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Nancy Grace
Ferrari-Driving Millionaire Walks Free on 7th DUI; TV Star Held in Shooting Death of His Wife
Aired May 20, 2014 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight, downtown Olympia. A Ferrari-driving millionaire plows into two cars and a house. Bombshell tonight. It`s his seventh DUI. But tonight, rich man`s justice. No jail time for crashing your $70,000 car into a house? On your seventh DUI?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s in a Ferrari, and he sped away from the cops. He smoked `em, man!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shaun Goodman pleaded guilty to driving drunk in his Ferrari at 100 miles per hour.
GRACE: These protesters believe that justice has not been served.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, a TV star from the hit show "The Shield," wife shot dead at the star`s mansion, at this hour, believed to be gunned down in front of the children. We also learn in the last hours, the star of "The Shield" taken into custody.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Los Angeles police have arrested and charged the actor Michael Jace for the shooting death of his wife.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A domestic dispute at the South Los Angeles home that Michael Jace shared with April Jace.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You might know Jace best for his roles as a cop in TV series like "The Shield." He also had roles in films like "Forrest Gump."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are here to offer protection (INAUDIBLE) for all those who need our help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s from the movie "Forrest Gump" from Paramount Pictures, and the TV show "The Shield" from FX.
Also tonight, to Maryville (ph), a 4-year-old little boy fatally shot in the head in his own bedroom with a loaded gun belonging to Mommy and Daddy. But tonight, no charges?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Baby Cash (ph) was in his room playing. A cousin said he heard a shot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A 4-year-old child at home in Maryville, Indiana, had accidentally shot himself in the head after getting ahold of his parents` handgun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he was just -- had been playing in the room.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And another bombshell tonight. Beloved movie star Will Smith -- think "Men in Black," "Independence Day," "Hancock" -- and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, under investigation by child protective services?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Willow Smith, the 13-year-old daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith made headlines after a photo of her in a bed with topless 20-year-old actor Moises Arias (ph) was posted on social media. But now there are reports that the famous...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That was the movie "Hancock" from Columbia Pictures.
Tonight, live to Florida, a 9-year-old little girl, Felicia (ph), found dead in the dark waters of Tampa Bay. We want answers!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police said Nicole Williams (ph)...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her body was discovered floating off the Courtney Campbell (ph) Causeway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. Downtown Olympia, a Ferrari-driving millionaire plows into two cars and a house. It`s his seventh DUI. Bombshell tonight, rich man`s justice wins out again. No jail time for crashing your $70,000 car into a house on your seventh DUI? How can that be?
With me, Jeremy Pawloski, police reporter with "The Olympian." Jeremy, thank you for being with us. This guy is driving a $70,000 Ferrari. Now, that`s not a crime in itself. But when you plow it into two vehicles and a house and you`re DUI, then you`re in trouble. What happened, Jeremy?
JEREMY PAWLOSKI, "THE OLYMPIAN" (via telephone): Well, from the police reports, Mr. Goodman was drinking at a local bar with a group of people. It said in the police reports that he was flashing money around, buying people drinks. And he left the bar with another man, I believe, to go to another bar. And he was speeding through a residential area. The speed limit`s 25 miles per hour, and he was going 50 miles and hour.
GRACE: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!
PAWLOSKI: I`m sorry?
GRACE: Hold on. Isn`t it true that last December, he was driving 100 miles an hour through downtown Olympia, and now this?
PAWLOSKI: Yes. After the police gave chase, he was clocked at over 100 miles per hour, according to the police reports.
GRACE: Good gravy. Go ahead. Go ahead, Jeremy.
PAWLOSKI: Yes. Basically, he was -- when the vehicle -- when the police tried to pull him over, he sped away and drove 100 per hour through downtown Olympia. And I guess the passenger was terrified, was begging to be let out of the vehicle. Eventually, the Ferrari slowed to about 5 miles per hour, and the man jumped out. And during the chase, he crashed into a parked car and a house in a residential area. And then finally, the vehicle was disabled in front of -- in a church parking lot, in the Risen States (ph) Fellowship Church. And police arrested him at gunpoint, at that point.
GRACE: With me is Jeremy Pawloski with "The Olympian." Everybody, a millionaire driving a $70,000 Ferrari slams into two cars and a house, clocked at over 100 miles an hour. And guess what? He walks free. Now, the icing on the cake is this is his seventh DUI. And he is not doing jail time. In fact, there have been protesters outside the courthouse.
Michael Christian also joining us. Michael, what judge in his or her right mind would refuse to give this guy hard jail time for his seventh DUI?
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): Well, according to Washington law, Nancy, the most he could have gotten was 364 days. What the judge gave him was actually work-release time.
GRACE: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait a minute! Back it up! Michael Christian, you know what? I understand for a misdemeanor DUI that the maximum is 12 months or less, as you said, 364 days. But when it`s your third, fourth or fifth DUI, you become what is known under the law as a habitual violator, all right? Now, that`s a felony, not a misdemeanor.
Let me know when you get Sheryl McCollum plugged in on her satellite, please. Michael Christian, so he`s not getting any jail time. He`s not -- he wasn`t even sentenced to the 364 days behind bars.
Hold on, everybody. I`m hearing in my hear, with me right now, special guest, the passenger in that car, who is quoted as stating, You know, I never felt the actual feeling of, Hey, I`m probably about to die. That is his quote.
With me right now from Olympia, Henry Griffin. And you may be asking yourselves why is this millionaire walking free tonight on his seventh DUI after he plows into a home, speeds of 100 miles an hour in downtown Olympia. Let`s see a map, Liz, so everybody understands what we`re talking about.
Henry Griffin, thank you for being with us.
HENRY GRIFFIN, PASSENGER IN GOODMAN`S CAR (via telephone): Hi, Nancy.
GRACE: How did you meet up with Joseph Shaun Goodman?
GRIFFIN: We were at the local tavern, West Side Tavern. And like they said in the report, he was flashing his money around and...
GRACE: Who! Wa-wa-wa-wait! Wa-wa-wait! I want to hear from an eyewitness. I understand the quote is, "flashing some big wads of cash" and buying people, strangers, drinks at the bar. Is that what you observed, Henry?
GRIFFIN: Yes, I did.
GRACE: Tell me exactly what you saw that night.
GRIFFIN: I saw him buying people -- he bought me a drink. And we were in a hurry...
GRACE: What kind of drink?
GRIFFIN: ... so we only got to finish half. And that was all I saw him drink that night.
GRACE: What was he drinking?
GRIFFIN: I have no idea. I think it was probably a -- oh, actually, I remember, it was a fireball.
GRACE: What, may I ask, is a fireball?
GRIFFIN: A fire ball is a...
GRACE: Well, somebody`s just yelling it from the set. Hold on. What`s a fireball, Christa (ph)? Cinnamon whiskey. OK, I don`t know what that is, but I`m glad my staff does. So he was drinking fireballs that night.
You know what? Let`s take a listen to the 911. Henry Griffin, don`t move.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got a ride from this guy, and he`s in a Ferrari. And he sped away from the cops and he took the sharp corner. And I jumped out of the car, and now I`m calling you guys because I`m scared because he might be looking for me. (INAUDIBLE) the police started after him. He smoked `em, man. I mean, he went so fast. I just kept begging him, Please, please, I have a son. Thank God he let me out.
GRACE: All right, everybody. Just think about it, through downtown Olympia. What if your child was walking across the crosswalk? Just think about it. What if you were sitting there, minding your own business in your car, with your children in the car, when this maniac comes flying through at 100 miles an hour? And now a judge has given him the chance to walk free on his seventh DUI?
Joining me right now, former president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Georgia, Sheryl McCollum with me. Sheryl, you know what? I started off with Michael Christian reporting, and he says, Well, he could have gotten 364 days behind bars. Number one, he didn`t. Number two, he shouldn`t be charged with misdemeanor DUI, he should be charged with habitual violator. That`s a felony. That`s real jail time.
SHERYL MCCOLLUM, CRIME ANALYST (via telephone): Oh, absolutely. And not only that, Nancy, he should be charged with endangering another person. That man had to (INAUDIBLE) to get to safety. And furthermore, work- release, just so your folks out there know, that means he gets to go do whatever he dad gum well pleases all day and check himself into jail, like Otis from Mayberry.
GRACE: With me, Sheryl McCollum. And also with me now, special guest Jim Powers, the deputy prosecuting attorney there in Thurston County. Jim, thanks so much for being with us. Seventh DUI? That`s crazy, Jim.
JIM POWERS, DEPUTY PROSECUTING ATTORNEY (via telephone): Well, let me first indicate that -- you know, you mentioned that he should have been charged with a felony offense. But he could not be with a felony offense...
GRACE: Oh, tell -- explain that to me.
POWERS: OK. In Washington, you can only be charged with felony DUI if you have four prior offenses within a 10-year period of time. Now, he had not had that. He had three priors within the 10-year period of time. His entire history of DUIs stretched for a much longer period of time. So yes, he had seven convictions. Not all of them were DUIs, some of them were reduced. But they all were based on DUI charges initially. But it was over too long a period of time for him to be charged with a felony.
GRACE: OK, let`s good through that rap sheet. That`s good to know. It goes all the way back to a DUI in `93 right there in your jurisdiction, Thurston County, `94 DUI, `99 DUI. Somebody reduced it to negligent driving.
POWERS: Right.
GRACE: 2004 -- now we`re within 10 years -- DUI, `06 DUI, `11 DUI.
POWERS: Right.
GRACE: What, if anything, has happened between `11, 2011, and this offense?
POWERS: What happened?
GRACE: Yes. Has he had any other offenses?
POWERS: No. No.
GRACE: Let`s take a look at his rap sheet, everybody. So through a legal technicality, this guy has not been charged with a felony. Take a look at all these DUIs. Look at this, DUI, DUI, DUI, DUI. Can I ask you, Jim Powers, why he didn`t get the 364 days of hard jail time?
POWERS: Well, he got 364 days. That was his sentence. It was the maximum sentence he could have been given. You know, the judge gave him the maximum sentence. I think what you`re talking about is the fact that he was allowed on work-release, but that is a jail sentence. He`s got to be in jail...
GRACE: Well, let me ask you something. Does that mean he stays in jail all day and all night, or does work-release -- when I was a prosecutor, and I assume this is true -- of course, I would never agree to work-release with somebody with this kind of record. But don`t you get to walk free all day long and then you just basically check into the jail at night and spend the night?
POWERS: You are released to go to work in the morning, and you come back, you know, after work at end of the day. That`s true, on those days that you`re working. And then other days that you`re not, then you`re staying inside the jail.
GRACE: OK. Let me go to Henry Griffin, the passenger in the car the night of the DUI. Henry, you say that he was flashing big wads of money.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
GRACE: What else did you observe once you got in the car with him?
GRIFFIN: Well, we got to talking about each other`s kids. I have a 2-year-old son. He`s got two daughters. You know, and I felt like we built a little bond there to where I would actually jump in his car. You know, he didn`t even have a blow `n go (ph), which is a device where you blow into the device and it tells you if you can drive or not, to even start your car.
And that`s why I was trusting him, you know, enough to hop in the car with him. And to clear it up, the car was not going 5 miles when I jumped out. I actually grabbed the wheel and caused the car to go around the corner. And that`s when I jumped out.
GRACE: Did you believe you were going to die that night?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One hundred percent. And that`s the -- I took it into my own hands. It was either, Hey, I`m going to die tonight in this vehicle with this man that will not let me out, or I`m going to jump out, and hopefully, live.
GRACE: Paul Strophy is with us, the attorney for Shaun Goodman. Mr. Strophy, thank you for being with us. Is your client in some type of Alcohol Anonymous program or some type of rehab?
PAUL STROPHY, ATTORNEY FOR SHAUN GOODMAN (VIA TELEPHONE): Yes, Nancy, he is. He, in fact, started chemical dependency treatment while the case was pending and before the court ordered it as part of the judgment and sentence here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: A TV star from the hit show "The Shield," wife shot dead at the star`s mansion, at this hour, believed to be gunned down in front of the star`s children. We also learn, in the last hours, the star of "The Shield" taken into custody.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actor Michael Jace from the television show like "The Shield" and "Southland" has been arrested in the death of his wife. He also had roles in films like "Forrest Gump."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we, the Black Panthers, are against the war in Vietnam!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s from the movie "Forrest Gump" from Paramount and TV show "The Shield" from FX.
The wife believed to be gunned down in front of the children. Joining me right now, Alan Duke, CNN digital reporter. Alan, what do you know?
ALAN DUKE, CNN DIGITAL REPORTER: Well, I just got off the phone with a detective with the LAPD, who tell me that they`ve not been called -- police have not been called to this home in South Los Angeles before for domestic violence, and there are no court filings about domestic violence between April Jace and her husband, Michael Jace. So there are no clues there.
But I do know that there was an accusation of domestic violence during the child custody dispute that Jace had with his first wife. Allegedly, according to one of her friends, she said in a sworn statement that we`ve obtained that he choked her and pushed her up against the wall while the infant son in 1997 slept in or cried and screamed in a crib next to them. So that raises a lot of questions. Other questions are raised by the financial situation...
GRACE: Yes, I got that right here, Alan. Oh, yes, good point. I`ve got here in my hand the divorce filings, the declarations, in his previous relationship with Jennifer Bitterman (ph). That ended in divorce where it is in a sworn document that he attacked the wife with the son right there in the crib.
You touch on something very important, Alan Duke, CNN digital reporter. And that is the money situation. Just before the star`s wife is gunned down -- Bradley Yourist is with us, the bankruptcy attorney for the star. Bradley, thank you for being with us, joining me out of LA. Had they filed for bankruptcy, and did that cause marital tension?
BRADLEY YOURIST, BANKRUPTCY ATTORNEY FOR MICHAEL JACE (via telephone): You know, he don`t know whether it caused marital tension or not, but yes, Mr. Jace filed for bankruptcy protection to save his home in 2011.
GRACE: Everybody, in the last hours, the star of "The Shield" has been taken into custody. We know that his wife was gunned down in the home. Bradley Jacobs, senior editor "US Weekly," were the children in the home at the time their mom was shot?
BRADLEY JACOBS, "US WEEKLY": Yes. It`s been confirmed that the children were in the home. It`s very sad. We don`t know more details about whether they were in the room or not, but they were taken into custody, child protection, and they are now with relatives.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Los Angeles police arrested and charged the actor Michael Jace for the shooting death of his wife.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have two young children that, you know, lost their mom, and now their dad, you know, is in jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: In the last hours, we learn that the wife of the star of the hit series "The Shield" is gunned down in the family home. We believe the children were there at the time of the shooting. At this hour, the TV star of "The Shield" has been taken into custody.
Alexis Tereszcuk, senior reporter, Radaronline.com, you were there in the neighborhood. What did you learn?
ALEXIS TERESZCUK, RADARONLINE.COM (via telephone): Nancy, I was, and I spoke with all of the neighbors around there, and especially the neighbors right next door. And they said there were three shots fired. The one lady, the next door neighbor, described it as, Pow, pow, pow. It was very quick.
Interesting thing she said was, is there were no shouts, not before or after the shooting. She didn`t even hear the children screaming or crying or anything. They have a huge German shepherd dog. The dog was not barking, either. It was completely silent, except for these three terrifying shots. And the next door neighbor, she told me -- Shirley (ph) said that she ran into the house. She was terrified that somebody was going to be shooting at her.
GRACE: With me, Alexis Tereszcuk, senior reporter, Radaronline.com. Alexis, so you`re saying that there was no screaming, no argument heard by the neighbors. And the houses are super-expensive in that area, but they`re pretty close together. We`re talking about LA. So if there had been screaming or yelling or an argument, you`d think someone would have heard it, right, Alexis?
TERESZCUK: Absolutely. And it was just at dusk, right as the sun was setting, so it was a quiet time there. It`s not near a busy street at all. It`s a residential neighborhood. Yes, the houses are very close to each other. A small driveway separates two of them on both sides. And you would have been able to hear it.
And when I was there today, a dog was barking, I could hear that. And it was in the middle of the day with quite a few people around. So this was a completely silent situation. The neighbors didn`t even know. He didn`t come running outside the house, screaming for help or anything. No one screamed for help.
GRACE: Everybody, you`re seeing video of "The Shield," the hit series, the star of "The Shield" behind bars at this hour. We understand he is in custody for the shooting death of his wife in their home, their children at home at the time Mommy is gunned down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: And now to Maryville, Indiana, a 4-year-old little boy, a beautiful little boy, fatally shot in his head in his own bedroom with a loaded gun belonging to Mommy and Daddy. But tonight, no charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 4-year-old Cash Irby Junior went to his parents` closet and managed to climb up to a shelf that had a loaded gun on it. The child took the gun to his room and fired off a single shot that hit him in the head. The child was unresponsive when police arrived.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: This on the heels of a story we just brought to you, a 3-year- old little girl, Zuri Chambers, had been playing with her father`s gun repeatedly. The mom woke up one morning and sees Zuri pointing the gun straight at the mom. She found it that time in the laundry basket. After many times, Zuri finds the gun and shoots herself by accident. Killing herself. Dad claiming he needed the gun because he worked at a fro yo, a frozen yogurt shop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tragic story unfolded. Thomas Chambers` 3- year-old daughter, Zuri, accidentally fatally shot herself in the head with his gun inside their Lakeworth home. He left the loaded KelTech 9 millimeter on the table while getting dressed for work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to be very careful with children.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Now this. Out to Lauri Harvey Keagle, writer with the Times of Northwest Indiana. Lori, thanks for being with us. What was -- why was the gun left around loaded?
LAURI HARVEY KEAGLE, TIMES OF NORTHWEST INDIANA: That question, I believe, remains to be seen. There is a family member who is an attorney who is a spokesperson for the family, who said that the loaded weapon was kept on a top shelf of a closet. Far in the back and that family kept it for protection.
GRACE: So, my question then, Laura, is, you know, my children are 6. From the age of 2, I could observe them like two little monkeys getting to locks that were way above their heads. Figuring out how to get through dead bolts. Going through all of the closets. Figuring out how to get things off the top shelf. That was when they were two. So this gun was kept loaded on the top shelf of the closet. Justin, what more do we know?
FREIMAN: We know other children were also home at the time when the gunshot happened.
GRACE: Everybody, you were seeing shots of 4-year-old Cash Irby. The gunshot to the head.
To Dr. Nina Radcliff, physician, joining me. What do you know about, could the child have been saved?
RADCLIFF: Absolutely. First of all, this should not have happened. They should not have had this gun. This child, we don`t know if it took a while for him to bleed to death. We don`t know if it was immediate. This should not have happened in the first place. This child could have been saved, if they used some common sense.
GRACE: Everyone, you are seeing shots of 4-year-old Cash, now dead. This is following a spate of child self shootings. First of all, Cash, as we mentioned, on the heels of little Zuri. The father Thomas Chambers claiming he needed the loaded gun laying around the house in the living room because he worked at a frozen yogurt restaurant. Then John Read shot dead. The baby-sitter was home at the time, the 5-year-old fatally shoots himself with the gun. Brandajah Smith, 5-year-old who dies after she finds a gun while mom is at the store. Killian Perez, a 4-year-old kills himself with dad`s gun. Damon Holbrook, a 3-year-old kills himself with a gun he find in the bedroom closet. Look at this child. Three years old.
To unleash the lawyers, David Benowitz, Areva Martin. First out to you, Areva Martin. In many cases you will find at least a charge of child neglect for having a loaded gun around your house that a child can get. There are laws in place that guns are supposed to be in gun cabinets and locked.
MARTIN: Absolutely, Nancy. This is such a tragic case and all of the cases you just profiled, when a kid kills himself, everyone, heart goes out for that child. We don`t have all the facts here. We don`t have the information that these parents were otherwise negligent or that they otherwise were not good and loving and caring parents.
GRACE: That`s not the issue.
MARTIN: I think that`s important to note.
GRACE: The issue is what happened here.
MARTIN: It`s important to know what happened with this family hollistically, not just on this one situation, were these parents otherwise negligent. Were these otherwise good parents.
GRACE: Lauri, what is the law there regarding guns in the home? Are they supposed to be locked in the cabinet? What is the reality of the law in the jurisdiction?
KEAGLE: Sure. I`m not certain of the exact law here. I should mention that this case remains open while at the police department level. While the death has been ruled accidental by the coroner`s office, I did speak to the police officer in charge of this case this afternoon. And this case remains open. It is not closed. So anything is possible.
GRACE: Back to the lawyers, Areva Martin and David Benowitz. Davie, have you heard of the gun storage law? Also the child access prevention law in Indiana, which states that the adult is criminally liable if the child gains access to a loaded gun?
BENOWITZ: I`m not familiar with that law. But what I can say, is if I was representing the parents, I would say that they did exactly what they were supposed to do in storing that gun in a place that was out of reach, probably hidden, in a place they would never expect their child to go.
GRACE: Do you have children?
BENOWITZ: I do not.
GRACE: I couldn`t hear you. Did you say yes or no.
BENOWITZ: I do not.
GRACE: Just so you know, my two children are like monkeys. They can climb up on anything. They can find anything. As I mentioned, getting through dead bolts. You name it. So let me go back to Lauri Harvey Keagle joining us. Lauri, the reality is the law in your jurisdiction, the child access prevention law in Indiana, says that a child`s parents or guardian are liable if they allow a gun to be left out where the child can get it, loaded. And that`s exactly what happened here.
So Cheryl Hunter, trauma recovery expert, author of "Use It," Cheryl, as much as I feel horrible for the parents, they left a loaded gun out. Yes, they had it on a shelf in the closet. But children can see shelves and closets. This little boy is 4. He is already headed to pre-k, if not in pre-k. That`s old enough to look in a closet. Why would a gun be loaded sitting on a shelf in a closet? And as much as my heart breaks for the parents, they created this scenario, Cheryl.
HUNTER: They did create this scenario. As concerned as I am -- I`m more concerned at this point, Nancy, with the two remaining children and what will happen with them and how they will deal with this in their lives. Sure, I`m concerned for how the parents will eventually cope. But I`m much more concerned with how those other two kids will cope at this point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just after 8:00 a.m. when police say they got the call. A 4-year-old child at home in Merriville (ph), Indiana accidentally shot himself in the head after getting a hold of his parents` handgun. Relatives say the parents of Cash Irby Jr. were tending to two of their other children at the time. The gun, stored in the parents` closet, was out of the way but unsecured. Cash Junior was rushed to the hospital but police say it was already too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: And another bomb shell tonight. Beloved movie star Will Smith, think "Men in Black," "Independence Day" and "Hancock," and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, under investigation by Child Protective Services.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL SMITH: Do I look like I care what people think?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hollywood super couple Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith are under investigation by the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, according to reports. Stems from a photo of their 13-year-old daughter, Willow, that hit the Internet. The picture shows a fully clothed Willow in a bed with a topless 20-year-old actor she calls a friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: You saw video from the movie "Hancock" from Colombia Pictures. This is stumping me. Out to you, Alexis Teresczuck, senior reporter, radaronline.com. Do you recall the recent case of Deseret Sheldon (ph) that we covered here? This little girl, let`s see a picture of Deseret Sheldon, the little girl I`m talking about right now. This little girl, family, begged for CPS, Child Protective Services, to take the child out of the home. Begged and begged. They signed a petition. They went and spoke to CPS. CPS had visited and visited and visited. This little girl had a broken leg at the time that she was murdered at the hands of her family. When she was killed. She still had a broken leg from the last time they beat her up. People were protesting outside CPS. Child Protective Services. Nothing was done.
Okay, then there`s Jeremiah Oliver. Another story we just covered. That little boy had been missing. Jeremiah Oliver had been missing for months. Before CPS ever even figured out the little boy was gone. He was beaten. He was starved. His body was just found a couple of weeks ago. Thrown on the side of the interstate in a suitcase. CPS had been to that home tons of times. Nobody did a thing.
And now, let me get this straight, Alexis. The Smiths, the Pinkett Smiths, they have a friend over. A family friend. An adult. He is sitting there, takes a picture with the little girl Jada, he does not have a shirt on. Otherwise he is fully clothed. They are laughing in the picture. And now he is being investigated? Will Smith is being investigated by CPS while other children are dropping dead and they do nothing?
TERESCZUK: It seems like an absolute waste of time and money and resources here in Los Angeles. This is a family of super high profile. Nothing bad has ever been said about Will and Jada. Maybe people don`t like the way their daughter cuts her hair. But that`s not anyone`s business but theirs--
GRACE: Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say they don`t like the kid`s hair? Did you just say that? I can`t wait until you have your baby. I can`t wait. I`m going to bring this up to you that you are actually talking about how the kid does her hair. Who cares. I care about Jeremiah Oliver and Deseret Sheldon. They are dead, and CPS stood by and twiddled their thumbs while the children are dead. This kid gets a picture taken with a family friend who doesn`t have a shirt on, and CPS is wasting my time and money investigating while children are dying. Alexis, this is bass ackwards. I think Will Smith ought to turn around and sue them.
TERESCZUK: Jada has been very outspoken about this entire situation. She said that if anyone even thinks that this picture is inappropriate is perverted in their own mind. That`s what she said. CPS opened not just a one day, one visit investigation. Our sources say they are out there for about a month fully looking into this. They are putting a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of manpower into this. As far as I can see, this little girl wasn`t hurt. The boy is fine. The parents are fine with it, and this is something that seems a waste of resources.
GRACE: Everybody, we are talking about the movie star, Will Smith, and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. And I`m not saying they are above the law. But what I am saying is Child Protective Services, who I think frankly should all be put in jail, they are going after Will Smith when his kid takes a picture with a family friend who doesn`t have his shirt on? When other children are dropping dead. Stacey Newman, what more can you tell me?
NEWMAN: Who is the guy in this picture with Willow? His name is Moises Aria (ph). He is a 20-year-old actor, best known for starring as Rico on Hannah Montana. He`s been in music videos, TV shows, Youtube shows. Nancy, he is just friends with Willow. And they are part of this group of young Hollywood stars.
GRACE: So, how did the whole thing happen? And why is CPS putting so much time and money chasing Will Smith when they didn`t do anything wrong?
NEWMAN: Well, after this picture was taken, he posted this picture on Instagram. Kiley Jenner put it on Tumbler. Then it went viral. People started making more of this picture than it really was. Jada Pinkett Smith says that everybody who is upset about this photo, they are nothing more than covert pedophiles. And now CPS is investigating.
GRACE: Everybody, you`re seeing a shot here of Jada Pinkett Smith there with Will Smith. And amazingly, tonight, Child Protective Services, we hear about it. It just kills me. Every week, I hear about a new child that Child Protective Services ignored. And the child is dead. I have so many reports of this that I can`t even put them all on the air. Because I don`t want to have to show it to you every single night. And now I learn that Child Protective Services, if you can call them that, after this picture, there`s the little girl -- what`s the little girl`s name? Willow, that`s right. Willow, sitting there, she is laying there with a family friend who just took his shirt off. And Child Protective Services is spending time and money investigating this, while children are being abused, sexually abused. Starved. Beaten. Until they are dead.
I really tonight, again, call for Child Protective Services to not just be dismantled, but to be put in jail.
Everyone, I want to give you an update. If you find yourself in danger and you cannot call 911, you can now text. (inaudible) companies can provide the service to local governments. It is the first step in moving our country`s emergency dispatch out of voice-only technology. This is a big thing. Texting 911, recommended for domestic violence cases, hearing impaired. Any emergency, when it is not safe for the victim to speak.
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GRACE: And now live to Florida, a 9-year-old little girl Felicia found dead in the dark waters of Tampa Bay. Tonight, we want answers.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police say this child, 9-year-old Felicia Williams, was murdered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was somebody that was so precious, hard just to think about what she went through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: To Roger Schulman, Tampa Radio News reporter, thank you for being with us. How did this child end up in Tampa Bay?
SCHULMAN: When we have the answer to that question, we`re going to have the murderer, because there is no way this child could have gotten 20 miles across a busy causeway by herself. Impossible. Someone took her from that apartment, in the Temple Terrace (ph) area, took her all the way across the city of Tampa, and about eight miles across that causeway into the water of Tampa Bay.
GRACE: Roger Schulman, again, thank you for being with us from Tampa Radio News. Roger, what is the timeline? I understand the mother left to go to shopping or went on some errand and the godmother, yes, to have her hair done, and the godmother took the little girl, then what happened?
SCHULMAN: Not really the godmother, a woman that she knew who said she was the godmother, a woman named Eboni Wiley, age 23, who had some mental problems, took the child to an apartment Friday night. Took a shower, then she noticed the child was missing. Four or five hours later, she contacts police, the story she tells them did not even constitute an Amber alert, they didn`t take it as seriously as they knew they should have, because she told them something. We haven`t learned yet what that was that did not alarm them as much as it should have.
Then Saturday afternoon, this is Friday night, late Friday night, Saturday afternoon, two fishermen in Tampa Bay see a naked body of a young girl in the water, and that`s where she was found.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The medical examiner confirmed 9-year-old Felecia Williams, who was reporting missing, was murdered. Her body was found floating in the Courtney Campbell Causeway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: To Matt Zarrell, on the story, Matt, what more do we know?
ZARRELL: Nancy, police are saying Ebony Wiley was providing conflicting information to law enforcement. She is actually not charged with lying to investigators. Now, what police are saying is that the false information caused them not to treat the case with as much urgency as it required. Keep in mind, just a few hours after she was reported missing is when the body was found.
GRACE: What are you saying made the police believe that this was not a life threatening situation, what happened?
ZARRELL: Yes, what police are saying is that conflicting information from Wiley initially led them to treat Felecia as a runaway, and that prevented authorities from issuing an Amber alert right away.
GRACE: Do you know what the conflicting statements were?
ZARRELL: Police are not saying exactly what they were, but they are saying they do not know if her story is true or not.
GRACE: Okay. To Dr. Nina Radcliff, physician joining me out of New York, her body was found in the waters of Tampa Bay. How are we going to get DNA, how are we going to find out cause of death? We need those clues to find the killer.
RADCLIFF: Absolutely. We can still get DNA from hair follicles. There are a number of parts inside her body, the organs that we can still obtain DNA, that will not be a problem. What we`re concerned about are things that can fade away, for example, if she was fighting her attacker, there might be evidence under her nails that might not be available to us. Additionally, the body will swell up and we might lose marks on her body, such as strangulation marks and other bruises. Things, for example, as broken bones, that will not be lost even her body was immersed in the water.
GRACE: Everyone, at this hour, there are no named suspects. Tonight we are looking for the truth, we want justice in the death of 9-year-old Felecia. Tip line, 813-989-7110.
Let`s stop and remember American hero, Army Sergeant Jason Parsons, just 24, Hudson, North Carolina, Bronze Star, Purple Heart. Loved nature. Parents, Margaret and Garland, step parents Kenneth and Cathy, brother Christopher, sister Britney, widow Ellie. Three children. Jason Parsons, American hero. Drew up next. I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern, and until then, good night, friend.
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