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Nancy Grace
Conrad Hilton in Trouble Again; Body of Missing Mom of Two Found Near Home. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired January 27, 2016 - 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 tonight. Multi-million-dollar Hilton hotel heir Paris Hilton`s brother goes berserk on an airplane in a drug-
fueled meltdown, gets handcuffed to a seat after he dismantles the airplane smoke detectors so he can smoke pot, threatens to kill the flight
attendants, screaming out, I will F-ing own you peasants.
Well, money talks. He gets straight probation, but then breaks into his ex`s home and leads cops on a high-speed chase. After a secret petition to
revoke the hotel heir`s parole, bombshell tonight. Money talks yet again. In the last hours, a federal judge lets Hilton walk free. And breaking
now, we have the lowdown on the ultra-exclusive rehab he`s entering.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The famous Hilton heir and brother of Paris Hilton admitted to attacking a flight crew on an international flight, even
threatening to kill them. And most recently, he was arrested after showing up at his ex-girlfriend`s home after she had gotten a temporary restraining
order against him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Missing mom of two Nique Leili`s body found unclothed and decomposing under leaves not far from her upscale home she shared with
hubby and two daughters. Why wasn`t Nique reported missing immediately? As focus turns on Daddy, Nique`s own daughters take to YouTube to defend
him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Gwinnett County 911.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, my husband refuses to let me leave the house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A shocking discovery, a woman`s body covered in leaves just inside these woods.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He waited two days to even report her missing! And he filed for divorce.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s just ridiculous, the lies they`re spreading. Hopefully, my dad will be able to come home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us. Bombshell tonight. Multi-million-dollar Hilton hotel heir Paris
Hilton`s brother goes berserk on an airplane during a drug-fueled meltdown. He gets handcuffed to his seat after he`s caught dismantling the airplane
smoke detector so he can smoke pot in the air. He threatens to kill the flight attendant, screaming out to everybody, I will F-ing own you
peasants.
Well, money talks. He gets straight probation. And then he breaks into his girlfriend`s home, with a TRO issued against him. A secret petition to
revoke hotel heir Conrad Hilton`s parole. This after he leads police on a high-speed chase. Believe it or not, in the last hours, a judge lets him
walk again!
Breaking now. What happened in the courtroom? And we have the lowdown on the ultra-exclusive rehab that the Hilton hotel heir is entering.
To Chris Spargo, reporter, Dailymail.com, I can`t believe it.
All right, everybody, for those of you who are not familiar with the hotel heir Conrad Hilton, he is born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His
father is Conrad Hilton, the owner of all the Hilton hotels and all of their subsidiaries all across the world, sister Paris Hilton, other sister,
Nicky Hilton.
The reality is, he has got millions of dollars at his fingertips. As we go to air right now, he has just walked out of a federal courtroom.
You`re seeing "World According to Paris" by Oxygen.
He`s just walked out of a federal courtroom where once again, a judge lets him walk free.
Chris Spargo, Dailymail.com, what happened?
CHRIS SPARGO, DAILYMAIL.COM (via telephone): So prosecutors went with, honestly, a laundry list of violations he has made against his parole,
hoping he would get some jail time. In addition to going into his girlfriend`s house, as we talked about...
GRACE: Wa-wait! Wa-wait! Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris!
SPARGO: Yes?
GRACE: I`ve got to make a flow chart. Just give me a moment. Liz, do we have a full-screen of this? Because there`s so many, I can`t write them
all down.
Let`s start at the beginning, Chris Spargo. Tell me about Conrad Hilton.
SPARGO: So Conrad Hilton, as you mentioned, the youngest Hilton son, the brother of Nicky and Paris -- he was on a flight in 2014 where he acted
crazy. He was in a drug-fueled rage. He was upsetting passengers. He was threatening flight attendants. The flight lands, he gets arrested. He
eventually goes to court and gets probation, and that`s it.
GRACE: OK, he threatens to kill the flight attendants, and he gets straight probation. He dismantles the smoke detector so he can smoke pot
on an international flight. Nothing happens.
[20:05:05]SPARGO: Right.
GRACE: OK, next. What happens?
SPARGO: Next, he goes to his girlfriend`s house a year later while on probation, and she has a restraining order against him, acts crazy, will
not leave the house...
GRACE: OK, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! She has a restraining order against him. He goes to her house and breaks in.
SPARGO: That`s correct.
GRACE: OK. What happened on that one, Chris Spargo.
SPARGO: Nothing.
GRACE: All right. Next?
SPARGO: So then we just find out that a month after this airplane incident, he actually led police on a high-speed chase in August 2014,
where he crashed his car and broke his hand, and felony reckless driving charges.
GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa! High-speed chase. Come to me, please.
Chris Spargo, let me understand something. You do know, Chris, if this had been you or me or let`s just say an African-American his same age or a
Hispanic man his same age, or somebody that doesn`t have any money, doesn`t matter what color they are or where they`re from -- you lead police on a
high-speed chase that ends in a crash, you go to jail.
So let me guess. When Conrad Hilton leads police on a high-speed chase through a neighborhood, I might add, did he get straight probation?
SPARGO: Just released on bail and probation.
GRACE: All righty. And then what?
SPARGO: So now he goes to court with this laundry list of offenses he`s created against his probation. He has failed multiple drug tests. He has
failed to show up for a drug test. He has left the state without permission. He...
GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! You`re going too fast!
SPARGO: All right.
GRACE: Did you say he failed a drug test?
SPARGO: Multiple drug tests.
GRACE: Multiple drug tests fails. OK. And?
SPARGO: Failed to show up for a drug test.
GRACE: No-show. And?
SPARGO: Failed to complete three drug treatment programs.
GRACE: OK. Drug treatment programs and -- oh, everybody, you`re seeing 20th Century Fox TV right there, "The Simple Life." Oh, I remember that.
That was with Paris Hilton and now superstar Nicole Richie. Take a look at this. You remember when this was all the rage, Chris Spargo? And the
little brother, Conrad Hilton, I think maybe he made an occasional walk-on. But he was living in Paris`s shadow then. Not anymore, if you judge him by
his rap sheet.
OK, go ahead.
SPARGO: And then the last one is he took a trip to Las Vegas, outside the state, without informing his parole officer -- or his probation officer.
GRACE: OK. All right, Rita Cosby, investigative reporter, who is the judge that did this, that lets him walk yet again? It`s a federal judge,
right, on the bench for life, and there`s not a darn thing we can do about it?
RITA COSBY, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: Yes, it`s unbelievable! And also, Nancy, the probation department, the U.S. attorney`s office, all said this
guy should be in jail, and yet the judge overrode that.
The other thing, too, Nancy, this guy -- it didn`t just start on the British Airways flight, that flight 269. It started in 2012. He was
arrested for possessing marijuana during a car crash. So this guy has had so many offenses.
GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Chris Spargo, what, you left out a pot possession in 2012?
SPARGO: I did. I...
GRACE: OK, what -- OK. Go back to your research, Chris Spargo, Dailymail.com.
Rita Cosby, so this goes all the way back to 2012?
COSBY: Yes. It goes all the way back to 2012, and yet this guy has not spent one day in jail.
GRACE: Who is the judge, Rita? Who let him walk? Just before we go to air, who let him walk. Oh, there she is, Judge Suzanne Segal. Who is she?
COSBY: It`s unbelievable when you look at her history! And just to give you a sense, the probation department was shocked. The attorney`s office
was shocked. They were pleading with her, saying, At least give him 60 days in jail. And at the end, it shows three years extended probation, and
90 days with rehab that he pays for, which is nothing. It`s a drop in the bucket for this guy.
GRACE: OK, Justin Freiman, what can you tell me about the rehab?
JUSTIN FREIMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): Well, he`s supposed to be going to the Psychological Care and Healing Treatment Center. This
costs about $22,000 to $32,000 a month. But I did look at their daily schedule, and they do offer some good stuff, like yoga, cooking, pottery...
GRACE: OK, wait, wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, Justin. Hold on. Look at your screen. This looks like a mansion. Are you sure this is it, the PCH
Treatment Center? Am I seeing the right thing?
FREIMAN: That`s right.
GRACE: I want to live there! Look at that!
FREIMAN: That`s right, because -- that`s right. What they do is, they live in one center and then they go into another building for their
treatment.
GRACE: So what, is this where they live, in this living room area, kind of like a Mediterranean theme motif we`ve got going? What, is this it?
That`s the rehab?
FREIMAN: That`s part of the resident housing, that`s correct.
GRACE: Whoa, whoa! Did you -- did I hear you say $32,000 a what, per what?
FREIMAN: Per month, $22,000 to $32,000 per month. And he`s going to have to pay that.
GRACE: $32,000 a month? You know what? That`s more than I made in a year when I was prosecuting felonies in inner city Atlanta. That`s more than I
made in a year.
[20:10:05]Everybody, you`re seeing Oxygen. This is "The World According to Paris." That would be Paris Hilton, and occasionally, the little brother
would come on, do a walk-on, but now he`s in a spotlight of his own in court.
But guess what? Judge Suzanne Segal doesn`t think, even with this long of a rap sheet, he should do one day of jail time.
So Justin, he`s been kicked out of three rehab programs or left them abruptly. Could you tell me, what are his activities at, what is it, PCH
treatment?
FREIMAN: That`s right, Nancy. Well, while not attending a specific therapy treatment, he can go to, let`s say, yoga, cooking basics, pottery,
knitting. There`s book groups. There`s a "Food and Feelings"...
GRACE: Wa-wa-wa-wait! Did you just say "Food and Feelings"?
FREIMAN: Oh, yes.
GRACE: He`s going to be going to "Food and Feelings," where if he were -- let me just say, how old is Conrad Hilton? He`s 21. A 21-year-old, let`s
just say uneducated immigrant or a person of color, just pick whatever color you want -- you think he would be having "Food and Feelings" at PCH
center, Justin? Is that what you think?
FREIMAN: I don`t think so. But you know, it is offered here, as well as some yoga, some art therapy. You know, there`s a lot of stuff besides the
therapy for any other issues that he has.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:15:41]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The famous Hilton heir and brother of Paris Hilton admitted to attacking the flight crew on an international flight,
even threatening to kill them. And most recently, he was arrested after showing up at his ex-girlfriend`s home after she had gotten a temporary
restraining order against him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: You`re seeing video from Oxygen.
As we go to air tonight, we learn that Conrad Hilton, the heir to the multi-million-dollar Hilton Hotel fortune (INAUDIBLE) the grandfather is
Conrad Hilton -- has just walked free yet again.
I want to go to Justin Freiman, who was detailing the $32,000 rehab Judge Suzanne Segal has let him go to. This will be his what, fourth try,
Justin?
FREIMAN: (INAUDIBLE) multiple tries, and they even said in the hearing one of the reasons they wanted him to be put behind bars is because he`s many
times has not completed these programs that the court has told him he`s got to go to.
GRACE: So this is after -- Brad Lamm joining me right now, addiction specialist and founder of Breathe Life Healing Centers.
Brad Lamm -- oh, everybody, you`re seeing 20th Century Fox TV video from "The Simple Life." I think he may have made appearances on that.
You know, Brad Lamm not just an expert, not just the founder of Breathe Life Healing Centers, but a former addict. And he puts that out there. He
knows what he`s talking about.
Brad, I`m just not that impressed with, what is it, PCH Treatment Center, that offers "Food and Feelings"? That`s the rehab?
BRAD LAMM, ADDICTION SPECIALIST: OK, fair enough. So that particular group didn`t resonate with you. But don`t you think that people that
struggle with addiction deserve a treatment opportunity other than just prison?
GRACE: Yes.
LAMM: Don`t you agree with that?
GRACE: Oh, wait. Wa-wait. A treatment opportunity other than what?
LAMM: Just going to jail? I mean, jail...
GRACE: Yes, I do.
LAMM: ... really doesn`t change people`s lives.
GRACE: Now, hold on.
LAMM: So you...
GRACE: I`m all for treatment.
LAMM: And you know diversion programs...
GRACE: But I`m -- at this juncture -- what -- it did it for me, Brad, when he threatened to kill...
LAMM: Because he`s rich.
GRACE: ... flight attendants -- threatened to kill flight attendants.
LAMM: OK, but...
GRACE: I don`t mean just having an addiction, but dismantling -- after 9/11? I mean, I was there in New York, all right? I could smell the tower
burning.
LAMM: OK, but consider...
GRACE: So you go on and dismantle a smoke detector, threaten to kill the flight attendants, break in to your girlfriend`s place when she`s got a
temporary restraining order on you, take police...
LAMM: I hear you.
GRACE: ... on a high-speed chase, yes, go to rehab after jail. Yes.
LAMM: But consider this. His attorney, Bob Shapiro, whom I know -- he had a -- he has a son who passed away...
GRACE: You and every...
LAMM: ... as a result of...
GRACE: ... other convicted felon know Bob Shapiro.
LAMM: OK, but did you know that his son, Brant (ph), passed away from a drug overdose?
GRACE: Yes, I actually know Bob Shapiro, and yes, I know about that.
LAMM: OK. So I think that in this case, he actually has an attorney that`s advocating for treatment that -- you know, I would place bets that
this will do him some good, if he`ll stay through it. Look, if he doesn`t stay in treatment, I say send him to jail.
And Nancy, I will tell you this, if this is OK. You know, I would tell anybody out there, if you have a loved one who`s struggling with pot, I`ll
give you the same deal. I`ll help one family get their loved one into treatment. I won`t even charge you because pot disrupts so many families,
and people like Norm, who`s on here all the time talking about how great pot is -- many people get crazy on marijuana. And I think this is a story
of somebody who`s struggled with pot for a long time, and now it`s really catching up with him.
GRACE: You`re seeing video from Oxygen.
Brad Lamm, let me try and have you wrap your mind around another concept, OK? I`m all for rehab. There`s not a single person that I know that
either hasn`t been to rehab, has a relative, a child, a spouse, a dear friend, a next-door neighbor that has had to seek out rehab, OK? I`m all
for rehab. I sentenced...
LAMM: But...
GRACE: ... had people sentenced to rehab as much as I could for 10 years in the system. But when you take action that threatens...
[20:20:09]LAMM: I knew there was a "but" coming.
GRACE: ... -other people`s lives...
LAMM: I know, Nancy, but look...
GRACE: ... and you put other people in harm`s way...
LAMM: People were not hurt.
GRACE: ... at a certain point, that calls for jail time.
LAMM: People were not hurt. And look, if you put me in prison for some of the things that I did that were awful and stupid but not criminal, I
probably wouldn`t have gotten help. I`m telling you, treatment works and to not divert people into treatment instead of jailing them does everybody
a disservice, Nancy.
GRACE: He`s already been to treatment three times, three times, Brad. I hear you, but I don`t want somebody on my flight threatening to kill my
children. I don`t want somebody on my international flight dismantling the smoke detector and messing with the wiring on an international flight.
His daddy has paid his way out of every mess he`s ever been in, and he`s skipping along tonight with Judge Suzanne Segal arm in arm!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:25:09]GRACE: Welcome back. For those of you just joining us, Paris Hilton`s brother, Conrad Hilton, once again, outrage! He slips through the
fingers of Lady Justice with the help of a federal judge, Suzanne Segal. After a long history of criminal contact (sic) -- you`re seeing video from
Oxygen right now -- and there`s his mom.
And I`ve had communications with his mom in the past, and she is a lovely person, just a very, very sweet lady that loves her children. I don`t know
what`s going on with Conrad Hilton.
But bottom line, slips through Lady Justice`s finger again, with a long rap sheet. I guess he`s paid his way out of jail yet again.
Justin Freiman, what were those classes he can take at his $32,000 treatment center?
FREIMAN: Well, some of the class that he can take -- and by the way, this treatment center does have open visitation policy. He can take...
GRACE: Yes, I don`t know what you mean by that, the way you said it. I mean, what do you mean, like conjugal visits? What are you talking about?
FREIMAN: Oh, assuming it means that pretty much anybody can visit whenever. They also encourage independent activities...
GRACE: Oh, you mean like leaving the facility whenever you feel like it?
FREIMAN: No, I think...
GRACE: Maybe going to buy some pot?
FREIMAN: No, I think it`s for people to come visit him at the facility. But while he`s there, he can take pottery and knitting and handiwork,
creative writing. He can also take "Food and Feelings," art therapy, some yoga, book discussion group.
GRACE: Book discussion group? OK, unleash the lawyers. Kirby Clements, Atlanta, Misty Marris, New York.
Everybody you`re seeing video, "Simple Life" from 20th Century Fox.
Kirby Clements, I know you`re going to go into the usual, as I expect you to, defense spiel. But I want you to revert back to your days as a
prosecutor and tell me the truth. The truth Kirby, OK?
KIRBY CLEMENTS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: All right. Nothing but the truth.
GRACE: Now, I know the truth -- I know the truth, so I`m going to know if you`re lying.
CLEMENTS: All right.
GRACE: You know that if this had been an African-American male, at this same age, 21, if this had been a Hispanic male, if this had been a white
guy with no education, OK, and he did all these shenanigans, you know he`d be in jail, right? And most importantly, leading police on a high-speed
chase ending in a crash in a residential area and threatening to kill a flight attendant mid-air on an international flight.
Kirby, please, tell me the truth. You know anybody but a rich white guy, Conrad Hilton, would be in jail.
CLEMENTS: Well, there are two things. Number one, I don`t disagree with you on that. That`s true.
GRACE: So that`s a yes.
CLEMENTS: Well, that`s a yes. As a black guy, he probably wouldn`t have made it outside the high-speed chase, probably would have been shot dead.
GRACE: No! No! He would have been thrown right down, face down on the asphalt...
CLEMENTS: I got you. I got you.
GRACE: ... and he would have been dragged back at the very least to the patrol car. Leading a cop on a high-speed chase through a residential
neighborhood...
CLEMENTS: But...
GRACE: ... ending in a crash?
CLEMENTS: But let`s not mix these two things up...
GRACE: Why?
CLEMENTS: ... because that`s an injustice in our system. That`s an injustice of our system. But as to his case, let`s not ignore the fact...
GRACE: Why not mix them up?
CLEMENTS: Well, when I say as to his particular case, his particular case also involves a dual diagnosis. He`s got mental problems and a drug
problem. So what he`s -- what the court is doing is, hopefully, is designed to address those issues. As far as the...
GRACE: He`s already been in rehab three times. I see you shaking your head.
CLEMENTS: But he`s got mental problems, as well. That`s a very difficult diagnosis to deal with.
GRACE: OK. Hold on. Hold on. Rita Cosby, what is the mental problem other than that silver spoon stuck down his mouth?
COSBY: Well, they`re saying that he has some psychological issues. In fact, the reason that the girlfriend got the restraining order against him
was he told her, I can`t help myself, I have this compulsive behavior.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... regarding her! He was obsessed with her, and the law meant nothing. That is not a psychological issue! And I`m asking you, Rita, can
you give me the psychological issue he`s got? Can you?
COSBY: No. We have just heard compulsive behavior.
GRACE: OK. Compulsive behavior. Chris Spargo, what is his alleged mental illness? Give me any clue, any thread you`ve got on that.
SPARGO: This is alluded to, but there`s nothing that -- you know, the girlfriend says she`s been concerned about the way he acts sometimes. But
there`s no specific mental illness I`m seeing.
[20:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Missing mom of two, Nique Leili`s body found unclothed and decomposing under leaves, not far from her upscale home she shared with her
husband and two daughters. Why wasn`t Nique reported missing immediately? As focus turns on Daddy, Nique`s own daughters take to YouTube to defend
him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: His wife, Nique Leili, went missing. A few days later, her relatives found her body in some woods near their home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He had 24-hour surveillance going at all times on their house and magically, the morning that she disappeared, they were
turned off.
[20:35:00] AMANDA LEILI, NIQUE LEILI`S DAUGHTER: I can see the hatred that they have for my dad. We can`t wait to face this family in court and call
out their lies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That video from Nique`s own daughter, Amanda Leili`s, YouTube page, two of her three daughters uniting in defense of their father. A third
daughter, not so. Supporting the investigation as it is ongoing. I want you to hear a 911 call that happened just before she goes missing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gwinnett County 911.
NIQUE LEILI, VICTIM: Yes. My husband refuses to let me leave the house.
MATT LEILI, NIQUE LEILI`S HUSBAND: My wife is -- my wife is yelling and screaming. It just woke up the children. My name is Matt Leili, I have a
tape recorder of this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What`s -- what`s your address, ma`am?
M. LEILI: Nineteen - can you hold on one second, please? Do you really want the cops here? I think my wife is just throwing a temper tantrum. I don`t
think we need the police.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, let me -- let me have her tell me that, sir.
M. LEILI: All right. You need to pick up the phone, otherwise they`re gonna come.
N. LEILI: You don`t need to come. I`ll stay in my house all day.
M. LEILI: Ma`am, I`m sorry, but we really don`t need the police.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, I`m gonna go ahead and have them come out there and just talk to the officer and let him now.
M. LEILI: Look, if you don`t pick up the phone and talk to them they`re gonna send somebody. Can you hang on and let her come to the phone?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I already -- I already have them dispatched that way, sir.
M. LEILI: All right, thank you Ma`am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You`re welcome.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A temper tantrum. Interesting. Just before she goes missing. Several days pass by before she is reported missing, her body found naked and
decomposing in leaves and pine straw very near their upscale suburban home and he says it was a temper tantrum and tries to dissuade police from
coming to the home. On the scene of where her body was found, producer Mike Duffy. Mike, what can you tell me about the location of her body?
MIKE DUFFY, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Nancy, I`m standing where the body of Nique Leili was discovered here at the entrance to the subdivision of the
family home. Searchers found the body minutes after they began looking. It was naked, lying face down, covered in leaves and decomposing so badly that
the medical examiner had to use dental records to identify it.
GRACE: Mike Duffy is on the scene. There, where the body was found and if you look just past him, that is where Nique was found. What I don`t
understand, Mike Duffy, what did the medical examiner say about cause of death?
DUFFY: Nancy, the medical examiner`s report called the death of Nique highly suspicious for homicidal violence but ultimately determined that the
cause of death was inconclusive. However, they also said that homicide, due to asphyxiation or strangulation, could not be ruled out.
Now, the medical examiner`s office also found during an examination that areas of congestion or hemorrhaging were found to the deep tissues of
Leili`s neck.
GRACE: OK, well, in my mind, Dr. Lee Norman, following up on what Mike Duffy has just told us. Dr. Lee Norman is a Chief Medical Examiner of the
University of Kansas Hospital. Dr. Norman, he said that there was deep, deep hemorrhaging around her neck. Wouldn`t that indicate strangulation?
LEE NORMAN, UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HOSPITAL CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER: Yeah, that would indicate strangulation or an injury to that area. You have to
appreciate that in July in Georgia, that decomposition of the body is going to occur very quickly. But if there`s indication of hemorrhage around the
neck area, you wouldn`t expect that to that just naturally occurring.
GRACE: With me, everyone, the Chief Medical Officer of University of Kansan Hospital, Dr. Lee Norman. so, if they`re saying it`s homicide, Dr. Norman,
then why are they saying it`s inconclusive? How could it be homicide and inconclusive?
NORMAN: Well, there could be so many forces that impact upon the corpse. You know, under the leaves where it`s warm and moist. You don`t know if
there`s any animals that have worked on it or any other kinds of creatures like that, but I think that it`s pretty suggestive, I suspect that they
want to have more conclusive injuries, examination that shows more injuries to the spine oar to the ligaments, but it is suggestive, certainly.
GRACE: With me is Kara Stockton from WYAY. Kara Stockton, how long, how many days, how many hours passed from the time she goes missing, Kara, to
the time she`s finally reported missing to police? That`s my first question?
KARA STOCKTON, NEWS RADIO 106.7 WYAY REPORTER: Well, her husband, Matthew, claims that he last saw her on July 8th, and actually they had an argument
at that time. Her mother says that she saw -- she actually talked to her on the phone on July 7th. But she wasn`t reported missing until the 10th of
July.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:40:00] A. LEILI: I know once my mom married my dad, she finally started thinking out for herself and started to say no, and started saying that she
wanted nothing to do with her family.
And they never liked my dad, and I`ve been reading things online. I`ve been watching the news, and I can see the hatred that they have for my dad. And
it`s just ridiculous, the lies they`re spreading.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. LEILI: My husband refuses to let me leave the house.
M. LEILI: I think my wife is just throwing a temper tantrum. I don`t think we need the police.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The searchers found her naked body in some woods near the couple`s home.
[20:45:00] A. LEILI: They were in love. My dad loved my mom, he still does. And she was always happy with him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: You are hearing video from daughter Amanda Leili`s YouTube page. She and her other sister have united in defense of their father who has come
under suspicion after his wife goes missing.
The third daughter is not defending the father. Matt ZARRELL with me in addition to Mike Duffy on the scene and Kara Stockton, WYAY.
Matt Zarrell, give me a little timeline. So she goes missing, and two days pass before the dad, her husband, reports her missing. And then what
happens?
MATT ZARRELL, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: OK. So two days after he reports her missing, and keep in mind I`ll preface (ph) this by saying, he has not
searched for her. Two days later, he files for divorce. He tells the court that Nique has left town and deserted him and the couple`s two daughters.
He does not tell the family he files for divorce, but he files for it. Then two days after that, the cops go to his home to speak to him again. He
declines to speak to them saying he`s hired an attorney and refuses to let cops speak to his daughters.
GRACE: OK, let me understand this, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You`re saying now, Zarrell, she goes missing. He waits two days to report her missing.
Two days after he reports her missing, he files for divorce. Two days later he refuses to speak to police and hires a defense lawyer?
ZARRELL: Yes, and the day after that, the body was found.
GRACE: Okay, what about life insurance? What about that, Matt?
ZARRELL: OK. So the life insurance policy is paid out to nearly $1 million. Now, the husband was actually taken into custody when he came back to
Georgia to get the money for the life insurance policy. The insurance company was actually fighting him on it.
GRACE: Whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, what did you say? Comes back to the jurisdiction. You mean he left town?
ZARRELL: He left town for years, he did not communicate with the family. He moved across the country to Vermont and never communicated with anyone.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: The only time he comes back is to get her insurance money.
Unleash the lawyers. Misty Marris joining me, defense attorney out of New York. Kirby Clements, defense attorney out of Atlanta.
You heard the timeline, Misty. So, he waits two days to report his wife missing. He reports her missing, two days later he files for divorce. Two
days after that, he hires a criminal defense attorney and won`t speak to cops.
Now, if he is saying she walked out on me, she deserted me, she abandoned us, then why is he reporting her as a missing person?
MISTY MARRIS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, first of all, he had said that it was very common for her to leave after they had fights, she was
troubled. So this wasn`t a shock to him.
GRACE: She was troubled?
MARRIS: He truly believed that she had ...
GRACE: Yeah, she called 911.
MARRIS: ... abandoned the family. He truly believed that she had abandoned the family and then ...
GRACE: Then why report her missing?
MARRIS: After -- after it comes to pass ...
GRACE: If my husband walks out the door and says, "I`m leaving," I`m saying, "Fine. I`ll change the locks or getting a divorce." I sure as heck
am not calling police and reporting her missing. Because I don`t want him found, if he does that.
MARRIS: Understandable, Nancy. However, once a certain amount of time had passed, he took the action to see if something else had happened.
GRACE: Put her up. The certain amount of time passed? Forty-eight hours. Kirby, you`re laughing because you know this does not make sense but I got
more for you. I got more for you
(CROSSTALK)
KIRBY CLEMENTS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It makes (inaudible) sense by the way.
GRACE: Hold on. Kara Stockton, joining me, WYAY. What I`m really intrigued with is the home surveillance system. They have one. It`s a pretty nice
home. It`s pretty -- it`s an enclave of nice, big yards surrounded by tree- lined streets. Long story short, they had surveillance with video, what happened to that, Kara Stockton?
STOCKTON: Well, it`s interesting, Nancy. Police described him as a one-man neighborhood watch. They said he called 34 times between 2003 and 2011 when
this happened to report on his neighbors from anything from breaking into his car to stepping on to his lawn.
They said his system was so intricate that it was almost impossible to get into. He`d shred files so easily. So, it was really hard for them to get
this except that the only reason that they got the information now is from new technology, that this is not quite (inaudible).
GRACE: Kara, you`re telling me something new. Are you telling me this husband called neighborhood watch how many times?
STOCKTON: thirty-four times between 2003 and 2011.
GRACE: I`m sure he was popular in the neighborhood. So, that day, that day, Mike Duffy, the surveillance cameras, I`m extremely -- okay, there you go.
Thank you for the picture, Liz. Any more you have, let me see.
Let me go back to Matt Zarrell on this. There were 21 cameras in this home. Twenty-one cameras. And you mean to tell me, Matt Zarrell, out of 21
cameras, they don`t have one video of her leaving that day?
[20:50:00] ZARRELL: No. The police said that the examination of the surveillance footage shows that they believe that it was an intentionally
deleted, not nearly corrupted -- cops say the surveillance footage was deleted when Nique was still a missing person and that the evidence shows
the surveillance system was shut down on the day of Nique`s disappearance and it was shut down by someone using the same login that`s always used
with that surveillance system.
GRACE: So, Ben Levitan, telecommunications expert joining me out of Raleigh. That was no accident. It was intentionally shut down when she
leaves.
BEN LEVITAN, TELECOMMUNICATIONS EXPERT: Nancy, it`s entirely possible that this entire incident, the murder, was caught on the surveillance tapes. And
the delay gave Matthew the time to erase all that data.
The police have seized all that. They did the right thing. They seized all this equipment. It`s taken them all this time, I believe, Nancy, to finally
possibly call the manufacturer of this equipment and say, hey, how can we get this data retrieved? The company probably told them how to retrieve or
actually did it on their behalf. I believe they may have recovered video in this case, Nancy.
GRACE: Well, here`s my next question for you, Matt Zarrell. How does a lacy negligee fit in to this scenario? Negligee. That`s ladies` P.J.s that are
see-through and lacy and sexy. They usually have underwear that goes with them. they`re about this big. So where does the negligee fit into this?
ZARRELL: Well, the husband, Matthew Leili, when he reported his wife missing, he told cops that the night Nique was last seen, they went out to
a movie and dinner and on the way home, Leili said he wanted to have sex with his wife and wanted her to dress up in an outfit to make it a little
different.
Now, Leili told police that Nique was not on board with the plan. They got in a fight with each other at about 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning and Leili
claims, get this, Nancy, Leili claims that at some point in the argument, Nique exposed her breast to her father-in-law and made a comment about
maybe they should all have sex. That`s what families do.
GRACE: OK, I`m just trying drink that in, Matt Zarrell. I think I need a shrink now as much as I appreciate your information. Dr. Tiffany Sanders,
Psychologist, joining me out of Chicago.
You know what? I don`t believe that. I do not believe that this woman, this mother of three daughters, initiated group sex with her in-laws. You know,
I love my mother-in-law. I can tell you that, flat out, and father-in-law. But I find that hard to believe. And when and if this ever goes to the jury
and they start getting the facts and evidence here, they`re not gonna believe it, that she initiated group sex with her in-laws? No.
TIFFANY SANDERS, PSYCHOLOGIST: No, no. That`s not likely, Nancy. It doesn`t sound like a typical mother of three. And I wonder -- it makes sense why
the daughters are so protective of the father, you know. Daughters tend to be daddy`s girls and so they want to give their dad the benefit of the
doubt. But it`s clear, based on these videos and what we`re hearing, that he was aggressive, he was controlling, he was trying to dictate what she
says. This is a man who likely has committed domestic violence before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
A. LEILI: The media and the news, they picked up on a Jerry Springer-type sob story of domestic violence. And they spread it like wildfire all over
the place, and the family is making sure that we can`t say anything, we can`t argue to keep their dirty laundry from being aired. And it`s finally
time for us to tell the truth and for us to call them out on their lies and, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And now is our chance.
A LEILI: Yes, and now is our chance. Honestly, we can`t wait to face this family in court and call out their lies. And they`ve done nothing but cause
us pain and torment. And our day in court will come. And hopefully my dad will be able to come home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[20:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gwinnett County 911.
NIQUE LEILI, VICTIM: Yes. My husband refuses to let me leave the house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A shocking discovery. A woman`s body, covered in leaves, just inside these woods.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: he waited two days to even report her missing. And he filed for divorce.
A. LEILI: It`s just ridiculous, the lies they are spreading. Hopefully, my dad will be able to come home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Back to you, Matt Zarrell. What can you tell me about what may have happened to Nique`s cell phone?
ZARRELL: Yes. So the day before Nique`s body was found, the husband gave cops her cell phone. The SIM card had been removed, and this is important,
the port where you plug in the phone, with the forensic analysis of a phone is enabled, had been damaged to the point that it was in inaccessible.
GRACE: and what does that mean, Ben Levitan?
LEVITAN: That`s an amateurish way to try to fool the police. I mean, it`s very clear that taking out the SIM card is not a big deal. The SIM card has
a very small memory. Most of the memory is out in the cloud and also on the phone device.
But by breaking that port, he intentionally was trying to stop the police from using their standard equipment, it`s called a Cell Bright machine from
being able to plug into that port. That being said, the phone still could be analyzed but it would take a lot more work and be a lot more expensive,
Nancy.
GRACE: We are on the scene and bringing you the latest in our search for justice for Nique Leili.
We remember American hero, Marine Major Ramon Ray Mendoza, Jr., 37, Columbus, Ohio. Third tour, bronze star, Purple Heart. An Ohio State
wrestler. Widow, Karen; daughter, Kiana; son, Alexander. Ramon "Ray" Mendoza, Jr., American hero.
Thank you for being with us. I`ll see you tomorrow night, 8 o`clock sharp, Eastern. Nancy Grace, signing off. And until then, good night, friends.
END
