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CNN Larry King Live

Interview With John Walsh

Aired June 24, 2003 - 21:00   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.


LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted." What does he make of the Laci Peterson murder case and the capture of fugitive Max Factor heir Andrew Luster? We'll get into all that and more with John Walsh, who turned the devastating loss of his young son into one of the most powerful tools in law enforcement. Nobody hunts down criminals like he does. He's here for the hour. Your phone calls will be included next on LARRY KING LIVE.
We've been talking with him frequently over the years. It's always a great pleasure to have him with us, John Walsh. He hosts "America's Most Wanted," host of the syndicated daytime show that bears his name. He also has a new radio series, 60-second daily spots on ABC radio. You all know the story of his young son, Adam, who was kidnapped and murdered in the summer of 1981.

A lot of bases to cover tonight. Let's go first with the -- what's your read on the Peterson case?

JOHN WALSH, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Well, my opinion is the guy's guilty. I went up there right after she was missing. I had a long conversation with him on the phone -- which has been subpoenaed now by Mark Geragos -- and at the request of his father and his brothers. And I said, Look, I'm the guy that finds the unfindable. Your beautiful wife is missing. Your son is about to be born. I'll do -- I'll be fair to you. I'll come up there. I said, But I got a couple questions to ask you. When my son was missing, my wife and I went in and we took the polygraphs right away. We're in there 12 hours. You're not cooperating with police. You haven't taken the polygraph. You've hardly been to the search center. I said, I never left the police department for two weeks until I found my son. I said, You're the guy that's causing this investigation and search to...

KING: What did he say?

WALSH: He says, Oh, I can't handle it emotionally. I'll go on "America's Most Wanted." I said, I'll be the fairest to anybody. I fly all the way there. He won't meet with me personally. He goes on the show, but he won't have the guts to sit down with me face to face. Then he tells me...

KING: Now, how does he -- who -- who'd he appear with?

WALSH: He -- I had one of my producers go and interview him.

KING: Oh. WALSH: Then he says, I'll change -- I'll go on "The John Walsh Show." I said, Look, I -- really, I'll give you the shot. We've got to get your wife back. We've got to find out what happened to her. I waited in front of his house for six hours. He calls me on the cell phone and says, I just can't do it emotionally.

Here's a guy won't cooperate with police, won't go in for the polygraph, won't stay at the search center. And then he dyes his hair blonde, buys a car for $3,000 cash with false IDs, got 10 grand in his pocket, and he's got his brother's ID and he's 10 miles from the Mexican border. Everybody knows there's no extradition treaty from Mexico.

Come on, Larry. I mean, this guy, in my opinion, he's dirty.

KING: But wouldn't he be -- wouldn't that be such a strange way to act, as to tell you? Why would someone who had done it act that strangely? I'm doing reverse psychology here.

WALSH: Act that strangely?

KING: Yes. In other words, why would you act like something was the matter? I mean...

WALSH: You know...

KING: Why not go to the search scene? Even if you did it, why not fake it?

WALSH: Absolutely. I...

KING: So if you don't fake it, doesn't it lend you to think that maybe this guy is just a cad but not a murderer?

WALSH: My opinion is he's the guy. He's the guy. I think...

KING: All right, now, when you say something like this...

WALSH: Yes. And that's my opinion.

KING: ... on national television.

WALSH: That's my opinion. And he's alleged to be...

KING: All right. Doesn't that affect his getting a fair trial? A prospective juror watching this now would have to say...

WALSH: If they could try O.J. Simpson, if they could find 12 honest men and women -- and that was an abomination, that trial, and I hope this one doesn't go that way -- they'll find 12 people that didn't see this Larry King show. I wish everybody watched it, but they'll find 12 people that didn't see this show.

KING: What do you make of gag orders on the people involved?

WALSH: I think it's important. I think it's really hurtful. I think that...

KING: You don't like it?

WALSH: The gag orders -- and we're in the media. But I think that a lot of mean-spirited things have been said. The rumor when Laci's body popped up and the son's, Conner's, body popped up, the speculation and innuendo that a satanic cult had been involved, that the baby may have been cut out of the mother's belly, all that was rectified the next day, of course, because she was in the water for a long time and the baby came out, and the baby was in good shape because it was inside the belly. And if you've ever been surfing or body-surfing, you get hit, you get dinged as you're washed along on the shore. And I think all this speculation and innuendo is brutal. Well, let's think about the victims? What about Laci's mother? About what about her father? What about her brother? These people -- I mean, let's get to the trial. Let them present their case. I think the judge had a lot of guts imposing a gag order.

KING: And another thing. Isn't it very difficult to conceive -- and you've lost a son...

WALSH: Yes.

KING: ... of a father doing that, with no history of violence, ever? No one's ever come forward to say he ever hit anyone -- to do that to your wife and your soon-to-be-born son.

WALSH: Done thousands of times before him. Nobody could have ever imagined Susan Smith could drown her own children in South Carolina and put them in the back of a car because she had a new boyfriend. Nobody can ever imagine that people can kill their own children. They do it all the time.

KING: And you think he will get a fair trial.

WALSH: I think -- oh, I think he'll get a fair trial, but I just don't like the spin of -- you know, Mark Geragos, I've known him for years. You've had him on this show...

KING: Many times.

WALSH: ... many, many times, and stuff. I think he ought to think, you know, twice about how hurtful some of the things he's saying to this family.

KING: John Walsh has covered the Max Factor heir story, Andrew Luster, who was captured in Mexico last week. Let's see a clip from the Walsh coverage, and then we'll get into some questions. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): Police and prosecutors say he meticulously planned his attacks. He would pick up a college-aged woman and persuade her to come to his beachfront cottage. There he would slip her a dose of the powerful date rape drug GHB, a clear and odorless liquid that left his victim helpless. One of Luster's victims, who agreed to talk if we hide her face, says she remembers how it felt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt a wave of heat that sort of started at the back of my spine and came up over the top of my head. And I knew something was wrong. And I asked him what he put in my drink, and he laughed. And he said, Don't you like it? Then he pushed me down, and I remember him beginning to rape me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: First, what do you think of the way he was caught?

WALSH: Well, first of all, we need an extradition treaty with Mexico or bounty hunters wouldn't have to go down there and get these guys. I've profiled guys that have run to Mexico because they know that there's no extradition treaty. They can hide down there. We've leant Mexico billions of dollars to save their economy, and I think that they should sign an extradition treaty. We have it with hundreds of other countries.

KING: Not having it, though -- in a sense, aren't you kind of an electronic bounty hunter?

WALSH: Well, I think we do -- we do it -- we cross the T's and dot the I's, and we turn the tips over to police. We -- you know, I don't believe in vigilantism. Bounty hunters are legitimate in the United States. There are good bounty hunters, there are bad bounty hunters. These guys went down there, I think they thought they were going grab him. He was pretty smart to start screaming in the middle of the night. I guess he knew the law. I'm surprised that the FBI was able to go down and get him out of jail and bring him back here and that the bounty hunters are still in jail. I think the Mexican authorities ought to at least bond them out and let them have a fair trial.

But you know, the -- again, the point is that Mexico better sign an extradition treaty because lots of our creeps go down there. And that's what Luster did. He bought all kinds of warm weather stuff and he just took his millions and headed down to Mexico.

KING: What would you make of a guy with that much money doing things like that?

WALSH: He's a pervert. He's a weirdo. He's a creep. He's been convicted. I don't have to say "alleged." He's going to spend a lot of time in jail. And you know what? A guy with that amount of money, he didn't need to do that. He's a weirdo. He belongs in jail.

KING: We'll be right back with more of John Walsh. We'll be including your calls. Lots of other crimes and cases to cover. Don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): Just days ago, Luster was convicted on 86 counts, including kidnapping, drugging and then raping women. But he was not there to hear their verdict. During his trial, Luster had been allowed to return to his home every night, as long as he wore this type of security ankle bracelet. On January 3, he took off. By the time the bracelet automatically alerted authorities, Luster was in the wind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with John Walsh, who covered the Elizabeth Smart disappearance case on both of his shows, including showing the come composite that helped crack the case. Here's a clip from his interview with Miss Smart after she was found.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: When Elizabeth came home, you sort of took a low profile. And tell me a little bit about that. I mean, most people, maybe in their heart of hearts, don't think their child's coming home. You never gave up hope. But all of a sudden, after nine months, she's home. Your focus went what direction?

LOIS SMART, ELIZABETH SMART'S MOTHER: Directly to Elizabeth. And of course, I was rejoicing and I was so happy and we all were happy. But if I spent my time out in media, telling the world that I was so happy and rejoicing, I wouldn't have been able to spend that time with Elizabeth. So I felt it was very important, and that was my role and calling, to be there for Elizabeth 24 hours a day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That, of course, was not with Elizabeth, but with her parents. Although she did come to you, right?

WALSH: She was there. It was her first appearance away from Salt Lake since she was recovered. It was just an honor. I mean, I was there when she was recovered, you know, and the fans of the show. And Ed and Lois are such wonderful people. They brought me up to the house secretly, without the media knowing, to see Elizabeth. And they said, We want you to see her. She's been in counseling every day. And as you saw her playing the harp there, that was wonderful.

This girl's doing very well after being brainwashed, nightmare. And what kills me is some people in the media saying -- speculating she ran away. This guy came into her bedroom and put a knife to her throat and told her every day he had her, he could -- I've been in your house. I can get back in there, and I can kill your little sister.

KING: Looks like a religious extremist, right?

WALSH: He's a psycho.

KING: He's a polygamist kind of thing?

WALSH: Oh, yes. He believed that he was going to have seven young brides. He tried to kidnap her cousin. He's up for that, also. He tried to break in the screen in that house. He's alleged to have tried to kidnap her cousin.

KING: Ed Smart called you when he found her, right?

WALSH: Oh, I was thrilled. Larry, it's one of the best days I've spent in the last 21 years -- I mean, since Adam was murdered. He never gave up. I talked to him over those nine months. And when everybody thought Richard Ricci, the guy that died in prison -- now, he was a logical suspect. He had tried to shoot a cop. He had been to burglarize their house. He'd been the handyman. But little Mary Catherine (ph) kept telling the police, No, it's this guy, Emanuel, that was at the house one day.

So I put the composite on, and Ed Smart called me from the Sandy, Utah, from the police department. He says, John, he says, I haven't told my wife yet. He says, I'm telling you Elizabeth is alive, and I'm going to give her a hug. And he said, I can't wait. You never gave up. You never gave up. And he said, This -- this -- I'll never forget what he said. He says, This is one for Adam. It was just -- I could have walked on the ceiling of that room.

KING: Now the Amber Alert is law, right?

WALSH: Took us six years. It was in some states, like California and Texas. It was started after beautiful little Amber Hagerman (ph) was murdered six years ago, a 9-year-old girl. Case still unsolved. It was a real battle, but we finally got the House and Senate to agree. And this bill's got about 45 provisions in it for children, probably one of the most important pieces of child protection legislation. Amber Alert in every state, radio stations, TVs doing it. Code Adam, you know, when a kid -- child goes missing, they have Code Adam now in every federal building. Stiffer penalties. It's a great piece of legislation.

KING: Let's discuss another missing case, 5-year-old Leanna Warner (ph), nickname Beaner (ph). Why, by the way, do some of these cases -- why does the Smart get attention and this one doesn't?

WALSH: You know, I'd like to ask...

KING: Who chooses that?

WALSH: It's the people we work for. It's the GMs of the TV. It's the news directors of NBC and ABC and CNN. They decide what's a case. This one, because it came -- you know, Elizabeth was taken out of a house. Well, you know, this case should be getting that same attention. This is a beautiful little girl. She's been missing for 10 days. Thank God you're doing it on this show, and we're hoping that somebody'll see it, but...

KING: She was last seen in Chism (ph), Minnesota, around 5:00 PM on June 14, right?

WALSH: Walked to the house next door and was gone five minutes, and she's disappeared and...

KING: But these parents haven't been on national television? WALSH: I just get -- you know, there'll be on "America's Most Wanted" Saturday night. You got them on tonight. Every kid's just as important. And I wish every news director watching right now would say, Each kid is just as important. Doesn't matter where they live, where they're from. We -- and the best way to find these kids is through the use of the media.

KING: Sure is. What's this video voyeurism law you signed yesterday? They signed -- Pataki signed it yesterday.

WALSH: Yes, it was wonderful. Governor Pataki worked so hard on it. And this young lady, Stephanie Fuller (ph), came to me on "The John Walsh Show," and she said, I've been a victim of video voyeurism. She said, My landlord put a tiny, tiny camera up in the smoke detector and videotaped me. Then we find out there's a pedophile in Rochester, New York, who videotaped kindergarteners changing their bathing suits.

KING: He was a teacher, right?

WALSH: A teacher. Then find out that 20 women have been videoed in New York City in a building in the bathroom and that it's not against the law, only in five states. So Pataki, myself, Stephanie Fuller and a pretty good group of bipartisan politicians got together. I focused it on "The John Walsh Show." And you know the power of the media. Thousands of e-mails went up to Albany, and all of a sudden, guess what happened? We had that bill -- it should be in every state. This is exploitation of women and children.

KING: Is technology ahead of the law?

WALSH: Technology in many ways is ahead of the law. The Internet -- remember -- you know, the Internet became so popular, and Internet pedophiles figured it out like this. They said, Well, we used to buy our child pornography from Amsterdam. We used to send it in the mail, and Customs would get us. Now we can send it and download it to each other, and we can lure kids out of chat rooms. But you know what? But the law's catching up to them now.

KING: One of the problems. The media can certainly help, and they can help find missing people. They can also brandish an innocent person...

WALSH: Absolutely.

KING: ... as guilty...

WALSH: Absolutely.

KING: ... just by showing a picture. Right?

WALSH: Oh, yes.

KING: It's a thin line...

(CROSSTALK) WALSH: It's a fine line that I think that -- you know, for example, "America's Most Wanted" -- you know, we only do people that have been convicted or wanted by the police that have chosen to flee. So I believe that -- you know, that you really, really have to be very cautious and fair about that.

KING: There was a front-page story in last Sunday's "Washington Post" about mistaken arrests in Prince George's County and the role of "America's Most Wanted." I don't know about the story, but I'm going to ask John Walsh about it when we come back. Don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the man hiding in the background on crutches. And John, come up here. This man has devoted his life to making sure that hideous criminals are caught and put behind bars and the people of our country are the safest they can possibly be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: You may have noticed crutches here next to the set. Mr. Walsh, before we ask about the next story, what happened to you?

WALSH: I was trying a skateboarding trick. I was doing a show on "The John Walsh Show" on child prodigies, and I was with the 6- year-old national champion, who said to me, I don't think you can do this trick, Mr. Walsh. He said, It's ramp to ramp. He said I don't think you've practiced enough. I said, You know, I'm a pretty good athlete. I can do just about anything, you know? And five minutes later, I was laying on the ground, waiting for the rescue guys to come. Broke my leg in five places, my ankle. I got a big plate in my leg, a metal plate, and nine screws. So now I'm setting that radar off and -- but it was -- it was a bad break.

KING: In other words, dumb.

WALSH: Dumb. I guess I won't be skateboarding any more.

KING: All right, story in Sunday's "Washington Post" about mistaken arrests in Prince George's County, dealt with an ATM machine and wrong people were apprehended and...

WALSH: Well, you know, that happens all over the country.

WALSH: That happens all over the country, and the unfortunate...

KING: You showed the...

WALSH: We showed it, these three women. This is an unsolved murder of this woman. These three women were shown on an ATM.

KING: There they are.

WALSH: Yes. And lots of times, what happens is that murderers will take the ATM card of the person they killed or they'll torture them and get the card -- get the code out of it. And these ladies were brought back. And what happened was, the ATM didn't synch up the time. So they were falsely accused. Happens every day. Police straightened it out. You know, we apologized to them. Police apologized to them. But this is America, you know, and...

KING: Make you feel bad, though?

WALSH: Well, it -- I know that it happens, and that's part of the consequences of -- sure, it always make me feel bad when somebody, you know, is brought in. But I think people understand that this is what society's about, you know?

KING: The Molly Bish case -- her remains have been identified. The killer is still unknown. Let's see a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): Three years ago this month, 16-year-old Molly Bish disappeared from the lake in Warren, Massachusetts, where she worked as a life guard. Despite a massive search, police could find no sign of her. Late last month, a hunter walking in these woods, not far from where Molly was last seen, stumbled upon a partially buried blue bathing suit similar to the one Molly wore the day she went missing. As police searched through the woods, there were more discoveries -- human bones.

JOHN CONTE, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We were able to completely identify the remains as those of Molly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: What's this about?

WALSH: Heart-breaking case. I talked to her mom and dad, John and Maggie (ph) Bish, the other day. Three years they've been looking for this little girl. And the mom is the one who's given us this composite. We have a composite. Mom dropped her off at her lifeguard job that day, and there was a guy in the parking lot for hours. And her mother sat there and looked at him and said, What is this guy doing here? Gut feeling was something was wrong. Then the guy drove away. Mom went to work, came back to pick up Molly, and Molly was gone. And now they've found her -- her bones. We got to catch this guy. We got to catch this guy, and I'm hoping that somebody will look at that composite and make that call.

KING: And there's another case, the murder of Alexandra "Ali" Kemp (ph). There was an ad in the April 18 "USA Today." I think you have it here. Hold it up...

WALSH: Full-page ad.

KING: And the ad...

WALSH: This is her dad. KING: ... pretty graphic. "Do you know who killed me?" We have -- let's see a -- I think we have a clip here of -- here's how it happened, according to the police. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): Ali was working inside the pool area when cops say a man entered through the front gate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somehow, he talked the victim into going into the pool pump room area.

WALSH: Ali Kemp fought for her life, but the 19-year-old was no match for her attacker. She was dead in a matter of minutes. Cops say the suspect covered Ali with pool covers and then simply walked away. Ali Kemp's killer was last seen in a 1980s beige Ford pick-up truck like this one. Cops say he may be a traveler and that he may use his truck for maintenance or handyman work. If you think you've seen the man in this sketch, please call 1-800-CRIME-TV.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Just before the show, I talked to her dad, Roger Kemp. He found his daughter. He went in that pool room and -- horrible thing for a father. She was beaten so badly, he didn't even recognize that it was his own daughter. That guy was so cold-blooded, he walked right by her friend, who was coming to pick her up. That's where that composite was drawn by a composite artist name Lee Hammond (ph).

We got to catch this guy. Roger Kemp's done some very unusual things. He's a dad. I met with him out there and talked to him. He's taken out billboards. He's taken out this ad in "USA Today" because he loves his daughter. It's a kind of a novel approach, of victims and parents fighting back and saying, Hey, who killed this girl? Who killed me? And that -- I think it's a great way to fight back. And he's got a lot of guts. But we've got to catch that guy.

KING: By the way, we're going to go to calls for John Walsh at the bottom of the hour. Another case, the unknown Miami child rapist with a new face composite. Let's watch this clip from "America's Most Wanted."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): Take a good look at the new drawing of the suspect. He's described as dark-skinned Hispanic man, 5-foot-2 to 5- foot-6, roughly 140 to 170 pounds, brown eyes, short dark slick hair and a mustache. And here are some other key clues. He's been seen wearing this blue-and-yellow patterned shirt, a gold crucifix, a gold ring with a white stone on a gold chain, and a gold watch with a black face and gold numbers. You can see all of these clues at our Web site, amw.com.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: These sketches work? WALSH: Oh, let me tell you about this guy, first of all. He's terrified all of south Florida. Three little girls in the last three months -- 11, 12 and 13, latchkey kids. You know, half this country's divorced. Lots of moms work. And these kids come home. He's talked his way into three apartments and raped three girls. But they've linked together the DNA to three unsolved rapes last year, and one of those rapes that matched his DNA, that unknown guy right there, is a 79-year-old woman. He's raped six people. Terrified that he's going to continue to...

KING: Now, that composite, which the television viewer can now see, is put together how?

WALSH: It's put together by a brand-new computer product called -- it's a company called IQ Biometrix. And they sit down with the victims, with these little girls, very, very carefully, and through computers, they go through different eyebrows, et cetera. And it is uncanny. The first time we used it on "America's Most Wanted," it was also a child serial molester. And it was so close to what the guy looked like, guess who made the call and identified him? His own mother called in and everything. It's the state-of-the-art way to catch these guys. It is unbelievable. It puts together a photo -- almost a photo-quality composite. It's really state of the art.

KING: Is this a front-page story every day in "The Miami Herald"?

WALSH: Everywhere there. South Florida is terrified of this guy. I mean, they just -- we've got to get him. It's the No. 1 priority of the Miami Dade police. Everybody's looking in Dade County.

KING: How many serial killers are around in this country at one time?

WALSH: Oh, the FBI estimates that there are probably between 300 and 400 serial killers, identity unknown, at large right now.

KING: We're going to take a break, come back and go to your phone calls. We'll intersperse some other cases, too, as well, as we go along with John Walsh on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE. By the way, we're going to discuss the Luster case tomorrow night. That's the bounty hunters, which we discussed earlier with John. That'll be the topic tomorrow evening.

We'll be right back. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with John Walsh. We're going to discuss some other cases of interest. We want to get to some phone calls too. Our first call is from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Hello.

CALLER: Hello. My question is for your guest, Larry. I wonder, there's three parts to the question. I wanted to know if he has any comments about the JonBenet case in Colorado, and the second part to that question is, if that case will ever be solved? And the third part to that question is, doesn't he think it's really weird the way those parents acted from the beginning of that case, when they were doing everything possible to protect themselves rather than to find out what were -- who were the real killers of his daughter?

KING: OK, we got it. John?

WALSH: I've been to Dubai, hunting fugitives -- terrorists out there.

I don't think that that case will ever, will ever be solved, because now it's been taken over by the state, you know, the attorney general of the state of Colorado, because so many incredible mistakes were made at the crime scene at the beginning.

KING: From the get-go.

WALSH: From the get-go. And then they empaneled a grand jury and brought DAs from every county around Colorado, and they all came to the same conclusion. They said whether the Ramseys had something to do with it or not, there was such poor police work was done in the beginning, this case will probably never be solved.

Parents have the right to get lawyers. They have the right to get -- you know, to have people represent them if they think the cops are doing a bad job. I always wanted to do that case on "America's Most Wanted." And Mr. Ramsey said, I'd like to do it. Mrs. Ramsey said no. I said, I'll treat you fairer than anybody else in the world. Let me do a whole hour on "America's Most Wanted." But they're going to start over and take a re-look at the case. That's what I say you have to do. You have to throw everything out and start again.

KING: Are you open on it?

WALSH: I am open minded about it, because they only ever focused on the parents. A good investigation is a parallel investigation. Sweat the parents, but don't rule out the sexual offender that may be living within a mile of there.

KING: Toronto, Canada for John Walsh.

CALLER: Yes, good evening, Mr. King, Mr. Walsh. We recently had a terrible tragedy here, a young girl that was horribly murdered. And our law enforcement did an outstanding job in catching the sick pervert. My question for Mr. Walsh is, does he have any ideas of what we can do to help out the children of this neighborhood? You know, I mean, the children are a wreck. What does he think we can do to help them out and to get through and that sort of thing? What can we do?

KING: A great question.

WALSH: A good question. What we do here in the United States is we bring counselors into the schools. Like after Columbine shooting, down in San Diego after Danielle van Dam was murdered down there. They brought counselors into the school, and they have open forums. They talk to the kids, because kids nowadays are pretty sophisticated. And they want answers and they want to know. And that's a good way. If you're concerned with your own child, I am also -- and I have said it to you before -- I am a great, great advocate of professional counseling. But that community should bring counselors into the schools.

KING: Before we take our next call, I want to ask you about this case, about this accused rapist, Ruffeno Castenada (ph) in Mishwaka (ph), Indiana. He raped a woman -- and we have the tape of the 911 call in this case. This is -- viewers may find this disturbing, but we're going to listen to this call from the woman, right?

WALSH: Yes.

KING: The 911 call. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIFFANY: They pulled me out of the bar. I kicked and I screamed. Nobody came.

OPERATOR: Honey, calm down, sweetie. Calm down. Take some deep breaths. How long ago did this happen?

TIFFANY: About 10 minutes ago. I'm, like, blocks away from where it happened. I broke down the fence. I don't even know where I am. I'm in a cardboard box on the side of the road.

OPERATOR: Ma'am...

TIFFANY: I don't even know where I am.

OPERATOR: They know where you are now. They know where you are.

TIFFANY: I've never been over here.

OPERATOR: They're going to be sending help now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: Terribly disturbing case. We are calling the lady Tiffany to protect her identity. This guy kidnapped her, raped her brutally. She fought him back and got away and ran down the street naked. That's why she had that cardboard box on. And she has come every Saturday night -- we've done this case twice -- to our hotline. First time we have ever done that, because we had so many women that have been raped around the United States call our hot line or call our Web site, 1-800-CRIMETV, or call our Web site, amw.com, to share experiences with this woman. And she's answered every single one of these. But we've got to catch this Castanada (ph) guy. He's a creep, a low-life -- alleged, again, but you know, once these guys start this pattern, Larry, they don't stop.

KING: Columbia, South Carolina, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry. Thanks for taking my call. KING: Sure.

CALLER: John, earlier you mentioned you had a phone call with Scott Peterson. I would like to know if you can give any specifics of that call, such as what his mood or tone was. And did he say what he thought happened to Laci?

WALSH: Well...

KING: She was missing at the time, right?

WALSH: Yes, she was. And I told him that I was coming. And we had a long conversation. A long, long conversation. And we got right down to it. I mean, I really -- I went right after him. And I said look, I'm the guy that can help you. I'll come out there. I'll bring the whole show out there.

KING: He asked what the tone was.

WALSH: The tone -- it was like talking -- as if nothing happened. As if I was talking to someone who was completely disassociated with what was going on. He said yes, you're right. He says, I have been so stressed out that I have been going to play golf. And I said why? Answer me this, Scott. Why aren't you cooperating with police? Oh, well, you know, the affair. I was afraid. I lied to the police. I said, the affair is public. That's old news. You don't go to jail for that. Committing adultery is not against the law. OK, buddy? We know about the affair. That's not an excuse now. OK? So you should be talking to police.

KING: Did he have a theory?

WALSH: He said -- oh -- he didn't have any theory. He didn't have any theory. All I kept saying to him was, cooperate with police. Go in and take the lie detector test. Take the focus off of you and get the search looking for your beautiful wife and your son soon to be born. Oh, OK. I said to myself, something is really wrong with this. Something stinks here.

KING: Coral Spring, Florida, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry.

KING: Hi.

CALLER: Hi, Mr. Walsh. I just want to say to you, first of all, I admire you totally and have so much compassion for you and thank God for you.

WALSH: Thank you.

CALLER: I just wanted to find out if you suspect that there's a sex offender somewhere in your neighborhood, how do you actually go about pursuing that person and getting information about that one person? WALSH: Boy, that's a great question. We got Megan's Law passed years ago, after Megan Kanka (ph), the little girl that was lured into their garage by a convicted sex offender, who tortured her for hours. And her parents went and -- I was there at the Rose Garden with those parents when they signed that bill.

Every community, it is federal law now, that everybody, Larry King, John Walsh, this caller, anybody can go to your local police, that are in charge of your jurisdiction, whether they're state police, whether they're sheriffs, whatever, and you can look and see who the convicted registered sex offenders are in your area. And you will be amazed at how many of them are.

But it's a great thing, because we caught a guy in El Paso that kidnapped a little girl out of a Wal-Mart, tried to burn her face so he wouldn't leave any DNA. Picked up his palm print. He lived two miles away. They would never have got him 10 years ago if there wasn't a Megan's Law. He was on parole for kidnapping. So because he was forced to register in the sex offender registry, that's how he got nailed. So you can find out any county, any city, any town in the United States who the convicted sex offenders are.

KING: Augusta, Georgia, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Mr. Walsh.

WALSH: Hi there.

CALLER: I'd like to ask you a question in reference to Scott Peterson. And I'm also glad that you saw him eye to eye. This theory that the attorney, Geragos, is throwing out about a copycat killing of the other young lady that was found in the San Francisco Bay. Could this not possibly be backfiring? And why couldn't Scott Peterson have done the same thing and copycatted the other one, the other killer?

WALSH: We've actually had -- I don't mean to sidetrack here, but we've actually had serial killers that have killed 12, 13 women. And we've had copycat killers get rid of their old girlfriends or wives by doing the copycat murder. Cops are pretty good at figuring this out.

I think Mark Geragos is just trying set up a smoke screen, confuse everybody. Satanic cults, copycat killers, all that stuff. Let's get to the trial. I think the judge is right. Yes, Scott Peterson might have done this, maybe. Maybe he's a real demon or a nut case. But right now we have to deal with that trial.

KING: Thousand Oaks, California. Hello.

CALLER: Yes, hi, John, thank you so much for all that you do. And I just wanted to ask -- hello?

KING: Yes, go ahead.

WALSH: We're here.

CALLER: Sorry. WALSH: That's OK.

CALLER: I just wanted to ask John, in reference to Scott Peterson's parents, what kind of an impact will they have on the trial on this glorious painting that they're painting of their son, and the fact that he's never been in trouble before? How much damage can that do for the prosecution?

WALSH: Well, I'll tell you, I have sat through about 700 trials. And certainly Mark Geragos is going to do everything he can to paint Scott Peterson as the perfect son-in-law, the perfect husband, the perfect son, all of that stuff.

But I'll tell you what. When his mistress gets up there on that witness stand and talks about some of the things and some of the things that come forward, and I got to give the Modesto police credit here. They are keeping things quiet. I think we all learned a lot of things from the O.J. Simpson trial. And that's not play all your cards before the trial. Let's see what happens at that trial. They'll sit in that courtroom. I feel terrible for them, because you know, even serial killer's parents are human beings. And I have had -- I have actually had people call up "America's Most Wanted" and say, I apologize for what my child did. I said, you know what? It was their choice to do that. They'll sit in that courtroom. Laci Peterson's family will sit in that courtroom, and that jury will have to decide who killed that wonderful woman and her son.

KING: We'll be right back with more calls don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The victim refused to the go to the hospital until the officer took her by this home until he allowed her to show where this attack took place.

WALSH: Police staked out Castinata's (ph) house all night. But he never returned. Cops believe he has fled Indiana. Castinata worked as a cabinet builder, and speaks limited English. His face is pox marked with acne scars. And police believe he may be somewhere in the southwest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Allen Park, Michigan, for John Walsh. Hello.

CALLER: Hi, John. I just want to tell you I think it's absolutely wonderful what you do. And I just thank god we have people like you.

My question is, what do you think about all these defense attorneys putting Amber Frey down, saying she's just out for a book or money. And her makeover and everything.

What's your opinion of Amber? WALSH: I'll tell you what. She came forward. She came and talked to the police. I talked to the Modesto police. I thought she had a lot of courage. She came up voluntarily and came forward to them. Certainly, you know, the tactic of these defense attorneys...

KING: Isn't it the role to discredit to witness?

They're doing what they're supposed to do.

WALSH: That's what our system is. Sometimes they go overboard. Some defense attorneys, I think there will be a special spot in hell for some of them. But that's their job.

KING: You're not accusing Geragos?

WALSH: No, no. I'm not accusing him. He's got a job to do but, you know what, I wish defense attorneys would realize, stick to the law, stick to the facts, try to get your client off, but also be considerate that there's a lot of people out there on the victim's side that are hurting too.

KING: Before we take the next call, another case I want to cover. We have a clip as well. Are the unsolved killing of a Texas television reporter Jennifer Servo. Let's watch the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: No one know house far Jennifer's career could have gone. And sadly no, one will.

On September 18, 2002, worried that they hadn't heard from her for several days, Jennifer's friends at the station asked her landlord to check on her. Her body was found in her small apartment. Tonight, we're out to get justice for Jennifer Servo. Here's one way you can help. Remember several items are missing from Jennifer's apartment. Her cell phone, some DVDs and this unusual purse. Finding this purse could help lead to Jennifer's killer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Where does that stand?

WALSH: Not a clue. I don't know why...

KING: Any motive, any suspect?

WALSH: No. Probably an opportunist, maybe a stalker. She was sexually assaulted and beaten to death. I really thought this would have thought this would have made more of national story. Katie Couric was her idol. She was, you know, in the media.

KING: Why isn't it national story?

WALSH: I don't know. It just drives me crazy because, you know...

KING: Especially she was a TV reporter. You think TV would jump on top this.

WALSH: Very ambitious. A good reporter. And I really thought that this should be national news. One of these days I'll figure out why they don't make to it the national headlines.

KING: Maybe the audience knows. Why isn't -- OK.

Old Bridge, New Jersey, hello.

CALLER: Hi, thank you for taking my call. I just had a question regarding the Peterson case. Have there been any discussions about the possible theory that he may have hired someone to kill Laci and that's why the $10,000 was found on him?

WALSH: Well, you know, I talked to the Modesto cops. I'm not going to discuss and I don't ever do that, share what they've told me in confidence or whatever. Some of that money came from the sale of her vehicle and whatever money he had stashed. But they don't think he had someone -- they don think someone killed her that he hired. I think they have -- they feel they have enough evidence to get a conviction.

KING: Grand Island, Nebraska hello.

CALLER: I was wanting to ask Mr. Walsh about the perpetrators of serious crimes you profile.

Is there an average period of time in which such a criminal plans his crime typically, as opposed to a crime of passion?

Have there been any studies regarding time of planning?

WALSH: Lots of studies. Lots of criminals are predators and opportunist.

KING: Always looking?

WALSH: Always looking for that opportunity. Lots of burglars turn out to be rapists, which we find. If there's a woman home alone or sleeping, they say, hey, I have got chance or they wouldn't go in there to rape someone, they went in there to burglarize. Then you've got the ones that are planners, the real hunters, the career criminal, the serial child killers, the serial killers.

KING: They cover all bases.

WALSH: But I say that there have been lots and lots of studies. But you know, it's a certain mindset of certain individuals. I think we're starting as we study them more. We're starting to find out that the repeat offender is not going to get out of jail and go to work for Merrill Lynch. He is going to be a bad guy all his life, and you got to separate him from society.

KING: Summerside, Prince Edward Island, hello.

CALLER: Yes, Larry, I watch your show every evening. And I watch John's also.

I wanted to know is John ever found the killer of his little boy?

WALSH: Well, everybody believes that a guy named Otis Tool, a horrible guy that died a horrible death in prison. He was in Florida on death row and died of AIDS and cirrhosis of the liver before he was executed. He was Henry Lee Lucas' partner, another infamous serial killer from Texas. And lot of people in Florida, Broward state attorney and I myself personally feel that Otis Tool is the guy that kidnapped Adam.

KING: He confessed?

WALSH: He confessed four times. His lawyer recanted, he never recanted. But of course, he and Lucas figured out they could confess to lots of other murders and cops would come and get them. And they used to make a joke how they would go to that city and get a Burger King or pizza and get out of jail. And so they confessed to a lot of crimes they didn't do. But with out a doubt both of them were killers.

KING: You're convinced?

WALSH: I believe this horrible guy. He was a pedophile and killer.

KING: We'll be back with our remaining moments with John Walsh. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back. Russleville, Alabama.

CALLER: I was wondering if John Walsh would speculate on where Eric Robert Rudolph was hiding, and if he thinks there are more fugitives hiding in the same spot as well.

WALSH: I know exactly where he was hiding. I went down there. He's been hiding there for five year, right in Murphy, North Carolina. We got the tip two weeks before he was captured from a woman whose cousin helped Rudolph all these years. Rudolph would come in. Rudolph had two camp sites. That's an old growth forest. I went in there way back five years ago when they had the big task force looking. Navaho tracker, snipers, et cetera. And he would help process cocaine. Rudolph would go back into the woods into this campsite. And when this guy died 6 months ago, Rudolph came in. Eric Rudolph, came into that town and attended this guy's funeral. And that's why he was dumpster diving because he was running out of food because this guy had been helping him. He never left that area for five years.

KING: Williamsburg, Virginia, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry, Mr. Walsh. I was wondering if there was an update on Izenberg case. I seem to recall a media report a couple a months ago about a child that they thought might be the missing baby Izenberg, and I never heard anything more about it.

WALSH: Everybody was hoping it was the Izenberg baby. It was baby kidnapped in Tampa Florida through the back door of the house in the middle of the night. And then the focus went on to the parents for long time, then they moved away, you know that. Then they found the baby, but the DNA did not match the Izenberg DNA. So that case is at a dead end still. I think they're taking a different tact and different look at it now.

KING: Orlando, Florida, hello.

CALLER: Good evening, John, Larry.

My question, what kind of advice have you given Laci Peterson's family during this ordeal?

WALSH: Well, they're a wonderful, wonderful family. And I told them to take care of themselves. Laci's mom is a strong woman. Her stepfather is a great guy. Her dad is heart broken about this, but they are sticking together. I said the trial is going to be brutal, but you've got to take care of yourself. You've got to be healthy. And you've got to sit in that court room because you have every right to be there. You have to be present. And you have to be there. And You have to look at that jury.

KING: It's hard.

WALSH: You do. You've got to remember that Laci was the victim. And you've got to be there.

KING: Summerford, Newfoundland, hello.

CALLER: Hi, guys. Never miss your shows. I wonder -- sounds weird, but we microchip our animals. Why can't we come up with some kind of thing that we can do the same thing when babies are born and have a site so we know where they are at all times?

WALSH: You know, it's such a good question. I mean look at Molly Bish, missing for three years. Look at Chandra Levy missing. The not knowing is what kills people.

KING: Could they (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

Now, there's a new device out that has the global positioning satellite thing, GPS. And all cell phones are mandated to have it soon so they'll know where you are if you call 911 or something like that. Unfortunately it's been tried a couple of times. The pedophile know how to cut them off of children. It made sense to me, being the father of a murdered child. Dennis came to me and said, I'd love to invent a chip that I could put in a child's tooth or put a crown on their tooth, just so I'd know where they were.

KING: Got it coming.

WALSH: I think it is coming.

KING: Last call, Tampa, Florida, hello.

CALLER: Yes, hi. As a mother of a young child, I would like to know what John recommends how we can protect our children on daily basis?

Can we keep them inside or should we let them out to play.

WALSH: Well, it's a great question. I don't believe in terrifying kids. I don't believe in paranoia. I believe knowledge is power. I believe up until about eight or nine, you really have to keep an eye on your kids. They're easily, no matter how much you tell them, they're easily lurid. Look at the three girls in Miami that let them in the door saying he was from the power company. I'm sure they knew the rules of protection, but they didn't use them.

I always give this one tip. This is summertime now. We don't have crossing guards, we don't have school bus drivers. This is predator time. This is child molester's time when children are at playgrounds. No. 1 thing open the lines of communications with your kids. Talk to them all them time. And one simple rule, adults don't need help from children. When that guy pulls up in that van and ask you where the managers office is, help me find my lost puppy, I need directions. Don't get anywhere near that car. Let an adult get help from another adult. And if you want information on more tips than we have time to talk about, the National Center for Missing Exploited Children has a simple hot line, 1-800-the-lost. We have some great tips on what do in the summer.

KING: 1-800-the-lost.

WALSH: That's the Center for Missing Exploited Children, not to be confused with 1800-crime-TV if you have a tip on a fugitive that we showed tonight.

KING: John, as always a great pleasure having you.

WALSH: It's a great pleasure being here, thank you.

KING: We have done many. John Walsh, he's going to be with us in a couple of weeks where we just do the John Walsh story from start to present. I think you find it interesting.

I'll be back in a moment to tell you about tomorrow night. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Tomorrow night the bounty hunters and the Luster case. We'll devote the hour to lawyers and experts and the like, and your phone calls.

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 24, 2003 - 21:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted." What does he make of the Laci Peterson murder case and the capture of fugitive Max Factor heir Andrew Luster? We'll get into all that and more with John Walsh, who turned the devastating loss of his young son into one of the most powerful tools in law enforcement. Nobody hunts down criminals like he does. He's here for the hour. Your phone calls will be included next on LARRY KING LIVE.
We've been talking with him frequently over the years. It's always a great pleasure to have him with us, John Walsh. He hosts "America's Most Wanted," host of the syndicated daytime show that bears his name. He also has a new radio series, 60-second daily spots on ABC radio. You all know the story of his young son, Adam, who was kidnapped and murdered in the summer of 1981.

A lot of bases to cover tonight. Let's go first with the -- what's your read on the Peterson case?

JOHN WALSH, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Well, my opinion is the guy's guilty. I went up there right after she was missing. I had a long conversation with him on the phone -- which has been subpoenaed now by Mark Geragos -- and at the request of his father and his brothers. And I said, Look, I'm the guy that finds the unfindable. Your beautiful wife is missing. Your son is about to be born. I'll do -- I'll be fair to you. I'll come up there. I said, But I got a couple questions to ask you. When my son was missing, my wife and I went in and we took the polygraphs right away. We're in there 12 hours. You're not cooperating with police. You haven't taken the polygraph. You've hardly been to the search center. I said, I never left the police department for two weeks until I found my son. I said, You're the guy that's causing this investigation and search to...

KING: What did he say?

WALSH: He says, Oh, I can't handle it emotionally. I'll go on "America's Most Wanted." I said, I'll be the fairest to anybody. I fly all the way there. He won't meet with me personally. He goes on the show, but he won't have the guts to sit down with me face to face. Then he tells me...

KING: Now, how does he -- who -- who'd he appear with?

WALSH: He -- I had one of my producers go and interview him.

KING: Oh. WALSH: Then he says, I'll change -- I'll go on "The John Walsh Show." I said, Look, I -- really, I'll give you the shot. We've got to get your wife back. We've got to find out what happened to her. I waited in front of his house for six hours. He calls me on the cell phone and says, I just can't do it emotionally.

Here's a guy won't cooperate with police, won't go in for the polygraph, won't stay at the search center. And then he dyes his hair blonde, buys a car for $3,000 cash with false IDs, got 10 grand in his pocket, and he's got his brother's ID and he's 10 miles from the Mexican border. Everybody knows there's no extradition treaty from Mexico.

Come on, Larry. I mean, this guy, in my opinion, he's dirty.

KING: But wouldn't he be -- wouldn't that be such a strange way to act, as to tell you? Why would someone who had done it act that strangely? I'm doing reverse psychology here.

WALSH: Act that strangely?

KING: Yes. In other words, why would you act like something was the matter? I mean...

WALSH: You know...

KING: Why not go to the search scene? Even if you did it, why not fake it?

WALSH: Absolutely. I...

KING: So if you don't fake it, doesn't it lend you to think that maybe this guy is just a cad but not a murderer?

WALSH: My opinion is he's the guy. He's the guy. I think...

KING: All right, now, when you say something like this...

WALSH: Yes. And that's my opinion.

KING: ... on national television.

WALSH: That's my opinion. And he's alleged to be...

KING: All right. Doesn't that affect his getting a fair trial? A prospective juror watching this now would have to say...

WALSH: If they could try O.J. Simpson, if they could find 12 honest men and women -- and that was an abomination, that trial, and I hope this one doesn't go that way -- they'll find 12 people that didn't see this Larry King show. I wish everybody watched it, but they'll find 12 people that didn't see this show.

KING: What do you make of gag orders on the people involved?

WALSH: I think it's important. I think it's really hurtful. I think that...

KING: You don't like it?

WALSH: The gag orders -- and we're in the media. But I think that a lot of mean-spirited things have been said. The rumor when Laci's body popped up and the son's, Conner's, body popped up, the speculation and innuendo that a satanic cult had been involved, that the baby may have been cut out of the mother's belly, all that was rectified the next day, of course, because she was in the water for a long time and the baby came out, and the baby was in good shape because it was inside the belly. And if you've ever been surfing or body-surfing, you get hit, you get dinged as you're washed along on the shore. And I think all this speculation and innuendo is brutal. Well, let's think about the victims? What about Laci's mother? About what about her father? What about her brother? These people -- I mean, let's get to the trial. Let them present their case. I think the judge had a lot of guts imposing a gag order.

KING: And another thing. Isn't it very difficult to conceive -- and you've lost a son...

WALSH: Yes.

KING: ... of a father doing that, with no history of violence, ever? No one's ever come forward to say he ever hit anyone -- to do that to your wife and your soon-to-be-born son.

WALSH: Done thousands of times before him. Nobody could have ever imagined Susan Smith could drown her own children in South Carolina and put them in the back of a car because she had a new boyfriend. Nobody can ever imagine that people can kill their own children. They do it all the time.

KING: And you think he will get a fair trial.

WALSH: I think -- oh, I think he'll get a fair trial, but I just don't like the spin of -- you know, Mark Geragos, I've known him for years. You've had him on this show...

KING: Many times.

WALSH: ... many, many times, and stuff. I think he ought to think, you know, twice about how hurtful some of the things he's saying to this family.

KING: John Walsh has covered the Max Factor heir story, Andrew Luster, who was captured in Mexico last week. Let's see a clip from the Walsh coverage, and then we'll get into some questions. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): Police and prosecutors say he meticulously planned his attacks. He would pick up a college-aged woman and persuade her to come to his beachfront cottage. There he would slip her a dose of the powerful date rape drug GHB, a clear and odorless liquid that left his victim helpless. One of Luster's victims, who agreed to talk if we hide her face, says she remembers how it felt.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I felt a wave of heat that sort of started at the back of my spine and came up over the top of my head. And I knew something was wrong. And I asked him what he put in my drink, and he laughed. And he said, Don't you like it? Then he pushed me down, and I remember him beginning to rape me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: First, what do you think of the way he was caught?

WALSH: Well, first of all, we need an extradition treaty with Mexico or bounty hunters wouldn't have to go down there and get these guys. I've profiled guys that have run to Mexico because they know that there's no extradition treaty. They can hide down there. We've leant Mexico billions of dollars to save their economy, and I think that they should sign an extradition treaty. We have it with hundreds of other countries.

KING: Not having it, though -- in a sense, aren't you kind of an electronic bounty hunter?

WALSH: Well, I think we do -- we do it -- we cross the T's and dot the I's, and we turn the tips over to police. We -- you know, I don't believe in vigilantism. Bounty hunters are legitimate in the United States. There are good bounty hunters, there are bad bounty hunters. These guys went down there, I think they thought they were going grab him. He was pretty smart to start screaming in the middle of the night. I guess he knew the law. I'm surprised that the FBI was able to go down and get him out of jail and bring him back here and that the bounty hunters are still in jail. I think the Mexican authorities ought to at least bond them out and let them have a fair trial.

But you know, the -- again, the point is that Mexico better sign an extradition treaty because lots of our creeps go down there. And that's what Luster did. He bought all kinds of warm weather stuff and he just took his millions and headed down to Mexico.

KING: What would you make of a guy with that much money doing things like that?

WALSH: He's a pervert. He's a weirdo. He's a creep. He's been convicted. I don't have to say "alleged." He's going to spend a lot of time in jail. And you know what? A guy with that amount of money, he didn't need to do that. He's a weirdo. He belongs in jail.

KING: We'll be right back with more of John Walsh. We'll be including your calls. Lots of other crimes and cases to cover. Don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): Just days ago, Luster was convicted on 86 counts, including kidnapping, drugging and then raping women. But he was not there to hear their verdict. During his trial, Luster had been allowed to return to his home every night, as long as he wore this type of security ankle bracelet. On January 3, he took off. By the time the bracelet automatically alerted authorities, Luster was in the wind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with John Walsh, who covered the Elizabeth Smart disappearance case on both of his shows, including showing the come composite that helped crack the case. Here's a clip from his interview with Miss Smart after she was found.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: When Elizabeth came home, you sort of took a low profile. And tell me a little bit about that. I mean, most people, maybe in their heart of hearts, don't think their child's coming home. You never gave up hope. But all of a sudden, after nine months, she's home. Your focus went what direction?

LOIS SMART, ELIZABETH SMART'S MOTHER: Directly to Elizabeth. And of course, I was rejoicing and I was so happy and we all were happy. But if I spent my time out in media, telling the world that I was so happy and rejoicing, I wouldn't have been able to spend that time with Elizabeth. So I felt it was very important, and that was my role and calling, to be there for Elizabeth 24 hours a day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: That, of course, was not with Elizabeth, but with her parents. Although she did come to you, right?

WALSH: She was there. It was her first appearance away from Salt Lake since she was recovered. It was just an honor. I mean, I was there when she was recovered, you know, and the fans of the show. And Ed and Lois are such wonderful people. They brought me up to the house secretly, without the media knowing, to see Elizabeth. And they said, We want you to see her. She's been in counseling every day. And as you saw her playing the harp there, that was wonderful.

This girl's doing very well after being brainwashed, nightmare. And what kills me is some people in the media saying -- speculating she ran away. This guy came into her bedroom and put a knife to her throat and told her every day he had her, he could -- I've been in your house. I can get back in there, and I can kill your little sister.

KING: Looks like a religious extremist, right?

WALSH: He's a psycho.

KING: He's a polygamist kind of thing?

WALSH: Oh, yes. He believed that he was going to have seven young brides. He tried to kidnap her cousin. He's up for that, also. He tried to break in the screen in that house. He's alleged to have tried to kidnap her cousin.

KING: Ed Smart called you when he found her, right?

WALSH: Oh, I was thrilled. Larry, it's one of the best days I've spent in the last 21 years -- I mean, since Adam was murdered. He never gave up. I talked to him over those nine months. And when everybody thought Richard Ricci, the guy that died in prison -- now, he was a logical suspect. He had tried to shoot a cop. He had been to burglarize their house. He'd been the handyman. But little Mary Catherine (ph) kept telling the police, No, it's this guy, Emanuel, that was at the house one day.

So I put the composite on, and Ed Smart called me from the Sandy, Utah, from the police department. He says, John, he says, I haven't told my wife yet. He says, I'm telling you Elizabeth is alive, and I'm going to give her a hug. And he said, I can't wait. You never gave up. You never gave up. And he said, This -- this -- I'll never forget what he said. He says, This is one for Adam. It was just -- I could have walked on the ceiling of that room.

KING: Now the Amber Alert is law, right?

WALSH: Took us six years. It was in some states, like California and Texas. It was started after beautiful little Amber Hagerman (ph) was murdered six years ago, a 9-year-old girl. Case still unsolved. It was a real battle, but we finally got the House and Senate to agree. And this bill's got about 45 provisions in it for children, probably one of the most important pieces of child protection legislation. Amber Alert in every state, radio stations, TVs doing it. Code Adam, you know, when a kid -- child goes missing, they have Code Adam now in every federal building. Stiffer penalties. It's a great piece of legislation.

KING: Let's discuss another missing case, 5-year-old Leanna Warner (ph), nickname Beaner (ph). Why, by the way, do some of these cases -- why does the Smart get attention and this one doesn't?

WALSH: You know, I'd like to ask...

KING: Who chooses that?

WALSH: It's the people we work for. It's the GMs of the TV. It's the news directors of NBC and ABC and CNN. They decide what's a case. This one, because it came -- you know, Elizabeth was taken out of a house. Well, you know, this case should be getting that same attention. This is a beautiful little girl. She's been missing for 10 days. Thank God you're doing it on this show, and we're hoping that somebody'll see it, but...

KING: She was last seen in Chism (ph), Minnesota, around 5:00 PM on June 14, right?

WALSH: Walked to the house next door and was gone five minutes, and she's disappeared and...

KING: But these parents haven't been on national television? WALSH: I just get -- you know, there'll be on "America's Most Wanted" Saturday night. You got them on tonight. Every kid's just as important. And I wish every news director watching right now would say, Each kid is just as important. Doesn't matter where they live, where they're from. We -- and the best way to find these kids is through the use of the media.

KING: Sure is. What's this video voyeurism law you signed yesterday? They signed -- Pataki signed it yesterday.

WALSH: Yes, it was wonderful. Governor Pataki worked so hard on it. And this young lady, Stephanie Fuller (ph), came to me on "The John Walsh Show," and she said, I've been a victim of video voyeurism. She said, My landlord put a tiny, tiny camera up in the smoke detector and videotaped me. Then we find out there's a pedophile in Rochester, New York, who videotaped kindergarteners changing their bathing suits.

KING: He was a teacher, right?

WALSH: A teacher. Then find out that 20 women have been videoed in New York City in a building in the bathroom and that it's not against the law, only in five states. So Pataki, myself, Stephanie Fuller and a pretty good group of bipartisan politicians got together. I focused it on "The John Walsh Show." And you know the power of the media. Thousands of e-mails went up to Albany, and all of a sudden, guess what happened? We had that bill -- it should be in every state. This is exploitation of women and children.

KING: Is technology ahead of the law?

WALSH: Technology in many ways is ahead of the law. The Internet -- remember -- you know, the Internet became so popular, and Internet pedophiles figured it out like this. They said, Well, we used to buy our child pornography from Amsterdam. We used to send it in the mail, and Customs would get us. Now we can send it and download it to each other, and we can lure kids out of chat rooms. But you know what? But the law's catching up to them now.

KING: One of the problems. The media can certainly help, and they can help find missing people. They can also brandish an innocent person...

WALSH: Absolutely.

KING: ... as guilty...

WALSH: Absolutely.

KING: ... just by showing a picture. Right?

WALSH: Oh, yes.

KING: It's a thin line...

(CROSSTALK) WALSH: It's a fine line that I think that -- you know, for example, "America's Most Wanted" -- you know, we only do people that have been convicted or wanted by the police that have chosen to flee. So I believe that -- you know, that you really, really have to be very cautious and fair about that.

KING: There was a front-page story in last Sunday's "Washington Post" about mistaken arrests in Prince George's County and the role of "America's Most Wanted." I don't know about the story, but I'm going to ask John Walsh about it when we come back. Don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the man hiding in the background on crutches. And John, come up here. This man has devoted his life to making sure that hideous criminals are caught and put behind bars and the people of our country are the safest they can possibly be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: You may have noticed crutches here next to the set. Mr. Walsh, before we ask about the next story, what happened to you?

WALSH: I was trying a skateboarding trick. I was doing a show on "The John Walsh Show" on child prodigies, and I was with the 6- year-old national champion, who said to me, I don't think you can do this trick, Mr. Walsh. He said, It's ramp to ramp. He said I don't think you've practiced enough. I said, You know, I'm a pretty good athlete. I can do just about anything, you know? And five minutes later, I was laying on the ground, waiting for the rescue guys to come. Broke my leg in five places, my ankle. I got a big plate in my leg, a metal plate, and nine screws. So now I'm setting that radar off and -- but it was -- it was a bad break.

KING: In other words, dumb.

WALSH: Dumb. I guess I won't be skateboarding any more.

KING: All right, story in Sunday's "Washington Post" about mistaken arrests in Prince George's County, dealt with an ATM machine and wrong people were apprehended and...

WALSH: Well, you know, that happens all over the country.

WALSH: That happens all over the country, and the unfortunate...

KING: You showed the...

WALSH: We showed it, these three women. This is an unsolved murder of this woman. These three women were shown on an ATM.

KING: There they are.

WALSH: Yes. And lots of times, what happens is that murderers will take the ATM card of the person they killed or they'll torture them and get the card -- get the code out of it. And these ladies were brought back. And what happened was, the ATM didn't synch up the time. So they were falsely accused. Happens every day. Police straightened it out. You know, we apologized to them. Police apologized to them. But this is America, you know, and...

KING: Make you feel bad, though?

WALSH: Well, it -- I know that it happens, and that's part of the consequences of -- sure, it always make me feel bad when somebody, you know, is brought in. But I think people understand that this is what society's about, you know?

KING: The Molly Bish case -- her remains have been identified. The killer is still unknown. Let's see a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): Three years ago this month, 16-year-old Molly Bish disappeared from the lake in Warren, Massachusetts, where she worked as a life guard. Despite a massive search, police could find no sign of her. Late last month, a hunter walking in these woods, not far from where Molly was last seen, stumbled upon a partially buried blue bathing suit similar to the one Molly wore the day she went missing. As police searched through the woods, there were more discoveries -- human bones.

JOHN CONTE, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We were able to completely identify the remains as those of Molly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: What's this about?

WALSH: Heart-breaking case. I talked to her mom and dad, John and Maggie (ph) Bish, the other day. Three years they've been looking for this little girl. And the mom is the one who's given us this composite. We have a composite. Mom dropped her off at her lifeguard job that day, and there was a guy in the parking lot for hours. And her mother sat there and looked at him and said, What is this guy doing here? Gut feeling was something was wrong. Then the guy drove away. Mom went to work, came back to pick up Molly, and Molly was gone. And now they've found her -- her bones. We got to catch this guy. We got to catch this guy, and I'm hoping that somebody will look at that composite and make that call.

KING: And there's another case, the murder of Alexandra "Ali" Kemp (ph). There was an ad in the April 18 "USA Today." I think you have it here. Hold it up...

WALSH: Full-page ad.

KING: And the ad...

WALSH: This is her dad. KING: ... pretty graphic. "Do you know who killed me?" We have -- let's see a -- I think we have a clip here of -- here's how it happened, according to the police. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): Ali was working inside the pool area when cops say a man entered through the front gate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somehow, he talked the victim into going into the pool pump room area.

WALSH: Ali Kemp fought for her life, but the 19-year-old was no match for her attacker. She was dead in a matter of minutes. Cops say the suspect covered Ali with pool covers and then simply walked away. Ali Kemp's killer was last seen in a 1980s beige Ford pick-up truck like this one. Cops say he may be a traveler and that he may use his truck for maintenance or handyman work. If you think you've seen the man in this sketch, please call 1-800-CRIME-TV.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Just before the show, I talked to her dad, Roger Kemp. He found his daughter. He went in that pool room and -- horrible thing for a father. She was beaten so badly, he didn't even recognize that it was his own daughter. That guy was so cold-blooded, he walked right by her friend, who was coming to pick her up. That's where that composite was drawn by a composite artist name Lee Hammond (ph).

We got to catch this guy. Roger Kemp's done some very unusual things. He's a dad. I met with him out there and talked to him. He's taken out billboards. He's taken out this ad in "USA Today" because he loves his daughter. It's a kind of a novel approach, of victims and parents fighting back and saying, Hey, who killed this girl? Who killed me? And that -- I think it's a great way to fight back. And he's got a lot of guts. But we've got to catch that guy.

KING: By the way, we're going to go to calls for John Walsh at the bottom of the hour. Another case, the unknown Miami child rapist with a new face composite. Let's watch this clip from "America's Most Wanted."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH (voice-over): Take a good look at the new drawing of the suspect. He's described as dark-skinned Hispanic man, 5-foot-2 to 5- foot-6, roughly 140 to 170 pounds, brown eyes, short dark slick hair and a mustache. And here are some other key clues. He's been seen wearing this blue-and-yellow patterned shirt, a gold crucifix, a gold ring with a white stone on a gold chain, and a gold watch with a black face and gold numbers. You can see all of these clues at our Web site, amw.com.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: These sketches work? WALSH: Oh, let me tell you about this guy, first of all. He's terrified all of south Florida. Three little girls in the last three months -- 11, 12 and 13, latchkey kids. You know, half this country's divorced. Lots of moms work. And these kids come home. He's talked his way into three apartments and raped three girls. But they've linked together the DNA to three unsolved rapes last year, and one of those rapes that matched his DNA, that unknown guy right there, is a 79-year-old woman. He's raped six people. Terrified that he's going to continue to...

KING: Now, that composite, which the television viewer can now see, is put together how?

WALSH: It's put together by a brand-new computer product called -- it's a company called IQ Biometrix. And they sit down with the victims, with these little girls, very, very carefully, and through computers, they go through different eyebrows, et cetera. And it is uncanny. The first time we used it on "America's Most Wanted," it was also a child serial molester. And it was so close to what the guy looked like, guess who made the call and identified him? His own mother called in and everything. It's the state-of-the-art way to catch these guys. It is unbelievable. It puts together a photo -- almost a photo-quality composite. It's really state of the art.

KING: Is this a front-page story every day in "The Miami Herald"?

WALSH: Everywhere there. South Florida is terrified of this guy. I mean, they just -- we've got to get him. It's the No. 1 priority of the Miami Dade police. Everybody's looking in Dade County.

KING: How many serial killers are around in this country at one time?

WALSH: Oh, the FBI estimates that there are probably between 300 and 400 serial killers, identity unknown, at large right now.

KING: We're going to take a break, come back and go to your phone calls. We'll intersperse some other cases, too, as well, as we go along with John Walsh on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE. By the way, we're going to discuss the Luster case tomorrow night. That's the bounty hunters, which we discussed earlier with John. That'll be the topic tomorrow evening.

We'll be right back. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back with John Walsh. We're going to discuss some other cases of interest. We want to get to some phone calls too. Our first call is from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Hello.

CALLER: Hello. My question is for your guest, Larry. I wonder, there's three parts to the question. I wanted to know if he has any comments about the JonBenet case in Colorado, and the second part to that question is, if that case will ever be solved? And the third part to that question is, doesn't he think it's really weird the way those parents acted from the beginning of that case, when they were doing everything possible to protect themselves rather than to find out what were -- who were the real killers of his daughter?

KING: OK, we got it. John?

WALSH: I've been to Dubai, hunting fugitives -- terrorists out there.

I don't think that that case will ever, will ever be solved, because now it's been taken over by the state, you know, the attorney general of the state of Colorado, because so many incredible mistakes were made at the crime scene at the beginning.

KING: From the get-go.

WALSH: From the get-go. And then they empaneled a grand jury and brought DAs from every county around Colorado, and they all came to the same conclusion. They said whether the Ramseys had something to do with it or not, there was such poor police work was done in the beginning, this case will probably never be solved.

Parents have the right to get lawyers. They have the right to get -- you know, to have people represent them if they think the cops are doing a bad job. I always wanted to do that case on "America's Most Wanted." And Mr. Ramsey said, I'd like to do it. Mrs. Ramsey said no. I said, I'll treat you fairer than anybody else in the world. Let me do a whole hour on "America's Most Wanted." But they're going to start over and take a re-look at the case. That's what I say you have to do. You have to throw everything out and start again.

KING: Are you open on it?

WALSH: I am open minded about it, because they only ever focused on the parents. A good investigation is a parallel investigation. Sweat the parents, but don't rule out the sexual offender that may be living within a mile of there.

KING: Toronto, Canada for John Walsh.

CALLER: Yes, good evening, Mr. King, Mr. Walsh. We recently had a terrible tragedy here, a young girl that was horribly murdered. And our law enforcement did an outstanding job in catching the sick pervert. My question for Mr. Walsh is, does he have any ideas of what we can do to help out the children of this neighborhood? You know, I mean, the children are a wreck. What does he think we can do to help them out and to get through and that sort of thing? What can we do?

KING: A great question.

WALSH: A good question. What we do here in the United States is we bring counselors into the schools. Like after Columbine shooting, down in San Diego after Danielle van Dam was murdered down there. They brought counselors into the school, and they have open forums. They talk to the kids, because kids nowadays are pretty sophisticated. And they want answers and they want to know. And that's a good way. If you're concerned with your own child, I am also -- and I have said it to you before -- I am a great, great advocate of professional counseling. But that community should bring counselors into the schools.

KING: Before we take our next call, I want to ask you about this case, about this accused rapist, Ruffeno Castenada (ph) in Mishwaka (ph), Indiana. He raped a woman -- and we have the tape of the 911 call in this case. This is -- viewers may find this disturbing, but we're going to listen to this call from the woman, right?

WALSH: Yes.

KING: The 911 call. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIFFANY: They pulled me out of the bar. I kicked and I screamed. Nobody came.

OPERATOR: Honey, calm down, sweetie. Calm down. Take some deep breaths. How long ago did this happen?

TIFFANY: About 10 minutes ago. I'm, like, blocks away from where it happened. I broke down the fence. I don't even know where I am. I'm in a cardboard box on the side of the road.

OPERATOR: Ma'am...

TIFFANY: I don't even know where I am.

OPERATOR: They know where you are now. They know where you are.

TIFFANY: I've never been over here.

OPERATOR: They're going to be sending help now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: Terribly disturbing case. We are calling the lady Tiffany to protect her identity. This guy kidnapped her, raped her brutally. She fought him back and got away and ran down the street naked. That's why she had that cardboard box on. And she has come every Saturday night -- we've done this case twice -- to our hotline. First time we have ever done that, because we had so many women that have been raped around the United States call our hot line or call our Web site, 1-800-CRIMETV, or call our Web site, amw.com, to share experiences with this woman. And she's answered every single one of these. But we've got to catch this Castanada (ph) guy. He's a creep, a low-life -- alleged, again, but you know, once these guys start this pattern, Larry, they don't stop.

KING: Columbia, South Carolina, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry. Thanks for taking my call. KING: Sure.

CALLER: John, earlier you mentioned you had a phone call with Scott Peterson. I would like to know if you can give any specifics of that call, such as what his mood or tone was. And did he say what he thought happened to Laci?

WALSH: Well...

KING: She was missing at the time, right?

WALSH: Yes, she was. And I told him that I was coming. And we had a long conversation. A long, long conversation. And we got right down to it. I mean, I really -- I went right after him. And I said look, I'm the guy that can help you. I'll come out there. I'll bring the whole show out there.

KING: He asked what the tone was.

WALSH: The tone -- it was like talking -- as if nothing happened. As if I was talking to someone who was completely disassociated with what was going on. He said yes, you're right. He says, I have been so stressed out that I have been going to play golf. And I said why? Answer me this, Scott. Why aren't you cooperating with police? Oh, well, you know, the affair. I was afraid. I lied to the police. I said, the affair is public. That's old news. You don't go to jail for that. Committing adultery is not against the law. OK, buddy? We know about the affair. That's not an excuse now. OK? So you should be talking to police.

KING: Did he have a theory?

WALSH: He said -- oh -- he didn't have any theory. He didn't have any theory. All I kept saying to him was, cooperate with police. Go in and take the lie detector test. Take the focus off of you and get the search looking for your beautiful wife and your son soon to be born. Oh, OK. I said to myself, something is really wrong with this. Something stinks here.

KING: Coral Spring, Florida, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry.

KING: Hi.

CALLER: Hi, Mr. Walsh. I just want to say to you, first of all, I admire you totally and have so much compassion for you and thank God for you.

WALSH: Thank you.

CALLER: I just wanted to find out if you suspect that there's a sex offender somewhere in your neighborhood, how do you actually go about pursuing that person and getting information about that one person? WALSH: Boy, that's a great question. We got Megan's Law passed years ago, after Megan Kanka (ph), the little girl that was lured into their garage by a convicted sex offender, who tortured her for hours. And her parents went and -- I was there at the Rose Garden with those parents when they signed that bill.

Every community, it is federal law now, that everybody, Larry King, John Walsh, this caller, anybody can go to your local police, that are in charge of your jurisdiction, whether they're state police, whether they're sheriffs, whatever, and you can look and see who the convicted registered sex offenders are in your area. And you will be amazed at how many of them are.

But it's a great thing, because we caught a guy in El Paso that kidnapped a little girl out of a Wal-Mart, tried to burn her face so he wouldn't leave any DNA. Picked up his palm print. He lived two miles away. They would never have got him 10 years ago if there wasn't a Megan's Law. He was on parole for kidnapping. So because he was forced to register in the sex offender registry, that's how he got nailed. So you can find out any county, any city, any town in the United States who the convicted sex offenders are.

KING: Augusta, Georgia, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Mr. Walsh.

WALSH: Hi there.

CALLER: I'd like to ask you a question in reference to Scott Peterson. And I'm also glad that you saw him eye to eye. This theory that the attorney, Geragos, is throwing out about a copycat killing of the other young lady that was found in the San Francisco Bay. Could this not possibly be backfiring? And why couldn't Scott Peterson have done the same thing and copycatted the other one, the other killer?

WALSH: We've actually had -- I don't mean to sidetrack here, but we've actually had serial killers that have killed 12, 13 women. And we've had copycat killers get rid of their old girlfriends or wives by doing the copycat murder. Cops are pretty good at figuring this out.

I think Mark Geragos is just trying set up a smoke screen, confuse everybody. Satanic cults, copycat killers, all that stuff. Let's get to the trial. I think the judge is right. Yes, Scott Peterson might have done this, maybe. Maybe he's a real demon or a nut case. But right now we have to deal with that trial.

KING: Thousand Oaks, California. Hello.

CALLER: Yes, hi, John, thank you so much for all that you do. And I just wanted to ask -- hello?

KING: Yes, go ahead.

WALSH: We're here.

CALLER: Sorry. WALSH: That's OK.

CALLER: I just wanted to ask John, in reference to Scott Peterson's parents, what kind of an impact will they have on the trial on this glorious painting that they're painting of their son, and the fact that he's never been in trouble before? How much damage can that do for the prosecution?

WALSH: Well, I'll tell you, I have sat through about 700 trials. And certainly Mark Geragos is going to do everything he can to paint Scott Peterson as the perfect son-in-law, the perfect husband, the perfect son, all of that stuff.

But I'll tell you what. When his mistress gets up there on that witness stand and talks about some of the things and some of the things that come forward, and I got to give the Modesto police credit here. They are keeping things quiet. I think we all learned a lot of things from the O.J. Simpson trial. And that's not play all your cards before the trial. Let's see what happens at that trial. They'll sit in that courtroom. I feel terrible for them, because you know, even serial killer's parents are human beings. And I have had -- I have actually had people call up "America's Most Wanted" and say, I apologize for what my child did. I said, you know what? It was their choice to do that. They'll sit in that courtroom. Laci Peterson's family will sit in that courtroom, and that jury will have to decide who killed that wonderful woman and her son.

KING: We'll be right back with more calls don't go away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The victim refused to the go to the hospital until the officer took her by this home until he allowed her to show where this attack took place.

WALSH: Police staked out Castinata's (ph) house all night. But he never returned. Cops believe he has fled Indiana. Castinata worked as a cabinet builder, and speaks limited English. His face is pox marked with acne scars. And police believe he may be somewhere in the southwest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Allen Park, Michigan, for John Walsh. Hello.

CALLER: Hi, John. I just want to tell you I think it's absolutely wonderful what you do. And I just thank god we have people like you.

My question is, what do you think about all these defense attorneys putting Amber Frey down, saying she's just out for a book or money. And her makeover and everything.

What's your opinion of Amber? WALSH: I'll tell you what. She came forward. She came and talked to the police. I talked to the Modesto police. I thought she had a lot of courage. She came up voluntarily and came forward to them. Certainly, you know, the tactic of these defense attorneys...

KING: Isn't it the role to discredit to witness?

They're doing what they're supposed to do.

WALSH: That's what our system is. Sometimes they go overboard. Some defense attorneys, I think there will be a special spot in hell for some of them. But that's their job.

KING: You're not accusing Geragos?

WALSH: No, no. I'm not accusing him. He's got a job to do but, you know what, I wish defense attorneys would realize, stick to the law, stick to the facts, try to get your client off, but also be considerate that there's a lot of people out there on the victim's side that are hurting too.

KING: Before we take the next call, another case I want to cover. We have a clip as well. Are the unsolved killing of a Texas television reporter Jennifer Servo. Let's watch the clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALSH: No one know house far Jennifer's career could have gone. And sadly no, one will.

On September 18, 2002, worried that they hadn't heard from her for several days, Jennifer's friends at the station asked her landlord to check on her. Her body was found in her small apartment. Tonight, we're out to get justice for Jennifer Servo. Here's one way you can help. Remember several items are missing from Jennifer's apartment. Her cell phone, some DVDs and this unusual purse. Finding this purse could help lead to Jennifer's killer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Where does that stand?

WALSH: Not a clue. I don't know why...

KING: Any motive, any suspect?

WALSH: No. Probably an opportunist, maybe a stalker. She was sexually assaulted and beaten to death. I really thought this would have thought this would have made more of national story. Katie Couric was her idol. She was, you know, in the media.

KING: Why isn't it national story?

WALSH: I don't know. It just drives me crazy because, you know...

KING: Especially she was a TV reporter. You think TV would jump on top this.

WALSH: Very ambitious. A good reporter. And I really thought that this should be national news. One of these days I'll figure out why they don't make to it the national headlines.

KING: Maybe the audience knows. Why isn't -- OK.

Old Bridge, New Jersey, hello.

CALLER: Hi, thank you for taking my call. I just had a question regarding the Peterson case. Have there been any discussions about the possible theory that he may have hired someone to kill Laci and that's why the $10,000 was found on him?

WALSH: Well, you know, I talked to the Modesto cops. I'm not going to discuss and I don't ever do that, share what they've told me in confidence or whatever. Some of that money came from the sale of her vehicle and whatever money he had stashed. But they don't think he had someone -- they don think someone killed her that he hired. I think they have -- they feel they have enough evidence to get a conviction.

KING: Grand Island, Nebraska hello.

CALLER: I was wanting to ask Mr. Walsh about the perpetrators of serious crimes you profile.

Is there an average period of time in which such a criminal plans his crime typically, as opposed to a crime of passion?

Have there been any studies regarding time of planning?

WALSH: Lots of studies. Lots of criminals are predators and opportunist.

KING: Always looking?

WALSH: Always looking for that opportunity. Lots of burglars turn out to be rapists, which we find. If there's a woman home alone or sleeping, they say, hey, I have got chance or they wouldn't go in there to rape someone, they went in there to burglarize. Then you've got the ones that are planners, the real hunters, the career criminal, the serial child killers, the serial killers.

KING: They cover all bases.

WALSH: But I say that there have been lots and lots of studies. But you know, it's a certain mindset of certain individuals. I think we're starting as we study them more. We're starting to find out that the repeat offender is not going to get out of jail and go to work for Merrill Lynch. He is going to be a bad guy all his life, and you got to separate him from society.

KING: Summerside, Prince Edward Island, hello.

CALLER: Yes, Larry, I watch your show every evening. And I watch John's also.

I wanted to know is John ever found the killer of his little boy?

WALSH: Well, everybody believes that a guy named Otis Tool, a horrible guy that died a horrible death in prison. He was in Florida on death row and died of AIDS and cirrhosis of the liver before he was executed. He was Henry Lee Lucas' partner, another infamous serial killer from Texas. And lot of people in Florida, Broward state attorney and I myself personally feel that Otis Tool is the guy that kidnapped Adam.

KING: He confessed?

WALSH: He confessed four times. His lawyer recanted, he never recanted. But of course, he and Lucas figured out they could confess to lots of other murders and cops would come and get them. And they used to make a joke how they would go to that city and get a Burger King or pizza and get out of jail. And so they confessed to a lot of crimes they didn't do. But with out a doubt both of them were killers.

KING: You're convinced?

WALSH: I believe this horrible guy. He was a pedophile and killer.

KING: We'll be back with our remaining moments with John Walsh. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: We're back. Russleville, Alabama.

CALLER: I was wondering if John Walsh would speculate on where Eric Robert Rudolph was hiding, and if he thinks there are more fugitives hiding in the same spot as well.

WALSH: I know exactly where he was hiding. I went down there. He's been hiding there for five year, right in Murphy, North Carolina. We got the tip two weeks before he was captured from a woman whose cousin helped Rudolph all these years. Rudolph would come in. Rudolph had two camp sites. That's an old growth forest. I went in there way back five years ago when they had the big task force looking. Navaho tracker, snipers, et cetera. And he would help process cocaine. Rudolph would go back into the woods into this campsite. And when this guy died 6 months ago, Rudolph came in. Eric Rudolph, came into that town and attended this guy's funeral. And that's why he was dumpster diving because he was running out of food because this guy had been helping him. He never left that area for five years.

KING: Williamsburg, Virginia, hello.

CALLER: Hi, Larry, Mr. Walsh. I was wondering if there was an update on Izenberg case. I seem to recall a media report a couple a months ago about a child that they thought might be the missing baby Izenberg, and I never heard anything more about it.

WALSH: Everybody was hoping it was the Izenberg baby. It was baby kidnapped in Tampa Florida through the back door of the house in the middle of the night. And then the focus went on to the parents for long time, then they moved away, you know that. Then they found the baby, but the DNA did not match the Izenberg DNA. So that case is at a dead end still. I think they're taking a different tact and different look at it now.

KING: Orlando, Florida, hello.

CALLER: Good evening, John, Larry.

My question, what kind of advice have you given Laci Peterson's family during this ordeal?

WALSH: Well, they're a wonderful, wonderful family. And I told them to take care of themselves. Laci's mom is a strong woman. Her stepfather is a great guy. Her dad is heart broken about this, but they are sticking together. I said the trial is going to be brutal, but you've got to take care of yourself. You've got to be healthy. And you've got to sit in that court room because you have every right to be there. You have to be present. And you have to be there. And You have to look at that jury.

KING: It's hard.

WALSH: You do. You've got to remember that Laci was the victim. And you've got to be there.

KING: Summerford, Newfoundland, hello.

CALLER: Hi, guys. Never miss your shows. I wonder -- sounds weird, but we microchip our animals. Why can't we come up with some kind of thing that we can do the same thing when babies are born and have a site so we know where they are at all times?

WALSH: You know, it's such a good question. I mean look at Molly Bish, missing for three years. Look at Chandra Levy missing. The not knowing is what kills people.

KING: Could they (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

Now, there's a new device out that has the global positioning satellite thing, GPS. And all cell phones are mandated to have it soon so they'll know where you are if you call 911 or something like that. Unfortunately it's been tried a couple of times. The pedophile know how to cut them off of children. It made sense to me, being the father of a murdered child. Dennis came to me and said, I'd love to invent a chip that I could put in a child's tooth or put a crown on their tooth, just so I'd know where they were.

KING: Got it coming.

WALSH: I think it is coming.

KING: Last call, Tampa, Florida, hello.

CALLER: Yes, hi. As a mother of a young child, I would like to know what John recommends how we can protect our children on daily basis?

Can we keep them inside or should we let them out to play.

WALSH: Well, it's a great question. I don't believe in terrifying kids. I don't believe in paranoia. I believe knowledge is power. I believe up until about eight or nine, you really have to keep an eye on your kids. They're easily, no matter how much you tell them, they're easily lurid. Look at the three girls in Miami that let them in the door saying he was from the power company. I'm sure they knew the rules of protection, but they didn't use them.

I always give this one tip. This is summertime now. We don't have crossing guards, we don't have school bus drivers. This is predator time. This is child molester's time when children are at playgrounds. No. 1 thing open the lines of communications with your kids. Talk to them all them time. And one simple rule, adults don't need help from children. When that guy pulls up in that van and ask you where the managers office is, help me find my lost puppy, I need directions. Don't get anywhere near that car. Let an adult get help from another adult. And if you want information on more tips than we have time to talk about, the National Center for Missing Exploited Children has a simple hot line, 1-800-the-lost. We have some great tips on what do in the summer.

KING: 1-800-the-lost.

WALSH: That's the Center for Missing Exploited Children, not to be confused with 1800-crime-TV if you have a tip on a fugitive that we showed tonight.

KING: John, as always a great pleasure having you.

WALSH: It's a great pleasure being here, thank you.

KING: We have done many. John Walsh, he's going to be with us in a couple of weeks where we just do the John Walsh story from start to present. I think you find it interesting.

I'll be back in a moment to tell you about tomorrow night. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Tomorrow night the bounty hunters and the Luster case. We'll devote the hour to lawyers and experts and the like, and your phone calls.

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