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CNN Live Today

Interview with Mike Brooks

Aired May 28, 2002 - 13:01   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, we begin with this: The D.C. medical examiner is ruling the death of Chandra Levy is in fact a homicide, but today's announcement reveals very little else about her killing.

CNN's Bob Franken has been following the case and he joins us now.

Frank, what do you -- Bob, what do you make of the conclusions of the medical examiner?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well we make the conclusion that investigators expected exactly that, that the medical examiner, given the amount of time he had, would rule that she died at the hands of someone else, a homicide in other words, but would not really have much more information. So when he came out, he told everybody expecting -- everybody what they expected to hear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JONATHAN ARDEN, D.C. MEDICAL EXAMINER: In this case there was not specific -- excuse me, sufficient evidence to ascertain conclusively the specific injury that caused her death. However, the circumstances of her disappearance and her body of recovery are indicative that she died through the acts of another person, which is the definition of a homicidal manner of death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And of course that was the conclusion drawn after investigators searched high and low at the scene once they discovered the remains of Chandra Levy a little bit less than a week ago. They've been searching very diligently. As a matter of fact, they're still searching today looking for evidence. And of course there's a lot of investigative work ahead. The fact that this has been announced now as a criminal investigation is going to change things quite a bit. And we're going to find out exactly how within about a half hour when the Chief of Police Charles Ramsey comes out.

But now another of the mysteries concerning the death of Chandra Levy who had been missing for over a year, Chandra Levy the 24-year- old former intern, another of the mysteries has been set aside. That is cause of death, at least in the eyes of the officials, the medical examiner. Now comes another big one, what exactly were the specifics about the homicide and more importantly, who was responsible -- Carol.

LIN: Well I suppose the Michael Skakel case, Bob, shows us that, in fact, suspects can be brought to trial years and years later. What do you make of these high-tech DNA testing that you talked about about an hour ago with us that they may be borrowing from some experts of the Smithsonian? Is that likely to yield any results?

FRANKEN: Well one never knows, but there is a particular expertise, of course, in the forensics of the past. And of course the Smithsonian sometimes deals in eons past as opposed to just a year and sometimes it produces results, sometimes it does not. And in a little bit less exotic, not much but a little bit, is the fact that the FBI lab is here in Washington with it's ability to do sophisticated DNA testing. But the problem right now, according to the medical examiner, is that whatever DNA was found at the scene has no comparison basis. That is to say they have not decided yet to whom a comparison should be made. Of course that would be the next step, coming up with suspects. That's a word you can now use that it's a criminal investigation.

LIN: All right, Bob, a couple of days ago you were talking about a possible suspect. We didn't call him as such, but it's an inmate in prison who is being -- might be questioned in the Chandra Levy investigation. Do you have any more on that person or whether he is a suspect now, too?

FRANKEN: Well, first of all, there is no more information. I'm told that they have not yet interviewed him. His name was Igmar Guandeque. He was convicted for a couple of assaults in the very area where Chandra Levy's remains were found. Convicted at -- for crimes that occurred about the time she disappeared. They have questioned this man before. Obviously, they say that now given the "coincidences" -- quote, unquote -- that they've come up with they want to look at him again. But investigators, detectives, police officials say this is just one lead. It's only that, a lead.

LIN: All right. Thank you very much. Bob Franken reporting live for us there.

We're going to bring in Mike Brooks. He's a former D.C. investigator.

You've worked with this department before. Bob was talking about one of perhaps many people that the D.C. police wanted to question in this Chandra Levy investigation. What do you make of his role and what -- whether he's involved in the Levy investigation at all?

MIKE BROOKS, FORMER D.C. POLICE DETECTIVE: I believe investigators don't really think he's a suspect right now. They've talked to him before. They've looked at him before. The U.S. Park Police had arrested him, you know, and he's now doing 10 years in a penitentiary down in North Carolina. They've looked at him because he, of course, when they were doing the initial investigation, he was one of the things they -- one of people they looked at. And I think they've kind of discounted him, but as they get more information.

We talk about evidence. We don't know exactly what kind of evidence was left at the scene. We know we have skeletal remains. There's also clothing there. There's no one, as Bob was pointing out, there's nothing right now -- as you're talking about DNA comparisons -- there's no one to compare -- if there was DNA on the clothing, there's no one right now to compare it to. Not to say, you know, and not even knowing if there is any, in fact, on the clothing, but usually when somebody commits an act like this they leave something behind whether it's...

LIN: Even a year later?

BROOKS: Even a year later.

LIN: OK.

BROOKS: Absolutely. You talk about her Walkman. May -- she may have had a Walkman on and other personal items. Who's to say that there's not a possible fingerprint, just a little piece of a fingerprint, a smudge. You can get a lot of evidence out of -- out of a fingerprint. And during a struggle, a lot of things happen. And people who think they don't leave anything behind sometimes do and most of the time do leave something behind.

LIN: All right. We're expecting to hear from D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey in about 20 minutes. What are you expecting to hear from him? What sort of tone is he likely to adopt now about the investigation?

BROOKS: I think what you'll probably hear from the chief and from Chief Gainer (ph) is that they've now moved from a missing person's investigation into a homicide investigation. There's a lot of things now that they're -- they -- going to change the line of questioning.

When they were interviewing the over 100 people prior to it becoming a homicide when it was just a missing persons' case, they were going at it from the, you know, where is Chandra, where did you last see her, those kinds of things. Now they can if -- when they go back, if I was the investigator, I'd go back and reinterview some of the people because they were looking -- when we just had the first year anniversary of her missing just recently, first part of May. During that time I know that some of the investigators they were -- they were looking at some people, not as suspects, but some people they were interested in.

LIN: But why didn't they just assume that this could have moved into a homicide investigation and ask those questions then a year ago?

BROOKS: Well, you don't know, you know. Could she have decided to go missing on her own? Could it have been suicide? There's a -- there was a lot of questions remained unasked and -- remain unanswered, I should say, and back then you can't get into an accusatory tone if you don't have anything to back it up. Now they do. They know that there was a homicide. They know that she's not just a missing person anymore.

LIN: Are they likely to interview Gary Condit or any of his staff then?

BROOKS: There's a possibility they may. If I was an investigator, I -- what's to be gained by that? That's the -- that's the $64 million question. Now if there's something that he may know about her areas she used to jog in, some other things she used to do, some of her, you know, patterns she used to just go about, maybe that could help. Do they look at him as a suspect right now, I still don't believe that they do.

LIN: Do you think that Ramsey might say something to that effect (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

BROOKS: There's a possibility. That since...

LIN: All right.

BROOKS: ... of course this has been in the media because of Gary Condit.

LIN: All right, see if he adds him to the list or eliminates him altogether.

BROOKS: Could be.

LIN: Thanks so much, Mike Brooks,...

BROOKS: Sure.

LIN: ... former D.C. investigator, insight into the department there.

Well less than an hour from now the Levy family will hold a memorial service in Modesto, California, and CNN's Gary Tuchman is there right now.

Gary, I don't know if this came as good news for the family. Did you get any sort of reaction as to what they thought of the medical examiner's report?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, we just talked to a family spokesperson a short time ago who told us she is not 100 percent sure if the Levy's know about the report issued today. We may find out later if they do indeed know.

But Robert and Susan Levy in about 45 minutes are expected to arrive here at this Modesto, California convention center for their daughter's memorial service. We have not seen them for the last six days. Ever since their daughter's remains were identified, they and their son, Adam, have remained in seclusion. But here at this convention center at least 800 people, perhaps more, are expected to attend this public memorial service.

This is the program for it. It has a beautiful picture of Chandra in the middle with her name on top and the date, May 28, 2002 on the bottom. When people arrive here, they'll be greeted by the Modesto Symphony Orchestra playing in the lobby right behind me as we speak. Leading the service will be the rabbi of their synagogue here in Modesto, Paul Gordon (ph). He'll have introductory prayers and also closing prayers.

The choir from the synagogue will be singing an ancient Hebrew prayer call "Me Shabora (ph)" which translates to "The One Who Blessed." It is a prayer for emotional healing. Very appropriate, obviously, considering the circumstances. Other songs that will be sung at the service include the haunting tune "Amazing Grace" and then songs that Chandra liked. One of them is Simon and Garfunkel's "El Condor Aposa (ph)" and then the service will close with another song that Chandra liked very much by The Birds, "Turn, Turn, Turn." This service was designed by Chandra's parents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDY SMITH, LEVY FAMILY SPOKESPERSON: We have speakers, family and close friends, that can talk about what Chandra was like when she was little, when she was in high school. Some of the family will share some stories. We actually heard some of them last night at a family dinner. There was some laughter and some tears, so it'll be a wonderful, wonderful celebration of Chandra's life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: And speakers at the celebration of her life will include Chandra's grandmother, Leigh Pollack (ph), also her aunt and uncle, two of her friends and perhaps her brother, Adam, if he's emotionally able to. We do know her parents, Robert and Susan, are not emotionally able to speak and therefore they will not be speaking at the service today.

Now we told you this is a public service. Anyone is allowed to attend. There will also be local dignitaries, including the mayor of Modesto, the city of 180,000 people. As far as the local congressman of this district, Gary Condit, we called his office a short time ago here in Modesto and asked by any chance was he thinking of coming? The answer from the office was we don't know. We don't even know if he's in Modesto right now.

Carol, back to you.

LIN: All right, thank you very much, Gary, for that report.

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