back to this astonishing scene on a beautiful day on the national mall in washington d.c. this was just put together about 1 1/2 weeks ago. it stretches as far as the eye can see. it is the march for israel. here's a look at some of what we have heard and seen so far. ♪ >> we are proud to be jewish and we will stand up against intolerance. >> the jewish community stood with the civil rights movement. i can not be silent when jews fall under attack today. >> bring them home! >> we stand with israel! we stand with israel! >> we see clearly now, we see naked virulent jew hatred being disguised as a noble call for liberation. >> sandra: >> that sentiment from actress deborah messing felt by a lot of folks there today. watch this. >> do you feel like anti-semitism is on the rise here in america? >> definitely. definitely on the rise. it's frightening. >> i don't think i'm going to go back to campus this semester until the administration will take actual actions. >> never again is what we mean and we say it but wu mean it. never again. >> martha: fascinating to hear that young woman saying she doesn't want to go back to campus until she has good answers from her administration. we have a lot to talk about today with our panel, marc thiessen, brook goldstein and philippe who we're glad to have back on the program today. he wrote a very moving piece in "the new york times." first to mark meredith at the rally in washington. good to see you, marc. what can you tell us? >> martha, the story at this hour is so emotional. it's been such a powerful day on the national mall. it's still ongoing right now. sorry to yell. but because of the large demonstration all day long of this jewish eamericans that say they will speak up to support the 240 people still being held hostage by hamas. we heard from the families there. one of the more striking moments in the last hour came from the new republican house speaker, mike johnson. here's what he had to say as he vowed to ensure the u.s. through his chamber will continue to stand with israel. >> we can and we must do more to stand with our great ally and friend. it's my hope that this gathering today serves as a reminder to the entire world and also those within our borders that the united states stands proudly with israel and the jewish people forever. >> and of course, that was greeted by a loud applause. we heard from so many speakers that they want to make sure people do not forget about what is still happening. so much focus has been on the initial attack. of course, these families have said that they still need to make sure that those that are still missing an unaccounted for are not forgotten and the u.s. will continue to offer its support. president biden was invited to the ceremony, but he was already scheduled for the apex conference in california. he was not there. we did hear from the president of israel. he spoke remotely from jerusalem. >> the moral clarity and bold actions of our american allies demonstrate the depth of the u.s.-israel alliance, which is stronger than ever before. since october 7, israeli society and the jewish people have truly come together in unison. >> and when they say come together in unison, that's exactly what we're seeing, martha. i'm just dumbfounded by the sheer amount of people holding signs of where they are from the country. i'm looking at philadelphia, cleveland, miami, all coming to the nation's capitol today to show their support for israel. i had talked to the organizers this morning.we did you pick today? why here? they wanted to make sure the people on the hill, the lawmakers saw with their own eyes how people are feeling, the need for more support and obviously we heard from the speaker, from top congressional democrats. a very powerful day that a lot of people won't forget. >> martha: i'm sure you can feel it being there, mark. good to have you with us. mark meredith reporting from the mall. let's bring in marc thiessen, former chief speechwriter for president george w. bush and brooke goldstein is from the law fair project which provide legal services to protect human rights of the jewish people. and philippe was also at the rally. a former state department official and worked with hillary clinton on the senate and the campaign trail. we spoke with him a fair amount during that part of his professional life. he also was with her when she was secretary of state. so welcome to all of you. great to have you with us today. >> good to be with you. >> martha: let me start by looking at this op-ed that felipe wrote. i want to read it. he says in it, you say in it, "it's hard to explain how unnerved american jews are right now. our sense of security has given way to not understanding how we didn't realize so many anti-semitism was right below the surface and where it was lurking. our sense of security was grounded in knowing friend from foe. that has been up ended." you also say that you're scared for the first time action that that puts you on a very different and unusual footing. tell me a little bit more about that. >> well, it's a new feeling and it's not a good one. it's no surprise that israel's enemies, whether it's hamas, hezbollah, iran or others, not just now but over the decade since its inception have wanted to destroy israel and kill israelis and often kill jews writ large. in america, in the united states, we had a different feeling a sense of security. a cloak of comfort that has allowed us to, i hate to say it, almost take for granted that maybe anti-semitism was gone. even after charlottesville when you had people chanting jews will not replace it, i did not process its anti-semitism. i saw it has skinheads that hate everyone. they do. it's a very different feeling. you heard the young lady at the rally saying she's not going back to campus. that is terrible. that is terrible she feels that way. more importantly, it's terrible that her university has not taken steps, both the administrators and the faculty, to make her feel safe. in some cases they're making students feel less safe. >> martha: i want to stay with you for a moment, this is a broad question. i think it's an important one. how did we get here as a country? how did this happen, philippe? >> it's a good question, a million dollar question. i don't know. the comparison i'd make is, you know, 1939 before world war ii, before the holocaust there were 17 million jews. fast forward, there's still fewer jews than then. it's very scary to bring it back to your question, people didn't ignore warning to leave europe, to leave poland because there was an imminent holocaust. it was slow and steady. it was almost, i hate to use the comparison, the frog that you put in water and you bring it to a boil. a frog doesn't know what's coming until it comes. that's what i was talking about being scared. these feel like, you know -- these are telltales. we just can't brush them off. it's hard to know how long it's been going on but it's been going on in a narrow political sense the last 12, 13 years. it's become okay to not just disagree with people you don't agree with but to attack them, to accost them. that's what we're seeing now, whether it's simple as simple as tearing down kidnap posters, whether it is accosting students. it's hatred. a historical hatred not just for jews but towards blacks, latinos, towards gays, towards asians, on and on. i think we're the first, but anyone that thinks that we're the last is wrong. this hatred, i don't know how to get it back in the bottle. probably no getting it back in the bottle but its expansion will lead to horrible things. >> martha: it's a frightening reality, brooke. you were at the rally today, philippe was at the rally as well. what was it like to be there and feel that unity and what do you think about the response that its getting from capitol hill? we saw speaker johnson was there. how meaningful were those visits? you think the voices were actually heard? >> so first of all, thank you for having me on. the feeling at the rally was really one of empowerment. it's something that the jewish community has needed. we fear for our lives as the granddaughter of holocaust survivors, i never thought i would see the day where in the united states of america jews are being beaten up by pro terror, pro hamas supporters. i'm getting calls, dozens of calls every week from students being discriminated against, being harassed. our clients at cooper's union were locked in a library as pro hamas protesters threatened them with violence, banging on the doors and the windows. the message that the jewish community is sending with this incredible rally and over 200,000 people showed up is that we are unified against terror. we want to send the message, not just to members of congress, but also to the world who is used to seeing the pro hamas rallies on the street that these are a minority. they're a loud vocal, violent minority, but they are a minority. the majority of americans love peace and they're anti-terror. that is also the big difference between the rally today and the pro hamas rallies. at the pro hamas rallies, they're violent, their chants are genocidal and dangerous and a threat to america. 200,000 people gathered peacefully today in washington d.c. and their message is one of love, it was pro american and obviously it was to bring the hostages home. to your prior comment, how did we get here? those of us in the counter terrorism community and the jewish advocacy world have been warning about this the last ten years. the radicalization happening on american college campuses through dei departments, critical race theory, middle eastern studies departments that are being funded by states like qatar often unlawfully with the sole purpose of radicalizing american youth, not just to be against israel, but to be against america. to be against democracy and to be pro terror. this poses a national security threat. not just to the jewish people but to all americans. >> yeah, i think you nailed it. both of you. mark, your thoughts on what we're watching here. again, on how we got here. i mean, when i was growing up, it was clear that we were taught that anti-semitism was a horrible thing. we were taught about the holocaust in school. we watched movies that were difficult to see. this is in my public school growing up. there was no ambiguity about that. so i'm trying to figure out -- used to be that when people came to this country, they came here because they wanted to join the american dream. they wanted to be american. they kept with them bits of their culture from the places that they left but they wanted to be in a place where people respected each other's faiths and freedoms. i'm trying to figure out as i asked the other two panelists, how did we get here, marc, and can you put it back in the bottle as brooke asks? >> we're all trying to figure it out. it's great to be back on with my old friend, philippe. let me say that hillary clinton has been a paragon of clarity on this issue. she's been wonderful in speaking out against hamas and for cease fires and all the rest of it. one of the problems we have is there's anti-semitism across the political spectrum on the right and the left. anti-semitism on the right and left are very different. anti-semitism on the right is different. those are neo-nazis. they don't march at harvard. the anti-semitism on the left is an elite phenomenon, on college campuses. there was a scene at the editor of the harvard law review harass ago jewish student, pushing him around like the palestinian kids were pushing around thely jewish kid who was being held hostage. this is happening at our elite universities and exists in the halls of congress. you have rasheeda talib and ilhan omar that are anti-semites. the democratic party needs to -- a lot of people are waking up and seeing there's this creeping anti-semitism that is leached in to the democratic party. we all have to police our movements. i do my best as a commentator to police it on the right, to speak out against people when they say these things. we need our friends on the left and our friends in the democratic party to get to police their movement. start making these anti-semites because they give license to these people on the college campuses to say it's okay, from the river to the sea and there's one solution, duel loyalty. we all have to police our movements. the left needs to start policing theirs. >> martha: i want to take a moment and will to pastor hagy. let's listen to what he has to say. >> may god give you the wisdom of solomon and the courage of king david and the victories of joshua. you, the leaders of israel and you alone should determine how this war is going to be conducted an concluded. you decide, no one else. >> martha: okay. philippe, i want to give you an opportunity to weigh-in on that discussion about what has happened in this country, what has happened at our universities. i'm not sure how well educated a lot of these young people are at some of our finest institutions. i know you went to columbia and you speak about it in your editorial. how much are they taught about the different perspectives and where they come from and, you know, about the cause of freedom and democracy that israel has try to uphold. have they not been taught some of these things? >> well, i don't know. you hit the nail on the head, this is something that i write about in my piece. they're talking 17, 18, 19, 20-year-olds. you have to give them a little leeway for not knowing what they say. there's a problem similar to what marc was saying with rasheeda talib. once you know what a phrase from the river to the sea means, don't repeat it. when you do repeat it, you can no longer claim ignorance. i don't know where they're supposed to learn that, in grade school and high school. as a young adult once you hear that and explained to you, be quiet. what is particularly concerning to me is not just the students, but the faculty and administrators. i have been shocked by the number of faculty who have just gone well-beyond the pale to make incendiary comments. a, they show know better. b, they do know better and say it anyway. c, they're supposed to be setting an example to the student body. they know damn well when they make these incendiary remarks, they will be mimicked and echoed by a young student community. so it's one thing to protest. you don't have to love israel or love jews. but there's a difference between marching peacefully, what we're seeing, a heartening and hopeful gathering of blacks, whites, old, famous and a different between that and accosting and attacking people on campus. i don't know why inner that upbringing it's not been instilled in them not to do that. once you learn something, stop. if you ever want to make a mistake, all four of us and everyone watching has made a mistake. when you make the same mistake twice, you have to own it. that's what they're not doing. >> martha: i just -- i want to mention before i let you all go that i just spoke to a man that works on a project call voices of gaza. he interviewed a lot of gazans. he spoke to them undercover so that they could speak freely. to a person, they talked about how they want to get rid of hamas, that they felt like they are imprisoned by hamas. i don't hear this from any of these young protesters. they're treating it like it's one thing. these people are talking a lot like the women i've interviewed from iran who say, you know, they have mandatory hijab, mandatory at religious services. they want to go to restaurants. we want to be in tel aviv but we can't leave gaza. they won't let us leave. that's another thing that people need to learn more about. i'm trying to learn more about that part of the sentiment as well. >> so am i. it's not like's none every bit of this. i've read things and red wikipedia and the works. >> martha: thanks. interesting piece. marc thiessen, always good to have you. brooke goldstein, thanks for being here. i hope we can continue to speak about this as we move through this story. thank you all. there's the live shot of the national mall in washington where tens of thousands of people have gathered for the march for israel. we have been covering for the last many days and weeks now these enormous palestinian protests in the streets and here in london. today is the march for israel. they're letting their voices be heard as part of this national-international discussion going on. i want to bring in governor ron desantis who is also a candidate, obviously, for the gop nomination for his party. he joins me now. governor desantis, it's always good to have you with us. what is your thought on this rally? is this something that you would attend and want to be a part of? >> i think it's great to see. as you pointed out, we've seen some really troubling demonstrations over the last few weeks. i mean, i was struck by with the blood not even being dried on the victims in israel, you had people on college campuses celebrating hamas terrorism. i know these universities are very left. i've been in the halls of them in the past. to have students celebrating terrorism with something that i would not have predicted, even having a low opinion of the culture there. the anti-semitism that has come to the surface has been troubling. in florida, we've taken a lot of action against that. my first year as governor, we signed legislation to combat anti-semitism on college campuses, provided security for jewish day schools. we viewed this as a problem for a long time. six weeks ago if you predicted it was this bad, i would not have believed that. i think what is chilling about it is it is being done with the reason of some of these august institutions. they are viewing this as something that is consistent with their university's mission. i know the white house, for example, has jewish students have been running for their lives on college campuses. they launched an initiative to come bat islamophobia. we're seeing this anti-semitism. so seeing that pro israel demonstration now i think is a good sign. i notice how peaceful everybody is. i don't see them burning any american flags. i don't see any violence. they're just people that are there to celebrate a good ally. >> martha: we were just speaking with the panel about where all of this comes from. how america seems to have changed dramatically in terms of what we're seeing. as philippe said, he had no idea that if you scratched the service, there was going to be so much anti-semitism so close to the surface. people will have different ideas how that should be fixed. and you want to be president of the united states. i do want to play this sound bite for you. it's from the former president. it's a strong statement. i want to know how you feel about what he said and what you would do differently if you become president. so let's play this. this is from october 16. >> we aren't bringing in anyone from gaza or syria, somalia, yemen or libya or anywhere else that threatens our security. next we'll implement strong idealogical screening of all immigrants to the united states. no longer will we allow dangerous lunatics, haters and maniacs to get residency in our country. we're not going to let them stay here. >> martha: do you agree with those sentiments? some of them, part of it? >> i was the first to say no gaza refugees as a presidential candidate. i've also said that because if you look at some of the student protests, places like mit, they say they have been driven by studentsed on foreign visas. i said as president, i'm cancelling the visas and sending them home. you don't have a right to come here as a foreigner. it's a privilege. we need to look to europe to see what they've done wrong in the past 10 or 15 years where you have massive numbers of people that basically reject western values and are bringing a lot of this anti-semitism to the floor. part of this thing with the gaza refugees, they're not all members of hamas. yeah, they're not. that's true. if you look at what they teach the kids there, they teach them to hate jews. the textbooks don't have israel on the map. they teach them that israel should be destroyed. so it's a toxic culture. any of these societies that have these toxic cultures, i would note want to impart people in to the united states. i'd also say that if you want to come to the united states, you have to subscribe to the founding principles of this country and to assimilate in this country. >> martha: how do you prove that? the former president said he would do idealogical testing to figure out the answers to the questions that you just raised. would you do that? >> i think that that may be difficult. what i'd say is if you have a country that has a culture that is hostile to the american way of life, i would just say don't bring in people from that country. it's hard to parcel out who is kind of a freedom fighter, who may be somebody that doesn't have good intentions. i would err on the side of caution. i'd have it be a high bar for people to be able to come if there's a risk of any type of security. to say this person is good, that person is not, i'd say look, if you're from gaza, that's why i said gaza, i just don't want to mess with that. so we're just not going to do it. i don't think you can separate in a place like that. i think you just say, you know what? we're not going to do it. their neighbors won't do that. egypt won't take. saudi won't talk. jordan won't take. we have to be conscious of what we import. we shouldn't be importing any problems. anyone that comes in this country should be a benefit to the american people and the american way of life. if that's not the case, it doesn't happen. >> martha: governor desantis, sort of a unique day as we're watching this on the mall. so we appreciate you joining us. i hope you come back soon and we can talk about more what's going on on the campaign trail. i know you got an endorsement from kim reynolds, the governor there. come back soon and we'll talk about the campaign trail as well, sir. >> okay. thank you. >> martha: governor desantis of florida. great to have him with us today. this question, are dozens of women and children about to be freed from the hands of hamas? 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you don't have to take it to the dealer. bring it to safelite. we do more replacements and recalibrations than anyone else. >> customer: thank you so much. >> tech vo: schedule now. >> singers: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace ♪ . >> martha: this is this getting a lot of attention today. we look at the images of 239 hostages on the wall. loved ones that people are waiting for at home and they do not know anything about. their condition in most cases. so israel and hamas are reportedly close to a deal to free most of the israeli women and children held hostage for more than a month now in exchange for the release of palestinian women and young people in israeli prisons and a temporary cease fire possibly for five days. that according to "the washington post" david ignacous. hamas is offering 70 hostages according to the reporting. let's go live now to tel aviv and mark regvev, ambassador. good to have you with us today. i want to ask you about that. i want your reaction to what we've been watching on the national mall here in the united states and also the president did not appear at that today. what is your reaction to that? >> i'm thrilled and i think all israelis are to see this support in washington today. people standing up for the u.s.-israel alliance. people standing up for my country in a time of war. people demanding the release of hostages. this is very positive. of course, condemning anti-semitism. anti-semitism, they say it's the world's oldest hatred. it has staying power. it's important we fight it. i applaud all of those people that have taken the time to go and stand there on the mall in washington. i think it's fantastic. >> martha: so president biden chose not to go. the vice president is also not there. what message does that send? >> so i don't know about their schedules. i know when my prime minister wants to go to events and he can't because of other commitments, i'm in no position to judge. >> martha: do you believe that their support the holding because there are all of these letters that have been written by members of the state department and the national security council of people urging him to back down a bit in his support for israel and to stop the bombing. >> let's be clear. anyone that calls for a cease fire today is calling for hamas to stay in power. that's the bottom line. if hamas stays in power, reals will continue to live next to this terror on our southern frontier and it's unacceptable. the hamas leadership has said publicly since the terrible massacre of october 7th, that given the opportunity they could do it again and again and again. israelis shouldn't have to live in fear of these terrorists coming across the border once again and killing their children, burning, raping, beheading. these sort of terrorists must never been allowed to attack us. the only way to achieve that is to eliminate their control of gaza. that will be good for the people of southern israel that will no long very to live with this threat and good for the people of gaza that deserve better than this bunch of cutthroats that have been running their society. >> martha: so let's talk about this trade and how close is it to happening and is israel willing to turn in palestinian women and children who they say are in your prisons in order to get these hostages back, the women and children back. >> if we are chose to a deal, for the release of our hostages and as you said correctly, almost 240 people held of them, 32 children and of the children, babies and infants. i always ask us to remember, what sort of people kidnap babies and infants. what sort of people can kidnap a 9-month-old baby? they are sick. they are depraved. what more can one say about hamas? but if they are moving towards releasing hostages, it's not because they have suddenly become humanitarians. they have been on the receiving end of the idf's military might and they are feeling the pain, feeling the pressure and this is forcing them to move on the hostage issue. i hope we get a deal. i'm not sure when that will happen. but as long as we keep the pressure up, we're expediting the chances that we're going to get people out. >> martha: all right. ambassador regev, thank you. thanks for joining us. >> thanks for having me. >> martha: so look at this beautiful young teen, gillian ludwig. she was fatally shot in the head by a stray bullet in the middle of the day in a tennessee park. you will not believe the shocking details about the suspect in this case. gillian's parents are here in a story exclusive next. >> we're just in shock. and our hearts go out to this family. this is a terrible tragedy. this should have been avoided. e, because i know so many of you have served our country honorably. one of the benefits that we as a country give you as a veteran is the eligibility for a va loan for up to 100% of your home's value. if you need cash for your family, call newday usa. with automatic authority from the va, we can say yes when banks say no. give us a call. okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. yay - woo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, nutrients for immune health. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. (♪) generalized myasthenia gravis made my life a lot harder. but the picture started changing when i started on vyvgart. vyvgart is for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis who are anti-achr antibody positive . in a clinical trial, vyvgart significantly improved most participants' ability to do daily activities when added to their current gmg treatment. most participants taking vyvgart also had less muscle weakness. and your vyvgart treatment schedule is designed just for you. in a clinical study, the most common side effects included urinary and respiratory tract infections, and headache. vyvgart may increase the risk of infection. tell your doctor if you have a history of infections or symptoms of an infection. vyvgart can cause allergic reactions. available as vyvgart for iv infusion and now as vyvgart hytrulo for subcutaneous injection. additional side effects for vyvgart hytrulo may include injection site reactions. talk to your neurologist about vyvgart. >> martha: we're pack with our live coverage of the march for israel. they're bringing students up. this is sabrina, one of the students here. you'll hear from another student in just a moment. let's dip in and listen to what she has to say. >> shalom. hello, everyone. you will now hear the voices of students. i want to open with one message that has helped me through these tough times. if you want the save the world, go home and love your family. we are here at the heart of our american home, united as one family, israel arm and arm with the american people. from family, we acquire life-guiding principles. my family's history traces generations dedicated to preserving jewish heritage. from egypt to southern russia, dagestan, once my grandparent's home, zionism and israel afforded protection and prosperity. october 7 confirms that cancer, true hatred festers on our streets, institutions, at my george washington university we've seen anti-semitic hate firsts. rallies supporting those that murder israelis. insults projects on to our library. our building broken in to, kidnapped posters torn from the inside. threats of violence. our hearts remain shattered by that dark saturday and the hate we see today. but our spirit is unbroken. our obstacles or opportunities for the righteous and audacious. professors that condemn hamas, administrators striving to guarantee jewish safety. when we hear genocidal chants, my g.w. peers and i are from organizations like g.w. for israel and g.w.hilal, we sing and say shalom. these are songs of hope and peace. in the words of our rabbi, we fight anti-semitism with strong and informed semitism with vibrancy. resilience is what marks our legacy. no one, no one in this crowd, no students, no person stands alone. nothing. nothing, nothing, nothing at all can splinter the jewish soul. the jewish soul, the american resolve -- >> martha: we're watching this with jessica tarlov. she's co host of "the five" and a fox news contributor. jessica, we want to get your thoughts as you watch this play out today. >> it's amazing to see this. it's been 39 days since the massacre on october 7th. it feels like such an important moment for jewish people, a moment of exhale actually, to say we are here and we're here in the tens of thousands. we're talking about the hostages, which i felt has been missing from the discourse over the last few weeks at least. i hope and pray that that deal to get the women and children out that the qataris are brokering right now comes through. it's really nice to see my people out there. i have dozens of friends that have gone down to d.c. for this event, to see bipartisan support for it. hakeem jefferys holding mike johnson's hand. when are you going to see that. >> martha: 100%. i wonder what you think about the president not doing a video message or the vice president. what do you think? >> i don't -- first of all, i thought that netanyahu's adviser was right on point with this. schedules are complicated. there's things that netanyahu wants to go to. we know his in california for the apex summit. that's a big deal, too. i feel with this particular crisis that biden's record is unimpeachable on this. he's demonstrated such steadfast support for israel, for the israeli people. counter to how a lot of the people within his administration feel. talking about the letters being released out of the state department saying we want to see calls for a cease fire, more support for the palestinians. biden is like nope. this is what's going on right now. >> martha: let's watch noah faye from columbia. let's listen to what she has to say. >> sandra: >> i am a student at columbia university. on my campus, over 100 professors have openly advocated for israel's destruction, justifying the murders of our jewish sisters and brothers and defending their murderers. i have said this before and i will say it again. i am a black native american jewish woman, and i will not be silenced. no matter how many anti-israel demonstrations have to walk to, no matter how many of my professors support the students defending of hamas, no matter how many times we're told to cower in feel, i will continue to shout. we should not have to do this. but we can do this. we must do this. and i will tell you why. until october 7th, i think my classmates and i had forgotten not only why we love israel, but why we need israel. as individuals, we may have many homes. as jews, we have but one. we have a long journey ahead of us, i know. i know many of my peers face hatred and anti-skimtism on campus are helpless and hopeless. to them i say look around you. we are the jews of -- >> martha: noa fay of columbia is a very impressive young woman. she was on america's newsroom a few weeks ago. she's someone that we'll hear more from. noa fay speaking on behalf of jewish students and students that stand by them as importantly on the national mall in this really stunning show of support at the march for israel that's playing out right now. so we all want to tell you this story today. this is 18-year-old jillian ludwig. a university student whose life was cut tragically short when she was struck in the head by a stray bullet and killed. now her parents are speaking out about a broken criminal justice system that allowed this killer anywhere near her as we learn more about the suspect's long criminal rap sheet. a story exclusive you don't want to miss next. >> martha: this is 18-year-old jillian ludwig. she was shot and killed by a stray bullet while going through the park in nashville in the middle of the day at belmont. she was pursuing a career in music. her mom says that she was thriving, doing so well in every way, which obviously is what every parent wants to see from their child when they head off to be freshman at college. the suspect in the crime that took her life is 29-year-old shakile taylor. he has a rap sheet that includes three assaults with a deadly weapon. they were dismissed when he was determined incompetent to stand trial due to severe intellectual disability. there's something obviously wrong with this system. he was out in the park and was an to snuff this young life out, which can't happen. this is absolutely too painful for everyone involved. jillian's parents say they're angry at the system want it fixed. jessica and mat ludwig join me now. so sorry. no words that any of us can say can comfort you. i give you credit for speaking out because you want something to be fixed here. so let me ask you first to talk a little bit -- let's remember what your daughter was like. so let's begin there, jessica. tell me about your beautiful daughter. >> she was just so accomplished, so talented, so driven. she was a great student. she worked really hard in high school. so excited to graduate and start her future in college. she chose nashville because it's music city and belmont had a great music business program. you know, she was loving it. she was really thriving in every way there. we would talk every day. she would tell me how happy she was. she was a star. she was exceptional. she was everything. >> martha: look at these pictures playing in her band. this is what her roommate said about it. she said she was full of passion and energy, creativity and a little bit of sass. she was strong. stronger than anyone i met not to mention hilarious. she was safe now, happy and probably playing tunes with george harrison in heaven. you know, matt, i can't imagine having sent three kids off to college myself, this is obviously a nightmare. what happened? where was she? what happened? >> she was enjoying a beautiful tuesday afternoon between classes. she had been enjoying going for runs lately at the park. about two blocks from her campus. just out for a run. looking forward to going camping this weekend with her friends and boyfriend. i'm sure she had her air pods in and had her music on. >> martha: what can you tell me about how this individual, this suspect was, you know, out on the street given this very long rap sheet that we know he had? >> it makes it that much more hard to comprehend. not only is it a tragedy, but this individual should not have been out on the street. this should never have happened. if there's a determination of some kind of mental issue with a proven criminal history, this individual is clearly dangerous and shouldn't have been on the street. >> why wasn't he in an institution? >> martha: right. right. it's a huge loop hole. >> martha: what are they telling judge blackshear dalton determined him not fit for trial, this is the judge that made the decision. what is your understanding, jessica, of what was supposed to happen to him given the fact that he has a long rap sheet, robbery, probation, violations, aggravated burglary. shot at a woman and two children in a car. so how is this -- how did this happen? what are they telling you? >> so it's unthinkable that he was allowed to be on the streets. but they're not telling us anything just yet. we have been focused on bringing our daughter home. she got home last night and laying her to rest. so we haven't heard much. i will say that. we haven't heard much. we've heard about his rap sheet and we know that it was just unthinkable that he shot a teenager and he shot at a mother and her children and was still on the street to shoot my little girl in the middle of the day. so something -- there's a failure a breakdown in the system. really there's flow excuse for it. how can you deem somebody mentally incompetent and then say but they're not sick enough to be in a mental hospital? so they just go back out in to the street. it's unacceptable. >> martha: matt, what is your message to this judicial system in tennessee and to the country at large? i know as your wife says, obviously you guys have priorities that are not this at the moment. when you have time to think about this in the future, what would you like to say? >> there needs to be change. this shouldn't happen. there needs to be change locally, regionally, nationally so that this loop hole is not a way for violent individuals to strike down innocent people like my daughter. >> martha: this girl should be enjoying her freshman year and about to head home for the holidays. we'll be praying for your family. thanks for talking with us. i can't imagine how hard it is with everything you've got going on. we'll keep your daughter in mind and fish to find out what happened with this story as we go forward. thank you both