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Three Bodies Found in Cleveland; Six Flags Roller Coaster Death; Mickelson Bags British Open
Aired July 21, 2013 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield, right here in the NEWSROOM. A look at our top stories this hour.
A suspected serial killer is in custody in East Cleveland. Police believe he may have murdered three women and there may be more victims. The latest details straight ahead.
Investigators in Texas try to determine what caused a woman to fall to her death from a roller coaster. We'll tell you why she was scared before the ride actually started and what you can do to stay safe on those rides.
And Lefty, takes the British Open. See Phil Mickelson's huge comeback and Tiger Woods' big fall.
Our top story today. A gruesome discovery near Cleveland. Police find the bodies of three women wrapped in plastic bags and decomposing. It started Friday with a foul odor that led East Cleveland Police to their first body in a garage. Yesterday, police found two more, one in the basement of an abandoned house and another in a field. The officers are searching today to see if they can find more clues. They do have a man in custody but they have not charged that person.
Alina Cho is following the story from New York. So Alina, you spoke with the mayor of East Cleveland. What did he have to say about this?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, this is a horrific story, Fredricka and Mayor Gary Norton did not minced words. He called these murders atrocious. He added this is nothing short of neighborhood terrorism. So let me tell you exactly what we know at this early hour so far.
Over the course of two days over the weekend, Friday and Saturday, police in East Cleveland, Ohio, found the bodies of three women, all believed to be African-American, all found within 200 feet of one another and all of the bodies found in the fetal position wrapped in four to five layers of black trash bags. That's how authorities knew that these murders were connected.
The victims have not yet been identified but the medical examiner said the bodies apparently are so decomposed it could take several days to identify them. In fact, autopsies are being conducted right now. We can tell you however that the mayor says it appears all three women were killed in a span of just 10 days. Police right now have in custody a man named 35-year-old Michael Madison. He was convicted of attempted rape back in 2001. He is still a registered sex offender. We are also told by the mayor that Madison apparently was inspired by another serial killer named Anthony Sowell known as the Cleveland strangler. Now this is a man who was convicted in 2011 of killing 11 women in the Cleveland area.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR GARY NORTON, EAST CLEVELAND, OHIO: This is a sick individual who appears to have been influenced by another sick individual. It's absolutely horrible. It's atrocious. Again, we believe that this individual that we're dealing with killed three women in a span of about 10 days. That is insane. And we know that if he had been out for one more hour there's no telling what would have happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And Alina given that how fearful is the mayor that more bodies could potentially be found?
CHO: You know, he is fearful, I have to tell you, Fredricka. In fact, the mayor says that he hopes and prays there aren't more victims, of course, but he also said, "This is a sick individual so it's entirely possible."
Right now, incredibly, we are told that about 100 community volunteers are actually scouring the area where those bodies were found. They're searching for more victims but, of course, the hope on everyone's part is that they don't find any. Fred.
WHITFIELD: Alina Cho, keep us posted. Thank you so much from New York.
All right. There could be some more dramatic moments in the Boston courtroom this week as the trial of accused mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger begins at six week, Friday. Bulger left as a witness told the tale of a young woman allegedly being strangled to death by Bulger because she had heard too much. Susan Candiotti is on the case for us in Boston.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Compelling action inside the courtroom and a stunning development outside as the case of reputed crime boss Whitey Bulger wrapped up its fifth week of testimony.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Setting their eyes on each other for the first time in nearly 20 years, ex-crime partners Whitey Bulger and Steven Phlegmy didn't hide their feelings. Phlegmy mouthing an expletive at Bulger, beginning with the word "mother."
KEVIN CULLEN, AUTHOR "WHITEY BULGER": They had their mouths washed out with soap. I mean that place sounds more like a locker room than a courtroom. But at the end of the day all of these guys are thugs and this is how thugs talk. They don't have the imagination to use anything that doesn't start with a "f" and end with a you.
CANDIOTTI: Nicknamed the rifleman. Phlegmy called his decades long relationship with Bulger strictly criminal. He also detailed their work as FBI events in some of the 19 murders included in Bulger's case. One of those murders, Deborah Davis, Phlegmy's own girlfriend. He says Bulger strangled her right in front of him. Prosecutor, "what did you do?" Phlegmy, "nothing." "Why not?" "That was the plan." The victim's brother watched in horror.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've heard it before. It brings tears to my eyes but I'm learning how to deal and fight it.
CANDIOTTI: Another drama outside the courthouse. A jogger discovering the body of alleged Bulger extortion victim Steven Rakes Wednesday. A source tells CNN authorities call the death suspicious. Rakes has been set to testify but prosecutors told him he was no longer needed to take the stand.
MICHAEL CONNOLLY, RAKES' FORMER ATTORNEY: It is tragic. It's sad. This case has had more twists and turns than the most creative novelists could come up with. So I really don't know what a motive could be.
CANDIOTTI: As for Bulger's ex-partner, Phlegmy, he is expected to face cross-examination next week before the prosecution wraps up its case. Then it's the defense's turn leading to one big question -
(on camera): do you think Whitey Bulger will take the stand?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope he does. His word went to great lengths last year to say he would take the stand but he noticeably did not say that he would in his opening statements.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: More mystery and intrigue in a case that has no shortage of either. Susan Candiotti, CNN, Boston.
WHITFIELD: Initially investigation showed no signs of foul play in the roller coaster accident in Texas at the Six Flags. Rosy Esparza died after she fell off the roller coaster. Witnesses who were riding on the Texas giant say that the victim felt her restraint wasn't secure enough. The ride is closed right now pending further investigation. We'll have more on roller coaster safety later on this hour.
A judge has set bail at $200,000 for a man accused of abusing the elderly after several men claim that he held them captive. Walter Jones was in court last night. Houston police found three malnourished men in Jones' grandmother's garage on Friday. Police say the men told officers that Jones lured them with a promise of food. But then he locked them up and took their disability and veterans checks.
Firefighters south of Los Angeles are making progress on a wildfire that's already destroyed at least six homes. The mountain fire as it's called near (INAUDIBLE) is now 49 percent contained. Thanks to mother nature slowing the flames. The fire has burned over 27,000 acres of land and an official says that he expects the fire to be fully contained by Friday.
And relief apparently on the way for people in the northeast who are enduring an unbearable heat wave. Meteorologist Jennifer Delgado has the details and look at the weather across the nation.
JENNIFER DELGADO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, there's good news to report. The heat wave is finally over across parts of the northeast. High temperatures today are going to be in the 80s. You can see for 86 for New York. Take that. 88 in Washington, D.C. and Memphis, 91. That's actually seasonal for this time of the year. But very hot, all the way out in Salt Lake City. 103 degrees. It's going to remain 100 for tomorrow, as well. So you're not going to get the cooler air in the northeast. For New York, your temperatures fall below average for Monday as well as in to Tuesday.
And then for Boston, well below average, as well, especially on Tuesday. High of 75 degrees. Now there's some rain out there today and it's going to continue for tomorrow. Some of these locations including parts of the midwest, we're talking about two to four inches of rainfall and for parts of northern Virginia, that includes Washington, D.C., we could see one to two inches of rainfall but out in the four corners, the monsoon season is in full effect and some of these locations, you can see in Arizona, we could see two or more inches of rainfall that could create problems with flooding. Of course, we had flood watches across parts of this area and that's going to continue until tomorrow.
But on a wider view for tomorrow, chance for severe storms pops up across parts of Kansas and even for the upper midwest as that frontal system tries to make the way down towards the south. More rain once again in the southeast. Some of that will be heavy. If you're looking for the sunshine, you know where to go. Pacific northwest. Back the you.
WHITFIELD: Heading west. All right. Thanks so much, Jennifer.
Hey, Phil Mickelson, he's the winner of the British Open. He shot an amazing 66 earlier today to charge through the field in the final round. This is Mickelson's fifth major title. CNN's sports anchor Rachel Nichols joining me live not from New York.
OK. He is no stranger to winning but there's something about this one that makes it extra special for him, right, Rachel?
RACHEL NICHOLS, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Absolutely. I mean it's special because it is his first British Open and tournament. He wasn't sure he could win and it was on one of the most historic, toughest golf course in the world and he played what he called one of the best rounds of golf he's ever played.
It's also special because just last month at the previous major, the U.S. Open, Phil Mickelson finished runner-up for a record sixth time and after being always the bridesmaid, never the bride at that tournament, he was very open about heart broken he was and a low he was. He's on a high after all of this. Take a listen to what he had to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHIL MICKELSON, BRITISH OPEN CHAMPION: It's a huge difference in emotions as you can imagine and being so down after the U.S. Open to come back and use it as motivation, to use it as a springboard knowing that I'm playing well and to push me a little bit extra to work harder, to come out on top in a matter of a month to turn it around really feels amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NICHOLS: And we saw those amazing pictures of Phil hugging his family, his wife Amy who very publicly battled breast cancer. So special for them to all be there with him today and really got the embrace of all of the fans and even over across the ocean because people just fall for Phil Mickelson. He's brave on the golf course and sometimes that bravery is spectacular and sometimes it is foolish. But no matter what, it is never boring. Fred, the nickname is Phil the thrill and he is certainly thrilling today.
WHITFIELD: Oh, Phil the thrill? Oh, that's sweet. You know, he looks good there, too. He looks very fit. You know, compared to previous years. I know one of the inspirations for him and a lot of other golfers has been fitness of Tiger Woods. Who by the way, you know, started the day in second place but then stuff happened. What happened?
NICHOLS: Yes. You know, he said that he had troubles reading the greens, the speed of the greens, slower actually than he expected. You seen him struggling putting there. What he didn't really talk about was his confidence and that's really been the question mark of a lot of people watching him.
He's a guy who used to win pretty much everything he touched. 14 majors. Just seemed invincible. And now it's been five years since he has won a major. He has improved in the past year. One other tournament. Looked good at times on the golf course even in majors but we had seen his scores in those majors trend worse from the beginning to the end of the tournament. And that's not something we're used to seeing with Tiger and so questions now of whether the pressure of these years since he won a major, whether that's getting to him. He doesn't seem to think so but there's no question that there will be more questions as Tiger Woods goes into the next and final major of the year. That's in just a few weeks in Rochester, New York, the PGA championship.
WHITFIELD: All right. We'll look for that. Thanks so much. Rachel Nichols, good to see you.
NICHOLS: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: All right. Stand your ground-type laws are in effect for at least 24 states but after the George Zimmerman verdict people across the country say those law have to go. Next, I'm talking to the lawmaker who wrote Florida's Stand your Ground law and that law's main opponent, as well. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: President Obama says it's time to look at Stand your Ground laws in the aftermath of the George Zimmerman verdict. Listen to what the president said Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know that there's been commentary about the fact that the Stand your Ground laws in Florida were not used as a defense in the case. On the other hand, if we're sending a message as a society in our communities that someone who is armed potentially has the right to use those firearms even if there's a way for them to exit from a situation, is that really going to be contributing to the kind of peace and security and order that we'd like to see?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So as the president said, Zimmerman's defense lawyers chose not to pursue a strategy based on Florida Stand your Ground Law but even so people think it played a part in the acquittal. Let me show you why.
Before Florida's Stand your Ground was enacted in 2005, the law said a defendant had to use all, "reasonable means to avoid danger before using force." Under current Florida law, the jurors in the Zimmerman case were told the defendant had, "no duty to retreat. Had the right to stand his ground and could meet force with force."
So I'm joined now by Dennis Baxley who serves in the Florida State House and was the sponsor of the Stand your Ground Law in Florida and Dan Gelber, a former state senator and former state prosecutor who led opposition to the bill before it was passed. Good to see both of you, gentlemen.
Dennis, let me begin with you, do you agree with the jury's verdict?
DAN GELBER, FORMER LEADER, FLORIDA STATE HOUSE: No, I don't.
DENNIS BAXLEY, FLORIDA STATE HOUSE: I trust the jury system -
WHITFIELD: Wait a minute. Yes, Dan first.
BAXLEY: OK. You want to start with Dan. OK. I'm sorry.
WHITFIELD: Go ahead.
GELBER: Thank you. I think it's pretty clear that the jury was impacted by the stand your ground law because even though they didn't use the pretrial procedure, very clearly the jury was given the Stand your Ground law. They went in to the jury room believing that there might have been guilt in the case and then they read the law which said not only no duty to retreat but there's no reasonableness in exiting the situation. So at the end of the day I think jurors said that they believed that the stand your ground law was something they relied on and given the stand your ground law which is the law in Florida right now.
WHITFIELD: And so Dennis, how did you see the verdict?
BAXLEY: Well, I didn't try to preempt. I believe in the jury system. And I believe that we had a trial and that we had to trust the verdict of that jury and to second guess them at this point I think it's inappropriate that that acquittal should be the final say.
On the other hand, I would say there is no duty to retreat if you're pinned to the ground and I think that's the defense that they showed. That they went up in that position and he made a standard self defense you can make in any place in the country. Had nothing to do with stand your ground. And that is if you are in a situation where you are going to suffer severe bodily injury and you have to act or change tactic or use your life and he was able to convince them that that's the situation that evolved.
I do think that what we have seen here is some dissatisfaction about not being able to bring a hate crime case and so they're attacking the stand your ground law and -
WHITFIELD: You think that's appropriate?
BAXLEY: This was unanimous. This was unanimous in the Senate. It was - he could only find 19 votes in the Florida House to oppose it. People, if you empower people to stop violent acts, they can, they will and they have and I think we have been safer. I just looked at an (INAUDIBLE) study this week where in this cohort of age group of 10 to 24 at 30-year study in 2010, the 30th year of the study was the lowest number of victims of that kind of violence. And so anything we can do to reduce violence, I hold -
WHITFIELD: Does it reduce violence? Because you are talking about stopping -- does it really reduce violence because you're talking about stopping violence in a violent manner and at some point someone loses that battle.
GELBER: Yes. And that's --
WHITFIELD: Violently.
BAXLEY: Stops a violent act that's in progress.
GELBER: No, no.
WHITFIELD: Go ahead, Dennis.
GELBER: Thanks. I'm Dan.
WHITFIELD: Right. I was allowing him to finish his thought before you started yours.
GELBER: Well, I got excited.
WHITFIELD: OK. BAXLEY: No. I think it's clear - I think it's clear that's what's happened is the reaction is we want to do something. A nation's grieving. The president wants to do something. He has no - professionally there's nothing there for a hate crime case. They want to do something and so they're coming against the stand your ground. Actually Stand your Ground has protected the black community from prosecution where they've had to act to stop violent acts. Thirty three percent of the stand your ground cases, they're real stand your ground cases were African-Americans.
WHITFIELD: Well then, Dan -
BAXLEY: As a matter of fact, a lot of those people would have been tried and put in jail for stopping a violent act.
WHITFIELD: So then, Dan, in your view, if that is the case what Dennis is saying, then do you continue to be an opponent of stand your ground?
GELBER: Stand your ground devalues life and gives defenses to people who ought not to get a defense. Understand something. Before the legislature passed stand your ground you could use lethal force if you reasonably thought you needed to. The only difference was that before you used lethal force, if you could receive from the scenario safely you were obliged to do that so you could always use force. You could always use deadly force if you needed to.
But all the prior law said was that if you can retreat from a escalating situation without having to kill another person, you are obliged to do that. In the Zimmerman case, by the way, Mr. Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch person who if you look at all the neighborhood watch protocols, you are only supposed to watch. You're not supposed to stalk. You're not supposed to confront. You are not supposed to throw deadly force because you're not trained in the rules of engagement.
So stand your ground has done nothing in Florida. Prior to stand your ground there were no travesties of justice that required us to pass it. All it's done is simply said if you act stupidly, if you act cravenly, and you act (INAUDIBLE) and you could have walked away from the scenario before the need to use deadly force, you are going to get the benefit of that defense because you've taken a life. And that seems to me something that people in a peaceable society ought to try to at least try to aspire to.
WHITFIELD: Dan Gelber, Dennis Baxley, thanks so much. We do understand the governor has said that he doesn't see any need to review the stand your ground law but we do know the Justice Department is being inspired in many ways that it will be reviewing the Stand your Ground Law across the country. Thank you, gentlemen, for your time today.
BAXLEY: Thank you.
GELBER: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: The man suspected of a killing three young women in Ohio idolized a serial killer. Who is this person? And what may have driven him to allegedly commit these horrible crimes? I'm talking to a criminal profiler, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Following a grizzly story out of Ohio. Police in East Cleveland have found three bodies since Friday, all women, all wrapped in plastic bags. The mayor said today there's reason to believe there could be more victims and what's even more disturbing, the man police have in custody apparently idolized serial killer Anthony Sowell. Sowell known as the Cleveland strangler is on death row for killing 11 women. He was convicted back in 2011.
I'm joined now by James Allen Fox, a professor of criminology, law and public policy at Northeastern University. James, good to see you. Does this seem, you know, at this juncture to be a clear case of copycat killer?
JAMES ALLEN FOX, NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR: It would seem so. But let's also understand that this guy already had a criminal record. He was a registered sex offender so it's not that someone else - some other serial killer can take someone who's perfectly harmless and turn them in to a serial killer. You already had somebody, he was already a predator and he would admire someone who in the same town, Cleveland, killed 11. He perhaps wanted to outdo him. What he often see cases of serial killers who are challenged to try to outdo another serial killer.
WHITFIELD: You know, and just some unusual things taking place in Cleveland in recent years whether you got the, you know, the convicted serial killer Sowell, you got this alleged case now and then you got the case of the young women who were held against their will. Are you seeing in any way a link between all of these cases, just by virtue of geography?
FOX: No. I mean - well, there is some link is that Anthony Sowell got a tremendous amount of publicity in Cleveland. Perhaps, you know, some publicity elsewhere. But for this particular guy, for Madison, he could get inspired by Anthony Sowell because Anthony Sowell was all over the news in Cleveland. Now there's nothing special about Cleveland. Bad things sometimes happen in threes and here it certainly did but there's nothing particularly wrong in Cleveland, it's just coincidence to some extent that they all happened there.
But this inspiration that Madison may have gotten from Sowell is because they're both black, similar age, the victims were similar age, black females. And you also have a guy who hasn't distinguish himself in any way except through murder and they oftentimes feel proud of what they have done and try to outdo other serial killers and brag. I had one Canadian serial killer brag to me "I'm much more important, much bigger than Charles Manson."
WHITFIELD: And we have multiple murders it appears or at least three bodies found. Does that in and of itself constitute the hallmarks of a serial killer? FOX: Well, serial killer is someone who killed at least three people over a period of time. These women seem to have been killed over the past seven to 10 days. It is a serial killing case and if this guy Madison is accurate in what he's suggesting, there may be more victims out there. What's unfortunate is that how often serial killers are able to get away with these sorts of crimes, particularly when the victims are black female. We as a society tend to marginalize victims of that sort and serial killers oftentimes prey on them without attention by the community.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Sad details on that. All right. Looks like we lost that satellite shot. James Allen Fox joining us there.
All right. A Norwegian woman sentenced to prison in the United Arab Emirates after reporting that she had been raped. She sat down with CNN to tell her story and we'll hear from her next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A Norwegian woman has been sentenced to prison in the United Arab Emirates after reporting that she had been raped. She told her story to CNN Jomana Karadsheh.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Twenty four year-old Marte Deborah Dalelv is a convicted criminal in the United Arab Emirates. She's just been sentenced to 16 months in prison after reporting to police she had been raped by a colleague in a Dubai hotel during a business trip in March.
MARTE DEBORAH DALELV, NORWEGIAN NATIONAL: I got to the police station. I told them my story and then he asked me when -- when I was done, he said, did you call the police because you didn't like it? And I said, of course I didn't like it. But that's also when I understood they don't believe me.
KARADSHEH: Dalelv claims to have been held with no charge or contact with the outside world. Four days later, she found out she was charged with having unlawful sex. Sex outside of marriage is banned in the UAE. On July 16th, she was sentenced to 12 months for that crime in addition to jail time for alcohol consumption. She says she was advised to say the sex was voluntary in order to get the charges dropped but when she did, police added a charge of making a false statement. UAE authorities have not responded to CNN's repeated request for comment. The Norwegian Embassy secured her bail. She's been staying at this Norwegian community center in Dubai during the court proceedings but it hasn't been easy.
DALELV: The first couple of months it was really, really hard. I tried to just sleep. I just didn't want to be awake. I locked myself in an apartment, closed the windows. I didn't want to talk to anybody. I wanted to be left alone.
KARADSHEH: Dalelv had been working for Al Mana in Qatar for two years as a designer for Al Mana Interior's owned by a Qatari billionaire and husband of American pop star Janet Jackson. The company fired both Dalelv and her alleged rapist in April who according to Dalelv was also convicted of unlawful sex and alcohol consumption.
It is unclear if he has been charged with rape. In a statement emailed to CNN, the company expressed its sympathy towards Dalelv in what it described as a very difficult situation denying that the alleged rape had anything to do with the termination of her contract.
This isn't an isolated incident, similar cases have been reported over the past few years and human rights groups have criticized the UAE for its handling of accusations of sexual violence against women, going as far as saying the country condones this. They boast an image of a westernized cosmopolitan city with a larger population then local ones, its strict Islamic law and code of conduct still prevails. Many countries warn their citizens who plan to visit.
Dalelv who has only spoken up publicly since her conviction says support from Norway and from all over the world has been overwhelming. With tens of thousands joining a facebook support page and diplomatic efforts by the Norwegian government. But for Dalelv, it is hard to be optimistic.
DALELV: I don't dare to hope for anything so at least I hope -- I hope that they reduce my punishment. I don't want to go back to jail.
KARADSHEH: Dalelv will be appealing her sentence on September the 5th.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Dubai, the UAE.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Actress Lucy Liu is on a mission to help Syrian children in her role as a UNICEF ambassador. It's this week's "Impact your World."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCY LIU, ACTRESS: Hi, I'm Lucy Lui and we can make an impact for Syrian children. Syria is in a terrible situation right now. There's civil war going on that is creating absolute pandemonium and people are fleeing in to Lebanon, into Jordan, into Iraq. Six million people have been displaced and half of them are children. These children are suffering, they have lice and scabies and they have lost family. They can't go to school, they're not getting the medical attention they need, and they are not getting the nutrition they need.
There's going to be a lost generation of children if this continues. Children deserve to have a childhood. What happens on the other side of the world isn't just their business. It is our business because we share the same water. We share the same environment. If we understand that, we are actually one community. Then it makes the world so much smaller, much more tangible for people to understand. UNICEF is desperate for donations for Syria. It is our duty as human beings to give back. Join the movement. "Impact your World." CNN.com/impact.
(END VIDEOTAPE) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We're learning more about the Boston bombing suspect who was killed and an alleged link to a triple murder nearly a year and a half before the Boston attack. A Boston gym owner says he knew Tamerlan Tsarnaev and several of the key players in both crimes. He sat down with our national correspondent Deborah Feyerick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: With the terror attack on Boston three people in John Allen's world were about to collide. Three people who trained in boxing and mixed martial arts. All three are now dead. And key among them is bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Seen working out at Allan's Wal Kru Gym days before the attack. Were you surprised at his demeanor 72 hours before those bombs went off?
JOHN ALLAN, OWNER, WAL KRU MIXED MARTIAL ARTS CENTER: Unbelievable. Just him entering the ring. I mean, you know, like jumping over both legs, feet at his shoulder height.
FEYERICK: Right.
ALLAN: Clearing the ring, hopping in, jumping rope. Like, yes, he was on top of the world.
FEYERICK: Allan trained both Tsarnaev and another Russian speaker Ibragim Todashev.
ALLAN: There were a few times that Ibragim and Tamerlan prayed to Mecca in the gym which wasn't abnormal for Ibrahim to do it because he did it from day one, but it was abnormal for Tamerlan.
FEYERICK: So they were getting closer?
ALLAN: It seemed so, yes.
FEYERICK: Allan says they Todashev and Tsarnaev trained together in 2011. That same year, Tsarnaev's friend Brendan Mess who also trained at the gym was murdered in a near beheading along with two pals. Tsarnaev was never interviewed by state troopers in connection with his friend's murder or the murder of the other two victims Erik Weissman and Raphael Teken.
Did Tamerlan ever tell you that police had come to speak to him that what he knew about --
ALLAN: No.
FEYERICK: About anything?
ALLAN: No. You know, I mean, around here they call it -- we call it NHI.
FEYERICK: Which is?
ALLAN: No humans involved.
FEYERICK: OK. Which means?
ALLAN: There were three drug dealers that were murdered over drugs and money.
FEYERICK: That at least was the perception. Even though only one of the victims faced drug-related charges. Shortly after the murders, Todashev moved to Florida. Tamerlan Tsarnsev left Boston and traveled to Dagestan where it's believed he became radicalized. Was it weird to you that Tsarnsev disappeared after those murders?
ALLAN: No. Because we had been in serious dialogue about him becoming a professional boxer. He was disillusioned and he was very hesitant to do it.
FEYERICK: Allan says he gave FBI agents Todashev's name, Todashev was shot by an FBI agent after allegedly implicating himself in the murders. What questions do you have over the death of Ibragim?
ALLAN: I think everybody has questions. That's a bizarre story and situation. It's very hard to believe.
FEYERICK: A seemingly bizarre coincidence of two unthinkable crimes and a cast of characters all connected to Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his days of working out at a Boston gym.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Boston, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The Middlesex district attorney's office which headed the investigation in to the triple murder case says it conducted a thorough investigation from the start which is active and ongoing. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Millions of people around the world are waiting and wondering when the duchess of Cambridge will have her baby and Queen Elizabeth, well apparently she is among them. She is scheduled to leave on vacation to Scotland in just five days and she's made it very clear that she would like the baby to be born before she leaves.
CNN royal commentator Victoria Arbiter joins us live now from New York. Victoria good to see you. What's the likelihood the queen would actually leave on her vacation, you know, before this baby is born which could be any day, any moment now? Is she kidding?
VICTORIA ARBITER, CNN ROYAL COMMENTATOR: Well the queen's plans are firmly in place. Yes, she will definitely be leaving at the end of this week. There's a lot of organization and preparation that goes in to not just the queen leaving but also her court so we're certainly hoping there will be a baby before she goes and in the same way of Princess Beatrix was born, her birthday was August 8. 1988. The queen was already in Belmar at that time so no royal plans do not change business as usual. Hopefully we'll have a baby first.
WHITFIELD: Wow. You have to wonder if just for the sake of being, you know, serene and calm if perhaps, you know, any protections are in place for the duchess to not hear all the media attention, to not hear all the hype so that she can go in to this as stress free as possible. Would they be shielding her in my way from kind of all of this talk about her?
ARBITER: I think it's probably quite difficult to miss all this talk. There's a huge media presence, not just across London but also outside the hospital where Kate was born and also there has been a large press presence in Bucklebury. International media going down there to give their view with a look at Kate's hometown. So I think it would be impossible to miss.
But having said that, Kate is very good about shutting out the media invasion of her life. William and Harry tend to look at, read everything. They pay very close attention to what's being said. Kate doesn't. I think she's very sensible and it is probably serving her well right now.
WHITFIELD: Wow. What a pretty expectant mom. You look at all these pictures. I feel like some of the images I'm seeing first time she looks good throughout even knowing at the very beginning she had a terrible bout with morning sickness. What do you know about the whole protocol about delivery? In terms of where she will be whisked off and what point will she be sent to one of the couple of hospitals she could end up in?
ARBITER: The palace, they give you as much information as they believe you need to know. That happens anytime a royal goes into the hospital. They don't give the nitty-gritty specifics but we'll be told once she is safely in her room. We won't be told Kate's in labor, royals don't labor. She will be just in her room. Then there will be a baby at which point we will see a royal aide walk out of the front doors of the hospital carrying the announcement with all the news and a police escort to Buckingham Palace where it can be placed on an easel and we will all find out at the same time.
But really in terms of when Kate's going to go to hospital, that continues to be the million-dollar question and I find it quite extraordinarily that we don't know where she is. She is believed to be at Kensington Palace but given the number of people watching out for them, she hasn't been seen coming or going. Kate is managing really to give us the slip very well.
WHITFIELD: Well, she's looking dashing throughout but who would expect otherwise? Victoria Arbiter, thank you so much from New York. Appreciate it.
ARBITER: Thank you very much.
WHITFIELD: And here's another programming note. Its guest host week on "Piers Morgan Live." Matthew Perry, actually filling in for Piers and will be interviewing -- Matthew Perry will be interviewing his former "Friends" costar Lisa Kudrow and he will also be sharing his struggles with addiction. That is Monday night, 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN and they too will probably talking about all the royal baby madness.
More after this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA FITZPATRICK: A typical week for a child in Central City is that you will see at least one dead body. There was a shooting here. I was just noticing they haven't cleaned up the blood. Five-year-olds who have been in two shootings. Sixteen-year-olds with colostomy bags. I didn't want it to be normal anymore. I just decided I had to do something. My name is Lisa Fitzpatrick and my mission is to teach conflict resolution skills to the children of New Orleans so they can avoid violence and stay alive.
I love New Orleans for its sense of community. But there's an undercurrent of hopelessness.
Who can tell me what their sign says?
(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): Peacemakers.
FITZPATRICK: Everything we do here is to build positive social relationships. Our motto is reconciliation, never retaliation.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I was on the verge of getting ready to seriously hurt somebody. But Miss Lisa stopped us. She definitely taught me to be able to control myself.
FITZPATRICK: One of the things that makes us unique is our peer mentoring empowering our young men and women to be the messenger.
(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): When I come here, I'm like a big brother. The way Miss Lisa influenced me is the same way I feel like I'm influencing them.
FITZPATRICK: The successes are not necessarily going to Harvard or getting out of the neighborhood.
Full trash bags. Love it.
But when that kid comes back and makes a conscious effort to spread the message of nonviolence, that's the success.
I love you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look what's happening in the week ahead now. On Monday, a benefit concert for 19 elite firefighters who lost their lives in an Arizona wildfire last month. Proceeds from the event called Country Cares will go to the families of the squad known as the Arizona Hotshots. On Tuesday, President Obama welcomes the Louisville Cardinals to the White House. The men's basketball team one this year's NCAA championship expected to attend, player Kevin Ware who sustained a severe leg injury during a game leading up to the finals.
Wednesday, ex-NFL star Aaron Hernandez heads back to court. The former new England Patriots is accused of killing his friend last month. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty to murder.
And Ozzie Osbourne fans get ready. On Thursday, Black Sabbath hits the road. The rock back will kick off the North American leg of its reunion tour in Texas.
Finally, Friday, Happy Birthday to rock legend Mick Jagger. The lead singer of the Rolling Stones celebrates his 70th birthday.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks for being with me in THE NEWS ROOM, I'm Fredericka Whitfield. Much more of the news is straight ahead with my colleague Don Lemon. Hey Don.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Fred, don't go. Come on.
WHITFIELD: OK. I'll hang out.
LEMON: All right. Hang out. I know it is your Friday. So enjoy. Have a great weekend. OK.
WHITFIELD: All right. You, too.
LEMON: Always a pleasure.
