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PRIMETIME JUSTICE WITH ASHLEIGH BANFIELD

Deadly Cold Temperatures Blanket U.S.; Hoda Kotb Named Permanent Show Host; Two U.S. Family Killed In Costa Rica; Colorado Gunman Left Alarming Online Trail; 2 Girls Missing After Mom Found Dead; Teen Slaughters Family In NYE Attack. Aired 6-8p ET

Aired January 2, 2018 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:00:11] JEAN CASAREZ, CNN PRIMETIME JUSTICE SHOW GUEST HOST: Good evening, I`m Jean Casarez in tonight for Ashleigh Banfield. Thanks so much

for joining us, it is 6:00 Eastern, these are your head lines. Across most of the country, you would feel warmer stepping into a walk in freezer than

stepping outside. Temperatures are 15 to 20 degrees colder than average from Texas up into the northeast. In Atlanta, it was just 14 degrees this

morning. Check out this picture from Ginny Murray, it is sand, snow and surf on the beach in Cape May, New Jersey.

NBC had named Hoda Kotb is the permanent host of the "Today" show. Replacing Lauer, the network has been looking to fill the seat for the past

month after Lauer was fired for inappropriate sexual behavior. Lauer had co-hosted today since 1997.

High winds could be to blame for a small plane crash that killed 10 Americans on New Year`s Eve. It went down just minutes after taking off in

Costa Rica, investigators do not have an official cause just yet. Bruce and Irene Steinberg from New York, and their three sons were on the flight.

As well as a family from Florida. Everyone on board was killed, including the pilot and a travel guide.

Investigators say the gunman who killed a sheriff`s deputy in Colorado had been exhibiting bizarre behavior for weeks. Officer say Matthew Reel shot

a total of five officers, who responded to a call at his apartment in the Denver suburbs. Reel was killed in the shootout with SWAT Officers,

according to investigators, he had apparently been threatening police officers and others in e-mail and on social media in the weeks before the

shooting.

And also tonight, we have some breaking news, an urgent amber alert for two missing girls, Lulu and Lily, just 7 and 14 years old, they were last scene

at their home in Round Rock Texas, just outside of Austin. Police are not just looking for them. Their mother`s 44-year-old roommate has also

disappeared. And he may have abducted the girls. After their mother died suspiciously in the home where they all lived.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN BANKS, ROUND ROVK POLICE DEPT: They did enter the residence and located a deceased female, white female by the name of Tonya Bates.

Indications at that time, it was of a suspicious nature. Our criminal investigation division was called out at that time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Now, police want to speak with Terry Allen Miles, but they`re telling the public not to approach him and they see him. Miles was a

little strange, said a neighbor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES REID, NEIGHBOR: The male, he was a little strange when I first met him, like I say, I don`t know anybody that first meets somebody and tries

to get them to baby-sit your kids. That was a no, no to me. I didn`t really talk to him too much. He was really jittery when we did talk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Police say Lulu and Lily could be in great danger and they need your help in looking for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BANKS: We do not know, and we believe they are not with Terry Allen Miles willingly, and so that is why we are asking the public for their help in

trying to locate these girls and get them home immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Joining us tonight on the phone, Jon Cooley, anchor and reporter for KLBJ radio. Also, Sergeant Darin Bayles of the round Rock Police.

Defense attorney Brian Wagner is joining us also, and CNN law enforcement contributor and former FBI agent and investigator Steve Moore. First

tonight, I want to go to Jon Cooley, you`re right there, what is the latest in this news, because these girls have to be found.

JON COOLEY, REPORTER-ANCHOR, NEWSRADIO KLBJ: Unfortunately, the latest news that we have from them, that there is no news. The latest update we

got from the Round Rock police department, hopefully we have more news later today from the sergeant, and they are continuing to diligently look

and work with state officials and trying to find Mr. Miles and these two young girls.

CASAREZ: You`re looking at those girls. That is Miles right there, the gentleman they believe may have these girls, these are the two young girls

right here, they are very young and the last time that they were seen -- well, let us ask, Sergeant Bayles who is joining us from the Round Rock

police department. First of all, do you believe that these girls are with this man on the right-hand side of our screen, last name of Miles?

DARIN BAYLES, ROUND ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT: Yes, ma`am, we do. We have every reason to believe that the girls are with him right now.

[18:05:00] CASAREZ: Do you believe that they are in danger?

BAYLES: I do believe that is the case, which is why we ramped up so many resources, not only locally, but nationally to try to locate these girls to

determine their actual safety.

CASAREZ: Their mother is deceased. Walk us through the time line, because on December 29th, I believe. You went for -- your people went for a

welfare check at the home. Why did you go to the home for a welfare check to begin with?

BAYLES: Actually, our first notification was on December 30th, when a co- worker called and said she failed to show up for work, having seen her at work the previous evening. The patrol officers made contact at the

residence and after getting no contact, they reached -- they started kind of checking the neighborhood. Ultimately we did receive some additional

information from a friend of the deceased woman that led us to believe that we need to take the investigation further. Officers were able to make

entry into the residence, which is where she was discovered.

CASAREZ: Between the December 30th and 24 hours later when you went back, who gave you more information?

BAYLES: It was another friend of the deceased woman that contacted us as well being concerned about her welfare, because she had not -- the decease

had not responded to her on text messages. For us, that just gave us more circumstances that led us to believe that her welfare needed to be checked

inside the residence.

CASAREZ: Can you tell us what she told you that gave you under the law, the ability to go into that home?

BAYLES: What she informed us, is that it was very un-character like for her not to respond to those messages, the fact that she had not shown up

for work, that was un-character like, and then some information about her past involvement with another gentleman just led us to believe those

circumstances were worthy enough for us to make entry, and determine her wellbeing.

CASAREZ: At that point you went in. What did your deputies find?

BAYLES: The officers located the deceased woman in the residence.

CASAREZ: Where was she?

BAYLES: She was on the floor of the residence.

CASAREZ: You said this is a suspicious death. What are the facts and circumstances of how she was found to tell you it was a suspicious death?

BAYLES: Really, because it`s still a very evolving investigation for us, I think it would be detrimental to go into great detail about what those

circumstances are, but it was reasonably obvious that this would not be a death of natural causes. And so the autopsy and examination was done late

today and we`ve not heard any final details from there either. It would probably be not good for us to release that information at this point since

it`s a dynamic investigation.

CASAREZ: You realized at that point that Lulu and Lily, these two young girls, biological children of this woman, that they were gone. And also

that Miles was gone. And he was the roommate in the house? What is that?

BAYLES: Yeah, the information we have from the deceased woman`s family is that he was a roommate. There`s no indication there was a romantic

involvement between the two of them, but he was cohabitating with her in the residence.

CASAREZ: So he is someone, are you calling him someone you want to talk with now?

BAYLES: Well, exactly, we have reason to believe he is in possession of the young girls, based on us finding their mother deceased in the home, I

mean I think those circumstances alone, we would absolutely want to speak with him. And find out what he knows about any circumstances which may

have occurred in the home and that occurred while he was there or if he knows about any involvement that the deceased woman might have with other

individuals, and at this point there`s so many possibilities. We`re trying to narrow down the scope of our investigation to find answers to a lot of

questions.

CASAREZ: When was there a sighting? You have gotten some calls that the three of them were sighted together?

BAYLES: Right now we have investigative information that they are together. We have not been able to confirm any sightings that the public

has provided with us, but we have been able to obtain some video based on our investigation, which would indicate that they are still all together.

[18:10:06] CASAREZ: And in what state?

BAYLES: The latest is in Texas.

CASAREZ: In Texas? Ok. Now, Intersate-35, I know is very close to Round Rock, and that goes north up to Dallas. So was it along Intersatte-35, and

when was this sighting?

BAYLES: No, ma`am, it`s more toward the panhandle area, and the sighting was within the last 48 hours.

CASAREZ: Ok. Within the last 48 hours. You know, I think it`s --

BAYLES: Maybe --

CASAREZ: It`s very confusing here, because this man is not the biological -- he is not the biological father of these two young girls. A motivation

to take them? What would that be?

BAYLES: Well, that is the million dollar question, I think we`d all like to have answers to, is why he has these children, and because there`s no

indication he has any legal authority to possess them. And so we want to speak with him, we want to make sure the children are safe, and also finds

out that very reason. He is a person of interest that we want to speak with regard to the circumstances of the death as well as the safety of the

children.

CASAREZ: We`re looking at right here, describe the vehicle for us. We`re looking at the license plate right here. But what is the vehicle you

believe they`re in?

BAYLES: It`s a 2017 Hyundai Accent. It`s a relatively small car. It has a unique sticker on the back windshield, cat bus. Kind of a unique

sticker, it`s white in color.

CASAREZ: Were the children`s belongings in the home or were they taken?

BAYLES: There were belongings in the home, it was evident that they were residing in the home. It`s difficult for us to determine without being

able to speak with Mr. Miles how much property was taken, because we have no reference point.

CASAREZ: I want to go to Steve Moore, former FBI agent and investigator joining us tonight. Steve, it makes no sense to me, this is a roommate.

They don`t believe he was romantically involved with their mother, but the mother`s been murdered. Her two children are gone, they have a video

sighting he is with this man. What`s the motive to take these kids?

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: One possible motive is -- came out a little bit in the interview with the neighbor, by the way, I`ll

baby-sit your kids. My idea is that we might find out later this gentleman has a problem with attraction to children. That is the reason he moved in

with this particular family. The murder wasn`t planned, because the body was left right there in the house, my guess is, if I had to give you a

guess, that the mother found out that something was going on with the girls. The girls may have told the mother, probably the 7-year-old,

because the 14-year-old probably would have said something sooner. She confronted the man, and he had nothing else to lose, because now he is

going to go to jail. So he solves the problem with the mother and takes the girls, because that is what caused the problem in the first place.

CASAREZ: Sergeant Darren Bayles joining us from the Round Rock police department. You`re not saying you believe this man is armed and dangerous,

which is so often the case. When it is believed there has been an abduction and there`s been a violent crime that is taken place. Do you

believe that violence is the issue? I mean, allegedly if someone murders one person, they can murder others. Or are you more concerned for their

safety? Really what Steve Moore is saying, the fact of these young women.

BAYLES: I think there`s a lot of possibilities out there, you know, I certainly appreciate the agents perspective, right now early on in the

investigation, there`s a lot of possibilities, we`re still investigating leads of different individuals that the deceased was connected with. And

interviewing them and trying to build a victim profile, so we have a better understanding of her. Based on the circumstances that we know, we would

always urge caution of the general public approaching somebody that is involved in a situation like this. It`s just a safer bet, because there`s

so many possibilities we would prefer the citizens be safe. So right now the biggest priority is the welfare of the children, and trying to speak

with Mr. Miles about what he knows about the circumstances surrounding the death of their mother.

[18:15:05] CASAREZ: One last thing, we do have to go. Can you describe the physical characteristics of this two young girls, their ages, how tall

they are, about what they weigh?

BAYLES: You know, they`re pretty typical 7 and 14-year-old. The 14-year- old has long brown hair. I don`t have that information in front of me, the 7-year-old, Lulu, a bit darker completive has curly brown hair. We urge

the public to take a good look at the images out there on the media outlets and be familiar well their images. Call local law enforcement to get

officers out, if they do see anything it might be similar to this young ladies.

CASAREZ: Very good. And we have great pictures of them. Everyone will be on the lookout. They could be anywhere with the interstate the way it is.

And the vehicle, you don`t know where it could be. Thank you so much.

A New Year`s Eve massacre in New Jersey. A 16-year-old allegedly guns down his parents, his sister and a family friend. Now, police are trying to

piece together why he snapped. And a shocking video of our brutal attack on an 86-year-old man in an assisted living facility.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:20:28] CASAREZ: Sunday night at 11:45 p.m., most people were counting down to the New Year. For one family in Long Branch, New Jersey, the

celebration was cut short. A husband and wife their teenaged daughter and a family friend all shot to death in their home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

We all thought it was fireworks, because they were going on in the background along the beach. And I was telling my roommate, my younger

brother that it sounded like gunshots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Police say it was their 16-year-old son who took a relative`s semiautomatic assault rifle and gunned down his family. Now, he is facing

four counts of murder and he could be charged as an adult. The boy`s family described him as a good kid.

CNN Correspondent Brynn Gingras joins us now and Steve Moore and Brian Wagner.

Brynn, this is horrific opinion.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORREPOSNDENT: At every level.

CASAREZ: A family wiped out.

GINGRAS: Completely.

CASAREZ: We`ve learned new information today.

GINGRAS: Well, all day we`ve been waiting for this 16-year-old to face a Judge, in family court, juvenile court. He is 16 years old, it got slowed

up, that whole arraignment process, that is because we know in family court, the media, reporters, they`re not allowed in. A local newspaper

filed a motion to make that happen, to allow reporters to see those proceedings and a Judge has not ruled on that. The first arraignment has

been pushed back until 11:00 tomorrow morning. That is when we expect the 16-year-old to face a Judge. After that, it will be up to that Judge, who

has 60 days to decide if that juvenile will be tried as an adult. Which is what the prosecutor in this case wants to do.

CASAREZ: We had thought there were two people in the home that were not shot at and killed. But we learned different information.

GINGRAS: We learned there`s three. They promised a news conference giving us more details of the case. A lot of those details come out in court,

since this is in juvenile court, we`re not learning too much. He came in front of the cameras, gave us more updates. Three people we learned were

inside that house who were able to escape, and we did learn it wasn`t necessarily, because the 16-year-old didn`t target them, it`s because they

heard the gunshots in the house happening when the 16-year-old attacked his sister, mother, father and the family friend, they were able to escape just

hearing those gunshots.

CASAREZ: We were hearing from neighbors and people who knew this family, also, someone who knew this young man who is now not named at all publicly,

about what he was like. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is a good kids. He had some learning disabilities. He knows right from wrong. Why would he do that? Why would he kill his

own mother?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Brynn, from everything we have heard and seen. It seems like a really close family, a good family. What have you heard?

GINGRAS: Just like that person said, there was some sort of developmental developmental disability that the 16-year-old play have had. Whether that

plays into the court proceedings, we will have to find out. From family members, we have heard, yes, they were a great family, this kid was a great

kid many a friend of the 18-year-old -- 18-year-old who died in this said that he never showed any signs of triggering any sort of violence. Like he

always would just laugh when she was hanging out with her -- her best friend, Brittany, who died in this. The older brother, one of the

brothers, there are two others that are alive. One of the brothers who escaped this, he did make a post on social media today, but didn`t mention

his brother who`s now in police custody, but made this comment. He said my new year`s resolution is to be as great of a parent as my parents were to

me. My sister was so beautiful and smart, she just got done with her first semester of college. Please remember to give the ones you love an extra

kiss or I love you. For the whole Kologi family.

CASAREZ: Britney Kologi 18 years old, just completed her first semester in college. Steven Kologi the father, 44 years old, Linda Kologi 42, his wife

and you just see them in these pictures as a loving family. And we understand that he worked the overnight shift, the father, to help support

his family. And a nonrelative was also shot, Mary Shultz, 70 years old. Who was she?

[18:25:14] GINGRAS: She was in some sort of a relationship with the grandfather who was able to escape with the older brother and the third

person we have no identity too.

CASAREZ: Steve, we`re hearing that those shot were in different rooms? And they were shot multiple times with this semiautomatic rifle, the

magazine had 15 rounds, and prosecutor would not say if all the rounds were fired, but each victim shot multiple times, what does that tell you?

MOORE: It tells me they probably heard the shots and some of them decided to shelter in place. They didn`t want to go out and confront the person,

whoever it was. And they felt staying in the same place would probably be their best bet. As far as how many times he shot them indicates his state

of mind, rage, anger, something had sprung in this person`s mind, we may never completely understand what that was, but there was a lot of anger and

passion involved in these killings. With the type of rifle he had. One round might have done it each time. He was dealing with some kind of pent

up emotion.

CASAREZ: We have a bit of information from the prosecutor today that spoke out in a press conference today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do have information as to the cause and manner of death. Unfortunately, with the four deaths, that we`re investigating, all

of them were ruled as a manner of death of homicide, and the cause was multiple gunshots to each individual. Those gunshots occurred at close

range.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: All right. Brian, close range and multiple shots. That shows an intent to kill.

BRIAN WAGNER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It absolutely shows an intent to kill, but I would be concentrating on, where was the gun contained within the house?

That is actually going to show his intent. If the gun is easily accessible. The intent is, the natural intent, any time you shoot someone,

you`re going to kill them. When you have so go to another room or in a locked safe, unlock the gun, and go to the room where the deceased was in,

that is where you really flesh out someone`s intent.

CASAREZ: Even to get the gun and take it so close to someone`s face or body or abdomen and shoot, there can still be premeditation.

WAGNER: Absolutely. The issue is, how do you best flesh out what this defendant`s intent was, and did he have an opportunity to walk it back, we

all have snap issues that we do, but by going to another room, by going to a gun safe, by un-looking it, there`s more time for the person to -- cooler

heads prevail, that didn`t happen in this case. We all wish it did, where the gun was would be the key fact for me in this case.

CASAREZ: You`re already thinking of the defense here?

WAGNER: Absolutely.

CASAREZ: Should he be charged as an adult?

WAGNER: I think his mental state will have a big say in that. Whether or not he is mentally competent and how mentally competent he is, should

really determine that. I find it hard to believe that this many people deceased in a domestic abuse, will not be charged as an adult. It`s very

unlikely.

CASAREZ: Couldn`t get much worse than that. We also understand that 911 was called by one of the relatives or people in the home that were not shot

at. Let`s listen to the prosecutor as he describes the investigation so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were sleeping at the time this happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those kind of details are going to have to come out as our investigation unfolds. Those are things you`ll hear once charging

decisions are made and it gets into a courtroom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Brynn, we don`t know where they were, but they said multiple rooms. It was a quarter to midnight, right?

GINGRAS: Just 15 minutes before the New Year, and that is what the gunshots also, people were as you heard that man say, fireworks, was it

gunshots? What was it, there were calls being made to authorities. This is Long Branch New Jersey. It`s a close linked town, it`s not exactly the

biggest police department. That is why you have the Monmouth county prosecutor`s office doing part of the investigation. So this certainly is

alarming.

CASAREZ: New Years` Eve party and then they sort of walk that back, do we know what was happening in the house?

GINGRAS: As far as what is happening, no. But that`s all I think going to come out more, once we actually get this ruling if it happens, of him being

tried as an adult. I think that`s when the Monmouth County prosecutor`s office feels comfortable actually giving more details of this crime.

CASAREZ: Steve, how are they going to determine the state of mind of this young man?

STEVE MOORE, FORMER FBI AGENT AND INVESTIGATOR: It`s going to be tough. I think it`s going to go back to obviously a history of the young man from

birth all the way to a quarter to midnight the other night. I think it`s going to go a lot to Steven Jr., the son who survived, the grandfather who

survived.

Because what they`re going to want to know is what happened that night. Was it as defense attorney was believing, something where there was anger, that

was not planned, where the guy went and got the gun and still premeditated in the act, or was it something where the kid had decided, my family is not

going to see the new year, I`ve got too much of a problem with them.

So, you have to go back on that. And there`s going to be leakage all the way along. But I`ll tell you what`s interesting to me. If the family really

thought he was some kind of threat, likely that gun would have been locked up and him not in possession of the combination. So, I assume that this

caught them all by surprise.

CASAREZ: It`s a good point because any responsible gun owner keeps their gun locked, especially when there are children around, especially when

there is something that -- just make sure everyone is safe. All right, we will keep following this, and it is horrific, especially at the beginning

of the new year. Thank you all.

In Rockford, Illinois, an SUV tears out of a bank drive-thru, jumps an embankment, and then goes airborne. Watch this. It was all caught on

camera.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amazingly, no one was killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) in southern California.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.

CASAREZ (voice over): Wow! Miraculously, the driver of the gray sedan wasn`t hurt. Oh, my God. Can you imagine the shock just realizing what was

happening. The driven even told officers that the flying SUV barely touched the car. How would you maneuver that?

Police say the SUV crossed four lanes of traffic without hitting anyone before finally running into a building. Sixty-two-year-old Kimberly Craft

(ph) told police that she accidentally accelerated too fast, and the car just went out of control. She is charged with DUI and reckless driving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Now, a 20-year-old mother disappears days before a custody hearing. Now her remains have been found and police are searching for her

killer.

And later, horrific video shows an elderly man with dementia being attacked in an assisted living facility.

[18:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: A couple in Florida has spent eight months waiting for answers, wondering what happened to their 20-year-old daughter Destiny, who went

missing after a party in April. She`s a beautiful young mother with some personal problems, but she disappeared just days before a custody hearing

for her darling 2-year-old daughter.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN AARON, MOTHER OF DESTINY AARON: She wouldn`t leave her. She`s a gorgeous little girl. She misses her mama. Everybody wants her to come

home.

GENE AARON, FATHER OF DESTINY AARON: She lists for an honor, that`s one thing. Yes, she made some bad decisions, some 20-year-old decisions, but

she would always be there for her daughter and her court dates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And tonight, Destiny`s parents, they want to know where their daughter ended up. Just a stone`s throw away from the place where she

disappeared.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS BEAMAN, CAPTAIN, PASCO SHERIFF`S OFFICE: This past Tuesday shortly - - in the early morning or I should say the early evening hours of this past Tuesday, the sheriff`s office got a call from residents on Jayton Avenue.

They had been in a wooded area north of Jayton Avenue, when they located what they believe to be human remains. They called the sheriff`s office,

our personnel got out there, and they too on initial inspection, believed it was human remains.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: The question now is, what happened during the eight months that Destiny was missing, and how did she end up dead and decomposed less than a

mile from her own backyard? After a thorough search of the area last spring.

Joining us tonight, first of all, Ray Caputo. He is the reporter for News 96.5 WBDO Radio. Ray, was she found? Her remains were found the day after

Christmas?

RAY CAPUTO, REPORTER, NEWS 96.5 WDBO (via telephone): Yes, Jean, this is heartbreaking. You know, given the timing of all this, I mean, it`s one

thing to lose your child, so my heart goes out to her family. But also, around the holidays, and so close to where she was last seen.

CASAREZ: Here`s what I want to ask you. She was found, so her family knows her destiny at this point. In eight months, what was found? What was there?

CAPUTO (via telephone): Well, she was badly decomposed. There wasn`t much, just bones. That creates a challenge for investigators trying to get to the

bottom of this. You know, Jean, this reminds me a lot of the Casey Anthony case.

You know, first off, because Caylee`s remains were found so close to home and there was this big widespread search, but also because she was left

there for so long, it makes it really hard to piece together what is going on. Right now, the police are saying no foul play, but I`ve talked to

[18:40:0] people who knew Destiny, they`re not buying that story right now.

CASAREZ: But Caylee Anthony had had duct tape around her. And there were parts of hair still there. There were parts of things that may not have

been there otherwise because of that duct tape. Let`s listen to how this all began. Captain Chris Beaman with the Pasco County Sheriff`s Office

describes what happened last April, the last time she was seen.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

BEAMAN: Our investigation has revealed that she was at a party and left the party on foot in the early morning hours of April 1st. She left the

party on foot, which was on Placid Road in Hudson.

And the last people to see her were people who were at the party when she left on foot. They actually saw her on the shoulder of East Road in Hudson,

and those were the last folks to see her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Morgan Morgan is a very dear friend of Destiny Aaron, and she joins us tonight from Hudson, Florida. I am so sorry for not only not

knowing what happened to your friend for eight months, but the day after Christmas, you find out that she is not alive.

You know, here is my question. You knew her so well and people wear jewelry, people have phones and purses and things like that. Nothing was

found at that site. Was she one to wear jewelry, bracelets, necklaces?

MORGAN MORGAN, FRIEND OF DESTINY AARON (via telephone): She wore a bracelet or necklace or earrings every single day. One or the other. But

there`s definitely always a piece of jewelry on her.

CASAREZ: Tell us about her.

MORGAN (via telephone): She`s very headstrong. She loved her life. She loved her daughter. She is very motivated. She had some problems about like

every six months or maybe once a year. Something would happen where she would just do her thing, but she was always wanting to go to school and

better her life for her and her daughter.

CASAREZ: She`s beautiful, absolutely beautiful. Brian, just the skeleton was found, and they had to actually I.D. her through dental records. So,

they obviously found some teeth. How do you ever determine a cause of death when you just have skeletal remains?

BRIAN WAGNER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This is going to have to be a circumstantial case, you`re going to have to talk to the people that were

at the party, the people that knew her best, people like Morgan Morgan, and find out what were the circumstances of that night.

Also, what was the path that she was taking home? She left the party on foot. Was she heading towards her house? Was she heading away from her

house? All those things are indicative of whether or not this was something nefarious or if it was really a terrible tragedy, which no matter what is a

terrible tragedy, but if someone else was involved or not.

CASAREZ: Morgan, a custody hearing was taking place three days later. Did she have a good chance of getting her daughter?

MORGAN (via telephone): Yes. She always showed up to her custody hearings. I am not too familiar with the situation about it, but she did have a

chance.

CASAREZ: Ray Caputo, can you tell us, what was the issue with the custody hearing and did it look like she was going to regain custody of her

daughter?

CAPUTO (via telephone): I asked one of her friends, another friend I talked to, aside from Morgan. Nobody -- I couldn`t get any feedback. I

can`t comment on that, but she seemed like a very devoted mother, someone who loved her child. That`s everyone I`ve spoken with, has said the same

thing over and over again. I would go on what Morgan said that she, you know, she had a chance, I couldn`t give you anything more than that, Jean.

CASAREZ: But, Ray, what we`re hearing is that the boyfriend that she got into the argument with at the party was not the biological father of her

daughter. And that he really didn`t have an issue with her at all.

Morgan, you talked to people that were at that party that night. What are they saying, that she left with, and did she say where she was going, and

what have you learned?

MORGAN (via telephone): Well, I know for a fact that there was not a party that night. The last time I heard from her was 8:00 p.m. on the 31st of

March, and she was on her way to my mother`s house, because I was down for a visit. And her body was found in the opposite direction of going

anywhere.

CASAREZ: I know how hard this is.

MORGAN (via telephone): (INAUDIBLE) didn`t have my own vehicle, but that`s where she was headed that night.

CASAREZ: So you`re saying there was not a party that night?

MORGAN (via telephone): No. She was next door with her boyfriend. They got into a fight. She slapped him and then she left because he wouldn`t let her

use his car.

CASAREZ: OK. So she left on foot. OK. So, that was the last time.

[18:45:00] So it`s that boyfriend is the last time she was ever seen by anyone?

MORGAN (via telephone): By anyone. The last person to talk to. There were phone records posted by her uncle who pays her phone bill. And anyone that

talked to her last was 8:00 p.m. on the 31st and phone records show that Raymond Bolts (ph) was the last person to talk to her at 1:00 a.m. on April

1st.

CASAREZ: OK.

MORGAN (via telephone): There was back and forth phone calls around that time.

CASAREZ: So, did she leave with her cell phone then?

MORGAN (via telephone): She -- yes. She was on the phone and she left. She told me that she left at 8:00 p.m.

CASAREZ: So she had her cell phone. Was a purse ever found? If she took her cell phone, she took her purse. That`s just common sense, right?

MORGAN (via telephone): Yes, that`s what I think, and there`s nothing there, it makes no sense.

CASAREZ: And nothing`s found. Her jewelry is not found by the skeletal remains. Her purse is not found. Animals can take things but you can still

find things in the area. And Ray Caputo, clothes, were any clothes found by those remains?

CAPUTO (via telephone): We just know that there`s no foul play expected, Jean. That`s what the police say. It was pretty badly decomposed --

CASAREZ: Now, the police say that at this point, Ray, is it true that police say at this point, there`s no evidence that foul play --

CAPUTO (via telephone): No evidence. Getting back to the boyfriend thing, there has been some social media posts about some speculation of domestic

violence with a girlfriend after Destiny. That`s something that`s out there. But, you know, sometimes, Jean, the police stay tight lipped and

they don`t play their hands, they don`t show their cards.

And, you know, there`s just a lot of suspicious stuff going on with this. You know, it very well could be that Destiny -- you know, there was no

nefarious cause for her death, but there`s a lot of unanswered questions.

And here`s the thing to me, she was found so close to where she was living and last seen. You know, how hard were they looking for her? There`s a lot

of unanswered questions.

CASAREZ: Right. It`s a great point. It`s a great point, Ray. They did searches. This has been a missing person`s case. Brian, this is -- put on

your prosecutor`s hat for a second, OK? You find skeletal remains, how can you confirm that nothing nefarious happened?

WAGNER: Ray just brought up a great point, you know. Why was the body not found initially? It was poor police work possibly. And so the first thing

that you normally do as an investigator, as a prosecutor, order cell phone records. Find out the GPS data.

CASAREZ: Yes.

WAGNER: Where is she pinging off of cell phone towers. And then order cell phone records for text messages. They`re kept within seven to 10 business

days. Look at those. As soon as she went missing, I`m surprised none of those records are out in the public sphere.

CASAREZ: Yes.

WAGNER: The police might have them, but really at this point, we just don`t know.

CASAREZ: And the fact is, she didn`t have her cell phone. The cell phone records obviously didn`t take them to her body, if her cell phone was with

her body. And so then you have to raise the question, if the cell phone is some place else with someone else, and then you have an issue of whether

this could have been a homicide.

WAGNER: And so question then, did the police actually investigate that person? Did they talk to that person? And if they didn`t, why not? And as a

defense attorney, those are the things that you are exploring and trying to find out why.

CASAREZ: It`s very concerning. And you`re so right, so many unanswered questions, I don`t know.

Outrage tonight, after retirement home surveillance video captures an 86- year-old man being punched over and over again.

[18:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: Florida officials have shut down an assisted living facility, months after the brutal, brutal beating of an elderly resident was caught

on surveillance video. Here a 52-year-old resident is seen repeatedly punching an 86-year-old man who suffers from dementia.

Police say the victim was hit more than 50 times, 56 to be precise, for about two minutes. Even as the man lay defenseless on the floor, despite

other residents` efforts to break it up, reports say the incident was over by the time staff members arrived. That`s right. Staff, they weren`t in

that common area at all. Law enforcement says it began over a cupcake.

According to police report, the assailant was not arrested after the October incident because of his limited capacity. The victim was

hospitalized with bruising and swelling. After a long history of violations, the Good Samaritan Retirement Home south of Gainesville was

shut down, just before Christmas. Took that long.

Defense Attorney Brian Wagner joins us again. All right, first of all, you have the 52-year-old in the retirement facility because of traumatic brain

injury. And there have been incidences of violence with him in the past. So, he`s allowed to be around, this 84-year-old man with dementia.

WAGNER: Well, people in these living facilities, there`s a lot of them that have other issues, including dementia, traumatic brain injury called

TBI or other psychiatric issues. Unfortunately, the people that are in these facilities, often have these mental issues and other limited capacity

issues. And so if you`re talking about the staff, the staff has to be in charge of everyone in that location.

CASAREZ: And they weren`t there. They weren`t in the (INAUDIBLE). Should they be charged?

WAGNER: Well, no. They shouldn`t be charged for --

CASAREZ: With anything?

WAGNER: They shouldn`t be charged with what a person in the residential facility did to another person. Now, what could happen is they could be

sued civilly. But the issue then becomes what type of point to point contact do they have to have?

For example, a psychiatric person that has let`s say a level one psychiatric issues, maybe they need to be on one-on-one

[18:55:00] interaction every two minutes. But that`s doctor prescribed. Someone with traumatic brain injury doesn`t need to be point-to-point.

CASAREZ: I tell you, if it was my relative, I would want prosecution to the fullest extent of the law because this can`t happen. This can`t happen

to the elderly in rest homes, in retirement homes across the country because families rely on those people.

An important programming note to tell you about, Thursday on HLN, Sean Spicer, unfiltered. The former White House press secretary joins SE Cupp to

cover all the headlines. A special edition of Se Cupp, unfiltered with Sean Spicer for the entire hour, Thursday, January 4th at 5:00 p.m. Eastern

right here on HLN.

A Florida man reportedly booby traps his front door in an effort to electrocute his estranged wife.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: A Florida man is in custody tonight, accused of rigging the front door of his house to electrocute anyone who tried to open it. Police say

the suspect`s father-in-law became suspicious after his son-in-law

[19:00:00] told him not to let a child touch the front door of the home. Police photos show electrical devices attached to the death bolt and the

doorknob. Responding officers observed burn marks near a door handle, and when a deputy kicked the door in he saw a large spark. Investigator say

the booby trap door could have caused serious body injury or even death to whoever tried to unlock the front door.

Police believed Michael Scott Wilson, there he is right there, was trying to electrocute his estranged pregnant wife. He faces two charges of

attempted battery on a pregnant person and more charges are expected.

The desperate search for two missing girls in Texas continues, the next hour of "CRIME AND JUSTICE" starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[19:00:56] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tonight the urgent search for two missing girls and the man who may have taken them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was a little strange when I first met him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could be connected to their mother`s suspicious death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was really jittery.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Horror on New Year`s Eve.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before you knew it, a cop down there, a cop down here (INAUDIBLE) around the street.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A 16-year-old boy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Always smiling, not a violent kid or anything like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Accused of killing his own family --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why would he kill his own mother?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just before the clock struck 12.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will be charging with individual with four counts of murder.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How the last night of the year became the last night of their lives.

She went missing back in April.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Destiny has never gone this long without contacting someone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A young mother.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trying to get custody of her darling little daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She wouldn`t leave her. She is a gorgeous little girl. She misses her mama.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But now her body has been found.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are still investigating why and how she ended up where she did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will her remains reveal what killed her?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just want to know something, anything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the video that has the internet scratching its head, a customer at a drive through bank goes all dukes of hazard. What

she did before she got behind the wheel, and how she cleared the incredible jump.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN CASAREZ, HLN HOST: Good evening. I`m Jean Casarez in tonight for Ashleigh Banfield. Thank you so much for joining us. This is the second

hour of "CRIME AND JUSTICE."

Tonight, police in Texas are trying to find this man, Terry Alan Miles, the roommate of a woman who was found dead in her home this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES REID, NEIGHBOR: The male, he was a little strange when I first met him. Like I say I don`t know anybody that first meets somebody and then

tries to get to baby-sit your kids. So I mean, that kind was a no, no to me. So I didn`t really talk to him too much. He was really jittery when

we did talk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: But the top concern for the police tonight is for the dead woman`s daughters. Lily and Lulu, 14 and seven years old. They lived at

the home with their mother. And the roommate police are now looking for. But the girls haven`t been seen since their mother`s suspicious death. And

police say Miles may have abducted them. And he may be driving anywhere in this country tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF ALLEN BANKS, ROUND ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT: During the investigation it was determined that her biological daughters, Lulu also known as Lulu

Violeta Mariposa Bandera Margaret, seven years old, and Lily Nice, Lily Victoria Kick Griffith, 14 years old, was not in the residence. Also not

in the residence was a roommate by the name of Terry Allen Miles. At this point we believe that the two daughters are in the presence of Terry Allen

Miles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And joining us tonight by phone, Jon Cooley. He is anchor and reporter of KLBJ radio. Also sergeant Darin Bayles of the Round Rock

police department in Texas. CNN law enforcement and former FBI agent and investigator Steve Moore and defense attorney Brian Wagner.

Jon, I`m going to first go to you here because we did learn last hour from Sergeant Darren Bayles that there had been a sighting. Surveillance video

showed this man with these two girls. So can`t we say, Jon, at this point it has been confirmed that he at least has had them in the last few days?

Jon Cooley, do I have you?

JOHN COOLEY, REPORTER/ANCHOR, NEWSRADIO KLBJ (on the phone): Yes, ma`am, sorry about that. Yes, we have seen those very same reports up in the

north Texas area, is where they believe he may be. We have seen reports that extend a little into the Oklahoma and the - excuse me, the New Mexico

and Colorado border area, which is up in the panhandle of Texas. So that is where the reports are coming from that Terry Allen Miles, that 44-year-

old man stands about 6`2", 200 pounds, wears glasses, possibly has a beard. Just trying to fill in some of the things we may have missed, really, just

on the descriptions alone. Lulu, 4`5", 75 pounds, very curly brown hair.

[19:05:40] CASAREZ: That`s the 7-year-old.

COOLEY: Pardon?

CASAREZ: That`s the 7-year-old, Lulu. And we are looking at right now, I believe Lily. Tell us about lily.

COOLEY: Well, Lily is about 5`0" tall. She is about 100 pounds, by descriptions. She has dirty blonde hair, braces and a nose stud in the

right nostril. They are driving around in a gray 2017 Hyundai accent with a hatchback. The license plate is out of Texas with JGH 9845. And it does

have a little white sticker of what we actually recently learned is cat bus. A little odd, but any little differential things that can help us

find these girls is always appreciated.

CASAREZ: Jon, this is a very good description of everyone involved. And this is an urgent situation, everyone, because it is believed that these

two little girls may have in fact been abducted. They want to talk to the man that you are looking at on your screen. He was actually a roommate in

the home. Tonya Bates is the woman, their mother, that was - it was believed murdered just days ago, found in the home.

With us right now is sergeant Darin Bayles. He is joining us. He is with the Round Rock police department in Texas.

Thank you so much. What do you want people to know in the country tonight about what happened and about what these girls may be facing with this man?

SGT. DARIN BAYLES, ROUND ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT (on the phone): Well, I think there`s a lot of things that are unknown right now. And you know,

our push right now is to encourage the public to be aware of their surroundings and to assist us in locating these young ladies.

You know, it`s hard to say what that I going through. We do have reason to believe that their presence with Mr. Miles is not on their own accord.

They need to be spoken to about the circumstances with their mother as does Mr. Miles. And so any awareness level or any awareness that the public can

have in watching out for these young ladies or this vehicle, anywhere in the country would be extremely helpful for us right now.

CASAREZ: Now we do know, you told us last hour, that on December 30th, in fact, officers went to the home for a welfare check. Let`s listen to Chief

Allen Banks of the Round Rock police department describe that a little bit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BANKS: Officers again went to the residence, did not find anything of a suspicious nature, did not locate a vehicle, knocked on the door, searched

the area, nothing of a suspicious nature. Officers at that point left. But however, continued the investigation on through the next morning of

12/31.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Sergeant, this was a welfare check. They were concerned that something had happened. Why didn`t they enter the home at that point?

BAYLES: The circumstances on the original report was fairly limited. She didn`t show up to work. And that was (INAUDIBLE). It wasn`t until we got

an additional call from an acquaintance of Mrs. Bates that led us to believe that, you know, to help corroborate that this was very un-character

like for her. And the officers felt like that the information they obtained was sufficient enough to make entrance to the resident who

ultimately discovered her body.

CASAREZ: So let`s listen to chief Allen Banks described what they found when they entered that residence 24 hours later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BANKS: There in the investigation, it was determined that her biological children, her daughters, Lulu also known as Lulu Violeta Mariposa Bandera

Margret, seven years old and Lily Nice, Lily Victoria Kate Griffith, 14 years old, was not in the residence. Also not in the resident was the

roommate by a name of Terry Allen Miles. At this point we believe the two daughters are in the presence of Terry Allen Miles.

They did enter the residence and located the deceased female. White female by the name of Tanya Bates. Indications at that time, it was of a

suspicious nature. Our criminal investigations division was called out at that time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:10:12] CASAREZ: So sergeant, just to try to understand relationships here. Tanya Bates who 44-years-old, the mother of these two children who

was found, you believe murdered. You do believe this was a murder, right?

BAYLES: There are certainly some circumstances that we have some questions about which is why we want to talk with Mr. Miles. And you know, things

would tend to go that direction as opposed to being a natural death. But we have not gotten any affirmative statements from the medical examiner to

determine the exact cause of death.

CASAREZ: But an autopsy was performed today?

BAYLES: Yes, that`s correct.

CASAREZ: OK. So she had a boyfriend, Tanya Bates had a boyfriend who actually was, I believe, someone that prompted you to make the initial

welfare call. This man Terry Miles was a roommate, why would she take in a roommate? Was it for money, was he paying rent?

BAYLES: We do have information that leads us to believe he was a contributor to the household, to what extent is not known, but he was

residing in the residence. As you heard from the neighbor earlier on in your broadcast. So to what extent he was contributing is not known, which

is again why we want to speak with him.

CASAREZ: And was this a duplex?

BAYLES: Yes, ma`am, there was.

CASAREZ: So he lived in the part of the duplex that she lived in with her two young daughters. He didn`t live in the garage or the room off the

duplex?

BAYLES: We have reason to believe he was living in the residence with her, correct.

CASAREZ: How long have they lived there?

BAYLES: At that particular location, just a little bit over a month.

CASAREZ: Had he been a roommate previously to moving into this duplex with her?

BAYLES: We had some information that he may have been staying with her in another location in another jurisdiction, but that has not been confirmed.

CASAREZ: What does he do for a living?

BAYLES: There`s no indication of employment at this time.

CASAREZ: Is there a previous criminal background on him?

BAYLES: I`m not at liberty to discuss that. I mean, that`s privileged information that we are not allowed to release at this point.

CASAREZ: Really of this man, this is privileged? It`s not public record.

BAYLES: It`s sensitive information. Correct, it`s not public information. But that`s fairly standard for all of us, releasing criminal history is not

something that we typically do.

CASAREZ: All right. It sounds like there is a criminal history, though.

Steve Moore, former FBI agent joining us tonight, CNN law enforcement contributor. What do you make of this? This is an urgent situation, these

girls need to be found.

STEVE MOORE, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. And that`s something where I believe Round Rock is a very good police department, but they don`t

have national jurisdiction. So they are probably working very carefully with the FBI, with Texas rangers with anybody who might give them coverage

outside of the immediate area.

And, you know, north Texas, there`s going -- it`s fairly rural, to say the least, you are almost going to be able to find out what road he was likely

on, once you get a confirmed sighting.

CASAREZ: And how long, Steve, in your experience, how long can somebody stay on the lamb like that?

MOORE: Not very long. When you have two young girls like that, he didn`t plan this as far as I can see. And people are looking for these girls are

very distinctive looking. And obviously, they are getting national press right now.

I would say that he`s got a matter of hours, possibly days. But he is - nobody is going to hide this guy. He is going to be brought to justice

fairly quickly. I hope he takes care of the girls until then, and I --

CASAREZ: Well, let`s talk about this.

Steve, I want to ask you. If this person has a propensity to kill, if he can do something like that, no charges. He is not a suspect at all, but

with all the national publicity, that he may have these girls, could that make someone want to eliminate witnesses?

MOORE: Well, I think right now, what you are seeing is the girls don`t have to be a witness against him for a conviction against the mother. And

that`s what I would tell him right now if I had him on the phone. These girls are no threat to you. It -- even if you are guilty of something, the

evidence is there without these girls. Do not harm the girls. There is nothing they can do to harm you. So I guess that`s the message I would

give him.

CASAREZ: And I think also that if they would be found, if he would even go to law enforcement with them, that in the end if there is a criminal

prosecution, that could help him in the penalty phase at all, that he brought forth these young girls and did not harm them.

[19:15:05] MOORE: Yes. If - yes, bring them back. It`s best for you.

CASAREZ: It`s best for you. That`s exactly right.

All right. One last word Sergeant Darin Bayles, very quickly. What do you want to tell people out there, as they are on our interstates and see these

vehicles, looking for these two young girls.

BAYLES: Just to keep your eyes peeled. The vehicle has pretty unique sticker on it. It has got Texas plates. The other gentleman spoke up.

CASAREZ: All right. You are seeing these girls and Darin Bayles on your screen. I`m sorry, we do have to go. But remember those faces.

Thank you all.

A New Year`s Eve massacre in New Jersey. A 16-year-old allegedly guns down his parents, sister and a family friend. Now police are trying to piece

together why he snapped.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:19:53] CASAREZ: Sunday night at 11:45 p.m., most people were counting down to the New Year. But for one family in Long Branch, New Jersey the

celebration was cut short. A husband and wife their teenaged daughter and a family friend all shot to death in their home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[19:20:12] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all thought it was fireworks because they were going on in the background along the beach. And I was telling my

roommate, my younger brother that it sounded like gunshots.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Police say it was the (INAUDIBLE) 16-year-old son who took a relative`s semiautomatic assault rifle and gunned down his family. Now, he

is facing four counts of murder and he could be charged as an adult. The boy`s family described him as a good kid.

CNN correspondent Brynn Gingras joins as Steve Moore and Brian Wagner.

Brynn, this is horrific.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At every level.

CASAREZ: At every level. I mean, a family wiped out.

GINGRAS: Completely.

CASAREZ: We have learned new information today.

GINGRAS: Yes. Well, all day we have been waiting for this 16-year-old to face a judge and in family court, juvenile court. He is 16 years old. And

it got slowed up, that whole arraignment process. And that`s because we know in family court, juvenile court, cameras, the media, reporters, they

are not allowed in. A local newspaper filed a motion to make that happen, to allow reporters to actually see those proceedings and a judge has not

ruled on that. So now, that arraignment, that first appearance has been pushed back until 11:00 tomorrow morning. That`s when we expect the 16-

year-old to face a judge. And then after that, it will be up to that judge, who has 60 days to decide if that juvenile will be tried as an adult

which is what the prosecutor in this case wants to do.

CASAREZ: Right. They have already publicly said that.

Now we had thought that there were two people in the home that were not shot at and killed. But we learned different information.

GINGRAS: Now, we have learned there`s three. The (INAUDIBLE) county prosecutor had promised a news conference giving us more details of the

case, the most he could. Because, again, a lot of these details, of course, come out in court. But since this is now in juvenile court, we are

not learning too much.

So he still came in front of the cameras, gave us a little bit more updates. But yes, three people we learned were inside that house who were

able to escape. And we did learn that it wasn`t necessarily because the 16-year-old didn`t target them, it`s because they actually heard the

gunshots in the house happening when the 16-year-old attacked his sister, his mother, his father and family friend. They were able to escape just

hearing those gunshots.

CASAREZ: Right. You know, we were hearing from neighbors and people that knew this family, but also, someone that knew this young man who is now not

named at all publicly, about what he was like. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER MONTELIONE, RELATIVE: He was a good kid. He was a little slow with learning disabilities, but he knows right from wrong. Why would he do that

to my cousin? Why would he kill his own mother? She was so good to that boy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Brynn, from everything that we have heard and seen. It seems like a really close family, a good family. What have you heard?

GINGRAS: Well, we have heard that just like that person said in that recording that there was some sort of developmental disability that the 16-

year-old might have had. Whether or not that plays into the court proceedings, we still - we will have to find out. But certainly, from

family members that we have talked to, also friends of family, we have heard, yes. They were a great family. That this kid was a great kid

actually a friend of the 18-year-old - yes, 18-year-old who died in this said that he never showed any signs of triggering any sort of violence.

Like he always would just laugh when she was hanging out with her where she considered a best friend, Britney Kologi, who died in this.

But I also want to quickly mention that he older brother, one of the brothers, there are two others that are alive. But one of the brothers who

escaped this, Steven, he did make a post on social media today, but didn`t mention his brother who is now in police custody, but made this comment.

He said my New Year`s resolution is to be as great of a parent as my parents were to me. My sister was so beautiful and smart. She just got

done with her first semester of college. Please remember to give the ones you love an extra kiss or I love you. For the Kologi family.

CASAREZ: And Britney Kologi, 18 years old, just completed her first semester in college.

Steven Kologi, the father, 44 years old, Linda Kologi, 42, his wife, and you just see them in these pictures as a loving family. And we understand

that he worked the overnight shift to help support his family. And a nonrelative was also shot, Mary Shultz, 70 years old. Who was she?

GINGRAS: We are understanding she was in some sort of a relationship with the grandfather who was able to escape as well with the older brother and

that third person we have no identity too.

CASAREZ: Steve, we are hearing and we learned in the press conference today that those shot were in different rooms. And they were shot multiple

times with this semiautomatic rifle, that the magazine had 15 rounds. And prosecutor would not say if all the rounds were fired, but each victim shot

multiple times. What does that tell you?

[19:25:10] MOORE: It tells me that they probably heard the shots and some of them decided to shelter in place. They didn`t want to go out and

confront the person, whoever it was. And they felt staying in the same place would probably be their best bet.

As far as how many times he shot them indicates his state of mind, rage, anger, something had sprung in this person`s mind. We may never completely

understand what that was, but there was a lot of anger and passion involved in these killings. Because with the type of rifle he had, one round might

have done it each time. So he was dealing with some kind of pent up emotion.

CASAREZ: Brian, we have a bit of information from the prosecutor that spoke out today in a press conference. Let`s listen to that and we must

talk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now I do have information as to the cause and manner of death that was concluded by the (INAUDIBLE) medical examiner`s office.

Unfortunately, with the four deaths, that we are investigating, all of them were ruled as a manner of death of homicide. And the cause was multiple

gunshots to each individual. Our investigation has revealed that those gunshots occurred at close range.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: All right. Brian, close range, multiple shots, that shows an intent to kill.

BRIAN WAGNER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It absolutely shows an intent to kill. But what I would be concentrating on is where was the gun contained within

the house? Because that`s actually going to show his intent. If the gun is easily accessible, then the intent is, the natural intent, any time you

shoot someone, is that you are going to kill them. But when you actually have so go to another room or in a locked safe, and unlock the gun, and

then go to the room in which the deceased was actually in, that`s where you really flesh out someone`s intent.

CASAREZ: But even to get the gun and take it so close to someone`s face or body or abdomen and shoot, there can still be premeditation.

WAGNER: Absolutely. There is premeditation no matter what. The issue is, how do you best flesh out what this defendant`s intent was, and did he have

an opportunity to walk it back? Because we all have snap issues that we do. But by going to another room, by going to a gun safe, by unlocking it,

there is more time for that person -- cooler heads prevail. That obviously didn`t happen in this case. We all wish it did. But where the gun was

would be the key fact for me in this case.

CASAREZ: So you are already thinking of the defense here?

WAGNER: Absolutely.

CASAREZ: That`s what you are focusing on. Should he be charged as an adult?

WAGNER: I think his mental state will have a big say in that.

Whether or not he is mentally competent and how mentally competent he is, should really determine that. I find it hard to believe that this many

people deceased in a domestic abuse, will not be charged as an adult. It`s just very unlikely.

CASAREZ: Yes. Couldn`t get much worse than that.

Now we also understand that 911 was called by one of the relatives or people in the home that were not shot at. Let`s listen to the prosecutor

as he describes the investigation so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where were they found? Were they in bed? Were they up and about? Do we think maybe they were sleeping at the time this happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Those kind of details are going to have to come out as our investigation unfolds. Those are things that you will hear once

charging decisions are made and it gets into a courtroom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Brynn, we don`t know where they were, but they said multiple rooms. And I thought what Steve said, it is fascinating. Sheltering in

place. It was a quarter to midnight, right?

GINGRAS: Right. Just 15 minutes before the New Year. And that`s what, you know, the gunshots also, I believe there were reports, 911 calls

because people were as you heard that man say, fireworks, was it gunshots? But what was it? So there were calls being made to authorities who did

respond pretty quickly. And this is Long Branch, New Jersey. This is a close linked town. It`s not exactly the biggest police department. That`s

why, you know, you have the Monmouth County prosecutor`s office, you know, doing part of the investigation along with Long Branch PD. So this

certainly is alarming.

COOLEY: And they said New Year`s Eve party, and then they sort of walked that back. Do we know what was happening in the house?

GINGRAS: As far as what was happening, no. But - and that is all I think going to come out more, once we actually get this ruling if it happens of

him being tried as an adult. I think that`s when the Monmouth County prosecutor`s office feels comfortable actually giving more details of this

crime.

CASAREZ: Steve, how are they going to determine the state of mind of this young man?

MOORE: It`s going to be tough. I think it`s going to go back to, obviously, a history of the young man from birth all the way to a quarter

to midnight the other night. I think it`s going to go a lot to Steven Jr., the son who survived, the grandfather who survived. Because what they`re

going to want to know is what happened that night. Was it, as the defense attorney was believing, something where there was anger, that was not

planned, where the guy went and got the gun, and still premeditated in the act. Or was it something where the kid had decided: my family`s not going

to see the new year, I`ve too much of a problem with them. So, you have to go back on that, and there`s going to be leakage all the way along. But

I`ll tell you what`s interesting to me if the family thought he was some kind of threat, likely that gun would have been locked up and him not in

possession of the combination. So, I assume that this caught them all by surprise.

JEAN CASAREZ, HLN HOST: It`s a good point because any responsible gun owner keeps their gun locked, especially when there are children around,

especially when there is something that -- just make sure everyone is safe. All right. Well, we`ll keep following this, and it is horrific, especially

at the beginning of the new year. Thank you all.

In Rockford, Illinois, an SUV tears out of a bank drive-through, jumps an embankment and then goes airborne. Watch this. It was all caught on

camera.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amazingly, no one was killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Wow! Miraculously, the driver of the gray Sedan wasn`t hurt. Oh my gosh! Can you imagine the shock just realizing what was happening? The

driver even told officers that the flying SUV barely touched the car. How would you maneuver that? Police say the SUV crossed four lanes of traffic

without hitting anyone before finally running into a building. 62-year- old, Kimberly Craft, told police that she accidentally accelerated too fast, and the car just went out of control. She is charged with DUI and

reckless driving.

Now, A 20-year-old mother disappears days before a custody hearing. Now, her remains have been found and police are searching for her killer.

And later, horrific video shows an elderly man with dementia being attacked in an assisted living facility.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:36:43] CASAREZ: A couple in Florida has spent eight months waiting for answers, wondering what happened to their 20-year-old daughter, Destiny,

who went missing after a party in April. She`s a beautiful young mother with some personal problems, but she disappeared just days before a final

custody hearing for her darling 2-year-old daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREN AARON, DESTINY`S MOTHER: She wouldn`t leave her. She`s gorgeous little girl. She misses her momma. Everybody just wants her to come home.

GENE AARON, DESTINY`S FATHER: She lives for her daughter, that`s one thing. Yes, she made some bad decisions, some 20-year-old decisions, but

she`d always be there for her daughter in her court dates.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: And tonight, Destiny`s parents, they want to know where their daughter ended up. Just a stone`s throw away from the place where she

disappeared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. CHRIS BEAMAN, PASCO SHERIFF OFFICE: This past Tuesday shortly -- in the early morning, or I should say the early evening hours of this past

Tuesday, the sheriff`s office got a call from residents on Jaden Avenue. They had been in a wooded area in North of Jaden Avenue when they located

what they believe to be human remains. They called the sheriff`s office, our personnel got out there, and they too on initial inspection, believed

it was human remains.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: The question now is: what happened during the eight months that destiny was missing, and how did she end up dead and decomposed less than a

mile from her own backyard after a thorough search of the area last spring? Joining us tonight, first of all, Ray Caputo, he is the reporter for news

96.5, WBDO Radio. Ray, was she found? Her remains were found the day after Christmas?

RAY CAPUTO, REPORTER, WBDO RADIO (via Telephone): Yes, Jean, this is heartbreaking, you know, given the timing of all this. I mean, it`s one

thing to lose your child. My heart goes out to her family, but I have to - - you know, around the holidays, and so close to where she was last seen.

CASAREZ: Well, here`s what I want to ask you. She was found, so her family knows her destiny at this point. In eight months, what was found?

What was there?

CAPUTO: Well, she was badly decomposed; there wasn`t much, just bones. And that creates a challenge for investigators trying to get to the bottom

of it. You know, Jean, this reminds me a lot of the Casey Anthony Case. You know, first off, because Caylee`s remains were found so close to home,

and there was this big widespread search. But also, because she was left there for so long, it makes it really hard to piece together what`s going

on. And you know, right now, the police are saying no foul play. But I`ve talked to people who knew Destiny, and that they`re just not buying that

story right now.

CASAREZ: But Caylee Anthony, had had duct tape around her, and there were parts of hair still there, there were parts of things that may not have

been there otherwise because of that duct tape. Let`s listen to how this all began, Capt. Chris Beaman, with the Pasco County Sheriff`s Office,

describes what happened last April -- the last time she was seen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEAMAN: Our investigation has revealed that she was at a party and left the party on foot on the early morning, or in the early morning hours of

April 1st. She left the party on foot, which was on placid road in Hudson. And the last people to see her were people who were at the party when she

left on foot. They actually saw her on the shoulder of East Road in Hudson, and those were the last folks to see her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[19:40:27] CASAREZ: Morgan Morgan is a very dear friend of Destiny Aaron, and she joins us tonight from Hudson, Florida. I am so sorry for not only

not knowing what happened to your friend for eight months, but the day after Christmas, you find out that she is not alive. You know, here`s my

question: you knew her so well, and people wear jewelry, people have phones and purses and things like that, nothing was found at that site. Was she

one to wear jewelry, bracelets, necklaces?

MORGAN MORGAN, DESTINY`S FRIEND: Destiny wore a bracelet or a necklace or earrings every single day. One or the other, but there`s definitely always

a piece of jewelry on her.

CASAREZ: Tell us about her.

MORGAN: She`s very headstrong. She loved her life. She loved her daughter. She had some problem about, like, every six months or maybe once

a year something would happen where she would just do her thing. But she was always wanting to go to school and better her life for her and her

daughter, and it`s just crazy how this has happened.

CASAREZ: She`s beautiful, actually beautiful. Brian, just the skeleton was found, and they had to actually I.D. her through dental records. So,

they obviously found some teeth. How do you ever determine a cause of death when you just have skeletal remains?

BRIAN WAGNER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: So, this is going to have to be a circumstantial case. You`re going to have to talk to the people that were

at the party, the people that knew her best, people like Morgan Morgan, and find out, what were the circumstances of that night. Also, what was the

path that she was taking home; she left the party on foot, was she heading toward her house, was she heading away from her house? All those things

are indicative of whether or not this was something nefarious, or if it was really a terrible tragedy, which no matter what, it`s a terrible tragedy,

but if someone else was involved or not.

CASAREZ: Morgan, a custody hearing was taking place three days later. Did she have a good chance of getting her daughter?

MORGAN: Yes, she always showed up to her custody hearings. I am not too familiar with the situation about it, but she did have a chance.

CASAREZ: Ray Caputo, can you tell us, what was the issue with the custody hearing and did it look like she was going to regain custody of her

daughter?

CAPUTO: I asked one of her friends, another friend I talked to, aside from Morgan. Nobody -- I couldn`t get any feedback. I can`t comment on that,

but she seemed like a very devoted mother, someone who loved her child. That`s everybody that I`ve spoken with has said the same thing over and

over again. So, I would go on what Morgan said that she, you know, she had a chance. I couldn`t give you anything more than that, Jean.

CASAREZ: Well, Ray, what we`re hearing is that the boyfriend that she got into the argument with at the party was not the biological father of her

daughter, and that he really didn`t have an issue with her at all. Morgan, you`ve talked to people that were at that party that night. What are they

saying that she left with, and did she say where she was going? And what have you learned?

MORGAN: Well, I know for a fact that there was not a party that night. The last time I heard from her was 8:00 p.m. on the 31st of March, and she

was on her way to my mother`s house, because I was down for a visit. And her body was found in the opposite direction of going anywhere.

CASAREZ: I know how hard this is --

MORGAN: I didn`t have my own vehicle, but that`s where she was headed that night.

CASAREZ: So, you`re saying, there was not a party that night?

MORGAN: No. She was next door with her boyfriend, they got into a fight, she slapped him and then she left. He wouldn`t let her use his car.

CASAREZ: OK. So, she left on foot. OK, that was the last time. So, it`s that boyfriend is the last time she was ever seen by anyone.

MORGAN: By anyone. The last person to talk to, there were phone records posted by her uncle who pays her phone bill. Anyone that talked to her

last was 8:00 p.m. on the 31st. And phone records show that Raymond Bolts was the last person to talk to her at 1:00 a.m. on April 1st.

CASAREZ: OK.

MORGAN: There was back and forth phone calls around that time.

CASAREZ: So, did she leave with her -- did she leave with her cell phone then?

MORGAN: She -- yes, she was on the phone and she left. She told me that she left at 8:00 p.m.

[19:45:03] CASAREZ: So, she had her cell phone. Was a purse ever found? She -- if she took her cell phone, she took her purse. I mean, that`s just

common sense, right?

MORGAN: Yes, that`s what I think, and there`s just nothing there; it makes no sense, whatsoever.

CASAREZ: And nothing`s found. Her jewelries not found by the skeletal remains, her purse is not found. Now, animals can take things but you can

still find things in the area. And Ray Caputo, clothes -- were any clothes found by those remains.

CAPUTO: We just know that there`s no foul play expected, jean. That`s what the police say. It was pretty badly decomposed --

CASAREZ: Now, the police say that at this point, Ray, isn`t it true that the police say at this point there`s no evidence that foul play --

CAPUTO: No evidence. Getting back to the boyfriend thing, there has been some social media posts about some speculation of domestic violence with a

girlfriend after destiny. So, that`s something that`s out there. But, you know, sometimes, Jean, the police stayed tight-lipped and they don`t, you

know, they don`t play their hand, they don`t show their cards.

And you know, there`s just a lot of suspicious stuff going on with this. You know, it very well could be that, you know, Destiny -- you know, there

was no nefarious cause for her death, but there`s a lot of unanswered questions. And here`s the thing: she was found so close to where she was

living and last seen. You know, how hard were they looking for her, you know? There`s a lot of unanswered questions.

CASAREZ: Right. It`s a great point. It`s a great point, Ray. They did searches, this has been a missing person`s case. Brian, this is -- put on

your prosecutor`s hat for a second, OK? You find skeletal remains; how can you confirm that nothing nefarious happened?

WAGNER: Well, so, Ray just brought up a great point, you know? Why was the body not found initially? It was poor police work, possibly. And so,

the first thing that you`d normally do as an investigator as a prosecutor, order cell phone records; find out the GPS data -- where is she pinging off

of cell phone towers? And then, order cell phone records for text messages. They`re kept usually within seven to 10 business days. Look at

those. As soon as she went missing, I`m surprised none of those records are out in the public sphere. The police might have them, but, really, at

this point, we just don`t know.

CASAREZ: And the fact is, she didn`t have her cell phone. And the cell phone records, obviously, didn`t take them to her body, if her cell phone

was with her body. And so, then you have to raise the question, if the cell phone is someplace else with someone else, and then you have an issue

of whether this could have been a homicide.

WAGNER: And so, the question is then: did the police actually investigate that person? Did they talk to that person? And if they didn`t, why not?

And as a defense attorney, those are the things that you are exploring and trying to find out why.

CASAREZ: It`s very concerning. And you`re so right, so many unanswered questions -- I don`t know.

[19:47:57] Outrage tonight, after retirement home surveillance video captures an 86-year-old man being punched over and over again.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: Florida officials have shut down an assisted living facility, months after the brutal, brutal beating of elderly resident was caught on

surveillance video. Here a 52-year-old resident is seen repeatedly punching an 86-year-old man who suffers from dementia. Police say, the

victim was hit more than 50 times, 56 to be precise, for about two minutes. Even as the man lay defenseless on the floor; despite efforts to break it

up, reports say the incident was over by the time staff members arrived. That`s right. Staff, they weren`t in that common area at all.

Law enforcement says it began over a cupcake. According to a police report, the assailant was not arrested after the October incident because

of his limited capacity. The victim was hospitalized with bruising and swelling. After a long history of violations, The Good Samaritan

Retirement Home, South of Gainesville were shut down just before Christmas. Took that long. Defense Attorney, Brian Wagner, joins us again. All

right. First of all, you have the 52-year-old in the retirement facility because of traumatic brain injury, and there had been incidences of

violence with him in the past. So, he`s allowed to be around this 84-year- old man with dementia?

WAGNER: Well, people living in these facilities, there`s a lot of them have other issues, including whether it`d be dementia, traumatic brain

injury called TBI, or other psychiatric issues. Unfortunately, the people that are in these facilities often have these mental and other limited

capacity issues. And so, you`re talking about the staff. The staff has to be in charge of everyone in that location.

CASAREZ: And they weren`t there. There weren`t in the common area. Should they be charged?

WAGNER: Well, no. They shouldn`t be charged for --

CASAREZ: With anything?

WAGNER: They shouldn`t be charged with what a person in residential facility did to another person. Now, what could happen is that they be

sued civilly, but issue becomes what type of -- what type of point-to-point contact do they have to have? For example, a psychiatric person that has,

let`s say a level one psychiatric issues, maybe they need to be on one-on- one interaction every two minutes -- but that`s doctor prescribed. Someone with traumatic brain injury doesn`t need to be point-to-point.

CASAREZ: You know, I`ll tell you, if it was my relative, I would want prosecution to the fullest extent of the law, because this can`t happen --

this can`t happen to the elderly in rest homes and retirement homes across the country because families rely on those people.

An important programming note to tell you about, Thursday on HLN, Sean Spicer unfiltered. The former White House press secretary joins "S.E.

CUPP" to cover all the headlines. A special edition of "S.E. CUPP: UNFILTERED" with Sean Spicer for the entire hour, Thursday, January 4th at

5:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on HLN.

[19:55:07] A Florida man reportedly booby traps his front door in an effort to electrocute his estranged wife.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CASAREZ: A Florida man is in custody tonight, accused of rigging a front door of his house to electrocute anyone who tried to open it. Police say

the suspects` father-in-law became suspicious after his son-in-law told him not to let a child touch the door of the home. Police photo show

electrical devices attached to the deal bolt and doorknob. Responding officers observed burn marks near the door handle, and when a deputy kicked

the door in, he saw a large spark.

Investigators say the booby trap door could`ve caused serious bodily injury or even death to whomever tried to unlock the front door. Police believe

Michael Scott Wilson was trying to electrocute his estranged pregnant wife. He faces two charges of attempted battery on a pregnant person; more

charges are expected.

[19:59:58] Thank you so much for joining us tonight. We`ll see you back here tomorrow night at 6:00 Eastern for CRIME AND JUSTICE. "FORENSIC

FILES" begins right now.

END