tv Nightline ABC August 2, 2014 12:37am-1:08am EDT
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this is "nightline." >> tonight, murder mystery. >> the driver's side window was all bashed in. an he's got blood all over his head. >> a beloved professor gunned down in his own garage, with the killer and motive unknown. who wanted him dead and why? plus, they have some of the best bodies in the world. at the crossfit games, these athletes push themselves to the extreme. but are they pushing too far? and urban jungle. black bears in the backyard. kangaroos on the golf course. a pack of coyotes invading a neighborhood. the delicate dance of co-existence between man and beast. plus first, the "nightline
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students remember this beloved teacher. who killed him? and what was the motive? abc's matt gutman has the mysterious clues. >> okay. what's going on with him? >> i don't know. the driver's side window is all bashed in. and he's got blood all over his head. >> reporter: a 911 call, punctuating the morning calls. a vivid description of florida state law professor, dan markle, in his car, dying. >> i don't know if someone tried to shoot him or he shot himself. i don't know. >> reporter: this is isn't the domain of gunshot victims, but college professors and family men, like markle. who dropped his sons off at day care. in his garage, left for dead, until his neighbor found him, checking on the curiously open
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garage door. >> i heard about break-ins in the area. and then, i saw the window shattered. >> reporter: but markle wasn't robbed. the police said the assailant waited for him and killed him in his garage. >> he's still moving around. he's alive. >> reporter: markle would die 14 hours later at tallahassee memorial hospital, just a few minutes' drive from the house. the sandy-haired scholar with an ivy league pedigree, leaving behind his sons, 2 and 5. and a deepening mystery, rattling this tight-knit community. >> i cannot imagine a person wanting to hurt him. i don't think any of his friends can. he's unforgettable. very unique personality. >> reporter: the big questions, what happened to the conscientious professor and father of two? and who would want to kill him?
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>> we do believe that this was not a random act, where he just surprised somebody. what we do believe is that mr. markle was the intended victim. >> reporter: in other words, murder. the investigation begins with in a 911 call. 12, long minutes describing the gruesome scene, from a 72-year-old neighbor. >> and i came back over. and his driver's side window was shattered. and he's spattered and can't answer. >> reporter: and that first clue. another neighbor telling police about a silver prius speeding away. no one saw the person come or go. maybe they saw the car. is this professional? is this a crime of passion? what do you think? >> it can be a professional or someone that just wanted him dead that isn't a professional. we can't tell. anybody could have gotten that access and committed this offense without being noticed by anyone. >> reporter: but it was noticed by someone, markle himself. multiple sources tell abc news, markle was on the phone when he
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arrived home, remarking to the person on the phone that, there was someone in his driveway. he did not sound threatened. >> we do believe this was not a random act, where he just surprised somebody. we believe that mr. markle was the intended victim. >> it's imperative for police to question the ear witness as much as possible. that person listened to this deceased professor moments before he perished. so, every detail could become relevant. >> reporter: minutes later, that silver prius seen speeding from the scene. a vehicle of interest. but what about a person? harvard and cambridge-educated, markle had a controversial blog. could this be clue number two? he posted a blog about the death penalty. the same website on which he received threatening comments in 2012. one commenter saying that, markle needed to be stopped by all means necessary. >> is it possible that some of
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his scholarship and literature created some enemies? that's as possible as any of the other scenarios. >> reporter: and there are several. markle had been married to another eminent lawyer, wendy jo adelson. they had those two boys. but their love soured. markle described the day she left him as his pearl harbor. adelson said through her lawyer, she is just devastated and scared to death. police tell abc news, they questioned his ex-wife. sources say it lasted for hours. but police say they questioned many who knew him. and the fact there are no suspects, at least officially, that doesn't mean the police aren't looking at certain people? >> i hope they have their eye on certain people. and they're just not telling us. >> reporter: only one witness could positively i.d. the killer, markle, bleeding out in his car. you hear the neighbor in that 911 call, urging e.m.s. to hurry. and told they were on their way.
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>> they better be if this guy's got a shot, living. >> reporter: 19 krushle minutes passed. >> the dispatcher blew it. he screwed up. had they gotten there earlier, he may have survived. >> reporter: on that 911 call, you can hear the dispatcher's confusion. >> i'm changing the -- >> reporter: the man who runs tallahassee's dispatch center, tells abc news the operator didn't hear the caller mention the gunshot wound at first. >> it was entered as a man down, versus a gunshot wound. >> reporter: all of that creating a toxic brew of confusion and delay in the response. as one e.m.s. unit was replaced by another. >> 19 minutes is a long time. we're making changes in this review to make sure this atmosphere doesn't happen again.
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>> reporter: his blog, once used to share his opinions. now, a place for those who knew him to share their grief. late this week, investigators increased the reward for any leads to $10,000. hoping precious clues might help unravel this mystery. for "nightline," i'm matt gutman, in miami. >> thanks to matt gutman for that report. and stay with abc news for the latest details on this developing story. next, the fittest people in the world are flocking to the crossfit games. but not everyone can handle the heat. you've reached the age where you know how things work. this is the age of knowing what needs to be done. so why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain;
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the intense exercise program known as crossfit inspires obsessive devotion from its disciples. these athletes strive to laugh in the face of pain. and tonight, we're going to the crossfit games, where the fittest of the fit fight it out. but when the gospel says to grin and bear it, there can be consequences. here's abc's rachel smith. >> reporter: that guy squatting with almost 100 pounds overhead is on a mission to become the fittest man in america. >> i'm james hobart, 28 years old. my hometown is otis, massachusetts. >> reporter: james is here to show his prowess at the crossfit games. one of the athletes competing in the four-day smackdown in southern california. >> for an event like this, try to think how bad it's going to
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feel. >> reporter: with 10,000 crossfit gyms around the world, the high-intensity strength training program has become an obsession for millions. it's hard to argue with a body of evidence like this. do you feel like it's become an obsession? >> yeah. >> reporter: for better or worse? >> for better. it hasn't done anything unhealthy to my life. only good things. you know what i mean? obsessive only in the sense that it takes up a lot of my time. >> reporter: the sport has also come under fire. the crossfit fail videos, showcasing the dangers of the court if not done properly. and james is not immune, either. check out that. >> i fell in a hand stand, trying to get the last couple steps. it feels good. i'm a little black and blue. >> reporter: but that won't slow him down. there's too much at stake. if he wins, $275,000, endorsement deals and fame.
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>> rich froning. >> reporter: what do you consider being a success for you? and what do you consider being a failure? >> the goal is always to win. so, that would be the success. the failure is anything less than that. you train all year, that's what you're training for. try to get back on top of that podium. >> reporter: james' journey to the super bowl of crossfit, began weeks prior, here in massachusetts. >> it doesn't happen overnight. you know, you've got to take years to cultivate a face like this. >> reporter: he's been practicing for the big games daily, starting crossfit seven years ago. even getting his mom in on the act. you are a self-proclaimed momma's boy. >> you saw that. >> reporter: i did. >> still a momma's boy. i don't think that goes away. once you're in that, you're locked in. >> squat it down. >> reporter: james who works as a crossfit instructor, put me to
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the test. >> drive up. punch. not bad. >> reporter: it's not just the guys that are here to compete. there's 42 women who will do overhead squats and sprint sleds to prove they are the most fit in the country. >> becca voight. toluca, california. >> reporter: becca has been training all year long. >> every year gets harder and harder. at the event tonight, we have no idea what it is. so, in about three hour, they will unveil it. and then, we'll probably have about an hour and a half to be ready. >> first heat here. >> reporter: and that competition, watch becca's mate, as she makes a run during this sandbag carry, she suffered a knee injury in 20 2008. and now, it's acting up. at the medical tent, becca wincing in pain. do you feel this is something
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you're going to be able to push through at this point? >> absolutely. it's just one of those things. mind over matter. i know that, you know, when it comes time to play, i'll be ready to go. >> reporter: will there come a point that you would pull out of the competition? >> i mean, if i couldn't walk, maybe. it would be extreme measures, i think. if it was permanently damaged, my ability to walk. >> reporter: is competing the best thing for becca? does the sport end up pushing athletes too far? we went to crossfit games director. >> it's safe to be honest with you, when you start it on your own with no coaching. and i did that. and i know hundreds, if not thousands of people who got into crossfit on their own without proper coaching. >> reporter: others at the event back up the mantra here, that it's not the safety that people are most concerned with. do you feel, though, that safety is a priority? >> in the training, absolutely.
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safety is always paramount. we're doing things that are safe. but out here, things are a little more intense because there's something on the line. out here, safety is not the priority. winning is the priority. and sometimes safety falls to the side. >> reporter: crossfit trainers only have to go through 16 hours of training. just one weekend to coach the athletes. is that enough to keep crossfitters safe? >> you can get your level one, that lets you know that you've been through the basic elements. it's an affiliate owners' responsibility, to take on the quality of products he wants to deliver to his community, by further training. my staff that's all here have been doing this for years. and they study and read constantly. >> reporter: back on the field, it's two hours before the competition. and becca is back warming up. >> i feel like a newbie. these workouts are not the same. they never have been.
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>> reporter: becca and james have the strength to keep going, and move on to the final competition. becca struggles in pain during this rope climb. but manages to press forward and finish in 24th place. back in the stadium, with mom cheering from the stands. >> go, james. >> reporter: james completes an obstacle course of rope climbing and dead lifts. but it's not enough. he ends up in 21st place. >> james hobart. >> reporter: why do you do all this? >> because i love it. aside from the physical aspect of it, the community and the people inside of crossfit i've met in the last seven years are amazing. and maybe that's not why i started it. but that's certainly why i'll keep doing it. >> reporter: in a battle of endurance like this, merely completing the race is a victory. for "nightline," i'm rachel smith, in los angeles. next, how one suburb got
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taken over by a pack of coyotes. and the other animals who may be your neighbors. vo: this is the summer. the summer of this. the summer that summers from here on will be compared to. where memories will be forged into the sand. and then hung on a wall for years to come. get out there, with over 50,000 hotels at $150 dollars or less. expedia. find yours. [ doorbell rings ] stall them. [ imitates monkey ] stop stalling. cascade platinum fights cloudy residue 3x better than the competing gel and helps keep your dishwasher sparkling. cascade platinum. eating healthier,tion byhwasher sparkling. drinking plenty of water, but still not getting relief?
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many of us live in urban areas where we don't expect to encounter dangerous wildlife. but wild animals are popping up on our home turf more than ever these days. on our streets, in our backyards. and sometimes even in our pools. so, whose home is it anyway? we may think we're removed from dangerous wildlife in cities. but whether it's these coyotes
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staking out the neighborhood, this alligator in a swimming pool, or these bear cubs in a backyard tree earlier this week, that sense of security is often just an illusion. leopards roam city streets at night. elephants make themselves at home in gardens. and in colorado, elk walk about as if they own the town. >> the leopard is right here. this is a wild leopard in the middle of the city. >> reporter: wildlife expert boone smith says wild animals understand our behavior just as they understand the behavior of any prey. >> just the whole idea of our routines, our timings, our habits. and no different than an animal in the wild understands what their prey is doing, the seasons and how that system works. they understand the same thing. it's just with us. >> reporter: the urban landscape is often easier to survive than the wilderness that is normally
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their home. a black bear can find more calories in a garbage can that a full day of scavenging. in australia, kangaroos love the lush green of the golf course. but don't always appreciate the competition. >> the kangaroos learned that quick in times of drought. if they needed those resources, we had created them for them. that was not our intent. we had made some of the best kangaroo habitat there was in australia. >> reporter: in alaska, bald eagles, a protected species, are thriving in this fishing port because residents essentially provide a daily meal with each day's catch. >> you see the legs start to hang. and it makes you think twice about where they want to be
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right now. >> it's a real thing to folk there's. they had to learn to deal with. you either learn to deal with it or you have to leave, essentially. >> reporter: what's the lesson here? myth says we have to accept that wildlife is always going to be around. >> we can understand that we do have to go exist. it's not we're going to push everything out and do our own little thing. we have to accept that in this dynamic world, wildlife is going to be there in some form or fashion. >> urban jungle premiers this sunday, august 3rd on nat geo wild. thanks for joining us on abc news. tune into "good morning america" tomorrow. and as always, we're online at abcnews.com. good night, america.
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whoo. well, hello, and welcome to millionaire. today's first contestant is a behavioral scientist. but when he's not studying the human mind, he's busy practicing something called martial arts tricking. from chicago, illinois, yo, let's hear it for tim lewis! [cheers and applause] what up, tim? >> what's going on? how you doing? >> i've never heard of this martial arts tricking. >> that's exactly it. well, it'd probably be easier to show you. do you mind? >> okay. >> all right, let's do it. >> all right, so this is... >> now, it's a combination of, like, martial arts and acrobatics, and we want to create the best combo--the best-looking combos with extreme kind of moves. so i'll show you a little something. you ready? >> am i too close? >> no, you're good. >> oh! [cheers and applause] shoot! you know, the thing was,
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