Return to Transcripts main page
Nancy Grace
Police Investigating Scene of Bobbi Kristina`s Accident
Aired February 04, 2015 - 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. We go live. American songbird superstar Whitney Houston`s lookalike daughter in a coma, found
unconscious, face down in her bathtub, doctors telling family prepare for the worst, Whitney Houston`s family telling us tonight they are holding out
for a miracle.
While doctors say the situation is, quote, "bleak," this is what we know at this hour. Just nine days to the three-year mark of her mother,
Whitney Houston`s, death, also found submerged in the bathtub, history repeats itself.
Bombshell tonight. We confirm police swarm the area surrounding Whitney Houston`s condo, questioning neighbors and businesses. Was anyone
seen jumping the wall enclosing Bobbi Kristina`s exclusive condo? This as reports police seize the cell phone of Bobbi Kristina`s fiance, dad Bobby
Brown`s family at around-the-clock bedside vigil, singing "Amazing Grace," "Jesus Loves Me" and Whitney Houston`s "Greatest Love of All."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What caused Bobbi Kristina to become unresponsive inside her home still unclear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bobby Brown, her dad, says his daughter isn`t really married as she had claimed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bobbi Kristina is not and never has been married to Nick Gordon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only daughter of deceased pop star Whitney Houston and singer Bobby Brown.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And tonight, multi-million-dollar Hilton Hotel heir Paris Hilton`s brother allegedly goes berserk on an airplane. Conrad Hilton ends
up handcuffed to his seat by flight captain`s orders when Hilton reportedly dismantles the bathroom smoke detector to smoke weed, threatens to kill the
flight attendant and screams, "I will effing own you, peasant!" At this hour, he`s in court on federal charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Conrad, anything you can say? Lost your cool?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re a scumbag.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don`t pay attention to any of the nonsense that`s around in the town.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. We go live, confirming police swarm the area surrounding Whitney Houston`s condo she shared with daughter Bobbi
Kristina, questioning the neighbors and businesses. Why? Was anyone seen jumping the wall enclosing Bobbi Kristina`s exclusive condo? This as
reports police seize the cell phone of Bobbi Kristina`s fiance, or husband. Dad Bobby Brown`s family in round-the-clock bedside vigil, singing "Amazing
Grace," "Jesus Loves Me" and Whitney Houston`s "Greatest Love of All."
Tonight, we are learning police have swarmed the area surrounding Bobbi Kristina`s condo. It`s an exclusive gated community. But that gate
that you`re going to see shortly is adjacent to a strip mall, a bank, other homes. It`s mostly the Ellard (ph) Village Strip Center. There`s a
pharmacy, there`s a gym, a Starbuck`s, Chick-fil-A, wine store, SunTrust bank just feet away from where Bobbi Kristina found unresponsive.
Tonight, why are cops swarming the area, asking for surveillance video, asking did anyone there see someone jump that fence at the time of
Bobbi Kristina`s accident?
Take a look at the fence. We`re going to show you again. It`s a very exclusive gated community. That fence you are seeing separates the
community from the strip center and everything else.
Straight out to Jean Casarez, CNN correspondent. Jean, what do we know?
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is what we know. There are so many more questions than there are answers, Nancy. But as you
always say, the devil`s in the details. And the attorney for Bobby Brown is now saying, We are currently investigating the events that led to the
hospitalization of Bobbi Kristina. "Investigating" -- that`s a very loaded word right there. And that means that there`s more than meets the eye.
GRACE: You know what? You`re right about that. As a matter of fact, Mike Duffy, you go on the scene to find out what you can about why police
are questioning, did somebody jump that wall? Why would somebody flee the scene? Why do police want surveillance video of that wall around the time
Bobbi Kristina`s found face down in a tub? Why would somebody run away?
Duffy, what did you find out?
MIKE DUFFY, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, Nancy, I talked to quite a few businesses in the area, and the employees weren`t too keen to talk to
me. They seem to already have gotten a tip-off from police that this might happen. But what they were saying is that police literally descended upon
the scene Monday and were just canvassing the area, asking all sorts of questions.
GRACE: Joining me right now, national correspondent, Radaronline.com -- it`s Alan Duke. Alan, what can you tell us about reports that the
fiance or husband -- whatever he is, Bobby Brown saying they`re not married -- had his cell phone seized by police?
ALAN DUKE, RADARONLINE.COM: Yes, this happened early in the investigation. Police by all accounts are making a very thorough
investigation. One of the things that they wanted to do was look at the cell phone of Nick Gordon to see what messages and calls were there, what
communications there, any clue that they could find as to what happened that day.
GRACE: OK, hold on. Alan Duke, When my father has been admitted in the hospital, or my mom, nobody asks to see my cell phone or my text
messages. Can you give me a little bit more on that? Why have they allegedly seized the fiance/husband`s cell phone? What does that have to
do with her having an accident in the bathtub?
DUKE: Well, this is a big mystery that they have to solve. The world is watching them. This is a small town police department, although a very
competent one, Roswell, Georgia. And so they are pulling out all stops and treating this as an investigation that they have to find answers for.
They`re not treating this as an accident necessarily, not assuming anything. So they`re covering their bases.
GRACE: Everybody, CNN at this hour cannot confirm that the cell phone has been seized. That`s what we`re trying to find out.
You`re seeing video from Lifetime`s "The Houstons On Our Own." There you see Bobbi Kristina, along with the fiance or husband.
Joining me right now, special guest Jerod Brown, cousin of Bobbi Kristina. Jerod, thank you for being with us.
JEROD BROWN, COUSIN OF BOBBI KRISTINA: How`re you doing, Nancy?
GRACE: Jerod, can you tell us how she`s doing tonight?
BROWN: She`s doing -- I mean, she`s still alive. She`s still fighting. That`s all I can -- that`s all I can give to anybody. You know,
that`s all I can give to the world. She`s still fighting.
I know you had a guest on your show, a doctor who was saying that, you know, she was opening her eyes, and that`s not a good thing or a bad thing,
and you know, it just -- it just could be a reflection (ph) or whatever. But we have had cases, and I know people have seen cases -- I put out
prayer sessions and prayer groups.
I`ve been (INAUDIBLE) around the world, messaging me saying that, you know, they`ve seen people come out of this situation, you know, OK. So
it`s not that we`re going to give up on the situation, you know what I mean? She still has a chance.
GRACE: What are the doctors saying, Jerod, about her? She`s opening her eyes several times. Have they -- have the doctors said anything about
that? Have they said it`s good, bad, indifferent?
BROWN: Yes, I was saying, like, you know, the guest that you had on your show last night was saying that, you know, it could be -- it`s not a
good thing or a bad thing, it could just -- it could just be reflections (ph) from her being moved or whatever. But I don`t -- I don`t -- I`m not
going to give up hope. I`ve had people give me testimonies that they, too, have come out of situations, out of induced comas.
And right now, I just want the world to know that, you know, I`m not here to -- for money. I`m not here to make speculations and point fingers.
I`m just saying that, you know, (INAUDIBLE) to the world. And if this could be the only last time that I could say anything to my cousin it`s
that, you know, I gathered (ph) the world on behalf of you, and we`re praying for you. We`re praying for you, and I won`t stop praying for you.
And until -- and until something else changes, I`m not going to -- I`m not going to stop.
GRACE: With me is Jerod Brown, Bobbi Kristina`s cousin, who told me earlier off-camera that if Bobbi Kristina is between the two worlds and she
is looking down, he wants her, Bobbi Kristina, to hear our prayers, and that maybe she`ll come back to this earth.
We know that she has been opening her eyes repeatedly. Doctors will tell us that doesn`t necessarily mean anything. I choose to believe
otherwise.
You`re seeing video from Bravo, the reality show, "Being Bobby Brown."
Jerod, is she continuing to open her eyes?
BROWN: I don`t have that information, Nancy. All I know is that she`s not pronounced dead. And while that`s not in the atmosphere, I would
ask everybody, man -- we`ve got some support from celebrities Mariah Carey, Missy Elliot (ph), (INAUDIBLE) Faith Evans. They`re joining in on this
#PrayforBK campaign. And I just want to send my gratitude and my appreciation because they don`t have to.
And she`s been through so much in this life, and I just pray that people don`t give up on her, you know what I`m saying? Lindsay Lohan is
coming back from a -- a very strong comeback. She was almost given up on. And I actually (INAUDIBLE) you know, just have a heart, man. America
doesn`t like to give (ph) second chances, but we do believe in them. So please continue to pray for BK.
GRACE: You know, Jerod, you said something, that she`s been through so much, losing your mother the way she did, being brought up in the public
spotlight the way that she was, she has been through a lot.
Everyone, with me, Jerod Brown, Bobbi Kristina`s cousin, speaking out, asking, begging for your continued prayers. We know that at this hour, her
father, Bobby Brown, at her bedside singing "Amazing Grace," "Jesus Loves Me," Whitney Houston songs, singing them to her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An attorney representing Bobby Brown released a statement saying Bobbi Kristina is not and has never been married to Nick
Gordon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... unresponsive in a bathtub. The mother died in this very same manner.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: New information is that she was moved to another hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The 21-year-old looking to the future, but who`s still very much haunted by the past.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are learning and confirming that police swarmed the area of Bobbi Kristina`s condo -- it`s got a big, thick brick fence around it --
swarming the area of businesses surrounding it there at Ellard (ph) Village Strip Center -- there`s a bank, there`s a Starbuck`s, there`s a CVS, a
whole strip mall area -- asking for surveillance video around the time of Whitney Houston`s daughter`s accident.
Why would anybody be jumping over the fence? Why would anybody be fleeing the scene of the accident?
To Candace Trunzo, senior news editor, Dailymail.com. Candace, what do we know? I mean, from my understanding, the fiance -- Bobby Brown
insisting that he`s not her husband -- that I understand that the fiance and his friend, Lomas, the one with the record -- they`re there in the
home. Aren`t they the ones that called police? I don`t think they would be jumping over a fence.
CANDACE TRUNZO, DAILYMAIL.COM (via telephone): They did call the police. Nick Gordon called the police. He was giving CPR, trying to
revive Bobbi Kristina, and his friend was there with him. When police arrived, they took over. But yes, they were -- they were there.
So the question of who, if anyone, had jumped a fence and had something to do with this is still in doubt. And I think that police have
a lot of questions and not enough answers at this point, Nancy.
GRACE: We are also learning a lot about Whitney Houston`s estate, valued at around $80 million. To Jeffrey H. Scatoff (ph), wills and
probate expert, all of that goes to Bobbi Kristina, given to her over a period of years starting at age 21, which is I think last March. What
would happen -- what -- is there a clause within the will that says if Bobbi Kristina does not get all that money, where it goes? Does it revert
to Houston`s family.
JEFFREY H. SCATOFF, WILLS AND PROBATE EXPERT (via telephone): It does. Whitney`s will says that if Bobbi Kristina were to pass away before
reaching age 30, that what`s left in the estate would be split between Whitney`s mother and her two brothers.
GRACE: OK, so, you know, that brings into focus, is she actually married to Nick Gordon? That going on. What can you tell me, Jean
Casarez? Her father, who`s by her bed 24/7, has issued a statement that they are not married. I don`t know why that statement`s being issued at
this time.
CASAREZ: Because I think everybody believes they are married. You know, it was about a year ago on social media, she or someone purporting to
be her, posted wedding rings.
GRACE: We`re showing it right now, Jean.
CASAREZ: That`s it right there -- that they were married. So everyone believes they are married. And the attorney and the family for
Bobby Brown has come out saying they`s not. And it seems to be very important for the family. And the family has all had issues with Nick
Gordon before this. But it`s important to them to establish the fact that they are close, boyfriend/girlfriend, but not married.
GRACE: To Alan Duke, national correspondent, Radaronline.com. What do you know, Alan? I know that there was a TRO, a temporary restraining
order, attempt against Nick Gordon, the boyfriend, the fiance, the husband -- I don`t know what he is. All I know is he`s in the home when she`s
found under water. That`s what I know.
DUKE: Well, soon after she turned 21, there was a dispute, where Nick allegedly, according to Marion Houston, Whitney`s older sister -- he wanted
more money from her estate. And so she says he threatened and said that, We want more money, and she denied it. And she called the police, and
there`s actually a police report. And that led to a temporary restraining order. So he can`t be at the hospital when any of the Houston family
members are there.
GRACE: Whoa. OK, so the restraining order is not taken out by Bobbi Kristina against him, it`s by her relative against him. So...
DUKE: Marion.
GRACE: ... when they`re at the hospital, he can`t be at her bedside.
Clark Goldband, what do we know about texts on this issue, texts that went back and forth between Nick Gordon and others?
CLARK GOLDBAND, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): Well, Nancy, we obtained a police report from the Alfaretta (ph) Police Department. And in
fact, the executor of the estate, Pat Houston, complained to law enforcement that the fiance at the time wants Bobbi Kristina`s allowance
increased, and she refuses...
GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! What now? Who wants what?
GOLDBAND: Yes. This is according to Pat Houston, from the police report, Nancy. She`s the executor. She`s the sister-in-law of Whitney
Houston. She went to the police department in Alfaretta, Georgia, saying that she was receiving threats from the fiance of Bobbi Kristina. Now,
Nancy, she cites on-line messages. Now, while the exact examples are not given in the police report, we have been able to obtain from an on-line
account that appears to be...
GRACE: What do they say?
GOLDBAND: ... Nick Gordon`s account.
GRACE: What do they say?
GOLDBAND: Things such as, That big expletive avatar (ph) looking expletive, expletive that Pat expletive, now crawl (ph) your (INAUDIBLE)
all kinds of nasty, crude things. You see them on the screen, Nancy. I want to point out, as well, the Alfaretta Police Department investigated
this and found no cause of action against Nick Gordon. They found on threat.
GRACE: Whoa, whoa! "It makes you sick when we are happy, and I love it." Now, he`s got to be talking about him and Bobbi Kristina being happy
and that happiness makes somebody sick. What else does he say, Clark?
GOLDBAND: Well, Nancy, he also says things about, Stop complaining about me. It doesn`t matter. He hates certain people. He doesn`t
expressly say who. He wants people to eat some parts of the body and (INAUDIBLE) become ill...
GRACE: Now, what I`m -- what I`m concerned about is the one that refers to "my baby`s check," talking about Bobbi Kristina`s money.
GOLDBAND: Yes.
GRACE: What was that tweet?
GOLDBAND: Now, Nancy, this tweet from this account -- again, we don`t know if he did it, but it appears to be from his account -- it says that,
"Hey, I got about 1,000 picks (ph). Going to go until people get off my baby`s check." That is the tweet you are referring to.
GRACE: OK, to you, Candace Trunzo, senior news editor, Dailymail.com -- Dailymail.com reporting there is a big drama going on right now and has
been going on about trying to get at Whitney Houston`s $80 million estate. But they never did increase Bobbi Kristina`s allowance, to my
understanding. And this guy, the boyfriend/fiance/husband -- whatever he is -- he doesn`t take (ph) under (ph) the will anyway.
TRUNZO: Right. I mean, you know, Marion, who is Whitney`s sister-in- law -- she`s known as Pat, Pat Houston. And she is the executor of Bobbi Kristina`s trust. She was furious because, apparently, Nick was trying to
angle some more money. And he and Bobbi Kristina were on the same page. They wanted more money out of the trust. And Pat is the executor. She
wasn`t going to give it to them.
And then all of these tweets and posts, guns (ph) on his Web site, supposedly. These are the claims that she made to police. And they did
issue an order of protection, which is still in effect. And that means that Nick cannot be in the room with any of the Houston family with Bobbi
Kristina. So whether he`s claiming he`s her husband or not -- and Bobby Brown, the father, says that he is not -- he can`t be anywhere near the
Houston family. He has a temporary restraining order against him for the alleged threats against the Houston family for not giving -- giving over
the money that he and Bobbi wanted.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve also learned that Bobbi Kristina Brown is in the intensive care unit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Friends of the family speaking out, saying no, Bobbi Kristina is a fighter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In a medically induced coma after she was found face down in a tub.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The third anniversary of her mother`s death still weighing heavily on her mind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Bombshell tonight. As we all stand by praying for Bobbi Kristina, Whitney Houston`s only child, joining us tonight, her cousin,
Jerod Brown, this as news swirls that police swarm the area of Bobbi Kristina`s home, asking nearby businesses and residents, Did you see anyone
jumping that fence? Did you see anybody running away from the scene, fleeing the area where Bobbi Kristina was found face down in her bathtub,
this as we learn the boyfriend/fiance possible husband`s cell phone seized by police. Why?
Also, we learn about Whitney Houston`s will, that there has been infighting, that between Bobbi Kristina and the fiance, Gordon, Gordon
wanting her allowance increased as Whitney`s family said no, making for bad blood and a TRO. The boyfriend/fiance can`t even be at her bedside when
the rest of the family is there.
Tonight, we learn the investigation goes on. At this time, it`s still deemed an accident. Right now, she has been moved to Emory University,
where their neurological center has been ranked 12th in the country by "U.S. News and World Report." We believe that`s why she`s moved.
Jean Casarez, legal correspondent, CNN, do we know why she`s moved?
CASAREZ: I don`t think we do, except that this is a world-renowned hospital. It is the Department of Neuroscience, as you said, which is the
study of the brain, and that is her issue.
GRACE: To Jeffrey Skadoff, will and probate expert joining me out of Palm Beach, what does this mean as it relates to Whitney Houston`s $80
million estate?
SKADOFF: Well, if Bobbi Kristina were to pass away, what`s left of the estate would be split equally between Whitney`s mother and her two
brothers.
GRACE: And to you, Allen Duke, regarding that cell phone. I just can`t understand why they would seize the fiance`s cell phone. Why would
police want his cell phone to look at the texts and the calls around the time of the Bobbi Kristina`s accident.
DUKE: Obviously there were the questions, the very questions that have been raised in the documents we`ve seen today and the tweets and
everything else. So they are just doing a thorough investigation. I think they would be remiss if they didn`t do it.
GRACE: Well, Candace Trunzo, again, CNN has not confirmed that yet. Candace Trunzo, senior news editor, dailymail.com. The reality is the
fight over Whitney`s money is really a settled issues. Because Whitney Houston had a rock solid will.
TRUNZO: Absolutely. However if Nick was her husband as he claims to be and as Bobbi Kristina claims to be, then he would certainly be entitled
to some of that money if anything happened to Bobbi Kristina.
GRACE: And Jerod Brown, Bobbi Kristina`s cousin. Your message?
BROWN: Please continue to pray for B.K.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Multi-million dollar hotel heir, Paris Hilton`s brother, allegedly goes berzerk on an airplane. Conrad Hilton ends up handcuffed to
his seat by flight captain`s orders when Hilton reportedly dismantles the bathroom`s smoke detector to smoke weed. Threatens to kill the flight crew
and screams out "I will effing own you, peasants." At this hour, the Hilton hotel heir in court on federal charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any comments? Anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re a scum bag.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m a scum bag? I`m the scum bag?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Let me get this straight. Justin Freiman, Conrad Hilton the multimillion -- probably billion dollar heir to the Hilton hotel estates,
Paris Hilton`s brother, he is calling somebody else a scum bag after he`s in federal court accused of dismantling a smoke detector so he could lock
himself in the bathroom on a plane and smoke weed, and threatened to kill everybody? And call everybody effin peasants?
FREIMAN: Right, Nancy. This guy is facing federal charges, possibly 20 years behind bars, and as he`s walking out of court and asked for a
comment, he just turns to the guy and calls the guy a scum bag.
GRACE: I could get you all fired in five minutes. I know your boss. Well, I guess their boss doesn`t know he`s locked himself in the bathroom
smoking weed. My father will pay this out. He`s done it before. He paid $300,000 last time. Whoa, Candace Trunzo, what`s that about? I`ll effing
bury you. Do you want me to hit you now? I will own you. You`re all effing peasants. Candace, help me.
TRUNZO: He has a plane -- everyone was alarmed. Children were upset, crying. The slogan for the hotels is take me to the Hilton. People on
that plane were saying take me away from Hilton. This guy was dangerous. And he actually punched very, very close to one of the flight attendants
and hit the bulkhead. So he was physical, he was violent--
GRACE: If I had done that, let me tell you something, Candace Trunzo and Kim Serafin, if I had done that, one of us, we would be in the jail
right now. They would meet us on the -- there you go. There`s Hilton, Conrad Hilton. This is the heir to the Hilton hotel family fortune. They
would arrest us out on the tarmac, Kim Serafin, senior editor, "In Touch Weekly." What happened?
SERAFIN: This behavior apparently continued, according to this FBI affidavit. This continued throughout the entire flight, 10 and a half
hours from London to LAX. They had to restrain him as you mentioned in handcuffs for the last 90 minutes of the flight because of these threats.
I will kill you. I will own you. My father paid this out. $300,000 last time, making kids cry. Then the allegations he was smoking marijuana in
one of the bathrooms. Screaming at people, punching the bulkhead. Just this violent, violent behavior. And he apparently took a sleeping pill --
he admitted to taking a sleeping pill before the flight.
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Joining me, Bradford Cohen, Fort Lauderdale, and Deborah Blum, Definite attorney out of New York. First to
you, what is your defense?
BLUM: Well, the best way to defend against these charges is to take a plea deal as quickly as possible. That is the best way in this instance in
a federal --
GRACE: So you are just going to lay down and let me just ride right over you. I like that.
BLUM: You are absolutely not going to lie down. Of course not. You -- just that is the way you get the best possible deal for your client in
federal court.
GRACE: You might be right, because nobody is going to believe this B.S. that Robert Shapiro, the Lord help him. He`s a good lawyer and he has
been given a bad set of facts, Bradford. But so far he`s issued a statement that this guy took a sleeping pill, Conrad Hilton took a sleeping
pill that made him lock himself -- barricade himself in the bathroom to smoke weed, dismantle the smoke detector. Do you know that sign on the
plane there is that $5,000 fine and something for dismantling this?
COHEN: Yes.
GRACE: But what about threatening to kill the crew?
COHEN: I think to me, you have to look at the facts and take some statements from the witnesses before you --
GRACE: I will effing rip through you. I will effing own you. That statement?
COHEN: I will rip through you and I will own you--
GRACE: I will effin own anyone on this flight. They are effin peasants.
COHEN: It`s obnoxious. The guy is probably a scum bag. But I mean, other than him being obnoxious, were there actual threats made?
GRACE: If he will say you`re a scum bag on camera, what do you think he said to the flight attendant? To you, Justin Freiman, what did he say
to the flight attendant. That is the thing that`s going to land him in jail. I don`t know if daddy can buy him out of this mess.
FREIMAN: Nancy, he actually tried to get up out of his seat only 5 minutes into the flight, when obviously the fast your seatbelt signs are
still on. When he`s told to sit down, he starts getting angry and he starts telling them, I`m going to effing kill you, I will effing rip
through you. And goes on and on, screaming and yelling this stuff as he`s running and walking up and down the cabin, in and out of the bathrooms,
causing problems for the entire staff. At one point about five other people on the plane had to work on restraining him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Which of the following serial killers acted as his own lawyer at trial? Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy or Joel Rifkin?
Tweet or Facebook your answer using #crimeiq. I`ll reveal the winners here on the show tomorrow night. All you legal eagles, you got 24 hours. Go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You`re a scum bag.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a scary thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m the scum bag?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me? Okay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: The heir to the multimillion dollar Hilton hotel fortune apparently threatens to kill the flight crew on a plane. Locks himself in
the bathroom. Dismantles the smoke detector to smoke weed and claims the flight attendants weren`t listening to him. And they were taking the,
quote, peasants side. Justin Freiman, I want to hear more about threatening the flight crew and calling them all peasants.
FREIMAN: He threatened them quite a bit, and then when they were trying to tell them to quiet down and seemed to be taking the side of the
angry passengers, he then turned to them and said you`re taking the peasant`s side. And he kept saying to one of them, do you want to hit me
now, do you want to hit me now, kind of instigating a fight. According to the people that were on that flight.
GRACE: To psychologist Caryn Stark joining me out of the New York. So I guess that would make me the peasant in this scenario?
STARK: Well, it makes everyone that is not part of his little world, the small world, the peasant, Nancy.
Here is a guy who is extremely spoiled. And he has that sense of entitlement that only comes because he has money. And therefore he has
celebrity. He`s done nothing to earn it, and yet he`s using that as a way to get away with everything he does. Like he said, his father has paid so
much money to take care of him in these situations. It`s really sinful.
GRACE: To take care of him in these situations. Caryn Stark, did you actually say that? You mean bail him out of trouble.
STARK: Exactly.
GRACE: I don`t know if it is really taking care of them. Because look what`s happened.
STARK: That`s probably though in their family what they consider taking care of their kids. Because his sister had her own issues with the
law and with being in jail. And it seems to me they get bailed out all the time.
GRACE: I want to go Dr. Bill Manion, forensic pathologist out of Philly. Dr. Manion, his lawyer who is a very well-respected lawyer. He
was on the OJ Simpson defense team. Of course that aside, he is a well respected lawyer. But Shapiro says it is all because he had a sleeping
pill. I have never heard -- I thought a sleeping pill put you to sleep, not made you go berserk and threaten to kill the flight attendants.
MANION: I would agree with you, Nancy, that would be very unusual. So hopefully they got a urine and blood sample, and they will try to figure
it out, and he needs to get into rehab and get himself cleaned up.
GRACE: Dr. Manion, I appreciate you are a softy. I think he needs to go to jail. Because maybe if you Dr. Manion or I or anyone I know
threatened to kill a flight attendant, number one, in cases like this, Candace Trunzo, very often we`ve heard about the other passengers on the
plane subduing.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Subduing the miscreant. And beating him up. This guy ended up handcuffed to his seat, right, Justin?
FREIMAN: Handcuffed to the seat. Throughout the final 90 minutes. They actually cuffed him when he finally calmed down and fell asleep, and
that`s when the sleeping pill -- the witnesses say he was speaking extremely fast. It was sometimes hard to understand. Does not necessarily
seem like somebody who was calming down.
GRACE: How do we know he was in the bathroom smoking weed, Justin?
FREIMAN: That`s what one of the employees from on the flight said. They saw him go into a bathroom and they smelled weed in that, coming out
of the bathroom. Knocked on the door. He went out of that bathroom and into another bathroom, where they then smelled smoke from a cigarette. And
then when they went into that bathroom, noticed there were paper towels stuffed into the smoke detector.
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Bradford Cohen, out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Deborah Blum, defense attorney out of New York. OK, Deborah
Blum, I think you might be right on this sinking ship. They better just take a plea. Here is the deal. When you hear the letters FBI -- all right
-- the feds don`t play. They are not going to play with this. You act like this on a plane, with terrorism, everybody is afraid of terrorism and
very strict rules on planes. What`s the possible outcome here? What`s the max he could face for this?
BLUM: He is looking at 20 years in jail. His defense attorney will argue he was under the influence of drugs, possibly the side effects of
sleeping pills.
GRACE: Put her up, please. Deborah, where did you do to law school?
BLUM: Cardoso.
GRACE: Fine, fine school. I`m sure they taught you there that voluntary use of drugs or alcohol is not a defense.
BLUM: Nancy, that`s a mitigating factor. As you know when you are --
GRACE: I think it makes it worse.
BLUM: Not necessarily. This guy has problems.
GRACE: What problem does he have?
BLUM: Well --
GRACE: He`s a multi-millionaire that doesn`t have to work. You know what time I got up today? 4:30 a.m. To work. Where was he at 4:30?
Probably still at a nightclub.
BLUM: Probably he was.
GRACE: What`s his problem? You said he has problems.
BLUM: He might have psychological problems.
GRACE: What?
BLUM: He might.
GRACE: Are you making that up?
BLUM: No. He is entitled to a defense. Usually in a federal case like this, his attorney will try to get him a plea deal. Perhaps he will
get treatment.
GRACE: I think you are practical.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: I think you are being practical. Brad, you know what? You threaten a flight attendant to kill her or him? You are going to jail.
The fact that he is bragging his father paid 300 grand -- 300 grand to get him out of his last mess, whatever that was. I don`t even know what it
was. That`s not helping, Brad.
COHEN: No. I think that the factors that are going to hurt him are what he said, and then also the scumbag outside the courthouse never helps.
GRACE: Let`s play that again.
COHEN: What is interesting is, they subdued him in the last 90 minutes. If this was so serious, if he was interrupting this flight so
greatly, why did they wait until the last 90 minutes? Where did they get the handcuffs?
GRACE: Because he locked himself in the bathroom smoking weed for the first hour or so.
COHEN: Not for ten hours. Nancy, not for ten hours.
GRACE: I think this says it all. Roll it. Liz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any comments? Do you regret your actions? Any comments? Do you regret your actions? Are you worried about the charges?
Any comments? Anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are a scumbag.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m a scumbag?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me? Okay. I`m not the one leaving jail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything you can say? You lost your cool?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are a scumbag.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don`t pay attention to any of the nonsense around in this town.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Appearing in federal court on serious charges, the heir to the Hilton hotel fortune, Conrad Hilton, baby Conrad, has apparently threatened
to kill a flight crew while he is on a plane, locked himself in the tiny little bathroom to smoke weed, dismantled the smoke detector. Caryn Stark,
really?
STARK: Yes, Nancy, really. And I imagine that he is like this all the time, that this guy is just so used to getting his way. He is telling
you something, pay attention to what he is saying. I could own you all, I could buy you all. My father will take care of this. So we know from
that, this is his life experience, Nancy. I don`t see a psychological problem with him. I see somebody who has severe entitlement, who does
whatever he wants, and who is not actually living a happy life because if so, he wouldn`t need to keep doing all the drugs.
GRACE: You know what? I guess about 99.9 percent of the world would be thrilled to live his, as you say, unhappy life. Young, healthy,
educated, wealthy beyond our imagination. You know? We will see what the feds do with this. Let`s stop and remember American hero Marine First
Lieutenant Nathan Krissoff, 25. Reno. Purple Heart, a world class triathlete. Put a career in international affairs on hold to enlist.
Parents, William and Christine, brother Austin serving in the Marines. Nathan Krissoff, American hero.
And tonight, I want you to win our handcuff necklace and bracelet in time for Valentine`s. Go to nancygrace.com. Everybody, see you tomorrow
night 8:00 sharp Eastern, and until then, good night, friend.
END