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American Morning
Discussion with Authors of the Book 'Sniper'
Aired November 14, 2003 - 08:19 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, other trials we are covering this morning, a jury in Virginia will begin deliberating the fate of accused D.C. area sniper John Muhammad. Now, yesterday in a courtroom 15 miles away, Lee Boyd Malvo's attorneys argued that the teenagers is not guilty in the attacks because Muhammad turned Malvo into a "child soldier," their words.
"Washington Post" reporters Sari Horwitz and Michael Ruane, authors of the book "Sniper," are following the trials.
Sari joins us this morning from Washington.
Michael joins us from Virginia Beach.
Appreciate both of you joining us.
MICHAEL RUANE CO-AUTHOR, "SNIPER": Good morning.
SARI HORWITZ, CO-AUTHOR, "SNIPER": Good morning.
COOPER: Michael, let me start off with you. Closing arguments wrapped up in the Muhammad trial.
What were the most important things that came out of those arguments?
RUANE: Well, Paul Ebert, the Commonwealth's attorney, the lead Commonwealth's attorney in the case, finally stood up. He'd been sort of relatively quiet for most of the trial. And he stood up and ripped into Muhammad. It was quite amazing. Said that he was the kind of guy who would pat you on the back and slit your throat, was really sort of a gloves off, no more gentlemanly lawyer talk.
He referred to Muhammad as "vermin" and just really, really was filled with anger and contempt for him. Quite startling.
COOPER: Did Muhammad show any reaction during this?
RUANE: Well, from my point of view, he was -- he seemed to squirm under this assault from Ebert. Ebert is a big sort of hulking guy with huge hands and sort of kept gesturing with his thumb and pointing. And Muhammad looked, to me he looked more uneasy than I've ever seen him. He was sort of rubbing his hands together and he looked very, very worried.
COOPER: All right, Sari, I know from your book "Sniper," you have heard part of or you've seen a transcript, a summary transcript of this four hour confession that was referred to in the Malvo opening yesterday.
How powerful a document is this? What came out of this confession?
HORWITZ: Well, Anderson, it's an extremely powerful document. The alleged confession of Lee Malvo is really the only window we have into the minds of John Muhammad and Lee Malvo.
Mike and I were able to get it for our book and it is chilling in its detail. Malvo boasts. He brags. He's proud of what they did, he said. He laughs when talking about taking the head shots, which he said he liked the most.
In the case of Linda Franklin, the FBI employee for which he's on trial right now, he talked about how he particularly was aiming at her husband, but her husband, Ted Franklin, moved, and so he shot her.
COOPER: We saw -- he said he liked the head shots the most? Why?
HORWITZ: Yes. He talked about liking the head shots and he laughed and he pointed to his head. He said the point of what they were doing, it was a battle with a strategy and a mission and they sought to terrify and psychologically horrify the community. And the really chilling thing, he says no one could do what we did and if he had the chance, Malvo said, he would do it all again.
COOPER: Michael...
HORWITZ: These words are going to be, of course, heard in the courtroom, and I'm sure they will come to haunt him.
COOPER: Yes, they referenced this alleged confession yesterday in the opening arguments, the prosecution did.
Michael, who is the prosecution going to call as their first witness in their case against Malvo?
RUANE: Well, probably very early in the case, you know, there'll be Ted Franklin. Linda's husband will take the stand. His testimony and the 9/11 tape, the tape of the 9/11 call he made is very, very hard to listen to. It's, he can be heard, he's kneeling over his dead wife. Her head is partly blown off and you can -- he is -- his cry is that of a deeply hurt child. The dispatcher thought it was a woman who was calling at first.
COOPER: Oh, that's going to be brutal.
RUANE: Very hard to listen to. Very graphic pictures.
COOPER: All right, Michael Ruane, Sari Horwitz, appreciate you joining us.
Thank you very much.
HORWITZ: Thank you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 14, 2003 - 08:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, other trials we are covering this morning, a jury in Virginia will begin deliberating the fate of accused D.C. area sniper John Muhammad. Now, yesterday in a courtroom 15 miles away, Lee Boyd Malvo's attorneys argued that the teenagers is not guilty in the attacks because Muhammad turned Malvo into a "child soldier," their words.
"Washington Post" reporters Sari Horwitz and Michael Ruane, authors of the book "Sniper," are following the trials.
Sari joins us this morning from Washington.
Michael joins us from Virginia Beach.
Appreciate both of you joining us.
MICHAEL RUANE CO-AUTHOR, "SNIPER": Good morning.
SARI HORWITZ, CO-AUTHOR, "SNIPER": Good morning.
COOPER: Michael, let me start off with you. Closing arguments wrapped up in the Muhammad trial.
What were the most important things that came out of those arguments?
RUANE: Well, Paul Ebert, the Commonwealth's attorney, the lead Commonwealth's attorney in the case, finally stood up. He'd been sort of relatively quiet for most of the trial. And he stood up and ripped into Muhammad. It was quite amazing. Said that he was the kind of guy who would pat you on the back and slit your throat, was really sort of a gloves off, no more gentlemanly lawyer talk.
He referred to Muhammad as "vermin" and just really, really was filled with anger and contempt for him. Quite startling.
COOPER: Did Muhammad show any reaction during this?
RUANE: Well, from my point of view, he was -- he seemed to squirm under this assault from Ebert. Ebert is a big sort of hulking guy with huge hands and sort of kept gesturing with his thumb and pointing. And Muhammad looked, to me he looked more uneasy than I've ever seen him. He was sort of rubbing his hands together and he looked very, very worried.
COOPER: All right, Sari, I know from your book "Sniper," you have heard part of or you've seen a transcript, a summary transcript of this four hour confession that was referred to in the Malvo opening yesterday.
How powerful a document is this? What came out of this confession?
HORWITZ: Well, Anderson, it's an extremely powerful document. The alleged confession of Lee Malvo is really the only window we have into the minds of John Muhammad and Lee Malvo.
Mike and I were able to get it for our book and it is chilling in its detail. Malvo boasts. He brags. He's proud of what they did, he said. He laughs when talking about taking the head shots, which he said he liked the most.
In the case of Linda Franklin, the FBI employee for which he's on trial right now, he talked about how he particularly was aiming at her husband, but her husband, Ted Franklin, moved, and so he shot her.
COOPER: We saw -- he said he liked the head shots the most? Why?
HORWITZ: Yes. He talked about liking the head shots and he laughed and he pointed to his head. He said the point of what they were doing, it was a battle with a strategy and a mission and they sought to terrify and psychologically horrify the community. And the really chilling thing, he says no one could do what we did and if he had the chance, Malvo said, he would do it all again.
COOPER: Michael...
HORWITZ: These words are going to be, of course, heard in the courtroom, and I'm sure they will come to haunt him.
COOPER: Yes, they referenced this alleged confession yesterday in the opening arguments, the prosecution did.
Michael, who is the prosecution going to call as their first witness in their case against Malvo?
RUANE: Well, probably very early in the case, you know, there'll be Ted Franklin. Linda's husband will take the stand. His testimony and the 9/11 tape, the tape of the 9/11 call he made is very, very hard to listen to. It's, he can be heard, he's kneeling over his dead wife. Her head is partly blown off and you can -- he is -- his cry is that of a deeply hurt child. The dispatcher thought it was a woman who was calling at first.
COOPER: Oh, that's going to be brutal.
RUANE: Very hard to listen to. Very graphic pictures.
COOPER: All right, Michael Ruane, Sari Horwitz, appreciate you joining us.
Thank you very much.
HORWITZ: Thank you. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
