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PRIMETIME JUSTICE WITH ASHLEIGH BANFIELD

10-year-old Girl Abducted at Church/Mom Killed Trying to Sell iPhone; Casino Claims Slot Machine Malfunctioned, Refuse to Pay Up on Win. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired November 2, 2016 - 20:00   ET

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


[20:00:00] ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HLN HOST: An Amber Alert for a young girl who disappeared from her church. Can you help out tonight to help reunite

her with her family?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just as cute as she can be.

BANFIELD (voice-over): She is as cute as a button. Ten-year-old Kayla Gomez, mysteriously vanishes from the least likely of place, a church!

Police say every second counts and that she is in immediate danger.

People do it all the time, connect with strangers on line and meet up to buy or sell their stuff. Only this time, a woman was shot right in front

of her daughter. Who did this, and why?

And jackpot! The bells and whistles rang up nearly $43 million in winnings. So what happens when the casino says, Sorry, that machine is

broken. Have dinner on us instead. Can you smell a lawsuit?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD: Hello, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield. Welcome to PRIMETIME JUSTICE.

We`re following breaking news tonight, and it is in Texas, where a 10-year- old girl is in danger. And police say it is grave danger. At this very moment, Kayla Gomez disappeared last night from a church in east Texas.

And we`re telling you her story and showing you her photo, hoping and praying that someone somewhere is going to recognize her, may have seen her

and can call in a tip or any kind of information that might lead to her safe return to her family.

The number is 972-559-5711 because right now, authorities are still trying to piece together this mystery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She seems to be just a very normal young lady, and we have no reason as to why she would have been abducted, if she was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Kayla is small. She`s just 4 feet tall. She only weighs 90 pounds. The search teams have been hard at work. They include dogs. They

are working in the area where she disappeared. It`s just south of Styler, Texas, in east Texas. The FBI is even sending support from its Dallas

bureau to help in the search effort.

But tonight, what happened to this little girl? What`s happened to Kayla? How she vanished is truly a mystery.

Joining me now from Tyler, Texas, Taylor Hemness covering the story for CNN affiliate KLTV. What did happen? Start this story from the beginning.

TAYLOR HEMNESS, KLTV CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ashleigh, right now, all we know is that the family went to a prayer service last night at the 1st Assembly

here in Bullard Texas, and they sat (ph) down, as they often do on Tuesday nights to go to this prayer service.

At around 7:45, it ended. Little Kayla came out, sat down in the front part of the church, in the lobby, the foyer area, waiting to see when her

family was going to be through. We`re told that her mother sat off to the side, talking to more people at the church that evening.

When she turned around, Kayla was gone. They assumed that she`d either gone to play someplace around the church. It still is not too dark at 7:45

in this part of the world. She`d maybe gone to play, maybe gone to the bathroom. They looked everywhere, could not find her at all, and that`s

when they contacted police.

BANFIELD: So Taylor, the police have said she is in danger. I understand she`s only 10, and any 10-year-old who`s gone for 24 hours in the dark

where no one knows where she is, is in danger. But is there something more sinister to that, something they`re not saying?

HEMNESS: At this point, we really don`t know, Ashleigh, because what`s strange and scary about this case is 24 hours later, typically in a case

like this, we`ve heard something. And we thought we were going to have that piece of information today when authorities released a vehicle they

were looking for. They had said a red Cadillac SRX is the vehicle they were looking for in this case. And then they dismissed that a few hours

later.

We thought that was going to be a piece of information that something was being sought after, people were able to find something about this case and

look for one particular thing. Since that`s been dismissed, we haven`t gotten a lot of other leads from the FBI. And they say they might not talk

to us again until tomorrow morning. So it`s almost like this little girl vanished, and there`s really no...

BANFIELD: Yes, it`s weird.

HEMNESS: ... telling right now where the FBI is looking.

BANFIELD: It`s weird. And we`ve been having the -- sort of the tipline revolving up on the screen. If anybody in the Texas area -- an look,

that`s the Texarkana area, as well, so Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, you`re all in the vicinity. The number is there, 972-559-5711.

At this point, she could be anywhere because that is a busy area. In fact, there are a couple of interstates, and that`s right on I think route 69.

So route 69 actually intersects with I-20, which, you know,, heads east to Louisiana and west to Dallas. There`s the map for you where she was last

seen in that church area.

And I want to bring in Faith Harper, if I can, because she`s a multi-media journalist with "The Tyler Morning Telegraph." Do they know anything about

the congregation last night, Faith? It`s a small town. I`m only assuming they all know each other. Were there any unfamiliar faces there last

night?

[20:05:18]FAITH HARPER, "TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH": Well, police said no one reported seeing anything out of the ordinary. Now, this is a small mid

(ph) Spanish-speaking service in a small congregation. Now, officials said there were roughly 20 to 25 people in the sanctuary when Kayla went

missing, and a majority of those were family members.

BANFIELD: What about cameras? Do they have any surveillance cameras, any cameras in the parking lot or within the church itself that might give them

some clues as to who took her, if someone did?

HARPER: Now, we haven`t been told if the church has surveillance cameras, but the city`s police chief did say that they would look at surveillance

video from nearby gas stations to see if they could find anything unusual. But we have no word if that`s been done or if it`s netted any new

information.

BANFIELD: Faith, are you from this area? Is this place familiar to you as a reporter?

HARPER: Bullard is actually my hometown. I was born and raised there, so I`m incredibly familiar, and I`ve been to this church.

BANFIELD: And I`m just assuming that because it`s a small town, everyone knows each other and you must all , you know,be joining together in the

search effort. What can you tell me about just how this town is responding, your fellow countrymen who are there?

HARPER: Well, Bullard isn`t just a small town, it`s my hometown. It`s a small community of about 2,500 people. Now, there, everybody knows each

other, but they know each other`s families. And this is east Texas, so when something happens, the community bonds become stronger and then

they`re sealed together with prayer. Now, this afternoon, there was a prayer circle in the family`s neighborhood, and then there`s a community-

wide vigil tonight. Now, the church canceled its normal service so it could join in with the community in praying for Kayla.

BANFIELD: I think we have some video that`s just coming in to us. right now. Hold for a second, Faith, if you will, because Kayla`s brother,

Kenneth -- it`s her older brother -- has been giving some interviews. I think some of them were appearing on Facebook. But he did make some

comments about Kayla being at church last night, and while everyone was praying, she was in another part of the church.

Do we have that sound? I want to play that interview -- let`s play that interview with Kenneth Gomez, hear what he had to say about how this sort

of played out last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH GOMEZ, KAYLA`s BROTHER: She was sitting in the lobby while everybody was praying. Then prayer was over, and my mom went outside

looking for her, and she couldn`t find her. So she started asking -- you know, everybody started looking for her. And she`s been missing since

then.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: I want to bring back in Taylor Hemness in this area. Taylor, we were doing some researching because, obviously, one of the first things you

do when there`s an Amber Alert and a child goes missing, is you start looking for the registered sex offenders in the area.

And maybe not surprising, which is distressing to say, there are 31 registered sex offenders in the vicinity of a 14-mile radius. And maybe

the more disturbing statistic that we found in our research here was that there is a sex offender that`s registered I think within one mile.

Do you have any idea how the police are handling that part of the investigation? Have they tracked down all 31 of those sex offenders? Is

that sort of on the checklist? Where are they with that?

HEMNESS: Ashleigh, I`m sure it`s on the checklist. They were very kind of short with us today at the last press conference they had with us this

afternoon. They indicated they were following all leads possible. They`d spoken to everyone who was at the church last night and in the area. They

indicated they basically have all those bases covered, so to speak.

So it seems like that`s something that they are doing, but right now, they`re not specifically listing any person or persons that they`re looking

at more than anyone else.

BANFIELD: And Taylor, maybe to speak to, you know, even what Faith was just saying, this is a small town and a lot of people know each other.

They don`t have huge resources.

They are looking for Kayla Gomez from Bullard, Texas. There`s the tipline. If you know anything, if you recognize this little girl -- she was wearing

a peach-colored skirt and a black T-shirt, and the black T-shirt had words on it saying "Raquet and Jog." Very unique wording on the black T-shirt,

"Raquet and Jog." That`s the logo of the company Raquet and Jog. Whether the T-shirt looked like that logo, we`re not clear, but this is the

description that we have of what she was seen (ph), a peach skirt and a Raquet and Jog black T-shirt.

Taylor, to the point that there may be limited resources to do a full-scale search on this little girl, the Dallas FBI has joined forces, and Thomas

Class from the Dallas FBI gave an interview and talked about just how hard they`re working to look for her. Listen in to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS M. CLASS, SR., DALLAS FBI: Law enforcement has worked tirelessly throughout the night and into the day to search the area and follow all

investigative leads. But we now need the public`s support in finding Kayla.

[20:10:06]We`re asking anyone with information that could help investigators find Kayla to please call the FBI`s tipline at 972-559-5711.

No piece of information is too small, and all lead will be aggressively pursued to bring this little girl home to her family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Well, one of the members of her family had this to say. It was her brother, Kenneth, again, you know, talking about how important this

little girl is to their family. Literally, she`s their everything.

I want to bring in Faith Harper on this, as well. Faith, when he gave that interview and it played out on local media, I can`t imagine what that did

to a lot of the folks in town. Let me play it, and I want to ask you a question about the kind of traffic that`s in that area. Have a listen to

Kenneth Gomez.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOMEZ: She`s everything we have. And this is devastating for us, just horrible. We don`t have a clue what happened with her. We`re even more

frustrated because we can`t explain it. It was just out of the blue. Please, if you know anything (INAUDIBLE) tell someone. This is my sister`s

life, and she`s only 10 years old.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: She`s only 10 years old. This is the key. And that`s why perhaps police are saying perhaps she`s in danger at this point.

Faith, the church, as I understand it, is right on route 69. That`s heavily trafficked. A lot of truckers go through that area. Sadly, I hate

to even mention this, but it is well known for human trafficking, well known for reports of it being an artery for that.

There`s also a convenience store, as I understand it, not far down the way from that church. Is that a lead at all for the authorities and for

searchers that maybe someone saw something at that convenience store? Maybe there`s video, surveillance video from there?

HARPER: Now, we haven`t heard -- now, we have been told that the police will be looking at surveillance video from gas stations and the like that

are in the area. But U.S.-69 is a very busy, very fast-paced arterial. It`s a major arterial in east Texas.

And just to orient you, Bullard is about two hours southeast of Dallas. And U.S. 69 goes all the way south to Houston and it goes as far north as

Minnesota.

Now, in this area, you`ve got about a 20-minute drive until you hit a toll road that will take you to interstate 20 in about 20 to 30 minutes. So it

is a heavily trafficked area, and there`s not a whole lot around the church except for this highway. And the local law enforcement in some of these

areas have found a lot of drugs coming through on this street. And I heard of one instance of human trafficking, but it`s been a few years.

BANFIELD: OK. Well, it`s interesting. We heard several instances of human trafficking. Maybe that was just the fog of reporting, but drug

trafficking, human trafficking, certainly not the kinds of people that you want to be in the vicinity of a little girl like this. The tipline is on

your screen if you can help, 972-559-5711, Bullard Texas in east Texas. But listen, that`s close to Louisiana. It`s close to Arkansas. It`s close

to Oklahoma. By this point, it could be close to anywhere, even within those states, as well, because it has been since last night. Any tips --

you see it on your screen -- please call. and the police always say this, no information is too small. No information is too small.

I do want to do this for a moment, if you`ll let me. I have some updates for you, stories that we`re tracking on PRIMETIME JUSTICE tonight.

In Iowa, Des Moines police say that Scott Michael Greene is the man suspected of ambushing two officers, shooting them and killing them as they

sat in their squad cars, separate intersections, roughly two miles apart. Greene was taken into custody, just hours after the officers were found,

when he flagged down a state worker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Greene was taken into custody without incident. He did complain of some kind of flare-up related to an existing medical

condition, so he`s been taken to the hospital just as a precaution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: We have pictures of the two officers who were killed, Urbandale police officer Justin Martin and Sergeant Anthony Beminio. So far, there`s

nothing to indicate that either of these officers had any previous contact with that suspected shooter.

We also have news from Hulk Hogan and the sex tape saga. It is finally over tonight. As part of a settlement, Gawker, the Web site, has agreed to

pay the former pro wrestler $31 million cash. Hogan sued Gawker for posting video of him having sex with a friend`s wife. A jury had awarded

him $140 million back in June, which led to the shutdown of Gawker.com.

Breaking news tonight in Texas. We`re trying to solve the mystery where Kayla Gomez has disappeared to. She has virtually vanished. The FBI is on

the case and they believe that this 10-year-old is in extreme danger right now.

[20:15:00]So that`s why the tipline is on your screen, 972-559-5711. Can you help?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: We`re following breaking news where there`s an Amber Alert right now for a missing 10-year-old girl in east Texas. Her name is Kayla Gomez,

and she is a little girl. She`s just 10. She vanished, from all places, if you can imagine, a church while a prayer service was going on. And now

authorities say they believe that Kayla is in grave danger.

And the FBI says there is no lead that is too small for them to chase down. So they have set up this tipline in case you are watching and you can help

in any way, 972-559-5711, if you think you may have seen that little girl on your screen wearing a black T-shirt and peach skirt last seen at church,

just four feet tall and 90 pounds.

Cedric Alexander is the director of public safety for DeKalb County in Georgia. So Cedric, you know, the FBI is involved in this now. They`re

talking about this being sort of a nationwide effort, which is shocking because when a little girl or a little boy goes missing, it`s usually a

very regional effort.

[20:20:04]But they`re very worried and they keep saying that she`s in danger. I get it. She`s 10. Is that the reason they`re saying that she`s

in danger, or could it be something else?

CEDRIC ALEXANDER, DIR. OF PUBLIC SAFETY, DEKALB CO. GEORGIA: Well, it could be a number of things, but here`s what we have to look at that is so

important. We have to go back to that church where she was last seen. They`re going to need to do -- and I`m quite sure they have been doing -- a

continued mass search, canvas of that entire area that could be -- she could have walked away from or she could have been taken away from.

And you have to simultaneously, of course, as well, also continue to talk to family and friends and interview everyone that was at the church that

night. Were there any estranged relationships with family members or friends? And you have to do that simultaneously, and working with all your

other outside law enforcement agencies, i.e., FBI, local county sheriff`s office and so fort because in 24 hours, she could be virtually anywhere.

BANFIELD: That`s the concern.

ALEXANDER: Right.

BANFIELD: I mean, if you saw at the intersection of those highways and freeways and interstates...

ALEXANDER: Right.

BANFIELD: ... that is really concerning. And there`s, of course (INAUDIBLE) barrier. There`s a potential language barrier. This was a

predominantly Spanish-speaking service.

ALEXANDER: Right.

BANFIELD: Real quickly, Cedric, early today, we thought we had a lead on a red Cadillac, and then they just -- they dismissed that, said that just not

-- was not part of the Amber Alert anymore. I personally felt dashed by that because I thought at least that`s something to go on. At least that`s

something to look for. Now we don`t have that to look for.

ALEXANDER: Right.

BANFIELD: And what does that do in terms of diminishing returns on finding her?

ALEXANDER: Well, they`re going to follow up each and every lead that they get. And you heard that earlier there from law enforcement in that

community. No lead is too small. They have absolutely nothing, no surveillance cameras in and around the church. So any potential lead that

they`re going to get is going to be critically important.

What`s also very important here, Ashleigh, is this, is that being able to keep her in Amber Alert status, showing her face across this country, as

you`re doing now, is going to be critically important because the rest of the nation is going to have to get involved in helping locate her.

And she may show up anywhere. So we have to continue to ask everyone to follow the Amber Alert and the information that you all have.

BANFIELD: She`s so cute. We were just...

ALEXANDER: Just a beautiful little girl.

BANFIELD: ... her picture...

ALEXANDER: Beautiful little girl.

BANFIELD: Beautiful little girl.

ALEXANDER: And it`s so perfect.

BANFIELD: And taken from a church, of all things. Hold that thought for a minute. Taylor Hemness, I just heard that there might be something going

on behind you. I don`t think we have the lighting maybe to show it, but can you tell me what`s happening?

HEMNESS: Yes, I`m right in front of the Bullard city hall, which is basically right in the center of this small community here in east Texas.

And I know it is tough to see behind me, but there are easily 400 to 500- plus people behind me here from the community and surrounding areas who have gathered for a prayer vigil.

Wednesday night is a very common church night for many churches all across east Texas and across the nation. Many of the churches in this area

actually canceled their own services, encouraging their congregations to come to this prayer service tonight and be a part of this. So there are

several people, not just -- several hundred people, not just from Kayla`s church behind me being -- taking part in this prayer service at Bullard

city hall.

BANFIELD: Our thoughts go out to all of them as they pray for the return of that beautiful little child. The tipline is on your screen, 972-559-

5711. Take a good, long look at that child. She could be anywhere by now.

A mom trying to sell an iPhone ends up murdered, and now police are trying to track down everyone who might be involved.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:27:52]BANFIELD: We`ve got breaking news in Dallas, Texas, tonight. Police say they`ve made an arrest in the murder of a mother who was just

trying to sell her daughter`s iPhone in a local parking lot. And the danger isn`t over yet because witnesses say there were three -- there were

three suspects involved in this deadly attack.

Three people made contact with Martha Teran about buying her daughter`s cell phone. Three people were there when Teran, her daughter and her son

showed up to make that sale. They connected to an on-line app called Offerup.

But just minutes after Teran brought out that iPhone 7, she was shot in the stomach. She was killed. And those murderers took off. Tonight, two of

the killers are still out there. And who knows if one that they caught might be talking. What makes this story even more maddening, Martha Teran

was gunned down right in front of her two kids. She had even turned down the first site that was suggested as a meeting site, and instead chose a

more public spot to make the deal.

So what on earth happened here? Millions of us make these deals on line all the time. We go to these meeting spots. We make the sale. But is

this a cautionary tale for everyone?

Ryan Osborne is a reporter with "The Ft. Worth Star Telegram." He joins me now to talk about this. Ryan, what happened? How did this actually go

down in the marking lot, of all places, a Medieval Times that is busy with people. I assume it`s lit. What happened?

RYAN OSBORNE, "FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM" (via telephone): Like you said, it was a very public place, in the parking lot of a popular restaurant. It

was still light outside. It was about 6:00 PM. It was right off of a major interstate highway just north of downtown Dallas.

And apparently, this mother from Dallas went to the parking lot. She -- when she arrived, police say the suspect grabbed her phone that she was

holding and shot her and then fled. And that`s really the only details that they`ve released as far as the incident, you know, today.

BANFIELD: It`s just unbelievable that someone would be so brazen for a phone, just to murder someone in cold blood for a phone.

I want to play for you the deputy chief, Thomas Castro, from the Dallas Police Department and what he said a little bit earlier on about the guy

that they caught.

[20:30:04] And his name is Lonzell Hunter, 22 years old, got a bit of a rap sheet himself. This is what the deputy chief had to say.

(START VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS CASTRO, DEPUTY CHIEF, DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT: As a result of the investigation, detectives were able to identify suspect Hunter and obtained

an arrest warrant. Today at approximately 11:30 a.m., southwest patrol officers along with task force officers from U.S. Marshals Service arrested

Hunter. A capital murder warrant for Hunter with a $500,000 bond has been signed. This is still an ongoing active investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Boy, is it ever, because he`s not the only one they`re looking for. So what`s interesting here, Ryan, he said it`s a capital murder

warrant. This is the rap sheet on Lonzell Hunter, 22 years old, and already facing down a 2016 evading arrest or detention, guilty. 2012 burglary to

habitation, guilty. Also 2012 unauthorized use of a vehicle, guilty.

Here`s the concern, Ryan, there were three. There were three people who made that deal, and there are witnesses that say there were three people

who were there. Two of them are not in custody. So what`s happening?

OSBORNE: Well, they`ve emphasized today, police have, that it is an ongoing investigation. Like you said, witnesses at the scene, they told the

victim`s family, they told at the local T.V. station that there were three people, three suspects involved in the transaction and police have not

really revealed any other leads they have other than being able to link an account that Hunter had online with this transaction.

And that was listed in the arrest warrant today. They haven`t given much more information than that. If there are two other suspects or however many

other suspects there are, but they emphasize it is an ongoing, fluid investigation at this point.

BANFIELD: Hold on for a second, Ryan. I want to bring in Ashleigh Merchant, a defense attorney in Atlanta. Ashleigh, as I understand the way this

works, and I think Kirby Clements is with us as well, I think you are live now. Can you hear me, Kirby?

KIRBY CLEMENTS, FORMER PROSECUTOR: I can hear you.

BANFIELD: Okay, great. I`m going to ask the both of you this. Because the way I see this stuff playing out, when you have multiple suspects and you

catch one of them, it`s called a squeeze play. And it gets heavy real fast. It gets ugly real fast.

Ashleigh, I can see that you are smiling because you know exactly what I`m talking about. Is that the reason we are seeing capital murder which is

death penalty in Texas as the warrant for that guy?

ASHLEIGH MERCHANT, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Definitely. That`s exactly -- that`s the playing card that they have. They can actually say that we could seek

the death penalty. One of the big things that they have when the big playing cards that the state has right now is to say, you know what, if you

help us, we`ll be willing to take the death penalty off the table.

If you help us, we`ll be willing to possibly cut you a deal, possibly something less than life without parole. And so that`s the card that he has

got to play. If I was defending him, that`s what I would be playing, that`s the only hope, because they`ve got him dead to rights.

BANFIELD: Ashleigh, I want to get Kirby on this, because there is the other side of that coin, if he actually pulled the trigger, how can you offer him

the deal and two other guys if they do track them down because of him squealing if he does that? How would they get something more serious than

him? How does that work?

CLEMENTS: It would be a very tough sell. Because as a prosecutor, you use a small fish to catch a big fish. And if he`s identified as the shooter, you

know he`s the person that`s the most dangerous. You know he`s the person that you want to go after and you want to bring the hammer down.

The other two guys are involved, but this man is going to have to convince me, if I`m the prosecutor, that he was not the trigger man. If that`s the

case -- if he can`t convince me of that, I`ll take death off the table but life without parole is still on the table.

BANFIELD: I don`t want to be Lonzell Hunter right now. I don`t want to be Lonzell Hunter. I don`t want to be his friends. I certainly don`t want to

be the family of this poor woman, Martha Teran who just want to sell an iPhone 7 and got shot, dead in a parking lot because of it. This is

something many of us do.

If you know anything about this, if you have any information about this, there`s a tip line for you, it`s 214-373-tips, 373-8477, 373-8477. If you

can help track down those other two, because they`re out there somewhere tonight. That mom you just saw was just using an app like we all do. She

wanted to find a buyer for her daughter`s iPhone.

Millions of people use these apps. But how can you make sure that you`re safe if you`re going to do this? If you`re gonna make a transaction like

this? You might be surprised at the kinds of things that are set up to make sure you are.

[20:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: We`re continuing to follow that breaking news. Just a short time ago, police in Texas announcing that they made an arrest and this is him.

22-year-old Lonzell Hunter. He was taken in in connection with the shooting death of a Texas mother, gunned down in front of her two kids. Nice. But

the problem is there may still be two other suspects out there on the run, because the witnesses say there were three. And if you only have one, that

leaves two.

This is Martha Teran, shot and killed while trying to sell her daughter`s iPhone on Sunday night in a Dallas parking lot. We have seen this kind of

tragedy before, where someone is lured to a location on buy-sell website and then gunned down or robbed at the meeting spot.

So how do you create a safe environment? For every day deals between strangers. Because there are millions of these deals going on all the time.

I`m going to show you a couple of signs that you may find fascinating. Ashleigh and Kirby are going to stick with me on this one. Guys, I have not

seen these before. They`re called safe zones. You see these kinds of photographs.

This one is in California. Safe exchange zone, 24-hour surveillance. This one is in Rowlett, Texas. Safe trade stations, right there at the police

department. This is a JC Penney parking lot in Maine. You can`t read the sign, but I`ll let you know right now. It is a safe zone where there`s

surveillance cameras.

[20:40:00] The advice is, if you`re going to make one of these transactions and meet someone online, go to one of these places so they know full well,

they can smile and say cheese, anything they do will be recorded. So that helps people going forward, Kirby Clements and Ashleigh Merchant, but it

does not help this poor woman who had been shot dead and there are two men on the loose tonight.

Real quickly, I want to talk about the electronic trail. Ashleigh Merchant, we`re talking about an iPhone 7, we`re talking about websites, this is how

they all connect, that has got to be helpful for the investigation.

MERCHANT: That`s the thing, this defendant that they have in custody, he may actually not have that much information, because it`s not hard to track

these criminals. It`s not hard to track their -- their electronic signature. And so they`ve got iPhones, they`ve got accounts. He used an

account offer up. He used bank accounts. And so his friends are going to be linked to those accounts.

I`m sure the police are all talking to all of his friends. I`m sure that they are doing a forensic evaluation on his phone, any computers that were

used. And they can probably find these other two suspects. So if he wants to try and make some type of deal, he`s going to have to hurry to do it

because the police probably don`t need him.

BANFIELD: Yeah. Kirby Clements, weigh in on these great crime fighting tactics that dumb criminals seem to forget all about. I watch "Forensic

Files," I know how this works. There is surveillance video in all of this parking lot. This was a medieval time.

That is a very popular chain. My guest is there`s surveillance all over that parking lot and that someone somewhere has a license plate or at least

an M.O. or at least a description of the other two.

CLEMENTS: This happened in front of so many witnesses, in front of this woman`s daughter, everybody has seen it. I think even the first two digits

of the car`s license plate number were reported to the police.

In addition, they might be able to tell whether he was texting his friends or calling his friends, so they will be able to know which number belongs

to who, and they will gonna figure this whole thing out. Because this crime is absolutely senseless, to shoot someone when they`ve given you the items

that you came to steal in the first place.

BANFIELD: Yeah, and only happened within minutes, too. I don`t know if they asked. I think it just happened so instantaneously. This poor mother of two

and her poor children who no doubt will be eyewitnesses in this case. They are adult children. Stay put for a second, guys. Just take a look at that.

We do have that phone number. If you know anything about this, crime stoppers, 214-373-tips. That`s 373-8477.

I`m going to switch gears here. How does a $43 million jackpot, a slots jackpot, turn into instead a steak dinner? This is not a joke and this is

something you need to know. It`s all in the fine print.

[20:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: When you play the slot machines at a casino, you`re really hoping to cash in on that small chance that you`re going to take home the big

money and that`s exactly what Katrina Bookman thought, when she paid her money and took the chances, played the slots at the Resorts World Casino in

Queens, New York. And then this happened.

Big money. Bigger than she ever imagined. Look at those numbers. Oh, my God. Almost $43 million. And that`s more than worthy of this selfie, isn`t

it? I would do the same thing. So you would think she would be riding that joy right into the sunset to the stars, right? But when Katrina went to

collect that jackpot, the casino said, no dice.

They said the slot machine malfunctioned. It wasn`t working. Computer glitch. I don`t even think she can hear the rest of it. Instead, the casino

offered Katrina, are you ready? A very nice steak dinner. That was the consolation prize, steak dinner. Any way you want it. And in case you think

that the Resorts World Casino is a small-time operation that doesn`t pay out a lot, think again.

This is a casino that pays out about $50 million every single day. And they say a lot is on their side on this side. Katrina says, not sure about that.

It`s worth finding out. So she lawyer up. She joins me now. Katrina Book is here. Her attorney, Allan Rip, is here as well.

Katrina, I am stunned that the picture of you with $43 million bucks behind is enough to give joy to all of us. I want you to take me through the

moment you realized you thought you actually won it?

KATRINA BOOKMAN, CLAIMS SHE WAS DENIED $43 MILLION JACKPOT: It was so exciting. I mean, it was like a miracle in disguise.

BANFIELD: Did you scream or go silent?

BOOKMAN: I actually screamed. I called my partner. It was amazing.

BANFIELD: One of your friends I think had a cell phone video of you. Can you tell me what it was? It`s kind of crazy, I guess she was probably crazy

as well. What are we seeing here?

BOOKMAN: We`re seeing right now everyone is coming around me, taking pictures, taking all kinds of things, and they`re telling me, oh, I`m

quitting my job and living with you. This is what some of the workers were saying to me. They were just so amazing. There was just so much action

going around, everybody taking pictures.

BANFIELD: And then some security guard comes over and says, ma`am, you need to come with me.

BOOKMAN: Yes.

BANFIELD: And what was that like? What happened next?

BOOKMAN: I just said, here we go. This is about to happen, it`s about to happen.

BANFIELD: You`re thinking you`re getting the money.

BOOKMAN: Yes. I think I`m getting the money.

BANFIELD: That`s not why he wanted you to come to the room and talk to you about, right?

BOOKMAN: Actually, they gave me a dispute form. They gave a dispute form and they wanted to make sure I was on the camera and they got in touch with

the camera people.

BANFIELD: They`re saying -- aren`t you thinking, where`s my check? Where is my money?

[20:50:00] BOOKMAN: Yes.

BANFIELD: And what did they say?

BOOKMAN: He told me to come back instead the next day at 10:00 in the morning.

BANFIELD: So you did not find out until the next day what they were gonna tell you? Which was?

BOOKMAN: Which was, sorry for the inconvenience. The machine was malfunctioned, and we would like to offer you a steak dinner.

BANFIELD: And your reaction was?

BOOKMAN: Are you serious? a steak dinner? I`m like, no way. No way. How can you offer me a steak dinner? What did I win? That was the first question. I

want something.

BANFIELD: What did you win?

BOOKMAN: Actually, I don`t know. No one got back in touch with me at all. Nobody called me back.

BANFIELD: So a little bird told me that you heard from one of the workers in the casino, lawyer up. Did you hear someone actually say that?

BOOKMAN: Yes. When they told me to come back in the next day, they told me to make sure I get in touch with the supervisor on duty at that time. And

she said to me, woman to woman, you need to get a lawyer, because they are not going to try to pay you.

BANFIELD: Sounds like this might have happened before, she knew to say that, so you did lawyer up. And that lawyering up is right beside you.

Okay. So what are the chances that they can actually get out of this?

ALAN RIPKA, ATTORNEY FOR KATRINA BOOKMAN: Well, as far as we`re concerned, they`re not getting out of this. As far as we`re concerned, Ms. Bookman

won. It`s displayed on the screen that she won. They had no problem when she was putting the coins in to take all the money.

Now that she wins, they had the opportunity to say it`s a broken machine. Now, I guess they could say that every time anybody ever won. So as far as

we are concerned, we are looking for them to pay her in full.

BANFIELD: They say that the law is on their side. They say that the New York Gaming Commission is real clear about -- look, there`s a malfunction.

There`s a malfunction. And that`s just the reality of it. So I guess I`m curious, when do they get to actually say it`s a malfunction and when do

they have to say it`s not a malfunction?

RIPKA: That`s exactly the point. So, they can claim anything that goes wrong is a malfunction. If it`s a malfunction that you caused or you were

negligent about or upon your inspection of these machines didn`t determine had anything wrong.

BANFIELD: Can they get someone to go in there and take a look to find a proof that it`s not a malfunction?

RIPKA: Well, we are going to do. So, however, when we sent preservation letters to say don`t do anything, don`t touch it, hold on to it, they

claimed that they pulled it out, fixed it, and put it back in play. What is interesting about that is that, what about all the people that played it

before Ms. Bookman?

If it was malfunctioning, does it mean that no one could have ever won? That all the money, that all the patrons put in for days, weeks, months

before, this was determined as lost?

BANFIELD: So they bring in millions and millions and millions and millions upon millions, dozens of millions of dollars every day. And I`m curious as

to how much of that came from that machine? Because maybe all of those people deserve to line up and say hey, that thing was malfunctioning and

yet I paid.

But when we come back, I`m also going to ask what are the odds? Because there`s precedent here. What do you think the odds are? Let`s just play

this game, shall we? Back in a moment.

[20:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: When Katrina Bookman thought she won $43 million at the Resorts World Casino, she had some life-changing plans with that money. But the

casino had some other plans for Katrina, so she came here to talk to me about it and brought her attorney, Alan Ripka. I`m glad you`re both here.

So, Alan, I was saying what are the odds? What are the odds that they would prevail? What are the odds that you will prevail? Because in precedent

cases before, it seems like the laws are almost rigged against the little guy, hate to use the election phrase. But it does seem that the casinos

usually win.

RIPKA: When the little guy has a problem, they call out and they find an attorney like myself to help them. Beat the odds when they are rigged

against them. And that`s what we are going to do. It seems entirely inequitable or unfair that the casino how big it is gets to win against the

player that they invite in, they advertise to come in, they spend the little money they have, and that money gets taken from them.

BANFIELD: If it comes to a settlement, would you do that? Would you get settle?

RIPKA: Of course. We`re saying come to the table. Sit with us, negotiate with us, because if you don`t.

BANFIELD: $43 million is a lot of money.

RIPKA: Well, it is, but that`s how much we want.

BANFIELD: What would you settle for?

RIPKA: Maybe half.

BANFIELD: Maybe half. You would be okay with that?

BOOKMAN: Sure will.

(LAUGHTER)

BOOKMAN: Sure will.

(LAUGHTER)

BANFIELD: Sure, why not? Seeing this, would you ever go back to that casino?

BOOKMAN: No way. I don`t think I would play any slot machines anywhere.

BANFIELD: So it`s not just the Resorts World Casino. By the way, they`re getting their name all over the news for this, right? And having this case

come out there. I can`t imagine that they like this, that they`re on television in this way. Because you`re saying I wouldn`t want to go and put

my money in these slot machines because when you win, you don`t.

BOOKMAN: Exactly.

BANFIELD: But at the same time, you think there`s a chance you could end up a winner. So you`re still kind of in the betting game, right?

BOOKMAN: Yes, I guess so.

BANFIELD: Did you make some of those crazy plans? I`m gonna get a yacht, I`m gonna go to Florida.

BOOKMAN: Oh, yes. It`s crazy, but the first thing is, I didn`t think about myself, but my community and really my family, you know.

BANFIELD: You`ve got to keep me posted on this one and let me know what happens, because I have a feeling you may go the distance. Thank you so

much to both of you.

BOOKMAN: Thank you.

BANFIELD: Thank you, everyone. Nice to have you here tonight. I hope you come back at 8:00 tomorrow night. "FORENSIC FILES" starts right now.

[21:00:00]

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