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Nancy Grace
Mystery Car Sought in Bevers Murder; Low Bond For Veronica Erin Staley Clears Jail Release. Superstar Professional Wrestler Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka`s Girlfriend Found Dead Of Horrific And Multiple Blows To Her Head. Let`s Remember American Hero Arizona Police Officer David Glasser, Killed In The Line Of Duty At 35. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired May 23, 2016 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
NANCY GRACE, HOST: Breaking news tonight. Mom of three at Creekside church 4:00 AM to teach aerobics murdered in the church by a perp disguised
in full police SWAT gear. Missy Bevers dead, multiple punctures to the head and chest.
Bombshell tonight. Cops announce detailed description of the perpetrator. And as we go to air, grainy video of a 2:00 AM mystery car emerges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can assure you, if I knew who the killer was, I`d arrest him myself. The height range for the suspect from approximately 5-
foot-2 to 5-foot-7. We haven`t yet established definitively the gender of the suspect. They went to a lot of -- a great effort to conceal their
identity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The search for a light-colored Nissan caught on camera near the scene that morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: The deadly shooting of a 31-year-old man in a gym parking lot stumps police. But caught on video, a tall, blond female spotted sitting
in her car over an hour, pulling out a gun, shooting the guy dead. Apparently, she runs out of ammo. The woman, dressed in pink and orange
gym clothes, then pistol whips her victim, sprinting back to her Hyundai and speeds away.
Tonight, the hunt for the blond gym killer. Breaking right now. In a stunning twist, the path is cleared for the alleged blond gym killer with a
bond so low, this girl could hock her car and walk free, the whole thing caught on tape by "The Houston Chronicle."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She waited there. He showed up. She shot him several times. He started to run. She followed him, fired a couple more times.
She was out of bullets. Then she started to pistol whip him. She got in her car and she drove off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Superstar pro wrestler Jimmy "Superfly" Snooka`s (ph) girlfriend found dead of horrific and multiple blows to her head. Tonight, the
wrestling legend`s defense? Whoa! I`ve been hit in the head one too many times and done too many lines of cocaine. I don`t remember a thing.
Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. A mom of three at her church, Creekside church, 4:00 AM to teach boot camp aerobics murdered in the church by a perpetrator
disguised in full police SWAT gear, Missy Bevers dead with multiple punctures to her head and chest, cops announcing a detailed description of
the perpetrator. And as we go to air, grainy surveillance video emerging of a 2:00 AM mystery car.
Right now, let`s go into that police presser.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last remaining lead involves a car that pulls into the SWFA sporting goods parking lot at approximately 2:00 AM. They`re seen
pulling into the parking lot and leaving just a few minutes later. We believe that car`s a 2010 to 2012 Nissan Altima. It`s light in color,
possibly silver. It`s hard to tell. As you remember, it was raining that morning.
Let me emphasize, though, we don`t have any reason whatsoever to believe that this car or its driver are in any way involved in the murder...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Straight out to Robyn Walensky, senior news anchor with The Blaze Network. Robyn, this is a population, what, 20,000-ish or less. It`s
extremely rural. The parking lot where this vehicle is caught at 2:00 AM is about a mile away from where Missy is murdered. We`re showing you the
store right now.
Now, the security camera on the outside of this store is what caught the mystery vehicle. And having gone over and over and sifted through that
grainy surveillance video, they find this car. Let`s see it, Liz. This car is spotted on video at -- Liz, can I see it in full, please -- at 2:00
AM. Now, hold on just a moment. Hold it, Robyn.
Steven Becker joining me right now, vehicle ID expert with Robson Forensics. Steven, we`ve given you this information. What can you tell
about this vehicle?
STEVEN BECKER, VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION EXPERT (via telephone): Hi, Nancy. The vehicle`s actually quite identifiable. It`s interesting there`s so
many features that are noticeable in this grainy black nighttime, grainy video footage. But you can clearly figure out what type of car this is.
[20:05:00]GRACE: Well, what can you tell us? Break it down.
BECKER: Sure. The main features, you can see -- if you look at the lower portion of the bumper, you`ll see dual exhaust pipes, very unique feature
for a four-door sedan. You can also see that this is a four-door sedan. You can see the door handles on the side.
You`ve got a V-shaped trunk lid with the license plate in the center of the trunk lid, not on the bumper. There`s also a bumper sticker below the
license plate that`s identifiable. You can even make out the emblem and the shape of the emblem indicating that it`s a Nissan.
And then there`s a piece of chrome trim above the license plate that clearly identifies the year of the Nissan in the video. Also, the...
GRACE: Whoa, whoa! Wa-wait! Wa-wait! What year is it? Can you tell what year it is?
BECKER: Oh, definitely. This is a 2010 to 2012. You can`t narrow it down more than that because they didn`t change the rear end of the vehicle much
between those two years.
But what you can tell is that, like in the 2015 or one of the newer ones, the chrome trim is much, much wider. In other words, it would definitely
show up and you`d identify it differently from the incident vehicle. The older ones, like the 2007 and such, there is no chrome trim of the license
plate. And the geometry of the bumper is different, as well.
GRACE: OK. In a nutshell, Steven Becker, vehicle ID expert with Robson Forensics, if you had to put money on it, what would you say this car is --
make, model, year, color, anything you can tell me?
BECKER: Again, it`s a 2010 to 2012 Nissan Altima. It`s light in color, and I would say more likely than not silver.
GRACE: Wow. OK. What do you make of that oval sticker?
Guys, in this population town -- it`s much like my home town. People have got to know whose car this is. This car is spotted about a mile away
around the time Missy is murdered. It`s caught on video.
And what`s so interesting -- I`ll be right back with you, Steven Becker. Robyn Walensky, senior news anchor with The Blaze Network -- this car stops
in a parking lot, goes into the store parking lot, sits there and then goes out. Why? What are they doing there at 2:00 AM? Now, of course, it could
be a multitude of things. But maybe not.
Whose car is this? Why are they one mile away from where Missy is going to be killed in about an hour?
ROBYN WALENSKY, THE BLAZE NETWORK: Nancy, it`s actually less than a mile away from the church. And what business do they have there at 2:00 AM on
Sunday into Monday? There`s no restaurant there. The sporting goods store is closed. It is extremely suspicious.
GRACE: You know, another thing. Let`s narrow down the time. You said that it`s less than an hour, Robyn Walensky with The Blaze.
Oh, that`s a great shot there you`re showing me there, Liz. Hold that up there for a moment.
These, we believe, are the surveillance cameras. We went there ourself to locate the surveillance cameras. We think these are the surveillance
cameras that catch the vehicle. Sadly, we don`t think they got a tag number. I`m going to go back to Becker on that.
But first, Robyn, let`s narrow down the time. The killer comes in around - - she gets there around 4:00. Doesn`t the killer get there a little after 3:00?
WALENSKY: Correct. It`s about an hour.
GRACE: OK. So this is a 2:00 AM mystery car. Chris Spargo, Dailymail.com, what time exactly, precisely, if we know, is this car
spotted in the parking lot?
CHRIS SPARGO, DAILYMAIL.COM (via telephone): The car is spotted in the parking lot at around 2:00 AM, and the person enters the church around 3:50
AM. And then Missy enters the church at 4:18 AM.
GRACE: So we`ve got a little over an hour. Robyn, how far away is this from where Missy`s murdered?
WALENSKY: Yes, less than a mile away, Nancy.
GRACE: You know, you brought up a really good point, Robyn. Let me see the strip mall again -- I`m calling it that, the area where the car pulled
in. You`re saying, Robyn, that all of these stores were closed?
WALENSKY: They`re all closed, and there`s nowhere to eat. There`s no gas station there. What is this person doing there at 2:00 AM on a rainy
night?
GRACE: You know, another issue, Stacey, also on the story, Stacey Newman, that the highway from which the car pulls off the highway into this spot,
where we catch it on surveillance video -- what`s on that highway? It`s not like there`s a lot of restaurants, a big apartment complex. There`s
nothing!
STACEY NEWMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, there`s some businesses there, dentist`s office there, restaurants over there. But one thing to note
about SWFA, it is the only business about a half a mile from the church across the median of the highway, as you can see in this video. So if you
wanted to regroup and maybe check where you`re going or set up your next move, you can pull over into SWFA`s parking lot.
[20:10:05]GRACE: Ah! Oh, wa-wa-wait. Let me understand what you`re saying, is that if you want to go in another direction, you have to pull
there?
NEWMAN: Well, if you wanted to regroup. Let`s say you`re using your navigator, you`re trying to figure out what your next move is, you`re going
to pull over there because that`s...
(CROSSTALK)
NEWMAN: ... on that side of the highway.
GRACE: Just FYI, Stacey Newman, there`s nothing serving food in that neck of the woods at 2:00 AM. You mentioned some restaurants and some other
businesses. I don`t think there`s anything open at that time. But I like what you`re saying about there`s really nowhere else to pull over going in
that direction.
Take a look at this and what Stacey`s just telling us. This is a great spot, if you`re en route to that Midlothian Creekside church, to pull over
and get your bearings straight. About an hour later, the killer goes into the church about a mile away and then Missy is murdered.
OK, back to you, Steven Becker. For those of you just joining us, this is actually a major breakthrough in this case. I want to see the car again as
Steven Becker with Robson Forensics is telling us his analysis. Whose car is this? And why are they less than a mile away from Missy`s murder scene?
Go ahead, Steven.
BECKER: Well, unfortunately, you can`t make out the license plate in this video. That would give us a positive identification as to whose vehicle
that would have been.
GRACE: Why? Why can`t this be enhanced? I mean, can`t NASA help us? Is there no way to enhance this to get even one character, one letter, one
number off the tag?
BECKER: That`s a great point, Nancy. A lot of people, in a lot of movies, you`ll see that enhance the video, and suddenly, you can miraculously see
objects that were previously obscured in the video. What you have here is you have a highly reflective license plate. Specialized cameras, called
license plate recognition camera systems, can identify license plats both in the dark and in high light conditions because what they do is they focus
in on the area of the license plate, and they use lighting with the camera to illuminate...
GRACE: What do you call that? What do you call that? Steven, what do you call that technique?
BECKER: Again, that`s advanced license plate recognition technology.
GRACE: OK, Robyn Walensky, what are we waiting on? Advanced license plate recognition technology. What, do I need to call the people myself? I
mean, what are we waiting on? Or have police already explored this and it didn`t work?
WALENSKY: I am sure that with this car being released at this time, Nancy, that this is going to be turned over to the FBI or to the NYPD, the
forensic experts that have been working there...
GRACE: Take a look at it, Robyn. Look at it. Did you hear what Becker said? He`s got it narrowed down to probably a silver Altima around 2010 to
2012, chrome trim, four-door, V-shaped trunk, dual exhaust pipes, very unusual for this vehicle.
Come on, it`s right there in Midlothian. Whose car is this?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:17:25]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until Missy`s killer is caught, I`ll stop short of saying that any person is absolutely excluded.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Midlothian police say they still have no suspect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last remaining lead involves a car that pulls into the SWFA sporting goods parking lot at approximately 2:00 AM. We believe
that`s a 2010 to 2012 Nissan Altima. It`s light in color, possibly silver. We`d like to talk to the driver of that car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: We are also learning police have managed to cobble together a very detailed description of Missy`s killer. Listen. Let`s go back to the
presser.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`ve also learned some additional information regarding the physical description of the suspect. Forensic video
reconstruction is complete, and it`s given us a height range for the suspect from approximately 5-foot-2 to 5-foot-7.
We hope this information will help us to sift through leads and eliminate, you know, suspects and information that comes in that`s well outside of
that range.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Robyn Walensky, that is a fairly detailed description. So they`re saying light-skinned, which I guess means white, and they`re saying between
5-2 and 5-7. Does that sound like a woman to you?
WALENSKY: It does. You know, that was my initial reaction, Nancy, when I heard it from the police newser there. 5-2 to 5-7 to me sounds like a
woman. And also, the feet again. Going back to the shoes, doesn`t it look like it could be a smaller foot in a bigger shoe that the person could
barely kind of walk in that outfit?
GRACE: Unless you`re clairvoyant, you know, I don`t know how you know what`s inside a shoe, Robyn Walensky. I mean, why do you say that?
WALENSKY: No, I`m talking about the foot.
GRACE: I know.
WALENSKY: In other words, let`s say it`s a woman and she`s just in a bigger boot, and you`re sort of clumsily walking...
GRACE: Let`s see the video and see if we can figure out what she`s saying.
Well, another thing that gives credence to that is the mother -- the step- mother-in-law says walking around the church in the boots too big for you. So the mother-in-law, the step-mother-in-law has noticed that, as well.
Let`s stay on this just for a moment.
Unleash the lawyers, Troy Slaten, LA, Seema Iyer, New York. So Troy Slaten, what do you make of that car description? Can`t we narrow down who
lives in the metropolitan Midlothian area with a vehicle like that, bring down the hammer?
TROY SLATEN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We probably could. And you know, anyone that is friends with anyone that owns that vehicle could likely call in to
the police, but the police say they`ve exhausted every single tip that they have.
And also, all that that car tells us is that that car was near the church around the time of the incident. It doesn`t mean that that person, whoever
was driving it, had anything to do with this horrible murder.
[20:20:06]GRACE: Well, my goodness! Methinks thou doth protest too much. I hadn`t even gotten to that point yet.
But now that you bring it up, Seema Iyer, why is the car there? Although I have been corrected by Ms. Newman that there is a 24-hour Whataburger
nearby. I don`t know if they`re open on Sunday nights at that time.
But Seema Iyer, I don`t see the problem with a dragnet on every car like this, silver Altima, 2010 to 2012. What`s the problem?
SEEMA IYER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: But nobody seems to know whose car it is. And I think there`s a problem with them not looking at all these fitness
professionals...
GRACE: Who said they didn`t?
IYER: ... that Missy was friends with. They haven`t looked enough because she has all these guy friends who are superfit like her, unlike her
husband, Nancy. Take a look at her husband -- not so fit, OK? And...
GRACE: OK, can I ask you...
IYER: Nancy, you know...
GRACE: ... what fitness has to do with the murder?
IYER: I`ll tell you what. Remember when you were on "Dancing With the Stars?" You and your partner, you develop a relationship through physical
activities, and those are the relationships...
GRACE: Not that kind of relationship, Seema Iyer! don`t even go there!
IYER: I`m just saying, Nancy...
GRACE: OK?
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... my husband and kids because of you blabbing. You know what? Actually, you`re doing this. And you know what I want you to do? This.
IYER: Nancy...
GRACE: OK, you`re this, I want this.
IYER: It`s a legitimate explanation for why Misty...
GRACE: OK, let me understand this!
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Whoa. You`re saying that because her husband is not -- put her up! Because her husband is not as physically fit as she is...
IYER: He`s not. You`ve seen the pictures. You know I`m right.
GRACE: You know what? I don`t want a man that`s a gym rat. I want a man that`s going to work and coming home and taking care of the children when
I`m not there. Boom! What about that?
IYER: Well, that`s you and your dance partner had a very platonic relationship.
GRACE: Why do you keep bringing that up?
IYER: But we don`t know that Missy was in the same situation, Nancy. She had all these men in her life. She went to a fitness conference. She was
diesel (ph). That woman was in ridiculous shape. So...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: I do not want you on my jury, Missy, because I don`t like where you`re -- because she works out...
IYER: You have to look at the why...
GRACE: She`s a big tramp?
IYER: ... of the men that she was acquainting herself with.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:26:24]UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was well known that Bevers taught an early morning fitness camp at Creekside Church of Christ.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The suspect broke into the church before Bevers arrived and roamed the church`s hallways, then assaulted her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who is this cloaked killer, and why Missy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody`s a suspect, OK? Everybody`s a suspect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers, Troy Slaten and Seema Iyer. You know, Seema, we can all -- can I please see them? We can all see you when you`re doing
quoties (ph).
IYER: Yes.
GRACE: OK? So when you talk about her and her male workout partners...
IYER: Yes.
GRACE: You know what? It`s amazing that in this day, at time and date in this generation, people still judge women because they are in a typically
male milieu and naturally assume that there is some kind of hot and heavy romance.
But to your point -- oh, just hold the eyeroll. Remember you`re doing this, and I want this, OK?
Robyn Walensky and Chris Spargo -- Robyn, she does have one leg to stand on. And that is that the cops, Robyn Walensky, in their search warrant
reveal that there are intimate relationships outside the marriage. We don`t know who.
WALENSKY: The police confirm, Nancy, that either she was having an affair, the husband was having an affair or both of them were having an affair. We
don`t have the exact details on it.
GRACE: Or had, had.
WALENSKY: In the past, correct.
GRACE: For all I know, it could have been two or three years ago. And let me just point out one more thing to the rabid defense attorneys. It`s very
easy to toss off -- not that I have time to do it, but there`s a big difference in throwing -- yes, consult your notes, Seema. I can see you --
responding to somebody`s flirty e-mail, OK? That doesn`t mean you`re going to go meet them at the motel down the street. That takes about 15 seconds
to send that e-mail.
SLATEN: But it means you should look at them, though.
IYER: There you go.
GRACE: It means what?
SLATEN: It means they should all be looked at, though. It means you shouldn`t just...
GRACE: Well, of course they should.
SLATEN: ... Oh, all these people, you know, are cleared, as the police have been saying...
GRACE: Of course they`re looking at them...
SLATEN: ... which I think police may be saying that...
GRACE: ... which leads me -- OK, Troy, you`re right. There. You happy? You`re right. They should be looked at.
And to you, Ben Levitan. One of the things that need to be looked at -- I`m sure the cops have already done it -- is that creepy -- so-called
creepy LinkedIn message. It`s really hard for me to believe, Ben Levitan, telecommunications expert out of Raleigh, that some guy is sending her
creepy LinkedIn messages, and now they can`t find them. And she`s dead. How`s that?
BEN LEVITAN, TELECOMMUNICATIONS EXPERT (via telephone): Well, Nancy, the police can go to LinkedIn. All they need is the first and last name of the
member or their LinkedIn profile. From that, they can get 24 months of information on that account holder, all of their accounts, all their
contacts, all their messages.
GRACE: Well, I don`t understand, Ben...
LEVITAN: They did not find that, Nancy. I`ve got to believe that she had another LinkedIn account that nobody knew about. Without knowing that
account...
GRACE: I don`t understand what you`re saying. They can`t find that on her iPhone?
LEVITAN: No, she must have used another device. Apparently, if she`s having affairs, maybe she set up a whole new persona that nobody knows
about...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... she showed this -- what is it with you people and the affairs? The woman may have one indiscretion in her life, and that`s all any of you
want to talk about!
[20:30:06] You know, I understand from Seema Iyer, but Ben Levitan, really? Your expertise is telecommunications, not female sensuality. All right? So
let`s get back to LinkedIn.
BEN LEVITAN, TELECOMMUNICATIONS EXPERT: Nancy, I know nothing about women, believe me.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: LinkedIn. LinkedIn, OK? So, how can they not have a record of a chat?
(CROSSTALK)
LEVITAN: There must be another account.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s not a very normal-minded person.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got dressed into a uniform.
KEVIN JOHNSON, MIDLOTHIAN POLICE DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT CHIEF OF POLICE: She was inside the church not realizing the intruder was already inside.
She was murdered inside of the church.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If I knew who the killer was ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The person has a very distinct walk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`d arrest them myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Tonight, the hunt for the blond gym killer. Breaking right now, tonight, in a stunning twist, the path cleared for the alleged blond gym
killer with a bond so low she can hock her car and walk free. The whole thing caught on tape by the "Houston Chronicle."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VERONICA ERIN STALEY, CHARGED WITH KILLING HER EX-BOYFRIEND: ... coming at you (BLEEP) you!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was a lot of screaming and cursing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... waited for an hour outside a gym in Houston to kill the man she was dating.
STALEY: You`ll never, ever have your baby!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... throwing a big fit over him trying to leave.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She`s accused of shooting and pistol-whipping Aljosa Memovic.
Witness reported a woman running away from the scene in pink workout clothes and then driving away in a black car.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: It just keeps getting worse. This woman is charged with luring her ex who broke up with her to a parking lot, waiting for him, lying in wait
over an hour, and then when he shows up, chasing him down, shooting him dead multiple times as he begged for his life and pistol-whipping the guy
in the face with the butt of her revolver.
But tonight, we`re learning a lot more about her. In the last hours, we find out a courthouse officer -- not even a judge -- gives her such a low
bond you can shoot somebody dead in the parking lot in this jurisdiction and just hock your car and walk free?
She can get out on as little as $5,000. Yeah. Why? Why? But take a look at what we`ve learned about Veronica Erin Staley.
Let`s see that video we managed to pull up. There you go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Now, that is some workout. As she`s working out, Jeffrey Boney with the "Houston Forward Times," why should this girl get a low bond? Who did
that?
JEFFREY BONEY, "HOUSTON FORWARD TIMES" ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Man, it`s baffling to many people down here in the "Greater Houston" area.
But what I will say is she has one hell of a memory except for when it comes to murder. Because during the interview with police officers,
prosecutors said that Staley admitted to being in the parking lot in the car, admitted to what she had on as far as her clothing, but couldn`t quite
remember shooting Memovic and doing it in a manner in which she did it in the parking lot.
GRACE: Well, she is saying she doesn`t remember a thing. I guess somebody else must have killed the guy while she happened to lure him into the
parking lot for lunch.
But what I`m not understanding, Matt Zarrell, is why she`s got a bond -- all she`s got to do is hock her car and she can walk out. That`s so low.
I mean, was the family there? Did they have any notice? Was Al`s family there when this bond hearing went down? (Inaudible) have first question.
MATT ZARRELL, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: I don`t believe they were, Nancy. But what we know is that the bond amounts are set on a bond schedule.
What happens is that all the district court judges get together every year and decide what charges get which bonds.
GRACE: So the family wasn`t even there for the bond hearing, Matt Zarrell? Hold on. Here is more of the so-called blond gym killer. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STALEY: Hey girlfriend it ain`t your ticker Seems you got yourself a broken picker You got to sit back and look at the bigger picture Check out the way he treats his mama and his little sister Because if you don`t like a girl that`s what you`re in for.
I`ll be your heroine I`m the hero of this story I`ll be your sexy baby, poppy flower, morning glory.
I found all the stuff you hid around my house So you could say You were my spouse After you had me dead and buried You say we`d have gotten married.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Oh, yeah. State`s exhibit number 1. Unleash the lawyers, Troy Slaten, L.A.; Seema Iyer, New York.
All right, Seema, if you can look at your monitor and check out the fan dance. All this is from her "Just a Girl", YouTube site.
Did you hear that part that she recorded about we were going to be married ...
SEEMA IYER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes.
GRACE: ... dead and buried ...
IYER: Right.
GRACE: ... have your baby.
IYER: Sure.
GRACE: Well, it didn`t work out. The next thing you know he`s dead in the parking lot and bleeding out, Seema Iyer.
IYER: Nancy, I`m surprised that you don`t have more sympathy for this young ladies who clearly is in the middle of some kind of psychotic breakdown.
GRACE: No.
[20:40:00] IYER: So maybe we should just think about that before we get too judgmental on this young lady.
GRACE: OK. You know, you can talk about her having a psychotic break all you want to, but the reality is, Troy Slaten, she planned this out very
carefully and I don`t know what she was still angry about since he broke up with her at least two years ago.
But she gunned him down in cold blood in a parking lot then pistol-whipped him in the face, then tells police she doesn`t remember what happened, troy
Slaten.
Yeah, I`m not feeling very sympathetic for her right now, her and her fan dance.
TROY SLATEN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, maybe she was having some sort of psychotic break, and that`s why she doesn`t remember.
But all these videos really look to me, Nancy, like you`re trying to engage in slut shaming that somehow because a woman is ...
(CROSSTALK)
SLATEN: ... accepting herself ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Wait. Put him up.
SLATEN: ... and exercising that ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Put him up.
SLATEN: ... you know, that she`s somehow a bad person because she`s dancing in that way?
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: You are barking up the wrong tree, Slaten. This is about murder. This is not about what she may or may have done in the past. Don`t care.
What I care about is proving this murder and making sure the right person goes behind bars. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STALEY: Sorry, my (inaudible) are so horny Pretty petals you adore me Yellow rose of Texas baby I`m a (BLEEP) classy lady Coming at you (BLEEP) you pay me
I`ll never ever have your baby!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[20:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Superstar professional wrestler Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka`s girlfriend found dead of horrific and multiple blows to her head.
But tonight, the wrestling legend`s defense? I`ve done too much cocaine, and I`ve been hit in the head too many times. I just don`t remember.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Long-time wrestling legend who earned a place in the WWE Hall of Fame, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka ...
... shoving Nancy Argentina causing her to fall and hit her head and was found gasping for air in her Allentown Motel room. She died a day later. An
autopsy determined she died of a traumatic brain injury.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Before I get into Superfly`s illustrious wrestling career, I`m more interested in the autopsy report of his girlfriend, Nancy Argentino.
She is found dying, according to him, in their hotel room with yellow mucus pouring out of her mouth and nose and he has given, that I know of, seven
different versions about how Nancy died.
Now, what I`ve got in my hand, Dr. Michelle DuPre, Forensic Pathologist out of Columbia, and I want to try and be succinct because medical terms and
medical terminology can be very, very confusing, Dr. DuPre, but -- or to the rest of us, anyway.
But to my understanding, this woman had multiple blows to her head. That`s why she died, correct?
DR. MICHELLE DUPRE, FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST: Yes, Nancy, and from complications of that, from aspirational bronchopneumonia, which is not
uncommon. And has a very ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: What does that mean? Because it`s my understanding she had these injuries to her head at least 12 hours before she was found, which places
him with her. He went to go do a wrestling taping.
Says he was with her. He goes to do a taping, comes back and finds her in this shape. But even in his own timeline, he would have been with her.
Now, in those 12 hours, do you start getting mucus and fluid buildup in your lungs?
DUPRE: Yes, Nancy, you can. Oftentimes that is from head injury, from trauma. It can also be from severe blows to the head, which may cause
seizures.
And then you get this aspiration or basically vomit, and you choke on that. And that is where that aspiration comes from.
That is a very significantly high terminal cause of death especially in cases like this.
GRACE: And all this time it says right here in the autopsy, that this is domestic homicide. This must be investigated as domestic homicide.
And now he jumps up and says, I`ve done too many steroids and too many lines of cocaine. I`ve been hit in the head too many times and I don`t
remember what happened?
I mean, what I want to find out, Michael Christian, isn`t it true that he has given about seven different stories about how Nancy died including that
he pushed her and she hit her head on cement, that she fell out of the bed in the hotel room when he hit her head, and he was so worried.
He was watching to see if she was breathing. But he went to the T.V. show, anyway. Aren`t those two of his many, many stories?
MICHAEL CHRISTIAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Yeah, Nancy. Many of them are similar. They involve her falling and hitting her head or him pushing her
and hitting her head. He also says, though, in virtually every version, that she was fine when he left for the taping.
[20:50:00] GRACE: Whoa. Whoa. Put him up. Put him up. Still don`t see him. Where is Michael Christian?
Michael Christian, you said "virtually" every statement. Number one, let`s just start with this, Michael Christian. I mean, you`ve -- this ain`t your
first time around the block, OK?
When somebody gives seven different stories, there is something wrong. When you`re the last person with the dead body and you`re the one that finds the
dead body, you said "virtually" every version, he said she was fine when he went to tape his wrestling.
CHRISTIAN: That`s right.
GRACE: "Virtually." But there are versions where he said she had fallen, running across the Interstate to go to the bathroom ...
CHRISTIAN: Yeah.
GRACE: ... that he pushed her and she hit her head on cement, that she fell out of the bed and hit her head, and he was worried she couldn`t even
breathe.
In at least three of those stories -- and I`m not an investigator on the case. But even I know three of his stories, Michael Christian. He says, she
was not well when he left. In fact, he was afraid she couldn`t breathe.
CHRISTIAN: The ones I read, Nancy, she was breathing fine when he left. He was not worried about her. It is when he comes back that he realizes there
are big problems here. And she was still alive ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: OK, let me ...
(CROSSTALK)
CHRISTIAN: ... when he got back.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... direct you to this document outlining his multiple stories, Michael Christian. Hold on. I`m being joined now by Del Wilkes, former pro
wrestler with the WWF/WCW, who knew Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka during their time together.
Del Wilkes, thank you for being with us.
DEL WILKES, WWF/WCW FORMER PRO WRESTLER: Thank you for having me, Nancy.
GRACE: I want to talk about "Superfly," the person. What could you tell me about him? And what do you make of his -- there`s Del Wilkes in the ring
being awesome. What can you tell me about his claims that he`s had so many blows to the head, he just can`t remember?
WILKES: Well, I`ll start with the first question you asked me. What do I know about Jimmy Snuka and my relationship with him?
When this happened in `83, I was still in college. I didn`t get the break into the wrestling business. I broke in, in `87 and wrestled until 2000. My
career ended because of a severe injury.
But over those 14 years, and even up until just about a year and a half ago, I`ve been around Jimmy on many occasions and I`ve always found Jimmy
to be a very gentle, nice, kind, decent man, very soft-spoken, very respectful, very considerate, and sometimes very shy.
Now, I didn`t know Jimmy in `83 so I can`t speak to what happened in `83, but I can only tell you about the Jimmy that I`ve been around. I`ve never
seen anything in any way, shape, or form that would ever give me any indication there was a (inaudible) side to Jimmy. I`m not saying that
couldn`t have happened but I`ve never seen that.
[20:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The WWE Hall of Fame, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... to announce the charges of third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Nancy`s death a homicide.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don`t give up hope because eventually something good will happen from it and you can get justice. You just have to pursue it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Justice delayed, justice denied. Charges not brought against the wrestling superstar because he`s famous? Solomon Jones, WURD.
Solomon, even the autopsy says this is domestic homicide. Why weren`t charges brought? Because he is a famous wrestling star?
SOLOMON JONES, WURD RADIO MORNING HOST: You know, it is interesting because the detectives said that they didn`t have enough evidence at the time to
bring charges.
They clearly, you know, heard him say several different stories as you alluded to earlier and they taped the interview with him, but recently the
detectives said they can`t find the tape.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Oh, dear Lord in heaven!
(CROSSTALK)
JONES: ... and a homicide is wrong.
GRACE: To Dr. Greg Cason, Psychologist. Greg, now, you and I know that doing too many lines of cocaine and steroids is not a defense under the
law. But what do you make of the repeated blows to the head? He is trying to claim he is incompetent to stand trial.
DR. GREG CASON, PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, that is true. Repeated blows to the head can cause vascular dementia that can cause memory loss. So, I`ll give
it to him there.
But I would not give it to him in the sense that he just wrote an autobiography, Nancy, in 2012. In 2013 and years after, he was promoting
that autobiography and talking about this incident, and he had clear memory of this incident.
If you look, you can see all kinds of sites on YouTube that actually show him doing that. So his reports of vascular or any kind of dementia or
memory-forgetting are not substantiated with the patterns that you see when he is actually shown in real life.
GRACE: And not only that, Dr. Cason. You`re saying he just wrote the autobiography about himself. That`s true. And not only that, he was still
making wrestling appearances up until the last -- this last year. Not in the ring, of course, but P.R. appearances.
So, how could he do that if he has got dementia?
CASON: Right. And what you would see is him being confused and dazed and it would come and go and it would be unpredictable. You wouldn`t see him
suddenly perk up for a meeting and then power down.
And the fact that even other reports show him being able to find his car and his own way home. Someone with dementia just can`t do this, or at least
advanced dementia.
So I really have doubts that he has advanced dementia, although he may have some signs of early dementia that are happening.
GRACE: Everyone, let`s stop and remember, American hero Arizona Police Officer David Glasser, killed in the line of duty at 35. Phoenix Police
Neighborhood Enforcement, dedicated to community saving lives and an organ donor. Widow, Kristen; two children. David Glasser, American hero.
"Forensic Files" next. Thanks to our guests but 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 night, friend.
[21:00:00]
END
