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CNN Live Today
Serial Murder Case
Aired June 18, 2003 - 11:02 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The Miami, Florida police chief is putting the public there on alert warning them that a serial rapist is on the loose. So far police have said that seven attacks are linked to the same man.
Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti is following this story for us, as she has from the beginning. She checks in from Miami. Hello, Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon.
Police Chief John Timoney calls the suspect here disarming because he has been able to, in some cases, use excuses to make his way into his victims homes. In other cases, he has forced his way in. And in another instance attacked a young girl in the backyard of her home. Now the latest known attack was just linked through DNA. The victim, a 77-year-old woman attacked in the very same neighborhood as all the other rapes. Police say the series of attacks began last September, seven in all, all but one are matched through DNA. Now authorities say even more stranger rapes might possibly be linked to the same suspect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. BILL SCHWARTZ, MIAMI POLICE: We're talking to detectives, we're picking their memories. And some of them say they think they remember some old cases that might very possibly could be related. So we are going back and checking those cases again. We are also checking burglary cases, because this guy is a burglar. He either breaks into your house or uses some sort of ruse to get into the house, whether he needs to use the phone, get a glass of water, maybe he wants to rent a room. So we are checking any and all cases that could be possibly related.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: The Police Chief Timoney says he has never seen anything like this in his long career. Unusual, he says, because the rapist here appears to be targeting victims of so many different ages, the youngest 11, the oldest 79 - Leon.
HARRIS: Susan, why do they believe that he is still in that city?
CANDIOTTI: Well, because they have no reason to believe he's anywhere else, so they said the safe thing to do is assume he's still right here. That's why they have got at least 100 police officers working, we're told, around the clock trying to find him.
HARRIS: Thanks, Susan. Susan Candiotti in Miami.
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 June 18, 2003 - 11:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The Miami, Florida police chief is putting the public there on alert warning them that a serial rapist is on the loose. So far police have said that seven attacks are linked to the same man.
Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti is following this story for us, as she has from the beginning. She checks in from Miami. Hello, Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Leon.
Police Chief John Timoney calls the suspect here disarming because he has been able to, in some cases, use excuses to make his way into his victims homes. In other cases, he has forced his way in. And in another instance attacked a young girl in the backyard of her home. Now the latest known attack was just linked through DNA. The victim, a 77-year-old woman attacked in the very same neighborhood as all the other rapes. Police say the series of attacks began last September, seven in all, all but one are matched through DNA. Now authorities say even more stranger rapes might possibly be linked to the same suspect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. BILL SCHWARTZ, MIAMI POLICE: We're talking to detectives, we're picking their memories. And some of them say they think they remember some old cases that might very possibly could be related. So we are going back and checking those cases again. We are also checking burglary cases, because this guy is a burglar. He either breaks into your house or uses some sort of ruse to get into the house, whether he needs to use the phone, get a glass of water, maybe he wants to rent a room. So we are checking any and all cases that could be possibly related.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: The Police Chief Timoney says he has never seen anything like this in his long career. Unusual, he says, because the rapist here appears to be targeting victims of so many different ages, the youngest 11, the oldest 79 - Leon.
HARRIS: Susan, why do they believe that he is still in that city?
CANDIOTTI: Well, because they have no reason to believe he's anywhere else, so they said the safe thing to do is assume he's still right here. That's why they have got at least 100 police officers working, we're told, around the clock trying to find him.
HARRIS: Thanks, Susan. Susan Candiotti in Miami.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
