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Nancy Grace
Concert Pianist`s Wife Pleads Not Guilty; David Hasselhoff Fighting to Cut Wife`s Alimony; Florida Woman Harassed in Target. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired May 03, 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, live, Texas suburbs, a world-renowned concert pianist comes home to find his two little girls,
just 5 and 1, dead, murdered in their own bed, his wife covered in blood and stab wounds, the overtly bandaged wife of a world-famous concert
pianist in court claiming, I`m not guilty.
Bombshell tonight. Finally, we learn the official cause of death of the two little girls, as sources reveal Mommy drugs herself at the time of
their murder. Tonight, police investigating, did she murder the tots in retaliation for her world-famous husband filing for divorce?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Horrifying death of the two young daughters of famed pianist...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Five-year-old Nika and 1-year-old Michaela...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Van Clyburn piano competition gold medal winner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He discovered the bodies of his two children...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the so-called Clyburn curse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their mother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Charged with capital murder of a person under 10 years of age.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How does she plead?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: "Baywatch" star, "Dancing With the Stars" fan favorite, worth millions and still raking it in, starring in two new movies and his own
reality show. But tonight, the "Baywatch" star fighting desperately to cut his long-suffering wife`s alimony because of his lavish lifestyle.
But I`m hassling Hoff (ph)! I got you busted, man -- a $163,000 car, a girlfriend who doesn`t work, sporting a brand-new diamond ring. Hey, you
danced to the music, Hoff, and now it`s time to pay the fiddler!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much alimony is too much? "Baywatch" superstar...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nix (ph), Nix (ph) Buchanan (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: David Hasselhoff says he`s reached that point and he hopes to get a court to agree. Hasselhoff claims his ex, who is a
producer, actress and model, has been living off the payments and hasn`t been trying to support herself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s "Baywatch" Company.
A Florida woman harassed in Target`s bikini section when a pervy creep approaches her, pelting her with a barrage of personal, intimate questions,
but she turns the tables!
Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight, Texas suburbs. A world-renowned concert pianist comes home to find his two little girls, ages just 5 and 1, murdered in their own
beds, his wife covered in blood and stab wounds. The overtly bandaged wife of the world-famous concert pianist claims, I`m not guilty.
Finally, tonight, in the last hours, we learn the official cause of death of the two little girls, as sources revealing Mommy drugs herself at the
time of their murders. Tonight, police investigating motive for murder. Did she murder her two tots in retaliation for her world-famous husband
filing for divorce?
Straight out to Chris Spargo, reporter, Dailymail.com. We are learning the official cause of death asphyxiation of both of them, one just turning 1
and one 5 years old.
Chris, what took so long with the cause of death?
CHRIS SPARGO, DAILYMAIL.COM (via telephone): Well, the medical examiner first said it was inconclusive. They wanted to gather all the evidence.
And now that they have, they`re saying that Michaela, who was, as you mentioned, 1 year old, and Nika, who was only 5 years old, both died of
asphyxiation, believing that the two were probably smothered to death with a pillow.
GRACE: Here you see Vadym Kholodenko, world-renowned pianist, winner of the coveted Van Clyburn international piano competition. That`s the
Olympics for pianists.
As a matter of fact, he comes home specifically to get his girls -- and here is the Van Clyburn competition -- and he finds both of his children
dead.
So let me understand this. Chris Spargo, you`re saying it took so long to do the autopsy for, what, to determine whether the children were drugged?
SPARGO: Well, there are a lot of different things. The scene was also very complicated. The girls were found in the bed, but they may have been
attempted to be murdered in a car. So they were gathering a lot of that evidence.
[20:05:06]GRACE: As we go to air tonight, we learn the official cause of death for the two little tots is asphyxiation. To forensic pathologist Dr.
Michael Arnall. Dr. Arnall, we believe that the instrument used to strangle, to asphyxiate these two little children is their pillows. Could
you tell me the amount of force it takes to murder a child, particularly a 5-year-old little girl who was fighting for her life?
DR. MICHAEL ARNALL, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST (via telephone): Well, Nancy, it may take surprisingly little pressure. If the mom just leaned on the
pillow and occluded the child`s nose and mouth, the child couldn`t breathe. So I think you`re going to find it doesn`t take that much pressure at all.
GRACE: Could you tell me how long it takes to asphyxiate a human?
ARNALL: The book is going to tell you that it takes three or -- three to five minutes without breathing to cause a person to die. So you`re looking
at...
GRACE: Unleash...
ARNALL: ... some three to five minutes.
GRACE: ... the lawyers, Robin Ficker out of Maryland, Margie Mow out of LA. Robin Ficker, it took this mother, according to police, five minutes
per child. And the law is premeditation can be formed in an instant, the twinkling of an eye. When you blink your eye, that`s long enough to form
intent.
The typical example is, in the time it takes to raise a gun and pull a trigger is long enough to form intent. It took this mom, according to
police, five minutes per child. That`s long enough to form intent, Robin.
ROBIN FICKER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: There`s no video showing that the mom did this. The dad discovered these girls in the morning. There was plenty of
time for an intruder to come in during the night. Just because the mom suffered some self-inflicted injuries does not mean that she injured her
darling daughters.
GRACE: OK. So under your scenario, Robin Ficker, the mom hides in the closet in her gown while someone murders her children? Is that your
scenario?
FICKER: No, well, she could very well have been tremendously upset and then gone into the closet after this horrendous event.
GRACE: Right. Hiding from who, the little green men from mars? OK, I noticed you`re shaking your head yes, Margie Mow. What, second verse same
as the first?
MARGIE MOW, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I agree with everything he`s saying. We don`t have any evidence that...
GRACE: (INAUDIBLE) you.
MOW: ... she actually did this. And I also have a really big problem with the fact that the initial autopsy was inconclusive, and now, all of a
sudden, we know for a fact that she smothered her children. I have a real problem with that.
GRACE: OK. So did you hear -- Meredyth Censullo, help me out with something, Meredyth, investigative reporter. Isn`t it true the mother
tells police she dreamed, she dreamt she hurt her children?
MEREDYTH CENSULLO, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER (via telephone): That`s right. That`s what she told police when they found her. She was seemingly
incoherent, but she was alert. She said at some point, she remembered having her children in her car, but she didn`t remember when...
GRACE: (INAUDIBLE) dream.
CENSULLO: ... and that she said she had a bad dream that she had harmed her children.
GRACE: You know, that`s right in keeping with O.J. Simpson. Remember that, Robin Ficker and Margie Mow, when O.J. Simpson said he had a dream
that he killed Denise (sic) Brown. That was no dream, all right? That was no dream at all. He did It. And then, let`s see, Amanda Fox -- (sic)
MOW: But he was acquitted. But he was acquitted.
GRACE: So that -- put her up! That doesn`t mean he didn`t do it, just because 12 people on an LA jury said he was innocent. That`s -- I`m so
unimpressed with that argument. He was acquitted.
MOW: That`s now (INAUDIBLE)
GRACE: And then there`s Amanda Fox (sic) who said she had a dream that she heard her roommate, Meredith Kercher, screaming bloody murder, and lo and
behold, she was murdered, as a matter of fact. What are these two, clairvoyant? Is that what you`re saying, Margie? They`re clairvoyant.
They have dreams that their children or their spouse or their roommate are murdered in cold blood, and lo and behold, in just a couple hours, they`re
dead!
FICKER: Different dreams...
MOW: She was incoherent, and it`s very possible...
FICKER: ... for different folks.
MOW: ... that she saw what happened and she interpreted that as being her own actions, when in reality, it was a third party. She was traumatized by
these events.
GRACE: As she was hiding in the closet? As she was hiding in the closet?
MOW: I would be hiding, too. If there`s an intruder in there...
GRACE: Would you?
MOW: ... and you`re trying to look for safety...
GRACE: Would you?
MOW: ... I would hide in the closet.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: May I ask you a personal question? Do you have children?
MOW: Yes, I do.
GRACE: OK. So you`re saying you`d hide in the closet as they were suffocated dead? You`d hide in the closet?
[20:10:04]MOW: We don`t -- we don`t know at what point she went in the closet. Now, if I feel that there`s nothing I can do for my child, and now
they`re coming after me, yes, I would most certainly hide in the closet if I thought that was a safe place for me to be.
GRACE: So you hide in the closet while two little girls are strangled dead, right?
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... did something bad.
MOW: It is a possibility. And again, it`s for the jurors to decide.
GRACE: Yes. OK.
MOW: She entered a not guilty plea. She has not been convicted. We do not have all the evidence.
GRACE: All right, nobody said she`s convicted. But I always find it interesting that with this form of homicide, the perp always says, Oh, I
was trying to kill myself, whoopsie, I lived, they died.
Let`s go straight into the courtroom. We`ve been showing you shots. Here comes the mom. Let`s hear the sound of the mom in court, please.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The state of Texas versus Sofia Igorevna Tsygankova. Ms. Tsygankova, is that your full and complete name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Now, you are the person that`s charged in both of these cases, do you understand?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Now, ma`am, I have some paperwork indicating that you cannot afford a lawyer. Is that correct? You filled
out this paperwork with the assistance of somebody? Is that correct?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She did, sir (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. And I`ll make a finding at this time that you`re (INAUDIBLE) based upon the information that you provided. Do you
waive a formal reading of the indictment?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m sorry, the information. Correct. How does she plead?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She pleads not guilty.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much. The bond`s going to be set at $1 million respectively in both cases. Now, Ms. Keane and Ms. Roseanna
Salinas (ph) will be representing you in the case. Now, Counsel, does she have a pending family lawsuit at this time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe so.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And who is -- who`s the counsel representing her, do you know? Who`s your lawyer that`s representing you in the family law
case?
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Now, are there any other matters that can be taken up at this time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: State?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not at this time, Your Honor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much. The proceedings are closed. You`re remanded back to custody. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:16:22]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two deceased children, ages 5 and 1. Mr. Kholodenko discovered the children, initiated the 911 call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Van Clyburn competition award winner has joined a string of other winners who have suffered tragedies, leading some to
suggest there is a curse that comes with winning the prestigious prize.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The mother of the children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are the person who`s charged in both of these cases (INAUDIBLE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We know that Sofia Tsygankova was very, very close to her sister, who`s a prima ballerina. Now, the two were very, very close. And as a
matter of fact, the morning that the little girls were found dead, the sister called a friend to go check, to go check on the mom. When she
arrived, police were already there. The bodies of this little girl and her little 1-year-old sister were found asphyxiated.
To Matt Zarrell joining us. Matt, what more have we learned from the autopsy report just released, breaking now, the official cause of death of
the two little girls, the daughters of the world-renowned concert pianist, Kholodenko -- cause of death, asphyxiation. What more did we learn, Matt?
MATT ZARRELL, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (voice-over): Well, we could see from evidence how the medical examiner concluded they were smothered with a
pillow. Michaela was found with light-colored food running out of her mouth and appeared to have signs of rigor mortis. The other child did, as
well.
Next to both children were pillows. And what`s important here is on these pillows were indentations, which were size of children`s heads, and on both
pillows were biological fluids indicating that the children -- the saliva from the children.
GRACE: Liz, could you slo-mo Mommy coming into court for me? I want to play that back because what we see are superficial cuts to her wrists. We
also see a very overtly bandaged chest. None of these stab wounds, apparently self-inflicted, were enough to keep her in the hospital, none of
them. But the children were killed.
Dr. Michael Arnall, forensic pathologist joining us out of Denver. Dr. Arnall, rigor had already set in. Let me ask you this, Dr. Arnall. What
does a victim go through? What do they suffer? What did these two little girls, ages 5 and 1, suffer when the last face they saw was their own
mother`s?
ARNALL: Well, all human have this visceral terror of air hunger, the perception of air hunger and pressure on the face. And one of the
particularly unfortunate aspects of this case is that they`re going to experience that visceral terror for a prolonged period of time. Three to
five minutes is like an eternity when you`re experiencing this type of air hunger and pressure on your face.
GRACE: A new theory of investigation, police looking for motive for murder. Tonight we learn, they are investigating, did Mommy murder her two
children in retaliation for her concert pianist husband filing for divorce?
Chris Spargo, Daily mail.com, the reality is, these two met and married. They actually moved to the U.S. so he could be at home with Mommy and the
children more often. And instead, within a year, he files for divorce.
Now, interesting. The children are found dead the very week -- actually, just a couple of days before they have to exchange financial information.
What about motive for murder that she`s retaliating over him filing for divorce against her?
[20:20:12]SPARGO: Well, I mean, and the big thing about that, too, is she didn`t have a job. She didn`t have any employment and she wasn`t bringing
any money in. So he was going to leave her. He was making all the money. And he was probably potentially going to get the children, if it went to
that.
GRACE: That is Kholodenko playing from MariinskyEn.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:25:16]UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Vadym Kholodenko is accustomed to being in the spotlight, but not like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 911 caller discovered the scene, two deceased children, ages 5 and 1.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were both found in bed. They were not stabbed like their mother, who survived despite multiple wounds.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: For those of you just joining us, the official cause of death of these two tots has just been released. We obtained information from the
autopsy report. Cause of death, asphyxiation, likely with the children`s own pillows, as Mommy survives.
Evidence indicating Mommy staged the scene so the husband would walk in on the scene that morning at 9:20 AM. The baby-sitter the previous night says
Mommy perfectly fine when the babies -- when the babies are left with Mommy and the baby-sitter goes home, that the two are ready for bed. They`ve got
on their PJs. But when Daddy gets there to pick them up the next morning, they`re in clothes. What happened?
You know, Meredyth Censullo, investigative reporter, police now investigating that all of this was in retaliation because the husband was
leaving her. The money train was leaving the station.
But what can you tell me about claims of a so-called Van Clyburn curse?
CENSULLO: Well, there is this story that there is a curse of Clyburn winners, and there have been at least three Clyburn winners that have met
tragic ends, I guess you could say. There was a South African who died in a plane crash, also a young man who reportedly received a bad blood
transfusion and contracted AIDS and passed away. There was also another winner who shot himself to death in 2014.
So this sort of falls in line with this trend, I guess, of people that have had bad things happen to them after winning this very prestigious award for
their piano playing.
GRACE: Everyone, right now, breaking news, an Amber Alert for an 11-year- old school girl. We are just learning the little girl has been found dead.
Straight out to Kyle Peltz. What happened?
KYLE PELTZ, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): That`s right, Nancy. In the last hours, the body of 11-year-old Ashlynne Mike has just been found
about 26 miles from where she was abducted.
GRACE: Kyle, how did she go missing?
PELTZ: Well, authorities say she was abducted yesterday afternoon by an unknown man in a maroon van not long after getting off the bus after
school, the man reportedly promising to take her to a movie. Right now, that suspect still on the loose.
GRACE: Now, what we know, Kyle Peltz, is the little girl got off the bus from school with her brother. The brother was taken, as well, and then
released, the little girl kept. Her body has just been found, the body of Ashlynne Mike.
What can you tell me about the guy, other than he`s in a red vehicle?
PELTZ: Well, that`s right, Nancy. All we really know about the suspect is that he`s native American, possibly in his late 30s, and wearing a baseball
cap, believed to be driving a maroon van.
[20:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: "Baywatch" star, "Dancing With the Stars" fan favorite worth millions and still raking it in, starring in two new movies and his very
own reality show, but tonight, the "Baywatch" star fighting desperately to cut his long suffering wife`s alimony because of his lavish lifestyle.
But I`m hassleing the Hoff. You`re busted. A $163,000 car? A brand-new girlfriend who doesn`t work and with a brand-new diamond ring. Hey, you
dance to the music, Hoff. And now it`s time to pay the fiddler.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) star David Hasselhoff has a new T.V. series, is working on a "Baywatch" movie and is in the upcoming "Sharknado 4" but
the 63-year-old star claims spousal support is cutting into his retirement funds.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GRACE: That is "Baywatch" from the "Baywatch" copy and yes, I`m talking about the Hoff, David Hasselhoff. And believe it or not, not only was he
the star along with Pam Anderson in "Baywatch," of "Knight Rider," he`s in "Sharknado" the (inaudible), now he`s going to be in "Sharknado 2."
He has his own reality show. Catch this, isn`t it true, Alan Duke, I`m putting you on the spot. Alan Duke, editor-in-chief leadstories.com. Isn`t
it true that David Hasselhoff has, I think, 40 gold records?
I mean, when I hear gold records, I think of Elvis, I think of Michael Jackson, I think of Prince. David Hasselhoff has 40 gold records?
(CROSSTALK)
ALAN DUKE, LEADSTOPRIES.COM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: He`s an entertainer. I mean, especially the Germans and the Europeans love him. You can sell a lot of
records there.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: You know, who, who, all right ...
DUKE: He is a musician. He is very talented.
GRACE: ... I don`t know how Germans and as you say European ...
(CROSSTALK)
DUKE: Well because he ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: I`m gonna feel ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... that they love Hasselhoff, oh, here he is, the dancing star.
DUKE: They do, just like they like Jerry Lewis. The French love him. The Germans love Hasselhoff, yeah.
[20:35:00] GRACE: Are you French or German? Or you`re just like guessing?
DUKE; No, I know stuff.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... guessing. Hey, Liz, pull me up with Kym Johnson. Oh, there she is dressed in "Baywatch." Go for it, Kym Johnson.
So now, he has got a -- his own reality show, two movies coming out. He`s got a let -- Liz, please let me see the inside of his mansion. I want to
see that.
So, here`s the outside. It looks like a hotel. It looks like a hotel. Now, he just made a mint off selling this. Look at this place. It`s humongous.
And, Liz, after you finish that, do you mind pulling up the picture of his brand-new girlfriend? He`s got a brand-new girlfriend about the age of his
daughters, not judging. Not judging at all, Alan Duke.
My point is, he just gave her this huge diamond ring. But now he`s telling the court he`s only got $600. Do you think I believe that, Duke?
DUKE: No, he -- he has more than $600. You know, that`s the way divorces go and alimony, you know, we have all been, well, you haven`t been through it.
GRACE: I haven`t been through it.
DUKE: It is -- no, no, and don`t ever do that. But it is true that he is 63 years old and his career has seen its better days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID HASSELHOFF, ACTOR "TRUE SURVIVOR": Hey, you got a permit for those guns?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got your permit right here.
HASSELHOFF: Permit denied.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That is "Kung Fury`s" "True Survivor" from Universal Music. If you go on Google and you stick in Hasselhoff music videos, there`s -- there`s
like hundreds of them.
Jason Brodie, joining me, divorce attorney out of Florida Boynton Beach. Jason, thank you for being with us. You know, I`m not buying Alan Duke
because he was just spotted in a $163,000 souped up new Audi. A $163,000- Audi R8. It starts at $163. It starts at nearly $200,000!
Guys, do you have the picture of that rock of a diamond ring he just gave his girlfriend? He`s got two grown daughters and a girlfriend. They all
live with him. None of them were -- I think one works somewhere for like $200 a month. That`s the problem and yet he wants to cut off his wife?
JASON BRODIE, DIVORCE ATTORNEY: That`s exactly the problem, Nancy. Not only is it the daughters that he doesn`t have a legal obligation to pay for,
it`s also the girlfriend that`s living with him.
GRACE: Here`s "Baywatch" from Baywatch Company.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONNIE STEVENS, AS SHELLEY SANDS IN "BAYWATCH": You did not tell me about all these captain (ph) hunks you have in your life.
Hi.
DAVID HASSELHOFF, AS MITCH BUCHANNON IN "BAYWATCH": Hi.
STEVENS: I`m Shelley Sands. I`m Casey Jean`s mom. You might be?
PAMELA ANDERSON, AS C.J. PARKER IN "BAYWATCH": It`s my boss, mom.
HASSELHOFF: Mitch. Mitch Buchannon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[20:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: A Florida woman harassed in Target`s bikini section when a pervie creep approaches her, pelting her with a barrage of personal and intimate
questions, but boy, does she turn the table.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Candice Spivey is no stranger to this man, Jeffrey Polizzi. She says they`ve met before.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CANDICE SPIVEY, HARASSED BY CONVICTED OFFENDER JEFFREY POLIZZI: Do you remember running into me in the grocery store? No, hey, where are you
going? Come back. Hey, get this guy! Stop him! Stop this guy!
And that`s what I just wanted to be like, no, you need to leave everybody else alone. Call the cops. You sir! (BLEEP). No, no, (BLEEP) you. Follow
this guy. No, call the cops, you (BLEEP).
(END AUDIO CLIP)
GRACE: OK, I`m going to show you in full what this woman did. She really turned the table. This guy is a convicted offender. He has been harassing
women all over.
Tonight, police are asking women to look at this video, do you know this guy? The reason, the woman in Target recognized him, was from a prior
incident, when he came up asking her sexually intimate questions. He`s already convicted, but listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY POLIZZI, CONVICTED OFFENDER: Isn`t there what she calls it like (ph) "maxi" dresses are those long dresses?
SPIVEY: Right.
POLIZZI: I want to make sure it`s not too, like -- I was going to get maybe a backup here but shouldn`t we make sure it`s not too like sheer or clear.
SPIVEY: Right. Do you remember running into me in the grocery store? No, hey, where are you going? Come back. Hey, get this guy! Stop him! Stop this
guy! Stop him! Stop that guy! Call the cops! Call the cops on him! Call the cops! Get (BLEEP)! No, no, (BLEEP) you. Follow this guy -- no, you call the
cops, you (BLEEP). Come here, you piece of (BLEEP). Where are the two kids at, huh? Where are your two babies at? Keep running, (BLEEP). Yeah ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Take a listen to what else we have learned from ABC`S "Nightline."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPIVEY: Do you remember running into me in the grocery store?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Caught on camera. This alleged video voyeur on the other side of the lens.
SPIVEY: Stop this guy!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A Florida woman chasing the suspect outside.
SPIVEY: Call the cops on him!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here`s the entire thing.
SPIVEY: So that`s, you know, that was what was going through my head, it was just I had to get his face. I had to get something on him to put -- put
him out there and catch this guy.
(20:45:00) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Candice Spivey was shopping in the bikini section of the Target when she says this man approached her, asking about a
dress for his wife, the questions growing more and more personal.
POLIZZI: I want to make sure it`s not too sheer or clear.
SPIVEY: Right. Do you remember running into me in the grocery store?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She claims the same man harassed her two years ago inside a supermarket, secretly filming their exchange.
SPIVEY: He knew who I was, when I turned around that he had been caught.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But this time, Spivey says she turned the tables by turning her camera on him.
SPIVEY: Call the cops! Get (BLEEP)! No, no, (BLEEP) you. Follow this guy -- no ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Later posting the video on Facebook.
SPIVEY: Keep running (BLEEP).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That was from ABC News "Nightline. Joining me right now, special guest, Shanna Parker Gardner, says she was also harassed by this guy.
Shanna Parker Gardner, thank you for being with us. Did you know, Shanna, this guy is convicted of trying to take video of women in a changing room.
Tell us how you met this perv, Jeff Polizzi?
SHANNA PARKER GARDNER, CLAIMS SHE WAS ALSO HARASSED BY JEFF POLIZZI: Yeah, I had no idea that he was that bad. When he first approaches you, he comes
across as very polite, very quiet and so you think nothing of it. And that`s how he sucks you in.
GRACE: When you met him, what happened?
GARDNER: I was just walking through the store, minding me own business and he stopped me, he says, excuse me, it`s my anniversary with my wife and I`m
trying to buy her a gift. Could you help me?
So the nice person, you think, sure, absolutely. And just like in the video, he said to me, you know, I bought her this dress and I`m afraid it`s
too sheer.
And so I said, well, you know we can figure out a slip or something to go underneath it. And then that`s when he said, well, I`m wondering if she`d
be more comfortable with no underwear? And then that`s when the questions started to get creepy.
GRACE: OK. When you say -- OK, so he says, maybe she just shouldn`t wear underwear. OK. When you say I find that creepy by a complete stranger, what
store was it, Shanna?
GARDNER: It was a Target.
GRACE: OK, where in Target?
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Every weekend. So he`s got a thing for Target. So when you say the questions get creepy, what are the questions that were creepy?
GARDNER: Well, when he said maybe she`d be comfortable with no underwear and he said, what do you think? And I said, well, I`m not your wife so I
can`t answer for her.
And then he said, well, would you be comfortable wearing the dress with no underwear, to which I said, again, I`m not your wife. It doesn`t matter how
I feel, it matters how she feels.
And then he pulled out a razor, and he said, well she doesn`t shave down there. I wonder if she`d be more comfortable if she shaved. And then he
asked me, do you shave?
GRACE: Question, Shanna.
GARDNER: Yes.
GRACE: What was he going to do with the razor, dare I ask?
GARDNER: Exactly. Exactly.
GRACE: No -- OK, so you`re minding your own business.
GARDNER: Yep.
GRACE: When a guy comes up to you and pulls -- brandishes a razor and starts talking about shaving ...
GARDNER: Down there.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Yeah, down there. Those were his words. OK, what did you do?
GARDNER: Honestly, at that point that`s when I realized, OK, he`s a creep. And I started to walk off and I said I got to go and he just kept talking
and I said, I got to go and he kept talking and I had to just walk away.
GRACE: Well, I believe I would have had to slap his mouth ...
GARDNER: Yeah.
GRACE: ... and get sent to jail. With me is Shanna Parker Gardner who says she was also harassed by this perv. Take a look at this guy. Have you had
an encounter with Jeffrey Philip Polizzi? A 31-year-old white male. Take a look at this video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLIZZI: Isn`t there what she calls it like (ph) "maxi" dresses are those long dresses?
SPIVEY: Right.
POLIZZI: I want to make sure it`s not too, like, I was going to get maybe a backup here but shouldn`t we make sure it`s not too sheer or clear?
SPIVEY: Right. Do you remember running into me in the grocery store? No, hey, where are you going? Come back. Hey, get this guy! Stop him! Stop this
guy! Stop him! Stop that guy! Call the cops! Call the cops on him! Call the cops! Get (BLEEP)! No, no, (BLEEP) you. Follow this guy -- no, you call the
cops, you (BLEEP). Come here, you piece of (BLEEP). Where are the two kids at, huh? Where are your two babies at? Keep running, (BLEEP). Yeah, keep
running.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(20:50:00) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPIVEY: Do you remember running into me in the grocery store? No, hey, where are you going? Come back. Hey, get this guy! Stop him!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said they met before years ago at a Publix. She said that time he had two young boys with him.
SPIVEY: Come here, you piece of (BLEEP). Where are the two kids at, huh? Where are your two babies at? Keep running, (BLEEP).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: So the last time we think, the last time, let`s just say one of the other times, this guy sexually harasses women in public places like Target.
He brought along his two little boys.
Robin Ficker, Maryland, Margie Mow, L.A. What about that, Margie Moe?
MOW: Well, you know, every so often I have to agree with something you say. And the only thing that I agree with is the fact that it is a little
creepy.
However, what crime has been committed? He didn`t commit a crime. He was in a public place. He was just striking up conversation. He did nothing wrong.
[20:55:00] GRACE: Is that -- is that what you think? OK, hold on. Let`s see his record. Could you put his record up please, Liz?
Robin Ficker, Margie Mow say he did nothing wrong. Video voyeurism, criminal mischief, voyeurism, first offense. Ray Caputo, WDBO, what exactly
did he do on those three convictions?
RAY CAPUTO, NEWS 96.5 WDBO REPORTER: Well, Nancy, in 2009, he -- this is kind of diabolical. He actually put a camera on the tongue of his shoe and
he was busted sticking his foot under dressing room doors.
Now, he had three victims. They can only identify one young lady, a 28- year-old, she wanted to press charges. It`s totally creepy and diabolical.
GRACE: That was one of the three. Michael Christian, what did he do with the other two?
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: That was all the same incident, Nancy. It all related to that dressing room incident.
GRACE: Ew. And so what happened to when he approached Shanna Parker Gardner? Let`s go to Shanna.
Shanna, did you hear the lawyers, Margie Mow, specifically, but Robin Ficker was smiling along and nodding his head yes, but they said there`s
absolutely nothing wrong. That`s not a crime. To come up and brandish a razor on you and ask, basically, if you shave your pubic hair. That`s what
he did.
GARDNER: Maybe it`s not illegal, but it`s definitely not OK.
GRACE: Well, wait a minute. That is illegal, to come up to a lady in Target and brandish a razor at her.
Michael Christian, you know what? Let`s let the video speak for itself. This mom really turned the tables. Roll the video, Liz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police charging this man, Jeffrey Polizzi. Records showing the officer was dispatched for a stalking incident after a
bystander called in, later arresting him for reckless driving.
And it`s not the first time he`s been accused of inappropriate retail behavior. Court documents revealing he was arrested and convicted on
voyeurism charges for "taking photographs of women in the dressing rooms" in 2009.
SPIVEY: This was the second time in two years. I just -- I knew that he was doing it to other girls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spivey`s Facebook warning going viral, now viewed more than 2 million times. Echoes of support calling her a hero and brave. Other
women saying they have been harassed by the very same man.
GARDNER: I was 100 percent sure that it was the same guy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like Shanna Gardner who says Polizzi harassed her in a Target last year.
GARDNER: I was walking through Target and I was in the women`s clothing section and Jeffrey walked up to me. The questions progressed from very
innocent and polite to very personal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That exchange eerily similar to what Spivey says happened to her.
GARDNER: He just kept talking and following and trying to re-engage me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Gardner walked away but a year later a bit of justice from Spivey`s post.
GARDNER: I think she handled it fabulously.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s from ABC News "Nightline". And with us, live, is Shanna Parker Gardner who endured a confrontation with this guy.
Tonight, police begging for other women to come forward and see what else this guy is guilty of. You know, Robin Ficker, Margie Mow, Ficker, mo says
that there is absolutely nothing criminal about what he was doing. I wonder if it would be criminal if I jerked a knot to his neck. What about that?
Coming up to women in Target, dragging his two children.
That`s the thing right there, dragging his two children along during indecent behavior. That`s the charge that will finally put this guy behind
bars, Ficker.
FICKER: There is a lot worse behavior and a lot worse ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Oh, that`s your standard?
FICKER: ... that this (inaudible) place in every bar in America every Friday ...
(CROSSTALK)
FICKER: ... and Saturday night and oftentimes it goes both ways. This wasn`t right. We know that.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: oh, wait a minute, Shanna, did you hear that?
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Ficker said ...
(CROSSTALK)
GARDNER: I sure did.
GRACE: ... it goes -- it goes both ways. What did you like, come on to the guy? Is that what you are saying, Ficker? Shanna, I want to hear your
response because that is wrong.
GARDNER: I was walking along minding my own business. And the only reason I stopped is because he said he needed help. I stopped to help. I didn`t stop
to turn him on or get him off. I stopped to help. I was, anyway you look at it, victimized.
GRACE: Tip line, 904-548-4074.
Let`s remember American hero Navy Petty Officer First Class Howard Babcock IV, just 33. Houston. Letter of commendation. Loves sea life, international
food, singing, volunteering. Parents, Howard III and Rita; sister, Jessy. Brother, Worden; widow, Crystal. Howard Babcock, IV, American hero.
Thanks to our guests and especially to you for being with us. Nancy Grace, signing off. I`ll see you tomorrow night 8 o`clock sharp, Eastern. And
until then, good fight, friend.
[21:00:00]
END
