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Nancy Grace

La Toya Claims Michael Was Murdered

Aired July 13, 2009 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight in the mystery surrounding the sudden death of music icon, Michael Jackson. It intensifies as questions mount on his sudden death, his half-a-billion-dollar empire, and more important, custody of the star`s three little children.

Bombshell tonight. Murder charges in the death of Jackson, Jackson`s family publicly revealing their claim music icon Michael Jackson was murdered. And tonight: Has Jackson`s embalmed body been secretly moved during the night? The body`s exact location still shrouded in mystery, this as sources claim a secret custody deal in the works. But is that deal in the best interests of Jackson`s three children? We learn bio mom Debbie Rowe agrees not to fight for custody. But what`s the pay-off?

And in a stunning twist, father Joe Jackson reportedly set to force Jackson`s children on the stage under the name the Jackson 3, sending them on the road for a world tour next year. This after Jackson revealing physical abuse, beatings at the hand of his own father, Joe Jackson, always keeping his own three children far, far away. Father Joe also says he himself will raise Jackson`s children and now put them on the stage. Has Jackson`s worst nightmare come true?

Also, after we learn Jackson`s body kept hidden at the family crypt of Motown founder Berry Gordy, many question how do you lose a gold-bedecked "Promethean" casket? With 20 helicopters hovering and thousands watching, the casket exits an arena. Was the body ever in the casket, or was it smuggled out through a secret underground tunnel to an unmarked van while fans mob a black hearse seemingly bearing the body? We confirm a portion of Jackson`s brain missing from the body, withheld for testing.

Jackson family infighting boils over, father Joe and the Jackson brothers pushing ahead with burial in the back yard of Neverland for a Graceland-like Michael Jackson burial theme park. A second autopsy discovered four fresh needle tracks in Jackson`s neck -- that`s right, his neck -- other veins riddled with track marks, many actually collapsing from IV use, Jackson`s skin paper white, white as a T-shirt, his bald head matching, his body emaciated, all in direct contrast to private video of a full dress rehearsal just hours before the death.

Drugs found in the home, drugs banned for consumer use, only found behind locked doors in the operating room. Jackson reportedly ingesting up to 10,000 pills in just six months, including a reported 40 Xanax a night. The LAPD chief mulling criminal charges. Who drugged an addict who happened to be a superstar? As vultures circle Jackson`s dead body, the fate of his three children unknown.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a gentleman here that needs help, and he`s not breathing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Alarming new accusations coming from Michael Jackson`s own sister, saying he was murdered and his death was a conspiracy. Two British newspapers quote La Toya as saying she believes a shadowy entourage gave her brother drugs that led to his tragic death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some very prominent members of the Jackson family, including La Toya, are going very public with their belief Michael Jackson`s death had some foul play involved. La Toya Jackson never mentioned who she thought was behind Michael Jackson`s death. She implied to another newspaper that the family knows the results of the second private autopsy for Michael Jackson, the one that they ordered. And she says, quote, "I think everyone will be surprised when the results come out."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Debbie, are you ready to fight for your kids, Debbie?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready to fight for your children?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jackson`s ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, and his mom, Katherine, are working behind closed doors on a secret custody deal?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready to fight for your children?

DEBBIE ROWE, MICHAEL JACKSON`S EX-WIFE: Do not touch me!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody touched you here.

ROWE; You just did! Don`t!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I spoke with a friend of Debbie Rowe`s, and he told me that he fully expects Debbie Rowe to go for custody. He said the fact that Joe Jackson, Michael Jackson`s father, is talking about helping raise the children is really a problem for her, since Michael Jackson had a terrible relationship with his father.

JOE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON`S FATHER: We`re the parents, and we got other kids of their size. They love those kids. And we love those kids, too. We`re going to take care of them and give them the education they`re supposed to have. We can do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: And tonight, breaking news. A beloved couple with 16 children -- repeat, 16 children -- 12 of them adopted, many of them special needs, handicapped, murdered in their own home, part of it caught on video. We have the video. The suspects, in full ninja garb, invade the home with military precision. Tonight, who gunned down this beautiful couple, leaving 16 children orphaned?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Detectives say Byrd and Melanie Billings were found shot dead in their home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They suffered from multiple gunshot wounds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why anyone would want to kill the Billings, a couple known for their adoption of a dozen children, many with special needs...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As many as nine kids were in the home when the couple was killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you`ll find this particularly chilling, and here`s why. We have a team that enters the front of the home and we have a team that enters the back of the home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were all dressed in black. All had masks on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dressed in ninja garb, black garb, come through the wooded area and enter the Billings home from the north side.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two men, Leonard Gonzalez, Jr., and Wayne Coldiron, are the first to be arrested and accused in the brutal double murders. Authorities say expect more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The total number of people that we are looking for that are involved in the deaths of the Billings family is six to eight.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gonzalez`s father, Leonard, Sr., is also in jail on an evidence tampering charge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... allegedly attempting to conceal damage and paint this old red van, identified as the vehicle used in the Billings break-in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At first, authorities were calling it a home invasion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s going to be a humdinger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now they say the crime appears to be a lot more complex.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The more we delved into this and worked this case, the different avenues that it would go down...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Robbery is just one motive right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No matter where the case turns, it remains a senseless tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. The mystery surrounding the sudden death of music superstar Michael Jackson intensifies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE JACKSON: I have a lot of concerns.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) concerns.

JOE JACKSON: I can`t get into that. I don`t like what happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joe Jackson had voiced suspicion previously, in the days just after Michael`s death. Jackson`s sister, La Toya, is going even further than her father, telling two British newspapers that she believes Michael Jackson was murdered. La Toya Jackson told "The Daily Mail" her brother was worth more than a billion dollars and said, quote, "He was surrounded by people who didn`t have his best interests at heart," and "He was worth more dead than alive."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready to fight for your children?

ROWE: Are you ready to get your butt kicked?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... a friend of Debbie Rowe`s. He said this about her. She is not going to lay down and roll over, he said. So maybe they are trying to come to an agreement out of court, out of the public eye, and that`s why this hearing has been delayed. But we`ll have to wait to see if this gets ugly.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She has said things -- and I`m quoting here -- about having children, "I did it for him to become a father, not for me to become a mother." And she even said when asked what would happen with the kids if Michael should die, she said, quote, "I`m sure he has a wonderful person in mind to take care of them."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She`s still the biological mother. She could have a change of heart and she could try to position herself as saying, Look, Michael was a great father, he`s gone, I want to step into their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you willing to take a cash settlement for the kids?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How important are the kids to you, Debbie?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She basically sold them for $8.5 million.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: Bombshell charges leveled tonight, charges that Michael Jackson was murdered.

Out to Paul Vercammen, our producer there in L.A. Paul, what can you tell us?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN PRODUCER: Well, I can tell you this on background. La Toya Jackson sat down for four hours with this reporter last Thursday and began discussing what she thought was, quote, the "murder" of Michael Jackson. And she was pressed hard. That`s a very strong term, obviously, Nancy, as you know. And she said, Yes, indeed, I want to say that I believe my brother was quote, "murdered."

She went on to say that there`s this shadowy entourage that she believes was involved in all this. You also heard that she said that she believed her brother was worth more than a million (SIC) dollars. And talking about that entourage, we had heard all along and other people have said that there was a group of security guards and others who watched Michael Jackson, and I guess what La Toya`s implying here is not only were they turning a blind eye to whatever drug use might be going on, but they might have been enabling Michael Jackson.

GRACE: To Mike Walker, senior editor with "The National Enquirer." Murder charges being leveled? Explain.

MIKE WALKER, "NATIONAL ENQUIRER": I don`t understand what the motive would be to murder Michael Jackson. If this is some short-term thing -- the million dollars La Toya`s referring to is not how much Michael was worth, it was about how much he kept around the house in cash. She was wondering where the money went that was in the house, and the jewels, and so forth. When he died, a lot of people came in the house and suddenly, all this stuff is missing.

Now, I don`t think that we`re going to find there was murder here. And as far as people enabling him, no question. But Michael let people enable him. Anybody who wouldn`t give him what he wanted to have in the way of drugs or whatever were suddenly gone. We know that. Michael changed entourages over and over and over and over again.

GRACE: Out to Eleanor Dixon, felony prosecutor who has handled many, many death penalty prosecutions. Eleanor, everyone is pooh-poohing the charges of La Toya Jackson, but isn`t it true that while the LAPD chief is mulling criminal charges, someone is responsible for four fresh track marks in Michael Jackson`s neck. Now, Eleanor, please, don`t humor any of us by suggesting that Jackson himself shot himself up in the neck.

ELEANOR DIXON, PROSECUTOR: That would be extremely difficult to do, especially if it was the Diprivan that we`ve heard so much about that`s only allowed in the OR. So definitely, there could be something there given to Michael Jackson by another person. Could be murder.

GRACE: OK, here`s my next question. Eleanor, again, a lot of people think that that will never happen in this case. But if someone, in fact, did give him a lethal dose of whatever drug, whether it`s still in his system at the time of autopsy, now two autopsies -- and we`ve learned from the second autopsy about these fresh needle tracks in his neck -- that may equate to malice murder, when you give somebody a shot in the neck or four shots in the neck of a potentially lethal prescription drug when given in that amount?

DIXON: Exactly, Nancy, because if you`re giving him an overdose, then it would definitely lead to a murder charge, if he died.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Murray prescribed certain things to Michael Jackson as a doctor. You know, he had medical conditions, medical complaints.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Jackson demanded that (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He demanded.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I said, Michael, you`re spending too much money. It doesn`t make sense. He goes, You don`t understand. My body is the machine that fuels this whole business, OK? I need that kind of attention. And you know what? When Michael Jackson says that to you and there`s this much at stake, you don`t argue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s nothing in his history, nothing that Dr. Murray knew, that would lead him to believe that he would go into sudden cardiac arrest or respiratory failure. It`s still a mystery, how he died, to Dr. Murray.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As anyone would know (INAUDIBLE) so we`re extremely grateful for all the support. We love you all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love you!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re not alone!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just wanted to let you all know that you have been very, very supportive. And as you well know, Michael loved his fans more than anything (INAUDIBLE) He has always said that his family is first and his fans are second. I know (INAUDIBLE) happy that you`re here supporting him. He`s watching every last one of you, and I just want to thank you all for being here for him. He loves you very, very much. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) all of your support. Michael will forever live in all of our hearts (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: You are seeing video from TMZ.com. That`s of Michael Jackson`s sisters speaking to all of his many fans at his memorial at the Nokia Theatre there in L.A.

We are taking your calls live tonight as stunning charges are leveled that Michael Jackson was murdered. And yes, there is a legal leg to stand on. Straight out to the lines. Patty in Florida. Hi, Patty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, Nancy. I was wondering if Michael had a hep-lock (ph) or a pick line (ph). A hep-lock is an IV catheter that stays in the vein for up to 72 hours, and a then pick line can be left in there for several months so he could infuse himself.

GRACE: To Mike Walker, senior editor with "The National Enquirer." Any word about that? I guess we wouldn`t know until we actually look at the autopsy report.

WALKER: I had word of this just about a week ago, but it wasn`t sufficient for me to actually publish it. I believe my source, but I needed much more to actually publish it. I will tell you that, yes, I have heard this, that he had one put, you know, under his skin. And that way, you can just very quickly hook yourself up. We know that Michael`s been doing drugs intravenously for, what, more than a decade, so it`s possible.

GRACE: You know what was stunning to me -- to Ellie Jostad, our chief editorial producer -- that sister La Toya goes on to describe the scene when she goes into Neverland and goes into the room where Michael Jackson allegedly passed away. What did she say she observed?

ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: (INAUDIBLE) La Toya said that she saw oxygen masks lying there on the floor. She saw oxygen tanks not only in the room but in several locations in the house. She also described seeing empty pill bottles, an empty pill box, all kinds of medical equipment in the home.

GRACE: It`s my understanding that she also revealed the children were not allowed in the room when the doctor was giving Daddy his oxygen, and that none of the staff were ever allowed up on that level of the mansion.

JOSTAD: Right. That`s another claim that La Toya is making. She also claims that the doctor actually performed CPR on Michael Jackson in his -- meaning the doctor`s room -- not in Michael Jackson`s room, as we`d heard previously. But the doctor says that is absolutely not true. He doesn`t know where La Toya got that information.

GRACE: Out to Natisha Lance, our producer standing by there in L.A. There was to be a big courtroom showdown today. There were a lot of no- shows. Why was it postponed?

NATISHA LANCE, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: That`s right, Nancy. Attorneys for the Jacksons and an attorney for Debbie Rowe said that they wanted to come together to try to reach some amicable understanding or -- understanding about what to do with the children in terms of Debbie Rowe. So reportedly, what is going to happen is that Debbie Rowe will get supervised visitation of the children. Also, the children will not be referring to her as "Mother," but they will be calling her "Miss Debbie." However, we still have this hearing that is coming up on the 20th, where we are expecting Debbie Rowe to be in court.

GRACE: Out to the lawyers. Let`s unleash them. As you know, Eleanor Dixon, felony prosecutor joining us from Atlanta, Mickey Sherman, renowned defense attorney joining us out of New York, author of "How Can You Defend Those People?" and Peter Odom, veteran trial lawyer also joining us out of Atlanta.

To you, Mickey Sherman. I`m sure giving up her rights to come in and fight for custody is not coming at a small price. I`m talking about Debbie Rowe.

MICKEY SHERMAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, she made a bundle at the beginning of this situation when she basically sold the kids back then. But the feeling I get from the information that`s out there is that she`s here now not to just pick up a check, but apparently, she has a very legitimate -- apparently legitimate -- fear that her children, or these children, will be somehow victimized by Joe Jackson, as was Michael Jackson and his siblings. And the understanding that I see is that she just wants to make sure that they don`t wind up, like Michael Jackson, at the mercy of Joe Jackson`s belt.

(CROSSTALK)

GRACE: Well, Peter Odom, she`s claiming all this concern for them, and at the same time, we are hearing reports that grandfather Joe Jackson plans to launch them on the stage as the Jackson 3. Now, wasn`t it you last week, Peter Odom, that was saying how everything would work out fine if Katherine Jackson, the grandmother, had the children, that she would not allow interference from Joe Jackson?

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think that, Nancy, the court...

GRACE: Yes, that was you.

ODOM: I don`t remember saying that. But Nancy, you know what? If Katherine has the children, then there`s always the chance that Joe Jackson is going to have access and there`s nothing the court`s going to be able to do about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PARIS JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON`S DAUGHTER: Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine! And I just want to say I love him so much!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRACE: That was little Paris, just 11 years old, at her father`s memorial. Apparently, we learned that she put in his casket a necklace wrapped around his hand and had multi-colored stones that she put around his head and shoulders, like a garland, in the casket when she was taken to see his body.

Back out to Ellie Jostad. Ellie, we are hearing about a second autopsy. Why was there a second autopsy? Who asked for the second autopsy? And do we know anything in the second autopsy, other than fresh track marks on his neck?

JOSTAD: Well, La Toya Jackson tells this British tabloid that she is the one who asked for the second autopsy because she was concerned about the circumstances of her brother`s death. She wouldn`t reveal what that autopsy reveals, but she did say that it is going to be a shocker, that there are bombshells in that second autopsy.

GRACE: To Brian Oxman, family friend of the Jacksons, host of "Insight" on newsradio KLAA. Brian, do you know what`s in the second autopsy? What`s the bombshell?

BRIAN OXMAN, JACKSON FAMILY CONFIDANT: Don`t know what the bombshell is. They`ve kept that a very closely guarded secret. I do know that it is consistent with what the coroner did at the L.A. coroner`s office. So you`re not going to have any kind of contradictions. Its purpose was to get information quick to the family, and it accomplished that purpose.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the day Michael Jackson`s "This is It" tour was supposed to kick off in London.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Some of the last images ever recorded of Michael Jackson performing, two days before he died. A full length dress rehearsal for his upcoming show.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was very energetic, he was happy. He was even more playful than he normally was at rehearsal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a gentleman here who needs help and he`s not breathing. He`s not breathing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Michael Jackson is a very frail man. He was very thin. Very small.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had a glow about him. His shoulders back, his head up. And he just -- he just looked great, he sounded great. He just had this triumphant feel about him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s 50 years old, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 50? OK, he`s unconscious, he`s not breathing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. He`s not breathing, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As for Jackson`s body, a source involved with the investigation described it as, quote, "lily white" from head to toe. The body was emaciated despite the vigor Jackson showed on stage during his final rehearsal just 36 hours earlier.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All I know is the Michael Jackson that hugged me and said good night was a healthy, vibrant human being about to under take the greatest undertaking of his life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY GRACE, HOST: Mike Walker, the location of his body shrouded in mystery all this time. I understand it has been secretly moved from where to where?

MIKE WALKER, SENIOR EDITOR, THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER, COVERING STORY: Well, it`s secretly moved now, of course, to the basement of Forest Lawn. It was previously upstairs or outside in Berry Gordy`s crypt. And when that news came out, all the looky-loose were down there.

In fact, the people were removing the B`s or the G`s, or whatever, you know, anything that showed it was Berry Gordy`s crypt. And then finally they realized it was just out of control. So they had to move the body into -- you know, they have places to keep bodies, there are refrigerators and so forth at Forest Lawn.

GRACE: Everyone, we are taking your calls live. Out to Annie in California. Hi, Annie.

ANNIE, CALLER FROM CALIFORNIA: Hi, Nancy. I have a question. You know it`s apparent he was an addict with drugs, which, you know, a lot of people are. My question is, after the police department, you know, released the house and people went in and apparently, I guess they were taking things out.

Could anybody have put anything in there to make it look more like, you know, somebody else did this to him so that he died more of a tragedy than the superpop icon that was a drug addict?

GRACE: Hmm. What about that. To John Lucich, president of High Tech Crime Network. The likelihood that someone planted things there on the scene?

JOHN LUCICH, FMR. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR, PRESIDENT OF HIGH TECH CRIME NETWORK: Look, when you have a crime scene or a potential crime scene that`s not protected and locked down, that kind of thing can happen. And even if it doesn`t happen, certainly someone can make the case that it might have happened to taint any type of future prosecution. Those cops should have locked that down until they were done with it.

GRACE: You know, you`re right. They towed away the doctor`s car but they did not cordon off the house at all. People were still going in and out at free will.

And what can you tell me, Brian Oxman, about $1 million worth of money and jewels now missing from the home?

BRIAN OXMAN, JACKSON FAMILY CONFIDANTE, HOST INSIGHT; NEWSRADIO KLAA: La Toya is usually pretty accurate in these things, Nancy. She talked to Michael a great deal. She was very, very confidential with him. And so she would have known these things.

Michael was known to have money on the premises. How much money? No one really knew but if he told her that amount, I believe her because I think La Toya is right on the beam here. She`s accurate, she`s smart. And when she says that there`s something amiss here, you better believe it because I`ve been talking to her for this very same subject matter for two years and she`s been consistent the whole time.

GRACE: To Dr. Gerald Feigin, medical examiner for Camden County, joining us out of Philadelphia. The fresh track marks on his neck, Dr. Feigin, what does that say to you? Could those have been self-inject ed?

DR. GERALD FEIGIN, M.D., MEDICAL EXAMINER, CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ: I have never seen self-injected there. Sometimes during resuscitation, EMTs or parademics can do them, and you have to check with the records to see what was done. But during my training in Detroit, people used to pay others to do those injection sights but in my over 20 years of work I have never seen anybody self-inject in the neck veins.

GRACE: Dr. Feigin, where on the neck do you inject?

FEIGIN: The external jugular would be the most common place that I`ve seen.

GRACE: Could you show us?

FEIGIN: Roughly out here where I`m pointing above my collar, sometimes below if it`s loosened. But those are the only areas I have ever seen injected. But often you`ll see that with resuscitation. So you have to make -- be real careful not to mix what happened during resuscitation to what happened before then.

GRACE: We know that there were injection marks directly into his heart during the resuscitation efforts. You`re right. Would have to see what the paramedics did trying to bring him back to life.

To Dr. Janet Taylor, MD and psychiatrist, joining us out of New York. Doctor, we just heard someone state that Michael Jackson allowed or encouraged the enablers. In other words, basically, laying all of the fault on Jackson. What do you make of that?

DR. JANET TAYLOR, PSYCHIATRIST: Well, I mean, he paid them. They were on his payroll. Clearly, this has been going on for many, many years. And a lot of people around him, family included, dropped the ball trying to get an intervention knowing how difficult it was. But hindsight is 20/20 and now we`re pointing fingers and in fact, we`ve been watching this demise.

GRACE: To Bradd Lamm, board registered interventionist at Changesomeoneyoulove.com.

Brad Lamm, thank you for being with us.

BRAD LAMM, BOARD REGISTERED INTERVENTIONIST, CHANGESOMEONEYOULOVE.COM: Hey, Nancy.

GRACE: What do you make of all this talk that he encouraged the enablers? That now there`s a lot of finger-pointing? You know, we hear that he and his bodyguards keep them away and wouldn`t take calls from his 79-year-old mother. You are the expert. Other people don`t want interventions and the target never wants to have an intervention.

LAMM: Yes, if they would say yes, I wouldn`t have a vibrant practice.

GRACE: That`s why you call it an intervention.

LAMM: Intervention. Well, they did a few things, it seems like, that weren`t the best case scenarios. But I think we`re seeing now to -- everybody trying to make sense of what happened. La Toya saying maybe it was murder. The family trying to make sense of this horrible.

GRACE: No, she`s saying it was murder. And Brad, less than a month before his death, there was a 60th wedding anniversary celebration at Jackson`s favorite Indian restaurant. They were all there. You know, there was the perfect time to grab him and have an intervention.

LAMM: Well, and I agree. But here`s an interesting fact, Nancy, and I know you love facts. It takes the average family seven years to build consensus on what to do. And, in fact, thanks to you, I`m doing some pre- change seminars in California the next couple of days so families can learn how to step in and actually help change someone they love who`s in crisis.

GRACE: Ellie, who is she saying killed Jackson?

ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: Well, she`s not specific about who she believes is responsible for this conspiracy that killed Michael Jackson for his money. She refers to his shadowy people around him, an entourage, hangers on, but she doesn`t name any names.

GRACE: On to the lines, Doris at Delaware. Hi, Doris.

DORIS, CALLER FROM DELAWARE: Hi, Nancy. How are you?

GRACE: I`m good, dear. What`s your question?

DORIS: I have a two-part question. Number one is, when the will first -- originally came out, my question is, is if Michael was on all of these drugs and everything, like everybody is saying that he was, isn`t there a possibility that he could have been under that -- under medication when he was signing that will?

And the second part is, is it a possibility that this doctor, when they found needle marks on Michael`s neck could have injected him with medicine right before he woke up from the Diprivan?

GRACE: I think anything is possible when it comes to those marks on his necks. I think anything is possible.

But, regarding the will, he obviously was under the influence of drugs. I looked at a copy of the will myself, Doris in Delaware, and he not only signed it and it is his signature. You can compare it to his signature for years proceeding. It`s his signature. He also initialled every single paragraph.

Now, very quickly, out to you Mickey and Peter -- to you first, Peter Odom. We now have a self-authenticating will, which, basically, you go on and you add in, I`m of sound mind and body. And I`ve got witnesses to say I`m in sound mind and body when I signed this will. So don`t claim I was crazy or doped up when you try to contest the will.

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right.

GRACE: So this very will, most likely a self-authenticating will.

ODOM: Right. And in California, Nancy, there are specific requirements about witnessing the will. And so there`s a presumption as long as it`s properly witnessed and authenticated that it`s correct, it`s going to be the burden of somebody else to come forward and say he was not of sound mind, he was hallucinating and so far, no one`s come forward to say that.

GRACE: And Mickey Sherman, the autopsy comes out Friday. Do you think there may be yet a third autopsy?

MICKEY SHERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, AUTHOR OF "HOW CAN YOU DEFEND THOSE PEOPLE?": There could be. It`s obviously going to show that there was a surplus of bad things in this man`s body. And if I could go back to La Toya Jackson`s accusation, there`s no way that anybody murdered Michael Jackson here. I think what she`s meant is rhetorical, that they allowed her -- they allowed him to die by a virtue of all the garbage that was in his veins, that the people close him allowed it to happen.

GRACE: Mickey, there you go. There you go.

SHERMAN: It`s likely.

GRACE: Making excuses for somebody shooting him up. He did not stick four needles in his own neck.

(CROSSTALK)

SHERMAN: I was just saying it wasn`t murder.

GRACE: Well, pick it up.

SHERMAN: He wasn`t murdered.

GRACE: Very quickly, to tonight`s safety tips, everybody. 33 percent of students grade five to 12 say their parents would disapprove if they knew about their Internet activities. How do you protect your families while social networking Web sites in use?

Never reveal personal information on a profile Web page. Activate security settings provided by the Web site. Password. Protect your photos. Restrict children from joining public groups which may reveal your exact location. Report cyber bullies and any dangerous content to local law enforcement.

Please, get more information. Go to isafe.org.

ANNOUNCER: "Nancy Safety Tips" brought to you by.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: New developments now in the brutal murder of a married couple known for their giving nature, known for adopting special needs children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Detectives say Byrd and Melanie Billings were found shot dead in their home on Thursday. And we`ve learned as many as nine kids were in the home when the couple was killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Investigators won`t say if anything was taken from the house or what kind of weapon was used. But the man who did this worked so quickly, that authorities believe they had some kind of experience.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three men are now behind bars in the Panhandle, Florida in connection of the murder of a couple known for adopting special needs kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They`ve said all along to expect more arrests in this case. They started off looking at possibly three persons of interest based on what they saw in the surveillance video from inside the couple`s home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have identified the mastermind of this operation. The individuals that are associated with him during the days leading up to the crime. We have a team that enters the front of the home. And we have a team that enters the back of the home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Billings were shot to death in what authorities still call a home invasion. But now it appears to be much more.

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GRACE: Out to Clark Goldband, how would you like to look out your kitchen window and see several adult males coming across your yard, dressed in full ninja garb? That`s what happened to this couple apparently. What happened?

CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER, COVERING STORY: I certainly would, Nancy. 16 children, the Billings were parents of. 12 of who they adopted with special needs. And on Thursday, a very scary attack unfolding.

Up to eight men involved wearing, quote, "ninja garb," attacked the home from two sides of the home with para-military like precision. Both parents, mom and dad, shot dead in their own bedroom. Up to three children are believed to have seen the attack.

GRACE: Out to a special guest joining us tonight, T.J. Hart. He`s joining us from Gainesville, Florida. He`s the program and news director, WSKY 97.3.

T.J., it`s great to talk to you, again. T.J., this is almost unfathomable. All these people plan with military-like precision to invade the home, all in their ninja outfits, to kill this couple?

T.J. HART, PROGRAM & NEWS DIRECTOR, WSKY, 97.3FM (via phone): It`s just crazy. And they`re trying to figure out what a motive is. Could it be robbery? Well, that`s one of the motives. But police say that there`s probably something else behind this, too. But they`re saying that the family is so well known in the community.

And in fact, Mr. Byrd owns quite a few businesses which allowed he and his wife to take care of these special needs kids. Some of these involved some financial places and all those used car dealerships. So what this might have to do with family relations, with business ties, still remains unknown at this time.

GRACE: With me, also, another special guest joining us. The public information officer, Sergeant Ted Roy, joining us from Florida.

Sergeant, thank you for taking time-out. I know you`ve got a press conference coming up in the near future. So thank you for speaking with us.

Sergeant, all these children, now orphaned. 16 children, many of them handicapped. If they planned this so well, right down to their outfits that they were going to wear when they broke in, wouldn`t you think they`d break in when nobody was at home if this was really just a burglary?

SGT. TED ROY, PIO, ESCAMBIA COUNTY, SHERIFF`S OFFICE, ON THE CASE: Yes, we would think so. You know they used this military precision. But if they were military -- military precision they`d probably would -- they would have known there was camera surveillance and stuff like that and more people in the house. So we don`t want to give these too much credit.

GRACE: You`re so right. You`re so right. It just strikes me that with all their dressing up to play the part, they had not researched it very well at all. And is that their vehicle we see driving across the lawn, an orange type truck or SUV or van?

ROY: None of them were the owners of it but they did borrow it, which then again it`s pretty easily to recognize which helped us find it. So there again is another mistake they made.

GRACE: And where are the children tonight? What are their ages, Sergeant?

ROY: They range from -- I believe, around 8 years old. There are some up in their 20s now. They`ve been -- four of them are their own children. But there were with other family members right now.

GRACE: So, Sergeant, they opened their hearts and adopted 12 children, most of them handicapped because they had the wherewithal to do that. You are seeing photo of the children, 12 of them adopted. Some of them came from homes of drug abuse and sexually abusive parents.

They have developmental disabilities now. They are all orphaned. Some of them in wheelchairs.

Eleanor, it`s not fitting together for me. Usually, at this point, when you and I see the facts of a case, we can almost immediately figure out what happened. I don`t get it.

ELEANOR DIXON, PROSECUTOR: Well, it`s hard to get, Nancy, but you`ve got to know, that even though they weren`t that smart, they did plan it. They have the outfits. There is a reason they broke in. Maybe robbery was the motive.

This looks like a death penalty case to me. You`ve got two people who have been killed, shot down in cold blood in front of their own children. How much more heartless could they have been?

GRACE: And it was broad daylight. What a bunch of idiots.

Out to the lines, Robbie in Oklahoma. Hi, Robbie.

ROBBIE, CALLER FROM OKLAHOMA: Hi, Nancy. I`m so -- I love you. I can`t believe I`m on the air but I just.

GRACE: Robbie, thank you. Thank you for watching and for calling in. And what I want tonight is the rest of this bunch behind bars. What`s your question, dear?

ROBBIE: Well, my question is to follow the money. And I`m just wondering, since this is a wealthy couple, did they have a business partner who might, you know, get some kind of money from the death of this family?

GRACE: Interesting. Out to Sergeant Ted Roy. Was he partnered up to anyone in his many businesses?

ROY: No, we don`t believe that the businesses really have anything to do with it. But I will tell you this. We`re having that press conference at 8:30 and we`re going to announce some very good news.

GRACE: Out to Dr. Janet Taylor, not only a MD but a psychiatrist as well. Dr. Taylor, when anybody goes through the loss of a loved one that`s sudden or unexpected, especially such as a murder, it`s devastating. I know, I went through it myself at a very young age. But these children? What will this do to them? They already have all of these disabilities?

TAYLOR: You`re right, Nancy.

GRACE: Sick.

TAYLOR: I mean your heart breaks for them because you certainly don`t want to break them up as a family unit. They`ve been traumatized before and they`re traumatized afterwards, and the hope is that they can just stay together and get the support that they need.

GRACE: Out to Peter Odom and Mickey Sherman, in response to Eleanor Dixon`s assertion at this early point that this is death-penalty qualified? What about it, Odom?

ODOM: Well, right now, Nancy, is not the time to act emotionally. As sad and tragic and horrible as this is, now is the time to let the investigators do their work and figure out what happened, figure out who the principal perpetrators are.

GRACE: Well.

ODOM: . and then look at the legalities of it.

GRACE: Obviously.

ODOM: We can`t just act on emotion. All these people at this point are presumed innocent.

GRACE: Well, that goes without saying. Sherman?

SHERMAN: I`ll step up to the plate. I`m against the death penalty. But if these guys don`t get the death penalty, then who gets it?

GRACE: Blah blah.

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ROY: We have verified that three individuals dressed in black and masked, entered the Billings home from the east side. And additional fourth individual remained in the vehicle.

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GRACE: A beautiful couple that had 16 children, 12 of them adopted with many of them developmentally handicapped, now dead. The children all orphaned.

Tonight, we want answers. To Carrie in Texas, what`s your question, dear?

CARRIE, CALLER FROM TEXAS: Hi, Nancy. I have boy/girl twins, too, that will be 7 next month. And so bless your heart. My little girl is special needs and I was just wondering, just -- I mean we have our will and everything taken care of, but since these kids were adopted, do they know if any of the people that are of interest, or whatever, that they`re looking at, if any of them could be related to any of these kids?

GRACE: Sergeant Roy, I`m sure that you have already investigated a link between the children and the killers?

ROY: Yes, ma`am. And there`s none that we know of.

GRACE: No link that you know of. Weigh in, John Lucich? What now? I believe I`ve got John Lucich. John, what would your next step be?

LUCICH: Look, what I believe happened here is these people had inside information. I believe these next people that you`re going to see who get arrested out of this is going to be a guy who actually marked this family because when they went through that house so rapidly, they had to have inside information.

They came dressed in ninja garb because they didn`t want the cameras to see them and they didn`t want the rest of their bodies to be detected.

GRACE: Everyone, let`s stop and remember Sergeant First Class Greg Sutton, 38, Fort Hill, Oklahoma, killed Iraq. Volunteered for a second tour to allow a fellow soldier to retire. Awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Served as a casualty assistance officer.

Loved giving candy to Iraqi children. Leaves behind his wife, Joanne, four children, mother Ali, and one sister.

Greg Sutton, American hero.

Good night from special friends of the show, Dan, Parker and Cameron, all honor students.

Thank you to all of our guests but especially to you for being with us. I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern, and until then, good night, friend.

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