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"the mountaintop." an all-star cast. a controversial play. >> god don't like to be laughed at. >> how a 30-year-old playwright is challenging the way we remember the last day of dr. martin luther king jr.'s life. plastic wars. why is this man wearing 500 plastic bags and hanging off the side of a boat? and why is the plastic industry out to get him? hunting down sharks. they're the most feared predators in the ocean. but we reveal how sharks have more to fear from us. revealing investigations. fascinating characters. stories with impact. this is "cnn presents" with your hosts tonight, soledad o'brien and sanjay gupta. we begin this evening with a "cnn presents" special investigation. it's a story that sounds all too familiar. >> catholic priests accused of abusing children. church leaders accused of covering it up. >> but this familiar story has a disturbing new chapter. hundreds of these priests live unmonitored in unsuspecting communities. >> as we learned in some cases, they live next to schools and they live next to parks. gary tuchman tracks down some of the most notorious offenders. predators in plain sight. >> reporter: here we are on a block where a molester priest lives. >> right. >> reporter: do you think these neighbors know about it? >> i'm certain they do not. >> reporter: ray boucher is a los angeles attorney who works with victims of sex abuse. >> unfortunately in california and around the country there are hundreds of priests in our communities without anybody having any understanding that there's this danger sitting there in the middle of their communities. >> reporter: boucher's firm tracked down accused pedophile priests living all over the country and compiled a list of their addresses. how does it make you feel living across the street from a guy on a list like that? >> i have to really think about this and be cautious with kids or something. i didn't know it. i'm just dumbfounded. >> reporter: nearly 6,000 priests have been accused of molesting children in the u.s. since 1950s. according to the u.s. conference of bishops. very few of those accused ever make it to a criminal trial. often because by the time victims come forward, the statute of limitations for the crime has passed. at that point even if a priest admits to the abuse, he cannot go to jail. >> the only reason why they weren't really convicted is because the church gave them a safe harbor and hid them. if the church had done what every school, you know, civic organization faced with sexual abuse would have, it should have done at the time, namely alert the police, these priests would have been arrested. >> reporter: boucher says former priest carl sutphin is one example. a report from the los angeles archdiocese says he's accused of molesting 18 boys. even though he admits he's guilty, he's never been convicted. his victims came forward too late. now 79 years old, we found him living in ventura, california. about 90 miles north of los angeles. you have admitted the child molestation. do you think the public should know where you live? >> they know. >> reporter: the public doesn't know where you live. do you think the public should know? sir, i just wanted to get your comments so i can give you a chance to speak. next, we traveled to another town north of l.a. the upscale west lake village. a community filled with families. that's where we found 56-year-old former priest kevin barmasse. the los angeles archdiocese says he's accused of molesting eight boys. he's never commented. but the church called the allegations credible and finally defrocked him in 2006. he's never had a criminal trial. that's his apartment right there. you can see the red light. we've seen his head bopping around. we'll try to see if he will come to the door. mr. barmasse? mr. barmasse? barmasse would not answer the door. >> i want the church to put out information about where these individuals live. i want the church to bring these priests back in to a place where they are safe. safe for themselves and safe for the communities. >> unfortunately, they've never been convicted. they're private citizens. and so they're free to move about and live where they want to. >> reporter: tod tamberg is the spokesman for the los angeles archdiocese. could the church have done more to get convictions now that you look back at it? >> when we take priests out of ministry for allegations, we sent them to treatment. in some cases they were reassigned to other duties. >> reporter: let me stop you for a second. i'm wondering if the church as a whole here looks back at it, that wasn't a good way to deal with it. >> looking back now at what we did back then, i think it was -- it was the wrong thing to do. we relied too often on the stories of the priests themselves. we thought too much about their well-being than the victims'. >> reporter: that's a startling admission you make. it's honest. >> well, it's true. >> reporter: tamberg says the church today notifies the police immediately if a child comes forward with an allegation of abuse. but it's too late for the people who say they were abused by this former priest. nicolas aguilar rivera. now an international fugitive wanted in the u.s. and in mexico. >> back then, there were 26 victims. >> reporter: former lapd detective federico sicard worked on this case for more than 20 years. >> back in january 11, 1988, around 8:30 in the morning, we got a call via the police radio. and we were directed to go to this particular school in east l.a. in the hollenbeck area. >> reporter: sicard arrived at our lady of guadalupe to find four children who said they were molested. >> it was horrible. because what the kids were telling us. >> reporter: but sicard never had a chance to question aguilar. >> we went to interview the priest, and they told us, he's no longer here. he's gone. he was taken to mexico. >> reporter: church officials found out about the alleged abuse on a friday. the officials met with aguilar on saturday. this police report indicates the priest told them he planned to return to mexico at the beginning of the week. police were notified monday morning. but it was too late. >> we made a call to, i think, child protective services. nobody was answering the phone. it was 5:00 on a friday. so monday morning the call was made. the notification was made. aguilar rivera during the weekend fled, without telling anybody, to mexico. >> if we had been able to get our hands on him, yeah, he would have been detained. >> reporter: after aguilar fled, more reports of abuse surfaced. the district attorney later filed a warrant charging aguilar with 19 counts of lewd acts against a child. when we come back, we travel to mexico to look for accused child molester nicolas aguilar rivera, the former priest who authorities say is impossible to find. yes, you do. you recognize him. i'm just a bit of residue left behind by some mop. why you... nobody's taken a shine to me in a long time. phooey. i don't need anybody...but you! ♪ i believe in miracles [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. used mops can push muddy water around. swiffer wetjet's new, upgraded solution helps prevent streaks and residue to reveal more shine than a mop or your money back. you're a fresh swiffersnapper! but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. we've been investigating hundreds of catholic priests accused of abuse. and then allowed to blend back into society. alarmingly, no one keeps track of where they live. one of the most notorious is a priest who fled to mexico after being accused of molesting dozens of children. authorities say they can't find him. but that doesn't stop our gary tuchman. >> reporter: mexico city. population, 20 million. not a bad place to hide if you're a fugitive. except fugitive nicolas aguilar rivera doesn't seem to have anyone looking for him. aguilar fled los angeles in 1988, charged with molesting ten children. still a priest, he surfaced four years later. assigned to this church in mexico city. joaquin mendez remembers him vividly. >> translator: i met him being an altar boy. he became a close friend of my family. honestly, his presence made me feel uncomfortable. his breath smelled really bad. it was a disgusting smell. even now, i feel the scars of those memories. >> reporter: joaquin was 13 years old when he says aguilar called him into his bedroom at the church. >> translator: so he said, come on in. let me show you some music tapes i made. so i go in, and he forced me to pull down my pants. he raped me. i got away from him however i could. he threatened me not to say anything to my family because if i did, he was going to do the same thing to my brother. >> reporter: joaquin found the courage to come forward. he told his parents, and they went to the police. >> translator: they never arrested him. but that's the law in mexico. the investigation continued while he was free. >> reporter: aguilar left mexico city in 1995. over the next ten years, he continued working as a priest in small towns in the mexican state of puebla. >> translator: sanjuana martinez is a mexican journalist who's interviewed many who say they were abused by aguilar. she's also interviewed aguilar. you talked to him on the telephone? >> yes, i talked to him. >> reporter: how did you feel when you got off the phone with him. >> both angry and excited, you know. i said, i can't believe it that he's talking with me. >> reporter: aguilar repeatedly denied the allegations, including the charges made by joaquin mendez. >> reporter: we spoke to two men who are afraid to show their faces. they saw aguilar molested them as young boys. >> translator: he said if i told anyone, he will kill my parents, my brothers. >> translator: he had me come into his room. he locked the door with the key. then he started to touch my private parts. >> reporter: five formal complaints have been filed against aguilar since his return to mexico in 1988. he's wanted in the state of puebla for statutory rape. but authorities there tell us they've lost his trail. we decided to look for aguilar ourselves. and got a lead that he was last seen in jonacatapec, a town two hours south of mexico city. yes, you do. you recognize him. >> translator: yes. i've seen him twice. >> reporter: emiliano, a local farmer, takes us to a local bus stop where he most recently saw aguilar. we asked emiliano if he recognized aguilar from the news. >> translator: yes. that's why i came with you. because i've seen him. >> reporter: at the bus stop we meet a woman who tells us she sees him regularly. she has no idea about his past. >> translator: i saw him on the bus. and he said i should take care of my baby. that was all. >> reporter: she agrees to show us where she says aguilar gets off the bus. unfortunately, once in the neighborhood, the people we meet say they don't know him. and our trail runs cold. back in mexico city, the spokesman for the archdiocese, hugo valdemar, says the church has no further responsibility for aguilar. >> translator: here in mexico city, we have no news of victims of nicolas aguilar. >> reporter: he says the church disputes the claim of rape by joaquin mendez. but he acknowledges aguilar may be guilty of other abuse. >> translator: i'm not saying he may not have done things because we have the impression that he did. the church has done what needed to be done. it suspended nicolas aguilar. he is no longer a priest. >> reporter: but church officials did not defrock aguilar until 2009. years after they knew about the alleged abuse. valdemar told us it's not the church's job to hunt down suspects. >> translator: this is a job for the police. >> reporter: but sanjuana martinez doesn't see any evidence the police are looking for him. do you think that one day he will be arrested here in mexico? >> i don't think so. >> gary tuchman joins us now. so theoretically, could aguilar face charges in the united states if he's arrested? >> the charges still stand. what prosecutors in southern california are telling us is if mexican authorities arrest him, if he were to be extradited, they would continue the prosecution. police in mexico are telling us they can't find him. church officials in mexico have indicated to us they have no interest in finding him. what's interesting about what the police tell us is that when we were there, we almost immediately found people who just saw aguilar. we were directed to a neighborhood where he either lives or visits frequently, and we're just reporters. we don't have search warrants. but if we were with police who had search warrants, i'm convinced they could have found him very quickly. >> it seems pretty notable that the los angeles archdiocese essentially acknowledged that there was improper conduct, they handled it inappropriately. what does that mean? >> it was very notable to have the spokesman from the l.a. archdiocese admit fault, admit that perhaps we should have called the police back then, years ago. not perhaps, we definitely should have called the police back then. that was a mistake. that was a very important part of our story. what was also important is him telling us that the archdiocese is not doing this anymore. that it's doing it right. we sure hope that's the case. >> gary tuchman, thanks. >> thanks, gary. coming up, a play that has broadway buzzing wits irreverent look at one of america's most revered figures. dr. martin luther king, jr. i'll introduce you to the young playwright behind it and tell you how growing up in memphis helped inspire her. st unroll, add ingredients, roll and bake. and the crowd goes wild. crescent bacon cheddar pinwheels. game day ideas made easy. crescent bacon cheddar pinwheels. 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[announcer:] at conocophillips, we're helping power america's economy with cleaner, affordable natural gas. more jobs. less emissions. a good answer for everyone. so with affordable energy that we can get to safely... we could afford to eat out more often. our daughter likes my cooking. don't you lori... lori? i've reported several documentaries about dr. martin luther king jr. so i was intrigued by a new star-studded play that opened recently on broadway. it's called "the mountaintop." the way it portrays the last night of dr. king's life has people talking. and the playwright, katori hall, wasn't even born when dr. king was killed. but she says her play makes king look more real. >> we've got some difficult days ahead, but it really doesn't matter with me now. because i've been to the mountaintop. i don't mind. >> reporter: wednesday, april 3rd, 1968. >> mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord! >> reporter: the last speech dr. king ever gave. memphis's mason temple. he finished exhausted and returned to the nearby lorraine motel. his favorite room, 306. it was the last night of his life. have you ever had a chance to be inside dr. king's actual room at the lorraine motel? >> no. only in my imagination. >> reporter: really? playwright katori hall has imagined dr. king's last night for almost 30 years of her life. they never let anyone in this room. almost never. >> yeah. >> reporter: this is all the way the room was when he died. >> mm-hmm. it is so small. it's too small to contain his dreams. you know? wow. >> reporter: now, hall has vividly brought that last night to life in a controversial play that's electrifying theatergoers. it's an unusual and very human take on dr. king. he drinks and smokes. he curses. he flirts. >> do you think i should shave off my mustache? >> i like the fact that it was just about, you know, dr. king being in a room and not being that iconic speech making, marching, protesting man that we knew. >> mustache? no mustache? >> reporter: academy award nominee samuel l. jackson plays dr. king. >> it was an opportunity to create a dr. king that we don't ordinarily associate with people who were that large. >> reporter: is there a risk to that? >> it's not a risk to me. it's an opportunity. >> reporter: an opportunity both jackson and co-star angela bassett couldn't pass up. >> i love that he is seen as, and my character says this a couple times, sugar, shush. you just a man. >> reporter: the idea was inspired by katori's mother. carrie mae. >> she grew up around the corner from the lorraine motel. and when dr. king came to speak in support of the sanitation workers strike at mason temple, she wanted to go. and she asked her mother can she go to mason temple to hear dr. king speak. and big mama told her, no, you are not going to go. somebody's going to bomb that church. you know they're out to kill that man. and my mother was like, that's one of my biggest regrets. i never got a chance to hear him speak. >> i would tell katori that story basically about every time black history came about. and it just kept going on. martin luther king became one of her favorite peoples. >> reporter: hall grew up with that story walking her mother's childhood streets. >> this entire street was just, you know, full of people. miss ida. miss ruth. >> reporter: she calls memphis her muse. where she found inspiration. and her fighting spirit. >> i was the first black valedictorian. i had heard a rumor at school that the powers that be were going to change the march into alphabetical order. when carrie mae hall heard about that, my mama, said you ain't going to do that to my child. you know, i ended up walking in first. >> reporter: hall received a full scholarship to columbia university. an actor, she found few roles written for women of color. >> i was taken an acting class, and a teacher, you know, told me and my acting partner to go to the library that get a play that had a scene between two young black women. we really struggled. that's when i was like, i got to write some plays, then. >> reporter: hall has written nearly a dozen plays since. she was only 26 when she finished "the mountaintop." >> it's a gift. she was meant to do it. >> i did feel even at a young age that i had walked this earth before. >> reporter: you're an old soul. >> yeah. >> reporter: in 2009 in london, it opened to rave reviews and top awards. in retrospect, was it easier to go to london because people don't have that same ferocious love and respect for dr. king? >> absolutely. absolutely. there's cultural distance. they were also very open to judging the play on its own merits and not, you know, being disturbed over the human portrayal of dr. king. >> reporter: close to home, on broadway, there's more at stake. some are disturbed by the portrayal. >> i actually have lost 12 pounds in the past month due to stress. i have had a lot of sleepless nights. >> reporter: a lot of pressure for one of broadway's youngest playwrights. >> i would feel really sad if people didn't understand that what i'm trying to do is to show that we all can be kings and all great people are human. it just shows that a human being was able to change the world. and you can change the world, too. >> fear makes us human. >> katori! katori, down here! >> so that moment, she's walking into the room for the first time. i mean, she's written about it obviously. what was the moment like for her? >> you know, she was so nervous going in i literally thought she might pass out. she was so anxious about it. but when we went in, she actually, big t