Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Episode Date: December 12, 2024

Tonight's Top Story has the latest breaking news, political headlines, news from overseas and the best NBC News reporting from across the country and around the world.

Tonight, the new evidence coming to light in the murder of the United Health Care CEO. Officials saying the gun found on Luigi Mangione matches the shell casings used in the targeted attack. The chilling writings inside a notebook and fingerprints allegedly tying Mangione to the murder, and the concerns over potential threats to other CEOs, the wanted posters popping up in New York City targeting other executives. Also breaking tonight, FBI director Christopher Ray announced. announces his resignation. Ray saying he will step down before Trump takes office. The move clearing a major obstacle for Kash Patel, President-elect Trump's pick to lead the agency. But will he get through the confirmation process? We'll explain. The Malibu wildfire exploding in size, forcing

thousands of people out of their homes. Celebrities Cher and Dick Van Dyke among the 20,000 evacuated as flames erupts near seaside mansions. Firefighters working around the clock, fighting the blazed by air and land, when the winds fueling those flames could die down. Real estate moguls arrested. The Alexander brothers behind bars accused in a disturbing scheme of sexually assaulting women. Dozens coming forward saying they were violently drugged and raped. What prosecutors are saying about how the luxury realtors lured their victims. Tragedy into tourism.

The site of one of the worst mass murder suicides in history could soon be open to visitors. We speak to the tour operator defending the decision to bring people to Jonestown. And missing dad surrenders. The kayaker who faked his death and fled to Europe is back in the U.S. and now in police custody. The charges he's facing after he allegedly plotted his own disappearance and abandoned his family. Plus, we're just getting reports on who will be named Times person of the year. Can you guess who it is? Top story starts right now.

Good evening. I'm Ellison Barber in for Tom Yamis. Tonight, new details emerging about the suspect accused of murdering the United Health Care CEO. Here's what we know right now. At this hour, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione remains behind bars in Pennsylvania. But investigators announcing today they've made significant progress connecting him to the attack. So let's go through the evidence that police have publicly said they have. We have now learned that Mangiore. had a notebook on him where he allegedly wrote about targeting a CEO. That notebook is separate from the three-page manifesto where he claimed he was working alone. Then there's Mangione's fingerprints.

Police say that fingerprints taken in Pennsylvania match fingerprints that were found at the crime scene in New York. Then there's the gun that was found on him in Pennsylvania. That, according to police, matches three shell casings that were also discovered at the scene. Then there's the fake ID. This was reportedly used at a hostel in New York before the shooting, and it was found on him when he was arrested by police in Pennsylvania. And police say clothing that they obtained from Mangione is also consistent with what the shooter was wearing. Social media posts from a Reddit account appearing to belong to Mangione suggests he was suffering from serious health issues. The 26-year-old writing in part, quote,

it is absolutely brutal to have such a life-hulting issue, especially since the issue itself wears down the critical-slash-logical thinking mind you'd usually use to tackle it. The people around you probably won't understand your symptoms. They certainly don't for me. We have so much to get to tonight, including those threats to other executives in the health care industry. But we begin in Pennsylvania with NBC's Stephanie Gosk. Tonight, Luigi Mangione remains locked up in a Pennsylvania state prison. Fighting extradition to New York City on murder charges. The NYPD says its crime lab has made significant forensic breakthroughs in its investigation,

potentially linking Mangione to the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The weapon the 26-year-old had on him when he was arrested in a Pennsylvania McDonald's matches evidence from the Manhattan crime scene. We were able to match that gun to the three shell casings that we found in Midtown. Fingerprints matched, too, the NYPD commissioner says. We're also able in our crime lab to match the person of interest fingerprints with fingerprints that we found on both the water bottle and the kind bar. A senior law enforcement official says the shooter left those items behind near the scene, along with shell casings that had the words deny, delay, depose, an apparent reference to the language health. insurance companies use when rejecting claims.

This is powerful circumstantial evidence, and it's going to start coming in like an avalanche now that they've found Mangione. In addition to the gun and fake IDs, Mangione was also carrying a notebook, according to two sources familiar with the investigation, with this written inside. What do you do? You whack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean counter convention. It's targeted, precise, and it doesn't risk innocence. the language, frankly, these parasites had it coming, which was discovered in handwritten pages

also found on Mangione, according to three senior law enforcement officials. The spotlight on health insurance companies has triggered a backlash online, with many voicing their anger at the industry. In New York City, fake-wanted posters have appeared targeting CEOs of insurance companies. An NYPD intelligence and counterterrorism official today said Thompson's murder resembles a domestic terror attack and threatens to set off a, quote, contagion. This guy's not a hero. He's not a hero. If you have any issues with somebody, we don't go out there and commit violence. And Stephanie Gosk joins us now from Huntington, Pennsylvania, outside of the prison where Mangione is being held right now. Stephanie, talk to us a little

more about that Reddit account that's associated with Mangione and his apparent health issues. Yeah, you know, Alison, it has since been taken down. and archived. But we have verified it, and it goes back years, and it chronicles a number of health issues that Mangione had through the years. In 2018, he describes brain fog that he thought was stemming from Lyme's disease. He then goes on to talk about chronic back pain that he had. It also talks about the surgery that he had from that back pain and said, once he had the surgery, he was able to get off of the medications he had been taking for it. You know, I think what a lot of people were looking for was to see if there was any connection to health insurance companies there or perhaps criticism of the kind of coverage he might have gotten.

It doesn't seem to be there, but very clearly he has had a bunch of health issues, Alison. Stephanie Gossk in Pennsylvania again. Thank you. We appreciate it. For more on the case prosecutors are building against Luigi Mangione and how his team might try to defend him. I want to bring back NBC News legal analyst Danny Savalos, who you heard from and Stephanie. report just then. Danny, thanks so much for being with us again. I kind of want to set this up as if you were the defense attorney representing Luigi Mangione. You're not, you're not associated with the case. You know what we know, but you are a defense attorney yourself. And I'm curious when you look at what we know, Mangione's legal team seems to be facing a mounting pile of evidence

from the weapon, they say, was found on Mangione that ties back to the crime scene here in New York, to the fingerprints, they say, that now match items, a water bottle and a food wrapper that was found near the scene in New York, as well as the fake ID that he actually gave to police in Pennsylvania, and it was according to police, the same ID used here in New York. If he were a part of his defense team representing him for the charges he's going to face in New York and that he's accused of here, how would you begin to deal with that massive pile of evidence? Yeah, one thing we knew is that the evidence was going to multiply as soon as they found a suspect. Because up until they found Mangione, they had only one side of several pieces of evidence. Fingerprints. If you're looking for a suspect who has never been arrested before, then he's not going to be an aphist, the national database. Some of these other things, the shell casings, you don't have a firearm to match it up with. Oh, this is now very helpful. We have a suspect who had a firearm on him.

So we always knew that the evidence would multiply as soon as they found a suspect. As the evidence builds, the defense will likely move away from a some other guy did it defense and possibly into a diminished capacity, insanity, some kind of defense like that, maybe a kind of temporary insanity, to the extent it's even available to them in New York. So as the evidence builds against them, strategically, the defense team is going to have to really think about what avenues they're going to take. And by the way, the defense team isn't really assembled yet. That Pennsylvania lawyer will not be his lawyer in New York. I can virtually guarantee it. You pick a lawyer in the region who knows the procedure and knows the courthouse for a case as big as this.

He knows Al-Tuna. They'll find someone for New York. And in terms of that notebook that we are learning more about today, this was allegedly found on Mangione, and it outlined a shooting very similar to the one that he's accused of carrying out here in New York. two sources familiar with the investigation are telling NBC News that the notebook included this, quote, what do you do, it says, you whack the CEO at the annual parasitic bean counter convention, it's targeted, precise, and doesn't risk innocence. Is that something that the defense could argue, hey, that's circumstantial? We don't know if he wrote it? I mean, how do you approach dealing with that if you were trying to defend someone here? I can guarantee the prosecution is

going to take that notebook, and they're going to introduce all kinds of pieces of evidence that will allow a jury to infer that he wrote it, even if he would take the stand, which you probably wouldn't, and say, I never wrote that notebook. I don't know what you're talking about. They would introduce officers who would say they got it from his person. It was in his possession. They might introduce handwriting experts. I mean, you don't need the defendant to authenticate all the evidence against him. In fact, most of the time, the defendant is opposing all of this evidence. So the notebook will come in. They will use it. It's excellent evidence, not only of motive, But it's circumstantial evidence that he is the shooter.

If he's telling you his plan in writing, and by the way, how rare is it that criminals actually give you this much evidence? They give you evidence of their intent to commit a crime. Most criminals are looking to avoid creating evidence of a crime. This is someone who it appears is creating evidence in a way that he probably perceives as some form of civil disobedience when it's murder. And he's just creating this evidence to make a statement. In fact, his behavior has been inconsistent. He's fleeing on one hand, but also creating all this evidence to say, if you're reading this essentially, I've been caught, and this is why I did it.

So all of that stuff is going to be helpful to prosecutors as circumstantial evidence. And then they have direct evidence really in the form of videos and maybe even witnesses who saw him throughout this entire saga. You mentioned some of the inconsistent behavior. There was also that outburst outside of the courthouse yesterday. And according to our team who was inside of the courtroom, he had a very very... different demeanor once inside. When you look at that outburst and the behavior inside, is that something that his defense team could point to to say, see, something is going on here

and maybe go to, as you suggested earlier, some sort of insanity defense. Sure, but I mean, insanity as a defense has fallen out of favor since the 70s. And in fact, it's a very risky proposition because in order to plead the insanity defense, you have to admit to the conduct and say, yes, I did it, but here's some more information. I have a medical issue. And then you need medical experts. And believe me, the prosecution has plenty of their own medical experts. So it's a gambit. It's rarely used now. And in fact, it is a huge risk because you're essentially admitting to everything and hoping that the jury finds that there was something wrong with you in terms of mental illness so that this can be excused. And I got to tell you, ever since

a number of high-profile shootings in the 70s, the insanity defense is not very popular. You mentioned something about the question of whether or not he would take the stand and how that would be unlikely. I imagine a defense team would say, hey, we don't think you should do this. But if you look at someone who won paper is seemingly writing and wanting to talk about what he did and why, can he say I'm taking the stand anyway? A defendant has an absolute constitutional right to take the stand, no matter how many times his defense attorney tells him not to do it. But I'm going to make a prediction here. As much as he seems to want to speak out, a lot of times. the same defendant who says, I'm going to get up there and tell my story and exonerate myself.

When you get in the courtroom, you're in the hushed atmosphere, it's intimidating. You know, you have a judge in the robes up there. A lot of times these same defendants decide, you know what, maybe I will remain silent. And trial is probably years away, literally years away from this date as we sit here, and that's a lot of time to sit and think about your case. And whatever outbursts you're seeing now, he might be a little more demure when trial comes. and may decide not to testify. As much as he may seem like someone who wants to get up and tell his story, I'm not entirely sure that's indicative of whether he will actually take the stand. All right, Danny Savalos, thank you so much for your time and insights, as always. We appreciate it.

Also, developing in this investigation potential threats to other CEOs in the health care industry. Wanted posters displayed in New York City today appear to show photos of Brian Thompson and other major health care executives accompanied with threatening language. For more on this, I want to bring in retired NYPD Lieutenant Derren Porcher. Lieutenant Portcher, thank you so much for joining us tonight. Walk me through what's going on here. What has the NYPD said about these posters? And from your perspective, what could it mean for the investigation into Mangione?

The NYPD is introducing the aspect of this is quite damning behavior as a related to posting pictures of CEOs and stating that they're wanted, because it now drives towards a narrative on the lines if it's okay to use violence against other individuals in society. However, on social media, the killer in this case has developed somewhat of a robust following because what American has not had health care denied from the health care insurance company.

So you have a large contingent of people that are in favor or actually applauding the killer in this particular, case, but the NYPD is trying to get in front of it as best as they can. But as a result, you're going to see a lot of these CEOs and executives in these health care insurance companies that will be affording themselves security in the insurance. I mean, you mentioned the positive response to the alleged killer on social media. When you look at that as someone with such a wealth of law enforcement knowledge and background, does it worry

you that we could see some sort of copycat behavior moving forward? It does worry me that we're going to have more and more people that are going to get behind this actual killer and embark upon a copycat act. And I give you an example. I look at the McDonald's where the killer was captured or the suspect was captured. They have been taken a mountain of negative heat based on the tip that was provided by the McDonald's worker. And so I worry about that facility as well, when I say the facility, meaning the McDonald's restaurant, because there's mountains of these negative comments that are directed towards that employee. This was a good person.

This was a person that did the right thing and provided a tip to law enforcement because there was a suspected killer in society. But as I go back to this other side where you have these people that are in support of the suspect, It really begs the question of what is right in society. And what is right in society is we need to have violent criminals behind bars and not on the streets. How do law enforcement agencies deal with threats like this? Because obviously, making a threat saying something typically doesn't violate the law. So how would the NYPD or other law enforcement agencies approach something like this? Well, it's quite the contrary.

Threats do violate the law. And so if you do make a threat such as, look, I'm going to kill you or something to that effect, then law enforcement can take the necessary steps to bring that person into custody. But at the same token, there's law enforcement is being flooded with so many of these allegations. I want to say allegations, but these people driving towards, driving against these health care establishments, they're going to make recommendations and how to fortify executives in the health care industry. Case in point, United Health Care has just recently erected a fence around its facility in Minnesota. So that's a harbinger for the directional path that these health

care insurance companies are taking. All right. Thank you so much. We appreciate your time and insights. Thank you. We're going to head now to Washington and the surprise move by FBI, FBI Director Christopher Ray today announcing his plans to resign before President elect Trump takes office. It comes nearly three years before Ray's term was set to expire and after Trump made clear he plans to replace him with a loyalist. NBC's chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander has more on those developments. FBI Director Christopher Ray tonight revealing the Bureau

employees he'll resign before President elect Trump takes office. I've decided the right thing for the Bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current administration in January and then step down. Ray was selected by Trump in 2017, but he's leaving three years before his tenure term is up. After Trump made clear he wanted Ray out. This is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important in how we do our work. Trump has spent years attacking the FBI and justice Department for what he says have been partisan prosecutions against him and slammed Ray in an interview

with NBC's Kristen Welker over his role in the classified documents investigation. I can't say I'm thrilled with him. He invaded my home. I'm suing the country over it. He invaded Maralago. I'm very unhappy with the things he's done. Trump, today calling Ray's resignation a great day for America as it will end the weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice. Trump had already picked the man he wanted to replace Ray, Cash Patel, tonight meeting with Republican senators. We look forward to a very smooth transition at the FBI, and I'll be ready to go on day one.

Patel is a former federal prosecutor and a fierce Trump defender. But critics have questioned his qualifications for the job and sounded alarms about his calls to go after those, he says, unfairly targeted Trump. Patel names roughly 60 people in his book as being part of the, quote, deep state. Do you want Cash Patel to launch investigations into people on that list? No, I mean, he's going to do what he thinks is right. Tonight, the FBI Agents Association is praising Ray for his steady focus on doing the work that keeps our country safe. This is not easy for me.

I love this place. And Peter joins us now from the White House North Lawn. Peter, what is next for President-elect Trump's pick to replace Ray, Cash Patel? Yeah, Ellison Patel is a provocative. pick, as we've been reporting, he still needs to be confirmed by the Senate. To be clear, no Senate Republicans right now are publicly against Patel. No one has said that there are no on him, but he is facing scrutiny for past comments. Among them, his vow to turn the FBI building here in Washington into what he describes as a deep state museum. NBC News has learned that Patel told

a top Republican senator just this week that he is not going to do that, according to a source familiar with their conversation. And Peter, I understand you also have some reporting tonight about a significant recognition President-elect Trump will be receiving tomorrow. What can you tell us? Yeah, that's exactly right, Ellison. Multiple sources familiar with the matter. Tell NBC News that Donald Trump

is being selected by Time Magazine as its person of the year. It is the second time that he will have received that honor the first in 2016 when he was first elected president. He is right now in route to New York City, where tomorrow he's expected to be at the New York Stock Exchange

rigging the opening bell as part of his way to celebrate Times' new magazine. Back to you. NBC's Peter Alexander, thank you. Now to the wildfire burning near the southern California coast, the blaze tearing through Malibu, scorching at least 4,000 acres and destroying several homes. Residents now watching closely as firefighters work to control the flames. They're making some progress in the battle. NBC News correspondent Dana Griffin is in the fire zone. As a wind-driven wildfire continues to burn. Fire crews attacking the blaze from the air with water and bright pink fire retardant.

Gusty winds can pick up those embers carrying them to canyons like this. It took just a matter of minutes for this hillside to go up in flames. Several homes now destroyed at least 4,000 acres scorched. An ongoing threat fueled by Santa Ana winds that kicked back up overnight. The entire fire area remains under threat. as long as these red flag weather conditions persist. This morning, this couple dowsing their brand new home with water in an effort to save it from approaching flames.

What do you think when you see this? We don't want to lose it if we can help it. More than 20,000 under evacuation orders and warnings, including celebrities like Cher and Dick Van Dyke. Other residents standing by in case they're told to evacuate. It's dangerous. It's causing a lot of damage and can cause a lot more damage. So we're just monitoring it so we know when to leave.

Up to 1,500 firefighters working around the clock, catching hotspots before they grow out of control. Those types of things keep you reminded that these things happen up here. So you just have to be ready for them. With the threat of the next blaze, just to spark away. Dana Griffin joins us. Now, Dana, just extraordinary reporting. It's so surprising to see.

those images behind you as you're interviewing people, the glow, the smoke. I mean, this just seems unrelenting. What is the latest that you're seeing on the ground there? Yeah, Alison, thank you so much for that. And I can tell you there's been some progress here. First of all, those Santa Ana Wins have died down, but there is a threat to some homes. Luckily, crews have done a really great job trying to mop this up. The fire has grown to 4,000 acres. It is now 7% contained. But even in this neighborhood, you can see just the burn scars behind us, which shows just how close flames got to this mansion. So fire officials say that part of what saved a lot of these homes was defensible space. A lot of neighborhoods that are in these canyons made sure they had barriers around their home.

And they said that's what really helped save more of these homes. Right now nine homes have been destroyed. Another seven have been damaged. And fire crews, we can still hear some of the helicopters above. So there is still some active firefighting going on at this moment. moment. But with those winds dying down and that onshore breeze expected to come in overnight, it is a good sign that will probably get some humidity in the area, which could help firefighters in this effort. Ellison? They definitely need a little bit of help there. Dana Griffin in California,

thank you. Yeah. For more on the conditions out west. Let's bring in NBC News meteorologist Bill Karen's. Bill, talk to us about what firefighters could see weather-wise as we head into the overnight hours. Yeah, last night, the wind's really kicked up. And the western flood. flank of this fire is where we had the expansion of the acreage burns. So here's Malleable here. This is Pepperdine University, and it jumped down to the canyon on the west side. This is where a lot of the new burn was happened, and a little bit on the northern edge of it also. So the fire itself now shouldn't be moving that fast. The winds are dead. Now we're watching the relative humidity increasing. We're now 50% of the airport. So we had an offshore dry desert flow. Now we're

watching an ocean layer come in, and that's great for the firefighters. We should get a lot of containment on this and put out a lot of the hot spots in the next 24 hours, but no rain is really expected. So, you know, the next time that it gets windy again and dry, we're going to have the same type of condition. The other thing in this Northeast area, this has been a really bad storm for travel. Airports are miserable right now. All the heavy rain is in areas of New England, especially in the Northeast. The worst airports right now, JFK's 154-minute delays, so we're about two and a half hours. Newark is at 180 minutes, three-hour delays. LaGuardia is at 60 minutes, and Boston's at 128.

So, yeah, we've had a lot of cancellations and just a ton of delays, and it's not going to get any better because the winds are still very high. We still have a chance of some flooding. We haven't had any yet, but the heaviest rain is now happening in the areas with snow on the ground, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. So fingers crossed, they make it through the night tonight without the flooding being too bad. And the high winds are now just kicking up. We've seen the worst winds areas around Boston.

And on top of all this, Allison, get ready. It is negative 28 in Fargo right now. That cold air is heading right in behind this storm. Wow. A lot happening on the weather front. Bill Cairns, thank you for breaking that all down. We appreciate it. Still ahead tonight, the luxury real estate agents accused in a heinous crime,

the sprawling indictment accusing the Alexander brothers of sexually assaulting dozens of women. The disturbing scheme allegedly dating back more than a decade. Plus, the father who staged his own death and ran away to Europe back. in the U.S. facing charges, what he told a court about why he finally returned. And the terrifying video as a fireball erupts at a New York City hotel, smoke and flames shooting into the air. Stay with us. Back now with new details in a story we've been following for months. So Wisconsin father, who allegedly faked his own death and fled to Europe, returning to the

United States and surrendering to police. NBC news correspondent Morgan Chesky has the details on his first appearance in court. Tonight, a Wisconsin father of three who police say faked his own death and fled to Europe is back on U.S. soil, charged with misdemeanor obstruction after turning himself into authorities who investigated his disappearance. I had $20 in my wallet. Ryan Borgwart appearing without an attorney, the judge entering a not-guilty plea on his behalf. I can't pay. I have money, so I'll defend myself. The 45-year-old vanished in mid-August after traveling to Green Lake, about 100 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Authorities finding just a capsized kayak and his vehicle with some personal effects nearby.

Divers, cadaver dogs, and drones used to search for Borgwart in an effort that cost nearly $40,000. according to the Green Lake County Sheriff, but what appeared to be a tragedy, authorities say was actually an elaborate attempt to escape. Good evening. It's Ryan Borgward. After police got a tip that Borgwart's passport was used in Canada, they made contact with him in early November and received this proof of life video. I'm in my apartment. I am safe. I'm secure. No problem. Authorities say Borgward had used an inflatable boat to paddle off the lake, riding a stashed e-bike more than 70 miles to Madison, then hopping on a bus that took him through Detroit to Canada,

where the sheriff says he got on a plane to Europe. In the lead-up to the disappearance, the sheriff says Borgwart took out a life insurance policy, moved money to foreign banks, and even communicated with a woman in Uzbekistan. On December 10th, Ryan arrived on U.S. soil. Police say he flew home voluntarily on Tuesday after several phone conversations.

We brought a dad back on his own accord. Tonight, the sheriff's office not revealing where Borgwart was. If the woman he was talking to helped him plan the disappearance, or if he's been in touch with his family since returning. And Morgan joins us now. Morgan, what is next for this father now that he has been charged? Yeah, Allison, such a wild story here. We do know that he has been released on what's called a $500 signature bond, meaning he does not have to pay it unless he violates that order, which is reappearing in court come January 13th. He does face up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine. As of right now, Borgwart says that he plans on representing himself, but there is still an option he could have a court-appointed attorney going forward here. Alison.

Morgan Chesky, thank you. And back here in New York, federal prosecutors slamming down a massive indictment against two high-profile real estate agents. Tall and Orrin Alexander, along with their brother Alon, are charged with sex trafficking and are accused of drugging and raping dozens of women over the course more than a decade. NBC News correspondent Marissa Parra is following this for us and joins us now with more. Marissa, can you give our viewers a little bit of background on these men

And what are the details inside of this indictment? Sure. Well, let me break it down because there's three brothers who are facing a variety of different charges. So we have two of the brothers, Tall and Oren, who are arguably the most well-known. And I'll explain that in just a moment. But those two brothers, federal prosecutors have charged those two with rape and sex trafficking. And then separately, we have Oren and alone, also brothers, charged with an accused of sexual battery. Prosecutors are alleging that there are dozens of victims that they were drugged. All of this according to an unsealed federal indictment, and I want to read you a quote in part from that indictment.

It says, quote, some of the victims experienced symptoms of impaired physical and mental capacity, including limitations of movement and speech and incomplete memories of events. Now, for those who don't know, Oren and Tal are considered celebrities within the luxury real estate world. They're considered socialites, if you will. accused of using their name and their wealth to sort of shield them, if you will. The brothers deny any wrongdoing. We heard from a lawyer in court today. A position from the lawyer of Tal Alexander was granted to reschedule for Friday the detention

and removal hearing for him. Now, the other two brothers, Orrin and alone, Alexander, Allison, we are just learning. They will be in court tomorrow. Allison? And Marissa, prosecutors are also asking a federal judge here to deny bail for the brothers saying that these sexual assault allegations actually began about 20 years ago. What do we know about that? Yeah, and that is something that we were learning more about in court. And so we're hearing

that this allegedly happened over the course of 20 years, over 20 years, that this was habitually happening among the three brothers since high school. And again, that they had used their accrued wealth and their name to shield them from what became a repute. that followed them, but certainly something that is sending shock waves throughout the realty world. Alison. Marissa Parra, thank you. When we come back, a former NHL player attacked.

A startling video as the ex-Fenix Coyote star is violently assaulted. What happened in the moments leading up to that brawl? Back now with Top Stories News Feed. with a major fire at a New York City hotel. New video shows the first floor of the Moxie Boutique Hotel in Williamsburg engulfed in flames. All of the guests and staff were safely evacuated and fire officials say they were able to get that blaze under control after about an hour. No injuries were reported the cause of that fire is under investigation. And an update on a missing person story we've been covering on top story. Hannah Kobayashi, who disappeared during a layover in

Los Angeles has been found safe. An attorney for her family says the Hawaii native contacted them earlier today. The 30-year-old was reported missing about a month ago after she missed a connecting flight to New York City. Hannah was captured on surveillance video voluntarily crossing into Mexico on November 12th. That is according to the LA Police Department. And a former NHL star attacked at a restaurant in Arizona. Surveillance footage shows Paul Bissonette attempting to break up a dispute between patrons and restaurant staff when he suddenly punched. The fight spilling outside to the parking lot where Bissanet is thrown to the ground and beaten. The former Coyote star taken to the hospital, but is okay. Six men were later arrested.

And Crispy Cream is the latest company to fall victim to a major cyber attack. In a new filing with the SEC, the company said a hack on a portion of its technology is causing disruptions to online ordering. Don't worry, though. Crispy Cream's 400 U.S. locations are open for in-person orders. We're going to head overseas now to Syria, where rebel forces there are still celebrating the ousting of dictator Bashar al-Assad. They've now taken over his palace, providing a glimpse of his life, his luxury and power, a stark contrast to life for most Syrians under his control. NBC News, Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engle is in Damascus with an exclusive look inside that residence. The former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad lived in a palace on a hill high above Damascus. Now it's under control of the rebels who overthrew him.

Today they gave us an exclusive tour inside. You can understand why he wouldn't want to leave this. Assad and his wife seemed to have modern tastes. You are first greeted by the grand atrium, accented by a classic wood-paneled library. Upstairs was for the family only. The apartment where the rebels say Assad lived. You could tell this was really the inner sanctum because everywhere here there are thick bulletproof doors.

They are extremely, extremely heavy, solid metal, electric keypads. This could have been sealed off. But in the end, it didn't do them any good. All the security was to protect his bedroom, ransacked after he fled. There's something curious. Whenever you go to someone's house, People always want to see their bathrooms, just get a sense of how they lived. Well, this was Assad's private bathroom in here with a jacuzzi tub.

Can't imagine he'll be living this well in exile in Russia. Today, the new interim government said Syria is broke. Cash flow didn't seem to be a problem for the man at the top. Ah, his personal barber chair. So you can imagine him. here, getting ready for the day. Assad lived well as a dictator until it all ended for the man accused of being responsible for the deaths of half a million Syrians, all to protect his life of power and luxury.

Richard Engle, NBC News, Damascus. And in the fallout of this regime change, families in Syria are desperately searching for the bodies of their loved ones, people who were detained, tortured, and killed under Assad's rule. News, Chief Correspondent, Stuart Ramsey, has this report. From the gloomy interior of a morgue's refrigeration room, a body is wheeled on a gurney towards the examination area. They're trying to identify who the dead man is. All they know is that he has been murdered.

The dead here are all victims of Bashar al-Assad's regime. Across Damascus, there's a man. For desperate search for the missing, there's no authority. So distraught family members are searching the morgues themselves. They opened body bags to take pictures of the victims, trying to work out if they are relatives. Beside them, the refrigerator door has been opened, stacked inside over 30 people, assigned a number, the identity mark of the unclaimed dead, the unknown victim. Nearby, they open refrigerated lockers looking for bodies, praying they would at least

find who they have lost, often for over a decade. And perhaps for them, final closure at last. The people, this happening all over the city, they're coming to Morgues where they know people who have been tortured to death, their bodies have been found here and identified. Some have only seen their loved ones on social media. They've seen the pictures, so they're coming here to see if they can collect the body. When the bodies are identified, the families can take them away. The dead sometimes placed on the knees of family waiting in their car.

It is absolutely chaotic. The people are desperate for news, any news. People struggle to get inside to catch a glimpse of the dead. simply put, desperate stuff. We began our work last night. From the moment the bodies arrived at the hospital, they were identified, numbered and photographed for initial identification.

These are specialists at identifying bodies. They're trying to work in the midst of this may. This is going to be a painstaking process. They're actually from the health ministry, the old regime health ministry. They say they are the health ministry and this is their job now to identify people now. These people have all been killed in prison. This is a process of trying to find out their identities and link them with the family.

For some, the news they had dreaded hearing. The extended family of Mazin Hamada gathering in grief. Mazin was a prominent, even famous anti-regime activists, who they said had escaped to Germany but was persuaded to return by the Syrian government with an amnesty. But he was arrested, and as they've just been told, he was murdered and captivity. So you're saying is that this was a conspiracy to bring him back and to kill him. A gang brought him here. They said they wouldn't do any harm.

It was all lies. They handed him over to the regime. With so many dead, so many missing, trying to find and identify everyone. going to be a Herculean task. For the families, it's become a full-on preoccupation. So you've not seen him for 12 years? No, never, never. Twelve years, we'll hear no sound on the telephone. No telephone, no. And you're trying to find him, William? The detention and murder of anyone, even remotely opposed to the Assad regime, appears

to have been conducted on an industrial scale. It's been known about for years, but this is absolute proof if it was needed. Barely a family is untouched, and it's clear the killing continued to the very end. Hurriedly rushed to a waiting car by his family. Ahmed al-Katib, they say, was arrested 24 hours before the regime fell. He was one of the last to die. There were hundreds of thousands before him. And that was Stuart Ramsey from our partners at Sky News reporting.

Coming up next, from tragedy to tourism. A new tour in Guyana will take visitors to the site of the Jonestown massacre where more than 900 people died in a mass murder suicide. Why, the tour guide tells us the tour offers a critical lesson, but others in the South American nation are strongly opposed. back now with the Americas in a story out of Guyana, the South American nation where the Jonestown massacre took place in the 1970s. A local tour group there now offering trips to the site where more than 900 people,

largely Americans, died in a mass murder suicide. NBC news correspondent Guadvanegas talked to the operator of that tour about the controversial outing. In the depths of the Guyana jungle, the side of the Jonestown massacre, one of the most notorious mass suicide murders the world has ever seen, now a destination for tourists. The thing is, Jonestown remains a tragic part of Guyana's history, but it is also an event of global significance. It offers critical lessons about cult psychology, manipulation, and abuse of power. With the support of the Guyanese government, owner and founder of Wonderless Adventures, Rosalie. Soutran will bring small tour groups to what was once Jonestown. A commune settled by American Reverend Jim Jones and hundreds of his followers

and also the site of the 1978 Jonestown massacre in which more than 900 people, including hundreds of children, died after drinking cyanide at the leader's urging. Now, more than four decades later, she tells NBC News the guided visit to Jonestown will provide a deeper understanding of the tragedy that unfolded in the South American country, taking travelers from the city of Georgetown to the Port Kaituma Airport, where on the day of the massacre, an American congressman and two members of an NBC news crew were killed. Former Congresswoman Jackie Speer at the time of staffer survived.

She spoke to the Today Show in 2018 about the ordeal. I was lying on the airstrip with my head down, pretending I was dead, and I just kept hearing shots ring out, and then all of a sudden, the right side of my body was blown up. Dark tourism, where travelers visit locations associated with death and tragedy, is not a new phenomenon, with tourists from around the world paying to view the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine, ground zero in New York City, and former Nazi concentration camps in Poland. These sites attract visitors, not to dwell on tragedy, but to understand the events. You know, honor those affected.

and ensure that such histories are neither repeated nor forgotten. But some in Guyana are skeptical of the tour that will take visitors to the morbid site that became known to the world over decades ago. It clearly appeared as if there was a lot of illegal activity going on there, human rights violations, food, sleep deprivation, forced imprisonment. And the images were pretty gory, reprehensible. Like I said, people would prefer not to remember it. And the tour operator tells us they already have the first group of visitors scheduled to go.

In January, they will be paying a price tag of $650 for what will be an overnight experience. Ellison? Guadvanegas, thank you. Staying overseas with Top Story's Global Watch. Police in South Korea have tried to raid the president's office. Police faced off with President Yun's security officials as they tried to search the office. President Yun is facing a possible impeachment bid after he declared martial law last week. His former defense minister became the first person to be formally arrested in connection to that declaration.

And Taiwan accusing China of military intimidation after Chinese naval ships appeared in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwanese officials say China sent at least 90 naval and Coast Guard ships in water surrounding Taiwan to practice blockades of the island nation. China's military drills were anticipated after Taiwan's president, visited U.S. Pacific territories. And a Brazilian tennis star making history, becoming the first active male professional tennis player to come out as gay. 24-year-old Jean-Rise de Silva

sharing several pictures alongside his boyfriend on Instagram. Last year, De Silva reached a career high ranking of 259th in singles on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour. When we come back, the show must go on. One community is showing their holiday spirit after a Michigan Ballet Company was robbed of their props just weeks before their production of the Nutcracker, how they saved the annual performance. Stay with us.

And finally tonight, saving a classic holiday performance. The Nutcracker is beloved by so many across the country, but in one Michigan town, a couple of thieves almost prevented the show from going on. But thanks to members of the community, performers are back on the stage. Here's NBC's Maya Eagland. For these dancers in Canton, Michigan, the holiday season means showtime. More than 80 dancers, performing the Nutcracker, marking the 40th anniversary production from the Plymouth Canton Ballet Company. It is just a magical part of the holiday season. Despite months of rehearsing, the curtain almost didn't go up. The holiday spirit under fire after thieves stole a storage container.

This ring camera video capturing the moment their trailer and thousands of dollars worth of props inside were stolen. Sending the show scrambling to replace them. Community members stepping in raising more than $18,000 as many parents got to work. I built these clocks and hopefully these last another 40 years, but not another Grinch. Finally, opening night. What's the vibe? What's everyone feeling? Give me some words. New props decorating the stage, along with the holiday spirit, now stronger than ever. If we, no one ever volunteered to help, then this show would happen.

It means the world. It's the Nutcracker family, and now it's become the community family that has come together to put the show on. for a community that fought hard and worked together to keep a tradition alive. Maya Eaglan, NBC News, Cam, Michigan. A wonderful story to end the evening. Thank you so much for watching Top Story. I'm Ellison Barber in New York for Tom Yamis.

Stay right there. More news is on the way. Thank you.