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Nancy Grace
U.S. Airports on Alert. Aired 8-9p ET
Aired June 29, 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, terror in the terminal, quote, "blood and body parts everywhere, the terrifying moments three suspected
ISIS bombers blow themselves up in an airport terminal, 41 dead, 239 injured.
Tonight, America`s airport security on high alert. Which airport is the next target?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barrage of gunfire followed by explosions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Huge explosion, and I knew immediately it was a bomb.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is one of the busiest airports in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A horrifying scene of carnage and destruction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People were running around. They were all covered in blood.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shattered glass, collapsed ceilings, blood on the floor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s the second deadly bombing in recent months at busy airports.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A young up-and-coming FSU law professor gunned down in the family`s upscale neighborhood there in the driveway to their two-story family home.
And tonight, new clues emerging. Was the execution-style killing actually part of a murder-for-hire plot set in motion by a bitter divorce?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A terrible tragedy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: FSU law professor Dan Markell (ph)...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shot at his Tallahassee home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gunned down at his own home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gunshot wound to the head.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I watch as Markell leaves the gym. He gets back into his car and drives off. But look closer. What seems to be that same car
follows him out of the lot. Police say inside that car, the man accused of killing him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Good evening. I`m Nancy Grace. I want to thank you for being with us.
Bombshell tonight. Terror in the terminal, quote, "blood and body parts everywhere," the terrifying moment three suspected ISIS bombers blow
themselves up in an airport terminal, 41 dead, 239 injured. Tonight, America`s airport security on high alert. Which airport is the next
target? This as airport security in the United States under fire.
Straight out to Nima Elbagir. Nima, thank you for being with us, CNN senior international correspondent joining us from Ataturk airport. Nima,
what exactly happened? How did the bombings occur, starting at the beginning?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, and I think this is what`s very scary for a lot of those law enforcement officials both in the
States and around the world.
Ataturk is actually one of the most secured airports out there. (INAUDIBLE) There isn`t actually a lot that is wrong with their security
set-up, and that really gives you a sense of how sophisticated and complex this attack was.
It started at the vulnerable parameter (sic). So you have the drop-off points. That`s not somewhere you`d have a lot of security in any airport
in the world. That`s where this attack started.
They opened fire, and while officers returned fire -- and they managed to hold those police officers off for quite some time -- the first attacker...
GRACE: Right.
ELBAGIR: ... detonated his bomb. Two more ran in to the arrivals (INAUDIBLE) You can still see some of the bullet holes in the glass at the
arrivals...
GRACE: Hold on, Nima. Joining me is CNN senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir. You`re breaking up on me.
I want to show the video of what Nima is talking about right now. To attacker one. Look at this video -- pulling out an AK-47, running into the
arrival area of the airport. He`s down! He takes a hit from a police officer, and right there, you see him struggling down with a -- one
gunshot, but he`s still alive. He`s trying to pull a bomb. He`s trying to detonate a bomb that he has strapped to his body. Now, he runs in to --
there you go. He detonates.
I want to go to attacker number two. Now, first about attacker one. He enters the departure hall while taking his AK-47 out. You can see him
pulling it out. A police officer sees this and shoots him. He falls on the ground, struggles and ultimately blows himself up.
Now, this is attacker two. This is -- first there are screams at the arrival hall. People begin running. Shooting begins. The shooter then
panics and blows up before getting to the security gate, before he passes the security gate at the entrance.
[20:05:12]Warning, the video you`re seeing is graphic, purportedly showing bodies on the street before an explosion. He didn`t get far, but he got
far enough.
Now, here, attacker number three, the third attacker blowing himself up outside the entrance arrival hall at one of the most busiest, the most
busiest airports in the world. And there you can see people down on the ground. The third attacker we just showed you.
Now, it gets worse. Panic takes over. Take a look at what we`re showing you. This is actual video of what occurred with the three suicide bombers.
Now we move on to the next video. There you see outside the hall. Attacker three explodes himself at the entrance. Here you see everyone --
they know something`s up. Everyone`s going one way. Keep watching. Now, they know they`re going the wrong way, and they take off running.
There are -- there goes -- there goes the bomb. And see this poor person, obviously hit, trying to run. They fall. They fall. They can`t go any
further, the one woman trying to help the other, the other person after they have fallen. The AK-47 shooter about to emerge, the Ataturk airport
ground floor. There you can see where everything went down, debris and bodies seen in photos at the entrances.
What we are realizing is that the way this bombing occurred, every U.S. airport is at risk!
Joining me right now, Rene Marsh, CNN aviation correspondent. Rene, every U.S. airport is on high alert and is under -- is in danger. Could you
explain to me the most vulnerable spots at Ataturk?
RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can tell you this. If you talk to any security expert, they will tell you where the security line ends is
where the vulnerability begins. So you know, we have been talking about this airport, one of the busiest there, in the world. The foot traffic is
-- is -- makes it such a target, and they do have really good security.
But the problem is the perimeter. And so whenever you have this great security at the checkpoint, that`s great, but that`s that vulnerability
before you get to the checkpoint. We do understand at this particular airport, there are officers who may be...
GRACE: Right.
MARSH: ... patrolling the perimeter. But Nancy, again, if you talk to anyone, no matter where that line is, there`s going to be a vulnerability
outside of it.
GRACE: Right.
MARSH: And that`s what we saw here.
GRACE: I`m hearing in my ear we are being joined right now by Will Carter, the airport attack witness. Will, thank you for being with us.
WILL CARTER, ISTANBUL AIRPORT ATTACK WITNESS (via telephone): Thank you, Nancy.
GRACE: I`m just so sorry for what you`ve been through and what so many people have gone through after this airport attack. Will, why were you at
the airport?
CARTER: (INAUDIBLE) Istanbul (INAUDIBLE) taking a connecting flight there. I was -- I`m an aid (ph) worker. I was leaving Afghanistan and coming back
through Istanbul to Europe.
GRACE: Tell me, Will, when you first realized something was horribly wrong.
CARTER: Well, I mean, we have -- I was in the baggage collection area downstairs. We heard one large explosion. It sounded like it was outside.
I was pretty alert at this stage (INAUDIBLE) the other ground staff, at least where I was. (INAUDIBLE) second explosion (INAUDIBLE) an attack on
the facility.
GRACE: Will Carter, a witness to the deadly airport attacks. What exactly did you see, Will? What was the first thing you saw?
CARTER: Well, I mean, it was really two explosions. We felt the shock waves come through. There were large blasts. It felt very (INAUDIBLE)
above us, I find out later. The first thing I saw, though, is the flash and the boggle (ph) from the first explosion as it came through.
(INAUDIBLE) I was just (INAUDIBLE) 50 meters away, 100 meters away at the baggage collection area just before you walk through the area.
GRACE: What part of this attack is sticking with you? What is the image, the most vivid image of it in your mind?
[20:10:00]CARTER: I mean, that explosion when it (INAUDIBLE) struck and the debris from the ceiling came through. There was a lot of panic at that
point. I gripped (ph) one of the ground staff and asking, screaming, really, Where`s the emergency exit? But I mean, the problem with a secured
facility is there`s really nowhere to run. It`s not got lots of exits around the place. And at that point in time, we didn`t know if there was
going to be a fourth or more attackers coming through. So we just had to run back further into the terminal, got ultimately into a dead end and hope
and pray.
GRACE: Will Carter joining us, a witness who lived through this deadly airport attack. Will, did you believe that you could have died? Did you
believe you were going to die?
CARTER: It was definitely -- I was in survival mode (INAUDIBLE) Myself and about 40 other passengers (INAUDIBLE) restricted staff area. It was still
closed off, but it`s a bit further inside. And we were terrified at that point. Everyone was very anxious. We didn`t know if there`d still be
follow-on attacks.
At some point, I -- I called my family to tell them that I love them very dearly, if that gives you an indication.
GRACE: Joining me is the witness to the deadly airport attack. Will Carter is joining us. You said that you wanted to reach your family to
tell them that you love them. Did you reach them?
CARTER: I did, yes. In the beginning, it was -- seemed to be quiet. We didn`t -- and we shuffled (ph) in through a side door, and a quick phone
call and then text messages for the first hour. And yes, I reached them. I was grateful. I reached a few other people that I knew I wanted to tell
that I was in this situation. And yes, so I managed to reach them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:16:14]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard a blast. It was a big blast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bombings and shooting rampage at one of the world`s busiest airports.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just pandemonium, people out on the floor, people coming out, you know, holding rags to their head, holding cuts to their
arms.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Passengers who took off before the attack landed, greeted by the relief and the concern of their loved ones.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m shaking, but I`m relieved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: 41 dead, 239 injured at a deadly airport massacre. The U.S. airports now taking a look at themselves. Which airport is the next
target? As we head into the July 4th weekend, what, if anything, is TSA doing to stop another airport attack?
Straight out to special guest joining me, Peter Brookes, national security expert with the Heritage Foundation, former deputy assistant defense
secretary. Peter, thank you for being with us again.
I travel a great deal, more than I want to, and I`m always struck with what is going on in American airports. After this deadly attack, do you really
think it`s a wakeup call for TSA? Are they going to do anything differently, or is it just business as usual, like it always is?
PETER BROOKES, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Well, I certainly hope not. I mean, obviously, we want to learn the lessons from this terrible tragedy in
Turkey.
The challenge, as your earlier correspondent mentioned, Nancy, is, is that, you know, how far out can you push security? I mean, this happened outside
of the secure area of the airport. This happened right practically curbside, as we talk about in the United States.
So the challenge is here to have the intelligence, the law enforcement capabilities to prevent somebody from actually undertaking this act. I
mean, previous attacks in the United States took place at a club. It took place at a workplace and other things. So we`ve done pretty well in
preventing another 9/11-style attack. But once you get outside of that secure zone of the airport, it becomes increasingly difficult.
GRACE: Joining me right now, another special guest, in addition to Peter Brookes, is -- we`re calling him Roy, former security agent with El Al.
Roy, El Al seems to have it all figured out. What is the problem with the U.S. airports?
ROY, FMR. SECURITY AGENT EL AL AIRLINES (via telephone): Well -- Hi, Nancy. I think there are many problems. But first of all, I don`t think
El Al has completely figured it out. I think, you know, over the years and being, you know, the airline that says the country where, you know, a lot
of bad things happen, unfortunately, El Al had to grow and become what it is today and have pretty tight security protocols that, you know, serve...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Such as what? I know you say El Al doesn`t have it all figured out, but the security within Israel is really beyond compare. What do they
do that the U.S. doesn`t do?
ROY: Well, to begin with, the approach is different. El Al used to be a government-controlled airline, and the security services of Israel are
responsible for managing, you know, the security protocols and executing the protection of passengers. I think Peter touches a very good point that
the secure zone in the U.S. is just very, very small and it`s just not enough.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Hold on. Break it down. Roy, you are a former security agent with El Al. The rest of us are civilians. When you say the security point, the
security area is very small, what do you mean by that?
ROY: So you know, having TSA check you as you go through and make sure that you don`t carry a knife or you don`t have a bomb strapped on you is
not going stop the next attack, unfortunately. I mean, this is great (INAUDIBLE) but it`s not going to stop the next attack, as Turkey`s just,
you know, adjustment to that.
[20:20:12]We need to extend the boundaries of where security is being taken care of. And I`m talking about all the way up to creating a better robust
intelligence platform that, you know, works day and night to identify the next potential attack. And from there, you go into the perimeter of the
airport, way outside the perimeter.
You know, I spoke to somebody on your show before, and I said, you know, if you drive on the I-95 south, I can show to you within 30 seconds at least
five or seven sensitive points where, you know, terrorists could just stand and with a simple RPG take an airplane down.
These areas are not being secured. It`s just not something that is an -- is part of the protocol of the U.S. when it comes to protecting airports.
It`s just wrong. It`s just not the way (INAUDIBLE)
GRACE: Well, let me ask you this. Roy is joining us, former security agent with El Al airline. Israel has some of the top security in the
world. You don`t see this type of attack there. Why? What is different about them than in the U.S.? What are they doing right? What are we doing
wrong?
Roy, for instance, you mentioned intelligence. Are you referring to the passengers that get on the plane? Is there a more detailed background
search on them? Are they held? Are they checked out more in depth before they get on that plan than the typical U.S. passenger?
ROY: The entire training protocol is built on -- the El Al, the Israeli, you know, security protocol is built on multiple security circles. So it
starts with intelligence, not necessarily, you know, for passengers that come through and check in, but way before that, people that are suspects.
If we take the Orlando massacre, for example, this guy -- everybody knew about him. The FBI interviewed him a few times. Forget the fact that he
did it for different reasons, and you know, he just pledged allegiance to ISIS because it was very convenient for him. He was a guy that should have
been, you know, under scrutiny all the time, 24/7.
I don`t know if, you know, the resources are there, or if this is farfetched, but it`s just a fact that this guy should not have been, you
know -- you know, he shouldn`t have been able to do what he did.
That`s exactly what`s happening in Israel. There`s a lot of people that go through in and out, and these people are being scrutinized sometimes
without their knowledge.
GRACE: Right.
ROY: By the time they get to the airport -- I can promise you that by the time they get to the airport, we -- not me anymore, but El Al and security
agents know everything about them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:26:52]UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Screams, explosions and gunfire.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Triple suicide attack, terror attack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pandemonium and confusion as terrified crowds fled the carnage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were young children, their families and people starting their honeymoons. It`s pretty -- pretty awful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: 41 dead, 239 injured. Could it have been stopped, a deadly airport attack? Which airport is next?
I want to go now to special guest, foreign affairs writer with "The Washington Post" Ishaan Thardor. Ishaan, thank you so much for being with
us. I`d like your analysis of this.
Oh, hold on, Ishaan. We`re showing right now, if you saw the bottom of your screen -- imagine going to the airport for the July 4th holiday and
seeing a guy running through the airport with an AK-47! That is exactly what just happened.
Go ahead, Ishaan.
ISHAAN THARDOR, "WASHINGTON POST": Well, thanks for having me on, Nancy.
GRACE: Yes.
THARDOR: I would offer a few notes of caution before we start worrying about attacks in the U.S. The situation in Turkey is deeply different in
many ways from what we have in the U.S. and the terror threats that do exist in the U.S. The attack in Istanbul on Ataturk airport is, of course,
deeply symbolic. Istanbul is in many ways a crossroads for the Islamic world, and the airport is a huge hub for Europe and the Middle East.
But at the same time, it`s really important to take into mind that the Islamic State -- that is, of course, if the Islamic State is behind this --
has a much more real infrastructure, operational infrastructure in Turkey. It`s operating, as well, on the other side of the border with Turkey, in
Syria and in Iraq. And it has a much deeper reach there. It has a much greater incentive to cause havoc there.
GRACE: I hear you. I hear you. But Mary Schiavo, CNN aviation analyst, former inspector general for the U.S. department of aviation, to say that
that is so different from the U.S. airports -- I hear what Ishaan saying, but it seems to me that TSA has not stepped up any of its protocol. What
can we do, Mary?
MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST (via telephone): Well, Nancy, unfortunately (INAUDIBLE) and you know, the gentleman from El Al, they do
have a different system, but they have one airport and they have a few hundred flights, and we have almost a million passengers a day and almost
500 passenger (ph) service (ph) airports.
Our problem is the TSA has the checkpoint, but then we rely upon state and local authorities to secure the rest of the airport. So unfortunately, the
thing that can make us safest is to extend that perimeter. In the past, we`ve tried to do that, but believe it or not, the American public has
balked because that means putting secure -- more secure entrances further down the airport, perhaps as you`re driving in. And we did that after
September 11, 2001. We even had cars trunk checks.
But that`s what we have to do (ph). We have to get that perimeter security past
[20:30:00] and further on down the line from the TSA. And the TSA doesn`t have jurisdiction outside of its area.
GRACE: Well, speaking of TSA, to Justin Freiman on the story, TSA failed. I mean, they`re shocking.
JUSTIN FREIMAN, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: That`s right, Nancy. You know, 67 out of 70 tests they did, they got things through. They had undercover people
going through them over our biggest airports and they`re getting through with fake bombs taped to their back even through a frisk.
They`re getting through with weapons and other contraband, and this is happening more times than people want to realize. And it`s a dilemma
because they slow down the lines. Now, you`re making people more vulnerable outside of that security perimeter everybody is talking about.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NANCY GRACE, CNN HEADLINE NEWS HOST: Crime-victim-turned-crime-fighter, Hailey Dean, is back in "Murder in the Courthouse."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[20:35:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The unstoppable prosecutor digs in to track down a killer, but could she wind up the next victim? Find out in the third
book in Nancy`s best-selling series.
GRACE: Portions of proceeds go to Help Find Missing Children!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Preorder your copy now on Amazon, barnesandnoble.com and more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: A young up and coming FSU law professor gunned down in the family`s upscale neighborhood. There in the driveway of their split level family
home. Tonight, new clues emerging. Was the execution-style killing actually part of a murder-for-hire that was set in motion by a bitter divorce?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: FSU law professor Dan Markel was gunned down in his own home ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... in wait, shooting him in the side of the head through the window of his car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The window is all bashed in. and he`s got blood all over his head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cut short by a bullet to the head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A light green sedan is driving around switching from parking spot to parking spot. Markel leaves the gym. He gets back into his
car and drives off, but look closer, what seems to be that same car follow him out of the lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That`s from ABC`s GMA "Good Morning America." So, let me understand this. The victim, an up and coming FSU law professor was actually tailed
around town before he`s gunned down in the driveway. Take a listen to the 911 call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 911, what`s the address to your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (REDACTED)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK and tell me exactly what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We heard (REDACTED) looked in, the garage door was up and I thought the gentleman was backing out and I went back to my house,
but he never backed out and I came back over and his driver`s side window is shattered and he`s spattered and can`t answer. He`s inside. I don`t know
if somebody tried to shoot him or if he shot himself or what. I don`t know.
You need to send an ambulance in a hurry, an EMT. He`s still alive. He`s moving.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. What`s going on with him?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know. His driver`s side window is all bashed in and he`s got blood all over his head. He`s not responding to me. I think
you need to hurry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. I`m gonna get them on the way to you. I just want to ask you a few questions, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead, but send them as you`re asking me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir. They`re already on the way, OK? Are you with him now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m standing right outside the garage door.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And is he awake?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s moving his head around, but he`s not responding. I`ve called his name and asked what`s going on -- not call his name, but
asked him what`s happening. He`s not responding to that, but his head is kind of rolling around.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, is he conscious?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: Joining me, Will Dance, host of "The Will Dance Show", WVFT. You know, he apparently is still alive after he`s been shot execution-style
there in the driveway to that home and then dies. I wonder what`s going through his mind as he`s lying there bleeding out, dying.
And now, new evidence emerging to suggest that this is actually part of a murder-for-hire that stems from his bitter, bitter divorce. Will Dance,
what can you tell me about him being tailed all around town before the shooting?
WILL DANCE, "THE WILL DANCE SHOW" 93.3 WVFT HOST: Well, I`ll tell you, Nancy, thanks for having us on. You know, sources close to the
investigation did a great job using camera footage from not only city buses but from the gym where Mr. Markel had been working out to really put
together ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Hold on.. We`re showing that tight now.
DANCE: ... a great ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... right now. Hold on, Will. We`re showing that right now. Take a look. There you see, he`s being tailed all around town. There`s the car.
This video that Will Dance is talking about was taken from a bus. Buses, public buses, a lot of school buses have a video camera on them.
There you see. This car, right there, is following the victim all around town. Back to you, Will Dance, WVFT. Go ahead, Will.
DANCE: Well, like I said, they followed the -- they showed the Prius in question at his gym, moving around different parking places, and they also
show it before the homicide on one particular bus, on a Tallahassee call, Thomas.
And then again after the murder occurred, and it gives a snapshot of that vehicle would have had enough time to go to the Trescott Avenue address,
commit the homicide and then leave the area being caught on that second bus.
[20:40:00] GRACE: Wow. Now, hold on, let`s see the video, Charles, or Liz, there you go.
Here he is -- here he is coming into or going out of his gym. That`s the victim. And apparently, Will Dance, he was followed to the gym as well.
DANCE: Yes. This car had been in town, actually. There`s reports from an apartment complex that backs up to the Markel residence that that vehicle
had been seen the day before the homicide in the parking lot. Two men fitting the description of the two suspects literally casing the area prior
to the homicide.
GRACE: Matt Zarrell, how could this vehicle be connected to Rivera - Luis Rivera or Sigfredo Garcia? How?
MATT ZARRELL, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER: Well, a number of ways. One is surveillance video, because the two of them are seen at an ATM together in
the car right after the murder. One is phone records. It has them going from Miami to Tallahassee and back and the rental car, they proved that
Rivera rented the car.
GRACE: So they`re connected through the rental car, but Matt, that still doesn`t explain to me or the viewer how this is somehow propelled by the
bitter divorce proceedings the professor was going through.
ZARRELL: Yes. So, police documents show that investigators believe the motive for this murder stemmed from the desperate desire of the wife`s
family to relocate the wife and the children to South Florida along with pending court hearings that might have impacted the grandparent`s assets to
their grand children.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[20:45:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... terrible tragedy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The FSU law professor, Dan Markel ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... shot at his Tallahassee home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... gunned down in his own home ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... gunshot wound to the head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... watch as Markel leaves the gym. He gets back into his car and drives off, but look closer. What seems to be that same car
follows him out of the lot. Police say inside that car, the men accused of killing him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRACE: That is from ABC GMA "Good Morning America." OK, Will Dance, I went to Matt Zarrell, I got the load on, on how they tracked that car back to
two guys who had absolutely nothing to do with the bride or her family, or do they?
Will Dance with me from WVFT, new evidence emerging to suggest that this young law professor was actually murdered as a result of an acrimonious
divorce proceeding. Will Dance, how can these two guys who have never met the victim, be connected to the wife`s family?
DANCE: Well, according to the investigators close to the investigation, there is phone records that place Garcia`s mother -- Garcia, one of the
suspects in this trial, the mother of his children, she goes by the last name of Magbanua, has --there`s records that show that the brother, Charles
of Wendi, the wife, or ex-wife of Dan Markel, the brother had been in contact with the mother of Garcia`s children multiple times leading up to
the murder and he made no bones and is not a fan of Dan. He was not a fan of the ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Got it.
DANCE: ... the custody and ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Got it. So, what we`re talking -- what we`re talking about, joining me right now, in addition to Will Dance, is Jim Lewis, attorney, very well
known in his jurisdiction of Miami.
Jim Lewis, attorney for one of the guys pictured in that car that`s been tailing the professor all over town. Jim Lewis, welcome.
We`re talking about not just several calls. I`m talking about nearly 3,000, 3,000 -- 2700, phone calls between the parties involved leading up to the
murder and then suddenly as soon as the killing went down, not a single phone call. Jim Louis, how can you explain all those phone calls?
JIM LEWIS, ATTORNEY FOR SIGFREDO GARCIA: Well, Nancy, first of all, good evening. Nancy, that`s simply my client, Sigfredo Garcia, calling the
mother of his children. These were over a period of months that he was making these phone calls. It`s not anything related to a murder.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Uh-huh. OK. Then ...
LEWIS: I`m hearing all this speculation ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: ... what, on the day of the murder, Jim, did he suddenly lose interest in his children? Because as soon as the professor is gunned down
in the driveway of the home, suddenly there`s no more phone calls. What happened?
LEWIS: The information is going to be he probably had multiple phones that he used. People change cell phones.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Ohh. Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute. Your client uses multiple cell phones? That`s interesting.
LEWIS: Doesn`t everybody in this day and age?
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: No.
LEWIS: We do here in South Florida.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Not that I know of. I`ll tell you what, I`d like to find out if my husband is using multiple cell phones. I certainly would. OK. Maybe I`ll
hire you to find that out for me, Jim Lewis. So let me ask you this.
(CROSSTALK)
LEWIS: All right. But you know that this is the last ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Forget about the cell phone.
(CROSSTALK)
LEWIS: ... speculation about what my client`s ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Forget about the cell phone. Why is your guy in a car following the murder victim around town for 48 hours?
LEWIS: Well, he`s not. Nobody puts him in Tallahassee.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Can I see that picture, please?
LEWIS: they put him I that car when he`s back here in Broward County at Pembroke Pines and a bank video with a friend that he knows as Luis Rivera.
That`s where he`s in the car. He`s not in the car with him in Tallahassee ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Is that where he lives?
LEWIS: He lives here in South Florida.
GRACE: Does he live in Pembroke Pines?
LEWIS: I think it`s Miami area, but for some reason there`s a bank that apparently Mr. Rivera was doing some banking business.
(CROSSTALK)
[20:50:00] GRACE: I bet he was.
LEWIS: And then you see the two of them on the bank ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: I bet he had to make a little deposit.
LEWIS: Well, I`m sure the government knows that. But you know, the police, the Tallahassee police, the state attorney`s office, they don`t want to
tell us anything about this case.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: I`m sure you`re going to take advantage of discovery with your reputation ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Unleash the lawyers, Robin Ficker, Carissa Kranz. Robin Ficker, Maryland; Carissa Kranz, multi-state lawyer. OK, Ficker, what`s your
defense? Why are they tailing the victim for two days straight?
ROBIN FICKER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I don`t think there`s a good reason. I think they need to -- the prosecutors need to make a deal with this bright
attorney you`ve been talking with and pin it on the people -- family members that went after this poor guy that was shot dead.
GRACE: Well, obviously, the family members are not in that car, Carissa.
CARISSA KRANZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We still don`t have enough evidence, Nancy. We have -- everything that we have is circumstantial. We have no ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Why do you always say that? Circumstantial, circumstantial -- because you know, Ficker, yes, she`s right it`s circumstantial evidence,
but many cases have been proven on circumstantial evidence. Is that the best you two got for me? Because I can chew that up and spit it right back
at you. That means nothing to me, circumstantial evidence.
(CROSSTALK)
KRANZ: Go ahead.
FICKER: They`re going to be checking the phone records, they`re going to be checking the bank deposits, they`re going to check the money trail, the
telecommunications trail. They`re hot on the tail, hot on the trail.
GRACE: OK. That`s not really a defense, but I`m going to go with that. Ben Levitan, following up on what Ficker and Kranz are saying, Ben Levitan,
telecommunications expert out of Raleigh, what do you make of it, Ben?
BEN LEVITAN, TELECOMMUNICATIONS EXPERT: Nancy, these two suspects could not have left more digital evidence if they tried. The suspects of both phones,
the phones of both suspects travel from Miami to Tallahassee together and back.
On top of that, they rent a car, Nancy. Unbeknownst to them, I guess, every rental car in the U.S. as a GPS tracking device in it. The phone records
match the GPS tracking in the rental car. On top of that, they have got a SunPass. That`s one of those things that get you an automatic pass on the
toll booths in Florida. The SunPass takes a picture of the car, that`s the third one. Then there`s video from the ATM camera.
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Ooh. That`s right about the SunPass, Jim Lewis. I can`t wait to hear you explain your client in this car with a SunPass that tracks him going
all over Florida, including where the professor is gunned down.
[20:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRACE: Tonight, new clues emerging regarding the execution-style murder of a young FSU law professor, leaving behind their little children. Why?
You know, what`s interesting is that one of the two alleged perps rats out your client, Jim Lewis. Rivera tells the police that your client and he
were in that location because they were looking at the FSU campus. What, is your client going back to school, Jim?
LEWIS: Well, I don`t think that`s exactly what`s going to come out. There were reasons, and I`m not going to say that they are legitimate reasons for
them being in Tallahassee, but they had nothing to do with this murder. This whole case, there`s no physical evidence linking my client, there is
no statements, there is no eye witnesses, there`s just a lot of conjecture by the Tallahassee Police Department because ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Hold on. There, you`re saying the why.
(CROSSTALK)
LEWIS: ... so much pressure in this case ...
(CROSSTALK)
GRACE: Wendi.
LEWIS: ... they just got it wrong, Nancy. They got it wrong.
GRACE: The wife, Wendi, is not a suspect but tonight, we`re learning there is a theory that this killing is somehow linked to their very bitter
divorce.
To Dr. Ken Redcross, board-certified internal medicine, concierge doctor, joining me out of New York, Dr. Redcross, you heard from the 9911 call he
lived for a period of time. He knew he was bleeding out and dying.
DR. KEN REDCROSS, BOARD-CERTIFIED INTERNAL MEDICINE: Yeah. And that`s the terrible part about this, Nancy, because the fact that it sounds like he
was shot in the head, I don`t know if it was one or two times but it was actually amazing that he was still able to almost have a bit of lucidity.
It looks like he was still kind of moaning and moving around from his neighbor. So, unfortunately, it sounds like he may have also suffered but
it was absolutely amazing that he was actually able to at least be there with us a little bit.
GRACE: Dr. Chloe Carmichael, clinical psychologist out of New York is with us. Dr. Chloe, I don`t understand it. I mean, the wife is not a suspect but
now, there`s a theory that her family may be linked to this?
DR. CHLOE CARMICHAEL, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Yes, Nancy, that`s right. And it is a very unusual situation. What can happen sometimes is that
relationships can get polarized. So, if the wife, for example, was really, really passive because her soon-to-be-ex-husband is a legal scholar, her
family may have felt extra mobilized to step in, in the divorce which obviously turned into a tragedy.
GRACE: Let`s remember American hero, Marine Corporal John Stalvey, just 22, Brunswick, Georgia. Marine Corps achievement medial. Loved sculpting and
the outdoors. Parents, Billy and Crystal. Brother, Matthew; sister, Cristen. John Stalvey, American hero.
And good night from star intern, Agatha. Isn`t she beautiful?
Everyone, thank you for being with us tonight, inviting us into your homes. 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
