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Lawsuit: Cop Gawked At Houston's Body; Teens Trash Ex-NFL Player's Home; Hurricane Hammers Mexico; "Nothing Will Stop Her"; Actor Dash Mihok's "Silver Lining"

Aired September 19, 2013 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Other disrespect at the scene of singer Whitney Houston's death. A police detective allegedly took a quick peek at Houston's body under the sheet and made comments about the way she looked. The claim comes in the form of a lawsuit filed by another Beverly Hills police officer who was there on the scene.

Alan Duke is on the phone with us from Los Angeles. Alan, what exactly was said? What does this suit allege happened in Houston's hotel room?

ALAN DUKE, CNN WIRE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR (via telephone): This is a senior patrol sergeant with the Beverly Hills Police Force who says that he is suffering distress and in fact has been retaliated against by his superiors after he complained about an incident that happened that night Whitney Houston was found dead in a hotel bathroom, the night before the Grammy Awards.

He says that another detective walked into the hotel room where he had covered up Whitney's corpse with the sheet, pulled it down so that she was naked, looked at her, and made the remark to the effect that she's still looking good? And there was some laughter. He said he reported it, and that nobody did anything about it.

And in fact, he was the one who was punished, taken off his position with the SWAT team and the canine unit and also denied training and promotion. This is a labor complaint for damages, but it could very well evolve into a full-blown lawsuit.

BALDWIN: So what is -- Alan, what is the police department saying about this?

DUKE: Police department says they never heard a complaint. There's nothing in their records about a complaint. How can we retaliate against him for reporting misconduct if there weren't any complaint, if we weren't aware of misconduct? That's exactly what the Beverly Hills police spokesman said to us yesterday. And they're saying that this police detective had a reason to look at Whitney's body because that's what detectives do, they investigate.

BALDWIN: Alan Duke from Los Angeles. Alan, thank you.

It was quite the house party for hundreds of teenagers, food, booze, damage, damage in the thousands of dollars. And now a homeowner, former NFL player who knew nothing about this party at his own home, turns to social media to help crack the case. He joins me live, next.

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BALDWIN: Imagine this being you, so we're going to show you what former NFL player, Brian Holloway saw when he walked into his home this week. Look at this with me, windows broken, graffiti on the walls, garbage everywhere, family heirlooms gone, $20,000 in damage. It turns out some neighborhood teens got into this home, this is near Albany, New York, and threw a party.

Holloway is trying to sell this house. Now lives in Florida, so he was out of town at the time and you can only guess none too pleased about the damage that he saw, but he wants to help the kids who trashed his million dollar home.

Brian Holloway joins me now, and I'm sorry about this for you, but help me first understand, so you're in Florida at the time. This is happening in your home in New York. Do you even know, Brian, how these teenagers got in?

BRIAN HOLLOWAY, FORMER NFL PLAYER: Well, we learned that they had broken in. They used a couple different ways to enter the house. They broke and kicked in a couple windows. They came in through one back door. They took a ladder and got through the window. But we didn't have to guess because we were watching their tweets happen as this thing was going on. And shockingly, we had to sit there and watch this unfold on our cell phones right there in Florida.

BALDWIN: Let me stop you there. How did you even know to look to Twitter to see your home being trashed?

HOLLOWAY: It was wild, because one of my son's classmates started picking up this Twitter feed of something going on. They researched it and they sent the information to my son in Florida, and he sent it over to me, dad, something's going on at the house. I thought it was a prank because he's a producer, digital guy.

I thought him and his classmates at USF in the engineering department, you know, found a way to tweak something out. Well, it turns out it was real and so we started listening to these tweets. I can't believe we're in the house. I can't believe how we trashed it. I can't believe how much alcohol is here.

We're going to be partying for three days. I can't believe she's passed out. Look at her over there. This is an amazing night. I can't believe they're on meth. Give me some of those drugs.

BALDWIN: This is all on Twitter? This is all on Twitter?

HOLLOWAY: It's all on Twitter. Yes, and then, you know, the cops are here. Go run. Everyone hide. Go, head out to the fields. Get rid of the bottles and the drugs. They'll never find us. They can't catch us all. Let's get out of here. This is the greatest night of our life. BALDWIN: Sorry to interrupt you. These are some of the photos. We blurred out the faces, but not bright, what they have done. And let me ask you, you mentioned your son, does he know any of these kids who broke into your home?

HOLLOWAY: Well, we knew some of the kids there because they've been up to the house before, but we would have tremendously big parties, no alcohol, no drugs. The kids would stay overnight in sleepovers. I would be making the burnt hotdogs and nasty hamburgers because I'm not paying attention and they would eat 100 pancakes when they stayed up all night long. When they got too excited on the blankets, I poured cold water on them. We had done this for years. They just took it to another level.

BALDWIN: They took it to another level, broke into your home. Clearly damaged it in the tens of thousands of dollar range, I wanted to ask you about the web site. It's helpsave300.com. You have continued to compile these lists of names of teenagers you believe were at this party. You have called them out and posted some of their pictures, and I know parents, from what I read, are pretty critical of you for putting their kids on the web site and asking for money to fix your home. They say you should clean this up. How do you respond to that?

HOLLOWAY: Well, this is a wake-up call to everybody. All that I did was to unveil something that was actually happening and so the kids use Twitter and social media. I've been doing Twitter and social media and Facebook and blogging since 1995. I understand it. I'm out from Silicon Valley. I helped many companies build out their social media platforms. All I did was use the same medium to communicate with them directly.

We have over 175 pieces of verified evidence of them tweeting at the party. So I don't know how to respond to a woman who says I'm mad at you because you put your son's picture up there. I'm going, actually, he's at my house and robbing and breaking in and drinking and doing drugs. And you're upset with me posting the picture that he posted on Twitter? And so, but aside from that, you know --

BALDWIN: What do you want to happen? Do you want these kids arrested, Brian, or do you want to get them all together and give them a good big message?

HOLLOWAY: Well, I think there's a bigger message here. It's not just the kids. It's the parents because we all have to stand accountable for this. The kids didn't just turn out that way. We as a community have to respond to these conversations the kids are having that we don't know about. So a big question I'm going to put to the parents is, let's bring them back up here. Let's have a conversation and you tell me. That's your child. What should we do about that?

BALDWIN: You think the conversation is good enough?

HOLLOWAY: And how did we get so far off track?

BALDWIN: You think that's good enough? HOLLOWAY: How do we find our way back?

BALDWIN: You think a conversation is good enough for what they did to your house?

HOLLOWAY: It's going to be a little more than a conversation because we gave them an opportunity to come up yesterday to help fix and repair some of the stuff. Only one person showed up and one parent. I got that message loud and clear. That was a backhanded slap in the face again and so things are going to be handled a little differently. So tomorrow is going to be a completely different day, and there will be bigger stories that will be released tomorrow, I assure you.

BALDWIN: OK, Brian Holloway, good luck. Thank you.

HOLLOWAY: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up, all they wanted was a little R & R in paradise instead they experienced this. Thousands of tourists trapped as deadly mudslides and flooding hit Mexico. The storm is now a Hurricane Manuel. We'll tell you where it's headed next.

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BALDWIN: Hurricane Manuel hammering parts of Mexico right now. This hurricane actually made landfall again today in North Western Mexico and is heading inland. Dozens of people are missing after a mudslide buried homes in the small Mexican village. Some 40,000 tourists, many of whom are Americans are stranded right now in Acapulco. One woman said she has been stuck there for days.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANA BENAVIDES, U.S. TOURIST STRANDED IN ACAPULCO: We tried to leave on Monday. After we all got together in the car to go and the road was blocked. We didn't get further than a mile.

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BALDWIN: She says her situation is better than many others suffering there in Mexico. Manuel is just the latest punch from this deadly trio of storms that have slammed Mexico in recent days. At least 80 people have been killed.

And to Colorado where thousands of people are homeless from the widespread flooding, and to find out how you can help, go to our impact your world page on either of these tragedies. Go to cnn.com/impact.

Just ahead, a gripping interview, life after the horror and tragedy of the Boston bombings in April. One woman who refuses to be called a victim opens up about the attack, about her healing, and why she must return to the Boston marathon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Maybe you remember the name Mary Daniel. We have been following her progress since she was injured back in the Boston marathon bombings some five months ago now. Mary lost a leg that day and her life hasn't been the same, but our Poppy Harlow reports this woman is moving on.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what I'm getting?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

HARLOW (voice-over): This was Mary Daniel two months ago, getting a prosthetic leg.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Something hurting you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My knee.

HARLOW: Today, she's walking on her own, no crutches in sight and --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wants to be up front.

HARLOW: She's doing this.

(on camera): You did it. How many miles?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twenty six.

RICHARDSON DANIEL, MERY DANIEL'S HUSBAND: It's very, very encouraging to see, despite what she's been through.

HARLOW (voice-over): Just five months ago, Mary was rushed to the hospital, severely injured in the Boston bombings. Her heart stopped twice while doctors amputated her left leg.

TIM SULLIVAN, SPAULDING REHABILITATION HOSPITAL: It's amazing to see from seeing her first in the hospital bed only a few days after the marathon to now, to seeing people do this thing. It's incredible.

HARLOW: In a show of solidarity, Mary rode 26 miles in the ride to recovery with wounded veterans.

MERY DANIEL, BOSTON BOMBING SURVIVOR: I think we share a common link in life right now because a lot of them are -- they have injuries that are similar to mine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even more, get your weight over there.

HARLOW: Relearning to walk has been daunting.

MERY DANIEL: It's extremely difficult. Sometimes I don't even want to get out of the bed because putting the leg on, I didn't feel like I could put it on. But you know, they have to force you to do what you have to do. That's how you're going to progress.

HARLOW: Helping in her recovery, Mery's two brothers and sister came from Haiti to live with her.

MERY DANIEL: I was so excited to see them. I think it's really good to our family. It's a form of support.

HARLOW: She's now hunting for a home big enough for them all. Mary is moving on, past the horror and tragedy.

MERY DANIEL: I'm not self-conscious, although some people do stare, I don't take it personal. Now, it's part of me, part of who I am right now. So I move on and I'm learning to live my life, and that, to me, is like I'm winning.

HARLOW: She is winning and she has a lot to live for.

(on camera): What do you think? Are you proud of mommy? Is part of this about showing Sierra, your 5-year-old daughter, what you can do and how you can overcome even huge, huge obstacles like this?

MERY DANIEL: Yes. Definitely is. Because I want to teach her that no matter what happened, not to lose enthusiasm and no matter what happened, to keep going strong.

HARLOW (voice-over): Next up, passing the medical boards and becoming a doctor. After that, she plans to run a marathon, the Boston marathon.

(on camera): You've said don't call me a victim.

MERY DANIEL: No. I'm a survivor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow, I'm so glad you're following her progress. In all the places you have been with her, all the time you've spent, what surprises you most about Mery?

HARLOW: I think the fact that when you say to her, you know, you're so strong, she honestly doesn't think she is. She thinks this is just what she has to do to get through, to be there for her family, for her 5-year-old daughter. She just accepts this, moves on, deals with it, and takes on challenges like that, like biking 26 miles without breaking a sweat, less than five months after this.

You were there throughout, Brooke. You covered this with me. To see this kind of resolve is incredible. She said a few things like, seeing other amputees and talking with them through this process has really helped her. She's also becoming a doctor. She's been through medical school. She has to take her boards and she said now she's thinking about going into rehabilitation medicine because it's helped her so much.

So if our viewers want to help her, I want to give them the web site. It's merydaniel.com. That's merydaniel.com. If you want to help her, you can also go to the "Boston One Fund" to help all -- I would say victims, Brooke, but really survivors. Absolutely.

BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow, keep following her. We're behind her 100 percent. Poppy, thank you.

Coming up, in one neighborhood, a group of vigilantes attack a suspected rapist because he hadn't been arrested yet. We're going to show what happens next.

Plus, just getting word, Secretary of State John Kerry moments away from making an unexpected announcement on the situation in Syria. We will take that live for you here on CNN coming up.

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BALDWIN: Dash Mihok, you may not know the name, but you have seen the face. Dash Mihok is an actor. He was in the movie "Silver Linings Playbook", his role in the hit crime drama, "Ray Donovan," on Showtime. Dash has succeeded in this high profile business despite having a disorder that many consider a disability and he's become a role model for so many others. Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains in today's "Human Factor."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was a fighter. I didn't --

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dash Mihok is a fighter, both on and off the screen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Donovan family, boxing is a part of life.

GUPTA: On Showtime's "Ray Donovan," the fighting takes place in the ring. But when the cameras stop rolling, Dash fights for something quite real.

DASH MIHOK, ACTOR: I've had Tourette's syndrome since I was 6 years old. Part of the reason I became an actor was probably because I was so experienced at hiding it and acting all the time.

GUPTA: When Dash is acting, you barely notice his Tourette's, but look what happens when he loses that focus or becomes distracted. Tourette's is a neurological disorder that causes repetitive involuntary movements, even sounds sometimes that are called tics.

MIHOK: Growing up in New York City can be a very tough place and you know, schools are tough enough like New York, there are so many people around that there are people looking at you all the time.

GUPTA: Tourette's is genetic and as it turns out, both of Dash's older sisters have it as well. Here he is at age 11 talking about Tourette's with his sister Gwen. This is a video for the Tourette Syndrome Association. His mother taped him ticking to show others how severe the condition can be.

MIHOK: A young man with Tourette's syndrome who was brave enough to start his own web site to educate people about Tourette's syndrome.

GUPTA: Together, Jalen and Dash captivate their student audience, working with Jalen's Challenge Foundation to put a stop to bullying. And when they're not raising awareness about an often misunderstood disorder, they hang out like brothers.

MIHOK: I would like to say to anybody who is watching this that I'm just like you, just a little bit different. And you're a little different from me and I have nothing but love for you.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And here we are, top of the hour. I'm Brooke Baldwin. We are looking at this live picture from the State Department. As we have learned, John Kerry, Secretary of State John Kerry will be giving an unexpected statement on Syria. We'll keep a close eye on this. As soon as we see him speaking, we'll take you live.

Meantime, let's stay in Washington. Let me talk about this. One day closer to the first of October. One day closer to a possible government shutdown and civil war has broken out among conservatives over who hates Obamacare the most, and who is most willing to shut the government down to keep it from working?