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Nancy Grace
Teen Boys Massacre Own Family; Body of Ten-Year-Old Girl Found Near Home; Florida Beach Beauty Hires Undercover Cop to Murder Groom. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired February 24, 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. Did this smirking teen boy and his laughing little brother murder their own mother, their dad, their
little siblings, three of them, two of them just 5 and 7, hiding in the bathroom? Was it all a deadly bid to become America`s next big serial
killers?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The gruesome discovery, five people stabbed to death.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their parents and siblings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A brutal rampage of violence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... knives. There was a hatchet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They`re charged with murder five times.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looked to me like he had a smirk on his face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Breaking now, a missing 10-year-old Florida girl`s body has just been found in an open field.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isabella Heffernan (ph) was last seen alive around 10:00 PM Saturday night when she went to bed at her family`s home. Police
descended on the home, using K9s, officers on foot and an air unit overhead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A Florida beach beauty marries her dream man. They`re set to live happily ever after until death do they part. But what she didn`t know is
the hitman she allegedly hires to murder her groom is a cop. That`s right, the cops sting the bride on video breaking down in hysterical tears, crying
over the dead husband. As we go to air tonight, Dalia Dippolito demanding all charges against her be thrown out.
Breaking right now, round two. The killer bride claims it was all just a reality show acting gig.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m sorry to tell you, ma`am, he`s been killed.
DALIA DIPPOLITO, CHARGED WITH MURDER: Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said you had to have me killed! I heard that!
DALIA DIPPOLITO, CHARGED WITH MURDER: That`s not true. That is not true!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you afraid during this undercover investigation?
DIPPOLITO: Yes, I was afraid!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us tonight.
Bombshell tonight. Did this smirking teen boy and his laughing little brother murder their own mother, their dad, their three little siblings,
two aged 5 and 7 cowering in the bathroom, hiding from their brothers? It was like a deadly game of hide and seek in the family home. And was it all
a deadly bid to become America`s, quote, "next big serial killer"? Their words, not mine.
Straight out to Scott Mitchell, talk show host with KOKC. Scott, thank you for being with us. I want to start at the beginning. I want to find out
about this family and when the murders were discovered. Start at the beginning. What happened?
SCOTT MITCHELL, TALK SHOW HOST, KOKC RADIO (via telephone): Well, the Broken Arrow Police Department there in northeast Oklahoma had no idea what
they were getting into when they opened -- there was an open line, a 911 call, when they went into the home.
GRACE: What do you mean by that, an open line?
MITCHELL: Well, apparently, Nancy, one of the siblings -- somebody had called 911, and from the details we got yesterday, it was one of the boys
who apparently was murdered, lured out of his locked room by one of the brother`s sinister plot, so cold-blooded, to kill this kid. And
apparently, the phone went down. Cops were able to follow that open line to the residence on July 22nd.
GRACE: Now, let me understand what you just said -- Scott Mitchell joining me, KOKC.
Everyone, you`re seeing crime scene video and photos. It`s almost too much to believe. Two little boys murder their whole family, their mother, their
father, their three little siblings as young as age 5, hiding in the house, hiding from the brothers, all in a crazy bid to become America`s next big
serial killers? Was that their plan?
Scott Mitchell, you said that you have reason to believe that this young boy and his brother actually lured the little one out of one of the locked
rooms? What happened?
MITCHELL: Some of the testimony by Broken Arrow police yesterday in this preliminary hearing was that one of the -- the younger brother was -- you
may remember the Kubrick movie, "The Shining," where, Please help me, please help me, the older brother`s going to stab me. And then when the
younger brother opened the door, they charged in.
It`s absolutely sinister. It`s just so shocking here, we can hardly believe it. and one daughter survived. The 13-year-old survived. And
that`s where a lot of the details are coming from, Nancy.
GRACE: So she`s in the house hearing all of this. All the children are hiding, and she hears this going down, her little brothers and sisters
being murdered and lured out from their hiding places by these two older brothers? They`re just boys themselves.
[20:05:15]For those of you just joining us, two boys now suspected in the brutal murders of their entire family, Robert Davis Bever, Michael John
Bever. Take a look at this shot. These two now suspected in mass murder.
Scott, the day this occurred, you say that there was a 911 call from inside the home, and we think it`s from either the 7-year-old or the other brother
calling before they`re killed?
MITCHELL: Based upon the testimony that I`ve seen, it was one of the younger brothers and that they were all hiding. They were hearing all this
going on, but they were hiding. So the brothers then switched into sinister mode. And it was so cold-blooded for them to, like, lure these
other children out, especially this little brother. And one of the detectives testified that the younger brother said to the older brother,
He`s all yours. And then they attacked...
GRACE: Wa-wait! What do you say?
You know, Michael Christian, those words, He`s all yours -- what is he talking about?
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: According to what the police testified yesterday, Nancy, the 12-year-old brother was trying to make this
911 call. He was locked in his father`s home office. The younger of the two suspects came, knocked on the door, tried to get him to open the door,
said Robert, the older brother`s, after me. He opened the door a little bit. All of a sudden, Michael stepped aside, and there was Robert, and
Michael said, He`s all yours.
GRACE: So the one brother said to the other brother about the little boy, He`s all yours, to kill him?
CHRISTIAN: Yes.
GRACE: He`s all yours to kill?
CHRISTIAN: Yes.
GRACE: OK, unleash the lawyers, Troy Slaten out of LA, Carissa Kranz, multi-state attorney joining me tonight out of New York.
Troy Slaten -- He`s all yours? If that is not enough time for premeditation, I don`t know what is.
TROY SLATEN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: There was a major problem going on in this house, Nancy. That`s why the defense attorneys, who didn`t put on an
affirmative defense at the prelim, were asking questions about why these boys were being isolated, being home schooled. They had severe mental
defect, and clearly, by killing their own family, their own...
GRACE: Severe mental defect?
SLATEN: They were probably trying to protect...
GRACE: Troy?
SLATEN: ... their brothers and sisters from this horrible house of horrors!
GRACE: Wa-wait! Wa-wait! What house of horrors are you talking about? The mom home schooled them. What`s the house of horrors?
SLATEN: They were clearly psychologically isolated from the neighbors. The neighbors testified...
GRACE: House of horrors.
SLATEN: ... or the neighbors gave statements.
GRACE: House of horrors, that`s what you said. You said the boys lived in a house of horrors. Do you know something I don`t know? I mean, do you
know about a record of DFACS coming to the home, them being starved or beaten? Because I looked them up on YouTube...
SLATEN: I know, Nancy...
GRACE: ... and they`re talking about...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... and writing songs!
SLATEN: They knew that the 16-year-old was having body armor, were -- were having all types of weapons. And the mom just says, Oh, that`s boys being
boys.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Hold on. Let`s explore that. Hold on just a moment.
To Candace Trunzo, senior news editor, Dailymail.com. That`s a concern, that these two boys were actually on line ordering body armor -- look at
this kid! -- body armor, ammunition and weapons. So isn`t that -- shouldn`t that ring a bell that there`s a problem?
CANDACE TRUNZO, DAILYMAIL.COM (via telephone): Well, it certainly rang a bell to one of the siblings. When they were amassing all of these swords,
machetes, knives, gloves, Kevlar sleeves, one of the kids went to the parents and said, Look, there`s something wrong, and the mom said, Well,
you know, boys will be boys.
Not only that, but there seems to be a history, at least according to the oldest accused, Robert, of abuse, abuse by the dad smacking him around, the
mom slapping him so hard that it left a mark. We don`t know what was going on in this house before this incredibly savage murder.
KELLY: Scott Mitchell joining me, KOKC. I know that there is a claim that the mother slapped one of the boys. Could you tell me, do we know of any
claims by Department of Family and Children Services against these parents?
And even so, even if the parents had ever slapped the boy, which I disagree with, what about the 5-year-old little girl? What about the 7-year-old
little boy hiding in the bathroom, the 12-year-old little brother, Daniel, hiding out in his dad`s office? I mean, they`re hiding as the brothers
roam the home, gunning down family members.
What did they -- if there was abuse, and I`m not saying there was, why kill the little children, Scott?
[20:10:00]MITCHELL: Well, great question, Nancy. The Department of Human Services in Oklahoma says there was no contact with this family before the
slayings. But here`s the point. There`s a clear notification -- or the district attorney, Steve Kunzweiler (ph) (INAUDIBLE) had put on notice, Mom
and Dad are going to be tried by the defense (INAUDIBLE)
GRACE: Oh, and it`s already starting tonight with Troy Slaten! Yes. Yes. That`s going to be -- you`re right, and it`s starting right here with Troy
Slaten trying to say that there`s abuse in the home just because the mom home schooled.
Are you jumping on that bandwagon, Carissa Kranz?
CARISSA KRANZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, clearly, there`s an emotional defect or a delusional problem with these kids.
GRACE: Yes, they`re killers.
KRANZ: I know that -- well, they -- they -- there was a comment that one of them supposedly said that if they killed one person, it would even out
for their own life. And if they killed more than one person, that would make them like God.
GRACE: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait, wait, wait! So they`re saying, If I`m a mass killer, I`m like God?
KRANZ: Yes, apparently something to that effect was said.
GRACE: And Troy, you`re saying that`s the parents fault?
SLATEN: I`m saying it`s the parents` fault for not knowing what`s going on with their own children. It`s their parents` fault for allowing their kids
amass an armory of body armor, weapons...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: -ergo, you would argue it`s the parents` fault that they were gunned (sic) down in their own home and the 5-year-old little girl is
gunned (sic) down hiding in the bathroom. Let`s see what we learned at...
SLATEN: It`s the parents` fault.
GRACE: ... the preliminary hearing. Liz, do we have reports from what happened inside the courtroom?
One of the boys -- hold it -- expressed wanting to have some sort of fame or notoriety for being a serial killer. Carissa Kranz, right. The boy
says, If you kill more than one person, it made him like a God.
They intended to go on a mass killing spree. Detectives said the siblings discussed their plans nightly. They wanted a Wikipedia page of their own!
They wanted media coverage. Now their parents and their whole family dead!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The five people killed are the parents and three children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were several different types of weapons that were actually used in the homicides.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The officers plus a K9 officer tracked down two teenagers along a trail near the home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Charged with one count of murder for each family member they`re accused of stabbing to death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Actually covered in blood, two boys say, and I quote, they want to be America`s, quote, "next big serial killer," and so they start on their
own family, their mother, their father, their little siblings as young as 5 years old.
Candace Trunzo, senior news editor, Dailymail.com, I`m looking at the autopsy report of Victoria, you`re seeing right there. Vicky is the little
girl. She`s just 5 years old -- 5 years old. And there are stab wound to the left anterior neck, right interior neck, midline lower chest, lower
chest, upper abdomen, stab wound to the lower chest, right upper abdomen. They were talking about the little girl, Victoria, just 5. I have 3, 4
pages of nothing but stab wounds.
How many times was the little girl stabbed?
TRUNZO: Well, each of the family members was stabbed at least a dozen times. And the ones who got it the worst was the father -- he was stabbed
28 times all over his body -- and the mother, April (ph) -- she was stabbed 48 times, 48 different stab wounds, Nancy.
GRACE: Michael Christian, where did they get all this arsenal of guns and ammo and body armor?
CHRISTIAN: Well, according to police, they had been planning this for a while. And the older brother, Robert, ordered a lot of it on line. He
would use either a fake name or a fake birth date. And because it was on line and not in an actual store, he was able to bypass some of the gun
safety -- or knife safety checks that are in place.
GRACE: Dr. Tim Gallagher with me, forensic pathologist out of Daytona Beach. Dr. Gallagher, thank you for being with us. How can two people
affect this and their children, their boys? How can they murder this many people, five members of their own family? How could they do that,
overpower the mother, the father and three siblings? True, one of the siblings is 5, one of the siblings is 7. But how could they overpower the
whole family?
DR. TIM GALLAGHER, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST (via telephone): Well, it would have to be a very planned and thought-out attack. Certainly, the parents
would be the most difficult, but both of them would have to team up on them. That could explain why the mother has an extensive amount of
injuries relative to the small kids.
GRACE: What can you tell us about the mother`s injuries.
GALLAGHER: The mother had multiple stabs all over the front part of her body and through her abdomen. It deflated her lungs. It went through her
heart and went through the major blood vessels in her body. She basically bled to death.
GRACE: Everyone, you`re seeing the autopsy results that we have obtained. For those of you just joining us, we are live in Broken Arrow with the
latest on the death of a family, a family that everyone seemed to love there in the neighborhood. The suspects, their own children.
And speaking of the neighborhood, joining me right now, Julie Wallis, a neighbor of the Bever family. Ms. Wallis, thank you for being with us.
JULIE WALLIS, NEIGHBOR (via telephone): You`re welcome.
GRACE: Ms. Wallis, what can you tell me about the family? I mean, had police ever been called there? Were there fights? Was there screaming? I
mean, it looks like a beautiful, well kept home.
WALLIS: Yes, there were never any phone calls to the police that I was ever aware of. I`ve only lived in the neighborhood two years, but as far
as I know, they never caused any problems in the neighborhood at all. And their neighbors who had some slight interaction with them, and they have
nothing but nice things to say about them.
[20:20:13]GRACE: With me, a neighbor of the Bever family. Julie Wallis is with us. Ms. Wallis, did you ever come in contact with the two boys,
Robert and Michael?
WALLIS: No, I did not actually come into contact with them. As I was driving home one day, I passed this young man, and he looked scary. And my
thought was, This looks like a kid who could walk into a theater and open fire. I think I will keep my eyes open for him.
But I didn`t know who he was or where he belonged, didn`t even know whether he was a child from the neighborhood or not, but I assumed he was.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:25:04]UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The gruesome discovery, five people stabbed to death.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their parents and siblings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A brutal rampage of violence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... knives. There was a hatchet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They`re charged with murder five times.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looked to me like he had a smirk on his face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: It`s almost too much to take in. You devote your whole life to raising your children, and now this. These two boys claimed they wanted to
be America`s next big serial killers.
Well, they may have achieved that goal, for their age bracket anyway, allegedly murdering five members of their own family, their mother, father
and three little siblings as young as 5 years old hiding in the house. They were lured out of their hiding places in the dad`s office and the
family bathroom by the brothers. There`s a shot of the dad.
What`s very unusual -- I`m looking at this -- Matthew Dempsey, psychotherapist joining us out of LA. The mother was stabbed 48 times.
The father was stabbed 28 times. Clearly, the mother`s attack was much more brutal. What does that say to you, Matthew?
MATTHEW DEMPSEY, PSYCHOTHERAPIST: I mean, it would just suggest that, obviously, first of all, at a baseline, there`s pretty severe, you know,
psychopathy that`s going on here, chronic mental illness, because of the fact that it`s so brutal and so much of it is premeditated.
GRACE: Matthew, Matthew...
DEMPSEY: The fact also -- yes?
GRACE: I`m not sure what your involvement is or your immersion in the criminal justice world, but murder happens every day, every couple of
minutes. Not every killer is insane. Just -- I know you`re the therapist and I`m just the lawyer, but every time there`s a murder, you go, Oh,
there`s a deep psychopathy. OK, everybody can`t be...
(CROSSTALK)
DEMPSEY: ... not going to be any mental health disorder...
GRACE: ... but every time you are with me...
DEMPSEY: ... that`s a part of homicide...
GRACE: ... you always claim a mental disorder.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: What?
DEMPSEY: There`s going to be. I mean, whenever we`re talking about homicide, there absolutely is going to be some sort of mental health
disorder here people typically are not killing other people unless...
GRACE: OK, Matthews...
DEMPSEY: ... there`s something else that`s going on.
GRACE: Matthew...
DEMPSEY: Yes? Yes, Nancy?
GRACE: ... I know you know all about therapy. But under the law, OK...
DEMPSEY: Yes.
GRACE: ... a defect is not a defense. Typically, one must be adjudicated legally insane...
DEMPSEY: Absolutely. Yes.
GRACE: ... which means you do not know right or wrong at the time of the incident. So once again, a psychotherapist...
DEMPSEY: Definitely...
(CROSSTALK)
DEMPSEY: No, but I understand that, and I`m not here to actually contribute to any legal defense. You brought me here so I can talk about
some of the psychological issues, and that`s what we`re doing. And so when we`re talking about the more extreme mental health disorders that`s going
on here -- yes, I mean, these are two kids who have put a lot of premeditation into this. It`s really violent. And -- you know, and so
it`s actually going to be really extreme psychologically. So you know, there`s going to be definitely more mental health stuff for us to
(INAUDIBLE)
GRACE: You know, you mentioned something very interesting. Michael Christian, Matthew Dempsey correctly mentioned pre-planning. What can you
tell me about Walmart, plastic bins, planning to hide bodies in the attic?
CHRISTIAN: Yes, that`s exactly right, Nancy. The plan was, according to what these brothers told police, was that they intended after they had
killed these victims, they were going to dismember them. They were going to go to Walmart and buy some plastic bins, put the body pieces in the
bins, and then put the body pieces up in the family attic.
GRACE: So the plan was to not only murder the family, but dismember the family and put the body parts in the attic in plastic bins they were going
to buy at Walmart.
CHRISTIAN: Yes.
GRACE: Look at this little boy. He`s 7. He`s 7. This is the 12-year-old that was murdered.
I want to show you more of the evidence we`ve obtained from the preliminary hearing. Let`s see that, Charles. Here is the victim -- here are the
victims of the family massacre we`ve been talking about, the mom stabbed 48 times, the dad stabbed 28 times. Detective testified Bever told him he did
not believe killing, which he called a hobby, was a bad thing.
This is what we`re learning in the last hours. He was laughing, chuckling several times, calm, relaxed, excited when telling the story of the
killings, said Bever told him the brothers planned to go to Walmart to buy eight plastic containers to store the family members` body parts in the
attic after they dismembered them.
Robert wanted to make a video with him in the living room with the bodies of his dead mother and father and little siblings, ages 12, 7 and 5, which
would be seen by lawyers and law enforcement. He wanted to make a second video that he -- would be less horrific so it could be put on YouTube.
Unleash the lawyers, Troy Slaten, Carissa Kranz.
[20:30:00] Carissa Kranz, did you see that? He wanted to make a video of himself to put on YouTube as America`s next big serial killer. Did you see
that?
CARISSA KRANZ, ATTORNEY: Yes, that goes to why he`s delusional. He thinks he`s like a God now because he`s killed more than one person. And he`s
effectively wiped out his entire family, except for, you know, two siblings that got lucky. Although I don`t know how lucky, since they`ve lost their
parents and their other siblings. I mean, he`s delusional.
GRACE: OK, delusional. Because if you go on YouTube, Troy Slaten, you will see him posting YouTube videos. He speaks perfectly normally. Have either
of you ever thought that he may just be a killer just like his little brother? That there`s not a mental defect, he`s just plain out evil? Troy?
SLATEN: I mean, he could be, but what we`re seeing here is two brothers who murdered their entire family. You don`t just do that, you don`t kill
your little brothers and sisters unless you`re trying to maybe save them from -- I`m going to say it again, a house of horrors.
GRACE: House to dear lord in heaven, but you and the house of horrors.
[20:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Breaking now, a missing 10-year-old little girl out of Florida, her body just found in an open field.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went to bed about 11, which is the last time I`ve seen her, I woke up at 5 o`clock this morning, and she was not in her room.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sheriff`s office conducted a search and later that afternoon found her deceased body in a large field behind her home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: For those of you just joining us. The body of a 10-year-old little girl missing in Florida has been found in an open field near her home. You
are seeing pictures of Isabella Heffernan, just 10 years old. She was found in a large field.
I want to find out what else we know about her disappearance to Ray Caputo joining me from WDBO. Now, I know the father says on the 911 call that he
last saw her around 11 o`clock when she went to bed.
Now, a lot of parents might think that`s late but not always. If it`s a Friday or Saturday night, children get to stay up and watch movies, watch
TV and sadly go to bed late. But he`s saying -- oh, look at that, look at the little -- can you go back to that, Charles? Look at the pig tails.
Now you know she did that herself. She`s got the little braids on either side of her head, with the two little -- Ray Caputo, she`s last seen at 11
o`clock at night. I believe he said around 5 a.m., he realizes she`s gone. Ray, how did she get out of the home?
RAY CAPUTO, NEWS 96.5 WDBO REPORTER: Well, you know what, Nancy, the thing is, yes, this young little girl, the beautiful Chamber of Commerce Day by
the way, on Saturday. And she probably went to bed, and no parent ever would imagine that they wake up and this is what they see. Their child
missing.
GRACE: Does he call immediately, Ray? Does he call 911 immediately?
CAPUTO: No, actually he doesn`t. He says that he noticed her missing at 5 a.m., six hours go by before police are called. They`re not called until 11
a.m. that morning.
GRACE: OK.
CAPUTO: And they basically take an all hands on deck approach looking for this young girl.
GRACE: Guys, let`s take a listen, what can we learn from the 911 call?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time I`ve ever had any problems out of her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And when did you last see her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last night when we went to bed, my girls go to bed early but I went to bed about 11, which was the last time I seen her. I
woke up at 5 o`clock this morning and she was not in her room. I`ve been looking for her since. My other daughter got up, and went to a few houses.
I checked around the neighborhoods and everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: I know there was a delay in reporting, Ray Caputo, reporter out of WDBO, but it sounds to me like the father and the siblings, the sisters
were out looking for her, going door to door looking for her. So, I`m not sure I find that that unusual. Although five hours is quite a delay in my
mind.
You see your child`s missing, you go next door to a couple houses. They`re not there, call the police for Pete`s sake. But he calls 911, interesting
that he says, Matt Zarrell, that I`ve never had any problems out of her before.
This is a very rural neighborhood, look at this. Look at this, it`s not like she`s snatched off the side of the street. She was in the home the
night before. This child`s body has been found in an open field.
Matt, did you hear when he said, I`ve never had any problems out of her before? I mean, to me that means she doesn`t think -- he doesn`t think
she`s a runaway, she`s never disappeared without telling him before. I think that`s what he`s trying to communicate.
MATT ZARRELL, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Yes, Nancy, there`s no indication that there were any issues with her going off on her own before, or disappearing
before this. This was completely out of character for her.
GRACE: For those of you just joining us. A 10-year-old little girl`s body has been found in an open field. Back to you, Ray Caputo, WDBO. What`s the
cause of death?
CAPUTO: Well, Nancy, the police haven`t released the autopsy yet. But we know that she was shot. She was shot in the chest and also in the head.
Pretty gruesome, considering this is a beautiful young little girl. We`ve seen the pictures of her. But the autopsy, official autopsy will take a
little bit of time.
GRACE: Shot in the chest and the head. For those of you just joining us, little Isabella found in an open field not far from her home.
[20:39:58] Now, Matt Zarrell, the fact that she`s found not far from her home indicates that someone that she may know. Because the body is found,
what I would imagine is close to the scene of the murder. What do we know about the brother? Hasn`t he given some conflicting stories, Matt?
ZARRELL: Well, yes. When the police began developing information, they were led to believe from the father that the brother may know something
about this, and the cops went and they interviewed the brother and he gave them many different stories about what he believed happened.
GRACE: Including what?
ZARRELL: Well, one of the stories he said is that he admits to police that he shoots his sister with a 22 rifle after 3 a.m. after he says he mistakes
her for a deer. (AUDIO GAP)
[20:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: A Florida beach beauty marries her dream man. They plan to live happily ever after until death do they part. But what the bride didn`t know
is the hit man she allegedly hires to murder her groom is a cop.
That`s right. The cops sting the bride on video. She`s breaking down in hysterical tears, crying over who she thinks is the dead husband. As we go
to air, round two. Dalia Dippolito, the killer bride demanding all charges be thrown out and she is in court claiming it`s all a reality show acting
gig.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m sorry to tell you, ma`am. He`s been killed. He`s been killed, ma`am.
DALIA DIPPOLITO, ACCUSED OF KILLING HER HUSBAND: Mohammad was on an episode of burn notice and we were trying to simulate the episode that he
was on.
It was a murder for hire episode.
I`ve heard what you heard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what -- you said you wanted to have me killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: OK. Joining me are two special guests in addition, to Dary, criminal court reporter out of Palm Beach post, with me is the attorney for
Dalia Dippolito, Brian Claypool joining us, and Jason Brodie, her husband`s divorce attorney. Jason Brodie, Brian Claypool, thank you.
Brian Claypool, did you hear what your client said? That everything she was telling to the hit man and the go between, it was all an acting gig, and
what a coincidence, it was for a murder for hire episode.
BRIAN CLAYPOOL, DALIA DIPPOLITO`S ATTORNEY: Well, Nancy, this started out as a project that Dalia Dippolito wanted to turn into an acting part. And
if you heard the testimony in court yesterday in Palm Beach County Courthouse, she also testified that midway during this plan they had, she
was threatened by the undercover informant because he had been threatened by the Boynton Beach Police Department to get her on videotape.
So, this change from a presentation to a preservation of her own safety. And that`s what motivated her to go through with this.
GRACE: OK. Do you know what? You`re argument is so mesmerizing, that somebody might actually fall for this. OK.
Brian Claypool, I think that you just told me that this was all an acting gig, I think for a reality show, murder for hire episode and that the
would-be assassin or the go between was forcing her to do it, and that the police are actually the ones that forced her to do this for what?
CLAYPOOL: Because, Nancy, the evidence yesterday at the hearing categorically showed that this was a pathetic police investigation. In
fact, in my opinion this was not a credible criminal investigation rather...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: See, I thought it was great. Because they got her on video planning a murder over and over and over again.
CLAYPOOL: Right. But Nancy, you can`t just look at the video. That`s like picking up a book and looking at the conclusion and not reading chapters 1
through 10. Chapters 1 through 10 where we had a police department that was wanting to get a sensational episode for the cops TV show.
GRACE: Cops?
CLAYPOOL: The undercover informant said, he said, I don`t want to be a part of this investigation. Under the policies and procedures of the
Boynton Beach P.D., he should have been removed from the investigation. He wasn`t.
Also, there were hundreds of phone calls between Dalia and the undercover informant that were not recorded. Nancy, you know that it`s fundamental in
any criminal investigation, to preserve the integrity of that investigation. There was no integrity...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: OK. Hold on, hold on, hold on. That is the show, cops, distributed by 20th television. Jason Brodie joining us. This is Dalia`s Dippolito`s
husband divorce attorney.
Jason, do you hear what he`s saying, because let`s just follow through his premise, if this was an acting gig for a reality show. There was no script
found, no notes found, no nothing found to support that.
But that would mean that your client was in on the acting gig and so was the hit man and the middleman. That they were all part of an act. So, was
your client trying to get a job as an actor?
JASON BRODIE, MICHAEL DIPPOLITO`S DIVORCE ATTORNEY: Absolutely not. And this is just throwing stuff up against the wall to see what sticks. This is
not what occurred, because if it did occur why didn`t the informant not come out and say, hey, guys. This is all part of an acting job or my client
come out and say, it`s an acting job.
[20:49:59] This is six and a half years this has been going on. Nobody -- nobody has said this now until Dalia Dippolito is now claiming that the two
of them were in on it. If the two of them were in on it, why didn`t she say in a jailhouse call that you just played. Why didn`t she say to Michael,
tell them it`s not real, it was an acting job. It`s because it`s not true.
GRACE: Why didn`t she? Why didn`t she, Brian Claypool? Why didn`t she? She had a million times to say, what are you arresting me for? This is just an
act -- an act to put on social media.
CLAYPOOL: I have a better question for you. Why did -- why did Mike Dippolito go on to say things will be OK in a couple of days. Keep quiet.
And then why would -- why is Mike Dippolito is saying in the jailhouse call, hey, transfer the property over into my name? That gives him a motive
just throw under the buzz.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: No, no. I`m asking you a question. What is your answer to my question. She had a million times to say, guys, why are you arresting me?
This is for YouTube for Pete`s sake. This isn`t real.
CLAYPOOL: Right. Because she expected Mike to come clean. And in the jailhouse phone call he says, Nancy, it`s going to be fine in a couple of
days, just stay quiet.
GRACE: Really? Because, Liz, don`t you have that video of when they bring the husband in and she sees she is still alive in her murder plan?
CLAYPOOL: Yes.
GRACE: It didn`t work. In the meantime, while you get that for me, let`s see what Dalia Dippolito, the so-called killer bride says on the stand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIPPOLITO: Mohammad was on an episode of burn notice and we were trying to simulate the episode that he was on. It was a murder for hire episode. It
was somebody who had faked the murder prior. And it wasn`t -- it was an actor who had faked in. And he was on the episode and he gave us the idea
on how to do it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your ex-husband is in on it all along?
DIPPOLITO: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he got arrested did everything change?
DIPPOLITO: Yes. Everything changed. So, I`m being accused of something that I didn`t do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. That wasn`t part of a scene, right, for you to get arrested?
DIPPOLITO: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[20:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIPPOLITO: Oh, my, gosh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s alive.
DIPPOLITO: Come here, please. Come here. Mike, come here. Come here, please. Come here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can`t.
DIPPOLITO: Why not? I didn`t do anything to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard you.
DIPPOLITO: Mike, come here, please. Come here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: OK. So under your premise the husband is part of the acting gig and there was his chance to say, guys, this is all an acting gig, it`s for an
audition that we are going to put on social media. Aaron Brehove, body language expert out of Washington, D.C. You have analyzed her in court, all
of her interrogation tapes. What do you think?
AARON BREHOVE, BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT: Well, I think it`s pretty clear she`s not a great liar. She`s -- it`s very hard for her to tell lies. She
conceals when she lies. Of her deceptions she only conceals when talking to the cops, when she`s talking to her husband in the police -- in the police
videos.
And then when she tries to lies on the stand she`s confused over the story she`s created and the story that`s act on video and the facts and the
evidence that`s there. She can`t handle the high cognitive load.
GRACE: And how can you tell that by looking at her? What about her demeanor tells you this?
BREHOVE: So, you can see the anxiety. When she -- she is not able to tell a lie very easily. When you see in the video, right here that you are
showing the cops video. She immediately jumps into these tears which the cops have retained that there was no actual tears associated, it was just
the slumped over action of it.
And when you see that you so quickly after, she`s actually putting herself in, she`s waiting to release, she`s waiting for her cue to do something.
She`s not that good at telling a lie and making up a story on the spot which requires a high cognitive load. And it`s very hard to do.
It creates a lot of red flags in deception. Whereas, concealment is very easy. And you can just not state what you`ve done. She said, I didn`t do
this. And her husband tries to ask, what did you do? It`s not true. All she can say is it`s not true. She couldn`t give another reason for this.
GRACE: Ben Levitan, telecommunications expert, they are claiming this was part of a script. But what they write it in long hand? Because nothing is
showing up on desk top, laptop, cell phone, iPad, nothing. I mean, how far back can you trace for instance a reality show script mock-up that you put
on your iPad?
BEN LEVITAN, TELECOMMUNICATIONS EXPERT: Nancy, you know, this stuff stays on your computer forever. If there was any trace of any contact when you`re
writing the script and we know people who write scripts. They are constantly doing research; they are going to the reality show web sites to
find out what the requirements are. You would find something on here, Nancy. It`s just not believable.
GRACE: Let`s remember, American hero, Mississippi special agent, Lee Tart, 44. Killed in the line of duty. Served Bureau of Narcotics, agent of the
year, and the H. Lane Caldwell Award for Valor. Widow Deborah, two children. Lee Tart, American hero.
And I want to tell you about a 7-year-old little boy Wyatt battling cancer. Just diagnosed with a rare aggressive form tonight. He needs your support
to beat cancer. Help with treatment. He wants to go back to wrestlinging in baseball. He`s got his whole life ahead of him.
Go to Wyatt strong on Facebook or youcaring.com. And happy birthday to beautiful friend of the show, mother of two, Jeanette. Isn`t she gorgeous?
Happy birthday, Jeanette.
Thank you to our guests and especially you for being with us. Nancy Grace signing off. I`ll see you tomorrow at 8 o`clock sharp Eastern. Until then,
good night, friend.
[21:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
