

we'll get jeff corewin's take on that attack. and a cnn exclusive. the family of reeva steenkamp is speaking out for the first time since oscar pistorius was freed on bail. what they told drew griffin in south africa may change the way you see her killing. you just can'tatch >> announcer: men, no diet, no exerciserogram, no new set of clothes can ever improve your confidce, your good looks and the way women look at you the way a thick, full head of your own real hair will, and now you can have it in just four weeks when you call hair club right now. with over half a million scess stories, hair club really will give y back your own head of real hair in just four weeks... >> i think he looks 10 years younger with his hair now. >> announcer: easily, painlessly and affordably. >> life's about having fun. it's about looking good. i mean, 80% of feeling good is looking good. >> announcer: call hair club now and get your own head of full, thick hair in just four weeks. look younger, feel more confident, put that old swagger back in your step and put some

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coming up, couldn't have been easy. gabby giffords returning to the parking lot where a gunman shot her in the head two years ago. she came with a message. that she can speak at all is extraordinary. we'll tell you what she said ahead. made from the goodness of fruit. new nectresse. sweetness naturally. new nectresse. new griddle-melts to yourime usual breakfast sandwich. a lot more flavor. [ anouncer ] ihop's new griddle melts... made fresh and hot! hand crafted just for you. it's like a sexy sandwich. [ anouncer ] compare new griddle melts yourself. just $4.99. it's an epic breakfast sandwich.

by now, tens of millions of americans have had enough of it. they've had it up to here. literally. all the same. they're getting more of it. snow, icy rain, deadly roads, and now the kind of gale force winds that blows down trees and washes coastlines out to sea. take a look. swirming along the coastline, new england about to get dumped on. a storm system really leaving its icy mark. the damage now from brian todd. >> reporter: a state of emergency declared in virginia as more than 200,000 people are without power in subfreezing temperatures. while many in the state heeded the warning to stay off the roads, others needed authorities to rescue them from the ice and snow. parts on virginia are reporting accumulations of over two feet. the storm dumped over a foot of snow in parts of the midwest

where it is blamed for at least one death. the driver of this truck was killed after his rig fell in to the red cedar river in wisconsin. further west in minneapolis, the airport remained open despite snowfall of just under a foot. on the east coast, maryland's chesapeake bay bridge was closed because of high winds but not before this tractor-trailer overturned on one end. further north, the concern for coastal flooding and beach erosion in areas already hard hit by hurricane sandy. there are predictions of waves towering up to 14 feet, prompting officials in new jersey and delaware to advise residents in some coastal areas to evacuate. in the nation's capital, airports remained open for business. lawmakers prepared for the worst and all government business shut down for the day. but in the end, washington was spared the brunt of this deadly winter storm. brian todd, cnn, washington.

let's get caught up on some other stories. isha is here. anderson, tonight's white house dinner for 12 senators has wrapped up. senator john mccain and others have left. the rare outreach by president obama came as both sides tried to figure out how to stop the forced federal spending cuts. no word on whether any progress was made. syrian rebels holding 20 u.n. peacekeepers. near the israeli occupied golan heights. in a video, a rebel says they'll be held until assad forces withdraw from a village where fighting has been heavy. cnn cannot verify the authenticity. the rebels said they suspect the peacekeepers of trying to aid their enemy. the u.n. says they were on a regular supply mission and is demanding their release. gabby giffords today returned to the tucson parking lot where she was shot in the head two years ago to call for stricter gun controls. speech is still difficult for the former congresswoman. she said less than 20 words. other survivors of the shooting

joined her at the rally. and some spectacular images of mt. etna shooting lava and ash. that's right. italy's famous volcano is erupting again. it rarely causes damage but often inspires awe. and now "the connection." a special tribute for the people of newtown, connecticut. more than half a million sympathy cards sent to the town after the deadly shootings at sandy hook elementary last december. to share the messages of love, sadness and hope, and preserve them for future generations mother jones teamed up with tumblr to put them on the website you see right now. log on to see the incredible messages. anderson? thanks. up next, breaking news. >> the 350-pound african lion that once appeared on the "ellen degeneres show" went on the attack at an animal sanctuary and killed an intern. we'll talk about animal expert

jeff corwin. also tonight, a cnn exclusive. the family of steenkamp breaks their silence for the first time since the so-called blade runner oscar pistorius was released on bail in her murder.

just ahead in a cnn exclusive, reeva steenkamp's uncle talks about his hope in meeting oscar pistorius, the man charged with murdering his beautiful niece. . stayfree.

breaking news to report. there's been a fatal lion attack in california. here's what we know right now. the lion 350 pounds named kous kous attacking and killing a 26-year-old at a cat sanctuary east of fresno. she was apparently inside the lion's cage when the animal attacked her. she died at the scene. the founder of the sanctuary gave these details. >> female volunteer intern entered the enclosure where she was attacked and fatally injured. the lion was shot and killed per our safety protocols. our thoughts and prayers go out to our friend and family -- and to her family at this time and this trying time. we'll keep you guys posted as things progress around here. >> well, the sanctuary said it hand raised the african male lion from the age of 8 weeks. here is the animal on "the ellen degeneres show" when he was just 3 months old. that's animal expert jeff corwin

holding him there. he's going to join us in a moment. i want to talk to katherine herr. you are outside the gates of the sanctuary. what's going on now? what's the latest? >> the coroner arrived here about 20 minutes ago to pick up the body of the woman killed here by the lion. the gates have been locked and closed off with crime scene tape. there are sheriff's deputies and investigators still on scene here. >> and you have been inside this cat haven in the past. what's it like? i think you even saw this animal. >> i did. last i was up here a little over a year ago and this is basically a sanctuary for large cats. they have lions up here, tigers, cheetahs and jaguars. they're involved in preservation efforts in africa, as well. but this facility is open to the public. they were not open today. no visitors on site. but you go in and there's a road that sort of winds through the areas, the enclosures of the large animals.

each enclosure is basically is closed off by reinforced fences and the lion enclosure is toward the end of the tour that you may take through here. and i was there and got close to this lion. the lion seemed very docile when we were up there. the founder that you heard from in that interview, that statement, he had reached through the fence and was scratching the lion behind the ear. i was just a couple of feet away. the lion did not seem aggressive in any way. the male lion shares the enclosure with a female lion, as well. we haven't been told where the female lion was during all of this. anderson? >> katherine, appreciate the latest on that there. a huge tragedy. want to bring in jeff corwin. author of the new book "sharks." jeff, to look at you holding this lion when it was, i guess, just a couple weeks old on the ellen show. so sad what has happened now. how surprised are you by this? >> well, i'm incredibly surprised whenever a tragedy like this unfolds, anderson.

these are powerful creatures and they possess incredible strength and incredible predatory skill and i think that's what you have to remember here. there's a big difference between a small 3-month-old defenseless cub relying on human beings for nurturement and for care and a 350-pound creature that pretty much sits at the top of the food chain. >> even though, and the pictures we are seeing you with ellen on the show, even though this cub was hand raised, as you said, these animals are hardwired. it is part of their dna. it's part of who they are that as they grow they -- i mean, they are hunters. >> well, there certainly is a big difference between a lion living out in the wilds of the savannah that would look at human beings as a potential competitor or even a predator versus a lion raised in a

captive human care environment. they rely on human beings for their food, for their shelter, for their security. for their stimulation and for their life quality experience. but these are powerful creatures and these animals can spend a lifetime with little aggression or little examples of potential danger to human beings. but when you weigh almost 400 pounds, you really only need to have one bad moment, and it's not impossible to pay the ultimate price for that. that's why many zoos that keep lions, especially zoos that are part of the aza community have very strict rules and regulations when it comes to working with these animals and maintaining them in a zoological environment. >> there's a lot we don't know about the incidents exactly surrounding what happened in that cage at that moment. why the lion would attack. the fact the girl was an intern, do you think that's something looked at, whether it's a mistake on the part of the sanctuary to allow an intern not fully trained into a potentially dangerous situation?

>> it's an interesting question, anderson, but i wouldn't speculate on her, you know, her role or the way she worked with this institution, with this wildlife sanctuary. many zoos and aquariums around the world rely on interns. they're very valuable part of their -- of the community for these institutions. and interns sometimes, you know, retired people play an important role. i can tell you, for example, the franklin park zoo in boston, if you want to become a volunteer or an intern at that zoo, you're looking at almost two months of training before you actually have any contact with any animals. >> jeff, appreciate you talking to us today at this -- such a horrible thing in so many different ways, and appreciate katherine herr with that report. we should point out, the sanctuary said the intern was too close to the lion. we don't know the details and trying to learn. just ahead, a cnn exclusive. new insight of reeva steenkamp's relationship with oscar pistorius.

insight from someone who considered her a sister, her cousin. the family of reeva steenkamp speaking out for the first time since pistorius was freed from jail and what they're saying is going to surprise you, next. [ anouncer ] ihop's new griddle melts... made fresh and hot! hand crafted just for you. it's like a sexy sandwich. [ anouncer ] compare new griddle melts yourself. just $4.99. it's an epic breakfast sandwich. you know you could just use bengay zero degrees. medicated pain relief you store in the freezer. brrr...see ya boys. [ male announcer ] bengay zero degrees. freeze and move on.

welcome back. a "360" exclusive. the family of reeva steenkamp is breaking their silence for the first time since her killer, oscar pistorius was freed on bail. steenkamp's uncle and cousin agreed to talk on camera to drew griffin in south africa. drew's been digging into pistorius' past, and found very

much at odds with the athlete's public image and drew's report last night, former friends of the track star described a man who was often drinking, angry and armed. >> he would have a trip switch and, you know, he'd get violent and angry and he'd fight with people and cause a lot of problems. it's like, well, we were waiting for something like this to happen. >> pistorius claims he shot steenkamp because he thought she was an intruder and loved her deeply. steenkamp's cousin talked about that and what she told him is equally surprising and what steenkamp's uncle had to say. here's drew's report. >> reporter: the interview took place in the cape town home reeva often stayed. in the back room of her cousin's, kim martin's, it is where we interviewed her and reeva's uncle. has the family now realized emotionally what has happened? >> you sort of wake up in the morning expecting reeva to give a phone call.

>> it's easier to deal with it if you don't concentrate on anything else other than the fact that reeva's not here and at the end of the day she's not coming back. >> reporter: what the family says it does not want to concentrate on is why reeva steenkamp is not coming back. she died in the home and at the hands of her boyfriend oscar pistorius. he is charged with murder awaiting trial for what he's called an accidental shooting. kim martin says she was as close to reeva as a sister. there were no secrets. she knew the couple were dating. she also knew reeva was not in love. >> i knew that in time she would chat to me about it. >> reporter: but she never did? >> no, she never did. >> reporter: january 2nd on small bay in cape town, kim and her daughters finally did meet him at this seaside cafe. it was the only time she ever met oscar pistorius. he barely made an impact. >> wasn't long enough to form an opinion on his personality.

typical reeva, her and i were chatting, and the kids and what i saw of him, he did seem nice. he did seem like a nice guy. >> reporter: you still think that? >> i don't really want to comment on that. >> reporter: in what now seems an ominous event, we now know reeva's own mother met oscar pistorius, too, at least by phone. oscar and reeva were driving on a highway and oscar, prone to fast cars, was supposedly speeding. >> she phoned her mom and said, mom, oscar's speeding. so june takes the phone and says let me speak to oscar and said to oscar, hey, listen. that's my precious and my only daughter, my precious daughter. and that's everything. that's my angel and you better slow down. otherwise i will get the mafia on to you afterwards and reeva said afterwards, mom, he slowed down. >> reporter: now the family including reeva's parents barry and june trying to come to grips

with a lot of tales from the past. former friends of pistorius speaking out about anger, rage and guns, early signs that police may have mishandled the crime scene and the fact that oscar pistorius, who has admit ed killing reeva in an accidental shooting, is now free from jail awaiting trial. >> the less i hear about it, all the other stuff, the better. >> none of us are going to be represented at the court and the trial. none of us, the family, won't go up. we won't be present. i can tell you that now. and for that reason, it's not about the court case. it's about reeva. >> reporter: it would be too painful but choking back tears mike steenkamp did say he one day does want to meet the man who killed his niece. >> i would like to be face to face with him and forgive him, forgive him what he's done.

and that way i can find more peace with the situation by telling him face to face. >> reporter: you would forgive him, mike, whether this was a tragic accident or whether this was -- >> whatever, whatever the outcome, i feel with my belief and if christ could forgive when he died on the cross, why can't i? >> reporter: you must have seen the reports about things in his past that have come out. is there any reaction to any of that? >> the least i know from the outside, the better. for myself. that right or wrong, i'm still focused on the one thing is forgiveness and i'm not going to change from that. >> reporter: as for what happens to oscar pistorius, it doesn't matter, says steenkamp. nothing will bring reeva back. drew griffin, cnn, cape town,

south africa. >> family speaking out for the first time. we'll be right back.

time now for the "ridiculist." tonight, a story from california where three people allegedly stole a yacht. that's right, a whole frickin' yacht. a multimillionaire yacht named "the darling." they took it allegedly and had a grand old time but they ran it aground. ge