1 00:00:05,670 --> 00:00:08,340 Courthouses are supposed to be places of calm 2 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:11,070 and dignity, where order is maintained 3 00:00:11,170 --> 00:00:13,510 and justice is served. 4 00:00:13,610 --> 00:00:16,410 But often, when stakes and emotions are at their highest, 5 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,880 cool heads don't always prevail. 6 00:00:24,190 --> 00:00:26,290 Coming up... 7 00:00:26,390 --> 00:00:27,960 All of a sudden you crazy now?! 8 00:00:28,060 --> 00:00:30,490 ...a father's grief and rage unleashed. 9 00:00:30,590 --> 00:00:32,860 You gonna murder my son, man?! For nothing?! 10 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:35,630 A famous Las Vegas magician 11 00:00:35,730 --> 00:00:37,460 is forced to reveal his secrets. 12 00:00:37,570 --> 00:00:39,130 I can't answer that as a yes or no question. 13 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:41,640 Copperfield would rather disappear right now. 14 00:00:41,740 --> 00:00:43,340 He'd rather be anywhere else. 15 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,070 And an angry disabled man 16 00:00:45,170 --> 00:00:46,870 turns the tables on the judge. 17 00:00:48,340 --> 00:00:50,780 Strength comes from places that you can't imagine. 18 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,510 How can you say the things that you're saying? 19 00:00:53,620 --> 00:00:55,280 All the jaw-dropping moments, 20 00:00:55,380 --> 00:01:00,450 plus insights from our team of crime and legal experts... 21 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:02,760 Custody battles are some of the most contentious 22 00:01:02,860 --> 00:01:05,830 hearings that you will find in a courtroom. 23 00:01:05,900 --> 00:01:07,900 ...on "chaos in court." 24 00:01:17,370 --> 00:01:20,540 27-year-old lukace kendle is in a pretrial 25 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,010 hearing to determine if he's mentally competent to 26 00:01:23,110 --> 00:01:24,180 stand trial. 27 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:27,480 He's accused of shooting 35-year-old Michael smathers, 28 00:01:27,580 --> 00:01:29,980 leaving him paralyzed from the waist down 29 00:01:30,090 --> 00:01:33,190 and for the murder of 29-year-old kijuan byrd. 30 00:01:33,290 --> 00:01:35,890 Dawson: The defense attorneys are trying to set out whether 31 00:01:35,990 --> 00:01:39,830 or not their client has the mental capacity to actually 32 00:01:39,930 --> 00:01:42,630 go through a trial, or if he's insane, 33 00:01:42,730 --> 00:01:44,900 they're trying to establish that as a defense. 34 00:01:46,270 --> 00:01:50,940 Lukace kendle was a security guard at a Miami strip club 35 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,470 and sports club by the name of club lexx. 36 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,340 Kendle was hired as armed security 37 00:01:57,450 --> 00:01:59,750 and carries his own licensed gun, 38 00:01:59,850 --> 00:02:02,050 and after pulling into the parking lot to begin 39 00:02:02,150 --> 00:02:04,250 his shift one night in 2012, 40 00:02:04,350 --> 00:02:07,820 the former bodybuilder spots two African-American men 41 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:10,520 sitting in a truck next to his. 42 00:02:10,630 --> 00:02:13,790 Kijuan byrd and Michael smathers were best friends. 43 00:02:13,900 --> 00:02:15,760 They went to the club to go relax, 44 00:02:15,870 --> 00:02:19,630 play pool, and catch some of the Miami heat 45 00:02:19,740 --> 00:02:21,770 during the playoffs. 46 00:02:21,870 --> 00:02:24,270 Michael was in the driver's seat. 47 00:02:24,370 --> 00:02:28,110 Lukace kendle approached the truck as kijuan 48 00:02:28,210 --> 00:02:30,580 and Michael started to get out. 49 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,050 Kendle stated that as he approached the car, 50 00:02:34,150 --> 00:02:38,220 Michael and kijuan were allegedly looking at him in 51 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:42,590 a threatening way and that either kijuan or Michael said 52 00:02:42,690 --> 00:02:45,390 something along the lines of, "I'm going to kill you," 53 00:02:45,490 --> 00:02:49,330 and that one of the men was pulling something upward. 54 00:02:49,430 --> 00:02:52,630 Feeling threatened, kendle whips out his gun 55 00:02:52,740 --> 00:02:54,870 and begins shooting into the windshield, 56 00:02:56,540 --> 00:02:59,140 striking Michael smathers four times. 57 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:04,880 Kijuan dives out of the passenger side of the truck 58 00:03:04,980 --> 00:03:06,510 and attempts to crawl 59 00:03:06,620 --> 00:03:09,680 to safety under the truck to get away from 60 00:03:09,790 --> 00:03:11,120 the barrage of bullets. 61 00:03:13,020 --> 00:03:16,890 Lukace kendle continued to fire into kijuan byrd, 62 00:03:16,990 --> 00:03:19,530 firing multiple times into his back. 63 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,800 He was shot eight times, four times in the back. 64 00:03:25,900 --> 00:03:27,700 Kijuan byrd is pronounced 65 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:29,800 dead on arrival at the hospital. 66 00:03:33,280 --> 00:03:36,310 Arlene: Kijuan was a sincere person. 67 00:03:36,410 --> 00:03:38,310 He was very funny. 68 00:03:38,410 --> 00:03:40,380 He had a good heart. 69 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:42,280 He has two amazing kids, 70 00:03:42,380 --> 00:03:46,650 but they were very young when their father was killed. 71 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:52,190 They don't really remember a lot about their dad. 72 00:03:52,260 --> 00:03:54,160 Meanwhile, his good friend, 73 00:03:54,260 --> 00:03:56,260 Michael smathers, is in critical condition 74 00:03:56,370 --> 00:03:58,170 about to undergo surgery. 75 00:03:58,270 --> 00:04:01,400 Michael had a really thriving life 76 00:04:01,500 --> 00:04:05,270 before he encountered lukace kendle that night. 77 00:04:05,370 --> 00:04:07,910 He had a construction company 78 00:04:08,010 --> 00:04:10,580 that was really growing and successful. 79 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:12,550 He had his whole life ahead of him, 80 00:04:12,650 --> 00:04:16,720 and now he is confined to his bed. 81 00:04:16,820 --> 00:04:18,950 He's paralyzed from the waist down. 82 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,860 Kendle says he opened fire in self defense, 83 00:04:23,930 --> 00:04:27,190 but the evidence doesn't seem to back up his claim. 84 00:04:27,300 --> 00:04:29,200 Rendelman: When the investigators arrived 85 00:04:29,300 --> 00:04:31,970 at the scene to investigate the death 86 00:04:32,070 --> 00:04:36,000 of Mr. Byrd and the serious injury of Mr. Smathers, 87 00:04:36,110 --> 00:04:39,770 one thing they notice is neither of them were armed. 88 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:44,340 Lukace kendle was relying on a very controversial law 89 00:04:44,450 --> 00:04:48,980 we have here in Florida called stand your ground. 90 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,290 Bryant: Stand your ground means just that -- you do not have 91 00:04:52,390 --> 00:04:55,320 to flee in the face of some sort of threat. 92 00:04:55,420 --> 00:04:58,660 You can stand your ground and defend yourself. 93 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:00,990 Stand your ground is something that was brought 94 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:03,900 to national attention based on the trayvon Martin case, 95 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,030 and it only happened a few months prior 96 00:05:06,140 --> 00:05:07,430 to this incident here. 97 00:05:07,540 --> 00:05:10,470 Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old 98 00:05:10,570 --> 00:05:12,110 unarmed African-American, 99 00:05:12,210 --> 00:05:14,140 was shot to death while walking home by 100 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:16,910 George Zimmerman, a white man on neighborhood 101 00:05:17,010 --> 00:05:19,810 watch patrol in his Florida neighborhood. 102 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:23,620 Zimmerman claims that trayvon reached into his pocket for 103 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:26,490 what he thought was a weapon and felt threatened. 104 00:05:26,590 --> 00:05:29,160 All trayvon Martin was doing was 105 00:05:29,260 --> 00:05:30,660 walking through the neighborhood 106 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:32,090 and being black. 107 00:05:32,190 --> 00:05:35,630 George Zimmerman was acquitted in the murder of 108 00:05:35,730 --> 00:05:38,600 trayvon Martin using the stand your ground law. 109 00:05:38,700 --> 00:05:42,040 Lukace kendle was going to use the same playbook to get 110 00:05:42,140 --> 00:05:44,470 himself out of trouble. 111 00:05:44,570 --> 00:05:47,840 Rendelman: After the shooting, investigators begin to learn 112 00:05:47,940 --> 00:05:51,080 quite a lot about the defendant in this case. 113 00:05:51,180 --> 00:05:52,780 Bryant: Prior to working at the strip club, 114 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:54,380 where they're supposed to check on your background to 115 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:56,080 make sure you're fit for the job, he had 116 00:05:56,190 --> 00:06:00,320 a number of duis, he had some disorderly conduct problems. 117 00:06:00,420 --> 00:06:04,460 Mercy: Lukace kendle was in the Navy but was discharged. 118 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,830 He had many alcohol-related offenses, 119 00:06:07,930 --> 00:06:12,030 so he was not good enough to be in the Navy. 120 00:06:12,130 --> 00:06:14,270 But unfortunately, they thought he was 121 00:06:14,370 --> 00:06:16,800 good enough to be a security guard. 122 00:06:16,910 --> 00:06:19,510 Florida doesn't require security guards to 123 00:06:19,610 --> 00:06:21,270 undergo mental health evaluations 124 00:06:21,380 --> 00:06:23,210 or checks for substance abuse, 125 00:06:23,310 --> 00:06:26,010 a common practice for law enforcement officers. 126 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,150 Bove: His background check should have had red flags. 127 00:06:29,250 --> 00:06:30,880 He should not have gotten the job 128 00:06:30,990 --> 00:06:34,120 or the license to carry a firearm. 129 00:06:34,220 --> 00:06:36,490 Rendelman: After his arrest, Mr. Kendle is 130 00:06:36,590 --> 00:06:39,330 diagnosed with an array of behavioral issues. 131 00:06:39,430 --> 00:06:42,630 He is diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder 132 00:06:42,730 --> 00:06:46,400 as well as impulse control disorder. 133 00:06:46,500 --> 00:06:49,470 Pearson: Mr. Kendle was examined by 134 00:06:49,570 --> 00:06:51,870 multiple mental health experts 135 00:06:51,970 --> 00:06:57,240 that were court-appointed, and in their review of his history 136 00:06:57,350 --> 00:06:59,380 as well as his current mental state, 137 00:06:59,480 --> 00:07:02,280 they determined that he was competent to stand trial. 138 00:07:02,380 --> 00:07:04,790 Bryant: It's important not to confuse the idea 139 00:07:04,890 --> 00:07:06,820 of being competent to help 140 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:10,320 in your own trial and being insane, criminally insane -- 141 00:07:10,430 --> 00:07:11,560 very different. 142 00:07:11,660 --> 00:07:14,160 All you have to do to be competent to assist in your own 143 00:07:14,230 --> 00:07:15,730 defense is to understand 144 00:07:15,830 --> 00:07:18,870 the charges against you and be able to assist either yourself 145 00:07:18,970 --> 00:07:20,570 or your attorney in your defense. 146 00:07:20,670 --> 00:07:21,600 Good morning, your honor. 147 00:07:21,700 --> 00:07:24,000 Jane Anderson with Gary Winston on 148 00:07:24,110 --> 00:07:26,110 behalf of the state of Florida. 149 00:07:26,210 --> 00:07:28,740 Kendle's pretrial hearing begins in April 150 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:31,850 of 2014, two years after the murder. 151 00:07:40,420 --> 00:07:43,420 In the courtroom are the family members of 152 00:07:43,530 --> 00:07:48,090 the two victims in this case, specifically Donald byrd, 153 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:50,830 who is kijuan's father, is in the audience, 154 00:07:50,930 --> 00:07:53,100 along with several family members. 155 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:55,900 Kendle's lawyer, Carlos Gonzalez, argues that 156 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:57,540 due to his client's behavior, 157 00:07:57,640 --> 00:07:59,810 he should be kept under observation at a mental 158 00:07:59,910 --> 00:08:02,240 hospital rather than behind bars. 159 00:08:02,340 --> 00:08:07,010 When Mr. Byrd hears the defense talking about 160 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:10,120 the mental health of the defendant, 161 00:08:10,220 --> 00:08:12,250 he becomes outraged. 162 00:08:14,660 --> 00:08:16,420 My son is -- he needs to go to prison! 163 00:08:16,530 --> 00:08:18,660 He don't need to be laying in no mental hospital. 164 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:21,930 He need to -- he need to go to prison, man! 165 00:08:22,030 --> 00:08:26,730 It's heart-wrenching to listen to Donald byrd as he sits there 166 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:28,540 yelling at this defendant, 167 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:32,010 talking about the fact that at the time he shot him dead, 168 00:08:32,110 --> 00:08:33,670 he didn't have the mental illness 169 00:08:33,780 --> 00:08:35,280 that he's talking about now. 170 00:08:35,380 --> 00:08:37,640 He needs -- he needs to go to prison, man! 171 00:08:37,750 --> 00:08:39,250 He gonna play crazy! 172 00:08:39,350 --> 00:08:42,920 He went crazy when he killed my -- murdered my son, man. 173 00:08:43,020 --> 00:08:45,350 He wasn't crazy then, but he crazy now! 174 00:08:45,450 --> 00:08:48,220 As this father gets more and more angry, 175 00:08:48,290 --> 00:08:50,260 he's getting louder and louder, 176 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:52,530 and the bailiffs sense, you know, this could be ugly. 177 00:08:52,630 --> 00:08:54,060 All of a sudden, you crazy now?! 178 00:08:54,160 --> 00:08:56,230 You wanna lay in a mental hospital? 179 00:08:56,330 --> 00:08:59,170 You murdered my son, man, for nothing?! 180 00:08:59,270 --> 00:09:01,370 When he was trying to get away from you?! 181 00:09:01,470 --> 00:09:03,470 You -- you -- he was trying to get away 182 00:09:03,570 --> 00:09:05,910 from you, man, and you kept shooting him 183 00:09:06,010 --> 00:09:07,370 while his back was under the truck! 184 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:09,210 You kept shooting him, man. 185 00:09:09,310 --> 00:09:11,650 You kept shooting him in his back! 186 00:09:11,750 --> 00:09:13,980 His back was turned to you, man! 187 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:16,720 Bryant: If they can't calm down this grieving father, 188 00:09:16,820 --> 00:09:18,690 you have to get him out of the courtroom. 189 00:09:18,790 --> 00:09:21,220 And they do -- they slowly back him out 190 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:23,360 so that this proceeding can move forward. 191 00:09:23,460 --> 00:09:24,620 He was trying to get away from you, 192 00:09:24,690 --> 00:09:26,630 and murdered him, man, like that! 193 00:09:26,730 --> 00:09:28,530 You murdered him, man, like that! 194 00:09:28,630 --> 00:09:30,400 Why you do it like that, man?! 195 00:09:30,500 --> 00:09:33,470 And you want to play crazy, man?! 196 00:09:33,540 --> 00:09:35,340 It was his daughter and my nieces 197 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:37,270 that helped him out of the courtroom. 198 00:09:37,370 --> 00:09:40,940 This has been very hard for me, through the trial, 199 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:42,480 even this interview, 200 00:09:42,580 --> 00:09:45,750 I have to relive the story over and over again. 201 00:09:45,810 --> 00:09:48,750 But I felt the pain. I felt the pain. 202 00:09:48,850 --> 00:09:52,050 I felt hurt. I felt angry. 203 00:09:53,820 --> 00:09:57,690 Kendle is ultimately found competent to stand trial. 204 00:09:57,790 --> 00:10:00,260 Rendelman: The irony is that after he's found competent, 205 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:04,060 he makes a decision, which many attorneys would think is 206 00:10:04,170 --> 00:10:05,870 kind of a crazy decision. 207 00:10:05,970 --> 00:10:09,500 Um, the next issue, your honor, is the charge adjudicated, 208 00:10:09,610 --> 00:10:10,500 and competent, 209 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:15,510 judge: Sir? 210 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:22,250 Judge: Okay. You want to, 211 00:10:22,350 --> 00:10:24,480 represent yourself for the purpose of the trial? 212 00:10:24,590 --> 00:10:29,290 Usually, characters like Mr. Kendle feel that they are 213 00:10:29,390 --> 00:10:31,460 the smartest people in the room 214 00:10:31,560 --> 00:10:34,960 and they feel like they know everything. 215 00:10:35,060 --> 00:10:38,600 It's incredible that kendle, in his defense, goes from 216 00:10:38,700 --> 00:10:42,900 claiming he's potentially incompetent to stand trial to 217 00:10:42,970 --> 00:10:44,940 representing himself. 218 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:49,180 The presiding judge in the case advised the defendant 219 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:52,310 multiple times that representing himself 220 00:10:52,410 --> 00:10:54,250 was a very bad idea. 221 00:10:54,350 --> 00:10:57,080 Will you understand that you will not get any special 222 00:10:57,190 --> 00:10:59,150 treatment from the court just because you are 223 00:10:59,250 --> 00:11:00,520 representing yourself? 224 00:11:00,620 --> 00:11:02,390 You will be required to abide by 225 00:11:02,490 --> 00:11:05,330 the rules of criminal law and criminal rules of procedure. 226 00:11:05,430 --> 00:11:07,690 -Do you understand? -Yes, ma'am. 227 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:11,160 But kendle is adamant, and the judge ultimately rules 228 00:11:11,270 --> 00:11:14,670 that he will be allowed to represent himself at trial. 229 00:11:14,770 --> 00:11:16,170 Have a seat. 230 00:11:16,270 --> 00:11:19,440 Kendle's murder trial for the shootings 231 00:11:19,540 --> 00:11:22,310 of smathers and byrd begins in 2015. 232 00:11:22,410 --> 00:11:25,080 Mr. Kendle's defense evidence was pretty thin here. 233 00:11:25,180 --> 00:11:27,950 You know, he basically cross-examined the prosecution 234 00:11:28,050 --> 00:11:29,850 witnesses but didn't have much more 235 00:11:29,950 --> 00:11:31,250 to support his defense that, 236 00:11:31,350 --> 00:11:34,650 as he said, he felt he was forced to defend himself 237 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:36,920 in that parking lot. 238 00:11:37,030 --> 00:11:39,860 That account is turned upside down by the testimony 239 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:41,190 of a star witness, 240 00:11:41,300 --> 00:11:45,370 kendle's surviving victim, Michael smathers. 241 00:11:45,470 --> 00:11:48,540 The most powerful moment in the trial, and one that will 242 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:51,240 always sit with me for the rest of my life, 243 00:11:51,340 --> 00:11:55,040 was bringing in Michael smathers on a hospital bed 244 00:11:55,140 --> 00:11:57,510 to testify and share his story with the jury. 245 00:11:57,610 --> 00:12:00,610 What did you say in response when you saw his gun? 246 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:01,720 Don't shoot. 247 00:12:05,050 --> 00:12:07,050 Michael smathers, in his testimony, 248 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:08,890 completely contradicts 249 00:12:08,990 --> 00:12:12,290 the story of the events that the defendant 250 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:13,460 presented to police. 251 00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:17,430 He made it very clear that he was sitting in his truck. 252 00:12:17,530 --> 00:12:20,070 He was confronted by kendle at gunpoint. 253 00:12:20,170 --> 00:12:22,340 He raises his hands and is like, you know, 254 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:24,870 what's the problem, you know, why are you doing this? 255 00:12:24,970 --> 00:12:27,370 And kendle opens fire on him, 256 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:31,240 paralyzing him right there where he was seated. 257 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:37,850 In my experience as a homicide prosecutor, 258 00:12:37,950 --> 00:12:41,490 we've seen individuals shoot and kill someone 259 00:12:41,590 --> 00:12:43,320 because they didn't like the way they looked at them. 260 00:12:43,430 --> 00:12:46,560 So we'll never really know exactly what went down 261 00:12:46,660 --> 00:12:49,060 that triggered lukace kendle on this day. 262 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:50,800 Ultimately, the jury believes 263 00:12:50,900 --> 00:12:52,870 Michael smathers' version of events. 264 00:12:54,500 --> 00:12:56,970 Lukace kendle is found guilty of second-degree 265 00:12:57,070 --> 00:12:59,940 murder with a firearm and attempted murder. 266 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:02,140 He is sentenced to life in prison. 267 00:13:04,010 --> 00:13:05,650 Arlene: Had they did a background check, 268 00:13:05,750 --> 00:13:08,250 my son would be here today. 269 00:13:08,350 --> 00:13:10,650 I spoke to the mayor of dade county. 270 00:13:10,750 --> 00:13:13,720 They honored my son with a resolution stating 271 00:13:13,820 --> 00:13:15,190 that all candidates 272 00:13:15,290 --> 00:13:19,960 for a security guard must have a background check 273 00:13:20,060 --> 00:13:22,600 and a mental evaluation. 274 00:13:22,700 --> 00:13:25,500 I will continue to fight 275 00:13:25,600 --> 00:13:28,670 for gun laws to be changed because 276 00:13:28,770 --> 00:13:31,500 I know I'm doin' somethin' good for others. 277 00:13:31,610 --> 00:13:34,110 And I'm also honoring my son. 278 00:13:34,210 --> 00:13:36,010 Man, he was trying to get away from you! 279 00:13:36,110 --> 00:13:38,180 And you murdered a man like that! 280 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:41,050 You murdered a man like that! 281 00:13:41,150 --> 00:13:42,720 Coming up, 282 00:13:42,820 --> 00:13:45,290 a disabled defendant wreaks havoc in the courtroom. 283 00:13:45,390 --> 00:13:48,350 You can see that the frustration is building. 284 00:13:51,490 --> 00:13:52,690 And later, 285 00:13:52,790 --> 00:13:55,030 David Copperfield wishes he could disappear. 286 00:13:55,130 --> 00:13:56,860 I can't answer that as a yes or no question. 287 00:14:09,140 --> 00:14:11,640 Woman: On the docket, people versus Jeremy schuh. 288 00:14:11,750 --> 00:14:14,880 39-year-old Jeremy schuh requires a wheelchair 289 00:14:14,980 --> 00:14:16,250 to get around. 290 00:14:16,350 --> 00:14:18,690 A series of strokes has left him with limited use of 291 00:14:18,790 --> 00:14:20,050 his arms and legs, 292 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:24,260 but he still must face a judge for prior crimes committed. 293 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:27,130 He's in court for a pretrial hearing on charges of 294 00:14:27,230 --> 00:14:28,190 home invasion, 295 00:14:28,300 --> 00:14:30,730 criminal possession of a controlled substance, 296 00:14:30,830 --> 00:14:33,300 and a string of theft and vehicle break-ins. 297 00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:35,340 How would you like US to proceed? 298 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:36,700 Judge: Proceed with a motion. 299 00:14:36,810 --> 00:14:41,140 Jeremy schuh is trying to kick the judge off the case, 300 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:43,410 a motion to recuse the judge 301 00:14:43,510 --> 00:14:45,910 who he thinks has treated him badly in the past. 302 00:14:46,010 --> 00:14:48,650 That normally happens when a defense attorney can make 303 00:14:48,750 --> 00:14:49,880 the argument that 304 00:14:49,990 --> 00:14:53,820 a judge has some type of inherent bias based on 305 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:55,290 interaction with the defendant 306 00:14:55,390 --> 00:14:57,660 on a prior occasion. 307 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,590 Schuh's defense attorney, Walter white, 308 00:15:00,700 --> 00:15:03,530 wants judge David swartz kicked off the case. 309 00:15:16,340 --> 00:15:18,580 Judges are faced with all kinds of personalities, 310 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:19,810 all kinds of defendants, 311 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:23,150 and in this situation, this judge was faced with a man 312 00:15:23,250 --> 00:15:24,350 who doesn't like him, 313 00:15:24,450 --> 00:15:27,450 who talks back at him, wants a different judge. 314 00:15:36,630 --> 00:15:39,900 Not surprisingly, the judge rules against him. 315 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:41,700 He is not going to remove himself 316 00:15:41,800 --> 00:15:42,900 from this defendant's case. 317 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:44,770 The judge is staying. 318 00:15:44,870 --> 00:15:46,770 Dorsey: When that didn't work, the attorney didn't want 319 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:49,080 to be accused of ineffective assistance of counsel, 320 00:15:49,180 --> 00:15:50,080 and he went on to say, 321 00:15:50,180 --> 00:15:51,680 I want out of here, too, judge. 322 00:16:01,990 --> 00:16:05,160 He finds Mr. Schuh to be uncooperative, 323 00:16:05,260 --> 00:16:09,030 and he's not able to effectively represent him. 324 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:16,900 And because all of these things are being denied, 325 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,570 you can see that the frustration is building. 326 00:16:38,530 --> 00:16:39,690 This is not unusual. 327 00:16:39,790 --> 00:16:42,760 Happens a lot with defendants who believe that, you know, 328 00:16:42,860 --> 00:16:44,400 a few months at the prison library 329 00:16:44,500 --> 00:16:45,770 turns them into Perry Mason, 330 00:16:45,870 --> 00:16:48,130 they can handle the case better than anybody else. 331 00:16:57,610 --> 00:17:00,080 What the court does here is says to the attorney, 332 00:17:00,180 --> 00:17:01,310 "if you need to step in, 333 00:17:01,420 --> 00:17:03,780 "if you need to advise, you're there to do it, 334 00:17:03,890 --> 00:17:05,790 you're there to protect the defendant's rights." 335 00:17:13,660 --> 00:17:18,900 When Jeremy schuh hears that, he is instantly angry -- why? 336 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:21,200 Because now he has to represent himself, 337 00:17:21,300 --> 00:17:24,140 and the judge is not gonna give him the time he thinks 338 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:28,010 he deserves and needs to get prepared for his trial. 339 00:17:34,250 --> 00:17:35,780 Dorsey: He's just not gonna cooperate, 340 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:37,050 and he's not gonna be quiet, 341 00:17:37,150 --> 00:17:39,850 and so just before he's completely removed from 342 00:17:39,950 --> 00:17:41,290 the courtroom, he kinda 343 00:17:41,390 --> 00:17:44,060 is able to get the strength from somewhere... 344 00:17:50,630 --> 00:17:52,530 He flips over the defense table. 345 00:17:58,110 --> 00:18:00,670 Everyone was taken aback to see him bolt up like 346 00:18:00,780 --> 00:18:04,580 a Jack-in-the-box and then have the strength to overturn 347 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:09,150 a significantly-sized table -- strength comes 348 00:18:09,250 --> 00:18:11,020 from places that you can't imagine. 349 00:18:11,120 --> 00:18:12,890 This is not something you would expect from 350 00:18:12,990 --> 00:18:16,590 a guy that comes in feebly sitting in a wheelchair. 351 00:18:16,690 --> 00:18:18,490 It's superhuman. 352 00:18:18,590 --> 00:18:22,600 In most courtrooms, the tables are actually nailed down, 353 00:18:22,700 --> 00:18:25,260 and the reason they're nailed down is to prevent something 354 00:18:25,370 --> 00:18:27,070 like this from happening. 355 00:18:29,740 --> 00:18:32,140 Bove: Even though a defendant like this comes in 356 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:34,940 in a wheelchair, you can never let your guard down. 357 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:36,810 Fortunately, nobody was hurt in 358 00:18:36,910 --> 00:18:40,380 the incident except for a microphone. 359 00:18:40,450 --> 00:18:42,820 But let me tell you, as a judge in that 360 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:44,120 particular situation, 361 00:18:44,220 --> 00:18:46,950 I would find him in contempt of court. 362 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:52,560 Judge David swartz does hold Jeremy schuh 363 00:18:52,660 --> 00:18:55,530 in contempt of court on a $50,000 bond. 364 00:18:55,630 --> 00:18:57,400 Dawson: I understand he had strokes. 365 00:18:57,500 --> 00:18:59,870 He's in a wheelchair, but you cannot conduct yourself 366 00:18:59,970 --> 00:19:01,800 that way in a courtroom. 367 00:19:11,580 --> 00:19:13,510 In San Diego, California, 368 00:19:13,620 --> 00:19:15,620 60-year-old Regina Johnson has been 369 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:18,950 convicted of a horrific crime and is about to receive 370 00:19:19,050 --> 00:19:20,090 her sentence. 371 00:19:20,190 --> 00:19:22,860 Regina Johnson is accused of killing her husband 372 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:24,860 and her 14-year-old daughter. 373 00:19:24,930 --> 00:19:28,430 But Johnson continues to insist she's innocent. 374 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:38,300 Judge, how can you say that? 375 00:19:38,410 --> 00:19:40,640 -They never proved anything. -Judge: Mrs. Johnson... 376 00:19:40,740 --> 00:19:43,840 Nobody ever said -- they never even had a motive. 377 00:19:43,950 --> 00:19:46,280 Why? What? How can you sit there 378 00:19:46,380 --> 00:19:48,850 and say that I killed my daughter? 379 00:19:48,950 --> 00:19:52,820 How? You have no -- how can you say 380 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:56,560 the things that you're saying? 381 00:19:56,660 --> 00:19:59,660 Five years earlier, in the spring of 2012, 382 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:02,430 it seemed like Regina Johnson had it all, 383 00:20:02,530 --> 00:20:05,360 including a solid job in financial services. 384 00:20:05,470 --> 00:20:08,470 Her husband, Reuben, and daughter Aaliyah, 385 00:20:08,570 --> 00:20:09,900 were the center of her world. 386 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:14,210 Reuben is former Navy and now works in the security industry. 387 00:20:14,310 --> 00:20:15,580 Aaliyah was very popular. 388 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:17,980 She was a cheerleader at a local high school. 389 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:19,250 The whole family lives in a very 390 00:20:19,350 --> 00:20:22,920 nice condo in a San Diego suburb. 391 00:20:23,020 --> 00:20:25,120 But somewhere along the way, 392 00:20:25,220 --> 00:20:28,050 things started to turn dark behind closed doors. 393 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:33,130 On June 2, 2012, Regina calls her sister-in-law in a panic. 394 00:20:33,230 --> 00:20:35,090 Regina called to tell them that Reuben 395 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:37,230 and Aaliyah were dead. 396 00:20:37,330 --> 00:20:39,830 After an investigation, 397 00:20:39,930 --> 00:20:43,270 Regina Johnson is arrested and charged with both murders, 398 00:20:43,340 --> 00:20:46,210 but she insists it's a terrible mistake. 399 00:20:47,580 --> 00:20:51,280 When her trial begins September 18, 2017, 400 00:20:51,350 --> 00:20:54,410 she admits to the jury that she killed her husband, Reuben, 401 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:56,280 in self defense, 402 00:20:56,380 --> 00:20:59,190 but only after he killed their daughter, Aaliyah. 403 00:20:59,290 --> 00:21:00,920 I didn't kill my daughter. 404 00:21:01,020 --> 00:21:04,220 Whitmore: Johnson testified in court that there was 405 00:21:04,330 --> 00:21:06,590 an altercation between she and her husband, 406 00:21:06,690 --> 00:21:10,160 at which time their 14-year-old daughter stepped in between 407 00:21:10,270 --> 00:21:12,200 the husband and Johnson. 408 00:21:12,300 --> 00:21:15,670 Johnson reports that the husband then 409 00:21:15,770 --> 00:21:17,540 shot the 14-year-old daughter. 410 00:21:18,910 --> 00:21:21,540 He killed my daughter. 411 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:25,880 That was his daughter, too, but he killed her. 412 00:21:25,980 --> 00:21:28,450 I lost her. I lost everything. 413 00:21:31,390 --> 00:21:33,890 He shoots and strikes the daughter, 414 00:21:33,990 --> 00:21:36,090 and then he sets the handgun down, 415 00:21:36,190 --> 00:21:37,620 according to Regina. 416 00:21:37,730 --> 00:21:40,090 Johnson: When he put that gun down, and I picked it up, 417 00:21:40,190 --> 00:21:42,330 I mean, I panicked, 418 00:21:42,430 --> 00:21:44,860 and I was afraid, and I thought, if I don't 419 00:21:44,970 --> 00:21:46,770 pick this gun up 420 00:21:46,870 --> 00:21:50,870 right now, he might try to kill me, 421 00:21:50,970 --> 00:21:53,370 so I picked it up, and I k-- 422 00:21:53,470 --> 00:21:54,670 I shot him. 423 00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:58,880 But the prosecution argues that what really 424 00:21:58,980 --> 00:22:03,320 happened on may 29, 2012, is very different. 425 00:22:03,420 --> 00:22:06,420 Mental health evaluations reveal Regina's been 426 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:08,820 taking medication for severe depression 427 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:11,560 since losing her job a year earlier. 428 00:22:11,660 --> 00:22:14,590 First, there was evidence that Johnson had been 429 00:22:14,700 --> 00:22:18,030 struggling with depression and paranoia 430 00:22:18,130 --> 00:22:19,830 shortly before the shooting. 431 00:22:19,930 --> 00:22:23,940 She had also been incredibly angry and jealous 432 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:25,640 because she believed Reuben, 433 00:22:25,740 --> 00:22:28,610 her husband, had been cheating on her. 434 00:22:28,710 --> 00:22:30,310 Whether Reuben's cheating was 435 00:22:30,410 --> 00:22:32,410 real or imagined, is jealousy 436 00:22:32,510 --> 00:22:34,480 what led Regina to shoot her husband? 437 00:22:34,580 --> 00:22:38,450 If I was angry at Reuben, and I wanted to shoot him because of 438 00:22:38,550 --> 00:22:39,850 the affairs he was having, 439 00:22:39,950 --> 00:22:41,820 I would have shot Reuben a long time ago. 440 00:22:50,370 --> 00:22:53,430 Regina Johnson is on trial in San Diego, California, 441 00:22:53,530 --> 00:22:56,040 for killing her husband and her teenage daughter. 442 00:22:58,510 --> 00:23:01,940 Rendelman: While Johnson claimed that she had killed her husband 443 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:05,980 in self defense and had not shot her daughter, 444 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:08,450 the evidence presented at trial 445 00:23:08,550 --> 00:23:10,680 did not support her story. 446 00:23:10,790 --> 00:23:13,190 Whitmore: Investigators found through different pieces of 447 00:23:13,290 --> 00:23:15,250 evidence that the daughter 448 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:19,130 was actually shot even before the husband arrived home. 449 00:23:19,230 --> 00:23:21,530 Aaliyah wasn't yet dressed for school, 450 00:23:21,630 --> 00:23:24,330 and the autopsy proved she hadn't eaten breakfast. 451 00:23:24,430 --> 00:23:27,200 Reuben's cellphone data reveals that he was still at 452 00:23:27,300 --> 00:23:29,940 a doctor's appointment when his daughter was killed, 453 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:31,570 execution-style. 454 00:23:31,670 --> 00:23:34,310 Her mother shot her in the back of the head, 455 00:23:34,410 --> 00:23:37,540 killing her instantly. 456 00:23:37,650 --> 00:23:40,210 She was 14 years old. 457 00:23:40,310 --> 00:23:42,080 The prosecution alleges that 458 00:23:42,180 --> 00:23:43,450 after shooting her daughter, 459 00:23:43,550 --> 00:23:47,220 Regina then waits several hours for her husband to come home, 460 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:50,390 and when he walks in, she ambushes him, 461 00:23:50,490 --> 00:23:52,560 then shoots and kills him, too. 462 00:23:52,660 --> 00:23:54,230 Then you have the fingerprints. 463 00:23:54,330 --> 00:23:56,700 The only fingerprints all over the weapon -- 464 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,270 they're Ms. Johnson's fingerprints, and then just 465 00:23:59,370 --> 00:24:02,970 the trajectory of the bullets in the home shows that 466 00:24:03,070 --> 00:24:05,570 it wasn't the husband that did the killing, 467 00:24:05,670 --> 00:24:08,070 that Ms. Johnson actually did it. 468 00:24:08,180 --> 00:24:10,310 In one of the most shocking revelations 469 00:24:10,410 --> 00:24:11,440 at the trial, 470 00:24:11,550 --> 00:24:14,280 the prosecution says that Regina told investigators 471 00:24:14,380 --> 00:24:15,780 she covered her daughter's body 472 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:18,820 with a blanket and lay next to it for days. 473 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:23,190 Aaliyah -- she was the love of my life. 474 00:24:23,290 --> 00:24:26,860 In fact, not only -- not only was she the love of my life, 475 00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:28,630 Aaliyah was my life. 476 00:24:28,730 --> 00:24:32,530 It was just the two of US, like this. 477 00:24:32,630 --> 00:24:35,030 There's something incredibly sad when 478 00:24:35,140 --> 00:24:37,270 we listen to Ms. Johnson talking. 479 00:24:37,370 --> 00:24:39,570 I don't think there's any question that anyone 480 00:24:39,670 --> 00:24:41,670 watching believed 481 00:24:41,780 --> 00:24:46,950 that Ms. Johnson loved her child and cherished her child. 482 00:24:47,050 --> 00:24:49,720 The condition of the body reveals that Regina called 483 00:24:49,820 --> 00:24:53,120 her sister-in-law three days after shooting her daughter. 484 00:24:53,220 --> 00:24:56,020 If the husband actually killed the daughter, 485 00:24:56,120 --> 00:24:58,620 she would have called the police immediately. 486 00:24:58,730 --> 00:25:01,360 When police arrive at the home, 487 00:25:01,460 --> 00:25:04,100 they find a hand written message in the bathroom. 488 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:08,700 She allegedly scrawled on a mirror in the bathroom 489 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:10,600 in lipstick to the doctor, 490 00:25:10,710 --> 00:25:12,710 you knew better. It's your fault. 491 00:25:12,810 --> 00:25:14,870 You should have never prescribed this medication, 492 00:25:14,980 --> 00:25:16,240 so, I mean, it sounds like 493 00:25:16,340 --> 00:25:17,980 she's already creating a defense, right? 494 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:21,080 She's blaming everybody but herself for this. 495 00:25:21,180 --> 00:25:25,520 After a 15-day trial, on October 3, 2017, 496 00:25:25,620 --> 00:25:27,450 the verdict comes in. 497 00:25:28,990 --> 00:25:31,490 Regina Johnson is convicted of two counts of 498 00:25:31,590 --> 00:25:33,990 second-degree murder for killing her husband 499 00:25:34,100 --> 00:25:35,790 and her teenage daughter. 500 00:25:35,900 --> 00:25:38,360 The facts are terrible. 501 00:25:38,470 --> 00:25:42,370 There was only one place Regina Johnson was going to go, 502 00:25:42,470 --> 00:25:44,640 and that was prison. 503 00:25:44,740 --> 00:25:46,110 Just over a month later, 504 00:25:46,210 --> 00:25:50,140 Johnson appears before judge Joan weber for her sentencing. 505 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,480 She reads a letter to her daughter. 506 00:25:52,580 --> 00:25:56,950 Aaliyah, mommy has been trying to figure out why am I here. 507 00:25:57,050 --> 00:26:00,950 Aaliyah, you know how much your mommy loved you. 508 00:26:01,060 --> 00:26:04,920 I should have protected you on that day 509 00:26:05,030 --> 00:26:08,830 when your dad took you away from me, I snapped. 510 00:26:08,930 --> 00:26:11,160 I took his life. 511 00:26:11,270 --> 00:26:15,000 Often a judge is looking for someone to express remorse 512 00:26:15,100 --> 00:26:16,670 and regret for 513 00:26:16,770 --> 00:26:20,170 the crimes they have committed after they've been convicted by 514 00:26:20,270 --> 00:26:22,840 a jury of their peers -- Ms. Johnson did not do that. 515 00:26:22,940 --> 00:26:27,010 What Ms. Johnson did was express the love she had 516 00:26:27,110 --> 00:26:31,280 for her child and continue to claim her innocence. 517 00:26:32,490 --> 00:26:34,220 After the closing argument, 518 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:36,890 judge weber delivers her sentence. 519 00:26:45,630 --> 00:26:47,300 How can you say the things 520 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:49,370 that you're saying? Because I wrote 521 00:26:49,470 --> 00:26:51,440 on the wall, I wrote on the mirror, 522 00:26:51,540 --> 00:26:52,840 this is all your fault? 523 00:26:52,940 --> 00:26:55,170 I didn't confess to killing anybody. 524 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:58,340 Despite Johnson's tearful arguments, 525 00:26:58,450 --> 00:27:01,680 judge weber sentences her to 80 years in prison. 526 00:27:01,780 --> 00:27:04,120 Judge, you are not a fair judge. 527 00:27:04,220 --> 00:27:08,720 Mercy: She says that the judge was being unfair. 528 00:27:08,820 --> 00:27:11,360 How can you even sit there and say the evidence? 529 00:27:11,460 --> 00:27:14,490 -What evidence? -Unfair. 530 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:17,900 After murdering her child. 531 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,400 But she's not fair. What kind of judge is that? 532 00:27:20,500 --> 00:27:23,140 Dorsey: And again, she fails to take 533 00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:24,970 responsibility for her actions, 534 00:27:25,070 --> 00:27:27,170 but clearly 535 00:27:27,270 --> 00:27:30,410 Regina was placing blame everywhere except 536 00:27:30,510 --> 00:27:32,750 for where it squarely should land, 537 00:27:32,850 --> 00:27:33,910 and that's on her. 538 00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:38,880 I have no respect for you as a judge now. 539 00:27:38,990 --> 00:27:40,890 Mercy: She was being dramatic there, 540 00:27:40,990 --> 00:27:43,020 and she was being dramatic in court. 541 00:27:43,120 --> 00:27:45,690 Now she could be dramatic in prison. 542 00:27:57,740 --> 00:28:00,740 World-renowned magician, David Copperfield, 543 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:03,610 known for getting himself out of tight spots, 544 00:28:03,710 --> 00:28:08,380 finds himself trapped not in a chained-up box but inside 545 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:10,150 a Las Vegas courtroom. 546 00:28:20,460 --> 00:28:22,160 When you think of David Copperfield, you think 547 00:28:22,260 --> 00:28:24,130 of Vegas, you think of the magic, 548 00:28:24,230 --> 00:28:26,370 you think of the glitz, you think of the glam. 549 00:28:26,470 --> 00:28:28,300 What you don't think about is 550 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:32,000 having this great magician in a courtroom. 551 00:28:33,370 --> 00:28:36,180 David Copperfield is being sued civilly. 552 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:37,640 This is not a criminal matter. 553 00:28:37,750 --> 00:28:40,550 He's not -- he's not going to jail for being a bad magician, 554 00:28:40,650 --> 00:28:42,920 you know, felony bad magician. It's not a thing. 555 00:28:43,020 --> 00:28:46,590 He is being sued for negligence. 556 00:28:46,690 --> 00:28:49,560 Copperfield, along with the mgm grand, 557 00:28:49,660 --> 00:28:51,690 is being sued by Gavin Cox, 558 00:28:51,790 --> 00:28:54,390 who claims he was seriously injured during one of 559 00:28:54,500 --> 00:28:55,790 Copperfield's shows. 560 00:28:55,900 --> 00:28:59,400 Whitmore: This 58-year-old man is visiting from Kent, england, 561 00:28:59,500 --> 00:29:00,770 to Las Vegas, 562 00:29:00,870 --> 00:29:05,270 and he is a audience member in the David Copperfield 563 00:29:05,370 --> 00:29:06,810 magic show. 564 00:29:06,910 --> 00:29:08,210 During the performance, 565 00:29:08,310 --> 00:29:11,040 Gavin Cox is selected to participate in one of 566 00:29:11,150 --> 00:29:15,850 Copperfield's most famous tricks, the lucky 13. 567 00:29:15,950 --> 00:29:17,920 They take 13 people from the audience, 568 00:29:18,020 --> 00:29:20,520 and they put them in this cube, 569 00:29:20,620 --> 00:29:24,220 and then David Copperfield, like, covers the cube up 570 00:29:24,330 --> 00:29:26,230 with, like, this big old drape. 571 00:29:26,330 --> 00:29:28,590 And then he walks around the cube, 572 00:29:28,700 --> 00:29:31,760 showing that there's nothing connected to the cube. 573 00:29:31,870 --> 00:29:35,170 And the trick is they are going to disappear. 574 00:29:35,270 --> 00:29:37,700 The participants then magically reappear 575 00:29:37,810 --> 00:29:40,070 at the back of the audience. 576 00:29:40,170 --> 00:29:42,070 Bravo! Bravo! It's a miracle. 577 00:29:42,180 --> 00:29:44,010 That's the way it's supposed to work. 578 00:29:44,110 --> 00:29:45,780 But the miracle, of course, 579 00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:47,310 is just an illusion, 580 00:29:47,410 --> 00:29:50,080 and in order to defend himself against Cox, 581 00:29:50,180 --> 00:29:52,890 Copperfield will be forced to break the golden rule. 582 00:29:52,990 --> 00:29:56,050 A magician never shares his tricks, 583 00:29:56,160 --> 00:29:58,560 unless there's a subpoena. 584 00:29:58,660 --> 00:30:00,490 -David! David! -That's very valuable. 585 00:30:05,770 --> 00:30:08,270 World-famous magician David Copperfield 586 00:30:08,370 --> 00:30:12,040 is being sued by 58-year-old Gavin Cox for injuries 587 00:30:12,140 --> 00:30:15,140 he claims he sustained during one of Copperfield's tricks, 588 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:17,080 the lucky 13. 589 00:30:17,180 --> 00:30:18,440 Dorsey: During the court trial, 590 00:30:18,550 --> 00:30:21,780 David Copperfield was certainly sorry that, you know, 591 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,880 anyone would have been injured in the midst of his trick. 592 00:30:24,990 --> 00:30:26,850 Woman: If somebody participated in the 13 illusion, 593 00:30:26,990 --> 00:30:27,890 and they were injured, 594 00:30:27,990 --> 00:30:30,860 it's their fault, not yours, yes or no? 595 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:32,620 I can't answer that as a yes or no question. 596 00:30:32,690 --> 00:30:35,730 It would depend on if we did anything wrong. 597 00:30:35,830 --> 00:30:38,400 But Cox's lawyer, Benedict morelli, 598 00:30:38,500 --> 00:30:40,930 isn't letting Copperfield off the hook. 599 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:43,540 We're not gonna get along if you keep doin' this, okay? 600 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:44,600 I'm just tryin' to tell the truth. 601 00:30:44,710 --> 00:30:45,770 Next question. 602 00:30:45,870 --> 00:30:48,110 Copperfield really would rather disappear right now. 603 00:30:48,210 --> 00:30:51,540 He'd rather be anywhere else, but that ain't the case. 604 00:30:51,650 --> 00:30:54,480 During the course of the trial, Copperfield's manager 605 00:30:54,580 --> 00:30:57,120 is forced to reveal how the trick works, 606 00:30:57,220 --> 00:31:00,720 exposing secrets any magician would hate the world to know. 607 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:06,990 Once the curtains close, Cox and the other 12 participants 608 00:31:07,090 --> 00:31:08,690 exit through a trap door 609 00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:12,360 and then are ushered through a series of hidden hallways. 610 00:31:12,470 --> 00:31:14,830 But there was no magic for Mr. Cox. 611 00:31:14,940 --> 00:31:18,200 Dorsey: Gavin Cox said that there was some construction dust 612 00:31:18,310 --> 00:31:19,670 on the floor, 613 00:31:19,770 --> 00:31:22,880 and that's what made him slip and fall, and in so doing, 614 00:31:22,980 --> 00:31:26,650 he sustained some significant injuries. 615 00:31:26,750 --> 00:31:29,880 Cox claims he suffered brain and other injuries 616 00:31:29,980 --> 00:31:33,090 to his shoulder that required hospitalization. 617 00:31:33,190 --> 00:31:35,520 Rendelman: So when Cox allegedly fell, 618 00:31:35,620 --> 00:31:39,160 he insisted that his medical bills amounted to 619 00:31:39,260 --> 00:31:42,330 about $400,000. 620 00:31:42,430 --> 00:31:44,860 Like the master escape artist he is, 621 00:31:44,970 --> 00:31:47,830 Copperfield won't be cornered into taking the blame. 622 00:31:47,940 --> 00:31:51,700 All I'm asking you for is answer my questions. 623 00:31:51,810 --> 00:31:53,240 -No speeches. -I'm trying to help. 624 00:31:53,340 --> 00:31:55,170 Okay? You're not helping. 625 00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:57,440 I'm trying to give a complete answer. 626 00:31:57,540 --> 00:31:59,040 Now it's up to the jury to 627 00:31:59,150 --> 00:32:03,180 decide who's liable for Gavin Cox's medical bills. 628 00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:06,550 Mgm grand 0%, 629 00:32:06,650 --> 00:32:09,250 David Copperfield, 0%, 630 00:32:09,390 --> 00:32:12,390 Gavin parks 100%. 631 00:32:12,490 --> 00:32:15,290 In an interesting twist, 632 00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:19,200 the jury came back finding David Copperfield, 633 00:32:19,300 --> 00:32:24,300 his company, and the resort had no liability, 634 00:32:24,410 --> 00:32:30,040 and that it was Cox that was 100% responsible for 635 00:32:30,140 --> 00:32:32,010 the injuries he incurred. 636 00:32:32,110 --> 00:32:34,510 Popovich: It appears to simply indicate what we had argued, 637 00:32:34,620 --> 00:32:36,780 which is this is an unfortunate accident. 638 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:38,880 We're sorry he got hurt on the property. 639 00:32:38,990 --> 00:32:41,590 Copperfield won the case, 640 00:32:41,690 --> 00:32:43,120 but he had to give up the secret to 641 00:32:43,220 --> 00:32:45,290 one of his most popular illusions. 642 00:32:45,390 --> 00:32:49,060 In some ways, it's kind of sad that we're able to know exactly 643 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:51,060 how this trick was performed, 644 00:32:51,170 --> 00:32:54,930 and to that end, David Copperfield no longer does it. 645 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:58,370 I think that David Copperfield did do magic to 646 00:32:58,470 --> 00:33:03,340 the jury because he made that liability just disappear. 647 00:33:10,780 --> 00:33:14,990 In Portland, Oregon, 26-year-old dequise hammick 648 00:33:15,090 --> 00:33:17,490 is embroiled in a contentious custody battle 649 00:33:17,590 --> 00:33:19,290 with her ex-boyfriend. 650 00:33:19,390 --> 00:33:22,630 Hammick sits in the jury box in plain view of her ex. 651 00:33:22,730 --> 00:33:25,300 Dequise hammick is, at the time, 652 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:28,070 homeless and is addicted to drugs, 653 00:33:28,170 --> 00:33:30,800 and in the courtroom is her ex, 654 00:33:30,900 --> 00:33:32,240 along with his attorney. 655 00:33:32,340 --> 00:33:34,440 Sitting in the back of the courtroom are 656 00:33:34,540 --> 00:33:35,640 their two young daughters, 657 00:33:35,740 --> 00:33:38,140 who are already living with foster parents. 658 00:33:38,250 --> 00:33:41,580 This courtroom appearance may determine their futures. 659 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:44,850 She is here listening to her ex 660 00:33:44,950 --> 00:33:47,350 talk about her child-raising abilities. 661 00:33:47,450 --> 00:33:50,960 Why? Because the court is examining whether or not 662 00:33:51,060 --> 00:33:53,260 this woman should have her kids 663 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,800 or should custody be ultimately removed and given to 664 00:33:56,900 --> 00:33:57,930 somebody else? 665 00:33:58,030 --> 00:34:00,170 Custody battles are some of the most contentious 666 00:34:00,270 --> 00:34:02,300 hearings that you will find in a courtroom. 667 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:05,440 Just the fact that you're fighting for custody of 668 00:34:05,540 --> 00:34:06,840 children heightens 669 00:34:06,940 --> 00:34:10,140 your emotions and causes the possibility 670 00:34:10,240 --> 00:34:11,740 for chaos in a courtroom. 671 00:34:11,850 --> 00:34:14,510 Dorsey: Her ex is speaking about her in 672 00:34:14,620 --> 00:34:17,280 a way to the judge that she finds offensive. 673 00:34:17,380 --> 00:34:20,650 She finds it probably a little bit humiliating. 674 00:34:23,190 --> 00:34:27,090 So dequise pops up, wanders kind of slowly but 675 00:34:27,190 --> 00:34:30,630 deliberately to the table where her ex is testifying, 676 00:34:30,730 --> 00:34:33,670 has a word with him, and then speaks with her right, 677 00:34:33,770 --> 00:34:34,870 I believe it is. 678 00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:38,600 She decks him. 679 00:34:42,180 --> 00:34:44,510 Her children actually had to be removed 680 00:34:44,610 --> 00:34:45,810 from the courtroom so 681 00:34:45,910 --> 00:34:49,510 they would not witness this behavior and be in harm's way. 682 00:34:49,620 --> 00:34:51,320 The frightened children are taken down 683 00:34:51,420 --> 00:34:53,620 the hallway and out of the courthouse, 684 00:34:54,990 --> 00:34:57,720 but dequise hammick is still in a rage. 685 00:34:57,830 --> 00:35:00,560 She's still out of control despite the fact 686 00:35:00,660 --> 00:35:03,060 that they're trying to get her under control. 687 00:35:10,340 --> 00:35:11,900 In a Portland courtroom, 688 00:35:12,010 --> 00:35:15,140 26-year-old dequise hammick has already 689 00:35:15,240 --> 00:35:19,380 punched her ex during a bitter custody hearing, 690 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:22,750 but she's still fighting mad. 691 00:35:22,850 --> 00:35:26,220 Bryant: They bring a deputy in to remove Ms. Hammick from 692 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:29,290 the courtroom, and he puts a cuff on her, 693 00:35:29,390 --> 00:35:33,160 gets her halfway through the door when she decides, hey... 694 00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:38,530 Why not punch him, too? 695 00:35:38,630 --> 00:35:41,200 Bove: She just turns around with her free hand 696 00:35:41,300 --> 00:35:43,540 and also hits him in the face. 697 00:35:45,610 --> 00:35:47,510 But the deputies are on it, 698 00:35:47,610 --> 00:35:51,840 and they did a excellent job at de-escalating the situation. 699 00:35:51,910 --> 00:35:55,050 Dorsey: Usually, when you have aggression in a courtroom, 700 00:35:55,150 --> 00:35:59,650 seldom, if ever, do we see women acting out violently. 701 00:35:59,750 --> 00:36:03,260 And so that's, I think, what caught everyone off guard. 702 00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:06,420 It takes two deputies to get her into handcuffs. 703 00:36:06,530 --> 00:36:08,590 Dorsey: If the goal is to get your children back, 704 00:36:08,700 --> 00:36:09,930 why would you, while in court, 705 00:36:10,030 --> 00:36:13,030 engage in a physical altercation with not only 706 00:36:13,130 --> 00:36:15,200 your ex and then engage in 707 00:36:15,300 --> 00:36:17,140 similar activity with the deputies? 708 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:19,840 It doesn't bode well if you really want the court 709 00:36:19,940 --> 00:36:21,240 to believe that somehow 710 00:36:21,340 --> 00:36:25,040 you are deserving and should be given your children back. 711 00:36:26,610 --> 00:36:30,220 Mercy: She had a long history of cocaine addiction, 712 00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:35,220 which probably contributed to her actions in court that day. 713 00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:37,220 The judge orders hammick removed from 714 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:40,160 the courtroom and continues the hearing without her. 715 00:36:40,230 --> 00:36:41,330 She was then placed in 716 00:36:41,430 --> 00:36:45,100 a wheelchair to remove her from the courtroom. 717 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:46,930 As she was being wheeled out, 718 00:36:47,030 --> 00:36:49,970 her behaviors, again, continued to escalate. 719 00:36:50,070 --> 00:36:52,340 Dawson: As she's being wheeled down the hall, 720 00:36:52,440 --> 00:36:54,910 she grabs for a deputy's belt, 721 00:36:55,010 --> 00:36:57,710 basically reaching for his gun area. 722 00:36:57,810 --> 00:37:01,810 So again, she's still out of control, despite the fact that 723 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:04,150 they're trying to get her under control, 724 00:37:04,250 --> 00:37:06,850 at least so the hearing can take place and they can 725 00:37:06,950 --> 00:37:08,050 move forward. 726 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:10,490 Order is finally restored, 727 00:37:10,590 --> 00:37:13,360 and fortunately, no one is injured. 728 00:37:13,460 --> 00:37:15,230 At the end of the day, I feel that 729 00:37:15,330 --> 00:37:18,430 Ms. Hammick felt she had nothing more to lose, 730 00:37:18,530 --> 00:37:21,530 and she was going to lose her children. 731 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:24,240 Hammick is charged with assaulting a public safety 732 00:37:24,340 --> 00:37:28,410 officer and sentenced to 364 days behind bars. 733 00:37:28,510 --> 00:37:31,840 After serving her time, she makes another 734 00:37:31,950 --> 00:37:32,910 court appearance. 735 00:37:33,010 --> 00:37:36,150 Now sober, she apologizes to the court. 736 00:37:54,170 --> 00:37:56,070 She had been on drugs, she said at the time, 737 00:37:56,170 --> 00:37:57,600 was using cocaine that day, 738 00:37:57,700 --> 00:38:00,670 and now she's, you know, cleaned up her act, literally, 739 00:38:00,770 --> 00:38:04,080 and so I think it did come off as sincere. 740 00:38:04,180 --> 00:38:05,980 The apology was truly heartfelt. 741 00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:08,910 Hammick is no longer incarcerated 742 00:38:09,020 --> 00:38:10,820 and still hopes to one day 743 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:13,350 regain custody of her children. 744 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:25,460 18-year-old Avery white appears before 745 00:38:25,570 --> 00:38:28,400 judge Michael cicconetti in painesville, Ohio. 746 00:38:28,500 --> 00:38:30,870 He's accused of painting graffiti on the caboose 747 00:38:30,970 --> 00:38:33,940 of a train owned by the grand river railway. 748 00:38:34,040 --> 00:38:36,140 This is really a pretty straightforward case 749 00:38:36,240 --> 00:38:37,440 of vandalism. 750 00:38:37,540 --> 00:38:39,980 He paints a little graffiti on the side of this train car. 751 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:42,180 Well, the train car is privately owned. 752 00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:43,850 The company who owns this train car 753 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:46,020 is not gonna just let this thing go, 754 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:48,620 so they bring him to court. 755 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:51,390 This is a small business you have pretty much, isn't it? 756 00:38:51,490 --> 00:38:53,830 Yes, 2.5 miles of railroad. 757 00:38:53,930 --> 00:38:58,700 The prosecution brought the actual owner of the caboose 758 00:38:58,800 --> 00:39:04,640 that Mr. White is charged with vandalizing with his graffiti. 759 00:39:04,740 --> 00:39:06,240 Cicconetti: It's not one of these cross-country ones. 760 00:39:06,340 --> 00:39:07,770 This is when the local ones goes back 761 00:39:07,870 --> 00:39:09,770 and forth between the docks and then to the plant. 762 00:39:09,880 --> 00:39:11,680 So you know, they don't have a lot 763 00:39:11,780 --> 00:39:14,350 of money, and it's not a large corporation, 764 00:39:14,450 --> 00:39:17,580 but they wanted to have that corrected. 765 00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:19,980 And they wanted something done with the young man. 766 00:39:20,090 --> 00:39:21,990 People tend to believe that the railroad 767 00:39:22,090 --> 00:39:26,760 property is not private property but public property. 768 00:39:26,860 --> 00:39:29,890 I only laugh because I know that 769 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,100 to be true, and that has to stop. 770 00:39:32,200 --> 00:39:33,630 Dawson: You can actually see on his face 771 00:39:33,730 --> 00:39:36,430 that he felt bad, he was embarrassed, and he really was 772 00:39:36,540 --> 00:39:39,000 ready to get this all behind him. 773 00:39:39,110 --> 00:39:41,710 I'm gonna ask you right now, anything you want to say 774 00:39:41,810 --> 00:39:43,710 before we go ahead with sentencing? 775 00:39:43,810 --> 00:39:45,710 I'm not saying what I did was right, 776 00:39:45,810 --> 00:39:49,480 no way it was, but i'm owning up to it, and I'm taking 777 00:39:49,580 --> 00:39:51,020 full responsibility for it. 778 00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:54,320 I could see that he was remorseful -- by the time 779 00:39:54,420 --> 00:39:56,190 he came up there, I've already reviewed 780 00:39:56,290 --> 00:39:59,990 his criminal history, which was zero. 781 00:40:00,090 --> 00:40:03,030 So the judge is quite creative in how he 782 00:40:03,130 --> 00:40:06,360 punishes the defendants that come in front of him. 783 00:40:06,470 --> 00:40:08,070 In another graffiti case, 784 00:40:08,170 --> 00:40:11,670 the judge sentenced a man to mow a school's entire lawn 785 00:40:11,770 --> 00:40:12,700 with a push mower. 786 00:40:12,810 --> 00:40:14,770 Judge cicconetti is the man who wants to send 787 00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:18,240 a message to the defendant as well as every offender 788 00:40:18,350 --> 00:40:19,280 in the community. 789 00:40:19,380 --> 00:40:21,380 There's -- there's consequences to be paid. 790 00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:24,280 You can't go around destroying property just for the fun 791 00:40:24,380 --> 00:40:25,580 of it. 792 00:40:25,690 --> 00:40:27,620 Dawson: White is listening to judge cicconetti talk about 793 00:40:27,720 --> 00:40:29,690 the sentencing, to talk about the crime, 794 00:40:29,790 --> 00:40:32,190 and I believe he's really scared at that point. 795 00:40:32,290 --> 00:40:34,430 I think he's sitting there, and he's shaking in his boots. 796 00:40:34,490 --> 00:40:36,190 You know, we get so much destruction in here, 797 00:40:36,300 --> 00:40:38,160 just vandalism anymore, 798 00:40:38,270 --> 00:40:40,230 and there's no accountability for it. 799 00:40:40,330 --> 00:40:42,300 I said, now what am I gonna do? 800 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:45,240 Earlier that week, I was walking in front of the court, 801 00:40:45,340 --> 00:40:47,940 just kind of out for my daily walk, 802 00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:49,770 and I'm looking at the handrails. 803 00:40:49,880 --> 00:40:51,980 We were looking yesterday at those railings right 804 00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:54,180 out in front over here with... 805 00:40:54,280 --> 00:40:56,110 With Dave, 806 00:40:56,220 --> 00:40:58,150 and they really need painting. 807 00:40:58,250 --> 00:41:00,350 They're in horrible shape, they have rust on 'em. 808 00:41:00,450 --> 00:41:02,190 The judge says, look, here's the deal, 809 00:41:02,290 --> 00:41:05,320 ten days in jail, which must sound 810 00:41:05,430 --> 00:41:07,490 very enticing for some 18-year-old kid, 811 00:41:07,590 --> 00:41:10,430 or you can paint the railing out in front of the courthouse. 812 00:41:10,530 --> 00:41:12,200 You're gonna go head out there and do the railings. 813 00:41:12,300 --> 00:41:14,830 You're gonna scrape 'em and then paint 'em. 814 00:41:14,940 --> 00:41:17,800 Only difference is -- you wanna do fine arts -- 815 00:41:19,670 --> 00:41:21,570 you're gonna paint 'em with this. 816 00:41:23,380 --> 00:41:25,280 So you take your choice. What is it? 817 00:41:25,380 --> 00:41:27,010 White: I'll take the second option, your honor. 818 00:41:27,110 --> 00:41:28,850 And so Avery opted for the -- 819 00:41:28,950 --> 00:41:32,850 I'll take the toothbrush for 200, judge. 820 00:41:32,950 --> 00:41:36,050 Cicconetti: My goal every day was to be sure 821 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:38,290 that we got a laugh in the courtroom. 822 00:41:38,390 --> 00:41:39,720 You have to laugh. 823 00:41:39,830 --> 00:41:42,190 You have to have a sense of humor if you're on the bench. 824 00:41:42,300 --> 00:41:45,030 If you don't, you'll go crazy. 825 00:41:45,130 --> 00:41:46,700 Seeing this kid actually 826 00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:49,170 undertake the punishment is satisfying. 827 00:41:49,270 --> 00:41:52,100 You know, here's a guy that was defacing private property. 828 00:41:52,210 --> 00:41:55,740 Now he is helping enhance public property. 829 00:41:55,840 --> 00:41:58,740 You know, in theory, that's the perfect solution. 830 00:41:58,850 --> 00:42:01,880 White: I walked in there fully expecting to go to jail, sadly, 831 00:42:01,980 --> 00:42:05,280 but I was very relieved when I found out that he was gonna do 832 00:42:05,390 --> 00:42:06,780 a creative sentencing option. 833 00:42:06,890 --> 00:42:09,550 My number one rule, my philosophy is -- 834 00:42:09,660 --> 00:42:10,960 always has been -- 835 00:42:11,060 --> 00:42:14,630 everybody is entitled to make one mistake in their life. 836 00:42:14,730 --> 00:42:17,500 I don't want to destroy a person's life for one thing 837 00:42:17,600 --> 00:42:19,560 that they've done, especially 838 00:42:19,670 --> 00:42:21,200 if they admit it, and they're remorseful. 839 00:42:21,300 --> 00:42:24,600 Judge cicconetti is a legend in Ohio. 840 00:42:24,700 --> 00:42:25,770 All of US judges, 841 00:42:25,870 --> 00:42:28,370 we look up to him, not only because he's a nice guy, 842 00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:30,380 but he's also an intelligent judge. 843 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:33,110 And these creative sentences have really helped people, 844 00:42:33,210 --> 00:42:36,280 as opposed to always sending people to jail.