but for this particular guy, for madison, he could get inspired by anthony sowell because anthony sowell was all over the news in cleveland. there's nothing special about cleveland. bad things sometimes happen in threes and here it certainly did but here nothing particularly wrong in cleveland but coincidence that they all happened there. but this inspiration that madison may have gotten from sowell is because they're both black, similar age, victims were similar age, black females. a guy that didn't distinguish himself any other way except through murder and oftentimes feel proud of what they have done and try to outdo other serial killers. i had a canadian serial killer brag i'm much more important, much bigger than charles manson. >> we have multiple murders it appears or at least three bodies found. does that in and of itself constitute the hallmarks of a serial killer? >> serial killer is man that killed at least three people over a period of time. these women seem to have been killed over the past seven to ten days. it is a serial killing case and if this guy madison is accurate in

anthony sowell preyed on prostitutes and women that were down and out. >> i understand we have some sound from the medical examiner's office. >> currently the identification efforts are actively under way. the individual was identified with fingerprints. we're awaiting fingerprints from a larger database to possibly obtain the identity. we're also working on dna profiles as well add dental charting which may also be able to let us get positive identification. >> it sounds like they are definitely working to try to identify some of those other victims. thank you so much. we appreciate it. if you get more details, we'll come back to you. a lot of worried people in that pcommunity whether or not they have a serial killer on their hands. >>> their mom died in a roller coaster accident. they say this experience has been a nightmare. rosie was on her first trip to six flags over texas on friday. she was rieding the texas giant. this is a 14-high roller coaster. she was sitting next to one of her sons. we have the story. >> reporter: a spine tingling drop. this is where witnesses say they saw ro

. >> reporter: now, the man we were just talking about, anthony sowell, is a convicted serial killer who was found guilty in 2011 of murdering 11 african-american women here in cleveland. the case was known as the house of horrors because police found all 11 bodies on his property. now, police have told -- told us that basically this man who's currently in custody, michael madison, was inspired by anthony sowell. this is why people here in cleveland are concerned there may be more bodies. we spoke to the mayor a little earlier and he is also concerned that perhaps this man could be a serial killer. so certainly when police stumbled upon that home, you know, a couple of days ago, they had no idea that it was going to unfold into this sort of drama. don. >> east cleveland, anna koren for us. we appreciate that. >>> we're going to houston where a judge has set bail for a man charged of holding four men captive in his grandfather's home. bail has been set for $200,000 for 31-year-old walter renard jones. he is charged with two felony counts. the four men, one is 80 years old, claims that

police are concerned madison may have been influenced by serial killer anthony sowell, a cleveland man serving a death sentence for murdering 11 women. >>> if you have to fill up on gas this morning, you'll have to dig even deeper into your pockets. the national average is $3.67 a gallon. that's up $0.18 since the beginning of the month. the california average of $4.03, bay area $4.08. drivers expect to see higher gas prices for the rest of the summer. experts say unrest in egypt and production in u.s. and other countries are pushing up the price of crude oil and gasoline. >> meteorologist mike nicco up on the roof checking ow the forecast. good morning, mike. >> good morning from top of the abc broadcast center. lets look out and see what we can find. a lot of cloud cover but the sun is trying to break through. you may have noticed when you stepped outside a little humid. that could translate into a thunderstorm or two. i'll map it out in your forecast. >> thanks, mike. a dramatic scene at a japanese train station. how dozens of passengers banded together to save a trapped woman. >>>

mayor saying the suspect told detectives he might have been influenced by cleveland serial killer anthony sowell. >>> he was convicted and sentenced to death in that case, by the way in 2011 for murdering 11 women. >>> protests continue more than a week after george zimmerman's acquittal. large and vocal groups gathering in new york, raleigh, north carolina and houston on sunday, including supporters of zimmerman. this came on the heels of saturday's justice for trayvon rallies in more than 100 cities. many protesters are calling for a change in the stand your ground laws. some lawmakers like john mccain joined president obama's views on this. >> i can also see that stand your ground law may be something that needs to be reviewed by -- >> in arizona? >> by the florida legislature or any other legislature that has passed such legislation. >> mccain called the law controversial and said arizona should review its own similar law. >>> officials from a german roller coaster manufacturer traveling to texas to inspect the ride where a woman fell to her death on friday. according to witnesses, the woman

during interviews he led police to believe he was inspired by a convicted serial killer anthony sowell. he was convicted of 11 murders in 2011. his victims were hidden less than ten miles from the latest crime scene. >> the question is are there just these three victims and could someone have committed these terrible offenses with him. >> reporter: the discovery has shaken this community and have many wondering how this could happen again. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >>> we turn to texas and questions of whether concerns were raised about the famous roller coaster at the six flags amusement park in arlington right before a mother was thrown to her death. nbc's charles had lock is there with more on the investigation tonight. >> reporter: it was rosie esparza's first visit to texas. on facebook postings, her family said she was having a good time, until she got on the texas giant. the amusement park's star attraction, teaching dramatic plunges and hair pin turns. while boarding the ride, according to witnesses, she was concerned that her lap restraint was not working. she aske

in 2011, anthony sowell was convicted on the murders of 11 women. a man who spent time in prison with madison said that madison looked up to sowell. police have not yet released the names of the three east cleveland victims. but believe the murders took place in the last two weeks. tonight, the police chief says it's possible that another one or two victims could still be found. >> rob nelson, our thanks to you. >>> to the other difficult headline this weekend. the mother and her deadly fall from a roller coaster in texas. her family on the ride with her. and tonight, her heartbroken son is now weighing in on the accident. clayton sandell is in arlington, texas. >> reporter: tonight, a search for answers about how a day at this texas amusement park turned deadly. at six flags over texas friday, rosy esparza was riding the texas giant for the first time when she fell to her death. her son was on the ride, too. >> he was like, let me down there, i need to go down there and find my mom. >> reporter: on facebook, her son calls losing his mother a nightm

mayor says the suspect told detectives he might have been influenced by cleveland serial killer anthony sowell. he was convicted and sentenced to death in 2011 for murdering 11 women. >>> the protests rage on more than a week after george zimmerman's acquittal. large and vocal groups marched through new york, raleigh, north carolina and houston on sunday where supporters of zimmerman also gathered. this came on the heels of saturday's justice for trayvon rallies in more than 100 cities. many protesters are calling for a change in the stand your ground laws. some lawmakers like arizona senator john mccain are joining president obama in saying they want them reviewed. >> it can also see that stand your ground law may be something that needs to be reviewed by florida -- >> in arizona? >> by the florida legislature or any other legislature that has passed such legislation. >> mccain called the law controversial and said arizona should review its own similar law. >>> officials from a german roller coaster manufacturer are traveling to texas to inspect the ride where a woman fell to her death on fri

madison has apparently told police he was influenced by the so-called cleveland strangler, that's anthony sowell, who was sentenced to death for killing 11 women and burying their bodies around his home in cleveland around 2009. madison's family says he is not a killer. >>> the legal wrangling over whether detroit can declare bankruptcy is just beginning. >> if these cut goes through it will destroy my retirement. i have to try to find a full-time job with benefits that, you know, aren't in abundant supply. >> we are people that sacrifice our lives. we may not come home one day. so to look at us as a spreadsheet is to me, un-american. >> a state judge has called for the withdrawal of the city's chapter 9 filings saying it violates the state's constitution. last week, emergency managers filed for bankruptcy convinced detroit had simply run out of options in reducing more than $18 billion in debt. unions representing retired police officers, firefighters and other public employees are trying to block the deal fearing drastic cuts to their pensions. the federal judge is set to hear the dispute tomo

word is that he may have been inspired by convicted killer, anthony sowell, remember him?s sentenced to death for the murders of 11 women. bodies were found in and around of his home, also in cleveland, ohio. that was in august of 2009. he was found guilty of attempting to kill three other women who survived. >>> police raiding a house in texas after an alleged kidnapping there. a teenage girl telling investigators she escape ad home in lubbock, texas, after being held captive for six weeks. law enforcement taking two people in custody and arresting a third person. police say they were not taking any chances on that case. >> based on the information she was able to provide us, we believe there were multiple people inside the house, possibly more vick tis that people inside may be armed and the house may be barricaded. so as a precautionary measure we had the s.w.a.t. team hit the house. bill: no one else was found inside the home. police are investigating whether or not there is another kidnapping, that was lubbock, texas. >>> president obama is laying out his economic vis

investigators say madison told them he was inspired by a serial killer from cleveland's past, anthony sowell. sowell was convicted in 2011 for murdering 11 women and burying them in and around his home. he's now on death row. >> if you want to commit a crime, east cleveland is the perfect place to commit a crime. >> reporter: eric wilson helped with this weekend's search. >> in a community like this where you have all these abandoned houses you don't know who to blame because everybody's poor. it just don't seem like there's enough money or resources to really make this place as safe and everybody envisions it to be. as safe as everybody knows it can be. >> reporter: in may, three women were rescued after a decade of captivity in this rundown cleveland home. >> reporter: ariel castro is charged with chaining them up and beating and raping them. eric wilson told us people here feel like they live in what he calls a criminal fantasy world where anything goes behind shuttered doors and windows. >> it is a helpless situation because when you don't have the resources to move out of a place like t

madison, a convicted sex offender, may have been influenced by the notorious cleveland strangler, anthony sowell, a serial killer who was sentenced to death two years ago for murdering 11 women. brandon tussle spent time in jail with madison and said he looked up to sowell. >> he said he respected him. >> reporter: this comes ten miles away from where ariel castro kept three women captive for more than a decade. >> it's scarying. i'm about ready to leave. as a matter of fact, i am moving. >> reporter: so far the three victims have not been named, but police say they may release the identity of one of the victims at a news conference later today. kristin fisher, abc news, washington. >>> the maker of that texas roller coaster where a woman fell to her death is defending its security record. eyewitnesses say the woman expressed concern over the safety bar not completely engaging as the ride started, but a spokesman says that they never had any problems with those bars in the 50 coasters built around the world over the past 30 years. >> all right. now to an incredible survival story after a young w

investigators think madison could be a copy-cat-- mimicking the crimes of convicted serial killer anthony sowell-- who killed 11 women. the penalty phase re-trial for jodi arias won't likely start until september. arias was back in court tuesday for a status hearing. she was convicted in may for the brutal killing of her ex-boyfriend. now, her lawyers are doing everything they can to try and keep her off death row. ted rowlands has the details. >> reporter: this convicted murderer looked very different than the defendant just a couple of months ago. the hearing on tuesday was to find out when a new jury will find out if she should receive the death penalty for killing her ex- boyfriend. she was convicted of first-degree murder of shooting him in the head and stabbing him 30 times. she claimed that she was a victim of abuse and could not remember killing him. >> behalf of any remember remember-- >> no. >> reporter: could not determine weather or not she should get the death penalty. however, what she did was saran thh. and i think that what she did was horrendous. this new jury late september wil

the city's mayor said he idolized anthony sowell who killed 11 women.eath in 2011. >>> their mom died and they say this experience has been a nightmare. she was on her first trip. she was riding the texas giant. this is a 14-story high roller coaster and sitting next to one of her sons. >> what a tragedy. witnesses told ktvt that she was worried that the lap bar wasn't secure. six flags says it's committed to finding out what caused her death. >>> heavy rains caused the dangerous flash flood. this is in apache junction. one woman said she saw a man in his sports car getting swept away. >> his little corvette comes bobbing down the water. he got out of the vehicle and was sitting on top of it. the water was is high couldn't see the vehicle. >> the car was carried a hundred yards. did rescue the driver and he's okay. >>> take a look at what flash flooding did in southern utah. that's a huge pile of debris. look at that. better get out of the way. >>> we want to get back to our big story. 11 hours and counting. >> she went into labor overnight. the queen w

fact they believe he was acting as a serial killer inspired by another cleveland serial killer, anthony sowellho was convicted in 2011 of murdering other victim. there were searches over the weekend and there could be more searches conducted today. right now the important thing is the second identity is being revealed. there's a third woman who remains unidentified. their bodies were so badly decod decomposed he could not immediately make identifications. >>> ryan brawn is suspended for the rest of the year. we'll take a look at how this is a ground breaking case and what other players are saying about it. frds . [ male announcer ] come to the golden opportunity sales event to experience the precision handling of the lexus performance vehicles, including the gs and all-new is. ♪ this is the pursuit of perfection. ♪ when you do what i do, iyou think about risk.. i don't like the ups and downs of the market, but i can't just sit on my cash. i want to be prepared for the long haul. ishares minimum volatility etfs. investments designed for a smoother ride. find out why 9 out of 10 large profession

firstly, michael madison alluded to that and he was inspired by a serial killer by the name of anthony sowell. this is a man that killed 11 women here in cleveland and convicted of it in 2011 and now currently on death row. let's have a listen to what the mayor had to say. >> this is a sick individual who appears to have been influenced by another vick individusick in. it is horrible, atrocious. we believe a this individual we're dealing with killed three women in a span of about ten days. that is insane. and we know that if he had been out for one more hour there's no telling what would have happened. >> reporter: quite a frightening segment there from east cleveland mayor gary norton but i can tell you a search is under way. not far from where we are standing. and the neighborhood, people have been coming out and helping going through vacant homes to see whether they can find any other remains that may still be there. so that is the situation at the moment, don. >> unbelievable. okay. we'll check back with anna coren in cleveland. >>> to mississippi now where questions remain after a myster

we are also told by the mayor that madison was inspired by another serial killer named anthony sowell, also known as the cleveland strangler. this is a man, convicted back in 2011, of killing 11 women in the cleveland area. here's what mayor norton said about that. watch. >> this is a sick individual, who appears to have been influenced by another sick individual. it's absolutely horrible. it's atrocious. again, we believe that this individual that we're dealing with killed three women in a span of about 10 days. that is insane. we know if he had been out for one more hour, there's no telling what would have happened. >> alina, given that, how fearful is the mayor they might find even more bodies? >> i have to tell you, he's concerned. he hopes and prays there aren't more victims but also said this is a sick individual. it is entirely possible we will find more bodies. one thing i should tell you this has ral there ied community in a major way. we are told 100 community volunteers have fanned out and are searching the area right now possibly for more victims but the hope is they won't

investigators think madison could be a copycat, mimicking the is crimes of convicted serial killer anthony sowell everyone was in the area where he lived. the m.o. was the same. each body was wrapped in several backs. >> reporter: sowell was sentenced to death in 2011 for killing 11 women in ohio. the search continues as authorities fear the worst. >> i hope and pray that we do not find more bodies. however, we are dealing with a sick individual and we have reason to believe that there might be more victims. >> reporter: east cleveland's mayor calls this case atrocious but is relieved that madison is off the streets. >> if he had been out for one more hour, no telling what would have happened. >> a representative for the suspect could not be reached. >>> travel experts are praising the tsa's new plan to expand faster screening for frequent flying. those passengers can skip taking off their shoes and belts. an $85 fee will cover their background checks and allow faster screening up to five years. the u.s. travel association calls this expansion a win-win. >> a win for the traveling public because

anthony sowell.one man who says he spent time if prisoning with madison says madison looked up to sowell who was convicted of killing 11 women and hiding their remains in his home. the east cleveland police and other agencies will comb the neighborhood for additional bodies. >> talk a lot about how bad things are. i have heard a lot of people complaining. we can stay there. but you know what? i don't want to remain a victim. >> reporter: police are still interviewing the suspect, hoping he'll give them more information about the case and any other possible victims. ron? >> tai hernandez, thank you for the report. >>> also, a powerful earthquake down under. the 6.5 magnitude quake was centered about 35 miles from wellington, new zealand. this video shows the moment it hit. there are widespread reports of damage, including broken windows and downed power lines. no reports of significant damage. a much larger earthquake hit the city of christchurch, back in 2011, killing 185 people and causing mass ifr

, and anthony sowell is a serial killer who murdered 11 women here in cleveland in what became known as the house of horror horrors. he is convict and currently on death row, but according to madison, he was a role model and that is why the police are so concerned. the search is resuming tomorrow, and they believe that they will be continuing to look around the area. there are a lot of abandoned homes and this is east cleveland and a place doing it tough. so there are many, many homes boarded up that are vacant, and they have to go through these neighborhoods, and they are doing it with the residents as well, and, you know, hopefully they don't find anymore bodies, but the fear, and the real concern is that they will, brook. >> and quickly, anna, how are the police so quickly able to link the multiple women, and the multiple bodies found? >> the multiple bodies that were found were literally found within 30 yards of where i am standing, one in a basement and one in a vacant lot and one in the garage of michael madison. so you mentioned that stench in the introduction and it was

the mayor in cleveland says the serial killer anthony sowell may have influenced this new suspect.stigators say seoul killed 11 women, decapitating some of them. the court handed sowell the death penalty in 2011. now prosecutors say three more women are dead at the hands possibly of this latest suspect. police have identified only one of those women, they say the other two bodies are too badly decomposed. gator continue any is live for us in our midwest newsroom. garrett, the woman they identified went missing about a month ago. >> that's right, harris, 38-year-old angela was last seen on june 7th. her family reported her missing when they hadn't seen her in more than three weeks. the county medical examiner say they were only able to identify her body using her fingerprints. and officials say it could take up to several more days before they are able to other two victims. one of whom they say may have been killed and stuffed into a garbage bag as many as nine months ago. >> these individuals were unfortunately very decomposed at the time that they were recovered. for this reason t

we talked about the anthony sowell case.e individual who was arrested a couple years ago for murdering at least 11 women over an extended period of time and keeping the bodies in his house. even though residents complained about the smell, little was done about it until it finally, finally came to the attention of the authorities. this individual, as you suggest, who's in custody right now, may have made statements indicating that he was somehow influenced, perhaps, to take these terrible acts, at least three homicides he may be charged with because of that previous individual, sowell, who committed those 11 homicides. >> and which would be stunning for many reasons. but in your profile background, do you find people so often ready admit they were inspired by another serial killer? >> well, whether they admit it or not, many times they are. a lot of these people are just not original thinkers. they don't come up with this on their own. in this particular case, this guy is 35 years old. he was arrested in 2002, charged and co

. >> reporter: madison told police he was inspired by serial killer anthony sowell who was convictedf killing 11 women in cleveland and is is now on death row. the case was known as the house of horrors. certainly a heinous crime that has rocked this community. chris, as i mentioned, you know, we don't know the identities of the victims at this stage. but, you know, there are missing women in this community. women who've gone missing in the last couple of weeks concerned residentresidents, thd this to our attention yesterday as we were standing outside the site where police were searching. they are just now waiting to find out if their loved ones are among the dead. chris and kate. >> that community has had a lot to deal with lately. anna, thank you very much for the reporting. >>> 45 minutes past the hour. we'll take a break on "new day." when we come back, several people rescued after heavy rains lead to dangerous flooding. they're all caught on camera. we'll show them to you. the latest at the top of the hour. >>> you might call it step dancing on steroids. the biggest river dance

says the suspect is a registered sex offender and may have had a fascination with serial killer anthony sowelled 11 women and hid their bodies around his house. >>> a judge will deliberate the fate of bradley manning next week. the army private gave reams of government information to wikileaks. on thursday, the judge refused to dismiss the charges aiding the enemy. if convicted, manning could face life in prison without parole. >>> and three arizona children are safer after being caught in a dangerous flash flood in tucson. fire officials responded to several calls requesting help for the children who were trapped. the kids were stuck on a sandbar in the middle of a fast-rising rushing river. rescuers say they made the right decision by sticking together and not trying to swim across that water. >>> the justice department has defunded a louisiana organization aimed at equipping young people with important life skills. that's the stated goal. the sheriff says it was because of the group's voluntary prayers and the mention of the love of god, were their constitutional rights violated? here for a

there is word that madison may have been inspired by a convicted serial killer named anthony sowell.as sentenced to death for the murders of 11 women two years ago. their bodies found in and around his home in cleveland in october 2009. he was also found guilty of attempting to kill three other women who survived. patti ann: clean up on aisle nine. after shocks following a massive earthquake could be felt for days. also we could see the defense for reputed mobster whitey bulger this week as federal prosecutors wrap up their case. our legal panel will tell us what to expect after days of gruesome testimony and we'll ask if they think bulger himself will take the stand. >> he's a born rat and he's not taking the stand because he couldn't withstand the cross-examination and don't believe anything otherwise. [ male announcer ] come to the lexus golden opportunity sales event and choose from one of five lexus hybrids that's right for you, including the lexus es and ct hybrids. ♪ this is the pursuit of perfection. ♪ (announcer) scottrade knows our and invest their own way. with scottrade's