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Nancy Grace
Bobbi Kristina Investigation Focusing on Nick Gordon
Aired February 11, 2015 - 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. We go live. American songbird superstar Whitney Houston`s lookalike daughter in a coma, found
unconscious, face down in a bathtub, doctors telling family prepare for the worst, Whitney Houston`s family telling us tonight they`re holding out for
a miracle.
While doctors say the situation is, quote, "bleak," after her mother, Whitney Houston, also found submerged in a bathtub, history repeats itself.
Bombshell tonight. Tonight marks the three-year death of singing star Whitney Houston. As we go to air, we obtain the chilling 911 call from
security guards at Bobbi Kristina`s condo enclave.
And tonight, have prayers been answered? Her family tells us Bobbi Kristina`s showing signs of improvement. And tonight, police formally
announce this is a criminal investigation. We learn cops tracking down anyone and everyone that has anything to do with fiance Nick Gordon in the
hours leading up to Bobbi Kristina`s near fatal tub incident. Bobbi Kristina`s family tells us she is getting better!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today marks three years since that 911 call when Whitney Houston was found dead in a bathtub.
911 OPERATOR: Does it sound like the person was still not breathing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that`s correct.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her sudden death shocked fans and musicians across the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bobbi Kristina Brown was found face down in a bathtub.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There have been reports that there was people hitting each other and swinging and...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And live, Texas suburbs. The trial of the man who guns down the nation`s hero known as "the American sniper" commences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My brother just came by here. He told me that he`s committed a murder!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ralph turned the guns on the two men, who were trying to help him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) obey the law (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. Tonight marks the sad three-year mark of the death of singing star Whitney Houston. As we go to air, we obtain the chilling
911 call from security guards at her daughter, Bobbi Kristina`s, condo enclave.
And tonight, have the family`s prayers been answered? Her family tells us Bobbi Kristina`s showing signs of improvement. And tonight, as
police formally announce this is a criminal investigation, we learn cops tracking down anyone and everyone that had anything to do with the fiance,
Nick Gordon, in the hours leading up to Bobbi Kristina`s near fatal tub incident.
Let me repeat. Breaking news. Bobbi Kristina`s family telling us prayers have been answered, she is getting better!
Straight out to Victor Blackwell, CNN correspondent standing by at Emory University Hospital. Victor, what is the latest in the
investigation?
VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nancy, just in from Roswell police. Eleven days since Bobbi Kristina Brown was discovered in that
bathtub, they are still inside the home, looking for physical clues. We`ve just learned from police investigators that they are still on the scene of
the incident, investigating, trying to figure out why she was in that tub unconscious when she was found by her -- well, excuse me, her partner and
his friend.
Also, you`ll remember the very first day, within hours of the discovery, police say that this was -- they said then it was a medical
call, that she was unconscious, they responded, and then CPR was attempted.
But now we`re learning -- just in from Roswell police -- that this was a criminal investigation from the very first day. This was not
recharacterized after a few days into this investigation...
GRACE: OK, hold on, right there, Victor Blackwell.
BLACKWELL: ... they believed that they had enough information...
GRACE: Hold on! Hold on!
BLACKWELL: Yes?
GRACE: Everybody, joining me from Emory University, there at one of the top neurological centers in our country, where Bobbi Kristina is still
in a medically-induced coma -- this on the three-year mark of her mother, Whitney Houston`s, death, submerged in a tub.
Victor Blackwell, very important something you just said. You told me that right now, today, cops out at Bobbi Kristina`s home again. Let`s go
inside the home. Let`s see where they are. Here`s the floor plan. This is what the inside of the home looks like, obviously focusing on the
bathroom, the tub area.
Victor Blackwell standing by. Let`s see what this looks like. I wouldn`t know why they`re back out there this many days and why they are
emphasizing this has been a criminal investigation since day one. Let`s see that bathtub, Liz.
Go ahead, Victor.
BLACKWELL: Well, they tell us that this was not recharacterized at any time because, you know, just within the last 24 hours, the Roswell
police chief said that this is, indeed, a criminal investigation. Well, they offered clarity within just the past few hours, saying this has always
been a criminal investigation. The question is -- they`ve not yet answered it -- what did they find on the very day, in those very first hours that
sent them in the direction of a criminal investigation?
GRACE: You know what? You`re right, Victor Blackwell, because they`re clarifying. In the last hours, the police chief says this has been
a criminal investigation from day one, people!
Now, that means to me or says to me there`s something about the scene, Victor, or something on her body or something they were told that cued the
cops to believe this is a criminal investigation, something on day one, at the inception. As soon as police get there, they believe this is a
criminal investigation.
We are also learning police are now saying that they are honing in on anyone that had anything to do with Nick Gordon, the fiance, in the hours
leading up to and around the time Bobbi Kristina was pulled from that tub. Why? Possibly shedding light on it is going to be that friend, Max Lomas.
With me now, in addition to Victor Blackwell, is Alan Duke, national correspondent, Radaronline.com. Alan, what have you learned?
ALAN DUKE, RADARONLINE.COM: Just moments before airtime, I spoke with Max Lomas`s lawyers, one of them, who confirmed to me that yesterday, yes,
as we did report yesterday, that J. Tom Morgan met with the Fulton County district attorney, along with Roswell police.
Now, we also know his client wasn`t there, but very soon, his client has been cleared by the lawyers to meet again with Roswell investigators,
and he will. He`s expected to fully cooperate, according to his lawyer.
And I also learned that there are about a half a dozen people who have knowledge or believed to have knowledge of what happened in that townhome,
and with Mr. Gordon, in the hours...
GRACE: OK, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
DUKE: ... before she was found unconscious.
GRACE: Back it up! Back -- rewind! Rewind! Alan Duke, half a dozen.
DUKE: Yes.
GRACE: Six people. Six people.
DUKE: That`s the number I`m given.
GRACE: This is important, OK, because what we learned last night was a report that Nick Gordon -- the fiance, not a husband, although Bobbi
Kristina says they were married -- that he was at a gym working out that morning. And you`re telling me six people are potential witnesses as to
Nick Gordon`s movements, or something do with Nick Gordon.
DUKE: That`s what I`m told, that there are six, a half a dozen, including Max Lomas, who Roswell police are talking to about what happened
in the hours before she was found unconscious.
GRACE: Everyone, right now, have prayers been answered on the three- year mark of Whitney Houston`s death submerged in a bathtub? Because family is telling us Bobbi Kristina is getting better.
I want to go back very quickly to Alan Duke and Victor Blackwell. Alan, we know that J. Tom Morgan, former felony prosecutor, now defense
attorney with Petrie (ph), who was his chief assistant when he was a -- the elected DA, spent hours -- hours, and I`ve been able to confirm, several
hours behind closed doors with Fulton prosecutors. They had to be talking about something for hours on end because they know the lingo. This is
basically prosecutor to former prosecutor.
So what`s going on for that many hours between them? This is Max Lomas`s lawyers. Well, let`s unleash the lawyers, Peter Odom, Washington,
D.C., former felony prosecutor in this same jurisdiction where all this is going down, now defense attorney in D.C. Also with me, Heather Hansen
(ph), defense attorney out of New York.
All right, let`s see the defense lawyers. First to you, Peter Odom. All right, Peter, you and I both prosecuted in the same office where all
this is going down. Now...
PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Coincidentally, that`s true.
GRACE: We...
ODOM: At different times.
GRACE: ... were not a fly on the wall. We don`t know what went on in that closed-door meeting. But I can tell you this. When they`re back
there for hours on end with the doors closed, that`s serious. You bring in J. Tom Morgan on this thing...
ODOM: Yes, J. Tom -- J. Tom Morgan...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... the elected district attorney in the neighboring jurisdiction. All right, weigh in. What do you think?
ODOM: Well, J. Tom Morgan is a friend, and he also happens to be one of the best attorneys in the state, frankly. And he works with a lot of
criminal cases in the area.
GRACE: And tonight, we obtain the chilling 911 call that was made. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Roswell 911. (INAUDIBLE) of the emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is (DELETED) security. Some kind of domestic dispute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, tell me exactly what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just had a neighbor call and report that there was people hitting each other and swinging and outside in front of their --
it`s the townhomes in Ellard Village.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know how many people were involved?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir, I do not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Do you have a description of anybody?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I can call them back and get any, if you need the descriptions, but I`ve got the lady that called it in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, call them back and tell them to call 911, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Thanks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. `Bye.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... Whitney Houston`s death...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Apparently, she wasn`t breathing and she (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... found in a bathtub...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... died three years ago today...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... addictive behaviors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hollywood has learned the hard way...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was not breathing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight marks the three-year mark of the death of American songbird Whitney Houston, found submerged in a bathtub full of water. And
tonight, eerily echoing that, her only child, Bobbi Kristina, still remains under a medically-induced coma after she is found in a bathtub of water
face down.
Tonight, bombshells. In the latest in the investigation, police back today at the scene where Bobbi Kristina is found in the tub. Why? This as
the police chief announces this is a criminal investigation, and we learn from other sources cops honing in on any witnesses -- we think about a half
a dozen -- that had anything to do with fiance Nick Gordon in the hours leading up to Bobbi Kristina being pulled out of that tub.
Here`s Whitney Houston "I Will Always Love You" from Arista Records.
Everyone, we are learning from family tonight that Bobbi Kristina apparently is doing better. To Clark Goldband, what can you tell us?
CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (voice-over): Yes, Nancy. Well, one of the aunts of Bobbi Kristina, a sister of Bobby Brown, has spoken to
the local Fox News station here in Atlanta. And this sister says that despite any rumors anyone may have heard, she believes that Bobbi Kristina
is improving and her health is continuing to improve.
GRACE: Take a listen to what relatives had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are so many signs showing us that she will be OK. In spite of what people are saying over the Internet, Krissy (ph)
is fine as I sit here before you today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The doctors have told the family she`s improving?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, ma`am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But she`s still on life support.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s still on life support.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there anything you can tell me about what she`s doing, opening her eyes or...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We know that she`s opening her eyes. That`s true. She`s opening her eyes, and there`s a few more things that she`s
doing. But Krissy is doing well right now. She is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That is Bobbi Kristina`s aunt, Leola (ph) Brown, talking to WAGA Fox 5 in Atlanta.
Straight out to Dr. David Langer, chief of neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital. Also with us, Dr. Bill Manion, forensic pathologist joining us
tonight.
Dr. Langer, thank you for being with us, and to Dr. Manion, as well. What does that mean that the family is saying she is improving, that she is
opening her eyes?
DR. DAVID LANGER, CHIEF OF NEUROSURGERY, LENOX HILL HOSPITAL: Well, I mean, I -- not taking care of her, it`s hard to know exactly what the
situation is, not knowing what her examination is, what her cat scan looks like.
But she -- Emory happens to be one of the best places in if not the -- certainly, in the world -- country, if not the world, for neuro-intensive
care and neurosurgery. So you know, she`s obviously going to get the best care imaginable. And if there`s a way for her to get better, she
undoubtedly will. It`s more up to the degree of her brain injury and her age and these factors that will ultimately result in what her ultimate
outcome will be.
GRACE: To Dr. Bill Manion. When someone is in a medically-induced coma, is it significant if they open their eyes?
DR. BILL MANION, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST (via telephone): Well, we -- again, we have to be very careful. They could have small seizures, and
that could cause muscular movements. So again, we don`t want to take away people`s hope, but at the same time, you don`t want to give unrealistic
expectations. There are more definitive tests, such as vascular studies. What`s the brain flow -- what is the blood flow to the brain? What`s the
brain doing with that blood flow? That`s what we need to find out.
GRACE: You know, I hear what you`re saying, Dr. Manion. But according to the family, what we are hearing from them is they`re being
told she`s doing better. Let`s examine exactly what the aunt, Leola, says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, how did you hear about this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a phone call that Krissy was in the hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And when you went there and saw her in that hospital bed, what went through your mind?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was just numb, very numb. I was very numb when I saw her. But when I walked in the room and saw her there, I
couldn`t even stand there too long, but I knew I had to pray. So I asked God to give her my energy, to please help her get through this.
There are so many signs showing us that she will be OK, in spite of what people are saying over the Internet. Krissy is fine, as I sit here
before you today.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The doctors have told the family she`s improving?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, ma`am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But she`s still on life support.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s still on life support.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there anything you can tell me about what she`s doing, opening her eyes...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we know that she`s opening her eyes. That`s true. She`s opening her eyes, and there`s a few more things that
she`s doing. But Krissy is doing well right now. She is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: According to Bobbi Kristina`s aunt, Leola Brown, prayers have been answered. That`s her talking, WAGA Fox 5 Atlanta.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... and tributes to Whitney Houston, who died three years ago today. The music icon was found face down in a bathtub at
a Beverly Hills hotel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need paramedic (INAUDIBLE) We got a 46-year-old female found in the bathroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The third anniversary of Whitney Houston`s death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Apparently, she wasn`t breathing, and she`s (INAUDIBLE) year old.
911 OPERATOR: She was not breathing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight marks the three-year mark when America`s songbird Whitney Houston was found submerged in a tub of water in her hotel room.
But tonight, is there good news? The family telling us prayers have been answered. This is Whitney Houston`s only child, who was found also
submerged in a tub of water.
Here is Whitney`s "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" from Arista Records.
This as prayers go up, Bobbi Kristina fighting for her life at an Atlanta hospital.
I want to go straight back out to Victor Blackwell. Victor, you`re saying that cops back at the scene today. Do you have any idea what
they`re doing there?
BLACKWELL: They`ve not expounded upon what they`re doing on the scene. But it`s remarkable that 11 days since the discovery of Bobbi
Kristina in that tub that they still don`t have the answers they`re looking for. They`re still there on the scene investigating, looking for physical
clues there inside the town home.
GRACE: Physical clues. Joining me right now, you know him well, Mike Brooks, retired D.C. police detective, law enforcement analyst. Mike,
thanks so much for being with us.
Mike, day one, they say it`s a criminal investigation. Today they`re back looking for clues. What do they think they missed the first time? Is
there something tiny? Is there a small but significant forensic clue they`re looking for? They are not in there passing the time of day!
They`re not in there taking selfies, Mike Brooks.
MIKE BROOKS, RETIRED D.C. POLICE DETECTIVE: Not at all.
GRACE: They`re looking for something.
BROOKS: They`re looking for something. Now, did they miss something? Maybe, maybe not. But in an investigation like this, you go where the
evidence takes you, Nancy. What kind of evidence did they find that morning when they found her? Was there -- and then maybe after the
interviews with Lomas and Nick, maybe they went back and said, Well, you know what? Let`s take a look at where something, a particular piece of
furniture was. Was there an argument?
And the other thing Nancy, in the entrance to that complex, there are surveillance cameras that we will know the comings and goings of Lomas, of
Nick, of anybody who led up, you know, to find her that morning.
GRACE: Hey, Mike, look at your monitor. Look at your monitor. We`re showing you inside the floor plan of Bobbi Kristina`s home. Now, you got
to think, you got to think like a detective. They`re going back to confirm or to look for something they saw or want to check out from before.
Now, that says to me they are trying to refute or corroborate somebody`s story. Could it have happened the way they say? Like, Mike,
you know, every trial I tried, I would go back to the scene to make sure what the witnesses told me were possible. Could they have seen what they
said that they thought? Because I don`t want my witnesses getting shredded on cross-examination because there was a big bush where they say they were
standing. So they`re either there to corroborate or refute what somebody told them.
Or, Mike Brooks, they`re looking for trace evidence that they didn`t see the first time. For instance, say she -- here are the surveillance
videos you`re talking about, Mike Brooks. We drove out there and looked at these. And you`re seeing them right there, what Brooks is talking about.
So Mike Brooks, for instance, if she slipped in the tub -- let`s just say she slipped in the tub. And we don`t have any evidence to say that,
you know, she had a bruise to her face or anything. But if she did, there could have been blood if she slipped in the tub. Maybe they`re out looking
for that. Maybe they`re looking for something they saw on the carpet. It could be anything!
But I think they`re looking for some kind of trace evidence, or it could be something as innocent as this. What if there was a shower curtain
and the shower curtain had been pulled down? And they`re going out to go look at that. Does it suggest she had a seizure? Does it suggest she
slipped and fell?
I mean, it could be something totally innocent. It could be something to corroborate or refute a witness`s testimony.
BROOKS: Right.
GRACE: Or it could be trace evidence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was just 12 when he joined Whitney Houston`s family. Whitney Houston took Nick Gordon in at the urging of her only
child, Bobbi Kristina Brown. Whitney never adopted Nick Gordon, but did allow him to live with her famous family, growing up alongside Bobbi
Kristina.
When the singer died in 2012, media attention began to focus on Bobbi Kristina and Nick Gordon`s relationship. He downplayed the idea they were
dating to ABC News, saying, We`re just close, just going through her mom`s passing and grieving together.
He also confirmed on Twitter that he and Bobbi Kristina are not blood relatives, writing, "For the stupid people out there, she gave birth to one
child and she trusted me with everything."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
He downplayed the idea they were dating to ABC News saying we`re just close, just going through her mom`s passing and grieving together. He also
confirmed on Twitter that he and Bobbi Kristina are not blood relatives. Writing, "for the stupid people out there, she gave birth to one child.
And she trusted me with everything."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today marks three years since that 9/11 call when Whitney Houston was found dead in a bathtub.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her sudden death shocked fans and musicians across the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bobbi Kristina Brown was found face down in a bathtub.
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight the three-year mark of the evening Whitney Houston found submerged in a tub of water. And tonight, have prayers been
answered? The breaking news tonight, Bobbi Kristina`s family stating they believe and have been told she`s getting better. Here is Whitney`s "I Want
to Dance With Somebody" from Arista Records. This is her only child fighting for her life at Emory University Hospital after she`s found face
down in a tub of water. We learn police back at the scene and are talking to anyone and everyone that had contact with fiance Nick Gordon in the
hours leading up to Bobbi Kristina`s discovery in the tub. Take a listen to what we have just obtained. The 911 call from Bobbi Kristina`s condo
complex.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some kind of domestic dispute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me exactly what happened?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just had a neighbor call and report there was people hitting each other and swinging outside in front of their -- it is
the town homes in Ellard Village.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know how many people were involved?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir, I do not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay. All right. Do you have a description of anybody?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nope. I can call back and get a description, but I`ve got the lady that called it in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Call them back and tell them to call 911, okay?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, thanks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, bye.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Is this a precursor to Bobbi Kristina being found in the tub?
Of course when police get there, nobody is there. So Victor Blackwell, why is it significant -- or is it significant? Sources saying
that the fiance was at a gym that morning. Not there with Bobbi Kristina.
BLACKWELL: Well, the question is where was he the night before. In the discussion of the people that police are looking to speak with, the
number that you have is about a half dozen. They have not said if Nick Gordon and Max Lomas were two of those people. As they are now focusing on
the night before instead of, of that morning. We`ve --
GRACE: The night before that, interesting.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: And of course to Dr. David Langer, chief of neurosurgery, when she was pulled out of the water, witnesses state we have been told from
sources that her body was already at quote, abnormal color. What does that mean if her whole body is in abnormal color?
LANGER: It depends -- when people are submerged in water, their skin can take on a different color. Depends how long she was actually in the
tub. Also if she didn`t have any oxygen in her body, or her brain, the blood flow may have stopped. And, you know, based on her skin color, white
people tend to look much whiter. And a darker skinned person could just have more of a pallor or just a different color, just from having no blood
going to their skin. And that is just the way they look when they have no blood pressure or no blood flow in their bodies.
GRACE: Apparently Alan Duke, Radaronline.com, it`s an issue of how long has she been in the water. Where had Nick Gordon been that morning?
How long had he been away from the home? What is the significance, if any?
DUKE: As you recall on your show yesterday, you broke the news from Daphne Barak saying that Nick told her he had been back from the gym about
an hour and he hadn`t seen her. So we don`t know. And does anybody know? And what happened the night before? So much of this is speculation. And
about the 911 call, the security guard didn`t know who was involved. So we don`t know if it was anybody directly related to Bobbi Kristina or if she
was there. So those are questions that I`m sure the police probably already know the answer to, but they are not telling us.
GRACE: As we are breaking tonight, family stating that she is getting better. This on the anniversary mark of Whitney`s death. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is Bobbi Kristina doing?
SHAYNE BROWN, BOBBY BROWN`S NEPHEW: She is progressing, she is getting better. And we just ask you to just continue to pray. The family
is in good spirits. Everybody`s talking about the (inaudible) at this time right now, it is a lot of emotions that`s going on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Members of the Brown family talking to "Entertainment Tonight."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whitney Houston`s brother told ABC News years ago that Nick Gordon was like a son to her. But not everyone in the family
is feeling the love. In fact, Bobbi Kristina`s aunt got a restraining order against him last year. She claimed he posted photos of guns and made
threats against her. A Georgia court granted the protective order for one year, forbidding any contact, finding she was in reasonable fear for her
safety.
Gordon has had other trouble too, like a DUI arrest last August. Despite his issues, Bobbi Kristina said yes when he proposed. She was
spotted wearing an engagement ring.
In July 2013, Bobbi Kristina wrote on Facebook, "yes, we me Nick are engaged. I`m tired of people saying ew, you are engaged to your brother.
My mom never adopted him." About six months later, came the announcement on Twitter that the couple had secretly been married. A lawyer for the
family says they are not husband and wife. But still, Bobbi Kristina tweeted in January last year, #happily married, so in love. A follow-up to
gushing tweets like this one, "Nick Gordon, you are my moon, my son, my love of my life. I`ll be by your side forever. You are my world."
Meanwhile, the man she calls the love of her life is not at her bedside. Police are taking a closer look at his actions the day Bobbi Kristina was
found. And a family friend says he`s not welcome at the hospital.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Let`s test your crime IQ. Take a look at this photo. I posted it on Facebook and Twitter so you can get a closer look. Can you
guess which serial killer lived in this home? Tweet or Facebook your answers using #crimeiq. I`ll reveal one of the winners here on the show
tomorrow night. All you legal eagles, you have 24 hours. Go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My brother just came by here and told me he`s committed a murder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eddie Ray Routh is accused of killing American sniper Chris Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was a mountain of a man but his heart was even bigger than he was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said that he killed two guys, they went out to a shooting range, like he`s all crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Live, Texas suburbs. The trial of the man who allegedly guns down the nation`s hero known as the American sniper. That trial
commencing. He is known by enemy forces in Iraq as the Devil. But amongst Americans, amongst American troops, he`s called the Legend. Straight out to
Martin Savidge, CNN correspondent. Everybody, you are seeing "American Sniper," the movie from Warner Brothers. Martin, thank you for being with
us, joining us at the courthouse. What`s the latest, Martin?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Eddie Routh is the defendant that is on trial here, and there is really no question as to whether he killed
Chris Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield. What is being debated legally inside the courtroom is why. Now, the prosecution is saying it was
straight up murder, that he basically waited for the right moment and he gunned down both men using two guns shooting them multiple times in the
back and in the head. However, the defense is saying hold on a second here, he`s innocent by reason of insanity, based upon the PTSD he got as a
result of serving his nation. He`s a former Marine, he was in Iraq. They say he didn`t know what he was doing. The defense says that he should be
set free as a result of that.
GRACE: You are seeing video from "American Sniper," from Warner Brothers. Martin Savidge with me at the courthouse. Martin, are you
telling me that the defendant saw action in Iraq?
SAVIDGE: Well, that is a very good question. That was actually brought up on the part by the prosecution. They say that his military
record would indicate that he worked in the green zone. That is a pretty safe area in Baghdad in Iraq. And also that he went to Haiti after the
earthquake. But he never actually went on shore. So the question --
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Wait, wait, wait. Marty. Are you telling me that when he went to Haiti, he never went on shore? Did you just say that?
SAVIDGE: That is what the prosecution maintains, Nancy, yes.
GRACE: So posttraumatic stress syndrome, from what?
SAVIDGE: That is the point that the prosecution brings up. Now the defense actually says a different story.
GRACE: Okay.
SAVIDGE: And family members have claimed that the young man did in fact go ashore in Haiti, and that deeply impacted him. That`s bound to
come up in future testimony.
GRACE: Went ashore in Haiti. What about action as in combat? Because Martin Savidge, you covered a ton of trials. And you know you put
your best foot forward in opening statements. Now, did the defense state in their opening statement that the defendant saw action, combat?
SAVIDGE: No. They did not. But to use your words, Nancy, there was a bombshell that the defense delivered. It was the words of Chris Kyle, a
text that he made to the man who was sitting right next to him, his best friend, as all three men drove to the dun range that day. The day they
were taking Routh out. And during that drive, Kyle texts to his friend, "the guy in the backseat is straight up nuts." That of course the defense
jumped on and says it plays directly into what they are maintaining. The man who did the shooting was out of his mind. Even Chris Kyle could see
that.
GRACE: You are seeing parts of the movie, "American Sniper," from Warner Brothers. With me at the courthouse, Martin Savidge joining us.
There is a big leap, Marty, between posttraumatic stress syndrome and insanity. And there is a big leap between insanity and the lay speak-ease,
the vernacular, they`re crazy. So this is what I know. Isn`t it true that the victim, Chris Kyle, the American sniper, was found shot in the back and
the head, that he had been at a shooting range trying to help out the defendant, Eddie Ray Routh, at the request of Routh`s mother. And he takes
him out to this shooting range to spend time with him and get to know him and help him, and he didn`t even have any shells left. They had been at
the shooting range. And that means that he was unarmed. He had used all of his --
SAVIDGE: That`s exactly what -- the prosecution makes that same argument, Nancy. That this is Routh waiting for the exact moment that
these two men have fired their guns and the guns were essentially empty. That`s when Routh, they allege, pulled out a nine millimeter and a .45 and
shot both men dead. Then takes the time to reload, and then get into Kyle`s vehicle and leave. The prosecution will say that shows a presence
of mind, that he knew what he was doing was wrong, and that he was fleeing the consequences of that act.
GRACE: And not only that, everybody, you are seeing the movie "American Sniper" from Warner Brothers, not only that, let me go to Robert
Wilonsky, digital managing editor at "Dallas Morning News," Marty Savidge with me. Robert, also with me, Jim DeFelice, co-author of "American
Sniper." Robert, after this, he goes to Taco Bell. All right? He gets an order. He scarfs it down. Then he goes to his sister`s house who calls
911, I`ve got the 911 call for you, and says, I sold my soul to the devil for a pickup truck. That`s not crazy, that`s evil.
WILONSKY: Right. He showed him, Eddie Ray Routh showed his sister, Chris Kyle`s gun. He was also in Chris Kyle`s pickup truck. She said,
where did you get them? He said, I just murdered two men. Which is when he left, went home to his home in Lancaster, and in fact, he went twice,
went back once to get his dog. He was going to go to Oklahoma. He was going to go on the run. But that`s when she called 911 and said that her
brother had just killed two people. Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield.
GRACE: Is she going to testify, Robert?
WILONSKY: I have no doubt she will, yes.
GRACE: Well, you know what? Even if she doesn`t, you hear her voice on 911. Take a listen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: At this hour, the trial commences. The man accused of gunning down American hero, the American sniper. Here you see "American Sniper"
movie from Warner Brothers. With me the co-author of "American Sniper," Jim DeFelice. Jim, what can you tell us about Chris Kyle?
DEFELICE: Nancy, I can tell you that he is larger than life. And if I was writing a fiction novel about this guy, you wouldn`t believe it,
because he was too -- he was too good at his job, at being a sniper and being a S.E.A.L. And the flip side of him as a family man, as a friend,
was just phenomenal. And I think a lot of people reading the book maybe say, this guy is too good to be true. But I can tell you from experience,
every bit of it was true. He was a great friend and a great family man.
GRACE: Caryn Stark, psychologist, joining us. It just broke my heart to see his wife in court, describing what she`s been through and what
happened that morning, the last moments that she spoke to him on the phone. Caryn, PTSD is not the same as insanity. That`s his wife. Just look at
her on the stand. I can hardly even stand to look at it.
STARK: Nancy, it`s so sad. The truth is that post-traumatic stress is not the same as being psychotic or insane. The odds are it`s not post-
traumatic stress that would lead to something like that. It would lead to depression, it would lead to hypervigilance, it would lead to intrusive
memories. But it wouldn`t -- very few studies have shown -- they can`t find a correlation between PTSD and that kind of premeditated aggression.
We know it`s premeditated, because the men had guns, which were empty. So he waited for their guns to be empty. And then afterwards, he said he
killed someone. That`s awareness.
GRACE: With me, psychologist Caryn Stark. Let`s remember American hero, Army Captain Travis Patriquin. 32, St. Louis, Missouri, Bronze Star,
Purple Heart, spoke multiple languages. Studied at the Defense Language Institute. Loved history, politics, archaeology. Parents, Gary and
Connie. Two brothers, one sister, widow Amy, three children. Travis Patriquin, American hero.
Everyone, I will see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good night, friend.
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