Virginia Lawmaker Stabbed; George Zimmerman Charged With Assault
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, George Zimmerman out of jail again. He's facing new assault charges involving his girlfriend and allegedly a shotgun. CNN's Nancy Grace is with us. She is outraged. Plus a lawmaker stabbed in his own home, his son is dead. And police suspect it was an attempted murder-suicide. We're standing by for new details. And how can anyone survive a monster like this? We have new video of a killer tornado and new stories of people who believe they were saved by social media. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM. First this hour, we're learning more about the horrific stabbing of a well-known politician, a state lawmaker who ran for governor of Virginia. Police suspect Creigh Deeds was attacked by his own 24- year-old son in an attempted murder-suicide reportedly just hours after the young man had a psychiatrist evaluation. CNN's Chris Lawrence is in Charlottesville, Virginia, and he's got the very latest -- Chris.</s>CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we have now learned that Creigh Deeds has been upgraded to fair condition, and that there was an altercation with his son in that house. And after he was stabbed multiple times, Creigh Deeds made it 75 yards down a hill to the main road where he was then picked up by his cousin.</s>LAWRENCE (voice-over): Police found a chilling scene after an early morning 911 call.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Deputies arrived to find Senator Deeds stabbed multiple times about the head and upper torso. He was flown from the scene to the University of Virginia Hospital in Charlottesville.</s>LAWRENCE: Police say Creigh Deeds was able to speak with them, but is now in critical condition. Inside the rural Virginia home, deputies found the senator's 24-year-old son, Gus, suffering from a gunshot wound. He died at the scene.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're not seeking any suspect at the time.</s>LAWRENCE: Creigh Deeds is well known in Virginia politics. In his unsuccessful bid to be governor in 2009, he garnered a presidential endorsement.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When I look at the way he conducts himself and his campaign, speaking truth to power, but always doing it in a way that reminds us that we have to bring people together instead of driving them apart.</s>LAWRENCE: Deeds was elected to the Virginia Statehouse in 1991, and in 2001, was elected to fill the state Senate seat of TV personality Katie Couric's late sister. He wrote and helped pass Megan's Law in Virginia, which requires law enforcement officials to notify communities of registered sex offenders, and he sponsored the Amber Alert program in the state.</s>LAWRENCE: Now, "The Richmond Times-Dispatch" is reporting that Gus Deeds, his son, had an emergency mental health evaluation on Monday, but that he was released because there were no beds available. The facility in question will not confirm that, but say under an emergency custody order no one could be held longer than six hours -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: All right, Chris Lawrence reporting. Just in, we have learned that George Zimmerman was served divorce papers in jail before he was released on bond just a little while ago. The lawyer for his estranged wife, Shellie Zimmerman, tells CNN it happened last night soon after Zimmerman was taken into custody on assault charges. He's accused of pointing a shotgun at his girlfriend, all this coming just months after Zimmerman's acquittal in the death of Trayvon Martin. CNN's Alina Machado is joining us from Sanford, Florida, right now with more. What is the latest, Alina?</s>ALINA MACHADO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, as you mentioned, George Zimmerman is free tonight on bond. He spent one night in jail after this incident. He left the correctional facility here in Seminole County, Florida, just a little while ago with his bail bondsman. He didn't answer any questions as he walked away. This release came just a few hours after he made his first court appearance, and the judge set his bond at $9,000. Zimmerman was taken into custody yesterday afternoon following a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, Samantha Scheibe. That domestic dispute allegedly turned violent and physical, and that's why Zimmerman is facing a felony count of aggravated assault as well as two misdemeanors. In court today, prosecutors said that yesterday wasn't the first time his girlfriend feared for her life. Take a listen at what they said.</s>LYMARY MUNOZ, PROSECUTOR: The victim had indicated that there was a prior domestic violence incident that occurred approximately a week- and-a-half ago that involved a choking that she'd not reported to the police. She was in fear for her safety on the day of this incident. She had indicated that they had been discussing breaking up. He's also mentioned suicide in the recent past due to those factors and the defendant indicating at the time he was threatening to commit suicide, he had nothing to lose.</s>MACHADO: Now, prosecutors also claimed Zimmerman is suicidal, a claim his attorneys say is simply false. Now, as a condition of his release on bond, Zimmerman has been ordered not to have any contact with his girlfriend, and he's also been banned from having weapons or ammunition in his possession. He will be monitored electronically, and he is expected to be back in court in January -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: And Nancy Grace, the host of HLN's "NANCY GRACE," is joining us right now, as is Jeffrey Toobin, our senior legal analyst. What was your reaction, Nancy, when you heard he is going to be out for $9,000 bond?</s>NANCY GRACE, HOST, "NANCY GRACE": You know, my honest reaction, it was, well, he's done it again. George Zimmerman has gotten his hands on a gun again. From my understanding, it's Kel-Tec, the same kind of gun he used to gun down Trayvon Martin. This time, it's a long gun or shotgun. That was my first thought. He's done it again.</s>BLITZER: What was your first thought, Jeffrey?</s>JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: He's in a world of trouble. And I have to say that my first thought was O.J. Simpson, because, remember, O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the murder case, the double murder, but then was prosecuted in a case that was frankly very marginal and there was an element of payback I thought in that case. And I immediately thought, is it going to happen to George Zimmerman?</s>BLITZER: The amazing thing is -- and a lot of immediately people made that comparison, Nancy, to O.J. Simpson, acquitted on murder, but then finds himself in a heap of trouble on other charges in Vegas. He's now in jail. You see that similarity in this particular case?</s>GRACE: Yes, I do. What's interesting is it was decades later when O.J. Simpson, Orenthal James Simpson, finally had to pay the piper. This time, it hasn't even been a year. I mean, you would think, right, Wolf, that he would have learned from what happened with Trayvon Martin. But if you look at his history, which a lot of people don't want to look at, there was a brush with the law when he had a fight, had a simple battery with a police officer. Then there was the other girlfriend, the fiancee, that made a domestic call. Then there was Shellie, his wife, who claimed he was threatening her. That was just in September. I mean, this goes on and on and on. All I know is this, Wolf, five 911 calls about George Zimmerman. I have never had a 911 call on me. Have you? I know Toobin hasn't. But what about you, Wolf? Is this a coincidence, to get five 911 calls on one person?</s>BLITZER: But can any of that, Jeffrey, be admitted as evidence? Assuming they go forward in this current case, with these two misdemeanor charges, one felony charge, can any of those previous incidents be admitted as evidence since as far as we know he doesn't have any criminal record?</s>TOOBIN: If he goes to trial in front of a jury, none of that is admissible. However, prosecutors are human beings, and they will make up their mind about how to charge this case and whether to charge this case based on their knowledge of all the facts. And so, you know, as a technical legal matter, it's not admissible. But when prosecutors are deciding, do we want to lock this guy up, do we want to keep him off the streets for as long as we can, you bet they're going to consider his history.</s>BLITZER: And they will also take a look at the woman, the ex- girlfriend Samantha Scheibe, Nancy. What do we know about this woman?</s>GRACE: Well, I know that they were sharing an apartment. I know, a lot of other things about her that, in my mind, are irrelevant. I am having Zimmerman's spokesperson on later this evening who actually posted the bond for him, Frank Taaffe. He claims all of this is because of George Zimmerman bad choice in women. I disagree with that, OK? And I agree with Toobin. The not guilty verdict will never be brought in as a similar transaction to show modus operandi, course of conduct. But some of the other incidents may be brought in. The prior domestics on Zimmerman, they don't have to be a conviction to be brought in as a similar bad act.</s>BLITZER: You want to react to that, Jeffrey?</s>TOOBIN: Well, that's true. And all of that leads to, I think, a very important point we need to make here is, we don't know exactly what happened yesterday between these two people. There are two 911 calls that describe very different set of events. Obviously, they have very different versions of what happened. Police have to do a real investigation here. They have to look. Are there witnesses? Is there anyone who saw anything? Did they see anything?</s>GRACE: He had the gun, Jeff, and he barricades himself in the house when he's got the gun? Hello? A grown man barricades himself in the house with a shotgun, pushes the girlfriend out and he calls 911? No. Uh-uh.</s>TOOBIN: Well, I would like to know where the gun was. All this stuff has to be collected very meticulously. Was the gun in a cover? Was the gun locked up? I don't know. But all of that will lead to how this case and whether this case is prosecuted. So it's going to take some time. It's at least until January until there's another court appearance, so I do think the facts are going to be, obviously, the most important thing here.</s>BLITZER: In the meantime, he will be out on bail, as they say, until the next court appearance in January.</s>GRACE: God help us.</s>BLITZER: What did you say, Nancy?</s>GRACE: I say, God help us. George Zimmerman is out on bond again.</s>BLITZER: Next time, you will have to tell us how you really feel, Nancy. Thanks so much, Nancy Grace, as usual, Jeffrey Toobin, as usual. Thanks to both of you. And we just received a statement from the family of Trayvon Martin about George Zimmerman and what's going on right now. This is a statement from the attorney Benjamin Crump. I will read it to you. "We, like many others, are watching these latest proceedings against the man who killed our son with a keen interest. However, we're more focused on the Trayvon Martin Foundation and defining his legacy" -- that statement from the attorney for Trayvon Martin's family. Still ahead, heart-pounding new video of a monster twister ripping a home apart. We will show you how social media helped save lives in the Midwest disaster area. And if you have stories to share, tweet us. And use #SitRoom. And the president shared this woman's story with the world. CNN has learned she is now disappointed and embarrassed. You're about to find out why.