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CRIME AND JUSTICE WITH ASHLEIGH BANFIELD
Mystery Killer Behind Four Separate Murders; Cops: 3 Bodies Found At Kidnapper`s Home; Married Senator Caught In Motel With Boy; Off-Duty FBI Agent`s Gun Fires After Dance Flip. Aired 6-8p ET
Aired June 4, 2018 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you Andrew Corel, my panel for tonight. "Crime and Justice with Ashleigh Banfield," is up right now.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HOST, HLN CRIME AND JUSTICE: Good evening, everyone, I`m Ashleigh Banfield, welcome to "Crime and Justice."
Another person in Arizona is dead tonight from a gunshot wound after a frightening spree of fatal shootings there. Only police say, this latest
person is the man who did the killings, and there is talk tonight, there may be more than just the four victims who were murdered last week.
Bernice Man is following the latest from Scottsdale. A lot of moving parts as we speak, Bernice.
BERNICE MAN, CRIME AND JUSTICE PRODUCER: That s right. In the last few hours it appears the Coroner`s office is at a home investigating more
bodies. But we do not know if it is actually it is connected to this set of shootings. But we will know answers in a few minutes, because the
police are expected to speak.
BANFIELD: Wow. All right. So we will watch for that live coming up, just as soon as they take to the mic, we will do that as well. Also tonight,
some shocking new details about the Oklahoma Senator and man of god, who was caught in a motel room with a teenage boy in a bunch of condoms.
Justin Freiman, is covering this story. Justin, this family values politician allegedly had sex with this bot -- teen boy twice before this.
JUSTIN FREIMAN, SR. PRODUCER, HLN CNN: That is right. That is what the documents are saying, when they got caught in that motel room, it wasn`t
the first time they were together, at least two other times they were together having sex and that is just part of what we`ve revealed from these
documents.
BANFIELD: Unbelievable. Well, I hope you`re going to come back and tell me what else is in the documents. Because every time I see that guy`s
face, I`m surprised.
And this is also surprising. An FBI agent caught busting a move on the dance floor while his gun, loaded, flies off his belt and sends a bullet
into the leg of an onlooker. Nice moves, fella, but what about the gunfire? What kind of consequences is he going to face for this?
Also, later, the simple traffic stop that led to a series of sickening discoveries, a captive woman and a child and the bodies of three other
women all rotting on his property. Unbelievable story there as well.
Let me take you right now to Phoenix, Arizona, Scottsdale area, where the police are going to updating us on that story that we had been covering.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO LIVE FEED)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of the Maricopa County Sheriff`s Office, and then we will go to Michael DeLeon of the FBI, he is the special agent in charge.
On him, we will have John Durastanti, he is the ATF, special agent in charge. And our concluding speaker will be, Assistant Chief of Police,
Rich Slavin of the Scottsdale Police Department.
I`d also like to mention in attendance with us today is Kris Cano, she is the Scottsdale Police Department, Forensic Services Director, and she`ll be
available for the question portion of this press conference. So after the speakers have concluded, then we will open it up to a few questions. Chief
Leadville (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good afternoon everyone, I want to start up by thanking you for your patience. This has been a long couple of days for all of us.
A number of us have not had a whole lot of sleep. I`ve even written down my notes, so that I would not forget anybody, but this has been a
culmination of a number of agencies coming together. I couldn`t be more proud of the cooperation that is occurred between the agencies that you`re
looking at up front. I want to make a point of thanking all of them.
The FBI, ATF, Maricopa County Attorney`s Office, the Department of Transportation, Maricopa County Sheriff`s Office. The Coconino County
Sheriff`s Office, and on behalf of the men and women of the Phoenix Police Department and the Scottsdale Police Department, we could not have
accomplished this goal as quickly as this goal was accomplished in taking this individual off the streets and restoring public safety and confidence
to our communities.
On behalf of all of them I want to say thank you to all of them and also thank you to the public. The public came through with a number of tips,
not all the tips were tips that we were able to use, but all the tips were appropriate. And so I want to again thank them for their help and thank
the media for, again, your cooperation and your understanding of this process. And with that I will turn it over to Chief Williams.
JERRI WILLIAMS, PHOENIX POLICE DEPARTMENT: So, good afternoon, and thank you, Chief Rodville (ph), Jerri Williams, police chief of the Phoenix
Police Department. I believe I speak for all of us when I say that we want to extend our condolences for the families of the victims. The families of
Dr. Steven Pitt. The family of Deloria Sharp (ph), the family of Laura Anderson. The family of Dr. Marshall Levine and recently confirmed
additional victims out on Fountain Hills. We are waiting for notification.
Please know that we share in your pain, we`re sorry for your losses. And violence like this in our communities is something that none of us will
ever understand.
[18:05:05] Taking the lives of innocent people should never make any sense. So I won`t even try to explain that. I can say this, I believe this is
true with my partners behind me, we pledge to continue to work with everyone in an attempt to stop future incidents and bringing those
responsible for violence to justice.
If there is anything positive, that would come out this atrocities, it is the speed and tenacity with which your law enforcement agencies joined
together to bring justice to our communities. With the homicide of Dr. Pitt, so close in geographical proximity to our cities, Scottsdale and
Phoenix began working together. Much like our criminal targets in our communities, your officers refused to let physical boundaries hamper their
efforts.
As the investigation continued for days and hours, more victims were identified with nothing more than a phone call based on relationships. The
ATF and the FBI joined our team and provided the much need resources and help and assistance that we needed. And before long MCSO, another great
partner, was on the team.
Together your officers worked around the clock. Together they discovered and analyzed any and all information. Together they followed leads and
information taking them around this state. And together they identified and located the suspect. We stand here today, together still, to thank our
officers, our deputies, our forensic partners, our federal partners for their hard work and dedication to duty. And in closing, we do want to
thank our community for calling in those tips that help us piece together the evidence in this case.
We also would like to thank our local and national media partners for helping to spread the composite image and solicit crucial tips from the
community. We continue to pledge our efforts to be the best law enforcement partners that our communities deserve. Thank you.
PAUL PENZONE, SHERIFF, MARICOPA COUNTY: Good afternoon, my name is Paul Penzone, sheriff of Maricopa County. The last 96 hours, I believe,
reflects one individual`s actions that are the worst of humanity. In that same time frame I can tell you that the efforts of the men and women who
stand with me as well as this community reflect the greatest attributes of society.
Unfortunately law enforcement, we are often reactive to those who choose to do harm, who have hate in their heart and wish to take the lives of others.
In an effort to be reactive, we are critically dependent not only on our own skillset and that of our peers, but of support from the community to
assist us with information. This will not be the last time that we face dire circumstances such as these.
In law enforcement we don`t have the benefit of saying we were successful and lives were lost. So our hearts are heavy with our community knowing
that we lost members of this community throughout Maricopa County, who are good, law-abiding, hardworking members of the families, where the lost can
never be replaced. But I stand with conviction to tell you that although there are jurisdictional boundaries in law enforcement, law enforcement
services and resources are seamless.
And no greater place than in this state to see how we come together during tragic times. So it`s unfortunate, we`re brokenhearted that we weren`t
able to save lives. Although the conclusion likely saved lives of those that this person intended on harming. But today is not a success story,
but it is a story that has closure, because men and women in law enforcement come together every time we need them to in Maricopa County and
represent what is greatest about public safety and public service.
So to our community I ask you to stand with us, again, as we face challenges in the future and to the men and women throughout the agencies
that I stand with I`m grateful that the most professional, most talented law enforcement leaders come together without a second thought during these
trying times. Thank you.
MICHAEL DELEON, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, PHOENIX DIVISION, FBI: Good afternoon. My name is Michael DeLeon, I`m the special agent in charge of
the Phoenix division of the FBI. And I stand here before you with partners, partners that work together routinely on events such as this.
I want to give thanks to all the partners here standing behind me as this was truly a collaborative effort as we utilized our resources and expertise
to bring this to a closure. I finally would like to say for the FBI`s role in this, as in most of these, it is one of support in terms of providing
analytical, investigative and behavioral if needed and always tactical if requested. Again, I thank you for your time today.
[18:10:00] JOHN DURASTANTI, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, ATF, PHEONIX DIVISION: My name is John Durastanti, I am the special agent in charge for ATF for
the Phoenix division. First I would like to convey my condolences to the families, to the victims of these senseless acts. On behalf of women, men
and women of ATF, you`re your support and strength in the difficult days, weeks ahead. I stand before you, where our responsibility to not only to
protect the public, but to also protect those who work in the criminal justice system, those who work in prevention, suppression and
rehabilitation play vital roles and their ability to work without fears necessary for the sanctity of the justice system.
Let me commend the work of our partners here, Phoenix Police Department, Scottsdale P.D., Maricopa County Sheriff`s Office, the county attorney and
the FBI. ATF is proud to provide investigative resources, national correlation center, the farms tracing center and our technical operations
branch to assist in this investigation. I want to specifically recognize the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix P.D. for their support, investment and
partnership in the crime gun intelligence center.
Our crime gun intelligence center worked all weekend to provide timely relevant on the intelligence and support to this investigation. I would
like to assure the valley that our procedure works daily to ensure that our investigators and prosecutors have the information necessary to focus,
prioritize and target violent predators.
Again, I want to thank Chief Williams, Chief Rodville and the executives behind me for the opportunity to represent our team and I want to
especially recognize the efforts and dedication of the men and women behind the scenes that worked hours on end and tirelessly on this investigation.
Thank you.
ASST. CHIEF RICH SLAVIN, SCOTTSDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT: Good afternoon. My name is Rich Slavin, I am the Assistant Chief for Scottsdale Police
Department. I was in charge in the investigative services bureau and I was the Executive Commander in Charge of this operation, along with my partner
from the Phoenix Police Department Assistant Chief, John Collins.
And I would too, first like to begin by expressing my gratitude to all the executives behind me and all of their organizations. Without their support
and help and resources, we would not have been able to achieve this result this quickly. And protect our public from a really treacherous criminal.
And I`m proud to tell you we were able to be successful with that today.
I`m responsible today to give you the how the details of this investigation. I`m going to move slowly. I`ll tell you that my staff and
I have all been awake for more than 40 hours. So I`ll do the best I can to give you the detail. And recognize that our folks are still out there,
today and still investigating these scenes. So some of the detail I may not be able to give you. When I give you this briefing, I`ll be available
for questions afterwards and try to answer all your questions and concerns.
I`ll start by telling you who our suspect is. His name is Dwight Lamon Jones, he is a male, 56 years old. He is currently deceased. We had a
standoff today that ended with his death. He took his own life at about 8:02 this morning with the extended stay located at 10660 North 69th
street.
I`ll take you back through the timeline as to how we got here today, and really this all began for all the agencies here on May 31st. At
approximately 5:20 p.m. Phoenix Police Department responded to the office of Dr. Pitt, Dr. Steven Pitt. Many of you know who he is. He is a world
renowned forensic psychiatrist, famous for his work in many different cases, including the Ramsey case.
He was shot and killed just outside of his office that day and Phoenix Police immediately began investigating that case. With limited suspect
information, but they did have a witness. That gave them a description of a suspect and then provided a composite drawing.
On that day the witness described the suspect as a white male with a round face and a dark hat, without any further description. But a composite was
created from this and released through our public information office.
The following day, on Friday, June the 1st, at about 218 hours the Scottsdale police responded to a call at 7509 East First Street, this is
the law offices of Burt, Feldman and Grenier, and our call was of a -- that time a young lady name Valeria Sharp was observed running from the
business, bleeding significantly from her face. She westbound on 1st Street across 75th street where she collapsed. He was transported to
Health Osborne, where she was pronounced deceased from a gunshot wound.
[18:15:30] Our officers entered the law offices looking for any additional victims. And at that time they located Laura Anderson lying on the ground,
and it was evident that she had also been shot in the chest. They attempted life saving measures, as did the Scottsdale Fire Department, but
unfortunately those were unsuccessful and she was pronounced deceased.
As we investigated this scene, we were contacted pretty quickly by the Phoenix Police Department, and they were inquiring as to some information
about our crime scene. And if it was possibly related to their crime scene in which Dr. Pitt was murdered. They immediately responded to our command
post, and we immediately began collaborating and sharing information to see if we could determine that.
Ballistic evidence collected from our scene on 1st Street and the Phoenix scene did confirm that our victims were killed using the same weapon.
Therefore linking our cases. With that we immediately joined forces in our investigation and we began collaborating. Later that evening -- I should
say we reached that conclusion late in the evening, probably 11:30, 11:45, just after midnight, we received a call, another emergency call. This time
our police officers were responding to 8010 East Morgan Trail Suite number 1. And this is an office complex on the area of Hayden and Millview. And
at that time we received a 911 call from a young lady named Pamela Ayers, who is the girlfriend of Dr. Marshall Levine.
She was calling us, because Dr. Levine left to go to work that morning at 7:00 and she had not seen or heard from him since. So she went to the
office to see if he was still there. When she went in, she found him lying on the floor, and then called us. Our officers entered the office suite
and observed that Dr. Levine was deceased and had suffered two gunshot wounds.
Shell casings recovered from this scene, as in the previous, were compared to ballistic evidence from the other two scenes. We again had a match
linking the homicide to the others. We were still investigating that scene well into the morning. And at 10:00 a.m. We formally raised up our
emergency operations center and all of the agencies that you see behind me immediately offered their help.
I should say that every other police department in the valley called and offered resources and assistance, and we were happy to accept that when
appropriate. About 9:30 that night on June the 2nd we received a tip, and the tip was reference to Mr. Jones. We began working the intelligence up
on that -- I should say throughout the course of this investigation we received hundreds and hundreds of tips, and we do thank our community for
that support, and for wanting to participate in the success of this case.
We began working on the intelligence gathered on Mr. Jones. And the following day we were working this all through the night, the following day
on June the 3rd at 10:00 a.m., we began actively trying to locate Mr. Jones. At about 11:30 a.m., in analyzing evidence, we believe that Mr.
Jones was in the area of a residence in Fountain Hills, somewhere between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. We were actively trying to locate him but we had
not located him until approximately 3:20 p.m. on that day, when we actually physically saw him driving his golden Mercedes and positively identifying
him.
We covertly surveilled him for some time. And somewhere between -- well, really between 3:20 hours --
[18:20:00] I`m sorry, 3:20 p.m. and close to 10:00 p.m., we had an active surveillance following Mr. Jones, monitoring his behavior, and observing
the places that he was going and the things he was doing.
At some point during that evening we observed Mr. Jones remove a small bag from his vehicle. He placed it in a trash can in the area of Scottsdale
and Shay. As he walked away from that, we recovered it. And we recognized immediately that it was a pistol, a small .22 caliber pistol, and that was
inconsistent with any of our crime scenes as it relates to caliber used in these crimes.
We knew that Mr. Jones -- let me back up a little bit. Dr. Pitt`s homicide scene, the one in Phoenix, of course the Phoenix Police Department gathered
evidence and provided it to our crime lab as we were working collaboratively. On one of those shell casings we were able to obtain a
DNA sample. Although we analyzed that sample, and searched all the relative databases, we did not get a hit on who that would belong to. We
knew we needed -- we felt very strongly about Mr. Jones as we learned more and more about him.
He had a divorce situation back in 2009 and `10. And during all of that time he was related to all of the victims in some way. I`ll explain that a
little further. First of all, his wife -- let me find her name for you. Excuse me one second. I`ll come back to that.
BANFIELD: All right, as he continues to look into the --
SLAVIN: His wife pertained to the law offices of Bert Feldman and Grenier, and specifically Elizabeth Feldman as his attorney, this is the same law
firm on 1st Street where two young ladies were murdered just a few days earlier.
Secondly, as a part of his divorce proceedings, it was required that he was seen by Dr. Pitt. And in addition his son, as a part of the divorce
proceedings had to see an additional psychiatrist that would normally have been in the same office space that Dr. Levine was in, but she wasn`t in
that space anymore, Dr. Levine was there, kind of a sublet situation and so, it directly related Mr. Jones to all three of these locations. And
specifically to some of the individuals.
We started to see that Mr. Jones was visiting them in an effort to write some wrongs based on what we could see from some other evidence out there.
He posted some YouTube videos as well. And he was visiting them with the intent, we believe, on killing Elizabeth Feldman and killing Dr. Pitt as
well.
So with all of this evidence strongly pointing towards him, we continued to surveil him. On -- let`s talk about the Fountain Hills situation. So, as
we surveilled him on that day, we began our surveillance somewhere around 3:27 in the afternoon, although we had some evidence that led us to believe
he was in the area of 14906 East Kit Fox Place in Fountain Hills, somewhere between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. that day. Not knowing his association to
anyone at that residence, we first tried to determine that before we went and contacted them.
But later in the evening we decided to have the Maricopa County Sheriff`s Office go to the residence and try to make contact. They tried several
times, knocking on doors, going around the residence, and eventually, because they knew of our concerns, they used a ladder, they got to see
through an upstairs window, and they immediately recognized that there was a gentleman inside that appeared to have been shot.
[18:25:10] They forced entry, and upon doing so, found another victim, a woman, who had also been shot, and both were deceased. We contacted
Maricopa County Sheriff`s Office, we told them of the series that we had going and asked them to join our command collaborative and to work this
case together and they graciously accepted to allow us to continue to process scenes, so that we had consistency between departments. And so the
Scottsdale Police Department crime scene unit responded to that address to process that scene.
Getting back to Mr. Jones, I started to tell you that we observed him put something into a trash can, a small .22 caliber pistol and it was later
determined that that pistol belonged to the male victim from that residence. Additionally we had that DNA sample that we needed to try and
determine who it belonged to. And so we had some family members of Mr. Jones that were in Northern Arizona, with the help of the Phoenix Police
Department air unit, we flew a detective up there in the middle of the night, the Coconino Sheriff`s Office picked that detective up and delivered
him to the family where we received buccal swabs, so that we could bring them back and have them tested by our lab.
They flew back and right around 12:30 in the morning, we began testing. That is this morning. We began testing that. Within about four hours we
had a positive hit on Mr. Jones. Now, that connects him to all our scenes, and I`ll explain why. Because that was on -- if you remember, that was on
a shell casing at the -- at the first scene, on Dr. Pitt`s scene, now, ballistically, we have linked all the shootings, except for the last one,
we`re still working on that one, the one in Fountain Hills, but all the other scenes we have linked to the same weapon. And now that we have Mr.
Jones` DNA on a shell casing, aligned with that weapon as well, that puts him in all those places.
Additionally we had a vehicle description for Mr. Jones. It was a 2001 gold Mercedes E-320. It was rather distinctive, had specialized rims, had
a unique plate on the front, and some surveillance video near the scene of Dr. Pitt`s office picked up that vehicle, sort of acting strangely in and
around the time of the shooting, backing into a spot, turning around, moving around again. And then we see that vehicle fleeing rapidly in what
would be consistent with right after that event had occurred.
Additionally, as we get back to the law firm, about 30 minutes before our shooting on that day, which was about 2:18 is when our call was in the
afternoon, about 30 minutes before that our traffic cameras picked that vehicle up driving westbound on Thomas from Hayden. Some additional
surveillance cameras in the area also capture that vehicle. Within about one minute of our -- of our murders.
And then that vehicle was picked up once again at Hayden and Thomas going northbound this time on Hayden. With all of this evidence, what we needed
was that hit on DNA. We had great circumstantial case against Mr. Jones, but we really wanted that definitive proof that it was him. And it was his
DNA on those shell casings that took us through all those scenes. We had that proof. And we knew that he was our suspect and murder.
This morning the Phoenix Police Department special assignments unit began evacuating units around his unit at the extended stay. In an effort to
make that a very safe place for us to conduct business with a very violent man. They were very successful in that. They evacuated most of the first
and second floor, and were well into the third floor when we believe Mr. Jones detected their presence, and he began firing at them. Somewhere
between seven and eight rounds were fired, all officers were safe and OK. And they began countermeasures to ensure that they could put him in a
position of disadvantage. The gunfire stopped, and they methodically move forward, clearing carefully, ensuring that they were safe.
And eventually in this action, they found that Mr. Jones had killed himself, self-inflicted gunshot wound. That scene is active right now. In
fact, we are still there, still collecting, processing evidence.
And I suspect that it will go well into the evening, possibly into tomorrow morning. We`re taking our time and making sure that we don`t miss anything
and that we give these victims and their families the justice that they deserve. All right, I feel like I`ve been talking for a while. Are there
any questions?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Can you give us any sense of what the link is with the two folks in the Fountain Hills, are they family or did they
know him on a professional level like the others?
SLAVIN: At this time, we don`t have the same kind of linkage that we have with the other -- with the other scenes. And so that`s -- that`s one of the
things we`re investigating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Mr. Levine, it sounds like he was truly in the wrong place at the wrong time, he was not the counselor who had been
involved with this case, he was just in that office, is that correct?
SLAVIN: Yes, sir, that`s correct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): I think it was Sheriff Penzone who said that there were more potential victims on this person`s list. Attorney
Feldman, is that who we`re talking about there?
SLAVIN: Yeah, we believe that she was definitely a target of his. She wasn`t present in the law firm on that day and unfortunately two employees
were.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Who else was on the list?
SLAVIN: You know, I`m not comfortable going over that list. They have their privacy. But I can tell you that we took great lengths to try and
determine. Let me back up. I don`t want you to get the idea that we actually physically --
PAUL PENZONE, SHERIFF, MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZONA: Sure. Just to give clarity, this is the Scottsdale Police Department investigation and I don`t
want to misrepresent anything. I`m not inferring there was a list. We are inferring this individual had absolutely intended on harming many.
And although you`re hearing what is basically the succinct (ph) version of how he was identified as a suspect, and ultimately the outcome, prior to
knowing who the suspect was and looking at the linkage of all the victims, you can imagine the scope of individuals that crossed paths for all these
victims now.
So these agencies you see behind you were blanketing the entire county, providing security for individuals that we thought could potentially be
targets of an unknown suspect at that time. So forgive for -- that there was a specific list.
I`m not going to speak to that. But just knowing the violence of this individual makes it easier for me to state that others would have been
harmed if this had not come to a conclusion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): (INAUDIBLE)
SLAVIN: I`m sorry, who asked that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Over here.
SLAVIN: What was the question, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Do you have any idea what the motive was now, eight years after the divorce proceedings?
SLAVIN: No, we don`t.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CRIME AND JUSTICE SHOW HOST, HLN: A pretty incredible series of details coming out of Scottsdale, Arizona. This remarkable story
that began last week, four people shot in what looked like a related spree killing is now six at least.
We can tell you that these four are confirmed to be linked to Dwight Lamon Jones, 56 years old. They are all related through his divorce proceedings.
Whether they were treating him or whether they were treating his son and just happened to be in the same office as someone who was apparently a
target.
And then there is still this confusion about two additional victims in an area called Fountain Hills that are still being processed, but that are
linked likely ballistically but not definitive ballistically as well to this killer.
And then of course those in a hotel who were being evacuated. The evacuations hadn`t even been completed before the gunfire began. And Dwight
Jones apparently firing off seven to eight rounds before the guns went silent, and ultimately he took his own life.
But the big news tonight is that the four who were killed last week are linked, all through the ballistics, through the guns and the casings. But
the two that now are being revealed this evening are being linked as well, although they said that the ballistics information is not yet complete.
But that they also had family members provide DNA for Dwight Lamon Jones because he did not come up in any kind of national database. When they got
the DNA off the casings from the four murders last week, that DNA just didn`t show Dwight Jones.
[18:35:01] But when they started to put pieces together, they got a family member of Dwight Jones to provide DNA and they tracked him to that extended
stay hotel. And that is ultimately where he took his life.
So we are still waiting on further information about those other two, a man and a woman found in a home, who are still being processed, but ultimately
he -- they are linked to that murderer who is now dead.
I`m going to fit in a quick break. But really remarkable series of details coming out of Phoenix, Scottsdale and law enforcement there. Quick break.
Back right after this.
[18:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: I want to get you right back into this Scottsdale police press conference. This is Rich Slavin, the assistant chief of police in
Scottsdale Police Department, talking about Dwight Lamon Jones, the 56- year-old man who murdered at least six people at this point. We are getting more details. Let`s listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SLAVIN: There was some interesting information there that mentioned some of the people specifically.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): So was he saying that it was -- he was found, that`s what we should say was his current permanent residence,
that`s where he was living?
SLAVIN: Yeah, he would move from an extended stay to another.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): All in Arizona?
SLAVIN: Yes. As far as I know, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): How would you characterize where he`s been living the past couple years, all in Phoenix, all in the valley?
SLAVIN: I don`t know that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has been living in an extended stay. That`s basically what the chief is saying. So we`d like to offer you our latest
mugshot, which is that, you see there. If you would please e-mail the PIO office, we can make that available electronically. That`s
PIO@ScottsdaleAZ.gov.
We thank you for your participation today and thanks for being here and helping us get the message out. Have a good afternoon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: OK, so, a couple more things that are simply fascinating about this. You know, you can say suspect since he killed himself at the extended
stay hotel this morning. Dwight Lamon Jones, they have been calling him the killer, the murderer, connected to all four of the murders in the
Scottsdale, Phoenix area last week and now connected to two additional murders, a man and woman found in a home in the Fountain Hills area.
I`m going to tell you the very strange connection that we`ve now learned between all of these victims. They all go back to the 2009-2010 divorce
case that Dwight Jones had with his wife at the time. We`ve now learned that that case required Dwight Jones to see a psychiatrist by the name of
Dr. Pitt, victim number one.
So Dr. Pitt is sort of the famous forensic scientist, a forensic psychiatrist to the stars. Steven Pitt was involved in the JonBenet Ramsey
case, the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, the Ben Roethlisberger case, Jodi Arias. He was well-known in the community because he had done a lot of
high-profile cases.
So the connection to the killer is that he was required to see this psychiatrist in his divorce case. Now it gets a little more bizarre.
Another psychiatrist was brought into that divorce case as well named Elizabeth Feldman. And the child of this couple, of Dwight Jones and his
wife, was required to see Elizabeth Feldman.
The police think she was the target, at least the second target. And when Dwight Jones went to her office to kill her, she wasn`t there. But victims
number two and three were. Valeria Sharp and Laura Anderson were apparently at that -- excuse me, Marshall Levine. Excuse me, Marshall Levine was at
that office. He shared space with Elizabeth Feldman, the intended target.
Marshall Levine is not necessarily connected to the divorce case. I think it`s an unfortunate circumstance that he happened to be in the office space
where Elizabeth Feldman shared this office. She was the target of Dwight Jones. Now, the other two, Valeria Sharp and Laura Anderson were at the law
firm that was retained by his wife, I assume now ex-wife because it was a divorce case.
As for the other two people who are now added to the list of this spree killing, a man and a woman found dead in their home, gunshots, here`s the
only connection we can tell you. They owned a 22-caliber pistol.
And Dwight Jones was found in a gold Mercedes driving around in his gold Mercedes, distinctive gold Mercedes, stopped at a garbage can as he is
being surveilled by the police, and threw out a bag containing the 22- caliber pistol that belonged to that couple. That is not the pistol that was used to kill the other four.
[18:45:01] So there`s your connection between all of those six victims. It`s a remarkable day. But he is dead. And more questions than answers. We
will be back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:50:00] BANFIELD: Welcome back, everyone. We have been following breaking news tonight that`s really sort of been jaw dropping in terms of
this story that`s come out of Phoenix, Scottsdale area about a spree killing that up until tonight we thought might have been four victims, but
ultimately the suspect who is now dead, Dwight Jones, it looks like he is now responsible for at least six victims.
All of them related, it seems, at least these four, related to his divorce to his wife back in 2009-2010, tangentially connected. As far as the two
new victims, though, we`re not clear on exactly who they are to him, but we can connect them to him through ballistics and then also DNA and the gun
that was stolen from them and thrown in a garbage can that was witnessed by the police.
Whether the ballistics of what gun killed them matches that`s yet to be determined. But it`s all pretty darn clear to the police that he`s killed
at least six people.
I want to bring in now Melissa Fittro. She is the news editor with the Scottsdale Independent. Also Maureen O`Connell, a former FBI special agent
and president and CEO of Maureen O`Connell and Associates. And defense attorney Brian Claypool is with me as well.
Melissa, I want to go first to you, are we getting anymore clear indication or background on who these additional two victims were to this murderer?
MELISSA FITTRO, NEWS EDITOR, SCOTTSDALE INDEPENDENT: Thanks for having me. Not that I am clear on either. The press conference that we just heard live
was the first time I was hearing all of that information as well. And it doesn`t seem like it is quite clear who those people are, except for what
you said, that it seems like the gun is linked to them.
BANFIELD: So it`s weird. There are two guns involved here. The gun that killed those four people on the screen right now, these are the first four
murders, those ballistics all match up. The gun that the killer was seen by police throwing out as they surveilled him was a 22-caliber pistol that was
not involved in the killing of those four people.
But that gun belonged to the victims, the next two victims of this spree, a man and a woman found in the Fountain Hills area of Phoenix, Scottsdale.
And so that`s the link that he has to all six. But as far as the identities, they have not yet released the identities of the additional two
victims or who he was to them, what connection he had, if he -- if they, too, were involved in some way in the divorce.
Maureen O`Connell, what sounded sort of just chilling to me was this last almost dangling piece of information that it looked as though he intended
to harm many. They didn`t say it was a list. They hauled back from saying that there was a list of victims but they somehow knew that he had intended
to kill many which makes me wonder if the story`s over in terms of finding more victims.
MAUREEN O`CONNELL, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: I agree. And I can`t underscore enough the unbelievable police work that was done on this and
done so quickly, because that list could have grown exponentially. But the fact that they were able to wrap it up this quickly, at least to the point
where the offender is deceased, that`s remarkable.
With regard to that couple, I wouldn`t be surprised if we do find the connection that we found similar to the other victims. And I think you`re
right, there is a possibility also that there may be one or more additional victims.
BANFIELD: Yeah. Well, right now the police seem to be definitive that the carnage is over. But to just leave that dangling out there that there were
many who were intended to be victims of this murderer. I mean, it is a frightening notion that, you know, they only just are releasing the two
additional victims as confirmed to be his victims, you know, tonight.
And, again, I mean, as Melissa confirmed, we`re all listening to the same news conference and we still don`t know who they were and why they were
connected to him. But those other four were connected. And here`s perhaps what is even, you know, more confounding and tragic, that Marshall Levine
had nothing to do with him, nothing to do with this killer.
He just happened to rent office space in the same place as Elizabeth Feldman, another psychiatrist who was connected to his divorce and who was
the intended victim. And poor Elizabeth Feldman probably out there tonight wondering, dear God, a poor victim of this man and it`s because of his
office space sharing with me.
All three of you, I`m going to ask you to stay put. We`re going to take a quick break. We will be right back after this.
[18:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Well, one more quick thing for you tonight. Police are doing this investigation after an off duty FBI agent accidentally shot a man in
the leg at a Denver bar. Some pretty stunning video. You can actually see the agent`s gun fall out of his waistband while he`s doing this back flip,
dancing great, doing a back flip, break dance circle, everybody`s watching. See the gun flip out?
[19:00:00] As he picks up the gun, it fires, and then he just walks off. So watch again, you`ll see the gun fly out of his waistband. And when he
goes to pick it up, you see the muzzle flash. Yes, somebody was hit when his gun went off. The victim was taken to the hospital with non-life
threatening injuries, thank God for that.
Meantime, though, big investigation going on as to whether alcohol was involved in this and what kind of charges might result because of that.
But watch. It`s an FBI agent doing a back flip with a loaded gun.
Next hour of CRIME & JUSTICE begins right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD (voice-over): It`s not every day a broken taillight leads police to charge someone with kidnapping. Maybe something even more sinister.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like something from the --
BANFIELD: But inside this man`s car reports say was a frightened woman bleeding from stab wounds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nice guy.
BANFIELD: And that`s not all. Three other women were dead and rotting at his house.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our expectation is we are going to be here for days, if not longer than that.
BANFIELD: Is it possible these three victims were murdered?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are obviously investigating these deaths as suspicious at the very least.
BANFIELD: And who was the child reportedly rescued amid the stench of that house?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There`s sort of -- sort of quiet, secluded kind of things.
BANFIELD: What other secrets might that house of horrors yield?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It`s a nice neighborhood. It`s scary.
BANFIELD: And tonight, a spectacular fall from Grace gets even uglier for the former senator found at a motel with a teenage boy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I`m not worried about a little bit of weed. What we are worried about is you having a juvenile in there.
BANFIELD: Turns out, that might not have been their first night together.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. But you have got a 17-year-old hanging out with you.
BANFIELD: Did this family values politician groom a 16-year-old for regular sex with both him and his wife?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was trying to help him study and things like that for the GED.
BANFIELD: And what about the other charges involving boys and kiddie porn?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: Good evening, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield. Thanks for sticking around for our second hour of CRIME & JUSTICE.
Tonight in Arizona, a murder spree is finally over because the suspect behind all of it is dead. But more victims have just been confirmed. As
we learn about the connections of the lives he took last week and the lives he intended to take.
Scottsdale police say less than an hour ago, the 56-year-old Dwight Jones is behind the deaths of a well-known forensic psychiatrist as well as two
paralegals and another psychiatrist, all of them killed within 24 hours of each other. And all of them connected in some tangential way to his
divorce proceedings that are almost a decade old.
Tonight, a man and woman have been added to a list of victims. And though we don`t know yet just why Jones would target those two additional victims,
police have saying he sure did mean to kill even more people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASST. CHIEF RICH SLAVIN, SCOTTSDALE POLICE DEPARTMENT: He had a divorce situation back in 2009 and 2010. And during all of that time he was
related to all of the victims in some way. His wife had retained the law offices of Burt, Feldman and Grenier, and specifically Elizabeth Feldman as
his attorney. This is the same law firm on First Street where two young ladies were murdered.
Secondly, as a part of his divorce proceedings it was required that he was seen by Dr. Pitt. And in addition, his son, as a part of the divorce
proceedings, had to see an additional psychiatrist that would normally have been in the same office space that Dr. Levine was in. But she wasn`t in
that space anymore. Dr. Levine was there, kind of a sublet situation. And so it directly related Mr. Jones to all three of these locations, and
specifically to some of the individuals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: What is remarkable as well is the two additional victims who have not yet been identified. We are waiting on that. They weren`t linked
through ballistics necessarily yet but they were linked through a gun. That`s because the gun that belonged to that dead man in the home and
perhaps the woman as well was in a bag that was thrown out by the suspect in this case.
And so ultimately Dwight Jones was surveilled and seen throwing out a bag that had a .22 caliber pistol in it and it wasn`t the pistol that was used
to kill the four people last week but it was a pistol belonging to the two additional victims he is now linked to this week.
So we will continue to watch that story. And if there are additional victims that they can outline, or at least determine may have been in his
path, or ultimately if they find more bodies we will update you on that story.
In the meantime, as if it couldn`t get worse, bodies. There`s a very dark case that is developing out of what was just really a simple traffic stop.
A man was pulled over for a broken taillight in the middle of the night in suburban Massachusetts. That simple traffic stop, however, turned into a
chase. It became a chase the very moment the officer stepped out of the cruiser. 40-year-old Stewart Weldon took off down the road. And before he
could get far he actually crashed into a police cruiser and reportedly began to fight with the officers.
He might have been doing all of that to keep the police from seeing his passenger, or as that passenger would call herself, his captive. Because
she reportedly told police that Weldon had held her prisoner for the past month, raping her repeatedly, and beating her with a hammer.
And that was only the beginning of the discoveries. Upon closer inspection of his home, there was a morbid series of discoveries, three dead bodies in
and around the property, all of them women that had reportedly started to rot. Two of them had been missing for months.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[19:06:48] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. It`s a horror movie. It`s been a nightmare. It`s like something from the movies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Weldon has now been hit with a handful of charges, including kidnapping, resisting arrest, assault with intent to rape. But as you look
at this suspect it may be very surprising to know that as of this moment, no one has been charged with those three rotting corpses who were
discovered at his home. Police have only said that the deaths are being investigated as quote "suspicious." Suspicious, indeed, especially
considering the sequence of events that took them there.
Joining me now, Mary Cate Mannion with the CNN affiliate WGGB. She is on the scene there in Springfield. She is going to give us an update from
that location. Joseph Scott Morgan is also with us live tonight. He is a certified death investigator, also professor of forensics at Jacksonville
State University. And defense attorney Brian Claypool remains with me as well.
So perhaps I can start with you, Mary Cate. What`s the very latest you are seeing from the location where you are, this home? Are they still digging
and searching for potential other victims?
MARY CATE MANNION, REPORTER, CNN AFFILIATE WGGB: So as of this hour we haven`t seen any shovels and things like that. We did see that take place
on Friday. We actually did see that a ground penetrating radar company was called in. They combed over the property. And what has been interesting
to note is that investigators have moved around a tent from various parts of the yard here.
This morning when I arrived, it was in the back of the house near a shed. A little while ago it was towards the front of the fence, and just walking
over now, it has been, once again, moved towards the back of the yard.
And we mentioned today, we learned the three names of the women whose bodies were found here. Two as you mentioned were found and had been
reported missing for at least six months. One of them was never formally reported missing, but certainly some interesting developments.
BANFIELD: And then, maybe, just help me understand, Mary Cate, how the officers happened upon those three rotting corpses. The pictures that
we`re showing, the house seems beautiful. It doesn`t look as though it is in ill repair. It doesn`t look as though -- it`s not suspicious looking,
so to speak. How did the police happen upon the house, and do you know where in the house they found those women dead?
MANNION: Sure. Well, the district attorney has not been forthcoming with information about where those bodies were found. The most that we have got
is that they were found in and around the home. That`s the most information we have been able to get out of them.
But as you mentioned, yes, this is a very quiet neighborhood. This is east Springfield. And so, neighbors were really shocked and surprised. And as
you mentioned, he was arrested on Sunday. Mr. Weldon, who has last known address was here. And on Tuesday because of the holiday he was arraigned
in court on those kidnapping charges as well as other charges and the district attorney wouldn`t confirm what kind of information that they got.
But he did tell me on Friday that he had gotten some type of information that then led police to this home on Tuesday. They made the discovery and
publicly announced the bodies were found on Wednesday. First they said two were found, the third was found and announced later on Thursday.
So as I mentioned too, not a lot of details as to where they were found. But as you mentioned, they have been seen going in and out of that yard
using hand shovels, tools, rakes and things like that to look for evidence.
[19:10:014] BANFIELD: It`s sort of just an unbelievable sequence of events.
Mary Cate, stand by, if you will. I have a breaking news piece of information I want to get to. Stefan Davis is a neighbor, his house is
across the street from this suspect, from Stuart Weldon.
Stefan, can you hear me?
STEFAN DAVIS, NEIGHBOR OF STEWART WELDON (on the phone): Yes, I can.
BANFIELD: I have a couple of questions just from your vantage point. What do you know about Stuart Weldon and who lived in that home? What can you
tell me about it?
DAVIS: Well. First things first, I want to say, you know, give my condolences to those victims` family and that they have to deal with this
tragic situation that has occurred.
Mr. Weldon himself, I have -- they have been living across the street not even 50 yards away from us for about a year and a half. Sunday was the
first time that I had seen Mr. Weldon. And when I saw him he was outside, on a Sunday morning. It was raining. And all of his windows were open and
his front door was open. And his storm door was open. And I`m like, you know, this is like 9:00 in the morning. I`m like, why the heck does this
man have his door and all his stuff wide open? So I didn`t pay no attention. I thought maybe he burned something on the stove or whatsoever.
And that being said, as I pulled out of my driveway, and like this is also the first time I ever seen this man, he waved at me as I drove past him.
And when it comes down to Wednesday evening, find out that there`s dead bodies at the house, everything starts -- the pieces of the puzzle get put
together.
BANFIELD: Mr. Davis, you could smell the stench that was coming from the house eventually, couldn`t you?
DAVIS: Well, when we first smelled -- you know, people have said they smelled the stench. I live right across the street from him. I`m always
outside. And I`m very observant. The first time I smelled the stench was that evening, Wednesday evening when the garage door was open completely.
That`s when the stench came out and it was from the garage and it smelled like road kill, something that died on the road and was wet. And myself
and five other people was like, oh, my God, there`s a really bad smell. And that being said, when I looked, you know, the police had it blocked
off. But you could see in the garage and it was something wrapped up in plastic. And I said that`s a body. And I believe that`s where one of the
bodies was found.
BANFIELD: You saw something in the garage wrapped in plastic. Is that the -- would that be the body bag that the police brought in or did you see
something wrapped in plastic before the police put a body bag --?
DAVIS: It was something wrapped in plastic before the police brought the body back.
BANFIELD: And you also saw three bodies coming out of three different areas of this property. What did you witness? Where were the locations?
DAVIS: Well, what I saw was in the morning they loaded two bodies, and you really couldn`t see at first where the first two bodies came. But I know I
saw a body in the garage. But I did see a body being brought on Thursday afternoon around 1:30 out of the yard, preferably over by the -- by the
shed area. And I saw them load it onto the gurney and load it in.
BANFIELD: So if I`m not mistaken, that`s three locations, correct, Mr. Davis, that there was a body in the house that was brought out, a body that
came out of the garage, and perhaps a body that came from the shed?
DAVIS: Yes, yes.
BANFIELD: Who lived -- can you tell me just quickly who lived in that home?
DAVIS: Well, I have only seen an older woman, a younger woman between the age of 25 and 21, and another young man between the ages of 25 and 21.
BANFIELD: Any young children? There are reports that a child was taken out of there.
[19:15:03] DAVIS: I didn`t see the young child until the evening that all of this took place. And I remember the little girl saying I want my mommy.
And the little girl had to be at least one-and-a-half, two years old. And I think DC has a custody took that little girl, that baby into custody.
BANFIELD: So you saw a little girl being taken into custody from that home?
DAVIS: Yes.
BANFIELD: And how old do you put her at approximately?
DAVIS: I would say between one-and-a-half, two years old.
BANFIELD: Mr. Davis, thank you so much for your observations. That your information is invaluable. It`s been very difficult to piece together the
disturbing, you know, elements of this crime. My thanks to you.
I`m going to ask my guests to stay put. We are back right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:20:43] BANFIELD: We are still talking about Stewart Weldon, that Massachusetts man who was pulled over in the middle of the night, and
arrested for kidnapping a woman. That woman reportedly told the police that he held her captive and raped her and beat her for weeks.
But other women may have suffered an even more sinister fate because three female bodies were just discovered at Stewart Weldon`s home and they were
decomposing badly.
Joining me is Mary Cate Mannion with the CNN affiliate WGGB. She is at the scene. In Springfield, Joseph Scott Morgan is with me, a certified death
investigator. And defense attorney Brian Claypool is with me as well. Stefan Davis, a neighbor of this man is also with me.
Stefan, before I went to break, I realized I didn`t ask you another very pertinent question. The police brought a k-9, a police dog to your
location, and that dog had a very strong reaction. Can you explain what happened?
DAVIS: Well, when I -- it was during the afternoon on Thursday around 12:00, the state police had come. And next thing I saw was the k-9 dogs,
they brought a k-9 dog out and went into the yard and the dog showed like there was something there. He showed -- he was very energetic. And, I
mean, I have seen things before with k-9s. And I was like he found something just by the way the dog was acting. And then next thing you
know, the district attorney came like maybe a couple hours later.
BANFIELD: And Mary Cate Mannion, they are still using sophisticated technology to try to almost forensically map the ground there. Can you
explain what it is they are using and what they are doing?
MANNION: Sure. We saw them out here on Friday with a company based here in Massachusetts. And it almost looked like a piece of -- like a lawn
mower type equipment without the motor. And they were walking it up and down. And what it is, it`s GPR, which stands for Ground Penetrating Radar.
And what I`m told is that it will go through the ground and not really give you like a clear picture, but instead it can identify objects that maybe
buried. It can even show where dirt has been disturbed or things may have been moved around it.
As I mentioned they were doing this in the back area towards the shed. But on Friday when I was standing just a little ways down the street, I could
see them doing that in the front yard as well.
The district attorney on Friday had said that it will take about 24 hours to get some kind of a formal reading back from that. But during the
process we saw investigators come to the yard. And it was interesting during that process, we did see investigators came from the yard and into
the street as they were going over certain areas and getting smaller hand tools and rakes to look at areas of interest.
BANFIELD: Also, you know, Mary Cate, there`s so much to this story, and not the least of which, that the bodies that have been discovered there,
the potential that there may be more, that`s what they are looking for with that ground penetrating radar.
But then the woman who was in the passenger seat, at least we believe she was in the passenger seat when he was stopped for that taillight, the
condition that she has found in has been described by some as grotesque, that she had been stabbed in the abdomen, that she had a number of
injuries, blunt force injuries, injuries in the process of healing, bruises that were old and new, scabs and cuts and infections on wounds that hadn`t
been, you know, treated properly, and apparently she`s still in the hospital. And I think she may have also had a potentially fractured jaw.
Do we have any idea who she is and how she is at this time?
DAVIS: Well, I can tell you how she is. The latest from the district attorney, as of this afternoon, was that she is still in the hospital. And
as you mentioned, the injuries were nothing short of horrific. Police really described in detail as you mentioned just an array of injuries and
issues there.
But we are told she is doing well. She is expected to survive her injuries was what I was told from officials today. As you mentioned, her name, very
unclear. It`s being kept tight lipped at the moment even with court proceedings and things like that just because I believe the nature of the
possible relationship between Mr. Weldon and her. And so for that, her name isn`t clear as of this hour, or at least being shared with us.
[19:25:09] BANFIELD: Her name. And then, of course, her relationship to Stewart Weldon as well.
Stefan Davis, I know they kept to themselves, and you didn`t know much about these neighbors, where such a house of horrors has developed. But do
you have any idea of this woman who was discovered in this vehicle, who said that he had been captive by him for over a month, who she might be?
DAVIS: No, I had never seen that woman -- well, they haven`t showed any pictures or anything like that. As of now to be able to say, yes, I have
seen this woman. I have seen, before, like I said, a young man that was in his mid-20s, early 20s, and a young woman in the same age bracket. But I
don`t know if that`s the young lady, the younger lady that I have seen in the past.
BANFIELD: OK. I want to play, if I can, what happened in court. He waived the reading of the charges. And it may have been that because there
is just so much, you know, astounding information, it`s hard to tell.
But when you watch this, it looks as though his attorney cuts the judge off says, you know, don`t say anymore. We are just going to waive our rights
here and let`s move on with it. But it sounded as though there was some information that was going to come out about not only these crimes, but
perhaps another kidnap victim who allegedly has come forward to say I was kidnapped and raped by this man too. But have a listen to what happened in
court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 18-3571 (INAUDIBLE).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Madam Clerk, we would waive a formal reading of the charges. We would request a plea of not guilty at this time. Mr. Weldon
is aware of the nature as well as the elements of the complex. We are agreed that the bail be set without prejudice at this time. Mr. Weldon
entered his plea of not guilty and looks forward to addressing these charges in the future in court as well as addressing bail at a later date.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Joseph Scott Morgan, I can tell you this about the victims who were found in this home, one was 27 years old, not reported missing, 34-
year-old victim has been missing since December of last year, and a 47- year-old victim missing since March.
Knowing that that`s, you know, a couple of months to six months of potential decomposition if they were killed close to when they went
missing, how does that complicate things for the investigation in this?
JOSEPH SCOTT MORGAN, CERTIFIED DEATH INVESTIGATOR: Well, they have taken a very positive step, that is the investigators. We keep hearing this
narrative repeated over that they are playing things close to the vest. They have also kind of locked down the scene. And that gives me hope that
they are really taking their time with this scene and they will be able to kind of measure out this postmortem interval. It will not be too difficult
if they take their time, I think. And the state ME in Massachusetts is a highly capable agency being very, very thorough.
I think this also goes to a larger issue. They have leveled some sex charges here, so there`s obviously something here to that, that this was an
ongoing issue. In addition to that, they are taking their time going over every inch of this property with this ground penetrating radar. And I find
it curious that they would go out and excavate these areas. You mentioned just a moment ago how you can`t necessarily see an absolute body, but there
will be an anomaly in the soil. Remember, when you fill in a hole after you have dug it up, the soil never goes back into the way it normally --
the way it appears in nature. So you will get this anomalous blob, if you will, and you can make out some features at that time. That requires
further investigation. They are not just looking for bodies, but they are also looking for any type of evidence, say weapons or something that would
have facilitated the death of these women.
BANFIELD: Sure, of course.
The charges right now, and it`s important to note this, are kidnapping, assault, to rape, kidnapping, threat to commit a crime, assault with intent
to commit a rape, resisting arrest. These are the charges. Nowhere is there a murder on here.
Brian Claypool, look, he wasn`t the only person who lived in that home. It was listed as belonging to his mother. And you have already heard that
Stefan Davis, his neighbor, says that he witnessed potentially an older woman there, another girl, a younger man, and perhaps that little girl
living in that home. How difficult, apart from the fact we have got three rotting corpses in his home, how difficult is it to actually extend that to
murder?
[19:30:00] BRIAN CLAYPOOL, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, the bad news for Stewart Weldon is that he`s under arrest for some very serious charges with
a woman that was in the car with him. The good news for law enforcement is that that gives them time then, Ashleigh, to really dig deep into this
investigation on what we -- what we think is going to be three murders of these other women. So, it`s going to give law enforcement a chance to dig
into whether there`s a connection between Weldon and these women, and let`s look into the computer forensics. There`s got to be some computer track,
phone evidence to connect Weldon, hopefully, with these three women. But, I mean, from a circumstantial standpoint right now, it obviously doesn`t
look good for him.
BANFIELD: I`d say that`s the understatement, absolutely, in this story and this story is continuing. My thanks to Mary Kate Manion, Joseph Scott
Morgan, Brian Claypool, and Stefan Davis. I`m going to ask you to standby for a moment.
We have told the story before about a man named Ralph Shortey -- he used to be known as Senator Shortey -- a disgraced Oklahoma lawmaker, who was
caught with a minor, a teenage boy in a local motel with condoms and lotion and a questionable t-shirt. Just when you thought that accusations
couldn`t get worse and the facts in the case couldn`t get uglier, well, they have. The prosecutors have revealed some pretty sexy, ugly, nasty new
information, and that is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:36:37] BANFIELD: He was known for his family values, the former Oklahoma State Senator and man of God whose reputation is now falling even
further from grace tonight. Even further than the night he was caught in a motel room with pot and condoms and lotion and a17-year-old boy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE OFFICER: Let`s go, open up the door, so we can talk to you.
RALPH SHORTEY, DEFENDANT: May I ask why?
POLICE OFFICER: What?
SHORTEY: May I ask why?
POLICE OFFICER: Yes, because you have a juvenile in your hotel room.
SHORTEY: No, I do not have a juvenile in here.
POLICE OFFICER: OK, open the door and we`ll talk to you real quick and we`ll be done. We`re not worried about a little bit of weed. What we are
worried about is you having a juvenile in there. Yes, this one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Yes, this one. Ralph Shortey, seen here, sitting in a place he probably would have preferred not to be, tried lying to the police about
his relationship with this one here, the boy in the hotel room. Claiming instead he was his mentor and helping him to study. But, unfortunately,
for Senator Shortey, former senator, new documents reveal tonight that former Senator Shortey had sex with that teenager long before that bust in
the motel room. Prosecutors say that former Senator Shortey met that boy when he was just 16 and started luring him into regular sex or semi-regular
sex, or really who knows how regular.
The prosecutor said that the victim, quote, disclosed that on two previous instances, they had met at the defendant`s coffee shop, that they watched
pornography and fooled around and that the defendant gave him marijuana, or wax -- that`s concentrated THC -- after having sex. Former Senator Shortey
has now resigned from being a senator and he`s pled guilty to the federal charge of child sex trafficking. So, now, there`s brand new documents that
come along with that, and brand new revelations, too, that there may have actually been more than just that boy in that motel room, maybe more than
just one minor. The prosecutor saying that, quote, Mr. Shortey`s relevant conduct demonstrates a broader pattern with other underage victims that is
serious and dangerous.
Joining me now, Scott Mitchell, host of "Mitchell Talks" in Oklahoma City, Maureen O`Connell is a former FBI Special Agent and President of CEO --
President and CEO of Maureen O`Connell and Associates, and Defense Attorney Brian Claypool is with me as well.
Scott Mitchell, first to you, wow, I did not think that the Senator Shortey story could get dirtier or uglier or more low brow, but it just did. So,
can you tell me one thing? Why is it that we`re only looking at one charge and one plea to federal child sex trafficking when it seems there`s just so
much else to go on? Any idea?
SCOTT MITCHELL, HOST, MITCHELL TALKS (via telephone): The educated guess would be this investigation is a long way from being over. And I think
that when you see that -- in this report that they`re talking about soliciting on Craigslist, it`s been long rumored that this was -- it was
going to be a while before this is over with, it would involve other states, perhaps, certainly the feds, and this is the indication that this
thing is not nearly -- it hasn`t played out at all.
[19:40:16] BANFIELD: So, remind me, this guy was like one of the very first Trump supporters out there, he was a very conservative politician.
He ran on a family values platform, and now, Scott, we`re learning from these documents that part of the way he lured the boy in this hotel room,
which I still can`t believe there`s all this body cam video, part of the way he lured that boy was promising the boy that he could fool around with
Senator Shortey`s wife. The boy -- while Senator Shortey would watch. Honestly, that`s truly what the original contact was all about?
MITCHELL: That`s my understanding is that`s what it was about and that was one of the enticements, or a part of the grooming for this juvenile. And
that in some of the documents he -- the juvenile rejected that because Mrs. Shortey, as the documents say, was pregnant. But the point is, it was part
of a grotesque grooming nightmare that this guy was using and I suspect hyper hypocrisy was going on with this guy. He wasn`t just a Trump
supporter, Ashleigh, he was a leader of the campaign. He was one of the leaders in the state for the Trump campaign. So, this guy was -- he was
doing massive underhanded law breaking at the same time holding himself out as a -- as a law-abiding and moral leader in the state of Oklahoma.
BANFIELD: And a -- and a man -- the man of the family values, family values, keeping his dirty sex side show in the family it turns out,
suggesting that a 16-year-old boy, and I will read from the sentencing memorandum so everyone`s clear, that Mr. Shortey first encountered Doe --
and that would be this small John Doe, the young boy -- when he was only 16 years old. At the time you see this video, he had turned 17 by this point.
And just because it is so delightful to see his reaction, why don`t we play a little bit of this? Let`s listen to this bust yet again because knowing
everything we know now, it`s kind of interesting to watch it through this prism yet again. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POLICE OFFICER: Come out.
SHORTEY: I`m right here. (INAUDIBLE)
POLICE OFFICER: Come out before you get me worried. Show me your hands.
SHORTEY: OK.
POLICE OFFICER: Take a seat on the --
SHORTEY: What`s going on?
POLICE OFFICER: What`s going on with you, man?
SHORTEY: Just trying to have a good evening.
POLICE OFFICER: A good time? Yes. What`s your name?
SHORTEY: Ralph.
POLICE OFFICER: Ralph what?
SHORTEY: Shortey.
POLICE OFFICER: You got an I.D., Shortey? Shortey doesn`t sound like a last name to me.
SHORTEY: That`s my last name.
POLICE OFFICER: Shortey is?
SHORTEY: Yes.
POLICE OFFICER: And then you growed like 10 feet. It kind of doesn`t work, does it?
SHORTEY: I`m sorry guys. You`re kind of freaking me out a little bit.
POLICE OFFICER: Yes, that`s what we do. He`s 17.
SHORTEY: OK.
POLICE OFFICER: What do you mean OK?
SHORTEY: I didn`t know.
POLICE OFFICER: OK. But you`ve got a 17-year-old hanging out with you.
SHORTEY: I mean --
POLICE OFFICER: Dad is worried, and do you understand that?
SHORTEY: Yes, I didn`t know.
POLICE OFFICER: OK, you got an I.D. on you? Is there any other drugs in here other than weed?
SHORTEY: No.
POLICE OFFICER: Is there any guns in here?
SHORTEY: No, sir.
POLICE OFFICER: OK.
SHORTEY: Can you show me that he`s only 17?
POLICE OFFICER: No, I can`t. But I can convince you that he is. I can put you in handcuffs and throw you in the back of the car.
SHORTEY: We can go that route.
POLICE OFFICER: OK, Let`s see on an I.D. real quick.
POLICE OFFICER: We didn`t just show up here for no reason.
POLICE OFFICER: Thank you, sir. You can take a seat back on the bed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Yes, that stuff`s never good when you end up in court. But, again, he`s only facing one charge right now that he`s pled to. So, when
we come back after the break, Maureen, as a former special FBI agent, I want to ask you -- and you can think about your answer throughout the break
-- do the people in the FBI love getting their hands on a guy like this, especially so sanctimonious that he wears (INAUDIBLE) on his t-shirt while
he`s getting busted?
And then, Brian, you can think through your answer when we come back after the break and that is how does he walk? How does he skate from having sex
with a minor, and every other charge, like the marijuana, and all the drugs he was plying the kid with, and instead, he ends up with just this one plea
to federal child sex trafficking, and is there something good about that? Those two questions and those two answers when we come back.
[19:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: We`re still talking about the state senator, or should I say former state senator, busted in an Oklahoma motel room with a 17-year-old
boy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But listen, whatever you`re doing, it`s a bad (BLEEP) idea. Does that make sense to you? Like getting high with a young kid,
whatever, is a bad idea. No matter if they`re 17 or 20. Like, it`s a bad idea. You understand what I`m saying? Like if you want to have fun by
yourself, if you`ve got things you got to figure out, you need to figure that out and you can live your life however you want to live it. But when
you start doing it with kids and stuff, then it starts to become a serious, serious problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:49:55] BANFIELD: Yes, and it indeed was a very serious problem. Enough of a serious problem to get Ralph Shortey out of that state senator
office and to squeeze a plea out of him as well for child sex trafficking and a federal plea at that. And tonight, we`re learning more about how he
lured multiple under aged boys. Prosecutor saying he, quote, exerted undue influence by enticing Doe -- and Doe is that boy in the motel room.
Shortey offering sex with his wife, drugs, porn, money and a hotel room.
My panel is still with me. Maureen O`Connell, as a former FBI special agent, is this the kind of hypocrite that the FBI loves getting their hands
on, not just because the crimes are so disgusting, but also the sanctimony that precedes them, a state senator who runs on a family values
conservative platform and doing this on the side.
MAUREEN O`CONNELL, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Yes, absolutely. But we also, Ashleigh, try to focus more on the victims in cases like this. And
although we`re looking at this like it may be some sort of anomaly, this happens every single day in every single city, bar none. So, these are
things that we take very seriously and the squads that work this particular violation, it happens to be the only violation in the FBI that you can opt
out of. Every other violation you can be assigned to and it`s all based on what we call the needs of the bureau. But in this particular instance,
people can opt out because, oftentimes, the work is just horrible and it has a deep impact on the agent.
BANFIELD: Wow. I didn`t realize that. That`s remarkable that you can opt out, I just don`t want to deal with people like him doing the things that
he does, which brings me to you Brian Claypool. I`m looking at this and I`m sort of gob smacked by the idea that all he has pled to is a count of
federal child sex trafficking. When in fact, he was facing child porn, there were three federal charges of child porn that were dropped and then
state charges of engaging in child prostitution, transporting a minor for prostitution and lewdness with a minor. So, get me off the ledge, Brian
Claypool, and tell me why this is a good thing that it`s just one charge and it`s federal child sex trafficking -- ten years to life. Tell me why
this is a good thing and other charges were dropped.
CLAYPOOL: I wish I could but bad news for you, Ashleigh, this is a horrible plea deal if the federal prosecutors go through with it. That
sentencing memorandum that you just read, or you just out up on your screen a couple of minutes ago, that proves another crime. He`s paying money for
sex with this young boy, why is that not prostitution? Why is he charged with that, number one? Number two, there is evidence in this case that he
was luring other boys through Craigslist using other names. What is the status of that investigation? Have they interviewed the victims in that
investigation, as well?
BANFIELD: Hey, Brian?
CLAYPOOL: Yes?
BANFIELD: Can you make me feel better this way? Because I`m really trying hard here. 10 years to life, if the judge in this case sees the sentencing
memorandum and says 10 years to life, brother, I`m giving you life, or I`m giving you 25, you always know that in a federal sentence, you`re going to
serve the majority of it. You`re not going to get one of those sweet, you know, serve one-sixth of your sentence and I`ll let you go for crowding in
the state system. You`re actually going to serve it and it`s going to be hard time. Will that make me feel better in this case?
CLAYPOOL: No, I`ve represented over 30 victims of minors in sexual assault cases over the last decade. It`s about the victims. What about what he
did to -- what we think he might have done to a lot of other victims. Are we just going to take one charge and say, OK, go spend your 10 years and
let`s ignore the rest of the investigation of what could be other young people that were assaulted by this young man? What about them? It doesn`t
stop predators from doing this.
BANFIELD: I agree. I also know that when people decide to resign their public service, that helps out in chopping things the way from your
culpability, you know, in the criminal field. Guys, thank you so much. Stick around, if you will, because I have this "ONE MORE THING" coming up
after the break and it has to do with an FBI agent dancing, really cutting loose with a loaded gun. That`s next.
[19:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: "ONE MORE THING" for you tonight, police are investigating an off duty FBI agent after he accidently shot a man in the leg at a Denver
bar. Some pretty stunning video shows the agent`s gun fall out of his waistband while he`s busting a move and doing a fancy backflip. Got to
look closely as he had pop it right out. Yes, he goes to pick it up and watch the flash. See that? It went off. It was unbelievable. They just
walk it off. His gun goes off and he just walks out of the circle, throws his hands in the air, whatever, big -- no biggie. Well, it turns out there
was a biggie. A man was shot in the leg and then taken to the hospital. Non-life threatening injuries, thank God, but police are testing whether
alcohol was involved in all of this and charges could correspond to this and be forthcoming. And P.S., that video is out there forever, a thing
called YouTube.
END
