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Manhunt Underway For Texas Shooter Accused Of Killing Five; JP Morgan Chase Buys First Republic's Assets In Rescue Deal; Trump's Attorney Continues Cross-Examination Of E. Jean Carroll. Aired 2-2:30p ET

Aired May 01, 2023 - 14:00   ET

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

[14:00:00]

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: A massive manhunt in Texas. The suspect in a horrific shooting vanished without a trace. How authorities are trying to track down the man they say killed five of his neighbors, including a nine-year-old boy?

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Plus, another bank takeover has investors and consumers alike questioning the state of the U.S. economy. First Republic Bank now the second-largest failure in American history, as JP Morgan steps in to buy it.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: President Biden is set to host the President of the Philippines this hour reaffirming America's "ironclad commitment to protect the island nation" as tensions with China heat up. We are following these major developing stories and many more all coming in right here to CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

KEILAR: It is possible that the man accused of gunning down this mother, her nine-year-old son, and three other family members over the weekend in Texas should not have even been in the United States. Sources say to the -- to CNN that Francisco Oropesa has been deported more than once and there is now an $80,000 reward for his capture and more than 200 officers have been looking for him. And yet with all of that manpower, the FBI says they're "zero leads."

That San Jacinto County sheriff says that Oropesa opened fire on his next-door neighbors after they asked him to quiet down. He had been firing his rifle in the yard. The mother of 25-year-old victim Sonia Guzman said her daughter helped her buy a new home in Honduras, and that she hopes on is body will be returned there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCIA GUZMAN, DAUGHTER KILLED IN TEXAS RAMPAGE (through translator): She never left me alone. It's very difficult to know that I won't hear her voice anymore. She left full of excitement and now I'm just hoping she will come back even if it is in a coffin so that I can say goodbye.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: We have CNN's Ed Lavandera in Cleveland, Texas where the shooting happened. Ed, how many times has the suspect been deported from the U.S.?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): A source with U.S. Customs and Enforcement says that Francisco Oropesa has been deported at least four times dating back to 2009. The last deportation happening in 2016.

All of this raising questions not only about whether or not he should have been here, obviously but questions about how someone with that record could also have obtained the firearms that neighbors and people around him have told us that he collected -- and law enforcement had collected here from the crime scene.

Oropesa lived here in this neighborhood -- rural neighborhood just outside of Cleveland, Texas about an hour's drive north of Houston. And the house you see behind me is where the deadly rampage took place on Friday night.

One of the owners of the house, Wilson Garcia, talked to us yesterday. And he described the harrowing scene inside and the time that passed from the moment that he and several others confronted Oropesa about shooting his weapons here in his yard.

They simply asked him to not even stop shooting. He said that just it's a fire on the other side of his property. And that's when Oropesa told them it's my property. I will do what I want. And then Garcia told us that 10 to 20 minutes later, Oropesa returned back to the house and unleashed that deadly rampage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILSON GARCIA, WIFE & SON KILLED IN SHOOTING (through translator): That was my nine-year-old son and my wife too. And two people who died protecting my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. My one-and-a-half- month-old son was protected with a lot of clothes so the killer wouldn't kill him too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:05:06]

LAVANDERA: And, Brianna, a quick update on a situation we're monitoring right now. The sheriff in Montgomery County, which is just west of here, said that they had a report of a possible sighting of the suspect just off of a highway. And they say that they are checking out that situation. That was within the last hour.

This could be nothing. But they said they're searching and checking out that area intensely out of an abundance of caution. So, we'll continue to monitor that throughout the afternoon, Brianna.

KEILAR: All right, Ed. Thank you for the very latest on that. A huge manhunt underway, Jim. SCIUTTO: All right, so let's discuss it further with someone who knows a thing or two about it. CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst Charles Ramsey. He led police departments here in Washington and in Philadelphia. First, Chief Ramsey, put yourself in this position, you're looking for a suspect armed and dangerous. They say they have no leads. There could be an update on that. But if that's the case, what do you do?

CHARLES RAMSEY, CNN SENIOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, I mean, they're just going to continue to comb through whatever evidence they have. And hopefully, somebody from the public reaches out. And it's important.

People may think that it's really something is not important and they don't call, it doesn't matter. Just call. Provide whatever information you have.

In the meantime, they're going to be working with all the authorities in and around Texas and elsewhere. But also in Mexico. I mean, he's been deported apparently, several times. However way he snuck into the country, he probably just do it in reverse and get back across the border if he's able to. Depends on just how mobile he is right now.

They're also searching the houses in the area nearby just to make sure he didn't force his way in on someone else. And he's -- and he's still holding other people. So, they have to pay attention to every little thing right now in order to try to come up with just one nugget of information that will lead to his arrest.

SCIUTTO: So, let me ask you on the point you bring up. Deported four times, made his way back into the country. How does that happen? You sneak your way in, and what does that show?

RAMSEY: Well, I mean, we obviously have a lot of issues when it comes to immigration. People illegally crossing the border. I mean, there are thousands of miles of border that need to be protected. And people have a way of finding the weak spot.

I think the biggest issue is how we get his hands on handguns. If he has illegally entered the country four different times, how did he possibly get his hands on a handgun? Was that through private sales? You know, was it straw purchasing? Did he use a false identity and legally purchase it in a gun store?

SCIUTTO: Yes.

RAMSEY: I mean I'm sure ATF is working on that right now. But how can you be deported four times and then have access to those kinds of firearms?

SCIUTTO: Well, that's one thing. We know a lot of migrants come this way. We know a lot of weapons go south. Hit has been cited by law enforcement repeatedly.

I do want to ask you something given that you've led police departments before and you've done searches before for murder suspects. When the Texas governor announced that there was a reward for this, he took note and this was in a tweet and I think we can -- we can put this up here something that he put out publicly to note that the victims were all illegal immigrants. Is there any investigative or law enforcement value in noting that about the victims of this murder here, which included an eight-year-old boy?

RAMSEY: Absolutely not. None whatsoever. That was totally unnecessary. It has absolutely nothing to do with the horrific crime that took place, certainly with the person who committed the crime, the fact that he was in the country illegally.

But as far as the victims, they are victims. And that's it. And I think that was totally inappropriate and just flat-out wrong to include that in the message. There was just absolutely no need for it.

SCIUTTO: Let's talk bigger picture if we can hear now. NPR is reporting the record number of murders in this country are now going unsolved. The rate dropped to a record low in 2020 under 50 percent, less than half of murders, they find the murderer and get that person -- get that person into the legal process. Why is that happening?

RAMSEY: Well, things have changed over the years. I recall when I was in the Chicago Police Department and worked in violent crimes 75 or 80 percent clearance rates was not unusual. And now you know, you're lucky to hit 50 percent. And it's been a gradual decline over the years. Some of it has to do with a lack of people coming forward as witnesses.

That has an awful lot to do with, certainly trust with police is a part of that particular -- part of it as well. So, there's a combination of factors that really lead into why the clearance rate is so low. But it's really, to me a sign that, you know, the police have to work a lot harder in building the kind of relationships with the community that they need to build because someone out there knows who's responsible for these crimes and provide information that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the individual.

[14:10:10]

We tried everything. In DC, we've had rewards for every single homicide, same thing in Philadelphia. We got some leads as a result of that, but not nearly enough to raise that clearance rate beyond 60 percent or so.

SCIUTTO: Wow, that's a shame to hear that trust is a factor. Of course, trust in institutions such a -- such a broad problem we discuss every day. Charles Ramsey, good to have you on. Thanks so much. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Now, to another big headline we're following this afternoon. A massive bank takeover in an effort to end months of chaos. Overnight, federal regulators seized control of First Republic Bank and its $229 billion worth of assets. And then they immediately sold it to the nation's largest bank, JPMorgan Chase.

Right now, Wall Street is reacting positively on the takeover news. The Dow actually up. First Republic is now the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history, the largest since the 2008 financial crisis, and the third U.S. Bank to fail since March. Regulators are hoping that this move is going to boost confidence in the U.S. banking system, especially when it comes to regional banks across the country.

CNN's Matt Egan joins us now live. He's been following all the latest details on this. Matt, First Republic Bank had been teetering for quite some time. Why did regulators choose now to act?

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER (on camera): Well, Boris, the situation simply became unsustainable. The First Republic was losing tens of billions of dollars of deposits. Its share price was down by 97 percent in the span of just a week.

So, something has to be done. And California regulators, they decided to step in and just shut it down. The FDIC seize control and after a competitive bidding process, they sold it to JP Morgan.

So, let me run you through some of the numbers here. JP Morgan is paying $10.6 billion to the FDIC to buy most of First Republic. Crucially, JP Morgan is acquiring all $92 billion in deposits at First Republic, and they're taking on about $173 billion in First Republic loans.

So, what does all this mean to people who have money at First Republic? Well, I think the key here is that your money is safe. Those funds are just moving from one bank to another. Officials say you're going to have full access to all of your deposits, even above the $250,000 that the FDIC insures.

Now, I think the bigger question though, here is what does all of this mean for the broader economy and the risk of a potential credit crunch? Now, during report -- a call during -- during your call today with reporters, JPMorgan CEO, Jamie Dimon, he expressed some confidence here that this banking crisis could be wrapping up soon.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

JAMIE DIMON, CEO, JPMORGAN CHASE: So, this is getting near the end of it. And hopefully, this helps stabilize everything. The American banking system is extraordinarily sound you know. And obviously, if going forward, you have recessions and you know, rates going up and stuff like that, you will see other cracks in the system, but that has to be expected. The system is very, very sound.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

EGAN: Now, I asked Dimon if the First Republic's failure raises the risk of recession, which is something that he has been very openly worried about in the past. And he said he doesn't think it necessarily raises the risk of recession and he does hope that the fact that JP Morgan is stepping in here and buying most of the First Republic that that's going to stabilize the situation. Boris, let's hope it does because the longer this banking crisis goes on, the more damage is going to do to the real economy. SANCHEZ: Absolutely. Dimon saying the banking situation has been stabilized but the economy, not yet completely out of the woods. Matt Egan, thank you so much for that report. Brianna?

KEILAR: Boris, still ahead. E. Jean Carroll back on the stand today in the civil battery and defamation case against Donald Trump. The judge just denying the former President's call for a mistrial, and we're live at the courthouse.

Plus, tens of thousands of people risking their lives and traveling hundreds of miles to get out of Sudan. Evacuees tell us the journey to safety is just the beginning. We're going to show you their stories.

And later, the ocean blob. We'll update you on that giant mass of seaweed in the Atlantic. It's gross, it smells, and more of it is heading towards Florida.

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[14:18:32]

SCIUTTO: Developing as we speak in the ongoing civil battery and defamation trial of Donald Trump. An attorney for the former President is continuing to cross-examine E. Jean Carroll. This is the woman who accused Trump of assaulting her in the New York Department Store in the 1990s. Ahead of today's testimony, a judge denied Trump's request for a mistrial. Trump's lawyer argues that the judge made pervasive unfair and prejudicial rulings against him.

CNN's Kara Scannell, she's been covering the case. She's outside the courthouse in Manhattan. So, Kara, we continue the cross-examination of E. Jean Carroll by Trump's attorneys. We know their goal here is to try to undermine her credibility. What's been happening in the last hour?

KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, Jim, that's right. The name of the game today for Trump's defense team is to try to attack E. Jean Carroll's credibility. But they've been focusing on -- or her actions after this alleged rape at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in the mid-1990s.

Now, part of the questioning has been you know, if you were so traumatized by this experience, then why did you do certain things after that? One of them, they pulled up a spreadsheet of some spending that E. Jean Carroll did at Bergdorf Goodman, over a 10-year period when she was there at least 20 times and she spent at least $13,000. And they asked her about that and here's what her testimony was. She said I made that clear that Bergdorf is not a place I'm afraid to enter.

Now, they also questioned her about for -- some of her Facebook posts. In one Facebook post, she said that she was a massive fan of The Apprentice. That was the reality show that Donald Trump starred in for a number of years.

[14:20:07] Carroll said that she was a fan of the competition between the aspiring business entrepreneurs, but she said she didn't watch the portion of it at the end where Trump fired certain contestants from the show. She also was asked, you know, why didn't she ever call the police when she had advised numerous writers to advise column to do that very thing. You know, all again, steps to try to under a god attack or credibility.

Now, they also showed a number of clips, including when she was on Anderson Cooper, soon after her book came out in 2019, as well as some other saying that she was looking for some publicity for this book. She said, of course, she was. She wrote a book. She acknowledged that it didn't sell. She called it a dud.

And she also was asked, you know, through all of these interviews that you gave, you -- the only time you became emotional and cried about what happened to you was on your testimony on the stand. She did become emotional several times during her testimony last week. And Carroll acknowledged that yes, that was true. That was the only time that she did and she said you know in this courtroom, I'm being forced to tell the truth, Jim.

SCIUTTO: Good to have you there, Kara Scannell. Thank you so much. Boris?

SANCHEZ: Let's expand the conversation now about what all of this means for Trump with CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams. Elliot, great to have you. This isn't the only time that we've seen Donald Trump tried to argue that court officials should be dismissed because they're biased. What's the standard for that? How often does that actually work?

ELLIOT WILLIAMS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I think it's highly unlikely forever to work to say that a judge is biased on account of the judge's own rulings. And one of the things they make in this motion that late -- filed late last night was it because of a number of statements made by the judge, a number of rulings by the judge, there's no way that Donald Trump could get a fair trial. That's the standard for a mistrial, where there's some error that is so egregious that the parties can't get a fair trial.

This -- you know this was never going to win. However, it is important that they filed it now because if Donald Trump loses, in order to be able to raise it later on, he has to file it at trial.

SANCHEZ: That makes sense.

WILLIAMS: Yes.

SANCHEZ: And how about the cross-examination from Trump's attorney Joe Tacopina? Legal experts have said that it's a bit unusual, even outdated, his aggressive asking of E. Jean Carroll why she didn't cry about the alleged rape before. What do you make of his questioning?

WILLIAMS: Look, it's not uncommon in sexual assault cases to go after the credibility of the individual who is bringing the allegation, right? It's sort of icky because of the fact that in most of these instances, you have one person's testimony against another. So, it is fair game to say how long -- you know, for -- hold on calm, just carrying some noise back there.

SANCHEZ: Sort of that.

WILLIAMS: It's OK. It's entirely fair to say you know, these are old allegations, why are you just bringing these now and so on? It's important to note in any crime -- in any criminal case, what is at stake and what is being decided. And in a battery case, as it is here, was there an unwanted touching of the defendant by the plaintiff? Period.

All this stuff about why didn't you call the cops, did you yell loud enough, why didn't you talk, it's simply ancillary. Now look, it goes to her credibility, and maybe it gets into jurors' heads. But what the -- what she should say in her closing argument is put all that noise aside. And what I have just alleged is that -- is that I was touched in an unwanted way full stop.

SANCHEZ: Yes. Let's turn now to the investigation in Fulton County where Trump is accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election because there, he also filed to try to have not only the judge dismissed, but also DA Fani Willis claiming that they are biased.

WILLIAMS: Right.

SANCHEZ: Willis has tweeted out a political cartoon, for example, made several public statements about Trump. Today, a judge extended the deadline for her to respond to that attempt. What do you make of the extension?

WILLIAMS: Well, it's going -- it's a voluminous motion that President Trump trial because number one, it's talking about Willis's conduct, the conduct of the grand jury foreperson --

SANCHEZ: Right.

WILLIAMS: -- and her public statements in a number of matters. And judges often extend time just you know to give a party more time to respond. It's another instance of if you lose, you have to have filed it at the trial earlier on.

Now, look. With respect to Fani Willis's own statements, we have this system in the United States where prosecutors run in partisan elections and make statements all the time. They're all political figures.

SANCHEZ: Right.

WILLIAMS: You're going to have a really hard time getting a case tossed out on account of a statement made by a prosecutor on the campaign trail you just start.

SANCHEZ: Yes. And notably, we are awaiting a potential indictment of the former president. She said it would happen in summer. She sent a letter to law enforcement saying to prepare for that potential indictment.

Elliot Williams getting over the technical difficulties rolling with the punches quite the pro, thanks so much for being here for us.

WILLIAMS: You bet, Boris.

SANCHEZ: Briana?

KEILAR: President Biden is set to welcome the President of the Philippines to the White House this hour. And this trip is happening against the backdrop of deepening U.S. tensions with the Philippines' neighbor, China. Plus, continued anger over the new pension law in France fueled today's May Day protests. We're going to take you live to the streets of Paris. Stay with us.

[14:25:12]

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SANCHEZ: In Texas, the manhunt for a suspect accused of fatally shooting five people including a nine-year-old boy and his mother continues at this hour. Francisco Oropesa is accused of a bloody rampage at his neighbor's home just outside of Houston late on Friday night.

Right now, hundreds of law enforcement officers are searching far and wide for this suspect who was considered armed and dangerous. Keep in mind. Survivors say that Oropesa became angry after they asked him to stop firing his rifle so close to their house.