Guest: Jason Wiser, Angie Wiser, Eugene Meyer, Jim Farlow, Steven Huff Vito Colucci, Arlene Ellis Schipper, Judi Gaiser, Simone Weichselbaum, Laurel Harris
RITA COSBY, HOST: Good evening, everybody. Tonight, amazing video of the tornadoes that ravaged the Midwest and South. You‘re going to meet a survivor who caught the monster storm right on tape.
And is someone spreading vicious lies about Natalee Holloway across the island of Aruba? We‘ll tell you why it could be very damaging to the case.
But first, an all points bulletin under way right now for two convicted killers on the run. They‘re believed to be armed and dangerous. The hunt goes on for 34-year-old Martin Moon and 27-year-old Robert Legendre. Both were serving life sentences behind bars for murder. The pair escaped from a maximum security prison in Fort Madison, Iowa, Monday night.
And on the phone with us right now is the director of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Gene Meyer, who‘s leading the investigation for these killers on the run. Director Meyer, where are you looking right now?
EUGENE MEYER, IOWA DIVISION OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION: Well, frankly, we haven‘t limited our search to anywhere, so we‘re, frankly, looking nationwide. Certainly (ph), these people escaped Monday night from Fort Madison, Iowa. An hour after their escape, they were able to procure a vehicle and stole a car that had a half a tank of gas in it. So they could have traveled some distance since the time of their escape.
COSBY: What does this car look like, this vehicle that they were able to get?
MEYER: Well, it‘s gold 1995 Pontiac Bonneville bearing Iowa license number 776-NOW.
COSBY: Now, you know, it‘s been 48 hours, at least. They could be anywhere, right? I mean, I would imagine you‘ve got to cast a pretty wide net at this time.
MEYER: Yes, that‘s true. They could be absolutely anywhere.
COSBY: Any idea if they‘re talking to acquaintances? What kind of avenues are you looking at, family, friends?
MEYER: Well, certainly, one of the things that we do is do very deep background on both of these escapees to try and learn who they may try contact, so we could maybe predict where they may go. And that effort is under way.
COSBY: You know, as we‘re looking at—we‘re looking at a picture of Martin Moon. If we could put up both of the pictures right now? We know in the past, you know, when guys travel, they could change their appearance. Is that correct?
MEYER: Well, certainly, anything is possible. That‘s correct.
COSBY: What do we need to be concerned about, too, should anybody approach these guys? Clearly, they both have murder in the background. Do we know if they‘re armed? And how—clearly, they‘re dangerous.
MEYER: Well, certainly, they‘re dangerous. And what we‘re recommending to people, if they were to see this vehicle or to see them, to please immediately not—to call 911 or their local law enforcement agency and not try to take matters into their own hands.
COSBY: Absolutely. And again, if we can put up these both—both of these pictures? Everybody, if you see any of these men, these two men—again, both wanted for murder, escaped 48 hours ago, could be anywhere—of course, call your local law enforcement. Thank you, Director. Please give us a call if there‘s any other new leads.
And let‘s get in, if we could, Jim Farlow right now. He is the stepfather of prison escapee Martin Moon, one of the men that you just saw on the screen there. Mr. Farlow, how are you and your family holding up?
JIM FARLOW, STEPFATHER OF ESCAPED INMATE: Well, it‘s very—it‘s very tiresome, very hard on us right now, not knowing anything.
COSBY: You know, what kind of a relationship did you have with your stepson?
FARLOW: Well, I‘ve known him for eight years, and he‘s like a son to me. We love him very much.
COSBY: When was the last time you talked to him?
FARLOW: Oh, it‘s probably been—probably a month ago was the last time I talked to him. My wife seen him approximately three weeks ago.
COSBY: You know, how concerned are you that he‘s on the run now?
FARLOW: We‘re very...
COSBY: For his safety and your own safety.
FARLOW: We‘re very concerned. We don‘t believe he‘ll come us to. But we‘re very concerned about his safety and well-being and his apprehension. We hope that nothing very drastic happens when they finally catch up to him.
COSBY: You know, tell us about the crime that got him convicted of murder.
FARLOW: Well, it‘s—when he was convicted of murder, it was—I don‘t know, it was very confusing for us. There wasn‘t any evidence whatsoever. It was based on hearsay by felons and people who have used drugs before.
COSBY: What was the crime, sir? What was the background on the crime, real quick?
FARLOW: The background of the crime?
COSBY: Yes.
FARLOW: Just that he was accused of murdering a roommate of his back in 1990. I guess they‘d taken him to a farmhouse, allegedly shot him, and threw him in a well.
COSBY: You know, do you have any idea where your stepson could be headed right now?
FARLOW: No, we don‘t have any idea. We‘re kind of surprised that they haven‘t even found the car yet. Like I say, we‘re very concerned about his well-being and safety. We don‘t believe that he would harm anyone whatsoever. He‘s not that kind of a person.
COSBY: Did you have any idea he was going to break out? We were showing the license plate, of course, of the car he‘s in. Did you have any idea that this was going to happen?
FARLOW: No, we had no idea. My wife seen him three weeks ago, went to visit him, and everything seemed fine at the time.
COSBY: You know, Mr. Farlow, if your stepson is watching—you know, you point out you love him. Clearly, law enforcement—this is a guy—and again, he‘s been convicted of murder. They‘re not going to take any chances with him. If he‘s watching tonight, is there something you want to say to him?
FARLOW: Yes, I do. Marty, please give yourself up. Make sure that your hands are out in the open and there‘s nothing in them because they will shoot you. We are very, very concerned about you.
COSBY: And Mr. Farlow, have you had any contact with law enforcement?
Have they been in touch with you?
FARLOW: The sheriff of Clark (ph) County has called us, and that‘s—
I believe the DCI talked to my wife today.
COSBY: Well, I do hope that he turns himself in safely and no one else is harmed.
FARLOW: Yes, ma‘am.
COSBY: Thank you very much for being with us. We appreciate it.
FARLOW: Thank you for having us, Rita, and being concerned.
COSBY: You‘re welcome. Thank you very much. Hope he‘s watching, too. Thank you.
And new clues and also revealing photos tonight about the relationship between a 14-year-old girl and her boyfriend, who‘s accused of killing her parents. David Ludwig is behind bars without bail after leading police on a cross-country manhunt after his girlfriend‘s parents were found dead. The girl, Kara Borden, is now with relatives in her home state of Pennsylvania.
And joining me now is crime blogger Steven Huff of Planethuff.com, and also investigator Vito Colucci.
Steve, let me start with you because you‘ve done a lot on research on these blogs. And what‘s interesting, she‘s got one blog, right, where it‘s sort of pink, looks like a young girl, another one which is sort of dark and black. Describe to us the difference, and obviously, what that means to you.
STEVE HUFF, PLANETHUFF.COM: The second blog, which actually had nearly the same screen name as she had on the more girly blog—it was somebody at Crimelibrary.com, where I have an article published on it today, had actually titled the photo Kara Borden rapper. She‘s wearing a baseball cap turned to one side, got sunglasses on and looks like she‘s either throwing a peace sign, or for all I know, a gang sign. And that‘s in real opposition. And this color theme to the blog is red and black, which is in almost complete opposition to the blog that I had previously seen, which is all pinks and yellows and greens.
I didn‘t find the second blog, by the way. Some reporters in Lancaster actually came—happened onto it, and I found it after I got the hint from their article about it.
COSBY: Now, that‘s interesting. Vito, what does that say to you about her personality?
COLUCCI: Well, you know, Rita, you‘re dealing with a young lady that used to talk about Jesus in her church group, her youth group and everything else. And I‘m listening to this now, and her attire, the explicit photos, the explicit talk back and forth—totally under the influence of this 18-year-old man. And that‘s what he is, a man.
COSBY: Yes, absolutely. It sounds like she‘s very much—very much wrapped up in him. Steven, let me also show—this is from another blog. This is (INAUDIBLE) quote. This is a quote between—this is a conversation between her and a friend. And I think it‘s quite revealing. It could be read a couple different ways.
This is what the friend said, first of all. She says “Kara, this is my place cuz no one else knows and things are getting out of hand.” Kara responds “Why? What do you know? Or what have you heard or saw or what?
If it doesn‘t have anything to do with you, then I don‘t want you to know
what you have to say. If it has to do with David and me”—David Ludwig -
“are we taking care of it? We know what we‘re going to do.”
That could be read a couple different ways, Steven.
HUFF: Yes, it could. I mean, the relatively—I mean, compared to plotting murder, the innocent interpretation is simply that they were sexually active, and her friend was very concerned that they were doing the right thing. And of course, the other interpretation is a lot darker than that, that there was something afoot. I personally, at the moment, I‘m hesitant to put Kara in that ballpark, but that may be just because I‘m a dad.
COSBY: Now, Vito, you‘re a dad, too. What do you make of the posting?
VITO COLUCCI, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: You know, I don‘t like it, Rita. I don‘t like what I read. If I‘m the lead investigator talking to her across the table, I want a total explanation of what she‘s talking about in that. And I want to look at her, and a trained investigator could see if she‘s lying. The hands go up to the mouth. She don‘t look you in the eye. Many telltale things that any trained investigator, especially with a 14-year-old, Rita—this would be a very easy interrogation, believe me.
COSBY: Yes, it sounds like it, especially when you go, Hey, wait a minute, what do you mean by this? You know, Steven, what about these sexually explicit photos? We talked a little bit about this the other day. Really just very sexual talk on the blog between the two of them.
Apparently, also somewhat—very sexually explicit photos between the two.
What does this say about the relationship?
HUFF: Well, it says that they were active, and you know, he obviously
they were obviously sexually active, and I think that with her and her blog that has the chat transcript on it is good evidence of this, it produced a kind of—like split. She had a public Kara and maybe going-to-church Kara, and then she had the one that maybe David was attracted to, for all we know.
COSBY: Yes, Vito, real quick.
COLUCCI: Yes, you know, these Web sites now, especially with the teenagers, that‘s their DNA, Rita. That‘s their DNA. It explains everything about them. As an investigator, you have all that information right in front of you as you interrogate them. Like I said, these is easy. This is easy people to interrogate, very easy. It would take the Aruban government to screw this up, and last time I checked, they‘re not involved in this.
(LAUGHTER)
COSBY: Steven, like to answer that one, too. All right, Steven, thank you very much. Vito, stick with us.
David Ludwig, of course, faces a preliminary hearing. We‘re told now it‘s going to be on November 23. What kind of punishment does he face? Ludwig‘s attorney said that they‘re trying to figure out exactly what happened. Here‘s what he had to say today about his client.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MERRILL SPAHN, DEPUTY PUBLIC DEFENDER: At this point, with respect to his condition, he is physically sound. He is understandably scared, anxious and concerned.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: So could this teenager actually get the death penalty? Joining me now is criminal defense attorney Patrick Egan. He has handled a lot of death penalty cases, dozens of them. And we still have with us investigator Vito Colucci.
Patrick Egan, let me start with you. Does it look like he‘s going to get the death penalty? It sounds like they‘re pushing for it, right?
PATRICK EGAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It will be interesting to see what the prosecution decides to do because getting the death penalty in this case could be very difficult.
COSBY: Why is that? Because of his age?
EGAN: Because of his age and also because this is a situation where there was this romantic involvement, and this could be akin to a crime of passion, if these two young people ran away together and if he did this in the heat of passion over that situation. It could be that a jury, particularly in light of his age, wouldn‘t want to give him the death penalty.
COSBY: Vito, do you think that that‘s the case, that they‘re going to have a little sympathy for these torrid lovers?
COLUCCI: No, I don‘t think so, Rita. I‘m a little against the crime of passion thing, unless the father held a knife against this guy and he claims it was a self-defense thing. I have a little problem with that. This was a kid that wanted to take her away from all of her troubles in the world, Rita, and was going to change her whole life around.
COSBY: How do you interrogate David Ludwig, if you had the chance, Vito?
COLUCCI: Oh, I tell you, if I‘m talking to Kara, the first question I‘m going to ask Kara is, Where did you guys sleep? I need to know that because they were on the road about 30 hours, Rita. They traveled 600 miles. Sixty miles an hour times ten, that‘s only ten hours. There‘s 16, 18, 20 hours unaccounted for. I need to see if she would have been able to get away on her own, if they slept, restrooms, restaurants, you know? The other flip side to that is somebody could say she was traumatized and she‘d be too afraid to run. But that‘s the first question I‘m going to ask her. And I would already have the answer because they‘ve already talked to David by the time I talked to her.
COSBY: Now, Patrick, obviously, she‘s still considered a victim in this case. The sheriff was saying the other day, unless new evidence comes forward, she remains that way. But how are you going to play her into the case? Say you‘re representing him.
EGAN: It raises a very interesting issue because the prosecution actually wants her to be a victim, and the defense wants her to have gone willingly because if she‘s a victim, then this is a felony murder. And if she‘s a victim, then that‘s an aggravating circumstance as it pertains to the death penalty. But if she went along willingly that reduces the aggravation and makes it less likely that a death penalty sentence would be the ultimate end.
COSBY: So how do you play that off? And what would you—if you were representing David Ludwig, what do you say to him? How do you guide him here?
EGAN: Well, unfortunately, we don‘t know enough facts, so it‘s difficult to say at this time. But the thing you need to know is you can‘t treat this girl very—you have to treat her carefully, if you‘re defense counsel, because it could backfire. If you try to make her an accomplice and the jury feels sorry for her, ultimately, they can hold that against your client, and it might lead down the road to a death penalty.
COSBY: Yes, it could backfire. Real quick, Vito. We‘ve got pictures of the kid. These are her siblings. How do you deal with interrogating them?
COLUCCI: Well, you know, they‘re a big key to this, Rita. They probably witnessed a lot of this, OK? You have to use kid gloves with them, totally different than how you talk to somebody else. They‘re going to be upset. They lost their parents. They witnessed something they‘ll never forget in their life. So you be very kind and gentle with them, but let them try to tell you the true story of what happened.
COSBY: All right, guys. Thank you both very much. We appreciate it. And stay with us, everybody. We have a lot more on the show tonight. Take a look.
Still ahead: Dozens of tornadoes touching down across the Midwest and South. Tonight, we‘ve got amazing pictures of the monster storm, and we‘ll ask the photographer, Why did you stay?
And an outrageous report about Natalee Holloway spreading like wildfire across the island of Aruba. Who is giving out this false information about the missing teen? We‘ll find out.
And what happens when the girl next door becomes the cover girl on one of America‘s hottest magazines? A girl who rocketed to stardom joins me LIVE AND DIRECT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSBY: And a rumor is spreading like wildfire on the island of Aruba tonight. People on the streets are buzzing about a rumor that Natalee Holloway may have been found alive and well.
On the phone with us tonight from Aruba is attorney Arlene Ellis Schipper. She‘s a member of the island‘s Strategic Communications Task Force. Arlene, what can you tell us about this rumor? What have you been hearing?
ARLENE ELLIS SCHIPPER, ARUBAN STRATEGIC COMM. TASK FORCE: Well, I‘ve heard the rumor, as well. However, nothing has been confirmed. And actually, I‘ve spoken to numerous people that think it might be kind of a loop of information because of another show hinting towards Mrs. Twitty hearing her daughter on the phone. So we think it‘s a misinterpretation of information that led to this.
COSBY: We—and in fact, one of—we were hearing the rumors, basically, that Natalee was found alive in Mexico. Of course, at this point, there‘s absolutely no proof of this. Is there sort of a sense on Aruba, Arlene, that maybe people are hoping this is true and that the boys have no connection?
SCHIPPER: Well, I—exactly, Rita. You know, the people of Aruba are praying for a result of this case for so long already. We‘re so committed to get—you know, to resolve this case and get closure for everyone here. So I guess when someone is hinting this in this show, then the people take this, and you know, it spreads out because—you know, this is the thing that I wanted to say. Rumors like this spread because we eat, live and breathe this case. We take it so seriously, unlike people, for instance, who think that we take it—I‘ve heard many allegation of, for instance, the governor of Alabama, to think, to say that we don‘t take this seriously. I mean, there has hardly been a case in Aruba that has been taken this seriously. So that‘s why these rumors are picked up because we hope so much for a resolution.
COSBY: You know, I want to show a comment because you talked about this conversation. In fact, Beth Twitty did apparently receive a phone call from someone sort of claiming to be Natalee. We talked about it. In fact, we were breaking the story last night when we interviewed Dave Holloway, Natalee‘s dad. We asked about this phone call. I want to play a little clip, and then I‘m going to ask you, Arlene, about this. So let‘s play this clip. This is what Dave told me last night on this show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE HOLLOWAY, NATALEE‘S FATHER: You‘re always grasping for straws. And you know, she was hopeful that that was something—you know, that maybe it could be Natalee. And I listened to it a number of times. And you know, I‘ve got children of my own, and they like to pick up cell phones and make calls and all this kind stuff. And I just didn‘t buy it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: You know, Natalee, do you—I mean, Arlene, rather, do you believe that there‘s any chance that Natalee could be alive? Dave doesn‘t seem to put a lot of credence in the call. Beth puts a little more stock, from what I gather.
SCHIPPER: Well, you know what? I hate to speculate on this, you know? It would just be cruel to speculate. I surely hope that there is a shred of hope for everyone here, and especially, of course, for the family. But you know, to answer your question, I really don‘t know and I would not want to speculate on whether she was alive or not.
COSBY: And of course, everybody‘s praying she‘s alive. Let me bring in Vito Colucci real quick because, Vito, you know, one of the scenarios that we know tomorrow is going to Dr. Phil‘s show. We know they‘re going to talk about, you know, this phone call. They‘re also going to talk about sort of the sex slave trade that has gone on within these islands, sort of Curacao, Aruba, Venezuela. What do you know of sort of that business, that sort of underworld that happens there?
COLUCCI: When this case first broke, I brought that up initially because it is. It‘s a viable thing that is going on in many of these countries. The reason why I don‘t believe it on this case, Rita, Investigations 101 textbook says you look at the three people that were last with her, number one, and number two, especially when the three people keep changing their stories over and over again, OK? When you‘re telling the truth, you tell the same story all the time.
COSBY: Right. The best—you know, the best-case scenario for them is that they‘re liars, at this point, because they clearly have lied on the record.
COLUCCI: Right. Definitely. Definitely, Rita. Definitely.
COSBY: You know, and the other thing, Vito, too, we had the chief of police on the show the other night. He said, They are guilty as hell. I just have to prove it. That—you—you know, you‘re a seasoned investigator. How rare is that to have the chief of police saying that on camera?
COLUCCI: It gets more amazing each and every day, Rita. Most of the seasoned investigators that have been on these programs have said from the beginning this has been a flawed investigation. There was a handful, when the three of them were released for that 10-day period, Rita, that said it was great police work. They were going to monitor them. Baloney! They‘ve never done these types of cases. They don‘t know how to do them, Rita. That‘s the bottom line. And I don‘t trust them, as number two. Very simple.
COSBY: You know, Arlene, there‘s been, like, sort of a breath of fresh air in the investigation. We‘re hearing that three investigators have been added to the case. Are you getting any sense there? You know, here in America, as Vito was saying, everyone is skeptical. They feel like there‘s nothing happening. They feel like it‘s all for show. Do you get any sense that anything‘s moving along?
SCHIPPER: Well, I can tell you, Rita, this investigation is very much alive, and it has been all this time. The adding of a few new members to the investigation team is not something new. It has been gone on quite—every time because every time, they‘re adding fresh eyes to this investigation.
COSBY: But Arlene, do you feel like there‘s any movement?
(CROSSTALK)
COSBY: Do you feel like there‘s movement, or is that just show?
SCHIPPER: No, no. There is movement. There are—there‘s 12,000 pages of documents that they have reviewed, and re-heard witnesses and checked out all the tips that they haven‘t been able to check out yet because they have gotten so many anonymous tips. And they‘re doing all that as we speak, and still (INAUDIBLE) for a few weeks. So—and from what I understand from the police, it‘s such a very active investigation. By no means, it is a cold case.
COSBY: Well, let‘s hope so, guys. Thank you both very much.
And now let‘s turn our attention to Alabama. That‘s where yellow ribbons have been hanging since Natalee Holloway disappeared, and they‘re starting to now come down. Live tonight is one of the women helping to remove those ribbons, Judi Gaiser. She‘s also a Holloway-Twitty family friend. You know, Judi, why now? Why are the ribbons coming down now?
JUDI GAISER, REMOVING YELLOW RIBBONS: Well, my daughter had the idea about a month ago that people were going to start taking these bows down of they decorated for Christmas. They have become faded, of course, and some of them very dirty. So we did not want anyone to discard them. We wanted them used—some useful purpose. So Beth thought that we should collect them, and they‘re going to be stored, along with the prayer wall that was at one of our local churches. And if there is a resolution to this case, they‘re going to be brought out and we will all put them on our mailbox for two weeks...
COSBY: You know, Judi...
GAISER: ... at that time.
COSBY: ... what‘s the reaction, you know? You know, you mentioned that you talked to Beth about it. It‘s got to be, in some ways, a little heartbreaking because it says, you know, where the case is at right now.
GAISER: Well, I don‘t think it‘s that—it is that we feel that forlorn about the way the case is right now. We hope that these new investigators can come to a conclusion, to a resolution, and talk to these boys again. But we just knew that thousands of bows that were up all over the community, that people were going to start taking them down if they became faded and dirty. And we just did not want that to happen without them being put somewhere.
COSBY: You know, let‘s talk about the community because that community has been so supportive, Judi, of this family, right? I mean, this is—like, everyone there seems to feel like Natalee was their own daughter, right?
GAISER: We do. We all feel like that we‘ve all raised children, and most of us knew a family friend that was on the senior trip with Natalee. And we just—they were so torn about it and knew that she was coming home in a few days. And when we put the bows up, we thought that also. So we have just been with Beth in our prayers, our hopes, and we just think she has been amazing.
COSBY: Yes, she really has. You know, how long do you think it‘s going to take to collect all these ribbons? And where were they put up?
GAISER: Well, we took them to the city hall, and the boxes will remain there for a week for people to take their bows. And then they have a warehouse where the prayer wall is being stored, and they will be put with them.
COSBY: You know, what‘s the mood of the family, too? You get a chance to talk with them quite a bit. You know, we had Beth on our show the other night, had Dave on last night. What‘s the mood, though, when you talk to them face to face privately?
GAISER: They give you hope because they are so determined to find a resolution to the case and to bring Natalee home. And so we cannot become discouraged as long as we know that Beth is so determined.
COSBY: And you know, once these ribbons are down, how is the community planning on still keeping the memory fresh and keeping the case fresh?
GAISER: Just say our prayers every day and let Beth know in any way we can that we do support her.
COSBY: All right. Well, thank you, Judi, very much. And of course, we all support her very much, and appreciate, I‘m sure, as she does, all the encouragement that you‘re giving her. Thanks so much.
GAISER: Thank you.
COSBY: And still ahead, everybody: Cops say they have caught a vicious serial rapist who preyed on half a dozen women. You‘re going to be stunned to hear how old the suspect is.
And amazing video of tornadoes that ravaged the Midwest and South. You‘ll meet a survivor who caught the monster storm on tape. It is coming up. These are incredible pictures. You got to stick with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there another coming over this way? Yes. Come on, we need to get inside, come on. It‘s coming over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: That is home video, incredible home video taken of one tornado that touched down yesterday in a bizarre storm system that was sweeping throughout the country.
We‘re going to speak with the folks who shot this amazing video in just a moment.
But right now, the Midwest is cleaning up. In five states, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee, there are reports of 35 twisters touching down. Let‘s go to NBC‘s Ron Mott for the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RON MOTT, NBC WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: In Henry County, Tennessee, 90 miles west of Nashville, amateur video captured the fury of the storms that killed at least two people across the region. Thirty confirmed tornadoes in a matter of hours. Enough time to turn Gary Lee‘s (ph) summer cottage into this.
GARY LEE, TORNADO SURVIVOR: The memories, yes, that‘s tough. But, that‘s why we have memories.
MOTT: Lee‘s neighbor was seriously injured after friends say he tried to retrieve something from his mobile home and wound up pinned beneath it.
(on camera)
The tranquility of Kentucky lake that attracted families like Gary Lee‘s to her banks and bluffs is still evident. Only now, the lake is flanked by such an unsettling mess.
(voice-over)
In Van Buren township, Indiana, Randall Neff‘s (ph) wife and three kids rode out the storm in the basement.
RANDALL NEFF, INDIANA RESIDENT: I had a house here yesterday morning when I left. Now I don‘t.
MOTT: Two blocks away, the owner of K&K Industries sent workers home early, half an hour before his factory came tumbling down. A decision he says saved lives.
ABE KNEPP, OWNER OF K&K INDUSTRIES: All of this rubbish here, there could have been 120 bodies underneath there.
MOTT: A day of destruction that‘s left neighbors pulling together with vivid reminders of what threatened to tear their lives apart.
Ron Mott, NBC News, Paris, Tennessee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSBY: Thank you, Ron.
And joining us now, from Tennessee, is Jason Wiser. He shot that home video that we showed you earlier. And also his wife Angie also joins him.
Jason, you were right in front of the tornados. What did it look like? What did it sound like?
JASON WISER, VIDEOTAPED TORNADO: OK, I was at work. Marshall Hounds (ph), that‘s my night guy, he noticed that the clouds was kind of looking funny. So, I went to the truck to get the Camcorder. As soon as I got back to the truck, as soon as I got the Camcorder up in the air, it was coming on. And my wife and kids was at home. I was trying to figure, you know, make sure that they was out there and in the basement, hopefully.
When I seen the tornado, you know, I was scared of it. I‘m terrified of storms. But, once it done started coming down, I really wanted more footage. But, we didn‘t know if it was one tornado or two. But we did the best we could to get what we captured there. It was a scary experience.
COSBY: I bet, you know, Jason, when you heard the alarms going off, what were you thinking?
WISER: The first thing I was thinking is hide underneath the desk, play it safe. I‘m scared to death of storms. Marshall and everybody went outside and they, you know, they was really watching the clouds.
Something told me to go get my camcorder. I went and got it. Like I said, once it started coming on, you know, everything was pretty silent and then it was done and over, you know, pretty quick.
You know, I mean, it ain‘t—there‘s nothing I can tell to you describe it. I mean, once you‘re there, it‘s the first real close one I‘ve ever seen in the daytime and, you know, it was an experience.
COSBY: I bet, you know, Angie, how terrified were you? You were with the kids, right?
ANGIE WISER: Yes, I was at home with three babies.
COSBY: Were you in the basement? Did you make it to the basement as Jason was hoping?
A. WISER: At about 30 minutes later, I got there. It took me awhile to get the three kids.
COSBY: How scared were you?
A. WISER: Well, I was trembling pretty bad. The rain was getting really hard. The wind was picking up. And I just had no time. I just grabbed the three babies and threw them in the car without even car seats and took off to the neighbors and get them in the basement.
COSBY: How did you keep your three kids calm?
A. WISER: Well, they were pretty good. They held up pretty good. I didn‘t show, really too much, scare on my face until after we got into the basement. And then I did.
COSBY: Did you know where your husband was? And what did you think when you heard he was outside filming?
A. WISER: Well, I didn‘t like it too much at first, but—beacus eI know how he is with storms. He‘s more scared of them than I am. I couldn‘t get ahold of him on his cell phone until afterwards. It was about 6:30 that night until I got to talk to him.
COSBY: Right, you know, Jason, you must have been so frightened. I heard that you even take medication. That you really get nervous about storms, right?
J. WISER: Yes, ma‘am, I‘m terrified of storm and I don‘t care who hears this. Like I said, I‘m just like my daddy. My daddy is terrified of them. He lives in Lewisburg, Tennessee, and like I said, I‘m scared to death of them.
COSBY: What kept you out there videotaping? Where‘d you get the courage or craziness to be out there?
J. WISER: I can‘t explain it. I don‘t really know. Like I said, I wasn‘t out there very long. If you want to watch the footage, you‘ll see. I cut out. But, something draw me back to the window to try to capture some more.
I‘m sure there might be more footage there in Henry County but, you know, it was a scary experience, you know, for all of us. I mean, me personally, I don‘t want to, I don‘t want to go back to it, you know, over again, but I would like to see one, one more time. You know, just, maybe from a far distance, you know?
COSBY: Are you going to take medication again?
J. WISER: Yes, I was taking it then pretty hard.
COSBY: What about the damage to your neighborhood, Angie? If you look today, how is your home? How are your neighbors‘ homes?
J. WISER: It didn‘t come near where my wife—I mean, she got the rain and, you know, some hail and stuff like that, thank god she was fortunate enough that it didn‘t come towards the cottage grove way.
Although it did take out, you know, quite a few homes. And, you know, it went past us. A buddy of mine, Gary Jones‘s (ph) house and took Glen Lee‘s (ph) over on 54.
Like I said, you know, it‘s a scary experience for me, you know, I was worried for everybody‘s safety. Of course, me, myself, you know, like I say, I don‘t know why I Camcordered it. Usually I‘m already hid. But, it‘s something that I‘ll always remember.
Henry County sheriff department‘s, they worked so good. They was out there. David Powell (ph) was trying to direct traffic, trying to get everybody to safety. The rescue squads, everyone was just running frantic. I mean, he was right there when the tornado was down. He was still trying to get people going. It‘s just, you know, it was just a bad ordeal.
COSBY: All right, well those law enforcement guys are the real heroes. I‘m glad both of and you also your kids are safe. Thank you for sharing those amazing pictures with us.
And everybody, the heartache is evident in across, of course, all the damage across the area. Johnette Worak of NBC affiliate WPSD has more from Marshall County, Kentucky.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNETTE WORAK, NBC AFFILIATE WPSD (voice-over): Close to 15 mobile homes once covered this HARRIS off Cemetery Road. And almost every one of them had people inside when the tornado hit.
Marilyn Joyce (ph) was literally sucked out of her mobile home, along with her parents and an aunt.
MARILYN JOYCE: They admitted my mama, and I got scratches and stuff. I‘m OK. I‘m thankful to be alive, because it could have been worse than it was. I could have been dead.
WORAK: Today, Joyce is looking for pictures, clothes, whatever is left. So it Christopher Craven (ph) who spent the night in the hospital getting stitches. He had just gotten back from deer hunting when he heard a roar outside.
CHRISTOPHER CRAVEN: I opened the door. I was raised about 20 feet up into the air. I went flying.
WORAK: What‘s left of Craven‘s home is in these trees across the road. But don‘t think it was only mobile homes lost.
(on camera)
What you‘re looking at right now is what‘s left of one of the homes that was destroyed by the tornado last night, off Big Bear Road. I‘m actually standing in the basement right now. The house was lifted up and thrown over in that direction right there.
(voice over)
A neighbor says a single mom and her two children rented the house.
But thankfully, they weren‘t at home when all of this happened.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSBY: And that was our reporter reporting from Marshall County, Kentucky.
Still ahead, cops believe they‘ve got a serial rapist who is targeted young woman and also older women. And what‘s even more shocking, his age. The details are coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSBY: Tonight, police in Philadelphia believe they have caught a serial rapist and get this, he‘s only 14-years-old! And is now charged with eight sexual assaults. Cops say he‘s a vicious criminal whose victims range in age from 16 to 32-years-old.
Joining me here now is crime reporter for “The Philadelphia Daily News,” Simone Weichselbaum and also private investigator Vito Colucci is still with us.
Simone, I have to start with you. This is an incredible case. Here you‘ve got a 14-year-old. How did he commit these crimes? Where?
SIMONE WEICHSELBAUM, PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS: Well, he basically started—some of his crimes were committed near his home. Other were committed near his school. He‘s traveled around to different parts of the city. Police right now haven‘t charged him with any weapons offenses. So at this point we believe he‘s going on women, jumping on them, dragging them down.
COSBY: So we don‘t know if he‘s armed, right? There‘s no evidence that he‘s armed.
WEICHSELBAUM: No. So, at this point through the descriptions we have of his eight counts, he basically just jumping on women, dragging them down, dragging them to allies.
COSBY: And what time of day? What time is he doing these?
WEICHSELBAUM: All various times of day. 1:00 pm we have some. 9:00 pm we have others. And I think a lot of the women are just caught off guard.
COSBY: Well, one of the cases—I was reading is September 13. 16-year-old girl dragged into an alley. So just sort taken in the middle of the day, taken off the street.
WETIZBAUM: Yes.
COSBY: Do we know this guy if he‘s big? He‘s 14, but is he a big 14-year-old?
WEICHSELBAUM: Well, police sources haven‘t released his dimensions yet. We don‘t know if he‘s really tall or really big kid. But we do know he‘s got an acne problem, believe it or not.
COSBY: And how do we know that?
WEICHSELBAUM: Well, police sources said that‘s how victims were able to just keep identifying him. We‘re being attacked by this young man with acne. And police were able to just, you know, keep following the patterns and throughout the month of August, police sources are telling me they‘re able to really corner this guy.
COSBY: Is that how they were able to finally pinpoint this guy? Was there also DNA? Was there something else—you know, there‘s a lot of kids have acne out there.
WEICHSELBAUM: Well, actually this case is taking a turn now, we‘re learning today. It turns out he committed some sort of an indecent assault battery in March. He was picked up for it. Went before a family court judge. They met with him. Let him go, saying, you know, he should just go on a psychiatric evaluations. Again, he met with a judge in July. Again he was let go.
And then police were able to just keep a close eye on him. In October, he was finally charged with two counts. He was held in October. And now police are using DNA to match him to additional charges dating from August and September.
COSBY: And we were just looking at some of the rap sheets—some of the dates.
Do you know anything about this kid‘s background? Is there any sort of violence? What do we know about him and his family?
WEICHSELBAUM: Well, I was working today. So, I didn‘t have a chance to run his file by the Department of Human Services. But I did go to his family‘s home last night. And he grandfather, you know, opened the door. He seemed very startled that I was there.
COSBY: What do they say? (INAUDIBLE) victims. Do they say he did something? Is the family admitting...
WEICHSELBAUM: The grandfather said, you know, I do know of the charges, but I don‘t believe them. And he told me to wait for his father to come home. And his father should have been home today.
COSBY: Interesting case. You know, let me bring in Vito to the conversation.
Vito, you know, what do you make of the fact that this guy—pretty incredible—all times day or night—so far as you heard from Simone, no evidence of a weapon—do you find that strange that a 14-year-old kid is able to take these people, someone up to 32-years-old.
COLUCCI: Not too surprising, Rita, with the amount of availability of porn and stuff that‘s out there now for these young teenagers. I‘m a private detective 17 years. My days on the police department we never had this back then.
COSBY: Yeah, I was going to say, Vito, how stunned are you when you hear that a kid now—and again, he‘s just accused, he hasn‘t been convicted, but he has been accused of eight rapes -- 14-years-old!
COLUCCI: And there may be more, Rita. The problem with this case, is because of his age, you can‘t show his picture. I would guess more, yes than no, that there are other victims that are afraid to come forward, maybe they‘re young girls, older people. So, if I‘m interrogating this kid, I‘m trying to tell him, let‘s do the right thing now. We caught you. You‘re only 14. You could still have a productive life down the road. Help us out here. That‘s what I‘m trying to get across to him. Because there‘s probably more, Rita. And I think—Philadelphia—this is a good P.D., I deal with them on cases. This is a very good police department there.
COSBY: And we‘re going to—hopefully he will help.
You know Simone, as we look at also him quickly, he goes to school, right?
WEICHSELBAUM: Yes.
COSBY: What grade?
WEICHSELBAUM: Well, if he‘s 14-years-old—I‘m not sure—but we can assume he‘s in ninth grade. But the school district did not want to confirm what school district he went to last night. They were very upset that I was even asking those questions.
COSBY: Yeah, I‘m sure. That‘s the last thing you want to concede to an investigative reporter on a case like this. Simone, thank you very much. Good job. Really sad story.
And Vito, thank you very much.
Still ahead, everybody. What happens when the girl next door ends up on the cover of a hot men‘s magazine? The girl dubbed the hottest girl next door is going to join me next LIVE AND DIRECT. It wasn‘t Simone or me, it was somebody else. She‘s coming up next. You‘re going to be surprised to hear how they found her.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSBY: And we are going to be talking to Lauren HARRIS (sic). We‘re going to be talking about her winning her new crown as Miss FHM 2005. Dubbed the hottest girl next door, she‘ll be featured in a spread in the magazine‘s January-February 2006 issue, and this gorgeous 21-year-old hair dresser joins me now live right here in the studio. How did they find out about you? I mean, there are so many folks out there. How did they get the buzz about you?
LAUREN HARRIS, MISS FHM 2005: Well, it all started when my best friend and I sent in photos of us to the magazine, because they have a section called “It‘s Your Ex-Girlfriend”. So we dated the same guy, and we thought it would be funny to send in pictures. So that‘s what we did, and next thing I know, we were in New York shooting for a page, so.
COSBY: Now, what happened with the ex? What‘s the latest with him?
Is he ...
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: He‘s still the ex.
COSBY: So then they send you in, and they say, OK, we are going to pick you for this other—what was your reaction? It just came out today. It was announced today.
HARRIS: Yes, if was just announced today that I was the winner, so I was in shock. I was so happy. It‘s so good.
COSBY: And what does this mean for your life?
HARRIS: Well, I hope this opens a lot of doors for me. I have always been interested in modeling and acting and stuff like that, so we‘ll see where this takes me.
COSBY: And why do you think they picked you? You‘re a beautiful girl. Obviously, you know, it‘s sort of gutsy story to send in your pictures about—a lot of people don‘t want to talk about their past or their ex-boyfriends. But what do you think really triggered it about you?
HARRIS: I don‘t know. I am not really sure. I guess just because I
am just very natural, like you say, the girl next door type of thing, so
...
COSBY: You are a hair dresser too. What the reaction from clients?
HARRIS: Yes, clientele has gone up a lot. I work at American Male Salon, so it‘s all men, and pretty well. It‘s good.
COSBY: Yes, bigger tips?
HARRIS: Yes.
COSBY: Much bigger tips?
HARRIS: Tips are good.
COSBY: How many folks now recognize you, even just from the first about the exes and now, it‘s going to be the blockbuster, because this issue hasn‘t even hit the stands yet.
HARRIS: Yes, I have been recognized actually a couple of places I have gone, so it‘s pretty cool.
COSBY: How has it changed your life?
HARRIS: I don‘t know. It‘s definitely—I can see it changing now just from going out different places and people recognizing me that never have before, so it‘s pretty cool.
COSBY: What‘s the reaction there your family too? You know, does your dad go, oh, I don‘t know if I can look at all these pictures?
HARRIS: They are very supportive. They‘re very happy that I am doing something that I have always wanted to do, so ...
COSBY: You have got a 15-year-old brother, is that right?
HARRIS: Yes.
COSBY: Are you very popular among his friends now?
HARRIS: Yes.
COSBY: What do they say? Does your brother say, can‘t you come out with me? can‘t you drop me off for the bowling, for the movies, you know?
HARRIS: Yes, he is not really into all this. He is kind of, you know
his friends always bust his chops about it, but, you know, what are you going to do?
COSBY: What is ahead for you? You know, does this—you know, you go from being a hair dresser, you know, doing OK, and now all of a sudden, you are going to be the hottest girl. This is a big change.
HARRIS: It is.
COSBY: How do you think your life is going to be different? And are you planning on doing modeling? Are you getting contract offers?
HARRIS: Well, I am signed with FHM, for a year, so I‘m going to be working with FHM, promoting, going to different events and parties with them, appearing in the magazine. So that—hopefully it will open a lot of doors for me. So I intend to having fun with them.
COSBY: What do you say to folks who say these pictures are racy? Is it exploiting women? Are you, you know, showing too much?
HARRIS: I don‘t really think it is. I mean, the magazine has featured women like Jennifer Lopez, and Anna Kournikova. And I just—you know, I just—I am proud to be part of the magazine that they are featured in, so ...
COSBY: And what is your ultimate career goal? Did you ever imagine this would happen?
HARRIS: It‘s a dream come true, something that I‘ve always wanted, so I hope that this just, you know, heads toward that direction.
COSBY: Well, wish you lots of luck.
HARRIS: Thank you.
COSBY: Great to see. I love it. We‘ve got to here some more updates on the hair dresser ...
HARRIS: OK.
COSBY: ... at the salon. Thanks so much, Lauren.
HARRIS: Thank you.
COSBY: Thanks. Best of luck. And again, the issue hits the stands, when? It‘s going to be coming out in about a month?
HARRIS: Comes out December 5th, I believe.
COSBY: OK. Good. We will be looking for it.
HARRIS: Thank you.
COSBY: Thanks so much.
HARRIS: Thanks.
COSBY: Thanks so much. And of course, we can‘t leave the ladies out here. “People” magazine has announced its pick for the sexiest man alive. People says that Matthew McConaughey is the sexiest man alive. What do you think, Lauren, good choice?
HARRIS: Yes.
COSBY: Good choice. I think so too. The 36-year-old star of “Sahara,” and “Two For the Money” is taken. He is currently dating actress Penelope Cruz. McConaughey tells “People” he loves to cook, especially pasta, and that he calls his mother every day, like a good boy should.
And putting up a pretty girl on the cover of a magazine isn‘t the only way to get the attention of young men. Still ahead, some dirty tricks advertisers are using to get teen boys to keep clean. Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSBY: Body sprays are all the rage among teenage boys. NBC‘s Peter Alexander has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETER ALEXANDER, MSNBC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What‘s that smell?
Some say it‘s a boy‘s best friend, promising to help them get girls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it smells good.
ALEXANDER: Deodorant body sprays, like industry leader Axe and Tag, just a few years old, are already among the fastest growing grooming products on drug store shelves. The magic potion, these racy new ads.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, can you tell me how old you are?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-two.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mmmm, yes, you are.
ALEXANDER: Claiming they will make young men irresistible to the opposite sex.
KEVIN GEORGE, AXE MARKETING DIRECTOR: We target 18 to 24-year-old guys. I mean, at that age, girls hold all the cards in the mating game. And so what Axe does is, it helps gives guys that little extra boost of confidence.
ALEXANDER: With splash of sex, and names like Lucky Day, After Hours, and Touch, as well as labels that read, “uniquely designed to attract the ladies. Consider yourself warned.” Axe even offers this over the top online dating game.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One hundred different women, seven different cities.
ALEXANDER: So who is buying it?
(on camera): You guys wear this stuff?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ALEXANDER: All three of you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ALEXANDER: How old are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fourteen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fourteen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fourteen.
ALEXANDER: When you put this on, the ladies say what to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey sexy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It smells really good.
ALEXANDER: It works?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. If a guy has it and they—it smells like my friend‘s shirt today, Roger, on football. His shirt has that on, and I‘m like, man, that smells good, smells really good.
ALEXANDER (voice-over): Critics complain while marketing may be tongue in cheek for adults, it sends the wrong message to teenagers.
DR. DREW PINSKY, PSYCHIATRIST: Women are specifically portrayed as objects of sexual desire, only multiple partners is what men like, and if you are not a supermodel and if you‘re not this sort of empty receptacle, we are not interested.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, what is that aftershave you are wearing?
ALEXANDER: But sex has sold for years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hai Karate. Be careful how you use it.
ALEXANDER: Now with sales expected to surpass $300 million this year, the products‘ makers are the ones enjoying the sweet smell of success.
Peter Alexander, NBC News, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSBY: And that does it for me, and “SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY” begins right now with Joe Scarborough.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
END