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Nancy Grace
Dog the Bounty Hunter Goes After War Machine
Aired August 13, 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. TV reality star Dog the Bounty Hunter, also known as Duane Chapman, launches a search, vowing to
track down a mixed martial arts star after claims he brutally assaults his live-in girlfriend, an alleged attack leaving Christy Mack with 18 broken
bones, her nose broken twice in two places, missing teeth, a severely ruptured liver and more, her hair sawed off by a knife. She only escapes
when, quote, "the War Machine," as he`s named himself, heads to the kitchen to get a new knife after he breaks the first knife assaulting her.
Bombshell tonight. At this hour, the mixed martial arts fighter dubbed War Machine on the run. This is not about reality TV. It is not
about mixed martial arts. It is not about porn stars. This is about another woman practically beaten to death in her own home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her face is very swollen. Her whole eye is closed shut.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Christy Mack tweeted photos from her hospital bed, claiming her ex-boyfriend, MMA star fighter Jon "War Machine" Koppenhaver,
is responsible for the abuse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That was alleged abuse photos from Christy Mack`s Twitter page and video from Spike TV`s Bellator MMA.
And tonight, an Illinois teen and her lover just spotted in exotic Bali after the girl`s mother`s body is found half naked, bloody and stuffed
into this suitcase, the suitcase, covered in blood, left in a taxicab outside the five-star resort as her daughter checks out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trip of a lifetime with her daughter, a luxurious five-star resort. But the trip turns deadly, Mom found dead inside a
suitcase. Questions swirling tonight!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And you better think twice before you call the cable guy. Tonight, reports DirecTV sends a registered sex offender to a family`s home
to make TV repairs. He immediately starts taking photos, snapping the 12- year-old little girl doing her stretches before gym class in the family room. Think about it!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The family in the town of Murphy (ph) made a service call to DirecTV. During their service call, Massey (ph) took
pictures of a 12-year-old girl, a gymnast, while she was stretching. That child told police, After each picture, he told me, Shhh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. TV reality star Dog the Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, launches a search, vowing to personally track down a mixed martial
arts star after claims the star brutally assaults his live-in girlfriend, the alleged attack leaving Christy Mack with 18 broken bones, including her
nose broken in two places, teeth knocked out all over the floor, a severely ruptured liver and more, the girl`s hair sawed off by a knife.
And she only escapes when the mixed martial arts star, who legally renames himself War Machine, heads to her kitchen to get a new knife after
he breaks the first knife in his assault on her. At this hour, the mixed martial arts star War Machine on the run.
Now, let me tell you something. This is not about reality TV. And it`s not about the craze of mixed martial arts or porn stars being
involved. This is about an American woman tragically beaten near death in her own home, and nobody doing anything about it. And once again, the
alleged perpetrator is trying to blame the victim.
Will you look at the victim? Let me see that shot, Justin, of her lying in her hospital bed. You tell me whether this is the victim --
whether she somehow is the bad guy.
Joining me right now, star of "Dog and Beth on the Hunt," looking for mixed martial arts star War Machine, Duane "Dog" Chapman. Dog, thank you
for being with us.
DUANE "DOG" CHAPMAN, BOUNTY HUNTER (via telephone): Yes, ma`am. Thank you very much. How are you, Nancy?
GRACE: Well, I`m angry. I`m angry that you have to go and look for this guy because he`s not man enough to turn himself in. And I`m angry
about him claiming that somehow, she and her boyfriend are responsible for this after he comes and knocks into her home, bamming on the door, getting
in, beating up the boyfriend, and then doing this to her, forcing her to strip naked, trying to rape her, but he couldn`t get an erection,
allegedly, and beating her in this manner.
I am incensed, frankly! That`s how I`m doing, Dog. How are you?
CHAPMAN: Well, I`m feeling exactly like you are, you know, that number one, that is a woman in America. Number two, a lot of his friends
are also saying, you know, What did she do to provoke him? Dog, there`s three parts to every story. I`m, like, Are you guys really real? I mean,
this is an absolute tragedy.
Like you said, you know, this -- Nancy, this took him, like, three hours to do this. She dove out her window, and you know, ran away without
her clothes on, beating on a neighbor`s door, or I can almost guarantee you that this girl would not be alive today.
GRACE: Well, right there, right off the top -- you know, Duane "Dog" Chapman, I`ve seen your show. And I don`t want to start up a fight with
you, but just let me tell you the truth. I don`t like people saying, What did she do to provoke him? That`s, once again, his friends, this mixed
martial arts star -- now I`m sure they`re all going to be mad at me -- suggesting that somehow, this is her fault. She`s in her home, sitting on
her sofa, minding her own business when this guy barges in and beats her this close to death!
He is a celebrity. She is a celebrity. You think nice people don`t do this kind of thing? Well, you`re wrong. I don`t care what she said or
did, there`s nothing to provoke a beating like this.
Everybody, you are seeing video from Spike TV`s Bellator MMA. So Dog, I don`t think it`s fair to say, What did she do to provoke him? My
question is, what did he do, and why is he on the run, Dog Chapman?
CHAPMAN: Well, you know, he -- number one, he was on probation out of San Diego, California, for an assault, OK? So he had promised the judge
that he was going to clean his life up and stop.
He -- his friends -- let me reiterate about the MMA. A lot of the friends of his, alleged friends that are saying, you know, What did she do,
Dog? There`s three sides to every story. In MMA, there are the professionals and then there are the wannabes. I haven`t talked to, met,
spoken with any professional MMA fighter that has stuck up for him. It`s most of the wannabes that, you know, can`t make it.
I think his record was, like, 14 fights, and he only won six of them. So as far as being, you know, physically a tough guy -- so you know, he
went in there. And there`s no reason in America or any country where you have to slap a woman, or in this case, beat her almost to death. There is
no excuse for that.
And of course, I am the bounty hunter in America. And when Beth and I, my wife, was sitting there, we heard about this, we`re, like -- you
know, Beth said, Honey (INAUDIBLE) what are you going to do about this? I said -- you know, my wife is an advocate for domestic violence, and one of
her pet peeves, one of her sidelines is helping women to get out of it, find another guy, get rid of the guy and find someone else, so she -- and I
have daughters, Nancy. And they`re all, like, Dad, what are we going to do?
I said, You know what we`re going to do? We`re going to do the Chapman way. We`re going to bounty hunt this guy down, and we`re going to
put him in custody. This is not the greatest bounty we`ve ever had. But in the top 10 in 30 years, this guy lists in the top 10. He`s a very
dangerous individual...
GRACE: Everybody, you`re seeing video from A&E network`s Dog the Bounty Hunter. With me tonight taking your calls is Dog -- Duane Chapman.
You know, many a day, Dog, I have spent after work in court at the bail bondsman`s bounty hunter office, many, many an hour trying to find
defendants, trying to find witnesses, working hand in hand with me as a prosecutor on the case.
And it`s amazing to me that you feel that you have the need to issue this challenge to this guy, War Machine, after this brutal beating. I
mean, he is looking at major felony charges, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, that being his hands, attempted rape. It would have been a
rape if he had gotten an erection.
Michael Christian, very quickly, his other name, other than War Machine, is Alpha Male. And what is this business about he tried to rape
her, as well?
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): According to Christy Mack, Nancy, after he was done beating and during the beating, he
forced her to take a shower. While he was in the shower, Mack says that he attacked her at knifepoint and tried to rape her. But as you say, he
wasn`t able to achieve an erection.
GRACE: Back to Duane Chapman, known as Dog of "Dog and Beth on the Hunt." He`s the most famous bounty hunter in the country, possibly the
world.
So Dog, thank you for being with us, again. Here`s the deal. You`ve already issued a throwdown to War Machine, the mixed martial arts star
specialist accused of this brutal and savage beating. All right, the time`s past. He didn`t turn himself in. Now what are you going to do?
CHAPMAN: Nancy Grace, we are on the hunt, sister. We are on him, sister. He has to make one move, and I got him. He has no idea the
friends that I have and the enemies that he has made. He is yesterday`s news.
GRACE: OK, he`s saying, The cops will never give me fair play, they`re out after me. And he is somehow turning this around.
Everybody, with me, Duane "Dog" Chapman, star of "Dog and Beth on the Hunt." You know, some of his Twitters are saying absolutely -- blaming
her. And I don`t care what she is. I don`t care if the victim is a nun, a priest, a virgin, a hooker, a porn star. I don`t care what they are.
Nobody in this country deserves to be beaten like this.
And here are tweets to her. "I love you and hope you`re OK"? He beat her near death. He ruptured her liver.
What the story is, Rob Shuter, that he says he came over to her house at 2:00 AM to propose to her?
ROB SHUTER, GOSSIP COLUMNIST: Yes, that`s the story. That`s what he`s saying. This guy here that`s on the run from our friend Dog the
Bounty Hunter found time to get on Twitter to tell his side of the story. It`s a ridiculous side of the story. He said that he went over at 2:00 in
the morning to propose and caught her in her own house with another gentleman, who he also beat up, asked the guy to leave, and then continued
to beat this girl for another three hours until she escaped naked out of a window.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police confirm they are searching for Koppenhaver to arrest him on multiple charges of assault and battery.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had smacked her before, but it had never been something so aggressive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mack claims she was with a friend when Koppenhaver, whom she broken up with months prior, showed up unexpectedly
to her Las Vegas home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He could easily, like, snap her in two in seconds. Like, his biceps are the same size as her legs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "And without a single word spoken, he began beating my friend. Once he was finished, he sent my friend away and turned
his attention to me."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But being a wanted fugitive hasn`t stopped War Machine from tweeting about the incident, posting, "I`m not a bad guy."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Joining me tonight in the search for a mixed martial arts star now accused of a brutal, brutal, savage attack on his former girlfriend,
Duane "Dog" Chapman is with us, the world famous bounty hunter, looking for the martial arts star. With me, Duane "Dog" Chapman. Duane, again, thank
you for being with us.
The question is, first of all, you`re not on camera with me tonight for a reason. Why is that?
CHAPMAN: Well, like I said, we`re on the hunt. We`re in an undisclosed location. And you know, I gave him a 24-hour warning, Turn
yourself in, because he had tweeted, I`m not a bad guy. You know, You don`t know the whole story. You don`t know my side of it. And I thought,
you know, the guy may have some kind of compassion, and you know, the drug (ph) told him what to do. So we gave him a 24-hour warning.
And he just -- you know, Catch me if you can, so -- but let me tell you something, Nancy, that bothered me. You know, I talked to her. And as
he was beating her, she was begging for her life. And she said Dog, it was just like in the ring. My blood was squirting all over his face and into
his mouth. And she said, Dog, there was no referee to stop it. And I was, like, What?
GRACE: Everyone, you are seeing the shots of the alleged victim in this case, Christy Mack, formerly dating a mixed martial arts star, War
Machine, born Jonathan Koppenhaver.
OK, what`s your bead on where he is, Dog? Where do you think he is?
CHAPMAN: Well, you know, I think he -- you know, a bird doesn`t leave too far from his nest, so I think he`s in the area. Anywhere else he goes
where he doesn`t have the wannabe friends will not hide him at all. He`s full of tattoos. I don`t care, unless he wears a woman`s dress, a woman`s
wig and dresses like a woman, there`s no way anyone cannot miss him. He`s more recognizable than me.
So I think that he`s got to stay in an area where he`s got friends. And both in California and in Vegas, you know, if he crosses that state
line, Nancy, because it happened in Vegas, he becomes -- he becomes a wanted federal fugitive, you know, (INAUDIBLE) interstate flight to avoid
prosecution. So I think he`s in the area that he knows best because if he gets out of that area, he`s like the duck out of water. He`s got a
problem. So the real hunt, I think, is concentrating in that area.
I don`t think he`s got too much money, too many friends because both states, what I was saying, will charge aiding and abetting in almost the
same amount of time as the actual perpetrator or the criminal. So somebody is going to realize, Oh, my God, if -- you know, one thing about this guy.
He`s got a record and has known (INAUDIBLE) tattle. In our world, they call it a snitch. Once this guy gets caught and the feds start
questioning him and say, Who hid you, this guy`s going to tell them. And then they`re going to issue warrants for whosever hiding him. So you know,
I think that whosever is hiding him is going to grow a heart pretty soon and run in their back room and dial 911.
GRACE: Everybody, you are seeing video from A&E network, Dog the Bounty Hunter. With me right now, in addition to Duane "Dog" Chapman, is
Jose Hernandez, the PIO at the Vegas PD.
Officer, thank you so much for being with us. When your people responded to the scene, what did they find?
JOSE HERNANDEZ, LAS VEGAS POLICE DEPARTMENT (via telephone): Good afternoon. Well, Nancy, what I can tell you is that our officers did
respond to a residence located at the 3400 block of Pueblo Way (ph) here in Las Vegas at approximately 4:00 AM. And of course, they did come in
contact with a male and female who appeared to have sustained some severe but non-life-threatening injuries. Of course, the female victim was
transported to a nearby hospital, where she was treated. And as a result of this investigation, our detectives have identified 32-year-old Jonathan
Koppenhaver as the suspect in this incident.
GRACE: Now, where do you think he is, Officer Hernandez?
HERNANDEZ: Well, I can tell you that this is a very much active and ongoing investigation. You know, this is obviously a very serious crime,
and not because we`re speaking of someone who has celebrity status, but any time anyone is a victim of this type of crime, we take very serious. So
our detectives are working very hard. I know that they`re following up on numerous leads, and you know, it -- possibility that he may not be in
Vegas. However, our detectives are looking into everything and following all leads available at this time.
GRACE: Yes, you`re right, we are dealing with celebrities. When I look at that shot of Christy Mack with her face totally swollen up, she`s
unrecognizable, she has a torn liver, this goes beyond celebrity or anything else. This is an aggravated assault felony!
Unleash the lawyers. Joining me tonight, Eleanor Odom, death penalty- qualified prosecutor, Alex Sanchez, defense attorney out of New York.
Eleanor, there`s no way this is not going to be an aggravated assault with the fist as the legal weapon. I mean, he`s a mixed martial arts star.
Show me a shot of War Machine, as he calls himself. That`s Dog. I want to see him in the ring, Justin. I want to see War Machine, Alpha
Male, as he calls -- oh, yes. OK, yes. You want to tell me that fist is not a weapon, Eleanor?
ELEANOR ODOM, PROSECUTOR: And you know, Nancy, when you see that, you could see exactly how he was punching the victim in that case. You could
just imagine that. And as you said, aggravated assault can be caused by hands, fists, of course, any feet, if he stomped her, thus rupturing her
liver, because you have to have somebody against a solid surface to get their liver ruptured, like a stomping of that -- on their body there.
And also, the aggravated assault with a knife. So he`s facing a slew of charges.
GRACE: OK, to Dr. Tim Gallagher, medical examiner, forensic pathologist, joining me out of Daytona Beach. Dr. Gallagher, what are the
implications of a severely torn liver?
DR. TIM GALLAGHER, MEDICAL EXAMINER/FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST (via telephone): A severely torn liver is a life-threatening injury. The liver
has a tremendous blood supply, and any leakage of that blood supply in the abdomen is life-threatening. The bleeding will happen very quickly, and
it`ll happen in great volume. So this is a life-threatening injury.
GRACE: To the public information officer, Jose Hernandez. To me, a severely torn liver has all sorts of life-threatening implications. But
earlier, you said this was not life-threatening.
HERNANDEZ: Well...
GRACE: A torn liver is a life-threatening. There have been -- I`ve had cases as a prosecutor where that was one of the injuries due to a
bullet wound, and the person died after a liver laceration.
HERNANDEZ: Well, ma`am, you have to also keep in mind that I`m speaking from an officer`s perspective when he arrived at the scene. What
-- what condition the victims find themselves in when they -- when they arrive at the hospital...
GRACE: I understand. I understand.
HERNANDEZ: All the information is not made available...
GRACE: I understand. I just wanted to clarify this woman was near death at the hospital with a severely lacerated liver.
And (INAUDIBLE) to Duane "Dog" Chapman. Dog, what are you going to do when he doesn`t answer you? You going to go after him or what?
CHAPMAN: Well, we are...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... again? What is this, the war of the tweets (ph)?
CHAPMAN: What is it what -- what did you say?
GRACE: I`m telling you, Dog, what are you going to do? The deadline`s going to pass. What are you going to do, tweet back at him?
CHAPMAN: Well, the...
GRACE: It`s the war of the tweets!
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... go get him!
CHAPMAN: The deadline passed yesterday, Nancy, and we`re on the hunt. (INAUDIBLE) We`re going to find him. He can`t hide very long. We`re going
to catch this guy. We`re going to bring him to justice. We`re going to tell him one time (INAUDIBLE) doesn`t (ph), we`re going to take him out.
We`re going to take him out Dog-style. We`re going to put him in the closest jail we can find, and we`re going to be there and wave at him when
he`s extradited back to Nevada.
And let me tell you something about Nevada. That`s one state where you don`t beat women. They don`t put up with it. He`s going down. O.J.
Simpson got him a brand-new celly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "When he arrived, he found myself and one other fully clothed and unarmed in the house. And without a single word spoken,
he began beating my friend. Once he was finished, he sent my friend away and turned his attention to me. He made me undress and shower in front of
him. Then he dragged me out and beat my face. My injuries include 18 broken bones around my eyes. My nose is broken in two places. I am
missing teeth and several more are broken.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: An Illinois teen girl and her boyfriend lover just spotted in exotic Bali after the girl`s mother`s body found half naked, bloody,
stuffed into a suitcase! The suitcase left in a taxi cab outside a five- star hotel, at the same time her daughter checks out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police say the badly beaten body of wealthy Chicago socialite Sheila von Weise-Mack was found stuffed in the suitcase,
left in the trunk of a taxi cab outside the upscale Saint Regis Bali resort.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Straight out to Pat Lalama, investigative reporter, Pat, it`s my understanding that this is an Illinois teen girl and her lover, that
there had been a loud argument the night before. And it was assumed it was between the teen and the boyfriend. It turns out it was between the mom
and the boyfriend.
This is what I know. Let`s see the live feed of the beach at this gorgeous Saint Regis resort. Check it out. The waves are lapping up
gently onto the beach right there. You should see the inside of this place. Take a look at what we found, the inside of this five-star hotel.
It`s the Saint Regis in Bali. This is the murder scene. Not only was the mom stuffed into a suitcase in a taxi cab outfront, the cab driver sitting
there for two full hours, but there were other suitcases left as well, full of bloody towels. What do we know, Pat Lalama?
LALAMA: To understand this case, Nancy, requires a little bit of history. It was contentious is hardly the expression -- it was worse than
that. In a nine-year period, this mother, the wealthy socialite and her daughter Heather calls 86 times 911 calls, domestic problems between her
and her mother in a nine-year period, 86 times. This mother had been talking to every neighbor she could find about how to get help because of
the relationship with her daughter. There were problems.
Then the boyfriend shows up in Bali. And on tape is captured an argument between the boyfriend and the mother. The next thing you know,
she`s stuffed in a suitcase. They find the couple six miles away sleeping in another hotel room.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A 62-year-old woman goes on a trip of a lifetime with her daughter, a luxurious five-star resort. But the trip turns
deadly. Mom found dead inside a suitcase. Authorities reportedly say the victim had several wounds to her head. The wounds allegedly inflicted with
blunt tools. Authorities also claiming the woman fought back. But who did she fight with? Reports the mom staying at the resort with her 18-year-old
daughter and daughter`s boyfriend. Police have not named suspects in the case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Take a look inside this five-star Saint Regis resort turned murder scene, according to local police. Police find an Illinois teen girl
and her lover on the run. While she`s checking out of this five-star resort, she takes her suitcases, puts them in the back of the cab, goes in
to check out. The cab driver sits there for about two hours, letting the meter run, until he takes a look in this suitcase. Do you notice what he
noticed? Blood on the edge. This is the replica of the room where they stayed. The mother, the Illinois teen girl and her boyfriend, her lover.
Clark Goldband, the cab driver sat out there for two hours with mom`s body stuffed in the suitcase in the trunk?
GOLDBAND: Nancy, two hours. That`s what authorities are saying. You keep saying check out, which brings up something interesting I want to make
sure the viewers are aware of. The cab driver believed after the luggage had been loaded that the couple was going to check out. According to
reports, they went to the front desk and said they just have to get something in their room, but they never went back to the front desk,
according to authorities. Reports saying that the couple actually left through the back of the hotel via that beach you just showed moments ago.
And there are apparently a lot of surveillance cameras. Authorities saying that the couple was seen on the beach leaving the hotel.
GRACE: That`s a live feed of the Saint Regis resort we`re talking about. To Dr. Tim Gallagher, medical examiner, forensic pathologist,
joining us from Daytona Beach. Dr. Gallagher, question, how can you get without dismembering it, how can you get an adult body into that suitcase?
Let`s see the video of the suitcase again, Justin.
GALLAGHER: Nancy, you`d be surprised how well a human body will fold up. I had several cases in Miami where we did find human bodies, adult
human bodies, in medium-sized suitcases. I`m not surprised they were able to fit that woman in there.
GRACE: When you say you`d be surprised, I am surprised. There you see the taxi cab driver and the cop looking at the suitcase. This is where
they were vacationing.
Joining me, Caryn Stark, psychologist out of New York. Caryn, the reason I`m asking about the body in the suitcase, is can you imagine -- I
can understand to an extent an angry moment where you hit somebody or you act quickly. But can you imagine the teen girl folding up her mom`s body
and putting it in this -- stuffing it half naked, bloody, into this suitcase and leaving it in a cab? Can you even imagine it?
STARK: It`s so hard to imagine, Nancy. And it really shows you the anger and rage and the disregard for her mother that she felt to or whoever
did this. Because it`s a very intimate crime. There`s blunt trauma happening here. And then they take the body and they stuff it as though
it`s a rag doll or a piece of clothing into the suitcase. So there`s a total disregard, absolutely no compassion or caring. Tremendous rage and
anger.
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Joining me, death penalty qualified prosecutor, Eleanor Odom. Also with me defense attorney out of New York,
Alex Sanchez. Okay, Alex Sanchez, there you get the firing squad for the death penalty. And I can`t imagine what`s more heinous than murdering your
mother, leaving her half naked, stuffed, contorted and stuffed in a suitcase, left in the back of a taxi cab while you and your boyfriend go to
another hotel and go to sleep.
SANCHEZ: I would certainly be very concerned if I was in their situation. What they should be doing now is --
GRACE: Very concerned?
SANCHEZ: They should be contacting an American lawyer. That`s No. 1. And the American lawyer should be contacting the lawyer that operates in
that jurisdiction that understands the rules and regulations, that maybe has some influence in that particular areas to provide her with the best
possible defense.
But you know, you`re already assuming that both parties were involved in this particular criminal act, when in reality perhaps only one of the
parties was involved in this particular crime.
GRACE: So you don`t think she knew her mother was in the suitcase? And is he trying to suggest, Eleanor, that she somehow did not notice her
mom wasn`t with her when she checked out?
ODOM: I can`t believe Alex Sanchez would even say these things. It`s clear they acted together and they knew what was going on. First of all,
it sounds like the victim fought back. She had a broken finger, broken nails. She`s fighting back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Think twice before you call the cable guy. Tonight, reports that DirecTV sends a registered sex offender to a family`s home to make
repairs. He immediately starts taking photos, cell shots, of the 12-year- old little girl doing her stretches before her gym class there in the family room! Hold it! Registered sex offender in your home to fix your
cable box! Think about it!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A family in the town of Murphy made a service call to DirecTV. During their service call, Massy (ph) took pictures of a
12-year-old girl, a gymnast, while she was stretching. That child told police after each picture he told me, shhh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Okay. Did you see that shot of him? There`s that one. No, the one to the left? Even creepier, of the registered sex offender. Okay.
Pat Lalama, investigative reporter, how does this guy get into the family home to fix the DirecTV? What is that, the dish?
LALAMA: It requires a little explanation here. DirecTV as we all know subcontracts all over the country, which means the local region has
companies that come out and do the repairs. This one was called Mass Tech. Now, that technician --
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back it up, little girl. Hold on a moment. Don`t start with me that DirecTV subbed it out. Of course they sub it out.
LALAMA: Yes.
GRACE: But who did the family call? Did the family call the sub? The subcontractor? They called DirecTV.
LALAMA: They called DirecTV. But Nancy, he`s from this place, Mass Tech. He claims he brought along a friend, that the actual technician
worked on behalf of DirecTV, but for some strange reason brings along this registered sex offender named Warren Massey, and that while the repairman
was doing repairs, Massey the buddy --
GRACE: Please put her up. I don`t even know how long I have known you.
LALAMA: Years.
GRACE: And while everything you`re saying is absolutely correct, DirecTV did not hire this guy. They did not call up the sex offender and
go, hey, can you go over to this family home and start taking cell photos of the 12-year-old girl doing gym stretches in the family room? I get
that.
LALAMA: They did not do that.
GRACE: But the reality is they are responsible for whomever goes into that home. As is the subcontractor. They`re all in it --
LALAMA: That`s what the family is saying, Nancy.
GRACE: And that is how they will stew!
(CROSSTALK)
LALAMA: That`s why there is a lawsuit right now, based on what you just said, that they say the fish stinks from the head. We`re going to sue
DirecTV.
GRACE: Look, I like DirecTV. I think I`ve got or had or everybody has had DirecTV at some point in their lives in this country, whether
you`re in a home, an apartment, you either have cable or you have a satellite dish.
That`s the deal. OK, so, Pat, what happened? So they come in to fix whatever, the DirecTV, whatever the problem is. What happens?
LALAMA: OK, they come in. The report was our DVR is not working. The two men walk in the house, this is of course all according to police
reports, the two men walk into the house. The repairman talks to the dad - -
GRACE: Let me see the house, please.
LALAMA: The repairman talks to the dad about the problem. The creep goes off and wanders around and sees the 12-year-old daughter stretching
because she`s a gymnast, she`s in her bedroom, stretching. He starts telling pictures to telling her to shhh, shhh, shhh, with each click.
GRACE: I can`t hear you. You`re saying he said what?
LALAMA: He`s telling her to hush while he`s taking the photographs.
GRACE: OK. Act it out. Act it out, Lalama. What are you saying? I can`t hear you.
LALAMA: He`s telling her shhh while he`s taking pictures. He`s hush -- telling her to hush, click, click, hush. She tells her mother, God
bless her, she tells her mother, the cops come. This guy has been a sex offender since 1998. Back in 2005, he tried to lure a little girl into his
car and got 30 days for that. Why he`s not in jail, I don`t know. Well, he is now because he pled guilty to this.
GRACE: Wait. Repeat. Let me see the inside of the home, please. Okay. Now, get this in mind. The dad takes -- don`t throw a rock at the
parents. The dad actually takes the guy upstairs, with the little girl and the mom and the infant all downstairs. Now, how in the hay does this guy
end up downstairs where the little girl is practicing gymnastics? How does that happen?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: So DirecTV sends this guy, a registered sex offender, into a family home. Let`s see the interior of the home, please, Justin. And he
immediately begins taking snapshots of the little 12-year-old girl practicing her gymnastics, all the time telling her shhh, shhh, so he can
take more pictures of her.
Now, Michael Christian, you and Pat Lalama tell me that DirecTV did not call the sex offender and say hey, can you go there. Hold on. Joining
me right now, Rob Crane, the attorney for the victim`s family. Rob, how did this happen?
ROB CRANE, ATTORNEY: Well, it happened because there`s a complete lack of institutional control. You`ve got Directv at the top who has
delegated this so far down the line to three different subcontractors. They have no idea who is coming into their customers` homes.
GRACE: To Caryn Stark, psychologist. Caryn, what are we supposed to do as parents? Put a moat around our house and basically club down anybody
that tries to get in the front door?
STARK: It certainly does feel that way, doesn`t it? But the truth is you have to be very careful. You really need to know. You need to ask for
identification. You have to keep your eye on the people that come in. And you can`t really let go of having your children in your sight, in front of
you. Because this is a dangerous situation and people don`t realize it.
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Eleanor Odom, Alex Sanchez. Alex, this is exactly how sex offenses can happen right under the parents` noses.
SANCHEZ: This guy is a degenerate. And he`s a violator. The question I have, and maybe you can answer this question, what particular
crime did this guy commit? I agree it`s offensive, it`s inappropriate, but I don`t know if he committed a crime by taking photographs of this girl.
He`s not charged with a crime in that house. He may have committed a crime violating his sex offense registration.
GRACE: Eleanor, you`re the expert.
ODOM: It could be a lot of different things. It could be exploitation of a child, because you`re taking a picture--
SANCHEZ: Is he charged with that?
ODOM: It could also be child molestation, depending on what he`s doing while he`s taking the pictures. (inaudible). It`s definitely
enticing a child. It`s all over.
SANCHEZ: But he`s not being charged with that at the present time.
GRACE: We don`t know that he`s not being charged. I don`t know that. Rob Crane, attorney for the victim`s family, we don`t know what`s going to
happen or what the repercussion is of him taking the pictures of the child. Do you know what his prior record entailed?
CRANE: Felony sexual assault, that includes felony burglary of a habitation, and he has pled guilty as a result of this incident to two
different crimes. Under Texas penal code, he has pled guilty to attempted indecency with a child, as well as attempt to commit sexual performance of
a child.
GRACE: OK, there you have it, guys. Again, Directv saying we didn`t send him, we hired a subcontractor in that area. They sent their guy, who
brought him along. So you know what? Let`s just sort it out in court.
Let`s stop and remember American Army Sergeant Shawn Hill, 37, Willford, South Carolina. Bronze Star, Purple Heart. Combat Action Badge.
An electrician, loved helping other people. His mother Louise, brothers Steve, Jerry and Lester, his sister Lisa. Widow Julie, five sons. Shawn
Hill, American hero. What a day in American justice. Dr. Drew up next. I`ll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp Eastern. And until then, good
night.
END
