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Georgia Authorities Discuss Death of Wrestler Chris Benoit and Family; Top Republican Calls For Change in Iraq War Strategy; Oklahoma City Rescue; Beatle Mania; Letter to President Bush
Aired June 26, 2007 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.
Violence was his life, in the ring, on the circuit -- the over- the-top world of pro wrestling.
PHILLIPS: It also was the death of Chris Benoit and Benoit's wife and the couple's young son.
Authorities here in Georgia are just about to speak. We are going to be listening in.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Live pictures now -- this is the Benoit home, where we are awaiting that sheriff's news conference on the death of Benoit's family -- you know, the wrestling world now grappling with this pretty shocking tragedy. Popular pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife, Nancy, their little boy, Daniel, they were all found dead right here in their home in Fayetteville, Georgia. That's just outside of Atlanta, where we are based.
Our Rusty Dornin is there. As soon She will be monitoring the press conference. As soon it starts, we will take it live.
LEMON: We also just heard from TMZ's Harvey Levin, who has -- who has been breaking news on that story.
Meantime, Kyra, we want to get you to other developing news we have been following here in the CNN NEWSROOM. This is a water rescue happening in Oklahoma City. Just look at that water raging there, rescue crews there trying to rescue three people from this car just on the edge of a dam -- the only thing separating this car from the spillway, a very thin rail.
Now, earlier, you're looking at -- that was one of the rescues that happened earlier right here on CNN's air. And, then, a second rescue happened moments later. And I believe a third person was rescued from the car as well. Not exactly sure how this car got into this situation. But, again, this is a rescue situation by Oklahoma firefighters.
We're going to bring in our Bonnie Schneider to tell us about these waters.
Bonnie, were these flash floods? Is this flash flooding happening here?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. There's a flash flood warning, actually, for the Oklahoma City area. And a warning means flooding is occurring, and we will see more of that.
Now, the problem is, as we take a closer look at this system, I am going to show you a look at our Google Earth. And this actually shows you the radar, some of the totals that we have been receiving, according to Doppler radar, between an inch and two inches.
The problem is, is that, even when it stops raining and you don't see the radar pictures showing rain over this specific area, what happens is, you get runoff from the streams and from the rivers in the region and the lakes in this case. And that could add to the flooding and compound the problem.
The watches are posted straight through tomorrow. And, as we take a closer look at this system, the problem is, is that this area of low pressure that's bringing all this precipitation today is actually going to intensify and sit over this area at least for two days.
Now, what that mean is, when a system just sits and doesn't move, it produces heavy rain. The influence of the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the strong energy in the upper levels of the atmosphere will help to get this system going.
And, looking at this, this is our computer model that takes you to the next two days. Look at this right here, this area in white, just north of Wichita, Kansas. This is an indication that we can expect 10 inches -- that's right -- 10 inches or more of rain, according to this legend, over the next 48 hours.
So, this computer model could have some errors, either on the high side or the low side, but one thing is for certain. We are looking at heavy rain throughout much of this region, from Dallas through Oklahoma, more so on the eastern half of the state, including Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Wichita. And this will be not just an event for today, but for the next couple of days.
And that is why we have the watches and warnings posted straight through the afternoon and into tomorrow -- Don.
LEMON: OK, Bonnie, and we're just getting new information here, so hang with me.
And, as you were saying, I guess, in the past 24 hours, they have got, like, several inches of rain here. But we're hearing -- this just in to CNN -- two people rescued from that car, only two people. It was an adult and a child. Both of them are OK, rescued, again, by the fire department firefighters in Oklahoma City. All is well -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: A quick live picture from Fayetteville, Georgia. That's just outside of Atlanta here, not far from us. This is the Benoit home -- as you know if you have been watching CNN throughout the day, popular pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife, Nancy, their little boy, Daniel, all found dead in this home, believed to be a murder-suicide.
There's been talk about possible steroid use that might have led to these actions on behalf of Chris Benoit. They were all found dead at the home this morning.
CNN's Rusty Dornin is there. As soon as that live news conference begins, we will take it.
Meanwhile, our other top story has been the charged and smoldering ruins, all that's left of many homes near Lake Tahoe, after a fast-moving wildfire that broke out on Sunday. It's still burning today. And hundreds of homes are still threatened near the California-Nevada border.
CNN's Kara Finnstrom is in the hard-hit community of Meyers. She brings us up to date on how so many families have been affected -- Kara.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They really have.
We did just speak, though, a little while with one of the firefighters that was passing by. And he said that the firefighters are very excited today about the break that they have got in the weather, and that they're going to be hitting this very aggressively, and are very hopeful that they can really get this under control.
Still, at this point, the official word is, 40 percent of this fire contained. And most of what's burning is burning in unpopulated areas right now. So, that is good news for the community here.
But, if you take a look over here, you can see what has not been good news for these families. They will, many of them, be coming home to this.
And, a little bit earlier, we spoke with this family. This is actually a house that belonged to a retired firefighter here and his family, his wife, his three children. This was a two-story house. And they can find things from the second story that collapsed and are in the middle of all this rubble.
We spoke with Sue Hartzell, the wife of that retired firefighter, a little earlier today. And here's what she had to say
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUE HARTZELL, WILDFIRE VICTIM: There's really nothing left. We can recognize a few things, but I'm -- I'm astonished how complete the devastation is.
FINNSTROM: I know this is a difficult time for you. You said you also were concerned not just about your family, but about the larger community here. And I know you wanted to say something about that.
HARTZELL: We're a really, really close-knit community. This whole area out here is all of the local people that have been here 20, 30, 40 years.
We know practically everybody on this street. We have always been a real close-knit neighborhood. And I just hope that they all rebuild, and we can get through this. But I think it's going to take two to five years.
I just wish I knew where they were, so I could talk to them, give them a big hug. And I can't believe it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FINNSTROM: A very difficult day for the Hartzells here.
And what you're looking at, to you and I, it looks just like rubble, but they would pull things out of there. You can see, right there, that is part of a piano that they said their children learned to play on. So, for them, this has a lot of personal meaning. And it was a very difficult, difficult day for them.
One other point of concern for this community is Lake Tahoe. It's famous for being a very clear river. And, today, it's muddy. There's a lot of ash that's in it. And there's some concerns environmentally, and also economically, because that's a huge boon for this area, what this will mean long term -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And, Kara, you know, the woman that you spoke to, the family there that lost everything, talking about how tight of a community it is.
I mean, you have lived and you know this area as well as I do. Do you see a lot of people that weren't affected coming together and trying to help those that have lost everything, because, obviously, they need help immediately?
FINNSTROM: Yes, they certainly will need help.
You know, most of the families are still being kept out of here, because it's just not safe yet. They are trying to work out ways to bring them in slowly.
But what we have seen, just a little ways from here, are some big signs up, thanks to the firefighters. So, you can see the first signs that this community is staring to come together and try to pull itself back.
And, then, from the families that we did speak with, there's just such hope and -- and such -- they feel blessed that nobody was hurt in this. And, so, they're really taking some strength from that.
PHILLIPS: Kara Finnstrom, thanks so much. Well, calmer winds have been helping those firefighters, but they're expected to pick up a little later this week.
Our meteorologist Bonnie Schneider at the CNN Weather Center tracking it for us.
Hey, Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: Hi, Kyra.
You know, it's not only are we watching the winds to pick up, but I also want to point out the relative humidity, today, at this moment, right now, 23 percent. But, by tomorrow, the forecast is for it to drop down to 15 percent. And that's not the only change we're expecting in the weather in the Lake Tahoe area.
Look at this. We have winds today at about 15 miles per hour on the high side, but, by tomorrow, they will pick up to 25 miles per hour. Those are sustained winds. Now, due to an area of low pressure that's developing off the West Coast, we're likely to see the winds pick up not just for Wednesday, but for Thursday and Friday.
That means we could see wind gusts as strong as 30 miles per hour. So, you have the low humidity. You also have the strong winds. And we have a very dry area. This region from Reno into the Lake Tahoe area is about 63 percent below normal in terms of the amount of rainfall they normally see for this season. So, it's already drier than normal. And now the winds will pick up.
Now, today does look good for efforts of firefighters. Really, the concern is Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for those winds to increase and the humidity to drop. It will get a lot drier out there. So, hopefully, they will have good results today -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Bonnie Schneider, thanks so much.
LEMON: He is a quiet guy who rarely speaks in his own workplace, the U.S. Senate floor. But, last night, Indiana Republican Richard Lugar spoke, and it resonated far beyond the Capitol.
The ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee publicly attacked President Bush's Iraq strategy for the first time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICHARD LUGAR, (R-IN): A course change should happen now, while there is still some possibility of constructing a sustainable, bipartisan strategy in Iraq. If the president waits until the presidential election campaign is in full swing, the intensity of confrontation on Iraq is likely to limit the United States' options.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: As you might imagine, many Democrats are applauding, among them, Majority Leader Harry Reid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: I spoke on the Senate floor this morning, and congratulated Senator Lugar for breaking from the pack.
I'm confident that his speech last night on the Senate floor will allow us to more quickly change the mission in Iraq and get our troops home. I -- I -- that was a courageous thing that he did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: So, how is the White House taking Lugar's public defection?
CNN's Kathleen Koch is there, and she joins us now with the very latest.
How did they take it, Kathleen?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, not very well, Don.
And the White House was certainly taken by surprise by the -- the senator's blunt remarks on the Senate floor last night. With his position as the lead Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations -- Foreign Affairs Committee -- he's very highly respected -- essentially, the party's elder statesman on foreign policy, the White House simply -- can't just simply dismiss his remarks.
So, the strategy that the White House is taking is to portray them as nothing new, Press Secretary Tony Snow saying that the administration has known for some time that Lugar had these reservations about its Iraq policy.
Snow today pointed out that Lugar had voted against the troop increase. Still, Snow argues that that strategy does need to be given time to work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is not a time for snap judgment, but, on the other hand, we do expect that people are going to be asking tough questions about militarily how is it going, what's going on in the civil side, what's going on in terms of the political situation in Iraq, how are the Iraqis doing? We believe that democracy can, must and will succeed in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Now, despite the weight that is, in many quarters, being given to Lugar's remarks, Snow continues to downplay them today, saying, this does not in any way indicate any sort of trend on the part of Republican support for the war, and does not indicate that any other Republicans are beginning -- will begin to follow suit, as Lugar did, begin calling for downsizing or redeploying U.S. forces that are currently in Iraq -- Don.
LEMON: Kathleen Koch, thank you.
KOCH: You bet.
PHILLIPS: Live pictures once again, Fayetteville, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta here, as the wrestling world is grappling with the shocking tragedy outside of the ring.
This is the home of popular pro wrestler Chris Benoit -- he, his wife, Nancy, their little boy, Daniel, all found dead at their home in Fayetteville, Georgia, yesterday -- police investigating what they believe was a murder-suicide.
Our Rusty Dornin is there. As soon as that news conference happens, we will take it live.
LEMON: A letter to the president urging a ban on torture, but this note came from an unexpected source -- the details straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: And you think you know all you could possibly know about the Beatles? Bet you Martin Lewis will leave you feeling a little, well, like a fool on the hill.
Stick around. It won't be long.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Straight to the news conference in Fayetteville, Georgia. They're introducing all the investigators there in front of popular pro wrestler Chris Benoit's home.
As you know, we have been talking about this murder-suicide since this morning.
Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
TOMMY POPE, FAYETTE COUNTY, GEORGIA, SHERIFF: As you know, yesterday afternoon, approximately around 2:30, the sheriff's department received a call for a welfare check here at the Benoit residence. That call came from Mr. Benoit's employers. Apparently, he had missed some engagements earlier this weekend out of state.
They became concerned for his health and well-being. The deputies arrived on scene. Once searching the house, they were able to locate three bodies inside of the home here. Those bodies were Mr. Benoit himself, his wife, Nancy, and their son, Daniel. All three subjects were deceased.
From an investigation that has taken place since that time yesterday afternoon, and continued at the crime lab earlier today, where autopsies were performed on all three subjects, we are -- have now looked at this case and ruling it as a double homicide-suicide. Evidence in the home leads us to believe that Mr. Benoit had, sometime -- possibly Friday, had murdered his wife by asphyxiation. Sometime shortly after that, on the early part of the weekend, the same for his son, Daniel, and, then maybe later on Saturday evening, some time early Sunday, had committed suicide by hanging himself in the basement area.
That is how we are ruling this case at this time. We are still awaiting further results from the crime lab, which will include toxicology reports. That can take up to several weeks to get all of that information back. But, right now, the doctors from the crime labs have given us those rulings. And that's where we are at this time.
QUESTION: Did Mr. Benoit leave a note of any type?
POPE: No, ma'am. There was no type of suicide note or anything within the house that we had located.
QUESTION: Was she strangled? Was the son -- we heard that she was strangled. The son was smothered. Is that true?
POPE: Asphyxiation by death on both, the son and the wife.
QUESTION: But was the son smothered, like, with a pillow or something like that? Or...
POPE: I'm going to just -- at this time, I'm going to leave it as asphyxiation for him.
QUESTION: Was the son in his bed?
POPE: He was located in the bedroom, yes, ma'am.
QUESTION: Was he in bed?
POPE: Yes, sir.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
POPE: Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Benoit ever been arrested before here in Fayette County?
POPE: Yes, sir.
QUESTION: What were the circumstances?
POPE: One charge I know of, I believe, was DUI. But that was by another jurisdiction here within the county. So, I can't answer to the specific charge.
QUESTION: At any point, was there any domestic violence with his wife?
POPE: To my current knowledge, here at this residence, not that I have knowledge of at this time.
QUESTION: Do we know of him ever filing for a divorce?
POPE: From Nancy, no, sir, I don't know of that, no, sir. That information has not been given to me at this time.
QUESTION: No desire for...
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Did you find any illegal substances, any steroids, any drugs that are of concern, anything -- any illegal substances?
POPE: There were a lot of prescription medication that he had received from doctors with what we believe to be at this time legal prescriptions.
QUESTION: No signs of steroids, though?
(CROSSTALK)
POPE: That, I will have to get a full list and maybe be able to disclose later. Right now, I'm not going to be able to give you a full list.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Were any of them pain medications?
QUESTION: Were some of them anabolic steroids?
POPE: Yes, sir, they were.
QUESTION: Is there any indication of a motive?
POPE: We're not going to go into that at this time.
QUESTION: These results based on what the autopsy showed, is what you are saying?
POPE: Based on what the autopsy showed and the evidence that we recovered in the house, yes, sir.
QUESTION: Sir, there was a mention of text messages and possible phone messages left prior to his -- his death. Can you elaborate a little bit on the text messages and phone messages?
POPE: Only that he had text-messaged a co-worker, and those co- workers -- that co-worker received that message several hours after he originally texted it. I will not go into the contents of that.
QUESTION: In addition to the anabolic steroids (OFF-MIKE)
POPE: Yes, sir.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) any information if that might have played a role in what happened (OFF-MIKE)
POPE: Not necessarily directly related to the cause of death. The cause of death was asphyxiation on all three.
QUESTION: Yes, I mean, if they contributed to his state of mind (OFF-MIKE)
POPE: I'm not able to answer what his state of mind was at that time, no, sir.
QUESTION: How long after killing his son did he commit suicide? How much time elapsed?
POPE: According to the doctors at this time, several hours, no more than a day.
QUESTION: When will the toxicology reports be released that would indicate what drugs were in his system?
POPE: As I stated earlier, ma'am, that could take a week to several weeks for them -- for us to get them back. It just depends on the crime lab, the speed that they're able to process those for us.
QUESTION: Where was his wife's body found?
POPE: She was inside the house in an office area.
QUESTION: So, it was a full day between the time that he killed his wife and then his son (OFF-MIKE)
POPE: Close to a day, yes, ma'am.
Is there any evidence that she was resisted or fought him?
POPE: No, ma'am.
QUESTION: What time of night did he kill her?
POPE: I don't know the exact -- we're -- right now, the doctor from the crime lab is stating that her death occurred sometime Friday.
(CROSSTALK)
POPE: ... sometime Saturday.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: While you can't say what was in the text message, can you characterize it? Was it a sort of cry for help? Or was it somewhat disturbing to the person?
POPE: I'm not going to elaborate on that message.
I would like to turn it over to our direct attorney, Scott Ballard, if you have any questions or comments for him.
SCOTT BALLARD, FAYETTE COUNTY, GEORGIA, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: There's really not a prepared statement that I need to give. Lieutenant Pope pretty much said it all. I will take whatever questions I feel comfortable answering.
QUESTION: You alluded to some bizarre circumstances. Could you go into that?
BALLARD: Sure.
In a community like this, it's bizarre just to have a murder- suicide, and certainly involving the death of a 7-year-old child. I think that's what I'm struck by most through all of this, is that there's a 7-year-old little boy who -- who's dead. And I -- I don't think we will ever be able to wrap our minds around that completely.
I had mentioned that some of the circumstances with regard to the -- to the death, I thought, were bizarre. By that, what I meant was the -- the timing primarily. And -- and, while we don't have that nailed down completely, it would appear that some period of time elapsed between the -- the death of the two victims and the suicide.
And it struck me as somewhat bizarre that -- that, perhaps, he would even be in the home with their deceased bodies for some length of time. But we don't know that. We haven't verified that.
There -- I will say this additional information. There was a Bible placed at the -- beside the body of each of the victims. I thought that was somewhat bizarre.
QUESTION: Were there any signs of a struggle from the son or the wife?
BALLARD: No. I will -- I will tell you that the wife was bound on her feet, and I think also on her wrists. There was some blood under her head. As far as I know, those were the only signs of a struggle.
QUESTION: What about his son?
BALLARD: His son, I saw -- I don't think there's any sign of...
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Was he sleeping when his father smothered him?
BALLARD: I don't know.
QUESTION: Scott, was she clothed? Was the boy clothed?
BALLARD: They were both (OFF-MIKE)
(CROSSTALK)
BALLARD: She was wrapped in a towel, I think, but wearing clothing (OFF-MIKE)
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) left the residence at all during (OFF-MIKE)
BALLARD: I don't know.
QUESTION: Do you know if his wife ever sought protection from him in any way, fearing domestic abuse?
BALLARD: I have not seen the documents. I'm told that, perhaps, in 2003, a temporary protective order was sought, and I believe in the Fayette Superior Court, and later dismissed.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) a TPO typically sought for?
BALLARD: I don't know. Typically, they're sought for some form of domestic violence, but not always, not always.
QUESTION: Mr. Ballard, are you able to reveal anything to us that might shed some sort of motive on what happened, some of what led up to this?
BALLARD: No. I'm baffled about why anybody would kill a 7-year- old baby. And, no, I don't have any -- any idea at all about a motive.
QUESTION: Was the Bibles placed near the hands, the feet, the head, or put on them in any way? How was the Bible positioned with the bodies?
BALLARD: I don't know exactly. My understanding is that it was beside the body, the bodies.
QUESTION: Just the two bodies? (OFF-MIKE)
BALLARD: Just the two bodies.
QUESTION: So, Scott, there was no evidence that he was attempting to hide these bodies? He left them out where he...
BALLARD: That's correct.
QUESTION: Do they have family in this area? If so, have you been able to talk to them? And what have they told you (OFF-MIKE)
BALLARD: I know they have family elsewhere. As far as in this area, I don't know. And I know that the sheriff's office has been quite diligent about talking with them, and I think quite appropriate in the way they have done that.
QUESTION: Were there any 911 calls that came from the house (OFF-MIKE)
BALLARD: I'm not aware of any.
QUESTION: Have you heard from the Wrestling Federation?
BALLARD: Not me personally, no.
QUESTION: Has anybody else?
BALLARD: I don't know.
QUESTION: So, the bodies were found in three different rooms?
BALLARD: That's correct.
QUESTION: Could you describe again for us the situation (OFF- MIKE) where he took the bodies (OFF-MIKE)
BALLARD: OK.
Bear in mind that I'm going on what I have been told, because, by the time I arrived last night, the bodies had already been moved.
There was one -- the boy's body was in his bed, which is in an upstairs bedroom.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
BALLARD: Yes.
The -- the female's body was found in what looked to me to be a family room that was also upstairs. Chris' body was in the basement in a weight room.
QUESTION: How much time elapsed between the murder of the wife and son, approximately? Do you know?
BALLARD: From what we're gathering from the autopsy, it's my understanding that the wife died sometime on Friday, that the son died probably Saturday morning, and that Chris Benoit died later on Saturday.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) hang himself?
BALLARD: You're familiar with weights that are attached to a pulley? It was the cord on the -- the weights.
QUESTION: When you found the prescription drugs and steroids, were they near his body? Where did you find them in the house?
BALLARD: I don't know.
QUESTION: Is the first time you have been to this household?
BALLARD: I was here last night.
QUESTION: He said he had an emergency; he had to come back. Did we ever figure out what was the emergency was? BALLARD: I'm sorry? What was your question?
QUESTION: That he told the wrestling people that he had an emergency, a family emergency.
BALLARD: Yes, I don't know anything about that.
QUESTION: What's next, like, in this investigation? What do you do next?
BALLARD: Well, the toxicology -- toxicology reports will be of interest to us.
Of course, we will -- although, at this point, I think we're all pretty confident it was a murder-suicide, we will be alert to any evidence to the contrary. But, for the most part, I think we need to get the toxicology reports back, and take a fresh look and reexamine to see whether our conclusions today continue to be our conclusions.
QUESTION: I think you said two weeks for that.
BALLARD: Oh, it will probably be longer than that.
QUESTION: So, right now, we can't say for sure he was on steroids; we know steroids were found?
BALLARD: That's correct. That's correct.
QUESTION: Is your work here at the house done?
BALLARD: I don't know how much longer the sheriff's office will continue to work out of the house.
QUESTION: There's no evidence that anyone else came into (OFF- MIKE)
BALLARD: That's my understanding.
QUESTION: Were there any firearms in the house?
BALLARD: I don't know.
QUESTION: One -- one Bible found?
BALLARD: Beside each of the victims.
QUESTION: Each of the victims.
BALLARD: Each of the two victims (OFF-MIKE)
QUESTION: No Bible next to him?
QUESTION: Could you give us your name and spell it?
BALLARD: I'm Scott Ballard, S-C-O-T-T, B-A-L-L-A-R-D. I'm the district attorney for the Griffin Judicial Circuit that includes Fayette County.
QUESTION: Were the Bibles identical or...
BALLARD: That, I don't know.
QUESTION: Were they opened?
BALLARD: That, I don't know either.
QUESTION: Is there any indication that the son had reached out or called for help?
BALLARD: We can all speculate, but I don't know.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: There were no phone calls or notes left (OFF-MIKE)
BALLARD: To my knowledge, no.
You all, I think that's probably it. Thank you so much for your patience.
PHILLIPS: Double homicide and suicide coming straight from investigators now in front of the home of popular pro wrestler Chris Benoit -- they believe that he is asphyxiated his wife on Friday night and sometime Saturday, did the same thing to their little boy, Daniel.
And then he was found dead in the basement, apparently hung himself from the pulley wire from his weight machine there in his home, all found dead in their home yesterday in Fayetteville, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta -- police saying that they're waiting for toxicology reports now, because they did find prescription medication in the home. They also found steroids. There were no notes, but a Bible sitting beside the bodies of the wife and the little boy.
We will continue to follow up on this investigation as we get more information.
LEMON: A letter to the president urging a ban on torture, but this note came from a very unexpected source. We're going to have details on that one coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: First the fire, now the fury -- ahead in the NEWSROOM, some Lake Tahoe wildfire victims say their homes were destroyed because of red tape and green rules.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.
A scary scenario in Oklahoma, and not just for the passengers inside of this car. PHILLIPS: Heavy rains ramp up the fear factor on flooding. Stick around for the forecast to see if your area's at risk.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: You saw a lot of it play out right here on our air on CNN, a water rescue in Oklahoma. Let's take a look at some of that video of that happening just about an hour ago, maybe not even.
Firefighters in Oklahoma City rescuing two people from this car that was stranded there near a dam. Just on the other side of that, spillway waters that would have taken these people to much more peril than they were already in.
You see one of the rescues going on there. This all happening, as I said, not very long ago. Right here in the CNN NEWSROOM you saw a lot of it.
We want to get to one of the people who were on the scene there watching, Deputy Fire Chief Tony Young.
Fire Chief -- Deputy Fire Chief, tell me what happened. How did this car get in this predicament, and how many people were in it?
DEP. CHIEF TONY YOUNG, OKLAHOMA CITY FIRE DEPT.: Well, Don, there were actually two of our citizens that were inside this car, a lady and a teenage daughter. And this is actually a low-water bridge.
There's actually a lake up around the high side, and it flows over this -- over this roadway, into a lower -- lower area. And we just performed the same rescue approximately six weeks ago when we had some high water. And, you know, you can look at that picture -- I'm watching your feed right now -- and, you know, it's not that deep. It's just over the -- the hubcaps, you know, there.
But it's very dangerous, that water can move -- it can move the car in just a split second and wash it across, down into that lower lake. And what our firefighters decided to do in this situation is to go ahead and put those rescue ropes across, put one firefighter in the Zodiac boat and actually take him out and perform this rescue. He actually had to force that window, bust the window out, because the electrical system to the car had shut down. They could not get their power windows down.
LEMON: OK. And the same thing you said you did six weeks ago. This water coming in awfully fast. We've been talking to our meteorologist here, and she said that you guys have been pounded with some rainwater which is causing some flash flooding in your area obviously.
YOUNG: That's correct, Don. And, you know, I told many of my friends here lately, I didn't think I'd ever complain with the rain after the drought that we had last year and all the grass fires, but it's really getting -- it's getting old.
Every day we've had rain. It seems like we've had rain over the last three or four weeks, just pretty much every day. And so, we do have a lot of areas.
We're responding right now. I just heard on our scanner to another low-water crossing that someone actually went across or around barricades, and so it's frustrating for our rescue workers to go and have to perform rescues on people that should know better, that we've asked, you know, to be careful.
But at the same time, we're going to do our job and our citizens have always treated us great. And in this case that you're showing, luckily we were able to get that lady and her daughter out. And get them safely home to their family tonight.
LEMON: Yes. And not that we're in any way -- and I'm sure you'll agree with this -- blaming the victim here, but you say every time that there's flash flooding or this happens, that people should not try to drive through these type of waters. I know that you were on the scene, Deputy Chief. What were the reaction of these folks when you saw them or heard them when you were there?
YOUNG: Well, you could actually see some fear, you know, on their faces. Could be expected. Like I said, with that raging water, you're not sure if that car's going to get swept down into that lower lake or not.
There was a lot of relief, you know, once they got them to the shore and got them turned over to our paramedics. But, you know, it's one of those situations. Like you said, it is frustrating, but we understand that sometimes people are in a hurry. And like I said, we were just very thankful that we were able to safely rescue these two individuals and get them home.
LEMON: Oklahoma City deputy Fire Chief Tony Young.
Thank you.
YOUNG: Thank you, Don.
PHILLIPS: Well, our meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider, is at the CNN weather center and she's following the storms across the country.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Some families on the southern edge of Lake Tahoe are getting their first look today at the devastation left by a fast- moving wildfire. It destroyed at least 275 homes and other buildings, and it's still threatening hundreds of others. Calmer winds allowed firefighters to contain 40 percent of the blaze at the southern tip of the lake, but the full extent of the destruction is still coming to light.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN HALE, SOUTH LAKE TAHOE POLICE: I've been at the command post for most of the time since the fire broke out, and the reports coming back really don't begin to describe the devastation and destruction. And really, my heart goes out to the families for how much they've lost in the community here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Firefighters hope to fully contain the fire by Sunday.
The fire is fueling anger from people who say it was preventable. Hundreds of residents packed a middle school auditorium last night. Many of them expressing frustration at the rules that affect tree clearing in the Lake Tahoe area. Some blamed environmentalists and state forest managers for regulations they say make it hard to remove dead trees. Other homeowners are simply just in shock after that fire.
One spoke with CNN earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUE HARTZELL, FIRE VICTIM: There's really nothing left. We can recognize a few things, but I'm -- I'm astonished how complete the devastation is.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know this is a difficult time for you. And you said you also were concerned, not just about your family, but about the larger community here. And I know you wanted to say something about that.
HARTZELL: We're a really, really close -- close-knit community. This whole area out here is all the locals people that have been here 20, 30, 40 years.
We know practically everybody on this street. We've always been a real close-night neighborhood. And I just hope that they all rebuild and we can get through this. But I think it's going to take two to five years.
I just wish I knew where they were so I could talk to them and give them a big hug. And I can't believe it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the "L.A. Times" reports that more than 21,000 acres of land at Lake Tahoe have been cleared to guard against wildfires, but 67,000 still need to be thinned.
LEMON: He could run, but luckily he could not hide. We're learning more about the deadly escape of white supremacist and convicted felon Curtis Allgier.
Now, after allegedly killing a corrections officer while out of prison on a hospital visit yesterday, Allgier ended up at a Salt Lake City Arby's. Well, their patrons say he fired at least one shot but didn't hit anyone. He also reportedly tried to take an employee hostage but was disarmed by a former Army paratrooper, Eric Fullerton (ph).
Police think the whole thing was a crime of opportunity and that the easily recognizable Allgier hadn't really planned out his escape.
He's being held on $5 million bond, accused of murdering girlfriend Jessie Davis and her unborn baby. But Bobby Cutts still has his defenders. The Canton, Ohio cop's stepmother is stepping up.
"It's very hard to accept," said Barbara Cutts. "A lot of people are looking at him like a bad person, but he's not. He really isn't."
Cutts and his friend, Myisha Ferrell, will be in court on Monday for preliminary hearings. Ferrell is charged with obstruction of justice.
Meantime, Davis' 2-year-old son Blake, who may have witnessed the crime, is in the care of his grandmother. Patricia Porter won temporary custody of the boy yesterday.
PHILLIPS: A letter to the president urging a ban on torture, but this note came from an unexpected source.
We'll have details straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: But first, think you know all you can possibly know about the Beatles? Well, I bet you Martin Lewis will have you feeling like a "Fool on the Hill".
Stick around. It won't be long.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The Fab Four, the Beatles, millions of fans, the world over love them. Tonight Larry King will be talking with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, and George Harrison's widow, Olivia.
And right now we've got a ticket to ride with Beatles historian and political writer Martin Lewis, who can tell us, among other things, that it was 40 years ago today Sergeant Pepper taught the band to play.
Isn't that right?
MARTIN LEWIS, COMMENTATOR, HUFFINGTON POST: Pretty much so. And 40 years ago today the Beatles were also giving the world a good message about love, because it was 40 years ago that they recorded or performed that song, "All You Need is Love". And it was an historic occasion.
They actually performed it on the world's first ever satellite hookup. Four hundred million people around the world watching simultaneously. If you like, it was the beginning of the YouTube era.
PHILLIPS: Well, you gave me the perfect segue. Let's look back at that day.
(MUSIC)
PHILLIPS: Martin, this was just not only a revolution technology-wise, but also for their career.
LEWIS: It really was, because the Beatles, in their early days, the Beatles were I guess the equivalent of a boy band. Not only were young kids like myself, male kids, enjoying them, but for some reason stranger, is young ladies seemed to find them very attractive as well. So they were enjoying them as entertainers.
But about halfway through their performing career, about 1966, '67, they decided there was more than just entertainment, and they wanted to expand the boundaries of music. And they started creating things such as "Sergeant Pepper" and other music that didn't just please us to dance to, but also gave us something to think about, and has really been a groundbreaking exercise in music.
That's what happened.
PHILLIPS: And we're going to talk more in just a second. Stay with us, Martin.
Tonight, "LARRY KING LIVE" is going to have Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison, live from Las Vegas. That's 9:00 Eastern.
Be sure to tune in. Martin will tell us why this is such a unique time that all of these four are coming together to talk for the first time in a really long time. Especially Yoko Ono. When do we ever hear from her?
It's pretty amazing.
Well, straight ahead, a letter to the president urging a ban on torture. But this note came from an unexpected source.
We'll have details straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Criticism over the White House's policy for handling suspected terrorists, well, it's nothing new, but this time it's out of the mouth of babes. A group of high school presidential scholars handed President Bush an unexpected letter yesterday. It had dozens of signatures on it. In the letter, the students urged a ban on torture.
Some of those students appeared on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" today and described the meeting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN MCSWIGGEN, PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR: We were lined up for a photo-op, and he came right before the photo and started speaking to us.
He -- we had a very casual discussion. He said it's important to treat others as you wish to be treated. And he said that we really need to think about the choices that we make in our lives. And as he lined up to take the photo with us, Mari handed him the note and said, "Mr. President, some of us have made a choice, and we want you to have this." He read, "All right, I'll have it." After the photo he asked if he should read the note. And Mari said, "Well, that's up to you."
But he read it right there, and had a very casual discussion with him about it. Right there in front of the White House lawn.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Wow.
MCSWIGGEN: And his response was, "We agree. Americans do not use torture."
ROBERTS: So, Leah, I mean, that's a pretty bold stroke to hand the president a letter, particularly one with that sort of controversial subject matter. It was signed by 50 students.
Did you have any problem getting those 50 students to sign it?
LEAH ANTHONY LIBRESCO, PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR: We actually didn't. Though these are 50 students individually who made an individual choice, not speaking for the program. But the thing is we all feel so strongly.
And I don't think this is a controversial issue. I don't think human dignity and human rights is a controversial issue. So once we started talking to people about the idea of speaking up, people kept coming forward and saying, "Yes, this is important."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Wow. Well, Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino says the president assured the students that the U.S. doesn't condone torture.
PHILLIPS: Bye-bye orange jumpsuit. Hello fresh start. It's the liberation of Paris -- Hilton, that is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, all this year CNN is bringing you the stories of some remarkable people. People dedicating their lives to improving the lives of others. We call them CNN's Heroes.
We found our latest hero in a country where crime and poverty rates are rampant, South Africa. His name is Bob Nameng, and he is helping to make an historical promise of freedom, equality and economic prosperity a reality for children in a place called Kliptown.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB NAMENG, FOUNDER, SOWETO KLIPTOWN YOUTH FOUNDATION: When I look at children, I see them like flowers. Flowers have got the right to blossom. These kids don't deserve these conditions that they find themselves in, in Kliptown. No proper infrastructure, no good sanitation, no school, no facilities around. We come from very difficult times, apartheid times. Three thousand people came together in 1955 in Kliptown, which led now to the adoption of the Freedom Charter, which forms the constitution of South Africa.
For me, it's a contradiction, because there all those things that are written there, I don't see any of them help any in our community. Young people are bored hanging around doing nothing. Nobody's talking to these kids. Nobody's telling them how special they are. Nobody's trying to say to them, let your little light shine.
My name is Bob Nameng, and I'm the founder Soweto Kliptown Youth Foundation.
There's a feeding program where we give our kids meals. Three meals a day.
There's educational programs where kids are being given access to computer, library, where kids are learning.
This will improve their vocabulary. So that's good.
What we are doing is community work to help and make a difference in our own community.
I'm a ghetto child. I know life in the ghetto. Children live what they see. So if we live a positive life, then we're setting a good example to our children.
If people can know that they own this community, a lot of things can start moving in a positive way. I believe one day things are going to be OK, because after darkness there is light.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Amazing folks and heroes.
If you'd like to learn more about Bob Nameng's organization or to make a contribution, you'll find all the information you need at CNN.com/heroes.
The closing bell and a wrap of all the action on Wall Street straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: So why is "LARRY KING LIVE" going to be such a unique time?
Beatles historian Martin Lewis back with us.
We never see these four together talking, right?
LEWIS: Well, not very often. They get together about once or twice a year to have business discussions amongst themselves, but this is a rarity. And Larry King has got a fantastic occasion to get them all together in one place.
PHILLIPS: And it all goes back to 1957, that church concert where Paul McCartney and John Lennon met, right?
LEWIS: They met for the first time on a summer's day, almost exactly 50 years ago. John Lennon was playing there with his school boyfriends and Paul McCartney saw him and went over, introduced himself, had a brief conversation, and they became musical blood brothers. And it all started there 50 years ago.
PHILLIPS: Now, Yoko Ono, she doesn't really like to talk. I'm going to be very interested to see what Larry asks and what she says.
LEWIS: Well, you know what? Sometimes people say, oh, gosh, don't they fight, you know, Paul and Yoko and so on?
You know what? The Beatles, though they created magical, God- like music, they are human beings just like you and I. And we all have little family squabbles amongst ourselves. So the Beatles are no different than that. So sometimes there are differences between them. But what unites them is far greater than any small, little differences.
PHILLIPS: Do you think the band broke up before they should have?
LEWIS: No. In some ways, they left at the very top. We never had the embarrassment of them going out there and doing disco records like the Stones or Rod Stewart.
(LAUGHTER)
LEWIS: And, you know, one of the things, I go to these Beatle fan conventions and I host them. Funny enough, exactly where Larry King and all the Beatle folks are, this weekend they are going to have thousand of people fans going to Vegas to celebrate the Beatles.
And the amazing thing about it is, they say, oh, it must be all aging baby boomers, like you, Martin. Half of them are 25 and under. And it can't be nostalgia if you weren't even born then.
It's because the Beatles seem to engage with the noblest part of the human spirit, the part that yearns to make itself and the world a better place. And that's not nostalgia, that's just the quality of the music and the beliefs that they're trying to get over in their music.
PHILLIPS: Well, I've got to tell you, another big Beatles fan is Susan Lisovicz, our business guru, Martin.
Susan, any big question for Martin on one of your favorite bands?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: I would be interested in hearing what Yoko Ono has to say, and just to see those three -- three separate parties converging on the same scene. I mean, I would take the whole hour, Kyra, to be honest with you. PHILLIPS: There you go, Martin.
Martin Lewis, thanks for being with us.
LEWIS: My great pleasure. Thank you.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
LEMON: Now it's time to turn it over to "THE SITUATION ROOM".
PHILLIPS: And Wolf Blitzer.
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