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Biggest Crime Stories of the Year; Blake Lively Accuses Co-Star of Sexual Harassment; Suspect Arrested in New York City Subway Death. Aired 11:30a-12:00p ET
Aired December 23, 2024 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:48]
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN HOST: Welcome back.
The man suspected of killing a woman by setting her on fire on a New York City subway car is at NYPD custody this morning. Police say that the man approached the woman, who appeared motionless early Sunday morning, and used a lighter to ignite her clothes, before then leaving the scene.
Gloria Pazmino joins us now.
Gloria, this was obviously a horrific crime discovered by police officers who were conducting a routine patrol at the subway station. What more have you learned?
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rahel, two important aspects of the story.
The first is, as you mentioned, just the horrific nature of this crime, extremely graphic and just troubling in nature. We know that police tell us that this man you see on screen is believed to have approached a woman who appeared to be asleep on a train.
This happened early morning in Brooklyn around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, and they say that he approached her and used a lighter to ignite the clothes that she was wearing. She immediately caught fire and was quickly engulfed in flames.
Now, there were patrol officers that were working in that station who saw the smoke and quickly responded, tried to put her out. Unfortunately, she could not be saved. But as they were responding to the scene, the man was actually seen on video sitting down on a bench.
He had been sitting there essentially watching as this woman burned alive. Now, in the hectic first few minutes of their response, he got away, but they captured video and images of him. And so those two images played an extremely critical role in helping police arrest him several hours later.
So, a combination of newly installed technology on the city's subway trains, which provided this image you're seeing now, as well as body- worn cameras that were worn by the officers on the platform that captured an image of his face. Now, as soon as these images went out to the media and social media,
New Yorkers apparently were on the lookout, and they spotted him while he was riding the same train line. He was seen on an F train this time in Midtown Manhattan, very far from the scene. And that's where he was arrested.
Take a listen to police commissioner Jessica Tisch talking about the crime and the arrest yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA TISCH, NEW YORK CITY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Unbeknownst to the officers who responded, the suspect had stayed on the scene and was seated on a bench on the platform just outside the train car. And the body-worn cameras on the responding officers produced a very clear, detailed look at the killer.
After the NYPD disseminated those images, three high-school-age New Yorkers called 911 to say that they recognized the suspect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PAZMINO: Now, Rahel, we are still waiting to hear more details about the suspect's identity. We do know that he came from Nicaragua in 2018. We don't know yet more details about his immigration status.
We're also waiting to see what charges he is facing. And we're also waiting to learn more about the victim, Rahel. This is -- has been a very cold couple of days here in New York City. And the subway system is a place where people who are not housed usually take shelter during the very cold temperatures.
Police believe that this woman was asleep inside that train when she was set on fire. So, another aspect of the story to consider, public safety on the transit system, something that's been very much a focus of law enforcement and public officials here in the city -- Rahel.
SOLOMON: Yes, truly disturbing details.
Gloria Pazmino, thank you.
When we come back, the film "It Ends With Us" is now ending in a legal complaint. Why Blake Lively is accusing co-star and director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and reputational retaliation.
You're in the NEWSROOM. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:38:57]
SOLOMON: Now to a bombshell accusation from actress Blake Lively.
She claims that Justin Baldoni, her co-star in the movie "It Ends With Us" repeatedly sexually harassed her during filming. She also alleges that, when she spoke up, Baldoni then worked with his publicist and others to, in Lively's words, destroy her reputation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN BALDONI, ACTOR: Why haven't I seen you before?
BLAKE LIVELY, ACTRESS: Mostly because I have never required brain surgery, but also because I don't live here. So --
BALDONI: So, you just broke into my building?
LIVELY: You have a really nice view.
BALDONI: I do. What's your name?
LIVELY: Lily. You?
BALDONI: Ryle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SOLOMON: Let's bring in Elizabeth Wagmeister, who joins us now.
So, Elizabeth, this is a civil rights complaint, not yet an official lawsuit, but she does make some startling allegations here. What more is she saying?
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
And that clip that we just saw from the movie is maybe one of the only times that you will see these two directly together, because, once the film came out in the promotion during the press tour, they were not photographed together. They didn't do any interviews together.
[11:40:12]
And now we have learned that is because Blake Lively and other cast members on this film refused to appear next to Justin Baldoni, given Blake's allegations that came out over the weekend in this civil rights complaint.
So, Blake Lively is alleging that not only was she repeatedly sexually harassed by Justin Baldoni and another male producer on the film; she also says that she was working in an unsafe work environment and that then Justin Baldoni's team led a sophisticated and coordinated campaign behind the scenes to destroy her reputation.
And we did see across social media throughout the promotion of this film that there were a lot of negative and negative nasty things said about Blake Lively. Now, among her allegations when it comes to the unsafe work environment that she alleges she was forced to work under, she says that Justin Baldoni and another male producer walked into her trailer numerous times when she was undressed or when she was breast- feeding one of her newborns.
She said that some of the kisses during the filming of scenes were prolonged, when they weren't scripted. Things got so bad, Rahel, that there was actually a meeting that was set during production of this film where Blake Lively and her team, they demanded safeguards so that she and her employees would feel safe on this set.
Now, Blake Lively, in a statement, here is what she told us over the weekend -- quote -- "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on the sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted."
Now, as you see there, she's saying, I spoke up about this alleged misconduct. Then I was retaliated.
And I want to read you a piece directly from this complaint that speaks to that very issue. It says -- quote -- "They manipulated the social conversation to discredit and bury Ms. Lively in retaliation for reporting her concerns about harassing and unsafe conduct during production of the film and in the hopes of deterring Ms. Lively from potentially taking those same concerns public."
Well, Justin Baldoni and his team, they are staunchly denying these claims. In fact, they say that Blake's team was planting negative stories about him.
I want to read you part of the statement that I obtained from Justin's attorney, Bryan Freedman, who tells me -- quote -- "It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations." They say that this is a desperate attempt to fix her negative reputation.
Now, the fallout has been swift, Rahel. Over the weekend, I confirmed with the source, Justin Baldoni, has been dropped from his agency, which, by the way, is the same agency that reps Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
SOLOMON: OK.
Elizabeth Wagmeister, appreciate the reporting. Thank you.
We're going to take a short break, and we will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:47:18]
SOLOMON: 2024 saw a number of astonishing stories in the world of crime and justice, from a conviction in a yearslong small-town murder case to the arrest of one of the entertainment industry's biggest stars
CNN's Jean Casarez has this year's top 10 crime and justice stories that gripped people across the U.S. and around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Music superstars charged in criminal court, parents of a school shooter land in prison, and an insurance executive gunned down, shot in the back in the heart of New York City, all part of the top 10 crime and justice stories of 2024.
Number 10, a conviction in the murders of Abigail Williams and Liberty German.
(voice-over): Two young Delphi, Indiana, girls have an afternoon off from school in February 2017. A family member drops them off to hike at the Monon High Bridge Trail. Libby and Abby were never seen again. Their bodies were found together the next day, with their throats cut.
Libby's phone had pivotal video evidence of a suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Down the hill.
CASAREZ: Local resident Richard Allen was arrested in 2022 and was later convicted by a jury of his peers.
(on camera): Number nine, charges in connection to the death of a beloved actor.
MATTHEW PERRY, ACTOR: When I dance, I look like this.
CASAREZ (voice-over): Matthew Perry, who became a household name on the hit show "Friends," found dead in October 2023, his body floating face down in a hot tub at his Pacific Palisades home with ketamine in his system. Five people now charged in connection with his death, including two doctors.
ANNE MILGRAM, ADMINISTRATOR, DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION: Matthew Perry sought treatment for depression and anxiety, and went to a local clinic, where he became addicted to intravenous ketamine.
CASAREZ: Three of the defendants have reached plea agreements, while the other two have pleaded not guilty.
(on camera): Number eight, a stunning end to Alec Baldwin's manslaughter trial.
(voice-over): Baldwin goes to trial following the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of his film "Rust." Prosecutors said Baldwin pulled the trigger of a prop gun during a rehearsal, but the gun had a live round, killing Hutchins.
Within two days, the involuntary manslaughter case was thrown out over withheld evidence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dismissal with prejudice is warranted.
CASAREZ (on camera): Number seven, pop star Justin Timberlake arrested for driving while intoxicated.
[11:50:05]
(voice-over): Timberlake is pulled over while driving in Sag Harbor, New York. Court records alleged he was glassy-eyed with a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. He told police he only had one martini. Three months later, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while impaired.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, MUSICIAN: Even one drink, don't get behind the wheel of a car.
CASAREZ (on camera): Number six, an Illinois woman shot and killed in her own home by police.
(voice-over): Thirty-six-year-old Sonya Massey called 911 on July 6 because she thought an intruder was in her home. Deputies responded, but a dispute over a pot of hot water on the stove became the focus.
SEAN GRAYSON, FORMER SANGAMON COUNTY, ILLINOIS, POLICE DEPUTY: Huh. Away from your hot, steaming water?
SONYA MASSEY, KILLED IN POLICE SHOOTING: Away from my hot, steaming water?
GRAYSON: Yes.
MASSEY: I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. I rebuke you in the name of --
(CROSSTALK)
GRAYSON: You better (EXPLETIVE DELETED) not. I swear to God, I'll (EXPLETIVE DELETED) shoot you right in your (EXPLETIVE DELETED) face.
MASSEY: OK. I'm sorry.
GRAYSON: Drop the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pot! Drop the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) pot!
(GUNSHOTS)
CASAREZ: Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson was fired and has pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges.
(on camera): Number five, after 35 years in prison, two brothers have the possibility of freedom.
(voice-over): Lyle and Erik Menendez planned, plotted and executed the murders of their parents in 1989. The brothers said they acted in self-defense after suffering years of physical and sexual abuse by their record executive father.
The first jury trial ended in a mistrial, but included their sexual abuse testimony.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you recall the first time that he wasn't nice during the session?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you were 11?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was 11. CASAREZ: But during a second trial, the brothers were convicted. Now
they say they have new evidence. And with a Netflix docudrama on the case --
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We did it.
CASAREZ: -- as well as the sudden support of now-former L.A. district attorney George Gascon, the chance for freedom is possible.
But the new DA, Nathan Hochman, is making no promises.
NATHAN HOCHMAN, INCOMING LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Got to review thoroughly the facts and the law.
CASAREZ (on camera): Number four, the chief executive officer of insurance giant UnitedHealthcare gunned down in New York City.
(voice-over): Brian Thompson, in town for a conference, was shot and killed in the early morning hours of December 4 outside of the Hilton in Midtown Manhattan.
TISCH: It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes.
CASAREZ: On December 9, the NYPD announced 26-year-old Luigi Mangione had been arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, while eating at a McDonald's. He was in possession of a document criticizing the health care industry, a police official told CNN.
Mangione has been charged with murder, among other counts, in state and federal court. Mangione's attorney denies his client was involved in the killing.
(on camera): Number three, a Georgia nursing student murdered on her morning jog.
(voice-over): Twenty-five minutes into that run, Laken Riley was killed.
GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): This community, all of Georgia and the entire country have been robbed by this inexcusable and avoidable murder.
CASAREZ: Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela, was charged with her murder. The trial in November brought an unemotional Ibarra and Riley's family together in the same room.
ALLYSON PHILLIPS, MOTHER OF LAKEN RILEY: This sick, twisted and evil coward showed no regard for Laken or human life.
CASAREZ: Ibarra was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
(on camera): Number two, it was precedent-setting, parents of a mass school shooter on trial themselves for the deaths of the students their son gunned down.
KAREN MCDONALD, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN, PROSECUTOR: Gun ownership is a right. And with that right comes great responsibility.
CASAREZ (voice-over): Jennifer and James Crumbley the parents of the Oxford, Michigan, high school shooter, went to trial in early 2024 on involuntary manslaughter charges.
In a first-of-its-kind prosecution, the state alleged the Crumbleys bought their son a gun days before the mass shooting and didn't properly store it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Despite her knowledge of his deteriorating mental crisis, this gun was gifted.
CASAREZ: Jennifer then took the stand.
JENNIFER CRUMBLEY, DEFENDANT: There's a couple of times where Ethan had expressed anxiety over taking tests, but not to a level where I felt he needed to go see a psychiatrist or a mental health professional right away, no.
CASAREZ: With the community still overcome by grief from the four students murdered by their son, both parents were convicted by unanimous juries. They are appealing their verdicts.
[11:55:01]
(on camera): And the number one crime and justice story of the year, music superstar Sean "Diddy" Combs arrested.
(voice-over): Combs was charged in September with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and prostitution-related charges.
DAMIAN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Combs used force, threats of force, and coercion to cause victims to engage in extended sexual performances with male commercial sex workers.
CASAREZ: The indictment specifically notes surveillance video showing Combs beating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a hotel in March 2016. Combs apologized after CNN aired that video in May.
SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS, DEFENDANT: I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I'm disgusted.
CASAREZ: Combs remains in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City. He has pleaded not guilty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: Our Jean Casarez reporting there.
Jean, thank you.
And thank you for joining me today. I'm Rahel Solomon.
Stay with us. "INSIDE POLITICS" with Phil Mattingly starts after this short break.
