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Nancy Grace
Halle Berry and Husband Sued/David Cassidy Hit and Run. Aired 8- 9:00p ET
Aired October 20, 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 right now, LAX, movie superstar, star of James Bond thriller "Die Another Day," "Monster Ball," gorgeous Halle Berry
and French husband attack at LAX! Bombshell tonight. The violent stunt caught on video!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Academy Award winner Halle Berry and husband Olivier Martinez...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... in a violent altercation...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All to get a photograph. They cause chaos. They cause fear.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That video from TMZ and Splash News.
And live, jail time for TV and movie star of "CSI," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Fantasy Island," "Love Boat," shooting to stardom on "The
Partridge Family," David Cassidy back in hot water again after allegedly fleeing the scene of a crash after plowing into another vehicle like a,
quote, "crazy man" after he`s busted three times driving drunk. Is the TV star finally headed to jail? Breaking now, movie/TV star David Cassidy
pleads, I`m not guilty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actor and singer, best known for playing Keith Partridge in the hit 1970s series "The Partridge Family"...
DAVID CASSIDY, ACTOR: It created this illusion that I was somehow or another perfect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pleaded not guilty to charges he`s facing in a Florida court stemming from a traffic incident.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That from "The Partridge Family," Columbia Pictures TV.
And live, Atlantic City, a 25-year-old man brutally attacks a woman, glassy-eyed, he goes berserk when she tells him to stay away from her. He
winds up theatrically and beats her so badly, cold-cocking her, she has severe head trauma, all this while his buddy goads him on and records the
whole thing on video. Who is this thug?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Caught on tape, a man knocks a woman out cold in public park in broad daylight, the incident, which was posted to Facebook,
shows a young man exchanging words with a 45-year-old woman, and then moments later, he pulls his arm back and swings hard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And live, Clarksville (ph). A grieving dad takes to Facebook to mourn the death of his beautiful 2-year-old toddler boy, Joseph (ph),
raising money for the tot`s funeral. But in the last hours, we obtain police affidavits that show the grieving dad may just be an evil
stepfather, and worse, a cold-blooded killer, allegedly planning the tot`s death to cash in on a massive life insurance policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do a grieving stepdad who takes to social media to raise money for his boy`s funeral actually plan the 2-year-old`s vicious
shooting death?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Hello. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell right now, live to LAX. Movie star, star of the James Bond
thriller "Die Another Day", "Monster Ball," gorgeous Halle Berry and her French husband attack at LAX, the violent stunt caught on video.
Liz, can you cue me up that video right quick, please? I`d like to play it from the beginning. Is it ready? Let`s go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They got the kids with them, guys. (INAUDIBLE) Back up. Back up.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa, whoa, whoa.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa!
(CROSSTALK)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Halle Berry and husband, Olivier Martinez, attack in LAX.
Let`s go straight out to Alan Duke, editor-in-chief, Leadstories.com. Alan Duke, you know, from what I see, Halle Berry is coming off a flight.
She`s holding her little baby boy. Maceo. She`s got her little girl, Nahla, in tow. She`s holding her hand.
And they are besieged. You can`t really catch it all in this video. They are besieged, basically attacked. Oh, this video is from TMZ and
Splash News.
They`re basically attacked by paparazzi, and all of a sudden, one of these guys rushes in, and Olivier Martinez fights back, Alan.
[20:05:02]ALAN DUKE, LEADSTORIES.COM (via telephone): Yes, this is -- you know, I see a lot of crazy lawsuits in Los Angeles, but this is one of
the most unusual ones. This is -- I guess he`s a Skycap. Ronaldo Owens was actually using his cell phone to take a picture of Halle Berry and her
kids. And you can see that her husband veers away just a little bit and pushes this guy. He -- you know, like, brutality? That`s what the lawsuit
alleges? And he puts...
GRACE: Ridiculous!
DUKE: ... $5 million...
GRACE: Ridiculous! Unleash the lawyers, Parag Shah, Kesha Hebbon. All right, Parag Shaw, this guy -- oh, and if you get the photo, Liz, I`d
like to see the photo of the guy coming after her, Halle Berry, for what, $5 million, and the picture of him.
Parag Shah, he`s sitting there on his booty. First of all, he works at the airport. And he`s still holding a cell phone up, trying to hone in
on her little bitty baby boy to get his picture? And he`s sitting there still holding up the cell phone.
There`s nothing wrong with him! And why is he, an airport employee, getting up on Halle Berry, in her space, trying to get a picture? There he
is! There`s the guy. It`s him on the right, wearing the vest. And Martinez has to push him back with the baby seat. And he ends up sitting
on his rear end still holding the cell phone.
Can you tell me -- I think he ought to be in jail. But where does he get the nerve to sue Halle Berry for $5 million? He`s a leach. He is a
leech!
PARAG SHAH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It`s a simple rule...
GRACE: Sucking blood out of our justice system! What?
SHAH: It is a simple rule.
GRACE: OK, what?
SHAH: You can`t push somebody just for taking a picture of you. You can`t do that. That`s why there`s a lawsuit. And he was in a place that
he was allowed to be. He was taking pictures, just like everybody else. I didn`t see him lunge towards him or anything. Martinez did this all by
himself, and you just can`t do it.
GRACE: OK, let me go back to Chris Fargo, reporter, Dailymail.com. Chris Spargo, this guy was getting so close to Halle Berry and her little
boy, I would have thought less of Martinez if he didn`t do anything.
And now this guy, who does nothing more than land on his rear end -- that`s all he got, and he`s still holding a cell phone, still trying to get
pictures of Halle Berry -- and he sues for $5 million?
CHRIS SPARGO, DAILYMAIL.COM (via telephone): Yes, I mean, and this is the thing, too. Halle Berry`s always been very adamant about the fact
that, I am a celebrity. I realize that I have to go though this. But when I`m with my children, please don`t swarm me. Please don`t come near me.
They didn`t choose to be famous. They`re little things. They are scared. And he`s just encroaching on their space when they`re just trying to get
out of the airport!
GRACE: Joining me right now is a special guest out of LA. It`s Daniel Geoulla, attorney for the airport employee, Ronaldo Owens. Mr.
Geoulla, thank you very much for being with us. I don`t understand the complaint. You explain it to me. My mind is open. How does landing on
your keister equal $5 million?
DANIEL GEOULLA, ATTORNEY FOR RONALDO OWENS: Thank you for having me, Nancy. Actually, what you`ve got to keep in mind is that egregiousness of
the conduct that happened here. You look back, and you realize...
GRACE: You mean your client`s conduct?
GEOULLA: Well, we`ll get to that, but we`re talking about Mr. Martinez`s conduct. This is not the first time he`s pushed and assaulted
people. He`s got all the news reports. You`ve got 2012, where he assaulted the ex (ph). You`ve got 2013 where he assaulted...
GRACE: Wa, wa, wa, wa, wait, wait!
GEOULLA: ... another photographer...
GRACE: Wait, wait, wait, whoa, whoa, whoa! Daniel Geoulla is with us. He`s a veteran trial lawyer out of LA, and he`s representing Ronaldo
Owens, who basically fell on his rear end, and now he`s suing for $5 million. He`s saying that the husband, the French husband, all right, has
been in trouble before. That did not end up in any kind of conviction.
Liz, if you have those pictures, let`s see them. Martinez gets in a fight with Halle Berry`s lover, the father of her little girl, Nahla, all
right? And he, Aubrey (ph), gets the short end of the stick. There he is, looking like the model that he is. And he`s still getting a paycheck off
Halle Berry to this day, I`d like to add, for being the biological father of her little girl.
Well, Martinez got ahold of him and beat him up pretty well. It was in one of their front yards, if I recall. There was never a criminal
resolution on that case, Daniel Geoulla. As I recall, there was a TRO, and that went away, as well.
So you`re claiming his fight with her ex-lover is a similar transaction? Is that what you`re saying?
GEOULLA: No, it`s not that it`s a similar transaction. What`s going on is a pattern of behavior, and you get to the point where no one`s really
stood up to them. No one has really ever tried to prosecute them. The government agencies are afraid to go after them, don`t really pursue them.
[20:10:05]It ends up being that the $5,000 (sic) -- the injury that you see -- he`s entitled to be there. He`s an airline employee. He`s
really not encroaching on their space. There`s other people standing around, taking pictures...
GRACE: Why is he taking their picture?
You`re seeing video from TMZ and Splash News.
Why is your client, Ronaldo Owens, up in her space taking a picture of her and her baby? That`s my question.
GEOULLA: Right. So -- so here`s what we`re not noticing on the video. He`s not actually up in their space. Mr. Owens steps into them,
takes a couple of steps towards him. He`s really not even in their way. He`s off to the side, and he happens to have his phone out and it looks
like he might be taking a picture.
But he`s an airline employee. He`s entitled to be there. He`s not a paparazzi. And the fact that he decides to take a picture as an individual
while he`s on the job is not the issue here. The issue is, it doesn`t give Mr. Martinez the right to just attack him.
And he`s done this before. He`s probably going to do it again. He`s already done it worse to other people, and the next time, it could be even
worse than what happened (INAUDIBLE)
GRACE: You know, you really throw that around, Daniel, that he`s done worse to other people. There`s the altercation between him and Halle
Berry`s ex, her second ex, really -- you`ve got David Justice (ph) thrown in the mix. But I`m talking about the model, all right, the father of
Nahla.
When`s the other time you`re talking about, Daniel?
GEOULLA: We`ve also got another photographer that was attacked in Hawaii. That was in 2013, I believe.
GRACE: And what happened to him, he land on his keister, like your guy?
GEOULLA: No, I think he was beaten up a little bit harder. He got kicked. He was -- he was on the floor, and he was getting stomped on, if
(INAUDIBLE) correctly.
GRACE: For what? What provoked that attack, if anything?
GEOULLA: You know, same thing. I`m there, and I`m taking a picture, and there`s a guy with anger issues attacking people.
I mean, we can make it an issue about why was Mr. Martinez (sic) taking a picture. But the issue under California law is not why he`s
taking a picture. It`s what gives Mr. -- I`m sorry, Mr. -- my client taking a picture. It`s what gives Mr. Martinez the right to go and attack
someone with a carseat, shove him on the floor and knock him on his bottom.
GRACE: Let`s go to Dr. Daniel Bober, forensic psychiatrist joining me out of Miami. And when I say forensic psychiatrist, that means a shrink
related to criminal issues.
You know, Dr. Bober, I don`t know if it`s wrong or right and I don`t know what the law -- how the law is going to land on this. But when you
get up around somebody`s spouse and especially their children, their baby, all bets are off.
He doesn`t know this guy. He doesn`t know these paparazzi. They plague Halle Berry like ticks. As I said, they just suck the blood out of
her everywhere she goes. And I get it. That`s the price of being an Academy Award winner like her.
But when you bring the children into the mix, Dr. Bober, psychologically, doesn`t that change things?
DR. DANIEL BOBER, FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIST: I mean, I think Mr. Martinez clearly has anger issues. But you know, you can`t get in someone`s
personal space like that and get close to their family without offending some people. So maybe his response is a little bit disproportionate. But
it seems like this guy is looking for a quick payday, and he`s exploiting the situation.
GRACE: You know, Dr. Bober, I typically agree with you. Nothing happened to the employee! Nothing happened to Ronaldo Owens! He sat down.
He sat down! That`s it. He was pushed down on his rear end, then he stood back up. I mean, where`s the damage? Where`s the...
Stacey Newman, where is this $5 million figure coming from?
STACEY NEWMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, not only emotional distress, but as the attorney will probably tell you, he claims he suffered
lower back injuries...
GRACE: What!
NEWMAN: ... lower extremity injuries. And if you look in the video, there`s a wheelchair behind him, so he`s claiming he was actually pushed
into that wheelchair and injured.
GRACE: OK, stop! Just stop! Daniel Geoulla, trial lawyer, LA, representing Ronaldo Owens -- what are his injuries? And please do not
start up with soft tissue, OK? What are his injuries?
GEOULLA: Well, I don`t know what soft tissue means. But if you look at...
GRACE: My muscle, my muscle, my skin!
GEOULLA: No, he has objective injuries. The MRI reveals (INAUDIBLE) L-405 and it`s also at the L-5 (INAUDIBLE) he`s got 2 millimeters on L-405.
Those are injuries -- it`s abutting the fecal (ph) sac (ph). It means it`s touching the nerve. So that`s going to put a lot of people into a lot of
pain. This is not just a soft tissue injury. You know, we think about...
GRACE: OK, Chris Spargo...
GEOULLA: ... soft tissue injury...
GRACE: ... is that true?
SPARGO: I -- we -- I haven`t heard that claim before, no. No, I did not know the specifics of this. That`s new to me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:18:45]GRACE: Possible jail time for TV and movie star of "CSI," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Fantasy Island," "Love Boat," first shooting to
stardom in "The Partridge Family," David Cassidy in hot water again after allegedly fleeing the scene of a crash after he plows into another vehicle
like, quote, "a crazy man."
Now, he`s already been busted three times driving drunk, so is the TV star finally heading to jail? Breaking right now, movie and TV star David
Cassidy pleads, I`m not guilty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Former teen heartthrob David Cassidy has been charged with one count each of leaving the scene of a crash and driving
with a suspended license after his car collided with a truck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) a date this weekend?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I had a date.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But she has water on the knee.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Straight out to Alan Duke, editor-in-chief, Leadstories.com. So he`s clearly, in my book, a habitual violator. Now, I know there`s a
problem in that all of his offenses occurred in different states, but they`re within the time period. It`s basically like you get three to five
vehicle, right, hit-and-run, DUIs, and you`re declared a felony HV.
[20:20:07]You`re seeing "The Partridge Family" from Columbia Pictures TV.
So when is he finally going to be declared a habitual violator? And he`s actually claiming, I`m not guilty? You know, Alan Duke, everybody saw
him. The police description, the police report basically says he looked like David Cassidy.
And he`s spotted running from the scene. He tries to hide his tag with clothing. He goes up to the guy that he sideswipes not once, but
twice, Alan Duke, and the guy is laying on the ground. He runs up, looks at him, gets back in his car and takes off.
DUKE: Yes, but what they didn`t do and what may have been a huge break for Cassidy was they didn`t do a blood alcohol test, a breathalyzer
test, anything. So this is not related to any kind of drunk driving charge. If they had, we don`t know what they would have found. But this
is much less serious. Although it is serious, I don`t see any jail time for it.
GRACE: Alan Duke, Alan Duke, if somebody veers across multiple labors of traffic and T-bones you not once but twice, drives up all on the curb,
and you`re laying out on the cement, Alan Duke, and the guy gets out, looks at you and takes off running -- I will personally come and prosecute the
case myself. So when you say it`s not as serious -- you know, I don`t know about that, not serious!
DUKE: We don`t know if he was intoxicated or not.
GRACE: I don`t care if he`s intoxicated or not, it`s a hit-and-run!
DUKE: Right, but...
GRACE: It`s a hit-and-run!
DUKE: ... this is not legally going to get him. If they had tested him and he had tested as being intoxicated, that would be very serious. I
would say he`d go to jail.
GRACE: It`s still...
DUKE: But this is far different.
GRACE: ... a hit-and-run. That`s what habitual violator is all about! Alan Duke, hold on.
DUKE: Yes, but he went to a doctor`s office. After you get into a wreck, you go to a doctor`s office. At least, I think that`s what his
defense is going to claim.
GRACE: I`ve got a question. Let me go to Dr. Tim Gallagher,, forensic pathologist joining me from Daytona Beach. Dr. Gallagher, he went
to some sort -- he claimed a doctor`s appointment. If they took some blood, couldn`t that blood be subpoenaed, or couldn`t the results on that
blood be subpoenaed to determine if he had been drinking or using drugs?
DR. TIM GALLAGHER, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST (via telephone): It certainly can, Nancy. And they can send that to the lab and get the concentration of
the alcohol and any other drugs that may be in his body right away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:26:40]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was David Cassidy at fault when his Kia Sportage was involved in a automobile accident on a Florida highway?
According to authorities, his automobile collided with a 20-foot box truck, after which the one-time star of "The Partridge Family" television series
allegedly fled the scene.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s "The Partridge Family" from Columbia Pictures TV.
David Cassidy shoots to stardom in "The Partridge Family," then goes on to become a bona fide movie and TV star. Well, right now, he`s starring
in his own drama in a Florida courtroom, where he says he is not guilty after he plows into a guy not once but twice, goes up on the curb. This is
after three DUI busts.
There`s "The Partridge Family," Columbia Pictures TV.
So Michael Christian, what do you have to do to get arrested in Florida? I mean, how many times do you have to be DUI and plow into
people? The guy`s laying on the ground. He goes, Oops, I`m out of here, and leaves!
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): You know, Nancy, I have the statute right in front of me, and it says that you have
to have three or more convictions within a five-year period. Now, right now, it seems like that might not apply because the 2010 arrest would be
outside the five-year period.
GRACE: It`s 2015.
CHRISTIAN: But in 2014, it would have still been pertinent. So I don`t know why...
GRACE: Well, wait! Wait!
CHRISTIAN: ... he wasn`t...
GRACE: It`s just 2015 -- 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. That`s five years, Michael.
CHRISTIAN: It you go by the date. So it was earlier in the year It is without the -- outside the five-year limit, but...
GRACE: So...
CHRISTIAN: But in 2014, it should have been within.
GRACE: You know, interesting here why he`s not charged with HV, habitual violator. Adi Jaffe is with me, addiction specialist out of LA.
Adi, thank you for being with us.
ADI JAFFE, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: Thanks for having me.
GRACE: In addition to this crisis, I mean, Adi, he drives off, with the left part of his Kia totally bashed in, his right tire explodes. And
he drives off like that to get away from the scene of the crash.
Here he is on a Florida Highway Patrol dashcam video doing a field sobriety. So Adi Jaffe, he also lost everything, his home -- let`s see the
photos of his home that he lost. It`s, like, a five-bedroom, pool, infinity pool, hot tub, the works.
JAFFE: Well, I think what you`re talking now about is less of those legal issues we were referring to initially, and the issue of this
repeating pattern of driving under the influence, making erratic decisions -- obviously, I`m not involved with David`s case specifically, but when we
see patterns like this, it`s definitely cause for concern, right? Most people, when they get a DUI, try to get things under control and stop
driving under the influence. And when we see that that`s not happening, it`s definitely something that raises our concern.
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers, Parag Shah, Atlanta, author of "The Code," Kesha Hebbon, defense attorney, New York.
All right, Kesha, it would take me one DUI, OK -- which, number one, is not going to happen because Mommy is not going to drive drunk, period.
But if it did in a pretend world, you don`t need to tell me one time. Here this guy has three DUIs, and you guys know the stats. Every time you`re
caught DUI, you have driven drunk normally around 200 times. So explain to me, Kesha, why he should not be charged at this point with a felony?
KISHA HEBBON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, the key word we are missing here is conviction. Just because he is charged and arrested for
allegedly driving while intoxicated, until he is convicted, we cannot start counting the number of D.U.Is he has on his record.
And, he pled not guilty, so there may be a plea deal that is broken or -- another thing to think about is when it comes to sentencing, those
repeat offences are when it is considered not for convicting someone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
[20:35:01] GRACE: Live to Atlantic City, a 25-year-old man brutally attacks a woman. Glassy eyed, he goes berserk. When the woman tells him
to stay away from her, he winds up theatrically. It looks like he is going to hit a home run and he beats this woman so badly. She has severe head
trauma. All of this, while his buddy is goading him on, recording the whole thing on video. Who is this thug?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER (voice-over): A woman is sitting in a park when all of a sudden a young man punches her in the head so hard that she
is knocked out cold and the whole thing is posted to Facebook.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And, not only does he do it, he posts it. This -- This woman has to be rushed to the hospital. He does not even know her. And,
apparently, he starts threatening her. And, she says you are going to stay away from me and that makes her furious. Liz, can you play back the whole
thing with sound?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IBEN HUNTER, CHARGED OF AGGRAVATED ASSAULT BY PUNCHING A 44-YEAR-OLD WOMAN: I ain`t going to do what?
(LAUGHING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: Look, guys.
HUNTER: I ain`t going to grab you? I ain`t going to do what?
(LAUGHING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER (1): She said you ain`t going to smack her dog.
(LAUGHING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER (2): Bing! It is over! Listen, you do not have to go to the park --
(LAUGHING)
HUNTER: This is what happens when you say I ain`t going to smack you, (EXPLETIVE WORD). So, ay you (EXPLETIVE WORD) talking that stupid
(EXPLETIVE WORD) going to get knocked the (EXPLETIVE WORD) out like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: I do not play like that. He does not even know this lady. He hit her so badly, she actually has head trauma. Lynda Cohen, a reporter of
Press of Atlantic City. Lynda, thank you for being with us. Tell me what you know about this case.
LYNDA COHEN, REPORTER, PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY: Well what happened was, obviously as you know, it was posted to Facebook publicly, so it was
being shared. And, someone I knew --
GRACE: Awful. Awful.
COHEN: Someone I knew --
GRACE: Not only to do it, but then post it.
COHEN: He posted it. It was, actually -- it is believed to be the cameraman. And, he posted it not just once to his Facebook, but he kept
sharing it on his Facebook. So, his entire timeline is full of this video. And, what I have been tagged in it by someone I dealt with in the previous
criminal case she actually had.
Her boyfriend was killed in Atlantic City. And, she tagged me in it. I watched the video, was able to get a screen shot because he looks right
at the camera. The screen shot was sent to police along with the link to the video, and they were able to identify him and arrest him.
GRACE: This woman is sitting there minding her own business, Lynda Cohen. Lynda, joining me from Press of Atlantic City. Because of her,
police find out about this. She sends the screen shot of the suspect to the police.
Look at him, right in the camera bragging about cold-cocking this lady. The worst thing the lady said was "Stay away from me." And, then he
goes on a rant. Liz, rack it back up for me about. "All of you bitches out there that tell me not to hit you. This is what you are going to get." Oh
really? Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTER: I ain`t going to do what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: Look, guys.
HUNTER: I ain`t going to grab you? I ain`t going to do what?
(LAUGHING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER (1): She said you ain`t going to smack her dog.
(LAUGHING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER (2): Bing! It is over! Listen, you do not have to go to the park --
(LAUGHING)
HUNTER: This is what happens when you say I ain`t going to smack you, (EXPLETIVE WORD). So, ay you (EXPLETIVE WORD) talking that stupid
(EXPLETIVE WORD) going to get knocked the (EXPLETIVE WORD) out like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: I cannot hardly stand to look at it. He did not even know this woman. He did not have any argument with her. She is just sitting
out in a park, minding her own business. This could have been my mother.
This could have been my sister, and look what he does to her. Lynda, joining us from Press of Atlantic City. What do we know about this guy?
What do we know about Iben Hunter, 25 years old?
COHEN: Well he does have a criminal history that, basically, starts when he was 16 years old, when he served a suspended sentence for cocaine
possession. He has had five adult convictions all where he pled and all with public defenders. So, we assume he is going to have a public defender
now.
[20:40:10] And he will face an additional charge. He was charged with aggravated assault in this case, but he is also going to be charged
with assault on a law enforcement officer, because if you look at his mug shot he now has a thick bloody knot on his head in there.
That, apparently, according to the warden at the jail, was caused when he was being strip-searched, he attacked the officer. And, they are taught
to take out their legs, because the officers in the jail do not have guns, so they, you know, they take out their legs and apparently he hit the
floor.
And, so, that is another charge for him. And, he is wearing black and white stripes, in our county jail is for inmates that are considered high-
profile. That they are problematic, that that they need to be watched.
GRACE: You know what is interesting, Stacey Newman -- with me, Lynda Cohen from Press of Atlantic City. Stacey, another thing that is
interesting is he really had not done a lot of jail time up until this. And, he got a lot of entries on his rap sheet. That lady is sitting there
minding her own business, when he shows up. Stacey, what more do you know?
STACEY NEWMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, first of all, let us start with the fact that nobody there does anything to help, so thank god we have
this reporter who told this to police.
GRACE: I noticed that Stacey. The only buddy that is even saying anything is his buddy that is goading him on laughing. Look at all of
these people, they are like nothing even happened. They were just sitting there.
NEWMAN: They are just sitting there. And, what we are also not showing her, because we are trying to protect this victim. The injuries to
her face are so bad, she was rushed to ICU with severe head trauma.
GRACE: You know, Ben Levitan, then they are stupid enough to post it. How do you track them down?
BEN LEVITAN, TELECOMMUNICATION EXPERT: Nancy, this was incredibly easy. Facebook has a security department out in California. The police
call Facebook. And, Facebook instantly tell you, you know, who posted the video, this guy`s user I.D., email and his registered phone number.
Nancy, this was done with a phone -- cell phone. They know the cell phone number and one, two, three, you can you track the guy. You could
find him. You could even ping him and locate him to arrest him. Very easy.
GRACE: You know, when I hear everybody just laughing -- just laughing at the lady. You know, this lady had severe head trauma because of this
guy. Can I get the reader back up, please, Liz? Everybody is sitting around laughing and mocking the victim. I want to tell you all about
something very important.
We are all worried about where we are going to get our turkey and how many people are going to be at our home eating. A homeless Philadelphia
family has been living in a cardboard box. Their 2-year-old little boy was found wandering in the park alone. People are trying to raise money for
them, to find a place for them to live, jobs and social services.
The family has been sleeping behind cardboard boxes under a welcome Center Building Love Park . As we enter thanksgiving and we count our
blessings, please go to Homeless Advocacy Group chosen 300.org.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:47:34] GRACY: Live to Clarksville, a grieving dad takes to Facebook to mourn the death of his beautiful 2-year-old toddler boy,
Joseph. Even raising money for the tot`s funeral, but in the last hours, we obtained police affidavits, that show the grieving dad may be an evil
stepfather and worse, a cold-blooded killer. That allegedly plans the tot`s death to cash in on a massive life insurance policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER: Stepdad of a 2-year-old boy, who was tragically shot and killed is arrested and charged with conspiracy to
commit criminal homicide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Joining me right now, Fletcher Long, host of "The Long Version" at WJZM. Fletcher, thanks for being with us.
FLETCHER LONG, HOST OF THE LONG VERSION AT WJZM: Thank you, Nancy.
GRACE: Man! This is cold. This is cold. This stepfather of this 2- year-old little boy, this toddler, is with this woman. They have a little girl together. And, according, to the affidavits that we have uncovered,
he arranges for the 2-year-old little boy to be gunned down dead.
The boy is dead. Then he gets up on Facebook grieving and mourning, raising money for the funeral? How do we know he is connected? He was not
the trigger man.
LONG: Well Nancy, I think that the fact that he obtained an insurance policy shortly before the death to which he was the beneficiary on the life
of a stepchild, probably drew them concentrically to him as a suspect.
The shooter has connections with him as well. And, Mr. Jiminez, who survived the attack was able to make a physical description to the TBI
sketch artist and the rendering is the guy that they have now named Alexander from Hopkinsville in Custody.
GRACE: So, tell me this, Fletcher Long, WJZM --
LONG: It appears they have a connection.
GRACE: How did the whole thing go down? Where is the baby? Who got shot? I understand the grandmother -- the grandmother -- his grandmother -
- somebody opens the door and the guy is standing there and asked to borrow jumper cables. And, then everything goes sideways. What happened,
Fletcher?
LONG: Well, that is pretty much exactly as you described it. It appears that the stepfather may have entered into a plan with the shooter,
who was Alexander and seen over there in order to accomplish the deed.
[21:50:00] It is not clear, and I talked to General John Kearney, in the 19th Judicial District today. And, I have also talked to Alexander`s
defense attorney, Edward Dewarf (ph), who certainly has a lot of experience. And, it does not appear that they are quite sure exactly
whether Jimenez was even an intended target of this particular event.
GRACE: So, it was all about shooting the baby? Is that right, Matt Zarrell?
MATT ZARRELL, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, it is. That does appeared to be what is going on. And, one thing to keep in mind here is that the
couple was going through a bitter custody battle for months leading up to the shooting.
GRACE: Now, let me understand something, Matt. We have been talking to Fletcher Long, the host of "The Long Version, WJZM, there in the
jurisdiction, Matt. So, he takes out an insurance policy as Fletcher is telling me on his stepchild. And, he and the mom are broken up. When did
he take out the insurance policy as it relates to their breakup.
ZARRELL: We do not know, exactly, the time frame, but we know that it was shortly before the shooting took place. And, also, Nancy a key here is
shortly before the shooting, the stepfather has requested birth and social security records for the infant daughter.
GRACE: Oh no, was she the next one to go? Was he going to try to kill all of them at once, Fletcher Long?
LONG: It appears that, that may have been the plan.
GRACE: Good lord.
LONG: And, I think that this case is going to be really reliant on them getting some sort of a statement from Alexander about his involvement
and what the conspiracy entailed.
GRACE: Hey, they better be seeking the death penalty. The lawyers, parag Shah, Kisha Hebbon. All right, to you Parag Shah, so, he is not the
trigger person, but he breaks up with the bio mom of the little boy. It is not his child. It is not his bio child. It is not his adopted child.
Then he takes out an insurance policy on the step tot. The tot boy, Joseph, and then suddenly, his friend shows up and guns the baby dead?
They do not want to kill anybody else but the baby?
PARAG SHAH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Wow. That is a lot of speculation, and allegations going on, when you have no proof. Taking out a life insurance
policy is not enough --
GRACE: Well, I read the affidavit.
SHAH: And, the fact that his friend -- it does not mean it. You have not proven any kind of connection. We do not have any kind of statements,
any corroboration that they conspired to kill this baby.
All you have is that he took a life insurance policy out, and that these two people know each other. That is not beyond a reasonable doubt.
Now, that is great speculation. You are doing a great job with speculation, but beyond the reasonable doubt, I do not think so.
GRACE: Ben Levitan, what about all the phone records between the stepfather and the trigger man, leading up to the shooting? They are on
the phone, nonstop. According to our reports, the stepfather and the shooter speak to each other before, right before the shooting, and right
after the shooting. So, what does that mean? And, can we verify their locations? Where the stepfather -- this little baby boy is shot dead in
his grandmother`s home, Levitan.
LEVITAN: That is going to be the story, Nancy. That is exactly where the evidence is going to come from. And, we see this every day in court.
Conspirators talking. And, you can follow -- people are so obsessed with their phone and in communication.
You can follow that shooter all the way to the house, and after the shot, up at to the first calls he made were, you know, to David or -- and
as he is going away, you can see if they met afterwards. What is more important than the communication is actually the location and police are
going to get that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:58:29] UNIDENTIFIED MALE REPORTER (voice-over): Did a grieving stepdad who takes to social media to raise money for his boy`s funeral
actually plan the 2-year-old`s vicious shooting death?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: So, this 2-year-old stepchild of his, he is already split. The mom has already split with him. I think ten or 11 months before. And,
according to documents, he then takes out life insurance on his stepchild.
The baby boy is shot multiple times. So, Ben Levitan, Telecommunications Expert, to you it is a matter of the ping, pinging, the
texts and the e-mails, the phone calls between the stepfather and the shooter, immediately after the shooting?
LEVITAN: That is right, Nancy. Every time you make a call, receive a call, send a text, the cell phone company knows where you are located.
And, police use that every day to follow someone point to point. These guys, especially after shooting, they get on the phone. They make lots of
calls. They are all anxious, so they are using their phone.
GRACE: Right.
LEVITAN: We can track them.
GRACE: Let us remember, American hero Marine Lance Corporal Jacob Beisel. 21, Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, second tour, loved the outdoors,
dreamed of college, street named in his honor, parents Albert and Mary, sister Amanda.
Jacob Beisel, American hero. Thanks for our guests, but especially to you for being with us. Nancy Grace signing off. See you tomorrow night,
8:00 sharp, Eastern, until then. Good night, friend.
END
