Return to Transcripts main page
Crime and Justice With Ashleigh Banfield
Testimony in War Machine Trial; Arrests Made; Don`t Mess with Mama; Nightmare Home; Gruesome Details. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired March 08, 2017 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[20:00:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Blood marks on her face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HLN HOST (voice-over): Things go from bad to worse in the trial of MMA star War Machine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Begging for help, like, Please help me.
BANFIELD: Accused of rage, assault and trying to kill his porn star ex and her lover. She takes the stand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he wanted rough sex, he would refer to it as rape?
BANFIELD: Here`s some advice. Don`t mess with a mom to be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Put the money out on the table, starts counting it.
BANFIELD: Counting up her cash when out of the blue...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out of nowhere, a guy comes from behind me and kind of, like, pushes me out of the way.
BANFIELD: Eight months pregnant, no thief was taking her rent!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m going to get that money back.
BANFIELD: And it`s all caught on tape.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a house full of girls. And like, if I try to leave, he`ll try to kill -- he`ll kill me and stuff.
BANFIELD: You heard that right. Eight women, women held captive inside a million-dollar mansion. And cops say this guy held them for months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we believe is that he was luring these women to this house on promises of either modeling careers...
BANFIELD: The chilling 911 call that came from inside that house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m in a very bad situation, and I need to get out.
BANFIELD: Mistrial number two...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you a coward?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
BANFIELD: ... for a dad accused of letting his wife punish their son with scalding hot water.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) jurors apparently observed him getting sick.
BANFIELD: After pictures of his burned child flash in court, he gags in front of jurors and is wheeled out on a stretcher.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, if there`s anything that can be done to get that image out of this jury`s head...
BANFIELD: But prosecutors say he won`t escape the law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This many has been through so much trauma, and now we`re looking at a third trial.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: Hello, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield. Welcome to PRIMETIME JUSTICE.
There is breaking news coming out of a Nevada courtroom tonight. A mixed martial arts fighter who legally changed his name to War Machine is taking
what you can only call a huge beating tonight, it`s coming from the stand. And this time, it`s at the hands of his porn star ex-girlfriend, whom he
found in bed with another man, the allegation he flew into such a rage, he nearly killed them both with his bare hands.
Christy Mack was hospitalized with a broken nose, several missing and broken teeth, a fractured rib, a broken eye socket, a ruptured liver. She
stands all of 5-3, 105 pounds. And you can compare that to the guy beside her, a trained fighter, 5-11, 175.
On the stand tonight, you can see that she has healed from those injuries on the outside, maybe not so much, though, on the inside. She`s been
testifying about how violent he often was with here, the jealousy of the attention that they both got in public, and a very rough and bizarre sex
life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) period, if I were to ask you, how would you explain your relationship? What would you say?
CHRISTY MACK, ALLEGED VICTIM: Our relationship was definitely very, very passionate, and at times very violent but sometimes extremely loving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: So composed on the stand. She has talked about the violence being a very big part of their relationship, especially when they were in
bed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACK: (INAUDIBLE) would do sex a lot. If he wanted rough sex, he would refer to it as rape.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. In social media, he was talking about sex, did he ever use the term, I think it`s, like, "pow pow" or...
MACK: Yes, he would.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that what that meant, sex?
MACK: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: War Machine is facing attempted murder, and with that, he could face life in prison, no parole in Nevada. So the stakes are high. I want
to take you back to the courtroom for some of the key testimony in the case because while the sex life may be very salacious, it is key to the defense.
War Machine -- again, his legal name -- is claiming that the sex life and the rape fantasies are all part of what happened, and somehow, this is his
defense. It is odd. But let me take you to the moment when, with a key, he was able to get into Christy Mack`s home and then discover what he saw.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACK: John came in and turned the lights on. He set his things down, and then he started yelling at Corey.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you remember what it was that he was saying?
MACK: I don`t remember exactly what he was saying to him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened after that?
MACK: I let the dogs outside because John had been (INAUDIBLE) with my dogs before, and I didn`t want them to get hurt. So I set the dogs outside
and I closed the door. And at this point, he starts hitting Corey. He jumps on top of him and starts hitting Corey.
[20:05:10]UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where is he hitting Corey?
MACK: In the face. So they`re both (INAUDIBLE) laying down, and John just starts hitting him. Eventually, they start rolling around and fall to the
floor, and I called 911.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: I`m going to play that 911 call for you soon, but you should know it is very hard to make out what`s being said. What you can make out
is the sound of a thrashing, an unbelievable beating, and that is when Corey Thomas is being thrashed around that home. And you can hear Christy
Mack in the background screaming. Have a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: 911 emergency.
MACK: Stop! Stop! Stop! (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: And as you hear that screaming, obviously, those pictures were in very different times. That beating went on and on. And Corey Thomas
actually testified, looking at the aftermath, he said he looked up at the ceiling of the bathroom and thought, This is how I`m going to go out. I`m
going out in Christy Mack`s bathroom.
He was able to get out. He was able to negotiate, he says, with War Machine, Either you got to kill me or let me go. And he says that War
Machine let him go, but threatened if he said anything to the police that he would sic the Navy SEALs on him, friends of his in the Navy SEALs and in
the Hell`s Angels. But that is the aftermath of his beating. You already saw the aftermath of her beating.
And that is, apparently, if you believe the allegations that are being in this courtroom tonight -- that is what happened next. After Corey Thomas
was beaten, Christy Mack says that War Machine turned his full attention and his full might towards her, a beating that went on for hours.
This is the aftermath for her on the left, for him on the right. Perhaps this is why you`re seeing attempted murder in these charges, among 30-some-
odd other charges, as well.
I want to take you back into the courtroom because Christy Mack describes what happened just as soon as he turned his attention from Corey to her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACK: John takes his shirt off, and he says, This is why I can`t wear white because I always mess it up. And I remember him running at me. And
then after that, I just remember being in the (INAUDIBLE). I remember waking up on floor. I was laying on my (INAUDIBLE) And he was sitting next
to me and going through my phone. Anytime he would see something that he didn`t like, like someone I had followed on Instagram, he would hit me. I
remember at some point, while I was laying there (INAUDIBLE) I don`t know (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were the hits with an open hand or a closed first?
MACK: I can`t be sure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So every time he found something he didn`t like on your phone, he would strike you to the face?
MACK: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What`s the next thing you remember?
MACK: Past that -- I went to -- I just remember being (INAUDIBLE) right in front of the shower, like I was about to (INAUDIBLE), and he kicked me in
the ribs so hard that I fell over (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you ever ask him for help or to stop?
MACK: Just after this, I told him that I needed help because I genuinely felt like I was going to die (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did he say?
MACK: He told me that nobody could help me. He told me that they were just broken ribs and there`s nothing they can do to heal that anyway. He
told me -- he threw the dogs` blanket on top of me because he thought I was just cold. That`s the reason I was (INAUDIBLE) So he threw the dogs`
blanket on top of me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At any point in time, did he ever use any weapons against you? (INAUDIBLE)
MACK: He had a knife. It was one of my kitchen set knives. It was a black handle with silver rivets. And he would push it into my ear. He
would it at my hands. He sawed off my hair. He cut up all of my wigs because he always hated my wigs. He -- he cut my head! (ph)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With the knife?
MACK: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When he was digging -- you said he was digging into your ear, into hands, into your head, is he still angry? Is he still
yelling at you?
[20:10:08]MACK: Yes, he is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is he yelling? What is he so angry about at that point?
MACK: I don`t know what he`s still angry about. (INAUDIBLE) I remember -- I just remember him still being so angry, he broke the handle off of the
knife and still continued to use the knife blade in his hand to push it into me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Rachel Stockman is the editor-in-chief for Lawnewz.com. You`re following this trial gavel to gavel. I was astounded at her composure. I
mean, you hear she`s an ex-porn star, and you don`t expect that kind of articulate response that you`re getting. She`s clear, level, emotional but
almost just enough -- and I hate to say it`s a performance, but it is. It is like a show. A trial is like a show and the jury is the audience.
RACHEL STOCKMAN, LAWNEWZ.COM: I think she was a really, really good witness. And you know what? She`s changed her look a lot since when this
all happened. She now has blond hair. Before, she had darker hair. She had tattoos everywhere. If you saw from that video on the stand, she
covered up a lot of her tattoos. While she was giving this testimony, she had a very buttoned-up shirt on.
I mean, this woman, I thought, though, overall was very believable, and like you said, just heart-wrenching to hear this testimony and her describe
some of the past abuse she faced. Yes, we talked about the rape fantasies, but clearly, I think the prosecutor in this case did a very good job of
showing that it crossed the line.
BANFIELD: And we saw a flash of War Machine watching her.
STOCKMAN: Yes.
BANFIELD: I can`t imagine what the dynamics inside the courtroom are like. But at times, I could see he was actually weepy. This big, tough fighting
machine was brought to tears.
STOCKMAN: When she first walked in, Ashleigh, he was crying. And we all thought...
BANFIELD: Just at the sight of her.
STOCKMAN: Just at the sight of her. And we all thought, as trial watchers just watching the case, and perhaps jurors, maybe he was trying to
intimidate her in a way, trying to get her to think, you know, Remember back to the good old days, I`m not so bad, I`m really a good guy, you know,
because the minute she walked in, we saw tears well up in his eyes.
BANFIELD: Well, by the way, she also testified from the stand that the highs were very high, that they were in love, that she loved him, that she
loved him deeply and that she kept saying, like so many battered women will say, I thought if I could just fix what I was doing that was bothering him,
change the things I was saying, stop upsetting him, that I could get us back to those highs, which is just sort of a tragic thing in itself to
hear, but also such a classic case of domestic abuse.
Hold that thought for one minute because we`re not leaving this trial. There`s still a lot that`s happening in Nevada, happening right now. This
is an attempted murder trial. And if you`re just joining us, it`s a former MMA fight star accused of almost killing his porn star ex-girlfriend and
the man he found her in bed with.
So we`re watching the pattern of violence. We`re watching Christy Mack`s testimony, what she says led up to this extraordinarily violent night.
But we`re also going to take you to another part of the country a little bit later in the program, a chilling 911 call that came from this house.
It`s a million-dollar mansion in a very ritzy Atlanta suburb, not the place you would expect to hear the kind of 911 call that you`re going to hear,
especially when you hear what was going on behind those blinds that are pulled down, doors that are closed. It`s going to be a complete surprise
when you find out what was going on in there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: We`ve all driven through multi-million-dollar neighborhoods and wondered what it would be like to live there. But tonight, inside a home
near Atlanta, what police believe was going on if this mansion was truly scandalous.
HLN`s Natisha Lance is standing by right outside of that home. Take me there.
NATISHA LANCE, HLN SENIOR PRODUCER: Ashleigh, neighbors in this affluent Georgia community are in shock tonight after learning what was going on
inside this million-dollar home of their neighbor. What police found inside and all those details, we`ll have for you coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:18:30]BANFIELD: We`re continuing to follow that breaking news in the attempted murder trial involving former MMA star War Machine, his legal
name, War Machine. His porn star ex-girlfriend is on the stand tonight. She`s testifying, in fact, has been all day, about the horrible night in
which she says he beat her within an inch of her life. And what Christy Mack says their relationship was like brought her to tears.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACK: Every time he would hit me, he would tell me if I didn`t do this action, then I wouldn`t have to hit you, that this wouldn`t happen if you
hadn`t done something.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you believe that? Did you think that that was...
MACK: Sometimes I did. Sometimes I really thought, you know, if I wouldn`t have done this, it wouldn`t have happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: A lot of tears on that stand today. She`s been on the stand right now for about three-and-a-half, coming up on about four hours. And
one of the things that she testified to had nothing to do, in fact, with the incident that resulted in 34 charges, including attempted murder.
It was a long time beforehand, in fact, apparently, a car trip. The two of them were in a car coming back from a mall. Something, she say, set War
Machine off, and the beating that she got in that car is astounding. And she actually did a play-by-play from the stand and said what happened to
her at that moment. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACK: As we were on our way home, he just started screaming at me about nothing (ph). And I gave him some attitude. I said, I like my wigs. I`m
going to wear my wigs. I like my fangs (ph). I`m going to wear my fangs.
[20:20:04]UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened when you give him the attitude?
MACK: He ripped my wig off. And I took my fangs out because I knew he was going to hit me next, and I didn`t want to either chip my teeth or swallow
anything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. So you took them out. What happened after you took the fangs out?
MACK: I put them into my bag. And he began screaming at me more and more. He turned the car around to go back where we came from. And before we got
back to where we came from, he turned down Maryland (ph), right next to the Boulevard Mall.
I had taken my seatbelt off because I knew if we hit a stoplight, I`d be able to escape and I wouldn`t have to get hit this time. So I took my
seatbelt off without him noticing, and I tried -- when we reached the stoplight (INAUDIBLE) stoplight, I opened the door to try and escape. And
he pulled me back in by my hair and slammed my head down on the dashboard, which chipped my tooth, and he was still pretty mad, so he grabbed my head
and brought me in and bit (ph) my chin right here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On the left part of (INAUDIBLE) chin?
MACK: Yes. And I don`t remember how many times he hit me after that. But he turned down the side road by the Best Buy, and he said, Now I have to
kill you because people saw you trying to escape. He said, Now I have to take you to the desert and kill you!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: I want to bring in Gretchen Von Helms and Jan Ronis. They`re joining me now sort of the prosecutor, the defense type, and Rachel is
still with me, to discuss what we`re seeing here. And again I just want to remind our viewers this is happening live in Nevada. We are watching this
testimony and turning it around as quickly as possible. But it`s only the first day that she`s been on the stand. I don`t know how long she`s going
to testify for. But man, has she unloaded a lot of really critical information!
Why is all this previous abuse critical?
GRETCHEN VON HELMS, FEDERAL ATTORNEY: Because the prosecutor`s going to want to show that she was a victim of a lot of abuse and that she fits in
within that classic pattern where she`ll placate and try to appease the man and then just gets more abuse from it. You can`t change him, and she`s
trying to do that through this placation.
BANFIELD: So Jan, you know, oftentimes, we are in a courtroom for a murder case, and you do not have the benefit of the victim telling you what
happened to him or her. It`s done all through evidence. It`s done through presentation. It`s done through witness testimony.
So when you get the actual victim on the stand talking about this, it`s got to be extremely powerful, especially if that witness is articulate and
clear and has a good memory.
JAN RONIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right. Well, it`s more often than not that there is a victim in the case. I mean, murder cases are certainly well
prosecuted, but there are many cases in which victims come to court. And although this is primarily a domestic violence case, it does have some
elements that aren`t present in the normal domestic violence case. Number one, you`ve got a porn star. I`m not saying that porn stars can`t be beat,
but on the other hand, I`m not so...
BANFIELD: Oh, is he going to drill down on that, by the way?
RONIS: I`m not so sure that a jury may give the same (INAUDIBLE) credibility to her that...
BANFIELD: Will he use that?
RONIS: ... may a non-porn star victim.
BANFIELD: Is that effective? As a defense attorney, would you say, Who is this floozy on the stand, who, by the way, is very smart and very clear and
very articulate.
RONIS: Right. We`ve got that. And then we also have out of her own mouth the fact that they had engaged in rough sex, and you know, what some might
describe as unusual sexual acts before. So she does have some liability going in as a witness. I`m not suggesting that a jury might extend her
some credibility, but there is a credibility issue (INAUDIBLE)
BANFIELD: There was one thing she said on the stand just a few moments ago, where she talked about how she was scared during this incident in
which he`s charged about her animals. This is also classic. We hear it a lot with domestic abuse, that domestic abusers will go after pets.
There is another story that she told about pets. Now, let`s be clear, these are very avant-garde, shall we say, folks, and they`ve got a pet
snake, or at least she has a pet snake, or they live together with a pet snake. And she told a story that involved a pet snake. And I think it`s
telling again about their relationship. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACK: He had requested that I change the snake`s water a couple of days before. And I did. But snakes, when they have substrate in their
containers, they get substrate in the water containers. So while they had an adequate amount of water, it wasn`t as clean as he would like. So he
told me to drink the water, and then when I wouldn`t, he picked me up by my neck and carried me up the stairs!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: By your neck?
MACK: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where -- did he carry you all the way up the stairs?
MACK: (INAUDIBLE) my bedroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what happened when you got to the bedroom?
MACK: He just continued to choke me and yell at me, and then he said, I need to remove myself from the situation before I cause any more damage.
My mom was home, so was -- she came in and started screaming at him. But he gathered his things and then he left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Rachel Stockman, one of the critical questions that you would think a defense attorney is going to jump on, and may or may not, but I
assume will -- if it was so bad, why did you stay? Why did you continue to return to all of this? And like a good prosecutor, they ask that question
before they get blindsided be it. What was the answer?
[20:25:12]STOCKMAN: They absolutely did. And the answer was basically, which is like we were discussing earlier, typical of domestic violence
victims. She was scared. She was embarrassed. And also, she says she was threatened by War Machine. Basically, War Machine told her -- she
testified on the stand that he would send his friends who are SEALs after her, his friends who were in gangs like the Hell`s Angels after that. And
so she said she was scared, and plus she was embarrassed.
BANFIELD: You know, I`ve got that, actually. I was able to grab that really quickly because what`s critical about that whole story about threat
-- you know, siccing my Navy SEALs friends on you or siccing my Hell`s Angels friends on you that she testified to -- guess who else testified to
that? Corey did. Corey Thomas said that that was how he got out of there and that the threat was, You tell the police, you call the police, and I
will sic my Navy SEALs and my Hell`s Angels friends on you.
Here`s how that actually sort of unfolded from the stand when it came to Christy Mack`s version of the threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MACK: I was extremely embarrassed. I never thought that I could let that happen to me. I always saw myself as a strong individual. And I realize
now that I shouldn`t have been embarrassed. But at the time, I definitely was.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did he ever threaten you if you did tell?
MACK: Yes, he did.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did he say?
MACK: He would -- he said he would send his Navy SEAL friends and the Hell`s Angels after either myself or my family if he went to prison.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: All right. Back with my panel. This is -- again, I hate to sound like a broken record, but the classic domestic violence scenario is
the beatings happen, the threats come, the memories of the better times overtake the memories of the bad time.
Do you think that the prosecutor needs to literally spell this out as a play-by-play for a domestic violence case? Because I keep looking at the
pictures of her, and I think that`s enough.
HELMS: In this case, it`s probably enough because of the severity of her injuries. The defense is going to say this is a rape fantasy and she was
part and parcel of this and asked for it and was -- this was the game they were playing and consented to this conduct. That`s going to be a likely
defense. But in this case, the beatings were so severe, it`s going to be very hard for the defense to overcome that and say she wanted this.
BANFIELD: Hey, Jan, just to what Gretchen said, rape fantasy being the linchpin of the defense case -- that`s what we`re expecting. This is what
they pinted (ph) towards. It was batted about in pre-litigation that they wanted to get that in, and the judge has allowed it.
But I`ve never engaged in a rape fantasy, so you know, I`m just going to have to spitball here, but her nose was broken, her teeth were missing and
broken, her leg extraordinary bruised, her liver was lacerated, she had what`s called an orbital fracture, better known as a broken eye socket.
She` undergone five surgeries. She is still expected to lose more teeth three years -- three years since this attack, she`s still expected to lose
more teeth.
There there`s the proof in the pudding right there. This is what she looked like in her hospital bed. What jury can be led down a garden path
that a fantasy leads to this?
RONIS: Well, there`s certainly corroboration to the fact that there was a rape fantasy because she testified, as you saw earlier, that they had rough
sex and they had unusual sex, and she is a porn star. So there is some corroboration to that. But look, it maybe a case in which the defense is
looking for something less than attempted murder, perhaps some assault charge or (INAUDIBLE) bodily injury...
BANFIELD: I think I hear what you`re saying. And I think what you`re saying is that life in prison, no parole, really stinks.
RONIS: Well...
BANFIELD: And if there`s any way to get out of this bag of crap that he`s in, that`s the only thing they can do. It`s that literally the only
spaghetti he can throw at the fridge (ph)...
RONIS: Listen...
BANFIELD: ... is just try to mitigate?
RONIS: Sometimes -- trying to get a mitigated sentence and a mitigated charge is certainly better than getting for the full enchilada, which would
be an acquittal. And this may be a case in which you`re looking for a lesser verdict than that which is charged.
BANFIELD: I got two words to that. Good luck. I mean, good look.
Hold that thought for a minute because I do have an update that I need to give our audience to an alleged kidnapping that happened in broad daylight.
I want you to take a look at your screen. This was caught on surveillance tape. We showed you this on our program.
In North Carolina, a woman frantically running down the street, not alone. There`s a man running behind her. He appears to violently punch her, and
after this huge struggle, he rips her across what looks like a street into a waiting black vehicle. You even see another man emerging from the car.
So there`s a second player here.
We have not only confirmed that the woman tonight is safe, but we have also learned that the police have made two arrests. Marquise Logan (ph), and
Tyrene Mussagee (ph), both of them 25 years old, both of them charged with first degree kidnapping.
[20:30:00] The man you see on the left has also been charged with assault on a female and assault on an unborn child. So we can only assume that the
man on the left was the one pummeling that woman and we can only assume from those charges that perhaps that woman was pregnant. We are happy to
report tonight that she`s at least been found safe and that they are in custody.
Police in Santa Clarita, California are searching for a grab and go robber who picked the wrong woman who he tried to steal from last week. I want to
show you the suspect. He`s watching Janette Garlow as she counts cash to get a money order to pay for rent. Look on the left, look what he`s about
to do. Before you know it, grab. He grabs the cash and he runs. But there is more. We`re going to let Janette explain what happened next.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
JANETTE GARLOW, WOMAN WHO CHASED DOWN A SNATCHER: I put the money out on the table because I was counting it. And out of nowhere, a guy comes out of
behind me and kind of like pushes me out of the way. I kind of chased after him. And he ended up slipping on the little rug that they have inside of
there. So when he went down, I was already trying to get him and holding on to him. And I kind of fell on the floor, I went down, and he got up and
started dragging me out and running.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: But Janette Garlow was right there behind him. And here is what`s particularly awesome about this foot chase. Janette is eight months
pregnant. She did get banged up. Her knee was hurt. But that little baby in there is okay. She got checked at a hospital. In the meantime, police are
still trying to find that guy. Suspect currently only got away with 40 bucks, not all the thousands and rent money, all was said and done. So way
to go. Janette, eight months pregnant, be careful, girl.
Chilling 911 call. I think that`s the only way you can describe it, just came in to police in Georgia, but it came from a million-dollar mansion. A
very unlikely location. And that is where they found eight women living with one man. Living may be the operative word here because there was
something else going on in that home, in that exclusive neighborhood that has shocked the neighbors and will probably shock you too.
[20:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: When you drive through a ritzy neighborhood filled with million- dollar homes, you expect to see how the other half lives, right? The kids playing maybe on nice bikes, BMWs, Lexus, maybe a Land Rover here and there
in the driveways. If you`re driving through this subdivision just outside Atlanta, the homes are simply outstanding. A lot of them upwards of 7,000
square feet inside, price tags topping a million bucks.
Kind of makes you wonder what life is like behind those fancy closed doors. Yesterday, we got quite a peek, and it is no place you ever want to set
foot. And we know that because a 911 call came from inside this seven- bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion. Here is what the dispatcher heard.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a house full of girls and like if I try to leave, he`ll try to kill, he`ll kill me and stuff.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you say you`re in a house full of girls?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uh-huh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And somebody is threatening to kill you if you leave?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uh-huh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who is threatening to kill you? One of the girls?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, our boss.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why does he threaten to kill you if you leave?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So when I came in, it was like the situation was you come and you work and you`re going to make money on dancing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you and the girls dance for money at this house?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, I haven`t started yet. I just got here. I`ve been here for about a month. He had me go get like plastic surgery. And
he`s like, he`s so mean. I just can`t stay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How did you meet him?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On a website. It`s called "Seeking Arrangement."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s called what arrangement?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Seeking Arrangement."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Seekingarrangement.com. When you meet up with people online, you should have every right to come and go as you please, but that caller in a
whisper to the 911 operator explains why she and the seven other women inside that house did not leave that house.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m the only one who wants to leave. Everyone else wants to be here. Everyone else is fine. Like, he doesn`t threaten them. He
mostly just threatens me. Because I had to have surgery. And he threatens me the most.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of weapons are in the house?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As far as I know, like a handgun and an AK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know if he keeps that on him?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The handgun, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: HLN senior producer, Natisha Lance, is live outside of that Sandy Springs, Georgia mansion where those women were found. So many questions.
First of all, the way she describes it as dancing but it sure sounds like prostitution. Do we know what was going on there?
NATISHA LANCE, HLN SENIOR PRODUCER: Ashleigh, that is what police are looking into tonight. These women between the ages of 19 and 22 years old
from all over the country, that they came to this home under the pretense according to police of either
[20:40:00] a modeling career or some sort of financial assistance. Neighbors who we spoke to in this neighborhood say that they are shocked,
they are horrified, they didn`t see anything particularly unusual with the exception of luxury vehicles, brand new luxury vehicles that were parked
outside this home on the street.
Also a lot of activity between the hours of 5 p.m. and 2 p.m. at least according to the call box. There are cameras and security surveillance
cameras in this neighborhood. That is something that the homeowners association told me that they have handed over to police, hoping that the
police will be able to glean more clues.
We`ve been here for several hours this evening, and we haven`t seen any activity inside the home. But all the lights are still on inside the house
and two of vehicles that neighbors say belong to the people who are living in this home are still parked outside the home. Ashleigh?
BANFIELD: One little nugget that we couldn`t believe when we looked it up was that a child star used to actually live there. You might know her as
Rudy Huxtable. That was her stage name but she is Keshia Knight Pulliam. That was her home. Just sort of a bizarre, you know, (inaudible) there.
Hold on, Natisha, for a minute. I want to bring in Sergeant Sam Worsham, who is a public information officer for Sandy Springs, Georgia.
Sergeant, what are the seven other women -- we`ve heard from one of the women on the 911 call. What are the other seven women telling you about
what went on in there? Sergeant, can you hear me? I think I might have lost Sergeant Sam. Either that or the phone is on mute. We`ll see if we can
reestablish that connection. Natisha, do we know the answer to that? Do we know where those other seven women are and what they told police?
LANCE: We don`t know specific details about that yet, Ashleigh, but our understanding was that police are still trying to figure out what their
stories were, how they came to be at this house, how long they were at the house. According to the information that we received from police earlier
today, they could have been here anywhere between one month up to three months.
And the man who was in this house. Now, this house was actually being rented. The man whose name was on that list is apparently out of the
country. But the man who was arrested, his name is Kenndric Roberts, 33 years old. He`s facing two charges, false imprisonment and also trafficking
of a person for labor.
Now, what neighbors say around here, that they didn`t have an opportunity to meet him. But as neighbors do, as he would come and go, they would see
him waving. There didn`t seem to be anything that seemed to be alarming about him living in this home. Ashleigh?
BANFIELD: Except the strange activity, you know, after 5:00 at night, and all those really fancy cars. Hold on, Natisha, I think we have Sergeant Sam
back. Can you hear me, sergeant?
SAM WORSHAM, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER FOR SANDY SPRINGS, GEORGIA: Yes, I can hear you.
BANFIELD: Okay. So a couple of things I need to ask you. What are the seven women telling you about what went on in that house? I`m gonna just throw
another question on top of that. Are they in trouble because the one woman says they all wanted to be there which to me doesn`t make them sound like
victim as much as, you know, part of a criminal operation as a prostitution. What was going on there?
WORSHAM: Well, the investigation is still very much active. We have partnered up with the FBI, the local office here. We are using some of
their resources as well. We did take statements from each one of the women that were in that house.
BANFIELD: What did they say?
WORSHAM: At this time, one has actually spoken up saying that she was held against her will and that what prompted the charges against Mr. Kenndric
Roberts.
BANFIELD: I know. I heard her say that on the 911 call. I`m trying to find out what the other seven said. What are they saying? Are they in trouble?
WORSHAM: Well, again, it is a very active investigation. I can`t really comment a whole lot about what they are saying because there still may be
charges pending.
BANFIELD: So, when you say charges pending, against them or against him or both?
WORSHAM: Against Mr. Roberts.
BANFIELD: What about the women? What about the other seven women who said they were perfectly happy in this beautiful -- we`re looking at the inside
of the mansion by the way. It is as expected, beautiful walk-in closets, fancy kitchen, fancy bathrooms. What you would get if you had million extra
dollars in your jeans. Are those other women in trouble because they didn`t seem to have any issues with whatever operation was going on in there?
WORSHAM: Well, at this time, I can`t really comment on that. Again, the investigation is still very active. We are looking into every aspect, but
at this time, Mr. Roberts is being held for false imprisonment and trafficking of persons for labor.
BANFIELD: Sergeant Sam, you are good at your job, but I am trying hard and I don`t think I`m getting anywhere. Hopefully, maybe we can get an update
from you when the investigation progresses and you`re able to be a little more forthcoming about what the heck was happening in there. Thank you,
sir. Will you come back?
WORSHAM: Yes, ma`am.
BANFIELD: All right. Sergeant Sam, joining us from City of Sandy Springs. A dad on trial literally gets sick because some pictures (inaudible) in court
that you probably would have preferred not to see. They were pictures of his dead son. Would you believe though
[20:45:00] that this moment, right here, seen by the jury, caused a mistrial? And here is the weird part. It ain`t the first.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: It is not very often that prosecutors get three cracks against the same defendant charged with the same crime in the same case. But after
two mistrials, a father in Ohio is going to be tried for a third time on charges that he ignored the excruciating
[20:50:00] burns that were inflicted on his 4-year-old boy at the hands of a step-mom. Prosecutors say that Robert Ritchie had just checked on little
Austen or had taken him to the doctor, that he still would be alive. But the reason for the second mistrial in Ritchie`s case is odd.
While prosecutors were flashing pictures of his son`s injuries in court, this happened. Ritchie, appeared to be sick, gagging actually into that
cloth. Eventually, he was wheeled out of the courtroom on a stretcher. And because of that, the judge and the attorneys decided they had no other
choice.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think there is a distraction and I don`t think there is nothing we done to get that image out of the jury`s head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Several jurors apparently observed him getting sick and the context of the testimony both counsel have asked for a mistrial and I
think considering all the circumstances, I have no choice but to grant a mistrial.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: His first trial was just last year and in that case, the jurors were deadlocked, because they said they couldn`t reach a verdict on the
child endangerment charge and the involuntary manslaughter charges. I want you to listen to how the prosecutors described little Austin`s injuries and
why step-mom Anna Ritchie was charged with murder.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID FORNSHELL, WARREN COUNTY PROSECUTOR: To see the type of injuries that were inflicted upon this child, we`re talking half of his body being
substantially burned to the point to where the skin is not -- the skin is hanging on the body.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Dr. Michelle Dupre is a forensic pathologist. She is live from Columbia, South Carolina. Doctor, apparently this little Austin died from
something called hypovolemic shock. I think I`m pronouncing it okay.
MICHELLE DUPRE, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: Yes.
BANFIELD: Ultimately, is that a condition where if that dad had just checked on him and gotten him medical attention he would have survived?
DUPRE: It is possible, Ashleigh. The thing is it depends on if someone would have been there right away and immediately gotten him to medical
attention. It is possible that there still would have likely been permanent damage.
BANFIELD: Apparently his skin was hanging off him. What kind of pain would this child have endured for the 15 hours before he got attention?
DUPRE: Initially, there would have been significant pain. As time went on, the nerve endings would have been damaged and pain would have subsided.
BANFIELD: I want to bring in from Cincinnati, Frank Schiavone III and Frank Schiavone IV. Father and son team. They happened to be the defense
attorneys for Robert Ritchie. Gentlemen, thanks so much. For our purposes, I`m going to call you junior and senior if that`s okay. I am so curious
about this immediate attention business.
Because if your client and he`s going to trial for the third time, that`s what prosecutors have said, had he sought attention for that boy instead of
leaving him in bed for 15 hours? You heard the doctor, he likely would have survived. Do you think that`s why we are in this (inaudible) right now and
is that the linchpin of this case?
FRANK SCHIAVONE III, ATTORNEY FOR ROBERT RITCHIE: Well, I think the linchpin in this case, Ms. Banfield, is the fact that there is no time of
death that`s been established at any point in time during this case. The stepmother gave a time of 4:30 in the afternoon, but all of the evidence
seems to point to the fact that this child was burned at approximately 1:00 in the afternoon. He was held in this tub of scalding water for 25 minutes.
And in her words, the child was screaming when he went into the tub, but was not screaming when he came out.
BANFIELD: Maybe you can speak to this notion of the -- I mean, the injuries were so appalling. There are some descriptions of the child`s skin being
left behind in the tub, blisters that were the size of golf balls, just awful pain this baby would have been once he was put to bed and left there
as a 4-year-old all by himself for 15 hours.
Frank Jr., the photographs would have been shown during trial number one last year, and your client would have seen those pictures. So this recent
reaction in court, you can imagine why some people would think that is just faking.
FRANK SCHIAVONE IV, ATTORNEY FOR ROBERT RITCHIE: That is correct. And this time, what made this time different was the fact that he`s been living with
this for almost a year, next week marks the one-year anniversary of Austin`s death. Mr. Richie has been out on his own recognizance bond, so
he`s been free since the first trial.
And he has been a lot of time, he has told me, at the grave site, trying to grief, trying to move on. And this time, he looked, and it overtook him. I
can tell you his grief is real. What occurred yesterday in court was real. He was hospitalized. And I believe the judge made the right call.
BANFIELD: And that`s that. I mean, there will be that fourth.
[20:55:00] So we`ll have to have you both back. Father and son team. You are kind to have joined us. Thanks so much. I appreciate it.
SCHIAVONE IV: Thank you very much.
SCHIAVONE III: Thank you.
BANFIELD: Frank Schiavone IV and III. Thank you, everyone. I want to thank Gretchen Von Helms (ph) and (inaudible) for being my guests tonight. It was
kind of like flying quick throughout that early part of the show with that live trial that was going on. Thank you for that. I appreciate it. Thank
you, everyone, for watching. Stay tuned though. We`re back here again tomorrow night at 8:00 for PRIMETIME JUSTICE. In the meantime, stay tuned.
"FORENSIC FILES" is up next.
[21:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
