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O.J. Simpson Accused of Committing Armed Robbery; Shouting Matches During Anti-War Protest

Aired September 15, 2007 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They came in quick, they came in fast.

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SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: How far did Simpson go to get back some prized football memorabilia? CNN talks to O.J.

Shouting matches and middle fingers fly at the largest anti-war protest in Washington in months. Both sides convinced they are right. And two with direct links to the war. Join us tonight to hash out their differences.

As protesters promise to march on a small Louisiana town, a black teenager is spared years in prison for now.

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AL SHARPTON: We can't allow America to go back into this kind of behavior.

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MALVEAUX: White students versus black students and a whole town torn apart. A racial tension was taken it a higher level.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I cared about nothing. I cared about no one. I cared not about myself.

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MALVEAUX: She sewed her own wedding dress the age of 14. What was life like under the polygamist prophet Warren Jeffs? This former sect member tells all.

And you won't believe what this presidential candidate has to say about Americans today. Hint, it has to do with your intelligence and your waistline. It's just the tip of the iceberg in our dog bone politics. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Tempers burning on the East coast. Timber burning on the West coast. A furious wildfire is eating up the San Bernardino natural forest tonight. More in that in just a moment.

But first, it was loud, angry, and it did get physical. Look and listen to these protesters filling the streets of Washington today, raising their voices for the war, against the war, and at one another.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the nation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't stand (INAUDIBLE) for anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we want? When do we want it?

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MALVEAUX: And the thousands, they came to show their faces and make their voices heard, no matter which way they leaned about the war. Most of the day was noisy, but peaceful. And that changed late afternoon. More from CNN Kathleen Koch.

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KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anti-war protesters scrambling over barricades on the West front of the U.S. Capitol. Police dragging some away, pepper spraying others. More than 150 were arrested and angry. And to what had been a peaceful day of protest. Prominent activists from Ralph Nader, to Cindy Sheehan rallying the crowd.

CINDY SHEEHAN: It's time for us to show Congress that they need to represent we the people, not the corporations.

KOCH: Protesters say it's important to air their concerns in Washington this weekend to counter this week's testimony before Congress by the U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, as well as the administration's progress report on Iraq.

ALEX ROSEN, PROTESTER: Absolutely, because you seem to just be hearing the same message over and over. It's like deja vu all over again.

KOCH: Calvin Smith came from Florida.

CALVIN SMITH, PROTESTER: It's like the majority of the people want to end the war, but our leaders aren't listening to us.

KOCH: Just 13 blocks away, a smaller group of nearly a thousand pro-troop demonstrators tried to make their message heard.

CHRIS HILL, OPS. DIR., GATHERING OF EAGLES: Today I want you to raise your voices so loud that not only do those people hear us, but our brave warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan hear us. And no, that we've got their backs. KOCH: Some, like retired Army Colonel Harry Riley, are still livid about the Moveon.org ad this week criticizing General Petraeus.

COL. HARRY RILEY, U.S. ARMY (RET.): It doesn't matter what political party it is. Everyone should absolutely call that for what it is, disgraceful.

KOCH: Besides arrests, a quote "die-in" at the Capitol. Protesters lying on the ground to mark the nearly 4,000 U.S. troops killed in Iraq. Marchers seemed unfazed, Congress was not in session, and the president at Camp David.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll just keep coming out here and protesting and protesting until we do see some changes.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

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MALVEAUX: Now among all those voices raised in Washington, we have two of them joining us right now. They are two women and two mothers, both of whom have sons in uniform, but with very different views of this war.

Deborah Johns and Tina Richards. Ladies, welcome and thank you for joining us here. Obviously, I'll start off with you, Debra. It was quite a sacrifice you made. I understand from California by bus down to Washington. Your son now volunteering for a fourth tour of duty in Iraq. Why do you want him to stay?

DEBORAH JOHNS, SON IS U.S. MARINE: Because I know that when we fight for victory and we win this war over in Iraq, it's going to make a difference to our safety and security here at home. During the time of World War II, nobody asked how long it was going to take to win that war. The United States people had the patience, the resolve, and the determination to fight the Germans. And that's what we need to do.

When we bond those -- Germany and Japan, and we took those cities apart, they are now major trading countries with the United States. They are now peaceful countries with the United States. And we need to get the terrorists and send them a loud and clear message that they tread on our turf over here. And we're going to go after them. And we're going to stop running. And we're not going to take this anymore from them. And we're not going to let 9/11 happen again.

Now Tina, I know you, too, have a son. Two tours of duty. I understand that he is not in good shape, that he is disabled, and that you would like him to come home soon.

TINA RICHARDS, SON IS U.S. MARINE: Well, he's 80 percent disabled and he is home. As a matter of fact, I was in Washington to stop him from having to go on his third tour of duty.

I don't think that our views are really that much different as far as looking out for the troops. When I hear that our son is on the fourth tour, I think it's shameful that our troops are being sent over and over and over. I want America safe, too. But I don't think fighting the war in Iraq is making America safer. I think it's making us less safe.

MALVEAUX: Do you...

RICHARDS: The fact that our military -- and we have no ready military, full units actually ready to go to go fight if there's any other type of disaster or any other type of attack. Our National Guard is overworked and over exhausted. And they're stretched so thin that they can't respond. Most of their equipment is still over in Iraq.

MALVEAUX: Now, Tina, I...

RICHARDS: It makes us less safe.

MALVEAUX: I understand that, obviously. Debra's a very caring and loving mother as well. But do you worry that perhaps her presence and those who were there at the rally today undermine your cause, perhaps put your son in danger?

RICHARDS: Absolutely not. What the military is an arm of the people. The American people have the duty as well as to tell their representatives what the military is supposed to do.

Garrett Reppenhagen, who's the chairman of Iraq Veterans Against the War, once said that the military is simple -- simply the bullet. It's up to the American people to point the gun and figure out where to shoot it. And so it up to us when we feel that our government is directing our military in a wrong manner that's making us less safe to let them know that we need it, we need a change, and this change in this situation is to bring the troops out of Iraq.

MALVEAUX: Deborah -- and Deborah, real quick, what would you say to Tina to convince her that this is an important cause and that she needs to say? What do you say to her now?

JOHNS: Well, how many times are we going to continue to be bombed from the "U.S.S. Cole", to the Khobar Towers, to the first Trade Towers issue? How long are we going to take that kind of you know, destruction from the terrorists before we finally stand up and tell them...

RICHARDS: And you know what? I absolutely agree.

JOHNS: ...not going to let us take this here.

RICHARDS: I absolutely agree but Iraq never attacked us. Iraq never attacked us.

JOHNS: Iraq is harboring terrorists over there, Tina. You know that.

RICHARDS: They never had terrorists until we attacked over on there. JOHNS: They've got all kinds of phases they're building.

RICHARDS: The Iraqis are now...

JOHNS: The Iraqi people I've spoken to numerous of them...

RICHARDS: ...the al Qaeda. They don't want the al Qaeda there.

JOHNS: Yes, but with the help and support of our troops, they're doing a good job...

RICHARDS: No, we're causing more instability.

JOHNS: We're not causing instability.

RICHARDS: ...attracting al Qaeda to come.

JOHNS: We are helping to bring about democracy, peace in a nation that is able to have free trade, free democracy, freedom of speech like we do here.

MALVEAUX: Obviously, the cause of the war is still being debated by both of you. You both have sons and tremendous sacrifice in this war. We hope that they are well and that they get through OK. Thank you very much.

JOHNS: Thank you.

RICHARDS: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: And now to California, where thousands of people who live in San Bernardino County are nervously watching a roaring wildfire. Conditions are dry, the wind is high, and the flames are moving fast. On the phone with me now, Jim Wilkins of the San Bernardino County Fire Department. And Jim, give us a sense of what we're looking at now. How much of this fire is contained?

JIM WILKINS, SAN BERNADINO FIRE DEPT.: Right now, the Butler 2 fire is 5 percent contained. However, we just got our briefing for the night shift. We've got some good news. Crews were able to make good progress today. The aircraft were able to lay in retardant lines. And half of our fire, the winds are working in our favor. So that's a positive note. Crews are going to go out and aggressively try to attack that fire on the ground tonight with bulldozers. And we're hoping that the winds are going to hold. We are again, fighting the problem of brush that hasn't burned and timber that hasn't burned in 50 years and field moistures that are so low, basically the trees are dead (INAUDIBLE).

MALVEAUX: I know are there various areas that are affected. Lucern Valley as well as Fawn Skin and Green Valley. Who is in the greatest danger at this time?

WILKINS: You know right now, until we get a bigger number on this fire, there are a number of communities that could possibly be placed in danger. There is nobody in immediate threat right now. We've lost not lost no structures, no structures that folks live in. We just lost a single outbuilding. So we've been very luck there. Working very aggressive to make sure that stays that way.

MALVEAUX: Are there mandatory evacuations going on?

WILKINS: We have mandatory evacuations in two communities. In Fawn Skin and Green Valley Lake. And Lucern Valley and a few other communities have a voluntary evacuation.

MALVEAUX: Now just looking at these flames and just looking at this -- I mean this is extraordinary. 18,000 acres. What are you dealing with? I mean, how long is it going to take to put out something like this?

WILKINS: Well, you know, we fight these fires literally one step at a time. One shovel at a tile, one bulldozer blade at a time, and one aircraft drop at a time. And pretty soon, you surround it. And we get a handle on it. I really couldn't give you an estimate. We're still faced with some incredible conditions. We're using superlatives like extraordinary, unbelievable, to describe the burning conditions in the west right now. And that's the conditions that we face.

MALVEAUX: And where should people go to get help if they need help?

WILKINS: Well, we do have evacuation centers set up at the Jerry Lewis Center down in Redlands. I'm sorry in Highlands, California. We have the Victor Valley College for the folks in the desert and the Big Bear High School for the folks for Fawn Skin.

MALVEAUX: OK, Jim Wilkins, thanks so much. We know we've got a big job ahead. And Jacqui Jeras is coming up in 10 minutes with more about that fire.

O.J. Simpson's talking tonight. And he is talking to us about that alleged armed robbery at a Las Vegas casino. He says the whole thing is being blown out of proportion. But CNN's Ted Rowlands spoke with the other party. And the two stories don't match at all, especially when it comes to one key issue. And that issue is guns.

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TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a telephone interview with CNN, O.J. Simpson said emphatically that there were no guns involved in the incident that took place on Thursday night here in Las Vegas. He said he was simply taking back his stuff. There's a much different story, however, coming from the alleged victims.

BRUCE FROMONG, ALLEGED VICTIM: The door burst open. Guys came rushing in one after another. The second one had a gun drawn. Just like a home invasion. You know? They came in quick. They came in fast.

ROWLANDS: Bruce Fromong says O.J. Simpson and four other men took sports memorabilia from him and his business partner at gunpoint.

FROMONG: O.J. was yelling, this is mine. Got all of that stuff in his mind. Get it.

ROWLANDS: Fromong says Simpson and the man he describes as "thugs", barged into a hotel room at the Palace Station Casino and made off with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. Simpson tells CNN in a phone interview, "I just wanted to get my stuff back." Simpson says he was tipped off that some of his personal belongings, including stolen family photographs, some taken by his ex-wife Nicole were being sold. So he says he arranged for a friend to pose as a buyer. And they simply took back the items.

Simpson says so far as he knows, "no guns were involved." Simpson was acquitted in 1995 on charges of killing his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman. Nicole's family, who still believes Simpson was responsible for her death, is upset by this latest news.

DENISE BROWN: NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON'S SISTER: There was a gun involved or something like that. Wouldn't it be ironic that he can get away with murdering two people, but yet he might be put into jail for burglary because there was a gun involved? I mean, crazier things have happened.

ROWLANDS (on camera): Simpson tells CNN that he's actually been in contact with one of the alleged victims in this case, saying that they seem to have ironed out their differences and that they both agree that things blew out of proportion.

Police, however, are taking this very seriously and taking the allegations very seriously. They say they'll investigate to see whether or not there were guns involved. And if there were, they say O.J. Simpson could be in trouble.

Ted Rowlands, CNN, Las Vegas.

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MALVEAUX: And of course word of the alleged robbery came on the same day Simpson's controversial book landed in stores. It is supposed to be fiction. But the reality is, it is already number one on amazon.com. And it is generating plenty of interest. There is good reason for that. Simpson offers up fictional details of the night of his ex-wife's murder. More on that at the half hour.

And depending on whom you ask, there's a razor thin line between race and judicial fair play in Jena. Tonight, the case against the Jena six is playing out in black and white. An overturned conviction and a determined prosecutor. Our Keith Oppenheim's joining with us both sides of that story.

Plus, a presidential candidate talking tough about -- well, your intelligence and your waist. Hear what he has to say.

And to his followers, he was the prophet for prosecutors. For prosecutors, Warren Jeffs is not only a polygamist, but also an accomplice to rape. A former member of Jeffs sect reveals inmate details about living under his reign. But first, this California wildfire is pushing thousands of people from their homes tonight. Our Jacqui Jeras has the latest on the San Bernardino wildfire coming up in 90 seconds.

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MALVEAUX: And we are looking at pictures of wildfire burning out of control there in San Bernardino. Very dramatic pictures. Only 5 percent contained.

Our own Jacqui Jeras here, reporting on Big Bear Fire in California. What are some of the details that we know?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, this is just an incredible fire. And it just exploded in the last 24 hours from about 100 acres to 18,000 acres largely due to the strong, gusty winds, the very low relative humidity, and the type of timber, and grass, and brush in here that is so very, very dry. Those flames reaching very high and the smoke blowing as far away as Las Vegas, believe it or not.

We have an upper-level low pressure system action, as we call it up over northern California and a strong jet stream overhead. And so that is bringing strong winds down towards the surface as gusting as much as 35 miles per hour.

This is going to stay in place throughout much the rest of the weekend. And we expect the winds to be even worse, unfortunately, tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening.

Winds are coming in the south/southwest. And that's why they're blowing right over into the Las Vegas area.

Now red flag warnings have been posted. And that means that critical fire conditions will continue here. And there you can see them outlined in the orange circle area across southern parts of California. Zooming in, we'll show you Big Bear Lake and the rugged terrain. And that's also one of the big things that's causing troubles as the terrain is very, very steep here, allowing the fires to advance very quickly and making it very difficult for the firefighters to get in there and fight the blaze.

We'll have more coming up in the NEWSROOM. Suzanne will be right back after a break.

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MALVEAUX: Well, the little town of Jena, Louisiana has captured the nation's attention in a very big way. Tonight, Mychal Bell, one of six African-American students charged and the first one convicted in a school fight , has won a huge legal victory. Score one for Bell's defense team, but their battle is far for from over.

CNN's Keith Oppenheim is in Jena tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This courthouse in Jena was supposed to be the place where Mychal Bell was to be sentenced on aggravated battery charges. Not anymore. His conviction has been overturned. And a big rally led by the Reverend Al Sharpton is still set to take place, a protest against what some believe is different treatment of black and white students.

Some people in Jena are tired of that accusation and tired of the media coverage of the story.

(voice-over): At a neighborhood fair in Jena, mostly white crowd didn't want to talk about the Jena 6. But some are clear, they believe protesters and the media are creating friction.

MARY WILSON, JENA, LA. RESIDENT: If they hadn't blown so much of it out of proportion, it would have been settled a long time ago.

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): Last year at Jena High School, tensions flared when black students asked school officials if they could sit under a tree, which was a traditional gathering spot for white students. The next day, three nooses appeared hanging from the tree. Later, three white students were suspended for that incident.

Then in December, six black students were charged in the brutal attack of a white student. At first, all were charged as adults with attempted murder. For most, the charges were reduced. In June, Mychal Bell was convicted of aggravated battery. And he stayed in jail awaiting sentencing.

MELISSA BELL, MYCHAL BELL'S MOTHER: He had a long time to sit back and think about what he wanted out of life, and that, you know, it can be taken away from him.

OPPENHEIM: After nationwide outcry, this past Friday, an appeals court overturned the conviction, saying because Bell was 16 at the time of the attack, he should have been tried in juvenile court. Reaction in Jena has been mixed.

ROBIN TATUM, JENA RESIDENT: I think juvenile sentencing would be best for him, but he is a repeat offender. And I don't like that. You know, he's had violent acts before.

OPPENHEIM: There is keen awareness here that a rally, led by the Reverend Al Sharpton, will come to Jena on Thursday. Some say it will make tensions worse. Ellen Buckner disagrees.

ELLEN BUCKNER, JENA RESIDENT: Because show that they care for those boys, that they're behind them, and they care about Jena. They want Jena to have peace and justice.

OPPENHEIM (on camera): Estimates for Thursday's rally range from 5,000 to 30,000. Whatever it is, with just 2900 people living here, the rally could be bigger than the entire population of Jena, Louisiana. I'm Keith Oppenheim. Now back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX: And our own Rick Sanchez sat down with Al Sharpton last night about the Jena 6 march coming up on Thursday. We're going to have a conversation after a quick break.

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MALVEAUX: Well, a lot of people, especially those who have lived in Jena, Louisiana for the last several months, see the case against the Jena 6 in black and white. The Reverend Al Sharpton and Rick Sanchez brought that issue out in the open.

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RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Look, forget the race for a minute. And let's talk about what's really wrong here. It's -- teachers and administrators should have seen that this thing was festering as soon as it got to the noose point. And they should have called these students. I don't care if they should have -- if they had to cancel classes, put them in the auditorium and say, we've got a serious problem in this school and we're going to work our way through it. Why did the police have to get involved?

AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: Well, when the students protested, the -- from all of the information that we have, those black students protested after the nooses. When the district attorney came to the school, it is alleged by many witnesses, he looked at the black students and waved a pen and said I can destroy your lives with one use of my pen. And many feel that's what he's done. Again, what his conduct shows is something frightening to us.

SANCHEZ: So you're saying the D.A.'s a racist?

SHARPTON: We're saying that certainly seems to be selective of prosecution, if it is not -- then someone needs to explain to us why these kids are overcharged and others are not, which is why radio personalities like Michael Baisden and others, we've all joined in. We're going to have a huge march...

SANCHEZ: Yes.

SHARPTON: ...then this Thursday even though there won't be a hearing now. We must say that we can't allow America to go back into this kind of behavior.

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MALVEAUX: And Martin Luther King III and Bernice King will be among those marching in Jena next week. And I'm going to talk to both of them tomorrow night at 10:00 Eastern in our Sunday spotlight.

And still ahead, the case against polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs. Disturbing evidence revealed in court. He's accused being an accomplice to raping a young girl. Tonight, one woman reveals how she broke away from his control.

Plus, a mystery in Florida. Skeletons found, enough to belong to at least eight people, but who are these people? And is this is work of a serial killer? We investigate here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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MALVEAUX: Time for an offbeat look now at the race for the White House in dog bone politics. It was Hillary Clinton's turn to hold a glitzy Hollywood fund-raiser. After an event in an L.A. magnet school, she headed over to Magic Johnson's Beverly Hills home last night for a fundraiser with Quincy Jones and other musical heavyweights.

Now her Democratic rival Barack Obama held a star filled fundraiser last weekend at Oprah Winfrey's home.

Senator Clinton has also picked up the backing of the National Association of Letter Carriers. Now you may not think that's such a big deal, unless you're John Edwards. He might be wondering why the group didn't endorse him. His mother once worked for the postal service. And he's put a lot of work into courting organized labor during the campaign.

And is this the way presidential hopefuls see America? Apparently, one candidate does. Democrat Mike Gravel, a former Alaska senator, should at least get a few points for well, speaking his mind. Here's what he said in a recent online debate, co-hosted by Yahoo, Slate, and huffingtonpost.com.

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MIKE GRAVEL (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am prepared to tell you that the Americans are getting fatter and dumber. I have no problem saying that.

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MALVEAUX: Oh and he didn't even stop there. As for schoolteachers who want to earn more money, Gravel said "let them work year-round like the rest of the people."

And sometimes the race for the White House calls for a little tailgating. Republicans Mitt Romney and Sam Brownback spent time with fans today at the big Iowa versus Iowa State football game. Democrat Chris Dodd was also there and well, scored one for the underdogs. Iowa State won the game, 15 to 13.

And sect leader Warren Jeffs facing tough questions and even worse accusations in court this week. Is Jeffs an accomplice to the rape of a young girl? We'll talk to a former member of his sect live in about eight minutes here in the NEWSROOM.

Plus, what are your teenagers doing tonight? Hope they're not driving and text messaging. Josh Levs joins with us more on this deadly combination.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, there are some new laws restricting what teens can do behind the wheel and also what adults can do. Now these laws could end up affecting drivers all over the country. Parents, you do not want to miss this. So Suzanne will have that, coming up this hour.

MALVEAUX: OK, great. Looking forward to it.

And we will see Josh in about 20 minutes or so.

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MALVEAUX: In June, terrorists rammed a car into the terminal building at the Glasgow Airport in Scotland. And the vehicle burst into flames, but what happened next turned a baggage handler into a CNN hero. Well, here's his story in his own words.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it crashed into the side of the door in the terminal building. And I'm thinking to myself, well, that's a bad accident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A car on fire has been driven into the Glasgow Airport in Scotland.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is being treated as a terrorist incident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just, ah, that couldn't be. It was unfathomable. I was in this area here. And I seen a gentleman coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. And the police officer came from across the road. And the guy just started punching the policeman. And all I could think of doing was going to help. I ran up and I try to kick the guy. And a man, Michael, he had done the exact same thing as me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I just went and punched and kicked him. And I ended up breaking my leg in there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was lying on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was really worried about an explosion from the vehicle. And I thought, we need to get Michael and myself away from the situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I could see the flames in the car. And as I'm sitting here the driver of the car, he throws out petrol. And that's when John Smeaton starts pulling me back. John Smeaton saved my life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My life has changed from one extreme to another. I enjoy my quiet, mundane happy life. This is my uniform, my T-shirt, my trousers.

I'm a supervisor in the baggage sortation area. When you check your bag in, I'm on the other end of the conveyor belt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, it really does bewilder me why everybody thinks I've done such a big thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But at that time, I just thought it was my duty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Democracy's all about compromise and getting on with things.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You should be brought up to treat people as they come. And if these people think they're going to keep the British people down, then they've got another thing coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Well, John Smeaton's just one example of an everyday hero, people who's act of courage change lives. To check out other incredible stories, visit cnn.com/heroes, where you can also nominate a hero of your very own, but you need hurry because nominations end September 30th.

And coming up, it is number one on amazon.com. So what is O.J. Simpson saying in his new book that is generating so much interest? Well, we're going to take a peek inside.

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MALVEAUX: O.J. Simpson, the focal point of yet another police investigation. Once again saying he did nothing wrong. Same day, a different story goes on sale. This one built as I work of fiction entitled "If I Did It: Confessions of a Killer."

Simpson was acquitted of killing his wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman. But in the book, he describes how he would have done it, and how he would have felt afterwards. Listen to this excerpt

"I looked down at myself for several moments, I couldn't get my mind around what I was seeing. The whole front of me was covered in blood, but it didn't compute. Is this really blood? I wondered. And whose blood is it? Is it mine? Am I hurt?"

Several stores, including Target and Wal-Mart, have decided not to carry the book. A bankruptcy judge awarded Ron Goldman's family the rights to the book sales.

And his followers consider him a prophet, believing if they obey his every word, they'll get to heaven. But this week, a former child bride took the stand in Warren Jeffs trial, accusing the polygamist leader of being an accomplice to her rape when she was 14-years old. Prosecutors say Jeffs coerced the girl to marry her older cousin and enter into a sexual relationship. Listen to what she told the court about the night she first had sex with her husband.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE DOE, ALLEGED JEFFS VICTIM: I was crying. And I was -- like please, I don't want you doing. It doesn't feel right. Please stop. Please quit. I can't do this. Just begging him to stop or at least explain to me what he was doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: She says Jeffs told her she risked her salvation if she didn't refuse to have sex with her husband. The defense says Jeffs never actually commanded his female followers to submit to sex, and that the state is persecuting their client for his religious beliefs.

Well, Kathy Jo Nicholson is a former member of Warren Jeffs fundamentalist sect. She's joining us from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Thank you very much for being with us. I know it must be difficult to even to see him and the memories that come up for you. What was it like? I know you grew up in that sect. What was it like at that time when you were a child?

KATHY JO NICHOLSON, FORMER JEFFS FOLLOWER: When I was a child, it was -- he was not the prophet at that time. He was the head master at Alta Academy. From what I understand, Jane Doe, the brave woman on the stand, is also from Alta Academy. So I'd like to really commend her for what she's doing.

MALVEAUX: What was your experience with him at that academy?

NICHOLSON: At Alta Academy, he was a -- he could be very charismatic. He was very manipulative. He began, I believe, his mind control of the children and even the parents at that time. I think he was being groomed to be the prophet. I think that he used scare tactics. He used humiliation a lot.

MALVEAUX: What did you see in your experience with him? I understand that there was an expression, "keeping sweet", being obedient, and that there was punishment if you didn't. Can you talk about that a little bit?

NICHOLSON: Absolutely. He -- that was the slogan for as long as I can remember to keep sweet no matter what. Don't question. Don't flinch when you're told to do something that doesn't quite feel right.

MALVEAUX: What did he tell you to do?

NICHOLSON: Different bizarre things. We had -- we'd have random, stand on your desk and do flexing of muscles. Or we would -- you know, as girls, we were in skirts. We'd have random jumping jacks. And we felt like we were, you know, up on stage for all to see. We never knew what was next. We kept -- I know I kept my head down and tried not to make eye contact with him as often as possible because I was afraid if I did, he may select me to do something odd as an example.

MALVEAUX: I understand that you were so scared that you were going to have to marry someone much, much older than yourself, that you actually sewed your wedding gown when you were 14-years old. What was going on through your heart, through your head at that time, that fear?

NICHOLSON: Well, I was coming into -- out of my childhood into my teen years. And we were groomed from as early as I can remember as girls to get married. And so that's what we did. And our friends were sewing their dresses. I was sewing mine. And it felt very uncomfortable.

I never did finish that dress. A word that Warren asked us, or commanded us never to use was intuition. I felt that I had intuition, but it was not -- we didn't speak about that. His command was there is no intuition. I am the mouthpiece of God. And you will listen only to my instruction.

MALVEAUX: Now you got out of the sect. How did do you that?

NICHOLSON: I got out of the community when I was -- well, Warren expelled me from Alta Academy because I was not wearing the holy garments. And I was interacting with the male students.

He would set us up. We would have barn dances where we could dance with the boys, but then if we did and talked too much, he was constantly changing the rules. So I ended up being expelled and denied an education. And I was distanced from the school.

There was a girl, my best friend, we were both 15. And she got married. They swept her away and she got married. I separated myself and was sent to the polygamist factory owned by United Effort Plan. And I was able to think. And I was able to talk. And I was able to -- the distance helped me to get a clear head.

MALVEAUX: You got out. Well, Kathy Jo Nicholson, very good to talk with you. I know you are married. You have two young boys that you're doing very well. And we congratulate you for that. Thanks for talking with us.

NICHOLSON: Well, thank you. Could I mention our website?

MALVEAUX: Sure.

NICHOLSON: I -- our website, please logon for more information about me and my family and some other I feel are very important issues. It's outofpolygamy.com. I just read a note from a little 15- year-old girl, who happens to be the daughter of this friend that I referred to that got married when she was 15. And she was confused and calling me a dark liar. But that gave me hope that now that Warren is away, maybe some of these children and these people in this community do have access to maybe some books or the Internet.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

NICHOLSON: So please, if do you...

MALVEAUX: OK, well, thank you so much, again, Kathy Jo Nicholson.

NICHOLSON: Thank you so much.

MALVEAUX: Thank you. A mysterious find in Florida. Bones, enough of them to belong to at least eight people. Are police on a forgotten murder trail? The investigation just five minutes away.

Plus, parents, if you have teens under 18 years old, listen up. No more talking, texting, and driving depending on the state where you live. Teenagers angry, parents happy? Well, we'll tackle that issue in just about 10 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, a different mystery in Fort Myers, Florida, but a mystery nonetheless. Eight sets of human remains went unnoticed for years amid the thick brush and tangled shrubs of a wooded area just outside of downtown. That is until now. Here's CNN's John Zarrella.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the downtown house of pizza, locals come to grab a hot slice, chat about the weather. But lately the talk is about a strange cold case. A who done it, that, so far, has raised many more questions than answers.

JENNIFER SOTO, FORT MYERS, FLA. POLICE DEPT.: Very disturbing. Very disturbing. It's just not normal for around here.

ZARRELLA: Around here is Fort Myers, Florida. And what happened here would not be normal anywhere else.

SOTO: The colleges out here actually serving the land.

ZARRELLA: Sergeant Jennifer Soto was one the first police officers to get here. About 50 yards off of a dirt road, hidden in a forest of tightly-knit malaluca trees buried only under leaves and debris, was a human skeleton.

SOTO: This is actually the very spot where the first skull was located.

ZARRELLA: The first, far from the last. That day, police found seven more skeletons scattered across a 200-yard long area. But with all eight of them, you found the skulls.

SOTO: Yes.

ZARRELLA: And a large percentage of the remains?

SOTO: A remarkable amount of the remains considering how long they've obviously been out here.

ZARRELLA: How long, at least one for 20 years. Was it murder? Is it the work of a serial killer? They simply don't know.

SOTO: We know we have no missing persons that are being reported. People aren't being, you know, taken off of the streets at this point in time. And there's no reason for that kind of alarm at this point. But am I concerned? I have eight bodies in the woods? Absolutely.

ZARRELLA: They were all adults, police say. There were no obvious signs of trauma.

You have to move all of this debris.

HEATHER WALSH-HANEY, FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST: All of that debris is put into buckets and it's painstakingly searched. Many times, bone is going to look like a stick.

ZARRELLA: Forensic anthropologist Heather Walsh-Haney was called in and try to figure out what happened, how these eight skeletons ended up here.

WALSH-HANEY: By reading the bones, I'm trying to determine who that person was in life and how they died.

ZARRELLA: The bones are now at the medical examiner, Rebecca Hamilton's office, locked behind these doors. Dental work done may help identify the remains. Hamilton has taken calls from around the country.

REBECCA HAMILTON, DR., MEDICAL EXAMINER: So we were already at this point having people send us dental x-rays on loved ones who have gone missing or who have basically fall off the face of the earth.

ZARRELLA: So far, no matches. Next week, the autopsy photos of the skeletal remains may be released. And a forensic sculptor is in the process of reconstructing the faces, in hopes, someone, somewhere knows who these people were.

John Zarrella, CNN, Fort Myers Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And parents, did you know, a leading cause of distracted driver accidents among teens is talking and texting while driving. But that could change, Josh.

LEVS: Right.

MALVEAUX: You've got more on that?

LEVS: Yes. In fact, California is now joining a growing list of states. That's really creating some new laws that could affect drivers of all ages everywhere. We're going to explain that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: And just in to CNN tonight, we're getting some surprising words from former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, words highly critical of the administration he used to work for.

In a new book, the former Federal Reserve Chairman bashes the Republican party and President Bush over their spending habits. And he blames the growth of the budget deficit since 2001 on Republicans.

He says, "The Republicans in Congress lost their way. They swapped principle for power. They ended up with neither. They deserve to lose."

Well I just got this response minutes ago from White House Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto who says, and I'm quoting here, "We're not going to apologize for increased spending to protect our national security. That isn't just 'increased spending,' it' an investment in the safety and security of our nation."

And Josh, I understand, you are working on a story -- very telling story.

LEVS: Yes, it's about teen driving today. And it's really interesting because we're getting a lot of new information from California and elsewhere around the country about new laws that are going to effect that could that affect drivers all over the country, especially younger drivers. And advice for parents in how to help keep your kids safe on the road. All that coming up in just a couple of minutes here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), GOV., CALIFORNIA: We want to eliminate any extra distraction from them, so that they can focus on paying attention on the road and being good drivers. This is the bottom line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And those, of course, the words of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as he signed a tough new law Thursday. It makes it illegal for teens to text or make calls from behind the wheel. But is it fair that it singles out teens? And is this really going to help, Josh?

LEVS: Yes, that's what people are looking into now. Let's start with the basics about this law because it's really catching a lot of attention. This is a big issue a lot of people care about.

Here's what we got for the basics. First of all, what this does, if you're under 18 and use an electronic device like a mobile phone while operating, listen to my words here, while operating a motor vehicle, this means even at a stop light, even hands-free, you cannot be using one while the car is running.

If you're behind the wheel, you can be fined. It's $20 the first time. And then 50 bucks each time after that.

Now Suzanne, they're not allowed to pull you over for it, but if they get you for something anything, erratic driving, missing a stop sign, anything, then this other fine kicks in as well. And that goes on your license.

MALVEAUX: OK, I have to admit I'm a little bit guilty for doing some of those things in the car. So why are they just targeting teens? LEVS: Yes, you know why? It's interesting. At first, you would think, well, why not just apply it to everybody?

MALVEAUX: Right.

LEVS: The reason is statistically, it's backed up. It's a much bigger problem for teens. And we've got some statistics here we're going to show you.

Let's start with this one. Ford Motor Company found that teen drivers are four times more distracted than adult drivers by cell phone use. Next one, advocates for highway and auto safety found that drivers age 16 to 19 have a fatality rate four times that of drivers age 25 to 69.

And finally, this one. There's a survey of teens that was done by AAA and "Seventeen" magazine together. They found that about a third of teens admit to texting and/or talking on cell phones while they drive.

But Suzanne, there is also a law in California that applies to everybody. Starting also in July, no one is allowed to physically hold a phone. So if you're older 18, you have to be on a speaker or some kind of hand screen device.

MALVEAUX: So what about emergencies? There's got to be acceptance here?

LEVS: There are, but you've got prove that it was a legit emergency. You can't say, oh my friend was really upset. You got to prove it was an emergency and that it was the type of emergency in which you couldn't pull over to a parking space and then take care of your phone call from there. So it's a very high standard.

MALVEAUX: So they think -- do they really think this is going to make a difference here? I mean, you put laws into place, but people don't always follow.

LEVS: They do. In fact, I'll show you really quickly. There's some states around the country that have done this because they all have the same thing. If we can show these maps. The states in red right there are similar -- are states that have similar laws. And one last thing here, states in yellow, we're going to show you now, are states considering very similar laws. So yes, in general, they do think this could make a big difference. And that's obviously the hope.

MALVEAUX: OK, thank you very much, Josh.

LEVS: You got it, thanks.

MALVEAUX: And we're now going to be back in a moment. We'll take a quick break.

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