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CNN Connie Chung Tonight
Central Park Wilding Attack Revisited; Closing Arguments in Florida Murder Case; Remembering September 11
Aired September 05, 2002 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CONNIE CHUNG, HOST: Good evening. I'm Connie Chung.
Tonight: closing arguments in a murder trial, with two boys' lives on the line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES STOKES, ATTORNEY FOR ALEX KING: If Ricky Chavis had not convinced the boys to take the blame for this, who would have been the primary suspect?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Closing arguments in the disturbing case of two young brothers accused of killing their own father with a baseball bat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID RIMMER, PROSECUTOR: You should judge them by their actions, not their ages, by their intent, not by your emotions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: The two teens facing life in prison. Tonight: What were they like before their lives were to change forever? What were they like in school?
A savage crime that shocked the nation: the attack on a Central Park jogger -- more than a decade later, a new twist in the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no forensic match to any of these young men.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Were the wrong men convicted 13 years ago?
September 11 one year later: three CNN correspondents who brought us the story.
Elizabeth Cohen... (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: People are just hoping that their relatives are out there somewhere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: ... Michael Okwu...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing in Lower Manhattan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: ... and Maria Hinojosa...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's the eeriest of feelings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: ... open their "Reporter's Notebooks" for a look back.
Survivors: how the lives of three World Trade Center office workers changed in the year since 9/11.
This is CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT. Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York: Connie Chung.
CHUNG: Good evening.
Tomorrow, the jury gets the case. They've now heard the final arguments from prosecutors and from the defense in the case of two brothers, Derek and Alex, accused of killing their father, Terry King, last year. It's a shocking case, not just because of their age -- they're now 13 and 14 -- but because a separate jury reached a verdict for the same murder last week. A man the boys knew was tried for murder, but the verdict has been kept secret until the boys' trial is over.
For closing arguments today, CNN's David Mattingly is on the story in Pensacola, Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIMMER: You should judge them by their actions, not their ages, by their intent, not by your emotions. I'm asking you to find them both guilty as charged.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pointed closing arguments in an emotionally conflicting case. Did the boys, Derek and Alex, as prosecution describes, become so desperate to leave home that they killed their father to escape what one described as a prison? Or was it family friend and convicted child molester Ricky Chavis, driven, according to the defense, to strike the killing blow so that he and young Alex could continue a sexual and emotional relationship?
STOKES: He was seduced by Ricky Chavis.
MATTINGLY: One big question for jury: What about the compelling confession from the boys, full of astonishing detail? Orchestrated by Chavis, argues the defense, to protect himself.
STOKES: He convinced them that, because they were juveniles and because they were so abused, that they would get off.
MATTINGLY: But the graphic detail in the brothers' confession, argues the prosecution, revealed things only the true killer could know and recall.
RIMMER: If in fact he was the killer, as defense counsel would have you to believe, why would he give all those gory, grisly details? All he has got to do is say: "There was a fight. I killed your dad. I did it for you." As a matter of fact, since he loved Alex, he would spare Alex, he would spare Alex that trauma of all of the details.
MATTINGLY (on camera): What the jury did not hear, however, were the details of the murder trial of Rick Chavis, that trial taking place just last week in this same courthouse. The verdict has been sealed and will not be revealed until after this trial is over and the fate of two young boys has been determined.
David Mattingly, CNN, Pensacola, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: We've been bringing CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin in to help us figure out this unbelievable case. And he's back again today.
Jeffrey, thanks.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hi, Connie.
CHUNG: All right, closing arguments. I want to deal with the defense closing arguments first.
Alex and Derek have separate attorneys. Alex's attorney -- Alex is the younger one -- mentioned Rick Chavis. And that's the man that the boys claim killed their father.
Let's take a look at a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STOKES: That's the way you convince somebody you're truly remorseful: "I didn't mean to do it. Oh, my God, it was horrible. This happened and that happened. You don't understand, Alex. I really -- it was terrible, but I did it for us, because he didn't understand us. He didn't understand that we are gay."
You'll remember that Alex didn't know he was gay until he met Ricky Chavis. We got a letter that says that, as vile as that sounds. He was seduced by Ricky Chavis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: What is your take on the closing arguments?
TOOBIN: Boy, you know, I'm not one of these people who thinks that defense attorneys have to chew the scenery and scream and yell, but how about a little passion? How about a little energy? These defense closings, I thought, were soulless, were dead.
I mean, that excerpt, that was about the dramatic high point of that summation. And that wasn't exactly what you'd expect in, like, a parking dispute.
(LAUGHTER)
TOOBIN: These are 13- and 14-year-olds on trial for their life. I was struck. And we'll hear from Sharon Potter, who was even more asleep at the switch, I thought.
CHUNG: That's the attorney for the brother, Derek.
TOOBIN: For Derek, right.
But they do make good points, if the jury could pay attention, which is, they were manipulated by this evil, evil man, which -- that's a compelling argument, if the jury buys it.
CHUNG: Sure.
And Derek's attorney, who you just mentioned, Sharon Potter -- Derek is the older brother -- brings up the -- quote, unquote -- "lack of physical evidence." That's what she claims. So let's look at an excerpt here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARON POTTER, ATTORNEY FOR DEREK KING: The scene was very bloody. We know, from the state's blood-spatter expert, that there was blood across the room on the opposite wall about 12 feet away. But the boys' clothes had no blood on them. There is no physical evidence at all tying the boys to this crime.
And John Sanderson, the lead investigator on this case, testified yesterday on that witness stand that, without their statements, there would be no evidence against the boys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: Well, there you go. There was no blood on the boys' clothes.
TOOBIN: Absence of evidence, always a good argument, even though it's made like a directory assistance operator.
(LAUGHTER)
TOOBIN: It is a good point.
CHUNG: I don't want to laugh at your jokes.
TOOBIN: I'm sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
TOOBIN: But you heard that. I've rarely heard such monotone in a courtroom.
But it is an important point that she brought out. If they had committed this crime -- and, remember, this is a horrific crime. This is someone beating with a baseball bat.
CHUNG: Exactly, if the older brother supposedly did it.
TOOBIN: Right. Where's the blood? Where's the hair? Where's the fiber evidence that would have tied him to the crime?
CHUNG: All right.
I suppose the confessions that the boys gave to the authorities, and their recanting them as well, are critical, because, if the jury believes the confessions, isn't that it?
TOOBIN: The whole case comes down to the confessions, no doubt about it.
And what's so striking is that there's really not much corroboration on the prosecution side. They don't really have much other evidence. But juries, for better or for worse -- and we learn that confessions are sometimes not terribly reliable -- they believe confessions. And this is a horrible crime.
And, remember, this jury, they don't have anyone else to blame. They're not considering Ricky Chavis. He's had his jury. It's up or down on these kids. So they're the ones in front of them.
CHUNG: I quickly want to show one more clip to you. This is the prosecutor. And he is talking about the confession that Derek gave and exactly the detail that he knew. Here it is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RIMMER: Derek knew the details. Derek knew it, knew exactly where the cup was positioned and the position that his father's body was in. Derek is the perpetrator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: Well, it makes sense. TOOBIN: Well, that's the best argument the prosecution has. But the defense did make the point that, look, they were briefed by Chavis. He's the one, the mastermind. He told them where everything was. And that's that's what's in front of the jury.
CHUNG: All right, so the case will probably go to the jury, maybe tomorrow, right?
TOOBIN: Tomorrow morning. These cases are lightning speed. The verdict came in, in the Chavis case on last Friday. Here we are one week later. We'll get the verdict in the case.
CHUNG: All right, in the Chavis case, the verdict is sealed. It's not being released.
TOOBIN: We don't know.
CHUNG: If this verdict comes out, what happens? I mean, help me here.
TOOBIN: You know, since this has, as far as I can tell, never happened in the history of American law before, I can't tell you exactly how it's going to work.
What I assume will happen is that they will read the verdict in the kids' case, because that's the one in front of them, and then, perhaps at the same proceeding, perhaps at another proceeding, go hear what the verdict is on Ricky Chavis.
CHUNG: All right, thank you, Jeffrey Toobin. I suspect we'll be hearing from you again.
(LAUGHTER)
TOOBIN: Could be.
CHUNG: Derek and Alex King have been in the Escambia County jail since late last year. And, in that time, the school district has been providing a teacher for them.
Joining us now from Pensacola with some insights on who they are and what life is like for these boys: school district spokesman Ronnie Arnold.
Thank you, Mr. Arnold, for being with us.
RONNIE ARNOLD, SPOKESPERSON, ESCAMBIA SCHOOL DISTRICT: Thank you for having me.
CHUNG: Appreciate it.
Since the two boys have been in jail, you have been providing a teacher for them. What kind of students are they?
ARNOLD: Yes, ma'am, that's correct. Florida statutes mandate that all juveniles being held in lockup are provided educational services, just as they would be in open society. We have a gentleman who works with those two youngsters two hours a day.
CHUNG: Every day?
ARNOLD: Yes, ma'am. They concentrate on the core curriculum, basically the three R's, reading, writing, and, of course, mathematics.
CHUNG: And what kind of students are the two boys?
ARNOLD: Well, the teacher, I've spoken to. And he characterizes them both as basic, average kids. I would say that Alex is characterized, I think, he -- the expression he used was, he's like a sponge. He absorbs everything. They have access to a computer, although they don't have Internet access.
CHUNG: And do they excel in any subjects?
ARNOLD: Well, he says they're both very strong math students.
CHUNG: Do they want to learn?
ARNOLD: It seems that's the case. And I would say, from what I've been told, Alex is the more eager of the two, probably.
CHUNG: And I've also been told that the older brother, Derek, suffers from ADD. Do they seem focused to the teacher?
ARNOLD: I'm not aware of that situation with Derek specifically. That has been reported in the local media.
CHUNG: I see.
Are they taught together or separately?
ARNOLD: Yes, the gentleman teaches the two boys together, concurrently.
CHUNG: And you say this is normal procedure. These boys are not given any special treatment? Because it does seem unusual that a teacher comes in and basically tutors them for two hours.
ARNOLD: Right.
Well, you have to understand, they're not under ideal circumstances. At any given time, we have between eight and 12 juveniles in adult lockup. And the state says we must provide educational services. So we do the best we can.
CHUNG: All right, thank you so much for being with us. We appreciate it, Ronnie Arnold.
And we'll be right back. ANNOUNCER: Next: the wilding attack on the Central Park jogger. Will new evidence clear the teens convicted of the crime?
CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a crime so widely abhorred that, even today, the words "Central Park jogger" conjure images of a desolate stretch of Manhattan at night. Six teenagers attack a 28-year-old woman, raping her, beating her, and leaving her for dead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was hollering, like: "Help. Help."
OKWU: Twelve years ago, their confessions bought all but one of them at least five years in prison. Defense attorneys say those confessions were coerced. And now they say another man's confession should exonerate them.
RON KUBY, DEFENSE LAWYER: All of the young people who were convicted of that horrific crime are completely innocent. They weren't there. Didn't do it. As innocent as it's possible to be.
OKWU: Lawyers for three of the defendants filed a motion to overturn their verdicts, based on interviews with this man, Mattes Reyes, who's serving 33 and a third years to life for rape and murder in an unrelated case. Defense attorneys say Reyes has confessed to a private investigator that he assaulted the jogger, and that he's been questioned by the Manhattan DA's office. On one occasion, the court papers say, Reyes was brought to Manhattan and taken to Central Park, where he described the areas of the park where he attacked the victim.
In addition to the new confession, the defense attorneys say new DNA evidence conclusively connects Reyes to the victim.
BARRY SCHECK, DEFENSE LAWYER: At the time of the trial, there was a DNA pattern from somebody who was unapprehended and unknown, that there was no semen attributed to any of the young men that were convicted. They were convicted entirely based on the confessions that were given. And in one instance, some microscopic hair evidence.
OKWU: DNA tests conducted at the time revealed there were various attackers, but that the results were inconclusive. This was a case that presented the worst image of New York to outsiders, and inside the city, exacerbated racial tensions because the victim was white. The accused, minorities. Prosecutors would only say they are reviewing the matter.
Michael Okwu, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: We're joined now by the lead defense attorney for the three men convicted, three of the men convicted, Michael Warren; and defense team adviser Bill Perkins, deputy majority leader of New York's City Council.
Thank you, gentlemen, for being with us.
BILL PERKINS, DEFENSE TEAM ADVISER: Pleasure.
MICHAEL WARREN, LEAD DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Our pleasure.
CHUNG: Mr. Warren, even though you say that this DNA evidence proves that another man, Mr. Reyes, committed the rape -- and I know Mr. Reyes also claims that he did this alone. Isn't it possible that your three clients were also involved in the rape and the beating?
WARREN: Well, I would answer that question in the negative.
I think you'd have to examine the basis for the prosecution and conviction in the first place. First, we start off with Mr. Reyes. Mr. Reyes himself is very convincing. He indicates that not only did he act alone. But even more critical, we have reliable information that a recent DNA test was done and that his semen and his semen alone was the semen in the jogger. Secondly...
CHUNG: Yes, but he cannot be convicted of this crime because of the statute of limitations.
WARREN: He cannot be convicted because of the statute of limitations.
CHUNG: So why should anybody believe him?
WARREN: It's not a question of why should anybody believe him or not believe him.
The central question is how the trial itself was conducted. The trial itself was on the basis solely of the manipulated and coerced confessions and statements from young boys, who were not allowed to meet with their parents or their guardians at the time. And the confessions themselves contradict each other.
CHUNG: But quite the contrary, according to Linda Fairstein, who is head of the Sex Crimes Unit in the Manhattan DA's office. She was part of the prosecution team. We spoke to her today. She says the parents and the grandparents were there for the confessions.
WARREN: In the case of Yusef Salaam -- and I'll just point his case out as an example. His aunt and a friend of his aunt came to the precinct where Yusef was taken.
CHUNG: What about your other two clients?
WARREN: His aunt was not allowed to see him. A friend was not allowed to see him. An assistant U.S. attorney who was his big brother came to see him.
They wanted to meet with him and advise him that he had a right not speak to the police if he did not want to. He was not allowed to see him. Not only was not allowed to see him, but he was actually kicked out of the precinct upon the orders of Linda Fairstein.
CHUNG: What about your other two clients?
WARREN: In terms of the other clients, the other clients were -- their families were not allowed to see them as well. They extracted the confessions from them. And I think what is critical here...
CHUNG: Are you saying that Linda Fairstein is not giving us accurate information?
WARREN: I'm saying she's giving inaccurate information.
And what is critical here, Connie, is that we have experienced police officers, 20 to 30 years homicide detectives from the force, second-grade detectives, who take these young boys, the tender ages of 14 and 15 years of age, and they use a cycling process for purposes of putting out a strategic strategy on each one of them.
CHUNG: I hear you, sir. Let me ask you just a few more questions.
WARREN: And through the cycling process, they manufacture false confessions.
CHUNG: Tell me, Did Mr. Reyes know your three clients?
WARREN: Did Mr. Reyes -- no. No.
CHUNG: Your clients did not know him?
WARREN: He did not know them and they did not know him.
CHUNG: Did your clients have any contact with Mr. Reyes prior to the confession?
WARREN: No, negative. No, no.
(CROSSTALK)
PERKINS: There were no connections between Mr. Reyes and the five young men that were convicted of this particular crime.
CHUNG: Mr. Perkins, there were no witnesses, no DNA. So why were these clients of Mr. Warren convicted?
PERKINS: I think there was a media frenzy at the time that has to take some responsibility for it. I think that there were some very, very derogatory and demeaning characterizations of the individuals, called them wolf packs, urban terrorists, wilding. I think there was a climate at the time where there was a lot of racial things going on in the city.
CHUNG: Because the victim was white.
PERKINS: The victim was a white woman.
CHUNG: And all these boys were minorities.
PERKINS: And all the boys were black and Latino...
CHUNG: Hispanic.
PERKINS: ... coming from a community like Harlem and East Harlem. And I think that that was part of the drama of the time that played into the psyche of the people at large, as well as the jury. And I think that that is what probably was what was more important than the evidence in convicting them of this particular...
CHUNG: Now, what do they hope to accomplish with this lawsuit?
PERKINS: Well, as you know, they've served time. And they are now stigmatized for the rest of their life as being rapists of one of the most notorious rapes that took place in this city and this country. They want to be free of that weight. They want to be free of that cross.
Their families have been bearing that cross for 13 years. That has stymied them in terms of their ability to get employment, stymied them in terms of their ability to develop other relationships. And so they want to get rid of that. And that's very, very important for them, as well as it would be for anyone else.
(CROSSTALK)
CHUNG: Sir, we only have a few seconds left. Go ahead. I know you wanted to say something.
WARREN: I think it's very important for people to understand that this verdict must be set aside, because, in fact, the grounds that we're seeking to set aside the verdict is on the basis of new evidence. And this is credible evidence. It's evidence by a man who the police knew had a solo M.O. at the time. At the time he was arrested, approximately four or five months after this...
CHUNG: And the DA's office has this information.
(CROSSTALK)
CHUNG: And they've had it now for about a year.
WARREN: Yes. And they knew that he operated as a solo. He'd never operated with anyone else.
PERKINS: They've had the information long enough for someone to have a baby, at least nine months. And that's too long for justice to be done in a proper way in this society.
(CROSSTALK)
CHUNG: Gentlemen, thank you so much. I'm so sorry I need to cut you off. But we appreciate your coming in. WARREN: Well, we expect to be back.
PERKINS: We expect to be back.
WARREN: With further developments.
CHUNG: All right, we'll look for the next stage of this.
PERKINS: Thank you so much, Connie.
CHUNG: Appreciate it.
PERKINS: Continued luck.
CHUNG: Appreciate that.
Again, the DA has not confirmed the defense claims and is still reviewing the case and has no comment.
We'll be right back.
ANNOUNCER: Still ahead: a look back at stories of horror, heroism and hope -- when CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Twenty-four-year-old model Marla Hanson became one of New York's most famous crime victims when a jilted suitor, former landlord Steven Roth, paid two men to carve up her face. Roth even set up the attack by luring Hanson with a promise to return the security deposit he owed her.
MARLA HANSON, ATTACK VICTIM: Instead, he had two men waiting for me who grabbed me and began to cut my face.
ANNOUNCER: The 15 razor cuts, some as deep as an inch, took 150 stitches to close. But Hanson survived to press charges and testify against her attackers. One of them died in prison. The other two got out after 10 years. But whatever happened to Marla Hanson? The answer when we return.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Whatever happened to Marla Hanson, the model scarred in the infamous New York knife attack?
HANSON: I still want to model and I'm trying to get back on top of that.
ANNOUNCER: But no one wanted a model, however beautiful, whose face was linked to such ugly violence. Hanson became a minor celebrity for a while, but later said many actors who asked her out and job interviewers who asked her in only wanted to see her face and hear about the attack.
Almost a decade later, post-traumatic stress hit. She blamed defense tactics in the trial more than the attack itself. Hanson eventually recovered. She's now married, with a young daughter, and is considering writing a book about post-traumatic stress.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: And we'll continue.
(NEWS BREAK)
CHUNG: Still ahead: As we look ahead to the somber one-year mark of September 11, we will take a look back.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: In less than a week, America will mark the anniversary of the deadliest surprise attack ever on U.S. soil.
For many, the sensations of that day are indelible. In the air, there was the inescapable smell and constant stream of smoke from the burning rubble, and, on the ground, a seemingly endless orchard of fliers, faces from the past, contrasted with the urgent pleas of loved ones searching for them. They were known as the missing.
And tonight, we've brought together three CNN correspondents who chronicled the search for the missing: Michael Okwu, Maria Hinojosa, and CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. And all three of them join me today.
Thank you so much for being with us.
Michael, I think all of us vividly remember where we were on 9/11. Where were you that morning?
OKWU: Well, it was an unusual morning because I actually had some family members coming in. So, it was one of those days that journalists like us get every once in a blue moon. And I was going to be a little bit late for work.
And I remember listening on the radio and hearing that a plane had gone into one of the towers. And so I immediately went to the television and turned on the television. And, usually, as a journalist, as you know, when something like this happens, you immediately get on the phone or you jump out the door.
CHUNG: You call the office.
OKWU: But what was extraordinary about this morning was, it was the only time that I can ever recall that I was transfixed. And I really felt like I had become a viewer.
And I was standing there, literally, in my bath robe completely transfixed. And it took maybe 30, 40 minutes until I finally realized: "Are you kidding? You've got to call in and get to work."
CHUNG: Yes, you have a job.
Elizabeth, I had not heard about your story until now. You were in Atlanta, where you're based. You were assigned to come to New York. Air transportation was down. How'd you get here?
COHEN: Well, first we thought, "We'll take the train." But then there was no train either.
And so my producer, Miriam (ph), and I got into a car, got into a van with a photographer and a sound tech. And we drove. We left at around noon on the 11th as soon as we could get everything together. And we got to New York at around 5:00 in the morning.
CHUNG: Oh, my gosh.
COHEN: Just kept going.
CHUNG: You were heading to St. Vincent's Hospital, because the expectation was that there would be people who died, but there would be so many people who would flood the hospitals. What, instead, did you find?
HINOJOSA: I remember that it was a sea of green, because all of the medical personnel, doctors and nurses, anybody who could put had on scrubs.
And then there was a sea of white, because they had taken all of the stretchers and they had them ready. They had taken all of the chairs, office chairs, and draped them with white sheets, because we were expecting to see hundreds upon hundreds of injured. And what happened was that no one came. I mean, you would see one ambulance come in every 15 minutes, 20 minutes. And it was someone who could walk.
And, suddenly, there was just this real sensation: "Oh, my God. At least for now, we're not going to have any more survivors." And, again, everyone was in a state of shock. Giuliani, Mayor Giuliani at the time, that was when he came and spoke to the press. And that was when his words, he said, the numbers are going to be too much for all of us to bear.
And, at that point, it was -- I think all of us understood, we have no idea what we're going to be facing. And, immediately, we all started -- all of the journalists said 10,000, 20,000, 30,000. That's what we thought we were going to be seeing.
CHUNG: And then, Michael, you were at a hospital that night.
OKWU: Yes. CHUNG: Maria was there in the afternoon at a different hospital. You were there at night. And it was -- the scene you saw was so sad. Because?
OKWU: There was something that was almost recognizable about the freneticism of that day. Even though there was something horrific going on during the day, it almost fits into the whole tone and notion of New York City.
But when the sun went down that night, and I was standing there at what was supposed to be the major trauma and triage center at St. Vincent's Hospital, and we expected -- since we didn't see so many survivors earlier in the day -- thinking perhaps they're all going to start -- they're going to start finding them at night.
And I'm standing there listening to the stillness of the city, the city that never sleeps. And yet on this day, even though you knew no one was really sleeping, there wasn't a sound you could hear. It was complete and total silence.
CHUNG: Elizabeth, you were covering these people who were searching for their relatives day after day after day. Finally, after two or three days, you were telling us once again who was looking for whom. And you did something that all of us did. It's just that yours was caught on camera.
And let's watch it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: If you think your father might be out there somewhere, what would you want to say to him?
VINNY COMAGE (ph), SON OF WORLD TRADE CENTER VICTIM: I want to tell him that we all miss him, his little nephew Luke misses him, and that we're strong. We've got hope.
COHEN: Thank you.
COMAGE: Thank you.
COHEN: Aaron, I've been talking to these families for two days now. And all of these stories are very much like this. People are just hoping that their relatives are out there somewhere. And they're begging us to talk about them, to show their pictures, hoping that, if someone's seen them, that they might be able to identify them and give some information.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: Oh, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Maria has taken my hand.
HINOJOSA: I know.
CHUNG: Yes, you can't help it. You just can't help it.
COHEN: Absolutely.
CHUNG: You know what? Even now, when a relative of a 9/11 victim speaks, I almost start crying before they do, because it's just -- it hurts too much, and no matter how jaded, how many times we've heard stories again and again. Don't you think?
COHEN: Each story is sadder than the next. Each one has the story of the last words from the telephone. Each one has the story of the grandson or the children left behind, the father of three children. I mean, each one is just -- and it's hard to figure out how to mourn for these people. It really is.
CHUNG: Do you know what happened to you at that moment? In other words, you were just working and working and working day in and day out.
COHEN: Well, it wasn't so much fatigue, really. Actually, he was the first person who I had interviewed at the armory. It was just sad. It was just the sadness of it.
I think any time you speak to someone who was searching for a relative, you know that they're going to die. You know that this is not going to work out well. I mean, it was just horribly sad. And here's this -- Vinny's this big guy. They actually had me stand up on boxes so I'd be even little bit close to his height. And here he was. And he was crying. And it just made me cry, too.
HINOJOSA: You know, Connie...
CHUNG: You know what?
Oh, go ahead.
HINOJOSA: It's interesting, because I think, for us as journalists, especially those of us who live in the city, what we do has changed. For the entire year since September 11, it's kind of like, "OK, I'm going go to work, but there's a real good chance I'm going to cry today."
And, as a journalist, even though I've been to war zones, it's just different when it's every day. It's in the city where you're raising your kids. And it's present. And that, as a journalist, we just didn't -- that wasn't the way it was.
CHUNG: No.
HINOJOSA: And that's the way. Every day, it's like: "OK, I'm going to go to work and there's a real good chance I'm going to end up crying at some point."
OKWU: Elizabeth actually put a face on the tragedy. And I think it was one of the early reports. All of us were covering what was going on around in the city, in the destruction. But you saw the face of the tragedy with those people she interviewed. And I think a lot of people would have reacted the way she did.
CHUNG: Did viewers react to your crying?
COHEN: Very much. I received hundreds of e-mails and phone calls. My husband, after that night with Vinny, he said, "You should check your e-mail."
And I said, "Why?"
And he said, "I bet you have a lot." And I did. I had probably 100 e-mails of people just saying...
CHUNG: Oh, really?
COHEN: "Thank you. I cried with you," what Michael said, "You put a face on this," because up until this point -- that was on the 13th -- people hadn't really -- the viewers hadn't really met the people who had lost loved ones.
We'd heard from the FBI and the president, etcetera. But they hadn't really heard from the people. And when I cried, they said: "Elizabeth, that allowed us to cry. And we cried with you." That's what I heard over and over again: "We cried with you."
CHUNG: There's something that we have to do. We always talk to people while they're grieving. And it's so awful to do. It's unctuous. It's inappropriate, really.
And yet, did you feel as if you were indeed intruding on people's privacy or that this was a necessary bit of information that the viewers needed to know?
COHEN: I was afraid I was going to have to -- someone was going to tell me back in Atlanta, get on the phone and say: "Hound those people down, Elizabeth. You've got to get them." And that was not the case at all. I didn't have to do that. They came to me.
HINOJOSA: Remember, these are all people who we're meeting for the first time. So when I go and interview a family member, I want to know everything I possibly can about this person that they lost. And this is their chance to talk, to show me their pictures of when they were 3, 4, 10.
CHUNG: Right.
HINOJOSA: This is their time to give their -- this face that we just saw on a poster a life. And it's such a great responsibility that we have and an honor that we're able to do this work.
CHUNG: OK, Elizabeth Cohen, Maria Hinojosa, and Michael Okwu, thank you so much for being with us. And, of course, we'll see you on the air.
HINOJOSA: Thank you.
COHEN: Thank you. OKWU: Thank you.
CHUNG: Tomorrow, we'll talk with CNN's investigative unit about what we knew then and what we know now.
And still ahead: three women who were part of a team of seven. Now they are the only ones left.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: We all agree that life is not the same since September 11. We want to know how yours as changed. Did you move, change jobs, volunteer? Whatever it is, we want you to tell us about it on videotape. Send your tapes to CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT, P.O. Box 5138, New York, New York, 10185.
For more information, log on to CNN.com/CONNIE.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: On September 11, hundreds of workers in the World Trade Center's South Tower watched as flames and smoke engulfed the neighboring tower. Unaware a second jet was heading right for them, they had a simple choice: stay or go.
Some fled. Others obeyed a building-wide announcement telling them to remain. The Aon Corporation's client service business unit was on the 92nd floor. Out of a group of seven friends in that unit, two decided to leave. One of them had the day off to attend a funeral. Together, the three first told their story in this month's "Glamour" magazine.
And they are Lisa Spadaro, Stacy Mornan, and Rene Bost.
Thank you so much for being with it. We appreciate it.
(CROSSTALK)
CHUNG: Stacy, let's start with you.
You were on your computer and you heard screaming.
STACY MORNAN, FLED SOUTH TOWER: Right.
CHUNG: What did you do? And what did you think was going on?
MORNAN: Well, a friend of mine, we were all talking that morning. And she immediately said: "Oh, my God. Oh my, God." And that's when I arose out of my seat. And that's when I saw the burning flame and papers everywhere. CHUNG: And that's when you decided you would ignore the announcement that everyone should stay. And you left.
MORNAN: Yes, I did.
CHUNG: You went down the stairwell.
MORNAN: Yes.
CHUNG: As you were climbing down 92 flights, it became dark and something hit you. What was that?
MORNAN: It was Sheetrock. When the second plane hit, Sheetrock fell on my legs. It was dark, water everywhere, soot. And I was just saying to myself, "Please, I cannot go today," and just asked the Lord's strength. And I pushed the Sheetrock off of me and continued to run down to the main lobby.
CHUNG: And you came all the way down.
MORNAN: Yes, I did.
CHUNG: And you got out.
MORNAN: And I got out.
CHUNG: And what did you think to yourself? What was going on in your mind, because you did see the building collapse, didn't you?
MORNAN: No, I did not.
CHUNG: Oh, you didn't?
MORNAN: No, I did not.
CHUNG: Oh, that was probably Rene. Forgive me.
MORNAN: When I came out...
CHUNG: Yes.
MORNAN: ... I saw the gaping hole in the building.
CHUNG: I see.
MORNAN: And that's when I saw people jumping, debris, bodies. There was blood everywhere. When I ran to Broadway and Fulton, it was approximately 15 minutes after that. That is when the building came down.
CHUNG: I see. And, at that time, did you think to yourself that you did have colleagues that did not leave the building?
MORNAN: Oh yes.
CHUNG: What was your worst fear? MORNAN: My worst fear was, like, I hope that they did get out and they were safe. And when I knew that some of them did not get out is when it just -- that's when I broke down.
CHUNG: And, indeed, the Aon Corporation suffered how many casualties?
MORNAN: Approximately 176.
CHUNG: Rene, I know that you had left the 92nd floor. You were doing some things on the concourse level. And then you went back up to the 92nd floor. You were at work very early that morning.
When you heard what was happening, you went down the stairs from the 92nd to the 78th floor.
RENE BOST, FLED SOUTH TOWER: Yes.
CHUNG: Now, if I understand it correctly, there's a -- it's sort of like another lobby on the 78th floor.
BOST: Yes, yes.
CHUNG: And there were a lot of people there, weren't there?
BOST: People were starting to come down. So you had bunch of people. There were...
CHUNG: You were waiting for elevators.
BOST: ... about a couple of hundred.
Right.
CHUNG: All right, one elevator opens. People rush in. And you're saying to yourself, is an elevator magically going to go open up in front of you? And it does.
BOST: Well, I kind of -- one opened at the far side of the wall. And people ran. And security said there are other elevators. So I'm pressing it. And I'm like, "I hope it comes." And the doors open in front of me.
CHUNG: Oh, my gosh. And so you went all the way down.
BOST: Yes.
CHUNG: And when you got out, is that when you saw the fireball or was that just a little later?
BOST: They walked us out by Sam Goody. And we had to cover our heads, because there was a lot of paper. And it looked like bits of Sheetrock. And I still didn't know what was going on. And I stood on Greenwich. And, about five minutes afterwards, that's when I heard a crack and a huge explosion. And we took off.
CHUNG: Lisa, you had taken the day off because you were going to your girlfriend's mother's funeral.
LISA SPADARO, WORKED IN SOUTH TOWER: Correct.
CHUNG: When you found out what happened, what emotions, what feelings were going through your mind?
SPADARO: Well, I watched it unfold on television as I was trying to prepare to go to this funeral. And the feelings were shock, horror, disbelief, helplessness.
I mean, just watching it on TV, knowing that my friends are in there Stacy, Rene, everybody, I just -- I couldn't help them. I couldn't do anything for them. And it was just complete devastation, just knowing that there's nothing you could do to help.
CHUNG: Did you think to yourself, "Oh, but for the grace of God go I"?
No.
SPADARO: No. I mean, it was just -- really just a horrible, horrible feeling to just be that way.
CHUNG: Well, I know that you made a very important decision about your life, which I'm really surprised about. You decided that you would not have any children.
SPADARO: Correct.
CHUNG: And tell me why.
SPADARO: Well, for many reasons. And it wasn't completely related to the events of September 11.
But after seeing everything that's happened and -- you know, it's a tough world. And to see these people, what happened to them, with families and everything else, I don't know that I want to raise a child in this world. And I don't know if I'll be there someday to take care of them. Or what if they're left alone? Or what if I lose them in something so horrible like this? And that's not the reason, but that really kind of cemented my decision.
CHUNG: Well, as all of you look back on that day, what are your feelings? What are your thoughts? Are you able to move on? Or is something lingering back there that continues to trouble you?
Stacy?
MORNAN: It's a struggle every day to take the train coming into the city every day. You don't know what to expect. We're currently in the midtown area. And you just -- I'm always on my P's and Q's. You just don't know what's going to occur.
CHUNG: I know that all of you are working at a new office building. A fire alarm went off. And, quickly, what did you do?
MORNAN: I'm like: "Oh, my God. This can't happen again."
CHUNG: And you were out of there.
MORNAN: Yes.
CHUNG: Everybody else is still sitting there.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: All right, ladies, I'm so glad that you're here and able to be with us today.
MORNAN: Thank you.
CHUNG: And our hearts go out to the families of those friends that you lost.
SPADARO: Thank you.
MORNAN: Thank you.
BOST: Thank you.
CHUNG: Thank you, Stacy. Thank you, Rene, Lisa.
SPADARO: Thank you.
CHUNG: And I'm sure you'll remain friends the rest of your life.
MORNAN: Yes, we will.
(CROSSTALK)
CHUNG: Thank you.
SPADARO: Thank you.
CHUNG: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: Tomorrow: the world-class chef who narrowly escaped death because of a split-second decision.
And coming up next on "LARRY KING LIVE": She's lovable. She's understanding, but she's so opinionated. She's Judge Judy.
Thank you for joining us. And for all of us at CNN, good night. And come on back tomorrow.
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