1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:03,640 Speaker 1: Crime alert, i'm as grace breaking crime news. Now the 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: primary suspect and three year old Matty McCann's disappearance has 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: been released. Yes, Christian Bruckner, serving a seven year sentence 4 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: for an unrelated rape, now walks free. Reportedly, a former 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: German federal police employee paid an outstanding fine for Bruckner, 6 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: but tried to get the money back after realizing it 7 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:35,279 Speaker 1: would lead to his release. Straight out to Drew Nelson. 8 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:38,559 Speaker 2: For more Nancy. Forty nine year old Christian Bruckner has 9 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 2: spent the last week of freeman after his release from 10 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 2: a seven year sentence for the rape of a seventy 11 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,320 Speaker 2: two year old woman and prior to lose Portugal in 12 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 2: two thousand and five. German police confirmed he left the 13 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 2: high security facility in Zanda around nine to fifteen am 14 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 2: local time last Wednesday. He must wear an electronic tag, 15 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 2: give up his passport, and report to probation staff. His 16 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 2: lawyers are expected to appeal the restrictions. Prosecutors say he 17 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 2: is still dangerous and could re offend. A psychiatric report 18 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,479 Speaker 2: found he refused treatment in custody and remains a risk. 19 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,960 Speaker 2: He also faces an October court date in Oldenburg where 20 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 2: he is accused in a verbal altercation with a prison employee. 21 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 2: Police in Britain, Germany and Portugal all confirmed Bruckner remains 22 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,320 Speaker 2: a suspect in Madeleine McCann's case. He has denied involvement. 23 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 2: Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell of the Metropolitan Police say 24 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:33,039 Speaker 2: they will quote continue to pursue any viable lines of inquiry. 25 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,199 Speaker 2: In June, German and Portuguese police carried out a major 26 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 2: search in the Algarba. Investigators dug near derelict farm buildings 27 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 2: and pumped out wells, hoping to find traces of Madeline 28 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 2: or her clothing. Sein and Portugal reported the search focused 29 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 2: on a route between Bruckner's former house and the cliffs 30 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 2: of Prior to Leuse. The theory was that he may 31 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 2: have used the path to dispose of her body. Nothing 32 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 2: conclusive was found. Madeleine McCann vanished on May third of two, 33 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 2: one thousand and seven, during a family holiday in Pria 34 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 2: to Lose. She was three years old. Her parents, Kate 35 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 2: and Jerry McCann, had left her and her twin siblings 36 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 2: asleep in their apartment while they dined at a nearby restaurant. 37 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 2: When Kate returned at ten pm, she found her daughter gone. 38 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:18,640 Speaker 2: Witnesses recalled her screaming quote, Madeleine's gone, Someone's taken her. 39 00:02:18,919 --> 00:02:22,679 Speaker 2: Hundreds joined the search that night. Police initially believed Madeleine 40 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 2: was alive and abducted. Later, suspicion briefly turned on her parents, 41 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 2: who were both named as formal suspects, but were cleared 42 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,239 Speaker 2: in two thousand and eight. Scotland Yard launched its own 43 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:36,239 Speaker 2: inquiry in twenty eleven, known as Operation Grange. Over the years, 44 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,519 Speaker 2: detectives reviewed tens of thousands of documents, collected over a 45 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 2: thousand exhibits, and chased more than eight thousand possible sightings, 46 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,239 Speaker 2: but no breakthroughs. The case reignited in June of twenty twenty, 47 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 2: when German prosecutors identified Bruckner as their prime suspect. Phone 48 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 2: records placed him in pria to lose the night Madeline vanished. 49 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 2: A former acquaintance told police Bruckner once remarked she quote 50 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:03,639 Speaker 2: didn't scream. Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters later told the BBC quote, 51 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:05,960 Speaker 2: if you knew the evidence we had, you would come 52 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 2: to the same conclusion as I do. He says. Investigators 53 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,240 Speaker 2: believe Madeline is dead, though nobody has been found. In 54 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 2: a June prison interview with RTL, Bruckner refused to comment 55 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 2: on Madeleine's case. He told the reporter he was looking 56 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 2: forward to quote a decent stake and a beer. After 57 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 2: his release. Madeline would be twenty two years old today. 58 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 2: Her parents mark each anniversary with a message of hope, 59 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 2: writing on their website quote we love her dearly and 60 00:03:30,639 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 2: miss her beyond words. The investigation into what happened into 61 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 2: their daughter remains open. 62 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: Thanks Drew more Crime and Justice news after this. 63 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 2: Ryan Ruth has found guilty of trying to assassinate President 64 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 2: Donald Trump and then immediately tries to stab himself in 65 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 2: the neck with a pen. After the verdict, a jury 66 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 2: in Fort Pierce, Florida, convicted Ruth, aged fifty nine, found 67 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 2: guilty of attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, assaulting 68 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:04,160 Speaker 2: a federal officer, and three firearms charges. He now faces 69 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 2: a possible life sentence when Judge Aleen Cannon rules on 70 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 2: December eighteenth. Jurors reach their verdict in less than three hours. 71 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 2: Moments after the decision was read, Ruth lunged at his 72 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:16,839 Speaker 2: own neck with a pen. His daughter cried out, quote, 73 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:19,119 Speaker 2: oh my god, he's trying to kill himself. He's trying 74 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 2: to kill himself. Someone stop him, please. US marshals rushed 75 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 2: to restrain him and dragged him from the room. He 76 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:28,280 Speaker 2: returned minutes later in shackles. There was no apparent blood. 77 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 2: Ruth had chosen to act as his own lawyer during 78 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:34,239 Speaker 2: the two week trial. His closing argument ran for nearly 79 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 2: an hour, during which he claimed there was no crime 80 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:39,479 Speaker 2: because quote the trigger was never pulled, the gun was 81 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,360 Speaker 2: never fired, and that no one was hurt, so no crime. 82 00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:46,039 Speaker 2: At another point, he insisted, although quote I wanted to kill, 83 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,360 Speaker 2: my actions within the community and toward my coworkers and 84 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 2: families should show my obvious non violence and gentleness. He 85 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:55,280 Speaker 2: argued the attempt was quote never in his heart. But 86 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 2: prosecutors said Ruth spent weeks building a sniper's nest near 87 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 2: the sixth Green of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm. 88 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 2: A Secret Service agent testified that he saw Ruth aiming 89 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 2: his rifle before mister Trump came into view. Prosecutor Christopher 90 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,080 Speaker 2: Brown said, hit a loaded round in the chamber and 91 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:14,440 Speaker 2: the safety off. We don't have to prove motive, but 92 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:17,159 Speaker 2: you already have it. You only have to decide intent. 93 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 2: Evidence included call logs, texts, bank records, and video surveillance. 94 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:26,400 Speaker 2: FBI agent Kimberly McGreevy testified that Ruth's phones showed searches 95 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 2: for quote Trump's upcoming rallies end quote, Palm Beach traffic cameras. 96 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 2: He also looked up quote directions to Miami Airport end 97 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 2: quote flights to Mexico. On September fifteenth of last year, 98 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:42,279 Speaker 2: just before his arrest, he sent farewell messages to his children, 99 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 2: writing to his daughter quote love you so much. You 100 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 2: are the best daughter, and to his son quote quote 101 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,280 Speaker 2: you are so awesome, dude, Love you so much. Attorney 102 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:54,679 Speaker 2: General Pam Bondi said the conviction quote illustrates the Department 103 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 2: of Justice's commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence. 104 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 2: Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said the case sent a 105 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:05,160 Speaker 2: clear message that quote, an attempt to assassinate a presidential 106 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:07,719 Speaker 2: candidate is in attack on our republic and on the 107 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 2: rights of every citizen. President Trump posted untruth social quote 108 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 2: congratulations to Attorney General Pambondi. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche 109 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 2: and the entire DOJ team on the conviction in Florida 110 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,360 Speaker 2: of the person who attempted an assassination on my life. 111 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,000 Speaker 2: This was an evil man with an evil intention, and 112 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 2: they caught him. 113 00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 1: Thanks Drew for the latest crime and justice to use. 114 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:32,279 Speaker 1: Go to crimeonline dot com and please join us for 115 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,040 Speaker 1: our daily podcast, Crime Stories, where we do our best 116 00:06:36,040 --> 00:06:41,680 Speaker 1: to find missing people, especially children, and help solve unsolved homicides. 117 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,279 Speaker 1: With this crime Alart, I'm Nancy Grace.