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Interview with Louis Hennessy; Where does the Levy Investigation Stand?

Aired May 28, 2002 - 14:41   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: Bob Franken in Washington, D.C. Bob, you've covered that news conference by Chief Ramsey, as well as the medical examiner. Tell us, give us a summary of what it is that we should take away today as to where this investigation now stands.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, the impression here we have the gentle sanctuary of this memorial service, in stark contrast to the harsh reality of why and how Chandra Levy died, at least how she died in the official designation. It was a homicide. She was murdered.

Not many details have been given out, not a surprise. But as the chief medical examiner said, that that was not a surprise, they wouldn't know very much.

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DR. JONATHAN ARDEN, D.C. MEDICAL EXAMINER: In this case, there was not specific -- or 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)

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CHIEF CHARLES RAMSEY, D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE: Well, what it means is, it's a murder investigation. At least we know that it's not an accident. It wasn't -- she's not just a missing person. She had to get to that location somehow. Was she -- did she do it on her own? Was she just a victim of random violence? Did somebody lure her there? I mean, there's a whole new set of questions that have to be answered.

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FRANKEN: A whole set of questions, questions having to do not only with the ones he specified, how did Chandra Levy come to be at the spot where she was found. But of course, more importantly, who was responsible for the death of Chandra Levy? It's now classified as a murder. Carol, there is a meeting still going on, we're told, here at police headquarters -- a meeting of the investigators from various agencies involved, plotting their strategy, a new strategy, now that they officially have a murder investigation -- Carol.

LIN: All right, let's see if we can figure out what happens next. Bob Franken in Washington, D.C., thanks so much.

Now I'm going to turn to Lou Hennessy. He is a former homicide investigator with the D.C. police department. Lou, thanks for joining us here.

W. LOUIS HENNESSY, FMR. D.C. HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION: You're welcome.

LIN: The strategy session going on right now. Be a fly on the wall and tell us, what's being laid out on the table? What happens next?

HENNESSY: I'm surprised that the strategy session is taking place now. I would have thought that they probably would have had the strategy session sometime before, so that when her body was recovered they could be in a position to really hit the ground running.

But I think what they're probably doing now is taking a look at all of the evidence, getting some ideas, brainstorming, as to what avenues the investigation should take from here: who needs to be interviewed, what type of tests should be performed, and just laying out and delegating responsibility for those tasks.

LIN: All right, I'm going to give you the same challenge I gave to Mike Brooks, who used to work with the D.C. police department, too. I asked, him, who's at the top of your interrogation list? He declined to answer, but he had some ideas.

What about you? Who would you want to interview first? Who is the most likely person to have the most answers about how Chandra Levy spent the last hours of her life?

HENNESSY: Well, I don't know, obviously, everything that the police know. It's been years since I have been on the police department. But if I were looking for someone, I would want look into very closely, I would look at the individual who was charged with the similar crimes in the park, in the same area where young women were accosted.

And the individual apparently is doing a jail sentence now. He would be someone who would immediately arouse some suspicion, and someone I would be very interested in doing a time line on, from the point of time he came into this country, find out exactly where he's been, whether or not there have been similar crimes in other cities and other locations where he may have been. That would be someone that I think merits a lot of attention at this point in time.

LIN: And second on your list? HENNESSY: I really don't know who would be second on the list. I would suspect there's probably other people that have been arrested for crimes in that area as well. I mean, people are creatures of habit. They're going to continue to do things the same way over and over again.

And I find that the fact that they've got somebody who has committed a violent crime against similar victims in the same neighborhood at the same time, it is a tremendous break in the case. And, you know, if there are other people that fall into that category as well, those are people I would want to speak with as well.

LIN: Don't you think whoever this person is, though, has had now more than a year to think about, well, if I'm ever questioned by the police, this is what I'm going to say, and work it out pretty well in his mind?

HENNESSY: Well, I think the problems that they will have with respect to questioning him is, he's already been convicted of a crime. He probably already has an attorney. And an attorney is going to tell him not to say anything.

It would have been a lot nicer to have recovered the body 13 months ago and had that knowledge as to where she was, and the fact she had died. And they'd probably know the cause of death had the body been recovered then. And had that information available to them when he was initially arrested on the crimes in May and July of last year, then they may have had success in obtaining a confession. This could be far more difficult now, yes.

LIN: Well, and the police department even said today that it's not unheard of for someone to come forward, even a year later or years later, because of a guilty conscience. I mean you, as a homicide investigator, how much stock do you put in that lucky break?

HENNESSY: You know, sometimes you need luck to solve a case like this. And in many instances, the police can make their own luck, if they are prepared. They prepare themselves properly for the opportunity to interview people, know all the facts of the case, have done their homework.

And then the opportunity presents itself, where they have a chance to interview someone who potentially has some information. They can create their own breaks. But expecting a phone call to come in, that's probably a far shot here.

LIN: All right. Well, still preliminary in this now official homicide investigation. We'll see what happens next.

Thanks so much, Lou Hennessy, former homicide investigator with the Washington, D.C. police department.

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