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Nancy Grace
Nine-Year-Old Behind the Wheel in Fatal Crash; Man Charged With Beating Wife to Death With Dumbbell. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired December 30, 2015 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HLN HOST: Breaking news. To Missouri, where a 37-year-old man clutching a vodka bottle between his legs forces a 9-year-old little
boy to take the wheel and tell him to, quote, "floor it." Bombshell now. The SUV crashes into a Ford Expedition that then careens into an
embankment, ejecting everyone inside and killing a 14-year-old little boy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A 14-year-old is dead after police say Mitchell Morris allowed the victim`s 9-year-old stepbrother to drive his vehicle, causing a
crash that killed the teen sitting in the back seat. The 9-year-old who was allegedly driving told police Morris said he was going to show the
child how to drive 100 miles per hour.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: To Maryland, and claims a high-ranking NSA -- that`s National Security Administration -- official, a government big, during a basement
workout leaves his wife dead. Did the NSA big, Jason Martin, bludgeon his wife dead with an exercise barbell?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A mathematician with the National Security Agency charged with second degree murder because, according to police, he
bludgeoned his wife to death with a dumbbell. Carla Martin was found in the basement of the family`s home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And live, Omaha, reports a 33-year-old woman gets stinking drunk, sneaks past security, sneaks past a barbed-wire fence, sneaks into the
world-renowned Henry Doorly Zoo, crawls into the tiger exhibit and is viciously mauled by an 18-year-old Malaysian (sic) tiger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police say Eide broke into Omaha`s Henry Doorly Zoo. When she got to the tiger cages, she jumped one fence into a secure area,
then reached into the cage of Mai, an 18-year-old Malayan tiger. Mai bit down on Eide`s hand, causing severe injuries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: And live, Naples, a Florida man in a coma after an e-cigarette reportedly explode in his fence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) exploded (INAUDIBLE) face, and his face is all black and he`s throwing up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Firefighters say his battery is what likely caused an e-cigarette to explode in 21-year-old Evan Spahlinger`s face, causing
horrible burns.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heavy sedation is keeping Evan Spahlinger a step away from extreme pain.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think (INAUDIBLE) electric cigarette.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Live, Frisco (ph), Texas. Did a 34-year-old mother of two drive her boys, ages 8 and 10, into a pond while drunk on Halloween? Tonight, we
obtain devastating footage of the pond where Mommy`s car totally submerged.
Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight, to Missouri. A 37-year-old man clutching a vodka bottle between his legs forces a 9-year-old boy to take the wheel and tell the boy
to, quote, "floor it." The SUV crashes, forcing a Ford Expedition that then careens into an embankment, ejecting everyone inside, killing a 14-
year-old school boy.
Let me understand this. Colin Jeffery joining us, news director, KTRS. So the guy, the man in this case -- it`s 37-year-old Mitchell Morris -- has a
vodka bottle between his legs and he forces the 9-year-old boy to drive the SUV? Why?
COLIN JEFFERY, KTRS (via telephone): Well, thanks for having me, Nancy. And that`s really what`s at the center of this. This is a man with a
history of DUI convictions. And what we know is this scared 9-year-old boy initially tells police that this Mitchell Morris was, in fact, driving.
But later that night, when his mother`s with him, he tells police, No, he had me drive. I was the one driving. He told me I could drive 100 miles
an hour, sort of forced me to drive as fast as I could. And that`s when he loses control of this car. As you said, everyone is tossed out, and then
again, a 14-year-old boy dies. The other two, the 9-year-old boy and Mitchell, both end up with minor injuries.
But yes, police said when they arrived, Mitchell was glassy-eyed. He refused to take a Breathalyzer. They -- they later took blood from him to
determine if he was in fit condition to be driving. But right now, the thought is, is that a 9-year-old boy was driving this car at his demand.
GRACE: It`s my understanding, Colin Jeffery, KTRS, he tells the little boy, Floor it, and he, the adult, is holding a vodka bottle between his
legs as he makes the 9-year-old drive the SUV.
[20:05:12]Let me understand something. Are you saying that he refused a Breathalyzer on the scene? He did do a field test, Colin?
JEFFERY: Yes, they did a field test. They did several field tests, the officer said. And you know, they didn`t really talk about how he
performed. Right now, he hasn`t been charged with DUI or anything because he wasn`t necessarily driving. But he is facing a pair of child
endangerment charges, as well as a...
GRACE: Whoa! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wa-wait! So he can get drunk, totally drunk, and force a 9-year-old told drive, that then ends in a 14-
year-old little boy being ejected from his Ford Expedition and dead -- oh, here he is in all of his glory.
Now, whoa, Colin! Did you say he has other DUIs? Do we have those mugshots? Does he have other DUIs?
JEFFERY: He does, indeed, from the early 2000s. He`s got other DUIs. He has other driving infractions on his record, but those are the big ones.
This is someone who has a history of drinking and driving. And in this case, it appears at this point from what police say, he decided, as opposed
to get behind the wheel himself, he would force a 9-year-old to get behind the wheel, and then beyond that, put him in a situation where he`s driving
100 miles an hour.
Just put yourself in the -- in the situation here. You`re a trooper who arrives at this, and you see -- you see three people thrown from a car.
And when you`re looking at this vehicle, the front seat is pushed as far forward as it can. That`s clearly not where a -- where an adult would have
that seat to drive.
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers. Joining me tonight out of New York, Misty Marris, defense attorney, out of Atlanta, David Windecher, defense attorney
and author of "The American Dream: HisStory (sic) in the Making."
OK, first to you, Windecher. So you saw his mugshot, right? Did you see all those previous DUIs, DUIs -- let`s see it again, please. Then he had
a domestic violence, making a false report. I mean, it just goes on and on.
So smart guy, Mitchell Morris, decides he won`t get another DUI, and he makes a 9-year-old little boy get behind the wheel while he holds on to his
bottle of vodka. Help me out, Windecher. What`s your defense?
DAVID LEE WINDECHER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, this is a tough case for the defense, Nancy. He actually made a statement implicating himself, and the
only way that he`s going to get anything favorable...
GRACE: But see, you`re the defense lawyer.
WINDECHER: Right.
GRACE: So right now, I want to hear what the defense is. I know what the case is against him.
WINDECHER: The defense is going to have to have...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: What?
WINDECHER: The Jackson (ph) dental (ph) hearing is going to have to keep the implicating statement out. If he kept (ph) that statement out, he can
get a good defense. But if that statement...
GRACE: "I was trying"...
WINDECHER: ... comes in, it`s going to be difficult.
GRACE: ... "to teach the boy" -- hold on. Can we back it up and let`s go through his statement. Misty Marris, take a listen. "I was trying to
teach the boy" -- 9 years old -- "how to drive. I wasn`t driving the vehicle. I`m not the driver. I wasn`t driving. I`m not giving you
anything."
OK, hold on. "I`m not the driver. I wasn`t driving. I was trying to teach him how to drive."
OK, Misty, what about that?
MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: He`s going to be attacking the causal connection in the involuntary manslaughter case. He`s going to say, I
wasn`t behind the wheel. Listen, he probably doesn`t have a good shot at child endangerment, but as far as involuntary manslaughter, he`s not the
one who actually caused the death, which is a tragedy. But that`s what he`s going to hang his hat on, regardless of whether the statement comes
in. He`s going to say, It wasn`t me.
Again, the child endangerment charge -- he`s probably going to be sitting there with the DA right now, trying to plead this down, get rid of the
involuntary manslaughter.
GRACE: I doubt it. I doubt pretty seriously. You know, just because you two say it doesn`t make it so. And I guarantee you, if you put this to a
jury, they`re not going to agree with you. Yes, you may be reading some subsection of the law, but I`m telling you a jury`s not going to fall for
that.
Colin Jeffery, KTRS, I am concerned about what Misty Marris is saying, that there could be some cheap plea deal in this case because of the
technicality that this guy, 37-year-old Mitchell Morris, was not actually behind the wheel.
But in my mind, forcing a 9-year-old to go in and rob a bank or steal from a jewelry store and then come out and give you the booty -- that does not
mean you didn`t do it! What about it, Colin? There`s not a secret plea deal in the works, is there?
JEFFERY: We haven`t heard anything (INAUDIBLE) and a big correction is that he`s actually facing a second degree murder charge now because they
are saying someone died while he was in the commission of another felony, which was child endangerment. So they`ve upgraded that to a second degree
murder charge right now, meaning he`s facing even more time, if convicted, but I would -- I`m not a lawyer as far as how that moves from here, but I
know that the charge is more severe than initially reported shortly after his arrest.
[20:10:09]GRACE: Well, I really think it should be murder one, premeditated murder. Premeditation can be formed in an instant, the
twinkling of an eye. And if he had the time to force the 9-year-old behind the wheel, to say, Floor it, under the law, that is enough time for
premeditation.
With me, David Lee Windecher and Misty Marris. Also with me, Dr. Tim Gallagher, Gallagher the forensic pathologist out of Daytona Beach.
Dr. Gallagher, thank you for being with us. I want to talk about the 14- year-old victim, Damian Winters, the little boy that was killed. What do we know about how he died?
DR. TIM GALLAGHER, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST (via telephone): Well, thanks for having me on, Nancy. We know that every occupant of the vehicle was
ejected during the rollover portion of the accident. It is not uncommon for someone to become ejected from a vehicle and then have the vehicle roll
over on them, causing a fatal injury.
GRACE: So is that what happened, Dr. Gallagher?
GALLAGHER: I can only assume that from what I`m reading in "The Post."
GRACE: You know, Colin Jeffrey, news director, KTRS, is that how the little boy was killed?
JEFFERY: Again, that`s all we`re hearing. They`re trying to be relatively tight-lipped at this point, again considering we didn`t get their names for
quite some time because we`re dealing with a 9-year-old and a 4-year-old. (sic). So they haven`t -- they haven`t released how they have died, but
yes, we do know that he was dead on the scene, the 14-year-old.
GRACE: Matt Zarrell, I understand it was head trauma. What more do you know about the cause of death of the little boy?
MATT ZARRELL, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Yes, we spoke to the coroner, who told us that the cause of death was severe head trauma, manner of death behind
accident.
GRACE: You know, unleash the lawyers, Windecher and Marris. You know, Misty Marris, it`s even worse to me that this guy, Mitchell Morris, with
previous DUIs, is trying to hide behind a 9-year-old little boy that he forced into the driver`s seat. And now his defense is, "I wasn`t driving."
That`s BS!
MARRIS: Nancy, I...
GRACE: What?
MARRIS: Nancy, this is his defense, though. He has to say that, I wasn`t the one behind the wheel. And besides, he`s forcing a 9-year-old kid,
granted. Again, I do think the child endangerment charge will stick.
But to say that this could rise to the level of murder one is -- is not feasible at all. There`s no way this was an intentional crime. He had the
9-year-old in the driver`s seat, true. Child endangerment. But as far as anything -- higher-level crime, no.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:16:27]GRACE: To Maryland and claims a high-ranking NSA -- that`s National Security Administration (ph) -- official, a government big, during
a basement workout leaves his wife dead. Did the NSA big, Jason Martin, bludgeon his wife dead with an exercise barbell?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... charged with second degree murder for allegedly beating his wife to death. A nearby dumbbell was reportedly covered with
blood. The couple had three young children, who were also home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: You know, Meredyth Censullo, investigative reporter joining us, it wasn`t that long ago that I reported on another NSA big, as we call them.
His name was Brian O`Callaghan, and he was charged with the death of his 3- year-old little boy, Maddoc. He was a one-time NSA division chief, and his little boy was bludgeoned -- I believe, bludgeoned dead, child abuse
resulting in death, according to the documents we got from a (INAUDIBLE) county circuit court.
And now we`ve this young wife, Carla D. Martin, dead, apparently bludgeoned by another National Security Administration (sic) big, Jason Worth (ph)
Martin? Why do we think she was bludgeoned dead, Meredyth?
MEREDYTH CENSULLO, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: You know, at this point, we really don`t know. There have been no reports of any trouble, trouble that
required law enforcement intervention between the couple, Carla and Jason. They`d been together for years. In fact, they both were professors
together for some time, math and statistics professors. So we really don`t know what caused this to happen.
What we know is that Jason went over to a neighbor`s house about 11:00 o`clock at night, said that...
GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Wa-wait, wa-wait, wa-wait! This happened, Michael Christian, at 11:00 o`clock at night? He wants me to
believe he`s downstairs there in his suburban Maryland home working out at midnight?
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): Well, it did happen around 11:00 PM, Nancy, and here`s the weird thing. According to
the police originally, the neighbors said that he had gone to their home and said, quote, "Please call police. My wife is injured."
But when you read the probable cause affidavit, that police document, it says that he told the neighbor, quote, "He thought he killed his wife,
Carla."
GRACE: Oh, my goodness. So he`s...
CHRISTIAN: Either way it goes...
GRACE: ... changing his story?
CHRISTIAN: ... he had blood on his clothes.
GRACE: Hold on, Michael. Are you telling me the story changed somewhat? What was the first thing he said to -- what -- tell me the two stories?
CHRISTIAN: I`m not sure his story changed, but the way it was presented changed. First, the police were saying that the neighbor had said that he
went to their home and said that he had arrived home and she was injured. But in the probable cause statement, it says that he advised the neighbor
that he thought he had killed his wife.
GRACE: So let me understand, Michael. He leaves his home, and instead of calling 911 from his own home, he goes to the neighbor`s house and the
presentation was at that point that she was injured?
CHRISTIAN: Injured or dead, depending on which of these accounts you believe. Also, Nancy, there were three children...
GRACE: Well, the first one. The first one, Michael. The first one. What was his first presentation?
CHRISTIAN: The first presentation that the police gave us was that he had told the neighbor he thought his wife was injured. The second
presentation, which is in the police affidavit, is that he told the neighbor he thought he had killed his wife.
[20:20:00]GRACE: Interesting. Interesting. So we think he first says she`s injured. You`re looking inside the suburban Maryland home where
these two, both professors, and he an NSA -- National Security Administration (sic) big -- what, was working out at 11:00 o`clock at
night, Meredyth Censullo?
CENSULLO: You know, at this point, we don`t know what he was claiming he was doing, only that he thought his wife was injured. We do know that
there was a dumbbell found, covered in blood...
GRACE: Right.
CENSULLO: ... next to Carla in the basement of the home.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:25:00]GRACE: To Michael Christian, on the story. Michael, why do we believe or why do police believe a barbell was the murder weapon?
CHRISTIAN: It was apparently covered with blood, Nancy, this dumbbell. It was near the body. It was covered with blood. And according to the
neighbor, Mr. Martin had blood on him when he went to the neighbor`s home, on his T-shirt.
GRACE: This on the heels of another case with the NSA, National Security Administration (sic), Brian O`Callaghan charged with child abuse to death
of a 3-year-old little boy, Maddoc. It was a horrible, horrible story. And now another NSA worker charged with beating his wife dead with a
dumbbell?
To Dr. Tim Gallagher, forensic pathologist. Explain to me how difficult it would be to murder this woman with nothing but a barbell.
GALLAGHER: Well, Nancy, it would depend on what material the barbell was made of. Some of them are made of a covered plastic or foam material,
other ones are strictly metal. If it was a metal one, it would be quite easy to fracture someone`s skull with even something like a 5-pound
dumbbell.
GRACE: This is what police say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we arrived on the scene, we found a woman in the basement suffering from what appeared to be blunt force trauma. She was
transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. In a search of the residence after finding the victim, officers located a dumbbell in the
basement that was covered in blood. So they`re looking at that as the likely murder weapon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Now, that is what you hear from a police spokesperson. To Terry Lyles, psychologist, author of "Crack the Stress Code" -- Dr. Lyles, thank
you for being with us. Now, he is denying this, but there`s no way to get around the fact that she is found in the workout room and there`s blood on
a dumbbell. But he goes to the neighbor and says she`s been harmed.
TERRY LYLES, PSYCHOLOGIST: Yes, obviously, there`s conflicting stories, obviously, from what you`ve already incited (sic) in the earlier, you know,
presentation of this.
But you know, I think the motive is an interesting thing. I`m not an attorney, as you mentioned, but you know, it`s interesting to go, How could
you kill someone like that and then run to the neighbor without calling 911? Is he trying to cover his tracks? Was he trying to make this look
like an accident that she had working out? There`s something wrong here because, you know, from a pathological state, either it was enraged or it
was premeditated, and the back story will eventually tell us which one it is.
GRACE: You know, if you could pull up the sound of the cleaning crew? Everyone, there is a message to the home. Take a listen and what can we
learn from it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a text message to the suspect earlier in the day, Sara Sarafin (ph) of Sara`s Cleaning writes, "Hi, Jason. Good morning.
Are you waiting for us today? Because I didn`t find the check. But don`t worry about the check. You can give it to me another day. I just need to
know if everything is fine."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He`s so nice, the man, the Jason is adorable man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: OK, Michael Christian, that`s extremely unusual, and the timeline is going to be very, very important. There you see the couple with their
three children.
Everyone, for those of you just joining us, another government bigwig is now suspected in the death of his wife. This was with the National
Security Administration (sic).
And Michael, what`s so ironic about it is that he is a well-esteemed employee at National Security Agency, but now cops honing in on him for
beating his wife dead?
CHRISTIAN: Yes, he`s a mathematician there, apparently, Nancy. And you just heard that woman, this cleaning woman call him adorable. But I must
say that another neighbor said that, quote, "He had a strange personality." So differing opinions on him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Live Omaha reports a 33-year-old woman gets stinking drunk. Then she sneaks past security, past a barbed wire fence, and into the world
renowned Henry Doorly Zoo. She then crawls into the tiger exhibit. And she is viciously mauled by an 18-year-old Malayan tiger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police say Eide broke into Omaha`s Henry Doorly Zoo. When she got to the tiger cages, she jumped one fence into a secure area;
then reached into the cage of Mai, an 18-year-old Malayan tiger. Mai bit down on Eide`s hand causing severe injuries.
GRACE: OK, just when you think you`ve heard it all. Now, is there a chance that this renowned zoo may be closed? Will the tiger be euthanized,
put down because this woman gets drunk and sneaks into the tiger exhibit? Look at this woman. What is she thinking? It`s Jackie Eide, a 33-year-old
woman, gets a stinking drunk, stinking; and crawls past security, past the barbed wire fence, and straight to the tiger exhibit.
Grey Stafford, director of conservation, Wildlife World Zoo, author of Zoomility, hi, Dr. Grey. You know, these actions could end up causing a
zoo closing. Shut down the whole thing, and this tiger could get the death penalty. Help me out, Grey Stafford. How in the hay did she get into the
exhibit? And what can you tell us about the tiger? Let`s start with the tiger.
STAFFORD: Well, it`s one of the smaller varieties of tiger. But it`s still two to 300 pounds, Nancy. It`s a top predator. But as you say, she
passed through all sorts of security. You know, we build zoos to contain animals safely. But we`re..
GRACE: Can I get back to the tiger? Back to the tiger; let me understand.
STAFFORD: OK.
GRACE: You`re the director of conservation at Wildlife World Zoo. That`s why I`m talking to you about the tiger, Grey, the tiger. You train, if you
can train a tiger. You train them. Now, nobody will ever forget the very unfortunate Siegfried & Roy event where their very rare white tiger
attacked one of its masters. The results were devastating. But when you say Grey Stafford that this was a smaller tiger, the thing still weighs
about 300 pounds. Now, it`s 18 years old. And isn`t this tiger handicapped?
STAFFORD: I don`t know about its current state. But 18 is old for a tiger. But it`s still powerful. It still has powerful jaws. It`s still
got claws. And I`m not surprised that she was injured severely. She`s lucky she didn`t lose her hand or her arm.
GRACE: But she was mauled. She`s mauled.
STAFFORD: Yeah.
GRACE: Hunter Arterburn, Operations Manager at Big Apple News Radio. Hey, Hunter, thank you for being with us. Let me ask you this, Hunter. Isn`t
it true that this particular tiger is not only elderly, Mai. But wasn`t she caught as a baby and her arm was in a hunter`s trap? And she`s lived
in captivity her whole life and is actually missing part of one of her arms, one of her legs?
ARTERBURN: Yes, you`re absolutely right, Nancy. She actually is missing her front left leg because it was enclosed in a poacher`s trap just like
you mentioned. Veterinarians amputated that limb to save her life. And that was at less than two years old when that tiger went, underwent
rehabilitation at a Malaysian Zoo before arriving at Omaha`s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in 2003. Since then, Mai has successfully navigated life
on three legs, raising three litters of cubs on her own.
GRACE: Now, the tiger that I`m looking at, I see four legs. But the tiger we`re talking about, this is an example, a Malayan. There she is. There
is Mai. And she`s missing part of one of her legs. I think it`s her front lefty. She`s never had a problem. Isn`t that right, Hunter Arterburn?
She`s never exhibited any anger, tried to growl, or paw at, much less bite a zoo-goer, never.
ARTERBURN: No, in fact, I was there just a couple of - this year actually. I went there and actually went by this tiger. And it`s just sleeping, and
just hanging out. And that she`s never ever shown aggression. And she`s navigated life just fine. And that there`s no anger with her. She just
navigates on those three legs, and after missing her front left leg.
GRACE: Michael Christian, it would not bother me at all if this woman got charged. Because she`s the one that`s drunk. She`s the one that crawls
past the security, past barbed wire. And for some unknown reason decides to get into the tiger exhibit allegedly drunk. What do we know about was
she or wasn`t she drunk, Michael?
Christian: Well, she was apparently acting in a manner when she got to the hospital that led hospital employees to think that she was drunk. They`re
the ones who called the cops. She has been cited, Nancy, for criminal trespass in this case.
GRACE: So, she`s been cited for criminal trespass. And guys, this is the kind of thing that closes down a zoo. Once an animal like this attacks a
person, Grey Stafford, very often they`re euthanized. I think that`s wrong in this case.
STAFFORD: Well, Nancy, this is one of the best zoos in the country. I suspect the tiger will be fine. But you`re right, zoos are governed by the
United States Department of Agriculture. They could come in there and inspect the zoo, and make sure that their security measures are up to par
because of this result, and because of this woman.
GRACE: You guys, you`re talking about the Henry Doorly Zoo. It`s a renowned zoo. With me, Grey Stafford from Wildlife World Zoo, and Hunter
Arterburn. Hunter, I`m just wondering, what is the reaction to what`s happening? Do people think?
I know that there are a lot of people that think the zoo should be closed down, and that the tiger should be put to death. I disagree completely.
What has been the reaction about this woman getting into the tiger exhibit? And specifically Hunter, how does she do it? How can you get past security
and get to the tiger exhibit?
STAFFORD: And to first off to answer your first question. A lot of people out in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri are kind of just kind of laughing this
off, honestly. It`s like it`s unbelievable. They`re not even thinking that the tiger is getting euthanized or the zoo is going to close down.
That has not been released at all.
People don`t think that around here at all. In fact, they actually issued a statement on their Facebook page of the Zoo-dad (ph) thanking everyone
for their concerns about Mai, the Malayan tiger. And it said that Mai will remain on display as normal and go about life as usual. No action will be
taken against her. So, that is directly from the zoo.
As to how she got into the zoo, that`s really the mystery at this point. They`re - we haven`t heard exactly how that is. The detectives and zoo
security personnel are attempting to determine how the woman got in there. Also, there was a juvenile that was involved in this that got in there as
well. But the trespassing (ph), it does not appear to be captured on any surveillance cameras.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Daily Share At This Hour brought to you by Ancestry where you can bring your family stories to life. Your story is here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On HLN..
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the attorney is going to probably argue he suffers from some mental illness perhaps. He was a child who was molested
or..
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There`s no doubt about that.
DREW:That`s a good defense, if somebody almost does something, or thinking they`re going to do something. And they don`t. But that`s when you get
help everybody. Get help before you get into this situation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
DREW:You don`t want to talk to Anna Heta (ph). You might like her, but you don`t want to talk -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, hold on a second.
DREW:You don`t want to talk to her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s not a defense. I didn`t say it`s a defense. I said it`s a mitigating factor.
DREW:All right, fair enough for the sins (ph) of (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For the defense (inaudible).
DREW: All right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And still call (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Drew, weeknights, 9:00 p.m.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On HLN..
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Live to Naples, a Florida man in a coma after an e-cigarette reportedly explodes in his face.
RICHARDSON: Something exploded in my brother`s (ph) face. And his face is all black. And he`s throwing up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fire fighters say the battery is what likely caused an e-cigarette to explode in 21-year-old Evan Spahlinger`s face causing
horrible burns. Heavy sedation is keeping Evan Spahlinger a step away from extreme pain.
RICHARDSON: It`s, I think it`s like from one of those electric cigarettes.
GRACE: You know, e-cigarettes are supposed to help you change your life for the better. This one allegedly explodes in his face leaving him in a
coma. Listen to the 9-1-1 call. What can we learn?
RICHARDSON: Something just exploded in my brother`s (ph) face. But I can`t hear him talking. And I think he`s throwing up. But his face is all
black. He said something exploded in my brother`s (ph) face. And his face is all black. And he`s throwing up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know what it was?
RICHARDSON: Well, what was it Evan?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He can`t (inaudible).
RICHARDSON: A battery - a battery exploded in his face.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
RICHARDSON: I think it was from one of those electric cigarettes. Ma`am, it exploded in his face, electric cigarette. OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he awake?
RICHARDSON: Yes, he`s awake. But he doesn`t look good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, is he breathing?
RICHARDSON: He`s breathing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barely.
RICHARDSON: He`s barely breathing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, is there any serious bleeding?
RICHARDSON: No, it`s like black all over. And I think he needs the Fire Department, too, because my smoke alarm was going off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, they also - will also come, OK.
RICHARDSON: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That`s part of it, OK?
RICHARDSON: OK. He has burns on his neck, too that I`m seeing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he completely alert?
RICHARDSON: He is (ph) (inaudible), yes, but he doesn`t look good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. And what part of the body was injured?
RICHARDSON: It`s his face and his neck, and his head (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His face - is having difficulty breathing - just by you looking at him?
RICHARDSON: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Does he have difficulty speaking between his breaths?
RICHARDSON: He`s just not speaking.
GRACE: No, he`s not speaking, 9-1-1 dispatch. An e-cigarette just blew up in his face. Bob Alexander, anchor at FOX News joining me out of Fort
Myers. Bob what do we know happened at the time the cigarette blew up?
ALEXANDER: Nancy, we know that he was in his room using the device when suddenly his sister heard the explosion from another room. She came
running in, and found him on his hands and knees. He was covered in what appeared to be soot. He was throwing up. He was foaming at the mouth, and
having some difficulty breathing. She noticed that he had what looked like burns around his face, his neck, his hands. And apparently it, the tip of
the cigarette, he followed it by accident; which then caused internal injuries to his lungs.
GRACE: My stars, so at the time of the explosion that makes him swallow part of the e-cigarette. OK, that`s much worse than we thought. Thomas
Sussan, a PhD, who is joining us; Assistant Scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is an expert on e-cigarettes.
Thomas, thank you so much for being with us. You know, in the ads you see in the back of all of the magazines. You see some really cool looking guy,
kicked back, having an e-cigarette. And, you know, he looks very macho, and cosmopolitan all at the same time. And it makes it look really cool.
And it kind of reminds me, Thomas, when cigarettes were advertised. And everybody looked like they were having so much fun smoking cigarettes on
their way to the cancer ward. So, how does an e-cigarette work, Thomas?
SUSSAN: Well, thank you Nancy for inviting me on. An e-cigarette consists of three main parts. You have a liquid. There`s a heating element, and a
battery. And the user activates the battery either by puffing the e- cigarette or by pushing a button. And that battery then turns on the heating element, which heats up the liquid to the point where it vaporizes.
And then the user will inhale that vapor, not too dissimilar; it`s the principle is similar to that of a fog machine.
GRACE: You know, I`m just trying to figure out what happened. Do you think Thomas that the battery was the issue?
SUSSAN: Yes, I think that these are not that uncommon. Statistically they`re fairly rare. But with the popularity of these cigarettes, we are
seeing an increasing number of cases. And the cause almost exclusively relates to the lithium-ion batter. The batteries can overheat.
GRACE: You know, I don`t think that`s such a great idea, Thomas. I mean, you`re the PhD. You`re the one at Johns Hopkins. But sucking on a light -
a lit battery doesn`t sound like a good idea to me. I mean, I just don`t get it.
SUSSAN: Well lithium-ion batteries are used in cell phones and laptops.
GRACE: But I`m not sucking on it.
SUSSAN: This, well - your - a cell phone can be put up to your face. But I think the design of a lithium-ion battery for an e-cigarette makes it
more susceptible to failing because of the cylindrical shape. You have structural weak points at each end. So, when you do get overheating and
pressure building up inside the battery, it can explode. And it can (ph) essentially -
GRACE: Thomas?
SUSSAN: - Turn into a rocket.
GRACE: Thomas, now everybody with me kindly joining us PhD, Thomas Sussan with Johns Hopkins of Bloomberg School of Public Health. He`s an expert on
e-cigarettes. He is a scientist.
Now, I`m certainly not blaming you, Thomas. But what I`m saying is I`ve got in my hand right here, the change in the airline industry approach to
e-cigarettes. They now are so concerned about them; and I guess that lithium battery in them. That they`ve actually changed the FAA
regulations. It bans airline passengers packing e-cigarettes. Now, if the FAA is banning them being packed, but they`re still OK for the public? I
mean, this guy is in a coma, Thomas.
SUSSAN: Yes, there are actually several reports of e-cigarettes failing while in someone`s pocket, in someone`s luggage. The batteries can come in
contact with metal objects such as keys or coins. And they can explode and cause severe burns. They can cause small fires. And that`s why the FAA
has acted. And even prior to the FAA ruling, many domestic airlines have taken upon themselves to ban e-cigarettes either in your -
GRACE: OK.
SUSSAN: - Packed bags, or.
GRACE: Well, I`m just saying if the FAA won`t let you pack it in your bag, there`s something wrong with it. Kyle Phelps (ph), what more do we know
about this case with the guy in the coma? An e-cigarette blows up in his face.
PHELPS: Well, interestingly enough Nancy as Thomas was saying. There was a different case just about 30 miles away from this one where another e-
cigarette exploded. A man was reportedly golfing when he heard what sounded like gunshots. It turns out those gunshots were actually the sound
of his e-cigarette exploding in his pocket leaving him with serious burns and even requiring skin graphs. And that`s all because of an e-cigarette.
GRACE: OK, Kyle, I didn`t know about that one. What I don`t get, Thomas Sussan from Johns Hopkins, why bother? I mean, if you`re going to smoke a
cigarette, you`re upping your chances of cancer, and a lot of lung cancer, and a lot of other cancers. But if you smoke an e-cigarette, it could blow
up in your face. So, what is the benefit of an e-cigarette?
SUSSAN: Well, there is still considerable debate among the scientific and medical community regarding whether the e-cigarettes provide any harm
reduction over a traditional cigarette. Most people believe that e- cigarettes will eventually be found to be less harmful than traditional cigarettes. But the current evidence right now to support that idea is
still pretty weak.
RICHARDSON: He doesn`t have any clothes on except for shorts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t let him rub it or anything like that.
RICHARDSON: Don`t rub it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I`m scared. If he rubs it, he can hurt his face. OK? Is that him I hear? Is he - is he vomiting?
RICHARDSON: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Inside Kendall Regional Medical Center in Miami, heavy sedation is keeping Evan Spahlinger a step away from extreme pain.
Evan`s mother, Alissa Stefanacci has been by his side since the accident Monday morning. Evan`s sister made the call to 9-1-1 when she found her
brother in another room burned and gasping for air. Now, a ventilator keeps his chest moving. The blast from the e-cigarette also burned his
lungs. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On HLN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I have an 11-year-old son as well. He`s in Cincinnati. He called me crying. Yes, he was like daddy, are you alive?
DREW: Younger kids, you tell them they`re going to be OK. That`s your first order of business. You`re going to be fine. We`re going to take
care of you. You are safe. Older kids - your kids are right on the cuffs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Drew, weeknights at 9:00 p.m.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Live, Frisco, Texas - did a 34-year-old mother of two drive her boys ages eight and ten into a pond while drunk? We obtained devastating
footage of the pond where mommy`s car totally submerged.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The peace and quiet of an upscale Texas community is broken with the sound of an SUV crashing into a pond. Inside, a mom with
her two kids ages eight and ten. Within moments, the large SUV Is totally submerged under water.
GRACE: Man, Robyn Walensky, senior news anchor, The Blaze Radio Network. Robyn, have you seen those mansions around this pond? Can we see that
picture again? This is the pond. And these are photos we obtained of the body of water where this woman, Amy Rodiles`s car totally submerged. It
looks like a manmade pond with a jogging trail around it. I literally see a white picket fence. And there`s the car totally submerged. Robyn
Walensky, she had her two little boys in the car?
WALENSKY: Yes. You know, it`s really interesting. What was in this woman`s mind? At 34 years old, Nancy, a school teacher, she teaches or
have taught pre-kindergarten. She`s been suspended from the school. Frisco by the way where this took place, Ducks Landing, the Grayhawk
division in Frisco, a really nice area.
It is as you say a manmade lake. There`s not a lot of water here in the Dallas area. And she drove into this pond. The police say that she
appeared drunk when they rolled up on the scene. And the little boys ages eight and ten were able to climb out of the windows, and were screaming
help.
GRACE: Dear Lord.
WALENSKY: The neighbors came and brought blankets.
GRACE: Well, what is she - what charge is she looking at?
WALENSKY: She is charged now with two counts of drunk driving with a child passenger. And here in Texas, Nancy, that is a state felony. So, she`s
facing up to four years in prison, if convicted.
GRACE: Let`s remember, Marcelino Corniel, 23, of La Puente, California, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, known for his band Crash Ride. Confident and
wanted to protect the ladies in his family; mother Elaine, grandmother Geraldine, sisters Kristen and Kimberly, fiancee Claudia. Marcelino
Corniel, America`s hero (ph). Thanks (inaudible), but especially you for being with us. Nancy Grace signing off. I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8
o`clock sharp Eastern, and until then, good night, (inaudible).
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