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Three Detectives Acquitted on All Counts in Sean Bell's Death; Evidence on Syrian Nuclear Reactor Secretly Built With North Korea's Help; 400 Children in Texas Heading to Dozen Group Homes
Aired April 25, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen in for Heidi Collins who is still on maternity leave.
HARRIS: You will see events come into the CNN NEWSROOM live on this Friday, April 25th.
Here's what's on the rundown.
NGUYEN: First up, Sean Bell gunned down on his wedding day. Minutes from now a verdict for three detectives charged in the case.
HARRIS: The Bush administration taking fire over these photos. Did North Korea help Syria build a nuclear plant? Will the release of the picture hurt nuclear negotiations with the North?
NGUYEN: And a record high for gasoline. One station is selling it for an assured $5.40 a gallon. "Fuming Over Fuel," in the NEWSROOM.
All right. Let's get straight to it. A hail of bullets, a single question. Should New York cops go to prison for the shooting death of unarmed man on his wedding day? Well, verdict is due any moment now.
Let's take you straight to CNN's Deborah Feyerick outside the newsroom and our legal bureau -- our bureau in New York, that is, legal analyst Sunny Hostin, she joins us as well.
Debra, let's have you set the stage since you are there outside the courtroom.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely. What I can tell you is this. The entire courthouse here is sort of barricaded off, just in case a lot of people come. In fact, there are so many people here. Thousands of people, both police officers, but also supporters of the family, of the victims.
The Reverend Al Sharpton has said it's going to be a calm day. But everybody is eagerly anticipating this verdict which is really just moments away. The judge had two weeks to consider all of the testimonies, all of the evidence to reach his decision. That expected to happen sometime soon. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice over): Nicole Paultre Bell has waited more than a year and a half for this day, justice for Sean, she says. Killed by NYPD detectives the morning the two were going to marry.
NICOLE PAULTRE BELL, VICTIM'S FIANCEE: I think about my wedding day every day.
FEYERICK: Everything collided just before dawn that morning, November 25th, 2006. Sean Bell and friends were winding up his bachelor party at this strip club in Queens. They didn't know a team of undercover NYPD detectives was inside investigating complaints of drugs, guns and prostitution.
At closing time Bell and his friends left but not before witnesses say an argument broke out. Believing one of Bell's friends was going to get a gun from the car, one of the undercover officers followed the man.
What happened next is at the heart of this trial.
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: I'm an undercover police officer. There's a shot fired. Shots fired.
FEYERICK: Police opened fire 50 times. Detective Michael Oliver who reloaded his semi-automatic fired 31 shots. Detectives Gescard Isnora fired 11 times. Detective Marc Cooper, four times. Their lawyers say the detectives thought their lives were in danger when Bell at the wheel tried, they say, to run down one of the detectives.
But witnesses, including the two friends in the car, say they never heard undercover detectives identify themselves as police when they drew their weapons and that Bell, in a panic, was trying to get away from the armed men.
LESTER PAULTRE, FIANCEE'S FATHER: For those nay sayers that say that the police officer was just doing their jobs, they should imagine their child in that car being shot by the police for no reason.
FEYERICK: No gun was found around Bell or his friends. Prosecutors charged Detectives Oliver and Isnora with manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment. Cooper was charged with reckless endangerment.
As for the bereaved bride, she legally changed her name to Bell and is now raising the couple's two small daughters alone.
BELL: I tell her that, you know, Daddy's in heaven, you know, he's watching over us. He's our guardian angel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Now if the detectives are found guilty of the most serious charges, those carry a maximum of 25 years in prison. Earlier this morning, Nicole Bell, the victim's fiancee, arrived here along with the Reverend Al Sharpton. Two of the victims who were in the car that night who were also shot, they arrived at the court also. They have been holding prayer vigils throughout the last 48 hours praying for the outcome of this trial.
I spoke to one of the people in Nicole Bell's party and she said she was very nervous. This has been a long time coming, and it is exactly 17 months since Sean Bell was killed on his wedding day. So this is the day they will learn the verdict -- Betty?
NGUYEN: And Deborah, as we come back to you live, you can see there are people surrounding you. There's a lot of interest in this case. Talk to me about officers on the street because I understand that has been beefed up in light of the verdict that we should hear in a few minutes.
FEYERICK: Well, if definitely has. And the NYPD -- let me -- if we can go wide a little bit. You can see these officers in blue shirts. They are surrounding this courthouse. There are also uniformed officers as well. All of them are armed. You can see a lot of people both from the media, but also spectators who have come to see what the outcome of this is going to be.
The police commissioner is in a little bit of a difficult position here. Again, these are three of his detectives. If they're acquitted, first federal investigators would come in and examine all this evidence to see whether there should be any federal charges, specifically civil rights violations. Then after that, if the men are not found guilty, then the NYPD will step in and there will be an entire departmental review. So this is not over by a long shot -- Betty?
NGUYEN: Yes, it seems like it's just the beginning.
All right. Deborah Feyerick joining us live outside the courtroom.
Debra, thank you. We'll be checking in shortly.
HARRIS: Boy, lots of legal questions to sort through in the death of Sean Bell. Did the officers identify themselves? And did they think their lives were in danger?
Legal analyst Sunny Hostin with us from New York to talk through this case.
Sunny, great to talk to you. And great to talk to you before we have an opportunity to go on the air this morning, because you helped me see some things a little more clearly in this case.
If anyone believes a conviction in this case is a slam dunk, they probably have not been watching the day to day proceedings of this trial. Would you agree with that?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I would absolutely agree. This is not a slam dunk. It's not a slam dunk for the prosecution, it's not a slam dunk for the defense either, quite frankly. I mean it's a really tough call and it's going to have -- I think as we discussed, Tony, boil down to what this judge believes and who this judge believes because there are vastly different accounts from the detectives and the police officers and also from the victims in this case.
So it really is going to be a credibility determination. None of us were there last night -- that night...
HARRIS: Yes.
HOSTIN: ...other than the officers and, of course, the folks in the car.
HARRIS: If there are acquittals in this case, Sunny, could the best decision made by the defense be the decision to wave a jury trial and have a judge decide this?
HOSTIN: I think no question. I mean it is unusual for a case like this to go in front of a judge instead of in front of a jury. But this was a very emotional case, has received a lot of media coverage, as we all know. And the defense decided and requested a judge trial, a bench trial. So the judge is now acting not only -- as a lawyer and acting as a judge but also as a juror in determining the facts of the case.
HARRIS: Lots of questions here. Does it really come down to which side of the argument the judge believes here to the question of did the officers identify themselves? Is that sort of at the heart of this?
HOSTIN: Well, I think that is a big question here, because what we think happened or at least what testimony has happened is that the officers were there, they were at the club. The victims or these men came outside and they alleged that someone said go get my gun. And that is what turned...
HARRIS: Yes.
HOSTIN: ...these events sort of into a spiral, a downward spiral. And so the judge is going to have to make a determination, did someone say, go get my gun?
HARRIS: Yes.
HOSTIN: When the police officers approached was that reasonable? Was this really just a horrible, horrible accident?
HARRIS: And we -- and Sunny, we can certainly see a scenario where Bell and his group felt as though, you know, they needed to fight back with a little bluster. We know now at the end of the day there was no gun.
HOSTIN: Exactly. And you know, it unfortunately sometimes is not uncommon for someone to sort of have this bravado and say, you know, I'm going to beat you up or I'm going to go get my gun. And unfortunately in this situation if that is what happened, what do you do as an officer when you're facing life or death? You have to make snap decisions to protect yourself, protect the community.
If the officers in this case truly believe that there was a gun, they approach these men and identified themselves as officers and the men drove towards the officers.
HARRIS: Yes.
HOSTIN: I think that a judge would determine, a jury would determine that the officers' actions were reasonable.
HARRIS: Boy, this is going to be close. This is going to be close.
Sunny, we're going to talk to you a little bit later and you're going to be with us as we watch events around this verdict come in. And when we come back and talk to you, I really want to ask you about the judge. Give us some background on the judge who is deciding the case today. That's probably going to be pretty important as we sort through all this.
Sunny, good to see you. Thank you.
HOSTIN: Good to see you.
HARRIS: You know, it is shaping up to be a very busy morning for us here in the NEWSROOM. As we await the verdict in this case, we are also expected to hear this morning from the Reverend Al Sharpton and Sean Bell's fiancee. Also this morning, Richard Brown, the district attorney in Queens has scheduled a news conference for 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
We will cover all of this for you live right here in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Well, we've also learned just within the past hour that President Bush will make a statement this morning on the economy.
And CNN's Ed Henry is at the White House. He joins us now live.
Ed, what can we expect to hear from the president?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, the president is headed to Connecticut to mark World Malaria Day. But he is going to make a statement first here on the South Lawn of the White House before he boards Marine One. He's going to focus on the fact that those tax rebate checks that so many Americans have been waiting for will start going out on Monday, a little bit earlier than the government expected.
They've been working very hard behind the scenes to get these millions of checks out there. Remember that $150 billion economic stimulus plan Congress passed weeks ago, the president signed into the law. A lot of people out there waiting for that money. The White House, obviously, hoping that people will spend it, stimulate the economy. A lot of people, though, saying they're likely to pay off debt, pay those rising gas bills. So the president under a lot of political pressure right now. As you know, earlier this week, he insisted the country is not in a recession right now, just an economic slowdown, but he's very, very eager to show that he's doing something about this economy -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. We're waiting to hear from the president.
Ed Henry, thank you.
And of course, when he does speak, we will take that live right here on CNN.
In the meantime, though, let's talk about this, gas prices, while you were sleeping, they shot up another two cents over night. We're paying nearly 14 cents more than we were at the beginning of the week. AAA reporting a gallon of regular unleaded now averaging nearly $3.58. Premium goes for $3.93. And diesel, all right, are you sitting down? $4.23.
HARRIS: Oh boy.
NGUYEN: So do you think we have it bad?
Well, Europeans sometimes scoff when Americans complain about the high price of gasoline. Here's why.
Take a look at prices across the globe. In the United Kingdom and France they're paying more than $8 a gallon. And that hurts just to say, while Germans paying nearly that much. And in India, gasoline is just under $5 a gallon, while in China it's only $2.81. And in Japan they are paying $5.48.
Makes prices here at home seem like, hmm, a bargain, dare we say?
Keep watching CNN. Our money team has you covered. Whether it's jobs, debt, housing or savings, you can join us for a special report. It is called "ISSUE#1, THE ECONOMY" and it's all this week at noon Eastern only on CNN.
HARRIS: Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton doing battle in two critical states, Indiana and North Carolina which hold primaries in less than two weeks. Senator Clinton's focus today, the struggling economy, she is speaking to voters in Jacksonville, North Carolina this morning, then jumping on a plane and heading to Indiana to attend the two events dubbed Solutions for the American Economy.
Senator Obama is in Indiana hoping to cut into Clinton's support among white blue-collar workers. He has scheduled to speak at a town hall meeting in Kokomo, Indiana. That's tonight.
And focusing only on the November race, the presumptive presidential nominee John McCain, today he is speaking to college students in Little Rock, Arkansas. McCain is also scheduled to meet up with a former rival, one-time presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee.
He's kept quiet for weeks, now Barack Obama's former preacher fires back at critics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. JEREMIAH WRIGHT, TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: And, by the way, guess who goes to his church? Hint, hint, hint.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Will the PBS interview revive questions for Barack Obama?
NGUYEN: Well, we do have some questions for Rob Marciano today, because, Rob, I understand there are some severe weather across the Midwest, also into the plains?
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Rob, I'm going to have to interrupt right now because we are some information outside the courthouse where the Sean Bell case is. We're going to be getting a verdict very soon from the judge.
Let's take you straight to CNN's Deborah Feyerick. Deborah, what are you hearing?
FEYERICK: And as a matter of fact, Betty, that verdict just came down. Those three detectives not guilty on all counts. Not guilty of the manslaughter charges, not guilty of the assault charges, not guilty of the reckless endangerment charges. That verdict is going to rock this city, this community. The groom's fiancee, the one who was killed, they were convinced that prosecutors proved this case, that they put on witnesses.
But I want to show you. Let's just stand around. I want to show you some of what's going on here. This is what we're going to see today. There is going to be anger about this verdict. The question is -- that is Trent Benefield, apparently, that is one of the victims who was in the car.
There's got to be a serious sense of disappointment. Prosecutors put on some 15 witnesses to try to prove that the shooting was reckless. The judge said there was not enough evidence, that the evidence did not prove that case. And I'm with the producer who was in that courtroom. I'm going to take off my mike right now.
George, George, what did the judge say, George Lerner?
GEORGE LERNER, CNN PRODUCER: The judge found several problems with the prosecution case. He said that the prosecution witnesses had contradicted themselves. He cited prior convictions, prior incarceration and he also talked about the demeanor of witnesses on the witness stand. And he said all of this pointed to the fact that problems in the people's case in all these cases, in all of these counts, and found in the end that the -- the people had not proved their case against the three police detectives.
FEYERICK: OK, now, Betty, and that is what's at the heart of this. And that was the gamble. When prosecutors took this case, when a grand jury indicted this, they decided they didn't want to go before a jury, that, in fact, they were going to let a judge decide this, because they felt it would be too volatile, too explosive in front of a jury, that the detectives would not get a fair trial.
And that's why the venue -- they wanted it out of New York City. It was kept in New York City. And instead it was a bench trial heard by the judge. The judge clearly considering all the evidence, not necessarily saying that these men didn't act recklessly, that there was simply not enough evidence to prove what the prosecution set out to prove.
Now George, I see you looking also at your notes, what else can you tell us?
LERNER: Justice Cooperman said that the affect of the witnesses, the problems with the witnesses had the affect of viscerating the credibility of the prosecution's case.
FEYERICK: So what you're talking about, basically, though, if I understand you correctly, the men who were in the car that night testified -- now this was 4:00 in the morning, they had clearly been out all night, they had clearly been drinking, were they the ones who -- were they credible witnesses? Are those the ones who the judge he had a problem with?
LERNER: He pointed to two problematic witnesses. One was a gentleman who was the first one in the altercation with Sean Bell and his friends Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield. A man who said he was going to get his gun, a man who was driving an SUV. He pointed -- the judge pointed to problems with that man's testimony. And he pointed to problems with Joseph Guzman's testimony and said that these led to a certain problem of credibility for the witnesses, for the people's case.
FEYERICK: OK. CNN producer George Lerner.
So Betty, Doug, this is -- I'm sorry, Betty, Tony, this is really something here. We don't know how this is going to play out. Remember Reverend Al Sharpton saying that everybody should stay calm, should stay non-violent. But again, there's got to be disappointment on the part of Nicole Bell. This will not be over, mind you. Remember, federal authorities have said they will look and examine this case. They will examine all the evidence. They will see whether, in fact, civil rights violations should be brought against these three detectives.
After that there is going to be a departmental review by the NYPD. Those officers have already turned in their badges. And as we've seen in past cases, it's unlikely that they will probably ever carry a gun again, if history is any indication. So again, a lot going on. We expect the -- we expect Reverend Al Sharpton to come out. We expect others to come out and make a statement. But this clearly, the detectives here feeling vindicated and justified that they acted properly within the line of duty. The families on the other hand feeling very disappointed. But that was the judge's ruling. Prosecutors simply did not prove their case -- Betty?
NGUYEN: Well, disappointment no doubt, Deborah, I mean, we're looking at these live pictures right now outside the courtroom. You can see expressed anger there. You can also see tears. And what I'm understanding from our producer inside the courtroom when this verdict was read that it really came down to an issue of credibility on the part of the witnesses, on the part of Sean Bell's friends, the guys who were in the car that night when the gunfire rang out.
FEYERICK: Exactly. And Betty, George Lerner, who is a producer -- I do want to turn to him for a moment.
You must have seen the reaction of some of those people. What -- tell me about Nicole Bell, Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman.
LERNER: You know, Deb, the moment the judge read the -- read his decision, Nicole Bell ran from the courtroom. "I've got to get out of here," is what she said. And then there was a pretty swift movement of the relatives and supporters and friends of Sean Bell out of the courtroom and out of the way.
On the other hand, the defendants, the police officers were ushered out through the front of the building. What's striking beforehand the demeanor of some of the defendants. Michael Oliver, one of the police officers.
FEYERICK: He's the one who fired 31 times. So he actually reloaded his pistol.
LERNER: He was much more calm, casual, almost relaxed whereas Detective Isnora, who is the first one who fired in the altercation, he was -- had his head in his hands. Very sullen. After all, he was facing very serious manslaughter in the first degree and manslaughter in the second degree charges. But the striking difference in their demeanor was really telling. Whereas prior to the reading, the -- you know, Sean Bell's family was cautiously waiting for the verdict.
FEYERICK: Well, they were very optimistic, as a matter of fact. They were nervous but they're optimistic. We happened upon them during -- they were in a diner initially with Reverend Al Sharpton. They linked hands prior and, you know, asked God to give them guidance in this. They had also had an all-night prayer vigil, the families of Sean Bell, in order to pray for the kind of outcome they had expected.
But boy, a lot of people thought that -- Betty, a lot of people thought that this was going to be sort of a split decision, that maybe they would be found guilty of some of the charges. The fact that they have been found guilty of none of the charges, I think that's really going to come down as a big surprise to people in this city, but judge's ruling.
HARRIS: Deb, Tony Harris here with Betty. I just -- I'm just curious as to how this decision was announced in the court. I think our initial information was that the judge in this case would discuss the reasons why he came to the decision, and then announce the decision. Now I'm seeing activity around the courthouse and -- but I almost expected more of a kind of spontaneous reaction to this. But I'm wondering if the way in which the decision was discussed by the judge -- let me...
FEYERICK: Absolutely. You know...
HARRIS: OK.
FEYERICK: and as a matter of fact, let me...
HARRIS: Hey, Deb.
FEYERICK: George...
HARRIS: Deb, I have to stop you for just a moment. There's a news conference under way right now. We want to listen to the statements and we'll identify the person in just a moment.
LEROY GADSDEN, NAACP, NEW YORK STATE: We have not heard one testimony, not one testimony of any threat these young men pose to the police or anybody else. Yet still today we have a justice that says acquittal. We have not heard what these men did so that caused the police to act as though they were America's most wanted. Yet still we have a verdict of not guilty.
We haven't heard of any of these men having a gun or threatening anybody. Yet still we hear a verdict of not guilty. We hear the words of Thurgood Marshall saying, does the constitution apply to us? This case is not about justice. This case is about the police not having right to act above the law. If the law is in effect here, the judge had followed the law, truly these officers would have been found guilty.
If you look in the New York state penal laws, it lays out a justification, must be a threat to one's self or someone else. That threat was never proven in this court. We fail to understand how a judge could sit on the bench and come back with an acquittal verdict when none of the elements of justice case was met in this court.
We will go to the next level, whatever that might be, to seek justice but justice is not here today. This court, unfortunately, is bankrupt when it comes to justice for people of color.
Thank you. I'm Leroy Gadsden with New York state NAACP.
HARRIS: We were just wondering who it was someone just then. He's a member of the NAACP there, one of the branches in New York. Several branches obviously in New York. My guess would be -- one of the branches in Manhattan.
Boy, a verdict that we knew was coming this morning and we knew that there was an opportunity here, if anyone believed that there was a -- that there was going to be -- that this was a slam dunk in any way, shape, or form, I think some of the guys that we we received on the ground from our producer in the courtroom from our reporters like Deborah Feyerick covering the case, from New Yorkers there, was that the trial played out differently than what might have been expected, that the judge asked a number of very pointed questions of these witnesses, of these prosecution witnesses.
And remember, the prosecution carried the burden here and had to make the case.
NGUYEN: And there was a big issue with credibility. I want to bring in our legal analyst Sunny Hostin who joins us now.
Sunny, as we were talking about this, that was one of the big issues that you brought up a little bit earlier, even before this verdict was read that it's going to come down to a case of credibility, although we just heard from that member of the NAACP saying, you know what, there's a lot of evidence here and what was it that prompted these police officers to open fire, one of them 31 times.
HOSTIN: Well, you know, it was about credibility and the judge said it was about credibility. The judge said it was about prior convictions, it was about prior inconsistent statements. Again, as I said before, in a case like this, none of us were there. And the people that were there told their stories. And from the beginning the officers remained consistent. But the other witnesses, the men that were fired upon, their stories were inconsistent.
And typically when you are telling the truth, your story does not change. When your story changes, it leads someone to believe that you're not credible. And that is obviously what the judge found in this case.
NGUYEN: All right, Sunny. But what we know is this. OK? There may be some inconsistency with what the witnesses have said, I understand that. What we know to be factual is that there were 50 bullets that were fired. One of the officers, Michael Oliver, fired 31 times. He had time to unload and reload. So wasn't there a moment where you have to wonder as a police officer, hey, wait a second, is someone firing back at us? Because it was determined that no one in Sean Bell's company had a gun.
HOSTIN: Well, let me explain it this way. And as a prosecutor, I dealt with cases like this. And these things are happening very, very quickly. We're hearing 51 bullets. But I've got to tell you, this happened in under two minutes. And so the issue really is were they justified when they first fired? And what these officers have said from the very beginning, from the very beginning, is that they heard someone say, "Go get my gun." And when you have a gun in play, does that make it justified?
NGUYEN: So there you have probable cause?
HOSTIN: It's -- not really a probable cause determination, it's were they just when they fired, were they -- threatened, was someone else threatened, were they going to get injured, were they going to get hurt? And police training mandates that they have to make those types of decisions. HARRIS: OK. Sunny, let me ask a couple of questions. Here is the area that I want a little more clarification on.
George Lerner, our producer in the courtroom when the decision -- the verdict was announced, mentioned that the judge talked about the demeanor of the witnesses on the witness stand being a problem. I need to understand better what that means.
HOSTIN: Sure.
HARRIS: That's a little different than maybe inconsistent statements.
HOSTIN: Sure.
HARRIS: Talking about the difficult demeanor of the witnesses on the witness stand. Two parts to that. What does that mean? And the other question is did the prosecution prepare these witnesses?
HOSTIN: Tony, I think those are great questions. When you are trying a case as a prosecutor, as a defense attorney, of course, what you tell your witnesses always is tell the truth, tell the truth. Be as honest as possible. But what a jury needs to do and what a judge did in this case is determine credibility by looking also at demeanor, not only by what someone says but what they look like and how they say it.
And let's face it, that's something that we do in every day life. If someone tells you, I didn't do it, if your 5-year-old says, I didn't steal the cookie from the cookie jar, you're going to look, Is he or she, you know, sweating when they say it? Are their hands trembling?
HARRIS: But the other thing we take into account...
HOSTIN: Demeanor.
HARRIS: ...as parents is past behavior.
HOSTIN: Absolutely. And that's what this judge said.
HARRIS: Not what this judge said. Now is that...
HOSTIN: You're getting down to the crux of it here.
NGUYEN: That's fair, though.
HARRIS: That's what I'm trying to do here, get to the crux of this. Was -- is that fair? It's something that maybe a jury would not have had an opportunity to look at.
HOSTIN: They absolutely would have, actually. When you put yourself in the position of being a witness, the minute you sit down in a witness -- as a witness in the witness chair, your credibility is immediately at issue. And what also always comes in is your past.
HARRIS: Yes.
HOSTIN: Your past convictions. And so we know that Guzman, who, in my view, was the star witness. His testimony was riveting, he was combative, but he was also a convicted drug dealer. He had a violent past. And that sort of demeanor when he got on the witness stand he was combative, he was arrogant, he was nasty, arguably so, of course, because he had been shot several times. He's injured severely for life.
But that sort of demeanor and that past is something that this judge had to look at, had to look at in making this determination.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. And let me ask you one quick thing, Sunny. I mean we got the inconsistencies, we've got the past convictions, and all these other things that are stacking up against the witnesses here on behalf of Sean Bell's case. But at the same time does it really come down to this? The crux of the case being when that officer walked up to the car with a gun, did he say, hey, I'm an officer, let's talk?
Was that even something that was put out there in the public? Because then you saw Sean Bell take off. Any person in their right mind see a guy in plain clothes walking up to the car in the middle of the night with a gun is going to take off.
HOSTIN: I think that's an excellent question, Betty. And really, let me say this, New York Police Department policy requires that an officer identify himself or herself as an officer. The law does not. Now that was a bone of contention in this trial. The officers said that they did identify themselves. The men in the car said that they never heard that.
It is quite possible that they didn't hear that because, again, this is something that happened very quickly.
HARRIS: Which brings you back to the credibility test.
NGUYEN: Credibility. Exactly.
HOSTIN: Credibility. And again, when you're looking at three officers, who were law enforcement officers with good records, had never been in trouble before, and you're weighing in against two and other people that had, let's say, conviction, looking at their demeanor, they were combative. That is the sort of determination that the judge makes.
And let's face it, we all make in every day life. Are you going to befriend someone? Are you going to believe their story as an employer, or as a friend or as a spouse? You look at those things. And that's what this judge did.
NGUYEN: All right. Sunny Hostin, we're going to ask you to stand by just momentarily because we do want to take our viewers back out to the scene, outside the courthouse, as we're looking at a live picture. Many people who have left that courtroom.
We have our correspondent, Deborah Feyerick on the ground.
Deborah, do you have any additional information. I know that a lot of the people inside the court room have already made it outside and they are speaking with members of the media.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as a matter of fact, when Nicole Bell, the fiancee, who was killed that day, she bolted from the courtroom as soon as the verdict was reached and said "I've got to get out of here. I've got to get out of here."
You know, one of the things that the judge inside that courtroom is that he felt that the officers did show that there was a perceived threat. That when they came to the car, they saw Joseph Guzman, the man who had allegedly made a statement, I'm going to go get a gun, reach down as if he were to get a weapon. And that's when the firing started.
This was sort of a confluence of events that was almost determined to end badly. You had a club that was being investigated by undercover detectives to see whether there was any sort of gun or drug or prostitution activity. You had a bachelor party that had already gone into the wee hours of the morning.
(INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: Yes, we're having some problems with your audio. We'll try to get back with you in just a moment.
HARRIS: Well, if Deb can at least still hear me -- Deb, here is something that I was raising with Sunny just a moment ago. And maybe you can take this up with George Lerner.
I am interested to know more about -- a little more clarity on the judge and his comments talking about the demeanor of the witnesses on the witness stand.
I want a better idea of what he saw that he didn't like. Yes, go ahead.
FEYERICK: (INAUDIBLE), this is George Lerner, he's our producer. George Lerner was inside the courtroom.
Tony, is asking about the demeanor of why the judge felt the demeanor of the witnesses wasn't credible? Tell me a little bit about what (INAUDIBLE) judge said.
GEORGE LERNER, CNN PRODUCER: You know, Deb, one of the things, it's really the first thing that the judge said. He described it (INAUDIBLE) of prosecution case. He was saying that there were prior incarcerations on behalf of the prosecution witnesses, that they had been inconsistent. There's a lot of activity around us here.
HARRIS: Hang on just a second, Deb. We'll give you a moment.
NGUYEN: Yes. There's a news conference --
HARRIS: There's another news conference about to begin. Let's take you there now. We'll identify the players in a moment.
PATRICK JAY LYNCH, PRESIDENT, NEW YORK PATROLMEN'S BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION: Patrick Jay Lynch, president of the New York Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. Today we're grateful that this court ruled on the evidence presented in this case. But with this case there's no winners, there's no losers. We still have a death that occurred. We still have police officers that have to live with the fact that there was a death involved in their case.
But nonetheless, this sends a message to New York City police officers that when you are in that position, when you are in front of a courthouse, when you are in front of that court bench, that you will get fairness. And that is what New York City police officers need each and every day.
Every time a police officer goes on the street, there is never a script. We have to deal with circumstances as they come. This was a tragedy with a death. It's a tragedy for all police officers that have to live with the difficult job we do. But nonetheless we're grateful for this outcome. Thanks very much.
HARRIS: All right. There you have it. The spokesperson for the New York Police Department Police Union talking about fairness. Look, there is no losing side of the fact that this was a horrible circumstance. The Bell Family will have to live with the loss of a boy, a father to two babies, a young man who was about to be married, parents who have lost a son. And there is no doubt about the fact that these police officers, while acquitted today, will have to live with the consequences of that night.
NGUYEN: Well, not only that, Tony. This is just the beginning. Yes, a verdict has been rendered here but there is going to be another case, a federal case, that I understand Sean Bell's father has already asked.
And that will be taking place as well. Who knows what kind of civil cases will come out of this. So this is just the beginning, as we have heard many times. And, again, we'll continue to hear.
But I also want to let you know as we follow this story, we are also watching the president. He has made a statement on the economy. We're going to bring you that in just a moment right after a quick break. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. Let's talk about your money and see where the markets are today. The Dow up 41 points at this hour. I understand, the NASDAQ is down six points. So speaking of the economy, in fact President Bush made a statement on that just moments ago.
Specifically, though, he talked about when we can expect our rebate checks to arrive. So take a listen to what the president said.
HARRIS: I need to hear this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's obvious our economy is in a slowdown. Fortunately, we recognized the signs early and took action. A sign on economic growth package that will provide tax rebates to millions of American families and workers to boost consumer spending.
On Monday, the Treasury Department will begin delivering the first of these tax rebates by direct deposit. During the first week alone, nearly 7.7 million Americans will receive their tax rebates electronically. Then on May 9th, the IRS will begin mailing checks to millions more across America.
By the summer, the Treasury Department expects to have sent rebates to about 130 million American households. These rebates will provide eligible Americans with payments of up to $600 a person, $1200 for couples and $300 per child.
If you've already filed your income tax return, your rebate is on the way. Even if you don't owe any income taxes, you may still be eligible for a check, but you need to file a form with the IRS. And it's not too late to do so.
Now, you can find out information as to how to proceed by calling your local IRS office or go to the IRS Web site. We want to make sure everyone who is eligible for a check gets one on a timely basis. This money is going to help Americans offset the high prices we're seeing at the gas pump and the grocery store, and will also give our economy a boost to help us pull out of this economic slowdown.
I'm pleased that the Treasury Department has worked quickly to get the money into the hands of the American people. Starting Monday, the affects of the stimulus will begin to reach millions of households across our country. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Checks in the mail Monday. Let's get look.
NGUYEN: Be prepared to spend it like they want you to.
HARRIS: As the president is handing out checks, he should be a part of our money team.
Ali Velshi, right now.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I've never given you anything.
HARRIS: He's a part of our money team. So we've got to get the president on board it sounds like. Yes, look, Ali, the president in the end there said let's stimulate the economy. What he is counting on is people taking that check and spending it. That's the only way it really helps the economy. Is that fair? VELSHI: Yes. Well, look, if you don't spend it somewhere else and you use it to pay down credit, I suppose you're helping your own economy. So you kind of do need to look at that very carefully. Our polling and our responses from viewers indicate that most people are not actually going to go out and spend that check.
Estimates I've seen, Tony, are that if about 30 percent or 40 percent of them do, it might stimulate the economy. The president said a couple of things there. One is he said, we acted quickly when we saw the signs of this. This is probably the biggest criticism of this administration and Federal Reserve that we have fallen under that.
HARRIS: Absolutely.
VELSHI: We all sort of saw this coming a long time ago. They didn't. Just a couple of days ago, the president said we're in a slowdown, not a recession.
Now, the bottom line is if you filled out your taxes and you submitted them by April 15th and you asked for an electronic payment. You're going to start getting those things, the checks, if you qualify.
Mailed checks take longer if you're not getting an electronic deposit. And it is determined not just by whether or not you filed your tax return but by your social security number. And on cnnmoney.com, you can go in there. And you can find out, it sort of -- or IRS, it will tell you how you get those checks.
HARRIS: Hey, Ali, do you remember who qualifies and who gets how much? (INAUDIBLE) because I lose side of this.
VELSHI: I don't want to wing it on the numbers. There's an income qualification which gets you up to $600 a person, $1200 for a married couple, $300 per dependent child.
HARRIS: OK. Cnnmoney.com?
VELSHI: Cnnmoney.com has all the exact numbers. And just one of those things when it comes to taxes, I don't like to give the wrong numbers.
HARRIS: No, that's good, because I don't want you to give me the wrong numbers. All right, Ali, appreciate it. Thanks, man.
VELSHI: All right.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, gas prices they are making their mark this week. They keep hitting those new records. And this week alone up 14 cents. AAA reporting a gallon of regular unleaded now averaging nearly $3.58. That is up more than two cents from yesterday. And premium, well that goes for $3.93. But it doesn't even compare to diesel which is now at $4.23.
Gas prices making their mark in the news and in your wallet. So rising gas prices trigger a massive rush along the New Jersey turnpike. Look at this, prices there go up just once a week. So yesterday motorists lined up to fill on what they had been calling the cheapest gas in the country. Just at $3.17 a gallon.
I'd say that's pretty cheap considering. Well, today and for the next week, it will cost you 22 cents more a gallon along the states' toll ways at 3.39 a gallon.
HARRIS: U.N. nuclear experts angry at the Bush administration. It is all about these pictures. Did Washington withhold evidence about an alleged Syrian nuclear plant?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Live pictures now from our affiliate in New York City, WABC, of the reactions still coming in. Some anger, to be sure, but peaceful absolutely. The response from the community to the acquittals this morning of three New York City police detectives involved in the shooting death of Sean Bell, 23-year-old Sean Bell, who was unarmed at the time.
The shooting occurring just hours before he was to be married. Detectives Michael Oliver, Gescard Isnora, who were charged with manslaughter, assault and reckless endangerment acquitted. Detective Mark Cooper, who was charged with reckless endangerment also acquitted.
We are expecting to hear this morning from Reverend Al Sharpton and Sean Bell's fiancee. Also this morning, Richard Brown, the district attorney in Queens scheduled for a news conference for 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. We will cover all of this for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Meanwhile though, there's evidence of what the U.S. says was a Syrian nuclear reactor secretly built with North Korea's help, and it is front and center this morning. Our White House correspondent Ed Henry takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an extraordinary move, U.S. Intelligence officials released a government produced video with clandestine photos which the Bush administration is claiming proof Syria was on the verge of having a functional nuclear reactor last fall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reactor would have been capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons.
HENRY: And for the first time, the Bush administration is acknowledging Israel wiped out the reactor with an air strike after consultation with the U.S. government. Three senior U.S. officials who briefed reporters behind closed doors claimed Syria was just months or even weeks from making the reactor operational and charged North Korea helped Syria's covert nuclear activities. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We assessed the Syrian reactor was similar in size and capacity to this North Korean reactor. Only North Korea has built such gas-cooled graphite-moderated reactors in the past 35 years.
HENRY: Syrian officials immediately scoffed at the evidence pointing to the U.S.'s flawed evidence in the run-up to the Iraq war.
IMAD MOUSTAPHA, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: They showed me what they had, but I started by reminding them that the last time that top officials from the U.S. administration went to the United Nations Security Council and discussed compelling evidence about WMDs that was when they were talking about the Iraqi WMDs.
HENRY: But a former international weapon inspector who reviewed the intelligence said this time it's solid.
DAVID ALBRIGHT, INSTITUTE FOR SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL SECURITY: Syria has been building this reactor for many years. It took many steps to hide that it was building the reactor and that it was nearing completion as a reactor. I think all that evidences is very compelling.
HENRY: Behind closed doors, the U.S. Intelligence officials who briefed Congress as well as the media insisted they are confident in the evidence, ranging from satellite photos that shows Syria cleaning up the site after Israel's airstrike to still images taken inside the reactor itself suggesting the U.S. gleaned intelligence from a high- level source inside Syria.
But U.S. officials did acknowledge they told President Bush they had lower confidence in Syria's ability to actually produce nuclear weapons.
ALBRIGHT: There are many pieces missing from the picture. You need to have fuel for the reactor. You need to have a place to separate plutonium and you need facilities to make nuclear weapons. And none of those facilities have been identified.
HENRY (on camera): The other big question, why release the intelligence now. U.S. officials say they hope to put international pressure on Syria while also sending a tough signal to Iran. And they hope that North Korea will now come clean about its role and give up its nuclear weapons program in the six-party talks. Ed Henry, CNN, McLean, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Leaving home, more buses on the highway. More heartbreak in San Angelo. An update on the fate of hundreds of children in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. In case you missed it, just moments earlier there has been a verdict in the Sean Bell case as we look at live pictures. Obviously, a lot of people reacting to that verdict. And here it is.
All three detectives have been acquitted on all counts involving the shooting death of Sean Bell back in 2006. The judge said he found problems with the prosecution's case. And he said that some prosecution witnesses contradicted themselves. And he also cited prior convictions and incarceration of the witnesses.
So again, in the Sean Bell case, all three detectives, you just saw them moments ago, their pictures, they had been acquitted on all counts. We are hoping to hear from the Reverend Al Sharpton and even Sean Bell's fiancee. Hopefully, they will be taking mike very soon.
Also this morning, we're going to hear from Richard Brown, the district attorney in Queens. He has scheduled a news conference for 11:00 a.m. Eastern. We're going to cover every step of this as it happens live.
HARRIS: Nearly 400 children taken from a polygamist ranch in Texas are headed to a dozen group homes across the state. CNN's Susan Roesgen has the case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the children, it must seem like a strange adventure. For their parents, it's a Texas size kidnapping.
MARY GOLDER, MOTHER'S ATTORNEY: I just learned this morning one of mine has been shipped out. What her sibling placement is I don't know at this point.
ROESGEN: More than 400 children whisked away from the Yearning for Zion ranch three weeks ago, now on the way to more than a dozen different group homes left behind for lone looking mothers and empty beds.
Texas authorities raided the ranch after someone called a crisis hot line claiming to be a 16-year-old girl with a baby, married to a 50-year-old man. Investigators say they haven't found that teenager, and the call may have been a hoax. But they have found several teenager girls who do appear to be underage mothers. And under Texas law, those teenagers could be victims of statutory rape.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is child abuse and we have to step in to protect them.
ROESGEN: The judge in the case has agreed to let nursing mothers stay in group homes with their babies, while mothers of very young children will be provided housing in the same towns as their children. The rest of the children, about 350 over the age of two, will stay away from their parents. Child abuse investigators worry that some parents might have been coaching the children to lie about their family backgrounds.
SUSAN HAYS, ATTORNEY: Any time there's a question of parentage in Texas, you're going to a have a DNA test. And that's what's going on.
ROESGEN: Before the children were sent away, the state collected a DNA sample from each one and a sample from every parent who was willing to be tested.
When the DNA results come back in about a month, local prosecutors could begin putting together a criminal case, based on what they call a pattern of pervasive child abuse. Young girls forced into marriage and motherhood with older men.
In the meantime, hundreds of children who have never been allowed beyond a locked gate are now hundreds of miles from home. Susan Roesgen, CNN, San Angelo, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Was the call that sparked the raid on the polygamist ranch in Texas a hoax? We will take a closer look. And the Colorado Woman Authorities are now investigating.
The Reverend Al Sharpton as you can see here now probably followed -- there she is, Nicole Bell as well. Sean Bell's father, William Bell, is also in that group as well. And we believe they may be heading to microphones right now. To talk about the decision today that for many will read as a stunning decision in New York, where the three New York police detectives involved in the shooting death of 23- year-old Sean Bell, unarmed.
Just hours before he was to be married. Acquitted this morning detectives Michael Oliver, Gescard Isnora, you will see their pictures here shortly, were charged with manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment in the death of Sean Bell. Detective Mark Cooper was charged with reckless endangerment.
They were the three detectives acquitted this morning by the judge here in the case. Remember, this was a judge hearing this case. This was not a situation where you had a jury trial.
The judge in making his decision first announcing all of the factors that went into his decision. Talking about the demeanor of the witnesses on the witness stand and you heard from our producer who was in the courtroom, George Lerner, he described the judge's statement before announcing the verdict as an evisceration of the prosecution case.
Talked about the demeanor of the witnesses on the witness stand, talked about the contradictions from the witness for the prosecution, leaving me to wonder how prepared these witnesses were. Were they prepared at all by the prosecution to testify?
NGUYEN: And that could be key.
HARRIS: Yes, just one of the number of questions. I have to be honest with you, sort of squirreling around in my head this morning. And we'll talk about some of those issues with Sunny Hostin a little later this morning. But again, this is one of the moments that we had been anticipating to hear from the Reverend Al Sharpton, who was involved in this case very, very early on.
NGUYEN: And as you can see, there is a large police presence outside the courtroom. And many officers have been called in to work this very verdict as they know many in the community, those around the nation have been watching this case very closely. A lot of people outraged, simply outrage, many of them crying as we saw some video a little bit earlier after hearing this verdict of all three detectives being acquitted on all accounts.
Now, we have been waiting to hear from the Reverend Al Sharpton, as well as Sean Bell's fiancee, even her father. It was understood that they would come to the microphone, but considering the verdict and the outrage. There is a good chance that the may just walk past. They may just continue on and give an announcement at another time.
I'm being told right now, we're going to bring in CNN correspondent Deb Feyerick who was on the ground.
And Deborah, as we anticipate, hopefully hearing something from Sharpton and Sean Bell's fiancee, what is really the reaction there on the ground. I mean, we can see throngs of people but it doesn't seem violent at all at this point.
FEYERICK: Well, and it's not. And that's really one of the things that Reverend Al Sharpton specified a couple of days ago. He said that this was not going to be any sort of violent reaction, whatever the verdict. However, it's probably pretty safe to say that there is a significant disappointment on the part of the Reverend Al Sharpton, of the fiancee Nicole Bell.
You can see some of the officers here and just -- if you go, if you look a little back here, this is where -- just front of the courtroom, there was supposed to be a press conference there.
