tv Nightline ABC February 4, 2017 12:37am-1:07am EST
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this is "nightline." >> tonight, a young man rescued after his boat sank. but his mother was never found. a tragic accident? or was it murder? >> i saw him leaning over the back and drilling a hole. >> now under suspicion. >> ted not cause my mother's death. >> standing to get millions in inheritance. does he offer new clues or raise more questions? plus, home run. inside america's most expensive spec house. >> $250 million? >> $250 million. >> 21 bathrooms, a $2 million staircase, a poolside movie screen, and of course $30 million worth of cool cars. but what on earth is a $200,000 candy wall?
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and gaga gearing up. ♪ it was a perfect illusion >> creating the perfect illusion is hard work. lady gaga revealing her cardio training regimen to michael strahan. first the "nightline 5." >> when you have a cold, pain from a headache can make this feel like this. all in one cold symptom relief from tylenol, the number one doctor recommended pain relief brand. tylenol. my hygienist told me to try a mouthwash. i tried crest. it does so much more than give me fresh breath. >> crest pro health mouthwash provides all these benefits to get better dental checkups. about pro with crest mouth wash. >> checkup, nail the it. >> number one in just 60 seconds.
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good evening. thanks for joining us. you're about to meet a young man dubbed the real-life cast away, rescued at sea after his mother disappeared in what seemed to an freak boating accident. he says he expected sympathy. what he got was a police investigation. abc's linzie janis asked some tough questions. >> reporter: it looked like an inspiring tale of survival. a young man missing for seven days, found drifting on a life raft. >> the son rescued off martha's vineyard -- >> reporter: the coast guard combing hundreds of miles of ocean in vain, looking for nathan carmen and his mother, linda. and they just had given up hope when the call came in. nathan was alive. >> found alive in good condition -- >> reporter: but at he's pulled aboard the chinese freighter that spotted him -- >> when i saw his life raft, i did not see my mom. have you found her? >> no, we haven't been able to find her yet. >> reporter: there's no sign of
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nathan's mother. just his version of what happened. he arrives on shore under a cloud of suspicion. for some, his story just doesn't add up. >> i did not cause my mother's death. i loved my mother. present tense, i love my mother. >> reporter: nathan decides he wants to tell his story and he grants us an exclusive interview. he seems anxious, traumatized, worried he won't look or sound good on camera. there's a reason for this. nathan has been diagnosed with asperger's syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum. it's associated with social awkwardness and flat, measured speech patterns. let's begin if we could with the fishing trip. as we talk, it's clear. the conversation will be a fragmented account with plenty of blank spaces. >> i'm not going to go into that now. i'm not going to answer that. i'm not going to go there. >> reporter: but nathan is able to provide more details about that ordeal at sea. >> my mom and i fished very
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frequently together. that's the primary thing that we did to spend time with one another. >> reporter: nathan is from a wealthy new england family. his mother linda a nurse who worked with autism patients, loved fishing with her son. he says that on september 17th of last year, just before midnight, he and his mom set out on that fateful trip aboard his 31-foot fishing boat named "the chicken pox." >> i have experience boating. i have experience fishing. i did not have experience offshore fishing. >> reporter: even so, the two of them go 75 miles farther than usual, to catch tuna, to an area called block canyon. it takes them all night to get there. nathan says the new day was perfect. they had life vests on board but weren't wearing them. hours passed. it was midday when he says the trouble started. >> i heard a noise. the belt on the engine was picking up water, kind of
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spinning it. >> what did you think? >> i knew that there was a serious problem. but i didn't think we were sinking. i thought that i was going to diagnose the problem and that we were going to go back to shore. >> reporter: he says he told his mother to gather the fishing lines in the rear, but he says, to his shock, in no time the boat was under water. >> i was walking on the deck, it was there, then it wasn't. >> any sign of your mother at this point? >> no, not at that point. >> reporter: he claims he was totally disoriented. >> i got on board the life raft and was looking around. i was calling out to my mom. i did not see or hear my mom. >> reporter: but police aren't buying nathan's story. before he even stepped foot on land, they had executed this search warrant on his home in rural vermont. looking for evidence of reckless endangerment. captain david mccormack runs irish jig charters out of ram point marina in rhode island
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where nathan and linda set sail from. he is puzzled by nathan's actions after he realized the boat was taking on water. there was a functioning alert system on board. nathan never used it. how long does it take to activate it? >> just a matter of seconds. just flip the switch, it's activated. it's a manual type. >> it had a radio. and there was also an emergency position indicating radio beacon. i didn't know that we were sinking. i knew that we had a problem, but i didn't know that we were sinking. until we sank. >> reporter: investigators see a possible financial incentive for foul play. is nathan due to get all of his mother's money? >> i think it's around $7 million, $8 million. >> reporter: eight days after our first interview, nathan invites us back to vermont to set the record straight. >> hi, nathan, how are you? >> i was lost at sea, my mom died. it would be great to have people embracing you saying, we're glad
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you're home, we're glad you're alive, and also helping me to deal with my mom's death. it hasn't been that. >> reporter: he says he was counting on support from linda's three sisters, his aunts. instead, there's been a stony silence. >> i haven't received any calls. not from a single one of them? >> that's correct. it makes me feel like i have no family. >> reporter: thath than's aunts didn't want to speak with us either. >> their focus is not on relationships, it's getting answers to questions. >> reporter: nathan grew up 100 miles south of here in middletown, connecticut, a suburb of hartford. an only child, his parents divorced when he was very young. his mother, linda, was everything to him. >> she was a good person. a warm person. we did have a challenging relationship at one point in my life. but she was the only family who i really had. >> reporter: another source of comfort, nathan's grandfather, linda's dad, jock shockless, a
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multi-millionaire real estate and nursing home developer. >> he was like a father to me. and i know i was like a son to him. >> reporter: but on december 20th, 2013, the 87-year-old was found shot to death in his modest connecticut home. >> one of his daughters had gone to check on him. and found him in his bed with what looked to be gunshot wounds to his head and back. >> reporter: cops focus on the last person to see shockless alive, his beloved grandson. the two had dinner together earlier that evening but police say nathan's whereabouts later that night are unaccounted for. >> he was definitely our prime suspect. >> reporter: and according to this 2014 search warrant, nathan discarded both the hard drive of his computer and the gps unit used on the morning of december 20th, 2013. that he'd recently bought a 308 caliber rifle, the same caliber used in the homicide of john
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shockless. neither nathan's rifle nor the murder weapon were ever found. nathan categorically denies having anything to do with the murder. >> if they asked me, can we look at your hard drive, can we have your gps? at that time when i had -- when they were in my apartment, my answer would have been, sure, gladly, you can take it. but they didn't. >> reporter: he says there is no link between his grandfather's death and his mother's disappearance. >> there's no relationship between my having been the last person, other than the killer, to have seen my grandfather alive, and my having been on the boat with my mother when it sank. >> reporter: when we asked nathan again about what caused the boat to sink, he simply says he doesn't know. >> i'm not a diesel engine mechanic. >> reporter: but boat owner mike iozi told police he saw nathan on the dock just hours before his fishing trip. >> it kind of caught my eye when i saw him leaning over the back and drilling two holes in the
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transom of the boat. >> reporter: he says nathan told him he was removing stabilization devices, like these. something called trim taps. nathan admits removing the trim taps but claims he patched the holes properly with marine putty. >> another thing that's happened since we last got together, police searched your mom's home. >> yeah, what -- >> do you know anything about that? >> we're done for this evening, period, we're done here. >> we're not trying to make you uncomfortable, we're trying to give you an opportunity to answer some of these allegations. >> we're done here this evening. >> reporter: but 20 minutes later, nathan sat back down to answer more questions. >> most people would think, i'm going to die out here. >> and the way that i handled that was to focus on what i had to do. in order to survive. >> reporter: six weeks after nathan carmen was rescued, linda carm carmen's body still hasn't been recovered. but nathan organizes a memorial for her in downtown hartford,
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connecticut. conspicuously absent from the service, nathan's three aunts. >> i wish very much that my whole family could have come together to pray for my mom. >> reporter: tonight, nathan remains the focus of an intense multi-agency investigation. for "nightline," i'm linzie janis in vernon, vermont. even barbie couldn't imagine this dream home. a personal tour of the most-expensive spec house in america. it's about moving forward not back. it's looking up not down. it's feeling up thinking up living up. it's being in motion... in body in spirit in the now. boost. it's not just nutrition. it's intelligent nutrition. with 26 vitamins and minerals and 10 grams of protein. all in 3 delicious flavors. it's choosing to go in one direction... up. boost. be up for it.
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more frustrating than when you fly home in your helicopter and race past your bowling alley only to find that your personal masseuse and security team are using all 20 of your bathrooms. well, if you buy this house, you'll never have that problem again -- because it comes with 21 bathrooms. here's abc's nick watt. >> reporter: the gates are opening. onto heaven. >> it's as close as you can get, i think. >> reporter: 924 bel air road, if it goes for asking, the most expensive home in the united states. 21 bathrooms, 12 bedrooms, 300 sets of speakers inside, 150 outside. poolside movie screen, a spa, $30 million worth of awesome cars come with the place. a swim-up bar that seats 12. over 100 pieces of art, a $2 million staircase, an italian glass ping-pong table, a four-lane bowling alley, 38,000 square feet inside, 17,000
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square feet of entertainment decks outside. 270-degree views all across los angeles. $250 million? are you going to get it? >> i don't want to take any less. >> this house comes with everything here? >> everything. >> not that? >> the helicopter also. this is a bell 222 helicopter, it's the original helicopter used in the series. comes with the house. it is an operational heli pad, the problem is you're not allowed to land here, you'll get a fine. >> reporter: wait, there's more. >> the house comes with seven full-time staff. never been done before. >> you're paying for that? >> for the first two years. what i did, they've all been trained over six months in the house. they stay with the house for two years. so you have a great personal chef, you have a great masseuse, and security, house managers, it's amazing. >> that is the first time i've ever heard of a house coming with human beings. >> well, i can't own the human
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beings. i'll sit down with the potential owner and say, look, are you happy with this team, is this team happy with you? if they are. if not, if they want to put different staff, i'll be more than happy to pay for them. >> reporter: almost as fascinating as the house is the developer. said he's financed the whole thing himself. >> there was no budget. everything had to be absolutely the best. >> no budget? >> no budget. >> reporter: no loans, no partners. you've poured a lot cash into this. >> yeah. >> does it worry you? >> not at all. when you build quality, anything quality, whether it's a quality meal, a quality car, a quality home, there will always be a customer for it. i just need one. >> is this russians, saudis? >> clearly you have to be a billionaire to buy a house like this. 3,000 people in the world can afford a house like this. >> reporter: bruce made his money in handbags and jewelry, selling on qvc. >> soft, gorgeous leather. lizard bag that you can wear 12 months of the year -- >> reporter: came out west to retire but couldn't resist
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building some of the most expensive spec homes in the world. this is his ninth. >> my last home was a guy who had just sold his company for $2.5 billion, 34 years old. >> the minecraft guy? >> marcus pearson. he said, i have to have this house. >> reporter: he paid $70 million. are you going to retire? >> no, i have two more projects after this one. they will be more expensive and they will be bigger. there's been a tremendous amount of super-wealth that's been generated over the last ten years. you consider a big bank account, or enjoy your life with your money. people are falling in love with california. >> reporter: his market isn't businessmen turned presidents. >> i didn't put much gold in the house at all. >> reporter: his market is the even wealthier, the super-yacht crowd. >> the mega yachts that are out there today are people spending $250 million, $350 million, buying a ton of them. what i'm doing is taking that same sensibility and bringing it
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to homes. it's never been done before. so my niche that i think i've created is to build homes that are worthy of those people that have toys that are more expensive than their home. >> makes sense. >> reporter: he curates every tiny detail himself. >> say hello to seven dwarfs and their integrated tvs. whatever you do, they do. nothing's cuter than that, right? you think i'm nuts, i know. no one's ever put onyx on the outside of the house. airplane engines i bought in paris and had them completely redone and made tables out of them. >> reporter: he does love a superlative. >> one of the most beautiful staircases in the world. the largest swim-around jacuzzi in california. the largest camera in the world. probably the most expensive, 2,500 bottles of some of the best wines and champagne in the world. the largest indoor screen ever
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built. two of the most expensive guitar in the world. this is an over $200,000 candy wall. stocked. >> what if the buyer says, i like most of it but i don't like the candy wall. >> any time i've sold a house people say, can i have the keys? here's the check, i want everything. >> reporter: bruce's big house has been on the market two weeks now. he hopes it might sell within 12. >> i'm not sure how long it's going to take, we'll see what happens. i'm not sure, i don't know. that's part of the fun. >> reporter: i'm nick watt for "nightline" in bel air. up next -- the making of a perfect illusion. how lady gaga is preparing for her super bowl halftime extravaganza. ♪ it won't be long the perfect illusion ♪ ♪
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finally tonight, lady gaga's super bowl halftime performance is just two days away and she might be training harder than the players. ♪ i want to roll with him >> reporter: lady gaga's poker face not yet broken. ♪ my poker face >> reporter: details of her super bowl halftime show still a secret. but mother monster gave michael strahan a sneak peek of how she's prepping for game day in this fox sports exclusive airing just before the super bowl. >> you started out in dive bars. now here you are at the halftime of the super bowl. but how do you not get overwhelmed by that? >> when you play a dive bar, my philosophy is you should play it like it's the garden. >> wow. >> when i play the nrg stadium in houston, i'm going to play it like a dive bar. i'm going to do it my way. >> what have you done to get ready for this performance? >> i work out a lot.
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i also -- i do versi-climbing while i sing. >> that's tough. >> yeah, and i sing while i do it. i'm singing the show while i'm doing it. the show is full-on cardio. >> you're in better shape than the athletes playing in the game, i'm letting you know that right now. >> no, i'm not. >> yes, you are. >> i don't think so. it's a different kind of shape, it's a different game. >> reporter: two days do go until these perfect illusions are unveiled. ♪ perfect illusion >> time to get ready for football. thanks for watching abc news. as always, we're online at abcnews.com and our "nightline" facebook page. good >> welcome to "bachelor" fan favorites week. all week, i've been getting to reunite with some of the amazing people i've met hosting "the bachelor" and "the bachelorette." they're here for one reason: to win a whole lot of money for charity. so what are we waiting for? let's play "who wants to be a millionaire." [cheers and applause] [dramatic music] welcome to "bachelor" fan favorites week on "who wants to be a millionaire." [cheers and applause]
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our returning "bachelor" fan favorite was the dog lover on juan pablo's season of "the bachelor." from atlanta, georgia, please welcome back kelly travis. [cheers and applause] welcome back. >> thank you. how are you, chris? >> good, come on over. welcome back to the game. >> thank you. >> we'll catch everybody up to date on that in just a minute, but to catch everybody up to date on you, we fell in love with you on "the bachelor," juan pablo's season, when you brought molly... >> molly. >> who i spent more time with than anybody. >> i know, i was gonna say, i think you fell in love with molly. >> be honest; she misses me. >> she does. >> yes. >> she talks about you. >> yeah, i know. she still calls. >> she's wondering why you don't write. >> we don't call, we don't write. we don't barbeque anymore. it was a bad breakup. it was the most dramatic we've ever had in the history of the show. >> it definitely was. that's probably true. >> and i don't use that word a lot on the show. >> never. >> overall, the experience of the show-- i mean, save, you know, the season you were on, all that good stuff. >> great guy. >> it's a pretty amazing little sorority yo
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