what is the best for theo. am sure i will expect and i am sure ross will agree with me. >> your husband has told you in the past that he thinks you're trying to take theo away from him. >> yes. >> you are concerned that your husband is a powerful man who is powerful enough to take theo away from you. >> i think that after all the research i have been doing, i think that he being an american and me being not american, an immigrant, he is in a better position than me to gain if he opposed, if i have to travel, i do not know. he is in a better position than me. >> ok. than me. >> ok. but what she= pertains to your husband's status as an american citizen. >> yes. >> ok. was there a time when you saw his status as the sheriff made him powerful so he could take it away from you? >> no. >> you never thought that? >> as a sheriff, know. as an american, yes. >> let me finish my question. you never thought his status as an elected official gave him power that he could use to take it away from you. he said that to you, ha

>> i think that that was around0 when i started to make theo's lunch and i was hungry and we ate, theo and me, because i didn't want to cook for ross. and then we finished and i tried to put him down and he didn't want because we pass all the schedule, and then i took him to square park and when i was walking up the park, i text them because i was along with theo so maybe they can bring grace to play in the animal square park and i think that was around 2:00 or 3:00 because i was in the park between -- until maybe 4:00 p.m. >> ms. lopez, i asked you how long after the fight ended that you texted mr. mertens. >> and i was telling you the things i was doing. maybe you have the record. >> you don't know how long after the fight? >> no, we drive to the lunch, we come back, and then i make lunch, i feed him, maybe he went to the bathroom and i tried to put him down. maybe that took one hour, one hour and a half. >> so it was an hour to an hour and a half after the fight ended that you texted mr. mertens? >> yes, when we were walking to animal square park. >> on january 31st. >> this is your

just want to take theo away from me. no. i'm not your mom. so you have to go to therapy to realize that i will never take theo away from you. >> did that irrational fear that you saw in your husband lead to negative consequences for your family? >> i think he's always scared and i think that is very sensitive for him to lose theo and when that day i just ignored that and give him my back, he reacted in a very negative way and that was:. i turned my back to him and ignored his fears when he was talking to me and i think is why he grabbed my arm and i think that is well, obviously, i'm here because and theo cannot see his father, is a disaster for our family. i cannot even touch my husband. is a disaster. >> i'd like to ask my question. >> you asked me if that fear has horrible consequences. yes, this is a disaster. >> i asked you if that irrational fear on the part of your husband of losing you and theo have negative consequences for your family. did it or did it not? >> we are apart, that is horrible. >> before december

yes, theo was -- it was his nap time. so, he was sleeping in the car seat. and i don't not recall he was crying in the car until the very end. because we were having a discussion, not that he was yelling. we were having a discussion. not a friendly one, but he was watching. he was fine. >> your son did cry during that discussion, but not until the end of it. >> during the discussion he did not cry. >> so when you told ivory madison he cried in the car -- >> he cried after he grabbed my arm. >> after your husband grabbed her arm. >> i got angry and i said stop. it was my reaction that scared my son. >> answer the question. >> at this point in the car, he is not crying. >> did you ever say to your husband during the course of this discussion, argument, stop, look what you are doing to our son. do you know wwhat this is going to do to him? >> we are now in the car, right? at this moment he is not crying and i did not say that. >> so in the course of the fight to never said those words. >> when he grabbed my arm i said stop in a very hard way and when we came in

she was giving me legal advice how to get custody of theo. so the only person i know is domestic violence advocate is linnette, so i told ivory -- i actually was trying to leave ivory's home for maybe half an hour but she was -- we have to do it, we have do it, we have to do it. the only way i could escape from her house was say, ok, i have to call my dad, really. i have an appointment, i have to call him and when i came back home, i call linnit and i said, what do you think about this? first, i call her first, she didn't answer. so i text her, this is the situation, this happened, i have a person telling me this, i want your opinion about this. >> had you ever spoken to linnette peralta haynes before this date about the details of your marriage with your husband? >> no, never. >> and then you had a call with linnette peralta haynes a little later that morning around 11:18, do you recall that? >> yes. >> and what did you talk about in that call with ms. peralta haynes? >> i told her i was talking with my lawyer and her plan was accuse ross of

>> i think that that was around0 when i started to make theo's lunch and i was hungry and we ate, theo and me, because i didn't want to cook for ross. and then we finished and i tried to put him down and he

. >> did she say that theo w6éht)r concern?in regards to that incident >> no, she did not. >> did she tell you that he grabbed her arm? >> no, she did not. >> did she say that the person who shot the video turk -- told her what to say in the video? >> no, she did not. >> did she say that the person who shot the video told her to go tell her story to a different neighbor? >> no, she did not. >> did she tell you that the person who shot the video advised her to accuse the sheriff of domestic violence so that she could get custody of theo? >> no, she did not. >> did she tell you in that conversation that she believe that ross was a good person >> in the 40-minute phone call? >> yes. >> she did tell me that she and she wanted to make it work, but she said just in case, she wanted to make sure that she got custody of the notwú-71 -- of - of theo. >> did she say how she was going to do that? >> she wanted to have counseling maybe, some counseling with both of them,wl+h> >> i am sorry. i did not hear you. could you repeat it? marriag

i said, can you take care of theo. i said, i will be there. i was mad and ross, so i said it was perfect. i went to see her. that was the conversation december 31. we plan for the next day. the next day i went to her home, and she started to talk about she is in therapy, and she mentioned my therapist. my therapist told me i have anger issues, and i thought, and who really? anchor issues, -- anger issues, and i think i would like the number, because i would like to share your professional opinion. that is how i started the conversation, and i remember when she mentioned dasthat. i said, i really need your professional opinion about this. it was as a lawyer, because she is always repeating that she is a lawyer. >> did she understand what you meant about that when you said professional experience? did she understand, and did you make it very clear you were seeking official who legal counsel? did you say those words? >> i said its, and she responde, of course, i will help you. i have been in court so many times. i know how it works. >> i will sto

playing, they can entertain theo so i can cook. the computer is open and they're there so i can be walking and talking by phone and they can be playing with theo so i can -- >> ms. lopez, i think you may have misunderstood my question. when you had this call with your brother on skype. >> yes. >> did you have another conversation going on on your cell phone at the same time? >> you know, this time was so busy, i was calling linnette, calling ross, calling back, talking with my brother, taking care of theo, so i don't know if actually so many times -- ok, goodbye, ross is calling. ok, ross is calling right now. no, linnette is calling. oh, bad, whatever, whoo. so i do not remember. and of course i think i did. and i was feeding my son, cooking for my son. doing everything at the same time. i do not remember exactly if i was -- i was panicking, also. i was betrayed. >> now, ms. lopez, did you release a statement to the press on january 5 to the effect of what was happening to your husband was wrong? did you make a public press releas