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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Ebola Scare Spreading; Traffic Stop Outrage; Police Seize Cab Owned By UVA Suspect; Will GM Help Crash Victim Clear Her Name?; Medical Examiner: Teen Died from Gunshot to Head
Aired October 09, 2014 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good evening.
We begin tonight with breaking news on the Ebola crisis and its growing impact in Spain where 14 people are now hospitalized. Elizabeth Cohen is in Dallas also tonight where fears of a new case have been alleviated, but the family, Eric Duncan's family says she was treated unfairly. We'll hear from Elizabeth in a moment.
The situation is much different, as I said, in Spain where the potential cases continue to pile up.
We begin with CNN International correspondent Isa Soares, live for us in Madrid.
So, Isa, now 14 people in the hospital. What do we know about these cases or potential cases?
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Anderson. Yes, in total, 14, seven new people being admitted here tonight. A variety of some of the doctors, and the nurses, some assistant nurses, and some are beauticians. These are all people who've had contact with Teresa Ramos, the lady -- the auxiliary nurses who has Ebola here. In some sort of way they've had contact with her.
What we are being told is these people have no symptoms as of yet, Anderson and they've come here at their own free will because they prefer to be here, be assisted and monitored here than being at home. Perhaps the fear is they may have something in contact obviously with the families and children -- Anderson.
COOPER: And the nurse's assistant, the first case -- with Ebola, what's the latest on her condition?
SOARES: Yes, what we heard today is that unfortunately her condition has deteriorated. The doctor out of the Carlos III hospital came out early today and said look, I can't give you much in terms of information for confidentiality reasons but I can tell you that she has deteriorated.
I also spoke to a union -- the head of the union here who represents the nurses and basically she told me -- she is not doing very well. Her brother came out, Teresa's brother came out and she -- he basically said that she is using a breathing aid to really help her, really paints the picture of unfortunately how badly the case has turned for her.
COOPER: We're also learning some really serious oversights leading up to her diagnosis. What's the latest on that?
SOARES: Yes, absolutely. This is something that I have been following for these last two days, really trying to piece together what happened. And what we figured out with CNN is that, you know, from the day she started her symptoms to the day she was admitted to the hospital behind me, it took eight days, Anderson. Eight days. And the moment she got to the first hospital, which she shouldn't have gone to the first hospital in the first place, she came directly here, it took more than eight hours.
So all of this, many doctors that she saw basically saying to her, you've only got mild fever. Take some paracetamol, go back home. Every step, she saw three different doctors, all of them turned her -- turned her away -- Anderson.
COOPER: And it's not just Spain. It seems like people throughout the United Kingdom, Europe are obviously very concerned about this right now.
SOARES: Absolutely. Look, I have to tell you people are on edge here. And you're starting to see those fears rising as well in the U.K. British papers basically saying, you know, why aren't we following similar screening procedures that we're seeing in the U.S.? France as well, also on edge. We've seen today in the last four hours -- also the U.K. saying they will have some screening procedures at airports, at Heathrow, Gatwick and so forth.
These obviously -- just to find out more information what these people have -- where these people have come from. Particularly people coming from those key regions in West Africa. So they will be asking people coming into the U.K., basically, where did you come from, how long were you there and where are you going?
So far, Anderson, they are not doing any sort of medical tests. But it really paints the picture of how people are really fearful for their lives, especially here as the nurse has taken a turn for the worse. People are starting to think this is really real. This has really -- a possibility to come knocking on our door. So many people on edge here tonight in Madrid.
COOPER: And of course, one of the concerns is you can't even test people. They won't test positive until they start showing symptoms, even if they are infected.
Isa Soares, appreciate the report from Spain tonight.
Back in Texas, the family of the first person diagnosed of Ebola in the United States, Thomas Eric Duncan, says he was treated differently than other patients treated in this country. Possibly, they say, because of his race.
Duncan died yesterday morning. In a statement, Duncan's nephew writes, and I quote, "Eric Duncan was treated unfairly. Eric walked into the hospital. The other patients were carried in after an 18- hour flight. It's suspicious to us that all the white patients survived and this one black patient passed away. It took eight days to give him medicine. He didn't begin treatment in Africa. He began treatment here but he wasn't given a chance."
CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now live from Dallas.
I want to ask you first about the other suspected case of Ebola in Dallas, the deputy sheriff. Last night he thought maybe he had Ebola. I understand test results have come back today. There is good news for him, correct?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, Anderson. The test results are negative and Mr. Monnig has been -- has left the hospital. He's been discharged. This is no surprise at all. He never had any contact with Mr. Duncan. He also never had a fever. So this is not surprising at all.
COOPER: So if somebody doesn't have a fever or wasn't especially sick, why exactly did they think he might Ebola in the first place, simply because he wasn't feeling well? And -- I mean, it was just sounds like it was in an abundance of caution.
COHEN: Well, I think it's a little bit. I don't know, Anderson, when you're younger if you played that game of telephone? You know, where people say things to each other in a circle? It sounds a little bit like that is what happened. At the beginning there was information put out that he was a contact of Mr. Duncan's, that he had been in contact with him but then that turned out not to be true, but since that went out in the beginning, you know, the guys in the hazmat suits arrived. The whole -- the whole nine yards.
And once that happened, it's hard to kind of slow that down. And I think that -- that was just a miscommunication in many ways.
COOPER: As for Mr. Duncan, as I said, his family is concerned. He did not get aggressive treatment or as aggressive treatment as the other Ebola patients in the United States. When I talked to Louise, the mother of one of his children, she echoed those same sentiments to me both on the phone and also probably pointedly even off the phone.
How was their treatment different?
COHEN: Right, his treatment was different in a couple of ways. First of all, he didn't get an experimental medication for Ebola until he'd been in the hospital for nearly a week. When you look at the NBC cameraman who is currently hospitalized, the other Ebola patients in the U.S., they got experimental treatments immediately. Now the hospital sent out a statement today saying that Mr. Duncan got his experimental treatment as his condition warranted.
And I'll tell you, Anderson, when I talked to, you know, many doctors when I was in Liberia who treat Ebola patients, and they said look, you want to get people treatment as quickly as you possibly can, even a day or two can make a big difference, so I don't know -- it's not clear why his condition would warrant nearly a week wait.
The other way that it was different is several U.S. patients got blood -- got blood transfusions from an Ebola survivor. The WHO, the World Health Organization, says that that might help build antibodies and might help you recover from Ebola. He didn't get one of those donations, the family said they were told it wasn't proven to be effective. The hospital says they couldn't find a matching donor.
COOPER: All right. You have to be obviously of the same blood type.
I also interviewed Nancy Writebol, one of the American missionaries who survived Ebola, she said she's always willing to give blood but she has a very rare blood type. And I know Dr. Brantly has given out blood twice to two different patients.
Elizabeth, appreciate the update.
Joining me now live, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Dr. Seema Yasmin, staff writer at the "Dallas Morning News," professor of public health at the University of Texas at Dallas and a former CDC disease detective.
Sanjay, first of all, what do you make about this about, did he receive, you know, the same kind of treatment that some of these others got? I mean, ZMapp, which is what the two American missionaries were treated with, the government says there is no more of that. And it's going to take time to build up a cure.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Not available, and I should point out that Dr. Kent Brantly, when he got the experimental treatment it was about seven days into the -- into the course of his illness as well. That is a little bit more in line with what happened to Mr. Duncan. Of course, Dr. Brantly was the first patient ever to receive that. And we don't know that it works for sure. You know, it places a lot of stock on this --
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: Right. Nancy Writebol says she's not even convinced it was ZMapp that saved her life.
GUPTA: Right.
COOPER: She thinks perhaps it was all the good care she received back in the United States. They're treating all the --
GUPTA: Replacing the fluids.
COOPER: Right.
GUPTA: Making sure the electrolytes are normalized. So -- but having said that, you know, if someone is -- you know, the protocol is starting to develop where these patients are getting some sort of therapy pretty early. We're hearing about that in several of these patients who've been flown back into the States. So the fact that he didn't get it, I mean, I think let's say, if it were my family member, I would have wanted to probably get that as well.
The blood, probably hard to get, as you mentioned. Only Brantly and Writebol, the only possible donors, they weren't a match. Could they have gotten blood from someone in Liberia, flown it back? Perhaps. But what's more concerning to me was that he was sent away the first time they went to the hospital.
COOPER: That does raises a lot of red flags.
GUPTA: That really did. And then he was given an antibiotic, even though he was told he had a viral illness. That's just bad medical care. What was the motivation, what was sort of driving that? I don't know. But that does -- that is not what you hopefully happen there.
COOPER: And Dr. Yasmin, it's interesting. I mean, we focus on the Dallas hospital oversights there. It seems like Spain could have even bigger problems on their hands. You know, we just heard from Isa, a doctor caring for the Ebola patient in Madrid. He said his protective suit didn't even fit. The sleeves were too short and that his arms were exposed. That seems to nullify the whole point.
DR. SEEMA YASMIN, FORMER CDC DISEASE DETECTIVE: Absolutely, Anderson, and it seems like we're seeing missteps in the handling of Ebola cases on both sides of the Atlantic. And at a time when we're seeing this epidemic rage through three countries in West Africa. It's really not a time to be skipping steps and to not be prepared. That's absolutely key in this instance.
We have to understand that as the epidemic continues in West Africa we'll more and more likely to see cases imported into the U.S. and in Europe as well.
COOPER: I mean, is -- Sanjay, is this just the learning curve that is inevitable in a case like this?
GUPTA: I would love to say that. But here's the problem, though. This isn't that complicated. In terms of these basic safety things that Seema is describing, doctors take care of infectious disease patients all the time. The protocols are very much the same. It's a different infectious disease in this case. You want to do droplet protections so the bodily fluids can't get on your skin.
That -- there is no magic there. Those are the basic steps. As much as we talk about these experimental therapies, vaccine trials, all these other things, if you can't get the basic steps right you have a real problem.
And I should point out that Doctors Without Borders, for a long time they have been taking care of these types of patients for nearly 40 years. They have a very, very low rate of infection. So we know that it can be done and done well.
COOPER: Dr. Yasmin, is it just that -- I mean, you know, Dr. Redlener on this program lots of days has been saying look, money devoted to disaster preparedness, to -- repeat training and stuff has been slashed ever since -- you know, the year after 9/11 when it skyrocketed after 9/11. And now it's just been going down gradually. The public health budgets have been slashed.
Is that part of what we're seeing? Do people just -- there's not repeat training on this?
YASMIN: That's absolutely right, Anderson, and in fact that's the same case in Spain. And that's why we're seeing protesters who were demonstrating today about significant cuts that have been made in the government sector and in health care. And of course the same has happened here. When I was working at CDC we were always working with less and less money every year and it was very, very challenging to realize that we were dealing with epidemics around the world as well as public health right here like whooping cough and flu.
So we often feel like we're doing behind-the-scenes work and it suddenly becomes visible when there's a terrible epidemic like this. But it shows that those public health has to be there consistently so we're ready for situations like this.
COOPER: It's interesting, Dr. Yasmin, the CDC's director Dr. Tom Frieden talking about the Ebola outbreak said, quote, "The only thing like this has been AIDS," which is certainly a striking comparison.
YASMIN: It really is a striking comparison and a very sobering one, Anderson. We're still dealing with that epidemic right now. We're learning so much from some of the mistakes we made in the early days of the HIV epidemic in 1981, 1982. One of the things we have to examine here, though, as we keep hearing this epidemic started in March of this year.
Actually looking at the epidemiologic data it probably started in December of last year. Authorities were alerted to it then, and it was misdiagnosed as an outbreak of cholera, so the response, even though it feels now that we're ramping up, we're sending in troops, it's still too little too late.
COOPER: Wow. Dr. Gupta, thank you so much. Dr. Seema Yasmin, as well.
A quick reminder, make sure you set your DVR so you can watch 360 wherever you want.
Just ahead, there's troubling new information tonight about an Indiana traffic stop for a seatbelt violation. You're seeing the video here. Somehow ended up with the police officer smashing the window using a taser on a man who was a passenger in the vehicle while two kids were in the backseat.
What we now know about that officer's history of excessive false accusations. Also now an arrest has been made in this case. We'll tell you about that.
Also breaking news on this man, the suspect in the case of a missing UVA student. There's a possibly break in another case. Jesse Matthew, that man, had been connected to the 2009 disappearance of a Virginia Tech student who was later found dead.
We'll tell you this new connection.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: "Crime and Punishment" tonight, we have new details about one of the Indiana police officers accused of using excessive force during a traffic stop. The incident was videotaped by a 14-year-old boy in the backseat of the car. The video includes this moment toward the end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to open the door?
LISA MAHONE, ACCUSES POLICE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE: Why do you say somebody is not going to hurt you, people are getting shot by the police. That was crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Before the officer smashed the window and tased that man they repeatedly ordered him to get out of the car. The police department says the officers feared he had a gun and used proper protocol. It turns out the officers who smashed the window has just been accused of using excessive force in the past.
Susan Candiotti talked to the woman who said knows exactly what it felt like for the people in that car because her family felt similar to her eight years ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yolanda, have you seen that video?
YOLANDA GRAY, ACCUSES POLICE OF EXCESSIVE FORCE: Absolutely. My goodness, it just brings back memory.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Yolanda Gray does more than cringe seeing this video of police smashing in a car window after a couple was stopped for not wearing seatbelts.
It shows Hammond, Indiana, police using a stun gun on passenger Jamal Jones after he refuses to get out of his girlfriend's car during a 13- minute standoff. Two children are in the backseat. Yolanda Gray recognizes the officer shattering the window.
GRAY: That is the guy, the same one that tackled me. The one that busted the glass open, my gosh, my goodness, the baby is crying. And I heard my baby crying. She was standing in the street.
CANDIOTTI: In 2006, Gray and her family were pulled out of their car moments after leaving their driveway. No one told them why. Police ordered her husband to get out of the car. He complied.
(On camera): This is where it happened.
GRAY: This is exactly where it happened. They asked me to get out of the car, I get out of the car with my hands up, and the one that tackled me came from this side of the street. And as I was almost where I needed to be, he tackled me. I never saw him coming.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Gray says she was bruised and manhandled after being put down on the street. According to court papers police say she refused to get out of the car and when she did started running before the police tackled her.
GRAY: My eldest son jumps out of the car screaming. that's my mom, that's my mom. He was put into a chokehold and a gun put on his head.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): And your other son?
GRAY: My other son was taken out of the car and he was handcuffed. And --
CANDIOTTI: And your daughter?
GRAY: My daughter, they didn't even -- no one attended to the baby.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Turns out, she and her lawyers say it was a case of mistaken identity that police were allegedly looking for a man who she says looked nothing like her husband. Yet Gray's husband was charged with disorderly conduct and they were both also charged with resisting an officer. She says she declined a plea offer before trial.
GRAY: They said they would give us one last chance if we would just write a letter of apology, they would drop all of the charges.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): And you said?
GRAY: Absolutely not.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): The couple was acquitted and sued the same officer, two others and the city on a civil rights claim. They settled out of court. So when she heard and saw the glass shattering incident a few weeks ago it hit home.
(On camera): What kind of memories does this bring back to you?
GRAY: The most horrific memories. My kids' innocence were taken that day.
CANDIOTTI: A lot of people were asking, why didn't the man just get out of the car and get out of the car it might have ended the whole thing?
GRAY: I am enraged every time someone makes that comment because they have no idea. And we did everything that they asked but the moment that we got out that was when the horrific harassment started.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): CNN has been unable to reach the police department for comment on the 2006 case. The officer who Gray says tackled her coincidentally, the same ones seen breaking the glass in the separate incident also could not be reached.
In a statement issued this week, police said the window was broken because officers were concerned for their safety after the passenger reached for a backpack in the rear seat and refused lawful orders to get out of the car.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Susan joins us now live from Hammond, Indiana.
So I understand that Jamal Jones, the man who was tasered in that video, police issued a warrant for him in connection to a misdemeanor drug charge from years ago. What's the details on that?
CANDIOTTI: Anderson, we just learned this a little while ago. Turns out they issued this warrant on a charge dating back to 2007 involving a misdemeanor marijuana charge. Allegedly speeding and driving on a suspended license. Now Jamal Jones' lawyers are calling this pure retaliation because of that broken window, smashed window incident. And we haven't been able to talk to the police because they're not commenting on anything that has to do with this case because of the pending lawsuit.
COOPER: Susan, appreciate the update. I want to bring in our legal analysts, Mark O'Mara and Sunny Hostin. Sunny is a former federal prosecutor, Mark is a criminal defense attorney who represented for George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin trial -- in the George Zimmerman trial for the killing of Trayvon Martin.
Sunny, first of all, what do you make of this arrest warrant? I mean, is it unusual to pursue a years-old marijuana offense?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I mean, it's unheard of. Of course it's unusual and of course it's retaliatory. That is very clear. We're talking about a seven-year-old pending misdemeanor charge for marijuana. All of a sudden miraculously shows up. And I think we've seen this playbook before by police departments, right?
Let's somehow try to besmirch the reputation of the victim who I really believe was the victim of excessive force here. And if all, Anderson, they could find is this misdemeanor marijuana charge, my goodness. I mean, you know they've been digging. And I think it just goes to show you what I have been saying all along that this is a police department that's clearly just run amok. These are officers that were using excessive force. This one officer that broke the window has three other incidents of excessive force. Three other suits. All of them have been settled.
My question is, why is he still on the police force? Why hasn't he been suspended even after the police department has this video of, in my view, clear excessive force?
When you do not control your officers, that encourages the bad behavior. The fact that Susan, you know, is interviewing someone who was the subject of this excessive force, yet this guy is still on the force is remarkable.
COOPER: Mark, let me -- Mark, first of all, what do you make of this warrant for this years-old misdemeanor charge? I mean it does seems highly suspicious that they suddenly brings this up now.
MARK O'MARA, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: If it was retaliatory, it's disgusting behavior. And if it was just incidental, then at the very least he was completely insensitive to the bigger picture that we cannot ignore. There are too many negative interactions between cops and blacks over the past -- well, for years that we've been focusing on it the past several months. And for them to look at that and say, now, with everything else going on, now is the time to bring up a seven-year-old misdemeanor marijuana charge is at least highly insensitive and stupid and does nothing to try and address the bigger picture of what are we going to do about these negative interactions?
COOPER: Sunny, the family's suit alleges that officers -- in the prior incident that Susan was reporting on tonight. That officers pointing their weapons at this woman's 14-year-old, 17-year-old sons, put the younger son in a chokehold, all of this allegedly happening while her 9-year-old daughter was there.
When kids are involved in both this incident and also in the most recent one, does that go into law enforcement's thinking or should it?
HOSTIN: Well, it should. It should. I mean, I think when you look at the guidelines that all police departments have for their officers, of course they consider whether or not there are infants, children, young people in the car. And so the fact that it was ignored at that time in the case that Susan is reporting and the fact, quite frankly, that it was ignored again this time was what was so striking to me because you have a 14-year-old that's videotaping in the back seat. That's a child. You have a -- a 7-year-old little girl screaming and crying.
Imagine the emotional wreckage that has now taken place. If you want to sort of police the community and the members of the community behave in this way there is a total breakdown of your ability to effectively protect and serve. And you know, at this point I'm thinking, are we going to hear about a police monitor in Hammond, Indiana, because that is what we need to hear about?
COOPER: Mark, the police -- I mean, the police are basically standing by their officers, and they're saying, and I want to get this quote right, you know, they're saying that the officers, the passengers were asked to exit the vehicle and that the police can do that for their own safety. That they have the right, that without a requirement of reasonable suspicion to ask people to exit the vehicle.
Are they correct?
O'MARA: Yes. Well, yes, and I've said this before. Cops have the right to do what they're doing for the most part. If a cop tells you to do something, you should probably do it. And I got some flak for saying that, that both sides need to -- to act better in these cop-on- black situations. But the problem with it, in 13 minutes with the cop attempting to resolve the issue, they couldn't get it done. I'm not sure that they had an active fear of injury at some weapon that was or wasn't there.
But I said this before, you cannot win a battle on the street with a cop. So try to agree, try to do what you're told and then make a complaint later. Because the cop cannot lose a battle on the street because they can't give up the authority.
COOPER: Sunny?
HOSTIN: But just very quickly -- very quickly, Anderson. You know, I agree that you should comply of course with the police. When you're having this encounter you want to make it as short and sweet and safe as possible. But I reviewed the law and I read the law in Indiana very differently.
This is a man that was a passenger in the car who apparently had his seat belt on. He did not have to provide a driver's license. All he had to provide, if requested, he could have denied the request, was the name, address and date of birth. They had no reasonable suspicion to pull him out of that car and even in my view to ask for more information.
And so what we're seeing is an abuse of police power, excessive force. And, you know, the black community at this point is thinking, you know, if I comply I'm damned, if I don't comply, I'm damned. And I think the -- you know, the focus has to be not so much on this passenger and the victims but on the police department.
COOPER: Sunny, appreciate you being on. Mark O'Mara, as well.
Up next, we have breaking news. Charlottesville, Virginia, police seized a cab used by Jesse Matthew, the suspect in the disappearance of that UVA student. Why the cab could be critical in another case, a murder investigation, when we continue.
Also tonight, what police are saying about the drunken bloody fight involving several members of Sarah Palin's family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Welcome back, more breaking news right now in the suspect of the disappearance of missing UVA student, Hannah Graham. Jesse Matthew is behind bars in Virginia. Graham is still missing, of course.
But tonight there is a possible break in another case allegedly involving Matthew. Police have seized a cab that Matthew was driving the night another student disappeared in 2009, Virginia Tech student, Morgan Harrington who was found dead months later.
WTVR reporter, Laura French, joins me now with the latest. So this cab that Matthew was driving the night Harrington disappeared, what do we know about it?
LAURA FRENCH, WTVR REPORTER: Well, what we know is that he was definitely employed at that time, but what we didn't know was he working that night? So what we've learned from sources in this investigation is that federal and state investigators are pushing hard.
They've interviewed at least 20 people that Jesse worked with around that time. Anderson, two of those people have told authorities according to our sources that he was in fact working October 17th, 2009, the night that Morgan Harrington had disappeared.
COOPER: And authorities actually questioned Matthew back in 2009 over her abduction, right?
FRENCH: Right. He was one of many cab drivers that were questioned around that time, you know, they were trying to cross everything off their list. So a lot of cab drivers were questioned, nothing out of the ordinary came up with that questioning.
But we did confirm today that he was one of many taxi cab drivers that were questioned in her disappearance. Another interesting thing that we found out, Anderson, was that he had access to that cab that he drove 24/7.
And it was not as sophisticated as they are now. Now they can track folks when they are out on the road. They know exactly what the routes were. Back then all he had to do was actually just turn off the radio system and he could drive that cab without it being documented.
COOPER: That is interesting. I also understand you spoke to some of Matthew's former co-workers. Did they have any information?
FRENCH: Well, some of the co-workers that are being interviewed by authorities that did not want to go on the record and give their names that were questioned even as recently as today.
They say that some of the information that they gave to authorities and some of the questions that were asked, did they have pictures of Morgan that were floating around those cab places, you know.
The woman I spoke with said, no, she never saw pictures. But one thing that really stood out to us was investigators asked her did she notice any of his behavior changing after Morgan disappeared?
She said they didn't notice that, but what they did notice was that when a sketch came out and you recall that sketch was from a 2005 rape in the Fairfax area, the D.C. area.
And it was also linked to Morgan Harrington at that time. They say when that sketch came out. They said his behavior changed. They used to tease him and say you look like this sketch. He at times would actually disappear for hours after they would make those jokes.
COOPER: Laura French, appreciate the update. Thanks so much.
There a lot more stories we are following tonight. Randi Kaye has a 360 bulletin - Randi. RANDI KAYE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: The mother of this Indiana man being held captive by ISIS is using Twitter to reach out to the group's leader and plead for her son's release.
She writes in part, "I'm an old woman and Abdul Rahman is my only child. My husband and I are on our own with no help from the government. We would like to talk to you. How can we reach you?"
Dutch officials say a passenger aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was found wearing an oxygen mask when the body was recovered in Eastern Ukraine. Now this raises questions about whether or not all 298 people on board instantly when the plane was allegedly hit by a missile fired by pro-Russian separatists back in July.
And police in Anchorage, Alaska say that Sarah Palin and several members of her family won't face charges for a drunken fight at a party last month. Police report give details on the punches thrown, a bloody mouth and some name calling, Anderson, and a whole lot more. It's pretty juicy.
COOPER: Well, it sounds like what a party. Randi, thanks very much.
Just ahead, will GM's CEO, Mary Barra, help clear the name of a woman who is charged in the crash that killed her boyfriend? We've been following this case for a while. CNN's Poppy Harlow has an update.
Also ahead, breaking news in the shooting that's ignited a huge protest in Ferguson, Missouri, the medical examiner has released the first details from the autopsy of another African-American teenager killed by a police officer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: An update tonight on a pretty outrageous story that we have been following for some time. In a moment, you are going to hear from Mary Barra, the CEO of embattled carmaker, GM.
CNN's Poppy Harlow asked her point blank why GM isn't doing more to help clear the name of a woman who is charged in the death of her boyfriend, a death that regulators say was caused by GM's defective ignition switch.
So far 24 deaths have been tied to GM's switch. Each of those deaths had caused immeasurable heartbreak. For Candace Anderson, though, there has also been 10 years of guilt. Now before we get to Poppy's interview with Mary Barra. Here is the recap of her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDICE ANDERSON, DRIVER OF 2004 SATURN ION THAT CRASHED: For the past ten years, I have been in a form of a prison.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a decade, Candace Anderson believed she was responsible for the death of her boyfriend, Michael Ericsson. He was her first love.
ANDERSON: I can still hear his laugh, big laughter.
HARLOW: Candace was behind the wheel when her brand-new 2004 Saturn Ion crashed into a tree on this east Texas country road.
ANDERSON: I was through the windshield, on the hood of the car. His face was face down on my lap.
HARLOW: She pleaded guilty to criminal negligent homicide. Only this year, a decade later, she learned it may not have been all her fault.
(on camera): You were being prosecuted for murder, what did the people in this town call you?
ANDERSON: I have been told a couple of times point blank to my face I was a murderer, that I killed him.
HARLOW (voice-over): The police report says neither was wearing a seat belt. The air bags did not deploy. After the crash, Xanax was found in Candice's system. She was not prescribed the drug, but says she had taken one pill the night before. The police report says Candice's intoxication resulted in the accident.
ANDERSON: I wasn't intoxicated.
HARLOW: But she was indicted on a felony charge of intoxication manslaughter, facing up to 20 years in prison. She accepted a plea deal and served five years probation. But today, the felony is still on her record.
Just this year, though, GM recalled millions of cars for a defective ignition switch. Candace's car was one of those. Regulators count Michael Ericson's death among those caused by the defective switch.
ANDERSON: I'm turning for my justice. I want vindication.
HARLOW: GM's CEO, Mary Barra, has apologized to victims and their families.
MARY BARRA, CEO, GENERAL MOTORS: I am deeply sorry.
HARLOW: This year, GM admitted people within the company knew of the deadly defect for years, but they did not fix it.
(on camera): You may never have known.
ANDERSON: I don't believe I would have ever known.
HARLOW: Did GM ever reach out to you? Did they ever tell you?
ANDERSON: I still have not heard from them.
HARLOW (voice-over): Now, Candace's fight is to get the conviction off her record and she has some in Washington on her side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ms. Barra, would you recommend to the governor of Texas that he pardon Ms. Anderson? BARRA: I think we will provide the information to support that decision, but I don't think it is not something that is appropriate for me to do. I don't have the facts for all the case.
SENATOR RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D), CONNECTICUT: You know, with all due respect, that answer is unworthy of GM. I hope you'll think more about it because this is a young woman whose life has been changed as a result of a perversion of the justice process, as a result of GM knowing and concealing that she was innocent.
HARLOW: Do you think that some individuals at General Motors should be criminally prosecuted?
ANDERSON: I was because of my negligence. I think that if a 21-year- old girl is charged with negligent homicide and has to go through the motions that there should be somebody held criminally responsible. I do believe that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: That is unbelievable what happened to her. Poppy Harlow joins us now. First of all, we had an incorrect graphic before the piece ran. I think we said that no apologies.
Mary Barra clearly has apologized to all those - the families of those who have died numerous times as you said in the piece. You sat down with her recently, the CEO of GM. What did she have to say?
HARLOW: I did. Yesterday, it was a wide-ranging interview. She said, look, an error like this is never going to happen again, a deadly defect will never go unfixed. People will always be notified.
She said things are coming to me at the top of this company, but I asked her specifically about Candace Anderson's case because we have been following it so closely.
And frankly, Candace Anderson told me that she wanted answers that she was not able to get. So listen to part of that conversation with Mary Barra.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: I want to talk about the case of Candace Anderson. As you know we've been following that very closely. Her crash ten years ago, she was driving. Her boyfriend was killed in that accident.
It is now known that that car had a defective ignition switch. Knowing more about her case, do you believe Candace Anderson should be pardoned?
BARRA: Again, that is something for the courts to decide not for General Motors. We have the (inaudible) program to evaluate from the perspective, but I don't think it is appropriate for General Motors as a company to step in.
HARLOW: Why? Why is that? If the crash happened because of something that was wrong with her car that General Motors knew about, why not write a letter on her behalf or at least voice an opinion one way or another?
BARRA: Again, there I think are the right experts that have the full complete details those are the people who should making that decision.
HARLOW: You don't think GM should weigh in at all?
BARRA: I do not.
HARLOW: She said to me that her life has been forever changed by this. She has a harder time getting a job. She still got this felony on her record. The district attorney who prosecuted her wrote a letter on her behalf after learning all of the circumstances of the crash.
I guess I am wondering like Senator Blumenthal asked you, why does GM not think that it has any role in weighing in here?
BARRA: Again, we'll provide information that's requested from a technical perspective, but we're not exposed to all of the information on I think --
HARLOW: You don't have all the information of the crash.
BARRA: Of the whole situation, I think there are people who have that and they're in the best position to make that decision. And I respect the role of the judicial system to do that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: She could very easily voice an opinion on it. She could very easily, I mean, weigh in on it.
HARLOW: They've really think it is not GM's role. It does have to be determined by the court, but as you heard the former D.A. who prosecuted Anderson wrote a letter saying, look, I had no idea the car was defective. I think she should be cleared.
COOPER: Candace, are they - is she and Michael's mom, are they planning on accepting the settlement offer?
HARLOW: They are. They're going to do it. They have filled out all the paperwork. They won't talk about how much. It was what they called a gut-wrenching decision for them because it bars them from ever being able to sue GM down the road for this crash.
You know, money doesn't bring him back. Ronda Ericson, Michael's mother wrote to me this week and she said, "Well, the deaths and suffering of so many have just been forgotten now, what justice is done if I agree to this?"
She has had such a hard time. For Candace, she said it is not about the money. She hopes it helps her get back on track. She has two young kids now.
COOPER: As you said, this is weighing over her finding a job and things like that.
HARLOW: But she said still, getting that pardon and felony off the record so she doesn't have to check that box on a job application is what she needs most.
COOPER: We'll continue to follow the case. Poppy, thanks for doing that. Appreciate it.
Up next, breaking news, in a deadly police shooting that ignited more protests in St. Louis not far from Ferguson. What the medical examiner is saying about a teen's death.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: More breaking news tonight, a short time ago, the St. Louis medical examiner released the first details about the death of the 18- year-old, Vonderitt Myers, an African-American teen who was shot seven or eight times. The fatal wound was to the head.
The other bullet wounds were to the lower extremities. Myers was killed Wednesday by a white police officer who was working off duty for a private security firm.
It happens just 12 miles from where Michael Brown was killed and although the circumstances of the two shootings appear to be different, the latest killing has sparked new protest and fresh outrage.
Jason Carroll joins me now with the latest. Jason, you were at the vigil for the young man who was shot yesterday, what are you hearing from the family?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the family is clearly very upset, Anderson, as you can understand. His uncle speaking to the small crowd that gathered out here saying, you can wash away the blood, but you can't wash away what happened.
Myers' mother and father are out here as well. Despite the evidence that police have, Anderson, that shows that Myers may have been armed and fired at the officer three times first before the officer returned fire.
People out here are building their own narrative in terms of what happened. People basically not trusting anything that police have to say in the wake of the Michael Brown shooting. So that is what we're seeing out here.
That's why you're seeing the candlelight vigil. That's why you're seeing so much sadness and so much more distrust of the police department based on what has happened historically in this community before.
COOPER: Some are trying to draw comparisons between this case and Michael Brown's, but I mean, they're actually quite different.
CARROLL: Drastically different, I mean, once again to recap very quickly, Michael Brown, by all accounts was unarmed. This is the situation that happened here last night where police say this was not the case.
They say Myers was armed with a .9-mm, a 9-mm recovered from the scene here. Of course, there will be ballistic tests that will be run. But they say this is a situation where the officer had to defend himself after he encountered Myers and his friends were out here. They say these cases are drastically different.
COOPER: I understand more protests are scheduled for this weekend relating to the Michael Brown killing, correct?
CARROLL: Yes. What protesters are calling it, Anderson, is a weekend of resistance. So what we're going to be seeing out here in St. Louis and also in Ferguson are demonstrations, whether or not they end up being peaceful remains to be seen.
COOPER: All right, Jason Carroll, appreciate the update. Thanks, Jason.
"The Ridiculist" is coming up next. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Time now for "The Ridiculist," and tonight, we are adding another serial pooper, actually to be fair, we don't know if it is a serial pooper, but these things happen in clusters.
Whatever the circumstances, the alleged pooper was caught on surveillance tape outside a private residence in Seattle, Seattle, of course, being America's coffee capital. All we know what can happen after a strong cup of Joe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A man he'd never seen before takes his time at 7:30 a.m. to find a spot to squat. From two different angles, the man is seen taking his time to leave his business in the front yard. Then he methodically pulled up his pants and he moved on down the road.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That is right. If you're sleepless in Seattle tonight, it may not be insomnia. It might just be an unmistakable odor coming from your front yard.
What about the person who owns that house? I mean, to have this mystery just dropped on your lawn and the frustration is you keep pushing for answers and pushing and pushing and still nothing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And my mind automatically goes to something is not right here, that is a huge dog. But I don't think it is a dog.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COOPER: Yes. The dog theory was certainly plausible, at least before the homeowner checked his surveillance tape. But frankly, it's clear that the reality had already started to emerge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know much about dogs, but dogs do it on the grass. This is in the dirt and it's huge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Huge, yikes, but look, let's try to be serious, if there is one thing I'm above it is puns about pooping.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: And surveillance video here, hoping that they will squeeze out a culprit. I know this is not a pleasant topic, I'm sorry to dump it on you, can't help for being steaming mad. Just when you think you're done, there is more to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: That story was made down in Texas and don't act like you don't remember that story. We all know the stories that define us as Americans, Watergate, moon landing, the serial pooper, as for the space needle left in the yard in Seattle, police are investigating. The affiliate station asked the homeowner what charges he thinks the culprit should face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vandalism maybe, illegal dumping maybe?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: He said illegal dumping, I don't know if he was kidding, always leave them wanting more. Except for you, Seattle pooper, you made your mark on "The Ridiculist."
That does it for us. We'll see you again 11 p.m. Eastern for another edition of 360. Anthony Bourdain, "PARTS UNKNOWN" starts now.
