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CNN Sunday Night

Vatican Shrouded in Secrecy During Election of New Pope; Details of the Sarah Lunde Murder; Private Contractors Facing Big Risks in Iraq

Aired April 17, 2005 - 22:00 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.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN SUNDAY NIGHT, countdown to the conclave. The cardinals are moving in, as we're just hours away from the special election for the next pope.
Also...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID GEE, SHERIFF, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA:The defendant put the victim in a choke hold, causing her to become unconscious, and eventually causing her death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Prosecutors are making their case against the suspect in custody for the murder of Sarah Lunde. Tonight, new details on the teen who sought refuge inside her local church.

And rocked by a massive wave, decks flooded and passengers scrambling for cover. Tonight, exclusive details from an eyewitness on board a cruise ship nightmare.

These stories and a lot more next on CNN SUNDAY NIGHT.

Good evening, I'm Carol Lin from the CNN Center in Atlanta.

Also this hour, she did more in her 28 years than most do in a lifetime, but a young aide worker dies in an ironic twist of fate.

Also, the mother of Michael Jackson's accuser talks about sexual advances and kidnapping plots, but does the jury believe her?

That is on tonight's rap sheet. And making money in the danger zone.

Tonight, an American hostage in Iraq and what it takes to travel into the world's most dangerous places.

But up first tonight, the Vatican. It's welcomed millions of people over the last two weeks, becoming the open door epicenter of the Catholic world's collective grief. But a shroud of secrecy is descending there as we speak, not to rise until we know the name of the next pope.

In just six hours, the 115 voting cardinals gather for a special mass. They will lock themselves in, and start voting a few hours later. One-hundred-and-fifteen cardinals, by the way, will be the most to attend any conclave ever.

A prominent clergyman, the president of Washington's Catholic University of America, tells CNN he expects the conclave to be short. He says we can expect a new pope in just a few days.

So what's with all the secrecy? Well, credit Pope John Paul II, who tightened the lid when he re-wrote the conclave rules just nine years ago.

Now those new rules take into account things most previous popes would never have imagined -- mini microphones, tiny TV cameras, stuff to snoop and peek into this most confidential of gatherings.

So to make sure unwanted eyes and ears are kept out of the Sistine Chapel, where the cardinals vote, the Vatican is going more high-tech than ever.

CNN's Chris Burns with more details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Vatican, as the leaders of the church prepare to choose a new pontiff, the saints watch over the secrets of the inner sanctum.

So did the Vatican police, trying to stay one step ahead of spy technology. Security experts say the sky's the limit, from monitoring cell phone conversations, to eavesdropping from high above. Look how close satellites can peek.

ANDREA MARGELLETTI, CENTER FOR INTL. STUDIES: Surely many intelligence agencies in the world are trying to penetrate inside the Holy See with special aircraft, for example, spy planes. We've had directional or lasers.

BURNS: Lasers that could be pointed at windows of the Sistine Chapel to pick up conversations where the cardinals will cast their votes, or the windows of the Vatican's Santa Magda Hotel, where the cardinals are staying.

Vatican experts say the church's security force is expected to sweep the grounds for bugs and other gadgets during the conclave.

Private Detective Miriam Tomponzi displays some of the classic tricks. The lighter that's a camera. Another that converts into bug. The pen, that's a microphone.

MIRIAM TOMPONZI, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR (through translator): There's absolutely no doubt we could spy on the Vatican the conclave.

BURNS: But the security for this conclave has been years in the making.

(on camera): Pope John Paul II himself issued counterintelligence orders for conclaves, banning cell phones, recorders, radios, televisions, electronic organizers to protect the cardinals from in his words "threats to their independent judgment."

(voice-over): More than that, experts say, a pope spied on for years under communist regimes in Poland, helps better sensitize the Vatican to espionage.

MARGELLETTI: I think now, we are the Holy See, much less vulnerable than ever.

BURNS: Less vulnerable to outside spying perhaps. But experts also say that won't make the Vatican free of internal intrigue, as rivals jockey for power in the shadows of the saints.

Chris Burns, CNN, Vatican City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And of course, stay with CNN. In just a few minutes, a conversation with our Vatican analyst Delia Gallagher, as the hour of the conclave draws nearer.

And of course, CNN will bring the proceedings to you live -- everything we can show you at least anyway. Our coverage begins at 4:00 a.m. Eastern tomorrow. The election of the new pope, live from Vatican City.

But right now, to a story that has captivated the nation this weekend. And like so many before it, ended tragically. A missing Florida teenager is dead. Authorities say a horrific crime has been committed. Sara Dorsey has the new developments from Ruskin, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's happened again in Florida. A child is killed allegedly by a convicted sex offender. Authorities say 13-year old Sarah Lunde was murdered in her home, allegedly by a man who had once had a relationship with her mother.

The sheriff says David Onstott has confessed to the crime.

GEE: The sheriff's office alleges that on April 10, 2005, between the hours of midnight and 0500 a.m., the defendant, David Lee Onstott, arrived at the victim's residence at 2812 30th Street Southeast in Ruskin, Florida, looking for the victim's mother, Kelly Mae.

After entering the residence, the victim and defendant became involved in a verbal confrontation. During the confrontation, the defendant put the victim in a chokehold, causing her to become unconscious, and eventually causing her death.

DORSEY: Lunde's partially clothed body was found only a half mile from her home in a pond at a fish farm. Searchers came from all over the area, including a man whose story is hauntingly similar. Mark Lunsford's daughter, Jessica, disappeared from her Florida home. Her body was later found buried. A convicted sex offender is charged with that crime.

Lunsford has one thing to say to David Onstott.

MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA'S FATHER: Onstott, the same goes for you. I hope you rot in hell.

DORSEY: This eight day ordeal came to the ending everyone feared. Sunday morning, Lunde's friends gathered in her honor for a memory service at her church.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And though we not have been able to bring Sarah back safely home, we can be certain that she is forever safe with the Lord today.

DORSEY: An autopsy will be performed to determine the official cause of her death.

Sara Dorsey, CNN, Ruskin, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Still to come, I talked with Sarah Lunde's youth pastor. He was a very close friend who tells me that the public has the wrong idea about a girl first characterized as a chronic runaway. His story, coming up in just a few minutes.

In the meantime, a look across the nation tonight. Vanished, a Center County, Pennsylvania district attorney. Police searched Ray Ricar's car after finding it about 50 miles from its home. No sign of foul play or clues to his whereabouts. Ricar hasn't been seen or heard from since Friday.

And Providence, Rhode Island -- a police detective shot to death today with his own gun at the police station allegedly by a suspect he was questioning. The suspect then jumped out of the third floor window, but was soon captured. The detective James Allen was a 27- year veteran of the force.

And rough seas indeed. A holiday cruise-liner cut short a Caribbean journey after a giant wave broke windows and flooded several cabins. It pulled into a South Carolina port for a check-up this morning. The Norwegian Dawn was halfway from Miami to New York. Passengers on board say it wasn't exactly a Titanic moment, but people were scared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES FRALEY, PASSENGER: We're talking 47-foot waves hitting the 10th floor, knocking Jacuzzis on the 12th floor overboard; people sleeping in hallways with life preservers on, just pure pandemonium.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LIN: We've got a lot more coming up in a just a little bit. A passenger from that cruise ship got off for good in Charleston and was so scared, she drove all the way to Washington, D.C. So she joins us a little later tonight with her harrowing story.

Meantime, condolences are pouring in to the family of an American aid worker killed in Iraq. Marla Ruzicka, the founder of Campaign for Innocent Victims of Conflict, died in an apparent insurgent attack on her convoy in Baghdad yesterday.

CNN's Jane Arraf knew her personally. And she's got more on the woman and her contributions that will long be remembered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Marla Ruzicka had a knack for making friends and a passion for helping the helpless.

She could have stayed in California, but she spent her time in Iraq and Afghanistan.

MARLA RUZICKA, CAMPAIGN FOR INNOCENT VICTIMS OF CONFLICT: These terrible images can be the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are sad. You always are sad. But you try to figure out what can we do, how can we help people?

ARRAF: So she hit the streets, working her way through war-torn Baghdad to find out where she could get help.

RUZICKA: I'm frustrated because I go to the HQ, I go to the CPA and I was like who do I talk to? And nobody knows...

ARRAF: She convinced U.S. lawmakers to appropriate money for civilian victims of U.S. military campaigns. Marla saw more suffering in a day than most people ever do and still kept her sunny disposition.

On this trip, we went with her to visit Najia Mohammed Briesen, who had lost eight members of her family when a missile hit their car.

Marla told American soldiers the baby would die if she weren't air lifted to a hospital.

RUZICKA: We tried to get her immediate medical help and to save her life. And we did save her life, but her body couldn't take the burns.

ARRAF: She and her Iraqi assistant Fayez Al-Salaam, set up a project with 150 volunteers to do a survey of civilian victims.

RUZICKA: But we have about 5,000 cases. Not necessarily of deaths, but where homes were destroyed, where people were very critically injured. And you know, for me, I try as much as I can to go to families and say we're very sorry. We're working to try to get you some assistance and to kind of help them have some reconciliation and some closure, and to let them know that Americans do care about their well being.

ARRAF: At hospitals, grieving relatives would approach her, like this man whose two children were killed.

RUZICKA: I'm very sorry. I don't know what it's like to lose a child, but it pains me to know.

ARRAF: Marla thought about the risks of working in Iraq, but she didn't let them stop her.

RUZICKA: But you just have to keep your eyes open and let people know what you're doing and what you're about. And people -- I feel that a lot of people really appreciate our campaign. So they take a lot of care of myself and other people that work with me.

ARRAF: At 29, Marla had lived more, done more, than most people do over a long, long lifetime.

Jane Arraf, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And returning to our top story later tonight, picking the next pope. It is a decision that will set the tone for the future of the Catholic Church. So straight ahead, more on the secrecy and the length the Vatican goes to maintain it.

Also, risky behavior. Traveling to dangerous places in an unknown land. What kind of person does this and why? And later, tucked away in a war zone, something rarely found in Iraq -- a little fun. You're watching CNN SUNDAY NIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Back to the Vatican now. We are just hours away from the first papal conclave in 26 years. And when it's over, whether it's hours, days, or weeks from now, we are going to know the identity of the next pope.

Now I spoke to Vatican analyst Delia Gallagher a short time ago. And she said the grapevine is already buzzing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Well, I can tell you, Carol, that there are many whispers behind the scene, even from the cardinals. But what they are not saying are any names.

We're hearing a lot about the future of the church, what are some of the concerns for the cardinals at this time with regard to Catholicism and the modern world, with regard to Catholicism and the Third World. But we are not hearing any names.

And I think one of the most interesting things about this process is that these men have been together now for a week in these general meetings, but have not been discussing particular names. So tonight might be the first time that they actually get together, because they've gone into their residence now, and they're faced with one another at dinner. And they might actually start coming up with some names.

LIN: But given that Pope John Paul II has appointed 90 percent of the cardinals who are gathering, and could potentially be his successor, I mean what indication is that for say disaffected Catholics in America, as to how the future pope is going to deal with problems like the sex abuse scandal, and priests and marriage, and the role of women in the church?

GALLAGHER: I think that many of the cardinals -- we shouldn't expect too much change from the next pope, because as you say, they were appointed by John Paul II. And for the most part, would be in line with some of those teachings.

However, there are some moral issues in which some of the cardinals differ. And so, we might see a more progressive pope who wants, for example, communion to divorce and remarry Catholics, or more authority for women in the church, not necessarily women priests, but at least to give women a greater voice in the church.

So I think there is some leeway on some of those moral issues. And let's remember that now that we are in a post John Paul II period. We may see some of the cardinals coming out a bit more loudly with some of those opinions.

LIN: Well how big is the American contingency in these -- in the cardinals gathering?

GALLAGHER: Well, the American contingency is important. Of course, the one thing we can be sure of is that there will not be an American pope. Most of them have agreed upon that.

But of course, they are a very powerful, important group here -- very influential. They know many of the cardinals, because they're able to travel. And many of the cardinals have traveled to the United States.

LIN: And about security, I mean, the length that the Vatican has gone to, to maintain security. For example, I read about a tour that reporters went through, where technologically, they are able to block any form of cell phone communication.

I mean, give me some examples of how technology is now playing into the secrecy of the conclave? What else have you heard?

GALLAGHER: Well, I'll tell you, Carol, it was really interesting because I was able to visit the Sistine Chapel yesterday, where the cardinals will be going to tomorrow for this election. And you know, in the midst of this sort of renaissance Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's frescoes all over, then suddenly, we have this modern technology.

The floor is raised. And underneath the floor, they have these debugging, jamming devices for cell phones. In case any cardinal wants to bring a cell phone into the conclave, he will not be able to use it.

Of course, the Swiss Guards are outside the door. And there is great security all around. Even for the part where the cardinals have to leave their residence and walk to the Sistine Chapel. So absolute security and secrecy is number one here at the Vatican.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Which leads us to our last call question. Do you think the papal selection process should be open to the public? Tell us what you think. Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620.

And straight ahead on CNN SUNDAY NIGHT, a family in grief and a community in shock. After the killing of Sarah Michelle Lunde, we are learning she was a little girl of deep faith, always looking for a safe place.

Coming up, the man she confided in, her youth pastor joins me. And later, could tempers in court change the tone of the Michael Jackson trial? Rap sheet straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Insight now into the victim of a terrible crime. 13-year old Sarah Lunde disappeared a week ago. Her body was found yesterday. Authorities have a man in custody, and say he has confessed to killing her.

Now police initially regarded Sarah as a runaway -- well, a guess based on similar behavior in the past and an unstable, broken, and volatile home life. We are told that one place she sought solace was her church. She regarded people there as her family.

I spoke with her youth pastor a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT FONTANA, SARAH LUNDE'S YOUTH PASTOR: I never heard that she was a chronic runaway before. And I figured if maybe any time her parents didn't know where she was, possibly she was here.

LIN: At church?

FONTANA: I didn't know that she would -- right, at church.

LIN: How often was she at church?

FONTANA: At least I can count Sunday morning service, Sunday night, Tuesday, and then a lot of times on our Wednesday night prayer meeting. So there's four times right there.

LIN: A very different picture than initially was painted and portrayed of this 13-year old girl?

FONTANA: Right,.

LIN: What did Sarah tell you about her home life?

FONTANA: I was never there. You know, I know her family love her. And her mom put a roof over her head. I know Sarah was a bright girl. From that, I gather that she must have been a -- getting to school all the time and getting her homework done.

I know Sarah found a lot of comfort here, though. I know that she got a lot of love and affection here as well.

LIN: What do you think she was looking for in her church life?

(AUDIO GAP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Our apologies. We want to bring that interview to you, but he did tell me that she was looking for love and support and safety and security. And that there were times that Sarah did express that she was scared.

Now straight ahead tonight, driven to danger. Another American contractor falls in the hands of Iraq's insurgents. So why so many like him are willing to take that risk. That is next.

Plus, imagine a wave, the height of a seven story building, crashing down on you. Well, believe it or not, that's what happened to this cruise ship. Straight ahead, a woman who was actually on board and watched as the water was rising. She's going to talk about that experience.

And don't forget our last call question. Do you think the papal selection process should be open to the public? Why or why not? Give us a call. 1-800-807-2620.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Taking a look at the headlines tonight and tomorrow. Vatican watchers predict the Roman Catholic cardinals will need only a few days to elect a successor to Pope John Paul II. The cardinals begin their conclave tomorrow. They will be deliberating under new rules, designed to prevent a deadlock.

An apparent cordial atmosphere in talks between the Indian and Pakistani leaders today. The two discuss issues for more than two hours, and among the key topics, the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharaff, called the talks a good sign for peace between the two nations.

Ethics firestorm. Top Democrats are accusing House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and fellow Republicans of abuse of power. Democrats say Republican-backed changes to House Ethics Committee rules are meant to prevent an investigation into whether DeLay has violated House rules. An American humanitarian aid worker who went to Iraq to help victims of war has been killed by a car bomb. Marla Ruzicka founded a group called CIVIC. It stands for the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict.

U.S. embassy officials say Ruzicka and her driver were killed in a car bomb attack yesterday near Baghdad International Airport. Now moments ago, her father spoke with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLIFFORD RUZICKA, AID WORKER'S FATHER: She had a lot of zeal and a lot of purpose in her life. And it was early on we recognized that, you know, she was going to do humanitarian types of work. And so, it was sort of natural that she was going to go to these kinds of places.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: She was only 29.

Now still no word on the fate of kidnapped American businessman Jeffrey Ake. Ake is president and CEO of Equipment Express, an Indiana-based water purification and bottling company.

He was abducted Monday from a Baghdad work site. He appeared on an insurgent video two days later, begging his family and friends to urge the U.S. government to negotiate with what he called the Iraqi National Resistance. Earlier, I talked with one of Ake's employees.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM MAESCH, EMPLOYEE: He had eight bodyguards that were supposed to meet him there in an armored car and when he got there, I guess, he declined and told them I'll go home, that he'd go on his own. He didn't think anything would happen. I pretty much figured that something like this would happen, but I told him not to go, and he went anyway.

LIN: Living in harm's way. Some people have no choice. Others, like many American contractors in Iraq, are willing to take the risk for a possible financial gain.

Well, the "World's Most Dangerous Places" is a survival guide for people visiting danger zones. Its author is Robert Young Pelton and here he is. He joins me from Washington.

Robert, you heard what this young man had to say about his boss. In fact, this guy could have been on the plane over to Baghdad with Jeffrey Ake, but he thought the assignment was too dangerous. How many people are like Jeffrey Ake, these private people who personally go over. He was going over to solve a problem. Apparently a part broke at one of his bottling facilities.

ROBERT YOUNG PELTON, AUTHOR, JOURNALIST: Well, there's quite a few people like that, Jeffrey. The U.S. government is putting about $50 billion worth of reconstruction and it's attracted quite a few people from small businesses to large businesses. Most people that work over there are aware of the security problems and the potential dangers though.

LIN: We don't know exactly what happened, but according to this story that we just heard, that Jeffrey Ake had arranged for eight bodyguards, landed, reassessed the situation, for some reason, may have let these bodyguards go.

PELTON: Yeah, that would be I think a bad mistake, because there are people watching everywhere. And obviously an American moving around and particularly a businessman is a number one target over there. And one of the things that people don't really pay attention to is the criminal nature of what they call the insurgency. It's much more lucrative to kidnap a businessman than let's say to attack a military convoy. So they are the number one targets over there.

LIN: And an easy target. I mean you're really kind of describing more a situation like you found traditionally in places like South American countries like Colombia where it's kidnap for hire and ransom and that's the profit of these underworld gangs. You're not talking about political or spiritual causes.

PELTON: Well, don't forget, the insurgents are also funding their activities. A typical American might bring anywhere from $3 to $6 to $10 million in ransom and even though most people don't talk about it, many of these people do have kidnap insurance and if they don't, governments typically will negotiate in the background to release them.

LIN: Well, when someone goes alone, what do they need to do to prepare?

PELTON: Well, the first thing he should have done is stick with his security convoy because there are a number of companies operating over there like Blackwater and Triple Canopy that provide this service and know the lay of the land. And just having that force protection would deter most kidnap attempts. Secondly, when you go over there, just because you don't see anything dangerous or don't think you're in a dangerous place, you are a target and people have to remember that.

LIN: How much does it cost to buy security in a place like Baghdad?

PELTON: It's expensive. It can run you -- a typical contractor makes about $600 and they bill anywhere from three-times to double that on top of that. You typically need an armored car and you also need probably a detail of anywhere from two to eight people. So even a ride to the airport can cost $10,000. It's a very expensive undertaking.

LIN: And once you're there, how do you establish housing and contacts and that sort of thing?

PELTON: Well, most people pre-arrange either a hotel stay. There's a few hotels that people do stay in that have security in them. If you stay in the Al Monsour district, that's typically full of security companies and people with a lot of armed protection. Nobody really just wanders in there and does business. And as you remember with Mr. Berg earlier on, he was a victim of just wandering around looking for business.

LIN: Nicholas Berg, trying to set up a telecommunications business and was ultimately kidnapped and beheaded. Do you know anybody personally who has tried to set up a business in Iraq?

PELTON: I know a number of people. As a matter of fact, during the war, I was there with a cameraman from an unnamed network who wanted to set up a bar in Baghdad, which was a great idea, except within about two or three days, you realize he'd have a number of unwelcome partners that wanted a large chunk of the profits.

LIN: What do you mean?

PELTON: Baghdad and Iraq has always been a very criminal place, particularly in the area of business and it's even more so today.

LIN: Well, I mean are you talking about, I mean it sounds like underworld gangs who needed payoff in order for him to set up his business and then it would just be blackmail ad infinitum.

PELTON: Correct. There is a large criminal community in Iraq and obviously there's very little law enforcement there. So any contractor working over there on any business is a target for criminal organization.

LIN: But you're saying there are Web sites and even job fairs that are calling people to still go to Baghdad.

PELTON: Correct. The U.S. government is very aggressive in trying to get business people to bid on contracts and to help with the reconstruction of Baghdad. But right now, even though they've got $50 million, sorry $50 billion targeted, people are estimating between 15 to 25 percent of that is going to be spent on security alone.

LIN: All right. Robert Pelton, perhaps not the world's most dangerous places, Baghdad, but definitely one to beware. Thanks very much.

PELTON: Thanks Carol.

LIN: Well, perhaps for the first time, the focus shifted this week in the Michael Jackson trial. Instead of the pop star, the spotlight shown on the accuser's mother. But questions remain about here credibility and the impact she could have on the case. Tonight's rap sheet straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: On the rap sheet tonight, the Michael Jackson trial. The accuser's mother on the witness stand and under scrutiny. Her story was dramatic, but was it credible? Let's see what the experts have to say. We turn to Broward County prosecutor Stacey Honowitz and defense attorney Jayne Weintraub also in Miami. Tonight ladies, we don't have the benefit of a set up package, but it is pretty straight and simple.

I mean, this woman was testifying that she saw bizarre things like Michael Jackson lick the back of her son's head on an airplane trip. She claims that Michael Jackson and his people had tried to kidnap her, had held her family hostage essentially and forced them to make that BBC interview, calling Michael Jackson virtually a father figure in her son's life. Jayne, do you think this woman was credible? I mean it just seems, it seemed like she was describing something out of a Hollywood movie.

JAYNE WEINTRAUB, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: And it was, the way that she described it, with her overdramatic flare as it's been described. Carol, this woman gives a whole new meaning to the word actress. If Tom Sneddon wanted to maintain his credibility, he would have dropped this kidnapping count. She was kidnapped? When she went to get a body wax, she was kidnapped. She went shopping at the Larchmont (ph) Mall. She didn't call 911. She was kidnapped. She was talking to a girlfriend and quote, "gave her subtle hints." Please, this woman was not kidnapped. Sneddon should have dropped the count.

LIN: Stacey?

STACEY HONOWITZ, BROWARD COUNTY (FLA) PROSECUTOR: Absolutely not, absolutely not. I mean, Jayne, you know as well as I do in cases like this, the mother knew that she was earmarked not to be credible, so Sneddon definitely went over with her what Mesereau was going to do. So she was basically over compensating on the stand, because she knew what the attack was going to be. But when you think about it logically, do you honestly think that they volunteered to make a nice video about Michael Jackson?

WEINTRAUB: Absolutely.

HONOWITZ: But do you think Michael Jackson's people said to her, listen, this is what you're going to do and that's what happened.

WEINTRAUB: That's the key, Stacey. Stacey, there you just said it. Michael Jackson's people, that's not Michael Jackson

(CROSSTALK)

HONOWITZ: ... his direction, if anything was said. They're working for Michael Jackson. Do you think they took it upon themselves...

WEINTRAUB: Absolutely.

HONOWITZ: ... from the goodness of their heart, to try to save him? Or you think Jackson said you better do something about this?

WEINTRAUB: I think he said keep an eye on them and I think that that mean, and keep an eye on them. Watch every move

(CROSSTALK)

LIN: Jayne, this woman does not make -- this woman has not asked for any money. Why would she make this stuff up?

WEINTRAUB: Yes. This woman is a litigious woman. First of all, she's always made up the truth in her last lawsuit for sexual molestation in the JCPenney case. She's lied before. She's coached her kids to lie before, just to get money. This is a woman who went to a lawyer first when she heard that her son was quote, molested.

HONOWITZ: That's not true, Jayne.

WEINTRAUB: She didn't take her kid to a pediatrician.

HONOWITZ: That's absolutely not true Jayne. That's not what the evidence was that came out that she went to the lawyer right away. And there's been no allegation that she lied about any molestation in the JCPenney case.

WEINTRAUB: She won a settlement. She got $150,000. I mean she got a settlement in this case -- lawsuit. That's what that is. $150,000 means you don't have the pay lawyers when it goes away. You don't have the publicity.

LIN: All right. Stacey, do you think it matters that a deal was made with the judge, because of that money and she continued to apparently collect welfare? She took the Fifth on that. She didn't want to testify about welfare fraud and the judge allowed that. Do you think that damages her credibility then? Does it set up a case for a potential appeal down the road, should Michael Jackson be convicted?

HONOWITZ: Well, I think absolutely the idea that the defense wasn't able to get into that line of questioning sets up a point of appeal for them, because certainly her credibility is an issue. And she took welfare payments and she took them and she wasn't supposed to. It certainly rests upon her honesty, her dishonesty I should say.

So I think it does set up a record for appeal. But I think in this case and Jayne knows this, if you know that someone is going to take the Fifth, you cannot on the stand in front of a jury, you cannot ask them questions about what they're taking the Fifth on. Does it set up an appeal for Jackson? I think it probably does.

LIN: Jayne?

WEINTRAUB: I hate to say this, I agree.

LIN: On that note, ladies, that is tonight's rap sheet. All right. We'll see what the week holds. Apparently, there's a prediction for a bombshell this coming week with Thomas Mesereau. Anyway, we'll find out what happens with the accuser's mom.

In the meantime, a cruise ship is limping back to New York after being hit by what's being described as a freak wave, huge wave, smashed into the Norwegian cruise liner yesterday. Four passengers were injured. Dozens of cabins were flooded. CNN's Denis Belgrave has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not what cruising is supposed to be.

JAMES FRALEY, PASSENGER: It was pure hell.

BELGRAVE: James Fraley says that was the scene aboard the Norwegian Dawn last night, as the ship struggled through severe weather.

FRALEY: We're talking 47-foot waves hitting the 10th floor, knocking Jacuzzis on the 12th floor overboard. People sleeping in hallways with life preservers on, just pure pandemonium.

BELGRAVE: Karen Hogan and her family decided to take a cruise on their first vacation, because her husband isn't comfortable flying. Hogan left this message on her mother's answering machine.

VOICE OF PASSENGER KAREN HOGAN: We have been in 42-foot swells for 24 hours. There's damage to the ship. People have been hurt. It's been a nightmare.

BELGRAVE: Norwegian Cruise Lines has not yet responded to CNN's calls. But their Web site did say the ship was hit by a freak wave that caused two windows to break, flooding 62 cabins. Four passengers were reported hurt with cuts and bruises. It also said the safety and integrity of the ship was in no way compromised by this incident. That may be so, says Fraley, but he says people were being thrown around like rag dolls. Fraley says he and his wife got off the ship early because his wife was scared to death.

FRALEY: My wife and myself, we're celebrating our honeymoon, called our loved ones because we thought it was the end. You have a lifetime of memories now destroyed, that's not going to cut it.

BELGRAVE: Passengers say they've been offered a free trip as compensation but that's an offer some may find easy to decline. Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: A lot of scared people out there. Carla Burgess, here she is. She and her family were on an upper deck when the wave hit. She joins me now from Washington, D.C. Carla, you actually did the drive from Charleston, South Carolina, where the ship is being repaired because you were so, you just didn't want to be anywhere near the ship. Tell me what you saw.

CARLA BURGESS, PASSENGER: It was horrible. I mean it was absolutely horrible. I was trembling for my life. Those waves took over that ship and tossed it around like it was a piece of feather, like it was a feather. It was horrible. Children were screaming. We were all in our life jackets. We didn't know what was coming next.

LIN: Were you getting any direction from the ship's captain or the emergency response? BURGESS: You know what they told us? Everything is 100 percent safe. That's what they told us. Everything is 100 percent safe. You don't have to worry. But we found out that was not the truth.

LIN: What do you mean?

BURGESS: The ship was -- oh, my God. Did you see those pictures that I gave to you?

LIN: No let's show the picture that you gave us, OK, because this is described to me. What are we looking at? It looks like a door. There's somebody sitting (ph) there.

BURGESS: OK. The door that you're looking at. I was on the 10th deck. That is the door from one of the cabins on the 10th deck. That about a few doors down from mine. It split open at the top. Right next to it was the wall. I sent you a picture of that too.

LIN: That's from the force of the water coming inside?

BURGESS: I'm telling you, that wasn't there when we first got on the ship, that's for sure. So where else could it come from?

LIN: So what did you do when you saw this water?

BURGESS: Pray. That's all I could do. We were out on the middle of the ocean. What could we do? Our cell phones weren't working. We couldn't get in contact with any police officers or anybody else like that. We couldn't even call the Coast Guard. Our cell phones were completely down. We had nothing to do but pray. That's it.

LIN: How long did this go on for?

BURGESS: OK, the captain made an announcement at 7:00 -- between 7:00 and 10:00 that morning that we were going to have rough weather. We didn't get to Charleston until the next day at 7:30 p.m. We were in that -- oh my God. We were there for hours. It seemed like a lifetime.

LIN: Did you think you were going to die Carla?

BURGESS: Yes. I really did. I didn't even want to think about my daughter Shanelle (ph) because myself, her dad and her brother, all three of us were on that ship and just her alone left in this world, I didn't even want to think about it. I'm still trembling.

LIN: Have you heard from the cruise line, because I understand they're offering free cruises as compensation.

BURGESS: Oh, you know what they had to offer. At the time when we were going through all of this, they offered free drinks, free drinks, can you believe that? They want people drunk while we're going through all of this mess and then they offered 25 percent off of your next cruise. Who wants to go on a next cruise? I sure don't.

LIN: Carla, that is it.

BURGESS: I'll never cruise again, and I cruised four times before.

LIN: Oh, Carla, well, you know what? It is good to see you alive. You look great tonight. We'll follow up on your story, OK. Let us know what happens and how this turns out and it is good to see you safe, almost home. You're not quite home. I know you live....

BURGESS: Not yet, but I'm on my way.

LIN: Indeed, Carla Burgess, thank you so much for sharing your story.

In the meantime, Eric Robert Rudolph's crimes horrified the nation and shattered peoples' lives. Up next tonight, my interview with John Hawthorne, whose wife was killed in the Olympic Park bombing. It is a story you'll only see on CNN.

And still to come, elation in Iraq or about as close to it as we've seen. Look at this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Now a story you will only see on CNN. The husband of one of Eric Robert Rudolph's victims thinks a life sentence is just punishment. Rudolph pleaded guilty this week to a string of bombings in the Southeast in the 1990s. Two people were killed, a hundred others injured. Earlier I talked with the husband of Alice Hawthorne, killed in the Atlanta Olympic Park bombing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HAWTHORNE, HUSBAND OF ALICE HAWTHORNE: There is some -- there is some sense of closure. Besides, I also have somewhat of a, somewhat of a quirky belief around this death penalty. While I was in favor of the death penalty, laying down going to sleep without any pain at all was not exactly what I would -- what I thought should happen in the case of someone being put to death. So knowing that this guy was only 30 years old, he'll probably live another 40 to 45 years, if we're lucky, will be in a prison where he will never ever see freedom again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: John Hawthorne, who said he listened to his wife Alice's spirit and it told him to move to Sarasota, Florida. He works for redevelopment agencies down there, helping hurricane victims rebuild their lives.

In the meantime, Eric Rudolph showed no remorse, which bothered victims and family members. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It is not Disneyland, but for many families in Baghdad, it's as good as a magic carpet ride. Weary from two years of war and yearning for any sense of normalcy, they had a chance to visit an amusement park and have a little fun. CNN's Ryan Chilcote has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of Baghdad's few amusement parks, one of the places where Iraqis can still feel a sense of normality. Sanaa and her friends from Baghdad University call what you're seeing "fun minus" -- an emotional state beneath bliss, but above bottom, a form of therapy.

SANAA, BAGHDAD RESIDENT (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The last two years have been depressing. I stopped talking to my family and my friends and used to lose consciousness every time I heard an explosion, she says. It's difficult living like that.

CHILCOTE: Difficult living is something Zina knows a lot about. She's been living with her two boys and daughter, holed up in a home in one of the city's most violent neighborhoods the last two years.

ZINA, BAGHDAD RESIDENT (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): It's very difficult for us to have fun. You can't go anywhere, Zina says. Once a month I come here to have fun with my kids but then spend the rest of the month in my house.

CHILCOTE: For most Iraqis, life is a series of ups and downs, but parks like this one seem to offer a safe haven for fun, at least for a while, even if Iraqis never feel entirely safe.

AHSSAN NAHI, FATHER OF THREE CHILDREN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Things are better than before Ahssan says. Now we can go outside and entertain our kids on the weekend as long as we get back before sunset. We're always worried about the suicide bombers.

CHILCOTE: Going to the amusement park is a calculated risk many are willing to take for the sake of their sanity. Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And we leave you tonight with your responses to our last call question. Do you think the papal selection process should be open to the public? Here's what you had to say. Have a great night.

CALLER: I think it should be secret because it is sacred.

CALLER: Anytime it should be secret (ph) it should be done secretly.

CALLER: The inner workings of most businesses are not open to people. Certainly the most, the largest Christian, the largest religion, the oldest one in the world and certainly the largest (INAUDIBLE) By the way, I'm not Christian or Catholic.

CALLER: It should remain secret. The insistence of Americans wanting to make this process open to the public is ridiculous and ignorant. Six percent of Catholics (INAUDIBLE) with the papacy and with the Catholic Church in Rome have no influence in the (INAUDIBLE) Catholics all over the world.

CALLER: They should open it to the public so people can see (INAUDIBLE)

CALLER: No I don't. It was established in 1179 that the College of Cardinals should do it. Anytime the people and the media like CNN get mixed up in this, it's prone to be messed up. So secret things taken care of by the church, the church will take care of it in its own way and we will have the Holy Spirit give us a new pope.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 April 17, 2005 - 22:00 ET
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CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN SUNDAY NIGHT, countdown to the conclave. The cardinals are moving in, as we're just hours away from the special election for the next pope.
Also...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID GEE, SHERIFF, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA:The defendant put the victim in a choke hold, causing her to become unconscious, and eventually causing her death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Prosecutors are making their case against the suspect in custody for the murder of Sarah Lunde. Tonight, new details on the teen who sought refuge inside her local church.

And rocked by a massive wave, decks flooded and passengers scrambling for cover. Tonight, exclusive details from an eyewitness on board a cruise ship nightmare.

These stories and a lot more next on CNN SUNDAY NIGHT.

Good evening, I'm Carol Lin from the CNN Center in Atlanta.

Also this hour, she did more in her 28 years than most do in a lifetime, but a young aide worker dies in an ironic twist of fate.

Also, the mother of Michael Jackson's accuser talks about sexual advances and kidnapping plots, but does the jury believe her?

That is on tonight's rap sheet. And making money in the danger zone.

Tonight, an American hostage in Iraq and what it takes to travel into the world's most dangerous places.

But up first tonight, the Vatican. It's welcomed millions of people over the last two weeks, becoming the open door epicenter of the Catholic world's collective grief. But a shroud of secrecy is descending there as we speak, not to rise until we know the name of the next pope.

In just six hours, the 115 voting cardinals gather for a special mass. They will lock themselves in, and start voting a few hours later. One-hundred-and-fifteen cardinals, by the way, will be the most to attend any conclave ever.

A prominent clergyman, the president of Washington's Catholic University of America, tells CNN he expects the conclave to be short. He says we can expect a new pope in just a few days.

So what's with all the secrecy? Well, credit Pope John Paul II, who tightened the lid when he re-wrote the conclave rules just nine years ago.

Now those new rules take into account things most previous popes would never have imagined -- mini microphones, tiny TV cameras, stuff to snoop and peek into this most confidential of gatherings.

So to make sure unwanted eyes and ears are kept out of the Sistine Chapel, where the cardinals vote, the Vatican is going more high-tech than ever.

CNN's Chris Burns with more details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Vatican, as the leaders of the church prepare to choose a new pontiff, the saints watch over the secrets of the inner sanctum.

So did the Vatican police, trying to stay one step ahead of spy technology. Security experts say the sky's the limit, from monitoring cell phone conversations, to eavesdropping from high above. Look how close satellites can peek.

ANDREA MARGELLETTI, CENTER FOR INTL. STUDIES: Surely many intelligence agencies in the world are trying to penetrate inside the Holy See with special aircraft, for example, spy planes. We've had directional or lasers.

BURNS: Lasers that could be pointed at windows of the Sistine Chapel to pick up conversations where the cardinals will cast their votes, or the windows of the Vatican's Santa Magda Hotel, where the cardinals are staying.

Vatican experts say the church's security force is expected to sweep the grounds for bugs and other gadgets during the conclave.

Private Detective Miriam Tomponzi displays some of the classic tricks. The lighter that's a camera. Another that converts into bug. The pen, that's a microphone.

MIRIAM TOMPONZI, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR (through translator): There's absolutely no doubt we could spy on the Vatican the conclave.

BURNS: But the security for this conclave has been years in the making.

(on camera): Pope John Paul II himself issued counterintelligence orders for conclaves, banning cell phones, recorders, radios, televisions, electronic organizers to protect the cardinals from in his words "threats to their independent judgment."

(voice-over): More than that, experts say, a pope spied on for years under communist regimes in Poland, helps better sensitize the Vatican to espionage.

MARGELLETTI: I think now, we are the Holy See, much less vulnerable than ever.

BURNS: Less vulnerable to outside spying perhaps. But experts also say that won't make the Vatican free of internal intrigue, as rivals jockey for power in the shadows of the saints.

Chris Burns, CNN, Vatican City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And of course, stay with CNN. In just a few minutes, a conversation with our Vatican analyst Delia Gallagher, as the hour of the conclave draws nearer.

And of course, CNN will bring the proceedings to you live -- everything we can show you at least anyway. Our coverage begins at 4:00 a.m. Eastern tomorrow. The election of the new pope, live from Vatican City.

But right now, to a story that has captivated the nation this weekend. And like so many before it, ended tragically. A missing Florida teenager is dead. Authorities say a horrific crime has been committed. Sara Dorsey has the new developments from Ruskin, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's happened again in Florida. A child is killed allegedly by a convicted sex offender. Authorities say 13-year old Sarah Lunde was murdered in her home, allegedly by a man who had once had a relationship with her mother.

The sheriff says David Onstott has confessed to the crime.

GEE: The sheriff's office alleges that on April 10, 2005, between the hours of midnight and 0500 a.m., the defendant, David Lee Onstott, arrived at the victim's residence at 2812 30th Street Southeast in Ruskin, Florida, looking for the victim's mother, Kelly Mae.

After entering the residence, the victim and defendant became involved in a verbal confrontation. During the confrontation, the defendant put the victim in a chokehold, causing her to become unconscious, and eventually causing her death.

DORSEY: Lunde's partially clothed body was found only a half mile from her home in a pond at a fish farm. Searchers came from all over the area, including a man whose story is hauntingly similar. Mark Lunsford's daughter, Jessica, disappeared from her Florida home. Her body was later found buried. A convicted sex offender is charged with that crime.

Lunsford has one thing to say to David Onstott.

MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA'S FATHER: Onstott, the same goes for you. I hope you rot in hell.

DORSEY: This eight day ordeal came to the ending everyone feared. Sunday morning, Lunde's friends gathered in her honor for a memory service at her church.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And though we not have been able to bring Sarah back safely home, we can be certain that she is forever safe with the Lord today.

DORSEY: An autopsy will be performed to determine the official cause of her death.

Sara Dorsey, CNN, Ruskin, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Still to come, I talked with Sarah Lunde's youth pastor. He was a very close friend who tells me that the public has the wrong idea about a girl first characterized as a chronic runaway. His story, coming up in just a few minutes.

In the meantime, a look across the nation tonight. Vanished, a Center County, Pennsylvania district attorney. Police searched Ray Ricar's car after finding it about 50 miles from its home. No sign of foul play or clues to his whereabouts. Ricar hasn't been seen or heard from since Friday.

And Providence, Rhode Island -- a police detective shot to death today with his own gun at the police station allegedly by a suspect he was questioning. The suspect then jumped out of the third floor window, but was soon captured. The detective James Allen was a 27- year veteran of the force.

And rough seas indeed. A holiday cruise-liner cut short a Caribbean journey after a giant wave broke windows and flooded several cabins. It pulled into a South Carolina port for a check-up this morning. The Norwegian Dawn was halfway from Miami to New York. Passengers on board say it wasn't exactly a Titanic moment, but people were scared.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES FRALEY, PASSENGER: We're talking 47-foot waves hitting the 10th floor, knocking Jacuzzis on the 12th floor overboard; people sleeping in hallways with life preservers on, just pure pandemonium.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LIN: We've got a lot more coming up in a just a little bit. A passenger from that cruise ship got off for good in Charleston and was so scared, she drove all the way to Washington, D.C. So she joins us a little later tonight with her harrowing story.

Meantime, condolences are pouring in to the family of an American aid worker killed in Iraq. Marla Ruzicka, the founder of Campaign for Innocent Victims of Conflict, died in an apparent insurgent attack on her convoy in Baghdad yesterday.

CNN's Jane Arraf knew her personally. And she's got more on the woman and her contributions that will long be remembered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Marla Ruzicka had a knack for making friends and a passion for helping the helpless.

She could have stayed in California, but she spent her time in Iraq and Afghanistan.

MARLA RUZICKA, CAMPAIGN FOR INNOCENT VICTIMS OF CONFLICT: These terrible images can be the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) are sad. You always are sad. But you try to figure out what can we do, how can we help people?

ARRAF: So she hit the streets, working her way through war-torn Baghdad to find out where she could get help.

RUZICKA: I'm frustrated because I go to the HQ, I go to the CPA and I was like who do I talk to? And nobody knows...

ARRAF: She convinced U.S. lawmakers to appropriate money for civilian victims of U.S. military campaigns. Marla saw more suffering in a day than most people ever do and still kept her sunny disposition.

On this trip, we went with her to visit Najia Mohammed Briesen, who had lost eight members of her family when a missile hit their car.

Marla told American soldiers the baby would die if she weren't air lifted to a hospital.

RUZICKA: We tried to get her immediate medical help and to save her life. And we did save her life, but her body couldn't take the burns.

ARRAF: She and her Iraqi assistant Fayez Al-Salaam, set up a project with 150 volunteers to do a survey of civilian victims.

RUZICKA: But we have about 5,000 cases. Not necessarily of deaths, but where homes were destroyed, where people were very critically injured. And you know, for me, I try as much as I can to go to families and say we're very sorry. We're working to try to get you some assistance and to kind of help them have some reconciliation and some closure, and to let them know that Americans do care about their well being.

ARRAF: At hospitals, grieving relatives would approach her, like this man whose two children were killed.

RUZICKA: I'm very sorry. I don't know what it's like to lose a child, but it pains me to know.

ARRAF: Marla thought about the risks of working in Iraq, but she didn't let them stop her.

RUZICKA: But you just have to keep your eyes open and let people know what you're doing and what you're about. And people -- I feel that a lot of people really appreciate our campaign. So they take a lot of care of myself and other people that work with me.

ARRAF: At 29, Marla had lived more, done more, than most people do over a long, long lifetime.

Jane Arraf, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And returning to our top story later tonight, picking the next pope. It is a decision that will set the tone for the future of the Catholic Church. So straight ahead, more on the secrecy and the length the Vatican goes to maintain it.

Also, risky behavior. Traveling to dangerous places in an unknown land. What kind of person does this and why? And later, tucked away in a war zone, something rarely found in Iraq -- a little fun. You're watching CNN SUNDAY NIGHT.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Back to the Vatican now. We are just hours away from the first papal conclave in 26 years. And when it's over, whether it's hours, days, or weeks from now, we are going to know the identity of the next pope.

Now I spoke to Vatican analyst Delia Gallagher a short time ago. And she said the grapevine is already buzzing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Well, I can tell you, Carol, that there are many whispers behind the scene, even from the cardinals. But what they are not saying are any names.

We're hearing a lot about the future of the church, what are some of the concerns for the cardinals at this time with regard to Catholicism and the modern world, with regard to Catholicism and the Third World. But we are not hearing any names.

And I think one of the most interesting things about this process is that these men have been together now for a week in these general meetings, but have not been discussing particular names. So tonight might be the first time that they actually get together, because they've gone into their residence now, and they're faced with one another at dinner. And they might actually start coming up with some names.

LIN: But given that Pope John Paul II has appointed 90 percent of the cardinals who are gathering, and could potentially be his successor, I mean what indication is that for say disaffected Catholics in America, as to how the future pope is going to deal with problems like the sex abuse scandal, and priests and marriage, and the role of women in the church?

GALLAGHER: I think that many of the cardinals -- we shouldn't expect too much change from the next pope, because as you say, they were appointed by John Paul II. And for the most part, would be in line with some of those teachings.

However, there are some moral issues in which some of the cardinals differ. And so, we might see a more progressive pope who wants, for example, communion to divorce and remarry Catholics, or more authority for women in the church, not necessarily women priests, but at least to give women a greater voice in the church.

So I think there is some leeway on some of those moral issues. And let's remember that now that we are in a post John Paul II period. We may see some of the cardinals coming out a bit more loudly with some of those opinions.

LIN: Well how big is the American contingency in these -- in the cardinals gathering?

GALLAGHER: Well, the American contingency is important. Of course, the one thing we can be sure of is that there will not be an American pope. Most of them have agreed upon that.

But of course, they are a very powerful, important group here -- very influential. They know many of the cardinals, because they're able to travel. And many of the cardinals have traveled to the United States.

LIN: And about security, I mean, the length that the Vatican has gone to, to maintain security. For example, I read about a tour that reporters went through, where technologically, they are able to block any form of cell phone communication.

I mean, give me some examples of how technology is now playing into the secrecy of the conclave? What else have you heard?

GALLAGHER: Well, I'll tell you, Carol, it was really interesting because I was able to visit the Sistine Chapel yesterday, where the cardinals will be going to tomorrow for this election. And you know, in the midst of this sort of renaissance Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo's frescoes all over, then suddenly, we have this modern technology.

The floor is raised. And underneath the floor, they have these debugging, jamming devices for cell phones. In case any cardinal wants to bring a cell phone into the conclave, he will not be able to use it.

Of course, the Swiss Guards are outside the door. And there is great security all around. Even for the part where the cardinals have to leave their residence and walk to the Sistine Chapel. So absolute security and secrecy is number one here at the Vatican.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Which leads us to our last call question. Do you think the papal selection process should be open to the public? Tell us what you think. Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620.

And straight ahead on CNN SUNDAY NIGHT, a family in grief and a community in shock. After the killing of Sarah Michelle Lunde, we are learning she was a little girl of deep faith, always looking for a safe place.

Coming up, the man she confided in, her youth pastor joins me. And later, could tempers in court change the tone of the Michael Jackson trial? Rap sheet straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Insight now into the victim of a terrible crime. 13-year old Sarah Lunde disappeared a week ago. Her body was found yesterday. Authorities have a man in custody, and say he has confessed to killing her.

Now police initially regarded Sarah as a runaway -- well, a guess based on similar behavior in the past and an unstable, broken, and volatile home life. We are told that one place she sought solace was her church. She regarded people there as her family.

I spoke with her youth pastor a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT FONTANA, SARAH LUNDE'S YOUTH PASTOR: I never heard that she was a chronic runaway before. And I figured if maybe any time her parents didn't know where she was, possibly she was here.

LIN: At church?

FONTANA: I didn't know that she would -- right, at church.

LIN: How often was she at church?

FONTANA: At least I can count Sunday morning service, Sunday night, Tuesday, and then a lot of times on our Wednesday night prayer meeting. So there's four times right there.

LIN: A very different picture than initially was painted and portrayed of this 13-year old girl?

FONTANA: Right,.

LIN: What did Sarah tell you about her home life?

FONTANA: I was never there. You know, I know her family love her. And her mom put a roof over her head. I know Sarah was a bright girl. From that, I gather that she must have been a -- getting to school all the time and getting her homework done.

I know Sarah found a lot of comfort here, though. I know that she got a lot of love and affection here as well.

LIN: What do you think she was looking for in her church life?

(AUDIO GAP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Our apologies. We want to bring that interview to you, but he did tell me that she was looking for love and support and safety and security. And that there were times that Sarah did express that she was scared.

Now straight ahead tonight, driven to danger. Another American contractor falls in the hands of Iraq's insurgents. So why so many like him are willing to take that risk. That is next.

Plus, imagine a wave, the height of a seven story building, crashing down on you. Well, believe it or not, that's what happened to this cruise ship. Straight ahead, a woman who was actually on board and watched as the water was rising. She's going to talk about that experience.

And don't forget our last call question. Do you think the papal selection process should be open to the public? Why or why not? Give us a call. 1-800-807-2620.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Taking a look at the headlines tonight and tomorrow. Vatican watchers predict the Roman Catholic cardinals will need only a few days to elect a successor to Pope John Paul II. The cardinals begin their conclave tomorrow. They will be deliberating under new rules, designed to prevent a deadlock.

An apparent cordial atmosphere in talks between the Indian and Pakistani leaders today. The two discuss issues for more than two hours, and among the key topics, the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharaff, called the talks a good sign for peace between the two nations.

Ethics firestorm. Top Democrats are accusing House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and fellow Republicans of abuse of power. Democrats say Republican-backed changes to House Ethics Committee rules are meant to prevent an investigation into whether DeLay has violated House rules. An American humanitarian aid worker who went to Iraq to help victims of war has been killed by a car bomb. Marla Ruzicka founded a group called CIVIC. It stands for the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict.

U.S. embassy officials say Ruzicka and her driver were killed in a car bomb attack yesterday near Baghdad International Airport. Now moments ago, her father spoke with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLIFFORD RUZICKA, AID WORKER'S FATHER: She had a lot of zeal and a lot of purpose in her life. And it was early on we recognized that, you know, she was going to do humanitarian types of work. And so, it was sort of natural that she was going to go to these kinds of places.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: She was only 29.

Now still no word on the fate of kidnapped American businessman Jeffrey Ake. Ake is president and CEO of Equipment Express, an Indiana-based water purification and bottling company.

He was abducted Monday from a Baghdad work site. He appeared on an insurgent video two days later, begging his family and friends to urge the U.S. government to negotiate with what he called the Iraqi National Resistance. Earlier, I talked with one of Ake's employees.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TIM MAESCH, EMPLOYEE: He had eight bodyguards that were supposed to meet him there in an armored car and when he got there, I guess, he declined and told them I'll go home, that he'd go on his own. He didn't think anything would happen. I pretty much figured that something like this would happen, but I told him not to go, and he went anyway.

LIN: Living in harm's way. Some people have no choice. Others, like many American contractors in Iraq, are willing to take the risk for a possible financial gain.

Well, the "World's Most Dangerous Places" is a survival guide for people visiting danger zones. Its author is Robert Young Pelton and here he is. He joins me from Washington.

Robert, you heard what this young man had to say about his boss. In fact, this guy could have been on the plane over to Baghdad with Jeffrey Ake, but he thought the assignment was too dangerous. How many people are like Jeffrey Ake, these private people who personally go over. He was going over to solve a problem. Apparently a part broke at one of his bottling facilities.

ROBERT YOUNG PELTON, AUTHOR, JOURNALIST: Well, there's quite a few people like that, Jeffrey. The U.S. government is putting about $50 billion worth of reconstruction and it's attracted quite a few people from small businesses to large businesses. Most people that work over there are aware of the security problems and the potential dangers though.

LIN: We don't know exactly what happened, but according to this story that we just heard, that Jeffrey Ake had arranged for eight bodyguards, landed, reassessed the situation, for some reason, may have let these bodyguards go.

PELTON: Yeah, that would be I think a bad mistake, because there are people watching everywhere. And obviously an American moving around and particularly a businessman is a number one target over there. And one of the things that people don't really pay attention to is the criminal nature of what they call the insurgency. It's much more lucrative to kidnap a businessman than let's say to attack a military convoy. So they are the number one targets over there.

LIN: And an easy target. I mean you're really kind of describing more a situation like you found traditionally in places like South American countries like Colombia where it's kidnap for hire and ransom and that's the profit of these underworld gangs. You're not talking about political or spiritual causes.

PELTON: Well, don't forget, the insurgents are also funding their activities. A typical American might bring anywhere from $3 to $6 to $10 million in ransom and even though most people don't talk about it, many of these people do have kidnap insurance and if they don't, governments typically will negotiate in the background to release them.

LIN: Well, when someone goes alone, what do they need to do to prepare?

PELTON: Well, the first thing he should have done is stick with his security convoy because there are a number of companies operating over there like Blackwater and Triple Canopy that provide this service and know the lay of the land. And just having that force protection would deter most kidnap attempts. Secondly, when you go over there, just because you don't see anything dangerous or don't think you're in a dangerous place, you are a target and people have to remember that.

LIN: How much does it cost to buy security in a place like Baghdad?

PELTON: It's expensive. It can run you -- a typical contractor makes about $600 and they bill anywhere from three-times to double that on top of that. You typically need an armored car and you also need probably a detail of anywhere from two to eight people. So even a ride to the airport can cost $10,000. It's a very expensive undertaking.

LIN: And once you're there, how do you establish housing and contacts and that sort of thing?

PELTON: Well, most people pre-arrange either a hotel stay. There's a few hotels that people do stay in that have security in them. If you stay in the Al Monsour district, that's typically full of security companies and people with a lot of armed protection. Nobody really just wanders in there and does business. And as you remember with Mr. Berg earlier on, he was a victim of just wandering around looking for business.

LIN: Nicholas Berg, trying to set up a telecommunications business and was ultimately kidnapped and beheaded. Do you know anybody personally who has tried to set up a business in Iraq?

PELTON: I know a number of people. As a matter of fact, during the war, I was there with a cameraman from an unnamed network who wanted to set up a bar in Baghdad, which was a great idea, except within about two or three days, you realize he'd have a number of unwelcome partners that wanted a large chunk of the profits.

LIN: What do you mean?

PELTON: Baghdad and Iraq has always been a very criminal place, particularly in the area of business and it's even more so today.

LIN: Well, I mean are you talking about, I mean it sounds like underworld gangs who needed payoff in order for him to set up his business and then it would just be blackmail ad infinitum.

PELTON: Correct. There is a large criminal community in Iraq and obviously there's very little law enforcement there. So any contractor working over there on any business is a target for criminal organization.

LIN: But you're saying there are Web sites and even job fairs that are calling people to still go to Baghdad.

PELTON: Correct. The U.S. government is very aggressive in trying to get business people to bid on contracts and to help with the reconstruction of Baghdad. But right now, even though they've got $50 million, sorry $50 billion targeted, people are estimating between 15 to 25 percent of that is going to be spent on security alone.

LIN: All right. Robert Pelton, perhaps not the world's most dangerous places, Baghdad, but definitely one to beware. Thanks very much.

PELTON: Thanks Carol.

LIN: Well, perhaps for the first time, the focus shifted this week in the Michael Jackson trial. Instead of the pop star, the spotlight shown on the accuser's mother. But questions remain about here credibility and the impact she could have on the case. Tonight's rap sheet straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: On the rap sheet tonight, the Michael Jackson trial. The accuser's mother on the witness stand and under scrutiny. Her story was dramatic, but was it credible? Let's see what the experts have to say. We turn to Broward County prosecutor Stacey Honowitz and defense attorney Jayne Weintraub also in Miami. Tonight ladies, we don't have the benefit of a set up package, but it is pretty straight and simple.

I mean, this woman was testifying that she saw bizarre things like Michael Jackson lick the back of her son's head on an airplane trip. She claims that Michael Jackson and his people had tried to kidnap her, had held her family hostage essentially and forced them to make that BBC interview, calling Michael Jackson virtually a father figure in her son's life. Jayne, do you think this woman was credible? I mean it just seems, it seemed like she was describing something out of a Hollywood movie.

JAYNE WEINTRAUB, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: And it was, the way that she described it, with her overdramatic flare as it's been described. Carol, this woman gives a whole new meaning to the word actress. If Tom Sneddon wanted to maintain his credibility, he would have dropped this kidnapping count. She was kidnapped? When she went to get a body wax, she was kidnapped. She went shopping at the Larchmont (ph) Mall. She didn't call 911. She was kidnapped. She was talking to a girlfriend and quote, "gave her subtle hints." Please, this woman was not kidnapped. Sneddon should have dropped the count.

LIN: Stacey?

STACEY HONOWITZ, BROWARD COUNTY (FLA) PROSECUTOR: Absolutely not, absolutely not. I mean, Jayne, you know as well as I do in cases like this, the mother knew that she was earmarked not to be credible, so Sneddon definitely went over with her what Mesereau was going to do. So she was basically over compensating on the stand, because she knew what the attack was going to be. But when you think about it logically, do you honestly think that they volunteered to make a nice video about Michael Jackson?

WEINTRAUB: Absolutely.

HONOWITZ: But do you think Michael Jackson's people said to her, listen, this is what you're going to do and that's what happened.

WEINTRAUB: That's the key, Stacey. Stacey, there you just said it. Michael Jackson's people, that's not Michael Jackson

(CROSSTALK)

HONOWITZ: ... his direction, if anything was said. They're working for Michael Jackson. Do you think they took it upon themselves...

WEINTRAUB: Absolutely.

HONOWITZ: ... from the goodness of their heart, to try to save him? Or you think Jackson said you better do something about this?

WEINTRAUB: I think he said keep an eye on them and I think that that mean, and keep an eye on them. Watch every move

(CROSSTALK)

LIN: Jayne, this woman does not make -- this woman has not asked for any money. Why would she make this stuff up?

WEINTRAUB: Yes. This woman is a litigious woman. First of all, she's always made up the truth in her last lawsuit for sexual molestation in the JCPenney case. She's lied before. She's coached her kids to lie before, just to get money. This is a woman who went to a lawyer first when she heard that her son was quote, molested.

HONOWITZ: That's not true, Jayne.

WEINTRAUB: She didn't take her kid to a pediatrician.

HONOWITZ: That's absolutely not true Jayne. That's not what the evidence was that came out that she went to the lawyer right away. And there's been no allegation that she lied about any molestation in the JCPenney case.

WEINTRAUB: She won a settlement. She got $150,000. I mean she got a settlement in this case -- lawsuit. That's what that is. $150,000 means you don't have the pay lawyers when it goes away. You don't have the publicity.

LIN: All right. Stacey, do you think it matters that a deal was made with the judge, because of that money and she continued to apparently collect welfare? She took the Fifth on that. She didn't want to testify about welfare fraud and the judge allowed that. Do you think that damages her credibility then? Does it set up a case for a potential appeal down the road, should Michael Jackson be convicted?

HONOWITZ: Well, I think absolutely the idea that the defense wasn't able to get into that line of questioning sets up a point of appeal for them, because certainly her credibility is an issue. And she took welfare payments and she took them and she wasn't supposed to. It certainly rests upon her honesty, her dishonesty I should say.

So I think it does set up a record for appeal. But I think in this case and Jayne knows this, if you know that someone is going to take the Fifth, you cannot on the stand in front of a jury, you cannot ask them questions about what they're taking the Fifth on. Does it set up an appeal for Jackson? I think it probably does.

LIN: Jayne?

WEINTRAUB: I hate to say this, I agree.

LIN: On that note, ladies, that is tonight's rap sheet. All right. We'll see what the week holds. Apparently, there's a prediction for a bombshell this coming week with Thomas Mesereau. Anyway, we'll find out what happens with the accuser's mom.

In the meantime, a cruise ship is limping back to New York after being hit by what's being described as a freak wave, huge wave, smashed into the Norwegian cruise liner yesterday. Four passengers were injured. Dozens of cabins were flooded. CNN's Denis Belgrave has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not what cruising is supposed to be.

JAMES FRALEY, PASSENGER: It was pure hell.

BELGRAVE: James Fraley says that was the scene aboard the Norwegian Dawn last night, as the ship struggled through severe weather.

FRALEY: We're talking 47-foot waves hitting the 10th floor, knocking Jacuzzis on the 12th floor overboard. People sleeping in hallways with life preservers on, just pure pandemonium.

BELGRAVE: Karen Hogan and her family decided to take a cruise on their first vacation, because her husband isn't comfortable flying. Hogan left this message on her mother's answering machine.

VOICE OF PASSENGER KAREN HOGAN: We have been in 42-foot swells for 24 hours. There's damage to the ship. People have been hurt. It's been a nightmare.

BELGRAVE: Norwegian Cruise Lines has not yet responded to CNN's calls. But their Web site did say the ship was hit by a freak wave that caused two windows to break, flooding 62 cabins. Four passengers were reported hurt with cuts and bruises. It also said the safety and integrity of the ship was in no way compromised by this incident. That may be so, says Fraley, but he says people were being thrown around like rag dolls. Fraley says he and his wife got off the ship early because his wife was scared to death.

FRALEY: My wife and myself, we're celebrating our honeymoon, called our loved ones because we thought it was the end. You have a lifetime of memories now destroyed, that's not going to cut it.

BELGRAVE: Passengers say they've been offered a free trip as compensation but that's an offer some may find easy to decline. Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: A lot of scared people out there. Carla Burgess, here she is. She and her family were on an upper deck when the wave hit. She joins me now from Washington, D.C. Carla, you actually did the drive from Charleston, South Carolina, where the ship is being repaired because you were so, you just didn't want to be anywhere near the ship. Tell me what you saw.

CARLA BURGESS, PASSENGER: It was horrible. I mean it was absolutely horrible. I was trembling for my life. Those waves took over that ship and tossed it around like it was a piece of feather, like it was a feather. It was horrible. Children were screaming. We were all in our life jackets. We didn't know what was coming next.

LIN: Were you getting any direction from the ship's captain or the emergency response? BURGESS: You know what they told us? Everything is 100 percent safe. That's what they told us. Everything is 100 percent safe. You don't have to worry. But we found out that was not the truth.

LIN: What do you mean?

BURGESS: The ship was -- oh, my God. Did you see those pictures that I gave to you?

LIN: No let's show the picture that you gave us, OK, because this is described to me. What are we looking at? It looks like a door. There's somebody sitting (ph) there.

BURGESS: OK. The door that you're looking at. I was on the 10th deck. That is the door from one of the cabins on the 10th deck. That about a few doors down from mine. It split open at the top. Right next to it was the wall. I sent you a picture of that too.

LIN: That's from the force of the water coming inside?

BURGESS: I'm telling you, that wasn't there when we first got on the ship, that's for sure. So where else could it come from?

LIN: So what did you do when you saw this water?

BURGESS: Pray. That's all I could do. We were out on the middle of the ocean. What could we do? Our cell phones weren't working. We couldn't get in contact with any police officers or anybody else like that. We couldn't even call the Coast Guard. Our cell phones were completely down. We had nothing to do but pray. That's it.

LIN: How long did this go on for?

BURGESS: OK, the captain made an announcement at 7:00 -- between 7:00 and 10:00 that morning that we were going to have rough weather. We didn't get to Charleston until the next day at 7:30 p.m. We were in that -- oh my God. We were there for hours. It seemed like a lifetime.

LIN: Did you think you were going to die Carla?

BURGESS: Yes. I really did. I didn't even want to think about my daughter Shanelle (ph) because myself, her dad and her brother, all three of us were on that ship and just her alone left in this world, I didn't even want to think about it. I'm still trembling.

LIN: Have you heard from the cruise line, because I understand they're offering free cruises as compensation.

BURGESS: Oh, you know what they had to offer. At the time when we were going through all of this, they offered free drinks, free drinks, can you believe that? They want people drunk while we're going through all of this mess and then they offered 25 percent off of your next cruise. Who wants to go on a next cruise? I sure don't.

LIN: Carla, that is it.

BURGESS: I'll never cruise again, and I cruised four times before.

LIN: Oh, Carla, well, you know what? It is good to see you alive. You look great tonight. We'll follow up on your story, OK. Let us know what happens and how this turns out and it is good to see you safe, almost home. You're not quite home. I know you live....

BURGESS: Not yet, but I'm on my way.

LIN: Indeed, Carla Burgess, thank you so much for sharing your story.

In the meantime, Eric Robert Rudolph's crimes horrified the nation and shattered peoples' lives. Up next tonight, my interview with John Hawthorne, whose wife was killed in the Olympic Park bombing. It is a story you'll only see on CNN.

And still to come, elation in Iraq or about as close to it as we've seen. Look at this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Now a story you will only see on CNN. The husband of one of Eric Robert Rudolph's victims thinks a life sentence is just punishment. Rudolph pleaded guilty this week to a string of bombings in the Southeast in the 1990s. Two people were killed, a hundred others injured. Earlier I talked with the husband of Alice Hawthorne, killed in the Atlanta Olympic Park bombing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN HAWTHORNE, HUSBAND OF ALICE HAWTHORNE: There is some -- there is some sense of closure. Besides, I also have somewhat of a, somewhat of a quirky belief around this death penalty. While I was in favor of the death penalty, laying down going to sleep without any pain at all was not exactly what I would -- what I thought should happen in the case of someone being put to death. So knowing that this guy was only 30 years old, he'll probably live another 40 to 45 years, if we're lucky, will be in a prison where he will never ever see freedom again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: John Hawthorne, who said he listened to his wife Alice's spirit and it told him to move to Sarasota, Florida. He works for redevelopment agencies down there, helping hurricane victims rebuild their lives.

In the meantime, Eric Rudolph showed no remorse, which bothered victims and family members. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It is not Disneyland, but for many families in Baghdad, it's as good as a magic carpet ride. Weary from two years of war and yearning for any sense of normalcy, they had a chance to visit an amusement park and have a little fun. CNN's Ryan Chilcote has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of Baghdad's few amusement parks, one of the places where Iraqis can still feel a sense of normality. Sanaa and her friends from Baghdad University call what you're seeing "fun minus" -- an emotional state beneath bliss, but above bottom, a form of therapy.

SANAA, BAGHDAD RESIDENT (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The last two years have been depressing. I stopped talking to my family and my friends and used to lose consciousness every time I heard an explosion, she says. It's difficult living like that.

CHILCOTE: Difficult living is something Zina knows a lot about. She's been living with her two boys and daughter, holed up in a home in one of the city's most violent neighborhoods the last two years.

ZINA, BAGHDAD RESIDENT (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): It's very difficult for us to have fun. You can't go anywhere, Zina says. Once a month I come here to have fun with my kids but then spend the rest of the month in my house.

CHILCOTE: For most Iraqis, life is a series of ups and downs, but parks like this one seem to offer a safe haven for fun, at least for a while, even if Iraqis never feel entirely safe.

AHSSAN NAHI, FATHER OF THREE CHILDREN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Things are better than before Ahssan says. Now we can go outside and entertain our kids on the weekend as long as we get back before sunset. We're always worried about the suicide bombers.

CHILCOTE: Going to the amusement park is a calculated risk many are willing to take for the sake of their sanity. Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And we leave you tonight with your responses to our last call question. Do you think the papal selection process should be open to the public? Here's what you had to say. Have a great night.

CALLER: I think it should be secret because it is sacred.

CALLER: Anytime it should be secret (ph) it should be done secretly.

CALLER: The inner workings of most businesses are not open to people. Certainly the most, the largest Christian, the largest religion, the oldest one in the world and certainly the largest (INAUDIBLE) By the way, I'm not Christian or Catholic.

CALLER: It should remain secret. The insistence of Americans wanting to make this process open to the public is ridiculous and ignorant. Six percent of Catholics (INAUDIBLE) with the papacy and with the Catholic Church in Rome have no influence in the (INAUDIBLE) Catholics all over the world.

CALLER: They should open it to the public so people can see (INAUDIBLE)

CALLER: No I don't. It was established in 1179 that the College of Cardinals should do it. Anytime the people and the media like CNN get mixed up in this, it's prone to be messed up. So secret things taken care of by the church, the church will take care of it in its own way and we will have the Holy Spirit give us a new pope.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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