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CRIME AND JUSTICE WITH ASHLEIGH BANFIELD

Andy`s Mailbox Mystery; Was SUV Crashed Intentional; Husband Kills Wife And Confesses. Aired 6-8p ET

Aired April 2, 2018 - 18:00   ET

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


(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

[18:00:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- before we note though, it still could be the whole cursed juries, so I guess we`ll find out a couple of days.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. All right. Good luck with that. That is it for us. "Crime and Justice with Ashleigh Banfield" is up next.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HOST, HLN CRIME AND JUSTICE: Good evening, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield. This is "Crime and Justice." Tonight, dark new

details about the family that went flying off a California cliff, Miguel Marquez is covering that story. Miguel?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Intentional and where are the remaining missing kids? Investigators digging into both of those

questions, we will update you.

BANFIELD: All right. We`ll look into that in a moment. Also more on the man who allegedly confessed to a priest after killing his wife. It turns

out they had been managing more than $1.4 billion. Kyle Phelps is covering this story, Kyle?

KYLE PELTZ, CRIME AND JUSTICE PRODUCER: Right. There is now new reports suggesting this man wanted to be a priest himself -- tonight we have new

details about him, his career and what cops say he was doing in the days leading up to his wife`s death. We will have the latest.

BANFIELD: A priest himself. Looking forward to that also happening tonight, the hunt for a killer in Texas after a gorgeous young mother just

20 years old found dead-on the side of the road. Justin Friedman (ph) is on this story, Justin?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ashleigh, this woman is left in a spot where she would obviously be found, not hidden in any way, but it`s the other things that

are there, that might help crack this case.

BANFIELD: 20 years old and a mother of four. Also, the woman who took aim and shot at the burglars in her house. A suspect is arrested and charged

with murder, even though he didn`t kill anybody. How is that possible, we will answer that question for you tonight? But we begin with this, that

fatal crash on the California Coast where investigators are still searching for three missing children. They may or may not have been in that family

SUV that flew off a cliff last Monday and came crashing down into the Pacific. Unlike their two moms and their siblings, those bodies have yet

to be found, but investigators have found out some truly disturbing new details, both about these family`s private life and about the crash that

claimed their lives, like the car data that told the California Highway Patrol, they may have just driven off that cliff on purpose.

With me now, CNN National Correspondent, Miguel Marquez. So Miguel, I`m going to ask you some details in a moment, but also with us is Mendocino

County Sheriff Tom Allman and Defense Attorney Parag Shah and clearly a lot to sort out in this with you two as well. Miguel, first, the very latest.

What`s the story on the missing three children?

MARQUEZ: Yes. Authorities believe still that they were in the car, because the other three children were in that car. They were also -- they

were not wearing seatbelts and were thrown into the water. They believe that the three missing children went -- also went into the water and they

have now expanded the search zone along the Pacific Coast. The tides, the waves, and the murkiness of the water making it difficult for searchers to

find them, but they are expanding the search, hoping to find out where those children are.

BANFIELD: Some of the automated forensics in this case, Miguel, are extremely disturbing, I think all of us wanted to think this was an

accident, a tragic accident. And maybe now that we are learning -- it is showing that might not be so.

MARQUEZ: Yes. This has gone from just tragedy to absolute disturbing story. The officials releasing information from the airbag computers

indicating that the car stopped on that roadway along the Pacific Coast Highway. And then 70 feet later it went careening into the ocean

essentially without braking. There was no furrowing, there was no indication that they hit anything whether it was an animal or another car

or there was a technical fault in trying to stop or trying swerve in any way. So, it increasingly looks to authorities like this was an intentional

act, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: So, like you said, the car came to a full stop. And then 70 feet later was the edge of the cliff. Some of the mechanics have shown

that the car was going 90 miles an hour and it seems hard to believe, Miguel.

MARQUEZ: This is something that police had sought and the sheriff`s officials had sought to explain a bit further. The odometer was pin at 90,

so if you imagine an old school odometer with an actual pin in the crash, and get stuck in one place. This was an electronic odometer that

registered 90, but it is not clear it was going 90. In fact, officials say it most likely wasn`t going 90 and probably no way it was going 90, because

it only had 70 feet of room after it stop and then went into the ocean. So, they believe it was maybe a technical fault either in the crashed

itself or where they tried to pull the vehicle up that it registered this false 90 mile per hour number.

BANFIELD: Yes, I mean, a 2003 GMC Yukon XL does not accelerate --

MARQUEZ: Correct.

BANFIELD: -- to 90 miles an hour in 70 feet at the point where the car took off from the cliff`s edge, so that may be something a glitch.

Nevertheless the tire tracks indicate that this car went straight off. There was no attempt to veer -- there was no attempt to braking, what did

they see?

[18:05:16] MARQUEZ: This is really the disturbing part is that they don`t see any of the tell-tale signs that you would normally see if someone was

trying to avoid something that is horrible as going off a 100 foot cliff into the Pacific Ocean. It also rained a little bit in that area during

the day, so literally almost all tracks had been washed away and it was many hours after it went into the ocean that the first person as you looked

over, saw the vehicle down there. It is so steep, this particular part of the -- highway that you literally have to get up right to it and look

directly down to actually see anything down there. So, it was very difficult even for passersby to see that the car was down there.

BANFIELD: Miguel, don`t go away. I am going to ask you a little about Sarah, one of the moms. We`d know, you know, discovered that she got a

passed, there is a domestic assault guilty plea in her passed, involving one of the children. I want to ask you about that in a moment, but first,

Sheriff, maybe you can help me out, because I know you had been to the scene, you know, from the lay person, that just looks beautiful, but

knowing what happened off that cliff, those photos are ominous. I know you`d been in the scene as well. Were you able to personally find out

anything, collect any evidence or get -- get any further along in this investigation when you went to that cliff edge?

SHERIFF TOM ALLMAN, MENDOCINO COUNTY SHERIFF`S OFFICE: I was. Good evening and thank you. You know, as was said, the crash scene is slowly

becoming a crime scene. And the more information that the Highway Patrol has determined is -- is allowing us to very possibly turn this into a

situation where we have a suicide and up to seven homicides and so -- that we are taking this very seriously.

BANFIELD: And when you say up to seven homicides, I think that is such a mystery at this point as well. Where are those three children? Sheriff,

are you a bit conviction those three children plunged into the ocean below or do you think perhaps they may be somewhere else either dead or alive?

ALLMAN: Well, we are certainly hoping that they are somewhere else alive, but the family -- the neighbors have told us and their friends have told us

that family was a very cohesive family and they always stayed together. So, we have no indication that at any time those other three children were

taken out of the vehicle and if they were taken out of the vehicle, were they left alive? We have gone through every possible scenario, but I`m

very comfortable with are -- where our investigation is going. We had some incredible information and some contacts from the FBI yesterday and today,

the Highway Patrol and I`m certainly in contact with the Park County Sheriff`s Office in Oregon and those detectives who has served the search

warrants in Oregon are helping us and we are trying to get all this information, because if this is a crime, Ashleigh, listen, there is no need

to hold back any information from the public.

BANFIELD: Right.

ALLMAN: We are not going to court on it. Everybody has perished.

BANFIELD: Everybody`s dead, there is no prosecution coming and show, I think there`s so many answered that the public, you know, you see this

photograph, but it look like an extraordinarily happy family, two mothers who are definitely living an alternative, you know, alternative family, but

what looked like a very giving, loving family. So, this is very uncomfortable. And I just want to ask you Sheriff a little about the

tides, because it has been a week at least now, and the tides can be a finicky thing, but is evidence still washing up on shore and helping you to

piece together the clues?

ALLMAN: We haven`t had any evidence in the last three days washing up on shore. We are looking for suitcases or pillows or clothing or anything

from the children that might washed up on shore, but we haven`t had that. And we had been out there constantly. We have flown it with unmanned

aerial aircraft, we certainly had the helicopter from the Highway Patrol and the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard even very helpful in this, but we

start finding the evidence that we`d like to find.

And if you look at the temperature of the ocean, Ashleigh, and this is a gruesome conversation here, but if you are looking at the temperature of

the ocean and the currents, we are making predictions where if those three bodies were in the ocean, where they might be now and that is where we are

sending our search team.

So, upwards of 20 or 30 miles away. This is a very ragged coastline, Mendocino`s coastline is horrendously rugged and we don`t know when this

vehicle went off. It could have been there for 24 hours. It was witnessed and the fact that when the first initial searchers got down to check on the

status of the passengers, they said the engine was cold. So, was the engine cold, because the ocean waters had cooled it fast or had the vehicle

had been there overnight? We don`t know the answer.

So, I`m pleading with the public. If anybody saw this vehicle getting gasoline or going to a gas station or getting food in a restaurant, please

call. Our Sheriff Office phone number is 707-463-4086. We want to hear from people who have seen this family. It is a very distinct family. I

think if somebody saw this family at a gas station or restaurant, they would remember seeing this family.

BANFIELD: You are right. It`s a huge family. Six children, Sheriff with two moms.

[18:10:00] It is not a typical family. You know, it sort of reminisce of a TV shows now that are -- are showing, we all look different, we are all

unique, but still even in today`s culture this stands out. So, if anybody saw this family either arguing or talking or no issues at all, every piece

of information is helpful. No matter how insignificant. I think most people believe that their information wouldn`t make a difference and you

can bet your bottom dollar, the crimes are solved at the molecular level, any details, you know, can help to figure this one out. Sheriff, before I

let you go and I do have a couple other questions also for Miguel and for Parag. That warrant, you talked about that warrant that you served.

Warrants at the home, correct? And where there other warrants and if so, what have you found?

ALLMAN: So the Cook County Sheriff`s Office has served a search warrant on the house and it was -- they found a regular house. They found food in

there, so, all the stories we heard about withholding food, and so forth. I don`t know if that is true or not. But I know there was food inside the

house.

BANFIELD: let me ask, so real quickly, to that, but that is interesting. I only want to -- interrupt you for a moment, because we actually

interviewed on this program, Bruce Dekalb, is a neighbor of the Hart family talking about some very disquieting incidents with at least two of the

children in the recent past. Have a listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE DEKALB, NEIGHBOR: One of the girls came to the door at 1:30 in the morning and said that she needed help. The parents were not treating her

properly and wanted us to protect her. Devonte, he started coming over asking for food and saying that they were taking meals away from him due to

punishment. And it started out as one time a day and escalated up to three times a day until a week went by and we decided that we needed to get

professional help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: So, Sheriff, are you finding other witnesses either the two moms, extended families, other neighbors, other friends who can sort of

extrapolate and expound on these claims?

ALLMAN: No, but remember Ashleigh, those witnesses are in Oregon and Washington and we are down in California. So those search warrants are

executed in two different -- two state away. Our search warrant had been for electronical information. We are also looking on trying to track the

credit cards, any cell phone pinging that we can find out their track. We don`t know if they were northbound or bound. We have actually false

reports of where they were, we had gone in and police spent dozens of hours looking at video of where they were supposedly at a grocery store, and so

forth, but nothing has been substantiated. So we are hoping that someone saw.

BANFIELD: This is such a mystery. This is such a mystery. Stand by Sheriff, if you will please, Miguel, real quickly, back to that idea that

we were discussing earlier. Some potential trouble in the past for at least Sarah, one of the moms pleading guilty to domestic assault involving

one of the children back in 2010, it was in Minnesota. What do you know about it?

MARQUEZ: Yes. This, -- there were two charges, this was over a case of spanking of one of their daughters who went to school and complained about

her chest, sort of the front being in pain. The teacher with her permission lifted up her dress and saw bruising on the front and this then

prompted an investigation by not only Child Protective Services in Minnesota, but also from the police there in Alexandria, Minnesota.

They went to the house and interviewed the mom. She admitted to spanking the girl, bending her over the bathtub essentially and spanking her,

causing that bruising on the front of her body. And then she ended up -- they charged her with two different counts and she pled guilty to a

misdemeanor charge of hitting the child. And that was the end of it. They then moved a couple of years later to Oregon and then up to Washington

State.

Child Protective Services in Washington State had no idea about the Minnesota situation, but last Friday they did have a call come in saying

that the neighbors were concerned about the neglect and abuse of the children.

BANFIELD: Parag, real quickly, the issues of the bio parents, all six of these kids were adopted as we understand. Is there any legal requirement

to notify the biological parents of these children as to what`s happened?

PARAG SHAH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I`m not 100 percent sure whether there are any legal requirements, but probably, I think it would be difficult if

they even know who it is. But I think, probably the right thing to do would be to contact the biological parents. I`m sure there is somebody out

there that probably wants to know, but legally, if the adoption has all gone through, I`m not sure legally if there is any responsibility.

BANFIELD: Parag Shah, I am going to ask you to stick around. Sheriff Tom Allman, do you have that number again? You want to say it again real

quick?

ALLMAN: I have two numbers. If though they want to speak to a dispatcher, 707-463-4086, but if someone has information and they do not want to give

their name, no worries. We have a unanimous tip line, 707-234-2100.

BANFIELD: 234-2100, area code 707 for the unanimous and 707-463-4086, if you want to talk with an investigator.

[18:15:05] ALLMAN: Thank you.

BANFIELD: I hope that helps for getting, you know, getting us across the nation. Miguel Marquez, thank you for your reporting and I will ask you to

come back at the top of the 7:00, as well and do some updating for us if you will. Thank you to all three of my guests.

A lot of newlyweds argue, maybe about money, maybe even just something simple like cleaning the house. But police say the trouble for one couple

led to murder and then ended in a bizarre confession at the local church. Also, you can now listen to our show anytime. Download our podcast on

Apple Podcast, IHeartRadio, Stitcher, TuneIn or wherever you get your podcast for your "Crime and Justice" fix.

[18:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Five months into a new marriage most couples still consider it the honeymoon phase and not the breaking point when one puts a bullet in

the other one`s head. But that`s what John Grazioli accused of doing. And he reportedly admitted the whole thing not to the police, but to a priest.

Church was the first place he ran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL POLINEK, PRIEST, ST. PETER CATHEDRAL: He told me that he killed his wife. I said I need to talk and that is what he said.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then you called the police?

POLINEK: And then I called the police.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: A motive for the death of Amanda Grazioli has yet to be figured out, but police had released some other things that they found, like the

document that he left on a former wife`s porch. And some messages that they found on his home that are -- to say the least pretty curious and also

there was that bank account that he had been managing. Let`s just say some figures that go into the billion range. And a new report said John

Grazioli actually wanted to be a priest himself, but all the new details about his secret life are making a lot of that hard to believe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE VISNOSKY, NEIGHBOR: He was a very nice fella. I never expected anything like this from him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: With me, Adam Barrist, he is the attorney for the mother of the victim, Amanda Grazioli. Also Defense Attorney Parag Shah, stayed with us,

but I want to begin with Crime and Justice Producer, Kyle Peltz. Kyle, this newest information is curious to say the least and already a strange

story, but this is a man who apparently had some information on his phone that pointed to the idea he was not happy with his brand-new wife.

PELTZ: That is exactly right, Ashleigh. According to new court documents that we just obtain, police say they found deleted messages on John

Grazioli`s phone after getting a search warrant. These messages were sent using an app called Kick, which is a chat application. And according to

police, the messages solicited extra marital affairs. And in one message, police say John said to another individual and it`s unclear who that is,

that he is married and she is not giving him what he needs.

BANFIELD: The actual message said, she is not giving him what he needs. It`s a little strange that he was also communicating at length during this

period of discomfort with his brand new wife. He was communicating with his ex-wife and he was telling her things before this -- this death

occurred. What was he telling her?

PELTZ: Exactly. So we know the priest said John Grazioli went in the church and confessed, saying he killed his wife, but say they police

actually received a tip, as you mentioned from the guy`s ex-wife. Now, that ex-wife told police that John called her or texted her from his

cellphone telling her, he just killed his current wife. He also told his ex, that Amanda, the victim was home in bed which was exactly where police

found her body.

BANFIELD: And then he chose to leave something on his former wife`s porch, a box of documents. What was in the box?

PELTZ: Right. Police say when he told his ex-wife that he killed his current wife, he also told her, and he had left a box of things on her

front porch. In that box, we know one thing for sure and that was a document titled the last will and testament.

BANFIELD: Last will and testament. What did he write in? Was this like a handwritten thing or was it professionally done? Or was it sort of a last

minute, what did he say? What did he want?

PELTZ: Police say it was a notarized document, an official document which said and I quote, "I leave nothing of value to my wife. Amanda Elizabeth

Grazioli."

BANFIELD: So actually, put pen to paper and had this in mind before she had a gun put to the back of her head, because that is apparently what

happened. She was shot at the base of the skull. There was also some other musings that he had written. Something left beside her body. What

was it?

PELTZ: Yes, so, police say they found this mysterious note next to Amanda`s body. This one was handwritten and it said I killed Amanda

Grazioli. I killed myself. I am profoundly sorry. And it was signed John`s name.

BANFIELD: So, what did they think, Kyle? Did they think he was going to do it and then chicken out and ran to the priest and did they -- did they

think he was going to tell the priest and maybe look for some absolution and then do it to himself? Or do they even know at this point since they

got a chance to speak with him?

[18:25:05] PELTZ: Well, we don`t know and it`s unclear exactly what he`s told police. But I will go back to that note -- that handwritten note.

One interesting thing about that note is it contained the name also of Amanda`s mother, someone that police could contact to basically let them

know that Amanda was dead, which is very bizarre.

BANFIELD: So speaking of Amanda, Adam Barrist is the attorney for Amanda`s mom. Adam, there is some, I mean, this is a very strange story, but what

makes it even more intriguing is that there has been a wrongful death suit and it was launched very, very quickly. Tell me about it.

ADAM BARRIST, ATTORNEY FOR AMANDA GRAZIOLI`S MOTHER: Thank you, Ashleigh. Yes. I saw no reason to wait whatsoever. This could be very well be the

easiest case that I`ve handled in my entire career.

BANFIELD: Why is that?

BARRIST: The crime was admitted, well the crime was committed and he admitted to it and now it`s just a question of whether his insurance

company is going to step up to the plate and whether I`m going to take a judgement against him and go before the jury and have them determine the

amount of the damages, but I`m feeling pretty good about this case, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: So, it is so odd, because typically, you know, wrongful death, you know, you would have some kind of fair, but the victim of this would be

the recipient typically of whatever money he had. But the word is Adam that he had financial difficulties and your client, the victim`s mom, found

some evidence of that prior to the death. Correct?

BARRIST: Yes. Our understanding, we had heard some rumblings about that, but -- and once I get the judgement against him, I`m going to have a free

reign to serve subpoenas all over the country and all over the world and find out exactly where his assets were, where he was hiding them and if he

was hiding them, but I can tell you, that I am going to reach to the ends of the earth. To find every last penny that this monster had.

BANFIELD: Well, that could take some time, I rarely, quote, figures in a billions, when I`m dealing with murder stories, but in this one, we have

been told that he was overseeing at some point $1.4 billion worth of assets as a manager. He was the President and CEO of his company. I think it was

called Grazioli Asset Management. I don`t know if that one point for billion spanned the entire 20 years of his career, but what do you know

about his money and about his management and how much he actually made and whether some of it might be hiding somewhere.

BARRIST: Yes, right. I will tell you what Ashleigh, I`m certainly going to find out, as soon as I get that judgement against him, I am going to

start serving subpoenas, we have private investigators actually looking into it right now as we speak, but we are going to feed on those still

unturned whatsoever and this is just -- it`s bizarre. I published a legal thriller a few years ago and the facts weren`t bizarre as this and now it`s

fiction.

BANFIELD: This writes itself. It is odd to say the very least. You know, we are talking about real people here and Amanda`s dead. And she is a

beautiful, beautiful bride from only October. It`s hard to believe that we are talking about a wedding that just occurred in October. But her mom

must be just, you know, -- while she is dealing with the legal ramifications, and the wrongful death suit, she is also missing her

daughter. How is she?

BARRIST: Well, it`s not just -- it`s not just her mother, Denise. Amanda was very, very close to her siblings. Allison and Vanessa and Brandon and

close to her father Tom as well. A very, very close-knit family and this is just tragic. And they are just -- they are picking up the pieces right

now and -- nothing is ever --

BANFIELD: Did she say anything to them? Did she warn anyone? I mean, it is such an odd story to hear in the honeymoon phase that a murder happened.

Did she ever suggest anything was wrong? Either financially that things were getting tight or she and her husband were having difficulty in the

bedroom or that he was unfaithful or unhappy? Did she say anything?

BARRIST: No. I mean, we are looking at the evidence after the fact, but no, prior to -- prior to this ungodly crime being committed, no, there was

no sense of that whatsoever.

BANFIELD: It`s just such a -- it`s an unbelievable mystery. We will say this, after he went to the priest and if anybody is wondering, because the

smart Catholics will know your priest is never allowed to say a word of confession. This was not your official confession, it was said in an

office. And it didn`t involve the right kind of wording which, you know, protects it with privilege and that`s why the priest was free to actually

report this to the authorities. He was not done talking though, after church he was taken by the police, who showed up at the church and right

down at the police station and he sat for an interview with police as well. Real quickly, here`s what he told one of the local police officers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He admitted to involvement in the incident, but he wasn`t totally clear on the circumstances that occurred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Adam, that is a very strange comment. He admitted to involvement, but it wasn`t clear on the circumstances. Do you know any

more about what that means? I mean, meaning, I blackout, I woke up and she was bloody beside me or I`m just not talking?

BARRIST: My understanding now is that is going to be his defense. That he somehow blackout, which is absolutely ludicrous, but again I do not think -

- we have the utmost faith in the district attorney`s office. You know, we are quite confident there is going to be a conviction and we are also quite

confident (INAUDIBLE) case as well, but that certainly sounds like an admission to me.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CRIME AND JUSTICE SHOW HOST, HLN: A couple of admissions. Parag Shah, real quickly, just the whole incident. I mean we

are looking at two confessions. One to a priest, one that seemingly sounds like a confession to the police. And then another one which seems pretty

clear from an ex-wife. May have a dog in the fight, may not.

So, criminally speaking, it looks like a very difficult case to win. But Parag, as another lawyer, how difficult is the wrongful death would be?

PARAG SHAH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I don`t think the wrongful death is going to be very difficult because the standard is different. In a criminal case,

the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. In the civil case, they only have to prove by a preponderance which is if you are looking at a

football field, he just has to cross the 50-yard line.

So, I don`t think the wrongful death is going to be a problem. Frankly, this is a bad case for the defense and I think it shouldn`t be a problem

for the prosecution as well.

BANFIELD: A lot of bad facts as you say in the business. But then a lot of interesting sort of details that we still don`t know. Adam, thank you for

your time. Appreciate it. Parag, I`m going to ask you to stay on as well. And my thanks to Kyle Peltz (ph) for his great reporting on the story.

A beautiful mother of four, found in a very unbeautiful way. Murdered and dumped on the side of a busy road. But here`s the thing. This isn`t just

any mother. She`s 20 years old, and she has four children. Who did this? Who shot her multiple times and then just left her there like garbage? Why

her family says they think they may have some ideas.

[18:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Ask the typical mother of two what life is like and you can choose your adjective. Crazy, chaotic, exhausting, hell. But there was

something very different about Brianna De La Cruz because she had a third and then Brianna went ahead and had a fourth. And every one of those four

was a boy. Count them. Four boys under the age of five. You know what I mean, right?

What may be more eye-popping about Brianna is that she was just 20. Four boys under the age of five at 20. Family and friends describe her as caring

and fun-loving, but tonight those children are without this beautiful young mother. Because early in the morning, Brianna was found dead on the side of

a busy road in San Antonio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEX WILLIAMS, LOCAL RESIDENT: I saw lights and I thought somebody stopped somebody for a traffic ticket, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: It was not a traffic ticket. It was a murder scene that they were putting together and lighting up. Brianna`s body was discovered

riddled with bullets and there were shell casings covering the street. But how Brianna got there and who was behind that gun is still the mystery

tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It appears it all occurred here. We are still trying to locate witnesses to see if they saw anything, maybe speak to neighbors

nearby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: With me now, CNN senior law enforcement analyst and former FBI assistant director Tom Fuentes. Defense attorney Parag Shah is still with

us. I want to start if I can with investigative reporter and syndicated radio host Kate Delaney. Kate, this is a very strange mystery and there are

two aspects of it.

A 20-year-old mother of four. That in itself is a headline. But to be found this way in such a horrifying scene, what did they know?

KATE DELANEY, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER (via telephone): Ashleigh, you nailed it. She was found half in the street and half on the side of the road. In

other words, half of her body was on the road and half of her body aforementioned.

[18:40:00] It is very strange. It happened they believe Thursday, in the early morning hours. There were at least 20 shell casings found at the

scene. They are not sure who the shooter was. That is why police are asking for any information that they can back.

You mentioned that she got four boys and it`s very strange. She was abducted when she was 12 by a family member for two years. That guy is in

prison. She had a rough life. And as fun-loving as she was, there were strange aspects to this woman as they have no idea about what happened with

her. They are again pleading for information from many neighbors or anyone who might have heard anything that happened.

BANFIELD: That`s the other very strange twist to Brianna`s young life, that she was abducted back when she was 12 by a family member. Held for two

years. That person not being identified. We don`t know if it`s mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, father, anything.

But ultimately, that person is in prison, and she was released. And then the reports are that life got difficult after that. Just go back to the

shell casings for a moment. Did you say 20? Twenty shell casings?

DELANEY (via telephone): Yes. What I heard from -- because it`s tough to get exact information, I heard from a reporter who was digging around that

they say that there was at least 20 is what they counted.

BANFIELD: That`s unbelievable. I mean that sounds lien an extraordinarily passionate and angry crime, if you`re firing off, you know, 20 rounds at a

young woman like that. I want to just play if I can a person who lives nearby. Identified the time at 2 a.m., where they thought they heard shots.

Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): All the time. All the time. People pass by you testing the guns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: So, I mean it looks like a very rural area, but this neighbor who heard the gunshots at around 2:00 a.m. probably didn`t think much

because he said he hears gunshots in that rural area a lot.

But there is another neighbor or at least another person who was in that area named Tex Williams who lives near this crime scene, did not see

asking, and if there were 20 gunshots fired, what you are about to hear him say is going to come as a surprise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: I came home at 12 or 12:30. I came up on the road and I didn`t see anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: So, it`s just mystifying how one neighbor can say there is gunfire all the time and I heard the gunfire at 2:00 a.m. and there is Tex

Williams saying, I didn`t see anything and I didn`t hear anything either.

But clearly that woman was dead, half in the road, and those gun shell casings were right there with her. How was she found? How was she found,

Kate?

DELANEY (via telephone): She was found clothed, but clothes kind of obviously torn by the fact that she had bullets in her body.

BANFIELD: Who found her? Who was the witness who called this in?

DELANEY (via telephone): Supposedly it was somebody that was passing by that lived in that neighborhood.

BANFIELD: Just incredible. Do you know where the four children are, Kate? Those little -- I mean, I call them babies because they are under the age

of five and one of them is apparently just a newborn. Where are they?

DELANEY (via telephone): Yes. The three of the sons are with David De La Cruz who is her father, and the newborn is with the father of the newborn.

BANFIELD: Most are finding it very strange. We are looking at pictures of her, Kate. We went through her Facebook for the last year, several years.

And these are the only kinds of photos we could find. Beautiful pictures of her posing, primping, pursing of the lips.

But she has four children and we found not one picture of the babies. Not one picture but plenty of beauty shots adorning all of her social media

that we could find. Do we know if this was a happy mother who enjoyed being a mother or do we know if this was a mother who accidentally had four

children and preferred another lifestyle?

DELANEY (via telephone): If you go back, you can get some of the quotes from her father, David. He said wonderful things about her. They are

holding a fundraiser to try to help these boys. But if you look at the Facebook like you said and your staff and you yourself did research on

that, you will also know she goes by the name Mariah (ph), so that`s very strange too. And it seems like she is separate people.

BANFIELD: She had an alias. All right. I want to bring in Tom Fuentes. You know, Tom, shell casings, you just heard Kate report there is upwards of 20

of them. We also learned that there are some fresh tire trucks leading away from the body. That at least go to be a start forensically speaking for

investigators.

TOM FUENTES, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, it would be a good start, Ashleigh, but as far as the number of shell casings, it would tend

to indicate that this wasn`t just some robbery on the side of the road or something to that effect.

[18:45:05] But there may be more malice intended in killing her than in a normal drive-by shooting, let`s say. But there are still so many mysteries

about this woman and about her family and her lifestyle and what she might have been out doing.

You mentioned she has got four young children under the age of five and she is out on the street, you know, at this late hour where she comes from work

if she had a job.

BANFIELD: And she`s only 20, Tom. She`s only 20 years old. That`s the most amazing part.

FUENTES: The children are under the age of give, so she has got young children and what is she doing out? We don`t know that exactly. Was she

partying? Was she on her way to or from a job?

There is a lot we don`t know about her that the police will be looking into to try to find some person that may have been involved with her or maybe

that she was in a relationship with or someone that wanted to be in a relationship with her. There is all of these things. We just don`t know at

this point.

BANFIELD: Her family thinks that the people she was associating with, that`s how they put it. People who Brianna was associating with may be

responsible for this death. So my guess is that they are going to start doing some interviewing in that direction. Tom Fuentes, thank you for that,

as always. My thanks to Kate Delaney as well.

Three gun-toting robbers burst into a home in the middle of the night looking for a score. And there is the home owner security cam rolling. And

not only did it show her fight back and shoot at them, chase them out, kill one, it also helped the police catch one of the gunmen and you will not

believe the charge that he is facing right now.

[18:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: He used the affluenza defense and he beat the wrap in a deadly drunk driving case that killed four people. And then he skipped town to

Mexico when he was caught on probation playing beer pong.

Now that he has served his two-year sentence for that pretty short one -- no, pretty sentence, most people would agree, Mr. Ethan Couch has been

released from jail in Texas. He certainly didn`t seem too happy about it today because this is what his first few minutes of freedom sounded like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Ethan, what would you say to your victims?

Have you learned your lesson, Ethan?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): What would you like people to know about you, Ethan?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Have you learned your lesson from being in jail?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Ethan, is there anything you would say to those families?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): What are you going to do now that you`re out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Ethan, can you stay out of trouble moving forward?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: And a big old no comment. You know, he is 20 years old now, but he was only 16 when he killed those people, four of them. Left two others

badly hurt before blowing three times the legal limit. He could have been sentenced to 20 years but a psychologist testified that Couch was the

victim of wealthy parents who did not teach him right from wrong.

And he skated (ph), not wanting to be thankful for that break. He was spotted on social media doing this. Beer pong. So fun, right, not when you

are on probation. Naturally, one of those wealthy parents is alleged to have helped him fly the coop to Mexico.

Fast forward and as part of his new, new, new probation, Couch has a 9:00 p.m. curfew. He has to wear an ankle monitor. He has to wear an alcohol

detection patch. He has to submit to drug testing. And by the way, those are just a few of the restrictions that he is facing.

His mom, for her part, is now facing money laundering and hindering the apprehension of a felon. That was the whole business about helping Ethan

run off. But she just had her bond revoked too. That happened last week after a sheriff`s officer say Mrs. Couch failed a drug test. So there is

more Couch news coming.

A year and a half after shocking and deadly home invasion video came our way, Georgia police have arrested one of the gunmen heavily featured in the

video. All three of them were caught on security footage breaking through the door of a Georgia home just before 4:00 in the morning, scouring the

place.

But the woman living there was not about to be victim. Police say she woke up to the noise, got her gun, and did this. Charged out shooting. Firing

off round after round after round. She actually killed one of the burglars. The guy was found dead in the driveway.

But there is a fascinating twist on the story. They have finally a year later arrested another one of the burglars, suspected burglars. And even

though he didn`t kill anybody, he is being charged with murder. Parag Shah, defense attorney, explain that.

SHAH: Yes. So, in Georgia, felony murder means that when you are committing a felony and you caused the death of someone else, you can be

charged with murder. And in this case, since they were committing the felony of burglary and someone died, even though it was his accomplice, it

doesn`t matter, because you don`t have to prove that you intended to commit the crime, the kill, only intend to commit the felony.

BANFIELD: Oh, boy. I bet he didn`t know that when he was jimmying that lock with his pals allegedly. Parag, thank you. Don`t go anywhere.

Four, 20 is just weeks away. What did you get me? Kidding. Cops say one dealer though got a big head start on his celebratory stash.

[18:55:00] The value of all of this weed found in one apartment might make you a little bit hazy.

[19:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Depending on how you feel about marijuana, even a small amount could be too much. Check out what police said they found inside a Chicago

man`s apartment. I think we can all agree this is a lot of pot. Ironically, wait for it, just a little over 420 pounds of it. Yes, 420

pounds of it. Not only did the officers find this pot worth an estimated $3 million, but they also found guns and a large sum of cash. Just in time

for April 20th. Apparently, there is a lot of people in on that joke.

Thanks for watching, everybody. The next hour of CRIME & JUSTICE starts now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A family flies off a California cliff.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This loss is, the magnitude of it, is beyond measure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Five are dead and the highway patrol said it may have been intentional.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were no skid marks. There were no break marks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tonight, we talk to the sheriff trying to figure what happened with this family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The obviously had separate lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And where the missing kids are?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They found a missing piece of debris from the vehicle. A 7.5 adidas tennis shoe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police say he married her and then killed her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never expected anything like this from him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And confessed it all to a priest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He told me that he killed his wife.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: he admitted to involvement in the incident.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What else did he have in store and how many other women were in his life?

And a manhunt in Texas tonight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It appears it all occurred here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After a gorgeous young mother of four is found dead on the side of the road.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People pass by testing the guns.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BANFIELD: Good evening, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield. Welcome to the second hour of CRIME & JUSTICE.

If it weren`t such a tragedy, it would make for a movie script. Family trip turned fatal along a rocky coastline in northern California. Their

SUV flying off a 100 foot cliff and crashing into the surf below.

Two moms, three children all found dead. But three other kids are still missing tonight. And as debris from the crash site keeps floating up to

shore, disturbing stories about this family are floating to the surface. The details are so uncomfortable from the California highway patrol that

this crash might actually have been intentional.

According to the information they gathered from the wrecked out SUV, that vehicle came to a full stop 70 feet from the edge of the cliff before

accelerating and plunging down below.

With me now, CNN national correspondent Miguel Marquez. Also, Mendocino county sheriff Tom Allman is with me and defense attorney joins me. And

former traffic and homicide investigator corporate Dwaine Parker is going to help us get into some of the forensics of the crash as well.

First and foremost, Miguel Marquez, what is the latest on the forensics that they have found in this incredible mystery off that jugged coast?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. They are looking at the car itself and the electronics, particularly in the car. And particularly

air bag and the computer system that goes along with it. It indicates that is the car came to a stop along the pacific coast highway about 70 feet

away from that very steep embankment about 100 feet down from there into the ocean and then sped towards the edge of the cliff and went right over

it.

There was no stopping, no braking, no furrowing, no indication that it hit something else whether it was an animal or another car. No indication they

tried to stop in any way. So investigators say everything points to an intentional act -- Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: I mean, that is a very uncomfortable fact, seeing that a car stopped 70 feet from the cliff. That is not very far. There is that other

very disturbing forensic clue and that`s the tire tracks. Describe the tire tracks, Miguel.

MARQUEZ: Well, it was the lack of tire tracks. It was the lack of any information that indicated that the car tried to stop or it tried swerve,

that there may have been an accident. That the driver fell asleep. That something other than someone driving the car intentionally off the cliff

might have happened. That is what investigators are working off of now.

And they are treating this basically as a felony investigation because they think that this may have been a murder-suicide. One big question for me

and I think they are talking to the coroners now to figure out exactly the cause of death for all these individuals. That were some of these

individuals or all of them, except for the driver, dead before they went off the cliff?

It is stunning that none of these people were ever seen so far along this very long coast. They were over 550 miles away from home and so far

authorities have no clear indication of where they were going, what they were doing, why they were going there and what was going on in that

driver`s head.

[19:05:28] BANFIELD: That picture we were just looking at, it fell ominously. You just described those tire tracks showed no braking and no

skidding.

And Miguel, just so that we are crystal clear, the tire tracks went straight off the cliff. There wasn`t any effort to veer or turn. Those

tracks went straight out as to what we are looking at right now into the sunset.

MARQUEZ: It is a very sheer cliff. It is 100 feet down. If you have driven along the California -- this PCH, the Pacific Coast Highway, you

know how rugged and beautiful it is. But when those cliffs go, they go literally go straight off. You have to get off right to the cliff look

down and stretch out over it to see down to the water`s edge. And that`s what that car went over.

BANFIELD: So Miguel, I have a few more questions but I want to get to the sheriff, if I can.

Sheriff Allman, I know you went out to the coast. You actually went out to that crime scene. Now, we know, crime scene, not accident scene as you are

looking at this. It is becoming increasingly more clear that it`s a felony. Give me your initial impressions as a law enforcement officer,

with years of experience. When you got to that site, the first thoughts you had?

TOM ALLMAN, MENDOCINO COUNTY SHERIFF OFFICE: It was a vehicle accident. A tragic accident that was unwitnessed and when it was discovered, all first

responders went there in hopes of finding people who were surviving. But the first responders repelled down and the engine was cold and they found

the five victims. And it wasn`t for 24 hours until we learned the information that there was a good possibility that there were a total of

eight people in the vehicle.

BANFIELD: Let`s talk about those numbers, sheriff. Because right now, we are looking at three bodies of children recovered. Two bodies of the moms

recovered. That would leave three more children unaccounted for. Where does your theory take you?

ALLMAN: We have no reason to believe they were not in the vehicle. We certainly hope and pray that somebody led those three young children out

into the care of a friend and to keep them safe. But we haven`t heard anything. We are pleading with the public. If there is any information,

to please give us a call and let us know.

We want to find those three additional children. But the real reality is we believe that they were inside the vehicle. And the roughness of the

ocean, we just experienced a storm, we certainly have some high waves. And if those three young children had been in that vehicle and perished, their

bodies were taken out to sea. And we are waiting for the water conditions to get a little bit better so we can put divers in. And we certainly are

extending our search both north and south, (INAUDIBLE) Oregon and south towards Marin County. Finding out if we can find any additional

information and debris from the car. Anything that would indicate that that was a way that the ocean was flowing that day. We are looking for

that.

BANFIELD: You might have had 24, 48 hours, you know, unfortunately of lag time in which that surf could have done all sorts of things to the crash

scene and those bodies as they were there.

Just quickly, as we are talking to these kids, last week when I reported the story, one of the surprising aspects is of the children named Devante

was in a photograph that went viral in the Ferguson-style demonstration. The moms had taken these kids. And this was the picture that went all over

the internet of a police officer hugging a crying Devante. He is sadly is one of the victims who was found, correct sheriff?

ALLMAN: No. Devante has not been found.

BANFIELD: He is missing still?

ALLMAN: Correct. Hannah, Sierra and Devante. We are certainly searching for them.

BANFIELD: Ok. Hannah, Sierra and Devante are the three that were searching for. So that is a good picture for people to look at. If you

recognize that child, if you think you have seen that child recently, by all means, I`m going to give you the phone numbers in a moment. If you

have seen any of these three children.

The other issue is we have just seen some new video that surfaced on You Tube. And again, it is Devante. This is back in 2013. He apparently was

in Australia for a music festival. He is hugging singer songwriter named Xavier Rudd at something called the (INAUDIBLE) festival, sacred art music

and yoga. I don`t know if we can show some of that video where once again, Devante is featured. Have a look.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYING)

[19:10:07] BANFIELD: You know, obviously, sheriff, this family seemed to do a lot. They seemed to be very socially activated. They have been at

protests. They have obviously been to the festivals. The children have hug me signs as seen on him in a lot of different pictures. This doesn`t

seem like the typical family that would be, you know, at a breaking point or that would lead to a murder and God forbid seven times over and one

suicide.

ALLMAN: It is what it is. It`s either an accident or we have a suicide with up to seven homicide victims. And you know, actually, we haven`t even

addressed mental health on this one. But mental health is effective -- we are certainly hearing about it with gun safety and gun control throughout

the nations. Mental health is affecting every community in out nations. And certainly has an effect in my county, Mendocino. But in this

situation, if this was a suicide and seven homicides, I`m going to guess that we are going to be looking at the mental health status and were there

signs of this, it could have been predicted?

BANFIELD: I mean, without question.

And just quickly, the notion that your, you know, your teams are employing, you know, the forensics regarding the ocean and the currents and the

temperatures to try to figure out. I think you call it test flow and temperatures to see if you can find those missing kids.

Are you also employing teams that might be able to discover potentially bodies on land? Meaning they might have been killed before that trip began

or somewhere in the midst of the trip?

ALLMAN: Well, canines which are trained for detecting doing the remains have been detected. We spent days out there with human remain detecting

dogs. And we are looking for any other signs, maybe of campground, maybe unofficial campgrounds where they are and may be stranded there. But our

gut to be sheriffs are looking in every nook and county over county to see if we can find any signs of these people.

BANFIELD: So, there is phone number to call. If anybody think, you know, who is watching tonight that you may have seen these very unusual family.

Look, I mean, six kids and two moms. That stands out. That is a very big family in a white SUV. I believe it some white 2003 GMC YUKON XL. Take a

look at those numbers. 707-463-4086 to talk to someone about this. And if you don`t want to be known and you just want to leave anonymous tip, 707-

234-2100 to help get to the bottom of this.

Let me just bring in corporal Dwaine Parker. You know, as a homicide investigator with regards to the traffic patterns and the forensics of the

truck itself, of the SUV itself, the whole notion, corporal Parker, that this car accelerated to 90 miles an hour, because that is what the

forensics are telling us. It seems difficult that that kind of a big looking SUV could make it to 90 miles an hour in 70 feet. Is it possible

that is wrong?

CPL. DWAINE PARKER, FORMER TRAFFIC HOMICIDE INVESTIGATOR (on the phone): Yes, it is. The car, I don`t think the acceleration factor for that

particular vehicle can accelerate from zero to 90 in 70 feet. It would be hard for some race cars to do that feet. But what probably happened and

most likely happened is once the tires left the roadway, the tires are now free to spin at the rotation at whatever the gas pedals pushed down. And

so, if the mom had the gas pedal floored and it is at 100 percent, it`s going to take energy to move the vehicle. And then once the vehicle clears

the cliff, now the tires are free, and then the hinge is going to rev to its maximum capacity. And because it`s digital speedometer, it is going

read that the car - the engine was acting as though it was traveling at 90 miles per hour, but the vehicle itself probably wasn`t.

BANFIELD: Miguel Marquez, real quickly here. I only have about 30 seconds, but no suicide note, no forensic information that suggested this

was coming, is there?

MARQUEZ: Law enforcement have gone into the home in Washington State. They are taking computers. They found no note in that home but they are

going through those computers and seeing if there was communication and any other information that could solve or give information about why this thing

ended in just absolute tragedy.

BANFIELD: Miguel, thank you for that. Sheriff Allman, we will have you back and if you can find anything, certainly, ping us. Let us know. We

would like to be able to broadcast the updates to this story. We will also let you if we get any call on this too. Corporal Parker, thank you. And

my thanks to Parang Shah as well. Parang is going to join us throughout the rest of the program, too.

A lot of newlyweds argue, right? Sometimes it is about money or just little things. You know, the bathroom where you have stuff. But the

police say the trouble for this couple led to murder and it ended in a confession at church.

Also, you can now listen to our show any time. Download our podcasts on Apple podcast, I heart radio, Stitcher, Tune In or wherever you get your

podcast from your CRIME & JUSTICE fix.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:19:56] BANFIELD: Five months into a new marriage, most couples still consider it a honeymoon stage. Not the breaking point when one puts a

bullet in the other`s head. But that`s what John Grazioli accused of doing. And he reportedly admitted the whole thing not to the police, but

to a priest. Church was the first place he ran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[19:20:19] FATHER MICHAEL POLINEK, ST. PETER CATHEDRAL: He told me that he killed his wife. He said I need to talk. And that is what he said.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then you called the police?

POLINEK: We called the police.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: A motive for the death of Amanda Grazioli had yet to be figured out. But police have released some other things that they have found like

the document that he left on a former wife`s porch and some messages that they found on his phone that are to say the least, pretty curious. And

also, there was that bank account that he had been managing. Let`s just say some figures that go into the billion range.

And a new report said John Grazioli actually wanted to be a priest himself. But all the new details about his secret life are making a lot of that hard

to believe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE VINOSKY, NEIGHBOR: He was a very nice fellow, you know. I never expected anything like this from him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: With me, Adam Barrist. He is the attorney for the mother of the victim, Amanda Grazioli, also defense attorney Parang Shah has stayed with

us.

But I want to begin with CRIME & JUSTICE producer, Kyle Peltz.

Kyle, this newest information is curious to say the least in already a strange story. But this is a man who apparently had some information on

his phone that pointed to the idea he was not happy with his brand-new wife.

KYLE PELTZ, CRIME & JUSTICE PRODUCER: It is exactly right, Ashleigh. According to new court documents that we just obtained, police say they

found deleted message on John Grazioli`s phone after getting a search warrant. These messages were sent using an app called Kik which is a chat

application. And according to police, the messages solicited extra marital affairs. And then in one message police say John said to another

individual, it is unclear who that is, that he is married and she is not giving him what he needs.

BANFIELD: The actual message said she is not giving him what he needs. It`s a little strange that he was also communicating at length during this

period of discomfort with his brand-new wife. He was communicating with his ex-wife. And he was telling her things before this death occurred.

What was he telling her?

PELTZ: Exactly. So we knew the priest says John Grazioli went in the church and confess saying he killed his wife. But police say they actually

received a tip, as you mentioned, from the guy`s ex-wife. Now that ex-wife told police that John called her or texted her from his cell phone telling

her he just killed his current wife. He also told his ex-, that Amanda, the victim, was at home in bed which was exactly where police found her

body.

BANFIELD: And then he chose to leave something on his former wife`s porch, a box of documents. What was in the box?

PELTZ: Right. Police say when he told his ex-wife that he killed his current wife, he also told her he had left box and things on her front

porch. In that box, we know one thing for sure. And that was a document titled the last will and testament.

BANFIELD: Last will and testament. What did he write? It was like a handwritten thing or was it professionally done or was it sort of last

minute? What did he say? What did he want?

PELTZ: Police say it was a notarized document, an official document which said and I quote, "I leave nothing of value to my wife, Amanda Elizabeth

Grazioli."

BANFIELD: So he actually put pen to paper and had this in mind before she had a gun put to the back of her head because that`s apparently what

happened. She was shot at the base of the skull. There was also some other musings that he had written, something left beside her body. What

was it?

PELTZ: Yes. The police say they found this mysterious note next to Amanda`s body. This one was handwritten. And it said I killed Amanda

Grazioli. I killed myself. I am profoundly sorry. And it was signed John`s name.

BANFIELD: So what do they think, Kyle? Do they think he was going to do it and then chicken out and ran to the priest? Do they think he was going

to tell the priest and maybe look for some absolution on and then do it to himself or do they even know at this point since they got a chance to speak

with him?

PELTZ: Well, we don`t know. And it`s unclear exactly what he has told Police.

But I will go back to that note, that handwritten note. One interesting thing about that note, is it contained the name also of Amanda`s mother.

Someone that police could contact to basically let them know that Amanda was dead which is very bizarre.

BANFIELD: So speaking of Amanda, Adam Barrist is the attorney for Amanda`s mom.

Adam, there is some - I mean, there is a very strange story, but what makes it even more intriguing is that there is a wrongful death suit and it was

launched very, very quickly. Tell me about it.

ADAM BARRIST, ATTORNEY FOR AMANDA GRAZIOLI`S MOTHER: Thank you, Ashleigh. Yes, I saw no reason to wait whatsoever. This could be very will be the

easiest case that I handled in my career.

[19:25:04] BANFIELD: Why is that?

BARRIST: Now, the crime was commit - well, the crime was committed. He admitted to it. And now it`s just a question of whether his insurance

company is going to step up to the plate or whether I`m going to take a judgment against him and go before jury and have them determine the amount

of the damages. But I`m feeling pretty good about this case, Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: So it`s so odd because typically, you know, wrongful death, you know, you would have some kind of -- the victim would be the recipient

typically of whatever money he had. But the word is, Adam, that he had financial difficulties. And your client, victim`s mom, found some evidence

of that prior to the death, correct?

BARRIST: Yes. Our understanding, we have heard some rumblings about that and once I get the judgment against him, I`m going to have a free reign to

serve subpoenas all over the country and all over the world and find out exactly where his assets were, where he was hiding them and if he was

hiding them, But I can tell you that I am going to reach to the end of the earth to find every last penny that this monster had.

BANFIELD: Well, that could take time. I rarely quote figures in the billions when I`m dealing with murder stories, but in this one, we have

been told that he was overseeing it at some point, $1.4 billion worth of assets as a manager. He was the president and CEO of his owned company. I

think it was called Grazioli asset management. I don`t know if that $1.4 billion spanned, you know, the entire 20 years of his career. But what do

you know about his money and about his management and how much he had actually made and whether some of it might be hiding somewhere?

BARRIST: Yes. Well, I will tell you what, Ashleigh. I`m certainly going to find out. As soon as I get that judgment against him, I`m going to

start serving subpoenas. We have private investigators actually looking into it right now as we speak. But we are going to be feeding those no

stone unturned whatsoever. And this is just -- it`s bizarre. I published a legal thriller few years ago and the facts were not as bizarre as this.

BANFIELD: This writes itself. It is odd to say the very least. You know, we are talking about real people. And Amanda is dead and she is a

beautiful, beautiful bride from only October. It`s hard to believe that we are talking about a wedding that just occurred in October.

But her mom must just be, you know, while she is dealing with the legal ramification and the wrongful death, she is also missing her daughter. How

is she?

BARRIST: It`s not just her mother, Denise. Amanda was very, very close to her siblings, Allison, Vanessa, and Brandon and close to her father, Tom as

well. Very, very close-knit family and this is tragic. And they are just -- they are picking up the pieces right now.

BANFIELD: Did she say anything to them? Did she warn any of them? I mean, it`s such an odd story to hear in the honeymoon phase that a murder

happened. Did she ever suggest anything was wrong either financially that things were getting tight or that she and her husband were having

difficulty in the bedroom or he was unfaithful or unhappy? Did she say anything?

BARRIST: No. I mean, we are looking at the evidence after the fact. But no, prior to this ungodly crime being committed, no, there was no sense of

that whatsoever.

BANFIELD: It`s just -- it is an unbelievable mystery. I will say this. After he went to the priest and if anybody is wondering because the smart

Catholics will know the private is not allowed to say a word of confession. This was not your official. It was said in an office. And didn`t involve

the right wording which, you know, protective of privilege and that`s why the priest was free to actually report this to the authorities. He wasn`t

then talking though. After church, he was taken by the police who showed up at the church, ride down to the police station and he sat for an

interview with the police as well. (INAUDIBLE) here is what he told one of the local police officers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He admitted to involvement in the incident, but he wasn`t totally clear on the circumstances that then occurred.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Adam, that is a very strange comment. He admitted to involvement, but it wasn`t clear on the circumstances. Do you know any

more about what that means? I mean, meaning I blacked out. I woke up. She was bloody beside me or I`m just not talking?

BARRIST: My understanding now is that is going to be his defense. That he somehow blacked out which is absolutely ludicrous. But again, I do not

think -- we have the utmost faith in the district attorney`s office. We are quite confident there is going to be a conviction. And we are also

quite confident there is still a case as well. But that certainly sounds like an admission to me.

BANFIELD: A couple of admissions.

Parang, real quickly, just the whole incident, I mean, we are looking at two confessions, one to a priest, one that seemingly sounds like a

confession to the police and then another which seems pretty clear from an ex-wife. May have a dog in the fight and may not. So you know, criminally

speaking, it looks like a very difficult case to win, but Parang, as another lawyer, how difficult do you think the wrongful death would be?

[19:30:00] PARANG SHAH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I don`t think the wrongful death is going to be very difficult because the standard is different. In a

criminal case, the prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. In the civil case, they only have to prove by preponderance which is if you

are looking at a football field, he just has to cross 50-yard line. So, I don`t think the wrongful death is going to be a problem and frankly this is

a bad case for the defense and think it shouldn`t be a problem for the prosecution as well.

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HLN HOST: A lot of bad facts as you stay in the business but then a lot of interesting sort of details that we still don`t

know. Adam, thank you for your time. Appreciate it. Parag, I`m going to ask you stay on as well and my thanks to Kyle Peltz for his great reporting

on the story.

A beautiful mother of four found in a very unbeautiful way. Murdered and dumped on a side of a busy road. But here`s the thing, this isn`t just any

mother, she`s 20 years old and she has four children. Who did this? Who shot her multiple times and then just left her there like garbage? Why her

family says they think they may have some ideas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:37:07] BANFIELD: Ask a typical mother of two what life is like and you can choose your adjective. Crazy, chaotic, exhausting, hell, but there was

something very different about Brianna de la Cruz because she a third and then Brianna went ahead and had a fourth. And every one of those four was

a boy. Counted. Four boys under the age of five. You know what I mean, right? What may be more eye-popping about Brianna is that she was just 20.

Four boys under the age of five at 20. Family and friends describe her as caring and son-loving. But tonight those children are without this

beautiful young mother because early in the morning Brianna was found dead on the sides of a busy road in San Antonio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEX WILLIAMS, LOCAL RESIDENT: I saw lights and I thought somebody stopped somebody for traffic ticket, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: It was not a traffic ticket, it was a murder scene that they were putting together and lighting up. Brianna`s body was discovered

riddled with bullets and there were shell casings covering the streets, but how Brianna got there and who was behind that gun is still the mystery

tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It appears it all occurred here. We`re still trying to locate witnesses to see if they saw anything, maybe speak to neighbors

nearby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: With me now, CNN`s Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and former FBI Assistant Director Tom Fuentes, Defense Attorney Parag Shah is still with

us. And I want to start if I can with investigative reporter and syndicated radio host Kate Delaney. Kate, this is a very strange mystery

and there are two aspects of it. A 20-year-old mother of four, that in itself is a headline, but to be found this way in such a horrifying scene,

what did they know?

KATE DELANEY, INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER (via telephone): Well, actually, you`ve nailed it. She was found half on the street and half on the side of

the road, in other words, half of her body was on the road and half is on the side as I mentioned. And it`s very strange it happened. They believe

those day in the early morning hours, there were at least 20 shell casings found at the scene. They`re not sure who the shooter was, that`s why

police are asking for any information that they can get back. You mentioned that she got four boys, you know, how young they are, five years

all the way to a new born. And it`s very strange she was abducted when she was 12 by a family member for two years. That guy is in prison. So she

had a rough life. And as fun loving as she was, they were some strange aspects to this woman and they have no idea about what happened with her to

just -- again pleading information for many neighbors or anyone who might have heard anything that happened.

BANFIELD: That`s the other very strange twist to Brianna`s young life that she was abducted back when she was 12 by family member.

[19:40:08] Held for two years, that person not being identified. We don`t know if it`s mother, brother, sister, aunt, uncle, father, anything. But

ultimately that person is in prison and she was released and the reports are that life got difficult after that. Just go back to the shell casings

for a moment. Did you say 20? 20 shell casings?

DELANEY: Yes. What I heard from because it`s hard to get exact information. I heard from a report that was digging around that they say

that there was at least 20 is what they counted.

BANFIELD: That`s unbelievable. I mean, that sounds like a -- an extraordinarily passionate and angry crime if you`re firing off, you know,

20 pounds at a young woman like that. I want to just play if I can, a person who lives nearby, identify the time at 2:00 a.m. where they thought

they heard shots. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the time, all time. People pass by just testing the guns.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: So, I mean, it looks like a very rural area but this neighbor who heard the gunshots at around 2:00 a.m., probably didn`t think much

because he says he hears gunshots in that rural area a lot. But there is another neighbor or at least another person who within that area named Tex

Williams lives near this crime scene, did not see anything and if there were 20 gunshots fired, what you`re about to hear him say is going to come

as a surprise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAMS: I came home about 12:0, 12:30, you know, I come up across the road and I didn`t see anything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: So, it`s just mystifying how one neighbor can say there`s gunfire all the time and I heard the gunfire at 2:00 a.m. and there`s Tex

Williams saying I didn`t see anything and I didn`t hear anything either. But clearly that woman was dead, half in the road, and those gun shell

casings were right there with her. How was she found? How was she found, Kate?

DELANEY: She was found clothed, but cloth kind of obviously torn by the fact that she had bullets riddled in her body.

BANFIELD: And what -- who found her? Who was the witness who called this in?

DELANEY: Supposedly with somebody that was passing by that lived in that neighborhood.

BANFIELD: Just incredible. Do you know where the four children are, Kate? Those little baby -- I mean, I called them babies because they`re under the

age of five and one of them is apparently just a newborn. Where are they?

DELANEY: Yes. The three of the sons are with David de la Cruz who is her father and the newborn is with the father of the newborn.

BANFIELD: Most are finding it very strange. We`re looking at pictures of her, Kate. We went through her Facebook for the last year, you know,

several years and these are the only kinds of photos we could find. Beautiful pictures posing, primping, pursing of the lips. But she has four

children and we found not one picture of the babies. Not one picture, but plenty of these beauty shots adorning all of her social media that we could

find. Do we know if this was a happy mother who enjoyed being a mother or do we know if this was a mother who accidentally had four children and

preferred another lifestyle?

DELANEY: Well, if you get back and you will get some of the quotes from her father, David, he says, wonderful things about her, they`re holding a

fundraiser to try help these boys but if you look at the Facebook like you said and your staff and you yourself did research on that, you also know

she goes by the name Mariah, so that`s very strange too. And it seems like she`s two separate people.

BANFIELD: She`s got an alias. All right. I want to bring in Tom Fuentes. You know, shell casings you just head Kate report, there is upwards of 20

of them. We also learn that there are some fresh tire tracks leaving away from the body. That`s at least got to be a start forensically speaking for

investigators.

TOM FUENTES, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, it would be a good start, Ashley. But, you know, as far as the number for shell casings, you

know, I would tend to indicate that this wasn`t just some robbery on the side of the road or something to that effect that there may be more malice

intended in killing her than in a normal drive-by shooting we`ll say but there`s still so many mysteries about that woman and about her family and

her lifestyle and what she might have been outdoing, you know, you mentioned she got four young children under the age of five and she`s out

on the street, you know, at this late hour, was she coming from work, did she have a job.

BANFIELD: And she`s only 20. Tom, she`s only 20 years old. I mean, that`s the most amazing part.

(CROSSTALK)

FUENTES: The children are under the age of five. So she`s got young children and what she doing out, we don`t know that exactly. Was she

partying, was she on her way to or from a job. You know, there`s just a lot we don`t know about her that the police will be looking into to try to

find some person that may have been involved with her or maybe that she was in a relationship with or someone that wanted to be in a relationship with

her but there`s all of these things we just don`t know at this point.

[19:45:11] BANFIELD: No. Her family thinks that the people she was associating with, that`s how they put it. People who Brianna was

associating with maybe responsible for this death. So my guess is they`re going to start doing some interviewing in that direction. Tom Fuentes,

thank you for that as always. My thanks to Kate Delaney as well.

Three gun-toting robbers burst into a home in the middle of the night looking for a score and there is the homeowner`s security cam rolling. And

not only does it show her fight back and shoot at them. Chase them out and kill one, it also helped the police catch one of the gunmen and you will

not believe the charge that he is facing right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:50:39] BANFIELD: He used the affluenza defense and he beat the rap in a deadly drunk driving case that killed four people and then he skipped

town to Mexico when he was caught on probation playing beer pong. Now that he has served his two-year sentence for that, pretty short one, no? Pretty

short sentence most people would agree. Mr. Ethan Couch has been released from jail in Texas. Certainly didn`t seem too happy because this is what

his first few minutes of freedom sounded like --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ethan, what would you say to your victims? Have you learned your lesson, Ethan?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What would you like people to know about you, Ethan?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have you learned your lesson from being in jail?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ethan, is there anything you would say to those families? What are you going to do now that you`re out?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ethan, can you stay out of trouble moving forward?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: And a big, old no comment. You know? He`s 20 years old now but he`s only 16 when he killed those people, four of them. Left two others

badly hurt before blowing three times the legal limit. He could have been sentenced to 20 years but a psychologist testified that Couch was a victim

of wealthy parents who did not teach him right from wrong, and he skated. Not one to be thankful for that break, he was spotted on social media doing

this, oh, beer pong. So fun, right? Not when you`re on probation. So naturally, one of those wealthy parents is alleged to have helped him fly

the coop to Mexico. Fast-forward and as part of his new, new, new probation, Couch has a 9:00 p.m. curfew, he has to wear an ankle monitor,

he has to wear an alcohol detection patch, he have to submit to drug testing and by the way, those are just a few of the restrictions that he`s

facing. His mom, for her part, is now facing money laundering and hindering the apprehension of a felon. That was that whole business

helping Ethan run off. But she`s just had the bond revoked too. That happened last week after the sheriff officers say Mrs. Couch failed a drug

test. So there`s more Couch news coming.

A year and a half after shocking and that deadly home invasion video came our way, Georgia Police have arrested one of the gunmen heavily featured in

said video. All three of them were caught on security video footage breaking through the door of a Georgia home just 4:00 in the morning,

scouring the place but the woman living there was not about to be a victim. Police say she woke up to the noise, got her gun and did this. Charged out

shooting. Firing off round after round after round, she actually killed one of the burglars. That guy was found dead in the driveway. But there

is a fascinating twist on this story. They have finally a year later arrested another one of the burglars, suspected burglars and even though he

didn`t kill anybody he is being charged with murder. Parag Shah, defense attorney explain that.

SHAH: Yes. So in Georgia, felony murder means that one, you`re committing a felony and you cause the death of someone else, you can be charged with

murder. And in this case, since they were committing the felony of burglary and someone died, even though it was his accomplice, it doesn`t

matter because you don`t have to prove that you intended to commit the crime -- the kill, only intend to commit the felony.

BANFIELD: Oh, boy. I bet he didn`t know that when he was jimmying that lock of this house allegedly. Parag, thank you. Don`t go anywhere. 4/20

is just weeks away. What did you get? Kidding. Cops say one dealer though got a big head start on his celebratory stash. The value of all

this weed found in one apartment might make you a little bit hazy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[19:59:18] BANFIELD: Depending how you feel about weed, even a small amount could be too much for your liking, but you might want to take a look

at this. Police say they`ve found all this inside one Chicago man`s apartment. And we can all agree, this is a lot of pot. Ironically, it is

just over 420 pounds of it. How about that, huh? April 20th, just around the corner. Not only did the officers find this stuff and by the way, it`s

worth an estimated three million bucks on the street but they also found guns, and a large sum of cash which may not surprise anybody. David

Gutierrez though pretty surprised because he`s now felony drug charges and they slapped him with $120,000 bond too. So unless he can make that, he`s

miss April 20th.

[20:00:02] That might be a good thing. Thanks for watching, everybody. See you back here tomorrow tonight. "UNMASKING A KILLER" starts right now.

END