>> i'm banning myself. you can't ban me, i'll ban myself. i'll come back when you allow women. now that augusta has indeed admitted women. i take a large in one of those green jackets. it's all for us tonight. ac 360 starts now. green jackets. it's all for us tonight. ac 360 starts now. we begin tonight keeping them honest with major fallout with explosive comment from a politician about rape and abortion. sensitive topics in and of themselves. todd akin is continuing his bid for a senate seat, despite calls for some of the gop to drop it, because of what he said in an interview yesterday. he was asked if he thought abortion should be legal in the case of rape, here's what he said. >> from what i understand from doctors, that's really rare, if it's a legitimate rape, the body has ways to shut that down.

i think there should be punishment, the punishment ought to be in the rapist and not attacking the child. >> he didn't elaborate on what in his mind would constitute legitimate rape, nor did he provide any evidence that the body has a way to prevent pregnancy from a legitimate rape, whatever that may be. reaction was swift and strong from within his own party. he was called to withdraw from the senate race. and a major group has signalled it would pull funding from akin's bid. the initial reaction from mitt romney's campaign was somewhat measured yesterday. romney's campaign spokeswoman said, governor romney and congressman ryan disagree with mr. akin's statement. and the romney administration would not oppose abortion in instances of rape. it sounds pretty measured and

that in and of itself was not going far enough. today, governor romney did call akin's comments offensive and inexcusable. here's what he said in an interview with a tv station in new hampshire. >> his comments were deeply offensive. i can't defend what he said him. i can't defend what he said. what will help the country at this critical time. >> also today, president obama had this to say about akin's comments. >> the views expressed were offensive. rape is rape. the idea that we should be parsing and qualifying and slicing what types of rape we're talking about doesn't make sense to the american people. and certainly doesn't make sense to me. >> akin has spent the day apologizing. his first statement came yesterday.

in reviewing my off the cuff remarks it's clear i misspoke in this interview. and does not account for the deep empathy i hold for women who are raped every year. i recognize that abortion, particularly in the case of rape is an emotionally charged issue. i do not believe harming another innocent victim is the right course of action. akin says he misspoke, that the remarks were off the cuff. today he tried to dig himself out even more. here's what he said today. let me be clear, rape is never legitimate. it's an evil act committed by violent predators. i used the wrong words in the wrong way. what i said was ill conceived and wrong. i also know that people do become pregnant from rape and i didn't mean to imply that that didn't, wasn't the case. it does happen. >> so akin says his comments were off the cuff, that he misspoke, used the wrong word. but keeping them honest, the notion itself that he put out

there, that it's rare for women who get raped to get pregnant doesn't have the hallmark of an off the cuff remark. it's not an issue of getting words mixed up. that notion has been floated by years for some politicians stridently against abortion. in 1988, pennsylvania state representative steven friend said this, it is almost but not quite impossible to become pregnant on the basis of rape. the odds are one in millions and millions and millions. and there is a physical reason for that. rape obviously is a traumatic experience. when that traumatic experience is undergone, a women secretes a certain secretion which has a tendency to kill sperm. in 1995, henry aldridge said this in front of the house appropriations committee. the facts show that people who are raped, truly raped, the juices don't flow, the body functions don't work and they don't get pregnant. medical authorities agree that

this is a rarity, if ever. now, how this idea got started in the face of its own absurdity and in the absence of any evidence is a mystery. but it's an idea that's been around for a while. planned parenthood estimates 5% of rapes lead to pregnancy. and in a statement, the national rape, abuse & incest network said, simply put, we know that when there was a time that pregnancy couldn't result from rape, that time was hundreds of years ago, now we know different. >> i'm joined by alice stewart. alice, let me start with you, do you think it's inevitable that akin's going to drop out? >> that's up to him what he's going to do. we've had people that have asked for that. governor romney and ryan disagree with what he's said.

it's inexcusable, it's wrong and there's no place in the gop ticket for something like that. to make as to what he does. but the most important thing is for people to understand at least from the presidential ticket side, that they disagree with what he says, and they do support abortion in cases of rape. >> i doubt it's a coincidence that president obama chose to have a press conference today for the first time in weeks. how much impact do the democrats think this is going to have. >> this is not just about todd akin, this is about the republican party. this has been 18 months of a war on women, just being waged by the republican party. and i want to remind everybody, and i think every woman is going to know this by election day, todd akin and paul ryan are original sponsors of a house bill that's designed to redefine rape. this is not something new, this is a republican party that is really trying to roll the clock back.

>> this is a bill last year that you're talking about some 200 republicans were co-sponsors on this. and it basically would have limited funding for abortion to what was called -- what they called forcible rape, that's what you're talking about? >> that's correct, anderson. it is really just a shocking turn of events here. and so i'm, you know, very concerned, as women across the country are, about the direction of the republican party right now. and, like i said, it's not just todd akin. we are seeing this coast to coast. we're seeing it legislatively in state legislatures around the country. what i know is going to happen is women voters are just not going to tolerate this come election day. >> stephanie, is that fair though? governor romney is on the record now for years as saying he does support abortions in the case of rape or incest. even though the obama campaign is running ads saying he doesn't, that's just not factually correct. >> well, see, it's unclear where mitt romney is. though i think some of that

clarity came when he chose paul ryan as his running mate. who's very clear about his position. and mitt romney, in fact, you know, has said he supports the personhood amendment that came up in mississippi and was of course knocked down in mississippi. we have heard mitt romney say he wants to get rid of planned parenthood. i think his positions are getting clearer and clearer. and what we are seeing is that the republican party's leadership at the presidential level and all the way down the ticket is looking like a very, very extreme ticket right now. >> it does seem like mitt romney's initial response to this akin controversy was certainly more tepid. then it became earlier today when he put in a call to i think national review online and he was emphatic about distancing himself from this. >> he couldn't be more clear. there's really not a whole lot more he can do. other than say these remarks are inexcusable. they inaccurate. they're wrong and they're insulting to women who are victims of rape.

once again he can repeat his position on this. he is a pro-life candidate but he does support abortion in cases of rape, incest and the life of mother. >> should paul ryan's co-sponsorship of that bill last year, that discussed -- that identified forcible rape as the only kind of rape that would be -- abortions would be permitted that language was later changed, and then it just died in the senate. should he be -- is that fair game? is that fair to bring up? stephanie brings that up, saying she doesn't know where paul ryan is. >> the most important thing to note, regardless of what stephanie continues to say, the romney/ryan ticket is pro-life. they do support abortion in the case of rape, incest and the life of the mother. rape is rape. no matter what kind of name you want to put on it. rape is rape. it shouldn't be tolerated. in these case, abortions should be allowed for victims in this case. it's also important to note what romney did today is he addressed this issue.

he said that it's -- should not be tolerated. he was out on the campaign trail talk about what people are concerned with. to stephanie's point about independent voters, they want results. they want someone who will go in the white house and create jobs and turn this economy around. and that's what governor romney is talking about. >> alice stewart, thank you very much. stephanie shriok, thank you as well. >> thank you. >> thank you, anderson. >> as we just heard, the akin controversy has brought romney and ryan's positions on women issues to the forefront. especially in ryan's case. it's a hard-line stance the democrats have wasted no time in seizing upon. tom foreman has that. >> reporter: as soon as paul ryan was picked, democrats hit hard on women's rights. a laundry list of complaints about the wisconsin congressman popped up on the president's re-election website. and this white house attack ad went white hot. >> in congress, ryan voted to ban all federal funding to planned parenthood. and allow employers to deny women access to cancer screenings and birth control. both romney and ryan backed proposals to outlaw abortion,

even in cases of rape and incest. >> reporter: the ad exaggerates some of those claims. while romney's position on abortion rights has been a moving target, he's supported them in the case of rape or incest. ryan's record shows support for abortion, only when the mother is in danger. and he's also pushed legislation to restrict taking cells from human embryos for stem cell research. to define each fetus as a person. the so-called personhood amendment. he's argued that unborn children are being treated as subhuman. like slaves once were. and he infuriated some women's rights group when he helped sponsor anti-abortion legislation that used the term "forcible rape" as if there could be any other kind. the wording was later changed. complicating that matter further, another sponsor of that legislation was none other than the man now at the center of controversy, todd akin. still, republicans clearly do not see ryan as a liability. >> we need the women to step to

the plate, to put the romney/ryan team over the top. are you with me? >> reporter: indeed, they're selling him as a small-town family man, unafraid to take on tough issues, like the deficit, entitlement programs and joblessness. and they point out polls show the economy remains the biggest concern for men and women alike. >> i go to washington four days a week. which i call the silly place. it's two different kinds of worlds. and if we don't tackle these big problems, they're going to tackle us. >> reporter: and republicans say there is this -- while ryan may have some trouble with women, so does the president. who is currently winning the female vote but by a much smaller margin than he did in 2008. tom foreman, cnn, washington. well, let us know what you think about all this. we're on facebook. follow me on twitter, @andersoncooper. i'm tweeting about this tonight. also on the campaign trail today, mitt romney calling out president obama, pretty much

asking where is the truth on the campaign trail. president obama was asked by reporters today if his message was too negative. he seemed to forget a few things in his response. we're keeping them honest. also the romney campaign ahead. next on "360." [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare?

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look for the experience and commitment to go the distance with you. call now to request your free decision guide. mitt romney spent the day on the campaign trail, reuniting for the first time in a week with his running mate, paul ryan. at a campaign stop, governor romney took some shots at team obama for its attacks against him. >> it seems as the first victim of an obama campaign is the

truth. and it has been sad and disappointing. frankly, you know, when i became the presumptive nominee, the president called me and congratulated me on becoming the presumptive nominee and said that america deserves an honest debate about the future course of the country and i agreed. i'm waiting to hear him begin that. >> just a couple hours after that tough talk, president obama held an impromptu news conference with white house reporters. his first in about two months. he was asked about the tone of his campaign. specifically about the controversy surrounding governor romney's tenure at bain capital. listen. >> in recent weeks your campaign has suggested repeatedly without proof that mr. romney might be hiding something in his tax returns. they have suggested that mr. romney might be a felon for the way he handed over power of bain capital. are you comfortable with the tone that's being set by your campaign? have you asked them to change their tone when it comes to defining mr. romney? >> first of all, i'm not sure those characterizations were

accurate. nobody accused mr. romney of being a felon. >> the key words, they, being mr. obama's campaign, have suggested mr. romney might be a felon. mr. obama saying that's not accurate. he said, nobody accused mr. romney of being a felon. keeping them honest, though, it looks like president obama may have forgotten what happened just last month. comments made by stephanie cutter, his deputy campaign manager in a conference call with reporters. >> either mitt romney through his own words and his own signature was misrepresenting his position at bain to the sec, which is a felony, or he was misrepresenting his position at bain to the american people to avoid responsibility for some of the consequences of his investments. >> miss cutter, that was just a few weeks ago, was discussing questions about how mitt romney handed over power at the investment firm bain capital. that's after several news outlets uncovered securities and exchange commission documents

showing romney was still on the corporate book at bain until 2002. the romney camp insists the governor left the company in 1999 to run the winter olympics in salt lake city. also asked about a ad being run by a super pac supporting him. he did not think mr. romney was responsible for the death of a steel worker's wife, as portrayed in a super pac supporting the president. the president said he didn't approve or produce the ad which makes sense because super pacs can't by law coordinate with campaigns. begun again, keeping them honest, mr. obama's campaign itself has made a similar case. this can be found on the slide show on the obama campaign's website. not a super pac site but the obama campaign's own website. it says, i worked hard all my life and played by the rules and they allowed this to happen. sourcing joe soptic, employ ear for 28 years, whose wife died of hung castor after he lost his gst health plan. plenty to talk about with dana bash, wolf blitzer and david

gergen. it's well known the president's own campaign manager, stephanie cutter, said that mitt romney possibly committed a felony. did it surprise you that president obama denied that today? >> well, you know, he was being very precise and he's a very precise kind of person, as all of us who have covered him over the years, know. he didn't say that -- he said no one actually accused him of committing a felony. stephanie cutter, the deputy campaign manager for the obama campaign, just said, if, in fact, he had done what was suggested, that potentially could have been a felony. so he was precise. it didn't surprise me because the president wants to be very precise in what he's saying. and stephanie cutter was pretty precise with her parsing words, if you will. >> is that just splitting hairs, parsing words? >> yes, it is splitting hairs. i was surprised. because stephanie cutter introduced the discussion. wolf is right, she did not outright accuse romney of being a felon.

she definitely suggested he might have committed a felony. in politics, that's considered over the line or below the belt. if we still know where the belt line is in politics anymore. >> dana, what is this about? is this about just playing to the base, or just kind of shore up key voting blocks? >> it depends on the issue. you know, in some issues it's playing to the base. for example, we've seen with medicare both sides saying things that are not factually correct. now that paul ryan is on the ticket, we reported all week last week about the fact democrats say seniors are going to lose your medicare when technically it's not true for people 55 and over. we saw republicans say the obama administration robbed $617 billion from medicare to help pay for health care, when that's not exactly true. it's not a shock i don't think that this is what they're doing. but i think what is interesting to me, covering politics for many year, is the way the democrats are, to use david's words, starting to hit below the belt as well. so many times, like with the

swift voting, back in 2004, and other years, we saw the democrats kind of complain to the ref. they're not doing that anymore. they realize it doesn't work. they're just punching back as much as they possibly can. >> it's interesting, wolf, because now you have these super pacs involved. look, we're not coordinating with the super pacs. you interviewed bill burton two weeks ago the same day i did. he's the spokesperson, runs a pro-obama super pac. they put out this ad falsely inferring that governor romney was responsible for the death of a man's wife while he was the head of bain capital. they deny that's what the ad is saying. most independent viewers do indication that's what the ad is saying. they kept reminding everyone -- and president obama today reminded everyone he didn't approve that super pac ad, doesn't produce it. there's no connection. but there is a similar implication on president obama's website. there's an ad that features joe

soptic and a reference to his wife passing away. clearly the obama campaign, not just the super pac, is trying to use that, trying to score some points with that. >> well, there's no doubt that top obama campaign officials, top leaders in the democratic party, have endorsed not the ad but they've endorsed the super pac that bill burton, a former deputy white house press secretary, runs, together with others, who used to work directly in the obama administration or the first obama campaign. the president said the right thing. he tried to walk away from that ad as forcefully as he can. others in the white house and in the campaign should have said two weeks ago what the president said today. that he never believes that mitt romney was responsible for the death of this woman. >> are these attacks you think having an effect? are they actually working? >> i think they're working more for president obama than they are for mitt romney. president obama maintains he had a small but a steady lead in the polls. he's also on day after day it's been true that the romney camp is dealing with things other

than jobs. and other than their plans for the future. so i think by and large -- i mean, people -- here's what happens, anderson. if someone like -- most people if someone like president obama runs, most people know him and it's hard to redefine him. when somebody like mitt romney runs, who's fresh to a lot americans, you can redefine him. that process is working more in president obama's favor. in fairness to president obama, he did raise at the end i think a very legitimate point about what mitt romney's been up to. romney on the stump keeps saying the president is taking welfare -- welfare to work off the table. he's just simply giving out welfare checks. that's not right. that's not true. i think president obama was right to raise that. >> dana, he's not just saying that on the stump. they've been -- the romney campaign, not a super pac, the romney campaign put out an inaccurate ad claiming that president obama basically just wants to send you a check in the mail without having to do any work. which is a misrepresentation of what his administration has been

trying to do recently on welfare reform. >> that's exactly right. it is a misrepresentation. and i think the sad thing is that no matter how many times you keep them honest on things like that, no matter how many times you see newspapers give them four pinocchios or pants on fire, however it is they try to expose these campaigns for doing things that are not right. i just went back and looked at them, the last poll we did about this issue, and it really does split 50/50, about whether or not democrats and republicans -- whether or not each candidate and each campaign is really being fair to the other. so i think what it tells us is that people just kind of throw up their hands and say, it's politics. to answer your question to david, yes, these things do work unfortunately. >> that's why they're done. dana bash, appreciate it. wolf blitzer. david gergen. thanks. up next, mitt romney's religion. the candidate invited members to attend church with him this weekend.

signaling he may be willing to up open up more about his mormon faith. some americans don't know much about. we'll separate fact from fiction ahead. [ gnome ] enjoying your holiday? ooo no. the hotel lost our reservation. nonsense! you book at travelocity, your reservation's guaranteed. well, i did not book with travelocity, okay?!? [ female announcer ] get the travelocity guarantee any way you book, including our new app. you'll never roam alone.

the young american man sitting in a prison in nicaragua, jason puracal case appears to be a case of serious injustice. we have more ahead. you want to save money on rv insurance? no problem. you want to save money on motorcycle insurance? no problem.

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up close tonight, the role of the mormon faith in mitt romney's life. it's a side of the candidate the public rarely sees. near their new hampshire home, they allowed members of the campaign press corps to come along. mitt romney's the first mormon to head a major party's presidential ticket. he rarely discusses his faith on the campaign trail. the latest gallup poll finds 18% of voters say they will not vote for a mormon candidate.

for many americans getting to know mitt romney as a candidate also means sorting out the facts from fictions about the mormon religion. >> reporter: for mitt romney, it's a dividing question that won't go away. what would it mean to have a devout moral be in the white house? >> we're thankful on the occasion, the birth of our son. >> reporter: the question won't go away largely because many voter don't understand what it means to be mormon. some voters believe the mormon church still allows a man to have multiple wives. this was romney on "60 minutes." >> i can't imagine anything more awful than polygamy. >> reporter: and some view mormons with suspicion. wondering if powerful church leaders could somehow control a mormon president. >> hi, gary, how are you? >> reporter: i caught up with mitt romney in michigan. >> i think americans want a person of faith to lead the country. i don't think that they care about the particular brand of faith so much as whether we share values. ♪ >> reporter: here in salt lake city, at the church of jesus

christ of latter day saints, romney's candidacy has put church leaders under a microscope. >> now is the time for all of us to reach out and tell others who we are. >> reporter: in a rare interview, apostle russell ballard, a top mormon leader, is crystal clear, there is no relationship between the campaign and the church. does the church endorse candidates for president of the united states? >> no, we don't. >> reporter: do you think it's proper for a politician to spread the word about their religion the same way they did when they were on their missions? >> no, i think that would be terribly misundetood. >> reporter: the suspicion that as president romney might take orders from the church derives from mormon history. church presidents are considered prophets. in 1843, a prophet's divine revelation led to polygamy. it was then abolished in 1890. so what if today's church president had a major revelation? could that influence a romney white house? is it up to all faithful mormons to follow the tenants of the revelation? >> if it's a declaration for the

entire church, the answer to that is yes. >> reporter: is that infrequent in modern times? >> it's infrequent because the foundation of the church is solidly in place. >> reporter: there is certainly prejudice against mormons. >> hello, sir, how are you? >> i'm one person who will not vote for a mormon. >> oh is that right? can i shake your hand anyway? >> no! >> okay. >> reporter: the southern baptist convention calls the church a cult. many americans say they don't consider mormons christians. an article in the online magazine slate brands the religion's founder joseph smith a con man. what does joseph smith mean to a faithful mormon? >> everything. god, the eternal father, and his son, the lord jesus christ, appeared to him. >> reporter: mormons believe in the old and new testaments but also in the book of mormon. think of it as kind of a sequel to the bible. >> we believe that the garden of eden was on this continent.

>> reporter: so that the garden of eden wasn't in the holy land? >> no, not in our doctrine. >> reporter: for mormons, eden was in missouri. and jesus christ visited the americas after the resurrection. >> we know he came and taught the people and restored the gospel to them. >> reporter: has jesus returned here to the united states, in your beliefs? >> oh, yes. >> reporter: you're considering communicating more about your religion to the american public in. >> i'm happy to talk about my faith to people in our country. i believe in god. i believe that all the children on earth are children of god. so will there be a speech about this at some point? perhaps. haven't give than a final decision at this point. >> reporter: a looming political question. for a man of faith who's not overly eager to publicly talk about his mormon faith. gary tuchman, cnn, dearborn, michigan. >> digging deeper now with wolf blitzer and presidential historian douglas brinkley. you've covered presidential campaigns for decades. how significant do you think it

is that mitt romney who's not really wanted his faith to be a main issue let the press accompany him to church yesterday? what does it tell you about his campaign strategy right now? >> i think it tell us he's beginning to feel a lot more comfortable in this general election season. showing folks that he is a religion man. that he does go to church. certainly i always felt it was a bigger issue, the fact he's a mormon in a republican contest for the republican primaries and the caucuses than it would be in a general election. on the same day that the press saw the president of the united states go to church with his family, i think it was good for the romneys that the press accompanied him, went inside. a pool reporter went inside. the stories coming out of the church, the service and all of that, were pretty positive. i think the presidential candidate should be doing more of this. >> doug, the romney/ryan ticket, it is the first in modern political history with a major party ticket having no protestant christian. for you, how much is this a reflection of how times have changed? >> many of the founding fathers

came from a pool of protestants, episcopalians, unitarians. you know, presbyterians. we changed a lot. it was a big deal when warren harding was the first baptist. and john f. kennedy the first catholic. there's no reason we can't have our first mormon president. we have senators like orrin hatch, mark udl, tom udall are mormon. the time for mormonism has arrived. a very small number of americans will be bigoted about it. >> you don't see it as an issue in a general election, douglas? >> i don't think so unless mitt romney stumbled into q & a where he started saying something about brigham young or joseph smith that struck a kind of bizarre note to somebody. but he's been very astute at the way he's taken, really, the kennedy route, saying, i am not the mormon candidate for president, i'm the republican nominee for president. and he's been i think following that script pretty well. >> also, wolf, i mean, as you

said, in a primary, among some members of the evangelical right or conservative right, they may be skeptical about mormonism, but you have to balance that about their anti-obama sentiment. >> yeah, you do, and i think that the right of the conservatives and the republicans, they are motivated. they are strongly motivated by the fact that they don't want to see the president re-elected. that's what's going to get them out. and i think in this regard, paul ryan, addition to the ticket, will further motivate the tea party movement. further motivate conservatives. many of them concerned. some not so little concern. about the credentials of mitt romney. now i think they're fully going to be motivated and it's going to help him in november. i don't think it's a huge problem going forward for mitt romney. and as i said, i think he should let the press accompany him to church more often. >> you say the republicans seem

to have devised a strategy that's worked with regards to romney's faith. basically fanning the flames of essentially anti-obama. >> yeah, i think the big hurdle for mitt romney was not being stigmatized by evangelical right when he was seeking the nomination. in a general election, i think it's just not that much of an issue. the republican party or conservative movement has made barack obama the issue. we've got to throw that guy off -- out at all costs. so i think that works in romney's favor. it makes the mormon issue. would have thought it would have been a much larger issue. thus far, it's just been very low grade. i think mitt romney going to church and talking about his faith a little bit is only helpful to him. his heavy days on this issue i think are behind him. >> right. doug brinkley, appreciate it. wolf blitzer, wolf, thank you. >> thank you. up next tonight, a young american appeals his conviction in nicaragua for drug crimes and his long prison term.

his defenders claim he's been completely railroaded, he's innocent. what are the chances his appeal will succeed? an update in the death of a abigail higgins had...

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[ male announcer ] act for kids, with maximum fluoride for up to 40% fewer cavities act. stronger teeth and better checkups in every bottle. an update in the death of a man shot in the back of the head in a police car. was it suicide or homicide. today the autopsy report was released, we'll have the result when is we come back.

welcome back. crime and punishment tonight. an appeal hearing wrapped up in a criminal case we reported on a few months ago. the case of an american. he's 35 years old. he's a native of washington state he's serving a very long sentence in nicaragua. we'll speak with the reporter that was in court today. first, i want to tell you how we got here.

it's one of the most dangerous prisons in the world. nicaragua's infamous prison. an american who just about everyone says is innocent has been here for 18 months serving a sentence of 22 years. his name is jason puracal. he's living a nightmare. >> if you had to explain what this has been like for you -- >> it's hard to put into words. it's very tough. >> reporter: puracal grew up in washington state. he wanted to be a veterinarian. after graduating from the university of washington, he joined the peace corps hoping to work with exotic animals around the world. in 2002, he was stationed in nicaragua. after his two years in the peace corps, he met and fell in love with scarlet, a local nicaraguan. they later married and moved to a popular beach town. they have a son named jabu. puracal began working in a local remax office as a real estate agent and eventually began running the office.

life was good he was raising his son in a community he said he loved and finding success with his company. everything changed on november 11, 2010. on that afternoon, according to his family, nicaraguan police burst into his home and office. they confiscated his files. and took jason away. he was accused of using his real estate business as a money laundering front for an international drug trafficking ring. he was arrested along with ten other suspected drug traffickers. his family thought it was all a big mistake. >> there's absolutely no evidence that jason committed any of the crimes with which he was charged. i am an attorney and i've read through the entire case file and i've fought that case every single day for the last 18 months. but more than that, i'm jason's sister. and i know my brother. i know that he is absolutely 100% innocence. >> reporter: puracal was hopeful this would be resolved quickly. his lawyers say the nicaraguan authorities weren't able to

provide any evidence to link him to a drug trafficking ring. they say no drugs were found at his home or office. no evidence of money laundering. miguel marquez is in nicaragua now. i understand just moments ago that he addressed the court. what did he say? >> he did indeed, an incredibly dramatic end to this court proceeding. the appeals proceeding now is over. puracal speaking to the court. this 35-year-old washington state native gave the speech of his life. listen to a little bit of it. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: he spoke of his love for nicaragua. he fell in love with a woman here. he was in the peace corps here and came back and started his business here. he says he doesn't understand how it is the police ended up fabricating the lies he called them during this long talk. he was confident.

he sounded like he was sure of himself. at times, though, his voice tended to quiver. this is a guy who believes and hopes that what he said today will help get him off. he ended by thank the nicaraguan justice system and says he believes the truth will eventually come out. we're expecting a ruling in the next few days, perhaps weeks. anderson? >> miguel, i interviewed him a couple months ago, there was not much evidence, if any evidence, really presented against him in the original trial. he's one of 11 defendants in court. guys he says he never even met before. so that means -- there were 11 defense lawyers, plus the prosecution? what was it like? was the process fair? >> it is a very intense system. to be outside -- u.s. audiences who see courts there, it certainly is not the same. it's about the size of an elementary classroom. there are about 80 people shoved in there. there are 11 defense lawyers in there. the 11 defendants are in there. all of the family members. you know, the family wants to believe in this process.

the u.s. embassy here wants to believe in this process. judge that is hearing this is the person would let another american go on murder charges sometime ago. so the family is hopeful. i spoke to puracal's sisters earlier today. here's what they had to say. how are you guys doing? >> struggling. it's been a rough few days for us. >> still difficult to see him. i know he's been struggling for almost two years now in that prison for really no reason whatsoever. you know, he's hopeful this is coming to a close. but still there's that fear that it's not. >> the appeal wrapped up today. what happens next? >> reporter: we expect in the next three, perhaps five days -- it could take a couple days for the judge to rule on his fate. the judge did say it's a complex case. he's going to try to rule as quickly as possible. >> miguel, thanks. an update tonight on the mysterious death of chavez carter. he died of a bullet wound he

received while in the back of a police car. the officers said it's suicide. his family thinks it's murder. now the medical examiner weighs in.

i'm susan hendricks with a 360 news and business bulletin. president obama warning the assad regime against using chemical weapons. he called both scenarios a red line for syria that would provoke the u.s. military to respond. a "360" follow.

medical examiners in arkansas ruling the death of a man shot in the head while handcuffed in the back of a police car is a suicide. the autopsy report concludes 21-year-old chaves carter managed to hold a gun up to his head, then fired the fatal shot. his family believes police fired that shot. rosie o'donnell has revealed that she had a heart attack last week. on her blog, o'donnell writes that she felt symptoms last tuesday but did not call 911 and found out the next day that she had 99% artery blockage. she writes that she is lucky to be here. and the comedy world saying good bye to a true icon. phyllis diller passing away today at the age of 95. she will be best remembered for her jokes, poking fun at her looks, her cooking and her husband, along with moments like this one, anderson, that you got to share with her. >> i wanted to meet you for, goodness sake, for a long time. i consider you a hero, anderson.

>> oh gosh, that's nice. >> and you're so white, you look like somebody put too much bleach on you. >> yes -- >> you are pretty white, anderson. >> you look like you might be carved out of ivory soap. >> yes, i -- >> you really are white. >> i know, i'm like a newt. like something that's crawled out of a rock or something. >> well, i tell you what, us kids, we're all nuts about you. >> well, that's very nice. >> she actually wrote me a very sweet letter just a few months ago so -- >> oh, she did? >> -- i was sorry. she had a remarkable life. pioneer in so many ways. i'm glad rosie o'donnell's doing well as well. susan, we'll be right back. tion. nonsense! you book at travelocity, your reservation's guaranteed. well, i did not book with travelocity, okay?!? [ female announcer ] get the travelocity guarantee any way you book, including our new app. you'll never roam alone.

tonight we're adding the curious case of a stolen ipad. it's not just any old ipad, it happens to be the ipad that once belonged to steve jobs. it was stolen along with $60,000 worth of stuff from jobs' home in palo alto, california. apparently the ipad has been found. the guy who ended up with it, used it to download "smooth criminal." seriously. >> the next thing i know, the police are at my front door, and i'm giving them the ipad. >> did i happen to mention the guy's a clown? yeah, he's an unwitting star of this three-ring circus, he's

also available for birthday parties and street performances. he was just as surprised as anyone to learn his ipad was stolen, not to mention stolen from steve jobs. a friend gave it to him, because the friend owed him $300. the friend is now charged with burglary and stolen property. kenny the clown, his face is more the white pancake make-up, his friend must have been living a double life. he thought he was just a medical supply salesman who wanted to get rid of his old ipad. >> it's really bizarre, and if it weren't tragic, it would be comical. not in my wildest dreams could i imagine being in possession of steve jobs' ipad. >> i think what everyone wants to know, what kind of amazingly cool stuff was on an ipad that once belonged to steve jobs. >> there's no phone book, no -- i didn't see any information.