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Crime and Justice With Ashleigh Banfield
Urgent Hunt Now; Coed Murdered. Aired 6-8p ET
Aired April 10, 2018 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
SEEMA IYER, GUEST HOST, HLN CRIME AND JUSTICE: Good evening, everyone. I`m Seema Iyer, in for Ashleigh Banfield. This is "Crime and Justice."
Tonight in Tennessee, the urgent search for a 5-year-old boy, he is autistic and he`s non-verbal. And he might already be dead. Producer,
Kyle Peltz, is covering this story. Kyle, what`s the latest?
KYLE PELTZ, CRIME AND JUSTICE PRODUCER: That is right. Police are so confident this boy is dead, they charged his dad with homicide. But
where`s the body? The search continues tonight as this boy`s own mother now sits behind bars.
IYER: We`re also tracking the Texas witness trainer accused of brutally killing a college student. Producer Justin Freiman is all over it.
Justin?
JUSTIN FREIMAN, SR. PRODUCER, HLN CNN: That`s right. That trainer is accused of killing a woman that he met that night at the bar. The defense
said, they had consensual sex, and she accidentally died and he freak out, disposing of the body, only with that body dismembered and burn. Is there
any way to show the jury exactly what did happened?
IYER: And then, who`s hot for teacher tonight? This teacher accused of cheating on her husband with her 13-year-old student and she is not owning
up to it. Kyle?
PELTZ: That is right, Seema. This was teacher of the year, but let me tell you, the texts she is accused of sending a 13-year-old boy are so
explicit, we almost couldn`t show them on TV.
IYER: Plus, the manhunt for the man or the woman behind the wheel, caught on camera, slamming into a motorcyclist. We`ll tell you why police they
think they did it and where you can help them look for them.
And later, the Ohio babysitter accused of killing a 3-year-old girl. Police say she admitted to hitting her, but tonight she is walking free.
First, though, the urgent search for that 5-year-old little boy in Tennessee. He is been missing now for almost a week since his father
called police to say his special needs son had simply vanished.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My son has vanished and we cannot find him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How old is your son, sir? OK, and you said he has autism.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, how long ago was he last seen?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last night.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And do you know how he got out of the house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He must have unlocked the door.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And he got out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know anywhere where he would go from your house?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know, because we don`t know any of the names except for one neighbor. I do not know where he would have gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, is he non-verbal, or is he verbal?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is non-verbal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: But that father would reportedly change his story once he started talking to the police, while their Tennessee town pulled out all the stops
looking for little Joe. Officers say 28-year-old Joseph Daniels admitted to killing his son and hiding that little body, which is, as of now, still
missing.
But someone else has been arrested. Little Joe`s mom Crystal. Police say she was home when her little boy was killed, but that she did nothing about
it, despite, quote, multiple opportunities. Now it`s just a matter of finding little Joe and finding out what happened between his final days at
school and his final night at home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRYSTAL SHELEY, PRINCIPAL, CENTENNIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Teachers are sad. It was heartbreaking, many of us are mothers, and it`s just heartbreaking
to lose one of your own. I would say Joe, let someone into, he would come right through this doors, and one day recently, had his breakfast in his
hand, he had a fried egg and baloney sandwich and he was enjoying it immensely, because he did love to eat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: Such a cute kid. Joining me now is Bryant Joyce, host of "Live and Local" in Chalk Radio 102.3 in Chattanooga. Tom Verni, a former NYPD
Detective and law enforcement consultant here in New York, and with me on set, Attorney Kisha Hebbon. Thank you all for being here.
Now, there`s been a big turn of events. Last night we weren`t even talking about the mom in this urgent search for this little 5-year-old autistic
boy, and tonight she is in custody. So, Bryant Joyce, please catch us up on what has happened in the last 24 hours.
BRYANT JOYCE, HOST, LIVE AND LOCAL IN CHALK RADIO 102.3 FM: Yes, Seema, thank you for having me. And you know, it`s obviously a very sad and
unfortunate situation here. The boy`s mother, she apparently has been arrested. Now, she, I don`t think, is suspected of being the one who did
this to the young boy. But as you covered, she is suspected of basically covering it up.
The latest that we`ve heard on the father, who is the one who is accused of doing this, is that, you know, it`s a little bit of an unusual situation.
Apparently there were two other kids in the house. The state had never really been called in. The family had had no interactions with state
services. The father apparently did have a little bit of a reputation of having a bit of a short fuse and somewhat of a temper.
[18:05:05] You know, people who went to high school with him and knew him from work say, he could be a little bit temperamental that way. But, of
course, you know, when you`re talking about a young child who is autistic and non-verbal, it`s just -- it`s very difficult to understand.
IYER: Well, Bryant, I`m so grateful that you`re bringing up the dad`s short fuse, because that is information that we didn`t have last night. So
that is new information that you are bringing out and very crucial. Because the dad is someone who doesn`t have a criminal record, he works in
I.T., no history, but the mom, it sounds like, she admitted to being there after she was questioned by police, is that correct?
JOYCE: Yes, that is correct. And so again, it`s very bizarre. They have two other children in the house. What could have happened with this other
young child who again is nonverbal and obviously has his limitations? It`s just really sad. You wonder why it became so violent.
IYER: OK. So it was reported that there was no contact with child services at least in the last three years. OK? But there is this Facebook
post and I`m actually going to read it, and I want to bring in Tom Verni to, our law enforcement analyst to discuss this. The mom made a Facebook
post in December of 2012. And it says, "OK, everyone, I am the happiest mother. I got my son back on the 13th, and I just thank god for having a
wonderful husband and a fantastically cool mother-in-law. My kids need their mother. I`m just thankful that the good lord above has blessed me
with an amazing husband. I`m so happy we met. And also I do need prayer. I`ve had a battle in the past with my bipolar and my schizophrenia and
severe depression. It`s not a great mix. To my husband, you are my best friend and my companion."
So, Tom, let me just bring out the fact that when she is talking about her son, OK, so she is got the 3-year-old, the 8-year-old, and the 5-year-old
missing. So it sounds like at that point in 2012, she had the 8-year-old and the 5-year-old. So as a law enforcement person, what would you -- how
would you use that information? Because there`s so much information in here. We don`t know if it`s corroborated. Does she have mental illness?
Was there contact with child services? What do you do with that Facebook post?
TOM VERNI, FORMER DETECTIVE, NEW YORK POLICE: Good afternoon. And wow, what an unbelievable tragedy. Just gut-wrenching tragedy that we have
here. And, you know, yes, we`re going to use everything. I mean, we`re going to comb through all her social media, not just Facebook posts, but
anyone who`s ever e-mailed them, or messages them, text messaged them, anything that would lead us to some sort of a direction to corroborate what
the husband is saying.
You know, maybe there`s more to this than just him. Maybe it is just him. In a domestic violence situation, many times, you know, you`ll have the --
whether it`s the husband or wife who may be abused, who may not come out right away, and tell the authorities what the abuser has done to them or
the children.
So anything that we can gather, whether it was published publicly, or whether someone knows about it privately, whether be it family members or
friends. They definitely -- they want to throw out a wide net and get as much information as possible to kind of put all the pieces of the puzzle
together. And, oh my god, I hope they can at least find this child. Just the thought of this child being out there somewhere, dead or alive, you
know, it just makes your stomach turn.
IYER: Especially because if we look at the weather, OK, in Tennessee, it is getting colder and colder, despite the fact that it is April, but --
VERNI: Right.
IYER: -- Tom, let me ask you this, if this child is dead, and it`s looking more like he is, what could this weather be doing to the decomposition of
his body? How -- is it making it harder for us to find him?
VERNI: Well, yes, not only the weather. My understanding of the weather in the last week there in that area of Tennessee, is that there`s been a
number nights where it`s been below freezing. So hypothetically, if the child had been alive initially, or barely alive after he was beaten by his
father, you know, the chances of him lasting in sub-freezing weather is very slim to none.
And then also in that area, for people who are familiar with the area, just outside Nashville, there`s a park not too far from this town and a wildlife
refuge not too far from this town of wildlife area. So, my guess would be that if the father didn`t, you know, bury this -- child somewhere nearby,
those are going to be the two places authorities look first. And then, you know, if you have animals running through the area, you know, all sorts of
animals, they are going to be searching for --
IYER: I know.
VERNI: You know, yes. So, that`s --
[18:10:00] IYER: I don`t even want to think about that. It`s just -- it`s too gruesome. It`s unbearable. Kisha, let me bring you into this. OK, so
when I was talking about the child services.
KISHA HEBBON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right.
IYER: What I`m curious about is, there was no child services intervention in the last three years. But this Facebook post from 2012, it sounds like
the mom is saying, I got my son back on the 13th. So maybe child services had been involved. Would you, as a lawyer, instruct your investigator, or
try to get a subpoena from the Judge for those records?
HEBBON: Oh, absolutely. Because a lot of times when you do have child abuse and neglect issues, there`s a pattern. And you also want to see, did
the worker for child protective services do a proper follow-up to make sure the family`s OK, to periodically check in on the family and the children.
So that definitely will play a key role. And also to her mental state. Because if she has mental illness which from that Facebook post, she
indicated she did, that may play into why she never said anything to the authorities and whether she is under the brainwashing of the husband.
IYER: And you`re a defense attorney. So if you represented this woman, what would you do with that information that she admitted in this post,
that she has mental illness?
HEBBON: I would definitely try an insanity defense, and say that she didn`t have the (inaudible) or the mental state to know what she was doing,
as far as not telling authorities and actually endangering her own child`s welfare by letting this husband do what he did. So, defense -- the proper
defense in her case would be a mental insanity defense.
IYER: I want to ask you about the bond, but let me just check on my facts. Bryant, the mom and the dad are both in on one -- is it $1 billion bond or
$1 million bond?
JOYCE: I saw that. The mother was booked in on $1 million bond. So I know that about the mother. Not sure about the father. I don`t have that
in front of me right now.
IYER: OK. So, Kisha, let me ask you this. A lot of people are questioning the high bond for the mom, when the mom is not charged with
murder, right? The mom is only being charged with aggravated child neglect or endangerment.
HEBBON: Right.
IYER: Do you think that maybe the bond is so high, maybe they`re trying to get the parents to flip on each other?
HEBBON: Absolutely. Any time you have co-defendants like that, the law enforcement authorities want to try to get a cooperation from one or the
other, to try -- especially in this case, because the body has not been discovered. They don`t know where this child is. So they`re probably
thinking that both of them are a flight risk. So they have to have high bails. And that hopefully the mom will give in and say, OK, this is what
happened and this is where my son is.
IYER: Because the mom, it sounds like, cops are pulling teeth to get her to give information.
HEBBON: Right.
IYER: She wasn`t giving it willingly. So maybe this is a way to get some information about her. OK. Body`s still missing. So under the law, this
is what everybody doesn`t understand. How far can you go in terms of charging these people without the body of proof? The body.
HEBBON: I know. It`s very difficult, but then you have circumstantial evidence and I believe this father confessed and said that he did kill him.
IYER: Yes.
HEBBON: Which is interesting, that he didn`t say where the body is. That is kind a weird. If I was an attorney for the father --
IYER: Right.
HEBBON: -- I would say, this confession was not voluntary, it wasn`t knowingly, you know, he has mental illness.
IYER: But that is -- but that is what we do. Why, I mean, that is all our shtick, our spin, that`s our job.
HEBBON: Right.
IYER: But, OK, stick with me. Let me just go back, Bryant Joyce, can I ask you, what was the mom`s Facebook alias?
JOYCE: Facebook alias? I`m sorry, Seema, I don`t have that information in front of me either.
IYER: Bryant, I actually know the answer. I was just playing 20 questions with you just to have some fun. And it`s a very serious case, forgive me,
but the mom`s Facebook alias is Kotton Kandy, that`s K - cotton, k - candy and her name is K - Krystal. So, I just thought that was interesting, also
interesting is that there`s another Facebook post where -- with a photo of here, and she is saying I`m a juggalo, not a criminal. Do you have -- what
does this mean, Bryant Joyce?
JOYCE: But I can tell you the details -- I can`t tell you too much about the mother. But the details that are coming out on the father, he is been
described -- these are the words that describe him, quiet, calm, and eccentric. Now some people who went to high school with the father,
they`ve spoken with the Tennessean, which is the local newspaper in Nashville.
And I can give you one name, Hebbon Seiler, she attended high school with the father. They graduated in 2008. So he is a high school graduate. You
know, I mean, he is working a job. He has a high school diploma, but he was described as quiet, calm and eccentric. And here`s what she said, she
said --
IYER: With a short fuse.
JOHNSON: -- he was quiet most of the time, but it was like an on and off switch. He had a very short fuse. There were incidents of him getting so
angry, he would get kicked out of class. She said, when something or somebody triggered him, it was not pretty.
[18:15:08] IYER: Thank you, Bryant. Thank you, Bryant, Thank you Tom. Kisha, stick with me. Chilling surveillance video of the last night of a
beautiful Texas coed`s life. She doesn`t look like that she was in danger, but prosecutors say that within hours, she was dead.
Now the guy who picked her up is on trial for her murder. And on a lighter note, are you a podcast junkie? Because if you are like me, you can listen
to our show anytime you like. Just download our podcast on Apple Podcast, IHeartRadio, Stitcher, TuneIn or wherever you get your podcasts, for your
"Crime and Justice" fix.
[18:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
IYER: People meet at bars all the time, and they leave bars together all the time. But they don`t all end up the way Jacqueline Vandagriff did,
because after meeting a fitness trainer at the Grapevine Texas Public House and after having a few drinks with him, police say the young nutrition
student went home with him, and that is where the night turned deadly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITCHELL WILSON, CO-OWNER, SHOTS AND CRAFTS: I think it`s what -- what`s striking is that there is no red flag, there is no glaring, obvious issue.
I think, everyone who has looked at the video said the same thing that you don`t see a girl who is in fear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: 31-year-old Charles Bryant claims Jacqueline died while they were hooking up. He said they were having some pretty kinky sex. So he
panicked, and he attempted to bury her, but he said the ground was too hard to dig into, even for a fitness trainer like himself, so he dismembered
Jacqueline`s body and burnt it, leaving her remains on fire in a park miles away from his house.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Approximately 6:30 a.m., Grapevine Firefighters responded to a fire in Acorn Woods Park. After that fire was extinguished,
a dismembered, burned body was located. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner`s Office has identified that body as being 24-year-old Jacqueline
Vandagriff of Frisco.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: His defense says, he should be charged simply with tampering with evidence, but tonight, he is charged with her murder, because prosecutors
say Jacqueline didn`t die during sex. Let`s bring in investigative reporter and syndicated radio host, Kate Delaney. Dr. Tim Gallagher, a
medical examiner forensic pathologist and still with me, defense attorney, Kisha Hebbon. OK, so, Kate Delaney, this sounds like just like an
innocent, girl`s night out, girl meets guy, they hook up and then it all goes wrong. But in fact, Jacqueline was there applying for a job, is that
correct?
KATE DELANEY, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yes, that is right, Seema. That is the sad story here. She was at a bar called the Public House, and he
cozied up to her and kind a schmoozed her and the next thing you know, they were talking, at the Public House, she had filled out an application. And
then they went off to another bar and sadly the rest is history.
IYER: And let`s get into what Charles Bryant is like. So he is 31 now, he is a fitness trainer. He was in the army, is that correct?
DELANEY: Yes, he was in the army and, you know, apparently if you go back and you look at his history, he had a fondness for being in the army,
because I don`t think he really, he went to continue his career, from what I understand, in the army, but it wasn`t going to happen. And then he went
off to become a fitness trainer after that. You go back to 2006, this incident happened, this murder happened back in 2016, in September of 2016.
So there`s quite a lot of time in between them, and that is where he hopped into the whole fitness deal. And boy, it`s just a wild path and a horrible
meeting for Jacqueline Vandagriff.
IYER: So he had guns and knives and ammunition in the house, and that is fine, right? There`s nothing unusual about that, right?
DELANEY: Yes. He -- when they searched his house, he had all those items that you`re describing. He had a lot of it and a of course --
IYER: And what else did the search warrant uncover?
DELANEY: Well, when -- they also found that he had -- well, first of all, her purse was there. And there was the pinging of the cell phone which
then of course led to, OK, there`s something more here. He also had a bag of greeny, leafy substance is what they`re calling it, pot, five grams of
it.
IYER: OK.
DELANEY: So they had some other things that they found in there as well.
IYER: OK, so the cell -- initially he denied, Charles Bryant denied leaving the last bar with her, is that right?
DELANEY: Yes. But they have it on tape, the surveillance tape which they saw today in court.
IYER: So, I`m sorry, I missed that part. So after he was confronted with the cell phone and the video, then he admitted to -- well, his defense is,
the kinky sex gone awry, correct?
DELANEY: Right, absolutely. That it was just that they were having sex, and it went badly and of course there was a kiddie pool in his backyard,
and he dismembered her, is what happened.
[18:25:03] IYER: Instead of calling the police like a normal person would do, after kinky sex. And then also, wait for it, we have video of him at
Walmart, and if anybody was watching last night, you know my feelings on Walmart. But at Walmart, there`s a video of him buying a shovel, right?
IYER: Yes, absolutely. And of course in the backyard, you can see where there was an imprint of where a pool would have been, the same exact size
that they found her body in, when it was set on fire, besides being dismembered.
IYER: OK. You know, this girl, she was very young, she was 24, she was a student in college. Let`s take a look about Jacqueline.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACQUELINE VANDAGRIFF, VICTIM: Hello, everyone. My name is Jacqueline Vandagriff, but friends call me Jackie. I`m originally from the colony,
Texas, but I moved to Frisco when I was in elementary school, and I graduated from Wakeland High School. And I`m currently a junior here at
Texas women`s University, and my major is nutrition with an emphasis in wellness.
I chose this major, because I realized while working as an aesthetician, which is skin care, if you`re not familiar, I realized the importance of
nutrition and just overall health and decided that this is what I was going to study.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: Kate, I just want to get one more thing from you, and that is, this guy did have a record, something for stalking an ex-girlfriend in September
of 2016. And then, was there a child pornography, either on arrest or conviction?
DELANEY: Yes. What happened, and you mentioned that is one of the things that was big that they also found in Bryant`s phone, they found images and
video of children engaged in sex acts? So they charged him with child pornography, because they found a bunch of that.
IYER: And there were boys and girls in these acts?
DELANEY: Yes, both.
IYER: OK. So Dr. Gallagher, I`d like to bring you in. The defense is basically admitting that he tampered with evidence. OK? But the body was
burnt. So my question to you is, does burning the body actually help this guy`s defense, because he is destroying so much evidence in terms of the
dismembering and the murder itself? Talk us through that.
TIM GALLAGHER, MEDICAL EXAMINER AND FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: Well, thanks for having me on the show, Seema. Burning the body actually does very little
to destroy a lot of the evidence that is needed to determine the cause of death. It actually creates evidence as well. So burning the body at this
stage, or burning the body to the stage that he did, is not really going to destroy, the finding the cause of death and finding the manner of death.
IYER: It`s not going to destroy that?
GALLAGHER: Oh, certainly not. The parts of the body that are going to be needed to determine her cause of death, mainly her airways, her throat and
her neck are very well preserved in cases of fire. So a good forensic pathologist will be able to determine the cause of death based on those
injuries, if they are present, whether there`s a fire or not.
IYER: That is great news. But I bet Charles Bryant didn`t know that when he burned the body. What do you think, Keisha?
DELANEY: I think the defense is going to say, there`s no proof that he actually killed her. But again, depending on the autopsy results, if they
are able to get evidence from her body that may destroy his defense. But I think with this case, it`s going to really boil down to credibility. And
they`ll look at his prior history, they are going to look at the fact that he had weapons. If it was an accident, why would you have to dismember and
burn a body? Like, OK, run and act like you weren`t with this woman, but, come on.
IYER: Exactly. Because, like I was saying at our preproduction meeting, if you`re embarrassed about kinky sex, I`d rather admit to kinky sex than
dismembering and murdering and arson, right?
DELANEY: Right. It`s so gruesome.
IYER: But now, OK, as a lawyer, strategically, you`re in front of a jury, and you represent this guy. And you need credibility with the jury, as a
lawyer for your client, what do you think strategically of admitting to the tampering?
DELANEY: Well, it shows that he is accepting responsibility for that. He would normally if someone`s, you know, guilty and they want to say, I
didn`t do anything, they are going to say, I`m not guilty of anything, but the fact that he did that, the lawyers are going to try to say, OK, listen,
he is admitting, they did something and an accident occurred, he is admitting that he tried to cover it up, because he panicked. So -- the
lawyers are going to try to appeal to the jury`s sympathy for that.
IYER: But is it also in this day and age Kisha, with the cell phone pings and the video, is it also, you`re at a point where I have to admit to
something?
DELANEY: Right. There`s so much video footage of them sitting in the bar together, leaving the bar together. So, he had to say he knew this woman
and he was with her. But --
IYER: Did we show the two of them leaving the bar together? Let`s make sure the viewers get to see this. Right, that`s what I`m saying. There`s so
much video throughout the whole interaction with this young girl. He`s going to have to admit to that. And tell us this, as a defense attorney,
how hard is it for you, for us, to convince our clients, dude, you got to take the hit for this, buddy.
HEBBON: It`s very hard.
IYER: You can`t go in there with a full MG (ph), it`s not happening.
HEBBON: Right. It`s very hard. And what I do, I always am very honest with my clients. I`ll say, you know, the story doesn`t seem believable. You may
want to consider taking a plea deal. But ultimately we work for our clients. If they say they want to go to trial, we have to try to present
the strongest defense possible.
IYER: Also, because he`s facing life in prison, right? And this is someone who doesn`t have a significant record. He`s facing life in prison. So, at
least getting a lesser charge makes his life a lot easier.
HEBBON: Right. Absolutely. And you notice, a lot of defendants at the eve of trial will say, you know what, there`s too much evidence against me, and
we have to see what those autopsy results are going to reveal. He may end up taking the plea deal after all.
IYER: Kisha, stay with me. Good point to end on. Thank you, Kate (ph). Thank you, Dr. Gallagher (ph).
The parents of a 13-year-old boy who allegedly had sex with a 27-year-old teacher break their silence, calling her a monster who preyed on their son.
That`s next.
[18:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
IYER: Tonight in Arizona, a favorite teacher is under fire. Oh, make that a former favorite teacher, because she`s accused of having sex with her 13-
year-old student before his parents saw the messages she was allegedly sending him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): He just said that it started in a classroom chat group where she would talk to him and then flirted with him,
and it just progressed from there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): He told us that they kissed and they had sex.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: The newly married 27-year-old had been teaching at the school for less than a year. But during that time, she`s accused of hooking up with a
boy in her classroom and in her car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Mrs. Zamora, did you have an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old boy, one of your students?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: Brittany Zamora wouldn`t talk to reporters, but now she speaks out in court. She is saying she`s not guilty, even after police say she
apologized to the boy`s parents.
Joining me now is Tom Perumean. He is an investigative reporter. Russell Richelsoph, an attorney for the minor in the case. And Attorney Kisha
Hebbon is still with me.
So, let me start with you, Tom. Let`s talk about how this all came out. Because the parents, they found the texts through an app, a parental app.
Yes, there`s an app for that.
TOM PERUMEAN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER (via telephone): That`s right. That`s right. The parents were trolling the boy`s cellphone and they found
sexually explicit text messages. They also found apparently inappropriate photographs that were taken. And they figured out that their 13-year-old
son was having an inappropriate affair with this sixth-grade teacher.
IYER: And -- so they told the principal and the principal called the cops. And the next day, this woman was taken into custody, right?
PERUMEAN (via telephone): Exactly. But it really gets kind of strange because Mrs. Zamora`s husband apparently got involved and contacted the
teen`s father, asking them not to go to the police. Instead, he wanted to meet with the parents, to meet up and settle this quote, unquote.
The boy`s father ended up telling Arizona family, you teach your kids there`s no such thing as monsters, but in the real world, there are
monsters. And the father has called Brittany Zamora a monster.
IYER: How long has she been married?
PERUMEAN (via telephone): That`s a good question. We understand that they haven`t been married very long. But, you know, once again, she`s 27 years
of age.
IYER: Right.
PERUMEAN (via telephone): And she`s -- you know, she`s having an inappropriate relationship with someone who is half her age.
IYER: A criminally inappropriate relationship. And can we just take a moment and look at this incredibly romantic engagement video. I want to
die. I want to watch this.
(LAUGHTER)
IYER: So good.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you, I`ll do anything for you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I promise to make you happy each and every day
towards that. Will you marry me?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE/UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me put it on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:40:00] IYER: I have tears in my eyes. I can`t go on. This is killing me. OK, so, Tom, stay put. I want to bring in Russell Richelsoph, attorney
for the minor`s parents. Mr. Richelsoph, thank you so much for being here. We`re very lucky to have you to talk about this. What did you think when
the husband went and tried to talk to the boy`s parents?
RUSSELL RICHELSOPH, ATTORNEY FOR MINOR`S PARENTS: I`ve heard -- actually, there`s a video recording of the telephone call. So I`ve actually heard
this video recording. So I know what was actually said. It`s actually quite sad for the husband. You can hear the -- he`s desperate to try to save his
wife and save his wife`s career.
He`s -- she hasn`t been honest with him at some point during the portion of the telephone call. He says to my client`s father, you know, Brittany has
talked to me about this, and she has come clean with me. My client`s father says, well, what did she tell you? And the husband says that there was some
inappropriate text messaging.
And it`s at that point that my client`s father reveals to the husband that it was much more than inappropriate text messaging. That Mrs. Zamora
actually engaged in sexual intercourse and oral sexual intercourse with the 13-year-old victim.
IYER: Russell, it`s been reported that the father was with the boy, the 13-year-old boy, and said, OK, go ahead and text her like you normally
would. And it was almost -- they start engaging in these text messages. And for the viewers -- and I`m going to read these text messages and I
apologize to the audience.
So the boy writes, I want to "F" so bad, baby. Those times weren`t enough for me. Mrs. Zamora writes, I know, baby. I want you every day with no time
limit. Mrs. Zamora writes, if I could quit my job and "F" you all day, I would. The boy writes, I need more "H" from you. And she writes, I`ll give
you whatever you want, baby.
Were these text messages going back and forth when the father was present?
RICHELSOPH: Yes, they were.
IYER: Oh, my Lord. And what are the parents saying? Besides the fact they think she`s a monster. The parents made an interesting analogy to this 13-
year-old boy as if he was a victim like any other girl would be.
RICHELSOPH: You have to understand that he`s 13 years old and Brittany Zamora was treating him like a boyfriend. So, it`s not just the physical
aspect of this relationship, but she was putting that emotional aspect on the relationship too. When you see this boy, you realize that he really is
just a boy.
He`s -- you know, plays with toys. And he`s interested in playing on his gaming console. And he has all of the interests and maturity that you`d
expect in a 13-year-old boy. So, the parents really are very upset. This is something that Mrs. Zamora groomed him for.
IYER: That`s the word.
RICHELSOPH: It didn`t happen overnight. She slowly built up and gained a closeness to our client and worked herself into this situation. And even to
the point where at one point she met with the parents at the school. They just happened to be there for a school event. And Mrs. Zamora had said to
them, you have such wonderful children. If you ever need me to babysit --
IYER: Oh, my God.
RICHELSOPH: If you ever need me to help come to your house and tutor, I would be more than happy to do that. So she was trying to inject herself
into this family`s life and trying to build a level of trust with the parents.
You know, this is not something -- as far as sex offense cases go, this really isn`t something unusual in the sense that the perpetrator usually
grooms the child and makes the child feel special.
And usually does things to try to get the trust of the parents, so they can inject themselves into the child`s life and not raise any suspicions. And
that is exactly what Brittany Zamora was doing.
IYEZR: Everybody, stay right there. We`re going to talk more about this case on the other side of the break.
[18:45:00] While you`re at it, download "Devil Woman" by Chris -- oh, Cliff Richard. That`s the song I`m thinking about. It`s all Brittany
Zamora. More next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:01] IYER: We`re still talking about the married Arizona teacher accused of hooking up with her 13-year-old student in her car and in her
classroom. Police say she`s apologized to his parents, but now she`s pleading not guilty.
Joining me again is Tom Perumean. He is an investigative reporter. Russell Richelsoph, an attorney for the minor. And Attorney Kisha Hebbon, who is
still with me in New York.
Let`s start off by taking a look at Brittany Zamora in court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): Is there anything you just want the court to know about whether or not I should release you or impose a bond at
this time? And if you have nothing to say, that`s OK as well.
BRITTANY ZAMORA, ACCUSED OF HAVING SEX WITH STUDENT: I would love to go home, to be released. That would be amazing, you know. I don`t know if
there`s -- like just to stay at my house. I`d love to go home to my husband.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: Russell, what is she talking about? Why does she think she could possibly go home?
RICHELSOPH: I don`t think she -- standing in front of that judge at the initial appearance court, I really don`t think she understood the gravity
of the situation. By my math, if she`s convicted on all counts, she`s facing a minimum of 140 years in prison. A maximum of 328 years in prison.
So, if she goes to trial on this matter and she is found guilty, she is not going to see the outside of a prison wall again. So, I really think that
this is an individual who just was not in reality when she`s standing in front of that judge thinking that the judge is just going to let her go
home to her husband.
IYER: Tom Perumean, let me go to you with this new little tidbit of information that we have, that there is possibly a second student who
received nude photographs from teacher of the year, Mrs. Zamora.
PERUMEAN (via telephone): That`s certainly been circulating around, and of course we are waiting for those photographs to surface one way or another.
This whole case reminds us, of course, of the incident 22 years ago with Mary Kay Letourneau.
IYER: Yeah, it does.
PERUMEAN (via telephone): And currently the direction it`s going, we could very definitely see a replay of this action. I mean, especially if this
(INAUDIBLE) husband decides he`s had enough and kicks her to the curb.
IYER: OK, Kisha, let`s talk about this whole concept of grooming. It`s very interesting, because Russell Richelsoph was bringing this out, that
she was targeting him not only on a physical basis, but an emotional one.
HEBBON: Right. And you see that often with sexual predators, and that`s what she is. A lot of times people think when it`s a boy, they`re excited,
they have an older woman, it`s not abuse. It`s abuse. It`s molestation. She`s a sexual predator, a sex offender.
The fact that this is a little boy, like the attorney described, he plays with toys, he looks like a little boy, and she`s having some kind of
emotional and physical and sexual relationship with him, something is wrong with her.
IYER: She could be a sociopath.
HEBBON: Absolutely.
IYER@ And I`m being serious.
HEBBON: No, I agree 100 percent.
IYER: "Devil Woman" by Cliff Richard. That came back to me out of nowhere. OK, so another interesting point is that he looks like a 13-year-old.
HEBBON: Right.
IYER: So, knowing that, you as a defense attorney, would you absolutely get her away from going to trial? Because you don`t want pictures of that
13-year-old boy who could even look younger, in front of that jury.
HEBBON: Once the jurors see -- they see a picture of this boy and he looks like a little boy, aside the fact that`s how he looks, you still shouldn`t
have sex with a 13-year-old boy. But that`s going to make these jurors who are probably parents think about, what if that was my little child? So I
definitely would tell her not to go to trial.
IYER: Thank you to my guest on this story. If you`re on a motorcycle and get involved with an angry driver in traffic, you had better think twice
about how you handle it. That`s next. More "Crime and Justice" after the break.
[18:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
IYER: I got one more thing for you tonight, and it`s a great example that things are rarely what they seem. Let`s go to Sarasota, Florida where a
Mazda hatchback seemingly slams into a motorcyclist for absolutely no good reason. But it`s not that simple.
Witnesses and the biker say someone in the Mazda threw coins at him. And that`s when the motorcyclist responded by hitting the car`s windows. We
can`t hear what was said, but there is no mistaking that the driver of that Mazda hatchback had had enough. The biker sustained road rash, cuts and
bruises, but the driver ran and now the cops are looking for him.
Hey, some other good news. The next hour of "Crime and Justice" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hannah (ph) was great.
[19:00:02] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): I babysit kids. All of a sudden she just passed out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Authorities are saying the babysitter admitted to striking Hannah (ph) and stated she had fallen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): I can`t even begin to explain the feeling of losing a child.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just walked in the house and she`s passed out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 3-year-old will never come home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Communicate effectively.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A dismembered burned body was located.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody so sweet like Jackie, it`s just unreal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They released security video seems to show Vandagriff and Bryant walking into a bar leading up to the night police say Bryant
murdered Vandagriff, then inside drinking and laughing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Capital murder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heartbreak. It`s just heartbreak.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Brittany Zamora entering a plea of not guilty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s a monster.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is accused of having sex with one of her former 13-year-old students.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the schoolteacher who allegedly molested him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SEEMA IYER, HLN HOST: Good evening. I`m Seema Iyer in for Ashleigh Banfield. Welcome to the second hour of CRIME & JUSTICE.
Tonight in Ohio, a woman is walking free, though she is accused of killing an innocent 3-year-old child and changing her story about what happened the
day the little girl left home.
According to Lindsey Parton, Hannah`s dad had just dropped her off when she suddenly went unconscious.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She fell pretty bad yesterday, and she`s been find. All of a sudden he dropped her off this morning, she walked in and kind of
passed out. She went limp. Her eyes are open and she`s gasping for air.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hannah, wake up. Her daddy is here too. Her daddy`s here too.
I cannot believe this is happening. She dell really bad yesterday when we were playing here in the garage and she has a bruise on her chin and I
thought she was fine. Hey, wake up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Breath, baby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Breath, baby. You`re OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, what`s the matter?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s in shock or something.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know what the (bleep) could be wrong with her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t know. She was fine. Just walked in the house.
Keep breathing my little love bucket. Keep breathing. It`s OK, baby.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
IYER: No, it wasn`t OK. It wasn`t OK for Hannah. It`s not going to be OK for her family. Hannah was rushed to the hospital where her family says he
was pronounced brain dead. But the bruises all over her head prompted the police to talk to her babysitter. And they say she admitted to shaking and
striking the girl. That sitter was charged with assault. And when little Hannah died, that charge was bumped up to murder, but her bond stayed at
$75,000. And Parton was allowed to walk free. She was left with just a warning not to miss a hearing. But Hannah`s family, they were left
wondering I wondering if a murderer got out on bail.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON WESCHE, TODDLER`S FATHER: To not have a bond that fits the crime, anyone in the country, I`ve never heard of a murder having a signature
bond. Juts -- I don`t know. I don`t even know what to say about it. It`s frustrating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: I want to bring in Butler County sheriff Richard Jones and Jason Wesche who is little Hannah`s father. Defense attorney Kisha Hebbon is
also here with me in New York today.
Sheriff, I would like to start off with you. Take us through this 911 call that the sitter made, and originally she had a different story. Tell us
how this all came down.
SHERIFF RICHARD K. JONES, BUTLER COUNTY SHERIFF`S OFFICE (on the phone): Basically we got a 911 call. Life squad took the child to the hospital.
Then we got a call from the hospital, from the doctors at the hospital, stating that these injuries were -- it looked as though there were some
child endangering brought on by someone there.
At that point, we got involved. We responded. We done interviews with the babysitter. She told us one group of stories. Then we brought her back
in. She told us a different story, and she admitted to some body injuries to the child. She said she -- I can`t give all the details, but the child
died when the child was taken off of life support. The charges were upped, went to the grand jury. We got the indictments of murder, four counts of
felony endangering children, involuntary manslaughter, and the judge set the bond at $75,000.
IYER: OK, so first she basically didn`t admit to being involved. And then she confessed. Did she confess to assaulting the child? I understand that
--
JONES: No.
IYER: OK. So what did she confess to?
JONES: She confessed to pushing the child, putting her hands on the child, falling down on the child. But that was it. And that was the second time.
And she didn`t believe that that was the cause of death. I can`t release all the information that we have. This is an ongoing case. And I can`t
discuss it right now on television. But --
[19:05:17] IYER: OK. So you can`t -- yes, sheriff, and I completely respect the investigation. I`m just going to ask questions. If you can`t
answer them, I understand. But can you tell us -- do you know if an object was involved against the child?
JONES: At this point, no.
IYER: OK. And let`s talk a little bit about this woman, the defendant. Was she a licensed babysitter by the state?
JONES: I can`t answer that. She was a babysitter. And what you`re asking is, some states have licensed babysitters and some do not. Some have
family members, friends. I don`t have that information right now if she was licensed.
IYER: OK. But Lindsay Parton did babysit other kids.
JONES: Sure.
IYER: Were other children present during this incident with baby Hannah?
JONES: That I cannot answer at this time.
IYER: Can you tell us if you have interviewed other children that were under her care?
JONES: There were several people interviewed at that facility where she was babysitting, yes. I can tell you there was other people interviewed,
but that`s all I can say at this point.
IYER: So other children were interviewed?
JONES: There were other people interviewed, yes.
IYER: And what does the autopsy report say as to the cause of death?
JONES: The autopsy, I don`t have that with me right now. It was enough that the grand jury, the prosecutor took it to the grand jury and she was
indicted for murder. Up quite a bit, really and then four counts, felony endangering children, involuntary manslaughter.
It started when the doctors at the hospital looked at the injuries and this wasn`t just injuries where she fell down. And they deal with these
injuries. They are trained with these injuries. And it appears that these injuries, according to the medical staff, and our investigation, and the
autopsy, that this child was murdered. And so it went to the grand jury. The grand jury believed it also. And we have the charges which we have.
And she gets her day in court.
IYER: Yes, sir. And thank you, sheriff. I`ll ask you to stand by. I want to play the chilling 911 call made, and then we`ll bring in Hannah`s
dad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I babysit kids and he just dropped her off. And all of a sudden she`s passed out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who`s passed out?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The little girl. She`s three. She fell pretty bad yesterday. And she`s been fine. All of a sudden he dropped her off this
morning and she walked in and kind passed out. She went limp.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Are you with her now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. So is her dad. I called her. Yes, hurry, she`s bad. Something`s wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Is she awake right now? I`m going to have to ask you questions while my partner gets the medics dispatched. OK. Is she
breathing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, in and out. Yes, in and out. I don`t know what`s wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, is her breathing completely normal?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Almost gone, hurry, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re OK. I love you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hannah?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you, buttercup.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wake up. Here we go. Here we go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
IYER: Jason Wesche is with me now.
Jason, we are so unbelievably sorry for your loss.
WESCHE (on the phone): Thanks. I appreciate that.
IYER: I appreciate you taking the time out to talk with us because it`s only helping other people, other parents that have to go through something
similar. And this is someone that you vetted. She was a reference before she started babysitting baby Hannah, right?
WESCHE: Yes.
IYER: So tell us how you got into contact with Lindsay Parton.
WESCHE: Well, I worked for the company that her father-in-law owns. And working for that company, my babysitter was about an hour and 20 minutes
away, one way, from my job. When I moved closer to my job, I was informed that she had baby sat other kids, she was great with kids, good woman, and
she was my neighbor. I never had any other indication of anything as far as I could see with her credentials and everything that I was told, she was
the perfect fit.
IYER: Right. And Jason, so she baby sat the kids near where you worked, is that right?
[19:10:05] WESCHE: Yes, she was my neighbor and my work was on the same property that we all lived on.
IYER: And she baby sat all of the children in her own home?
WESCHE: She baby sat my children, her children, as well as others.
IYER: In her home?
WESCHE: Yes, in her home.
IYER: And is she married? Jason, do you know if she`s married?
WESCHE: I thought she was.
IYER: OK.
WESCHE: I thought she was. But now that more stuff is coming to light, I`m not sure if she is or not. I`m not sure if she got married or not.
IYER: When you say more stuff is coming to life, are there any red flags popping up at this point or were there any before?
WESCHE: No, there was none before. I mean, now that everything has happened and we are where we are, of course I think every day, you know,
what maybe I could have done different, or maybe there`s things I missed or didn`t see.
IYER: No, Jason, you shouldn`t think that. And I say that -- I`m a defense attorney. I`m with another seasoned defense attorney, and we see
evil every single day. And no matter how much you love your kids and try to protect them, sometimes you can`t stop something like this. So don`t do
that to yourself. Because there`s nothing that you could have done. And what you are doing now is helping other parents know that these things can
happen. And that`s important, what you`re doing. Jason, I hear your voice on the 911 call, is that you?
WESCHE: Yes, that`s me.
IYER: OK, so tell us, how did you get to the house in time? Who called you? Why were you there? Why were you on the call?
WESCHE: I was informed a couple minutes after I left that something was wrong, and I rushed right back to the house.
IYER: Who informed you? What do you mean?
WESCHE: I really don`t -- I really can`t get into that because of the case. I don`t know if, you know, that would throw a red flag. I really
can`t get into that part of it.
IYER: Absolutely understood. OK, so what are you -- I know that you have come out and talked about the low bond. Tell us, do you have any
indication about why the bond is so low?
WESCHE: We have no idea. It`s extremely frustrating for our family. Again, we have no idea why the bond is so low. I mean, and I understand,
you know, what the judge explained in court, that a bond is not a punishment. It is to make sure somebody returns to court. But typically,
from what I see in this world, the bond goes with the crime, the worse the crime is, the higher the bond is. And there`s people that you know of
sitting in jail that have $100,000 bond for misdemeanors. So we just don`t understand how it`s so low for a murder charge, manslaughter charge, and
all the other felonies she`s indicted on. It`s just very frustrating and we can`t wrap our head around it.
IYER: Of course not. Of course you can`t.
Sheriff, let me ask you, do you have any indication as to why the bond is so low?
JONES: No. Other than the way the judge explained it, typically the bond is usually much higher than that. But the judge makes that decision and
there`s nothing that can be done with the bond being raised at that point. The bond, she was originally charged with a lesser crime before Hannah
passed away, and when she passed away, we figured that the bond would go up, but it did not. But the judge solely makes that decision, and he
explained to everybody in the court, people were very angry, and some were surprised and shocked, but the judge throughout the country determines, no
matter where it is, they determine the bond. And the bond is to assure that they will show up and it`s not supposed to be for punishment, but in a
lot of instances, the crime dictates a higher bond. But I don`t make that decision. The prosecutor doesn`t make it.
IYER: Right. The judge does. And sheriff, the endangering children, there`s four counts of that, that`s for the four children who were present
during the incident?
JONES: Yes.
IYER: Sheriff?
JONES: Yes, that`s correct.
IYER: That`s correct, OK.
JONES: And the investigation is still ongoing. You got to keep this all in mind. She has her attorney, the prosecution, and we have a court date,
and we hope at this point that Hannah will have justice.
IYER: Yes.
Kisha, I just wanted --
(CROSSTALK)
JONES: Let me explain something.
IYER: Sorry, absolutely, go ahead, explain.
JONES: When you`re talking -- her father`s talking about, you know, vetting child -- people that watch your children, when I had children, we
done the best we could do vet. You have family members that watch your children. You have babysitters, people -- they put them up online and
people go check them out, but you just don`t know. Just like you said, evil is there. And people present very well. Most people that take their
kids to family members or friends or people that babysit, they`re not licensed.
[19:15:37] IYER: You`re right, sheriff. Thanks so much. I`m sorry to cut you short.
And Jason, thank you so much for being here. Our deepest sympathies.
We will be right back after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:20:38] IYER: People meet at bars all the time and they leave bars together all the time. But they don`t all end up the way Jacqueline
Vandagriff did. Because after meeting a fitness trainer at the Grapevine Texas public house and after having few drinks with him, police say the
young nutritionist student went home with him. And that`s where the night turned deadly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITCHELL WILSON, CO-OWNER, SHOTS & CRAFTS: I think what`s striking is that there is no red flag, there is no glaring obvious issue. I think everyone
who has looked at the video said the same thing, that you don`t see a girl who is in fear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: 31-year-old Charles Bryant claimed Jacqueline died while they were hooking up. He said they were having some pretty kinky sex so he panicked
and he attempted to bury her. But he says the ground was too hard to dig in even for a fitness trainer like himself, so he dismembered Jacqueline`s
body and burnt it, leaving her remains on fire in a park miles away from his house.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Approximately 6:30 a.m., Grapevine firefighters responded to a fire in acorn Woods Park. After that fire was extinguished,
a dismembered, burned body was located. The medical examiner`s office has identified that body as being 24-year-old Jacqueline Vandagriff of Frisco.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: His defense says he should be charged simply with tampering with evidence. But tonight he is charged with her murder. Because prosecutors
say Jacqueline didn`t die during sex.
Let`s bring in investigative reporter and syndicated radio host Kate Delaney, Dr. Tim Gallagher, a medical examiner and forensic pathologist and
still with me, defense attorney Kisha Hebbon.
OK. So Kate Delaney, this sounds just like an innocent girls` night out, girl meets guy, they hook up and then it all goes wrong. But in fact,
Jacqueline was there applying for a job, is that correct?
KATE DELANEY, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER (on the phone): Yes, that`s right, Seema. That`s the sad story here. She was at a bar called the public
house. And he cozied up to her and kind of schmoozed her. And the next thing you know, they were talking at the public house. She had filled out
an application. And then they went off to another bar, and sadly, the rest is history.
IYER: And let`s get into what Charles Bryant is like. So he is 31 now. He is a fitness trainer. He was in the army, is that correct?
DELANEY: Yes, he was in the army. And you know, apparently if you go back and you look at his history, he has a fondness for being in the army
because I don`t think he really -- I think he wanted to continue his career, from what I understand, in the army, but it wasn`t going to happen.
And then he went off to become a fitness trainer. After that, you go back to 2006, this incident happened, this murder happened back in 2016, in
September of 2016. So quite a lot of time in between then. And that`s where he hopped into the whole fitness deal. And boy, it`s just a wild
path and a horrible meeting for Jacqueline Vandagriff.
IYER: So he had guns and knives and ammunition in the house, and that`s fine, right? There`s nothing unusual about that. Right?
DELANEY: Yes. When they searched his house, he had all those items that you are describing. He had a lot of it. And of course --
IYER: And what else did the search warrant uncover?
DELANEY: Well, they also found he had -- well, first of all, her purse was there. And there was the pinging of the cell phone, which then of course
led to, OK, there`s something more here. He also had a bag of greeny, leafy substance, is what they were calming ling it, pot.
IYER: OK.
DELANEY: So they had other things they found as well.
IYER: So initially he denied -- Charles Bryant denied leaving the last bar with her, is that right?
DELANEY: Yes. But they have it on tape. It`s surveillance tape.
IYER: Right.
DELANEY: Which they saw today in court.
IYER: So -- I`m sorry. I missed that part. So after he was confronted with the cell phone and the video, then he admitted to -- well, his defense
is, the kinky sex gone awry, correct?
DELANEY: Right. Absolutely. That it was just that they were having sex, and it went badly, and of course there was a kiddie pool in his backyard,
and he dismembered her, is what happened.
[19:25:06] IYER: Instead of calling the police like a normal person would do after kinky sex. And then also, wait for it, we have video of him at
Walmart, and if anybody was watching last night, you know my feelings on Walmart, but at Walmart, there`s a video of him buying a shovel, right?
DELANEY: Yes, absolutely. And of course in the backyard, you can see where there was an imprint of where a pool would have been, the same exact
size that they found her body in, when it was set on fire, besides being dismembered.
IYER: OK, you know, this girl, she was very young, she was 24. She was a student in college. Let`s take a look about Jacqueline.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACQUELINE VANDAGRIFF, VICTIM: Hello, everyone. My name is Jacqueline Vandagriff, but friends call me Jackie. I`m originally from the Colony,
Texas, but I moved to Frisco when I was in elementary school, and I graduated from Wakeland high school. I`m currently a junior here at Texas
Women`s University, and my major is nutrition with an emphasis in wellness.
I chose this major because I realized while working as an aesthetician, which is skin care, if you`re not familiar, I realized the importance of
nutrition and just overall health and decided that this is what I was going to study.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: Kate, I just want to get one more thing from you, and that is, this guy did have a record, something for stalking an ex-girlfriend in September
of 2016. And then, was there a child pornography, an arrest or conviction?
DELANEY: Yes. What happened, one of the things that was big that they also found in Bryant`s phone, they found images and video of children
engaged in sex acts. So they charged him with child pornography, because they found a bunch of that.
IYER: And there were boys and girls in these acts?
DELANEY: Yes, both.
IYER: OK. So Dr. Gallagher, I would like to bring you in. The defense is basically admitting that he tampered with evidence. OK? But the body was
burnt. So my question to you is, does burning the body actually help this guy`s defense because he is destroying so much evidence in terms of the
dismembering and the murder itself? Talk us through that.
DR. TIM GALLAGHER, MEDICAL EXAMINER & FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST (on the phone): Well, thanks for having me on the show, Seema.
Burning the body actually does very little to destroy a lot of the evidence that`s need to determine the cause of death. It actually creates evidence
as well. So burning the body at this stage, or burning the body to the stage that he did, is not really going to destroy finding the cause of
death and finding the manner of death.
IYER: It`s not going to destroy that?
GALLAGHER: Certainly not. The parts of the body that are going to be needed to determine her cause of death, mainly her airways, her throat and
her neck are very well preserved in cases of fire. So a good forensic pathologist will be able to determine the cause of death based on those
injuries, if they are present, whether there`s a fire or not.
IYER: That is great news. But I bet Charles Bryant didn`t know that when he burned the body. What do you think, Kisha?
KISHA HEBBON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I think the defense is going to say, there`s no proof that he actually killed her. But again, depending on the
autopsy results, if they are able to get evidence from her body, that may destroy his defense. But I think with this case, it`s going to really boil
down to credibility. And they are going to look at his prior history. They are going to look at the fact that he had weapons. If it was an
accident, why would you have to dismember and burn a body? Like, OK, run and act like you weren`t with this woman, but, come on.
IYER: Exactly. Like I was saying at our preproduction meeting, if you`re embarrassed about kinky sex, I would rather admit to kinky sex than
dismembering and murdering and arson, right?
HEBBON: Right. It is so gruesome.
IYER: But now, OK, as a lawyer, strategically, you are in front of a jury and you represent this guy. And you need credibility for the jury, as a
lawyer for your client, what do you think of strategically admitting to the tampering?
HEBBON: Well, it shows that he is accepting responsibility for that. It is normally if someone is, you know, guilty and they want to say, I didn`t
do any anything, they are going to say, I`m not guilty of anything, but the fact that he did that, the lawyers are going to try to say, OK, listen. He
is admitting they did something, that occur, he is admitting that he tried to covered up because he panicked. So the lawyers are going to try to
appeal to the jury`s sympathy for that.
[19:30:02] IYER: But is it also in this day and age, Kisha, with the cell phone pings and the video, is it also where you`re at a point where I have
to admit to something?
HEBBON: Right. There`s so much video footage of them sitting in the bar together, leaving the bar together. So, he had to say he knew this woman
and he was with her. But I --
IYER: Yes. Can we show the two of them leaving the bar together? Let`s make sure the viewers get to see this. Right. That`s what I`m saying.
There`s so much video throughout the whole interaction with this young girl, he`s going to have to admit to that. And tell us this, as a defense
attorney, how hard is it for you, for us, to convince our clients, dude, you got to take the hit for this, buddy.
HEBBON: It`s very hard.
IYER: You can`t go in there with a full N.G., it`s not happening.
HEBBON: Right. It`s very hard. And what I do, I always am very honest with my clients. And I`ll say, this story doesn`t seem believable. You
may want to consider taking a plea deal. But ultimately we work for our clients. And if they say they want to go to trial, we have to try present
the strongest defense possible.
IYER: Also, because he`s facing life in prison, right? And this is someone who doesn`t have a significant record. He`s facing life in prison.
So at least getting a lesser charge makes his life a lot easier.
HEBBON: Right. Absolutely. And you notice a lot of defendants at the eve of trial will say, you know what, there`s too much evidence against me and
what to see what those all top results are going to reveal, he may end up taking the plea deal after all.
IYER: Kisha, stay with me. Good point. And thank you, Kate. Thank you, Dr. Gallagher. The parents of a 13-year-old boy who allegedly had sex with
a 27-year-old teacher break their silence, calling her a monster who preyed on their son. That`s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:36:50] IYER: Tonight in Arizona, a favorite teacher is under fire. Oh, make that a former favorite teacher, because she`s accused of having
sex with her 13-year-old student before his parents saw the messages she was allegedly sending him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just said that it started in a classroom chat group. She would talk to him and then flirted with him, and it just
progressed from there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He told us that they kissed and had sex.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: The newly married 27-year-old had been teaching at the school for less than a year. But during that time she`s accused of hooking up with a
boy in her classroom and in her car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Miss Zamora, did you have an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old boy, one of your students?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: Brittany Zamora wouldn`t talk to reporters but now she`s speaking out in court and she`s saying she`s not guilty. Even after police say she
apologized to the boy`s parents. Joining me now is Tom Perumean, he is an investigative reporter, Russell Richelsoph, an attorney for the minor in
the case. And attorney Kisha Hebbon is still with me. So, let me start with you, Tom. Let`s talk about how this all came out. Because the
parents, they found the texts through app, a parental app. Yes, there`s an app for that.
TOM PERUMEAN, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER (via telephone): That`s right. That`s right. The parents were trolling the boy`s cell phone and they
found sexually explicit text messages. They also found apparently inappropriate photographs that were taken, and they, you know, they figured
out that their 13-year-old son was having an inappropriate affair with this sixth grade teacher.
IYER: And so they told the principal, and the principal called the cops. And the next day, this woman was taken into custody, right?
PERUMEAN: Exactly. But it really gets kind of strange because Miss Zamora`s husband apparently got involved and contacted the teen`s father
asking them not to go to the police. He said "he wanted to meet with the parents, to meet up and settle this." The boy`s father ended up telling
the Arizona family, you teach your kids there`s no such thing as monsters, but in the real world, there are monsters, and the father has called
Brittany Zamora a monster.
IYER: How long has she been married?
PERUMEAN: That`s a good question. We understand they haven`t been married very long. But, you know, once again, she`s 27 years of age, and she`s,
you know, she`s having an inappropriate relationship with someone who is half her age.
IYER: A criminally inappropriate relationship. And can we just take a moment and look at this incredibly romantic engagement video. I want to
die. I want to watch this. So good.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you, I`ll do anything for you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I promise to make you happy each and
every day towards that. Will you marry me?
BRITTANY ZAMORA, ARIZONA TEACHER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me put it on.
[19:40:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: I have tears in my eyes, I can`t go on. This is killing me. OK. So Tom, stay put. I want to bring in Russell Richelsoph, attorney for the
minor`s parents. Mr. Richelsoph, thank you so very much for being here. We`re very lucky to have you to talk about this. What did you think when
the husband went and tried to talk to the boy`s parents?
RUSSELL RICHELSOPH, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I`ve heard -- actually, there`s a video recording of the telephone call. So I`ve actually heard
this video recording. So I know what was actually said. It`s actually quite sad for the husband. You can hear the -- he`s desperate to try to
save his wife and save his wife`s career. He`s -- she hasn`t been honest with him at some point during the portion of the telephone call, he says to
my client`s father, you know, Brittany`s talked to me about this, and she`s come clean with me. My client`s father says, well, what did she tell you?
And the husband says that there was some inappropriate text messaging. And it`s at that point that my client`s father reveals to the husband that it
was much more than inappropriate text messaging. That Mrs. Zamora actually engaged in sexual intercourse and oral sexual intercourse with the 13-year-
old victim.
IYER: Russell, it`s been reported that the father was with the boy, the 13-year-old boy, and said, OK, go ahead and text her like you normally
would. And it was almost -- and then start engaging in these text messages. And for the viewers, and I`m going to read these text messages
and I apologize to the audience. So the boy writes, I want to F so bad, baby, those times weren`t enough for me. Mrs. Zamora writes, I know baby,
I want you every day with no time limit. Mrs. Zamora writes, if I could quit my job and F you all day, I would. The boy writes, I need more H from
you. And she writes, I`ll give you whatever you want, baby. Were these text messages going back and forth when the father was present?
RICHELSOPH: Yes, they were.
IYER: Oh, my lord. OK. And what are the parents saying? Besides the fact they think she`s a monster, the parents made an interesting analogy to
this 13-year-old boy and as if he was a victim like any other girl would be.
RICHELSOPH: You have to understand that he`s 13 years old and Brittany Zamora was treating him like a boyfriend. So it`s not just the physical
aspect of this relationship, but she was putting that emotional aspect on the relationship too. When you see this boy, you realize that he really is
just a boy. He`s -- you know, plays with toys. And he`s interested in, you know, playing on his gaming console. And he has all of the interests
and maturity that you`d expect in a -- in a 13-year-old boy. So the parents really are very upset. This is something that Mrs. Zamora groomed
him for.
IYER: That`s the word.
RICHELSOPH: It didn`t happen overnight. She slowly built up and gained a closeness to our client and worked herself into this situation. And even
to the point where at one point she met with the parents at the school. They just happened to be there for a school event. And Mrs. Zamora had
said to them, you have such wonderful children. If you ever need me to babysit, if you ever need me to help come to your house and tutor, I would
be more than happy to do that. So she was trying to inject herself into this family`s life, and trying to build a level of trust with the parents.
And, you know, this is not something, as far as sex offense cases go, this really isn`t something unusual in the sense that the perpetrator usually
grooms the child and makes the child feel special and usually does things to try to get the trust of the parents, so they can inject themselves into
the -- into the child`s life and not raise any suspicions. And that is exactly what Brittany Zamora was doing.
[19:45:01] IYER: Everybody, stay right there. We`re going to talk more about this case on the other side of the break. And while you`re at it,
download Devil Woman by -- oh, Cliff Richard. That`s the song I`m thinking about. It`s all Brittany Zamora. More next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:50:04] IYER: We`re still talking about the married Arizona teacher accused of hooking up with her 13-year-old student in her car and her
classroom. And police say she`s apologized to his parents but now she`s pleading not guilty. Joining me again is Tom Perumean, he is a
investigative reporter. Russell Richelsoph, the attorney for the minor and Attorney Kisha Hebbon, still with me in New York. Let`s start off by
taking a look at Brittany Zamora in court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there anything you just want the court to know about whether or not I should release you or impose a bond at this time?
And if you have nothing to say, that`s OK as well.
ZAMORA: I would love to go home, to be released. I don`t know if there is like, to stay at my house or I would love to go home to my husband.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
IYER: Russell, what is she talking about? Why does she think she can possibly go home?
RICHELSOPH: I don`t think she -- standing in front of that judge at the initial appearance court, I really don`t think she understood the gravity
of the situation. By my math, if she`s convicted on all counts, she`s facing a minimum of 140 years in prison. A maximum of 328 years in prison.
So if she goes to trial on this matter and she`s found guilty, she is not going to see the outside of a prison wall again. So I really think that
this is an individual who just was not in reality when she is standing in front of that judge, thinking the judge is just going to let her go home to
her husband.
IYER: Tom Perumean, let me go to you with this new little tidbit of information that we have, that there is possibly a second student who
received nude photographs from teacher of the year Mrs. Zamora.
PERUMEAN: That has certainly been circulating around and of course we are waiting for those photographs to surface one way or another. This whole
case reminds us of course of the incident 22 years ago with Mary Kay Letourneau.
IYER: Oh yes. It does.
PERUMEAN: In the direction that it`s going in, we could -- we could very definitely see a replay of this action. I mean, especially if this cackled
husband decides, you know, he`s had enough and kicks her to the curb.
IYER: OK. Kisha, let`s talk about this whole concept of grooming. It`s very interesting. Because Russell, excuse me, Richelsoph was bringing this
out that she was targeting him. Not only on a physical basis but an emotional one.
HEBBON: Right. And you see that often with sexual predators. And that`s what she is. A lot of times people think when it`s a boy, they`re excited.
They have an older woman. It`s not abuse. It`s abuse, it`s molestation, and she`s a sexual predator, a sex offender. And the fact that this is a
little boy. Like the attorney described, he plays with toys. He looks like a little boy. And she`s having some kind of emotional and physical
and sexual relationship with him? Something is wrong with her.
IYER: She could be a sociopath.
HEBBON: Absolutely.
IYER: And I`m being serious.
HEBBON: No. I agree. 100 percent.
IYER: What about Devil Woman, Cliff Richards that came back to the out of nowhere. But -- OK. So another interesting point is that he looks like a
13-year-old.
HEBBON: Right.
IYER: So, knowing that, you as a defense attorney, would you absolutely get her away from going to trial? Because you don`t want pictures of that
13-year-old boy who could even look younger in front of that jury?
HEBBON: Once the jurors sees -- they see a picture of this boy and he looks like little boy, I mean, aside the fact as how he looks. She still,
you know, shouldn`t have sex with a 13-year-old boy. But that`s going to make these jurors who are probably parents think about, what if that was my
little child? So, I definitely would tell her not to go to trial.
IYER: Thank you to my guests on this story. And if pro tip, you`re on a motorcycle and get involved with an angry driver in traffic, you had better
think twice about how you handle it. That`s next. More CRIME & JUSTICE after the break.
[19:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
IYER: We`ve got one more thing for you tonight. And it`s a great example that things are rarely what they seem. Taking you to Sarasota, Florida
where a Mazda hatchback seemingly slams into a motorcyclist for no good reason. But it`s not that simple. Witnesses and the biker say someone in
the Mazda threw coins at him and that`s when the motorcyclist responded by hitting the car`s windows. We can`t hear what was said but there`s no miss
taking that the driver of the Mazda hatchback had had enough. The biker sustained road rash, cuts and bruises but the driver ran and now the cops
are looking for him. Thanks for watching, everyone. I`m Seema Iyer. We`ll see you back here tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. for CRIME AND JUSTICE.
[20:00:03] "DEATH ROW STORIES" starts right now.
END
