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Washington Redskins Safety Sean Taylor Dies From a Gunshot Wound; Mideast Summit Today in Maryland; 'Baby Grace' Horror

Aired November 27, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Heidi Collins.

Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on Tuesday, November 27th.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Redskins star safety Sean Taylor dies from a gunshot wound. Now the search for his killer. His attorney talks to CNN.

And President Bush on his way to Annapolis right now. Forty- three nations try for peace in troubled world neighborhood.

He proposed on a television talk show. She said no. Now she's dead.

Marriage or murder -- in the NEWSROOM.

Hours of anguish, brief hope, and now a tragic end. NFL star Sean Taylor loses his life after he is shot in his south Florida home.

CNN's John Zarrella is outside the hospital where the Washington Redskins player died earlier this morning. John is joining us now via broadband.

John, the latest.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, the word about 5:00 a.m. this morning from his attorney, Richard Sharpstein, who gave us a call and told us that in fact Sean Taylor did not make it through the night. The exact time of death is not known yet, but there was grave concern, of course, yesterday, because of the extensive blood loss. That, at the very least, there could be brain damage and, at the very worst, there could be death. And, of course, the very worst did play out in the early morning hours.

His family members were with him. They were here with him all night. We understand now the father, who is the police chief in the small town of Florida City, is now back at the south Miami home, Sean Taylor's south Miami home.

Obviously, a great deal of mourning here (INAUDIBLE) Redskins family, Sean Taylor, the all-pro safety for the Washington Redskins. And more importantly, Heidi, now, even the unanswered questions as to what exactly happened.

The details of the break-in, we know now there was in fact a break-in on November 18th, eight days before this break-in. During that one, the house was gone through. It was ransacked -- drawers were opened.

Whoever got in went through a window, and that a kitchen knife was left on the bed. Perhaps it was just something they used to pry open drawers. No one knows.

And then, of course, in those early morning hours when Sean Taylor was killed, someone breaking into the house, shooting him once in the femoral artery, extensive blood loss. Police are not confirming any of the details.

We also know that phone lines, according to his attorney, Richard Sharpstein, and Washington Redskins officials, that phone lines to the house were cut, and that is why it took so long for his girlfriend, who was hiding under the covers when this happened, when she got up, tried to make the phone call to 911. She had to find the cell phone because the phone lines had apparently been cut.

So many unanswered questions, Heidi, as to whether this was a random act of violence or whether there is something more to it than that -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. Lots of questions still remain, obviously.

CNN's John Zarrella for us outside of the hospital where Sean Taylor actually died earlier this morning.

John, thank you for that.

Want to go ahead and move forward now.

Sean Taylor, legal troubles off the field, scuffles within the lines. Those who know him say he seemed to soften, though, since his daughter was born.

Richard Sharpstein was Sean Taylor's attorney and friend. He is joining us now from Miami this morning.

Richard, good morning to you.

RICHARD SHARPSTEIN, SEAN TAYLOR'S FRIEND: Good morning, Heidi.

COLLINS: I know this is also a tough day for you personally.

How did you learn about Sean's death?

SHARPSTEIN: His dad, Pete, who is longtime friend, police chief in Florida City, called me this morning at about 5:00 a.m. and told me that Sean was with God. He was devastated. It was horrible.

I was there all day yesterday and into the night with the family. It's a devastating loss for the family, friends, his young girlfriend, soon to be wife, and 18-month-old daughter. And a devastating loss for the whole community that loved him.

COLLINS: Richard, do you know exactly -- or what do you know about what happened?

SHARPSTEIN: I spoke to Jackie (ph), his girlfriend, at length yesterday, and the police debriefed her. Apparently there was some noise out in the living room. Sean and she were sleeping in the bedroom with their 18-month-old daughter.

They heard a noise, a thump. They went out.

Sean locked the bedroom door. Before he could do anything, the door was kicked in. It's unknown how many assailants were there.

Jackie (ph) hid under the covers. Two shots rang out. One hit him in the leg, piercing his thigh and his femoral artery.

He bled out profusely. By the time Jackie (ph) waited for people to clear, she got down and he was breathing heavily and chest heaving, eyes back in his head. He was pretty much unconscious and nonresponsive from that point on, never really recovered.

COLLINS: It seems like, from the story that you tell, they knew immediately that they were in grave danger.

SHARPSTEIN: They knew immediately they were in grave danger. They heard noises. The door was burst open.

Later, Jackie (ph) tried to call 911, and it's unclear whether the phone lines were cut or the phone was broken or off or unplugged or turned off. She had to use her cell phone to eventually call 911.

By the time fire rescue got there, he was already bleeding. They called immediately to the Ryder Trauma Center here at Jackson, and they flew him to the trauma center, but he had already bled out profusely. That is what the doctors are saying caused his death.

COLLINS: Do you feel like someone intended to hurt him?

SHARPSTEIN: It's still unknown, but as his former lawyer and a friend for a long time, I'm suspicious, because there was a burglary at his house two weeks earlier.

COLLINS: Right.

SHARPSTEIN: Nothing was -- things were disturbed, nothing much was taken. But...

COLLINS: It seems like they may have been looking for something in particular.

SHARPSTEIN: Yes. It is high probability that it was the same people or some related people that returned.

I don't think they expected to see them there. He's a football player. He was home really on an injury to see doctors. No one expected him there. I think he was surprised or they were surprised to find him there.

COLLINS: There has been trouble before, Richard. And I hate to ask you these questions on such a painful day for the family, obviously. But there had been a DUI in 2004. There had been a shooting in 2005, an aggravated assault in 2006.

I know you represented Sean in some of those instances. What is the status of that 2005 case in particular where there was a shooting involved?

SHARPSTEIN: I represented Sean, and my wife Janice (ph) and I represented Sean in that case. The minute we took over the case, we turned the tide in that.

He was originally the defendant. They said he had a gun. He didn't. The other people were the ones with weapons that did the shooting.

Eventually, we got the state -- a new state attorney on the case. The one that originally had the case was pushing it for his own interests.

Eventually, Sean pled to a misdemeanor with hold on adjudication, not convicted, case dismissed. He spoke to schools. He was incredible at 10 high schools and gave them a $1,000 donation each.

COLLINS: Was there probation? He served time in probation?

SHARPSTEIN: There was probation, but it was immediately terminated after he spoke to the schools. The prosecutor who took over the case, Abe Lazer (ph), was a tremendous assistance and saw the case for what it was.

COLLINS: OK.

SHARPSTEIN: That was not Sean guilty of anything. And it's a shame that that sticks with him.

The DUI was dismissed in Virginia. The shooting was related to the other case, and it was not he that did the shooting, but other people. And whether that's related to this case has still yet to be seen.

COLLINS: All right. Understood.

Well, we appreciate your answering the questions, obviously, there out there today, even though it is such a painful day for you and the family.

SHARPSTEIN: It is painful.

COLLINS: We appreciate it though very much.

SHARPSTEIN: And it should be known that Sean was a dedicated and incredible, humble student in this community. Everyone loved him and he was a fine young man. My wife and I have known him since he was 14. He'll be a loss to this community in more ways than one.

COLLINS: Richard Sharpstein, Sean Taylor's attorney and family friend, we appreciate your time. Thank you.

Well, how does a leg wound turn fatal? Here to answer that question, CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.

Elizabeth, when we're talking about the femoral artery, in case people aren't familiar, this is a main artery in the body.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. It's a large artery in the body. It's about the size of your pinky, which doesn't sound so big, but that really actually is big for an artery.

COLLINS: Yes.

COHEN: And it goes from the abdomen, down into the thigh. You can see it there in red.

And you know, usually you think if someone has gotten shot, that if there is ever a good place to be shot, that the leg is a good place, you're not shot in the heart or anything like that. But, in fact, in if it hits the femoral artery in just the right or the wrong way -- it was interesting, a vascular surgeon said if it hits -- if the bullet hits the femoral artery and completely severs it, that is actually good because it will just shut down.

COLLINS: Right.

COHEN: But what happens is that if it hits it and gets, say, like half of it, then it turns into a pipe with a hole in it. And the blood will just gush out like water would gush out of a pipe.

COLLINS: Yes. There's a very specific way that you have to be able to stop that bleeding. You can't just put pressure on it, if I remember correctly. I mean, you've got to find the exact hole, if you will, to be able to plug it, right?

COHEN: That is exactly right. You can't put indirect pressure. You can't just, like, take a towel or a piece of gauze and put pressure on the leg. That's not going to do it.

The doctor I talked to said you actually have to take your fingers, go in and find exactly where it is, and block it. And, I mean...

COLLINS: It's very hard to do.

COHEN: Right, especially under those circumstances.

COLLINS: Absolutely.

Are any of these types of injuries to the femoral artery survivable? I mean, I guess when you're talking about where it completely separates? COHEN: Right. Where it completely separates, it sounds strange, but it's actually a good thing. So it depends how the artery is affected, and also it depends who is there, if they know that kind of specific first aid. And secondly, of course timing is important. And it sounded from the report that we had earlier that it took a while to call someone and get someone to come help, and that some time passed. And that blood is just gushing.

COLLINS: Yes. Once you get him to the hospital, will he be OK? But by the time he had gotten to the hospital, there was just too much blood loss.

COHEN: Right. But he did survive for -- I mean, the surgery itself was about seven hours, we're told. So, I mean, he did survive for a period of time. So the doctor I talked to said probably what either happened is he did just bleed out or he bled so much and he lost so much volume that he went into cardiac arrest, and that it was the cardiac arrest that did it, lost blood flow to the lungs and other organs.

COLLINS: Well, it's a very sad story, no question.

COHEN: Oh, it's just awful.

COLLINS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, we appreciate it.

Thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

COLLINS: Here now, a closer look at Sean Taylor's football career.

The south Florida native was a standout at the University of Miami and named an all-American in 2003. In the NFL draft the next year he was the fifth pick overall.

Since then he was fined at least seven times for late hits and other penalties. He also faced legal troubles off the field as we talked about earlier, an assault case and a DUI charge that was later dismissed. Last year he played in his first pro bowl, and this season he had five interceptions, tied for the NFC lead.

Well, back on the job. Vice President dick Cheney arriving at his office just after 7:00 this morning. That is after being diagnosed yesterday with an irregular heartbeat.

Doctors used an electrical current to get the vice president's heart beating once again with a normal rhythm. The 66-year-old Cheney has a history of heart problems. He's had four heart attacks since 1979. A spokeswoman says Cheney has resumed his normal schedule.

High hopes, plenty of criticism, and tough choices, too. Mideast leaders looking for peace today in Annapolis, Maryland.

Why here and why now? CNN State Department Correspondent Zain Verjee has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The U.S. is serving up Mideast diplomacy after keeping a low profile for seven years.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I restate my personal commitment on behalf of the United States to all those in the Middle East who wish to live in freedom and peace. We stand with you at the Annapolis conference and beyond.

VERJEE: The goal, a push for a final peace deal ending in a Palestinian state by the end of next year. So what's the payoff for the U.S.? It wants to counter the growing threat of Iran, which backs militants in the region. And the U.S. needs Arabs on board.

AARON DAVID MILLER, WOODROW WILSON CENTER: I think there is a degree of urgency -- Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranians. The region is not really in the hands right now of the peacemakers.

VERJEE: Also, the U.S. wants Arab leaders, especially Saudi Arabia, to help make peace in Iraq. A more stable Iraq means U.S. troops can get out faster. And a more stable region means gas prices won't hurt so much at the pump.

All this means President Bush is going to have to get personally involved and stay committed.

MILLER: If the president isn't willing to be tough on both sides, then he might as well pack it up.

VERJEE: Students at Cairo University in Egypt are among some in the Arab world who don't see the U.S. as an honest broker and say it's on Israeli's side. Some on the Arab street add that this conference is simply to bolster the U.S. image and isn't about Arab rights.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And Zain Verjee is joining us now live from Annapolis.

So what exactly is going to happen today, Zain?

VERJEE: Well, Heidi, behind me, across the water, President Bush has landed just moments away from a three-way meeting he is going to have with both the Israeli and the Palestinian leaders. He is going to come out after that and make a speech.

That is really going to be one of the key things in this whole day -- what is he going to say? How substantive and how specific is this speech going to be? And how is it going to push the way forward for Israeli/Palestinian peace?

The other thing, too, is that we're all looking out to see whether the Israelis and the Palestinians will agree on a joint statement. So far, there are many differences, and they haven't been able to -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. Speaking of what's at stake, you know, when we talk about Secretary Rice, I would imagine this is a very big summit, if you will. I know they're not really wanting to use that word for this meeting, but this is a big meeting for her.

VERJEE: Yes, it is. I mean, her legacy and her reputation is really at stake here, Heidi.

Secretary Rice has worked very hard to bring this moment to come to pass. She's been to the Middle East about eight times this year, shuttling back and forth to make this happen amid some enormous skepticism, particularly from the Arab world, that says, you know what? The U.S. just wants this to be a big photo-op.

Secretary Rice convinced them and said, no, that's not it. We're serious about this, we're throwing our weight behind this. And you need to come because there needs to be a comprehensive peace agreement between Arabs and Israelis, and to support the Palestinian process. But she is aware that the clock is ticking, but she seems determined to deliver -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Well, it is definitely a beautiful scene for those pictures that we do know will take place, nonetheless.

Zain Verjee, thanks so much, live from Annapolis today.

We'll check back a little bit later on, Zain.

Meanwhile, Mideast leaders meeting in a city now with a lot of history. Annapolis was founded almost 360 years ago on the banks of the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay. The city figured prominently in the colonial era. In fact, it was briefly the nation's capital. Today, Annapolis is perhaps best known as the capita of Maryland and home of the U.S. Naval Academy.

We're going to hear from the key players in the Mideast talks a little bit later this morning. President Bush, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, their remarks will be live in the NEWSROOM coming your way 11:00 Eastern.

Still ahead, the body of a little girl washed ashore in Texas. How her family helped solve the "Baby Grace" mystery -- in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Horrific new details in the "Baby Grace" death. We do caution you, they are very disturbing.

Texas investigators are confident 2-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers is indeed "Baby Grace." That is the name they gave the girl whose body washed ashore in Galveston Bay last month.

Now authorities say the mother has been talking to them. Kimberly Dawn Trenor says she and the girl's stepfather tortured and beat the child to death. That's according to court documents.

The child was thrown across the room, held under water, her head slammed on a tile floor three times. Trenor and Royce Clyde Zeigler II are now in custody. The mother says they hid Riley's body for a month or two and then dumped her into Galveston Bay.

The big break in this case came in a phone call from Riley's father and grandmother in Ohio. We want to talk a little bit more about this case with Laura DePledge. She is the attorney for Robert and Sheryl Sawyers.

Thanks for being with us, Laura.

Boy oh boy, I saw these court documents myself, and it is more than disturbing. I wonder how the family found out and how they are holding up today.

LAURA DEPLEDGE, SAWYERS FAMILY ATTORNEY: Well, unfortunately, the family found out from a telephone call. Well, I actually had heard it on the news last night about 6:00, 6:15, and I immediately called my clients and, unfortunately, they were -- had also heard it on the television, and they couldn't even speak.

Mr. Sawyers was absolutely devastated. His sentences were broken. And, you know, I was just trying to reach them before they heard it from any other source.

And as you can imagine, the details of how she was murdered is just horrendous, it's horrific. It's every parent's worst nightmare. It's a nightmare that nobody could even imagine.

COLLINS: No.

How did Robert feel about his wife at the time having custody of Riley Ann?

DEPLEDGE: Well, when they entered into their custody agreement back in May, it was by agreement. So I think that, you know, he felt confident in that decision, that he was making the right decision. But we had certainly no idea that Kimberly was going to take off within days.

COLLINS: So you're saying that this arrest -- and obviously, this tragic outcome came as a huge surprise, that Kimberly was involved?

DEPLEDGE: Yes, I would say that. Yes.

COLLINS: May have been involved, pardon me. Obviously we are not at that point of conviction.

DEPLEDGE: Yes. I don't think that they ever anticipated anything like this ever.

It was a complete shock, first of all, that Riley was in fact "Baby Grace." I think throughout -- even making the tip, I think they were always praying that it wasn't her, but also harboring the secret fear that, well, if it wasn't her, we still didn't know where she was. So, yes, it was just a very, very difficult time for the family.

COLLINS: How much contact did Robert have with Riley in the time that she was away? When we hear that particular detail about possibly Riley being hid for a month or two, where did he think that she was?

DEPLEDGE: We had no idea where they were. We had been looking for them. We had had reports from other family members or third parties that would call the Sawyer family and say we saw her in Pennsylvania, she went to Maryland, she went to Virginia.

COLLINS: Was he concerned at that point?

DEPLEDGE: Oh, they were very -- well, more concerned because they weren't seeing their daughter and their granddaughter, not because they thought she would come to any type of physical harm. There was absolutely never any indication that would happen. We didn't find out until the end of August that she was in Texas and, unfortunately, by that time, it was already too late.

COLLINS: Robert and Kimberly were actually high school sweethearts and ended up splitting up just in March, so this was relatively new. When you talked to him about this apparent violent side of his former wife, what does he say?

DEPLEDGE: It's a complete shock. As you said, they were high school sweethearts, they met halfway through their 10th grade year, their sophomore year of high school. Never any indication that anything like this would transpire. It's a complete shock to him. A complete shock to the entire family.

COLLINS: I know that there was a domestic abuse accusation against your client, Riley's father, Robert. It did have a role in the custody. Talk to us a little bit about what happened and then how Kimberly actually had custody, basically with the blessings of the court.

DEPLEDGE: Well, it's very careful when you say that, the blessings of the court. Courts are not allowed to provide people with legal advice or certainly not allowed to...

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: She won custody.

DEPLEDGE: She -- they agreed.

COLLINS: OK.

DEPLEDGE: They agreed at a hearing she would be the custodial parent and he would have visitation.

COLLINS: OK.

DEPLEDGE: You asked about what role did the domestic violence charge play in this case. There was an incident in Kimberly and Robert's home back in March. He was charged with domestic violence.

However, when he went to court, that charge was reduce to a disorderly conduct charge. And again, he was not represented by counsel at that time. They were not -- and that is a separate criminal proceeding from Kimberly seeking the domestic violence civil protection order, and based on the -- her allegations that were not founded, as far as a domestic violence charge goes.

He was never convicted of domestic violence, he was convicted of disorderly conduct. But based on her statements, or what is called her ex parte statements in her domestic violence petition...

COLLINS: Right?

DEPLEDGE: ... the court granted the restraining order. They then set it for a full hearing. Both parties appeared without counsel and they entered into this agreement, and the magistrate adopted their decision.

COLLINS: Very quickly, before we let you go, what will the Sawyers do now?

DEPLEDGE: What will the Sawyers do now? Today, as you can imagine, the news last night was absolutely devastating. Today they are requesting privacy.

They're seeking the comfort of their family and friends for strength and support. It's just a horrific time for them, that the media scrutiny is intense, as you can imagine. And they are just trying to collect themselves and gather themselves and prepare themselves for what lies ahead.

COLLINS: Laura DePledge, the Sawyers family attorney, we appreciate your time this morning.

Thanks a lot.

DEPLEDGE: Thank you very much.

COLLINS: A farmer cuts off his arm to save his own life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just chained it to my arm. And just -- just like that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This guy is going to die on me right here and there not anything else I can do other than what I've done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: One man's do-or-die drama.

We'll tell you the story coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: The talk show was supposed to bring them together, but there was a restraining order to keep them apart. What happened next was shocking.

We'll tell you the story.

Meanwhile, the suburbs of Paris burning in a second night of rioting. A mob fought with police, cars and buildings set on fire. French news reports says more than 60 police officers were hurt.

The violence started Sunday night after two teenagers on a motorcycle were killed in a collision with a police car. Prosecutors are investigating.

Two years ago, young people in Paris suburbs rioted for weeks. They were protesting unemployment and discrimination.

All right. There is your opening bell for Tuesday morning. Yesterday, not a good day. Dow Jones industrials averages went down about 237 points. They're kind of down all around. NASDAQ lost about 55 points. So we will be talking more about what all this means and you may have heard that word correction. What does it really mean and is it really happening. We'll have Ali Velshi as well as Susan Lisovicz coming up in just a few minutes.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins. Tony Harris has the day off.

Sean Taylor, his legs carried him to stardom with the Washington Redskins in the NFL. A bullet wound to one of those legs cost him his life. Taylor died this morning, one day after he was shot in his Miami home. The bullet struck his femoral artery and he lost a great deal of blood before he ever reached the hospital. Police are investigating the shooting as a possible armed robbery. They are not saying whether they think Taylor's home was targeted at random. Sean Taylor grabbed headlines on the field and off. Jon Denunzio followed the career of the Washington Redskins safety. He's a sports editor of WashingtonPost.com. Jon, thanks for being with us. Let's talk a little bit about what kind of guy Sean Taylor was.

JON DENUNZIO, WASHINGTONPOST.COM: Sean Taylor had problems with the law and with NFL rules early in his NFL career but in the past few years or past year or so, his teammates say he had matured a bit and he has come a long way, they say.

COLLINS: They actually sort of attribute that to, don't they, to the birth of his daughter?

DENUNZIO: That's right. He has an 18-month-old daughter and teammates say since she was born he had shown signs of maturity and kind of gotten about the behavior that caused him problems early in his career.

COLLINS: We are watching some video now of some of the plays he has made. A lot of people would say he is one of the best safeties in the league. DENUNZIO: Yeah. There is only one or two safeties that you could say are better. He was in the Pro Bowl last year. You know, devastating loss, you know, obviously for the Redskins in many ways but on the field he is irreplaceable.

COLLINS: Well, let's talk about that. What sort of impact will something like this have on the Washington Redskins?

DENUNZIO: Well, you know, beyond the obvious and the personal loss, he was a loved teammate. But he's just -- you know, there are not many better players like we said and it's impossible to replace that guy without a really high draft pick in the future.

COLLINS: As someone who follows the Washington Redskins, I mean, some people would argue that this is sort of a nation's team as well. As you cover that beat inside the nation's capital, what will it mean for the city?

DENUNZIO: Well, we've already seen it, you know, in the streets, you know, on Washingtonpost.com. He was a loved player. There are two or three players who are faces of the Redskins and Sean Taylor was one of them. People wore his jersey to games and just, you know, followed his exploits very closely. It's just devastating for a lot of Redskins fans in this town.

COLLINS: It's hard for some people to remember. He was 24 years old.

DENUNZIO: Yeah. A really young guy. Had just come out of college in 2004, had established himself as a great player and, you know, seemed to have a long, great career ahead of him. It's quite a loss.

COLLINS: It's obviously very, very early to ask this question, but come Sunday's game, any idea on what the team will have planned?

DENUNZIO: I don't know yet. I'm sure you'll see something. It's a home game. I wouldn't be surprised for a moment of silence or something to that effect.

COLLINS: Yeah, sure. All right. Jon, we appreciate your time this morning, Washingtonpost.com. Thank you.

DENUNZIO: Thanks.

COLLINS: Still ahead, nearly 5,000 video questions were submitted. Ahead of CNN's You Tube debate, it's tomorrow night and so we're going to take a look at what people are asking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: President Bush says the time is right to work for Middle East peace. About 90 minutes from now he will open the first Israeli Palestinian peace talks in seven years. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House. What do you expect we will hear from President Bush a little bit later today, Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Heidi, we expect President Bush obviously to set the tone, the tenor of these discussions. He is going to talk about the fact that the time is right, as you mentioned, for Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab community and world community to come together to establish a two- state solution, Israeli and Palestinian state living peacefully side- by-side. He is also going to make an important point he will talk about a common enemy, if you will, Islamic extremists, terrorists those he believes a threat, an emerging threat from Iran in the support of the group Hamas. This from the Bush administration that they released a couple of excerpts. One of them here really kind of sets the stage for the expectations of this conference. He says, and he will say, "Our purpose here in Annapolis is not to conclude on an agreement. Rather, it is to launch negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. For the rest of us, our job is to encourage the parties in this effort and to give them the support they need to succeed." Heidi, obviously, very important here. They're not setting the bar really very high. They're saying no agreement here necessarily, but at least some sort of commitment, a beginning point to these discussions. Heidi?

COLLINS: OK. So are there any more specifics that we can figure out from what the president really hopes to accomplish during the conference?

MALVEAUX: You're not going to get a lot of specifics here. I mean there are some sticking points that will probably remain afterwards here. Sticking points when it comes to Palestinian refugees, where will they return, the status of Jerusalem. Those issues are not going to be resolved here. Probably what you will see, a photo opportunity and the leaders shaking hands and perhaps an agreement here saying, look, a very vague timetable the next 14 months, we'll try to get this thing done. Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux outside the White House this morning, thank you, Suzanne. We are going to be hearing from the key players in the Mid Eastlater this morning. President Bush and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert their remarks live in the NEWSROOM at 11:00 eastern.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: A farmer caught in machinery. He had a very tough decision to make. Cut off his arm or lose his life. Dan Tordjman with WIS has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMPSON PARKER, CUT OFF HIS OWN ARM: If I was going to die here, I was going to put up a fight and that is basically what I did it.

DAN TORDJMAN, WIS: For Sampson Parker, it could of all ended here near burnt grass on his Kershaw County farm where Parker noticed a cornstalk stuck in this old rusty picker. PARKER: I went up with my hand and the rowers that takes the shucks off the corn had grabbed the glove and pulled my hand up into the rollers. The more I tried to pull my hand out, the further up in the rollers that it continued to go.

TORDJMAN: On his knees, his hand stuck in the picker, Parker tried yelling out for help. No one answered.

PARKER: Would of probably have passed out and probably would have bled to death before somebody would of got here.

TORDJMAN: An hour passes. Parker's hand goes numb and he can't wait any longer. With this rod he is able to jam the machine and then Parker reaches in his pants.

PARKER: This is a John Deere pocket knife that I had. I was actually cutting away my fingers that was up in there like this.

TORDJMAN: Before he can cut himself free, rod and machine start to spark.

PARKER: It was almost like a gasoline fire. All of a sudden, it went woof.

TORDJMAN: His right hand still stuck in the machine, Parker now uses his left to fight the spreading grass fire around him.

PARKER: My skin was melting. I mean it was just dripping off my arm like melting plastic. Then I realized I was in trouble.

TORDJMAN: And he was desperate. So Parker reached back in his pocket and grabbed his knife.

PARKER: I just jammed it into my arm. Just like that. Just started cutting the meat away from the bone. Once I cut all of the meat off the bone, and I just dropped.

TORDJMAN: His right arm now cut off and his body badly burnt, Parker drives to the road in front of his home. A firefighter from the town of Kershaw passes by.

DOUG SPINKS, FIREFIGHTER: My biggest fear was this guy is going to die me right here and there is nothing else I can do than what I do.

TORDJMAN: What Doug Spinks did was pull over, wrap Parker's arm and called for help.

SPINKS: I'm thankful I was there.

TORDJMAN: So is Parker crediting Spinks with saving his life.

PARKER: You still see some of the blood splatter marks where it burnt.

TORDJMAN: Back on his farm, the idle corn picker still sits but Parker is moving on and says he isn't upset with anybody or anything.

PARKER: I came down and had a prayer with god and the corn picker and me and it made it easy, just made peace with it and thankful to be alive and to be here and doing an interview with you.

TORDJMAN: In Kershaw County, Dan Tordjman, WIS, News 10.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: You have to wonder if you could do that if you were in that situation. Unbelievable. I want to give you new information on the story we've been following all morning long about Sean Taylor, the Washington Redskins safety, who died earlier this morning from a gunshot wound to the leg and ultimately the femoral artery. He died with blood loss. We have a statement from Daniel Snyder, the Redskins owner, on Sean Taylor. He says this, "This is the worst imaginable tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sean's family." Again, coming to us from Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder on Sean Taylor.

Up next now, a little boy's terrible fall and remarkable recovery, inhaled by a deer antler.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Time to put the GOP candidates in the hot seat. They will be answering your questions tomorrow during the republican CNN/You Tube debate. Our Veronica De La Cruz is joining us now with more on this. Hi there, Veronica.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Heidi.

COLLINS: I understand there were quite a few questions submitted?

DE LA CRUZ: Yes. 4,926 to be exact.

COLLINS: Wow.

DE LA CRUZ: We have a bunch of video questions uploaded at the very last minute, lots of procrastinators out there. Sunday, which was the deadline, 750 submissions alone. The total number of questions we received, close to 5,000 like you just said which is nearly 2,000 more than we saw in the last You Tube debate with the democrats so definitely picking up.

COLLINS: Yes maybe the whole idea of this is catching on a little bit better. How do they finally select the questions used in the debate? I know a lot of people are wondering.

DE LA CRUZ: Our CNN political unit has looked through all of the videos and narrowed it down to 200 and now they're close to the 40 that will be used. Those questions definitely all over the place when it comes to hot topics. Some are funny, some are sad, some are serious. Our political director says watching hundreds of these videos gives you a sense what is going on with people. Here are a couple of those. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do you stand on the terminally ill patient's right to die? If a physician assisted suicide law were passed would you sign it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George W. Bush and his administration are suffering from all-time lows in approval ratings. How will you as a republican candidate distance yourself from the president and his administration in order to appeal to the mainstream voter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you be willing to extend all of the health care coverage that you get in the United States senate, the House of Representatives, and the president, would you be willing to extend that coverage to all Americans?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This question is for Fred Thompson. You've made it clear you don't believe in human global warning. Al Gore won the Nobel peace prize for fighting against global warming. Does this mean you don't believe in peace?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DE LA CRUZ: I don't know if you remember this guy, the snowman, angry he was featured in the first debate with the democrats. Billman has responded to Mitt Romney and has a question for him so we'll see if it makes it into tomorrow's debate which you can watch on CNN. The debate will last about two hours. You can logon and check out youtube.com and watch the potential questions for yourself. 40 questions in all, Heidi, tomorrow at 8:00.

COLLINS: Equal time, right? If the snowman was on the democratic debate it probably should be in the republican debate. We could have some fun with this, for goodness sakes. Veronica, thanks so much.

A talk show was supposed to bring them together but a restraining order to keep them apart. What happened next was shocking.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Talk show shocker. A man rejected on a TV program. Did it lead to a killing? CNN's Al Goodman reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A surprise for Russian immigrant Svetlana, her estranged Spaniard boyfriend Ricardo shows up on a TV talk how, the program bringing them together despite a restraining order against him. He proposes marriage. She says no. 2 million people see it on TV. Days later she is stabbed to death and he is arrested and accused of murder and he has denied involvement but the incident has sparked outrage in Spain right from the very top.

MARIA TERESA FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA, SPANISH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The fight against domestic violence cannot be a spectacle or even just another new story. So we are going to meet with television stations to look for solutions.

GOODMAN: In a statement, Spain's Antena 3 said, "We condemn this new episode of domestic violence and give assurances that all control measures permitted by law were followed. We consider it unjust to establish a 'cause-effect' relationship between the program 'Patricia's Diary' and this new death." 69 women have been killed this year in Spain by their male partners. One more than all of last year. Prompting protests here, the violence continuing, despite government efforts to stop it.

ENCARNACION OROZCO, GOVT. ANTIVIOLENCE DELEGATE (through translator): Right now, 80,000 women have prediction from abusive partner and domestic violence have increased four-fold.

GOODMAN: There have even been privately sponsored ads calling on Spaniards to report domestic violence if they see it but so far not enough to stop the killings in Spain and not enough to save Svetlana who leaves a young son. Al Goodman, CNN, Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: He held on for a day but this NFL star could not beat a bullet. Now the search for a killer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A little boy impaled by a deer antler. He's make a remarkable recovery and his family is now counting their blessings. Buddy Blankenfeld of affiliate KTVX has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA SCHICK, CONNER SCHICK'S MOTHER: We were just enjoying going boating and fishing.

BUDDY BLANKENFELD, KTVX: A happy time that soon turned frantic for Melissa Schick and her family.

CONNER SCHICK, IMPALED BY DEER ANTLER: I was going back to camp.

BLANKENFELD: This is the antler. When Conner fell it penetrated his eye socket and his brain.

SCHICK: When he got back up he pulled it out himself.

BLANKENFELD: On the outside, it looked like a small cut but doctors soon realized the injury was much deeper.

SCHICK: When they took the patch off his eye, it just swelled to about the size of a baseball. My biggest panic was that my baby's going to lose eye sight in his eye and you know he's not going to be able to see. And that's just something you can't get back.

BLANKENFELD: He was rushed to Primary Children's Medical Center with a gaping hole in the front of his brain. It was infected. Neurosurgeons told Melissa brain surgery might be the only option.

SCHICK: To walk down the hallway and to see those kids in there you know and I thought that's going to be my little boy.

BLANKENFELD: But they tried another option first, high doses of antibiotics. With each MRI scan, Conner made improvements.

SCHICK: It kept getting small and smaller until the last MRI he had there was nothing there.

BLANKENFELD: It took giving Conner strong doses of antibiotics for two straight months but that once gaping hole in his brain completely healed. It was an injury so unusual that he was known by a special name that Melissa can laugh about now.

SCHICK: Everybody knew him at primary children as the deer antler kid.

BLANKENFELD: Like the thanksgiving message on Melissa's front door, this year her family has something to be truly thankful for. A completely recovered healthy 5-year-old boy.

SCHICK: It's really a miracle.

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