Page 2 - Cara Pull News Today

Sometimes a moment of self preservation can affect how you -- how you say things. >> reporter: but cara was consistent about one thing, her claim that j.j. raped her. evidence to back that up? the marks on her wrists, said futerman, and he called another expert to say they were fresh, just hours old, so couldnt have been caused by the new boyfriend. >> it was a quantum leap from the state to say the sex that she had 36 hours prior to the incident would leave fresh scratches on her, or a bruise. ...

The 911 call. >> my ex-husband came in and he raped me. >> he raped you? >> uh-huh. i shot him. >> rape? but thats all she said on the topic until about two hours later, when she told the deputy she needed medical attention. >> i need to see a doctor. ive been hurt. >> it was detective syersjob to sort through it all and he began by showing cara a bit of kindness. >> i went over and took the handcuffs off of her. >> she must have been relieved to have that happen. >> um -- i mean, her demeanor a...

He had bad sides to him. he wasnt a bad guy. >> his friends, his family felt as if the dead guy is being dragged through the mud. >> sure. >> did you feel bad about it? >> i didnt want it to happen. i never wanted to go to court and air all of our dirty laundry. >> reporter: but now that she was here accused of murder, j.j.s reputation was fair game, said attorney futerman. >> i think there was a lot of sides to j.j. that his best friends didnt know. >> reporter: including his cop buddies, said ...

Bedroom doorway. the hand reaching toward the bed, reaching for her. so close. she closed her eyes. she pulled the trigger. was the shot fired a warning, just, stay out of my bedroom? >> i was aiming for whoever it was. thats what i was taught. you dont fire a warning shot. >> cara called 911. >> you shot him? >> i shot him. >> with a gun? >> my gun. >> okay. >> cara gripped the gun for dear life, terrified the man would come back. >> you still have the gun? >> yes, i do. >> okay, maam, im getti...

So the prosecutor told the jury that dna tests didnt even show clear evidence that theyd had sex. and those bruises on caras hip? were judging from texts with the new boyfriend not from jj. >> the rough sex a couple of days prior to the shooting is what led to whatever injuries she may have had. >> reporter: the red marks on her wrists could have been from sex play said the state, could have been from struggling with her handcuffs here in the police car. >> nothing led me to believe that there w...

Whole life. >> reporter: the video was very grainy hard to decipher. but lucinda told futerman she would try. what were you looking for her to say? >> i was specifically looking for, "yes, i understand my rights." i see no evidence of her saying those words. >> reporter: right. but then? a judges ruling meant it suddenly didnt matter what lucinda saw or didnt see. a miranda warning, said the judge, wasnt necessary at that point. >> you have the right to remain silent. >> reporter: and in fact ca...

Says testify, and i said no. >> reporter: but in the middle of the night, she told us, she changed her mind. >> so i texted roger at 3:00 oclock i said, ill do it. >> reporter: and she did. cara told her story, and in the middle, she dropped a bombshell about j.j. coming up, a stunning revelation. >> he left a suicide note. >> when did he write that note? >> i dont know. >> what would it mean for cars case? when "dateline" continues. cars case when "dateline" continues. some mental health meds...

>> he had one -- one pill in his pocket at the time of his death and he obviously had the prescription because he injured his back. >> reporter: so, if the detectives were right that cara wasnt defending herself why that night at that moment did she take out the gun and pull the trigger? because, said the prosecutor, her ploy -- her attempt to lure him back -- failed and she was losing control of him. the states theory? that cara did send graphic selfies to her new boyfriend. and jj did see them...

21-year-old wants to hear at 3:00 in the morning. >> meghan was not the only one assaulted with the news that night. >> i was called that night. >> and in lonnie lanctos case, a particular remorse -- a regret for a lifetime. lonnie was recovering from surgery just then, and earlier that day, j.j. called, offered his company, his help. and she said thanks, but no she was going to sleep. you must have gone over that in your mind a million times. >> i live with it every day. i take comfort in the f...

On earth. do we get this? how do i get around this?" and she just said theyre truthful without thinking, without planning. she said, "theyre all true. i just got some of the sequences wrong." so okay. >> reporter: that, said futerman, is because cara was in shock and had been questioned on and off for nearly ten hours. >> its certainly a very logical explanation for some inconsistencies in this sequence of events. >> reporter: still so many stories. maybe, thought futerman, he could find a way t...