>> the headlines captivated the country. >> child killer accused of a shocking crime at the age of 11. >> the littlest monster. >> accused of shooting his soon to be step mom in cold blood. >> this is an execution style

killing. >> did you understand what you stood accused of? >> no, i didn't understand. >> the case that's tearing a family aport. >> he's a murder and i'll say it. an his father needs to get in the mirror every morning and say i am the father of a murderer. >> but nearly ten years later, a bombshell. jordan brown's conviction overturned and he's now speaking publicly. >> how do you explain to somebody what that's like being accused of murder? >> being accused of it it's a horrible feeling. i can't explain it. i wouldn't want anybody to feel it. >> the now 21-year-old jordan says growing up he remembers happiness. >> what kind of childhood would you say you had up until '11? >> normal, i guess. i had friends coming over and we would always play like games, video games. >> by the time jordan was in fifth grade, his dad had gotten engaged. both single parents, their families blended.

11-year-old jordan and kensi's daughters all under one roof. >> what was your relationship like with your soon to be step mom? >> it was strong. she was really nice. i liked her a lot. >> jordan says he often called kensi mom and the family had more reason to rejoice. she was pregnant with a baby boy. >> i always wanted a little brother. it was a boy, so that's what i was going to get. >> but on february 20th, 2009, a cold frigid morning, that happiness shattered. >> i remember getting up that morning, running a little late for work. she had asked me to stay home that day and i didn't, and that's something that's haunted me. >> what do you remember? >> it was just a normal morning. my sister woke me up. >> eight and a half months pregnant, kensi stayed in bed as the kids got ready for school. >> she told to us hurry up

because we were going to be late. we ran down the driveway and went to school. >> after they got on the bus at 8:15, it was just kensi and adalin who was asleep in her bed. men arrived to cut down trees and they spotted the 4-year-old in the window saying her mom is dead. >> i remember the coroner saying when he touched the body we have a problem, and that's when he realized it was a homicide. >> kensi had been shot in the back of the head at close range. >> they told me that her and the baby were gone and i remember collapsing in the yard. i lost it. >> police interviewed both jordan and janessa at school and at first neither reported anything out of the ordinary that day except one thing. jordan did notice a black truck parked near that i farmhouse. >> in the very first interview with police, you mentioned that you saw a vehicle in the driveway.

>> i didn't think anything of it, was just a truck. i thought it was some guy there doing work or something. but that's what i told hem. >> officers would interview the kids again. by 3:30 the following morning, police were pounding at the door with a warran for 11-year-old jordan. >> they put me in the back of the car and they took me to the police barracks. i was in there and then they took me straight to the county jail. i had no idea ways going. i wasn't with anybody, it was just a bunch of strangers. >> i was mind blown. >> just 18 hours after kensi's death, jordan stood accused of her murder. his mug shot shows the 11-year-old face puffy from crying. >> this is the mug shot that was taken. >> i was crying in the picture. i didn't understand where i was at, what was going on or anything. >> police say they believe the strongest piece of circumstantial evidence against jordan came from kensi's 7-year-old daughter janessa. police speaking to her again

late on the might of the murder say the 7-year-old had a startling new recollection that she saw jordan moving his guns that morning. then. >> she told me when she was waiting downstairs for jordan she heard a big boom. and she identified it as a sound of a gun. >> do you remember doing anything with those guns that day? >> no. >> you never brought the guns downstairs? >> i never touched them. >> but despite saying that was one of the reasons they arrested jordan, that bombshell interview was never entered into evidence as trial. janessa never testified. >> does it occur to you maybe they didn't enter it into evidence because it wasn't reliable? >> no. no way, shape, or form. you're talking about a 7-year-old taking a stand in a courtroom. it had nothing to can doh with her being unreliable. >> but the defense says from the get-go there are huge issues in the case against jordan. >> all they arrested him on largely was the statement of janessa. as time went on they completely abandoned that statement which

was the strzokkeongest evidence the occasion. and rather that try to pursue a case frons economially. >> the case went through the system for years while jordan was forced to grow up in a detention center. chris brown drove 230 miles round trip every day to see his son. >> looking back i don't know what i would have done without him. >> chris said he did consider the possibility that jordan may have shot kensi. >> i gave him every opportunity, if something happened, accidents happen, tell me, i'm not going to be mad at you. i'm you're dad. i'm never not going to be your dad i'm never not going to be here every day of. >> and what did he say? >> never changed his story. maintained his innocence throughout from day one. >> obviously the police believe that you killed kensi. did you kill kensi? >> no. >> life on the inside was stuff, but there were good moments like his 12th birthday party.

>> it was like the best day i ever had. because i hadn't seen my friends in so long and they all came up and they were there for a couple hours. >> jordan attended classes in detention but he said he was mainly self-taught reading words with a dictionary by his side. >> i would reading some and if i came across a word i would look it up so that's how i knew what was said. >> two years lawyers bat told move his case from adult court to juvenile court. they succeeded. but in 2012, a devastating blow when a judge who found jordan was now 14 guilty sentenced to remain in juvenile detention. his defense team vowing to take the case to the state court. >> an 11-year-old child can't make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without leaving clues. >> when jordan was arrested, the prosecutor at the time told

reporters that jordan's clothing showed some evidence of gun residue. >> i have a shotgun blast to the back of the head consistent with a 20 gauge shotgun shell, 20 gauge youth model and he's got residue on him. >> but the defense argues that gunpowder came from a jacket jordan wore at a turkey shoot days earlier and they said it was just as likely that those particles of gunshot residue could have transferred to jordan's clothes. >> the absence of any tissue or blood on his clothing, on the barrel of the gun. it's almost inconceivable that a shotgun was fired at close range and it wouldn't deposit any tissue or blood on barrel of the gun or his clothing which he wore to school. >> but the prosecution's expert testified that th angle at which the gun was shot could have mine nized of mized the bl. but the defense wasn't buying it. >> i was expecting this

overwhelming evidence, forensics and witnesses, everything that you would hope to see in a case of that magnitude. for them to be so sure that they're going to take this this little 11-year-old boy through that pro setcess, it just wasn' there. >> but if jordan didn't kill kensi, who did? they believe police had tunnel vision and needed to take a look at her boyfriend for ten years. >> she was afraid of him. she had protection of abuse orders. >> harvey denies all of the claims. >> unbeknownst to jordan, his soon to be stepmother had a pfa against a gentleman who had been threatening to kill her, leaving threatening messages to happened to drive a black truck. jordan brown described a black pickup truck which coincidently harvey was stopped in. it's hugely significant. >> but police say based on the snow on harvey's truck, he not koh not have driven to and from her home in the morning. >> there was a light snow that

we had on the ground and when the truck was pulled over, it still had snow on the hood. >> police say adam harvey had an alibi and they also tested his hands for the presence of gunshot residue. there was none. >> and as the interview progressed through the first half hour, maybe 40 minutes, i just got no indication that it was adam. >> after the interview, harvey was cleared as a suspect. since his arrest in 2009, jordan spent seven summers behind bars. he maintained his innocence throughout and was rmseleased o probation avenue turned 18, a free man but still determined to overturn the guilty verdict against him. >> the judges are being asked to rule jordan brown was yongly found guilty on insufficient evidence. >> and finally, this summer jordan hears the decision from the supreme court of pennsylvania. in a stunning victory, the court wrote that the prosecution failed to prove jordan brown guilty yard. his conviction overturned.

it is incredible rare for a supreme court to say that there is not enough evidence here. it's not that the court is saying a 100% he's innocent, but the court is saying that there's certainly not enough evidence to convict. one of the things the supreme court pointed out, they were never able to prove that jordan's shotgun was the murder weapon. >> the truth finally got out. >> but not everyone believes it. we talked to the cops who say they got it right the first time. and there's a new witness that morning in the house who has never spoken publicly before. the person who found kensi's body. >> yeah, i remember everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber everything. ber ever ng. ber ever ng. ber ever ng. ber ever ng. ber ever

for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever

for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever

for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ever for ♪i am beautiful in every single way♪ ♪words, can't bring me down♪

>> announcer: this special presentation of nightline kins. juju chang reports. >> it's been nearly ten years since 26-year-old kensi was brutally murdered in her bed, her unborn baby boy killed along with her. >> she was real feisty. she always had a beautiful smile. like everybody, and she loved her children. >> that's all she ever said when you say what do you want to be when you grou e grow up? i want to be a mom. i want kids. >> since her death, kensi's family has raised their daughters, their lives a loving tribute to their mother's memory. >> we used to dance and sing on the fireplace. that was my favorite memory. i'm just like her. i'm her little mini me. >> kensi's younger daughter add lin, 4 then, now 13 coming ford

publicly with an account that flies in the face of the prosecutor's timeline. remember she was asleep upstairs at the time of the murder. >> the gunshot was what had woken me up. i was so young i did not know what the sound was. i was just going to walk in to wake her up and her phone rang. i went and answered the phone and i was like, hi. they were like i can talk to your mama? i went in to wake her up and her face was facing me. i was like hey, mom, wake up. and when i turned her over i realized. >> she realized her mom was dead. >> and i went outside and i had asked the tree men that were accounting down trees. >> adalin's timeline matched the tree trimmers. by the time jordan and janessa on the bus at 8:15 would have been long gone when kensi was killed. >> i went back in the house and a very nice cop sat me on the chair and told me everything was going to be all right. i sat there and cried with my little blanket.

>> police and jordan's attorney say they never heard her account, but after so much time it's not credible. yet some members of the family still believe jordan is guilty. >> i miss her a lot and i think it's a shame that that one minute or two-minute decision he made ruined so many lives and took away two lives. >> it's heartbreaking. i can't believe why someone would want to kill -- i just still i just don't know why whoever did it, i'm not going to say who. >> furthermore, former trooper bobby mcgraw is still convinced that jordan brown is guilty of first-degree murder, despite the pennsylvania supreme court overturning his conviction citing lack of evidence. >> this case was investigated by some of the finest police officers in this country. every trooper who investigated that case feels the same way. we did not get that wrong. we didn't get it wrong. >> if those troopers were

standing right here, what would you say to them? >> shame on you. it's probably the most polite way to put it. you took an 11-year-old's childhood away from him. you've ruined his name, in essence. you google jordan brown and you get that mug shot picture that pops up. >> you think that this accusation led to a real killer getting away with murder. >> absolutely. and that's disturbing. there's a murderer walking amongst us that has been overlooked. >> jordan brown, meanwhile, is finally a free man. no longer a terrified 11-year-old boy. during jordan's long incarceration, he says he maintained a 3.9 gpa, taught himself thousand play guitar, he also became a pretty good basketball player. released from detention when he was 18, through it all he says he harbors no ill will. >> i'm not angry, i think the

whole, like, what happened and the way it happened is bs. >> there's still some people who will never be convinced. kensi's family. >> i'm heartbroken. my heart goes out to them. >> through the years of bitter controversy, one truth never up for debate. kensi and her unborn child will never be forgotten. >> i still love her, i miss her every day. >> today jordan brown is determined to leave his past behind, to focus on college and brighter days ahead. >> that song i just played is called she talks to angels by the black crows. >> what do you want to tell the world about you? >> that i'm innocent. that's like the only thing i really want people to know. >> next, the whale watch making waves. environmental activists targeting the largest whalg station in the world, still hunting the gentle giants of the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the

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seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the seas. the >> announcer: this special presentation of nightline continues. here again, byron pitts. >> now to the icy battle raging off of iceland. in the face of an international ban most countries observe, whales are still being hunt and

slaughtered there. we're on the frontlines on the high seas. >> in the frigid waters off the coast of iceland, these gentle giants seem to rule the sea. it's a breathtaking performance for tourists from around the world. but beneath the surface, some species of whales are being hunted. iceland is one of just two countries in the world that still allows whaling for profit in defiance of an international ban. >> if you're a hunter this is just insane. >> making this the frontline of the war over whaling. >> it's heartbreaking to watch this. these beautiful creatures. >> we're headed out and we're going to meet some antiwhaling

activists. they're with a group sauld sea shepherd. and she keep a 24 hour vigil to keep track of every whale that comes into the station. hey. so this is it? >> this is the whaling station. >> he is leading the whaling station. >> this is the biggest operating chalg station on land. >> their goal, to shut down this whaling station for good. >> what you can see is the last remains of the two whales that were brought in at 5:00 this morning by the whaling ship. >> this hunting season sea shepherd was staked out here around the clock. >> you can see the ship just coming right up near the rocks. >> waiting and watching. >> it's a few miles off at the moment. >> when the catch comes in, sea shepherd was ready to live stream it using social media as a weapon. >> he's just unloaded two more

endangered fin whales. >> i really appreciate you guys joining us. >> hash tags, their har poons. >> this is the twe22nd fin whal that's been killed. images like this getting outrage. >> it's applying pressure, but from within people within iceland because this isn't well reported in ice zbland sea shepherd has a controversial path. some call their tactics eco terrorism. the group notoriously clashing with japanese whaling ships near antarctica in the animal planet series whale wars. in ice land they sank two whale ships in 1986. >> ice land is still reeling somewhat what from an attack on their whaling industry. >> more than three decades later those rotting ships a reminder of how farther willing to go. today their tactics are less

extreme but their target is the same. the whaling company and its manager director, one of iceland's richest men. >> do you carry some fear that sea shepherd may do that again? >> i don't know. these are vicious people. >> do you have security on your ships? >> sure. but if people want to do things, they do it. >> he is the last standing company hunting fin whales, the second largest animal in the world. most of the meat is exported to japan where it's considered a delicacy. >> now, i have to tell you, when i hear that described, an explosive detonating inside an animal, it sounds horrible. what is your argument? >> this is the most efficient way there is. it's like -- >> he believes whales are a renewable resource. >> we are conservationist. it means conserve and utilize. >> so you call your business a conservation business and

believe it to be so? >> of course. sure. it's a sustainable and so we are happy. >> the icelandic government says the whale population here is stable and that the quota they set up to 193 fin whales this season is conservative. but while there are about 40,000 of this species in iceland's water, globally fin whales are endangered. >> from what we've been told, the fin whale population here in iceland is strong enough to sustain this quota. what is sea shepherd say so that. >> there's less than 100,000 of these whales on the planet and they're all distributed throughout the world's oceans just because they're easily found at this time of year, it doesn't justify the hunting of them. they're not iceland's fin whales, they're the world's fin whales. >> that night we get word the fin whale count has risen. >> hello, is that rob? >> we are now headed to the whaling station because this whale is about to come in to be

processed here and sea shepherd is racing here so they can live stream the whole thing. >> as we get closer, the scent of the kill permeates the air. >> the smell comes in waves with the wind and when it hits you, it's hard to breathe. >> fin whales soare so massive that the ship can only pull two at a time slowly. the station is active blasting >> they've just started to play a song from the grease soundtrack. >> normally when you come down here it's very quiet, but tonight there's music playing. i just find it extremely disrespectful. >> there's two whales. >> you see two whales. >> there's two whales on this ship. >> which is not what you wanted to see. >> no. >> that's whoit spots, tonight's kill. >> they'll be wenched across here and ceremoniously pulled up

on to the deck and butchered. it's heartbreaking to watch this, these beautiful creatures. >> we are now seeing these two whales being brought up on to the deck. we're really seeing this whale next to these people and the people down there look tiny. that animal is so huge as it's being wenched up there ready to be processed. >> sea shepherd streaming live every moment around the world in realtime. >> what are people saying? >> very depressing news. oh my god, it's beyond disgusting. >> it's a sad thing to see. that's why we're here is to expose this to the world and make sure everyone knows this is still happening in iceland. >> they've removed a bit of the tail and they've made big incisions along the whale's body. they'll peel off the skin and start to process it. we are going to stop showing that now. >> when we come back, we're with

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this special presentation of nightline continues. gloria riviera reports. >> whaling has been a longstanding part of icelandic culture and across the country meat from fin whales and minky whales can easily be found in markets. >> we have the whale blubber from the fin whale. >> and at restaurants. >> you have the pepper steak, we have -- >> whale meat is mostly marketed to tourists. >> how many signatures do you have already? >> which is why activists with ice whale have also taken to the streets asking visitors to boycott eating whale meat during their stay. this campaign slowing an, meet us, don't 80 u-- eat us.

and now there's an an entire industry trying to keep whales alive. >> it's amazing the first time when i first seen whales. >> oh my gosh. >> the whale population draws researchers from around the world. >> it's still thrilling. >> it never gets old. >> when something that weighs close to 40 tons can launch itself out of the water, as its doing right now, it just never gets old. >> as this whaling season came to a close, the decades old debate continues. >> it's a

next, jazz jenny. the life changing surgery. her final step in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in transition. in 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this special presentation of nightline continues. once again, byron pitts.

>> jess jennings has been a vocal advocate for trens gender kids ever since she first spoke to barbara walters more than ten years ago. she's alouds us to document her process from socializing to pausing puberty. and now the ultimate step of gender confirmation surgery. here's juju chang. >> it was like a dream. this is a moment that i had always envisioned. >> it's a dream she's had for as long as she can remember. >> what happens in a good fairy dream? >> so when i was 2 years old i went up to my mom and asked her whi when is the good fairy going to come with her wand and change my penis into a privates. >> you were 2. >> yeah. >> now that dream is about to become a reality. >> this is something i've always known that i wanted. >> jazz is arguably the most

famous transgender teen in the country, carrying the torch on beful half transkids rights for the last decade. >> the hatred, cruelty, bullying, rejection, and discrimination must stop. >> known for her advocacy, she's tackled some of the most divisive issues head on. >> you've been so public about your entire path. does that make it easier or harder to be a trans teen do you think? >> it just depends, i guess. i think for me i've always been so honest about who i am as a person and being transgender i feel like it's something that i couldn't hide no matter what. >> there's my stretcher. >> she's about to undergo her gender confirmation surgery. >> i would say this is the final step of transitioning. >> a procedure that, in her case, essentially refashioned male genitalia into the female equivalent. >> this is really the last thing

that will validate my identity as a woman. there's nothing else after this. i just get to be myself, be in the body that i've always wanted and then i can live my life as just jazz. >> and so what do you look forward to the most the moment you wake frup tup from the surg? >> i think looking at my vagina for the first time, it's going to be like a new birth. >> what do you say to your critics who say it's tmi? i don't need this much information about bottom surgery? >> it is personal and uncomfortable for some individuals, but how are we going to learn if someone doesn't step up to the plate and share their story? >> it's been a long and windy road, one we've documented for more than a decade. >> hi. >> hi. >> i can come in your house? >> yes. >> the jennings first opened up to barbara walters back in 2007. >> your child was born a boy and now you call him a girl. yes? >> yes. >> at the time, jazz was just 6

years old, one of the youngest documented cases of a child transitioning from male to female. >> if people say to you are you a boy or a girl, what do you say? >> a girl. >> uh-huh. >> the jennings, who have three older kids faced backlash for allowing jazz at such a young age to present publicly as trons. mo -- trans. >> you had to put up with a lot of withering criticism. what do you say to people who still have those doubts? >> i'd rather have a living daughter than a dead son. and i know that if i didn't let this child be who she wanted to be, there was a good chance she wouldn't be with us today. >> there are some people who will forever think well maybe her parents brain washed her, maybe she was too young to know, maybe, maybe, maybe. >> i really, really hate it. this was all me. this is how i felt. they just embraced and loved me for who i was. >> over the years, we've checked

in with jazz. that precocious little girl who grew into a confident preteen navigating the awkward middle school years. >> i don't care what he thinks about me, if it's bad. if it's good then i love him so, yeah. >> but with adolescence looming, jazz, along with her parents, decided to use blockers to medically pause male puberty. >> they block any facial hair i might get or arm pit hair maybe like just so i don't look like a boy or even getting a deep voice also. >> then on the verge of high school, the female hormone. >> so this is like -- this is the estrogen pill that i take. i start getting breasts, softer features, everything more feminine and it's what i've always wanted. >> she calls it a life-saving pill. >> i have no regrets because it allowed me to prevent myself from going through male puberty. i feel that's why my disforria hasn't been so batted because i look in the mirror and see the

girl that i am on the inside. but not every transgender person has the opportunity do that. >> she's also been open about her struggles, her binge eating, coping with anxiety and depression. >> i knew my weight was a problem, but i didn't realize it could affecting some that i've be -- affect something that i've been waiting for my entire life. >> in the upcoming fifth season, camera's capturing the final steps of her transition, one that involved overcoming open stackals. >> it's been hard. i've had to do a lot of things to prepare for this surgery. i had to lose 30 pounds and that was really, really challenging because i had an addiction to food. and it was something that gave me comfort. and i had to let that go because the surgery is so much more important to me than any slice of cake or pizza. >> but that surgery would be

complicated because of the hormone blockers. >> being on the blockers is something i don't regrelt. the only down side to it was that i didn't have enough growth down below so there wasn't enough tissue to work with when it came to the surgery. and it was very challenging to find a doctor, a surgeon who was on me just because i'm such a o difficult case. >> jazz and her family saw the a brand-new ground breaking technique. >> they're using the tissue i have, the pair ta kneeium, i say it's going to be like a patchwork vagina, a frankenstein vagina. as long as it's functional, that's it. >> the one thing you're most looking ford to of at surgery? >> wearing legsings. >> -- leggings. >> he as she heads into the surgery, she's hoping this will

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the future. the future. the future. the future. the future. the future. the future. the future. the future. the future. the future. the special presentation of night line continues. juju chang reports. >> it's been a grueling five hours and trans advocate jazz jennings just completed her gender confirmation surgery. >> we have news. we have news. >> yes. >> it's a girl. >> it's a girl. >> her parents right there throughout. >> it's a girl. >> i love you so much. >> i woke up the morning of the surgery and i don't think i've ever been that happy in my entire life. it was just like pure positive energy. >> how are you feeling? >> it's been nine weeks since jazz's surgery and we head to florida to visit her at home. >> it's just a littling some. >> -- little something. >> so nice of you to do that. >> leggings have some while she's now on her way to a full recovery, getting there has not been easy. >> there was a comp pla occasion. i had to go back in for another procedure, but it was just all part of the journey.

the good thing, though, is that it was only cosmetic and external. so it wasn't too dramatic. >> your life was never in danger. >> no. my life wasn't in danger. >> through the ups and downs, jazz's parents have been a constant source of support. >> this is the big award that we got for the show. >> she was the grand marshal at the new york city pride parade. >> so these hold a point of pride in your home. >> yes, one of the proudest days ever is that the president tells your 14-year-old that their proud of her. >> one thing we learned early about jazz was that she was very articulate and we determined it was really doult not share her with the world. >> in many ways she's still that girl we first met a decade ago. but now at 18 the trans child advocate is transitioning to trans adult tackling the harsh realities in her community, discrimination in the workplace, unemployment, homelessness, even higher rates of murder. >> do you see yourself

continuing to, you know, carry the banner for trans rights? >> more and me i'm thinking about just continuing my advocacy. my passion is reinvigorated not just for trans rights but for equality for everyone. and if we could embrace the variety and all of our differences and come together with new ideas and ways of thinking, then i think this world can be a beautiful place. >> my own little corner in my own little chair. >> for a girl who song about cinderella. >> i will be whatever i want to be. ♪ on the wings of my fancy >> jazz is one step closer to that fairytale ending. >> the world will open its arms to me. >> announcer: next, robert roberts sit-down with super model gisele bunson. the darkness she felt in the spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight.

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spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. spotlight. sp this special presentation of nightline continues with byron pitts. >> she's one of the most recognizable super models in the world, but it took some time for gisele to recognize some difficult parts about herself. she struggled with anxiety and panic attacks. and her new book details how she course corrected on a path to what she says is now a meaningful life. she sat down with our robin roberts. >> gisele is a force to be reckoned with, one half of world's most famous power couple and the a. hemy -- he. i -- epitomy of glamour.

but the gisele we know, the beautiful fashionista she says did did not always exist. we joined her in her home in boston where she discussed her candid new book, lessons. >> you never thought about being a model, but it was a wonderful opportunity and you took every opportunity. >> i was 14 years old. so while thinking ways very grown up at 14 years old, i was like of course i'm going move out of my parents house and make a living for myself, i'm already 14, i'm so old. i was 5'10" at 14 and i was so awkward and everyone was already making fun of me. and it was a surprise to me when someone looked at me in the mall and they're like, hey, do you want to be a model? i'm like, mom. like felt really early if i was me, gisele and this was gisele the model, then if was very easy for me because i could go there and be very objective. it was simple, it was a character ways playing. >> as i top model working 350 days a year, she found herself

bowing to the enormous pressure. >> it's so hard to believe where you are now that in your 20s there was a time that you had panic attacks. >> it started all in a little plain, you know. i was in costa rica and flying the six-seater plane and the plane start shaking like a little leaf. i was completely sense of powerless, you know. i'm a person who always like to have things under control. that was definitely out of control moment. and kind of started this kind of fear of being in small spaces. so it started with a little plane ride, but then it became like tunnels, subways, elevators. i mean, i lived on the ninth floor of an apartment, i wouldn't go up nine floors of stairs because ways scari was s would suffocate. my world just kept getting smaller and smaller. i was going at 500 miles an hour, being as a model i saw so

many girls come and go so i'm just going to say yes to everything and live the life in a fast pace, really running myself to that point of creating that anxiety attack. >> her crippling anxiety attacks would lead to one of the most challenging moments in her life, the moment she considered jumping off the ninth floor of her new york city apartment building. >> you said at one point when you were in that apartment on the ninth floor that you went out on the balcony. and what was going through your mind? >> well, because -- sorry. sorry. god. that moment when i was standing there and i had stopped like living like there was develop hard because life was -- it was like i was trapped and i couldn't breathe. and even outside of my own balcony. so, i feel that -- that i wanted to share that to show others am

i going to experience there is a light at the end of the tunnel. and from that moment on, you know, i realized that my life needed to change. >> that change came when she began prioritizing her health. and what she put into her body, taking up yoga and meditation. >> and when meditation came into my life, everything became clear because i was going such a fast pace, and everything stopped. i was able to notice and see a lot of different things that i never was aware of. you know, first that my body was my temple and what was i putting in my body and what was i doing to myself? >> because you were drinking coffee, a pack of cigarettes. >> every day because it was the only time i was breathing. it was the only time i would actually breathe. >> her marriage to new england patriots quarterback tom brady was a turning point. >> i've always wanted to be a mom. i've always wanted to have a family. and that was, you know, when i became a mother, it really became my priority. >> it was a different pace than

her former jet setting model life, but one she fully embraced. >> i just wanted to be with my kids. when i thought about something, i thought about my kids, it was like i want to be with them. >> becoming a mother to bennie and vivian and stepmother to tom's son jack changed her life in unexpected ways. she took a deliberate step back from modeling to focus on her family and support her husbands nfl career. >> i just wanted so much to be there for my children and to be there for my husband too, you know. because for him to have the space to live what he loves so much and i was actually living what i love so much, which is being a mom and nurturer and taking care of my family. it was just very different. >> she often shares personal moments of the happy family on instagram. but tom's calming presence a key part of their relationship. >> so he has that kind of cool and collected thing about him. he's just very, like, you know, grounded. and i feel like, you know, i'm very emotional and very

changeable and, you know, like just me. but what i've learned from him is to kind of take a breath. >> the superstar couple's life together has often been the subject of intense scrutiny. with near constant speculation of tom's eventual retirement from football. >> you also put to rest in the book because, you know, tom has talked about his retirement. it's a big subject, especially here in the boston area. >> yeah. >> and he kind of said, i'll play five more years and you had said some other things. but in the book you said what will be will be. >> yes. because when you love someone you want them to be happy. >> part of tom's endurig success, the couple's healthy lifestyle. one filled with plant-based foods. >> what is this fascination that the public has with you and tom, your eating habits? >> i don't know. >> what is that about? >> i don't know. i love food. and i think, you know, i really think food is -- let thigh food by thigh medicine, you know.

>> it's a belief that she takes seriously, picking vegetables and fruits from her own garden. she hopes that she is share life lessons she's learned along the way, including the most important one of them all. >> what we all are is life and what we all are is love and if you remember that because of our stories, if you connect to that, if you take anything from the book, it's live your life with love. >> thank you for joining us for this special presentation of nightline. you can watch us every weeknight after jimmy kimmel live right here on abc orion line our nightline facebook page. thanks for the company, america. have a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend. a good weekend.

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and i take my job seriously. while i'm busy watching the game, i need your help keeping an eye on the stands. if you see something that doesn't look quite right, tell a law enforcement official. we all play an important role in protecting our communities, and you can help. if you see something suspicious, say something to local authorities.

[ crowd cheering ] this morning o this morning on "world news now," fire crews across california getting bad news overnight. the high winds fanning the wildfires are expected to get worse today. as we learned the death toll has gone up again. the latest recount battle in florida has begun. the democrats in both high-profile governor and senate races are unwilling to concede while the republicans now have president trump on their side. and new this half hour, a scary ride for a mother and son. >> they say they were on an inflatable raft shaped like a swan when currents pushed them miles off the florida coast. hear what happened next.