tonight on "nightline," death of a dictator. they called him the mad dog of the middle east. a man behind terror attacks that kill eed hundreds of americans. today, u.s.-backed forces finally killed him. libyan leader, moammar gadhafi. tonight, christiane amanpour of the gripping story of how he was finally cornered. plus, tigers next door. a "nightline" investigation into the shocking trade in deadly exotic animals, right here in america. an unregulated underworld that brings predators from the jungle right into your neighborhood. and mommy mariah.

in an abc news exclusive, barbara walters sits down with mariah carey for the singer's first interview since giving birth to twins, to talk about her new life, away from the stage. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," october 20th, 2011. >> and good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin tonight with the death of another loathed middle eastern tyrant. a man who was for decades a sponsor of international terror. moammar gadhafi. seven months ago, the united states threw its support behind rebel forces in libya. today, those fighters finally got their man. christiane amanpour joins us tonight with the details. how did it happen? >> reporter: another one bites the dust, cynthia.

as people in the arab world are really still fighting for their freedom. somebody told me, gadhafi was like a vampire to his people. they had to see him dead in order to believe he would never come back again. he was dragged through the streets today. it was quite graphic and we have to warn viewers that the video of his last moment is quite difficult to watch. it's an astonishing scene. moammar gadhafi, once one of the world's most powerful dictators, battered and bloodied, the fear visible on his face as death loomed. hard to believe this was him just months ago, latching off the armed rebellion that today finally ended his 42-year rule over libya. >> they love me, all my people with me. they love me all. >> reporter: but if they do love you -- >> they will die to two ticket me, my people. >> reporter: it would be his final interview. and his legendary eccentricity was on full display. the president of the united states, the leaders of britain

and other leaders are calling on you to step down, to leave libya, to leave your position of power. will you do that? >> translator: why do i leave my homeland? why do i leave libya? >> reporter: he never did leave. and today, he died at the hands of his own people, aided by a seven-month bomb campaign led by britain and france and the united states. >> the dark shadow of tyranny has been lifted and with this enormous promise, the libyan people now have a great responsibility. >> reporter: just 27 when he first came to power in libya, gadhafi was a dashing figure who quickly created a cult of personality, dressed in flashy outfits that bordered on costume. he surrounded himself with heavily armed women noen as the am zone yan guard. he welcomed visiting dig any tapes in a tent he pitched wherever he went. perhaps his most infamous moment was the bombing of pan am flight

103, which killed 270 people, most of them americans. at home in libya, he created an insular world that he ruled with an iron fist. his image was everywhere in tripoli. and he loomed large within even his own family. a father to eight children by two wives, his offspring were just as outlandish as their father. one son flew in beyonce for a new year's eve party. the other kept a pet lion at the tripoli zoo. and aisha, with her dyed blond hair, was known as the claudia schiffer of north africa. so, what was it like to live in his world? tonight, we bring you an exclusive look from a very unlikely source. >> for me it was all opportunity. >> reporter: meet jacquelyn frazier, a young american woman who became a member of the inner circle and from there, watched the regime slowly unravel.

what is a blond american girl from vermont doing in the heart of darkness? how did you end up in libya? >> nuch ral friend in los angeles who introduced me to sadi gadhafi. >> reporter: he was long considered a playboy, even among his high living family. he left libya for europe, where he had a brief and unspectacular career as a professional soccer player. but by last year, he had returned to libya with the intention of helping to create new business in the country. >> and i was hired to be a l liaison between incoming american companies for a project he was working on. >> reporter: and when you got to tripoli, what did you think? the plane landed, you got out for the first time what was going through your mind? >> it was surreal. very few women were out and about on the streets, as i 1/2 galted the streets. >> reporter: what was that like? being a foreigner, being american and blond? >> everywhere you go, they are very welcoming in libya. they love -- anyon is

coming in, it spokes a sign of prosperity they're country is coming up. >> reporter: and jackie felt good about the future of libya, as foreign investment rolled in. and, she says, the gadhafis always treated her well. >> i didn't feel the oppression of the kind of cultural pair know ya as you would as a typical libyan. i saw the best parts of libya. >> reporter: so, when did you become aware, did you become aware of the dark side of the gadhafis? >> i knew of the dysfunction within the family early on because i knew there was a lot of competition. >> reporter: over what? >> over attention from the father. success. the chance to prove that they were not only a good son but a good leader. there were times when he would favor one son and that son would feel very confident and then the father would change favor and favor another son and that created fissures within their

family. >> reporter: soon her concerns were much bigger than family dynamics. the country started to buckle under gadhafi's rule and there were the stirrings of a revolution in eastern libya. how did you perceive the first rumblings? >> very little. that's one of the reasons that plays into this kind of denial factor for the family and for the libyans was that there was very little rumblings. so, when tunisia fell and when egypt fell, with two countries on both sides falling, i asked the question many times what is your plan? what is happening? and i saw nothing. >> reporter: was it scary? >> it wasn't scary until the day after it happened, after the revolution, when we knew things were really starting to move. and, yes, that was scary. >> reporter: she says gadhafi and his family were in denial. chef was with us the day i interviewed the colonel. >> we were running late and i asked the gentleman next to me, what time is this going to get

started? and the response was, "he has the will of the golds and he will arrive at the right time." i thought he was very charismatic but it was career to him how out of touch with reality he was. >> reporter: did they believe it when they heard people saying inside, down with gadhafi, we want him out? >> i don't think so. i still question that myself and grapple with that. i don't think they believed it, a, and b, i don't think many people were telling them that they were not liked. >> reporter: what did you them them? >> i told him many times. i told them, not only that they weren't liked but that in the -- ultimately, they would win by playing this in a western way, which is not to shut down and become closed off and to not allow journalists to interview people who have voices of dissension. they felt they had to quiet everyone. >> reporter: in the end, it was the gadhafis who were silenced. the dictator dead, a fate

jacquelyn predicted. are you surprised they didn't give up? >> not at all. there was only two ways for them to end up, and that's dead or in jail. >> reporter: a bloody legacy that today came to a bloody end. for "nightline," this is christiane amap pour. >> our thanks to christiane. and just ahead, what are thousands of jungle animals doing in american homes and back yards? we'll show you how they get there. people have all kinds of retirement questions. no problem. td ameritrade has all kinds of answers. call us for quick help opening your new ira. or an in-depth talk with a retirement expert. like me. stop by my branch for a free retirement check-up. retirement hows and how-muches? whens... and what-ifs? bring 'em on. it's free. you're gonna retire. and we're gonna help. retirement answers at td ameritrade.

roll over your old 401(k) and get up to $500. roll over your old 401(k) confidence. available in color. depend for women is now peach. looks and fits like underwear.

same great protection. depend. good morning. great day. we're going to head on into the interview. evan, sandy . . . evan .. what pushed you toward the explorer? it was less expensive. better technology inside. there was stuff that we have in our car that i didn't even know existed. how does your music gear fit in there? it fits perfectly. i mean, i got a keyboard, acoustic guitar, merchandise, cds to sell and it all just fits like a nice game of tetras. what would you say to a friend who's skeptical about buying a ford. do you want to borrow my keys.

>> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with cynthia mcfadden. >> the news yesterday that ohio authorities shot and killed 49 rare animals including 18 bengal

tigers released from a compound whose owner had been repeatedly cited for animal abuse, raises an urgent question. who exactly is allowed to keep these kinds of creatures and why? it turns out, a lot more people than you may think, and a lot more places, maybe even the house next door. tonight, brian ross investigates. >> reporter: the call to 911 came too late. >> we have a burmese python. chef got out of the cage last night and got into the baby's crib and strangled her to death. >> reporter: the snake had to be pried off the child, who had bite marks across her forehead. it was one of more than 60 times across the country that animal rights groups say exotic animals have killed humans in places where exotic animals have no place being. >> people bring these animals into their house. they get a baptism of reality very, very fast. >> reporter: the bizarre release of exotic animals this week by a suicidal owner in ohio has again

focused attention on the issue. but an abc news investigation has found, it is a problem far beyond ohio, due to lax or nonexistent laws in so many states. as seen in this documentary, there are baby bears in the front yard. lions in the living room. and monkeys in high chairs. cute when little, but deadly when grown. >> these are some of the most powerful animals in the world, and the last place they should be is confined in our homes. >> reporter: in fact, the humane society of the united states says there are likely more tigers living in american homes than there are in the wild. owners say it's a question of individual rights. >> if it's done correctly and the welfare's taken care of, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to do it. >> reporter: no federal law applies to tigers born in captivit captivity. and there are more license requirements for a dog in some places than there are for tigers. >> the laws don't exist to prevent people having from

tigers as pets. >> reporter: and thanks to those lax laws, the trade in tigers and other exotic animals is booming this hidden camera video was made at about animal auction in ohio. on sale this day, baby monkeys, cougars a hyena. all legal. the video was made for the documentary "the elephant in the living room," dock uniting the efforts of ohio animal rights activist tim harrison. >> it's important for people to see these things are so easy to get. i could walk out with a deadly snake. it's absolutely ridiculous. >> reporter: as we found in a previous abc news investigation, there are changers even with those little monkeys a s that m people treat like their children. >> they do everything with us. they go away with us. >> can't help but love them. >> reporter: but animal rights activists say many of them come right out of zoos and research labs, with little attention paid to potentially fatal health risks, particularly this monkey, which can be a carrier of her

pes b, which can be fatal to humans. >> it's more than just the physical strength. it's disease risk. >> reporter: beth griffin, a 22-year-old researcher, died six weeks after she was slashed in the eye with body fluid from a monkey. since then, labs have offered training on how to stay safe. >> treat all as if they were herpes b positive. >> reporter: but they are still widely available for seam as pets, with no requirement that owners be note fied or trained about the danger. >> it's so frustrated that we have to wait for these terribly tragic incidents to wake up the public and to demand action from our lawmakers. >> reporter: now, animal rights activists say they hope what happened in ohio this week will lead to new and toucher laws and end the easy availability of such wild things living next door. for "nightline," brian ross, abc news.

>> let's hope so. next up, we've got new momma rye ya karrie's lullaby version of "we belong together" and her first interview since giving birth. [ engine sputtering ] ♪ ♪ [ dennis ] allstate wants everyone to be protected on the road,

whether you're an allstate customer or not. ♪ all you have to do is call. [ female announcer ] call allstate now and you'll get a free lifetime membership in good hands roadside assistance. [ dennis ] shop less. get more. make one call to an allstate agent. the problem? right here. i couldn't breathe... i couldn't sleep and mornings? rough. i tried tissues and neti pot thingy and even more tissues then i said enough! and i found the solution. [ female announcer ] drug-free breathe right nasal strips. i put it on and...wow! instant relief. i breathed better...slept better felt better. [ female announcer ] take the breathe right challenge and breathe better or your money back. [ man ] come on! it's your right to breathe right!

and finally tonight, we have abc's barbara walters here with us. welcome, barbara. >> thank you. >> let's start with tonight's headline, the death of moammar gadhafi in libya. you interviewed him more than once. what are your thoughts? i interviewed him in a tent, in his compound in the middle of tripoli. there were baby camels wandering around. he was trying to show he was still a tribesman. he was our enemy in those days.

when he gave up nuclear weapons he was our friend. but up until a few months ago, there were still a lot of people trying to invest in libya, some of them americans. >> barbara you're here with a new story tonight, from the tents in the libya to the penthouses of new york with mariah karrie. >> that's a stretch. >> you do it all. she had twins, famously, a couple, sixth months ago and she's been tape mousily married to nick cannon. how is that going? >> well, first of all, tomorrow night, we're going to show you the babies for the first time, and they are adorable. as with the marriage, she had a very difficult first marriage to record executive tommy matola. so, were you afraid of marrying again? >> initially i was afraid of the concept of marriage, because when i first did it, i was not -- it wasn't really what i wanted to do, as you know. >> yeah. >> but this is a different

situation, and -- i'm a different person. it's a different time of my life and nobody will ever be able to steal mill spirit again. so, i'm just happy to be in love. >> reporter: mariah and nick well in 2008, only weeks after they first met. wasn't that a little soon? >> it definitely was soon, but being two hopeless romantics and people who have the same aspirations -- >> little impulsive. >> yeah. i think we love the idea of it. we -- >> uh-huh. >> and we love -- >> and the drama. it's drama. i mean, we are -- i'm not saying you're dramatic. i'm dramatic, i mean, i know that about myself. >> i know that about you, too. okay. >> yes. >> i've been taking a lot of pictures. >> nick now lives in mariah's 12,000 square foot apartment in new york and it's quite a place. a few years back, mariah gave me a tour of this home. how many gown boss you have here? >> well, we have a few. >> i've never seen anything like this. i -- it's like a movie set. >> that's a pretty big statement

coming from you. ♪ i didn't know you >> the lyrics to "we belong together" seems quite fitting as a lullaby to the babies.e belon♪ is that what we do? we belong together. i think we do. where are you going to raise the babies? in new york? >> new york. >> yes. >> i say some suburb but hopefully not too suburban there's something about new york that feels slightly more authentic. >> being authentic is a mariah carey trademark. >> how fun, barbara. and tomorrow we're going to see a whole aspect of the interview on "20/20." >> and you'll see the babies for the first time. it is their debut. >> barbara, thank you, as always. we'll be watching. >> and there is much more of barbara's interview with mariah carey tomorrow on