Skip to main content

tv   Anderson Cooper 360  CNN  August 5, 2013 7:00pm-8:01pm PDT

7:00 pm
an extraordinary woman. the first nfl official. a good chance she'll make it happen. much more than sport. i'll talk to you tomorrow night. that's all for tonight. anderson cooper starts right now. look out, lance. company. another alleged sports doper speaking out. will alex rodriguez fess up or keep fighting.
7:01 pm
and america goes on high alert. the latest on how real the threat may be. a chilling look through the eyes of an assassin. lost track of how many he's murders. an american teen takes us inside the ruthless drug cartel he killed for starting at just 15 years old. we begin with the biggest forced doping story since lance armstrong. number 5 on the all-time home run list signing autographs today. once denied using steroids then denied using them after 2003 now suspended for using them since then, highed to a south florida anti-aging clinic biogenesis. a-rod drew a 211 game suspension without pay and today spoke to reporters. >> i'm fighting for my life. i have to defend myself. if i don't defend myself no one else will. >> the suspension takes affect thursday. he can play during his appeal. joining us in a bristol,
7:02 pm
connecticut, and the lead reporter on the story since its developed over the past few weeks. jason, a rough day for alex rodriguez and major league baseball? >> reporter: absolutely without question. we saw alex rot degrees edrigue evasive in terms of answering specific questions. specifically whether or not he used performance-enhancing drugs. he's denied it before. asked about it again tonight. said he wasn't going to get into it and didn't want to disrupt the process going on but he did talk about, anderson what this entire ordeal has been like for him. >> the last seven months has been a nightmare. it's been -- probably the worst time of my life, for sure. i am thrilled and humbled to
7:03 pm
have the opportunity to put on this uniform again. tuned play major league baseball again. >> well, as humble as she, major league baseball was very clear why they handed out a suspension releasing a statement spelling out the details saying the suspension is based on his use, rodriguez' use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance enhancing substances including test tost ronn and human growth hormone over the course of multiple years and that he attempted to cover up the violation, anderson and obstruct their investigation. rodriguez, once again, repeatedly said he did not use performance-enhancing drugs and wants everyone to "take a deep breath and have a time-out" so the ordeal can play itself out. >> t.j., a lot of people thought coming in to today he would be given ultimatum, accept is a
7:04 pm
stengs or ban him for life. are you surprised that wasn't the case? >> not really, anderson. all along it wasn't clear that baseball really believed it could have a lifetime ban upheld by an arbitrator. whatever suspension they brought, unless alex rodriguez agreed to something ahead of time, he said he would fightit. an arbitrator new on the job. replacing the longtime arbitrator fired from major league baseball to take an unprecedented step. baseball hasn't had a case like this before. the longest suspension anybody had with a drug policy was 100 games. this more than doubles that. >> you've seen some of the evidence against a-rod. how strong is it, t.j.? >> reporter: well, when we saw it, it was compelling. my colleague mike fish and i have espn.com working ton since last summer. we obtained documents from the clinicship written by tony bosch, the founder of the clinic hems.
7:05 pm
just that was pretty compelling but probably not enough to, for baseball to lower the kind of punishment they did. what they needed was more to corroborate the relationship. tony bosch provided far more than baseball expected. texts, e-mails, voice records, what they can prove was a long-standing relationship where bosch treated a-rod but, you know, individually, would go to his home to inject him and in addition which is what brings us this case you know, to the side of all the -- there were it other suspensions announced today. all accepted by players. they said his efforts to obstruct this investigation. >> how great do you think are his chances at fighting the suspension based on what you've seen? >> well, i mean, you -- based on baseball's labor history. based on what we've seen of the evidence, based on how the rest has been described to us, maybe you would have some success in reducing it, but you've got a player who's 38 years old, at as
7:06 pm
he described in press conference, surgeries on both hip, on his knee. struggling to hit single a pitching recently trying to come back. even 100 game suspension. 150 games which would be massive. bring him close to 40 years old when trying to get back on the field. he's looking at the end of his career, even if success until reducing in of it, seem like his best shot, he doesn't have much left. >> and then how do you think -- this changes the perception of him. reminded of your investigation into lance armstrong, denied doping for years before finally coming clean. do you think people will end up labeling rodriguez the same as armstro armstrong? a liar and cheater? >> it's a duff caifferent case. with lance, something else. people inspired by the story how he overcame cancer, to succeed the way he did. with a-rod, different. always a man without a country. he left seattle, went to texas with that huge contract.
7:07 pm
he never really fit in there. he went to the yankees, obviously, and he was never considered a real yankee. whatever that means. even with the 2009 world series. so it wasn't like he had this beloved fan base out there to begin with. nen 2009, he admits or confirms a report that he doped when he was younger. said it was for a limited tile. if anybody felt they could forgive him then, he's blown that up now. >> and to the point, he's been combative throughout this process. part of the press conference tonight, what was he like? >> well, he was really subdued. no other way to say it. i would not say he was combative. at least in this particular outing. he was not. seemed he was really holding back emotions. kept saying repeatedly that he would be able to say more at a later time. kept saying repeatedly that he didn't want to disrupt the appeal process and wanted that to play out. i also found interesting, anderson, the reaction outside
7:08 pm
here. to rodriguez. i heard you talking about the fans. you saw him sign some autographs before the game got underway here tonight, but the overwhelming majority of the fans out here tonight, anderson, say it's time for rodriguez to hang up his hat. >> t.j., if the suspensions are upheld, how many money is this going to cost him? >> well, if it's entire 211 games he's looking at -- the number of, a number of factors that kick in. about $34 million. it's no small chunk of change. >> wow. there's an advantage, incentive for him -- on many level, incentive to get this whittled down? >> plenty incentive and incentive wib the end of a suspension he serves to get back on the field. he's owed a total of close to $100 million from this massive contract he signed with the yankees. >> a lot of money on the table. t.j., jason, thank you. and digging deeper into the
7:09 pm
athletes have with performance-enhancing drugs and have had for years. started as a bat boy for the new york mets, when federal agents showed up at his door in 2005, supplying to hundreds of athletes. thanks for being here. what was your reaction to what happened today? >> no problem. it's typically rod's typical superstar mentality. fight, fight, fight and let the lawyers take care of it. >> fight because of the money? >> yes. definitely. because of the money and an ego. these guy, ego-driven. that's why they're good at what they do. >> how easy is it to get around testing? if you know -- talking before the show started. if you know your beeody and understand the testing. >> if you know your body, understand the reactions to your body, they have the money and access to doctors, it's not that difficult. if you really want to do something to give you that edge,
7:10 pm
it's out there. plenty of people that will help you. do routine bloodwork every day as you're in the off-season. learn your system. >> if they came to me and i was still doing what i do, that's what i would do. >> you have to monitor that closely to not get caught? >> yes. every day. see how long it lasts in your body. the shelf life. the drug. hgh, they have no ideas about and, nfl has a problem. everyone has it, and it's a great -- it's something that helps your body recover. that's the main thing that these ballplayers want. >> it's reported that you actually helped major league baseball with this investigation. i don't know if you can say anything about it, what you did? >> yeah, well, me and major league baseball are never on the same page, but one of the investigators that i grew up with is now part of the team, and as, you know, courtesy of growing up in the bronx, he turned to me and i've led nim
7:11 pm
right directions. taught him what to look for, what not, how to approach things and it looks like it's working. >> when you watch a ball game now, can you, do you have a sense how many -- how widespread is this? >> it's got a lot, a lot better. since the '90s and early 2000s. the whole problem, growth hoar smoen a major factor that back in 2001 i started to change all of those guys back then using anabolics, the hgh itself. >> why were you encouraging them to go for hgh jrch? >> healthier. not detectable. >> doesn't show up in tests? >> olympics and stuff, tested. it's hard. something that doesn't leave markers. i'm not a scientist, not a doctor, but i know so many people that have tested for drugs and never caught with it. it's just something that helps recuperation. when you add anabolics, you grow the muscle. >> that's the testosterone?
7:12 pm
>> yes. that's why the biogenesis was big. he wrus used testosterone. >> what are peptides? >> a compound, a couple different compound they have of, say, growth hormones of testosterone and not the compound. it's missing a couple of things. you inject in your body it's supposed to fill in the markers and acts the same way. doesn't leave the testosterone. >> to really crack down on this, do you have to some somebody who comes forward? is testing enough or do you have to have somebody on the inside who comes forward? >> well, baseball's doing a good -- the reason baseball is where its at right now is the union finally and the players, which i applaud them, that they're coming forward saying, enough, now. and as long as the union doesn't get in the way of the testing, the testing program will work. and the game will be clean. will it ever be clean? no. because there's always the next
7:13 pm
guy, the next chemist finding things out. there's always going to be, but if the two work together. i mean ashes program, what they have now, should work a lot, a lot better now, just because what the union's not fighting as much. listen, there's some errors on testing and thab got fight, but blatant like this, 12 guy, didn't even fight it. >> what about others? the national football league? are they -- i did pieces for "60 minutes" on players using and it didn't seem like they were proactive in testing? >> no. and i've met some nfl play talked to players. their problem is growth hormone. they're huge, these guys. need recuperation playing only once a week. it gives them time and it works. i mean, they're trying -- these blood tests and stuff. i mean, i can't see it working. i don't understand it from a chemical, but as i'm talking to people and i've taken broegrowt hormones. i know people that pass tests all the time around it. >> as i said, you were -- feds
7:14 pm
came knocking on your door. did you ever think you would get caught? >> when you -- >> did it seem kind of easy at the time? >> growing up the way i did, in the bronx. when you do something wrong, sooner or later, your time runs out. just a matter of time, and in a way i did, like -- when i wrote my book i said it was a comfort and relief. because it got so big for me. players were el itting other players and other players telling other players. >> dealing with so many. >> my phone would never stop and i was hiding it from everyone. the only people who knew i was doing what i was doing were the players themselves. and i would never tell on another player. and i didn't tell my wife. i didn't tell anyone in my family. people were totally shocked. like a secret. finally when it came to light in a way, like a relief. >> interesting. kirk, i appreciate you being on. fascinating stuff. this were just about baseball or a celebrity with credibility problems it wouldn't be half the story it actually is. the rest what do deal with
7:15 pm
non-athletes and non-celebrities using the exact same drugs, longer lives, bigger muscles. how do they use it without the trouble the athletes get in? the answer is steroids. >> reporter: this is the body of a man who uses performance-enhancing drugs, virtually the same ones connected to lance armstrong. olympian marion jones and baseball player alex rodriguez. but this man is not a professional athlete. jeffrey is 74 with a rock, hard body and, he claims, a mental sharpness of a man half his age. >> everyone's going to age. i'm not against aging. i'm against getting old. >> reporter: and he claims no one has to, with daily, rigorous workouts, a strict low-carb diet and injections of testosterone and human growth hormone or hgh. >> what we use it for, to improve health. to slow ant prevent disease, and to improve quality of life.
7:16 pm
i like to think i'm kind of blazing a trail for the baby boomer generation. >> reporter: a journey that dr. life, a family physician, began years ago. this was him before exercise and supplements. this is him today. >> how does this 74-year-old doctor keep looking younger and younger as he ages? the answer is the elite health program. >> reporter: it's a company that runs a chain of clinics calling itself the nation's largest age management group. part of the exploding anti-aging industry relying in part on testosterone and hgh. last year the company reported they made $100 million in revenue. the anti-aging industry targets america's about 80 million baby boomers looking for any way to turn back the hands of tile. the food and drug administration regulates the use of hgh stressing the hormone is not an approved treatment for anti-aging. so how does the company not break any laws? by focusing on a natural loophole of sorts.
7:17 pm
the natural depletion of hormones as we age. >> we are all about correcting deficie deficientsies and getting people up to a healthy level. >> reporter: he suffered from growth hormone deficiency one of the few reasons for taking hgh. he says patients go through a pituitary gland to meet fda regulations. schlesinger is monitored and tested four time as year for his testosterone and hgh intake and now feels like he's 40. that comes with a hefty price tag. all this can cost up to $15,000 a year. cash only. >> my health restored. whatever it costs me, it's worth it. >> reporter: if you think this is too good to be true, you're not alone. many doctors agree. saying, sure, there may be short-term gain but there will be long-term cost.
7:18 pm
>> it's a fallacy to say that even in low doses that these drugs are not harmful. >> reporter: this doctor, a professor of medicine at boston university school of medicine would not talk specifically about the company but is a vocal critic of the anticipate aging movement. >> giving growth hormone in particular for anti-aging is quackery. >> reporter: he there's there are no reputable studies saying hormones don't age, and it could cause high blood pressure and even trigger cancer. >> what do you say to the medical community who says you're just selling a bunch of view dew and this is dangerous because it's so untested. >> we do not know what the long-term consequences are going to be with testosterone and hgh replacement therapy. >> reporter: what's wrong with just getting old? >> an argument a lot of doctors use. who wants to get old if you don't have to? >> reporter: if next year for some reason you get cancer, will you plame the supplements?
7:19 pm
>> i will not. >> reporter: he will continue to be the poster grandpa of a company and a movement that believes the riskier move is to turn away from this fountain of youth in dumbbells, diet and drugs. for cnn, las vegas. >> fascinating stuff. up next, the threat behind the mattive terror alert and whether the sign al qaeda is gaining strength yet again. the ugly aftermath of that deadly incident on california's venice beach. one killed, 15 hurt by car speeding down the boardwalk. peoi go to angie's listt for all kinds of reasons. to gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians.
7:20 pm
the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. i'm bethand i'm michelle. and we own the paper cottage. it's a stationery and gifts store. anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. so you can manage your business expenses and access them online instantly with the game changing app from ink. we didn't get into business to spend time managing receipts, that's why we have ink. we like being in business because we like being creative, we like interacting with people. so you have time to focus on the things you love. ink from chase. so you can.
7:21 pm
"that starts with one of the world's most advancedy," distribution systems," "and one of the most efficient trucking networks," "with safe, experienced drivers." "we work directly with manufacturers," "eliminating costly markups," "and buy directly from local farmers in every region of the country." "when you see our low prices, remember the wheels turning behind the scenes, delivering for millions of americans, everyday. "dedication: that's the real walmart" plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day women's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for women's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day women's 50+.
7:22 pm
the beach on your tv is much closer than it appears. seize the summer with up to 50% off hotels at travelocity. welcome back. an answer to what got americans officials spooked about a terror attack. closing a string of embassy and why lawmakers on both sides of the aisles spent the weekend on tv talking about how credible they believe the threat to be.
7:23 pm
cnn learned the deciding factor was a message from al zawahiri in the peninsula telling him to "do something." u.s. officials saying there may be several sources of related intelligence including electronic intercept, web postings and interrogating couriers. bottom line, alert still on. 19 em boses staying closed the rest of the week and questions growing about al qaeda's reach. talking about it with former fbi and cia former official and a terrorism analyst. paul, start with you. what do you make of the latest intelligence between al qaeda's top leaders saying, "do something." >> very, very concerning when you have the top leader of al qaeda sending a message it would aware to the leader in the peninsula to do something. not clear what that something was, whether it's something in yemen against embassies there or something in the region. clearly it's led to great concern from u.s. counterterrorism agencies.
7:24 pm
>> the person who's head, wahishi, how dangerous is he? >> the former pect secretasecre. you can determine ar wa seoseer- he's reaching out. there no one else to appoint. the leadership of al qaeda central has been decimated. that's really with a very weak or non-existent bench. so you could sort of make another interpretation of this reaching out to yemen that we are so weakened that we have to look around the world for somebody else to step up to the plate. that group itself is very weak in yemen, they've tried to do numerous attacks outside the country and they've never succeeded. >> there have been expanding drone strikes in yemen?
7:25 pm
>> yeah, they've devastated about 30 of the top leaders in yemen senior operatives. unfortunately, they've yet to find the extremely capable bomb maker, but this bomb maker has not been able to implement any successful attack against an american target, as capable as he is. >> and yet despite what peter is saying here, you do have this travel alert, you have all these embassy's closing. you heard a lot of politicians over the weekend saying, the chatter is reminiscent to the chatter we heard before 9/11. from what we heard today, does that seem right to you? does that seem to be compared to the same chatter before 9/11? >> i don't think it's related at all. we have a serious threat because of the credibility of the information. i think it's fair to go out, despite the vagueness of this, it's fair to go out and say, you need to take precautionary steps. compared to what i witnessed in 2001 and 2002 when i sat at the threat table at the cia. in fact, too 5, '06, '07 at the
7:26 pm
threat table at the fbi, to be in washington as a politician, and to screw americans into the ceiling about a threat that's comparable to pre--9/11, i don't buy it. we ought to be concerned but don't overreact. >> you hear president obama saying al qaeda is on its heels. i think that's the quote. do you believe that's still the case? is one interpretation, that peter -- one idea that peter forwarded, is that this is a sign of desperation on the part of al qaeda central, trying to tell al qaeda in the arabian peninsula to do something? is that your read on it? >> my read is that al qaeda is on a long decline, but americans perspective of time is short. we measure time in this country in terms of months, years. al qaeda, when i talked to people debriefing al qaeda detainees, al qaeda talks about time in decades and centuries. the decline is very slow. there will be episodic threats that we're seeing today.
7:27 pm
we should not confuse that, though, with the resurgence of the al qaeda organization. >> so, paul, the white house today wouldn't say whether the u.s. homeland was a potential target. was that out of an abundance of caution? or wouldn't we be seeing amped up security here if that's the case? >> i think so, there's no indication from the administration that the u.s. homeland is a target. the epicenter of this threat seems to be in yemen and beyond that in the middle east. and south asia. >> peter, if benghazi hadn't happied, almoy happened, do you think the u.s. government would have responded the same way this time? >> i mean, do we -- the thought experiment is, benghazi hadn't happened, clearly this reaction would be different. i mean, no one wants to sit at some congressional witness, you know, table describing an attack that could have been averted because there was information in the system. everybody -- the state department itself is saying, in an abundance of caution, we're
7:28 pm
closing these embassies. that doesn't mean there's some ultraspecific threat against 19 different facilities that are closed over the coming week. without benghazi, the reaction, i think, would be very different. the political costs of benghazi to the obama administration, as you know, was very, very large. and that is the political context here. >> and, phil, what happens now? does the u.s. wait this out? does the threat go away? at some point the embassies reopen? >> this is fascinating. from someone who once sat in the chair. when we're going to remember from yellow to orange back in eep 3, '04, '05, we used to sit there and watch the threat matrix drive us, to escalate the threat warning. and then you'd say, how do we get out of this, in this case, something we haven't talked about, the american government has said, at the end of august, the travel warnings will expire.
7:29 pm
that's the american government saying, we're not sure whether we can mitigate this strength, we're not sure whether this will decline, we want a way out, and the way out is to say, there's an end date on the threat. >> appreciate you being on. thank you. up next a bride on her honeymoon killed. several others injured, a man plows a car into a popular california boardwalk packed with people. all of it caught on tape. the latest investigation ahead. a 360 exclusive, two americans, drug cartel assassins talked how they were recruited to kill. >> in all how many people did you kill? >> no idea. >> no idea? you lost track? >> yes. >> could you guess? talking 10, 20, 30 -- 50? >> basically 20 or 30. [ male announcer ] oh, dan, checking out of the doubletree isn't the end.
7:30 pm
7:31 pm
your next trip is calling you. saying, "dan, schedule a 5 o'clock meeting at a hilton garden inn." or "dan"... hey, dad. ..."explore your family tree at a homewood suites." [ family ] hi, dan. or "put your feet in the sand at a waldorf astoria." never stop vacationing, dan. book during the great getaway for great rates at our ten top hotel brands. travel is calling you to hiltongreatgetaways.com.
7:32 pm
7:33 pm
welcome back. the man shown in surveillance video being held on a $1 million bond after using is this car as a high speed weapon on the venice boardwalk. a newlywed on her honeymoon was killed. more than a dozen other people injured. it happened around 6:00 saturday evening. arguably, the worst possible time. the boardwalk was packed with tourists. the timing and what witnesses told police raise the obvious question -- did the suspect plot the attack to inflict maximum damage? we have the report.
7:34 pm
>> reporter: surveillance videotaped from a nearby restaurant shows the suspect's car plowing into people on the crowded venice boardwalk and swerving around barriers. >> he just drove and took that left turning down the board walk. body were flying. bodies war scattering. bodies were flying in the air. people were screaming and it was absolute mayhem. >> the driver got out of his car apparently casing the popular boardwalk. he gets back into the sedan and floors it. >> he had to have pressed his foot to the gas pedal -- pedal to the metal. his tires started screeching. i saw him, and he was looking for blood. that guy was -- that guy's intention was to kill people. >> an italian tourist on her honeymoon was killed and 15 others injured in a scene a quarter-mile long. police say that all of the wounded have been released from the hospital. and the suspect, 38-year-old
7:35 pm
nathan campbell of los angeles has been charged with murder. just two hours after this horrifying hit and run, campbell surrendered to police in neighboring santa monica. police said he told them, i think you're looking for me. the woman killed, 32 years old from italy. the italian consulate says she and her husband were married july 20th, and that the new groom was by her side at the time of the accident and tried to pull his wife away from the speeding car. if there is a motive in this carnage, police aren't sighing saying right now, but they did say that campbell was bent on evil. paul vercammen, cnn, los angeles. >> that's unbelievable. there's a lot more we're following tonight. isha is here with a "360" bulletin. john mccain and lindsey graham are in cairo to meet with interim leaders as well as muslim brotherhood leaders. president obama asked the senators to make the trip. graham said the egyptian
7:36 pm
military can't keep running the country and pushed for democratic elections. several thousand supporters of morsi marched through downtown cairo today, calling for him to be reinstated. republican national committee chairman rhys previous is threatening to keep nbc and cnn from hosting republican primary debates in 2016 unless the networks cancel upcoming specials about hillary clinton. both cnn and nbc say they will move forward with the special. and, anderson, meet the world's first stem cell burger. complements of london scientists. it took years of research and $330,000 to develop. volunteers said it's close to meat, but not really juicy. it needs fat, salt and pepper. the university researchers who invented it says he hopes it will hopefully put an end to animal cruelty. you are a fussy eater. i should ask you. would you -- >> sure. why not? i don't know. yeah.
7:37 pm
i, too, need fat, salt and pepper. >> you may be looking in the wrong place in that case. >> isha, thanks very much. just ahead, what ariel castro's family salvaged from his house before demolition. plus a "360" exclusive. fascinating. first face-to-face interview with two american teenagers describing how they became hitmen for the mexican cartel. one just 13 when he became a paid killer. >> i couldn't believe what i was seeing. people getting tortured, killed, decapitated. oh, he's a fighter alright. since aflac is helping with his expenses while he can't work, he can focus on his recovery. he doesn't have to worry so much about his mortgage, groceries, or even gas bills. kick! kick... feel it! feel it! feel it! nice work! ♪ you got it! you got it! yes! aflac's gonna help take care of his expenses.
7:38 pm
and us...we're gonna get him back in fighting shape. ♪ [ male announcer ] see what's happening behind the scenes at aflac.com.
7:39 pm
in the paula deen case, tonight the latest. just ahead. where would you like to go tonight? ♪ [ male announcer ] it's a golden opportunity to see how lexus effortlessly connects you
7:40 pm
to where you're going. ♪ come to the golden opportunity sales event and experience the connectivity of lexus enform, available on all lexus models, including the es and rx. ♪ this is the pursuit of perfection.
7:41 pm
tonight a "360" exclusive. chilling is an overused word, but this story warrants it. you're about to see why. we reported on child assassins, american teenagers acting as hit men for a mexican cartel.
7:42 pm
unbelievable, but it was very real. they sat down with ed lavandera for their first face-to-face interviews. here's what they told him. >> reporter: look into the eyes of gabrielle, you see a babyfaced 21-year-old, and then he blinks and you see something else. another set of sinister eyes staring back. these tattoos on his eyelids. these eyes are a window into the soul of a drug cartel assassin. >> in all, how many people did you kill? >> no idea. >> no idea? you lost track? >> so out of the world, man, when you're in mexico. >> could you guess, are we talking 10, 20, 30, 50? >> between 20 and 30. >> reporter: gabriel says he was 15 years old when a cartel recruited him to kill. he was part of a secret crew of hit men living in laredo, texas.
7:43 pm
along with this man retta. they spoke from texas prisons where they're serving life sentences for murder. they both say they worked for miguel angel trevino. the ruthless violet leader of a drug cartel recently arrested in mexico. >> i know this man. he's not going to tell you to do something if he won't do it, and that's why a lot of people followed him. >> how much control do you think he had of nuevo laredo? >> absolute control. >> reporter: he was 13 years old when two friends brought him to nuevo laredo, just across the border from texas. he said his life was changed forever. in an instant he went from being a 13-year-old to a killer. >> we pulled up, i couldn't believe what i was seeing. people getting tortured, killed, decapitated. it was kind of hard to believe.
7:44 pm
i knew that day my life had just changed forever. >> reporter: he then says an argument broke out. miguel trevino wanted to know why retta was there. trevino handed him a gun, they stood over a man tied up on the ground. >> what did they tell you to do? >> to kill that person. i have to do it. if i don't do it, i know what's going to happen to me. >> reporter: and then after did you it, you shot him? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: how many times? >> multiple times. >> reporter: a 13-year-old assassin was born. >> the first day i had to take somebody's life, that's a day i'm never going to forget. after that i had no life.
7:45 pm
>> reporter: but you kept op killing after the first time at that ranch? >> i had to. >> reporter: that's what a lot of people don't understand. that's what retta says now. in this police interrogation video, the young killer relished the deadly power he wielded. he bragged to a laredo police detective, that killing made him feel like superman, taking the gun out of his hand was like taking candy from a kid. how in the world did it come to this for two american teens? cardona and retta grew up here on lincoln street, a few blocks away from the mexican border. this is the neighborhood where they became friends. like many people around here, they each had families on both sides of the border in mexico and the united states. they could easily move back and forth between both sides. and as it turns out, that's exactly what the zettas drug cartel was looking for. as a teenager, he started stealing cars and selling them in mexico, then he started carrying drugs and weapons across the border, working his way up the cartel ranks to become a hit man. cardona dropped out of school in ninth grade. >> it was great. >> reporter: did you feel like
7:46 pm
you could do whatever you wanted? you were untouchable >> yeah, it gives you that sense. you can do whatever without being touched or having that sense of power. >> reporter: he says cartel leaders supplied him with thousands of dollar as week, a mercedes and a house. the money was seductive and intoxicating for these teams who came from the ram shackled streets of a texas bored town. >> reporter: you enjoyed the money, but did you enjoy the killing? >> we did enjoy the money. >> you don't enjoy what you're doing. >> it didn't seem to bother you that much? >> no. >> reporter: kpar dona and retta
7:47 pm
say they would wait for the phone to ring. a cartel member would give them a name and they went hunting. each time these men say they were paid 5,000 to $10,000, sometimes more, depending on how big the target was. >> did you think you were the king of the town? >> at that time, you never think it's going to end because it keeps on doing. >> reporter: eventually laredo police caught up to them. >> i couldn't take it any more, a theory he was going to be killed working a job in mexico terped himself in to american authorities >> i couldn't take it anymore. that's one of the risks i took. that i just couldn't take it anymore. it was real hard for me. it was -- i came -- i was living my life -- i wasn't living my life. >> fascinating to hear from these guys. they don't seem to show much remorse at all, except maybe for themselves. what about most of the time you spent on the interview? >> reporter: arpdsnderson, someg that stood out to me, whenever they carried out the attacks, assassination, they were well planned and they were well trained. not much planning. a call. a name and then go find the person. not like they were trailing the
7:48 pm
person. that should offer a lot of pause to a lot of people. that's where incident bystanders can be gunned down by accident. a case of mistaken identity. that sort of thing. the other thing that stood out, when i was told he often get what essentially is fan mail. young mean write to him asking how he got into that world, kind of fascinateed by it all, even asking him for recommendations and making connections for them out there in that narco world, and that i think should leave a lot of people with pause as well. >> one guy is smiling while recounting the killings. creepy. ed lavandera. fascinating. thank you. paula deen's empire taking hits paper accused of trying to wring a quarter million dollars from a chef. new details in the case, ahead. see life in the best light.
7:49 pm
outdoors, or in. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. visit your eyecare professional today to ask about our newest lenses, transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. experience life well lit. ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you.
7:50 pm
ahead tonight, what ariel castro's family took from his home before it's demolished. he . it's a stationery and gifts store. anything we purchase for the paper cottage goes on our ink card. so you can manage your business expenses and access them online
7:51 pm
instantly with the game changing app from ink. we didn't get into business to spend time managing receipts, that's why we have ink. we like being in business because we like being creative, we like interacting with people. so you have time to focus on the things you love. ink from chase. so you can. it guides you to a number that will change your it guides you to a number life: your sleep number setting. it even knows you by name. now it's easier than ever to experience deep, restful sleep with the sleep number bed's
7:52 pm
dualair technology. at the touch of a button, the sleep number bed adjusts to each person's ideal comfort and support. and you'll only find it at a sleep number store. where right now our newest innovations are available with 48-month financing. sleep number. comfort individualized. let's get caught up on some of the other stories we're following. isha sesay joins us again with a "360" bulletin. isha? a man in pennsylvania killed three. several others critically wounded in ross township about 7
7:53 pm
75 miles north of philadelphia. >> a man has signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. "allegedly gave threatening statements unless he was paid $250,000. no details on the terms of the deal. relatives of aerial castro removed musical instruments, tools and other items from the convicted kidnapper's house in west cleveland ahead of its scheduled demolition later this week. gina de jesus made a surprise appearance at cleveland's puerto rican parade. >> isha, thanks. i'm gonna have to ask you to
7:54 pm
power down your little word game. i think your friends will understand. oh...no, it's actually my geico app...see? ...i just uh paid my bill. did you really? from the plane? yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24/7. sounds a little too good to be true sir. i'll believe that when pigs fly. ok, did she seriously just say that? geico. just a click away with our free mobile app. the last thing i want is to feel like someone is giving me a sales pitch, especially when it comes to my investments. you want a broker you can trust. a lot of guys at the other firms seemed more focused on selling than their clients. that's why i stopped working at my old brokerage and became a financial consultant with charles schwab. avo: what kind of financial consultant are you looking for? talk to us today.
7:55 pm
[ male announcer ] wouldn't it be great if all devices had backup power? the chevrolet volt does. it's ingeniously designed to seamlessly switch from electricity to gas to extend your driving range. no wonder volt is america's best-selling plug-in. that's american ingenuity to find new roads. right now, get a 2013 chevrolet volt for around $269 per month.
7:56 pm
can i still get a great deal? yes, there's lots to choose from, but you'd better hurry. they're going fast. [ gasping ] what is that?! this is ted. he's gonna help pick the color. blue. we have that. can you take him? [ gasps ] ah, we have that, too. aah! [ male announcer ] save big on a great selection at toyota's nationwide clearance event right now, get 0% apr financing on a 2013 camry.
7:57 pm
hurry. the amazing deals won't last long. did you find him? still looking. [ male announcer ] toyota. let's go places. ♪ time now for the complex and confounding world license plates pap system why which certain once are rejected. our affiliate in tampa did an expose on this chock full of amazing examples of license plates that didn't quite make the cut. >> cu-nhel.
7:58 pm
>> gun play, rejected. >> i get the idea they don't want floridians driving around with cu-nhel on license plates, but these are trickier. >> what do you think about these plates? old fart and horn man. >> old fart, probably yes. >> got it backwards. old fart rejected. horn man approved. >> horn man, good. old fart, bad. got it? >> how about these? >> big tird and big johnson. >> big jonson approved. big turd rejected. >> i don't get that. the selection process seemed random and a local viewer spotted unique and questionable license plates in the district of florida. nch>> see food on a save humani.
7:59 pm
krakhead and i'm a spy. >> i don't want to think about that one. what's coming, play the "seinfeld" clip. you remember. i know do you. >> i got my new plates. somebody got mine and i got their plates. what do they say? >> assman. i'm cosmo kramer, the assman. >> yeah. dr. assmo kramer. proctology. and someone like you i could have a new start. >> well -- whoa. whoa. did you see my license plate? >> and so tobias, hoping to
8:00 pm
striten out his image set out on new start. >> think about it for a minute, i'm sure you'll get it. here's to you, florida's department of highway safety motor vehicle. thank you for doing what you do. keeping the streets safe from big turds and old farts. we salute you. "up front next," american embassy closed. images from the asiana air crash shot moments after the plane went down. stunning photos today. and plowing into a crowd on venice beach. what we're learning about the driver tonight. let's go "out front." good evening, everyone. i'm erin burnett. "out front" developing story