Cellphone was looking to be the key to unlock the mystery of what happened to her the night of her murder. the phone stayed with the person that we believe took melissa. reporter: now they were focused on miami gardens where the phone had been stationary for several hours after the murder. police asked melissa s best friend, debra villegas, if she knew anyone who lived in that area. debbie says, my husband, tony, who i m going through a divorce with. reporter: debra was dumbstruck. tony? melissa? he would have no reason to do this to melissa. she s never done anything to him. reporter: so you re telling the detectives, you re looking at the wrong guy. yeah. reporter: did tony know melissa? he had met her a few times, you know, over the years, but we weren t social. reporter: debra told police she and tony had been married for 17 years and had four children. they had separated more than a year earlier. tony had then moved into a house in miami gardens with a friend.
Caught, debbie s still there to raise their kids. reporter: although tony would later deny it, debra told detectives he had been violent with her and her kids in the past. because of that, debra said she had decided on her own that tony had to go. you thought he was physically gonna hurt the kids? no, he was already physically hurting them. i thought he was going to go too far. debbie was scared of tony. but didn t raise any suspicion as to why he would want to ever harm melissa. reporter: she couldn t connect the dots that put him in that garage with her friend. absolutely not. reporter: maybe senseless to the wife, but those dots were starting to connect for detectives. they eventually shared their suspicions with debra and how the evidence of the travelling iphone pointed to tony. i remember that i couldn t stand up. i wasn t able to stand on my feet. reporter: melissa s murder was devastating and frightening for everyone at the law firm, especially it seemed for scott rothstein. only the week before, rothstein was toasting melissa after
Guy, but young guy and are leading big guy, but at the end of the day, he is guy, but at the end of the day, he is a guy, but at the end of the day, he is a formidable alternative to trump he is a formidable alternative to trump. you get conservative policies to trump. you get conservative policies without the baggage of trump s policies without the baggage of trump s behaviour. and debbie, i can see trump s behaviour. and debbie, i can see you trump s behaviour. and debbie, i can see you shaking trump s behaviour. and debbie, i can see you shaking your- i can see you shaking your head, what did you make of what your colleague had to say, and also the announcement? well, i have to say. also the announcement? well, i have to say. i also the announcement? well, i have to say, i guess also the announcement? well, i have to say, i guess if also the announcement? well, i have to say, i guess if there - have to say, i guess if there was have to say, i guess if there was going have to say, i guess if there was going to have to say, i guess if there was going to be have to say, i guess if there was going to be a have to say, i guess if there was going to be a less- was going to be a less surprising was going to be a less- surprising announcement, you would surprising announcement, you would he surprising announcement, you would be hard surprising announcement, you would be hard pressed - surprising announcement, you would be hard pressed to- surprising announcement, you would be hard pressed to findl would be hard pressed to find one would be hard pressed to find one ron would be hard pressed to find one. ron desantis would be hard pressed to find one. ron desantis is- would be hard pressed to find one. ron desantis is the - would be hard pressed to findl one. ron desantis is the most distant one. ron desantis is the most distant and one. ron desantis is the most distant and unpersonable - distant and unpersonable candidate distant and unpersonable candidate and distant and unpersonable candidate and elected - distant and unpersonable - candidate and elected official i candidate and elected official i have candidate and elected official i have ever candidate and elected official i have ever encountered - candidate and elected official i have ever encountered in i candidate and elected officiall i have ever encountered in my time i have ever encountered in my time in i have ever encountered in my time in service. i have ever encountered in my time in service. that- i have ever encountered in my time in service. that he - i have ever encountered in my time in service. that he would do an time in service. that he would do an audio time in service. that he would do an audio announcement. | time in service. that he would i do an audio announcement. and certainly do an audio announcement. and certainly metaphorical, do an audio announcement. and certainly metaphorical, because i certainly metaphorical, because he has certainly metaphorical, because he has crashed certainly metaphorical, because he has crashed and certainly metaphorical, because he has crashed and burned i certainly metaphorical, because he has crashed and burned on. he has crashed and burned on stage he has crashed and burned on stage his he has crashed and burned on stage. his announcement i he has crashed and burned on- stage. his announcement crashed and burned stage. his announcement crashed and burned. you stage. his announcement crashed and burned. you have stage. his announcement crashed and burned. you have to - stage. his announcement crashed and burned. you have to look i and burned. you have to look far and and burned. you have to look far and wide and burned. you have to look far and wide to and burned. you have to look far and wide to find and burned. you have to look far and wide to find a - and burned. you have to look far and wide to find a more i far and wide to find a more deplorable far and wide to find a more deplorable and far and wide to find a more deplorable and damaging l far and wide to find a more i deplorable and damaging figure
All they heard was ringing noises. and if they finally made it in, they re listening to these three rich white guys, talk about a very niche concern of super wealthy college educated republican contrarian. and there aren t enough in those to win a primary, i can promise you that much. it s interesting, trump keeps saying he wants to cut social security. that s what trump says, you have the guy was to cut social purely medicare, that s what this guy wants to do. yeah, people don t want to, that has a broad appeal. that s the kind of thing that appeals across, there s also debbie u.n.i. spoke about this when we were in florida, who this guy is a candidate. there s a choice here to do this audio only, but you think you want to create some set piece where he looks commanding or is giving a good speech what do you think of his ability as a communicator outside of the sphere of bubble barely did. i mean, the announcement was
Than ron deplorable and damaging figure than ron desantis. deplorable and damaging figure than ron desantis. he - deplorable and damaging figure than ron desantis. he has- deplorable and damaging figure than ron desantis. he has a i than ron desantis. he has a voting than ron desantis. he has a voting rights than ron desantis. he has a voting rights and than ron desantis. he has a voting rights and civil- than ron desantis. he has a voting rights and civil rights| voting rights and civil rights in our voting rights and civil rights in our state. voting rights and civil rights in our state. it s- voting rights and civil rights in our state. it s good i voting rights and civil rights in our state. it s good to i voting rights and civil rights i in our state. it s good to be with in our state. it s good to be with you. in our state. it s good to be with you. but in our state. it s good to be with you, but quite in our state. it s good to be with you, but quite frankly, i with you, but quite frankly, the position with you, but quite frankly, the position ron with you, but quite frankly, the position ron desantis i with you, but quite frankly, i the position ron desantis has taken, the position ron desantis has taken, it the position ron desantis has taken, it they the position ron desantis has taken, it they are the position ron desantis has taken, it they are certainly. taken, it they are certainly not taken, it they are certainly not ones taken, it they are certainly not ones that taken, it they are certainly not ones that you - taken, it they are certainly not ones that you took i taken, it they are certainly. not ones that you took when taken, it they are certainly- not ones that you took when you were not ones that you took when you were in not ones that you took when you were in office. not ones that you took when you were in office. i not ones that you took when you were in office. i am not ones that you took when you were in office. i am hoping - not ones that you took when you were in office. i am hoping you i were in office. i am hoping you are just were in office. i am hoping you are just doing were in office. i am hoping you are just doing political- are just doing political analysis are just doing political analysis and are just doing political analysis and not - are just doing political. analysis and not aligning yourself analysis and not aligning yourself with analysis and not aligning yourself with his - analysis and not aligningl yourself with his policies. francis, yourself with his policies. francis, how yourself with his policies. francis, how do - yourself with his policies. francis, how do you - yourself with his policies. francis, how do you feell yourself with his policies. i francis, how do you feel about some of the policies?- some of the policies? debbie, it s always some of the policies? debbie, it s always good some of the policies? debbie, it s always good have - some of the policies? debbie, it s always good have a - some of the policies? debbie, | it s always good have a chance to talk to you. there were people out there who have important views. we will see how they do. i think some of the things governor desantis has done has been good, and some have gone pretty far. a mixed bag about that. tqm. mixed bag about that. 0k, some issues mixed bag about that. 0k, some issues raised, - mixed bag about that. 0k, some issues raised, then, with the execution of this announcement, but i want to dig into some of the substance and
Frank. it is draconian and extreme, and what ron desantis is trying to do is whitewash history. americans are not going to let him do that, they are not going to let him march across women s rights and end women s reproductive freedom like he has done in florida and it raise lgbtq+ history and give tax dollars to the wealthy and fortunate americans to pay for private schools, while we rank 48 in teacher pay, and our public schools need more teacher resources, not less. francis, how would you respond to that? francis, how would you respond to that? well, i think debbie makes to that? well, i think debbie makes important points. but at the end makes important points. but at the end of makes important points. but at the end of the day, to have fifth the end of the day, to have fifth graders reading some of the things our teachers union led teachers are trying to push upon led teachers are trying to push upon them is not right, and i think upon them is not right, and i think the upon them is not right, and i think the governor s exposed something about that which has actually something about that which has actually become a national
Has a big lead, 53% of conservative voters prefer him as their top choice. the governor desantis in second with 26%, nikki haley and then tim scott trailing in the single digits. just a note, this poll was conducted before ron desantis and tim scott had officially declared. joining me now, a republican congressman from florida. we also have debbie, the current congresswoman in florida. and in the studio, christian horner, a reporter with bloomberg covering the republican campaign. thank you so much for being with us. i want to get some reaction to that twitter announcement. you are reporting on this campaign, what did you make of it? the
Crisis. our families are suffering, and affordability crisis. he s done nothing, he s pushing a mega agenda and attacking the freedoms of our floridians all over the state. it s so interesting, debbie, because what you just said, some of the vet, is literally in the bill trump has used against desantis. again, those folks are probably not going to again trump has proven a feral instinct for political rhetoric and particular the weakness of the people that he is against him. particularly the republican primary. i just think that there is going to be a little bit of talking past each other as things are set up right now. what do you think? well, let me just mention also the trump campaign that has the former desantis campaign manager, so she knows him very, very well and the truth is that ron desantis was in congress. he was one of the founders of the freedom caucus. he supported ending medicare and ending social security. ending the affordable care act.
Myself question. i am a floridian myself. what works in florida might myself. what works in florida might not work on a national stage might not work on a national stage. desantis is going to have stage. desantis is going to have to stage. desantis is going to have to show the voters that he can stand have to show the voters that he can stand strong on the issues that can stand strong on the issues that matter the most to the gop base that matter the most to the gop base but that matter the most to the gop base. but he has to do it in a competent way. that s the question we have to say. how is he going question we have to say. how is he going to question we have to say. how is he going to prove that to the voters? he going to prove that to the voters? six months out from the primaries? voters? six months out from the primaries? primaries? debbie, your take? desantis s primaries? debbie, your take? desantis s stop primaries? debbie, your take? desantis s stop woke - primaries? debbie, your take? desantis s stop woke act i primaries? debbie, your take? desantis s stop woke act and l desantis s stop woke act and the bill he just sighed, desantis s stop woke act and the bill hejust sighed, what it s resulted in is amanda gorman, the poet who spoke at barack obama s inauguration, that has been banned in a school in south florida as a result of the parent s complaint and the law now allows that under the policy of desantis. they have banned african american history, the holocaust, the diary of anne
Came back in. it s not overfor desantis. he has a lot of time to prove the voters that he is the right person for the gop nomination. i don t think it s over yet. a, nomination. i don t think it s over yet- nomination. i don t think it s over et. , ., over yet. a quick response from ou, over yet. a quick response from you. francis- over yet. a quick response from you, francis. do over yet. a quick response from you, francis. do you over yet. a quick response from you, francis. do you think- over yet. a quick response from you, francis. do you think he i you, francis. do you think he can close the gap? t you, francis. do you think he can close the gap? can close the gap? i would auree can close the gap? i would agree with can close the gap? i would agree with debbie. - can close the gap? i would agree with debbie. ron, i can close the gap? i would i agree with debbie. ron, you get the same agree with debbie. ron, you get the same conservative - agree with debbie. ron, you get the same conservative thinkingl the same conservative thinking and policies the same conservative thinking and policies without the same conservative thinking and policies without the - and policies without the baggage and policies without the baggage- and policies without the banaue.~ . . baggage. what about you, debbie? who baggage. what about you, debbie? who do baggage. what about you, debbie? who do you i baggage. what about you, debbie? who do you think| debbie? who do you think potentially could catch up with trump? potentially could catch up with trum - ? ., , , trump? honestly, the entire field of republican trump? honestly, the entirel field of republican candidates are all field of republican candidates are all extreme. they all subscribe to the same policies that would crack down on diversity and education, that would diversity and education, that would go backwards when it comes would go backwards when it comes to trying to make sure that comes to trying to make sure that we comes to trying to make sure that we can save social security that we can save social security and medicare, and preserve security and medicare, and preserve it as a safety net for