Top Story with Tom Llamas - Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Episode Date: January 19, 2023

Idaho college murder search warrant unsealed, California swamped by severe weather, chilling search history revealed in missing Massachusetts mother case, George Santos' expanding web of lies, the multi-state manhunt for five escaped felons, and the NHL player facing controversy off the ice.

Tonight, breaking news, the major development in the Idaho College murder investigation. The search warrant for Brian Koberger's office and apartment just unsealed. Police writing that they were looking for blood or any bodily fluids, a weapon such as a knife, a dagger, even a sword, and any images of the four victims. The warrant executed the same day Koberger was arrested. What we're now learning was found inside of his home. Also tonight, the dangerous cross-country storm on the move. under tornado alerts in the south.

Denver digging out from its biggest January in more than 30 years. The East Coast now in the bullseye. Tonight, two of our meteorologists joined Top Story Live to show us this massive snowmaker, plus the forecast in moments. Overseas the helicopter tragedy in Ukraine, a chopper carrying a top cabinet member crashing near a kindergarten, a child on the ground and everyone on board killed. But was it foul play?

Investigators now on the scene. Web of lies, the new allegations against embattled Congressman George Santos, a Navy veteran claiming Santos set up a fundraiser for his sick dog, but failed to turn over the money. Plus, what we're learning about the other name Santos has used in the past. The gruesome revelations in the case of a missing Massachusetts mother, her husband charged with murder, appearing in court. The disturbing searches, prosecutors allege he made on his son's iPad, including, quote, 10 ways to dispose of. of a body. And can you throw away body parts? Plus tonight, inmates on the run, five convicted felons breaking out of a Missouri jail, surveillance video capturing them stealing a car. The multi-state manhunt underway at this hour. Top story starts right now.

Hey, good evening. We begin Top Story tonight with the late breaking news on the Idaho College Murder's Investigation. The search warrant. Tonight, Top Story has. for suspect Brian Coburger, unsealed by a court in Washington State for the first time. And we are learning what officers were looking for when they went into his apartment and his office and what they actually found. And we will walk you through all of it tonight. Coburger tonight still sits in an Idaho jail cell, a waiting trial for murder. The 28-year-old criminology student arrested at his parents' home in Pennsylvania after a nearly seven-week investigation. He stands charged with the murders of four college students.

You see them right here, whose death stunned the tiny college town of Moscow, Idaho. Ethan Chapin, Kaley Gonzalez, Santa Curnool, and Madison Mogan. All of them, just 20 and 21 years old, found dead in their off-campus house. Just miles from the apartment where Coburger lived, police obtaining a warrant to search that property before Coburger was arrested. Tonight, for the first time, the list of more than 15 items they took from that scene. We will detail what they found and what it all means. NBC News legal analyst, Danny Savalos, and famed criminal defense attorney Mark Garigos, are standing by with full analysis.

But we begin first with Steve Patterson. And Steve, I understand you've just gotten your hands on the search warrant. Walk us through it. Yeah, we've gotten the warrant. I'm going through it with the marker right now. This is from a December 30th search of Coburgers home. It's heavily redacted, but it does tell us a lot about the case and a lot about the investigation. Really, though, think of it in two buckets, right?

As you mentioned, what they were searching for and what they actually found. Some of those items actually match up, right? So let's start with what they were searching for. Of course, police investigators looking for anything, and this is the headline or anything that may be related to a blood sample or a DNA sample, something that they can trace and match back from the suspect to the victims, from inside the apartment, to where that murder scene was at the house. Of course, specific items of clothing, you'll see on your screen there as well, that may have

been worn during the murder, may have been seen in the area, hair strands, of course, pertinent to the DNA, part of the investigation as well. Data devices, very important, key to the case in showing a possible digital footprint, and then any sort of weapon that could have been used to create those stab wounds that were found on the victims. That's what they were looking for. Here's what they actually found, though. They did find hair samples, and this is interesting because some of them are possibly human hair samples, some of them are possibly animal hair samples It's pertinent to the case because as anybody that's following this knows, Kaylee Gonzalez, one of the four victims, had a dog.

The dog was in the house at the time of the murders. If police can match that, that may help bolster the prosecution's case. Also, dark red bloodstains on some of the bedding, some of the mattress items found inside the house, self-explanatory, single black nitrite glove. It's found inside the house, self-explanatory. What's very important, though, again, talking about that digital footprint is the computer tower. If they can find some of the searches that Koeberker did, if they can find evidence that he was maybe looking or talking to some of the victims from that tower, that is big and key for the prosecution, of course, heading into a preliminary hearing, which is in June, but will include evidence from both sides, may even include witnesses, key part of the judicial process, and what happens next, moving forward in the case time. Okay, Steve Patterson, leading us off tonight.

Steve, we appreciate that for a more in-depth look at what we've learned from the unsealed warrant. And again, a lot of this is still new. I want to bring in our powerhouse panel of legal experts tonight, NBC News, legal analyst, Danny Savalos, and fame criminal defense attorney, Mark Ergos. We thank you both for joining Top Story tonight. For the purpose of this segment, Danny, I'd like you to act sort of as the prosecutor. Mark, as the defense attorney, I know you sort of know those roles pretty well. Danny, I want to start with you. If you look, I want to put up those graphics again, if you put up what they were looking for,

and then you put up what they actually found, to me, the untrained legal eye, it seems, like they didn't find a lot. They were obviously looking for the murder weapon. They didn't find that. But in the stuff they did find, what stands out to you? Well, first, you have to understand there's an art form to writing an application for a search warrant. You need to be careful if your law enforcement, to not give away too much of your case, the bare minimum that you think is necessary to get the probable cause. But then, when it comes to describing with particularity the things that you want to search and the things that you want to seize, you want to be as broad as you possibly can, that the judge will allow. And the reason for that is, you know,

you don't want to be left out in the cold. If you arrive there, you execute the search warrant, and there's something in there that you'd really like to seize, but it's not in the search warrant. So like I said, it's a skill set to write a search warrant in a way that gives you maximum access to possible evidence. So it's not that unusual that the ultimate fee and the property receipt, you may have less than you expect to find. Because what they write in the search warrant application isn't necessarily what they expect to find. It's the big, universe of things that if they find, they should be able to grab it. So here's what stands out to me. We'll put up the graphic again about what they found.

First, and we actually have a photo of this is a similar black nitrate type black glove. Brett, I think we should have an image of that, so people understand what that is. It resembles a black latex glove. We know one of the eyewitnesses said they saw the person dressed in all black. We also know they obtained an Amazon fire stick. I think we have an image of that too. What a fire stick looks like, if you're not familiar with it, it's a streaming device. This is for digital evidence. You have a couple receipts from marshals, from Walmart, you have a possible animal hair and human hair. What are they trying to put together here? They're trying to find any clue that points him back to this murder? All of these things are

potential circumstantial evidence. The dog hair could be critical. You match that up to the dog on the premises. A victim's hair, I mean, that makes it really, really difficult to fight the case. And look, in modern times, digital evidence is everything. It establishes our our innermost thoughts, our search history on the internet, the digital evidence, a digital storage device contains tons of information. For a fire stick, it would be something like possibly, because I have one of these, that maybe he was searching coverage of the murders? I mean, what was he recording anything?

Because it's kind of a strange thing to take from the house. It is and it isn't, because police, again, will scour the data looking for absolutely anything they can use against him. Think, for example, maybe even if he wasn't looking at. let's say coverage of the killings, you know, prosecutors are creative. If they find he was watching too many murder mystery shows or CSI, who knows, they may try to introduce that as well. But look, they cast a wide net.

And believe me, they will look over anything and everything they can because by now, frankly, let's admit it, the law enforcement has tunnel vision. They've settled on this person as their guy. So they're going to look for everything they can to align the evidence against him. Mark, I want to bring you in here. Listen, these receipts could be very damning. We don't know what they say. One's from Walmart, two are from marshals.

That being said, they went in wanting to look for a lot of things, including the murder weapon, including pictures or any kind of digital traces of this house and the victims. It doesn't look like they found that unless they find something in the computer tower. As a defense attorney, when you see what they actually found, would this make you, would this make you, I don't know, I don't want to say happy, but would it make you feel better about your case? Well, I've said from day one here that the original probable cause affidavit that everybody has seen because it's been the one for the arrest had huge holes in it. And what do I mean by that? It had holes that any defense lawyer, and he certainly has a capable public defender, will drive a, as I mentioned before, a Mack truck through. So what they're looking for at the house is something, as Danny implied, something that was taken. from the murder scene and brought back to his apartment, whether it's a dog hair or a victim's

hair or a mix of DNA from there. However, if they don't have that, then there's another question that raises its head. Maybe Danny can answer this because I'm not quite sure as I sit here. They, I previously saw where this search warrant affidavit was already sealed. And the reason for that, that the judge gave, and he said, we're going to seal it until March, is the threats to law enforcement? Well, that gives me some pause, and I'd speculated before, that maybe they missed something. Now, what you're talking about today is the actual search warrant, which they would hand to somebody who was at a location, which would say, I'm commanded to search. I can search from this hour to this hour.

And the other thing that you're looking at is what's called the return to the search warrant, which is the itemized list of what they found there. What I don't believe we have seen, and what I believe is still under seal, is the affidavit, which is different, presumably, than the affidavit for his arrest. I think there's still some threads here that have not been tied up. I think that law enforcement took a lot of heat in the first month of this investigation. When they go to the judge and say, hey, Your Honor, we want this search warrant, and we want this affidavit to stay under seal,

and it was sealed until March before he waived his right to a speedy preliminary hearing until June. I think that there's something in there, and I suspect it has to do with something that may have been overlooked originally. Mark, of the stuff that we listed, the black latex glove, if you will, the Amazon Firestick, the computer tower,

the receipts from Marshals and Walmart, I believe, are Walgreens. Of that stuff, what worries you if you were defending Kover over right now? Well, I'm not worried about the latex gloves. I think after COVID, if somebody doesn't have latex gloves in their house or a mask in their house. Black, black latex gloves, okay. We'll keep going. I'll give you that. Black latex gloves, blue latex clubs, I don't think it matters.

In this day and age, I don't think that matters in a post-COVID world. The receipts I'm not so sure of, they didn't. It does not look like they itemized. what was purchased. What I, the first thing I would do, if I'm defending, is I would take a look and see what it was that was purchased. I would have been a lot more concerned, obviously, if I'm defending this case, if the knife that goes with that sheath was in the house. I would be a lot more concerned if they picked up some kind of, you know, for one of the things that was in the probable cause affidavit for the arrest was a footprint that they had lifted, that they

surmised was related to a van, V-A-N-style shoe. If they found a shoe that corresponded to the footprint, that would give me great pause. Which they did not, from what we have right now. Danny, I want to talk to you about that sheath, about that knife. One of the ways they got the DNA off that, and they traced it to his father. It was a major part of this case. But we have a graphic. I want to put it up on the screen now. This is from the search warrant. It's about the supplemental disclosure of the DNA test. And Mark, I know you're hot and heavy on this. This is reading from the search warrant here.

It said that the reason for this request is that if the DNA test results are held inadmissible at some point, such a ruling would not impact the findings of probable cause for this warrant so long as this court is satisfied as to probable cause regardless of the DNA test result. A lot of legalese here. That's why we have you and Mark here to explain this all for me. This stood out to me because they are making a bookmark here, a disclosure saying, listen, if by any chance you throw out the DNA evidence, we still want this to hold. Is that a bad sign for prosecutors? You're getting an insight into the psychology of warrant writing, and by that I mean that

the magic word here is caution. You could almost say it's fear. Law enforcement writing applications for search warrants, especially in a high-profile case, live in terror of the idea that a defense attorney like Mark is going to attack that search warrant and somehow get everything excluded. Because that is the remedy in our justice system is if somebody writes a bad warrant and it's not supported by probable cause, the exclusionary rule kicks out all the evidence that you find. Even if there was a receipt for the knife, gone. Even if there's a severed head that is found in the place to be searched, that is the exclusionary rule is a harsh remedy.

And it doesn't mean that you can't prosecute the person. You just can't use the stuff that comes from your ill-gotten gains from a search warrant that was not supported by probable cause. So what you see there, and what you seized on Tom, is very astute because it's law enforcement. They're saying to the judge basically, hey, we have this other evidence. It's interesting. We want you to see it. But wait, Judge, just make your probable cause determination independent of that. Look at all this other stuff we have.

So that later on, when the DNA comes back, and if it's bad for whatever reason, then you won't throw out the entire search warrant. It just lives on an island by itself. They're being conservative, if you will. Mark, on this point, what does this tell you as a defense attorney? Does this tell you that there's a hole in this investigation that maybe they don't think the court is going to accept the DNA findings? Well, I think what it says is they had experts who did what's called this genealogy of DNA, where they use certain databases that are not your 23 and me, that are not Ancestry.com.

They are specific databases where people have opted in and they can only use it in violent, crimes. Now, the problem with that is that even the genealogist will tell you these are not admissible because what they do is they put together various clues. They take, you can find 1% of a DNA strand here, 5% over here, then you might get or kind of whittled down to a certain universe of cousins and then you make educated guesses after that. There isn't, that is not an admissible piece of DNA. What would be admissible, however, and I'm surmising here, is once they, and you'll remember that they rummage through the garbage in the Pennsylvania house. They found something. That's how they link into his father possibly, yes.

Right. But what they need to do is they, and I guarantee you, they had a swab of Brian taken when he got into Idaho. They took a swab from either inside of the the cheek or they drew blood if they had an order to draw blood. They then do what's called a one-to-one comparison. They'll take the touch DNA that's on the sheet, the button of the sheet. They'll compare it to that swab. That is what presumably would be admissible. Everything that preceded that, most courts would not allow that in. So they understand that or they at least understand that when they were talking to the experts who were doing the DNA kind of investigation, because for lack of a better term, they probably, the experts probably told them,

hey, you're not going to be able to get this admitted into court. This is not, this is a fairly new science. It's been used in cold cases. In fact, the Golden State Killer in California, that's how they identified the Golden State Killer, was through this technique. But it's as far as we can determine it is not admissible at this point. So as Danny says, they do live in terror of this, but at the same time, I still will go back to it. There's something in this affidavit, something that's unusual. 40 years I've been doing this almost. I have never seen maybe one other time a threat to law enforcement as a reason to keep an affidavit sealed once you've got somebody in custody.

That's a very highly unusual situation. Mark, just because we're running out of time, real quick, so far from everything you've seen, everything that's been unsealed, give me the report card here. How strong of a case do you think the prosecution has against Brian Coburger? They get past a probable cause proceeding, but they've got to develop more if they want a conviction. Danny, what about you real quick? This is why Mark Darragos is one of the greats, and I will only ever be a fair-to-middling defense attorney because from the beginning, I thought this is a dead-bang loser for the defense.

Mark sees a defensible case, and that's why he is one of the greats, really. It's a tough case for the defense, but Mark sees light. Danny Savalos, Mark Ergos, we appreciate your time tonight here on Top Story. We're going to turn now to the breaking news on the weather. Record-breaking winter storms dumping over a foot of snow on parts of the Great Plains, stranding semis and shutting down travel. Take a look at this. New images just in showing a multi-car pile-up on Interstate 70 in Colorado,

police reporting two minor injuries there. our very own Bill Kerrins on the ground there in Colorado tonight for Top Story where that snow is coming down. Bill, people may be watching this going, why are you guys reporting snow in Colorado? But this was actually a record-breaking event. January and Denver and snow are not three things they say often. It's actually they get their snow in the beginning and the end. This is almost like a spring storm for this area. We've already seen all the problems, especially Interstate 70.

It's now closed. 30 miles east of Denver is where we had the semi-truck. jackknife. There's at least eight trucks involved in that accident and at least 12 vehicles. They say they won't even have I-70 cleared until tomorrow at the earliest. And that's not the only issue. We have problems all through the Central Plains. Tonight, the Great Plains getting slammed. Denver seeing its biggest January snowstorm in 30 years with nearly nine inches on the ground already. Ice covered bridges and ramps stranding drivers, even taking this DOT snowplow out of Commission. Colorado State Patrol warning those who do venture out to take it slow.

Sharing images of this patrol car struck by a passing vehicle while the officer assisted with an earlier crash. These bands of snow closing Interstate 76 north of Sterling, Colorado, KUSA's Corey Reppenhagen is there. The wind is coming in here about sustained 15 to 20 miles per hour, and that is kind of creating some drifts here. We did see a snowplow sky. on Interstate 76, so they're still plowing it so that perhaps when the wind and the snow dies down, they can open at least this section. The snow total in Nebraska, nearly a foot on the ground in North Platte, and they're still more on the way. Interstate 80 is now closed all the way to the Wyoming border.

Nebraska State Patrol warning of treacherous travel conditions, urging drivers to stay at home unless absolutely necessary. Bill Cairns joins us again live. So where's all this snow headed? We still have millions of people under winter storm warnings and advisory. This storm is heading into the central plains. It's going to be a mess, especially as we go through areas of southern Minnesota tomorrow. About four to six inches, but the timing of it is really bad for the early morning commute.

And Tommy, the snow is different everywhere. We look at this. It's caused so many travel conditions. But this is gold for these ski resorts here against steamboat, but also all through the west. We need this water. And eventually, all of this will melt and head into the Colorado River, which we desperately need. That would be great news. Okay, Bill, we appreciate that. That storm system now marching across the country. Dangerous weather already striking the south. In Wilson County, Tennessee, look at this.

An 85-year-old man rescued after driving his car into a flooded creek, officials pulling the submerged vehicle from the water. For more on those storms and the track ahead, I want to introduce you to NBC News meteorologist, Angie Laspin, who's new to the team now. We promised you two meteorologists, and here it is. So, Angie, walk us through these storms in the south and Midwest. Yeah, Bill was talking about the wintry part of that system. Now we've got the, the, the, weather that's severe and strong in parts of the south and stretching up into parts of the Great Lakes where we have heavy rain. A tornado watch remains in effect through 9 p.m. Eastern time for parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and into portions of Tennessee as well. We're looking at the potential for tornadoes here. It's slim, but it's there, and you can see still 4 million people included

in that, including places like Alexandria and up into Memphis. We also have already had rather wind reports. No tornado reports yet, but wind damage for sure through the afternoon hours and into this evening, we'll still have that potential. Here's where the system goes through the next day or so. We are not done with it. We're still going to have a wintry mix into parts of the Great Lakes as we head into tomorrow and rain and some snow and even some ice accumulation for parts of the northeast, including the mid-Atlantic and interior areas of New England as we head into tomorrow.

All right, Angie, last minute. Again, welcome to the team. Okay, we went ahead overseas now to Ukraine where officials are investigating a helicopter crash in the suburb of Kiev. The aircraft slamming into a kindergarten. At least 14 people have been killed, including Ukraine's interior minister. Graf Sanchez is there tonight with late details. It was just after 8 in the morning when the horror unfolded.

A helicopter crash killing one of the top members of Ukraine's government. The ground carpeted with fire, a rotor tearing through a car. Part of the aircraft slamming into a kindergarten, destroying this classroom, and killing a child at the start of the school day. Also among the 14 dead, Ukraine's Interior Minister, responsible for the country's internal security and a close ally of President Zelensky. Tonight, the President holding a moment of silence as he addressed world leaders at Davos. Only one minute, but it keeps the memory about so many people. Ukraine lives thousands of such units.

This is all that's left of the Interior Minister's helicopter. You can see the symbol of the state of Ukraine on it. Investigators now combing it for any clues, whether this was an accident or a deliberate act. There's no sign the helicopter was shot down by Russian aircraft, and Kiev was blanketed in fog at the time of the crash. I just saw smoke and everything was gray, this woman says. A frantic effort to evacuate kids from the kindergarten.

We heard screams children were running around, says this man. not everyone made it out in time. The loss of a senior government minister a first for Ukraine in 11 months of war, but the rituals of grief now all too familiar. Ralph Sanchez joins us tonight from Kiev. This story is just, it's so sad. And there haven't been a lot of reports

of fighting in Kiev for months and while because of this crash isn't immediately clear tonight. Are there any theories, early theories and why the chopper went down? I know you had mentioned weather in your report. Yeah, Tom, there was heavy fog, blanket in Kiev this morning at the time of the crash. So one possibility here is some kind of pilot error in that bad weather. The state security agency of Ukraine is leading the investigation.

They say they are also looking into the possibility. There could have been some kind of technical malfunction on that government helicopter. But Tom, they are not ruling out the possibility that this was a deliberate act, some kind of potential sabotage designed to bring down a helicopter, one of the most senior members of the Ukrainian government. Yeah, it is still a war, and we've seen acts like that happen in Russia as well. Raf, I do want to turn to President Zelensky now, and as you mentioned, they're addressing world leaders at Davos.

What else did he have to say about the war in Ukraine and potentially the future? He said, the world must not hesitate when it comes to supplying Ukraine with weapons. He says, Ukraine needs those weapons now so it can get its troops trained up so that they can repel or deter a potential Russian offensive, which Ukraine expects, could come at any time. One of the big question marks right now is over battle tanks. Britain has decided it will already supply Ukraine with battle tanks, Germany tonight, saying it will not give battle tanks unless the U.S. agrees to send tanks of its own. So that is a weapon. The Ukrainians say they need. But real question marks right now about whether Western allies are going to supply them, Tom.

Raf Sanchez tonight from Kiev, Raf, we thank you for that. Now to the growing fallout for President Biden over classified documents found in his home and his office. Tonight, new questions about why the FBI didn't get involved in the search this time in light of the documents seized by agents at President Trump's home this summer. Peter Alexander joins us now from the White House with some new reporting. And Peter, a lot of people have been wondering, especially Republicans, why these investigations have unfolded so differently. What have we learned about the FBI's involvement here? Yeah, Tom, the Justice Department decided against having FBI agents monitor the search for classified

documents by President Biden's lawyers at his Delaware homes, a decision the DOJ reached after first discussing it with the Biden legal team. That's according to the Wall Street Journal. The report that cites sources familiar with the matter says the call was made not to have FBI agents present, both to avoid complicating the investigation and because the president's lawyers were cooperating. NBC News has not independently confirmed the report and the DOJ is not commenting. But Republicans, you note, they are slamming the Justice Department's decision here, saying they just took the president's lawyer's word for what they found. For his part, President Biden had no public events today, as the pressure for more answers from this White

House keeps growing, Tom. This investigation, the special counsel, has taken a lot of wind out of the president's sale, considering he wasn't shellacked in the midterms. So then I have to ask you about re-election in the timeline there because we had the state of the union right around the corner. Yeah, you're right. The White House insists that the new special counsel probe is not going to impact the president's potential re-election plans, even as sources tell NBC News that the president's top advisors have yet to agree on a final timetable for any announcement. When our team asked that question of the White House, how this investigation factors into the 2024 calculations for this president and for his team, a spokesperson told us bluntly it

doesn't. He said the president's honoring his promise to respect the independence of the Justice Department and to divorce it from politics. Separately, we should note the two sources familiar with the discussions tell NBC News that no announcement about 2024 will come until after the state of the union address, which takes place next month. As one source told us, Tom, we want him to be a president at the state of the union, not a candidate. Tom. Okay, Peter Alexander, we appreciate it. Next tonight, a new allegation tonight against George Santos, the New York Congressman accused of lying about much of his background. This latest accusation involving a GoFundMe campaign and a sick dog.

NBC's Ryan Noble says at the Capitol with more. Tonight, a disabled Navy veteran calling out embattled Congressman George Santos. He should be ashamed of himself, but he doesn't have shame. He does. He's a psychopath. Richard Ossoff claims Santos helped to raise thousands of dollars for a cancer treatment for his therapy dog and then never came through with the cash. I was so livid that I realized that this guy is now a serving congressman.

He doesn't deserve that job. The dog, Sapphire, never received the treatment and later died. Santos did not respond to NBC News, but told semaphore the story is not true. This accusation comes at the same time as a new revelation contradicts a major claim by Santos that his mother was, quote, in her office in the South Tower on September 11th. But genealogist Alex Kazalryth acquired in. immigration records from Fatima DeVolder and shared those with NBC that showed she applied for a visa in 2003, which stated she had not been in the U.S. since 1999. Right now, Santos faces

five possible investigations. The voters of his district have elected him. He is seated. He is part of the Republican Conference. Santos is now freshly seated both on the House Small Business Committee and the Science Space and Technology Committee and will continue to serve in Congress. despite calls from fellow New York members to step down. I don't think there's any way he could possibly perform his duty. All right, Ryan Nobles joins us tonight from Capitol Hill. And Ryan, on top of all of these accusations, we're also hearing Santos allegedly has used a completely different name at times.

I know you've come across this in your own reporting. The name is Anthony Devolder? Yeah, that's right. And we believe that DeVolder is his mother's maiden name. And in fact, that was part of the research that went into determining the falsehoods about him claiming that his mother was at the South Tower on 9-11 because her name Fatima DeVolder was what was uncovered with his genealogy record. So yes, depending on the setting, he would either go by George Santos. Sometimes he went by Anthony DeVolder. Sometimes he went

by George Santos, Anthony DeVolder, depending on what the situation was. But it's just an example of how you were never quite sure which person you were dealing with, depending on the setting. he would present himself as someone entirely different depending on who he was talking to. Yeah, a lot of names and apparently a lot of stories as well. Let's turn to the significance of all this. He is a member of Congress right now. He is a member of the Republican Party. He will vote with Republicans.

What two House committees has Santos been appointed to? He's been appointed to the Small Business Committee and the Science, Space and Technology Committee. And these are not considered to be A committees, as Republicans call them, the most high-level and high-profile committees. But they're still important committees, nonetheless. And what it demonstrates more than anything, Tom, is that Kevin McCarthy, the members of the Republican steering committee, are going to treat him as a member of Congress with all the rights afforded to someone elected by the voters of Long Island. And this despite the cloud of suspicion that is around him, you know, there is precedent for, you know, maybe you can't take the drastic step of voting to push someone out of Congress. But while the process plays itself out, you don't let the individuals serve on committees.

We've seen that happen just as recently as the last Congress, but Kevin McCarthy deciding not to take that route and assigning him to committees and said that they're going to let this process play out, let all the investigations run their course, but up until then, he can do everything that a congressman is allowed to do. And, Ryan, as you know, sometimes in our current news cycle, stories can go away, politicians can sort of survive some of these things. This story is not going away. More lies are coming out. What's the sense you get from Republicans, because they still need his vote, if he's still a city member of Congress. Yeah, you get the sense that at some point, Republicans just hope that people would forget about this. But to your point, the drip, drip, drip of constant new information coming out about George Santos. It seems as though we've, when we thought we've exhausted all the possible lies that he could tell that a new story comes out, that makes it a lot more difficult for Republicans to tolerate this. But the fact of the matter is, they have a high level

of tolerance because of the math in the House of Representatives. They only have a four-seat margin. they cannot risk losing even one vote. And the other thing we have to keep in the back of our minds is if for some region George Santos is pushed out of Congress, if he's resigned or expelled, that would mean a special election. This is a seat that Democrats traditionally win. There's no guarantee that if George Santos leaves this position that he will be replaced by a Republican. Okay, Ryan Nobles for us from Capitol Hill. Ryan, thank you. Still ahead tonight, the grizzly search history revealed in court the husband of missing mother Anna Walsh charged with her murder. But prosecutors say he searched on his son's iPad the day his wife went missing,

plus the multi-state manhunt underway five prisoners on the loose where surveillance cameras spotted them stealing a car. And could Donald Trump be coming back to Facebook? The letter reviewed exclusively by NBC News from the former president's team. Stay with us. Top story just getting started on this Wednesday night. in the case of a missing Massachusetts mom. Her husband charged with her murder as prosecutors claim he killed her, then tried desperately to cover his tracks, but allegedly left a trail with his internet searches. Here's Kristen Dahlgren. To watch the judge on the first day of January in 2023 would assault and to beat Anna Walsh would

intend to murder. Brian Walsh showing little emotion as prosecutors presented gruesome evidence, simply shaking his head as the prosecutor detailed Days of internet searches on his young son's iPad, including January 1st, the day Anna Walsh was reportedly last seen. How long before a body starts to smell? Ten ways to dispose of a body? Can you throw away body parts? And is it better to throw crime scene clothes away or wash them among more than a dozen searches? There were also more Google searches on January 2nd.

At 12.45 p.m., perhaps saw our best tool to dismount. at 1.10 p.m., can you be charged with murder without a body? Anna's body has not been recovered. Today, prosecutors say they also have physical evidence of a crime. Anna's blood and DNA, mixed with Bryans, found in a dumpster outside of his mother's home. Along with the clothes, Anna was reportedly last wearing, her brought a purse, necklace, and even her COVID-19 vaccination card. Meantime prosecutors say cell phone data and surveillance video place,

Ryan Walsh at three other dumpsters in the days following on his disappearance. He walks to the dumpster carrying a garbage bag. He's leaning in it appears to be heavy as he has to heft it into the dumpster. Authorities say they believe that trash was incinerated before their search. Today, an attorney for Walsh saying in part, we shall see what they have and what evidence is admissible in court, where the case will ultimately be decided. Today, Brian Walsh entered a not guilty plea. Prosecutors say there is one more piece of evidence. A search done days before Anna Walsh even disappeared. What is the best state for a man to divorce? Tonight, Tom, he is being held without bail.

Okay, Kristen Dahlgren, with all those disturbing details. And Anna Walsh isn't the only case of a missing woman in Massachusetts. In fact, several more have vanished since Thanksgiving. As the days go on, sort of the pleas for help from loved ones. NBC's Ron Allen has the latest from authorities, and one expert who's called it a disturbing escalation. Tonight, police expanded their search in a small Massachusetts town. Looking for any sign of Brittany T. Last seen a week ago, her family more distraught every day.

She would not do this on purpose. It's just so out of the norm for her. And that's what scares us. I just don't know. T's family isn't alone. She's one of at least four women who've disappeared. in Massachusetts since just after Thanksgiving, according to police departments around the state. Raina Morales Rojas, age 41, a mother of two, last seen getting into a vehicle November 26th in a

suburb of Boston. Lori Baxter, 45, last seen December 28th. And Anna Walsh, whose husband has now been charged with her murder. I was stunned to see so many women go missing in Massachusetts alone in such a short period of time. I've been doing this work for a long time. I've been doing this work for a long time. and it is just unprecedented to see these numbers. Wendy Murphy runs an advocacy center for women and children. As many as a quarter of a million women and girls are reported missing each year, according to FBI data. But most of them get very little attention, if any, at all.

Let's talk about all the other women as well, because the marginalized women, the women who are of lower socioeconomic, socioeconomic status, the women of color, they disappear at very, very high rates, higher rates than wealthy white women. Like Morales Rojas, whose two children are in El Salvador, according to NBC Boston. The station spoke with her sister, who said she communicated with them every day until the day she went missing. Morales Rojas' friends speaking to Telemundo New England and questioning the Boston

Police Department's investigation efforts. I'm really molest, what is what they're doing for reina. I'd like that they'd say what they're doing for reina. We reached out to Boston police who say it's an active investigation. and they are in contact with the family, but declined to comment further. In the case of Brittany T, family reported her missing two days after last seeing her. She did not take her car. Her cell phone now no longer working. We're not looking this as a crime scene right now, no. We're looking as a missing person,

but obviously we're open to wherever the facts take us. Police also announcing a new chip line for the public to call into with any information. While every case of a missing woman is unique, the anxiety and heartbreak families feel, is all too common. So Tom, just to reiterate, officials have not discussed these cases as crimes with the exception of the case

of Anna Walsh. The expert we spoke to, however, did want to highlight how often it is that domestic violence plays a role in some missing women cases and how big a problem that is nationwide.

Tom? Okay, Ron. When we come back, the disturbing moment in a McDonald's parking lot, an officer seen repeatedly punching a woman in the face as she tried to arrest her

as he tried to arrest her. And all of this started over a Big Mac. The new information police have just released. Stay with us. All right, we are back now with Top Stories News Feed, and Ohio Police Sergeant is on paid administrative leave after body cam footage shows him repeatedly punching a woman during an arrest. Caution here, this video is disturbing.

Video shows officers attempting to arrest Latinka Hancock at a Butler Township McDonald's when Sergeant Stanley, Todd begins to punch her in the face. Police say they were called out to the restaurant after Hancock became angry. There was no cheese on her Big Mac. She was taken to the hospital. An internal investigation is now ongoing. A multi-state manhunt is underway for five inmates who escaped from a Missouri jail near the state's border with Illinois. New surveillance video shows the inmates fleeing in a gray sigh on that police say they stole from a nearby parking lot. Authorities believe the men managed to climb their way through the jail's walls and onto the roof.

The men were all being held on felony charges. The U.S. Marshals are now offering a $5,000 reward for each suspect. And it appears former President Trump is preparing for a return to Facebook. In a letter exclusively reviewed by NBC News, the Trump campaign has asked Facebook's parent company, Meta, to unlock his account. In a statement, Meta says it will announce its decision in the coming weeks. Trump received a two-year ban from Facebook following January 6th. He was also banned from Twitter, but Elon Musk reinstated Trump's account back in November. November. Okay, time now for the Americas and the mysterious death of an American tourist in Mexico.

The 33-year-old Orange County, California public defender found dead in a popular resort over the weekend. Authorities of Mexico claim his death was as a result of an accidental fall, but his family insists he was the victim of a brutal attack. The U.S. State Department now weighing in. Aaron McLaughlin has the latest. An anniversary trip turned tragedy. 33-year-old Elliot Blair, a beloved Orange County, public defender was found dead in Rosarito, Mexico over the weekend. Tonight, his family demanding answers, alleging that their own initial investigation points to a brutal crime. His wife saying she's been told multiple versions of the incident, and Mexican authorities have released

few details. But in a statement to NBC affiliate KMBC, authorities in Baja California said his death was the result of an accidental fall. His body found below a third floor balcony at Las Rokas Resort and Spa in Rosarito B. roughly 32 miles south of San Diego. But in their statement, the family says the incident took place on an open-air walkway outside their room. John Jenks is a private investigator who has worked many trials with Blair. When you heard the circumstances surrounding his death, as a private investigator, are you suspicious? Absolutely. Just based on the information the family has, you know, released,

when they're giving his wife different stories of how it occurred. So when she says or the family says this isn't lining up with what the police are saying, I believe her. According to the family, Blair was celebrating his first anniversary with his wife Kim when they say Blair became a victim. In their statement, they add they've not heard about his death directly from any local authorities. Instead, learning about what happened from a liaison to the local coroner's office who told the family that, Blair died of severe head trauma and that his case had been forwarded to prosecutors for a possible homicide investigation. According to the statement, NBC News has not been able to

independently verify the family's claims. Their statement going on to say that Mexican officials repeatedly urge them to cremate his body, the families continued to reject the idea. Neither authorities from Mexico nor the Las Rokas resort where the incident happened have responded to our request for comment. I'm just somebody whose life was touched by Elliott and really would love to see justice for him since he fought so hard for justice for all his clients. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department tells NBC News that it is aware of reports of a death of a U.S. citizen in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, and that it stands ready to provide appropriate

consular assistance. Meanwhile, the family is vowing its own independent investigation. Tom. Okay, Aaron. Now to Top Stories Global Watch, New Zealand's prime minister, Jacinda Ardurne, says she will step down in early February. She made the announcement in a televised statement saying she will not seek re-election. Ardurne became the country's prime minister in 2017 at 37 years old and gave birth during her first term. She was praised for her response to a mass shooting in 2019 and the COVID pandemic, but her approval rating has dropped in recent months. And days of heavy rain triggering mass flooding in northern Spain. Look at this, videos posted to social media showing water flowing through the streets in the Spanish town of Laredo.

Local media reports say the floodwaters have collapsed, walls and roads in the area. Schools and colleges also forced to close down. And coming up, the NHL player refusing to wear a pride jersey in boycotting warm-ups, citing his religious beliefs, how his team and the league are responding tonight. We're back with the NHL player, sparking debate. The Flyers Ivan Proveroff refused to wear the team. the team's pride warm-up jersey as part of the Flyers' LGBTQ Pride night, citing his religion. Despite not warming up, Proverov still took to the ice and played in the game.

NBC's Valerie Castro has more of the reaction from fans and the leak. Controversy on the ice, or rather, who wasn't on the ice during the Philadelphia Flyers' warm up before a hockey game Tuesday night. The team celebrating the LGBTQ-plus community during its annual Pride night by wearing pride-themed jerseys. but player Ivan Provarov sat out, citing his religious beliefs. I respect everybody's choices. My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That's all I'm going to say. Proverov is Russian Orthodox, and the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign says there is consensus

in the Eastern Orthodox Church believing homosexual behavior is a sin. Despite not warming up, he went on to play in the game against the Anaheim Ducks. If a player is not warming up, he's either injured or he's a healthy scratch and he's not playing that night. So it's very uncommon for a player to not warm up and then play. His coach, while supporting the warm-up celebration, backing his player's decision. He's being true to himself and to his religion. This has to do with his belief in his religion. And it's one thing I respect about Provee.

He's always true to himself. But he hasn't always given players such leeway. In the 2016 wake of Colin Kaepernick kneeling, John Totorella told ESPN he would bench any Team USA players in the Hockey World Cup, should they choose to sit during the national anthem in protest. He later changed his stance in 2020 in light of the Black Lives Matter movement. The backlash swift on social media. One sports writer saying, don't hide behind religion.

Another tweeting, Proverroff chose to embrace prejudice. But many also posting their support saying this is what courage looks like, and we need more people like Ivan Proveroff, a former Flyers defenseman saying in one podcast, Just for 15 minutes, just swallow your own pride, put on the jersey, go out there, get yourself ready and prep for warm up and support the other people that maybe aren't yourself or people like you. Just think outside the box for a little bit. But so far, no consequences for Proveroff. Is there any consideration on your part when he chose not to wear the jersey to not play him as a result?

No. The Flyers team issuing a statement saying it's committed to inclusivity and pointing to many of its. player's supportive LGBTQ plus issues. They're going to try to, as much as they can, shed light on the importance of pride activities in their initiative that they've done annually, but they're also going to try to respect Ivan Prove Rob and his decision. The NHL also weighing in, saying in a statement in part, players are free to decide which initiatives to support. That decision in this case made from off the ice. Valerie Castro, NBC News. Coming up, California was drenched with 24 trillion gallons of water. But much of the state remains in a dangerous drought. We'll tell you why the water was

wasted. Coming up next. Finally tonight, California is still reeling from weeks of storms that brought massive destruction, but also much needed rain. Yet the state remains in a drought with much of that rain washing out to the sea. Miguel Almaguer tonight with more on the struggle in our series Climate Challenge. The historic and relentless series of 10 storms douse California like a water hose. By one estimate, 24.5 trillion gallons of water in just over two weeks,

enough to fill every major reservoir in California. A precious resource, experts say, is almost completely wasted. We do everything we can to get rid of literally the most precious resource we have water. Los Angeles imports more than half of its water supply, but has tens of billions of gallons dropped on the city this month,

an estimated 80% was funneled straight into the ocean, a massive missed opportunity for the nation's second largest city. What's left collected and recycled in facilities like this one. I think without a doubt it's a real challenge for the whole state. If we can capture that water to recharge those basins, then we local water supply. Experts say even with infrastructure improvements, years of drought can't be erased by days of rain. It's not going to change that fundamental dynamic. And that's why I don't want people to get complacent.

As climate change drives temperatures higher, experts say the Southwest's extreme dry spell, the worst in a thousand years, is the new normal. Here at Castaic Lake, a critical source of water for millions in Southern California, January's record-setting rainfall certainly helped, but it's clearly not enough. This reservoir is at 54% capacity, well below its historical average. With critical improvements to the stormwater capture system slow to materialize, tonight, though California may have gone briefly from drought to deluge, for many reasons, the glass is only half full. Miguel Almagher, NBC News, Castaic Lake. We thank Miguel for that report, and we thank you for watching Top Story tonight.

I'm Tom Yamerson, New York. Stay right there. More news on the way.