Court TV Host: We're been chatting with Courttv.com's Emanuella Grinberg, who is awaiting a jury verdict in the Cody Posey trial. With her is Corliss Clees, Cody's guardian.

CALIFORNIA-Boy: If Cody is acquitted and released......Will Cody live with you, Ms. Clees?

Corliss Clees: I'll have my arms wrapped around him so tight he'll be saying, granny, let go of me if he is acquitted.

Question from meliss: Hi Corliss, not a question: just wanted to tell you that I am praying for Cody and your family, and I think Mr. Mitchell did a great job!!

Corliss Clees: Thank you we're praying too. All prayers are appreciated. May God bless you and yours.

Question from ehart: How is Cody holding up?

Corliss Clees: I haven't been able to speak with him since the beginning of the trial in the detention facility.

Court TV Host: A question here just to clarify...

Question from Missed_Q_JWY: Corliss are you a relative of Cody's'?

Corliss Clees: I'm his maternal aunt and guardian -- the older sister of Carla, Cody's biological mother.

Question from Evie: Why have you been unable to speak with him?

Corliss Clees: It has to be court-ordered to allow me to speak with him. I don't think the DA was going to give in that much to allow me to speak to him. She's already allowing me to stay in the courtroom. I can visit him in Las Cruces [the holding facility about 1 hour away], but I'm in the courtroom all week.

Question from redmansgirl: If he is free, how will you handle the pressure of Cody and the spot light and help him cope? Any plans laid out?

Corliss Clees: One daily step. God will protect us.

Question from chi: Hi Corliss, how do you feel about the prosecutor?

Corliss Clees: I feel that she handled herself in an unprofessional manner. I think she wanted to make a name for herself but got the wrong name. She was so argumentative with the judge, at times I was scared for a mistrial.

Question from pearlz: Will you stay in New Mexico?

Corliss Clees: No. I'm ashamed of the way New Mexico's system has become. I just want to get him the help he needs and be with him every step of the way. I have this one vision of taking him back to my church and giving him one great hug, especially the men, to let him know that there are men who love.

Question from NH-JULIE: Ms. Clees, were you aware of the abuse that Cody endured? Did you have any idea that he was being so abused?

Corliss Clees: Oh yes. Not the severity of it, but not in the last four years. I haven't been able to see him.

Question from Missed_Q_JWY: Corliss, why do you think that Cody killed Marilea?

Corliss Clees: I believe that it became where he saw the three as one. He's even asked himself that. He told me I shot an angel, Granny. But it was unity.

Question from NMguy: Ms. Clees, how did Mr. Mitchell become the attorney? Did some family members know him?

Corliss Clees: He volunteered pro-bono. I did know him, not well, just casually. I've known him since he was young, from Ruidoso.

Question from velvet-CTV: What do you say to those who doubt that Cody was abused?

Corliss Clees: [thinking] I think there's a whole group of people that look at child abuse with apathy. I believe that ones who don't believe it are those kind of people. I just tell them, you're entitled to your opinions and your thoughts and God be with you.

Question from NH-JULIE: Ms. Clees, you are the sister of Cody's biological mother? Is that correct? And if so, did you notice that Cody's now dead father was abusive when your sister and he first married?

Corliss Clees: Yes, he was abusive with her. They met in high school I stepped in between them twice. The first time, he was dragging her by the hair across the floor, I grabbed hold of him and said, "I don't think this is something you want to do." Second time, they were in the living room fighting and he pulled back his fist. I stepped in and grabbed it and said, "I'll dance cowboy, but I don't think you want to hit my baby." I'm going to lunch now, but i want to thank everyone for their prayers and their thoughts.

* * *

Court TV Host: We're going to be joined in just a moment by Corliss Clees, Cody Posey's maternal aunt and guardian. She was with us a bit earlier today, and she's kindly agreed to come back to answer some more questions and share some more thoughts about the case.

Court TV Host: Ms. Clees, thank you so much for being our guest again.

Corliss Clees: Thank you for having me back. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Court TV Host: Anything you'd like to say before we take questions?

Corliss Clees: I can't believe all the support and prayers we're receiving. They're welcomed with open arms.

Question from awakening2lite: Do you feel Cody has been treated fairly by the system?

Corliss Clees: It depends on what system you're talking about. I don't think he was treated fairly be Lincoln County sheriff's dept during the interrogation or CYFD, I don't think they were thorough in their investigation. I think they blew it off too fast. So did the Roswell police department, one officer in particular, former Robert Farmer, he told untruths on the stand. He had two conversations with me at the church and at least three on the phone after that regarding welfare checks on Cody. He did one phone call, spoke to Paul, everything was fine. I asked him if I could speak to Cody, he said no because he was a minor, and then I asked if I could pass a message through the local police office, and then he said he didn't find any need because there was no abuse, in his opinion.

Question from zoysia: Yesterday, on CTV you said at your sister's funeral you said they would not let you have custody but your brother could have. Why?

Corliss Clees: I guess because my brother was the one that told Paul that there had been the car accident. I can't answer why, aside from his despising me and my sister, but the conversation was about us visiting, not about custody. He was not going to let us visit.

Question from cay: Have you been in the courtroom with Cody?

Question from mummy: Hi Ms. Clees, how is Cody feeling waiting for his verdict?

Corliss Clees: I've been in the courtroom every day, sat though the motions when it was open court. I inquire about Cody, they say he's holding his own, but I have not been able to speak to him since the trial started.

Question from NH-JULIE: Ms. Clees, if Cody is acquitted and you take him home, what is the first thing you both will do?

Corliss Clees: Spend a lot of personal, private time convincing him there is such a thing as love, and not just from myself.

Question from snuffy: I'd like to hear if Corliss knows anything about the modified custody agreement as to why Carla didn't get Paul to SIGN his name and finalize it.

Corliss Clees: It was signed. There was a third page. She signed it, Paul signed it, Tryone signed it and Cody signed it. I saw the copy. The copy I have is what was left from the car accident, and I only had two pages of it.

Question from onlyme: Have you spoken to either of the jurors that have been excused and if so what was talked about?

Corliss Clees: I just thanked them for their service and blessed them. They said their prayers are with me and Cody.

Question from NH-JULIE: Ms. Clees, were there ever any incidents in which you visited Cody and Cody told you that he was being abused? Did he ever cry out for your help?

Corliss Clees: Yes, several times when he would be visiting from the ranch, when Carla was home from the military. It was heart-wrenching, but he'd ask me not to tell because he didn't want it to get worse, and I'd see that demeanor change every time I went back to ranch. He'd ask to turn around and go back, and I'd have to explain that we couldn't, he'd be arrested for kidnapping but he didn't want to go back to ranch. I tried to defend Paul, I said there must be something else going on in his life, because no one could hate as precious a child as he was. I was in fear of what would happen to him if I did. What he was telling me was bad enough, if I had any idea that this would have been the outcome... but you also have to understand that for those seven years, Paul had total control. I even had a lawyer in Roswell tell me that I had rights as a grandparent (because that's what he associated me as) but that New Mexico had done away with those rights, so he didn't take the retainers. I guess there's not enough money in grandparents' rights and children's' lives. Paul knew if he kept us alienated from Cody he could keep control over his life, and we would not be able to do anything.

Question from Jaymie: Corliss, if Paul had signed the papers and disowned Cody, why do you think he rushed to take him back, trying directly from the funeral? I've heard it was motivated by Cody's social security check, but how would he have known so quickly how much that would be?

Corliss Clees: The dollar amount didn't matter. He never loved Cody, Cody was property, and he told me this much. He also told me that he didn't care if Cody ended up hating him so I'm sure social security was the motivation. He picked him up July 31, 2000, and the social security began Sept. 1, 2000. So you tell me.

Question from Clown: Why didn't you report Paul when you saw the abuse?

Question from Missed_Q_JWY: Corliss if you were so concerned over Cody's treatment and he had told you how bad it was, why did you choose not to go to DHS or the police?

Corliss Clees: We had, and nothing came of it. You have to understand, in this area, Chavez county, it's the good old boy system, and I'm not a good old boy. In 1995, I reported it to the local police dept when he came home with rope burns on his neck. They questioned Paul, and he said that was from my nephew playing with a rope, so they found no reason to investigate abuse. I understand the question, but what's the point now? Of course there's some blaming of ourselves for what we didn't do, but it's no good to hash over it now. But I don't want him to think we didn't care at the time.

Question from paralegal_lin: Do you feel that Marilea perhaps participated in the so called spying, in fear that the she may become a target of the abuse?

Corliss Clees: Yes, but she was also arrogant enough to tell her stepmother, Sandy, about it. But again, it must have been her saving grace because I did ask Cody if she was abused and he said somewhat, but not as much as me, because she had Tryone to defend her.

Question from Laurie: Corliss, I must tell you that you were the most believable of all. Tell me, is Verlin lying as we all believe he is?

Corliss Clees: Most definitely. I don't want to go into detail with his family history, but I can tell you he and his brother were not considered friendly.

Question from mummy: Why did everybody believe Paul - did anybody question the boy by himself?

Corliss Clees: No, it was always in front of his parents, never alone. He was not even allowed to acknowledge family and friends in public.

Question from Clown: Do you know if Cody knew over 40 people were aware of how he had been abused by Paul?

Corliss Clees: I doubt it. He felt totally alone, he even said that. So I doubt he knew.

Question from mummy: Thanks for standing up for Cody. Is somebody else doing that besides you and his attorney?

Corliss Clees: From a distance, my brother and my sister-in-law, but they're busy with their lives right now. Don't take me as a martyr, but I'm willing to give up my life for him. God would not expect anything less of me.

Question from Laurie: We often wondered why no friends of Marilea were there for the prosecution.....did that child have any friends, do you know?

Corliss Clees: She had friends. One did testify, for the defense, that Marilea included her in on the spying, the same girl said that she was the only one invited to her birthday party, along with Cody's girlfriend, but she could not come.

Question from mary: This must be really hard for you. I mean the questions and everything.

Question from mary: This is hard on the whole family. My prayers are with you all.

Corliss Clees: Yes, it's very hard. Then again, can't tell you how much the prayers mean to us, especially for this boy. But we stand hard on the side of god, and his will will be done.

Court TV Host: Thank you so much for being our guest throughout the day.

Corliss Clees: Thank you and God bless.