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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Hot Topic, Cold Beer; Jackson Doctor Search Warrant Details; Violent Protests in Iran; Convicted by a Canine
Aired July 30, 2009 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: So, we're following some breaking news in the Michael Jackson case, and only 360's Randi Kaye has it. Clues found at the Las Vegas properties of Conrad Murray, Jackson's doctor, clues to how Jackson obtained his drugs and some of the names he used.
Let's quickly check in with Randi for a preview. What do you have?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Anderson. Inside the search warrants that we have from the searches of Dr. Conrad Murray's clinic and home in Las Vegas is a major piece of news.
As you know, Dr. Murray is Jackson's personal physician who was at his home when he stopped breathing. For the first time, we see in the warrants, in writing, that authorities are looking for evidence related to Propofol or Diprivan. That's the powerful sedative authorities believe killed Michael Jackson.
We know from a source that Dr. Murray gave him that drug within 24 hours of his death. We'll tell you if they found it and we'll also let you know why they may have been looking for drugs in the name of Michael Jackson's son, Prince.
How many aliases was he allegedly using to get drugs? We'll tell you, all the details on that, Anderson and what was seized as evidence, coming up in just a few minutes.
COOPER: All right, Randi on that.
Beer at the White House, or some are calling it "ale to the chief" or "the audacity of hops." The president, the professor and the policeman just a few guys with cold beers on a hot day with about four zillion cameras and a national controversy for company.
All of this, two weeks the day after Cambridge police Sergeant James Crowley arrested Harvard's Henry Louis Gates Jr. at his home. Then President Obama weighed in, talk radio erupted, the president made some calls, Sergeant Crowley suggested a beer and here we are.
But that's not all, not by a long shot. Candy Crowley has the "Raw Politics."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a humid summer night beneath a magnolia tree just off the Rose Garden, the vice president, the president, the black professor and the white policeman who arrested him had a beer together.
SGT. JAMES CROWLEY, CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT: There was no tension, no tension.
C. CROWLEY: Apparently it did go well. The president called it a friendly, thoughtful conversation. And you'll never guess what, Sergeant James Crowley says he and Professor Henry Louis Gates are planning their next meeting.
J. CROWLEY: I would like not only to discuss but I'd also like to listen to Professor Gates's perspective. And certainly he has the credentials to enlighten me a little bit. And I think that perhaps the professor, as he expressed to me, has the willingness to listen to me to what my perspective is as a police officer.
C. CROWLEY: Heads of state have come away from the White House with a lot less, but do not call this a beer summit.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is a clever term, but this is not a summit, guys. This is three folks having a drink at the end of the day and hopefully giving people an opportunity to listen to each other. And that's really all it is.
C. CROWLEY: Not exactly all. It is also the president's attempt to get out from under headlines he helped write.
It was a rather routine cop call on a possible break-in at a home in Cambridge. It turned into a national Rorschach test on racial profiling and relations between police and minority communities. The story was elevated and propelled by five words at a presidential news conference.
OBAMA: The Cambridge police acted stupidly.
C. CROWLEY: It fueled the fire and knocked the president's health care message off the front pages. The President had to explain, re-explain, call Sergeant Crowley to personally explain and then invited both Crowley and Gates to the White House.
Now, the professor and the cop are working out details of their next meeting.
J. CROWLEY: I think meeting at a bar for a beer on a second occasion is going to send the wrong message, so maybe Kool-Aid or iced tea or something like that.
C. CROWLEY: The President is dying to get back to his agenda and put Cambridge on the back page.
OBAMA: I would be surprised if you guys all make this the lead as opposed to a very important meeting that we just had with one of our most important partners in the world. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Candy, Professor Gates also issued a statement tonight. What can you tell us about that?
C. CROWLEY: He did, just a couple of hours ago. And he put it on root.com. He's the editor-in-chief.
Professor Gates wrote, "It is incumbent upon Sergeant Crowley and me to utilize the great opportunity that fate has given us to foster greater sympathy among the American public for the daily perils of policing on the one hand and for the genuine fears of racial profiling on the other hand."
Which is, Anderson, remarkably, like what Sergeant Crowley said. So, they did actually come away with what looks like at least a preliminary meeting of the minds.
COOPER: And there's going to be another meeting to come.
Candy, stick around. Before we dig any deeper, I do want to play more -- a bit more of what Sergeant Crowley said after the meeting in his own words. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J. CROWLEY: Well, I think what you had today was two gentlemen agree to disagree on a particular issue. I don't think that we spent too much time dwelling on the past. We spent a lot of time discussing the future.
But the professor and I encountered each other while we were both on individual tours of the White House. And the professor approached me and introduced his family. I introduced my family. And then we continued on with the tour but as a group. Two families moving together and that was the start. So, it was very cordial.
It was a private discussion, it was a frank discussion. I'd rather not go into the specifics of what we discussed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did the president make any contributions to the discussion?
J. CROWLEY: He provided the beer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's pretty much it?
J. CROWLEY: He contributed in a small part but he really wanted to bring two people together to try to solve not only a local issue in Cambridge but also what has become a national issue.
I've gotten phone calls, e-mails, letters, things in the mail from the men and women of the police department, and I think this has brought us closer together as a law enforcement family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How has your perspective changed? J. CROWLEY: He's a very interesting man.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A very interesting man in what way?
J. CROWLEY: He's just a regular person, sitting around the table, having a discussion about an issue, and he just was very cordial. I respect the man a great deal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was there tension or could you guys sort of you know...
J. CROWLEY: There was no tension.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No tension.
J. CROWLEY: No tension.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Could you joke around and have an ordinary conversation?
J. CROWLEY: We did...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or was it business?
J. CROWLEY: ... it was both.
It was business but discussing it like two gentlemen instead of fighting it out either in a physical sense or in the mental sense in the court of public opinion. So, it was very productive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Sergeant Crowley in his own words.
President Obama calls this a teachable moment. It certainly is a talkable one. You can join the live chat now under way at AC360.com. I'm about to log on myself. We'll continue the discussion right here after the break.
Also, the rest of what Randi Kaye has uncovered about Michael Jackson's apparently massive prescription drug habit.
And in Iran, major new protests caught on tape, inspired by the killing of that young woman, Neda, whose death is now galvanizing the protest movement. These people are risking their lives to have their voices heard.
And the innocent man who went to prison largely on the evidence of a dog's supposedly infallible nose.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Well, after wading into the Gates-Crowley arrest controversy, then dialing it back, then agreeing to a sit-down at the White House, President Obama was doing more than playing friendly bartender today. He was doing political damage control. A poll by the Pew Foundation showing just 29 percent approval for the way Mr. Obama was handling this before today's get-together, 41 percent disapproval.
"Digging Deeper" now, let's bring back Candy Crowley and bring in to the conversation Professor Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University.
So, Candy, the -- the president says this get-together basically went well, served its purpose. As far as the White House is concerned -- or perhaps as far as they hope -- is this thing over?
C. CROWLEY: I think it's the latter. As far as they hope, this thing has moved on, as far as they're concerned.
What they wanted to do was sort of launch Gates and Crowley off into their own universe and then move on, because, at this point, the president, despite all of the calls for having sort of national forums on race and racial profiling, he just -- you know, we have the economy out there. We have health care out there.
And they really have been knocked off their message since he jumped into it in the news conference.
COOPER: Professor Watkins -- and there's no doubt the president wants to move on to something else. It's kind of weird that for a guy who talked about a national conversation about race, this is kind of the only mention we've had of it.
PROF. BOYCE WATKINS, PROFESSOR, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: Yes, I think that President Obama is being a smart politician by moving on beyond this issue. This is not the kind of problem that's going to be solved in one election cycle.
We've got to realize that -- this is almost like going to the Middle East and getting -- obtaining peace in a very short amount of time. You know, when you look at the situation, what has to happen, in my opinion, is that this has to be taken up by the people.
We have to help the president. We have to create what I would say -- what I would call the arc, build our arc -- the A-R-C, the American racial conversation. And that's where we force ourselves to have those uncomfortable discussions in which those discussions are laced with forgiveness, empathy, love and the ability to listen.
And what I encourage people to do is to stop for a second and try to see if you can understand the other perspective. If you support Sergeant Crowley, try to see if you can understand why somebody might support Professor Gates. And then, if you can't understand that, then talk to somebody and ask them to explain why they support Professor Gates.
And then on the other side, I think people should do the same thing because if we don't have that dialogue and that desire to understand, then we would never going get past this problem.
COOPER: And it's also key on any debate I think to walk in someone's else's shoes.
Candy, has the White House learned a political lesson from all this, the president?
C. CROWLEY: Well, what is interesting to me about this is that President Obama is probably the most verbally careful candidate or president I have ever covered. This is a man who thinks about words even as he is about to say them.
And that he said this at this news conference and it caused -- just sort of fed into this story and divided people again on whether he should or should not have said it, really was kind of amazing to me that he would do it.
And I think part of that is when you get relaxed, which he clearly is, when he gives news conferences, he gives a number of them. And he's very good at the back and forth. And a lot of people that I talked to afterwards and I said what is -- what is the deal here?
Now, these are outside the White House people. They said to me, I think the president seems distracted. They thought he seemed distracted by health care.
Remember, this was about the time where you were looking at House conservative Democrats thinking that they were going to unravel health care and the White House was trying to figure that out. And they felt that the president seemed distracted.
I guess the key here is to concentrate on every question. And move on. Because it was really very, very odd for this particular president to say something that would be so controversial. He just doesn't do that very often.
COOPER: Yes, particularly on the subject of race. He's avoided that in the past, as president.
It's interesting though, professor, I want to read a portion of a message that CNN obtained from Sergeant Leon Lashley. He's the African-American Cambridge police officer who came on the scene later, supported, said that he supported Crowley 100 percent. Although, when he was on this show, he said had he arrived on the scene first, things would have ended up differently.
But he spoke out in support of Crowley. And I guess he's gotten a lot of pushback on that. He says, quote, "I have become known at least to some, as an Uncle Tom. I'm forced to ponder the notion that as a result of speaking the truth and coming to the defense of a friend and colleague, who just happens to be white, that I have somehow betrayed my heritage."
Are you surprised that he's facing that kind of criticism?
WATKINS: No, I'm not surprised. I've gotten hundreds of e-mails to the same effect. And these e-mails...
COOPER: Is that about him? WATKINS: No, not about him but the accusation of being an Uncle Tom.
COOPER: I see.
WATKINS: Because people are sort of used to me fighting for race. I mean, they've seen me do that. But one thing I absolutely refused to do was to take sides without knowing all the facts.
COOPER: So, people then say that about you because of the positions you've been taking?
WATKINS: Yes, absolutely.
But you know what, for every person that has something negative to say, there are other people who have something positive to say. And one thing that I believe in, Anderson, is the goodness of the American people.
And I know about the goodness of black American people as well. I mean, we're Christian people. And we want to do the right thing. And so I think that what I would encourage this officer to do is to look deeper than himself and ask himself, is your commitment to the blue line overriding your commitment to fairness? Because we know that it is quite possible that there are some officers who are so committed to the blue line that they can look past the indiscretions of their colleagues.
And I've been around cops a long time. My dad was a cop for 25 years. So I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. And one of the things I'm absolutely positively here to say, is that not every cop is a bad person, not every cop is corrupt.
So when see something like this happened, you've got to find out the facts. And then if the facts don't align with what your perception of the situation is, then you've got to sort of think that through and then make your own decision. Don't let anybody think for you.
COOPER: Professor Boyce Watkins, I enjoy having you on. Again, thank you very much. And Candy Crowley as well, great -- thank you.
There's a lot more online at AC360.com, right now the live chat. And a blog posting from senior political analyst, David Gergen who's seen these kinds of photo-ops from the inside of the White House; he's writing tonight about President Obama's hope to turn this one into a teachable moment. That's online right now.
Coming up, the clues police think they uncovered when they searched Michael Jackson's doctor's home and office. Names, aliases -- and he had a lot of them -- and how many other doctors they could be looking into.
And later, the German shepherd whose nose said a man was a murderer. Decades later, DNA says otherwise. We investigate.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Just ahead, a police dog whose handler passed him off as a foolproof tracking machine. It was all a lie.
His so-called super nose helped put at least one innocent man behind bars for a long time. I'll show you how the truth ultimately came out.
But first, Erica Hill joins us with the "360 Bulletin" -- Erica.
ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, in southern Afghanistan today, an American dead in a firefight with insurgents. Nearly 700 U.S. troops have died in the region since 2001. U.S. and British officials say -- just this week they remain committed to staying in Afghanistan, despite rising casualties and also declining support for the war there.
Jury deliberations beginning today in the corruption trial of former Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson; he's accused of using his office to solicit and receive more than $500,000 in bribes for himself and his family. This may ring a bell. In June of 2007, federal agents filed charges after finding some $90,000 in his freezer. Jefferson says he is innocent.
Another big day for Wall Street: all three major indices posting gains, the DOW up 83 points for its highest close since November. Better-than-expected earnings reports and a somewhat improving jobs picture credited for the climb.
And say hello to Muffy, another lucky dog for you this week. She's so stinking (ph) cute. She vanished from her family's house in Brisbane, Australia nine years ago but recently was found alive and well 1,200 miles away in Melbourne. Inspectors investigating a possible case of animal cruelty found Muffy sleeping on a scrap of cardboard in a backyard. A microchip in Muffy's neck led him to her owner.
COOPER: Wow, it's amazing.
HILL: ... and they will be reunited.
COOPER: Nine years.
HILL: Isn't she sweet?
COOPER: She's a cute looking dog.
HILL: Muffy.
COOPER: All right.
Well, still ahead away of the breaking news in the Michael Jackson's story. We're going to "Dig Deeper" in the search warrants investigators served at Dr. Conrad Murray's home and office. They are full of clues about the case investigators may be building. What they found is frankly stunning. Also, if the Iranian government thought the uprising was over, it thought wrong. We'll bring you the latest on a massive new outpouring when 360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: More now on our breaking story: Randi Kaye has obtained a copy of the search warrant investigators served two days ago when they searched the Las Vegas home and office of Michael Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray.
So, it spells out what they were looking for and what they took. Randi what -- joins us now from Los Angeles -- what surprises you most about what they found at Dr. Murray's properties?
KAYE: There's a lot of surprising information in here, Anderson. The search warrant says that they were looking for evidence quote, "demonstrating crimes of excessive prescribing and prescribing to an addict; also evidence of manslaughter."
Now, the addict's in this case is apparently, Michael Jackson. The search warrant says, authorities were looking for medications that were administered and prescribed including the powerful sedative Diprivan, which authorities believe killed Michael Jackson.
The warrants say investigators were specifically looking for shipping orders, records relating to the purchase, transfer, receiving, ordering, delivery and storage of Diprivan or Propofol, as it's also called.
That's a big deal since the whole investigation seems to focus on that drug. I could tell you what they took five hard drive images, one hard drive, paperwork, records from two cell phones and the doctor's iPhone.
Now, the key of evidence they took that really stands out for me, is a CD with the name Omar Arnold on it. I confirmed tonight with a source close to the investigation that Michael Jackson used the name Omar Arnold as an alias to obtain prescription drugs and to get procedures done without people knowing about them.
So now Anderson, we know that he used that name and we know a CD with that name was taken from Dr. Murray's clinic in Las Vegas.
COOPER: So, is Omar Arnold the only alias that he seems to be using? I mean, I'm assuming he had a lot more.
KAYE: He certainly did. The search warrant shows that authorities believe Michael Jackson was using 19 aliases in all. They were looking for prescriptions, actually, written in all of those names which include the name of his personal chef, Kai Chase, and even his own son, Prince Jackson.
The chef told Larry King tonight that she didn't know anyone was using her name. Well, Dr. Murray's attorney still says that he's a witness and has not been named as a suspect. The search warrant also mentions by the way seven other doctors that may have had correspondence to it or written prescriptions for Michael Jackson and any of his aliases.
So it seems, Anderson, that they're trying to match up Michael Jackson, names he used with doctors they are looking at. Those mentioned in the search warrant include, I should tell you, Dr. Murray, Jackson's longtime dermatologist Dr. Arnold Klein and five other doctors that we haven't even reported on.
The warrant also says they're looking for correspondence between Jackson and Cherilyn Lee. That name, of course, is familiar. She's a former nurse who told us right here on 360 that Jackson begged her for Propofol, a sedative, so he could sleep.
COOPER: So, even though it seems the investigation zeroing in on Dr. Murray, you've learned authorities are still collecting medical records elsewhere, right?
KAYE: Absolutely. I spoke to a source with knowledge of the autopsy and the investigation tonight and he told me they're still issuing subpoenas for records, still visiting doctors' offices. In fact, he told me that just this week investigators seized records he says are related to the investigation from a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills.
That doctor is in the same building it turns out as Jackson's long-time dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein who we also know had his medical records subpoenaed. Our source told us long ago that Dr. Klein was on this list of doctors being looked at. So Dr. Klein who told CNN he is not on that list and that he never gave Michael Jackson anything more dangerous than the drug Demerol.
COOPER: Well, the other big development today is the custody deal between Katherine Jackson and Michael Jackson's ex-wife. It seems he'll get -- I guess his wish for -- who's going to raise the kids, right?
KAYE: It seems that way. Katherine Jackson as you know was named as the guardian in her son's will. He wanted her to raise them and have custody. But for weeks now there's been all this talk about whether Debbie Rowe, Jackson's ex-wife, will seek custody.
We're talking about of course Michael Jackson's two oldest children, those Debbie Rowe gave birth to. Well tonight, word of an agreement, Katherine Jackson will retain custody; Debbie Rowe will have visitation rights. And this custody agreement will, of course, be presented to a judge Monday for final approval.
But the timing and the frequency of visitation will be determined by a child psychologist. The fees for that psychologist I'm told will be split by both parties.
And speaking of money, we should point out, that when Debbie Rowe gave Michael Jackson full custody of the children when the divorce was final years ago; in return she got paid $8.5 million. That was the settlement.
Now, in this case, I'm told no money was exchanged as part of the custody deal. This was a separate deal from the divorce agreement between Jackson and Rowe from years ago. So as far as we're being told Anderson, Debbie Rowe did not sell her children as some had actually accused her of doing.
COOPER: All right, comforting thought, I guess.
Randi thanks very much.
Let's dig deeper with senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
So, what do you make of this, that the search warrant said they were looking for infractions, including prescribing to an addict?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR ANALYST: Well, I think it underlies how complex this investigation is, because the key thing to remember about Dr. Murray is that he was only Michael Jackson's doctor for about two months.
COOPER: Right. He was like the -- the hired gun just brought in to shepherd him through this concert.
TOOBIN: Get him ready for this tour...
COOPER: Right.
TOOBIN: ... and take him through the tour.
But this warrant suggests that Michael Jackson has an immensely complicated pharmaceutical history and is -- was, in fact, an addict. So, the issue of how he got drugs, from whom he got drugs, where -- when he was using, what he was using; authorities are going to have to figure that out before they charge Murray with doing anything wrong.
COOPER: But in California, my understanding is giving drugs to an addict is an offense.
TOOBIN: It is -- it can be an offense.
COOPER: If you know they're an addict.
TOOBIN: If you know they're an addict, and you think the drugs are furthering the addiction. It's a very hard crime to prove. It's very rarely prosecuted.
COOPER: The fact that he was using 19 aliases, even his son's name, to -- to get drugs, it's interesting, because, all along, we have heard that Michael Jackson was this great parent.
I mean, in reality, how great a parent can you be, if you're popping dozens of Xanax a night? I mean, I -- and I don't mean that, you know, fliply against Michael Jackson.
But, clearly, this -- if this guy is an addict, you know, he -- there wasn't a lot of parenting could be going on.
TOOBIN: Well, I don't know if there was much parenting going on.
But this is how addicts are. They do anything to get drugs. They lie to people. They use their relatives. They use their friends. They sometimes steal money. Now, Michael Jackson seems to have plenty of money. He didn't have to steal any money.
But, again, the fact that they are essentially saying Michael Jackson was an addict makes the prosecution of anybody harder, because it suggests that Jackson himself was the big initiator of getting all these drugs.
COOPER: Do you believe that no money -- in this deal between Katherine Jackson and Debbie Rowe, do you believe that no money really exchanged hands?
TOOBIN: That certainly jumped out at me as peculiar, because -- given...
COOPER: Yes.
TOOBIN: ... given the history there and given the nature of the relationship...
COOPER: And she had complained that she didn't get all the money from the settlement they were supposed to have long ago.
TOOBIN: Right.
And the other thing that was very odd about the settlement is the fact that visitation will be -- will be...
COOPER: Determined...
TOOBIN: ... determined by a psychologist hired. I mean, most people who have custody issues, they work it out between themselves. The fact that they had to hire a psychologist to handle it suggests that there's still a lot of animosity there, and we probably haven't heard the last of that dispute.
COOPER: There's -- it's -- also, there's been the question of Joe Jackson's presence in the kids' lives. And Katherine's lawyer this morning said that it's a non-issue, because, basically, Joe Jackson doesn't live in L.A. I mean, in reality, he lives in Las Vegas. She lives in -- in California.
Does that really settle it, though? Because, I mean, publicly, at least, in the mumblings of Joe Jackson, he's talked about him raising these kids, along with Katherine Jackson.
TOOBIN: And Debbie Rowe's lawyers have used as a -- at least a negotiating ploy their interest in keeping Joe Jackson away from her two children because of his history, according to Michael, of abusing his children. It doesn't sound like that issue was fully dealt with in this -- in this dispute. It may simply have been a negotiating tactic that Debbie Rowe's people actually don't care much about. And it may be that -- that Joe Jackson is not really involved with these kids much at all.
COOPER: I mean, it doesn't seem like Joe Jackson has been -- he certainly doesn't seem to know much about these kids or really exhibit much interest in these kids.
TOOBIN: Well, certainly, if you ask Joe Jackson, you will get a confusing answer.
COOPER: That is true.
That's actually what have I've gleaned from his public mumblings.
TOOBIN: Yes.
COOPER: It's hard to actually know, unless you get a full transcript.
All right, Jeff Toobin, appreciate it.
TOOBIN: OK.
COOPER: Thanks.
Child custody is almost always, of course, painful, sometimes very ugly, especially when the famous are involved. You can go right now to AC360.com for an interactive guide to other celebrity custody battles.
So, were doctors fueling Jackson's dangerous addiction? Certainly seems they were. Tomorrow night, Joe Johns, "Keeping Them Honest." He shows us how easy it is to get prescription narcotics -- Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, South Florida has been called the painkiller capital of the U.S. People come here from all over the east to buy large quantities of highly addictive drugs.
I spoke with one man who was arrested today who says he injects 25 to 30 painkillers every day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm addicted to drugs.
JOHNS: We came here to Broward County, Florida, to take a closer look at what police are calling the next big problem, which some say is already here -- Anderson.
COOPER: All right. That's tomorrow night. Don't miss Joe's "Keeping Them Honest" investigation on the program.
So you want to weigh in on that story we're covering tonight? Join the live chat, happening now at AC360.com. I apologize before; we had a little computer problem linking up, and now it's all there. The conversation's underway. I'm about to log on.
Up next, violent new clashes in Iran, thousands paying tribute to Neda, the young woman shot dead after the election. And they are met with brutal force from the regime. Video of the unrest and more coming up.
And later, convicted of murder because of a dog. Did a German shepherd really lead police to the killer? Or was it just a scam by the trainer? The story, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: In Iran, a day of mourning and defiance as thousands risked their lives to honor those killed after the presidential election. This is video from one of today's massive protests that shows an armed policeman repeatedly striking a man in the head with a baton. You see the guy trying to fight back. Extraordinary images, these.
There were also reports security forces used tear gas on the crowds.
One of the largest demonstrations was held here at a Tehran cemetery at the gravesite of a woman whose death has become a symbol of the struggle. Her name, of course, is Neda.
It was exactly 40 days ago that she was shot to death in the wake of a disputed election, her brutal killing broadcast around the world, caught on these grainy amateur video.
The image, an iconic image of the unrest.
There are reports that two opposition leaders tried to address the masses at the ceremony today, but the riot police prevented them from speaking. An extraordinary day in Iran.
Abbas Milani is the director of Iranian studies at Stanford University. He joins us now.
Abbas, today's event was supposed to mark the 40th day since Neda's death. Why was today's event so worrisome to the regime that they brutally cracked down like this?
ABBAS MILANI, DIRECTOR OF IRANIAN STUDIES, STANFORD UNIVERSITY: Because the regime has become increasingly worried about a show of force by the opposition.
The opposition had demanded a silent demonstration in that site. They promised not to have any speakers. They would recite some Koranic verses and go home. But the regime knew that there would be -- probably would be a couple of million people. They denied the permit.
Nevertheless, people risked life and limb and came out in thousands, and they came out in three different sites. COOPER: It is incredible. I mean, given the crackdowns, given all the violence we have seen, given the fact that there are still untold members of people in prison, and God knows how many people have been killed by this regime in this round, that still, thousands of people came out today.
MILANI: I think it speaks to the degree of anger and frustration that people have and to the determination to see a change. They have been fighting for this now for a very long time. And they honestly see, I think, a regime that is also cracking. There are signs, increasing signs.
COOPER: What are the signs that you see?
MILANI: Well, first of all, there are cracks within the regime. Many of the clerics are separating themselves from Khamenei. There are indications that even some of the security forces are separating themselves, refusing to beat on people.
We have reports of the regular police confronting these thugs, who are called Basij. And we have some of the most senior ayatollahs speaking very forcefully against this kind of brutality, against these prisons, against these secret prisons that have become known just in the last 48 hours.
So people feel the regime is weakened. There are tensions between even Khamenei and Ahmadinejad. That was truly a remarkable last two days, because Ahmadinejad defied Khamenei on something that Khamenei clearly ordered him to do.
COOPER: So what happens now? I mean, where do -- how do you see this playing out in the next weeks and months?
MILANI: I think there are people very actively trying to demonstrate on the day that Ahmadinejad is supposed to be sworn in. People are soliciting advice and ways of disturbing and disrupting that day.
COOPER: When is that supposed to be?
MILANI: In a week. Exactly in one week.
COOPER: OK.
MILANI: And people are already planning for it. And I think what we are going to see is a continuation of this struggle.
I think Iran is in a purgatory. The status quo, the old system, has really died, but the new system is not powerful enough to be born. And that's why this flux (ph) is both interesting and a constant shifting scenery.
COOPER: Do you know -- do we have an accurate number of how many people are imprisoned or have lost their lives or have simply disappeared? I mean, I think the regime put forward some figure of, like, 130 people had been released. I'm not sure. Do you have -- do you have a figure?
MILANI: Yes. We have a fairly accurate figure of at least 2,000 people arrested. And at least 20 -- by some accounts more than 100 -- killed under torture or killed in the street demonstrations. There are about 200 people who are missing.
These secret prisons are popping up, and the opposition is gathering names. We have something like 200 names of people who have simply disappeared and are probably in one of these frightening prisons.
COOPER: Yes. God -- God only knows what is happening to them.
Abbas Milani, appreciate your time tonight. Thank you, sir.
MILANI: Thank you.
COOPER: Coming up next on the program, an innocent man sent to prison for murder in America. And a dog played a big part of the conviction. How could it happen? Why it took so long for him to clear his name. We're going to have details of this incredible story and whether this kind of thing happens more than you might imagine.
And later, the kid driver and the cop: this 7-year-old boy leads police on a wild chase. We'll have the dash-cam video straight ahead. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: When we first heard about this next story, frankly, we had a hard time believing it was true. But it was.
Amazingly, a man who spent decades in prison for a murder he didn't commit was convicted, in large part, because of a German Shepherd. The animal's trainer said his dog could follow the scent of the killer. That was the testimony the jury heard. And as you'll see, it was all a lie.
For tonight's "Crime & Punishment" report, here's Randi Kaye.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE (voice-over): Bill Dillon thought he would die in prison. He was just 22 back in 1981 when he was sentenced to life for a murder he didn't commit.
BILL DILLON, WRONGLY CONVICTED OF MURDER: Supposedly, the dog scent on my paper three times, and that's what made me the suspect. They came back and got me, and I never saw freedom again.
KAYE: The dog Dillon is talking about, a German Shepherd named Harass II. With its handler, John Preston, the team was renowned as so-called scent-tracking specialists.
JOHN PRESTON, DOG HANDLER: It ends right here in this area.
KAYE: They were hired to work hundreds of cases around the country.
(on camera): What do you remember about this dog?
DILLON: This was a big basketball-headed German shepherd. It's not your average -- and it was huge.
KAYE (voice-over): The real killer's bloody T-shirt had been found. But DNA testing wasn't around back then. So, investigators relied on the legendary nose of the big dog.
(on camera): The dog's owner testified at Dillon's trial that the dog tracked the scent from the killer's T-shirt down this beach, which is near the crime scene, all the way to these steps where the killer made his escape. The dog then supposedly connected that scent to Bill Dillon by signaling at a piece of paper that Dillon had touched.
The dog's owner also claimed the dog tracked Bill Dillon to a room inside the courthouse.
(voice-over): And like he had done so many times before, Preston convinced the jury of his dog's miraculous abilities.
DILLON: He says the dog could track under water. He says the dog could get on top of the water in a boat and smell down below the water.
KAYE: Experts we consulted say no way, not possible. But in an interview with ABC News years ago, Preston was asked if the dog was ever wrong.
PRESTON: To my knowledge, no, I don't feel I've ever been wrong.
KAYE: In Bill Dillon's case in 1981, Preston's wonder dog supposedly picked up Dillon's scent more than eight days after the murder. And a hurricane had rolled through.
Was it possible to track a scent after all that? We asked this man, who trains police dogs.
TIM MCGUIRE, VOLUSIA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: With that dog, no. The drive wasn't there.
KAYE (on camera): In another case, the dog supposedly was able to track a scent eight and a half years after a crime. Possible?
MCGUIRE: That dog? I doubt it.
KAYE (voice-over): We asked our expert, Tim McGuire, to watch this video of Harass II at work. At times, the dog urinates on evidence and looks like he's out for a walk.
MCGUIRE: I want to see enthusiasm. I want to see excitement. I want to see not necessarily tension on trailing with him trying to establish a track. You want to see -- you want to see the dog working. KAYE (on camera): Did you see any enthusiasm on this dog, Harass II?
MCGUIRE: Absolutely not.
KAYE: To see how quickly and aggressively a well-trained tracking dog works, I'm going to head out there into those woods. But first, I'm going to let one of these dogs smell my jeans, get my scent and see how quickly they can find me.
(voice-over): Unlike Harass II, this bloodhound was motivated, pulling her handler the whole way.
MCGUIRE: Where did she go? That's a good girl.
KAYE (on camera): Good girl. You found me.
(voice-over): Three years after Dillon was convicted back in 1984, a judge became so suspicious of Harass II's abilities, he set up his own test. The dog failed miserably, couldn't even follow a scent 100 feet.
In fact, the judge concluded the dog could only successfully track when his handler had advance knowledge of the case, so Preston could lead the dog to the suspect or the evidence.
(on camera): Do you think this was all a conspiracy?
DILLON: Any cases that were weak, any cases that they felt were not good enough to go to the jury, then they fed Preston information, paid him good money to come in and lie.
KAYE: More than two decades later, Florida state attorney told us they're not aware of any evidence of a conspiracy. Eventually, Preston and his dog were discredited, exposed as a fraud. But the state of Florida never reviewed old cases. And no one told Bill Dillon, who sat in jail another 20 years, until 2006.
The following year, a DNA test finally proved his DNA did not match the DNA of the killer's shirt, proving the dog was wrong.
DILLON: Seriously incredible.
KAYE: Eight months ago, after nearly three decades behind bars, Dillon walked out of prison a free man.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Canova Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Unbelievable. Florida's Innocence Project is investigating other cases involved in the guy John Preston and his dog. It says dozens more around the country may have been wrongly convicted.
Preston died last year. He was never charged with perjury, never punished.
We're joined now by -- by Jeffrey Toobin
You say this kind of junk science actually happens much more than we think.
TOOBIN: You know, "CSI" has convinced us, especially jurors, that science can answer all sorts of questions and that the kind of tests that go on in courtrooms are very reliable.
But real science has established things like ballistics testing, bite marks, arson investigations, a lot of that is bogus. And there are people in prison because of it, and it's really a scary thought.
COOPER: There's got to be thousands of people in prison based on ballistics or based on a bite mark or based on an arson investigation.
TOOBIN: DNA is the gold standard. DNA is not junk science; it's real science. It's been tested. There are double blind tests. Most of these other tests have never been subjected to real scientific scrutiny.
The National Academy of Sciences just issued a big report saying we need to look a lot more closely at all these technologies, or we shouldn't let them in our courtroom.
COOPER: I think it was the "New Yorker." I read an article about ballistics, where you know, we all have this idea that a bullet can be pinpointed to an exact batch, and every bullet has a unique marking on it...
TOOBIN: Lands (ph) and grooves.
COOPER: ... which is not -- apparently not the case.
TOOBIN: Not the case. I mean, even...
COOPER: Someone actually just kind of made that up, and no one ever -- as I'm now just remembering the article -- no one really had studied it and looked back to prove that it was true. And when they actually did, they found out that actually, it's not true.
TOOBIN: And the whole idea of scientific rigor, of testing of the testing, is something that's relatively new and hasn't been applied to these old technologies like bite marks. Bite marks is a particularly notoriously unreliable one. But it can be very persuasive. And it's just not scientifically valid.
COOPER: It's incredibly scary to think how many people may be incarcerated because of that.
Jeff Toobin, thanks.
Up next, ESPN reporter Erin Andrews videotaped in her hotel room naked; now, the attention getting out of control, leading to a 911 call. Plus, interviewing the Bachelorette: my question that, well, seemed to surprise some people. It's our "Shot of the Day."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: A lot more stories for you right now on 360. Let's get a bulletin with Erica Hill -- Erica.
HILL: Anderson, it's an interesting observation from a senior advisor coming to commanders in Iraq. In a memo, he says it is time for the U.S. to, quote, "declare victory and go home." That memo from Colonel Timothy Reed argues that, despite recent violence and other issues, Iraqi forces can now stand up for themselves.
A spokesperson for the commander in Iraq says the colonel's memo does not reflect the military's official stance. It was written earlier this month. American troops began drawing down this month, of course, with a target of about only 50,000 remaining by next fall.
Caught on tape again: except this time, no video. ESPN's Erin Andrews calling 911 last week to complain about paparazzi outside her home. That tape was just released. Officers responded to the 911 call. No incident report, though, was filed. Andrews, of course, made headlines last week after it was revealed she'd been secretly videotaped nude in her hotel room.
And a car chase north of Salt Lake City is a little different from the kind we usually see in, oh, say, southern California. Check out this driver when he gets out of the car -- that little guy.
COOPER: Yikes.
HILL: He's 7.
COOPER: Wow.
HILL: And apparently, his reason for leading the cops on this chase? He didn't want to go to church. All right? Come on.
COOPER: Wow.
HILL: So he took the car and tried to get out of Dodge.
COOPER: Yikes.
HILL: Didn't quite work.
COOPER: Unbelievable.
Come to our "Beat 360" winners right now; our daily challenge to viewers to come up with a caption better than one we can come up with for a photo that we put on the blog every day. Is it Friday yet?
HILL: Tomorrow is Friday.
COOPER: Oy. HILL: See, you're almost there.
COOPER: Tonight's picture: President Obama holds up a piece of a half-eaten fruit as he leaves yesterday's town-hall meeting on health-care reform at a supermarket in Bristol, Virginia. Our staffer tonight is Jack. His caption: "You know what would make this taste even better? A frosty Bud Light."
HILL: Amen. Amen, Jack Bragg (ph).
COOPER: The viewer winner is Angela from Arizona. Her caption: "You don't drink beer? That's OK. How about some fruit then?"
Angela congratulations. Your "Beat 360" T-shirt is on the way.
Coming up, getting personal with the Bachelorette. My awkward question, her awkward answer and why I threw up in my mouth just a little bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: All right, Erica.
For tonight's "Shot," I filled in for Regis on "Regis & Kelly" the last two mornings. It was great fun, as always.
The high point -- or low point, depending on how you look at it -- was chatting with the Bachelorette, Jillian Harris -- a lovely young woman. After weeks of televised canoodling and lip-locking with a host of bachelors, she picked her man.
Harris and her new chosen fiance, Ed Swiderski, appeared on the show. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILLIAN HARRIS, "THE BACHELORETTE": You're so adorable.
KELLY RIPA, CO-HOST, "LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY": Thank you.
Kissing all these guys. My gosh, what do you think about it?
ED SWIDERSKI, HARRIS'S FIANCE: At first I thought it was kind of weird. But it's like, you get used to it.
COOPER: And how many did you actually...
HARRIS: It has to stop now, though.
COOPER: How many did you actually hook up with? How many did you actually sleep with?
SWIDERSKI: I'm shocked. I'm shocked.
COOPER: Wait. You greased up this guy in oil on national TV. You're shocked by that question? HARRIS: It was aloe vera.
I kissed ten guys but only four with tongue.
COOPER: You know what? I just threw up in my mouth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Great. I'll give you this, Anderson Cooper. Let's be honest. You asked the question everybody wants to know, all of these dating shows.
COOPER: Well, I mean, on that show -- and I don't watch it. But I was watching "The Soup," so they show all the best moments.
HILL: Right.
COOPER: I mean, they show her, you know, greasing people up and then like volcanoes erupt and you see the ocean moving. And so it seems like this is going on a lot on this show.
HILL: Well, let's be honest. This isn't the first -- she's not the first bachelorette or bachelor to be in those situations where you think, there's a little more going on here than we're seeing. Which is fine, I really don't want to see it.
COOPER: I mean, right. And there is music, I mean...
HILL: I don't know why they chose that sound effect. It was great.
COOPER: I don't know what that sound effect means.
So anyway, yes. She was a, you know, lovely woman. I wish them both the best. Mazel tov, good luck to you.
HILL: I don't think she should be surprised by the question.
COOPER: But you know what? None of these people ever actually end up -- there's only one of them that actually ended up -- got married and remains married, right?
HILL: That's right. Trista and Ryan Sutter. Why do I know that?
COOPER: Why do you know that? I actually...
HILL: I need to leave now.
COOPER: He was a firefighter, and she had been on the show previously. That's all I remember about it.
HILL: I love that you know things about this, too.
COOPER: That does it for 360. Thanks for watching.
"LARRY KING" starts right now.
I'll see you tomorrow night.
