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Crime and Justice With Ashleigh Banfield
Suspect Streams on Facebook Live During Manhunt. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired October 24, 2016 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HOST: He is armed, he`s dangerous, and he`s allegedly already killed twice. Tonight, an urgent manhunt is under way. A fugitive
suspected in a double murder steals a getaway car after he shoots two police officers. On the run, he is streaming his own escape from justice
on Facebook.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL VANCE, SUSPECT: This ain`t a prank. I`m going (EXPLETIVE DELETED) live.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Someone breaks into a house and guns down an 11-year-old girl and her teenage brother. Where were their parents, and where`s that killer
now?
Imagine the shock, a 5-year-old girl abandoned on a college campus in her jammies and a T-shirt in the early morning cold.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kept telling her she had to go to sleep and not to follow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: You`d think the dad that did this would be behind bars. Think again.
BANFIELD: Hello, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield. And welcome. This is PRIMETIME JUSTICE.
And we`ve got live breaking news tonight in Oklahoma. There is an urgent manhunt under way right now for a man named Michael Dale Vance. Take a
very good long look at that face. That man is on the run, and he is likely armed with an AK-47.
Needless to say, he is extremely dangerous. If you happen to see this man anywhere, get away. Get a long way away and call 911 immediately. This
man is accused of not only shooting at the police, but also allegedly murdering two of his own family members, and he may not be done yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: Watch this, people. Letting you all know, this is real. That`s (EXPLETIVE DELETED) gun. This is the real deal. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) ain`t
a joke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Not a joke because he`s posting terrifying videos live. This is one on Facebook Live. This is such an incredible threat at this time that
nearby schools have been on lockdown. The hunt for him is widening, and it is widening quickly.
In a span of just about seven hours, I want you to look at the reign of hell that this man unleashed in a very small community. He allegedly shot
at two police officers and then took their car, then carjacked another person, shot at a woman and shot at someone in a mobile home park. He`s
accused of viciously murdering two of his own family members.
I`m going to get to the details oh of what he did to them, and it is astounding. But he`s also allegedly accused of shooting and injuring
someone else while trying to steal their RV. That guy fought back. He didn`t get the RV.
So I`m going to give you all of the details I want you to be looking out for. And I`ve got the help tonight of CNN`s national correspondent Ed
Lavandera, who joins me live. Also, Sheriff John Whetsel with Oklahoma County sheriff`s office is with me, and Scott Mitchell, the host of
"Mitchell Talks" in that community is going to join us, as well, to talk a little bit about this.
All right, first to you, Ed Lavandera. The details of what this man has been doing -- and it`s not over yet. He`s posting live as he goes along on
this spree. Walk me through the very latest and where we are in the hunt for Michael D. Vance.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was about 24 hours ago, Ashleigh, when all of this started, where Michael Vance allegedly shot two
police officers in the small town of Wellston, Oklahoma. It was about this time last night when all of this began unfolding.
And according to paperwork, law enforcement paperwork says that just after that shooting, he got away from that scene in a police vehicle. And that`s
when he -- there were two videos posted to Facebook, all of this done shortly after. Essentially, he was running away from these first scenes
that you played a portion of there.
So all of that beginning to unfold, and as you mentioned, just several hours later, shows up at a relative`s home, shoots and kills two people
there, according to law enforcement,then tries to carjack another car. And the last known shooting that we know about happened just before 3:00
o`clock in the morning Central time at a gas station along Interstate 40, quite a ways away from where all of this started on the western edge of
Oklahoma along Interstate 40, almost in the way into the Texas panhandle.
So exactly the whereabouts, which is clearly the most important question at this point, we haven`t gotten any more details on, but clearly...
BANFIELD: This is bizarre, Ed! It is absolutely bizarre!
LAVANDERA: Oh, yes.
BANFIELD: And I guess you and I have been in this business long enough to know that things change and maybe this is a sign of the times, but he`s
posting live videos of himself all along this route.
I want you to watch along with me, if you would, Ed. I want to show our audience one of the postings that he did on Facebook Live. It`s absolutely
chilling to hear what he has to say and to hear what he`s almost threatening.
[20:05:06]Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: Watch this, people. (INAUDIBLE) This is real, see in that`s a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) gun. That`s the real deal. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) ain`t
a joke. This ain`t a prank. I`m going (EXPLETIVE DELETED) live. You want to know what`s up next? Stay tuned to your local news. Sis, I love you
and thank you for believing me. Everything that was said, it was all a setup.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: "Sis, I love you, and thank you for believing in me." Ed, this is unbelievable. This is a guy who`s wanted, murder in the first degree,
two counts, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle -- obviously, there are a few of those that are under way right now -- possession of a firearm. And
obviously, this goes along with that, after former conviction of a felony.
The guy`s got a long rap sheet. It`s why we have sort of all these different images of him, all the different mugshots that we`ve had of him
all along his criminal career. So it`s helpful for our audience to take a close look at all the different looks that he`s had as you read through his
-- I guess you could call this his resume of crime.
Ed, real quickly, when he says, you know,"stay tuned to your local news to see what`s next," what are the officers saying about this? They must be
worried that he means what he`s saying.
LAVANDERA: Oh, I don`t think there`s any question about that. In fact, in the beginning of one of the videos, he makes reference to somebody, wasn`t
exactly clear who he was talking about, but essentially, a threat that this particular person was lucky that things have unfolded the way it did. It
sounded like he was coming after someone.
Should also point out there in that criminal history that it was back in July of this year that Vance was charged and arrested for sexual abuse of a
child, with having two prior felonies. He was in jail briefly on that charge and then posted out on bond.
So he`s been -- that charge is still hanging over his head just from several months ago, and he`s been out on bond ever since then. So all of
this was written up in the arrest warrant affidavit that was released today.
BANFIELD: Right.
LAVANDERA: So it makes you kind of wonder if whether or not investigators believe that criminal charge and what is going on with that particular case
is what`s influencing what`s going on here tonight.
BANFIELD: All right, I just want to make sure that anyone who`s tuning in right now knows that we are in live breaking news. They are on a manhunt
for an extraordinarily dangerous person. His name is Michael D. Vance, Jr. He`s 38 years old.
This was a beginning of a crime in Wellston, Oklahoma. It`s in Lincoln County, Oklahoma. And it could stretch all the way to the Texas border, as
well. If you`re in that vicinity, watch carefully because if you see a man like this, you`re going to want to call a man like my next guest.
Sheriff John Whetsel joins me now in Oklahoma City. Sir, I don`t even know how much I can broadcast about what he`s alleged to have done to his uncle
and his aunt, Valerie K. Wilkerson (ph) and Ronald Wilkerson. Can you fill in some of the details best you can, sir?
SHERIFF JOHN WHETSEL, OKLAHOMA COUNTY (via telephone): I can, Ashleigh. This is a horrific crime during an eight-hour (ph) period of have six
people shot, two people dead at the crime scene in Oklahoma county. The reason we believe he went after his aunt and uncle is they were potential
witnesses that would testify against him in the sexual abuse case.
He really killed them with rage, attempted to sever their heads, and with his aunt, attempted to sever one of her arms.
BANFIELD: And at the scene of that awful crime, you were able to ascertain a couple of key pieces of evidence that gave you some insight as to sort of
the timeline of all of these different crimes in a seven-hour period. It was a T-shirt of some sort?
WHETSEL: Yes, a T-shirt that he was wearing was found there at the home of the aunt and uncle. So...
BANFIELD: And this is the T-shirt that he was wearing that we`ve been seeing in these Facebook posts? It`s sort of a bright pink T-shirt with
some sort of graphic on the front.
WHETSEL: Yes. That was the T-shirt he was wearing. So the Facebook posts actually were talking about him going to the residence of his aunt and
uncle with the intent -- premeditation and intent to murder them.
BANFIELD: He says something that`s very distressing in some of these Facebook posts, almost suggesting that there might be someone else who he
had set his sights on. And I don`t know if your sheriff`s department or any of the other authorities who are following this manhunt knows what he
meant or who he was referring to. Do you know anything about that?
WHETSEL: All I can say at this point in time is that there were other names that he had given to a family member indicating that they were
potential targets of him.
[20:10:04]BANFIELD: Where are those family members now? What kind of protection are they under?
WHETSEL: They all have been notified. They all are well armed. They`re together. So...
BANFIELD: Wait! They`re notified and well armed, but are they not sort of being protected? (INAUDIBLE) got some kind of, you know, authority
assistance in any way? I mean, this man is a maniac! What he did to his aunt and uncle is just terrifying!
WHETSEL: Yes, many of them -- many of them are, and some I really can`t say the location, but many of them are being protected and guarded by law
enforcement.
BANFIELD: God, I would hope so!
WHETSEL: Some of them really didn`t want to be.
BANFIELD: Sheriff John Whetsel, I know that you are busy right now. I appreciate you helping us to get this word out. You`ve got a tip line on
your screen, folks. This is absolutely critical. Keep your eyes peeled for this person. If you are anywhere near this Oklahoma area, near the
Texas border, this is who you`re looking for, 405-258-1191. Call the police immediately.
And for God`s sake, keep your distance. This man is accused of some of the most vicious crimes that one man can do to another. And the crimes he`s
accused of doing are to family members, not one, not two murders, but also sexual assaults on close family members. I mean, this is a very
frightening person.
I want to play for you, if I can, another moment from that Facebook Live because this man has been broadcasting all along the route of his sort of
trail of alleged crimes. And in this latest one, I alluded to it with the sheriff, that he was suggesting there might be someone else. This is a
very intense part of his broadcast, so to speak, more intense, say, than the last one you just heard.
Have a listen, Michael Vance, as he broadcasts along his trail of terror.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: Let me tell you (INAUDIBLE) (INAUDIBLE) happen that I would get my guns and I would come, and you`re just -- oh, you`re so lucky this went
down this way. I was coming (INAUDIBLE) and that little boy (INAUDIBLE) This is more intense than what I thought was going to be, to say the least.
Come on. This truck is about dead. I needed to get out of the road, which I hope it does because I`m about to still look for another car, like right
now (EXPLETIVE DELETED) going to be intense!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Scott Mitchell joins me now from "Mitchell Talks" in Oklahoma City. Scott, it`s just terrifying. We had to edit some of the language
out of there, but I want people to understand what specifically he was saying because it was hard to understand. He said, "I was coming for you,
mother f`er, and that little boy you are "f"-ing too."
And that`s why I asked the sheriff if there`s someone specific this person might be after. And then he talks about stealing another car right away.
Scott, the entire community has to be on complete edge knowing he`s on the loose with an AK.
SCOTT MITCHELL, "MICHAEL TALKS" (via telephone): Doesn`t it remind you of, like, the Andrew Canannan (ph) thing years ago, "Natural Born Killer"...
BANFIELD: In Miami.
MITCHELL: ... movie like (INAUDIBLE) It`s -- it`s -- you said it a while ago, Ashleigh. It`s a maniac, but with the presence of mind to use not
just Facebook or make a phone call, that`s Facebook Live. He`s broadcasting in broad daylight as he`s going down through there.
There`s more here than meets the eye. This guy is conniving. And as the Department of Public Safety, one of the top officials told me today, this
is a bad man. We sure hope we catch him before he does something else to somebody.
BANFIELD: And Scott, look, you`re part of the story now, too. You own child was under lockdown. The schools are in lockdown. They`re absolutely
terrified that he could be close by.
MITCHELL: They`re terrified. Nobody`s going to sleep good tonight.
BANFIELD: Oh!
MITCHELL: My wife picked up my boy this afternoon about 2:00 o`clock. The Luther school system is only -- I mean, you can walk from the Luther school
system to where this crime scene is. Might be 30 minutes, but it`s really nearby.
And with this guy -- they may think he`s headed back east, and he`s been quiet for a while. So you know, it`s one of those situations where that
everybody in northeast Oklahoma County, northwest Lincoln County -- the feds are involved, the state, local municipalities. This is a big-time
manhunt, Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: We`re broadcasting live during this breaking news, a manhunt for Michael D. Vance, Jr., 38 years old, in the vicinity of Lincoln County,
Oklahoma, but headed possibly westward to the Texas border, although it is possible he may have turned back eastward.
Take a look at the information on your screen, thought to be driving that 2007 silver Mitsubishi Eclipse with a blue roof -- that`s significant, a
blue roof on a silver Mitsubishi. Listen, if you see it, the Oklahoma plate is 943-LQQ -- 943-LQQ. Do not get close to this man. The
allegations are that he brutalized two of his family members, not just murdering them, but dismembering them, as well. He is very, very
dangerous.
[20:15:02]We`re continuing to cover this. Don`t go anywhere. Breaking news out of Oklahoma.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: We`re following breaking news, an urgent manhunt for an armed and dangerous fugitive who is on a rampage tonight. He allegedly killed
two of his own relatives and brutalized their bodies, shot at police. It has been an extraordinary seven hours. We know this much. He was recently
released from jail after allegedly raping a close family member.
I want to play something that he did live on Facebook while he was on the run.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: (INAUDIBLE) (EXPLETIVE DELETED) she knew I was (INAUDIBLE) she was worried about me getting out of jail. That`s why she was freaked out. I
love you for supporting me and believing in me, and I know you didn`t know nothing about this or knew that this was coming. Leila (ph), thank you for
-- oh, my goodness. Thanks for your time and help. I appreciate that. I know we didn`t get the best, but it`ll be all right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Our Ed Lavandera is still with me live, reporting on the breaking story.
[20:20:02]Ed, that is so telling what he just said in that Facebook post, that she knew I would flip out, and that`s why she was worried about me
getting out of jail. In the other post, he said, I was coming for you and that other boy you`re "f"-ing.
Do they know what the story is behind why he`s alleged to have done all these things that he`s done?
LAVANDERA: Well, I think it was significant, you know, even trying to reach out to law enforcement officials. But you just heard from the
sheriff there in Oklahoma talking about how -- the attack and the murders of the aunt and uncle there just outside of Oklahoma City, that the sheriff
said that those two were believed to be witnesses in that sexual abuse case that he was charged with in July.
That`s the most telling information that I`ve heard throughout the day as to what might have been the underlying motive for all of this. So that to
me is really one of the more fascinating details that we`ve heard today.
BANFIELD: All right, so I want to ask Scott Mitchell, if I can -- Scott, you`re in the area. There is this Facebook post that -- I mean, listen,
it`s just sort of endless. He just kept talking and talking and talking. We almost never get this kind of a narrative while someone`s actually on a
crime spree like this, a murderous one at that.
But I want you to listen to how he refers to his own injuries in this next Facebook Live. Have a peek.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VANCE: This is the interesting part. This is where it gets interesting. So if you want to know what`s next, stay tuned to your local news. Wow.
That really hurts (INAUDIBLE) So I got to find me something else here real quick. (INAUDIBLE) It`s too late now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: So Scott, he`s bleeding. If anyone has seen someone in a hospital emergency room that looks something like this man, that obviously
is suffering some kind of a bleeding injury, the tip line is there, 405- 257-1191. It`s breaking news. This man is somewhere out there. Police think he has an AK. He is extraordinarily dangerous. He is alleged to
have raped family members, murdered family members, dismembered family members, shot at police, stolen their vehicle, shot at others, carjacked
vehicles along this rampage.
And schools are on lockdown. It is a terrifying situation for those who are in the area of Lincoln County, Oklahoma, and close to the Texas border.
You can see the pictures of those who are on the lookout for this man.
Scott, real quickly, there is something else to this. They think that if he`s not going to shoot someone and kill them that way, he may kill them by
spreading a disease? They`ve alluded to it. Are they elaborating on that?
MITCHELL: There hasn`t -- I mean, it`s kind of an enticing sort of -- it draws you into the story, but what I have confirmed is that he does carry a
disease that could be transmitted sexually. We know what his history is. So people are saying, authorities are saying, You`ve got to be aware of
what this guy is capable of doing.
We know he`s capable of committing murder. He got into a gunfight at OK corral type shootout with officers in Wellston. So this is just one more
intriguing aspect of this case, is what my folks at the Department of Public Safety said, this is a very, very bad man. And frankly, you know,
we don`t know what kind of shape he`s in.
And I think, Ashleigh, one quick thing. When you see all the mugshots, everything you`ve seen so far, there is a beard. In this video, he`s clean
shaven.
BANFIELD: Right.
MITCHELL: So it may not be real easy to identify this guy other than he may be hurt real bad.
BANFIELD: Yes, but then there are all the tattoos down that one arm, at least in the one photograph we saw. And clearly, he is very troubled and
extremely agitated, at least in the last several hours.
It`s breaking news, folks. This is happening right now in the Oklahoma area. And who knows how far he could have gotten.
But I`ll tell you something. When Scott just said that he had these shootouts at the OK corral, he`s not kidding. Look at those four faces.
Those are the four different looks of Michael Vance, Jr., 38 years old, shooting at police officers and injuring them, shooting at a woman,
carjacking her, shooting at another man and injuring him, in critical condition, to carjack his motor home. Luckily, he did not get it, but we
don`t know if he`s still driving that silver Mitsubishi. He is armed and extremely dangerous. No one knows for sure if he is allegedly going to
kill again.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:28:48]BANFIELD: An Oklahoma man is on the loose, allegedly terrorizing a community in a murderous crime spree. And the police are worried that he
could strike again anywhere at any moment, and they have dispatched massive resources going into this search effort.
Joining me now, Art Roderick. He`s the former assistant director of the U.S. marshals, and he`s also a CNN law enforcement analyst. Art, thanks so
much for being with us. What goes into a search like this when no one really knows where he is, and yet he`s Facebook Live all over the place?
ART RODERICK, FMR. ASST. DIR. U.S. MARSHAL, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Yes, there`s a couple things going on here. I know there`s a very active
U.S. Marshals fugitive task force operating down in that area. And I know that they`re looking at the surrounding area, specifically Texas, to try to
follow up on some leads in that particular area.
But when you look at the Facebook postings, it`s -- it`s -- I see planning involved. And what I mean by that is there`s mention of a vest. I`m
assuming a bulletproof vest. When you look at the firearm that he has, it looks like a bipod on it, which means that you can -- snipers use a bipod
on their weapons to shoot somebody from a further distance away.
This video -- these two video postings also look like it could very well could be his farewell.
[20:30:00] Now, that means either he`s gonna succumb to the wounds that he already has from the shootout with the law enforcement officers that
occurred earlier or very possibly he`s going to commit suicide. We have seen this type of instance occur in these types of cases before.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, "PRIMETIME JUSTICE" HOST: Well, you know, listen, for those who are watching right now, if you just started to tune in at 8:30
eastern time right now, we`re dealing with a breaking news situation. There is a very, very dangerous man on the loose right now. Police from a number
of different detachments, different authorities try to track Michael D. Vance. There`s the information on your screen. And the tip line if you
think you might have seen this man.
If you do see him, do not get near him. They do not get any more dangerous than Michael Vance. He`s accused of horrifying crimes, shooting and
chopping up family members, sexually abusing close family members, shooting randomly at strangers and stealing cars, shooting at the police and
stealing police cars. List goes on. He`s got a rap sheet as long as your arm. Mug shots to go with it.
Art Roderick, the issue here is that he could be anywhere at this point, and think they he`s got an AK-47. If you look at those Facebook videos, you
might see something different than I do. But I see a man who is crazy and desperate, and I think they`re the most random and dangerous of all.
RODERICK: You`re absolutely right, Ashleigh. This individual has gone off the deep end. And -- and whether he`s returning or not, we heard the
threats in the Facebook videos to other family members and we know what he did to his aunt and his uncle, who were potential witnesses in his sexual
abuse case.
So, I mean, this and the time this occurred between his last contact on Facebook and now has been several hours. So there`s a very good possibility
here he could be in any of the surrounding states or he could be heading back to the target area to finish up his threats that he had on his earlier
Facebook postings.
BANFIELD: God forbid. You know it isn`t far away but in Georgia as well, we got another situation unfolding. Two police there searching for someone who
killed two kids while trying to invade their home. That home invasion turning deadly.
[20:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: A gruesome scene unfolds in a Georgia home. A teenage boy and his 11-year-old sister, both of them shot to death in an early morning home
invasion.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL REGISTER, CHIEF POLICE, CLAYTON COUNTY SHERIFF`S OFFICE: The parents have been located. Apparently they were out on the town. It is very
tragic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Out on the town, and it was 5:00 in the morning when this happened. The kids were home alone, and the horror may not be over yet,
because the killer is still somewhere out there. Joining me now, Chelsea Prince, a reporter with Clayton News Daily, Christine Grillo, former
prosecutor, and Joey Jackson, defense attorney and CNN/HLN legal analyst
Chelsea Prince, first to you, how and when did this all unfold? Kids at home alone at 5:00 in the morning in a home invasion that took their lives?
It just doesn`t seem possible.
CHELSEA PRINCE, REPORTER, CLAYTON DAILY NEWS: So these two children were at home alone with other children that were staying in the home, some
siblings, some belonging to a second family that was staying with them. And just home alone on a Saturday morning, 5:00 a.m. Someone entered the home
and began shooting.
A child picks up the phone, calls 911 for help. But when police arrived, the shooting suspect had already gone, and they found 15-year-old Daveon
Coates and 11-year-old Tatiana Coates deceased inside the home, apparently of gun shot wounds.
BANFIELD: 15 and 11 years old and the home -- you know -- it looks like a scene out of "Mayberry" that the lawn is neatly manicured, the gardening
looks like it`s all in place. It certainly doesn`t look like it`s run down. It certainly doesn`t look like it`s a place with drugs. It`s just
absolutely mesmerizing that this could happen. I want to play for you what one of the neighbors had to say about this community.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve never had problems, never heard anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Never had problems, never heard anything. Another neighbor in the community talks about how she just saw these children just the other day.
Have a listen to this.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I saw them Friday outside. They haven`t seen life. They haven`t seen life yet. Wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: That is the reaction of the community. Chelsea Prince, this is the kind of story you just -- it`s jaw dropping. You have no idea how this
could happen and how these people could get away. This family -- it was two families as I understand living in that house. And the children were
slightly related.
But they`ve only been there a couple of months. The house had been vacant for years before that. So it doesn`t seem as though it`s somebody coming
back to exact revenge on former tenants, does it?
PRINCE: Well, actually, we have new information this evening that police now believe that the shooting may be the work of a gang. There was another
15-year-old boy staying in the home that was not home at the time of the shooting, that police believe was the intended target.
BANFIELD: Oh, you`re kidding me. Another -- another 15-year-old child related to this -- these two families?
PRINCE: Yes. The chief of police here in Clayton County said today that -- that another family was staying in the home, and that a child in that
family, a 15-year-old boy, had some sort of gang affiliation, and that he may have been the intended target of Saturday morning`s shooting.
[20:40:00] BANFIELD: Okay. Chief Michael Register of the Clayton County Police Department had this to say about the parents, because understandably
now there would be possibly two different parents involved with the two families. And neither one was there when this home invasion and this double
murder of these children took place. Have a listen to what the Chief Michael Register had to say.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
REGISTER: The parents have been located. Apparently, they were out on the town. It is very tragic. It`s senseless and not only in the Atlanta area
but in the country. We have got to do something about this violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: I just -- first of all, as a parent myself, I`m not going to pass judgment on anyone who say chooses a 15-year-old of their own children to
babysit the others. But out at 5:00 in the morning. The reason we`re home with children at 5:00 in the morning is in case something awful like this
might happen. But does that mean that these parents are to blame for this? Are they facing some serious criminal action?
JOEY JACKSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I don`t think so, Ashleigh, for the following reasons. First of all, it`s horrific. You can`t even wrap your
head around the fact that you have a 15 and 11-year-olds who are dead. Gang or otherwise. It`s just -- it`s hard to comprehend. So what happened,
Ashleigh, is this.
There are guidelines in Georgia in terms of being home and who can watch children and how old you have to be. If children are under 8, they cannot
be left at home alone for any circumstance or any reason. If they`re from 9 to 11, the parent can leave a child home for a couple of hours. Now, here`s
the kicker here.
If there`s a 15-year-old in the house, as apparently was the case, because he`s dead unfortunately and tragically, you can leave a 15-year-old in
charge and in care of other children and it`s perfectly permissible for up to 12 hours.
BANFIELD: There`s the good news for them, and their children are dead, Christine.
CHRISTINE GRILLO, FORMER PROSECUTOR: There`s the catch, you just said up to 12 hours. We have to remember we`re talking about 5:00 a.m. This was not
let`s go to the movies, let`s go out to dinner, let`s go have a couple of drinks, let`s go to a party in town.
This is 5:30 in the morning. So that means if they had gone out, let`s do the math on this. They`re getting close -- they`re getting close to what is
going be allowed and what`s not going to be allowed under that law.
BANFIELD: Let`s just hope for the sake of everyone that there is a killer or killers out there who apparently are fine with looking down the barrel
of a gun, firing at children, 11 and 15 years old. The killer is still out there. They`re continuing to investigate this. All of this as we also look
to another story. It`s pretty hard to comprehend. A little girl, just 5, in her jammies, abandoned, 39 degree weather. The person who did it? Well, on
video, it`s her own father.
[20:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: For most of us parents, the moment you lose sight of your child in public, you just get that knot in your stomach and you breathe in deep
and you hope to hell it doesn`t last long. For most of us, thank God it doesn`t. Look at this video.
In this case, the situation was far from normal. A man accused of abandoning his own 5-year-old daughter. On a Utah college campus, in the
cold, 39 degree cold. She was wearing just her PJs. She was all alone, and I`ll remind you, she`s 5.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was going through your mind? what were you thinking about?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That I would never see my mom again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: She`s 5. It`s hard to understand a 5-year-old, and if you couldn`t understand that, she said, I was worried I wasn`t going to see my
mom again. That`s what you would expect from a 5-year-old left alone. She was reportedly asking her dad to please come back as he walked away from
her and left her for about two hours.
Did I mention it was 39 degrees? It was 39 degrees. Joining me now, Jim Kirkwood, reporter from KTKK AM 630, Salt Lake City. I just can`t believe
that we are seeing the picture we`re seeing, and talking about the story that we`re talking about, Jim. How did this happen?
JIM KIRKWOOD, REPORTER FROM KTKK AM 630: I can`t either. This is -- this is horrific. This Adrian Sanchez, 41 years old, leaves his daughter without
shoes, a couple of blankets on the campus. It`s built on kind of a tilt to the mountains to the east and then down into the valley. He took her up to
the highest point on the campus, in the valley, and left her there, I assume so she would be found and hauled away or something.
BANFIELD: It took about what, I think two plus hours for a security guard to finally find that little girl in her jammies on the concrete in that
cold 39-degree weather, 5 years old, alone at night, watching dad walk off and abandon her in this video. The security guards apparently found her
around 7:00 or so in the morning. How did they end up tracking down Adrian Sanchez, the father?
KIRKWOOD: They -- they had the video and didn`t she know her name? I`m not clear on that one.
BANFIELD: It is absolutely remarkable. And by the way, just so our audience is clear, they took him away, there he is in handcuffs. So there, if you
feel any better about it, I`m about to blow your mind. He got $5,000 bail, which means $500, he`s out.
[20:50:00] KIRKWOOD: And he`s out.
BANFIELD: Third degree felony child abandonment. Third degree felony child abandonment. I just want you to know while he`s out, this is what little
Acelynn Sanchez has to say to her mother, Gena Weaver, about what she`s feeling like this day. Listen to Gena Weaver`s description of how her
daughter is doing now.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
GENA WEAVER, MOTHER OF ABANDONED CHILD: Telling my daughter she had to sleep there and she was crying, and she said no, she will not. Kept telling
her she had to go to sleep and not to follow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: So that was how she was left to sleep that night. And here is how her mother describes her trying to go to sleep now. Have a look.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was it like for you to see that surveillance video?
WEAVER: It was very hard. She`s strong and brave, but she does have her moments. She doesn`t want to be left in her room by herself. And she sleeps
with me every night. She`s everything to me. I don`t know where I would be without her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Yeah, I think I wouldn`t want to be left alone as a child in my room either after this. Real quickly, Jim, what`s the story on a protective
order. Is that mother getting a protective order against this father?
KIRKWOOD: She`s getting a protective order and getting rid of him. The police up there are saying this guy is dangerous and they want him off the
street. So they`re doing what they can. The judges, of course, are going to do whatever they`re going to do. You know how they are.
BANFIELD: I do, I do indeed. Some give you justice, some don`t quite give you the justice you expect. This dad, in this particular case, is out of
jail right now, probably posted about $500. But he has a day in court coming. So we are also going to take a look at what kind of defense he
could actually mount and what else might happen to him.
[20:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Deeply disturbing surveillance video showing a dad allegedly abandoning his daughter on a cold college campus. There it is, just feast
your eyes. She`s 5, she`s wearing jammies, no shoes, have a blanket, I`m out of here. That`s it. I mean, there`s the story for you. Yes, it`s going
to go to court.
But he is out of jail He bonded out of jail. Christine Grillo, former prosecutor, Joey Jackson, defense attorney and CNN and HLN legal analyst.
Hey, you two, how does someone like that bond out on $5,000, which means you only have to really raise $500? How does that happen?
JACKSON: Ask the prosecutor how that happens.
GRILLO: Because you only have to raise a little bit of money, and the reasoning behind arguing for bail is if they are a danger to society.
BANFIELD: He`s dangerous. Look at this man. Look to what he just did to his own child.
GRILLO: I have to put the defense out on this, too. I would have a hard time as a prosecutor asking to remand him for leaving the 5-year-old. I
would have a little bit of a problem with that.
BANFIELD: Really?
JACKSON: No bail.
BANFIELD: How about not letting him near that 5-year-old again?
GRILLO: Okay, if the video had shown that he was actively physically abusing her, then yes, you might have a better argument. But you have to
remember that when you argue for bail, he`s going to return to court. So if they have a criminal record, it can work for them, because it shows that
they do return to court, and they know how to listen.
JACKSON: Yeah, that`s the way we always argue. Judge, it`s about whether or not my client will return to court. But just putting it in perspective, no
I would never do this, and no, no one should ever do this by leaving your child in 39 degrees temperatures, almost freezing, but on the bright side,
it`s outside of a daycare facility, he left some blankets, and the reality is that.
(CROSSTALK)
JACKSON: That`s all I possibly have to say.
(CROSSTALK)
GRILLO: In all fairness, he doesn`t have much to say. In all fairness, he doesn`t have much to argue in that.
BANFIELD: I have a question about this case. Because what we`re learning really upsets me, that this mom was court ordered to allow the dad
visitation. And that was how he treated his visitation.
JACKSON: That`s the result. You know, at the end of the day, obviously any type of family or court proceeding is to unite the family and bring them
together. Does he need certain classes so he doesn`t do things like this? Absolutely. Might there need to be some type of instruction and development
for this family? Yes. The issue of bail, that`s another point.
BANFIELD: So he`s not going to have court ordered visitation after this, will he?
JACKSON: I would hope not.
GRILLO: I would certainly hope not.
BANFIELD: Losing a little bit of patience.
GRILLO: Only because the mom in this case had asked for an order of protection from -- to protect and leave him -- protect her daughter from
him, and she was denied.
BANFIELD: She was denied. Why is that?
GRILLO: I guess because as we`re talking, the courts want to keep the family together, keep the family together.
BANFIELD: Why am I getting such crappy judges on my anchor desk week after week? I had Montana last week, a guy rapes his own kid repeatedly and gets
60 days. Brock Turner walks out after a couple of months, after a violent sexual assault behind a dumpster of a woman who was comatose. What is with
the judges? It seems so obvious to me.
JACKSON: It`s a very fair point, Ashleigh. I think ultimately though what the judge is going to look to, and I think what the whole system is going
to look to is to try to get these parents in a better position so that they can provide more care, more attention, and better development and structure
for these children so that things like this don`t happen.
BANFIELD: Better position for a guy that I saw on a video, whoever he is, would be not to see that child again.
JACKSON: He better be thankful he did not have judge Ashleigh because he would have some serious problems.
BANFIELD: Thank you both. I appreciate it. Christine Grillo and Joey Jackson.
JACKSON: Smartness right there.
BANFIELD: I learned it from you. Thank you, everyone, so much. We`ll be back tomorrow night 8:00 on "Primetime Justice." Nice to have you with us.
This is where we spotlight injustice, wherever, whenever it happens. We appreciated you being here for it. Stay tuned.
[21:00:00]
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