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CNN Live At Daybreak

Georgia Suspect in Custody

Aired January 09, 2004 - 05:19   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go live to Chattanooga, Tennessee now and check in with Charles Molineaux. He's outside of the hospital where that Georgia man is being treated right now after abducting those three little girls and killing, allegedly killing his in-laws and his infant daughter -- Charles, good morning.
Bring us up to date.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest, Carol -- good morning -- is that Jerry Jones was operated on overnight. He is apparently still in

Critical condition at last word. Of course, Jones was the target of a nationwide amber alert after he alleged killed four people, his in-laws, including his own daughter, and then allegedly kidnapped three children, including two of his own daughters and his adopted daughter, the daughter of his common law wife.

Last night in Tennessee, police from Georgia and Tennessee were in pursuit of him after getting a call from that amber alert. They did the nudging maneuver of the car and -- of his SUV, sent it into a spin. He crashed and then apparently shot and wounded himself. But the three little girls were brought in safely with no serious injuries.

The last we hear, Jones himself is still here in Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga in critical condition. One tragic postscript to this story, the mother of the little girls, who is also the daughter of the victims, as well as the sister of one of the victims, was in Oregon at the time of this incident. Apparently she was the target of Jones' ire.

He actually called her afterwards and allegedly told her that he had done it. She is still stranded there because of the bad weather we've been having all across the country, and especially in the Northwest, still waiting to get back to her family.

Live in Chattanooga, Charles Molineaux for CNN -- Carol.

COSTELLO: That's just awful.

So tell us more about this Mr. Jones.

Was he upset that he just got a divorce from this woman in Portland? Is that how it was?

MOLINEAUX: Yes, his wife or, as she is actually described by their relatives, common law wife, was apparently in the process of leaving him, although they also say they had had numerous break ups and rapprochements and apparently she had said this was it. He had apparently repeatedly threatened her family, according to some members of the family and finally, apparently, this was it.

Now, according to police, as well as the wife, who called police, he attacked the family on Wednesday, killed the four family members and then called his estranged wife to tell her that he had done it and that he would kill the three little girls who he had with him if she told anybody about it.

Well, she did call the police and the search began, resulting in that amber alert that lasted through most of the day yesterday, until last night a motorist apparently saw him driving on I-75 in northwest Georgia. Police then went into pursuit and went after him, successfully stopping him just over the state line into Tennessee.

COSTELLO: A terrible story.

Charles Molineaux reporting live from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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 January 9, 2004 - 05:19   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We want to go live to Chattanooga, Tennessee now and check in with Charles Molineaux. He's outside of the hospital where that Georgia man is being treated right now after abducting those three little girls and killing, allegedly killing his in-laws and his infant daughter -- Charles, good morning.
Bring us up to date.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest, Carol -- good morning -- is that Jerry Jones was operated on overnight. He is apparently still in

Critical condition at last word. Of course, Jones was the target of a nationwide amber alert after he alleged killed four people, his in-laws, including his own daughter, and then allegedly kidnapped three children, including two of his own daughters and his adopted daughter, the daughter of his common law wife.

Last night in Tennessee, police from Georgia and Tennessee were in pursuit of him after getting a call from that amber alert. They did the nudging maneuver of the car and -- of his SUV, sent it into a spin. He crashed and then apparently shot and wounded himself. But the three little girls were brought in safely with no serious injuries.

The last we hear, Jones himself is still here in Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga in critical condition. One tragic postscript to this story, the mother of the little girls, who is also the daughter of the victims, as well as the sister of one of the victims, was in Oregon at the time of this incident. Apparently she was the target of Jones' ire.

He actually called her afterwards and allegedly told her that he had done it. She is still stranded there because of the bad weather we've been having all across the country, and especially in the Northwest, still waiting to get back to her family.

Live in Chattanooga, Charles Molineaux for CNN -- Carol.

COSTELLO: That's just awful.

So tell us more about this Mr. Jones.

Was he upset that he just got a divorce from this woman in Portland? Is that how it was?

MOLINEAUX: Yes, his wife or, as she is actually described by their relatives, common law wife, was apparently in the process of leaving him, although they also say they had had numerous break ups and rapprochements and apparently she had said this was it. He had apparently repeatedly threatened her family, according to some members of the family and finally, apparently, this was it.

Now, according to police, as well as the wife, who called police, he attacked the family on Wednesday, killed the four family members and then called his estranged wife to tell her that he had done it and that he would kill the three little girls who he had with him if she told anybody about it.

Well, she did call the police and the search began, resulting in that amber alert that lasted through most of the day yesterday, until last night a motorist apparently saw him driving on I-75 in northwest Georgia. Police then went into pursuit and went after him, successfully stopping him just over the state line into Tennessee.

COSTELLO: A terrible story.

Charles Molineaux reporting live from Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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