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American Morning

Did Sniper Suspects Keep Computerized Diary?

Aired November 08, 2002 - 07:15   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Did the sniper suspects keep a computerized diary of the killings in which they stand accused? Published reports say that the laptop computer that police found in the suspects' car when the two were arrested last month contained maps, dates and other details about the shooting spree.
To discuss the new aspect of the case, let's bring in our law enforcement analyst, Mike Brooks. He is in Atlanta this morning.

Mike -- good morning.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: What do you know about this laptop and what's on it?

BROOKS: Well, this laptop apparently was found in Muhammad and Malvo's car. The 1990 Chevy Caprice was rigged up fairly sophisticated, the sources are telling me. It was rigged up so they could use the computer right in the car, go to the scenes of the shootings, take the shot and then take off.

And apparently, they had in this computer they had maps of where they were going to do their shootings, routes of how to get there -- all kinds of things that they're now looking at as evidence, and it's good evidence, because now, they can go back to whatever program they were using and also see exactly from what area they were at that particular time.

There's a lot of good information and a lot of good evidentiary material that you can get from the Internet. But special warrants have to be obtained for that, and that's what the law enforcement is in the process of doing right now.

KAGAN: And not surprisingly, I understand the laptop itself was stolen.

BROOKS: Yes, it was stolen apparently in a robbery. So, you know, we go back talking about what the motive of these two mopes were, and it looks as if it were money and stealing things. So, we're finding out more and more about this every single day.

KAGAN: Did you call them "mopes?"

BROOKS: Yes.

KAGAN: Yes, you did, OK. What about the videotape that you're hearing about? BROOKS: Well, there is apparently a videotape of them in a restaurant in Maryland, in Washington, D.C., Washington-Montgomery County Metropolitan area. It's from surveillance videos. They're looking at that. And sources are telling me that that places them in the area during the times of the shootings and are in and around Washington, D.C. -- again, another good piece of evidence.

And then again yesterday, we see that there was a shooting in Atlanta, Georgia that was linked to them prior to them going to Alabama. So, and now we see a .22-caliber -- a .22 Magnum caliber gun, so a handgun.

So, you know, we're find out more and more everyday, Daryn, and I think we're going to continue to find out what the trail of these killers really was.

KAGAN: You've mentioned Atlanta. It seems like every day, Mike, we're hearing about a new city, a new state, coming up with a crime they believe are linked to these two suspects.

BROOKS: Yes, I think chiefs of police from all around the country, especially on the East Coast and Midwest, are looking at all of their cases that they have open right now to see if there is any link whatsoever between Malvo and Muhammad. So, I think we haven't heard the end of this.

KAGAN: But what about that desire to throw everything at them, any kind of unsolved case?

BROOKS: Well, they can't do that. You know, any unsolved case, you have to have some kind of evidence to bring them, to indict them, and bring them to trial. But in the Atlanta case, the evidence was the ballistics. So, they do have them linked to that particular one.

They're looking at some other shootings possibly in Atlanta also. But as of right now, they do not have anymore linked to them. So, we haven't heard the end of this.

KAGAN: Mike Brooks in Atlanta -- thank you so much, Mike.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired November 8, 2002 - 07:15   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Did the sniper suspects keep a computerized diary of the killings in which they stand accused? Published reports say that the laptop computer that police found in the suspects' car when the two were arrested last month contained maps, dates and other details about the shooting spree.
To discuss the new aspect of the case, let's bring in our law enforcement analyst, Mike Brooks. He is in Atlanta this morning.

Mike -- good morning.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: What do you know about this laptop and what's on it?

BROOKS: Well, this laptop apparently was found in Muhammad and Malvo's car. The 1990 Chevy Caprice was rigged up fairly sophisticated, the sources are telling me. It was rigged up so they could use the computer right in the car, go to the scenes of the shootings, take the shot and then take off.

And apparently, they had in this computer they had maps of where they were going to do their shootings, routes of how to get there -- all kinds of things that they're now looking at as evidence, and it's good evidence, because now, they can go back to whatever program they were using and also see exactly from what area they were at that particular time.

There's a lot of good information and a lot of good evidentiary material that you can get from the Internet. But special warrants have to be obtained for that, and that's what the law enforcement is in the process of doing right now.

KAGAN: And not surprisingly, I understand the laptop itself was stolen.

BROOKS: Yes, it was stolen apparently in a robbery. So, you know, we go back talking about what the motive of these two mopes were, and it looks as if it were money and stealing things. So, we're finding out more and more about this every single day.

KAGAN: Did you call them "mopes?"

BROOKS: Yes.

KAGAN: Yes, you did, OK. What about the videotape that you're hearing about? BROOKS: Well, there is apparently a videotape of them in a restaurant in Maryland, in Washington, D.C., Washington-Montgomery County Metropolitan area. It's from surveillance videos. They're looking at that. And sources are telling me that that places them in the area during the times of the shootings and are in and around Washington, D.C. -- again, another good piece of evidence.

And then again yesterday, we see that there was a shooting in Atlanta, Georgia that was linked to them prior to them going to Alabama. So, and now we see a .22-caliber -- a .22 Magnum caliber gun, so a handgun.

So, you know, we're find out more and more everyday, Daryn, and I think we're going to continue to find out what the trail of these killers really was.

KAGAN: You've mentioned Atlanta. It seems like every day, Mike, we're hearing about a new city, a new state, coming up with a crime they believe are linked to these two suspects.

BROOKS: Yes, I think chiefs of police from all around the country, especially on the East Coast and Midwest, are looking at all of their cases that they have open right now to see if there is any link whatsoever between Malvo and Muhammad. So, I think we haven't heard the end of this.

KAGAN: But what about that desire to throw everything at them, any kind of unsolved case?

BROOKS: Well, they can't do that. You know, any unsolved case, you have to have some kind of evidence to bring them, to indict them, and bring them to trial. But in the Atlanta case, the evidence was the ballistics. So, they do have them linked to that particular one.

They're looking at some other shootings possibly in Atlanta also. But as of right now, they do not have anymore linked to them. So, we haven't heard the end of this.

KAGAN: Mike Brooks in Atlanta -- thank you so much, Mike.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.