Beresford-Redman family, lawyers assert his innocence

The family and lawyers for Bruce Beresford-Redman, the former "Survivor" producer accused of murdering his wife Monica during a family vacation in Cancun, Mexico, today issued statements reasserting his innocence.

Beresford-Redman's case has come back into the public eye because the CBS News broadcast "48 Hours" will air a program in which the accused producer gives viewers an inside look at the Mexican prison where he has been jailed for nearly three years. A lot of the video was shot by Beresford-Redman himself as he walked around the Benito Juarez prison in Cancun.

He also agreed to do his first sit-down interview. It was conducted by "48 Hours" correspondent Troy Roberts.

"Bruce's willingness to speak to the media is the last act of a desperate man," said Meredith L. Weiner, one of his lawyers, in a prepared statement. "I don't advise clients to have contact with the media. However, in Bruce's case, he has been adjudged by the Mexican court as guilty until proven innocent, when it should be the exact opposite. People need to hear Bruce's perspective and Bruce's voice."

The broadcast will also examine Beresford-Redman's trial, which has been going on for three years but appears to be coming to an end. There is no timetable for when the judge in the case must make a ruling.

Alison Triessl, a lawyer for Monica's sisters, has asked "48 Hours" not to broadcast the upcoming hour until there is a verdict in the case. "It will elevate Bruce's status to one of celebrity, it will elicit sympathy for him and most troubling, it may even influence the rightful verdict in this case," Triessl told the Associated Press. "As Carla and Jeanne Burgos have asked CBS, 'please do not further victimize our family.'"

Susan Zirinsky, executive producer of "48 Hours," has said the hour will air as scheduled on Saturday night at 8 p.m. "We're very conscious of the fact that this is a man accused of murder, of horrific murder," she told the AP. "If he is found guilty in the final judgment, then the tough conditions in that prison are exactly what he deserves. But there is a case to be proven, even if Mexico believes that you're guilty until proven innocent."

Zirinsky has said she does not believe the broadcast of the hour will influence Beresford-Redman's Mexican trial. The verdict will be issued by the judge; there is no jury.

Beresford-Redman's parents Dave and Juanita issued their own statement which said in part: "The facts are clear and totally exonerate Bruce. We want justice for Monica, we love her and we miss her desperately. But there can be no justice for Monica while Bruce is still wrongfully accused of her murder."

Paul LaRosa is a "48 Hours" producer. "48 Hours" will air its all-new investigation into the Beresford-Redman case, "Prison Diaries," Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.