Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Campground serial killer? Plus–Farah Fawcett’s son in jail on suicide watch

Episode Date: October 18, 2018

The arrest of a man dressed in black, armed with a rifle and described as a survivalist may be connected to a series of shootings at a popular camping area in Southern California, including one that resulted in the death of scientist Tristan Baudette. Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies captured Anthony Rauda, 42, while investigating a series of burglaries around Malibu Creek State Park. Nancy looks at the case with psychologist Caryn Stark, lawyer Kathleen Murphy, forensics expert Karen Smith, and reporter Larry Meagher. Also Nancy is joined by drug addiction specialist Brad Lamm and RadarOnline.com reporter Alexis Tereszcuk to update the sad saga of Redmond O'Neal, the son of Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. I want my children safe. Don't you? But are we all doing everything we can to protect them? Safety and security is priceless. Don't wait to plan and prepare until it's too late. I can't stop predators from being in this world, but I can sound the warning and pass on to you what I have learned about keeping your children and family safe. And that is why we are launching a brand new online education course. Justice Nation, crime stops here. A brand new five-episode video master series allows you to go at your own pace as world-class experts in personal safety and child protection share their knowledge, their tips, their resources, all for you. Go to nancygrace.com now. Use promo code

nancy for 15% off or go to crimestopshere.com for your sake and for the sake of your children and people you love, know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Available now. NancyGrace.com and register using promo code Nancy or CrimeStopsHere.com promo code Nancy. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. The investigation continues into who shot and killed Tristan Beaudet during a camping trip with his two little girls at Malibu Creek State Park in Calabasas. I'm just literally devastated. There's nothing you can describe that losing a family member like this, particularly like this, a family man like this with two small children. Authorities say Beaudet's daughters were not injured despite being in the tent

when he was shot in the chest before five in the morning back at their Irvine house. A neighbor describes what he heard that same morning. But I just kept hearing a woman screaming, no, no, no, no. And it was just, it was startling to hear something like that. A young father out camping with his two little girls so mommy, a doctor, could study for exams shot dead in a Malibu park, a beach park. But now police say that shooting, the deadly shooting of Tristan Beaudet in his tent, may be linked to seven other shootings and approximately eight local burglaries. Is the case cracked wide open?

I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us. Straight out to Larry Mayher, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. Larry, explain to me what happened when this young dad, Tristan Beaudet, is shot dead out camping with his two little girls. I think maybe getting a sense of the place may help understand what happened. Malibu Creek State Park is 12 acres of very rugged mountain terrain in the Santa Monica Mountains west of Los Angeles. If you've ever seen the TV show MASH and seen the helicopters coming in for a landing, that's where that was shot. You've seen Malibu Creek State Park. It's very, very rugged terrain. And this man, 35-year-old Tristan Budette, and his two children, daughters ages 2 and 4,

were sleeping in a tent on the side of the mountain when a bullet entered the tent and killed him. Neither of the children was hurt. That was on an early summer morning, and the park was closed after that. It has not been open since. In the last hours, we learned that the fatal shooting of Tristan Beaudet there with his two little children may be linked to other crimes in the area. To Karen Smith, forensics expert, how do you believe police can link up eight shooting incidents, another guy in the same area shot as he's laying in a hammock. I mean, it goes on and on and on. How can all of this be connected? All of this is going to

come down to ballistics evidence, Nancy. And that means that they're going to have to have a weapon to compare these recovered projectiles, cartridges, casings, too. And at this point, I don't know that they have that. But once they can do some comparison, microscopic review of these recovered pieces of evidence, they'll be able to do some linkages that direction. Take a listen to L.A. County Sheriff Jim McDonald. Air support confirmed the individual's location and it was learned that he was armed with a rifle. Investigators contained the subject in the individual's location and it was learned that he was armed with a rifle. Investigators contained the suspect in the heavy brush area and ordered him to drop the rifle and surrender. After a few tense moments of communicating with the suspect, he opted to surrender and was taken into custody without incident about 3.20 this afternoon.

The rifle was recovered and the suspect was transported to Lost Hill Sheriff's Station where he is being booked for an active no-bail felony parole violation warrant. And detectives arrested 42-year-old male suspect Anthony Rauta. The suspect does have a criminal history with various weapons violations and burglaries. We are learning right now that in the last hours, an arrest has been made of a man that police find, sheriffs find, after they spot fresh boot prints going up a steep ravine, going up the side of it, they follow it, and then they see a man dressed all in black with a rifle slung over his shoulder, and they arrest him. Straight out to Larry Mayher, CrimeOnline.com investigative reporter. Explain to me how the arrest went down. We still don't know if he is

linked at all. That's correct. He is a suspect still under investigation in those burglaries. But one of the more recent burglaries, there was some surveillance video where they spotted a man dressed in black carrying a rifle, and that prompted the search, and it was a massive search of this rugged terrain inside the state park at Malibu Creek State Park and the ultimate detention and arrest of 42-year-old Anthony Rauda. Well, right now, police are very carefully saying we don't know if this guy is

connected to the murder or the seven other shooting incidents. Listen, we're not going to say that yes, he is or that no, he's not. We don't have that information yet. There'll be a lot of work done. We've got a weapon in custody. Ballistics tests will be performed on that, among many other scientific tests. Back in June, Tr tristan bodette was shot and killed while camping with his two girls and as recently as last tuesday a burglar broke into the agora calabasas community center to steal food people who laria say they are relieved it's been upsetting and disturbing and um unsettling um and there seemed to be you know it was hard to decipher whether there was a connection and you know the uns was hard to decipher whether there was a connection

and, you know, the unsolved murder and then bodies that have been found and then break-ins. And there was just a string of things that seemed to be escalating. That is Veronica Miracle at KABC-TV News out in LA reporting detectives insisting they are not sure they can link this guy to all the shootings and all the burglaries. But another thing I find interesting about this, Karen Stark, psychologist joining us from New York. Karen, in most of the burglaries, the perp is not going for the jewelry or the electronics equipment or the TV or money. He's going for food. What does that tell you, Karen?

I mean, you go to all the showroom to break in somewhere and you walk right by valuable items and break into a vending machine. It sounds like he's starving, Nancy, that this is somebody who's homeless and or has a home but no money and is desperate to have something to eat. It's either that or he's really insane and all he can think about is food at the moment. What about this, Karen Stark? What about not someone that's homeless, but someone that is living in the wild, living off the land? That sounds just, it's very similar, that it's somebody who's starved. So he can't get the food that he wants living off the land. So he's breaking into vending machines. He's desperate to eat.

Well, does this remind anyone of the story of Eric Rudolph, also known as the Olympic Park Bomber? I was there that night on the block when the bomb went off at the Olympics in Atlanta. Eric Rudolph bombed, set off several bombs, and he went to, quote, live in the wild. He also bombed an abortion clinic. And my investigator that I later write about in books and as part of Hallmark movies, my investigator, Ernest, was on the scene of the abortion clinic bombing, and Rudolph had set off a second bomb to go off to hit police. That's right. He sure did. And he eluded police for years in the Carolina mountains. Kathleen Murphy with me, North Carolina family lawyer, Eric Rudolph. Remember him? I do remember him. And we go camping all the time.

And to think that this guy in California was there with his two little children. We were afraid to go camping. And there were prior shootings in Calabasas. I wonder if the public even knew about these prior shootings before he went out there with his two little girls. Okay, everybody can laugh at me. But John David and Lucy, go ahead. Okay, that was funny. John David and Lucy both, a couple of separate weeks apart,

were supposed to go on a Boy Scout and a Girl Scout camping trip. I absolutely put the kibosh on that. I know it sounds overprotective. I know that. But knowing what I know, I mean, okay, listen to this. Laugh all you want, but listen. The investigation continues into who shot and killed Tristan Beaudet during a camping trip with his two little girls at Malibu Creek State Park in Calabasas

at Allergan in Irvine, where the 35-year-old scientist helped with research and development. The company says it is rare that we lose a friend and colleague, especially in an event that was senseless and difficult to understand. Tristan will be remembered as a talented scientist who was admired by all who knew him. I'm just literally devastated. There's nothing you can describe that losing a family member like this, particularly like this, a family man like this with two small children. At Malibu Creek State Park, deep in a ravine surrounded by thick brush, investigators say they finally captured a criminal turned survivalist armed with a rifle.

42-year-old Anthony Rauda is now in custody for violating his parole, but authorities say he's likely connected to countless other crimes. It's why they aren't showing his face to protect future investigations. They say he could be responsible for a rash of recent burglaries, shots fired in the area, and even an unsolved murder. Has the case been cracked? A young father, Tristan Bodette, out camping with his two little girls. I think they were ages two and four or four and six. He's out camping with them so mommy can study for exams. She's studying to be a doctor when out of the blue, a sniper shoots him dead in the tent with his two little girls. And that's the tip of the iceberg. At least seven other shootings and multiple burglaries in the area. Are they all connected to one person? Now, this whole idea of being a quote

survivalist, when I hear the word survivalist, that can send a chill down your spine. I always think, as we were discussing, of Eric Rudolph, the Olympic bomber. Now, you remember Eric Rudolph was finally arrested after eluding police for about five years. He bombed the Olympics. I remember being up till 6 o'clock that morning trying to get witness statements at the Olympics. He bombed abortion clinics, a double bombing. Alan Duke, you stayed on the case. You were reporting on the Eric Rudolph case. He was a, quote, survivalist, right, Alan Duke?

Absolutely. In fact, that double bombing, that second bomb, I was standing about 10 yards away from, and I actually suffered hearing loss as a result of that and have a federal victim number. But I covered it really closely. And yes, I was up there when he was breaking into cabins in the western North Carolina mountains. And it was a pretty scary time. He actually took pot shots at the federal agents who were camping there searching for him. Alan Duke, I don't know how you've somehow made this story about your hearing loss, but

it is explaining a lot right now. That's why we get along. Yes, neither one of us can hear a darn thing. The only one that can hear is Jackie. But listen to this. Isn't it right? Larry Mayher, crime online investigative reporter. Larry, he was finally arrested after five years of eluding the cops

living off the land in the North Carolina mountains he was arrested in Murphy North Carolina by a rookie cop I remember the cop's name Jeff Postel of Murphy PD and postell saw rudolph digging through a dumpster behind a save-a-lot at about four o'clock in the morning and he thought it was a burglary postell thought it was a burglary and lo and behold when he managed to subdue eric rudolph it was a murderer. You remember, innocent people were killed at the Olympics because this nut job set off bombs, multiple bombs at the Olympics. Now, that's Eric Rudolph. Now, let's fast forward to right now, and this guy, they've just gotten subdued, Anthony Rauta, a 42-year-old, quote, survivalist.

But I want you to hear what members of his family say. This family member says deputies had Rauta in custody about four months ago for trespassing, but he was released before anyone could go see him. The sheriff says that Rauta is linked to six break-ins in the last three months, mostly outbuildings that were not occupied. His family THE FAMILY SAYS THEY DID NOT KNOW THAT RAUDA HAD WEAPONS CHARGES ON HIS RECORD. MOST OF HIS OFFENSES PETTY. THAT HE STEERED CLEAR OF CONFLICT. He's always been accused of things. That's what he claims about. He's always been accused

of things. And that's because he's out there all along. TONIGHT HIS FAMILY SAYS RAUDA NEEDS HELP. WHAT WOULD YOU TELL HIM? I WOULD TELL HIM TO TAKE CARE OF HIM. I WOULD TELL HIM TO TAKE CARE

OF HIM. I WOULD TELL HIM TO TAKE CARE OF HIM. I WOULD TELL HIM TO TAKE CARE OF HIM. I WOULD TELL HIM TO TAKE CARE OF HIM. I WOULD TELL HIM TO TAKE CARE OF HIM. I WOULD TELL HIM TO TAKE CARE OF HIM. I WOULD TELL HIM TO TAKE CARE and that's because he's out all alone. Tonight his family says Rauta needs help.

What would you tell him? I would tell him to tell the truth if something happened, and I hope he didn't do it and that he has my help. You are hearing our friend Miriam Hernandez at KABC-TV News there in L.A. and an unidentified family member that doesn't want his name broadcast. Do you blame him? Guys, Anthony Rauta, is he connected to eight shooting incidents, one of those being a murder, and multiple break-ins? What is that to Karen Stark,

the desire to go live off the land, to be totally away from other humans, to be a, quote, survivalist? And then you've got the twist of, for instance, shooting at federal agents and taking pot shots into a tent and killing a father of two. You know, if you listen to what his family member said about the fact that he says he's always being accused of something,

he sounds paranoid to me, Nancy, which means that if everyone's out to get him, he's going to disappear into the wilderness to protect himself and actually think all the time that people were trying to hunt him down. Take a listen to this. Anthony Rauta, suspected in a string of burglaries, arrested at his secluded Malibu Hills campsite for carrying a rifle in violation of his parole. A close family member tells us today Rauta had lived in the hills for 10 years.

He was afraid of people. He doesn't talk to people a lot. He's a loner. He just likes to be alone. And especially afraid of being in custody. When he was arrested in the jail, when I went and visited him, he was all bruised up. He said he got jumped. I guess he did get jumped. He's eluding police, and he's got a rifle slung over his shoulder,

and you've got eight shootings and multiple burglaries. Karen Smith with me, renowned forensics expert, joining us out of the Florida jurisdiction. Did you hear those beautiful words, secluded campsite? What does that mean to somebody like you and me, Karen? There are a few things that I need to discuss here. The secluded campsite means, yes, he was living off the land. The fact that he's burglarizing these places and only taking food, he's not using a fence, he's not taking expensive items, that

means he's using it for himself. Now, let's go back to Tristan Baudet for a second and his murder. This is back in June. I'm sure the police did some kind of trajectory reconstruction from that scene. You had Tristan Baudet's body. You had a hole through the tent. And if you use a laser, you can basically find a general area that would have been used for a sniper's nest, some kind of clearing on a plateau with a line of sight to the target. Once you get there, are there food wrappers? Are there cans and cigarette butts from these burglaries that he's been leaving behind? If he's waiting for his target, he's going to eat, he's going to drink. Perhaps DNA and fingerprints from those pieces of evidence can come back to

this guy. Now that we have a rifle, we can do some functionality tests and also do some test firings of that rifle, use those projectiles from that rifle and the ammunition and compare it to Tristan Baudet's murder and these other eight cases and see if the police can finally link him to these crimes and get him off the street. Karen Smith, forensics expert, it sounds like you're singing a symphony, an opera to me right now explaining how these cases can be linked together. But when I heard the words secluded campsite, what that says to me is evidence, evidence, evidence, fingerprints, gun shell casings, maybe items belonging to some of the victims or from the burglary locations.

That's what I'm talking about. Listen. Deputies found no tactical gear in the items they seized. Ballistics tests are underway to determine whether Rauta's rifle is tied to a fatal shooting at Malibu Creek Park. A bullet fired from afar hitting Tristan Bodette inside his tent on June 22nd as he camped with his two young daughters. I don't think Anthony would do that. I don't know him as a violent person. I know that the only weapon that he would carry was a knife which he uses to camp out. Right now, ballistics tests underway to determine if all the shootings, possibly all the burglaries, are connected. We wait as justice unfolds and the family of Tristan Beaudet waits along with us. I want my children safe. Don't you? But are we all doing everything we can to protect them?

Safety and security is priceless. Don't wait to plan and prepare until it's too late. I can't stop predators from being in this world, but I can sound the warning and pass on to you what I have learned about keeping your children and family safe. And that is why we are launching a brand new online education course, Justice Nation, Crime Stops Here. A brand new five-episode video master series allows you to go at your own pace as world-class experts in personal safety and child protection share their knowledge, their tips, their resources, all for you. Go to NancyGrace.com now. Use promo code Nancy for 15% off or go to Crimeestopshere.com for your sake and for the sake of your children and people you love know what to do when to do it and how to do it available now nancygrace.com and register using promo code nancy or crimestopshere.com promo code nancy i don't know about a hero, but just hopefully showing others that it can be done.

He's living proof. He can go through all of that hardship, and it can help someone else, and that's the beauty of our recovery and the 12 steps and all that. It's really about that. It's not impossible. It's not impossible, and he is the proof of it because, because look at him and look at me. And look at me. And look at you. No, look at me. No, look at me. You are hearing the family of Farrah Fawcett in a very rare interview by our partner, Alan Duke, joining us in LA.

That was with Ryan O'Neill, Tatum O'Neill, and Redmond O'Neill. Of course, Farrah Fawcett passed away with cancer. Why does her son keep turning up in court with one crime after the next? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us. Straight out to Alexis Tereschuk, Radar Online investigative reporter. Alexis, why is Farrah Fawcett's son back in jail?

Why was he in court? And do you believe that all of his crimes are because of his addiction? Redmond O'Neill, who is 33 years old now, was back in court. He was arrested this spring because he allegedly went on a three-day crime spree. At first, he was arrested for robbing a 7-Eleven. Police arrested him. He had apparently tried to rob a 7-Eleven, tried to steal money from the cashier. Then realized that there had been a string of assaults in the same area in Venice, California over the last maybe 72 hours preceding the arrest at the

7-Eleven, and they connected it to him. So what it is is multiple people have come forward and said that Redmond attacked them. They said that he was holding a beer bottle. He punched them. He hit them. He beat them up. And so he's now been charged with attempted murder. So he is behind bars for that crime spree. Okay, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. At first, I was about to break in and say if he were not the son of Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O'Neal, he'd be doing 20 to life. But now I'm hearing attempted murder because he beat somebody up and he had a beer bottle. That's not attempted murder, even to me.

OK, so where are we getting attempted murder? Did he have the beer bottle broken where he was threatened to cut people? Did he have a gun? Where are we getting an attempted murder charge? So he knocked this complete stranger to the ground. The man has said, the man's actually filed a civil lawsuit against him, but he has said that he was just walking by Redmond. Redmond looked at him, started attacking him, and then he beat him. He literally, he was knocked to the ground. He started kicking him. He was smashing his head into the ground

and using a broken beer bottle to cut him. Then he cut his head and then he smashed his face into the ground. The man said, I literally thought I was going to die in the court documents. When you're saying a broken beer bottle, that's a whole nother thing. When you said he was holding a beer bottle, I mean, for all I know, he's taking a swig out of it. But when you have a broken beer bottle and you're holding it by the neck and threatening somebody with it and cutting someone with it that i could see being construed as attempted murder with me an all-star panel analyzing what has just happened we are now learning that ryan o'neill and pharaoh faucet's son Redmond O'Neill, quote, suicidal in jail, says his attorney in court. He remains in jail on attempted murder, robbery, and drug charges,

and allegedly his state is deteriorating into suicidal. But listen to this rare interview obtained by Alan Duke. I miss her a lot. I don't know how well I'm doing. Redmond is doing extremely well. He is recovering from a terrible disease. He seems to have cured himself. We're thrilled about that. And that's why he's here. Because, because they let my face and let everybody know that I'm doing good, you know. That's right. Can't hide forever. And how handsome he is and how much he looks like Farrah

and how proud she would be and how lucky I am that I could at least be here. You are hearing Alan, who's with us right now, Alan Duke's interview with Ryan Tatum and Redmond O'Neill. And a special guest joining me right now my longtime friend drug addiction specialist Brad Lamb. Brad when I hear him talking Redmond not Ryan so much because from what we've learned the children grew up in a very, let me just say, volatile home. That's not good for anybody. But when I hear Redmond, the son, speaking so full of hope, so full of promise,

and now he's suicidal in jail after all of these antics. They're crimes. They're not antics. That's painting it with the wrong brush. They're crimes. Brad, what happened? Oh, God. That's a tragedy of relapse and recovery. You know, I followed his case for a long time.

And certainly I'm 52, so I grew up with Tatum O'Neill as, you know, the beautiful child actress from Paper Moon who worked with their father and, you know, very well loved family. And, uh, they've just been, uh, agonized, agonizing, uh, with addiction for decades, you know? So, uh, what happened? He relapsed, you know, and the line between a recovery and relapse is very fine for, for many people. You know, I've, I, I stopped placing bets on people a long time ago because sometimes the ones you think that are really going to take it on the road and make it work for years, you know,

instead it's a series of, you know, better situations than it was. So I feel bad for him uh certainly for the family i do too brad because you know of course i feel worse for an innocent victim who's attacked and beaten with their face pounded into the cement and cut with a beer bottle but i also i feel horrible for him because there by the grace of God goes me or my children one day. I mean, I remember him growing up, Brad, just like you and so cute. Guys, with me is Brad Lamb, the author of How to Help the One You Love, A New Way to Intervene. Brad, I really believe that with Redmond, they've tried it all. What now? What can they possibly? As a matter of fact, hold on, Brad. Listen to Richard Pintel,

his lawyer. Can you tell us what Redmond told Judge Tynan and the court in the hearing this morning? Well, it was very moving. I mean, Judge Tynan is a very, very hands-on judge and a very hands-on individual. He's a very caring judge. You have to be to run this drug court. And he basically asked Redmond what was going on before in his first 60 days and what's going on now and what's the difference. And Redmond, being very, very honest, had said that he had, since he was 14 years old, he's been in treatment numerous times, but he's never applied himself.

He was going through the motions each of those times. And this time he said he's very sincere, he's very genuine, he wants it, he wants this program, he wants to stay clean. So what he was going through was actually, in my view, and I think as Redmond expressed it, growing pains. Learning what is expected of him in treatment, because he's never really given it his heart and his soul before. Learning what's expected of him, doing it, and then on top of that, complying with what Judge Tynan wanted, which is going above and beyond the call of duty in treatment. And that was the process that I think Judge Tynan is now aware of, that Redmond before had really just been skating through. I think he might have even said skating through or going through the motions. Now he's no longer doing that. Redmond before had really just been skating

through. I think he might have even said skating through or going through the motions. Now he's no longer doing that. I found that very genuine and very moving. I think the judge was touched by that also. Judge Tynan asked him why changed in Redmond, why the turnaround. Can you tell us what Redmond said about that? Well, in court, he was very, I want to stay clean. I want to stay clean. Joining me, Brad Lamb, interventionist, the founder of Breathe Life Clinics all across the country and author. Brad, I want to stay clean. That just breaks my heart

to even hear it. Well, it's a great cry of anybody standing before a judge. I mean, honestly, I'm incredibly compassionate. And, you know, just from a public safety standpoint, he's a broken bottle. He's not his first time in court. Of course, he's, you know, in front of a judge, everybody cries and wants compassion, but it would be, he's in a tough spot. I think he's probably going to, you know, have a rough go of it now that he's back in jail. I mean, I appreciate drug court and I support people being mandated into treatment rather than cooling their heels in jail. But, you know, I think there has to be a community standard, too, when the public safety is at stake. And I think that the things that are

interesting this year, too, are, you know, the family not showing up in court. I think families go through it, too, and go through the stages of grief and loss. And the thing I think that when a family falls into apathy, that's the hardest probably stage to get back from. Because, you know, when hope is lost again. Let me go to Alexis Tereschuk. Brad Lamb brings up two important questions. One, prosecutors are alleging he did stab somebody. That could have been fatal with a broken beer bottle.

And is it true, Alexis, you were there in court? Did his family not appear? They did not. His lawyer has said repeatedly over the last few months in court that Ryan O'Neill is very sick. We have not seen Ryan. No one has seen him. They will not elaborate on what is wrong with Ryan. But there was one person there. There was his lawyer and there was a woman there and her name is Mella Murphy and she was Farrah's hairdresser and longtime friend she was by Farrah's side when she died she has now written a letter to the judge on behalf of Redmond as has his father but no one else was in court okay you know what I hear what Brad Lamb is saying drug addiction specialist, but you know, Kathleen Murphy, North Carolina

family lawyer, for the parent not to be in court. I don't like that at all. And I hear what Brad is saying that the family is numb at this point, but his mom has passed away. Vera Fawcett has passed away after a battle with cancer, but his dad is still alive and could have been in court. I don't get it. I read an article that Redmond says it's not the drugs, it's the impact of the abuse and the psychological trauma of being raised in the environment that I was raised in. Clearly, he was a circle put into a square and that on top of his drug addictions have created such a sad story. You know, it's amazing to me, back to Brad Lamb, drug addiction specialist. Brad, you know, if you look at them on the outside, if you look at Ryan O'Neill, handsome, to Farrah Fawcett, absolutely

gorgeous, to two beautiful children. And they have it all. They have looks, talent, money, the works. They've got it all. How in the world did that family descend into allegations, allegations that Ryan O'Neill would just punch Redmond in the face as a child? You know, the odds of nonsense and chaos and crisis happening in the home of a person who's in active addiction, you know, it goes up 70 times the possibility that a child will grow up addicted if the parents are addicted, too. And so I think you look at the system and it's not I think it's not fair to blame it on the Hollywood lifestyle. I think it's often the chaos and crisis of growing up in an addicted home.

But half of Americans can relate to that. You know, Nancy, that I'm the guy that is a consummate supporter of drug court and for diversion into treatment rather than jail. But if I were that judge, I would not put him back into another program. I would let him cool his heels in jail for a while. I agree, Brad, and that was a tough issue I had as a prosecutor because there were not enough treatment programs. I couldn't get people that needed treatment into treatment. They were all full.

You could sit in jail for 18 months waiting to get into a six-week program. There's no answers, but I do recall this very clearly. An interview with Griffin O'Neill, the son of Ryan O'Neill, who painted a very scary picture to Karen Stark, New York psychologist, claiming to my friend Larry King that his father, Ryan O'Neill, tried to shoot him, Griffin, Redmond's brother, and habitually partied with Redmond and did drugs with and around his son, Redmond, and was responsible for Redmond O'Neill's drug problems. And then he topped it all off, which is really neither here nor there, that Ryan O'Neill did not recognize his own daughter,

Tatum O'Neill, at Ferris' funeral and actually kind of hit on her, asked her to go away and get a drink with him. Now, you know what? Karen Stark, with your father doing drugs with you, if that's true, those are allegations by Ryan O'Neill's son, Griffin. I mean, this guy didn't have a chance. And I am agreeing with Brad. You hold a broken beer bottle at somebody, you stab them with that, you're going to jail, you're staying there. I want him to have treatment, but I don't see that's possible. Maybe when he gets out of jail, he can have treatment as a condition of his release. But who has a chance when you grow up and your parents are doing drugs with you? It's not just that. I think it's two separate issues, Nancy. One is that he did grow up in that sort of background.

And if you look at him and you see that his sister, Tatum, they have the same father, also had a drug problem, Griffith did. So there is probably along Ryan's family line, a propensity to having addiction, alcohol and substance abuse. But then you take a look at the environment. You combine those two things. And this is a horrendous environment. And so you're correct. He never had a chance. However, his sister was able to manage to live her life.

And this poor kid, he could never get himself together. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Alexis Tereschuk, RadarOnline.com investigative reporter, didn't Tatum O'Neill get busted on cocaine? Yes, she did. She was arrested in New York City, Lurie C., trying to buy crack cocaine. So what now, Alexis Tereschuk? You were in court. What's going to happen next? His lawyer begged the judge. What they're asking for is for Redmond to get some mental health help.

She begged the judge because she said his state is deteriorating so much that he is suicidal. And this really seemed to shock the judge because the prosecutor said, we have somebody that can come and meet with Redmond. They'll meet him. They'll have a report by mid-December and we will know. And the judge said, no, that is not acceptable. He said, this is unacceptable.

This is too far away. You need to find a doctor that can get to Redmond immediately. And his lawyer said, again, she said, I don't think he's going to make it. They have eyes on him in jail, but he is suicidal and I'm very worried about him. So they are trying desperately to get him mental health, but it's going to take a little while, mental health help. It's been transferred to a mental health court. This was not even in the criminal court. This is the judge trying to get him some help. And they're going to try to find somebody who can meet with him and then provide a report recommendation to the court, whether or not Redmond should even be in jail

or whether he should just be put directly into a mental institution. Let me tell you something. I want him to have addiction help. I want him to have counseling. I want him to have emotional and mental help. But you rob a convenience store with a weapon. You attack somebody on the street, beat their face into the cement, slice them up with a broken beer bottle. You got to do jail time. End of story. Nancy Grace, Crime Story, signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is an iHeart Podcast.