breaking news tonight, the mystery surrounding the sudden death of music icon, michael jackson intensifies. questions mounting as to his sudden death, and his $500 billion empire and more important, custody of the star's three little children. after murder charges levelled in the death of jackson, his family publicly claiming that jackson was murdered. bombshell tonight! a massive cover-up? reports emerge the possible murder scene was sanitized with a so-called cleaner cleaning jackson's living quarters before police could process the scene. a highly sophisticated, high-tech security system allegedly monitoring every inch

of that $100,000 rental home inside and out. including jackson's private living quarters. that secret video of jackson's final moments, gone. sources also claim a huge black leather bag, full of drugs, i.v. pole, syringes and i.v. bags, also gone. this as we learn of an alleged killing plot to steal jackson's body. reports the body now hidden and protected by armed guards to stop the would-be body snatchers. jackson's body moved from hiding at the family crypt of motown founder berry gordy after the casket seemingly lost as thousands looked on as it exited the arena. was the body ever even in the casket? or had it been smuggled out in an unmarked van?

a portion of jackson's brain missing from the body. and tonight, just released video of jackson, himself, going up in flames during his '84 pepsi commercial. significant? was this the inception of the star's addiction to prescription drugs? an addiction that culminated in a second autopsy, revealing fresh needle marks in jackson's neck. that's right, his neck. other veins riddled with track marks, many collapsing from i.v. use. his skin, paper white. his body emaciated, all in contrast to private video of a dress rehearsal just hours before his death. drugs banned for consumer use, only found behind locked doors in an operating room, found in the home. jackson reportedly ingesting up to 10,000 pills in just six months, including 40 xanax a night.

reports jackson even wanted to be put under with an i.v. drip for days on end. essentially, lying there like a living corpse for up to 72 hours at a time. and is father joe jackson now reportedly set to force jackson's children on the stage under the name the jackson three? jackson, himself, often discussing physical abuse, beatings at the hand of his father, joe jackson. always keeping his own children far away. now joe jackson boasting, he himself will raise the children. and in the last hour, a stunning statement. joe jackson actually blamed 79-year-old grandmother katherine for all the beatings. has jackson's worst nightmare come true? and of course tonight, the payoff. is a secret deal in the works for bio mom debbie rowe dropped the custody battle for jackson's three children?

payoff, $4 million to go away? rowe vehemently insists it is not true. the lapd chief mulling criminal charges over who drugged an addict who happened to be a superstar as the vultures circling jackson's dead body, the fate of his three children unknown. >> shocking never before seen footage of michael jackson. the accident that really changed his life. we know about it, filming a pepsi commercial in 1984. you are looking at a photo of that incident, and fireworks on the stage went off too early. you can see that michael jackson's hair is on fire. he continues dancing for a moment. >> i have a lot of concern. i don't like what happened. >> the lapd hasn't ruled out homicide. >> knowing what we've learned, what we know about possible doctor shopping, all of these different prescription drugs.

>> the lapd police chief said that they are looking for the coroner's report to corroborate the cause of death. corroborate which clearly implies that they have a strong belief something was involved, and that something in this case is clearly drug abuse. >> the l.a. county coroner went to the office of the dermatologist. he said dr. arnold klein has been completely cooperative. >> dr. klein has cooperated with us. we're not investigating the doctors. we're investigating michael jackson's death. >> he told me quote jackson and i spoke of his addiction and how hard he was working and how he was trying to do everything in his power to avoid having a need to be on drugs. so this was really the first time we were hearing from someone who said that michael jackson admitted that he had an addiction and was actually talking about it. he said jackson was taking lots of prescription medicines and he quote didn't like the way it made him feel. tonight, breaking news, the couple with 16 children, 12 adopted. many of them with special needs,

handicapped. murdered in their own home. part of it caught on video. we have the video. the suspects in full garb invade the home with military-like precision. who gunned down this beautiful couple leaving 16 children orphaned? and tonight, why are police searching for a blond beauty for questioning? breaking news surrounding the killing of the florida couple, byrd and melanie billings. police want to question this woman. her name is pamela laverne long. >> let me emphasize, she is a person of interest. she is a realtor, and she rented the property occupied by lawrence patrick gonzalez, jr., and his family. she is also known as pamela long wigg wiggins, pamela l. malden,

pamela long link, pamela la verne long coco and also pam long. we want to emphasize it is impeertive to speak to her as soon as possible. we know she was associated with leonard patrick gonzalez, jr., up until the day of the murder. >> the drug enforcement administration confirm it is assisting in this probe. >> seven suspects dressed in ninja garb plan an incredibly elaborate and precise break-in. investigators now say the person assigned to turn off the surveillance cameras never showed up. >> the hunt is on for at least one more person. >> we've identified the seven people that entered the complex. >> we have those folks in custody. i believe that they entered that compound with the belief they were not under surveillance. we are now looking at anyone that may have had an involvement with the security system. why was this system left on in an otherwise perfectly executed murder? obviously, there is an eighth or ninth person that we get to identify.

good evening, i'm nancy grace, i want to thank you for being with us tonight. the mystery surrounding the sudden death of music superstar michael jackson intensifies. >> the video from that ill-fated pepsi commercial back in 1984. >> a swarm of people helped put out the fire, as we know he sufshed second and third degree burns on his scalp and body. there you see him in the hospital after that. >> at first the pyrotechnics go off as planned. he dances down the stairs, he joins his brother, sings and dances. the sixth take is when thing go horribly wrong and the fireworks go off as he is at the top of the stage. he is dancing down, his head is on fire and he is unaware. >> the inquiry into the death of mr. jackson is continuing. are we dealing with a homicide? an accidental overdose? what are we dealing with? >> the investigation shows the singer's arms were riddled with marks and the veins in the arms had collapsed. >> the coroner's office showed up at dr. arnold klein's office

in beverly hills. we know that jackson was at dr. klein's office a few days before his death. we were also told that jackson had serious trouble sleeping. he said he had a constant beat in his head. he said they stayed up all nature on many nights so sometimes until 5:00 in the morning because jackson could not shut off his brain. >> joe jackson went to the front door on many occasions. he went to the front gate and they wouldn't let him in. when la toya called the house, she couldn't speak to her brother. this is all very suspicious. >> i'm doing well and i am strong. as you may ready know after may tour ended, i remained out of the country undergoing treatment for a dependency on pain medication. this medication was initially prescribed to help with the excruciating pain that i was suffering after recent reconstructive surgery on my scalp. >> we are taking your calls live

tonight. video has emerged of what could be the inception of michael jackson's addiction to drugs. take a look. here you see jackson and his '84 pepsi commercial. this was at what many believed to be the height of his abilities, his talent. he continues dancing unaware he is on fire. the singer is mobbed by security trying to save his life. his head totally burned. scars remained for the rest of his life and according to insiders, he remained in intense pain after this. you are seeing a clip obtained by "us weekly" of that pepsi commercial taping showing how severe jackson's injuries were when he actually caught on fire. i want to go straight out to albert lee, deputy editor of "us weekly." this is emerging now. why?

>> we obtained the footage recently, and you know, there is a great deal of talk right now surrounding michael's abuse of prescription drugs, and what role that played. in his death and in his cardiac arrest. when this was shot, remember, this was 1984. this was thriller era michael. he was at the peak of his fame, 25 years old. and i'm glad you showed that video again. it is really hard to watch and this was not, we've heard so much talk about it but this was not just a few couple sparks in his hair. his entire head was engulfed in flames. and you know, for five long excruciating seconds, this guy's head is on fire before they realized what happened and the crew bum rushes him. what happened immediately, he was rush to the hospital. this was the day that he began taking prescription pain killing medications, including demerol, you know, to treat the second and third degree burns that were all over his scalp and his face. g

i'm doing well and i am strong. as you may already know, after my tour ended, i remained out of the country undergoing treatment for dependency on pain medication. this medication was initially prescribed to help the excruciating pain that i was suffering after recent reconstructive surgery on my scalp. >> for the first time, we're getting an up close look at the pepsi commercial, the ill-fated pepsi commercial that changed michael jackson's life. >> we know that there were second and third degree burns which were just horrible. >> the pains associated with burns is just horrific. i've talked to experts in the field, and they describe it as the worst pain you can imagine.

>> as you may already know after my tour, i remained out of the country after undergoing treatment. it was initially prescribed to help with excruciating pain i was suffering after reconstructive surgery on my scalp. >> michael jackson had legitimate pain and he needed medications for that pain. unfortunately, the medication overtook him and he became addicted to it. >> michael was never beat as they call it. everyone spanks their kids. katherine spanked michael more than i did. i was working two jobs and she was at home with him the most. >> that was father joe jackson on abc's prime time. actually blaming 79-year-old katherine jackson for all the beatings that michael jackson suffered as a youth. beatings that he went public about. and painfully revealing to the oprah on the "oprah winfrey show." we are taking your calls live to

lucy in new york. >> caller: hi, nancy. my question is, michael jackson and other family members have always spoken of extreme abuse by the father. their mother never removed the children from this abuse. shouldn't that be a factor in this custody hearing? >> in my mind, absolutely yes. let's unleash the lawyers. susan moss, family attorney, child advocate out of new york. renee rockwell, out of atlanta, and alan ripka, out of new york as well. susan moss, weigh in. oh, say it ain't so, joe. i can't believe he is throwing his wife under the bus. do you know what that will mean? more power to debbie rowe to try to get these kids. and debbie rowe is amazing. let me get this straight. she breeds horses for a living but now she allegedly sell her children to make her cash? what is this? backwards day? he is doing the worst possible thing for the jackson family by speaking out like this. >> renee rockwell? >> somebody needs to put a dot on this.

he doesn't need to be saying anything, he doesn't need to be pointing the finger at his wife. it will get more and more complicated if he make katherine look like a person who should not be the guardian. >> let's go to the caller's question. let's address lucy in new york's question. alan ripka, the statement like the one joe jackson made to abc's "primetime" essentially admitting that there were beatings, but blaming them on katherine jackson, is that going to play a role in custody? >> absolutely, that is going to play a role. what the court will do is always look at the best interests of the child. and these factors and these statements are all going to come in, because the court is held responsible for making the person who will take care of these kids. >> i want to go out to dr. carey peterson with internal medicine at lennox field hospital. doctor, thank you for being with

us. what is your opinion regarding the video that has never been released before that we have just shown you? the '84 pepsi commercial, the infamous pepsi commercial. jackson was at the height of his ability. this has been released by "us weekly." could that have such a long impact on michael jackson to lead him up to the point where he wants a continuous i.v. drip? essentially rendering him a living corpse. out with an i.v. drip up to 72 hours at a time? >> it is possible. burn s are known as stated earlier to be extremely devastatingly painful. this is a very gradual process. initially he may have been just maintained on oral medications and over time, over years, you develop a tolerance so that you need more and more to get the same high or euphoria, and over that time, it will be a gradual increase. more and more and more to the point where these drugs aren't working. i need something stronger, something intramuscular, something intravenous. this was a process over probably

decades. >> i can't hardly stand to even look at that video. you think, dr. carey peterson, the most painful thing your body can endure, pain around your neck and face and head is almost unbearable. i assume it is because it is getting to regions near the brain, near the mouth, near the nose that help you live so that pain is intensified. >> in particular, burns are a particularly painful because the nerve endings are damaged. the skin surface is a protective barrier and when you break it down, these nerve endings are exposed. >> right now, doctor, you're seeing abc news exclusive photos of michael jackson's legs. they were showing a serious wound. signs of vitiligo, skin discoloration, illness, and needle punctures. look at that.

even i, i'm just a jd and not an md like you, but i can see all those needle punctures on jackson's legs. >> we don't know if they are needle punctures. we're seeing re, raised lesions. needle punctures are one cause but there are other thing that can look the same way. for example, bug bites, trauma, apparently michael has, there was a claim that he had lupus and that can cause that. >> i appreciate the bug bite suggestion but mike brooks, formerly with the fbi, i hardly think michael jackson was out in nature getting bug bites. what i want to talk to you about is the claim that the scene of the death has been cleaned up, sanitized. >> yeah. they'll be able to tell that, nancy. the first responders were interviewed by lapd homicide, and they're the ones who will give a lot of information on what they saw, what they heard when they were first arrived there. and dr. conrad, you have a lot of explaining to do.

>> is secretly held video kept on monitors within jackson's security system now missing along with the black bag containing drugs and i.v. pole and i.v. use bags.

he was the biggest superstar in the world and just not recognizing it right now. i recognized him. i developed michael into what he is. and not just michael, but janet and the rest of them. so, i hope that people will understand and some of the problems, they were saying i was too rough with the family, everybody spank. i never beat michael in my life. i did spank the family once in a while. katherine spanked them more than i did. don't blame it all on me. >> oh, yeah, poor, poor you. joe jackson taking every opportunity to advance his own new record label and blaming all the beatings suffered by michael jackson as a young boy on his

wife, now 79-year-old katherine jackson. we are taking your calls live. i want to go back to mike brooks, formerly with the fbi. very disturbing reports are emerging. i said neverland earlier. i meant his holmby hills home. the rental where he and his children were living. had an elaborate security system that even videoed up in jackson's private living quarters. every room, essentially, had video cameras in it including the outside. now, all of that apparently the video of his private living quarters is gone. that would have revealed the last moments of his life. how do you do that? >> very simple. most of the systems now are digital and it is all on a cd. so all they have to do is to go to the master control room where the cd is being played where all of the cameras come into, and you take the disk and get rid of the disk and you get rid of the evidence.

>> to dr. jeff guardier, psychologist and author, are people so under the influence of his entourage, while they are cleaning off a disk, they don't realize it's wrong? >> well, they know that it's wrong, but they're trying to protect the king of pop so they convince themselves they're doing the right thing, even though it is the wrong thing.

aeg told cnn jackson passed a five-hour medical exam in preparation for his tour. >> all i know is that the michael jackson that hugged me and said good night was a healthy, vibrant human being. >> when i hear people saying that michael was in great shape and that he was raring to go, i know this is untrue. and they know it was untrue as well. michael was not in good physical shape, and michael was not raring to go. >> in response to allegation that's aeg refused to make his schedule easier, randy phillip said jackson had agreed to 50

shows. adding, he needed the money. rowe believes jackson was weakened by what he called the singer's addiction to prescription drugs. rowe will me one week before michael jackson died, he spoke with some of his family member about getting him helpful including his father, joe jackson, and his brother randy. he said they all agreed to get jackson into rehabilitation but they never had the chance. he died before they could even make a move. >> i'm doing well and i am strong. as you may already know after my tour ended, i remained out of the country undergoing treatment for a dependency on pain medication. this medication was initially prescribed to recede the excruciating pain that i was suffering after recent reconstructive surgery on my scalp. >> we have just shown you very disturbing video of that '84 pepsi commercial where jackson actually caught on fire across the top of his head.

he continued dancing, spinning around and around, unaware that he was actually on fire. this was the onset of a drug dependency that culminated in him demanding to be hook up to an i.v. drip that would knock him out for days on end. essentially rendering him a living corpse. now, amid claims that there was a cleanup there in his rented home, video even being erased of his final moments. reports say it is all true, but we are awaiting reports to say it is. i want to go out to natisha lance, our producer, who has been on the scene from the very beginning. what can you tell me about threats to the jackson family to actually steal jackson's body? >> you're right. there are reports coming in that people are throwing notes over the gate at the encino home, threatening to steal michael jackson's body. we put a call out to forest lawn today to ask them about the security measures they are taking to protect michael

jackson's body. they won't give us any details regarding that. but the jackson family allegedly was so concerned about michael jackson's safety, the safety of his body, that his body may not have even been in that promethian casket. the one that went to the cemetery after the funeral service. >> to stacey brown, the author of the book, we understand that there are guards, armed guards, protecting his body rate now. what do you make of their plans to go forward with a jackson burial theme park like graceland? or will they stick with forest lawn? what are their plans, do you know? >> well, nancy, from what i understand, the plans for neverland have officially died. they never got permission to do it there, and it was never unanimous that the family wanted him there. there were members of the family who did want him at neverland and others who wanted him at forest lawn. there are, as your producer

said, security guards there at forest lawn, because there have been threats against his body. it does not surprise me. with michael, nothing surprises us anymore. >> let's unleash the law yers again. i never thought as i was attending law school and practicing in court all of those years, that i would be discussing graverobbers and body snatcher, but here with a music icon, and no i am not negating the child molestation charges and the trial against him, but those are over now. the time to discuss that is done. to susan moss, renee rock wem, and alan ripka, there are reports that there are fans who want to lin lie next to his bod and get to the end of the place where the pendulum swings to some fans wanting to have his

body as a some kind of trophy. what would the tampering with a body be? >> well, you cannot tamper with a dead body. you cannot steal it. it's a piece of property beyond anything else. i'm not a california lawyer but enough said about that. you have enough obsessed people that you can imagine, if they decided to cremate the body and sprinkle the ashes in the pacific ocean, that people would be jumping in, killing themselves after it. >> and susan moss, as i understand it, the family is @ú considering entombing his body in feet of cement, concrete to make it more difficult to get to the body. >> absolutely. that's what they're going to do. and i wouldn't be surprised if they don't use that opportunity to try to raise more money for the estate.

>> you know, alan ripka, although stacy brown's telling us that the plan to bury him at neverland has died, state officials say they have been in the last week contacted by the jackson family about burying him there. you just can't put a dead body in the backyard, alan. >> you certainly can't. the state permits that you have to have permits to allow for places for people to be buried. and certainly, the state would be involved if they went that route. >> i want to go out to mary margaret, senior news editor with radaronline. mary margaret, we see with the "us weekly" report and the video of the '84 pepsi commercial. there's intense interest as to why michael jackson died. you don't normally have a criminal investigation when somebody simply has a heart attack. >> right. right. that's one of the reason the dea is investigating, the fact that yes, it is definitely rare and obviously sudden that michael jackson died, even though the insiders felt like it was imminent. the reason is this is someone who has a long history of drug

abuse, and it is a question of what got him to the point that he overdosed. the toxicology reports haven't been brought out, but the reason investigators are treating this as a criminal investigation is there is suspicion that the people around him who have been entrusted with his health failed somehow. >> tout mike brooks, what is the latest on the criminal investigation? >> well, nancy, you still have a death investigation. we heard from chief bratton, chief of lapd, not ruling out anything right now because the coroner has not determined cause and manner of death. you do have the dea brought in. if the dea is there, they are looking at the drug. they're looking at the doctors. because, nancy, every prescription that's written, every doctor has a particular dea number. they can trace that back to say who, what, when and where it was written. and they regulate the pharmacy that distributed the drugs after the prescriptions are written. you have two parallel investigations going on.

>> out to the lines, sarah in mississippi, hi, dear. >> caller: hi, nancy. it's so great to talk to you. i wanted to say i love your necklaces. every time i watch you, you have nice necklaces on. >> thank you, sarah in mississippi. what's your question, dear? >> caller: well, actually, i have a comment. i am a mortuary student and i hear the frustration in your voice when you say, part of his brain was missing. i just wanted to comment and say that it is common practice when an autopsy has been performed not to put the brain back into the skull for the fact that you will have leakage. they put the brain in a biohazard bag, along with the chest cavity, you know, intestines, and stomach -- and they put all of that stuff in a

bag, so it is back up in the stomach when the embalmers get the body to take the bag out. so there won't be any leakage coming out. >> let me ask you one question before we have to go to break. what happens to that bag when the body is buried? >> it is the same as what happens at a hospital when they're trying to get rid of their biohazard things. it is -- >> so bottom line, you're saying it is not typically buried with the body. >> no. it's not. >> from mississippi, thank you for the enlightenment. to tonight's safety tip. with nearly 314,000 people filing identity theft complaints just last year, here are tips to help protect you and your family. only give out your social security number when you have to. always shred mail with your personal information on it. place passwords on your bank

account and other mail. view your credit report regularly. make sure there are no mistakes. if you think you are the victim of identity theft, report it to the ftc, the federal trade commission. for more information, please go online to onguardonline.gov.

michael jackson's family was apparently worried he had a drug problem. cnn has learned they even attempted an intervention two years ago. it apparently started with michael jackson's sister janet. two sources saying that janet visited his vegas home in early 2007 and was shocked. one source said the house had almost no furniture, looked a bit creepy, and michael, himself, appeared very thin and disheveled at that time. that february, janet then attended the nba all-star game with two of the brothers. she asked them to go to michael's house with her to try to convince him to get some help, but michael reportedly ordered security not to let them in. >> out to the line to maurice in

kentucky. hi, dear. >> caller: hi, nancy. the twins are gorgeous. they're just gorgeous. >> you know, god heard my prayers and answered them 10,000 times over. two children, not one, healthy, a boy and a girl. and, you know, stories like this, not necessarily michael jackson, but the children being left behind and the tug-of-war between all of these crazy characters about raising them is very disturbing. >> caller: i agree. my question, nancy -- can you hear me? >> yes, dear. go ahead. >> caller: my question is concerning michael jackson's father and the abuse that he suffered at his father's hands, can his father be prosecuted? can charges be brought? >> good question. i imagine, rene rockwell, that the statue of limitations has long since run.

explain. >> first of all, there is nobody to cross examine in any trial. and these allegations are for many, many years ago. so i don't see any prosecution. but there will be consequences. >> i guess your answer is no. >> no. >> it's too late. thank you. >> but there are consequences. >> yeah, right. there are consequences. what? he will make more money off the new record label? he will use michael jackson's dead body to make more money? that's a consequence. out to amy in georgia. hi, amy. >> caller: hi, nancy. >> hi, dear. what's your question? >> caller: my question is, as far as the kids go, it would be terrible for them to get attached to katherine and live with her and then experience another loss. is it possible the judge would suggest that maybe someone like janet who seems to be very doting on the children maybe share custody of them, and then, you know, that would be terrible for them to go through another loss.

>> i agree. i think stacey brown, author of "michael jackson: the man behind the mask," stacey brown, his will specifically says katherine jackson. now, we all think janet jackson is so close to them but she actually lives on the other side of the country and rarely sees them. >> nancy, you're right. and look, katherine has had a hand in raising her other grandchildren as well. this is not anything that's foreign to her. i've seen those kids many times and those grandchildren of hers are very happy with her. the other thing about it is, we saw a really good thing on sunday. the pictures of katherine taking them to the kingdom hall jehovah's witnesses. they're getting religion. something they probably didn't get with their father. that can only be a good thing. >> yeah, you know what, stacey brown? nothing wrong with a dose of religion. with that i can agree with you. but to you, doctor, dr. jeff

gardere, the point made by amy, the grandmother is 79 years old. but you cannot subvert the will. >> that's right. here's the issue. what you said is absolutely correct. what happens if now they are taken away from katherine? it will be a real problem, another major loss in their lives. that's why katherine needs other family members in their helping her, too. very quickly, i want to switch gears and tell you the latest in a double murder investigation. take a listen. >> working a complex case over numerous counties and coordination with several federal agency, and again, trying to assess the entire spectrum of motives that may be involved in this case, that's a humdinger. having to pass that information on to the federal agencies because of the information developed during this case, that is a humdinger. you'll see the many different

avenues and the depth of this case. >> out to cnn correspondent standing by the pensacola sheriff's office. what is the latest in the double murder investigation? >> well, nancy, believe it or not, authorities will us they've scheduled another press conference. 9:30 eastern. we're told to expect the announcement of yet another arrest. who this is, we're not exactly sure yet. but there has been several people of interest that authorities have told us about throughout the day. if that turns out to be one of those people, we'll find out shortly. >> out to sergeant ted roy, the p.i.o., public information officer there at escambia sheriff's office. sheriff, thank you for being with us. a lot of people are writing and calling in wanting to know where the 16 children are. where are they? >> well, a lot of them are grown. the nine in the house are young and they're with other family members now. >> they're with other family members. are they still together? or they had to be separated? >> the latest we heard today, they are staying together, and they will be staying together throughout this ordeal and even after.

>> is the home a crime scene or has it been release badk to the family? >> that i do not know. i have not been up there since the night of the occurrence. >> out to clark goldband, our producer on the story. from the very beginning, clark, why are people looking for a blond realtor? what does she have to do with a bunch of men dress in the full ninja garb, creeping across this couple's front yard? >> she was the first person of interest and now at a press conference this afternoon, there are two persons of interest. what i can tell but pamela long, in fact she was the landlord of gonzalez, jr., the alleged ring leader of the crime. there is also a second person of interest that has been announced but police haven't said who or even a gender of this person. they believe that second person of interest in fact knew about the security cameras and alarm code. but for some reason, may have gotten cold feet and bailed on an otherwise perfect crime. >> to sergeant ted roy, the public information officer there

at the sheriff's office, thank you for being with us. so this whole thing. this double murder and this robbery, including the family's safe taken out of the home. was handled with military-like precision, but one of the idiots forgot to cut off the security camera? >> that is what we believe now. the lady, the other lady talked about pamela long, and we have her with us right now and she is upstairs talking to investigators. >> excellent, sheriff. >> that is part of the investigation that all of the suspects are trying to save their own hide right now and saying that someone else. >> what about it, mike brooks? >> well, the sheriff was intimating at the last press conference that it might have been someone who installed the alarm, and most likely to be done remotely and had been looking at databases, and these kinds of things where people need the access code to get into the system to cut it off. >> we will be right back with

sergeant ted roy, ed lavendara and mike brooks, but special happy birthday, happy 99th birthday to louisiana friend of the show, mimi, and isn't she beautiful? smee likes to go to louisiana river boat to gamble. her secret to long health is to not take life too seriously and drink your margaritas.

i'm ashleigh banfield, and next, the michael jackson investigation bombshell. jon gosselin speaking out about his love life without kate. and did eminem give permission to slam her? that is all at the top of the hour. back out to sergeant ted roy joining us from the sheriff's office. i understand this realtor rented to one of the people that you believe is involved in the plot. what could she possibly know? >> well, that's what we're talking about right now. she knew gonzalez, jr. >> and what can you tell me about one of the suspects

running a martial arts studio? >> yeah. that's also gonzalez, jr. there's some tape on him today supposedly helping women and little children in self-defense. >> sergeant, why so many people involved in this plot? i mean, sergeant, isn't it your experience that the more people involved in a criminal plot, the more likely that you're going to get caught? they can't keep their traps shut. >> absolutely. yeah, the more people that are involved, you're exactly right. the more people that know about it, the worse off it's going to be and this is how it ended up right now. >> and sergeant, is it true that whoever was to cut the video, the surveillance video off got cold feet and didn't show up? >> that's just a theory right now. according to some of the suspects, that was supposed to happen. some of them are saying that they don't know anything about that, so that is just a hunch. >> with us tonight, ed levin dare ra, and mike brooks and ted

roy on the story. let's stop and remember. staff sergeant ryan haupt, 24, colorado springs, colorado, killed, iraq, just days before his trip home, a member of the army's elite sniper team. awarded the purple heart, loved photography, computers, hiking. leaves behind his beloved wife nannette, parents, stepfather, jay, three sisters, one brother. ryan haupt. american hero. thank you to all our guests but especially to you for being with us. i'll see you tomorrow night 8:00 sharp eastern. and until then, good night, and until then, good night, friend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com hello. i'm ashleigh banfield in new york. and this is a "showbiz tonight" news break. here's some of what we're

covering for you on "showbiz tonight" at the top of the hour. startling new twists into the investigation into michael jackson's death. a "showbiz tonight" exclusive. brand-new details about a secret police meeting with one of jackson's doctors. what really went down in that hotel room? and bombshell new revelations from one of m.j.'s security guards. did michael really reveal a drug addiction to him? dramatic new details about debbie rowe's relationship with michael jackson, plus late-breaking developments in the battle for michael's kids. could blanket's mom come forward and fight for custody and will all of jackson's kids have to speak in open court? plus, jon gosselin speaks out. jon from "jon & kate plus 8" makes some surprising comments about his new 22-year-old girlfriend. that's your "showbiz tonight" news break. tv's most provocative entertainment news show starts at the top of the hour right here on hln.