Guests: Art Wood, Les Levine, David Feige, Stacey Honowitz, Alexis Waggoner, Randy Shaffer, Matt Mathe, Glen Belgard, Beth Holloway Twitty, Ken Baker, Jeanne Wolf, Tom O‘Neil
RITA COSBY, HOST: Tonight, another a big development in the Duke University gang rape scandal. There is outrage tonight because no one is behind bars for this alleged brutal crime. Why not?
And “American Idol” judge and criticism magnet Paula Abdul says she was hurt in an attack. Will it affect the show?
But first tonight,, more exclusive information in the search for Natalee Holloway. We first told you last night about some stunning claims from a self-admitted drug dealer who says he sold the Alabama teen drugs the night she vanished. Now that man is telling LIVE AND DIRECT exclusively that he was quite concerned about Natalee the night she disappeared.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why were you concerned?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Worried when I saw her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you saw what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I saw how she behaved that last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drugs play a role. That was before she left, about 10:00-ish, 11:00, before going to the clubs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drugs?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you worried about her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you tell her not to go?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I couldn‘t approach.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That‘s a long story.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why couldn‘t you approach her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn‘t allowed (INAUDIBLE) I have boundaries, so I couldn‘t pass. But even though, if I could cross, I wouldn‘t go close to them, no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because it‘s her choice, her life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: And that man asked us not to show his face, but did say, essentially, Do not show my face on camera. However, we were able to speak with him. He also says that he wants to talk to Natalee‘s mom face to face. And get this. He‘s the brother-in-law of the now former chief of police, Gerold Dompig. We‘re going to talk live to Beth Holloway Twitty in just a few minutes.
But first, joining us now live (INAUDIBLE) is private investigator Les Levine, who works for Joran Van Der Sloot‘s American defense attorney. And also with us is private investigator Art Wood. He has spoken to the man making those claims during his trips to Aruba to investigate Natalee‘s disappearance.
Art, let me start with you. I understand—I just heard a few moments ago that you‘ve talked to this guy how many times?
ART WOOD, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: Rita, thanks for having me. First of all, I talked to Boody (ph) Naar—N-A-A-R—at least five times. I interviewed Boody at least five times, and every time, I came away with the feeling, with the impression, that he was unbelievable. I mean, there was nothing that I felt could be believed about this man‘s story.
COSBY: What do you make of the fact that he‘s making these statements now, Art, and he says—I mean, first of all, we know he‘s Gerold Dompig‘s brother. (SIC) Does this seem fishy to you or strange to you?
WOOD: Well, I think there‘s a conflict of interest there. But first of all, he‘s not Gerold‘s brother, he‘s his brother-in-law. He‘s—Gerold Dompig is married to Boody‘s sister.
Let me tell you something. Boody Naar is not only a self-proclaimed drug dealer, he uses drugs every day. Every time I interviewed him, he was high on cocaine or some other drug. Boody Naar is not to be believed, I can tell you that.
But you know, more importantly, Rita -- and this is something that people are missing—Boody Naar was one of the—was the most critical witness in having those two security guards arrested because he told the police that he saw those security guards going in and out of Natalee‘s room. What‘s incredible is he didn‘t say anything about selling drugs to Natalee at that time. As a matter of fact, Boody Naar told me he saw Natalee buying drugs from the two security guards, and we know that they weren‘t involved in this case.
COSBY: No, you bring up some great points. In fact, I want to go back to the position (ph). This is a view of Natalee‘s room because we did get this when we were down in Aruba. And what is strange is, Why would this guy keep changing his story? And he is Gerold Dompig‘s brother-in-law.
Let me play again the quote, before I go to Les. Let me play—these are, again—this is what he said to our producer who was down there. This is, again, about Natalee‘s behavior and the drug relevance. Let‘s play this again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why were you concerned?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Worried when I saw her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you saw what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I saw how she behaved that last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drugs play a role. That was before she left, about 10:00-ish, 11:00, before going to the clubs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drugs?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were you worried about her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you tell her not to go?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I couldn‘t approach.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That‘s a long story.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why couldn‘t you approach her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn‘t allowed (INAUDIBLE) I have boundaries, so I couldn‘t pass. But even though, if I could cross, I wouldn‘t go close to them, no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because it‘s her choice, her life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: Let me play the other clip where he talks about that he claims he saw Natalee go to the room. He is looking smack at Natalee‘s room. Play the clip where he said he believes Natalee went back to her room.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: And you know, Les, before I get to you, let me play the other clip. This is where he talks about that he claims he saw Natalee go to the room. And what‘s important is his vantage point, where he‘s sitting on the beach. He‘s looking smack at Natalee‘s room. We were showing some pictures of it before. Let me play the clip where he says that he believes Natalee went back to her room.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you meet Natalee?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you meet Natalee?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I know about the hotel room. I know about the hotel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About the what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The hotel room. Her—her departure from where she was left to the hotel room, right? But she was on the way to here, and she reached (ph). And I was down there.
Everybody wants to know where she‘s buried, like...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, that‘s not what we‘re asking!
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... dig her up—no!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn‘t ask that question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You won‘t get that answer!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: And again, this guy, who is Gerold Dompig‘s brother-in-law,
making these claims. Les, how do you prove it, especially if he‘s changed
his stories? Les
LES LEVINE, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR WORKING FOR JORAN VAN DER SLOOT‘S
ATTORNEY: Yes? I‘m sorry, Rita.
COSBY: Yes. Yes, Les, how do you prove it, especially if he has changed his stories or didn‘t give this information before?
LEVINE: Well, as you well know, it‘s not our job to prove or disprove whether or not this man is telling the truth. It just points out the fact that he is an admitted drug dealer who admits selling drugs to college students, who has said on record that he has information about Natalee‘s disappearance that he‘s willing to sell. And it just points out further along the—what Mr. Tacopina has said, is that this investigation was too narrowly focused from the very beginning on Joran and not—to the exclusiveness of other individuals who may very well have information regarding this unfortunate situation.
COSBY: And Les, let me play—this is from Fred Golba. When my producer was down there in Aruba, he spoke to Fred Golba. He‘s also leading some of the search efforts down there. And he sort of pointed out where this guy—why he would have a vantage spot because his place was very close to Natalee‘s room. Let‘s play that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see how close where he was living in the bushes it is to Natalee‘s room. So he knew all of her moves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: Is there any possibility, Les, that, you know, he was looked over because he‘s Dompig‘s brother-in-law and maybe they didn‘t really want to focus on this guy?
LEVINE: Yes, that certainly is a possibility. I‘m not saying that not the reason, but it certainly is a possibility. You know, when you have a drug dealer that did seven years in jail, who admits to doing all the things he‘s done and he‘s not thoroughly questioned by the authorities, turns out to be the brother-in-law of the investigating officer who‘s in charge of the case, it certainly opens up suspicion.
COSBY: And real quick, Les. How does it change, with Gerold Dompig now off the case? You know, first we‘re talking about his brother-in-law here. Now, surprise, he‘s off the case, the chief, who‘s been very outspoken from the beginning. How does that change the dynamics for your team?
LEVINE: We hope that with this new fresh blood there‘ll be a resolution to this problem, for the Holloways‘ sake. It certainly has no effect on our client because Joran is not guilty of anything. So we just hope for their sake that he brings this to a successful conclusion.
COSBY: We certainly hope so. Les Levine, thank you very much. And Art Wood...
WOOD: Rita, listen...
COSBY: Yes, go ahead, Art Wood.
WOOD: I want to bring up one point that‘s real important here. This guy, Boody, wasn‘t overlooked by the police. He was interviewed by the police very early on. And it was because of him that they arrested the two security guards, even though they knew at that point that those kids didn‘t drop Natalee off at the hotel. So on the contrary, I don‘t think he was overlooked at all.
LEVINE: Well, then, what‘s Art saying is, is that he...
COSBY: Real quick, you guys. Go ahead, Les. Real quick.
LEVINE: What‘s Art‘s been saying is contrary to what he said before, that he was a credible enough witness for police to take him seriously in the beginning. So you can‘t discount him.
(CROSSTALK)
COSBY: And both of you—both of you, I got to interrupt you both!
(CROSSTALK)
WOOD: No, I didn‘t think he was credible at all.
COSBY: I got to interrupt both of you guys because I can tell you down there, when we were down there, our producer was sort of led to suggestions that, indeed, that maybe there was more information and more to him and that maybe it wasn‘t looked at by other authorities before. So it‘s pretty interesting. And again—again, this guy is a self-admitted drug dealer, so of course, you got take some of the things, what he says, with a grain of salt. Both of you, very interesting conversation.
And our exclusive information from Aruba doesn‘t stop there. Again, the self-admitted drug dealer known as Boody also told us that he wants to talk to Natalee‘s mother to help set the record straight. LIVE AND DIRECT tonight with reaction is Natalee‘s mom, Beth Holloway Twitty. Beth, let me play this quote. This is what he said. He said specifically...
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE‘S MOTHER: OK.
COSBY: ... that he wanted to talk to you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to talk to Natalee‘s mother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For them to listen to me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What makes you think that they would listen to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sooner or later, the truth will come out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you want to say to her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole procedure, it‘s—it‘s—it‘s wide. It‘s not a one-day thing. If I say anything, I want them to take me seriously, if you know what I‘m saying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you want to talk to Beth Twitty, if you could?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Why not?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: You know, (INAUDIBLE) surprised that he said that. Would you want to talk to him, just in case this guy has something?
TWITTY: Well, Rita, I‘d just like to say you hit the nail on the head. And whatever Boody is saying, we have to take with a grain of salt. And it goes back to the very beginning on how some of these professionals are taking advantage of Boody. And he is not able to be a credible witness.
First of all, it started out with Dennis Jacobs (ph), the lead narcotics agent on the island of Aruba, who was working with Boody to get him to implicate the two security guards. The second thing is, Boody never approached any of the Mountain Brook kids to sell drugs. They never approached him. Boody never met Natalee. Boody never went in—saw them go into Natalee‘s room. All those are simply untrue.
And the investigator is correct about him spending seven years in prison, but it was ten, for drug trafficking. Boody is just not able to give credible information anymore, and everyone knows that, but they‘re taking advantage of him and exploiting him.
COSBY: What do you make of the fact that it‘s so strange that here‘s this guy who‘s his brother-in-law, Gerold Dompig? Isn‘t that weird to you, too, just that strange connection? And the fact—it was interesting. When we were down there, the authorities were sort of, like, Well, we can‘t really focus on him because of, basically, who he‘s connected to.
TWITTY: Well, you know, it‘s really not any stranger to me than it is that the Kalpoes are cousins of Gerold Dompig. So you know, they‘re all very connected on that island. It‘s hard to find someone who‘s not a relative or a cousin. So no, it‘s not surprising but—and it‘s not surprising, either, that we even go back to the beginning, like I said. You‘re having officials, such as the lead narcotics again, who‘s beginning to take advantage of Boody as a witness.
So no, it‘s just simply not true.
COSBY: Let me play a little bit more of what he makes—because they are pretty outrageous claims. Let me play a little bit more about what he‘s saying about—about Natalee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why were you concerned?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Worried when I saw her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you saw what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I saw how she behaved that last night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drugs play a role. That was before she left, about 10:00-ish, 11:00, before going to the clubs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drugs?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: You know, Beth, when you hear all that stuff, all these allegations of drugs, that‘s got to be hard to hear and I‘m sure frustrating, too, because—isn‘t that—is that maybe a deflection of where the focus you feel should be?
TWITTY: Well, you know, it‘s happened to us so many times, Rita. But what they‘re doing is, you know, when they take advantage of a witness as this, who is—he‘s not capable of giving this information. I mean, as you can see, he basically just gives just random information, whichever—whoever it fits, he‘ll give it. I mean, he‘s just not able to do that.
And as I said, he did not approach Natalee. Natalee never met him. He did not approach these Mountain Brook kids to sell them drugs. They did not approach him. There was no contact.
So you know, we‘ve known about Boody since the beginning, as Art Wood said. Everything that Art said is correct.
COSBY: Well, most important, I hope you get some answers, and boy, do you deserve it, Beth. And we‘ll do whatever we can on this end. Thank you so much.
TWITTY: Thank you, Rita.
COSBY: Thank you, Beth.
And still ahead, everybody, a mysterious disappearance in the Midwest. A medical student goes to a bar and he is never seen again. That‘s coming up, and that‘s not all. Take a look.
Still ahead: assault on Paula Abdul. The “American Idol” judge says she has a concussion and a whole lot more. Whoever attacked her is still on the loose. Could it jeopardize her judging on “American Idol”?
And the alleged Duke gang rape. Was the lacrosse team out of control long before the alleged attack? Is that why the coach suddenly quit? For the first time, he responds.
Plus, why would anyone willingly jump off a four-story parking deck?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It doesn‘t take a car to cause a major accident.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: The man who incredibly survived joins us live to explain why.
And an all-points-bulletin for a convicted killer with a surprise twist. The cops caught him, so why‘d they let him go? That‘s coming up on LIVE AND DIRECT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSBY: And tonight, LIVE AND DIRECT is learning about reports that “American Idol” superstar Paula Abdul was hurt in a violent attack. Abdul claims that she was assaulted and injured at a private party just a few days ago. Even though she has a concussion, it didn‘t stop her from judging this week‘s show. She didn‘t even mention it. LA police are investigating.
We‘re joined now by Ken Baker of “US Weekly,” which broke the story on line. Ken, what happened to Paula Abdul?
KEN BAKER, “US WEEKLY”: Well, what Paula claims, or at least, what she told the police in a report that she filed on Tuesday, was that her former agent, a man by the name of Jeff Lefkowitz (ph), ran into her in a club. Some words were exchanged, or at least a look was exchanged. And whatever happened, he was prompted to accidentally on purpose—this is the quote of our source who witnessed this—accidentally on purpose bumped into Paula, knocking her over.
And Paula—then her ex-boyfriend was with her. Her ex-boyfriend went to defend her, according to the sources that we talked to, got into a fight. This went on for several minutes. A brawl basically ensued between her former agent, who apparently, she bad blood with, and her ex-boyfriend, who was accompanying her out that night. They got into a fight.
The ex-boyfriend suffered some stitches, had to go to the hospital and get stitched up. And two days later, Paula went to the police, said that she had suffered injuries, spinal injuries, as well as a concussion.
Now, something you have to know about Paul Abdul is that she does claim to suffer from back pain. She was in a car accident in the ‘80s and has admitted that she was hooked on pain pills and was in a fog for many years from the pain that came from that back pain. So this could have been something that affected her. And last night, people were remarking that she didn‘t look well. We‘re showing—you‘re showing some clips there.
(CROSSTALK)
COSBY: Why did she wait two days (INAUDIBLE) to notify even police?
BAKER: Well, I think a clue to that might be sources that we talked to believe Paula is going press charges. She is going to file assault charges, at the very least, and it is now a legal matter. I would assume that someone probably told her it would be best if she went to the LAPD and reported the crime, the alleged crime. And for her agent‘s part, we haven‘t been able to reach him. There‘s no comment from him.
But you know, this is the latest in a string of Paula Abdul crises.
Last year, you might remember, she famously was embroiled in a sex scandal.
She was accused of having an affair with a young contestant, Corey Clark. Now, Paula also was put on probation a couple years back for a hit-and-run accident in LA. So this is just the latest in a series of Paula Abdul missteps.
Now, her charm on the show is that she‘s the crazy aunt, but I think that, maybe for the producers‘ sake and some fans, she might be going a little bit too far with the craziness.
COSBY: Absolutely. Ken Baker, thank you very much. Good job. Keep us posted on it. And also, Ken tried to reach out to the publicist. We also tried to reach out, who gave us a very brief response, “No comment.”
And joining us to talk more about Paula‘s problems is Tom O‘Neil of “In Touch Weekly,” and also celebrity columnist Jeanne Wolf.
Jeanne, what do you make? What‘s your reaction to what happened to Paula Abdul?
JEANNE WOLF, COLUMNIST, MOVIES.COM: I think Paula is very vulnerable, and what Ken calls crazy is part of her appeal. You know, I agree with him. She shows her emotions. They‘re right on the surface. That‘s what makes her a compassionate, involved judge on “American Idol.” That‘s what makes the drama of her so fascinating to follow.
I do think that probably someone whispered in her ear or proclaimed loudly, Look, if you‘re going to get even with this guy, you better make a police report. And if you‘re going to file on the insurance claim to do with your health, you better make a police report. So I think it‘s a big step that she had to consider because, let me tell you, for someone like Paula Abdul, the biggest consequence of filing a police report is just what we‘re doing now, talking about it, because the whole world knows once you‘ve filed.
COSBY: And in addition to that, Jeanne, we just heard from Ken Baker that she‘s considering maybe pressing assault charges. You know, Tom, let me play a little clip of Paula in action on “American Idol.” As we talked about, you know, with Jeanne, she does tend to sort of bring controversy wherever she goes. Here‘s a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULA ABDUL, “AMERICAN IDOL”: When you go into the high falsetto, that‘s your signature. And you know what? That‘s who you are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was great to see a different side of you.
Having said...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes? And? And? And?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What‘s so funny about that?
ABDUL: You have no idea how he double-talks all through the performance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: So Tom, controversy equal ratings?
TOM O‘NEIL, “IN TOUCH WEEKLY”: And the ratings are really good. More than 30 million people a night are consistently tuning into this show, and a lot of its charm is how loopy and crazy Paula is. You know, she babbles all the time. Talk radio here in Los Angeles this morning was filled with, How drunk was she last night? I mean, speculation on this has been constant in her career, if there really are substance abuse issues.
The problem is, this seems to be spilling off consistently off stage,
into her personal life. And she may not care right now because right—
the most interesting development in her career lately was last week, she
re-upped for three years. So she seems to be safe on the career front for
now. Previous to that, there were rumors that the producers were thinking of replacing her with, of all people, Jessica Simpson.
COSBY: In fact, I remember hearing that rumor, too. That would have been a wild change. Let me play a little comment—this is Simon Cowell. I interviewed him not too long ago. Of course, we talked about wacky Paula.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON COWELL, “AMERICAN IDOL”: She‘s been like this for five years. I mean, that‘s the way she is, you know? You know, and we quite like the fact we never know what she‘s going to do.
UNIDENTIFIED: I agree. I love her.
COWELL: You know, it‘s great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love her.
COWELL: And the fact that you‘re bringing it up is—warrants it being there, you know?
COSBY: You‘re right. Everybody‘s talking about it. You‘re right.
(CROSSTALK)
COSBY: And that‘s Simon Cowell and the executive producer of the show.
You know, Jeanne, you know, as we just heard from Tom, she just re-upped for three years on her contract. Do you think it even matter how wacky her life is, whether it‘s on screen or off?
WOLF: You know, she wears her heart on her sleeve. And in our society, if you‘re not cynical, if you‘re someone who loves and cares for each one of these kids and also has some trauma and some drama in your daily life, it makes you an easy mark.
Part of the chemistry of that show is Paula. So no matter what anybody said about the fact that she might be gone, they weren‘t about to mess with such a successful formula. What‘s more interesting about this incident than most is that she did go to the police. And so that if this case bubbles over, she‘s going to be going to a judge a lot more serious than even Simon Cowell.
(LAUGHTER)
COSBY: That‘s true. Good point. Hey, Tom, you know, Jeanne brought up the point—two days later she finally reports it to police. Do you buy her story? What do you make of it, Tom?
O‘NEIL: The other suspicious thing is, why didn‘t she go to a hospital? She claims she sought private medical treatment. For a concussion?
COSBY: Yes, the boyfriend did, though. Remember, the boyfriend did, though. And apparently, he was pretty seriously injured.
O‘NEIL: The boyfriend did, yes.
COSBY: But yes, why didn‘t she, Tom?
O‘NEIL: Yes. A concussion and spinal injuries? Oh, come on! And then what‘s really odd in this timeline, by the way, is she doesn‘t go to the cops until Tuesday night. That‘s after Tuesday‘s “American Idol” show. And if you saw that show, and I did, that‘s where she seemed very lucid and totally in charge of herself. So she was so thrown by this incident physically that she had to go to the cops then? It doesn‘t add up.
COSBY: Got to make that “American Idol” appearance first, right, before you go to the hospital. All right, both of you, thank you both very much. And...
WOLF: If it was an ex-agent, remember, that‘s where the real passion is.
COSBY: That‘s right. That‘s right. And you get mad at those ex-agents, guys!
(LAUGHTER)
COSBY: All right, both of you, thank you very much.
And still ahead, shock and outrage after the alleged Duke University rape scandal. And now for the first time, we‘re hearing from the coach who suddenly resigned. We‘ve got some comments from him.
And you‘ve got to see this to believe it. A man makes a big mistake and jumps off—get this—a four-story structure. What happened to him next? He is going to tell us live. That‘s coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSBY: And now to developments in the alleged gang rape at Duke University. Tonight, people are trying to figure out what led the coach of Duke University‘s lacrosse team to suddenly quit. And we have learned that the student who wrote that twisted e-mail describing how he wanted to kill a stripper, Ryan McFadyen, has now left Durham, after being suspended, and is at home in New Jersey.
Joining me now is NBC‘s Martin Savidge with the very latest from Durham—Martin.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, NBC NEW ORLEANS CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Rita.
The big question regarding Mike Pressler, the coach of the men‘s lacrosse team, tonight is, was he pushed or did he quit on his own accord 24 hours after the coach submitted his resignation, after his team has come under so much intense scrutiny.
The coach was not speaking himself today, but his attorney was issuing a statement to the media. And it reads as follows: “Coach Pressler felt it was in the mutual best interest of the university and himself to resign and that his resignation should not be misconstrued that he has done anything wrong. He has done nothing wrong”—again, the attorney speaking for coach Mike Pressler, who resigned yesterday.
Now, the NAACP for Durham has finally spoken out and gone on the record regarding the scandal at Duke University. And the NAACP is essentially saying, look, we need cooler heads to prevail at this particular moment. They are asking for a very clear, very transparent investigation of the men‘s lacrosse team.
They are saying there shouldn‘t be a vigilante rush to judgment of the team members, nor should there be a vilification of the young woman who has made the accusations of rape charges against the team members.
Now, there are other people that have spoken out. One of them was the woman who heads up the local chapter on campus here of Duke University of the NAACP. And she has said, yes, there is a racial problem. There are racial tensions. Here is what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRACY EGHAREVBA, PRESIDENT, DUKE NAACP: I do feel as a student at Duke, that this incident has brought to light the racial issues of campus that have been in existence ever since before I came on campus.
And I do feel that it should not be swept under the rug and we shouldn‘t ignore the fact that there are racial issues between Duke and Durham and even in between Duke‘s campus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: It should be pointed out that that student could not, though specifically identify instances of racial problems that she had seen.
Also, the reason that race is such a big issue, just to recap for you, is, of course, the fact that the young African-American woman who has made the accusations of rape, as you have just heard, is African-American. And she has made those charges against three white team members. And lastly, but also most important, no one has been charged in the investigation, that is now over three weeks old—Rita.
COSBY: You know, Martin, I know we are waiting for the DNA to come back, the results. What‘s the latest?
SAVIDGE: Well, you know, the DNA, according to the district attorney, was supposed to be coming in, the test results, this week. Well, there is only one more day left in this week.
And no one has heard anything about those results coming in. Also, the DA, at the beginning of this investigation, had said that the test results would be made public, and that there would be a very clear indication as to who was guilty and who was not. Well, it now appears authorities are not going to release that information.
Instead, more than likely, it will come out through the defense attorneys for the team members of the lacrosse team. Essentially, under the state law, they must be notified, since they gave DNA samples. And, again, the attorneys say, they have not been told that the DNA results are back. So, everyone still waits, very anxiously, on the campus of Duke University—Rita.
COSBY: Thank you very much. Keep us posted, Martin. Thank you.
So, has Duke University been responding appropriately to the sex Scandal. Duke University president Richard Brodhead made an interesting comment about Coach Mike Pressler‘s resignation. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BRODHEAD, PRESIDENT, DUKE UNIVERSITY: When he offered his resignation, I thought it very appropriate. I don‘t know what he knew and what he didn‘t know, what he‘s personally responsible for, what he‘s not personally responsible for. But, if you are the leader of a team, after a while, enough is enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSBY: And let me now bring in prosecutor Stacey Honowitz and also defense attorney David Feige.
Stacey, let me read again what the—the president of the university said: “I don‘t know what he knew and didn‘t know.”
Is there more to this resignation than meets the eye?
STACEY HONOWITZ, FLORIDA ASSISTANT STATE ATTORNEY: Well, certainly,
when you listen to what the president has to say, I think he himself
doesn‘t know the true answer to
And I think everybody, the general public, is probably thinking to themselves that he does know more than he is leading on to. As you know, Rita, certain things were seized from this individual‘s house that wrote the e-mail. There was, I believe, a camera. We don‘t know if maybe there are some pictures.
And, so, we are going to have to wait to see how this unfolds. But I think, accordingly, nobody one knows if there was more involvement by this coach than he is leading on.
COSBY: Let me show again—this is the comment from the attorney for the coach.
He says: “Coach Pressler felt it was in the mutual best interest of the university and himself to resign as coach. His resignation should not construed as indication that he has done anything wrong. He has done nothing wrong.”
How do you read this, David?
DAVID FEIGE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: What‘s there to read? For God‘s sake, the guy resigned. You know, sometimes, when Bush seems like he‘s in trouble...
(CROSSTALK)
FEIGE: Hold on...
COSBY: But, David, it‘s in the middle of all this sex scandal. It‘s not like he just suddenly resigned, that he was planning a resignation.
FEIGE: No. But you know what? When Bush‘s numbers go down, people start saying, reshuffle your Cabinet. Sometimes, people resign in the middle of a scandal. Big deal. We know nothing about this.
And it seems to me that what Stacey just did is exactly the kind of speculation that has characterized this entire case. We don‘t know—we don‘t even know who the victim is here.
(CROSSTALK)
HONOWITZ: That‘s 100 percent right.
I never said it wasn‘t speculation. We are speculating. But the fact of the matter is, that‘s how the general public feels. If he was in charge of these boys, then...
(CROSSTALK)
FEIGE: But, Stacey, why speculate on guilt?
HONOWITZ: Wait. David, I said maybe he knows more than he is leading on to. I didn‘t say he definitely did.
(CROSSTALK)
FEIGE: Well, why don‘t we just say maybe he doesn‘t?
(CROSSTALK)
COSBY: But, David, David, maybe should he have waited until DNA, until things shook out? Maybe this guy didn‘t have anything to do with anything and doesn‘t know anything.
FEIGE: And maybe the president of the university is pissed off that there is—that there is a party going on. And that alone is enough to say, you know what, there is a problem with this lacrosse team. We are going to set it straight.
My point is, Rita, why don‘t we say, maybe this is nothing, not maybe it‘s something?
COSBY: Let—let me show a quote. In fact, I—I think you do make a good point, because we do not know what this guy knows.
Let me—let me show—this is what the victim‘s father—this is the alleged victim‘s father. OK? This is what he gave us, because he said that he actually feels bad for the coach. He says: “He didn‘t do it, the rape or the beating. It is unfortunate that he has to suffer for what somebody else did.”
Stacey, could he be...
FEIGE: But let‘s just...
COSBY: Hold on one second.
Stacey, could he be the fall guy?
HONOWITZ: Well, I mean, there has got to be some evidence that he‘s the fall guy.
I mean, certainly, there is going to have be something that says that he knew these parties going on, he knew that they were hiring strippers, he knew the party was going on that night. So, can he be the fall guy? If there is some evidence pointing to, but, right now, I have—I agree with David on one thing. We don‘t know.
People will read into this e-mail. And we don‘t know if maybe, later on, if changes are filed, maybe he is going to be called as a witness to something, and that‘s why he doesn‘t want to be involved in anything.
FEIGE: Maybe.
COSBY: David, let me get you to respond to the e-mail, too...
FEIGE: Sure.
COSBY: ... because I haven‘t gotten you to respond.
I want you to—this is this e-mail that everybody is so outraged about.
FEIGE: Right.
COSBY: First, you get the e-mail. That boy is suspended. And, again, we are reporting he‘s back at home in New Jersey.
The coach suddenly resigns—all of this happening around the same time. But, in it, it says: “I have decided to have some strippers over”—again, this is from another player who was at the party the night—
“However, there will be no nudity. I plan on killing the B‘s”—that‘s a swear word, obviously—“as soon as they walk in and proceeding to cut their skin off.”
COSBY: What is your take, David, on this e-mail?
FEIGE: My take...
COSBY: I mean, it is outrageous.
FEIGE: My take is—is that it‘s outrageous. And it‘s is a vile sentiment and it‘s a vile e-mail, but it supports the defense, not the prosecution in this.
(CROSSTALK)
COSBY: Let me get—go ahead, David.
(CROSSTALK)
HONOWITZ: I don‘t know how. But...
FEIGE: I will tell you exactly how.
HONOWITZ: I would like to hear. I would be very interested in hearing.
FEIGE: What I suspect—what I suspect is that the defense in this case—and very probably rightly so—is that this was a fight about money, that there was no rape here, that this was a fight about money.
And she tried to basically take their money and split. And that‘s what went on here.
(CROSSTALK)
COSBY: Let me get—I got a few seconds left. Let me bring in Stacey.
FEIGE: Sure.
COSBY: Because, Stacey, don‘t you think the boys would have said that, because, so far, they said, you know, no sex, no this?
HONOWITZ: Absolutely.
COSBY: Don‘t you think they would have said, look, this girl tried to rip us off and this is payback, if that were the case?
HONOWITZ: Absolutely.
And it‘s very interesting. David said that all I am doing is speculating. And now out here he is throwing out a theory for the defense.
COSBY: Yes. I think there‘s a little speculation on both sides there.
(CROSSTALK)
HONOWITZ: I think you definitely would have heard something, some kind of story.
FEIGE: Let me ask you a question. You know what, Stacey? Let me ask you a question. What facts can you come up with in this case that support rape, not that? And if you can‘t come up with any, why would you even say rape?
HONOWITZ: Listen , David, I have never—I have never accused them.
I said that, so far, what we have heard by the stuff that was left at the house, the acrylic nails, the bruising, the bruising on her genitalia, those things are consistent with non-consensual sex. I never came on this show and said...
FEIGE: Not necessarily by them.
HONOWITZ: ... that they raped her. I said, so far, what we know is consistent with somebody who has non-consensual sex.
(CROSSTALK)
COSBY: And, David, I‘m going to give you 10 seconds.
(CROSSTALK)
HONOWITZ: Everything else is pure speculation.
COSBY: Let me give David 10 seconds, literally.
FEIGE: And what I would suggest is, it is also consistent with them not having committed a rape, because you don‘t know who did that.
Until the DNA comes back, we don‘t know whether there was any sex. And the fact that the prosecution is trying to hide this and the defense is looking forward to it says an awful lot to me.
COSBY: And, both of you, we have got to go.
(CROSSTALK)
COSBY: And we are waiting for the DNA test results. As soon as we get them, guys, of course, everybody, we are going to bring them to you.
Still ahead, another college campus shaken—a top student vanishes into thin air. Police are now combing through surveillance tapes. What are they looking for? The man‘s father and also girlfriend are going to join us to tell us what clues there are in the case.
And recognize the guy in this police dash-cam video? He is one bad dude, a killer on the run. And you‘re going to be surprised to hear how he has conned the cops once again. Can you help bring him in? That‘s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSBY: Tonight, a mysterious disappearance and a family besides themselves to find out what happened to their loved one.
Ohio State medical student Brian Shaffer hasn‘t been seen in almost a week. Last Saturday, the 27-year-old met his father for dinner, spoke on the phone with his girlfriend, on then vanished that evening, after having drinks with a friend.
That ended at 1:30 in the morning. And that was the last time that anyone saw him.
Joining us now is the missing med student‘s girlfriend, Alex Waggoner, and also his father, Randy Shaffer.
Randy, let me start with you.
What are cops telling you about your son‘s whereabouts? I know that they are looking through some surveillance video from the bar, right?
Randy, can you hear me?
RANDY SHAFFER, FATHER OF BRIAN SHAFFER: OK. You talking to me? OK.
COSBY: Yes, I am, Randy.
Randy, what are...
SHAFFER: All right.
COSBY: What are authorities telling you? And I understand that they are looking through some surveillance video.
SHAFFER: Well, basically, they saw Brian go into the bar, and they haven‘t really—that‘s the only thing they have seen so far and haven‘t really seen him on the outside. Yet, they feel that he did make it outside. They are just still going over some other tapes to—to check it out. That‘s what they‘re doing right now.
COSBY: And, Randy, have they been interviewing people who were at the bar, who may have talked to him, and I assume his friend who he met at the bar, correct?
SHAFFER: Yes. They have been interviewing just about everybody.
His friend Clint, talked to him. And also the—there was one girl that was with them, as far as at that night. And they have talked to her, I believe, as far as that, and just anybody that I can think of, as far as that, you know, to help them out with that.
COSBY: You know, Alexis, I‘m sure that you have also looked into it.
Anything unusual from anybody at the bar or this friend Clint, who he met?
ALEXIS WAGGONER, GIRLFRIEND OF BRIAN SHAFFER: No.
He was there with them. And he was walking around. And you do see him on one of the tapes at 1:55. And then it looks like he goes back into the bar. And, then—so, after that, they just need to find him leave, but there‘s, I mean, nothing strange. And when we could see him on the tape, he looked fine and looked like he was having a good time. So...
COSBY: And, Alexis, when did you find out that something was wrong?
What was the tip?
WAGGONER: I had talked to him, like you said, that night. And, then, Saturday, I hadn‘t really gotten a chance to talk to him, which he—I knew he was going to be getting ready to go on this spring break—or this spring break trip we were going to take.
But it was, you know, kind of getting to be late, really late that night, before I went to sleep. And, then, when I woke up and I hadn‘t heard anything—I had gotten ahold of his friend Clint to see if anybody had heard from him. And, you know, I called Randy to find out if he had heard from him. And that‘s kind of what started the ball rolling, trying to find him.
COSBY: You know, Alexis, you—you mentioned this spring break trip that he was planning on taking. Is there any reason he would have wanted to avoid the trip? Is there anything, stress or—or something else? I know his mother, you know, passed away not too long ago. Is there something that could have led him to be troubled?
WAGGONER: I—I don‘t think so.
She had—she had given him money for Christmas to help him, because she really wanted us to get a break before we started the end of our school year. And, you know, that night, before he went out, he left me a message on my computer, telling me how excited he was to go. So, I really can‘t manage anything happening between then and—and 2:00 in the morning that would have wanted—or made him avoid it.
COSBY: You know—Randy is there anything—any credit cards have been used, any cell phone use?
SHAFFER: No.
Alexis has been pretty good about checking that out. I mean, she has probably checked that out three or four times every day since then. And there has not been any use on any of those. And I personally checked out his Chase credit card, and there—he didn‘t spend anything on that card right there.
So, as far as I know, I mean, the only thing he might have had that I think it was maybe $50 in his possession, as far as that. And, you know, he paid for his drinks with his credit cards that night, which really weren‘t that much, I mean, only around $11 on both of them, roughly, as far as that. But they were taking turns and buying stuff, as far as the, you know, the three of them, from what I understood, as far as that, that night.
COSBY: Well, I hope both of you get some answers.
Let‘s put up, if we could, again—this is the tip line, too. Of course, anybody, if you have any information of what may have happened to Brian Shaffer, you saw something interesting that night that may be relevant, please call authorities, 1-877-645-TIPS.
And we wish both of you lots of luck. I hope you get some good news soon.
And, still ahead, everybody, another search tonight, this one for a convicted killer. Get this. Police may have caught him, but let him slip away.
And, next, a guy who thought that he was jumping over a wall—instead, he was in an incredible four-story fall. How did he survive? He is going to join me live next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSBY: A Wisconsin man learned a powerful lesson about the dangers of binge drinking after this nearly fatal accident. Matt Mathe was heavily intoxicated when he jumped out of—get this—a four-story parking garage. The whole incident was caught on tape by a nearby surveillance camera. And he‘s now speaking out, warning others to think twice before getting drunk.
And we are joined now on the phone by Matt Mathe.
Matt, first of all, how are you doing?
MATT MATHE, SPEAKING OUT AGAINST BINGE DRINKING: I‘m—I‘m fine.
COSBY: Yes. I know it has been a couple months, but what kind of—what kind of injuries did you have? You fell 40 feet.
MATHE: I—I had broken—excuse me—I had broken all of my ribs on my left side, my right shoulder in two different places, broke my pelvis, my C2 vertebrae, my T12 vertebrae, and punctured both my lungs. And that‘s about it.
(LAUGHTER)
COSBY: That‘s quite a bit. How long was the whole recovery process?
MATHE: I spent one month in the hospital and two months on bed rest, essentially, at my parents‘ house.
COSBY: And what‘s the last thing you remember before jumping out of the garage?
MATHE: Well, as—as you said, I was pretty intoxicated. So, I would have to say the last thing I really remembered was from much earlier in that evening.
COSBY: Do you remember the actual fall? I mean, we‘re looking at you here. Do you remember the actual—I mean, 40 feet, it‘s—it‘s four stories. Do you remember any of that?
MATHE: No, I don‘t, none of it.
COSBY: You know, I know that a firefighter found you lying unconscious. Do you think that you might have died if he hadn‘t seen you?
MATHE: I had actually—I have been told that I would have died if I had laid there for any longer.
COSBY: You know, what message do you have for other binge drinkers tonight?
MATHE: Don‘t do it, of course. And, you know, if you‘re going to go out and drink, go out and at least drink with someone else, because I‘m sure this wouldn‘t have happened to me if someone else is there.
COSBY: How embarrassed are you when you look at the tape, too?
Matt, how embarrassed are you when you look at the tape? Is that tough for you to say? I‘m sure. Are you surprised when you see it?
MATHE: I‘m—I‘m actually—since I don‘t remember much of this, I am actually fairly separated from that tape. But I am too embarrassed to thank the firefighters in person.
COSBY: Well, most importantly, I hope other people learn a lesson.
And thank you for being here and sharing your story, as tough as it is. Thank you very much. And I‘m glad you have recuperated.
And, still ahead, everybody, there‘s an all-points bulletin for a suspected killer. He was caught on this dash-cam. His amazing getaway this time, we will explain. That‘s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSBY: Tonight, an all-points bulletin for a convicted murderer who escaped from a Louisiana federal prison.
And get this: A local police officer stopped the escapee on the road, but let him go, because he couldn‘t make a positive I.D. This is exclusive video given to us from station KALB in Louisiana of 47-year-old Richard McNair. He told the police officer that he was doing a roofing job in the area. And the lie worked, and he got away again.
McNair, who was in jail for a 1987 murder, escaped on Wednesday night.
And joining me now is a U.S. federal marshal on the case, Glen Belgard.
Marshal, how did he get out? How did he escape from prison?
GLEN BELGARD, U.S. FEDERAL MARSHAL: Well, Rita, we‘re not commenting on that at this time. That‘s an internal investigation that is going with other federal agencies.
(CROSSTALK)
COSBY: Well, let me—let me tell you at least what has been out there, that he—that he escaped in a mail van after hiding in a warehouse. Can you obviously confirm? And have you located the mail van?
BELGARD: No, Rita, I cannot confirm that. That is not the information I‘m getting.
But they are—we do have authorities on that, questioning folks that we believe have—may have been conspirators, and assisting him in his escape.
COSBY: Ah, that‘s interesting. Now, the people who have been helping him, are they people in the prison you‘re referring to? Are they other inmates, or are they staff?
BELGARD: Rita—Rita, I really can‘t comment on that. The Marshal Service‘s primary jurisdiction is locating the fugitive escapee himself.
COSBY: Have you had any leads on him, other than this encounter with the cop?
BELGARD: Well, of course, we have had several leads. We have had the phone lines open. Folks are calling in, which we appreciate. We—we depend on the—the general public to give us any kind of tips, sightings or anything they believe. And some of them, you know, may be positive. Some of them may be negative, but we have to—we have to follow up on all leads.
COSBY: Let me put up—this guy, it‘s pretty incredible, his background, too, Marshal.
He‘s had escapes a couple of other times in some very creative ways. In February 1988, he used lip balm to free himself from handcuffs, and then he jumped off a third story of a hospital building. In October 1992, he escaped with two other inmates through a ventilation duct.
Is this guy a smart escape artist or do you think he is not being watched closely enough?
BELGARD: Well, he is known to be a very intelligent con artist and stays in excellent physical shape. He runs regularly. He has a physical fitness routine.
He has—he has nothing but time to think about this, as most do. The last time he escaped, he was caught with the assistance of “America‘s Most Wanted.”
COSBY: And, real quick, what should folks do? Is this guy armed and dangerous?
BELGARD: At this time, we can consider him as dangerous. We cannot confirm if he is armed at this time. But we have to assume that a subject with this kind of a background would be armed.
COSBY: All right, Marshal. And, again, anybody, if you have any information on the case, you can see the number there, 318-676-4200, or the number there at the penitentiary in Louisiana.
BELGARD: Rita, I would like just to add...
COSBY: Yes, real quick. We just have a few seconds, actually.
BELGARD: We do have the U.S. Marshals tip hot line. It‘s 1-866-641-8477. That‘s 1-866-641-8477. There‘s a $10,000 reward for any information legal to his arrest.
(CROSSTALK)
COSBY: Marshal, we Have got to cut you, but we will have you back on again.
And that does it for me. Sorry, everybody. We Have got a tight out here.
Catherine Crier now taking over for Joe—Catherine.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
END
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