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CNN Larry King Live
Hurricane Katrina Expected to Strengthen in Gulf of Mexico; Kalpoe Brothers Rearrested
Aired August 26, 2005 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, major Natalee Holloway news. Eighty- nine days after she vanished in Aruba, two former suspects, the Kalpoe brothers, are re-arrested on suspicion that they and others raped and murdered Natalee. And prosecutors say there are new facts, new circumstances and new suspicions. We'll have all the latest from Aruba with Natalee's family, their lawyer and more.
But first, six dead, more than a million without power after Hurricane Katrina slams into the Miami area. And forecasters say it's going to be much, much worse when it comes back on shore Monday. All the latest next on LARRY KING LIVE.
We begin talking about Katrina. In New York, at the WABC Weather Center is Sam Champion, the WABC-TV meteorologist. In Cutler Ridge, Florida is our own Rob Marciano, the CNN meteorologist. At the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is Dr. Jeffrey Halverson, Ph.D., sever weather meteorologist. And at FEMA studios in Washington is Michael Brown, the undersecretary of homeland security for emergency preparedness and response, the director of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Let's start with Rob Marciano on the scene in Cutler Ridge, a suburb of Miami, Florida. What happened there, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A tremendous amount of rain, first of all, Larry. This was a section of the storm which was south of the center. The Doppler radar estimates had it with 15 and 18 inches of rainfall coming on during that storm.
Where we are right now was a road that just six hours ago was impossible, because we had water up to our knees, and in some cases up to our waist.
On top of that, just to the north of here, about 40 miles, where it actually made landfall, with 75-, 80-mile-an-hour winds, as a Category 1 storm, a significant amount of wind damage. We really didn't make a big deal about the winds, but this was a hurricane. Make no mistake about that. And hurricanes do damage, no matter what their category is. A number of trees down, power lines down. Over a million people were without power earlier today. So lots of damage in a place in South Florida, Larry, where they really haven't seen a major storm since Hurricane Andrew back 13 years ago.
KING: And, Sam, did you folks read it wrong? Wasn't it supposed to go north of there? SAM CHAMPION, WABC-TV: Well, Larry, we -- I think we got it pretty right here. And again, you know, because as we're forecasting, I don't get a chance to watch everybody else's coverage. I know the National Hurricane Center was pretty right on with it as well. They really felt like it was going to pick that spot near Ft. Lauderdale to come ashore.
The thing I think that may have caught some people by surprise was it strengthening just before it hit shore. So it was a little bit stronger than folks were kind of led to believe. Again, still a Category 1, but the winds were kicking up to 90 miles per hour around Key Biscayne, and that was an awful lot of rain. We've had reports of up to 18 inches of rain.
Now, as it hops off into the Gulf, we have got a very strong Category 2 storm. So already stronger than it was on the east coast of Florida. And with the warm water in the Gulf now at about 85 to 89 degrees, it has everything it needs to strengthen even more, exponentially so.
It doesn't even have anything to knock it or shear it apart. So we have got a very strong storm, and just the proper feeding grounds for it. We believe we're going to have a Category 3 or Category 4 storm somewhere by Monday morning, as you said, by Pensacola somewhere in toward New Orleans. It looks like somewhere in that area. And then, the damage will continue for days on up through the middle of the East Coast of the U.S.
So it will probably run through Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia. And we're even looking at forecasting -- and I've got it in my five-day here in New York for next week, by Wednesday into Thursday, Larry.
KING: Dr. Jeffrey Halverson, the severe weather meteorologist that NASA -- normally a grade one isn't considered severe, is it?
DR. JEFF HALVERSON, NASA HURRICANE RESEARCHER: Well, a grade one storm, as we see, may not be severe in terms of the wind damage, but this storm is notable for the extreme amount of rainfall that it's generated. As you heard, there are Doppler estimates upwards of 18, even 20 inches of rain that fell over some fairly small pockets over land as this storm crossed South Florida. So, severity is a relative term. You can think of these storms in terms of wind producers or rain producers, or in the worst case, both.
KING: Do you consider it severe?
HALVERSON: Yes. Absolutely. By my definition, it would be a very severe storm. Look at the disruption this system has caused. And this is on top of a very wet rainy season in South Florida, where they've had six, seven, eight inches just in the past month. This pretty much has pushed the system over the brink. And now, you've got absolute disaster in terms of freshwater flooding.
KING: And what's the angle, Michael, from FEMA's standpoint? What, do we have six dead and a million without power? MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: We do, Larry. And I talked to Governor Bush this morning, and FEMA is positioning all of its material and manpower to be ready to respond as this thing makes -- begins to move through the Gulf and make landfall again.
I think what we need to think about is what Sam and the others were saying, is that this thing is now moving through the Gulf, the Hurricane Center at its 5:00 forecast says this could easily be a Category 4 by the end of the weekend. So tonight is Friday. So all those people living all the way from Louisiana over to the Florida Panhandle need to think now about getting ready for what could be a very major storm.
KING: Now, what do you do, Rob, since it's past Cutler Ridge? Do you go to another location?
MARCIANO: Well, right now we're officially supposed to fly out tomorrow morning, either to New Orleans or Mobile. We're just going to wait and see when we wake up in the morning, see what the latest forecast track is. This one -- this storm has been pretty erratic from the get-go. Was trying to become a tropical storm, it was a tropical depression number 10, fizzled out, finally became tropical depression number 12, and then eventually a storm -- or a hurricane. And did not weaken very much when it scooted across South Florida, now into the Gulf of Mexico.
Finally, though, the computer models are starting to get a handle on where this thing may very well go. And the confidence out of the National Hurricane Center seems to be getting a little bit more now. And so, we'll just -- we'll wait and see tomorrow, see exactly where to go. But New Orleans, Mobile, Biloxi, somewhere in there, yeah, we're going to pack it up and ship it out and watch this thing come on, and make a second landfall likely Sunday or Monday.
KING: Sam, do they always pick up speed over water?
CHAMPION: Well, Larry, you know, these things, to watch them, you watch each one of them as individuals. But in general, if they've got warm water and they don't have anything to bump them around -- in the old days when we had pinball machines, Larry, you remember them, I used to describe it to students that way, that a hurricane is waiting for a bumper or something like a front or another system to move it around.
But given the fact that this one doesn't have anything to move it around very much, and it's got plenty of warm water, then, yeah, this one will strengthen as it continues to chug along in the Gulf.
And by the way, right now, those winds are at about 100 miles per hour. It changes exponentially as you go up. A Category 4 storm, which this storm could be by the time it gets somewhere near that Gulf Coast area, a Category 4 is 131 miles per hour to 155 miles per hour. The damage there is hugely different from what we saw in South Florida. And even though those folks -- I'm not going to take anything away from you in South Florida. This was a tough storm for you, an awful lot of flooding and a lot of wind damage. This storm would be a whole different animal if it strengthens to the way that it looks like it is going to by the time it heads toward the Gulf Coast.
KING: And Dr. Halverson, NASA can get a unique look at these things, right?
HALVERSON: Yes, NASA has a fleet of satellites orbiting the Earth that are actually able to see through the clouds. It's almost like being able to take a CAT scan to see the rain intensity, to even see the winds and the ocean temperatures above the surface.
One of the key satellites we use is the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, or TRMM satellite, can actually assess the rain structure, as you see here, the three-dimensional rain structure in these storms over the ocean. The only weather radar in space capable of giving us some advance warning on the rain potential.
KING: We'll be right back with more with Sam Champion, Rob Marciano, Dr. Jeffrey Halverson and Michael Brown. And then, the latest update from Aruba. By the way, an answer to a lot of requests today. We are going to repeat the Lance Armstrong show with yours truly and Bob Costas on Sunday night. CNN will keep you posted on Katrina all weekend long. And if there is, it becomes that major on Monday, we'll do another major show on it Monday night. We'll be right back with more. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: That's damage scenes in my old hometown of Miami, Florida. Spent 20 years in Miami. Been through a lot of those. Michael Brown of FEMA. Has the governor asked his brother, the president, to declare this a disaster area?
BROWN: He has. We received the governor's letter this morning. I talked to Jeb about it. We're out doing damage assessments in Miami-Dade county and the other counties right now. And we'll take it under advisement. Jeb and I talked about perhaps putting off any sort of declaration until we see what this storm does in the future.
You know, everyone has been talking about the fact that we're over a million people without power in the area. And that's at a Category 1 level. Think about if this storm moves to a Category 4 level. I want folks in that potential strike zone to think very seriously this weekend about a storm striking anywhere from Louisiana over to the Florida Panhandle area.
KING: What determines whether it would be declared disaster?
BROWN: Well the general rule is once it gets beyond the capability of a state to handle its needs, whether that be for individual assistance or the needs they have for commodities, tarps, meals ready-to-eat, that sort of thing. Once it kind of reaches that threshold we turn on everything we need. But we also have the capacity to help the governors any specific way they need. For example, if they just need some tarps, some meals ready-to-eat, that sort of thing, we try to help them as best we can with emergency kind of supplies.
KING: Let's take a call. Princeton, Illinois. Hello.
CALLER: Hi, Larry. Last hurricane season, they had three that were back-to-back that hit Florida that were pretty bad. Are they predicting Hurricane Katrina will be as bad as those three and do as much damage?
KING: Rob?
MARCIANO: Well, right now the official forecast, Larry, is for it to become a Category 4 storm. Last year there was a Category 4 storm that went in to south of Tampa. That was Charlie. And we saw some of the damage that that did. It was pretty much like a tornado going through an entire community. So if the forecast verifies, meaning if the forecast continues and actually comes to fruition come Monday night and this thing makes landfall somewhere between Louisiana and Pensacola, Florida, as a Category 4, then, yes. It would be as bad if not worse than Hurricane Charlie coming on shore. There is a glimmer of hope in that what we've seen of late, Larry, that the storms at least that have come on shore across the Florida Panhandle the last year-and-a-half seem to have weakened somewhat just before they came on shore. We certainly hope that happens when this thing gets a little bit closer for the second landfall come Monday night.
KING: Sam, it has missed Tampa and that area, right?
CHAMPION: Yes. Larry, if it -- and again, it's one of those things that what we say with these things, when we give that warning and show that line, that line is an estimate. It's a forecast. And these things can change direction. They can strengthen dramatically. They can weaken dramatically, as the whole panel has been telling you. And so what we say to western coast of Florida is you need to watch this very, very carefully. None of us feel comfortable with you having a three or a four Category storm within a couple hundred miles of your shoreline. So you watch it very carefully. You prepare your home just as if you were in the known target zone or strike zone. And you have your out plan. You know what you're going to do know where you're going to evacuate. Anywhere on the west coast of Florida. And for me it's anywhere in the Gulf.
I mean, back to the question that the caller had on the top -- the most expensive damage for hurricanes in the history was Andrew, Charlie and Ivan. Now Andrew in '92 we talked about, Charlie, the one Rob just mentioned that moved through that area. Ivan, one of the other storms last year that had moved through North Florida. This one, if it's a Category 4, is going to hit in that zone or that area, could be a really costly one, too. But I don't give anyone the clear sign until that thing has moved inland and has left the waters.
KING: Miami, hello.
CALLER: Hello.
KING: Hi.
CALLER: Hi. Yes, I have a quick question, Larry. The storm was forecasted to go west from Lauderdale, Pompano Beach area. We live down in Kendall, Pine Crest. I was wondering, is it very, very strange for it to go south. Because I've been here all my life, like you, Larry, and I've never seen a hurricane go south like that.
KING: I only remember one, Dr. Halverson, ever going south. If it hits north, it went north.
HALVERSON: Well, the winds that steer the system are a little bit from the east-northeast. These are the trade winds that are rotating around the Bermuda high. And a little bit of variation in that wind direction will send the storm off to the south, as we've seen. But it's about to re-curve. It's about to hook back towards the north and eventually back towards the northeast. And this is the expected trajectory for storms for this time of year. And we certainly see the impact of that. A third strike on the coast of Florida.
KING: Michael, what does FEMA do in advance for things like Pensacola, Mobile, New Orleans, Mississippi, the maybes?
BROWN: Well, we pre-position things. We have literally convoys of trucks going to different Air Force bases. We talk to the governors about what their potential evacuation plans are. And we really try to get the message out to individuals in those areas. To listen to your local newscast, listen to your local weather reports, follow those instructions.
And, you know, since we're talking about this on a Friday night and this thing is supposed to make landfall sometime Monday morning, this is the time to get ready. Right now you have power. Right now you can get on the Internet and go to FEMA.gov or Ready.gov and make those preparedness plans. You can do it before the power goes out. So we try to get one -- the message out to people to get ready. And then we try to anticipate where it might make landfall across a broad range of land, and be ready to move in anywhere any governor might ask us to go.
KING: Rob, could this -- I know hurricanes can do strange things. Could it turn east?
MARCIANO: I suppose it can. You know, the trend, or what a hurricane typically wants to do is turn north inherently. And the caller before said, yes, it seems weird that it went south. Well you think of a hurricane as just this big heat engine. And it's really one of the ways that mother nature equalizes the earth's atmosphere, bringing that intense tropical heat this time of year and it wants to move it north. Aside from the trade winds and all the steering currents, you know, if you think about what the entire earth is doing, hurricanes are just trying to even out the atmosphere, trying to bring some of that heat from the south and bring it up north.
The same way winter storms bring some of that cold air down to the south. So we're going to stick with the forecast track out of the National Hurricane Center. The next one is going to come out in about an hour-and-a-half. We'll look at that. And they're the best in the business, Larry, so I like to stick with what they have to say. It looks like it's going to turn north. They typically want to do that. There is going to be some weakness in the atmosphere when a little trough comes across the northern plains in a couple of days. So we do expect it to make that turn. A sharp right turn, a sharp easterly turn, at this point that's unlikely.
KING: Sam, is it fair to say this looks bad?
CHAMPION: Yes, Larry. I think it's fair to say. I don't like to be alarmist in general to folks, but, you know, these storms are very dangerous, very powerful storms. And you watch them all your life. And I spent some time in Florida and so did you. And, generally, it's going toward an area that is very prepared for storms. I mean, Cindy, Arlene, Dennis, they all hit that area already this year, just in this season, in that zone anywhere from Pensacola all the way to New Orleans. So I think it's bad news. I think it's trouble. I think it certainly is one of those things that you get up and you watch very carefully.
And I'm going to extend it on to the folks in the southeast and even the mid-Atlantic states, because long after Monday morning, early Monday morning when this thing picks its next landfall, we're going to be spreading rain, and potentially flooding rain and thunderstorms, all the way through Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, possibly Tennessee, maybe Virginia, maybe West Virginia, maybe Western Pennsylvania, maybe New Jersey and maybe even New York. I mean, this thing is going to spread its rain all the way up toward the north as it goes. So I say everybody keep a very close eye on this thing.
KING: And we will do that at CNN. We'll keep you posted all weekend and certainly Monday, probably around the clock, because that's when landfall is expected. Right now it's going to stay over the water, apparently, throughout Saturday and Sunday. We'll be back with the latest story, and it's taken a turn too, in Aruba, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: On a story that doesn't have much movement, it had movement today in Aruba with new arrests. Joining us in Jonesboro, Arkansas is Steve Holloway, he is Natalee's paternal uncle. In Aruba is Jossy Mansur, the managing editor of "Diario," that's Aruba's largest daily newspaper. In New York is Harris Faulkner, the reporter for "A Current Affair." And in San Francisco is famed defense attorney Michael Cardoza.
First, quickly on the phone is Dave Holloway, Natalee Holloway's father. The major development that Deepak and Satish Kalpoe have been rearrested early this morning. Dave, what do you make of this?
DAVE HOLLOWAY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S FATHER (via telephone): We were concerned about the September 4 date coming up, and maybe Joran being let go. But that looks like that's probably not going to happen now, since the FBI called me earlier this morning and indicated that the arrests had just taken place with the Kalpoe brothers and also another individual by the name of Freddy.
And I know that I talked to the prosecution's office and our attorney and the prosecutor is very, very confident that this case is going down the right tracks and hopeful that we'll have some sort of resolution soon.
KING: Dave, previously, the suspicions concerning these guys were committing premeditated murder, committing murder, robbing a person of liberty and rape. Does that just further your fears?
D. HOLLOWAY: Well, you know, the police indicated that the investigation was heading down that track, you know, around June the 10th or the 12th. You know, you always think in your mind God can give us a miracle. They did in the Elizabeth Sharp (sic) case. I can't really remember the name.
KING: Smart.
D. HOLLOWAY: Smart, yes. I'm sorry. You know, they got a miracle and maybe we can, too. But, you know, it's -- you know, you got to face reality. And the reality is, is that the police is investigating it from a murder standpoint. But you still hope.
KING: I'll let you go in a second. But are you OK with how the Aruban officials have handled this?
D. HOLLOWAY: Well, early on, I was real concerned. But now I feel like the Dutch behavioral specialists and the Dutch investigators have got us back on the right track and they're moving forward. The prosecution, the indication I got was they were very confident -- in fact, they skipped the first ten days of normal detention and moved right into the pretrial stage where they're going to be detained for these eight-day periods.
And that's encouraging when you skip those first ten days and you get into those eight days where you can take DNA and more tactics regarding interrogation can take place.
KING: How are you holding up emotionally?
D. HOLLOWAY: You know, you have those ups and downs. You know, you walk by and see Natalee's picture and you think, could it really happen? And, you know, you just sometimes fall apart. But you know, you pick up the pieces and hope that God will give up the strength to carry on. And he has. And you just keep the faith. And that's what we've been doing.
KING: Thank you, Dave.
Dave Holloway, Natalee's father, by phone on a beeper situation. Joining us in Jonesboro, Arkansas is Steve Holloway, Natalee's paternal uncle, Dave's brother.
What do you make of this development?
STEVE HOLLOWAY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S UNCLE: Very happy that it's -- they finally arrested these two boys. And maybe we can find a little bit more to the case, add to it.
KING: At this point, Steve, is it closure you're looking for? Have you just about given up hope?
S. HOLLOWAY; It would be nice to end this thing. That's what we're hoping.
KING: Just to have an answer right?
S. HOLLOWAY: Yes, sir. Very much so.
KING: Harris, reporting for "A Current Affair," which has covered this thing from the get-go, what do you make of this story today?
HARRIS FAULKNER, A CURRENT AFFAIR: Well you know, Larry, a couple of things. First of all, we're talking with police forces today. They said that the FBI's involvement has really made a difference for them, giving them much more confidence to move forward. The source that I talked with specifically said that they moved forward with these arrests knowing that they were on the right track with the Kalpoe brothers.
And you know, another thing that I learned today, too, that was interesting was just how involved they've been in actually keeping up with these two brothers. You know, there was talk today of wiretaps that might have gone on with cell phones, so on and so forth, really keeping contact with Deepak when he was working at the Internet cafe. We know he went right back to work after previously released from prison without being charged earlier when he and his brother, Satish, were both suspects.
So, it was really interesting to learn today just how involved now the Aruban seem to be much more so, feeling much more confident. And I hope, at least for the Holloway Twitty family, that gives them confidence in knowing that maybe they're moving closer to answers.
KING: Michael, from a legal standpoint it's mindboggling, right? What we know. What we don't know. What are they charged with? What's the story?
MICHAEL CARDOZA, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I'll tell you, what we don't know is immeasurable. We don't know a lot of what's going on.
What we do know is some young women have come forward, and apparently they have said that the Kalpoe brothers were involved with maybe a sexual molestation, using roofies, or GHB, the date rape drug. And that's why the prosecutors down there put out that they have new facts and new circumstances.
Well, it appears that they really have nothing toward this case. But what it allowed them to do was to bring the Kalpoe brothers back into custody and really turn the heat up on them, because remember, what they can do now with this is, look, you guys, we're going to prosecute you with these two new victims that have come forward if you don't cooperate right now. And they might start cutting deals with those two, start pointing the finger at somebody. And it may resolve this particular case.
But I don't think they have any new evidence in regard to prosecuting this particular possible murder case.
KING: We'll be right back with more. And we'll be including your phone calls. Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S MOTHER: We felt early on, as early as May 31st, that these boys should have been arrested then on that day. And like Jug said, we spoke with our attorney and FBI this morning and just really encouraged by this news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Joining us, by the way, in Aruba, is Vinda DeSouza, is Holloway Twitty family attorney, and Jossy Mansur, the managing editor of "Diario," Aruba's largest daily newspaper. And on the phone is Paul Reynolds, Natalee's uncle. Natalee's mom, Beth Twitty, is his sister, and he was the one who first contacted the Texas volunteer group EquuSearch to help in the effort to find Natalee.
Paul, what do you make of this development today?
PAUL REYNOLDS, NATALEE'S UNCLE: We're very excited about it. This is something we've been working towards for several weeks. We're very glad the authorities have been able to put this together and move the investigation in the right direction. And we hope that this will provide us the information.
KING: Jossy Mansur, the managing editor of "Diario," has this been a tough story to cover from your standpoint?
JOSSY MANSUR, MANAGING EDITOR, "DIARIO": Yes, sir, it has, because there are many unknowns. There are more unknowns than the facts that have been revealed so far. So we had to go out and do some investigating of our own. We assigned many journalists to the case, and we came up with quite a few answers that satisfied us as far as the way the story is going for the newspaper's point of view.
KING: Do you think we're going to get a resolution?
MANSUR: Yes, sir, definitely. I think we're heading in the right direction. I think that the prosecution and the police have gone back to square one. They've studied everything that happened before. They see that they stand a much better chance presenting a case in court, going for the lesser crime -- that is, the sexual assault -- than going for murder.
KING: With the legal system there, Jossy, is it tough for the press?
MANSUR: It is very tough for us, because we're in the same boat as everyone else. We get information from our hard work and going out and digging for it, instead of receiving it directly through press conferences or notifications or press releases from the authorities involved, the police department and the prosecution.
KING: Vinda, what do you know about FZA (ph)? That's the third party apprehended today?
VINDA DESOUZA, NATALEE HOLLOWAY FAMILY ATTORNEY: Well, I don't know much about the third party. I do know that he was apprehended today, and that he is being held. The hearing apparently went well. And apparently, what I hear, he's a friend of Joran Van Der Sloot and the two Kalpoe brothers. The prosecution and the authorities are not releasing any information, any further information on him, or on the new charges.
KING: Harris, what do you know or make of this third person?
FAULKNER: Well, Larry, "A Current Affair" has learned that there is a possibility that he is, in fact, a friend of Joran and the Kalpoe brothers. He's been termed as "Freddie." We've not been able to confirm his first and last name.
And you know, I did want to mention, in terms of the plea bargaining process, that they actually don't have in Aruba, Dutch law, it makes it very, very difficult to find out exactly what the answers are. And, you know, "A Current Affair" has worked hard to figure out what some of those earlier statements would have been, to get us to the point where the Kalpoe brothers might have been rearrested today. Police sources telling me from the island today that they looked back and they thought, you know, we have a better chance of working with those earlier statements that talked about possibility of sexual assault in this case, without a body of evidence trying to prove murder.
You heard Jossy Mansur talking about that. But I can tell you, "A Current Affair" learned definitely that they are going to focus their interrogation now on that sexual assault charge possibility for all three of these guys -- Joran, the Kalpoe brothers. Not really clear how this other suspect, this FZA (ph), or Freddie, really fits into this case, if at all.
But I will say this: They are holding off -- the police have said that they are going to hold off -- at least they've told "A Current Affair" this -- from interrogating these guys at least later in the day, starting perhaps around 11:00 tonight, to give them a chance to sit in jail and really take in the fact that, wow, their freedom is gone once again, Larry.
KING: Michael, if you were the attorney for one of these people, what do you do? There is so little you know.
CARDOZA: Well, I'll tell you what, you keep -- you keep doing what they've been doing, and you don't talk.
But I'll tell you what. When you get to that type of thing where there's no plea bargain down there, you can bet those prosecutors are going in and talking to the Kalpoe brothers about the new charges and saying, you know, we'll prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law, give up what happened in this murder, and it could be a whole lot different with these new sexual charges.
That's how this case is going to break. I'm pretty hopeful, in regard to this, now that they're back in jail and other women are coming forward and saying, look, we were sexually assaulted. It really turns the heat up on those kids. And believe me, one of them may now crack. It's a lot easier for them to be in the street.
And I'll tell you what, I don't think they have any new evidence in regard to this murder, because that press release that the prosecutor put out down there, you know darn well if they had some new evidence that went to this murder, they would have said exactly that and not "we have new facts and new circumstances." It was pretty artfully written. I think it may -- I know it's going to help get this case closer to resolution.
KING: Paul Reynolds, are you still with us?
REYNOLDS: Yes.
KING: Before we lose you on the phone, are you pretty confident that we're closer to resolution?
REYNOLDS: Very much so. This is the direction that we have always felt was appropriate. The statements that were originally taken were very damaging. And we believe that building on that and putting these pieces of the puzzle together will solve this case.
KING: We'll ask you to hang with us for one more segment, Paul.
Paul Reynolds, Steve Holloway, Vinda DeSouza, Jossy Mansur, Harris Faulkner and Michael Cardoza. Your phone calls as well, next. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Let's include some phone calls. Costa Mesa, California. Hello.
CALLER: Hi.
KING: Hi.
CALLER: I'd like to know, anyone can answer this, why don't they or why can't they search the Van Der Sloot property very thoroughly?
KING: Steve, do you know?
S. HOLLOWAY: No, I do not.
KING: Do you know, Vinda?
DESOUSA: Well, they have searched the Van Der Sloot's property very thoroughly, even -- including with the FBI dogs were taken there. And DNA material was collected for analysis.
KING: Paul, do you consider him, the Van Der Sloot boy, the No. 1 suspect still?
REYNOLDS: We do. But we still -- we think that Deepak and Satish are very involved and very possibly as much as Joran.
KING: And what do you think, Jossy?
MANSUR: I think that all three are equally involved. I think that as far as further developments in the case itself, that they involved Joran's father Paul Van Der Sloot. I think that he also is involved.
KING: Harris?
FAULKNER: Well I think two words have reigned supreme, at least in the last 24 hours, Larry. And those have been September 4th, the possible date that Joran Van Der Sloot could go free if not charged in this case. Police knew all along they need to come up with some substantial evidence or testimony or something else in this case to keep him behind bars. He has been their main focus since arresting him. So we knew that there'd be some movement in this case.
And I wouldn't be surprised, based on what police sources are telling A Current Affair today and really have been saying all along, to see more witnesses brought in who might have a relationship with Joran or the Kalpoe brothers. We can continue to watch this case move forward. As I said earlier, the Aruban police are telling A Current Affair they are moving forward with a lot more confidence now. I would look for some positive movement in this case.
KING: Michael.
CARDOZA: I'll tell you what, you know, this new evidence, one would think, you know, if these young women do come forward and say, you know, the Kalpoe brothers, Joran, they sexually attacked me, they used the date rape type drugs on me. Our common sense tells us, well that answers a whole lot of questions, and it probably happened here. But, remember, they cannot use that to say, well, therefore, they did this particular homicide, this particular murder. They have to get a confession in this case. They have to get one of those kids to turn against the other. And keep in mind, also -- I know there's been a lot of criticism of the Aruban government and the way they went after this case. I'll tell you what, if they were here in the United States, each one of those kids would be in the streets today, and they wouldn't be in custody, and they wouldn't be able to turn the heat up and hope one of them turns against the other to save themselves.
KING: Really? Colorado Springs, hello.
CALLER: Hi there. In some of the clips, the locals seem to be extremely supportive of the Kalpoe brothers and -- what's really the local mood there? Are they supportive of them, or do they think this is a witch hunt?
KING: Jossy.
MANSUR: No, they're not supportive of them and they don't think it's a witch hunt either. They just resent the fact that this happened in Aruba. Not against anyone in particular, but just that the incident happened. And it's brought some negative light on the island.
KING: Vinda, would you agree with that?
DESOUZA: Yes, I do agree. The Arubans are a bit weary by now of all the negative coverage that has been going on about the Aruban island, the Aruban authorities and the Aruban people, to some extent. But that doesn't imply that they are supportive of the Kalpoe brothers and Joran. Of course, there's always a small group who thinks that it's unfair what's happening to Joran and the Kalpoe brothers. But I completely agree with Jossy on this.
KING: Steve, are you happy with how the Aruban officials have dealt with this?
S. HOLLOWAY: Well, I know at first, I was very displeased with what was going on. I mean, a lot of that stuff should not -- have never happened. But maybe there's light at the end of the tunnel right now.
KING: Paul, are you happy or not happy with the way Aruba has handled this?
REYNOLDS: Well you know, my sister has lived on the island for two months and she has made many friends and acquaintances. And, you know, I've been there twice, on two trips. And every trip, I've been very welcomed and supported. And the people of Aruba have been a fantastic towards all of our family. And we have to remember this is as much a tragedy for them as it is for our family. And although there were some problems with the investigation in the beginning, we feel that has turned around and we feel like we're headed towards a solution. And so we're very happy with the way things are going.
KING: We'll take a break and be back with more calls on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Tomorrow night we repeat the interview with Pamela Anderson. And on Sunday night the interview with Lance Armstrong will be repeated. Monday night, if that hurricane hits as expected, we'll be staying atop that scene. It's supposed to hit landfall sometime Monday morning. Back to the calls on the developments in Aruba. Fresno, California. Hello.
CALLER: Hi. Just recently we've been hearing that there was an admission of sexual assault by the boys to Natalee. When were those statements made?
KING: Do you know anything about that, Vinda?
DESOUZA: Well, it was -- they were made early on, in the beginning. And actually, if you remember, Beth said that on various interviews on TV, that the first night, May 31st, when they first arrived here in Aruba and they confronted Joran Van Der Sloot at his house, he admitted to certain sexual acts with Natalee. It was very early on.
KING: And he said it was -- that it was agreed to acts, right?
DESOUZA: Yes. That's what he said.
KING: Who wanted to say something?
CARDOZA: I did, Larry, Michael. You know what strikes me. If you've got these two young girls coming forward right now saying that they were sexually attacked by the Kalpoes and Joran, if that's in fact what they're saying. You know, on these islands, oftentimes when people come from the United States to these small islands, there are men who will prey on them. They will use the roofies, they will use the GHB to rape them. Those women then go up, because those men know that the government will not bring those victims back, because they can't afford to.
And often, the victims can't come back, even if they want to come back, to prosecute them. So it strikes me, that there are some women somewhere, either in the United States or somewhere else, that these young men have done the same thing to. And if they would come forward, that would be wonderful. But you've got to know, if they did it to Natalee, if they did it to these other two women, they weren't the first.
KING: Jossy, you buy that?
MANSUR: Yes, because we're talking to a 16-year-old girl that has admitted that -- has given statements to the child advocate in Aruba, (INAUDIBLE). And she said that that happened to her with Joran. And then there are two other girls of more or less the same age, 18-years-old, we're also talking to. But they don't want to come forward.
However, we do have at the newspaper confirmation that three other girls of that same age did give statements to the police of having been in the same position of drugs and rape.
KING: Of course, Harris, the puzzlement here would be, why kill someone?
FAULKNER: Well, you know, Larry, one thing I can tell you about the Kalpoe brothers and Joran Van Der Sloot was something that "A Current Affair" learned very early on when you talk about who these two young men might be. We pulled several dossiers and photographs off a Web site called Tickle.com which is basically a way for young people to kind of hook up and talk to each other and whatnot. But these three guys on the Internet, particularly Joran Van Der Sloot described themselves as having pretty healthy sex lives, if you will. There were testimonies from other young women who they'd come across.
And remember, at the time all of this happened with Natalee, Joran was just 17. He's had a birthday since then. So, it captured our attention. And certainly at "A Current Affair," we were wanting to know very much about these young men early on before they had been arrested, certainly before the Kalpoes had been arrested even for the first time.
So, how we got to this point, I think you do have a little bit of a look at the kind of social lives that these young suspects have led that would put them at least in a position of suspicion. The talk on the Web site, Tickle.com of hooking up with women and the things that they would want to do, so on and so forth. It was explicit.
And if you want to know how we first got in touch with those young boys, Larry, they pull their cell phones on the Internet. We just picked up the phone and called Joran Van Der Sloot the very first time.
KING: Daytona Beach, Florida, hello.
CALLER: Yes. Harris is saying that these boys are very computer savvy, and that they spend a lot of time on the Internet. What I would like to know is if they've confiscated the personal computers in each of these boys' homes -- the Kalpoes, the Van Der Sloots and even this new suspect, Freddie? And if -- to confiscate the computers to see what information are on those hard drives. And, also, search the Kalpoes homes and the Freddie's homes as they have the Van Der Sloots home.
KING: Paul, do you know?
REYNOLDS: Well, back on the Van Der Sloot home, it's my understanding they did not search the Van Der Sloot house. Only Joran's apartment located on that property. So we do feel there is a lot more area that needs to be searched.
I'm not aware of any search of the Kalpoe property, but I'm not sure of that.
KING: Jossy.
MANSUR: Well, they did take into the police station, they did take all the computers, even the cameras and everything else. I mean, the police confiscated everything that was personal to them like computers and cameras and other stuff. Yes, they did.
KING: We'll be back with more on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Prattville, Alabama, hello.
CALLER: Hello.
KING: Hi.
CALLER: Hi. I was wondering if there was any new information on the arm that was found.
KING: What do we know about that? Harris, do you know?
FAULKNER: Yes, Larry. First there had been reports in Venezuela that they had found -- actually, it was a part of a human hand on a beach. And since then, those reports have been debunked by authorities on the island determining that, first of all, they weren't even sure if it was human and that it certainly had nothing to do with this case. But it took a while for that information to fan out.
I immediately called the Aruban police department when I heard about it. And they said, you know, we're not even concentrating on that right now because we haven't been led to believe it really has anything to do with this case. And that was early on. Since then we know the hand doesn't have anything to do.
KING: Steve, do you get a lots of misleading leads and stories in this?
S. HOLLOWAY: Oh, yes. All the time. You kind of become calloused to it. You think you really have something to go on and the next thing you know it's a dead-end.
KING: It must be very frustrating, Paul.
REYNOLDS: Well, it's a little frustrating. But we appreciate every lead that comes in, because you never know which one will lead us in the right direction.
KING: Newport, Washington, hello.
CALLER: Hello.
KING: Yes, go ahead.
CALLER: Oh, I'm sorry. Yes. I was wondering if -- since the Kalpoe brothers have been rearrested, will they have to go through that same sequence of extensions like Joran did?
KING: Michael?
CARDOZA: You know, I really can't answer that, Larry. I would think not. They've already done part of the time. But I think I would defer to the Aruban attorney on that one.
KING: Vinda.
DESOUSA: Yes. It depends. If the new facts and circumstances that Michael was referring to -- first of all, I want to say something about that. It's not just the wording or a choice of wording by the prosecution's office to justify the rearrest of the Kalpoe brothers. It is legally embedded in our criminal code -- criminal procedures code that if you want to rearrest suspects that were set free, you need new facts and circumstances.
And, secondly, first of all, if the new facts and circumstances pertain to the case in Natalee's case, which is the premeditated murder -- the charges that were already filed -- then they would have to continue the time that they had already been in jail. They would continue in the preventive arrests.
But then again, if it pertains to new charges filed, then we would go back to square one. And they would start all over again. The first eight days. And then the extension of the first eight days. And every time with the judge of instruction.
KING: And they don't have to find a body, right Vinda?
DESOUSA: No. They don't have to find a body. Of course, it's much more helpful to the case, I should say, if they find a body, because then you have evidence. And you can conduct DNA analysis.
But there is case law in the Netherlands as recently as last year that a person was convicted of murder without a body.
KING: Thank you all very much: Paul Reynolds, Steve Holloway, Vinda DeSousa, Jossy Mansur, Harris Faulkner and Michael Cardoza.
Tomorrow night, we'll repeat the interview with Pamela Anderson. Sunday night, the interview with Lance Armstrong. And Monday night, we'll be following the scene as Katrina heads up toward Mobile, or Pensacola, or New Orleans.
Right now, we head to New York, NEWSNIGHT. Aaron Brown is off tonight, but sitting in, the lovely, the talented -- what a smile -- Carol Costello. You find her in the morning, you find her at night, 4:00 am, 6:00 p.m., quarter to three in the afternoon. She's...
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I'm everywhere, Larry.
KING: You're everywhere!
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