. >> hi i'm jeff rossen and you're about to watch a game of cat and mouse. can a detective get notorious serial killer ted bundy to spill his final dark secrets? can bundy delay the inevitable? his own execution. in this episode of maximum drama, you sit across from bundy and see for yourself. here's act one of our feature, the ted bundy death row tapes. >> it's january 1989 and the clock is ticking on the life of serial killer ted bundy. he is seven days away from execution execution. florida authorities are not going to allow him to avoid the electric chair again. >> first of all, ted bundy, seven days is an awful short time for a death warrant. why is that? >> it's almost 11 years since the crime was commit sod i don't consider it to be short at all. i believe the death warrant was properly signed and that justice needs to prevail, and it should take place next tuesday. >> bundy was convicted of killing two college students and a 12-year-old girl in florida. now police investigators are trying to get bundy to admit he also killed dozens of other women in

hi, i'm jeff rossen. each week on maximum drama we'll bring you a remarkable true story that plays out like a movie. in this episode it's the bizarre story of the zanesville, ohio, animal massacre. did they all have to die, or could some of these endangered animals have been saved? decide for yourself when you hear the facts for the first time, revealed by the very deputies who had to hunt down each and every animal. here's act one of "shoot to kill." >> i can still remember the day i got a call to go to a property. the call was a camel was eating a lady's tree. and when i got the call, i was somewhat skeptical it was really going to be a camel eating a tree. and when i got to location this older gentleman stopped in a pickup truck. he yelled at me. he said, deputy, are you looking for the owner of that camel? and i said yes. and he said terry thompson. and if you go there, be careful because he has lions and bears. >> terry thompson lived on his farm in rural ohio, along with 56 exotic pets. >> well, the

jeff rossen from nbc news. can we talk to you real quick?y did you tell us you were licensed and trained to remove trees? >> reporter: these guys already at work on the decimated homes of vulnerable storm victims. >> it's terrible. it's not conscionable behavior. >> reporter: frank van dyke is a veteran investigator with suffolk county's consumer affairs unit. >> okay. this contractor's operating right over here. >> reporter: scanning for companies breaking the law. in some of long island's hardest-hit neighborhoods. >> hey, guys. checking home improvement licenses. >> reporter: this contractor is removing a giant tree from this home. dangerous work that requires a license. but the county has no record of him. >> i'm going to issue a violation. you can come in on monday. >> reporter: the home owner told us she had no idea. >> do you know they were unlicensed when you hired them? >> reporter: no, they told us they were licensed. they should have a license. okay? it's the law. >> reporter: because without one there are no requirements. contrac

hi i'm jeff rossen. each episode of "maximum drama" brings you a compelling true story that plays out like a movie. in this hour we take you there, to that right time and place to put evil under the microscope as a criminal profiler matches wits with a serial killer. here's act one of profiling evil. >> at the san -- county courthouse, a killer arrives for questioning. however, this is not an ordinary investigation. this murder is about to take part in an extraordinary interview. the man's name is roger kibby, better known as the i-5 strangler strangler. from 1977 until his capture in 1988, kibby terrorized the northern part of california with his killing spree. police say he was given the name the i-5 strangler because of where he disposed of the bodies of his first three victims. though he doesn't look intimidating now investigators say at this one time this man was capable of overpowering women, raping them and killing them at will. >> hi mr. kibby. can you shake hands? would it be all right to remove

and nbc's jeff rossen is literally on the road covering the holiday travel for us. hi, jeff. are you? >> reporter: hey, luke, and happy thanksgiving. right now we're driving on i-95 north heading out of new york city into the suburbs, connecticut and such. and as you can see we're already hitting some traffic. in fact, this is the busiest travel day. 43.6 million americans traveling today and most of us are traveling by car. 90% of travel today is by car. if you want to impress your friends, average distance 588 miles. also another interesting tidbit here. in the northeast getting a rental car is nearly impossible. thousands of cars were ruined by the floodwaters of sandy and so all of these major car companies are really down on their stock and obviously the demand is very high here near the holidays. good luck getting a rental car in the northeast. air travel, some good news there. the airports will be emptier. airfare is actually down. the average cost for a domestic ticket here around thanksgiving, $188. that is down 11% from last year. that's good news. the final way peo

today national investigative correspondent jeff rossen is back with that story.lute chaos when it happened. lions, tigers, and bears just roaming around the small town. could you imagine? it was no accident either. a man who kept them as pets let them loose on purpose. would they attack people, destroy homes? scared neighbors were calling 911 and police got the order. shoot to kill. this morning for the first time you'll hear from the first responders on the scene and the warning here some of the images are graphic. >> 911. >> it's complete chaos out there and now it's all snowballed into hell. >> stop shooting animals. you guys are outrageous. >> the story made national headlines in october of 2011 this man, terry thompson, known as a local odd ball, kept more than 50 dangerous carnivores as pets on his farm. >> he had one line and the next thing you know there was five and then ten. i don't know where he found them all. i have no idea. >> reporter: for some reason a mystery terry decided to let them all loose before taking his own life. the violent animals were

today national investigative correspondent jeff rossen has more on that.ng. >> reporter: hey, matt, good morning. look, a lot of you are hurting right now trying to put your homes back together. that makes you an easy target. you want a quick fix so you may hire the first company that comes to your door. it makes sense, but it could cost you big later. officials are warning unlicensed contractors, even scammers, could be flooding neighborhoods right now. sandy's sheer power caught on home video. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: now, the massive cleanup is under way, and investigators say unlicensed contractors are coming out of the woodwork. hi, jeff rossen from nbc news. why did you tell us you were licensed and trained to remove trees? >> these guys already at work on the decimated homes of vulnerable storm victims. >> it's terrible. it's unconscionable behavior. >> reporter: frank van dyke is a veteran investigator with suffolk county's consumer affairs unit. >> this contractor is operating right over here. >> reporter: scanning for companies breaking the l

nbc's jeff rossen shows us what the so-called berries are really made of. >> reporter: take a spin in the grocery store, and it's like a berry bonanza. from your favorite breakfast foods, to those popular energy drinks. >> vitamin water. >> reporter: even kids' yogurts. the labels grab you, real fruit, full of vitamins, and many of us eat it up. >> it gives the impression it's healthier. >> blueberries in the cereal, that's great. you get everything in one box. >> reporter: but some experts say it's a trick that food companies go a long way to fool you. take special k's fruit and yogurt cereal. look at all those fresh berries on the front. >> when you actually pour the cereal out, this looks like a real berry to me. but it ain't. >> reporter: michael jacobson runs the consumer watchdog group. are there any actual berries in here? >> no berries whatsoever. >> reporter: he says these berry imposters are in a lot of foods. like blueberry eggos. then there's aunt jemima's blueberry pancakes. it claims, made with real blueberries. but there's a catch. >> it has blueberry bits. what is that

nbc's jeff rossen tells us about a woman who's become a victim of extreme identity theft. >> reporter: meet the real can dida gutierrez, the married kindergarten teacher in texas. she has a good job, new home, wants the american dream, but when she applied for a mortgage she got the shock of her life. denied for bad credit, in a different state. >> and they said, well, it's basically your house and cars that you still have on your account. and i said, no, i haven't even visited kansas. there has to be a mistake. >> reporter: turns out there was a can dida gutierrez living in kansas. same social security number, same date of birth, same everything. but investigators say she was an i.d. thief, an imposter who had stolen her information to buy this house in topeka, kansas, to get a job at this food company, even to get medical care for the birth of her two children. leaving the real candida's credit in tatters. >> it's basically someone else taking everything you are, and ruining it. >> reporter: documents show she got away with it for ten years, even tricking the government into giving

here is nbc national investigative correspondent jeff rossen. >> reporter: sandy's sheer power caughtmy god! >> reporter: now the massive cleanup is under way. and officials warn unlicensed contractors are coming out of the wood work. how big of a problem is this? >> it is a big problem. >> reporter: the new york attorney general issuing an urgent alert tonight. >> we're getting complaints there are folks who are willing to take advantage of victims of this disaster. >> reporter: already getting complaints? >> yes. already gotten a lot of complaints. >> reporter: just days after sandy, these guys are already at work on the decimated homes of vulnerable storm victims. >> it is terrible. it is unconscionable behavior. >> reporter: frank van dyke is a veteran investigator with suffolk county's consumer affairs unit. >> this contractor is operating right over here. >> reporter: scanning for companies breaking the law, in some of long island's hardest hit neighborhoods. do you have a business card? some do play by the rules. when frank checks this roofer, he's fully licensed. >> i'm glad s

national investigative correspondent jeff rossen has more. >> good morning. hurting, trying to put your homes back together. that makes you an easy target. you want a quick fix, you may hire the first company that comes to the door. it makes sense. but it could cost you big later. officials are warning unlicensed contractors, even scammers, could be flooding neighborhoods right now. sandy's power caught on home video. now the massive cleanup is under way. and investigators say unlicensed contractors are coming out of the wood work. >> hi, jeff rossen from nbc news. can we talk to you real quick? why did you tell us you were licensed and trained to remove trees. >> these guys at work on the homes of vulnerable storm victims. >> it is unconscionable behavior. >> frank van dyke a veteran investigator with suffolk county consumer affairs unit. >> this contractor is operating here. >> scanning for companies breaking the law in some of long island's hardest-hit neighborhoods. >> hey, guys. checking homes for licenses. >> this contractor removing a giant tree from t

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this morning nbc national correspondent jeff rossen is here with that report. >> reporter: nobody thinkstting a full day's worth of fruit in a box of cereal but if the label shows fresh berries, shouldn't you at least be getting some fresh berries? experts say some of the biggest food companies are fooling you. the so-called berries, wait until you see what they are really made of. take a spin in the grocery store. it's like a berry bonanza. from your favorite breakfast foods. >> mini, meet ber is. >> reporter: to the popular energy drinks. >> vitamin water. >> reporter: even kid yogurt. >> danimals smoothies. >> reporter: labels grab you, real fruit, full of vitamins and many of us eat it up. >> it gives the impression that it's healthier. >> blueberries in the cereal, that's great. get everything in one box. >> reporter: but some experts say it's a trim that food companies go a long way to fool you. take special k fruit and yogurt cereal. look at all those fresh berries on the front. but when you actually pour the cereal out you get something like this. looks like a real ber toe me. >>

today national investigative correspondent jeff rossen is here with more on this story. startling, jeff. good morning. >> good morning, matt. we've been hearing about i.d. theft for years. this is different. criminals buying things and ruining your credit, age-old story, but now they're taking it to an all new level. actually living life as you, getting jobs as you, going to the doctor as you, even filing taxes as you. and you don't even know it. it happened to an innocent schoolteacher who is still living this nightmare. >> reporter: meet the real canzita gutierrez, a married kindergarten teacher in texas. she wanted the american dream, good job, new home, all of it. but when she applied for a mortgage, she got the shock of her life, denied for bad credit in a different state. >> and they said, well, it's basically your house and cards you still have on your account. and i said, no, i haven't even visited kansas, i think there has to be a mistake. >> reporter: this woman with the same social security number, same date of birth, same everything. but investigators say she

our jeff rossen is on i-95. jeff, how does it look out there? my family wouldn't let me drive and talk at the same time. probably smartly. we have our driver behind the wheel. i'm not bitter. just disappointed. we're on i-95 in a bit of traffic. some of this is heading into new york. a lot of people are traveling for thanksgiving. in fact, this is the busiest travel day today. 43.6 million americans will travel. 90% of us will travel today by car believe it or not. that's more than last year. the average distance traveled, if you want factoids to impress your friends at thanksgiving, about 588 miles. there's also a very interesting issue here in the northeast. rental cars almost impossible to find because thousands of them were flooded by hurricane sandy. if you're trying to get a rental car, probably didn't have much luck. as far as air travel, good news, it's down from last year, so the airports will be a little emptier. when you're shopping for airfare, that's down as well. about 11%. the average price for a ticket within the u.s. today is $1

jeff rossen is here with more on this, good morning. >> good morning, all of our ears perking up, includingng my kids to these bounce houses all the time. they are big at birthday parties and carnivals. as a parent, you think to yourself, what can happen, they are soft and kushy, but this morning, alarming new numbers about kids getting seriously hurt. it's a wake-up call for all of us, those fun inflatable houses now responsible for a spike in injuries. doctors call it an epidemic. >> more than 30 children are treated in a hospital emergency room each day in this country with an injury associated with an inflatable bouncer. that equals a child every 45 minutes. >> that's dr. gary smith, just out with this landmark study in the journal of pediatrics, for the first time looking at bounce house injuries nationwide over the last two decades. >> between 2008 and 2010, there was a doubling of injuries. the curve looks like this. >> it happened to little cassie stapleton. did you think your daughter could be hurt in a bouncy house? >> never, never. >> she was coming down the slide, when she fell,