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Crime and Justice With Ashleigh Banfield

Defense Grills Beating Victim About Rape Fantasies; Deadly Blaze Sparked by Hoverboard; Winter Storm Warning; Heartbroken Mom; Disturbing Details; Amazing Survival. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired March 13, 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 MALE: ... 16 to 20 inches of snow...

JEAN CASAREZ, HLN HOST (voice-over): More than 60 million people in the path of a monster winter storm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the category of one of the biggest snowstorms in recent memory.

CASAREZ: With travel problems expected, if not impossible, from Chicago all the way to Maine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... now that`s going to be falling faster than we can clear it.

CASAREZ: 60 mile-an-hour wind gusts, whiteout conditions and massive power outages possible.

CHRISTY MACK, ALLEGED VICTIM: I wouldn`t want to do -- I not want to almost die for a few followers!

CASAREZ: The defense revealing its risky strategy in the War Machine attempted murder trial, claiming a former porn star`s injuries were all

part of a publicity stunt to boost her social media following.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many times (INAUDIBLE) unconsciousness?

MACK: Sexually, at least three.

CASAREZ: But could that attack backfire on the MMA fighter?

A grieving mother unleashing her anger in court.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rot in hell, you monster!

CASAREZ: Ripping the man found guilty of killing her daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wish you nothing but evil in prison!

CASAREZ: Why she did not stick around to hear his apology.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to be blind, deaf and dumb.

CASAREZ: Attorneys for a 14-year-old girl furious.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And a hundred men are showing up over a period of a couple of days.

CASAREZ: They say she was held against her will, forced to have sex with more than a thousand men.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is as bad, as open and obvious as it gets.

CASAREZ: But they say one hotel played her plight even worse, allegedly ignoring and profiting from sex slavery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought he was going to kill all of us.

CASAREZ: New video tonight of a brazen bank robbery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He say, It`s a stick-up. It`s a stick-up.

CASAREZ: Police say a man and his dog held up the place, turning 13 customers into hostages.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We sure thought we was going (ph) down. (ph)

CASAREZ: What one customer says they did with a gun pointed right at them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He say, Well, I know we`re on the news now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CASAREZ: And good evening. I`m Jean Casarez, in for Ashleigh Banfield. Thank you so much for joining us. This is PRIMETIME JUSTICE.

We do have breaking news tonight. A major snowstorm is about to pound at least eight states from Chicago to Maine. The nor`easter is expected to

unload heavy snow and high winds, shutting down air travel. Some flights are already canceled ahead of the storm. Nearly two feet predicted in some

places with whiteout conditions.

Meteorologist Jennifer Gray is tracking this tricky forecast for us -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER GRAY, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Jean, that`s right. We are going to see a lot of snow, and air travel is basically going to come to a screeching

halt across the Northeast, thousands of frights already canceled ahead of the storm and more expected tomorrow.

We basically have two different storm systems. They`re going to merge, create this nor`easter and blizzard-like condition all across the

Northeast. Already seeing the snow picking up in D.C. That will continue through much of morning tomorrow.

Here are the winter storm warnings, also the blizzard warnings in orange, and we`ll look closer at those zoomed down. You can see New York metro,

portions of Long Island, just north of Philadelphia included in that, and it stretches all the way up north of Boston.

This is a huge chunk of the Northeast in that blizzard warning. Of course, we are going to see this storm track to the north and east throughout the

day tomorrow. Coming up in the next half hour, we`ll take a close look at this track and let you know exactly how much snowfall some of these major

cities are expecting.

CASAREZ: Jennifer, we`re hearing that 84 million people could be in the pathway of this storm, but doesn`t it also impact people in the Midwest,

for instance, if they have travel plans for tomorrow?

GRAY: You`re exactly right. A lot of these flights leave New York, they go to other airports and then you pick up from there and go elsewhere. So

just because these flights are canceled in the Northeast doesn`t mean that the rest of the country will be A-OK. This is going to have a domino

effect across the country, and we are going to be feeling it big-time not only tomorrow but possibly into Wednesday, as well, Jean.

CASAREZ: All right. Exactly. Jennifer, thank you. We`ll check in with you a little bit later.

The defense now putting a former porn star`s sex habits into evidence during cross-examination in War Machine`s attempted murder trial, the MMA

fighter accused of beating Christy Mack and a friend sleeping in her bed nearly to death in the attack that happened nearly three years ago in Las

Vegas, Mack`s injuries simply staggering, 10 broken bones, including her nose, her eye socket, several teeth knocked out, a lacerated liver and

countless bruises.

She was on the stand for two days talking about her sex life with War Machine, their relationship, and how she says the abusive relationship just

kept getting worse and worse.

[20:05:10]But War Machine`s attorneys turned the tables on Mack during cross-examination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Part of what you like is to be choked?

MACK: Sexually?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MACK: Yes, I do request to be choked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Antonio Castelan is a reporter for KSNV-TV in Las Vegas. He was in court today. He joins us now live from outside the Clark County

courthouse. Antonio, I want to ask you, first of all, in the cross- examination of Christy Mack, what was the defense really going for, trying to elicit facts from her?

ANTONIO CASTELAN, KSNV-TV: Well, one of the first things that they were going for is that they were questioning her about her contact and frequency

talking to the Clark County`s district attorney`s office. They were trying to see if the district attorney had any sort of coaching of her. They were

asking if the district attorney had told her what to say in her testimony.

And then they went into the social media, the following that she has on Twitter and Instagram. They were trying to show the jury that before

August of 2014, she didn`t have much of a following. But after that, she - - her following substantially grew. So they were trying to make it seem like maybe she profited out of the attack that happened to her.

And then they brought up the fact that Christy Mack sent Corey Thomas, the man that she was with the night of the beating -- that she sent a naked

picture to War Machine as she was about to meet up with Corey Thomas for a night of watching the movies.

CASAREZ: Right. The timeline is very important. But Antonio, I want you to listen to this because also, the lifestyle was brought up, the sexual

lifestyle between Christy Mack and War Machine. She was asked questions about choking. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you agree part of the problem -- the idea behind rape is surprise?

MACK: Yes, that is correct.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How did John respond to the idea of the rape fantasy?

MACK: Well, we obviously never acted it out. So I did not -- I don`t remember how exactly he reacted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, did he seem disgusted by it, and, No, I would never do that?

MACK: No. I don`t believe he would ever say anything like that sexually ever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

MACK: He`s very open-minded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Tanya Young Williams is a domestic violence advocate and the host of "In the Loop." She joins me now from Princeton, New Jersey. Thank you

so much. Very nice to see you again.

You know, I want to ask you because Christy Mack was in court right now an alleged victim of domestic abuse, victim of domestic abuse. She didn`t go

to authorities. She stayed in this relationship year after year, broke up, got back together again. Now the defense is trying to bring out the

fantasies that she and War Machine had, the choking, the fantasies of rape and being raped.

Could that shame on her part, if it is shame, have stopped her from going to authorities?

TANYA YOUNG WILLIAMS, HOST, "IN THE LOOP": Hi, Jean. First and foremost, the fact that victims go and return home to their abusers is commonplace

factors (ph), and there are a myriad of reasons as to why it happens. But one of the threats we find that`s consistent is that after an abuse, after

a violent act at the hands of the perpetrator, he tends to be very apologetic, more affectionate, more caring, and that makes the victim feel

that, Hey, I can fix this problem. It was a mistake.

So very often, the victim goes back because guess what? She still loves him more than she loves herself. And so you also heard her say that she

was afraid of him, that he would harm her family and her friends. And there are very real reasons that victims return home, and part of it is

shame, not maybe for her fantasies -- that might be her specific situation. But sometimes, there is shame on behalf of the victims because they don`t

want others to know what they are living through.

And it takes something paramount in their lives for them to have the courage to say, I love myself more than my abuser. I`m going to share my

story. I`m going to ask for help.

CASAREZ: You know, the defense made no bones about it because on this cross-examination, they focused on intimate aspects of their sexual

relationship. I want you to listen to part this cross-examination on the rape fantasy that she and War Machine shared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROSSTALK)

[20:10:06]MACK: This is a snake trying to get warm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is he trying to get warm?

MACK: By using my body heat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is it trying to get your body heat?

MACK: It is wrapped around my neck and my arm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks like it`s choking you.

MACK: This is not actually a constrictor. This is a (INAUDIBLE) Texas rat snake.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand that. (INAUDIBLE) didn`t ask what it was. I asked (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Objection, argumentative.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Overruled.

MACK: It is around my neck, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: So what you`re seeing right there was an actual snake around her neck, the defense trying to bring out that she wanted the snake to choke

her and thereby lead into one of the fantasies and one of the sexual exploits that she and War Machine did.

Joey Jackson, want to talk to you about -- this is a Las Vegas, all right? This is a Las Vegas jury. I`m licensed in Las Vegas. I know a little bit

about Las Vegas juries. I know a little bit about Las Vegas, Las Vegas traditionally conservative, Mormon-based.

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Right.

CASAREZ: But the majority of people in Las Vegas work on the strip. Can that mentality of this jury listen to that defense questioning a bit more?

JACKSON: You know, Jean, great question. Anything`s possible. But I don`t like this defense one bit, and I`m going to tell you two reasons why.

The first reason is, is that whenever you`re shaming a victim, it becomes problematic but becomes even more problematic when that victim was beaten

almost to death! There is broken bones, there`s lost teeth, and now you`re going to cross-examine on fantasies and expect a jury to buy in and to

relate to that? So that`s the first problem that I really have an issue with.

The second one is, even if you have these fantasies, does that mean that you`re justifying getting beat to death, potentially be a fantasy? This

isn`t a whodunit case. We know he did it. This is a mitigation case. He`s not walking out of that courtroom. There`s no question about it. The

issue is, how does the defense lessen the blow to their client?

CASAREZ: Well, they`re saying -- let`s listen to the next SOT, Joey.

JACKSON: OK.

CASAREZ: Being choked unconscious. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many times do you believe John choked you to unconsciousness?

MACK: At least three. I`m sorry. Do you mean sexually, or not?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sexually.

MACK: Sexually, at least three.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And when you woke up, he would still be going at it?

MACK: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: David Bruno, want to bring you in. As a prosecutor and you see the defense going after the victim like this, you`re sitting in your chair

thinking, Jury`s not going to buy this. They`ve got empathy. They`re seeing the pictures. They see this woman that has been brutally beaten.

DAVID BRUNO, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Yes, I agree. I agree with Joey. And I think the mistake that this defense is making is that they should be going

after the top count, OK, because the top count is attempted murder. And I think they`re best off going and making a defense and trying to argue that

the intent wasn`t to kill.

And they may be losing credibility for the jury with this defense and they`re in essence trying to say that because she had these dreams and

these ideas that it was accepting of this violent abuse and beating, I mean, to the point where it came out in testimony that she couldn`t even

talk to the investigator at the hospital when he`s trying to ask her questions because her teeth were gone, OK? And that`s where I think the

problem is. They got to go to the attempted murder and that defense, as opposed to this.

CASAREZ: And Joey, very fast, what would be a better defense in your mind?

JACKSON: I think you have to mitigate. Listen, anybody where they see someone who they love, who they`re emotionally connected with Jean, they

see them in bed, they`re going to lose it.

CASAREZ: Exactly. The timeline, that small portion of time right there. She sends the text...

JACKSON: Focus on that.

CASAREZ: ... to him. The other guy is coming to the house. War Machine surprises her and there`s a guy in her bed.

JACKSON: And that`s what you do. But shaming the victim and saying, You wanted a beating? Vegas jury`s going to buy that? I don`t think so.

CASAREZ: All right. Well, more when we come back in this amazing trial. This is real life, folks, in Las Vegas, Nevada. We`ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:16:34]CASAREZ: And spring -- it might be less than two weeks away, but it sure feels like the dead of winter for most of us, more than 80 million

people under a winter storm warning, even blizzard threat. But this historic storm could affect travelers from coast to coast, impacting

hundreds, even thousands of flights. When and where this massive storm will hit, coming up.

Plus, a biker beatdown, a lift (ph) driver attacked on a busy highway after getting too close to the pack. Though police haven`t tracked them down,

what that driver says caused the situation to spin out of control.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: In many abuse or sexual assault trials, the defense often puts the victim`s life, their sex life, on full display for the whole world to

see that it`s somehow their fault they were beaten or abused. And the attempted murder case involving former MMA fighter War Machine is no

different. For two days, his ex, Christy Mack, was questioned by the prosecutors and the defense about her, let`s call them unusual sexual

preferences.

But War Machine`s defense attorneys took that a step further, trying to prove the brutal beating was actually a coordinated effort by Mack to

generate social media followers. Take a listen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[20:20:02]UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This (INAUDIBLE) at the hospital?

MACK: Yes, it is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At this point, your eyes were swollen shut. You stated you could see through maybe a slit in the right eye?

MACK: Yes, in my right eye. I could open it a little bit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was it worth it?

MACK: I`m sorry? Was...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All those Twitter followers you got and all those Instagram followers, was it worth it?

MACK: I wouldn`t want to -- I would not want to almost die for a few followers!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Antonio Castelan is a reporter for KSNV-TV in Las Vegas. He was in court today. He joins us from outside the Clark County courthouse.

Antonio, when you`re in that courtroom and these pictures are displayed on the screen of her injuries, and she`s on the stand and she`s beautiful, and

the injuries don`t even look like her, what is the jury doing?

CASTELAN: The jury has been very stone-faced. They haven`t showed much of a reaction when these pictures have come out. There are 15 jurors, 3

alternates, and when looking at them, they don`t show much expression at all.

CASAREZ: OK, are they taking notes?

CASTELAN: I only see one man taking notes. They don`t seem to be doing much. The prosecutor and the defense -- they were talking to the jury to

be unbiased, and they seem to be taking that information and they are not showing any emotion at all. Very surprising to see that.

CASAREZ: All right, well, we`re going to take you into that courtroom right now because we do have Christy Mack`s statement. She reads it from

the stand. Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MACK: At around 2:00 AM Friday morning, John Koppenhaver arrived unannounced at my home in Las Vegas, Nevada. After he broke up with me in

May, he moved out of my house and back to San Diego. When he arrived, he found myself and one other fully clothed and unarmed in the house. Without

a single word spoken, he began beating my friend.

Once he was finished, he sent my friend away and turned his attention to me. He made me undress and shower in front of him and then dragged me out

and beat my face. I have no recollection of how many times I was hit. I just know my injuries that resulted from my beating. My injuries included

18 broken bones around my eyes. My nose is broken in two places. I am missing teeth and several more are broken. I am unable to chew, or see out

of my left eye. My speech is slurred from my swelling and lack of teeth.

I have a fractured rib and severely ruptured liver from kicks to my side. My leg is so badly injured, I have not been able to walk on my own. I also

sustained several lesions from a knife he got from my kitchen. He pushed the knife into me in some (ph) areas, such is my hand, ear and head. He

also sawed much of my hair off with a dull knife. After some time, the knife broke off at the handle, and he continued to threaten me with the

blade.

I believed that I was going to die. He had beaten me many times before, but never this badly. He took my phone and canceled all of my plans for

the following week to make sure no one would worry about my whereabouts. He told me he was going to rape me, but he just -- but was disappointed in

himself when he did not get hard.

After another hit or two, he left me on the floor bleeding and shaking, holding my side (INAUDIBLE) pain of my ribs. He left the room and went to

the kitchen where I could hear him rifling through my drawers. I assumed he was finding a sharper and more stable knife to end my life. I ran out

my back door, shutting it behind me so the dogs didn`t run inside to tip him off. I hopped a fence to the golf course behind my house and ran to a

neighboring house. (INAUDIBLE) would catch me. I kept running through the neighborhood knocking on doors. Finally, one answered and I was brought to

the hospital and treated for my injuries.

I would like to thank everyone for the support throughout this tough time. I am healing fast and well. I appreciate all the prayers that I have

received over the past few days. After many months of fear and pressure to keep this man happy, although I fear more my life, I feel that I can no

longer put myself in this situation. (INAUDIBLE) nearly every day and almost weekly abuse (ph) is not more than I can stand. There is a $10,000

reward for the capture of Jonathan Koppenhaver at this time. Please report any information to your local police.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Tanya Young Williams is a domestic violence advocate and the host of "In the Loop." She joins us from Princeton, New Jersey. Tanya, I think

one question that aren`t educated in this life, in being a victim is that why someone like Christy would stay with this man, would go back to this

man, because she is lucky to be alive when you hear those injuries.

WILLIAMS: Yes, she is, Jean, very, very lucky. Very often, as I stated, the victim returns because that`s what she knows. The abuser tends to show

more affection and to pretend that he loves her more right after abuse. And therefore, not only is she afraid of him, of what he might do, she also

feels that maybe this was just a mistake or maybe he will just get better.

[20:25:18]One of the things I listened to is that for the first time, when she took pictures in her hospital bed, what she was doing is going to a

platform that validated her, that made her feel special. And by taking those pictures, she was saying to the world, I need help. So with those

pictures, she couldn`t put on makeup and hide his prior abuse. She had a - - she was at a point of no return. And that was the one thing that gave her the strength not to go back to that abusive relationship.

CASAREZ: You know, this is redirect testimony, and one thing, Tanya, that we want everybody to listen to is that little timeline right there that

could be pivotal for the defense if they make it to be pivotal. But it`s also pivotal for the prosecution. And it`s when she sends a picture to War

Machine, but she also testified she didn`t know he was coming over. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the text messages you have -- you have seen between you and Mr. Koppenhaver on August 7th -- were those text messages -

- was it your understanding that he would not be coming until at the very earliest the later part of the evening on August 8th?

MACK: Yes, that is correct.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you have any way of knowing he would be coming when he did?

MACK: No, he had told me that he was going to be coming much later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: So David Bruno, she is in her house. She has a friend. They had been romantic, but that night, they may have just been friends. So how can

the prosecutor use that to show the intent to kill her as another man is in her bed?

BRUNO: Yes, sure, motive, right? That`s the number one motive. He comes in and he`s reacting to something. But it goes both ways as to what Joey

just brought up. But the fact of the matter is, this is a very persuasive witness. In fact, Ashleigh said last Thursday that it`s one of the most

persuasive she`s ever seen in her career.

And it comes down to credibility because she is saying, No, I did not invite this. I did not welcome this. I did not consent to this. And

that`s where the defense is going to have to attack the credibility of her because if she`s believed, then they`re going to find him guilty of all the

charges.

CASAREZ: And Joey, you don`t always have a living victim.

JACKSON: No, you don`t. But let me tell you what gives her credibility. Look at the pictures we`ve been looking at all night, Jean. How can you

not have a reaction to that as a juror, right? They`re human. They see this. And you`re defending on the ground (INAUDIBLE) defense that it`s,

well, some fantasy. Look at that, Jean! You look at that, it`s hard not to have a reaction that is powerful.

But at the end of the day, if the defense could negate intent -- here`s a guy who is coming home. He`s stewing! He`s brewing! He can`t believe it!

Oh, my goodness! He engaged in the act, then he snapped out of it. So he wasn`t intending to kill her, he just had such a mental state that was so

far gone that at that time, he couldn`t control himself. But once he snapped back, he stopped. That`s not attempted murder. That`s the

argument.

CASAREZ: David, very quickly, are you concerned that Antonio, the reporter out there, does not see the jurors reacting?

BRUNO: No. No, I`m not. The facts are strong for the prosecutor right now, and this is a good witness, like Ashleigh said.

CASAREZ: Maybe they`re being strong so they don`t get emotional and...

BRUNO: Yes, on, absolutely. I`m not concerned whatsoever.

CASAREZ: All right.

Well, a California driver brutally beaten by a group of bikers is speaking out from his hospital bed, describing the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I couldn`t believe the -- it was, like, starting to happen like that. It`s, like, What did I do to deserve that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Now, this as the California Highway Patrol asks the public for tips in their search for the suspects. Now, you can see on this dashcam

video one of the bikers popping a wheelie as he drives down the interstate. Seconds later, you see Alex Quintana (ph) in his white Toyota bump into a

different biker. After that, the bikers manage to box Quintana in and force him to a stop.

Alex Quintana told the "Today" show that he was just trying to get around the group when the situation really spun out of control.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every time they hit the window, I was, like, What the heck is this guy doing? And then after it broke, I`m, like, Oh, man, I`ve

got to get out and do something. The guy who thought I was trying to run him over -- he had looked at me directly in the eyes and turned on his

motorcycle and -- and ran over my leg.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Wow. This has to be solved. The California Highway Patrol is asking anyone who can help identify the bikers to contact authorities.

And a Pennsylvania family tonight mourns after a 3-year-old girl died in a house fire believed to have been sparked by a hoverboard.

[20:30:00] Ashanti Hughes suffered severe and deadly burns. And two other girls were hospitalized in critical condition. Also a veteran firefighter

Lieutenant Dennis DeVoe rushing to the scene died in a crash when he was hit by a car that was reportedly stolen. Authorities say the hoverboard was

charging in Harrisburg home when the fire broke out.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard some sizzling and crackling in the hoverboard and shortly thereafter it exploded in flames.

MARK HUGHES, VICTIM`S GRANDFATHER: My granddaughter, we can`t replace her. The pain, so deep.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Fire investigators tell our affiliate in Harrisburg, the fire has been ruled an accident. And we do continue to follow the breaking news

about the major snowstorm that`s about to pound at least eight states from Chicago to Maine. 80 million plus people are preparing for the nor`easter

that is expected to unload heavy snow, high winds, and is already impacting air travel. Meteorologist Jennifer Gray tracking this tricky forecast for

us. Jennifer.

GRAY: It really is tricky, Jean, because we are watching these two systems, the one from the mid-west that caused all of this snowfall as well as this

one that`s coming in along the coast merge, gonna create a nor`easter. It`s really going to depend on how much of this warmer air gets west to

determine how much snowfall a lot of these major cities will see.

We do think a little bit more about warmer air will filter in places like D.C. so we think their snow totals will be anywhere from say 2 to 5 inches

of snowfall, and then the rest air. As this moves up the coast Tuesday, this is 8:00 a.m., you can see Boston in the snow, New York City in the

snow as well, still snowing.

This is going to last about 12 hours for a lot of these major cities and then it finally pulls away late tomorrow evening and then we will start to

see a little bit of shoveling going on across the northeast. So here is one of the computer models we`re looking at. You see the bulls eye right there,

New York City could see anywhere from 12 to 18 inches of snowfall. Boston could see anywhere from a foot or more as well.

CASAREZ: And Jennifer, how many flights are canceled at this point, which impacts the entire country?

GRAY: Right. We have thousands of flights canceled already for tomorrow ahead of the storm. Expect more flights to be canceled tomorrow. It will

create a domino effect across the country because a lot of these flights will end up going to other locations across the country and end up

affecting you no matter where you are. Jean.

CASAREZ: All right. Jennifer, thank you so much. A beautiful young woman strangled and tossed in her killer`s attic, now the victim`s mother gets

the final world.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything reminds me of Jessica and I break down all over again. Everyday hurts and there is days I have to remind myself just

to be able to breathe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[20:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: A killer is going to jail for the rest of his life for killing a 21-year-old woman in Michigan. Prosecutors proved Jordan McClanahan

strangled Jesse White to death, wrapped her body in a blue tarp, and stuffed her body in the attic of his father`s home. A jury found him guilty

last month, but during his sentencing hearing, only one person spoke to McClanahan, the victim`s mother, who could barely control her anger.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wish you nothing but evil in prison, and I hope jail house justice is given to you, and you rot in hell, you monster.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Chris Renwick is a reporter for WJR Radio. He joins us now from Detroit. Chris, the thing that struck me was the victim and the perpetrator

were childhood friends. They`ve known each other their whole lives. Now, it`s hard to talk about, but I want you to describe for our viewers exactly

what he did to her.

CHRIS RENWICK, REPORTER FOR WJR RADIO: So like you mentioned, they`ve known each other for a long time. Jessica`s mother said they were never really

romantically involved but they would hang out from time to time. So in of those occasions, last April 23rd, McClanahan came and picked Jessica up

from her home and was going to bring her to his father`s house. She texted her mom saying that they were just going to hang out and she`d be back in a

few hours. So Jordan McClanahan -- they decided to stop and pick up some alcohol before they got back to his dad`s house.

CASAREZ: Okay. Chris, let`s get right to it. What did he do after he murdered her?

RENWICK: Well, he cut off the tips of her fingernails with bolt cutter.

CASAREZ: How about he had sex with her, right after he murdered her, he had sex with her. And then he clipped off her fingertips and then what did he

do, Chris?

RENWICK: He put her in a tarp and up in the attic she went in his father`s house.

CASAREZ: And those are the facts, folks. So we want you to listen to something we just got minutes before air. This is the police interrogation

confession that Jordan gave. Listen to what he says.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

[20:40:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Once she passed away, you didn`t do anything to her sexually after that, did you? Tell us about that.

JORDAN MCCLANAHAN, CHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE MURDER AND MUTILATION OF BODY: I got on top of her after, like right after.

I got on top of her after like right after.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Okay. You had sex with her? Okay.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: All right. I want to go to David Bruno. David.

BRUNO: Yes.

CASAREZ: Do you realize that this young girl, 21 years old, was missing for six days and he said, I don`t know where she is. I don`t know. I dropped

her off in downtown Detroit. So for six days, her family, her friends, volunteers are walking and walking and putting posters up and trying to

find her, and then they finally get him to confess. David, I want you to listen to this. This is the next part of his confession where he goes even

into more detail.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that what it was about?

MCCLANAHAN: No, no. It wasn`t about sex or anything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Okay.

MCCLANAHAN: I just, I don`t know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you even talk about having sex?

MCCLANAHAN: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you try to have sex with her and she didn`t want to?

MCCLANAHAN: No, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: All right. David, they never talked about sex but he had sex with her after he murders her. Are you concerned that this 24-year-old may have

done something like this in the past? I mean, is this normally a first crime for somebody?

BRUNO: I`m not sure about that. I mean, these facts are disturbing, no question about it, and that`s why he got life, you know. And I prosecuted a

similar case. It didn`t have the sexual element to it, but I had two brothers who killed a 16-year-old and chopped up her body. And they were

both sentenced to life as well. He got what he deserved. He admitted to it. He did it. He was convicted of it. Now, he is going to spend the rest of

his life behind bars.

JACKSON: Without parole.

BRUNO: Yeah.

CASAREZ: You have to be -- I know you`re a defense attorney, former prosecutor, but you have to be disgusted by this.

JACKSON: Look, there is no question about it. Defense attorneys do their job. At the end of the day, the jurors render their verdict. You heard the

mom before. She was just beyond herself. You really can`t blame her. You take away someone`s pride and joy. At the end of the day, listen, the way

it works, is you look at tenets of justice system, right?

Punishment, deterrence, rehabilitation. This person cannot be rehabilitated based upon what he did and so an automatic life sentence without parole is

plainly appropriate, defense attorney or not, let`s call it appropriate as it is.

CASAREZ: Here is another fact. Someone smelled something in the attic and that`s how they found the body. An underage girl repeatedly sexually

victimized by multiple men in a motel room, can the motel where the trafficking allegedly happened be actually held responsible? And the trip

to the credit union turns into a hostage situation in the blink of an eye. It`s all caught on tape. Now, a witness speaks out.

[20:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: Attorneys for a 14-year-old girl are suing a motel in Philadelphia claiming its owners and workers knew she not only was being held there

against her will, but also forced to have sex with men for money. The teen`s lawyer say the minor was kept at that motel for two years, forced to

perform sex acts with more than 1,000 men for as little as $50.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

NADEEM BEZAR, VICTIM`S ATTORNEY: This child was forced into sex slavery. Paid to do things with men, double, triple, quadruple her age. She`s

devastated by what has happened to her. She`s just, just trying to piece her life back together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: The teen is suing the motel under Pennsylvania`s new human trafficking law. Her lawyers call it a flagrant and blatant example of

looking the other way and profiting off what was happening. The motel`s owners deny they knew what was going on inside their walls. Listen to what

the hotel manager had to say.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was always in the office. I didn`t see anything wrong.

TOM KLINE, VICTIM`S ATTORNEY: You have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to know that 100 men are showing up over a period of a couple of days.

BEZAR: You have a cleaning crew that comes into the room and oftentimes finds boxes or waste cans full of used condoms. This is as bad and open and

obvious as it gets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Nadeem Bezar is the attorney for the alleged sex trafficking victim. He joins us tonight from Philadelphia. This is the first civil

suit, the first suit under this new law. The motel is in Philadelphia. Where is the victim from?

BEZAR: Good evening, Jean, and thank you for having me on tonight and your attention to this important issue. The victim is from Philadelphia. She`s a

native Philadelphian, born, raised, and has lived here her entire life.

CASAREZ: You know, I think a lot of people will be surprised by that, eyes are open, because many times when you think of sex trafficking, you think

of young women, minors from other countries. So this is someone from the Philadelphia area. How did this happen? How did it get to be -- and she

lived at the hotel? What are you alleging here?

[20:50:00] BEZAR: So like many victims who get involved in this horrible situation, she had a difficult family life. She was separated from her

family. At one time, she became homeless. She was required to fend for herself at a very, very young age. Subsequently, she ended up on the

streets and looking for some place to live and she ended up meeting the wrong people, getting involved with the wrong people, and unfortunately

doing what she could do to survive. So she ended up staying at the hotel for an extended period of time over a period of two years.

CASAREZ: And how many men would you say would come to the hotel say on a daily basis?

BEZAR: So the exact number is not exactly known. It is in the number or the order of several hundreds, maybe even upward from that. But I think the

point is and the point of the lawsuit and the point of the statute is that one man is one too many. Or one person is one too many for a victim of this

age forced to do these things.

CASAREZ: And you are alleging that the motel, not only knew about it, but it appears as though there is an ad and you call the number and the number

directed you to go to this motel and ask for a certain person, right?

BEZAR: Yeah, so Jean, like you said in the pre-clip, you couldn`t possibly not know that this was going on in the motel. We are talking about a two-

story or three-story building that has two entrances, that has a front desk that you have to walk by, and a side door that`s within eye shot of the

front desk. You`re talking about numerous men walking up and down the hallways at all hours of the day. And you`re talking about young women

scantly dressed walking in between rooms. They knew about it. It couldn`t be any more obvious.

CASAREZ: And you know, to everyone watching tonight, this is extremely significant because this law in Pennsylvania allows for a motel, someone

who is harboring the victim, the alleged victim, to actually be sued in court. And joining us tonight is someone else, a detective, Chad Opitz. He

joins us from Beaverton Police Department. He`s with the Child Exploitation Task Force, joining us from Portland, Oregon, that where the

FBI. Thank you very much, sir.

I want to ask you. The value of this law, of course, to be able to sue the motel or someone that plaintiff is saying is harboring these young women,

could this, though, open a flood gate to this happening in more than just this case but also allow sex traffickers to go underground with these young

women because this isn`t going to end.

CHAD OPITZ, SERGEANT FROM BEAVERTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: Right. Hi, Jean. Thank you for having me tonight. I think it can open the doors for more

options for victims. I know out here in Oregon we have a similar type of case involving one of our strip clubs where two minors were -- two separate

cases where minors were trafficked or exploited out of that strip club.

And it might lead to people being pushed underground I guess you would say just initially just like any crime that is kind of exposed. The people

involved with that crime, trafficking or drugs, they push it underground or change their tactics, but that`s why we have law enforcement and we just

have to adapt to what they`re doing different.

CASAREZ: And Chad, how many minors would you say are sex trafficked at this point?

OPITZ: I don`t have any exact numbers. But we have, you know, thousands and thousands through the national center for missing and exploited children

that are reported trafficked or missing each year. So there isn`t a shortage, sadly, because sex does sell. And that`s the target group of what

some people are looking for.

CASAREZ: And many are Americans, as this allege alleged victim from right in the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thank you to all. Imagine going

into your credit union to make a transaction. The next thing you know, a man pulls a gun, shoots into the ceiling, and starts taking hostages. We

will hear from someone who survived the ordeal.

[20:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: Newly released video shows the harrowing moments inside a Florida credit union when a man and a dog allegedly tried to rob the place and took

hostages. The video from inside shows the gunman in line right there with the dog shortly after the credit union opened.

When he got to the front, witnesses say the man pulled out a gun, fired into the air, and ordered employees to lock the door. A standoff followed,

and during that time, the suspect threatened the 13 hostages with a gun, moving them constantly around the credit union.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought he was going to kill all of us. He was acting like he had all of us in the classroom. He said I`m 23 years old. He said I

don`t have nothing here. I don`t have anything to live for. I don`t have no family. I don`t have no friends. See, when he said that, that scared me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Oh, can you imagine? After two hours, the SWAT team stormed the building, freeing the 13 hostages, and taking the suspect into custody. No

one was hurt, but you know what, they`ll live with it for the rest of their lives inside of them. We`ll be right back.

[21:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END