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Crime and Justice With Ashleigh Banfield
Officer Shoots Knife-Wielding Nevada Teen/Investigation Dropped Into 8th Special Needs Child`s Death/Dippolito Murder-for-Hire Retrial Day Two. Aired 8-8:30p ET
Aired December 08, 2016 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HOST (voice-over): A teenage boy waves a huge knife at dozens of students, at times lunging at the kids, until a campus cop is
forced to shoot him, all of it caught on tape.
More disturbing details of that house where seven special needs children were locked up in a room as their mother collected checks from the
government.
And the videotape Dalia Dippolito would prefer no one ever saw, that no one ever made, the moment she planned her new husband`s death with a hitman.
DALIA DIPPOLITO, CHARGED WITH HIRING A HITMAN: I`m confident, like, 5,000 percent sure.
BANFIELD: The New York socialite know as Catwoman after dozens of plastic surgeries is brought in on charges she clawed her boyfriend.
And a real-life Grinch who stole Christmas. Frosty gets a shank (ph) and melts like it`s July.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Hi, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield.
We`re following some breaking news right now. At an American high school tonight, a teenager gunned down in Reno, Nevada in the schoolyard. Details
still coming in, but we know this, that a school district police officer was the one who pulled the trigger. Police say it all began with this
fight between students, and one of them was brandishing a knives just before he was shot.
A witness describes this chaotic scene.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He charged a cop with the knives, and then the cop shot him. Like, he got shot and he fell on the ground. He was, like, sitting
there crying, and like (INAUDIBLE) and stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: What you are looking at is something that is not yet a complete picture. We`re looking into what happened and the story behind it. The
shooting victim`s father says that that boy, his son, was actually bullied for days.
Joining me now is Trevor Smith, a reporter from KKOH in Reno. So what is the back story that happened before that melee actually broke out?
TREVOR SMITH, KKOH (via telephone): Ashleigh, the only thing that we`ve been able to really tell so far is that this kid was upset about a number
of things. What those actually were, nobody seems to know, but the bullying aspect of it is something that we`re trying to tail (ph) and see
if we can find out anything more.
But there was a group of these kids, and then all of a sudden, the group of kids went down to two, and the young man who ended up being shot took on
this other kid. And that`s when the cop told him to drop the knife. He didn`t do so, and that`s when the shot was fired.
BANFIELD: And that`s the result you`re seeing on the screen right now, apparently, reports coming in that the boy with the knife was shot in the
shoulder. He`s in critical condition, but he is going to make it, apparently, according to his dad. He is going to pull through from all of
this.
The chief -- Jason Soto of the Reno Police Department talked a little bit about an altercation that had broken out between two students prior to all
of this video that you`re seeing. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JASON SOTO, RENO POLICE DEPARTMENT: Earlier in the day, there was an altercation between two students on campus. At some point following that
altercation, one student, a 14-year-old male, had armed himself with a knife. Once armed with the knife, the student began threatening others on
campus. When the school police officer was in the immediate area, the officer gave verbal commands for the student to drop the knife, ultimately
firing his service weapon, stopping the threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: So that`s the official word. And we`ve been collecting video all day. As you can imagine, kids all have their cell phones at school.
And as the screaming began, many people clustered around what looked like, you know,would be a fight. And so there was video, and many posted them to
private Facebook accounts. But slowly, they`ve been making them more public.
And we`ve just, as I understand, have gotten our hands on a piece of video that actually happened right at the moment that those shots were fired. I
have not seen it yet, so I`m just going to play along with you as we look at it. Take a peek at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up! Back up!
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Some of the kids who were there on campus said that they could hear the shots being fired. There was a lockdown that went into play right
away. If you can imagine, parents came to the school terrified about what had happened. And obviously, as you could see from those pictures, a lot
of kids saw what happened.
Real quickly, Trevor Smith, what do we know about this young boy and the potential that he might actually face charges in all of this as he is
recovering in the hospital?
[20:05:08]SMITH: Yes, the charges I can`t speak to because as you can imagine, the police have been fairly mum on most of this. I don`t expect
to hear anything from the Reno Police Department, who`s the leading agency -- I don`t expect to expect to hear anything from them until probably early
next week.
As far as the kid goes, I mean, I hate to have to take social media`s word for anything on something like this, but that`s where you`re getting all of
the information, whether it`s good, bad or indifferent, and you`re hearing about this kid that maybe his dad was a problem, maybe he was the problem.
But there`s consistent information on line, whether it`s true or not, about this kid was, you know, fairly -- he was just a troubled kid that was one
of these -- one of these kids that finally decided to go over the edge, of sorts.
BANFIELD: And that may be some of the social media accounts, but at least one parent who was actually there, waiting outside of the fences, said that
that boy you saw in the video was his son`s best friend, and that he was a great kid, and that there was nothing wrong with this kid, just a great
kid, he said.
Other kids said the same thing. He was a good kid, a friend of theirs. There is one witness who was interviewed who actually was there at the time
all of this happened. Again, let`s remind ourselves these are high school kids who are having to witness something like this.
But have a listen to what this young student said about the incident that he witnessed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was shocked. I was scared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He brought out two knives.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was (INAUDIBLE) It was like a hunting knife, like that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a cop that came over here with a gun, and he was like this and he was, like, saying, Stop, drop your weapon. Everybody
was saying it was a rubber bullet. That was not a rubber bullet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just saw students just running in, just, Oh, somebody got shot! Somebody got shot!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One kid brought out a knife. And then everybody was going to jump in because he took out a knife. Then he took out another
knife and then started chasing the kid that he was fighting, and then (INAUDIBLE) then he charged a cop with the knives. And then the cop shot
him. Like, he got shot and he fell on the ground. He was, like, sitting there crying, and, like (INAUDIBLE) and stuff.
BANFIELD: So you can imagine the parents who got the phone call, You need to come to the school right now, we`ve got a lockdown and we have a
situation. One of those parents was interviewed outside of the school. And you can really sort of get a sense of what it was like for those
parents. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please God, don`t let it happen to my babies!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just (INAUDIBLE) I ran out of house and just came, trying to find out what was it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you feeling right now? You a little nervous?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just feel nervous. I`m, like, desperate. I just can`t wait to heart (ph) her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Joining me right now, famed defense attorney Mark Geragos. He`s with me. He`s represented everyone from Scott Peterson to Michael Jackson
and he joins us from Palm Springs. Also, former prosecutor Jason Oshins and defense attorney Kisha Hebbon.
Mark, wow! I can only imagine that this kid is in a world of, you know, trouble after what we witnessed.
MARK GERAGOS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: He is.
BANFIELD: But at the same time, I`m wondering about the school because if it is true that this kid has been bullied for days and days, is there some
possibility the school could be to blame for this?
GERAGOS: Well, there -- break it apart. Number one, the law does not require detached (ph) reflection in the uplifted knife. So the officer --
nothing`s going to happen to him, and you saw the statement by the cop that, basically, he stopped the threat.
And then you`ve got the kid. Did the kid arm himself because somebody had threatened him, what we didn`t see before? Did somebody threaten him to
the point where he needed to use that kind of force?
But inevitably, he`s 14. And at 14 in Nevada, he`s most likely only going to be in the juvenile system. And the fact that he was shot I think is
going to actually, in a bizarre way, be mitigating for him. There`s going to be--
BANFIELD: Well, that`s often--
GERAGOS: Some going to say--
BANFIELD: You know, that`s often what we hear is he suffered enough. Sometimes we do hear that. But Jason and Kisha, do you think that -- what
Mark just said was key. There`s a lot of stuff we don`t see. We see a snapshot of something. How much of what we don`t see will actually play
into this?
KISHA HEBBON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, in this situation, my opinion is that the fact that the child -- I know he`s only 14, but he had a big knife
and was--
BANFIELD: Big!
HEBBON: -- you know, whaling it like that. The officer--
BANFIELD: And lunging!
HEBBON: Right. The officer has a duty to protect other people, as well as himself.
BANFIELD: Yes.
HEBBON: So he acted within the amount of force that he probably thought was necessary.
BANFIELD: What if the kid -- look, there is this report that this kid was in a fight--
JASON OSHINS, FMR. PROSECUTOR: Right.
BANFIELD: -- and that he was afraid and that that`s why he brought the knife to school. Is there something to that? I mean, at this point, can
you look at this video and say anything about it says self-defense from an original fight?
OSHINS: I think it`s the background of what -- you know, Mark referred to that, you know, what brought that knife out? You know, is he troubled, not
troubled? Was he being bullied? Did he feel threatened that he has to defend himself? You know, at that moment when that knife came out, that`s
when the officer took action.
[20:10:00]BANFIELD: Well, I can tell you this. We can`t show you his face. He`s a minor in all of this. But in the video that we have seen, he
is bloodied. His mouth looks bloodied. I can`t say he is bloody. His mouth looks bloodied, so there may have been a violent confrontation prior
to this.
Again, a lot of facts that aren`t on the tape, and this investigation is only just getting started. So we`re going to continue to watch to see what
happens in all of that. But it is so troubling to think that those kids were all subject to what you`re seeing on your screen.
I have other news tonight, as well. A judge has rejected Dylann Roof`s request for a mistrial. He allegedly shot and killed nine people at an
African-American church in a bible study. That happened in Charleston, South Carolina. His attorneys filed a motion today citing a witness who
called Roof evil while he was on the stand as one of the reasons that they wanted a mistrial. In court, the prosecution has argued that Roof stood
over his victims, shooting them each multiple times.
Police say the suspected wanted for fatally shooting an officer and critically wounding another one in Georgia is dead, but not before the
manhunt that as under way for him. After this massive manhunt, Minquell Lembrick died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. This morning,
officers arrived at a home after reports that he may have been inside the home. Lembrick ultimately was found dead when the SWAT team entered.
Twenty-five-year-old officer Nicholas Smarr was killed in the shootings yesterday at an apartment complex in Americus.
And in California, Oakland warehouse where an inferno swept through, killing 36 concertgoers and people who lived in the building -- apparently
it hadn`t been inspected in 30 years. City officials blamed budget cuts and poor communications for the apparent lapse -- you might say utter
failure -- despite the fact there were years of complaints from local residents.
A Texas house of horrors finally ending with the rescue of seven adopted children. But the sheriff`s department decides just now that, in fact, it
will not take a closer look at the death of an eighth child. That so- called adoptive mother apparently getting the checks all the while treating those kids like this? So why are they not investigating that mysterious
death of the eighth child? It had only just started today. (sic)
Answers, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:16:20]BANFIELD: Followup now on developments tonight in a harrowing story that we covered this week, seven special needs children virtually
imprisoned in a filthy Texas home. Look at it. That was their home, that one room. They were malnourished. They were packed into this room. And
if the room weren`t bad enough, they were locked in a closet while their so-called mother, Paula Sinclair, collected thousands of dollars a month in
government checks to look after them.
Those seven children were rescued, thank God. But later today, the sheriff`s department came out with an announcement. They said they`re not
going to reopen the case of a 7-year-old child who died back in 2011 from bronchitis, also a child that Sinclair had adopted. So there were eight.
They became seven, and now those seven have been discovered in this condition.
Jeffrey Boney is the associate editor of "The Houston Forward Times." What happened, Jeffrey? How can an investigation into a child who died several
years ago, in -- in, you could only imagine, similar circumstances, all of a sudden be cleared, and one day, the investigation`s no longer open? It
seems very short to reopen and close an investigation.
JEFFREY BONEY, "HOUSTON FORWARD TIMES" (via telephone): Well, according to the sheriff`s office, they said they weren`t going to reopen the
investigation into Jaden (ph) Sinclair`s death, who was 7 years old at that time.
What they stated at the time, the Ft. Bend sheriff`s office didn`t investigate Jaden`s death because it was determined at that time that the
child died of natural causes. CPS also looked into the death at the time, but we don`t know if they found anything.
But at any rate, no one was ever charged in connection with Jaden`s death. What they said was he died of bronchitis. And according to the Texas state
health department records, he suffered from a respiratory condition and asthma, and of course, because of the bronchitis and whatnot, he died 11
days after that incident.
BANFIELD: So Jeffrey, let me just read a little bit about what`s been discovered from yesterday to today because we thought the conditions were
pretty deplorable, and now we`re getting even worse details about these kids.
Apparently, according to KHOU, one child told a caseworker who was investigating this that when they were tied up and put in the closet, some
of the kids would start crying. And so they would talk about their future together so that they wouldn`t have to think about the pain.
And then there`s another report saying another caseworker wrote up, one time the children tried to rip the screen out of the window in the bathroom
to escape, and they were whupped when those two, Sinclair and Richardson found out about it.
I want to play for you Detective Juli Johnson from the Fort Bend County sheriff`s office and what she had to say about deadbolt locks that kept
those kids in that room. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DET. JULI JOHNSON, FT. BEND SHERIFF`S OFFICE: I`ve never seen the likes of this. Where the doorknobs are supposed to be in a normal home, there were
deadbolt key locks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: "The Houston Chronicle" also reported that one boy told investigators he spent so much time in that room -- show these pictures
again. This is the room. When you look at it, notice there is one single mattress and there`s a toddler bed. And there were seven teenage kids
living and sleeping in there, with special needs. That`s what they had. That`s it. Everything that you`re seeing there is their entire existence,
except for the closet where they were locked when one of the caregivers had to go to the hospital.
So this is what one of the boys told the investigators, that he spent so much time in the room where the seven teenagers shared two beds, two mats,
a toilet and a sink, that he literally did not know his own age.
Jeffrey Boney, apparently, there was a welfare check done on this home in April. How -- how -- how are we in the circumstance today if government
officials were there in April?
[20:20:08]BONEY: Well, you have to keep in mind, in 2015, a federal judge, U.S. district court Janice (ph) -- Judge Janice Jack (ph) of Corpus Christi
wrote in a decision about Texas having violated the constitutional rights of foster children by exposing them to an unreasonable risk of harm in the
system. There`s been issues here in the state of Texas about abuse, neglect, and incidents just like this.
Sadly, according to CPS, they would have never known about this incident if not for it being reported by someone outside of the home.
BANFIELD: And we don`t know who that is. We don`t know who it is who gave a tip and said, welfare check might be needed because as is the law, once
you adopt those kids, the regular checkups end. But the checks keep coming, the checks to the tune of about $545 per kid per month. Do the
math. That`s $3,851 per month. That`s $45,780 per year.
We`ll continue to watch this and find out just exactly what happens to Ms. Sinclair and Mr. Richardson.
Jurors finally get to see a video of a newlywed, but she`s meeting with a police officer who is pretending to be a hitman. And apparently, the
allegations are she wants her husband dead. Oh, that`s got to be heartbreaking to see yourself on tape like this, huh, Dalia?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:25:42]BANFIELD: If there were an Oscar for the best winning performance by someone who thinks that the murder for hire plot on her
husband just succeeded, well, ladies and gentlemen, this is it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s been killed.
DALIA DIPPOLITO, CHARGED WITH HIRING A HITMAN: Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s been killed, ma`am.
DIPPOLITO: Oh, my God!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: No, no, no. Yes, no, you`re right. No, he hasn`t because they`re lying to you. Those cops got you in a sting. It`s all a setup.
Yes, Dalia Dippolito, state rested its case today in the retrial of that young woman in the blue tank top. She`s accused of plotting her husband`s
death. This whole thing is under way in Florida right now in court.
And you have got to hear this very revealing snippet from inside the sting operation, where you see Ms. Dippolito allegedly planning her husband`s
death with the actually cop who`s undercover and posing as the man who`s going to do it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, so that`s how -- that`s how I`m going to do it. You know, it`s a robbery went bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Robbery went bad! (INAUDIBLE) turns out. Yes, I didn`t because the whole murder thing gone hire thing gone bad for the defendant went bad
for the defendant. So we`re going to hear more about this evidence that the jury got to listen to and see, as well. That`s kind of what you often
call damning or bad facts.
Daphne Duret was in court today. She`s the criminal courts reporter for "The Palm Beach Post." Daphne, before I ask you any questions about what
you were watching along with the jurors today, I want our viewers to be able to see some of these delicious moments. I mean, honestly, if you are
the prosecution, you`re just sort of sitting back and waiting for it to sort of roll in, so to speak.
Here is the undercover moment where Dalia gets into the car with the police officer she thinks is a hitman, and they start just going over everything,
like the money and the plan and the -- you know, that damning stuff. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIPPOLITO: Like, my understanding and everything was, is that, like, you know, I was going to give You what I gave you and then that was -- that was
everything, until after the fact. And then after the fact, I guess you were going to come and, like, find me or whatever or you were going to tell
me where it was supposed to go. That`s why, like, today when you asked me for money, you threw me off guard and I told you OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, right.
DIPPOLITO: I said to you, Oh, OK, OK, OK because, you know, I`m not going to get on the phone and do whatever, like over, you know, but--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
DIPPOLITO: I mean, I`m good for it. Like, it`s not like I don`t have it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no.
DIPPOLITO: You know what I mean? I mean, I understand your position. I went ahead and gave 12 with the understanding that after everything was
already handled, you were going to come and find me, and I mean, I know not (INAUDIBLE) around with you. know certain things, whatever. Like, you
know what I mean. Like, you obviously know where I`m at.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`ll give you a quick breakdown of what I`ve done so far. I got $1,200 from you, all right, $1,200 went to buying my heat, my
gun, OK, and a couple hundred for other people to do things.
DIPPOLITO: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what I mean? That`s pretty much it. As a matter of fact, I`ve already spent more money, you know, just to get here.
DIPPOLITO: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You understand? Because I had to get this car, got to get rid of this car. I had to get this phone. I have to get rid of this
phone.
DIPPOLITO: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what I mean?
DIPPOLITO: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s a lot more I have to do.
DIPPOLITO: I know. Like I told you, I can`t keep coming out of -- like, I`ve come out of pocket a lot for, like, a lot of other things.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, that`s fine. That`s fine.
DIPPOLITO: But you know what I mean. Like, I can`t get into it, like, with you or whatever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s all right. Go ahead. Go ahead. That`s all right.
DIPPOLITO: SO it`s kind of like I`m in a position where, like, I told you I`m good for it, like, the day that you needed it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you are.
DIPPOLITO: It`s, like, I came, I met that day, it was handled. You know what I mean? Like, that`s the kind of person that I am.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. You let me know. Give me a day, give me a time.
DIPPOLITO: How soon could you do it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I could do it Wednesday morning at the house because I was looking at newspapers. There`s been a lot of burglaries in this area,
right? It`s not uncommon for someone to break into a house, OK? It`s going to be, like, I break into the house, didn`t think he was going to be
home because everybody works in the daytime. He`s at work, boom, he`s not at work, and you know he gets two in the head. I take a couple of things
with me, break a couple of windows, make it look like a robbery that went bad. It`s all over, done, I`m out of there. I`m not going to be by
myself, have other people watching my back because he has guns in the house.
DIPPOLITO: Right now, he`s on probation. There`s a lot of people that don`t like him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What`s his name?
DIPPOLITO: Mike.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: How soon can you do it? How`s Wednesday? Let me check my calendar. I mean, really? That`s how this stuff goes down? Apparently so,
because now we have video.
Daphne, the undercover cop who was out of the picture, the guy who was in the driver`s seat, the guy was really good at his job, may I say. How did
the cross-examination of him go?
DAPHNE DURET, CRIMINAL COURTS REPORTER, PALM BEACH POST: Well, the defense on cross-examination asked Widy Jean, that was the undercover officer, they
asked him whether he knew about the television show "Cops" and they -- which was taping at some point during the investigation into this alleged
murder-for-hire plot.
And the also asked him about why there was this sense of urgency to get her on tape right away planning this. And that is really the crux of the
defense in this case, is that the Boynton Beach Police Department rushed to implicate Dalia Dippolito in this plot in order to make a more good episode
of the television show "Cops."
So that was their whole theme in cross examining the alleged hit man. And he testified he didn`t know much about it.
BANFIELD: Okay, okay, that`s fair. And Brian Claypool, whose Dalia`s attorney, by the way, presumably sitting to her left, I`m seeing the back
of his head, but he talked to us today, off-camera, he told us that he`s going to be asking the judge for a quote, destruction of evidence
instruction to the jury."
He says this is a potential game changer. He says there`s a bunch of tape that didn`t all of a sudden materialize and it could be tape where Dalia
was trying to back out of it, and that she was being pressured to keep going with it, you know, being in trap into it. So that`s what he says is
gonna happen.
But there is this very troublesome sound bite from those tapes, those other tapes where, you know, she`s asked about how sure are you? And you can be
pretty sure, you can be 90 percent sure, you can be a 100 percent sure, and you can be 5,000 percent sure as Dalia was. Take a look.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it`s not done by Wednesday then I`ll call you. If it`s done by Wednesday, the only thing you`re gonna hear from me is to
collect, alright? Which is why I said that between now and when it`s done, you know, you`re not gonna have an option to change your mind. Even if you
change your mind--
DIPPOLITO: There`s no changing. No, there`s no like, I`m determined already. I`m positive like 5,000 percent sure. Like I was stressing when
you told me you were gonna come up here and and then I`m like looking at the time and I`m like what the (beep) he`s not coming, he`s not this.
You know like all this stuff or whatever. Like no, when I say I`m gonna do something, I`m gonna do it. Like as soon as you told me listen, I need the
money from you I went, I grabbed it right away, like we were good to go. Like with me, you`re not gonna have a problem, you`re not gonna have an
issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Yeah, but she`s going to have an issue. Mark Geragos, you`re such a great defense attorney, but you got to admit she has a huge issue.
MARK GERAGOS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I defended this very case. In fact about seven years ago, we`ve been on tape with an undercover a whole bit. Let me
tell you, the defense lawyer in this case may have something when he says, if they did not produce all the tapes, because in the first little package
you did, there is the beginnings of she didn`t really want to go through with it.
We don`t know what else they`re going to say. And if there`s any evidence whatsoever of domestic violence or anything else of that nature and that
she`s going to -- that may end up being the defense, do not think this is a slam dunk.
BANFIELD: Okay. I always love hearing that. Because you know what? I thought O.J. was a slam dunk. It wasn`t a slam dunk. Stay tune, everybody,
just a moment because there is this socialite in the city where I`m sitting right now in New York, the tabloids having a field day on her.
They call her the cat woman. Just pause. Just take a look. They call her the cat woman. She looks the way she does because of plastic surgery by
choice. These are things by choice. This is not an unfortunate person who suffers from anything. This is a woman who has wanted to look more like a
cat, and she`s making headlines again.
Dailymail.com gave us these pictures because they were in court with her as she was hauled in, and I will tell you this, it had to do with scratches,
clawing, and I am absolutely not kidding.
[20:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: She`s known as cat woman because of her extreme plastic surgery that has cost millions, and has altered her look, well, to this. And this
was by choice. Surgery after surgery after surgery, Jocelyn Wildenstein wanted to look more like a cat. And she has succeed in the many years that
she has done this.
So now she`s getting headlines for something entirely different. She`s in trouble with the law after allegedly attacking her boyfriend. The
allegations that she clawed at him. Clawed at his face, and apparently, allegedly took scissors to his chest. And this is her in court, because she
was hauled in on serious charges. Second-degree felony.
So there is the boyfriend, Lloyd Klein, 49 years old, with the scratches. Ouch. Joining me now Sue Guzman, reporter for NBC News Radio. Sue, if our
viewers think is a story they haven`t seen before, as a New York reporter, you have been following this woman presumably for many years.
SUE GUZMAN, REPORTER, NBC NEWS RADIO: She`s definitely a prominent socialite here in New Cork circles. But this is a little out of--
[20:40:00] -- character for her. Most people do know her at a prominent socialite. She`s had a pretty interesting background. She`s from
Switzerland.
She is most known for her husband, who is -- now late husband -- a billionaire art dealer, Alec Wildenstein, and of course, her plastic
surgery to make her look like a cat supposedly at his request, the (inaudible) eyes and very startling unusual appearances you just showed
everybody.
Jocelyn is well known for a bit pretty prominent divorce with her husband. Supposedly many years ago, she came home and found him with a 19-year-old
Russian model. And that prompted their divorce. That was a very ugly thing and that was pretty prominent here in New York too. She walked away with a
pretty big settlement. He eventually died of prostate cancer.
BANFIELD: Wait, back up, Sue. Pretty big settlement to a lot of people might be hundreds to thousands. This woman got what, something like $2.9
billion or something, I think I read a $100 million a year. It was not just a big settlement, it was a wicked windfall.
GUZMAN: Wicked windfall. That would be appropriate to call it. And, you know, she does live at one of the Trump properties on the upper east side,
actually at midtown Trump World Tower, which is where this alleged attack occurred.
And she apparently had been seeing her boyfriend, and she`s been seen at various social events in town with him. He is a Canadian fashion designer,
49-year-old Lloyd Klein, and this is the gentleman, live-in gentleman she`s accused of attacking.
BANFIELD: So, let me ask you something. Before these headlines just went wild today, pardon the pun, there is this whole progression of her looks
over the decades. And the surgeries that she has requested. Again, this is all by her own doing, that she has changed her looks so severely.
You can just see from 1990 through till 2015. But she -- back in the `70s was a beautiful, beautiful woman. Didn`t she really start making headlines
because of the bizarre changes or was it because of the money or was it because of the "war of the roses" with the billionaire husband? I can`t
even remember anymore what the genesis of her bizarre fame was.
GUZMAN: It actually was both. It was the fact that she was a wealthy socialite and then all of these kind of cascading plastic surgeries that
actually was in the public eye that took on a more and more bizarre turn, much like sadly Michael Jackson`s did. She was a very startling and
beautiful woman.
I believe she was a model in her own right as a teenager in her own country, and now underwent all those dramatic, something estimated like $4
million with the plastic surgery kind of thing to look like a cat, specifically to look like a cat.
BANFIELD: To look like a cat crossed with Zsa Zsa Gabor or something. And I`ll tell you what, the doctors, I think there`s a lot of questions that
should be asked of doctors who thought this was a good idea, who thought it was ethical, who took money. It is definitely a good question to ask who
facilitated -- there you go. There she is in court.
So we`re gonna continue to watch how this second-degree felony assault plays out for Miss Wildenstein. By the way, she`s 76, but apparently
according to The New York Post, she told the police she was 71. There you go.
So one of those videos I keep talking about, now that there`s surveillance, sometimes we just get the most remarkable videos in, and this is one of
them. Vicious.
That guy being robbed by these three people, and it wasn`t enough just to rob him, they had to beat him unconscious and for good measure, give him an
extra kick in the face and an extra slug to the face while he was out. And there`s great video to catch these three. It can be done. You will see this
again in a moment.
[20:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: You know, there are definitely bad ones among us, and three of them are in D.C. tonight. I want to show you what these three people did to
a guy who they were hustling for money. They decided to get the money this way. Beat the living daylights out of him.
I don`t think they know they`re on video, clearly, clear as day on video, beating him unconscious, taking what they can. His phone, his debit card,
his I.D., giving him a kick and an extra punch while he was out, absolutely out cold. And there is the get-away car.
By the way, there was another angle of this that showed that one of them had a gun and pointed it at another car that took off. Watch the car on the
left. The car on the left is about to peel out because one of them, after he grabs the guy and throws it out, one points a gun at that car, and it`s
terrifying. And they, yeah, they`re out of there.
So all we can tell you is what the screen grabs will show of their identities, because they`re on the lookout for these three. So, there`s
one. Recognize them? Anything about them? It`s a mean guy, what he did. There`s another guy. Jacket is pretty clear, bright yellow with a hood. And
the third guy, a little trickier. But if you know anything in D.C., call your police.
In Las Vegas, we showed you video of a break-in, where the vacationers were in Thailand watching it happen on their phone, because they had
surveillance video going. And these brazen -- this woman and this man brazenly, full faces, unaware there`s video rolling, just ripped the place
off. But look at the video, and listen as the -- yeah, oh, maybe I can shut this off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Back door alarm. Front door alarm.
BANFIELD: I`ll cover my fingers for good measure. I sure don`t want to get caught. Yeah, you don`t want to get caught, do you? And the bad news is--
[20:50:00] you may have been caught and maybe facing some serious music, because tonight, police are telling us that one Kimberly Kaminsky (ph),
here she is, hi. And Colio Sabov (ph) have been brought in on charges of burglary, grand larceny, grand larceny auto and conspiracy to commit
burglary. So, real quick, Jason and Kisha. It`s kind of hard to repute when you`re on video doing this.
JASON OSHINS, FORMER PROSECUTOR: That`s the beauty of video, it`s right there, great evidence. You know, this is like a plea deal case for a
prosecutor--
BANFIELD: Is that it? Plea deal?
OSHINS: -- absolutely.
KISHA HEBBON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Absolutely. But oftentimes with video surveillance, it`s not 100 percent clear that the person is who they are.
So sometimes the defense attorney will cast doubt.
OSHINS: We see exactly who they are.
BANFIELD: Kisha, nice try.
OSHINS: That`s a great closeup right there.
BANFIELD: I would say, that`s as good as a mugshot right there. What a dum- dum, trying to cover her fingers with a video pointing right at her.
OSHINS: My favorite part of the whole thing is covering the fingers, doesn`t want the fingerprints to be left there, but she gives a full
frontal.
BANFIELD: I know. She gave her own mugshot before she gave her mugshot. So it`s going to be a lousy Christmas for them. But it`s kind of a lousy
Christmas to these other folks as well. A real-life grinch doing harm to the coolest snowman ever. Feast your eyes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: For many, this time of year is about giving back, but the 10th annual CNN heroes all-star tribute salutes 10 people who put others first
all year long. The star-studded gala airs live this Sunday 8:00 p.m. eastern. Take a peek.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are the kind and the caring. They are the strong and the brave. They are the ones who see a need, fill a void, make a
difference.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m trying to give them all those things that they deserve.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This has become my life. I don`t ever want to do anything else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don`t do it for themselves. They do it for all the rest of us. They are a reminder of what`s good in this world and what it
truly means to be a hero.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We give them the foundation from which they can thrive. The feeling of family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have transformed the lives of thousands of children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This Sunday night, CNN presents a very special live event. The 10th annual CNN heroes all-star tribute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tonight, we`re gathered to celebrate extraordinary men and women who highlight the best of what humanity has to offer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Join host Anderson Cooper and special co-host Kelly Ripa as we honor 10 extraordinary people. The 10th annual CNN heroes all-start
tribute. Live Sunday night at 8:00 on CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[20:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: We all know that all of the attorneys that joined us on Primetime Justice are awesome when they`re in the courtroom. But one of my guests
tonight also happens to be pretty darn good in the writer`s room. I`m looking at you, one Mark Geragos, I believe it is. Mark Geragos, the
inspiration I am told, sir, for this character on the popular ABC drama "Notorious," and before you say a word about it, here`s a quick look at it.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Corporate called a meeting upstairs. Savannah Barbara, CEO, arrived two minutes ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good. What about the state department?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The U.S. embassy in Mexico and the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs are aware of the situation. They`re doing due diligence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone is scared (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Darren (ph), any news?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. (inaudible).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: So, that`s supposed to be you, Mark? You supposed to be the Daniel Sunjata character?
GERAGOS: Sunjata, yes. And, Ashleigh--
BANFIELD: Did they mail it? Did you look just like him?
(LAUGHTER)
GERAGOS: Don`t you think -- he`s just slightly a younger version? Ashleigh, you`re --- thanks a lot. And it`s fine. The season finale on ABC in one
hour. So at least in New York, it`s in one hour.
BANFIELD: I`m so glad it`s not up against my show. Thank you for organizing that, mister executive producer.
GERAGOS: I make sure--
BANFIELD: Can I get you to do your Primetime Justice job and comment on this next story. It`s the Christmas season, so it`s critical that we
highlight Christmas stories that run amok. This next one is in St. Louis, Missouri.
These guys come along with their truck and some family has this nice frosty and this guy has a shank. Really, really, and down goes frosty. And out
goes that guy. So seriously, someone did that. This happened, Mark Geragos. This happened.
GERAGOS: I know. But I have to admit, in college, after way too many beers, that`s something that I could have seen some friend of mine do.
BANFIELD: Oh, I thought you were going to give me a big Mayo Copeland (ph) and you`re gonna say statute of limitations or something like that. I got
nothing.
GERAGOS: That would be occidental college about 40 years ago.
(LAUGHTER)
GERAGOS: I don`t want to go there either.
BANFIELD: Apart from the meanness of all of this, is there like a charge for that, that`s serious?
OSHINS: Yeah, criminal trespass.
BANFIELD: Criminal trespass.
(CROSSTALK)
OSHINS: All of that.
BANFIELD: Nasty.
OSHINS: Grinchy.
BANFIELD: Okay, if you are out there feeling like you want to do some good, there`s a go fund me page that is created for Joe Murphy`s Good Kids in
Need. Joe Murphy`s Good Kids in Need is a Christmas charity. So if you want to go to that, we can all feel a little bit better about those losers who
shank frosty.
Thank you to all my guests, appreciate it guys, appreciate having you here. Hey, Geragos, good luck on that season finale coming up in an hour. Nice to
have you on. And thank you all for watching. It has been nice to have you with us. See you back here Monday night, 8:00 on Primetime Justice. In the
meantime, stay right where you are because Forensic Files starts right now.
END
