you're not kidding around here. come on, ref. >> there you go. >> ten seconds. >> stop cheating. [ whistle blows ] >> very well done. >> he blew the whistle early. >> what do you think, titus? do you think you can beat him? >> yes. >> here we go. take your position. metta, come on over here. all right, titus. the number to beat is six. are you ready, titus? >> don't beat him too bad. he has areally bad temper. >> go! shoot, titus!

>> unbelievable! [ whistle blows ] >> congratulations, titus. it's all right, it's all right. you have something you want to give titus? >> titus, this is for you since you kicked my butt this is for you. >> wow, look at that! >> thank you, metta world peace. thanks titus, thank you, joseph. we'll be right back.

good night everybody. tonight in the water, death and attraction, these places attract many throughout the year, in places like sea world, but they can snap. tonight, the debate over killer whales as tourist attractions. and caught on tape, the brutal murder, the authorities wonder if a new england patriot is involved. is a destroyed home surveillance system a key to the case? and a group of mail carriers in china earn super hero status in tonight's feed frenzy. keep it right

from new york city, this is "nightline" with bill weir. >> good evening, and happy friday, and thank you for joining us tonight. you remember free willy, the killer whale, and a little boy who saves him. a group of filmmakers are behind a new documentary called blackfish, they argue that these killer whales may be driven to the wild. >> reporter: the scene seems so joyful, the video of dawn brancheau, with tilikum, playing

with him in shallow water, and then something goes very wrong. tilikum, the 12,000-pound killer whale kills the 40-year-old trainer, starting a controversy still playing out today. >> i didn't understand why a killer whale would essentially bite the hand that feeds it. she was his trainer. >> reporter: she is a filmmaker whose latest documentary, "blackfish," examines just how dawn and tilikum arrived at that fateful moment, and raises the question if killer whales should be held in captivity. >> it was prolonged, that was the stuff of nightmares. >> reporter: brancheau's death was shocking, because she was one of the most gifted trainers there. >> she was beautiful, blonde, more than all of that she was a

top, top trainer. >> reporter: but should this incident have been a surprise? there have been four deaths involving killer whales in captivity, and tilikum has been associated with three of them. >> for somebody who never met him, how would you describe him? >> well, i always thought he was a puppy dog, that shows you how naive i was. >> reporter: tilikum was popular, a crowd favorite. >> what causes them to fall in love with the animals? >> they're such impressive animals to look at. the capacity, the intelligence. >> when you look into their eyes, you know somebody is home. >> reporter: in the wild, the animals live in rich, tightly bound communities. >> they live in these big families and they have life spans very similar to human life spans. but the adult offspring never leave their mother's side.

>> is it true that killer whales have never been responsible for loss of life in the human world. >> this is true, there is no documented case of a killer whale ever killing anybody in the wild, it is only in captivity where it happened. >> reporter: she calls this a 40-year experiment back to the beginning. >> it was a really exciting thing to do. everybody wanted to do it. >> reporter: the hunt more than 40 years ago to capture the first killer whale. >> they had speed boats and bombs they threw in the water. and herded the whales into coves. >> reporter: the animals' intelligence were apparent. >> the boats followed the animals, while the mothers with babies went north. but the capture teams had aircraft. but they have to come up for air, and later when they did,

they alerted the boats, and when they had fishing boats with nets, it would stretch across so none could leave and then they could just pick up the young ones. >> reporter: the hunt separated the killer whales from their mothers, destroying the social connection. >> this is the worst thing i have ever done. >> reporter: when he was about 2 years old, tilikum was captured off the coast of ice land at the age of three. >> he was dumped in the park, and beat up on. >> reporter: at night, tilikum and the two other killer whales were kept in a holding pen just 20 feet across and 30 feet deep. >> they were immobile for the most part, it doesn't feel good, just didn't. closing the door on him and knowing that he is locked in there for the whole night is like -- it is -- a stab. >> reporter: it was a sealand of

the pacific in 1991 that tilikum was responsible for the trainer for the first time. >> the whale grabbed her back foot and pulled her under. >> reporter: the very next year, he arrived in orlando, to the delight of the tourists who knew nothing of his past. but in 1999, a park visitor who stayed after the park closed. the next morning he was found draped across tilikum's back, dead from hypothermia. it is not known what role the whale played in his death. but the behavior of the killer whale is not 100% predictable. from 1998 to 2009, sea world reported cases of behavior that included injuries to trainers. >> swimming with a killer whale, as a human being our bodies are not designed to do that but then

you would also have injuries related to aggression with the whales, for sure. >> reporter: in one incident, the trainer made the mistake of putting her foot on and off of the killer whale. >> watching the video, knowing orchid, your stomach drops because you know what is probably going to happen. she grabs her foot, you see her ripped. you hear her skraem out, somebody help me. >> reporter: the trainer was eventually released but not before having her arm badly broken. >> she is very lucky to be alive. >> reporter: tragically, dawn brancheau did not have the same outcome. >> she wanted to work there her whole life. >> we em bark on the experiment, and the results of this experiment are that we can just never, ever truly give them what they need. i mean, it is actually very dangerous for us to try. >> reporter: the government agreed. in the wake of branchaeu's

death, osha ordered an investigation and ordered the trainers to keep away from the whales, ending the work that once thrilled audiences. seaworld continues to appeal, and says that osha does not have the proper understanding on how to care for and work with the animals. since 2010, the company has voluntarily implemented significant changes to the training protocols for its killer whale program that have proven to be safe and effective. seaworld believes that sea mammals plays a currently role, and are a benefit to the public. they point out that 11 million people visit seaworld every year and hope that the public understands the animals and the perils their face. she doesn't want to see seaworld

close down, just change. >> i think that they have the financial resources to be able to sort of shift this whole marine park surface like environment into one of education. >> reporter: with summer's arrival, thousands will be coming to seaworld, to see tilikum perform in captivity as he has for years. i'm linsey davis. and the festival celebrates excellence in documentary filmmakers, and a range of discussions through the weekend. and "blackfish" opens to select theaters in l.a. and our thanks to linsey davis. and what led police to the patriots hernandez.

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from o.j. simpson to ray louis, the high profile athletes and controversy is hardly novel. tonight, police are piecing together clues around an execution-style killing. as fans wait to see if and how patriot star aaron hernandez might be involved. with the latest details, here is my new "nightline" co-anchor,

dan abrams. >> reporter: the person getting out of this car was not o.j. simpson. >> breaking news in a murder case linked to an nfl player. >> reporter: aaron hernandez, the 23-year-old tight end for the new england patriot shown here, the man with golden hands who seemed to have everything. he is now facing questions about the murder of his friend, fellow football player, odin lloyd. >> he was questioned about the player, who sources say was a close association. >> reporter: lloyd who played for boston, was found dead in massachusetts. killed execution style. the time line and circumstances

as police worked on the case raised questions. it began as a night like so many others in his sometimes fast lane life. like this one in l.a. what did you do after the super bowl? i just wanted to know. abc news has learned that a week ago, hernandez and lloyd went to this boston nightclub called "rumor." so what happened? did something go wrong. hernandez and others were seen leaving the house, and hours later, odin lloyd was dead, his body discovered here on monday, walking distance from hernandez's million dollar home. and near the scene of the crime, a 2013 chevrolet suburban, reported to have been rented to aaron hernandez. but there is more. when police asked to see footage from hernandez's high tech security system, they learned the security system had been destroyed. and sources say when police asked for hernandez's cell

phone, it was handed over by his lawyers in several pieces. police also want to know why on monday before the body was found a team of house cleaners came in to clean the mansion. >> the apparent attempt to destroy evidence, i believe is very telling. >> reporter: hernandez has not been named a suspect in the case, and no warrant has been issued for his arrest. but the revelations has created news. his endorsement with muscle milk seems to have gone sour. a former draft pick from the university of florida, hernandez over-delivered and quickly became a marquis player. then his contract was sweetened with a 12 million signing bonus. but even before he was drafted, questions were asked about his life outside of football. pro scouts shared a scouting

report with boston.com. self-esteem is quite low, not conventional adjusted emotionally. not happy, moods unpredictable. not stable, doesn't take much to set him off, but not an especially jumpy guy. >> mr. hernandez appears to regularly place himself in situations where there are firearms, after-hours clubs and aggressive behavior. and no good will ever come of the combination of those three. >> reporter: last week, hernandez was even sued for allegedly shooting a friend, causing him to lose an eye. the question is, what happened here? but the mother of odin lloyd, all that matters right now, he is gone. >> my son was a wonderful child, a fine guy. he doesn't do anything to hurt anyone. >> reporter: and lloyd's coach seems to know nothing about any connection to hernandez. >> i don't know any of the association with him. or if that is what is alleged.

just a happy-go-lucky type of guy. >> reporter: so far authorities are keeping mum about the investigation, rumors that hernandez might be arrested are for the moment, just rumors, hernandez has said nothing about the case so far, and appears to echo these words. i'm dan abrams, "nightline." and coming up, what happens when babyies fall from the sky, and a superstar rapper tries to fake his way into the miami heat locker room, next. even get through the day. so i was honest with my doctor. i told her i'd been feeling stuck for a long time. she said that for some people, an antidepressant alone only helps so much and suggested we add abilify (aripiprazole). she said that by taking both, some people had symptom improvement as early as 1 to 2 weeks. i wish i'd talked to my doctor sooner. [ female announcer ] abilify is not for everyone. call your doctor if your depression worsens

or you have unusual changes in behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens and young adults. elderly dementia patients taking abilify have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor if you have high fever, stiff muscles and confusion to address a possible life-threatening condition. or if you have uncontrollable muscle movements, as these could become permanent. high blood sugar has been reported with abilify and medicines like it and in extreme cases can lead to coma or death. other risks include increased cholesterol, weight gain, decreases in white blood cells, which can be serious, dizziness on standing, seizures, trouble swallowing, and impaired judgment or motor skills. [ sally ] since adding abilify, i feel better. abilify and my antidepressant make a pretty good team. [ female announcer ] ask your doctor about a free trial of abilify and go to addabilify.com. ♪

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and finally tonight, among the stories that caught our eye today, a group of chinese mailmen who redefined right place, right time. and a superstar rapper gets a taste of what it is like for a fan to get turned away at the back stage door. it is a little something we like to call "the feed frenzy." who are these guys? what are they looking at? well, they are mail carriers in china. and they are fixated on a

2-year-old little girl, dangling her legs from a two-story window, once they realized the situation, it is a good thing, because when she falls they're in just the right spot. take a look, amazing team work to save the baby girl. and on thursday, the daughter of joe torre caught a toddler, proving that real super heroes wear no capes. and he has money to blow, fame, a reasonable sense of entitlement, but none of it was enough to get drake into the locker room after the championship game with the spurs. he was not a member of the press. it was a rare moment when the sports reporters got to feel superior. but the friend of lebron james got the last laugh and was

spotted hanging at a victory party later in the night. a little dash of humility, good for the soul. and finally, closing argument, a tough week for food network star, paula dean. she is being sued for a hostile work environment, where sexual harassment and insensitive language that was used in the past. she posted two youtube apologies today. >> i want to apologize to everybody for the wrong that i have done. i want to learn and grow from this inappropriate, hurtful language is totally, totaling unacceptable. >> despite that mea culpa, the food network announced they will not renew her contract