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Man Accused of Killing Cop Found Strangled in Jail Cell; Georgia's Carry Law Causes Controversy; California Wildfires Still Burning
Aired July 01, 2008 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And he still can't move very fast, no matter how much they cheer. The 150-pound Loggerhead was brought to the water's edge in Jekyll Island, Georgia to finally begin life in the wild. Dylan, the turtle, has been in captivity since hatching on the beach almost 10 years ago. She is not expected to return to land until it's time to lay her own eggs. That could take 20 years. Handlers say the hardest part was teaching Dylan to feed herself. Loggerheads are classified as a threaten species. Interesting girl name.
Good morning once again, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris, stay informed all day in the CNN NEWROOM.
And here's what's on the rundown.
A teenager accused of killing a police officer strangled in jail. The family speaks out live this hour.
COLLINS: The person next to you on the bus or train may be armed. We talk live with a man behind a new Georgia gun law.
HARRIS: Two fleeing burglary suspects shot and killed. A Texas Ranger says, no crime, no punishment today, Tuesday, July 1st.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Dying in custody. A suspect in a police killing found dead in his jail cell. Now investigations are under way.
Our Jeanne Meserve covering the story in Washington.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, initially authorities said there was no visible sign of trauma in the death of 19 year old Ronnie White. But preliminary autopsy results now show he died of asphyxiation and two small bones in his neck were broken. He was apparently choked to death. White died while in solitary confinement in the Prince George's County Maryland jail less than two days after being charged with first-degree murder in the death of a county police officer.
The Maryland state police have been called in to take over what is now a homicide investigation. The county executive is calling it a case of vigilante justice. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The killing of the officer is just absolutely horrid. But also Mr. White was presumed to be innocent and deserved his day in court just like any other citizen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: County officials say a physical during processing uncovered no health issues. White was checked regularly in his cell, including at 10:15 Sunday morning and appeared fine. 20 minutes later when he was brought his lunch, he had no pulse. Officials say the only people with access to White apparently were seven corrections officers and an unspecified number of supervisors. None have been suspended at this point.
Police are not suspects, officials say, though Finley was charged with mowing down Corporal Richard Findley when Findley tried to stop a truck the police believe was stolen. That happened Friday. Surveillance tape might have been useful to the probe but officials say there were no cameras in the part of the jail where White was being held -- Heidi
COLLINS: Jeanne, any idea, are there always no cameras in this area, or were they off? Is that never something that's available?
MESERVE: Well, at a press conference last night, they simply said there were no cameras in that part of the jail. That's as far as they went with that.
COLLINS: OK, very good, Jeanne Meserve, appreciate that. Live from Washington this morning. Just want to let you know we are expected to hear from Ronnie White's family this hour. We will bring that news conference to you live when it happens.
HARRIS: Too much toxin. A Chicago area man arrested by federal agents, he is accused of posing as a doctor to buy an extremely potent poison, it's found in the pufferfish. CNN's Susan Roesgen is live in our Chicago bureau this morning.
Susan, good to see you. What is this chemical?
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, it's a muscle paralyzer, very powerful and very lethal. As you mentioned, it is in the Japanese pufferfish.
If you know anything about high-end Japanese restaurants, this particular fish can only be prepared by chefs who know how to do it properly because if they don't, it can kill you. That's why a hazmat team had to show up at the suspect's house yesterday in suburban Chicago and search this house. A real shock to the neighborhood. They didn't know anything like this was going on.
But the FBI says that Edward Bachner purchased or tried to purchase 98 milligrams of tetrodoxin, this extremely lethal muscle paralyzer from a chemical company in New Jersey. The FBI says that Bachner tried to pass himself off as some sort of chemist or doctor doing some kind of chemical research, but the chemical company in New Jersey didn't buy it. They contacted the FBI and an undercover agent met Bachner and pretended to be selling him some of this tetrodoxin.
This tetrodoxin again, only 98 milligrams, if you think about that, Tony, I've got one of my vitamins here, a vitamin I take for the morning. This is a 100 milligram vitamin. So you can get the sense of just how small 98 milligrams would be and yet that's just how toxic even a very little amount could be. What we don't know is what did this guy want to do with this? What did he plan to do with it?
We do know that in medical uses it can be used as a pain blocker. It's been used in migraine treatment. It's been used for blocking the pain in some cases of terminal cancer. It can even be used to help with withdrawal systems from heroin. But what this guy wanted with it we don't know Tony.
HARRIS: What did he want with it? What do we even know about this suspect at this point, Susan?
ROESGEN: Well, not a whole lot. The FBI says simply again that his name is Edward Bachner, he's 35-years-old. Neighbors say that he's married and that the couple has no children. They also say that the couple was part of neighborhood gatherings, very, very shocked that this couple -- not the couple but the husband at least would be under arrest. He is under arrest. And if he's convicted, if they find out that he was trying to do something nefarious with this toxin, he could face 10 years in prison, Tony.
HARRIS: OK, CNN's Susan Roesgen for us this morning.
Susan, good to see you. Thank you.
COLLINS: Firefighters are making slow progress against wildfires in California. There are still more than 1,000 fires burning right now. Every time I read that I still can't believe it. With so many fires, crews have to pick and choose which ones to fight. Resources are being moved to residential areas while some fires deep in forested areas are being allowed to burn. Even with an increased fear of fires, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided against a ban on Fourth of July fireworks.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: It's interesting because we're actually talking issue number one, talking about the economy. And if more people are deciding to renovate their homes as opposed to selling them as buying new ones. There's a news point to all of this. Talk to you later.
Want to tell you more about a whole lot of new laws that are actually taking effect today across the country. One allows people in Georgia to take guns into restaurants or on trains and buses. For some people, that's a scary thought. Brooke Baldwin is joining us now from Atlanta with more on this law.
Hi there, Brooke. BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. This is getting more and more complicated as we continue to follow the story.
Just this morning -- I'll explain why in just a moment. But take a look around, we're in downtown Atlanta at one of the most hopping MARTA stations if you will, this early Tuesday morning. Taking a look around, it's just kind of business as usual, no signs. You wouldn't know anything has changed except there is a major change. As you mentioned starting today if you are a Georgian and you carry a concealed weapons permit, you can take a weapon onboard a train, onboard a bus, you mentioned restaurants as long as you're not drinking and into state parks.
Now as you can imagine, this was hotly contested legislation that went back and forth for the past two years and some lawmakers are saying this version of the bill is actually watered down. The proponent, the sponsor, of this bill, a Republican congressman in Georgia, Tim Bearden, actually wanted to be able to carry guns into churches. So now we're wondering, what are passengers thinking here on MARTA?
We're actually breaking the news to some people this morning, including Jo King who is just about to hop on MARTA to head home.
Jo, we told you, what was your first reaction when you heard you could be sitting next to someone who's carrying a concealed weapon?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In all actuality, I feel very comfortable knowing that I would be better protected and knowing that I as well can carry a concealed weapon. A licensed concealed weapon because there's been so much going on in Atlanta and surrounding cities that I would just feel more comfortable if I could do that.
BALDWIN: Let me ask you, how often do you take MARTA?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I take MARTA pretty often or I walk.
BALDWIN: How safe do you feel on MARTA?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel safe on MARTA. I feel safe on MARTA because I have other surrounding things that help me. But it would help me feel more comfortable if I could carry a concealed weapon.
BALDWIN: So you're saying not only do you feel safer knowing that this law has passed and other people can carry these weapons, but you yourself would potentially consider getting a license now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course.
BALDWIN: Thank you, Jo. We appreciate it. Let me quickly add this, Heidi. This is getting more complicated because if you're carrying a concealed weapon, if you have a permit --
COLLINS: Unfortunately, it's a great report with Brooke Baldwin, we just cannot hear her any longer. In fact we're still hearing a fabulous buzz in our ear. There we go. I thought that was down at the MARTA station.
HARRIS: Time to catch the train, I guess.
COLLINS: Better get on. Obviously a lot to talk about with this. Again, we should point out very clearly we're talking about licensed concealed weapons here. Obviously it takes quite a bit of time to get a license, along with a background check and so forth. We're going to be talking more about it. Right now, Brooke Baldwin, thanks for that.
HARRIS: To that point, firearms in public places that's the discussion this morning. A new Georgia law coming under fire. Setting the stage for an airport showdown, the state representative who could be at the center of that showdown, coming up next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The death of a pregnant soldier treated as a homicide now. CNN's T.J. Holmes has been covering this story. He's joining us once again this morning in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
T.J., what's the latest now?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The latest here, we've got a few little details here. Information really kind of slow to come out yesterday after we got two major developments, one being in fact yes, this is being treated as a homicide, the death of Sergeant Megan Touma who was found dead in that bathtub in a hotel here in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on two Saturdays ago. There was a mysterious letter that was sent to a Fayetteville newspaper from someone claiming to be the killer and claiming to confess to this murder, even though the police haven't been able to just yet rule this a homicide because they're still waiting on autopsy results.
But that letter is now with the state bureau of investigations. They are looking at that letter quite closely, putting it through all the forensic exercises that they would need to. Police here this morning are now telling us a little more about that letter. They are saying that they do believe that letter is, in fact, a very important and crucial piece of evidence. They believe it's in some way connected to what could turn out to be a crime.
However, they would not go as far as saying that, in fact, something in that letter definitely links the person who wrote it to the room. So they're saying, yes, we think it's important, but they're not saying exactly how they think it's connected. They do believe it was possibly written by someone to throw them off.
Also this morning, we're getting more about this person of interest that we've been talking about. This person of interest that was named over the weekend, someone who was a fellow soldier at Ft. Bragg where Megan Touma had just been transferred to. That person of interest has been questioned, wouldn't say how much this person is cooperating necessarily with police, but the person is free to roam. The police also are saying there are several other people that they are looking at as well.
They wouldn't go as far as saying they have more than one person of interest, but they are saying that there are several people that they are in fact looking at with this crime. Also, the boyfriend, fiance, father of the child, we've been trying to track down. Police are saying they don't have -- haven't able to track down any such person. They haven't talked to anyone they believe is a boyfriend. They certainly haven't talked to anybody they think is the fiance of Megan Touma -- and hasn't talked to anyone they believe is the father of that child.
Police say they don't have the information and they aren't passing along to us. They say they just don't know. They haven't been able to find anyone who fits that bill. Also the autopsy results that we are waiting on, police say it could be months before they actually get autopsy results back. Right now they are waiting on toxicology reports to come back from the state medical examiner after they've done an autopsy and also the body is with the army now doing a second round of an autopsy.
So, Heidi, there's a lot of information out there and there's a lot of information officially just being trickled in and spoon fed to us really by the police here. But those are some of the updates we haven't known before, we're just getting here. Right now no other press conference scheduled for today until they say they have something concrete and something major to tell us.
COLLINS: OK, well obviously, a developing story. But I just wonder when you say all of that about not knowing about a boyfriend or a possible fiance, what about Megan Touma's family? Are police going to speak with the family? Would they know more?
HOLMES: The family is not here in town. They're actually in the Midwest. They don't live here. However, we have talked to an aunt and we've talked to friends. Aunt gives one story about a boyfriend. Friends give another story about a fiance and she had a ring and she was excited about moving here to be with that person. So police have talked to family members, they've talked to friends but they still haven't been able to track down anyone they think is a boyfriend, a fiance, or the father of her child. Of course, she was seven months pregnant.
COLLINS: All right, well T.J. we know you're working the story and working it hard -- appreciate it.
T.J. Holmes this morning from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
HARRIS: Carrying a concealed weapon. Starting today, people in Georgia with a weapons permit will be able to carry firearms in several public places, including restaurants, mass transit, and at state parks. Despite the new state law city officials in Atlanta say they'll arrest anyone carrying a weapon at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. What's the difference here? Joining me now is Representative Tim Bearden, the state lawmaker who sponsored the gun law.
Tim good to see you, thanks for your time.
REP. TIM BEARDEN, (R) GEORGIA: Thanks for allowing me to be here today.
HARRIS: You say you're going to the airport with your gun and here is what Hartsfield-Jackson airport general manager, his name is Ben DeCosta, says will happen if you do. "I can identify him, and I'll have him arrested. We're not fooling around. This is a post- terrorism environment." That again from Ben DeCosta, the airport general manager.
Are you going to force a showdown with the airport? If so, why, sir?
BEARDEN: First of all, Ben DeCosta cannot change the state law nor the constitution of the United States. But when the article was written it brought all this attention about, one of the things we've got to understand is, I was trying to lay out, if Atlanta would back off their position, I would proceed in doing state law, which allowed me to carry on the airport, on the property of the airport.
I was hoping by saying that they cannot do it because of the (INAUDIBLE) law in the state of Georgia which prohibits cities and counties from making any regulations against possession or carrying of firearms, that they would back off.
HARRIS: I'm trying to give you your say here, but you're getting into all kinds of area that's a little confusing here.
BEARDEN: Well it goes into this, since they're apparently at 10:00, they're probably already show the airport being a gun-free zone. We're already filing a federal lawsuit with Georgiacarry.org and myself, suing the city of Atlanta and the airport to take this --
HARRIS: You know what? At the moment, the law passed and Hartsfield-Jackson made its position known. It seemed always this was going to end up in a federal court. Did it feel that way to you? You're probably going to tell me it didn't have to be this way.
BEARDEN: It shouldn't be this way. We have a state law in place. We just had the United States Supreme Court decision coming down saying it's the individual right for safety to defend themselves, individual right to own a firearm, our constitution in Georgia states you have the right to keep and bear arms. And the state law just opened up some more places, on public transportation, there's 44 other states that allow public transportation carrying.
HARRIS: Which seems to suggest to me at some point the argument sorts itself out and maybe it goes away as kind of a hot-button issue. Maybe before, do you think that will happen before we get this thing worked out in the federal court system?
BEARDEN: It should go away. They should drop this ban as illegal that they're going to be doing with the city of Atlanta. We just beat the city of Atlanta two months ago in a court case on preemption, so this is against the law. They do not have the authority to do what they're trying to do.
HARRIS: All right well Tim, let me take the other tact here for just a moment. In this post-terrorism world, to use some of the phraseology from the airport general manager, when you consider the fact that 9/11 and that horrible act was carried out essentially with box cutters, is it too much to ask that airports be deemed gun-free zones?
BEARDEN: The security area is gun-free zones. Well, no, they're not because you can go in and check a gun in and go through the gun- free zone. Hunters do it all the time, sports shooters do it all the time, to take their guns onto the airport and onto the planes to transport them. So it's not a gun-free zone. Speaking of gun-free zones, how about gun-free zones at Virginia Tech, how about the gun- free zone inside the campus at Northern Illinois? How about the gun free zone at Libby's Diner?
All of them gun-free zones, law abiding citizens could not defend themselves. What we're saying in Georgia, it's time to let citizens defend themselves under the constitution, law abiding citizens with a Georgia firearms licensed permit. They do not have the authority to do what they're doing and we will fight them in court and that's what the showdown's going to come to.
HARRIS: OK, are you going to go to the airport today?
BEARDEN: Yes.
HARRIS: With your gun?
BEARDEN: No. It's been deemed a gun free zone, they're violating my rights as a citizen, they're violating every Georgian's right as a citizen. And this showdown will take place in the courts.
HARRIS: I'm just curious. Did you bring your gun with you today? Here? Did you?
BEARDEN: Don't know. Just kidding.
HARRIS: Tim Bearden, thank you for your time this morning, appreciate it.
BEARDEN: Thank you.
COLLINS: Higher learning, lower interest. Gerri Willis explains why some student loans will cost you less beginning today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Isn't that the truth? All right, another check of the New York Stock Exchange. You know, first hour -- Pink Floyd?
COLLINS: Oh, yes. We've got music on this show.
HARRIS: Mix in a little Pink Floyd with a little Ojays and now we've got a mix here. We can do our own little remix CD for CNN NEWSROOM. Like it, like it. Inside the first hour of the trading day, the Dow is down 61 points. You know, we're watching the price of a barrel of oil just about 20 minutes or so ago we mentioned that it was up $3 a barrel on the day. We're going to check in with Susan Lisovicz in just a couple of minutes and get a complete market check. The NASDAQ down 14.
COLLINS: Higher learning, lower interest rates. Personal finance editor Gerri Willis explains why some of your student loans may cost you less starting today.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Good news for college students. Some student loan interest rates are set to fall today. That's right. Here's what you can expect. The interest rate on the subsidized Stafford will go from 6.8 percent to 6 percent, plus undergrads will be able to borrow $2,000 more money annually from the Stafford loan program. Students who qualify for the Pell Grant, that's a needs-based grant, can receive more money.
It's getting easier for parents, too. They'll have an easier time qualifying for parent plus loans even if they're behind on mortgage payments or medical bills. Before, parents weren't eligible for plus loans if they were 90 days or more past due on any debt. But under this legislation, if you have a mortgage or medical debt that's 180 days past due, you can still qualify.
Finally, parents who have new plus loans will be able to defer payments until the student graduates. Previously, parents had to begin repaying those plus loans while their kids were still in school. We spoke to one of the architects of the bill, Representative George Miller of California. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. GEORGE MILLER, (D) CALIFORNIA: We know now that almost a quarter million students who are fully qualified to go to college are making the decision not to go because of finances. We think that this bill and the combination of benefits that it provides to these students beginning on July 1st, will make it much easier for those students and they should not turn down the opportunity of a college education because of the expenses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIS: Keep in mind there will be more student loan changes coming next July. Of course we'll bring you all the very latest. If you just graduated, one tip here, consolidate now to lock in a rate of 3.625 percent. If you're already in repayment, you can lock in a rate of 4.25 percent on Stafford loans, that's about the lowest consumer interest rate you're going to see. So grab it wile you can.
If you're having trouble paying your bills, talk to the financial aid officer. You may be eligible for a professional judgment review. That could mean more financial aid.
If you have any questions, send them to us at toptips@cnn.com. We love hearing from you. COLLINS: Good morning once again everybody, 10:30 Eastern time now.
Hello to you, I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.
The death of a police shooting suspect being treated as a homicide. The FBI and Maryland State Police now investigating the death of 19-year-old Ronnie White. White's body was found in his jail cell. A medical examiner's report says he died from asphyxiation and strangulation. White had been accused of striking and killing a police officer with a stolen truck. We are expecting to hear from Ronnie White's family any moment now. We will bring you that news conference live right here into the NEWSROOM when it happens.
COLLINS: No punishment. A homeowner shoots and kills two men he says broke into his neighbor's house. A Texas grand jury now refusing to indict.
CNN's Erica Hill takes a look at the case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joe Horn is a 61- year-old grandfather. Late last year, the Texas man received national attention for this 911 call to report two men entering a neighbor's window.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JOE HORN: I've got a shotgun. Do you want me to stop them?
911 OPERATOR: Nope. Don't do that. Ain't no property worth shooting somebody over, OK?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HILL: It wasn't OK for Horn. And as the minutes passed, he became more determined.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HORN: I'm not going to let them get away with it. I can't take a chance on getting killed over this, OK? I'm gonna shoot. I'm gonna shoot.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HILL: Despite the operator's pleas, Horn drew closer to an armed confrontation.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HORN: I ain't letting them get away with this (EXPLETIVE DELETED). They stole something. They've got a bag of something. 911 OPERATOR: Don't go outside the house.
HORN: I'm doing it.
911 OPERATOR: Mr. Horn, do not go out of the house.
HORN: I'm sorry. This ain't right, buddy.
911 OPERATOR: You're going to get yourself shot if you go outside that house with a gun. I don't care what you think, stay in the house.
HORN: You wanna make a bet? I'm gonna kill 'em.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Stay in the house.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HILL: A few moments later, Horn delivered on that promise with a .12-gauge shotgun.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: I don't want you going outside, Mr. Horn.
HORN: Well, here it goes, buddy. You hear the shotgun clicking and I'm going.
911 OPERATOR: Don't go outside.
HORN: Move, you're dead.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HILL: Joe Horn fired three times, killing Hernando Torres and Diego Ortiz, both men shot in the back. Horn returned home and picked up the phone.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HORN: No, I'm inside the house. I went back in the house, man. They come right in my yard, I didn't know what the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) they was gonna do. I shot 'em, OK?
911 OPERATOR: Did you shoot somebody, Mister?
HORN: Yes, I did. The cops are here right now.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HILL: The shooting sparked angry demonstrations and death threats against Horn. Under Texas law, a person can use lethal force to protect a neighbor's home if that force is justified, necessary to prevent theft and if the person was asked to watch the property. After months of hearing evidence, a grand jury refused to indict Horn, who contended he shot the men on his property after they threatened him.
KEN MAGIDSON, HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: This office will continue to aggressively prosecute anyone who illegally engages in the use of force, deadly or otherwise, against another.
HILL: Joe Horn is free, a man some may feel got away with murder, a man others will say did the right thing.
Erica Hill, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Want to give you a closer look now at Texas state law. Section 942 of the Penal Code states a person can use deadly force quote, "to prevent someone who is fleeing after a burglary from escaping with the property."
And section 943 says, deadly force is justified if the person "reasonably believes he has a legal duty to protect a third person's property."
So, is your sunscreen doing its job? And is it safe? Elizabeth Cohen with what you need to know before you pack your beach bag.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, how hard is it to sell an SUV when gas prices are this high? Well, so hard that one man in Denver is going to extremes. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" from New York.
Poppy, good morning.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY: Hi there, Tony. I love this story.
So, listen up, folks. This is not something you see every day. A Denver man may look like a panhandler, but he just wants to sell his gas-guzzling jeep.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I put an ad for my jeep on craigslist and I put a sign on the jeep, and it just hasn't been sold. I see people advertising with their signs for companies on the side of the road and stuff, so I figured I'd give it a shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: Wow, he's really trying there.
Now, this man's story is typical, even if his method is anything but. There just is not much of a market for SUVs, new or used. And believe it or not, the best option for people in this situation may just be, Tony, to hold onto those SUVs.
HARRIS: I don't want to believe that, but I know you've got the facts to back it up. So, tell me why.
HARLOW: We do. I couldn't believe it either. For many SUV owners, selling now may mean losing thousands of dollars in order to just save hundreds. One way to figure out whether you'll save, if you use a gas mileage calculator, you can find one of those right there on edmunds.com, they have a good one right on their Web site. You can figure out what you're really going to save.
And the irony is, if you can afford the gas bill, this is actually a good time to buy an SUV. Sellers are desperate to unload them, a lot of discounts out there. Maybe you should pick one up now.
If you do end up keeping your SUV, here are some tips on ways to save. First of all, this may seem obvious, but really, only use it when it is absolutely necessary. If you have a smaller second car, try to use it when you can. A parked SUV doesn't use any gas.
Also, you should try to consolidate your trips, call ahead to the store, make sure they have the product you're looking for instead of driving to find out. Also, finally, slow down. Ease up on the gas pedal. That is really going to help you save on gas. It'll help you save money.
Lots more of these tips on our Web site, Tony, CNNMoney.com. But if you're stuck with an SUV, we really hope that this will help you out.
HARRIS: Yes, it's a hauling vehicle now, that's what it is. I mean ...
HARLOW: Yes.
HARRIS: ...it's not everyday recreational, let's go to the -- it's a hauling vehicle. And you know, the idea of planning your trips makes all the sense in the world.
HARLOW: Yes.
HARRIS: Poppy, good to see you. Thank you.
HARLOW: You too. Thanks, Tony.
COLLINS: Just like gas, jet fuel prices are surging. Is the sky the limit on soaring air fares?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Want to take you to Upper Marlboro, Maryland right now. Attorney Bobby Henry is speaking. He is representing the family of 19-year-old Ronnie White. He was found dead in his Maryland jail cell.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
BOBBY HENRY, ATTORNEY: ...arrested and charged for those alleged involvement. It is, however, the events that followed that bring us here today. Approximately 48 hours and less than two miles from where we stand right now today, in the Prince George's County Jail, a yet to be identified person or persons took it upon themselves to be both the judge, the jury, and the executioner for Mr. Ronnie White.
The family of Ronnie White is absolutely, unequivocally outraged and incensed and deeply saddened that the loss of life for their loved one could be taken so cold, so callously, while he was in the custody of law enforcement officials.
Something is dreadfully wrong with our system. We are standing in front of the Circuit Court here in Prince George's County. This is where justice is dispensed regularly. Not in the county detention facility and not any place else except before a judge who's sworn to uphold the law and a jury of their peers. Our system is one of our democracy -- our system is a constitutional democracy, and without it, as our county executive said last night, we fail. We fail as a community.
To add insult to injury to the event that occurred to Mr. White, no county official timely contacted the family to inform them of his death. It was not until several hours after his death in the county correctional facility that they received a call from the facility's chaplain informing them and advising them to go to Prince George's Hospital to identify the body. That was approximately 2:00 p.m. that they received that call. Upon their arrival to the hospital, much to their shock and dismay, the family members were informed that the body was not there.
But now -- and I quote -- "was property of the state medical examiner's office and was taken to Baltimore." At this very moment, the family has not even seen the body of their loved one, at this moment. Something is wrong. They have been denied the opportunity to start the grieving process, which naturally must occur.
The family calls upon the Department of Justice, upon the FBI, upon the Maryland State Police, upon county officials and all involved to conduct a thorough and exhaustive investigation into all of these tragic events, beginning with the events of Friday, June the 27th, and continuing up until this time.
Thank you.
QUESTION: Mr. Henry, did you represent Mr. White previously?
HENRY: No, we did not. No, we did not.
HARRIS: OK, that is attorney Bobby Henry in Prince George's County, Maryland, this morning, speaking on behalf of Ronnie White's family. Ronnie White was being held in a Prince George's County Corrections Facility in connection with the death of a police officer who -- let's listen in a bit more.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS) QUESTION: Did he see an attorney from the time of his arrest when they took him to Hyattsville jail first and then to Upper Marlboro. Was there any type of relationship with an attorney at that time or he never saw counsel?
HENRY: We have no information about that.
QUESTION: Mrs. White, how difficult has it been for you not being able to see your son?
HENRY: Questions?
QUESTION: Is she not taking questions?
HENRY: This is not Mrs. White. This is an attorney.
QUESTION: ...Maryland State Police can conduct a fair -- do you believe that this will be handled fairly and that the truth will come out?
HENRY: I believe that the Department of Justice has to be involved fully in all investigations.
QUESTION: What does this suggest to you about the state of Maryland (ph) correctional department?
HENRY: That there is -- they are in dire need of correction. There is a problem when someone can be killed in custody. Nobody has been suspended, nobody has been relieved of duty. Understand, Mr. White was actually killed in solitary confinement. There are only several ways that you can get into solitary confinement.
You either have to be buzzed in from the booth -- and I believe it's called the control booth. You need a key from there, or you have to get a key from one of two officers who were assigned to his unit on that day. Or the third way is that you pick the lock. Nobody has informed us that the lock has been picked, so we're left with the two prior ways that someone could have entered his cell.
QUESTION: What do you think happened? Who do you -- who's responsible?
HENRY: That's a matter for the -- who's responsible? Who is responsible? That will be determined.
QUESTION: What are you seeking in your suit that you filed today or will you file?
HNERY: There's been no subfile (ph) today.
QUESTION: Are you going to file a wrongful death suit or not?
HENRY: At this time, we're going to wait until the completion of the investigation. The family here is not rushing to judgment. They want to understand what has happened. How can we talk about a lawsuit when they've not even seen their loved one? They have been denied the opportunity to even see him. That's where the problem is.
But, you know, this case and this situation is larger than Ronnie White. One thing we must all understand is that, if any one person is denied justice, everybody is denied justice. And that is a problem. This did not happen on some dark, abandoned, lonely road. This happened in broad daylight in the custody of county officials, and something is wrong.
QUESTION: Mr. Henry, who are you working ...
QUESTION: Did you have contact with Mr. White while he was incarcerated, either by telephone -- I understand he had visitors. Did they express any concern for him? Did they talk to him at all?
HENRY: The family had no contact. The family was never notified officially that he was even arrested and where he was. The family learned about it through the media on Saturday, that he was arrested.
HARRIS: Once again, that's attorney Bobby Henry speaking on behalf of the White family, the FBI and Maryland State Police are now involved in an investigation into the death of 19-year-old Ronnie White. A medical examiner's report says he died from asphyxiation and strangulation. The autopsy concluding that White was choked to death. Two small bones in White's neck were broken. Seven corrections officers and an unspecified number of supervisors had access to White's cell. And again, White had been accused of striking and killing a police officer with a stolen truck.
We're going to take a break. We'll come back and we'll talk more about this case with our Jeanne Meserve. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: And just moments ago, you heard from attorney Bobby Henry in Prince George's County, Maryland, speaking on behalf of the family of Ronnie White, the 19-year-old who was found dead in his jail cell. Ronnie White was being held as a suspect in the death of a police officer.
Let's get to our Jeanne Meserve in Washington right now. And Jeanne, if you would, let's start our discussion by having you remind us of the facts of this case as we know them at this point.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: This 19- year-old Ronnie White was taken into custody on Friday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Corporal Richard Findley of the Prince George's County Police Department. Findley had been run down.
We've taken a look at the charging documents. He was trying to stop a truck which was displaying stolen Virginia tags. He approached the truck, displaying his police badge and according to this document, the truck then intentionally accelerated towards Findley and ran him over. They pursued this truck to an apartment building in Laurel, Maryland. They found Mr. White inside, and he was taken into custody and charged. He was given a physical and a mental evaluation while he was being processed for custody. County officials said they found nothing unusual in that. He was housed in the Prince George's County Jail.
On Sunday morning, guards went to check on him at 10:15. He appeared to be just fine.
HARRIS: Yes.
MESERVE: They went back 20 minutes later with a lunch. They found him dead, without a pulse. Initially, they said there was no indication of any physical harm to him, but then an autopsy revealed that he had been asphyxiated and found two small broken bones in his neck.
County authorities say that the only people who were supposed to have access to him were seven guards at that correctional facility and their supervisors. County officials also said that at this point in time, police are not suspects in this case, even though the murder of a police officer was what took him into custody.
HARRIS: Sure. Jeanne, a couple of quick questions. Do -- is there any dashcam video available that we know of of the incident in which the officer was killed?
MESERVE: I do not know if there's any dashcam ...
HARRIS: OK.
MESERVE: ...video available. I can tell you that county officials said last night that there was not any surveillance video of the area in which Mr. White was being held, and where his -- where he was found without a pulse on Sunday morning.
HARRIS: Yes, just a clue in trying to figure out if there is any sort of visual evidence that might support this claim that Ronnie White was indeed responsible and maybe dashcam video might be helpful ...
MESERVE: Well, they have ...
HARRIS: ...certainly not determinate, but helpful.
MESERVE: They apparently spoke to a man who was passenger in that truck and who was wounded. And when Findley fired his weapon at the truck, it says here in the charging document that Jerald Wright (ph) who suffered a gunshot wound during the incident identified himself as the passenger that struck Findley and identified White as the driver.
HARRIS: OK.
MESERVE: Wright stated that White intentionally struck Corporal Findley in an effort to escape. HARRIS: OK, that's good. There was also a claim from attorney Bobby Henry that White was being held in solitary confinement. Is that correct?
MESERVE: It -- he was being held in solitary confinement. He was segregated from the other prisoners. That's why such a limited number of people had access to him.
HARRIS: And remind me again from your reporting: who was it who called this -- a Prince George's County official who called this an act of vigilante justice, I believe is the phrasing?
MESERVE: That's right, that's the county executive Jack Johnson. He was out of town over the weekend, came in last evening having been at his daughter's medical school graduation. He came in last evening and held a press conference, he expressed his anger several times during this press conference.
Of course, he said it was intolerable that this officer should have been killed in the line of duty, but he also said it was inappropriate and inexcusable that somebody should act as judge and jury for Mr. Ronnie White, that he was owed due process and did not receive it in this case.
HARRIS: Any statement from the dead officer's family at this point?
MESERVE: I am not aware of any at this point in time.
HARRIS: OK, and one final question. The organizations, the law enforcement bodies involved in the investigation now?
MESERVE: The Maryland State Police have been brought in to investigate the homicide, that's because the crime involved, the initial crime involved Prince George's County Police. In addition, the FBI has been brought in to do a civil rights investigation of this matter.
HARRIS: OK. Our Jeanne --
MESERVE: There's a history of racial conflict in Prince George's County, unclear how that may factor into this eventually. The police department there was predominantly white. In the 1990s, there were several locally notorious run-ins with black residents of the county. There was investigation at that point in time. Things reportedly had gotten better in recent years.
This incident did involve a white officer. Corporal Findley was white. Ronnie White was black. So, whether all of those old issues will be revisited here, we've yet to see.
HARRIS: Yes. And the other point there is that, as I recall, Prince George's County, Maryland, is a majority African-American county.
MESERVE: That's correct. I believe it's the most affluent African-American county in the United States.
HARRIS: OK, Jeanne Meserve. Jeanne, thanks, appreciate it.
MESERVE: You bet (ph).
COLLINS: It's a new month and a new quarter, but Wall Street is dealing with the same old problems. Susan Lisovicz is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with a look back at the second quarter and a look ahead at the third.
Good morning once again, Susan.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
HARRIS: California cracks down on chatty drivers talking on hand-held cells. No more distractions, right? Wait until you see this in the NEWSROOM.
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COLLINS: A truck accident on a Canadian highway causes a real buzz. Some 12 million bees got loose. Oh, this is my worst nightmare. Rain helped to contain the bees in and around the truck, thankfully. The highway was shut down, though, for hours. Bee wranglers were called in, but about 100,000 bees either died or got away.
