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New Newtown Shooting Information; Impatient Obama Pushes for Gun Control; Doctor Accused of Killing Patients; Woman Bought Gun for Killer

Aired March 28, 2013 - 14:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: He opened fire on first graders, children in Newtown, Connecticut. Today, we're getting stunning new details on Adam Lanza's life at home.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.

A doctor accused of murdering patients to free up hospital beds.

Disturbing news on texting and driving in America. Guess what, it's not just teens you have to worry about.

Plus, when locusts invade.

And you'll hear from the guy who illegally climbed the great pyramid to snap these photos.

I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thanks so much for being with me here on a Thursday. And we want to begin with this.

It took less than five minutes, less than five minutes last December 14th for mass murderer Adam Lanza to kill 20 children, first graders, and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut. A state's attorney is out today with new information on the horrifying killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School. They include details of an arsenal found in the home that Adam Lanza shared with his mother, right there, whom he killed with a gunshot to her forehead that morning.

CNN's Susan Candiotti has been following the new details, there documents here today. She's with me in New York. Also with me here in Atlanta, Mike Brooks, HLN law enforcement analyst. So I have a lot I want to ask you about, sir.

MIKE BROOKS, HLN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Sure.

BALDWIN: But, Susan Candiotti, to you first. Tell me, what are these nuggets you're getting out of these documents today?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, we certainly know that Adam Lanza was armed to the hilt when he went to Sandy Hook Elementary School. And as you indicated, he had sort of an arsenal back at the house. We knew that he fired off a lot of rounds at the school. Now we know specifically it was 154 rounds that were fired. We always knew that he had two handguns and that Bushmaster assault-style weapon on him that each -- that had three 30-round magazines with it. We now know that he had six additional ones. The new information is that half of those 30-round magazines were emptied already and the rest only had 10, 11, 13 rounds left.

We know, too, now, for the first time, that in addition to that gun safe that he had in the house, we've known about that, that we counted up at least 1,600 rounds of ammunition in that house, in closets and elsewhere in the house. We also know that they found knives. They found additional guns. I have reported from the beginning at least four weapons. We know of two rifles, two BB guns, a .22 caliber revolver. But he sure took the ones that had the most ammo and the most firepower with him to the school. They even found samurai swords.

And this, Brooke. They discovered a holiday card. And inside that holiday card was a check written by Adam Lanza's mother to her son to purchase a specific model of gun. We know the model, but it's unclear at this time whether it was a handgun or a rifle. Nevertheless, that close to the shooting, there was an unspent check that they found inside the house.

And we also learned that they heard from a witness on that same day of the shooting, December 14th. This witness said that Adam Lanza was an avid gamer. He really liked a game called "Call of Duty" that he rarely left the house. Was considered a loner. And according to this witness that they are not naming, Sandy Hook Elementary was Adam Lanza's life. And he chose to make it his target.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: Apparently his report card from when he attended at the elementary school was also found in his home.

CANDIOTTI: That's right.

BALDWIN: Susan Candiotti, thank you so much.

Mike, a couple points Susan made. I want to pick up on her point about the magazines.

BROOKS: Sure.

BALDWIN: Because it sounds like he would go through classroom to classroom dropping a magazine, reloading, six times.

BROOKS: Drop and reloading.

BALDWIN: As a law enforcement guy, what do you make of that, 154 rounds?

BROOKS: One hundred and fifty-four spent shell casings of .223 ammunition from that Bushmaster rifle. And, yes, to me that says tactical reloading. And that means he went into ever one of these rooms. He wanted to make sure he had a full magazine. And as Susan said, three of the magazines were empty. One had 10 rounds. One had 11. One had 13. There were 14 in the magazine they found in the gun. So he changed at least six times. That's tactical reloading. That's what you do if you go into a -- if you go into a room as a SWAT team member, you make sure you have a full mag so you can meet the threat that's in that classroom. These were little kids.

BALDWIN: That's what your -- that's what you're taught. That's what you're taught as a member of a squad team.

BROOKS: Exactly.

BALDWIN: How would he come to know this kind -- how would he know that?

BROOKS: Well, you know, in video games. When you're doing shooting. There' "Call of Duty." These are the kind of things you also do if you've got the right kind of game pieces when you're playing these games. And he supposedly was playing these a lot.

One of the other very disturbing things. Initially we had heard reports that in his car, right outside Sandy Hook Elementary, Brooke --

BALDWIN: Yes.

BROOKS: Was another weapon. We thought it was an AK style. Come to find out, it was a shotgun. A Russian-made shotgun that looked similar to an AK-type weapon. Seventy -- 7-0 rounds of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition and two magazines in that car.

BALDWIN: And that doesn't even include the 1,600 rounds of ammo found back at the house.

BROOKS: No. And over 10 knives, three samurai swords. Just an arsenal.

BALDWIN: What about just the sheer amount of time. When you read this report, they say less than 300 seconds. That's five minutes going through these multiple classrooms at Sandy Hook Elementary School, like that.

BROOKS: He came through there. He broke that window, came through that door, and he was -- he was someone on a mission to kill these little kids. And that's all you can say, because you can go from one end of a hallway in tactical reload, reload, boom, boom, boom, reload again. And keep in mind, each one of those magazines, 30 rounds. Each one of those magazines was .223, 30 rounds, a total of 154 rounds of .223 fired in that school. But he also had the 10 millimeter, which he took his life with, and also a 9 millimeter six hour .226.

And the other thing, all these weapons, Brooke, they are very, very expensive. And all of them, apparently, purchased by his mother.

BALDWIN: Well you heard Susan Candiotti mention the holiday check for him for a gun.

BROOKS: Right.

BALDWIN: It's just disgusting what he did.

BROOKS: It really is.

BALDWIN: Mike Brooks, thank you.

BROOKS: Thank you, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Thank you very much.

Well, gun control supporters today, they're trying to breathe new life into their nationwide push for post-Sandy Hook Elementary School legislation. And for the very first time, a new ad campaign features families of some of the Sandy Hook victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We dropped Jesse (ph) off in the morning, December 14th. He gave me a hug and a kiss and said, "I love you, dad. And I love mom, too."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our daughter Grace was seven years old. And she couldn't wait to go to school. She would skip down the driveway.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My sister loved teaching at Sandy Hook. Every student would say --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Some of those Sandy Hook families converged today on the White House where an impatient President Obama renewed his call for Congress to act to prevent more Sandy Hooks. With that part of the story, let's go to chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin.

Jessica.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Brooke.

Today at the White House, President Obama seemed to try to shame members of Congress into passing new legislation to reduce gun violence in the nation. As you say, he was surrounded by 19 women on the stage, all of whom were impacted by gun violence. Some of them mothers of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. Here's some of what the president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Less than 100 days ago that happened. And the entire country was shocked. The entire country pledged we would do something about it and this time would be different. Shame on us if we've forgotten.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: The president pointed out polling data, Brooke, which showed that 90 percent of Americans support background checks for gun purchases. But here's another polling figure that points to some diminishing support for fast action on gun control measures. Fifty- seven percent of Americans supported tighter gun control laws right after the Sandy Hook shootings. Forty-seven percent support it now. It's dropped 10 percent since those shootings took place. Perhaps one reason the president is pushing for quicker action to get something done before those numbers might fall even further, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So, Jessica, as the president stands there today and says shame on us and he talks about legislation, what kind of legislation are we talking about here?

YELLIN: Right. So, the Senate is going to come back from Easter recess, spring recess, and take up a measure that includes -- that bundles together a bunch of proposals that will include stricter background checks on firearm purchases, limiting straw (ph) purchase, that might be where I ask you to buy a gun for me, and then more funding for school safety. What it does not include would be an assault weapons ban and any limit on those high-capacity magazines. That's what you were talking about just a moment ago.

BALDWIN: Right.

YELLIN: The ability to go in with those massive clips and really do serious damage, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Jessica Yellin at the White House for us. Jess, thank you.

YELLIN: Thanks.

BALDWIN: Also today, we're keeping an eye on the stock market for you and what is looking like a milestone day. Check out the numbers right now. Two hours away from that closing bell. Folks, this is the last day of the best first quarter for the Dow since 1998. So, the Dow is still trading at record highs. It's up here more than 11 percent. Up 36 points right now. S&P 500, it topped its all-time closing high today. The S&P is up almost 10 percent so far this year. Markets are closed tomorrow for Good Friday.

Nelson Mandela rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night. He is said to be conscious. He is said to be responding to treatment. He's suffering from a recurring lung infection. A doctor telling CNN it's likely pneumonia. This is the second time this month the 94 year old has been hospitalized. And it's no secret, Mandela has become increasingly frail in recent years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAC MAHARAJ, GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: With (INAUDIBLE) and personal (INAUDIBLE), there always has to be concern. And, therefore, the doctors I think we need to appreciate, will (ph) prefer to work on the side of caution rather than take any risks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Mandela's being given antibiotics and oxygen. His doctors keep a close eye on his condition. South Africa's president is asking the world to pray for the Nobel laureate.

Just ahead, a frightening story out of a hospital involving a doctor who's accused of killing patients at random. We're learning more as to why. Plus, living on the edge. A landslide. Look at this. Swallows one home. Now dozens more are at risk. We'll tell you what homeowners are saying about this sight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: South African track star Oscar Pistorius will now be able to leave the country to compete, despite the murder charge he's currently facing. A judge lifted that travel ban today after attorneys for Pistorius argued that his bail conditions needed to be more lenient. The judge also ruled the former Olympic athlete is now allowed to drink alcohol and is also allowed to go back home to the crime scene. Pistorius is charged with murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, last month.

And let me tell you about this bizarre case here out of Brazil. Absolutely sending shockwaves throughout this country. There's this doctor -- here she is. She has been charged with murdering seven terminally ill patients in order to free up hospital beds. And it gets worse. The number of victims is expected to rise dramatically with investigators looking into as many as 300 deaths. Dr. Virginia Soares de Souza is also accused of recruiting other doctors to help. Police say this doctor and her team killed the patients by giving them muscle relaxants and then reducing their oxygen supply so they couldn't breathe. In some cases they say the patients were fully conscious.

Let's go straight to Sao Paulo to Shasta Darlington.

And, Shasta, where do I begin? How did police even find out about this?

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, it's a pretty gruesome case, as you mentioned. And they started suspecting the head of the intensive care unit months back basically because of a spike in the number of deaths. And now according to an interview that the chief investigator gave to TV Globo (ph), they started wiretapping her phone. Some of those wiretaps were actually released to newspapers. And you hear her saying things like, oh, well we already cleared out two today. Let's not clear out anymore today. Just kind of really, in such a routine way, these gruesome deaths being explained by her and her team. And I think that's what has Brazilians upset the most.

This is a hospital in the southern city of Curitiba, where, naturally, people go and they do end up dying. But now anybody who's ever lost a relative there is wondering if maybe their relative didn't actually have to die. So this case, while only seven -- this woman has only been accused of killing seven people, has actually had huge repercussions, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Where is this doctor now? What happens next here in this bizarre case?

DARLINGTON: Well, she was arrested, along with her team, three nurses, three doctors, a nutritionalist. They were arrested in February. But they were actually released last week on bail. Of course, prosecutors, since they now have said they believe there could be a lot more deaths related to this woman and her team, this doctor, they say they want her behind bars again, claiming that she could pressure witnesses. At this point, though, she's out on bail and back home, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Wow! So first hearing seven. Now possibly 300 deaths connected to this doctor.

Shasta Darlington in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Shasta, thank you.

And it was almost the perfect plan. A would-be robber picks his target and puts on his costume. Only problem is, he forgets to pull down the mask. We have the video. Do not miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: To some of the hottest stories in a flash. "Rapid Fire." Roll it.

Let's talk about that landslide, shall we? Look at this. Geologists are watching this landslide that's already swallowed a home in Washington state and is close to destroying another five houses. This landslide here, more than 700 feet wide. And our affiliate out of Seattle, KING-TV, they say there are now piles of earth more than three stories high at the bottom there. The earth, as we told you, gave way just yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DELIA CURT, EVACUEE: I thought it was an earthquake when I heard it. So when I went to work, I figured, I'm good. I don't have to move right now. And then they called me and go, oh, evacuate. Another third of my yard went down. It's crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: She's moving. She's not the only one. More than 30 homes had to be evacuated here. And some of those people have been able to get back into their homes today.

And you have to see this here. A plague of locusts has invaded one of the poorest countries on earth, Madagascar. Watch. Yeah, I'd be choking, as well. They are choking on these flying insects as this infestation is gripping more than half of the island. This is just off of Africa. Look at this. All of them flying towards you. The plague worsening after a cyclone created ideal breeding conditions. Madagascar is now pleading with the U.N. for help. They're asking for more than $40 million in emergency funding before the billions, that is billions with a "b", of these little insects devour what's left of their crops in Madagascar.

And 1996 Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph, he's on a hunger strike. He says he is protesting his move to an area for troublemakers and mentally ill prisoners inside of Colorado's super max prison. Why? He claims he's being singled out for special treatment because of his recent autobiography and his political views. Rudolph is in America's most secure prison for the Atlanta blast and for bombings at two abortion clinics. And you are looking at some pretty big smiles, big winners, in more ways than one here. This office pool of 12 workers in Plantation, Florida, won $1 million from this past Powerball lottery. And they decided to share the jackpot to the one employee who opted not to pay into the pool. She's a new employee and she's a single mom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER MALDONADO, RECIPIENT OF LOTTERY WINNINGS: I think that that is the most generous thing that they could have done for me, considering they barely know me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Of the 12, each will get about $83,000 before taxes. They won't say exactly how much Jennifer Maldonado, the new employee there, will receive, but reportedly it will be more than $5,000. And we're going to talk to them live next hour. We'll see how excited they are and see if anyone, at first, didn't want to share. We'll ask.

Finally, dumb criminals, Thursday edition. A guy, check him out, oh boy, dressed in pajama pants and a stocking mask. You have to look closely at his head here because it's on his head. It's not on his face. Shows up to rob this market. This is Reading, California. He forgets to pull down the mask. So you saw, he came back, tosses the rock into the front window. Here he is again, mask not on the face. Yes, dude, that's not how you do it. There he goes. Goes away. Let's put that mask on our face because there's a security cam. Here we go. Oh, he falls down before the big get-away. Sorry. Police are still looking for the almost robber. Best video of the day.

A new trend. It is called drunkorexia. You heard of this? Hitting colleges across the country. Students eating less so they can drink more. What is this? How prevalent is this? And is this just for the ladies or are men falling to this as well? We'll find out, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Got an update for you today in the case against Evan Ebel. He is that ex-con who died in a police shootout one week ago. Was linked to three shootings, one of them the murder of Colorado's top prison official Tom Clement. Now Ebel just got out of prison this year, making him ineligible to buy a firearm. So the question was, where did he get a gun? The answer, according to investigators, this woman. They say Stevie Marie Veheel (ph) purchased a gun from a dealer and then gave it to Ebel. Veheel was in a Colorado courtroom today. And CNN's Jim Spellman is in Centennial, Colorado.

And how did these two even know each other, Jim?

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this point, we don't know, Brooke, but that's really the main question on investigators' minds here. We know -- investigators have told me this morning that they don't see any connection between this woman and this prison gang, this white supremacist prison gang, the 211s, that Ebel allegedly was a member of while in prison. That is important because what investigators are trying to determine is if -- was this a hit put out on Tom Clements, commissioned by this prison gang that he was a part of. So they're going to work that connection, the gun connection.

Another thing they're investigating right now is the car. Initially there were thoughts that perhaps it was stolen. Investigators, this morning, tell me it was not stolen. It was bought. And when Ebel bought it from a woman in Aurora, Colorado, he was with several other individuals. Police tell me they have identified those people and are interviewing them now. They all want to get to this question of whether this was some sort of conspiracy because they are worried that other public officials could remain at risk.

Brooke.

BALDWIN: What about Ebel? Because, as you say, he was paroled just this past January. Was he being watched in that time?

SPELLMAN: Well, investigators here tell me that when he was released from prison, he was given an ankle monitoring bracelet. Now, these operate in several different ways, and we're not sure exactly what kind he had on. But that he cut it off at some point. He did not have it on when he was caught. Police believe that he did that to -- so that they could not monitor his movements. It's unclear exactly when he took that off. That's something they're investigating.

Right now, later today, Brooke, we expect the Department of Corrections here to release details about his prison record and possibly his parole. So hopefully we'll get more answers about that soon.

BALDWIN: OK, Jim Spellman, thank you.

Now to alcohol. I know we've all seen the ads for reduced calorie beer and low-cal cocktails, like this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The ladies knows how to cocktail. Skinny Girl now has all the wine, vodka and ready-to-serve options you need without the extra calories you don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Low-calorie booze promises the allure of an adult beverage in half the calories or maybe even less.