Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

NIU Campus Looks for Answers to Shooting; Guilty Verdict in Bobby Cutts Trial; Obesity May Raise Risk for Cancer

Aired February 15, 2008 - 13:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: A scene of horror at a place dedicated to learning. A day just not enough to dull the shock and pain at Northern Illinois University. A mass shooting, five fatalities, many more injured, and one troubled man's suicide.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Today we know his name and a bit about him. But not the answer to one big question; why.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

CNN correspondents and crews are in the field today learning all they can about the horrible events at Northern Illinois University.

Let's get straight to the campus and CNN's Don Lemon -- Don.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Fredricka.

What did you say just before you came to me? The big question is why. Right? I was going to do this at the very end of my live shot, but you know what? That's exactly what people here are wondering. This is "The Sun" -- the "Chicago Sun-Times." And I think they got it right on. Their headline simply says "Why?" And they've got a young man who obviously went to school here and knew someone who went to school here who says, why. Exactly.

And this is where I get to the information on this I want to show you. This is what the campus looks like today. Basically no one here, especially not (INAUDIBLE). Look right here, just above my head probably, and you can see the American flag and also the Illinois -- the Illinois flag, I should say, at half-staff.

And just here at noon time it's here, Central, we can hear the bells going off here at the university. But the governor has ordered those flags at half-staff until February 23.

Now, here's what we're learning about the shooter. He's a 27- year-old man. They have identified him as Steven Kazmierczak, a former grad student here, last enrolled spring of 2007. By all accounts, a good student here. But apparently he had some troubling times, at least over the past couple of months. And investigators talked about that in a press conference not very long ago. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHIEF DONALD GRADY, NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY POLICE: We have talked to people that are close to him and, apparently, he had been taking medication. He had stopped taking those medications, and he had become somewhat erratic in the last couple of weeks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of meds?

GRADY: I'm sorry. Say again.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What kind of medication?

GRADY: I'm not prepared to share that with you. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: They would not say what type of medication, but again they said he was troubled, showed some erratic behavior over the past couple weeks after he stopped taking that medication.

We also learned some new information. At first it was reported by the officials here, and so the news organizations reported, that it was a total of seven people who had died, including the gunman. Now it's a total of six. Five victims, and the gunman turned the gun on himself and killed himself. So a total now of six victims.

Can you imagine, though, being in that auditorium, that classroom, and you're in the middle of your lesson, about 100 students, and then all of a sudden someone kicks in the door. And then you hear the click of someone loading and cocking a rifle. And then all of a sudden he opens fire on your fellow students, and you, if you're standing in the way.

Zach Seward was in that classroom, and he says it will haunt him forever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZACH SEWARD, WITNESS: Do I feel safe? That's really up for air. I mean, any time I sit in an auditorium I'll look at the side door and just remember that moment. So I think if certain measures are taken in the school to, you know, prevent certain things like this from happening or just measures taken, I'll feel safer. But right now I really don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Enough about the gunman. Apparently no motive, no note, so police say it's going to take some investigating to figure out exactly why he did this.

Let's talk more about the innocent victims in all of this. They held a press conference just a short time ago at Kishwaukee Hospital, and that is where you'll find our Susan Roesgen.

She is on top of this story, has been since it broke last night -- Susan. SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, this hospital really was ground zero for triage yesterday. Eighteen students were taken here, but they were in luck, because this is a hospital that constantly trains for this kind of major event. Never had one like this before, but they said that they were ready.

They had five emergency room physicians on stand-by when these students came in, very seriously injured. Most of the wounds were to the head and to the torso, the worst possible injuries. And the chief medical director here said that he himself had never fired a rifle, but after he saw these injuries yesterday he knows exactly what a shotgun blast can do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. MICHAEL KULISZ, EMERGENCY SURGEON, KISHWAUKEE HOSPITAL: When you train twice a year, paramedics as well as emergency room physicians and the entire hospital staff for disasters, obviously hoping that we would never use those skills that we developed.

But when we actually do the trauma drill with the 18 patients, our primary job is just to stabilize everyone and get them to the appropriate positions. It's not until afterwards when there's no patients left in the E.R. do you take a deep breath and realize the magnitude of the devastation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: Now, the surgeons here say that what was so difficult about a shotgun blast is lots of pellets, basically fired often into the backs of these students as they were running away in the stampede to get away from the gunman.

They said that, although the pellets from the shotgun are small, they can do serious damage to organs. And they really didn't know how badly injured some of the students were until they got them into surgery. Again, one person is going to be released shortly today. Another person is now in surgery. Those are the last two students that are at this hospital, Don.

The good news is, according to the doctors, these were young people, so they're generally in better shape, can generally have a better prognosis for recovery than they might have if they were older or had some other ailments. These were young kids, and hopefully, we will not hear of any more fatalities today -- Don.

LEMON: Absolutely. And our hearts and our prayers and our thoughts are with them. Susan Roesgen at Kishwaukee Community Hospital, thank you very much for that, Susan.

Of course you know Chicago is the big city here. But Midwestern values in this community. And Chicago is a big city here, not very far from where we are. And all the kids, all the people who go to the schools here, who attend NIU, who attend the University of Illinois, well, usually they go to the big city. They find jobs. They do internships. Well, one of our affiliates, a long-time weather person here who is beloved -- beloved by the community, one of the kids who was injured in all of this, well, he was an intern for (INAUDIBLE), for the weather man in this part. And just to bring you the human part of this, last night he was on the air and broke down, talking about his former intern. We're going to bring that to you coming up at the bottom of the hour.

T.J., I'm going to throw it back to you. Very sad news, though, coming out of Northern Illinois University.

HOLMES: All right, Don. It is sad news. A lot of people are being touched by this thing and a lot more stories we're probably going to hear like that. Don, we appreciate you. We'll be talking to you here in just a bit.

And folks, in the past few hours we are starting to learn more about this shooter. Steven Kazmierczak is the man, of course, that went on the shooting spree on that campus. Well, Kazmierczak was enrolled, as well, as a graduate student at the University of Illinois in Champaign. And that is where CNN's Dan Lothian is right now.

Dan, you're trying to find out more about -- about this man and people who knew him. And you're touching base with even some of his advisors there on campus -- hello.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, T.J.

Yes, I just spoke with Jan Carter-Black, and she's the professor of the school of social work. She taught him in a class called Human Behavior in the Social Environment. She said she first started teaching him in the summer of '07.

And she's obviously very stunned by what happened. She was -- I'd say half of the interview she was in tears. It is so difficult, she says, for her to fathom that this young man that was in her class, who she described as being very engaging. She said he always showed up on time to class, always got his work done, always projected himself as being very confident and never really showed any signs that anything else was going on in his life.

And so she said to sort of wake up this morning and find out that this was someone who was in her class is just simply devastating. She went on to say that he ended up dropping out of her class in the fall of '07, because she mentioned that -- he had mentioned to her that he had gotten a job, some kind of a job. She didn't know specifically what the job was, but he dropped out of the class because he said he couldn't handle the course load at the time and have that job at the same time.

She saw him from time to time after that in the hallways, around campus. And again, she says that at no time were there any signs whatsoever that anything was wrong -- T.J.

HOLMES: And Dan, you -- that last point there, you said no signs anything was wrong. We had heard from police that he was taking some kind of medication, and then he stopped taking the medication. Did this advisor at all have any hints that he was on medication to be treating any kind of issue he might have been having? This came as news and a surprise to her?

LOTHIAN: It really did come as news and a surprise to her. She said that's not something that she knew in her capacity as his professor or even as an advisor, that she would ask him about any kind of medical condition that he might have or, you know, whether or not he had other kinds of mental issues.

She said perhaps the dean would have been someone that he may have confided in, although she does not know of that. But that would be the person that he would confide in, if he had needs such as, "Well, I have to get up out of class to take medication" or anything like that.

But, no, she did not know he was on any kind of medication, had any kind of issues that would lead to something like this. And obviously, again, she was shocked when she saw what happened.

And as I pointed out earlier, in tears most of that interview, at least half of that interview, when she thinks about the fact that this young man who she dealt with on a daily basis, you know, coursework, advising him, in small group sessions, large sessions with other students, about 30 students in that class. So she was very close to him. It was an intimate relationship between the professor and this student, and so stunning for her that this occurred.

HOLMES: All right. More confusion here. Folks trying to figure out exactly who this man was and why this happened. Dan Lothian for us at the University of Illinois at Champaign, where Steven Kazmierczak was actually enrolled as a graduate student. Dan, we appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: Well, this, too, was a very confusing and emotional case. Guilty, the verdict. Former police officer Bobby Cutts heard over and over today in an Ohio courtroom.

Cutts was found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, Jessie Davis, who was nine months pregnant at the time and guilty of aggravated murder in the death of their unborn child. Jurors, who spent 21 hours deliberating the case, also found him guilty of abuse of a corpse, burglary and child endangering. He now faces a possible death sentence.

Cutts had testified that it was all a terrible accident. He said stone-faced as each verdict was announced. The families left without saying a word. The lawyers aren't talking either. A gag order is still in effect. The judge rejected a defense request for a mistrial. We'll discuss that and more with attorney and law professor Avery Friedman later on in this hour.

HOLMES: We'll continue with mind of a campus shooter. Coming up here in the NEWSROOM, the Internet postings of the man behind the rampage at Northern Illinois University. WHITFIELD: Also ahead, the dangers of being overweight. A study uncovers a wider range of cancers made more likely by being overweight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, folks, I got some news in, just in here, we need to pass along to you, which could be a huge boost for Barack Obama, as if he needed any more boosts with the string of victories he's put together lately. But this just in to us from the Associated Press, that Obama will get the endorsement from the SEIU union.

That's the Service Employees International Union, which boasts some two million members, a union that every election time the candidates go after this union in a major way because of their organizational power and their ability to get out the vote.

But -- but a very important endorsement, a very important endorsement now that we're hearing that Senator Barack Obama is getting. Again, this is some two million members. There had been talk over the past couple days that he would, in fact, get this endorsement.

Now the "Associated Press" is saying that, in fact, this coveted endorsement from this organized labor, one of the most, if not the most, important out there from organized labor, is now going to Barack Obama.

We will have much more on this coming our way from our Bill Schneider, who's going to be joining us a little later on here in the NEWSROOM to talk more about just what this endorsement means.

And I guess just another -- another push in the momentum side for Barack Obama, who's put together, of course, a string of victories in the primaries over the past week or so. So we'll be talking to our Bill Schneider about that.

About 1:15 here now in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here are three of the stories, other stories, major stories, we are working on here in the NEWSROOM.

First here, an Ohio jury has found former police officer Bobby Cutts Jr. guilty of killing his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn child. Jessie Davis was nine months pregnant when she disappeared. Cutts could now face the death penalty.

Also, hundreds of folks in Missouri still without power after this week's severe ice storm. Members of the Missouri National Guard are going door-to-door, checking to see if everybody is OK.

Also, President Bush will be flying to Africa today with the first lady on his second trip to that continent. He's expected to visit five countries over the next six days. President Bush has been pushing for Congress to double the size of its multi-billion dollar emergency response package to battle AIDS in Africa. WHITFIELD: The other big story, of course, we continue to follow outside of Chicago there in Illinois, Northern Illinois University, certainly in mourning.

You're looking at new images that we are just receiving from the Associated Press. Underscoring what has taken place on that campus, how it has rocked that campus and how so many, from student body to faculty, and of course, family members worried about their loved ones on that campus, are all still trying to figure out exactly how this could have happened, why it is that a former student there by the name of Steve Kazmierczak would open fire like this, resulting in six dead, including himself.

We're also hoping to hear from the governor, who perhaps can help shed some light on all that led up to this event yesterday. At 2:30 Eastern Time. Illinois Governor Blagojevich will be addressing questions and trying to offer some solace, as well, to all of those grieving, as you see, right here in these pictures provided by Associated Press. We'll follow that live for you.

So One day after that shocking attack at Northern Illinois University, what are they saying online? We'll try to find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Of course, folks, the story, big story we're following this afternoon in the NEWSROOM, the shooting that happened at Northern Illinois University. Five students there dead. Also the shooter dead, as well.

We're going to get an update, hear more about it and what's happening there on that campus from the governor of Illinois, Governor Rod Blagojevich. Expected to hear from him around 2:30 Eastern Time. When that happens, we will bring you his comments live.

Also, of course, and on many stories we see like this and certainly ones that affect young people on college campus, a way people communicate so many times and the young folks is online.

And our Veronica De La Cruz has been sifting through what's happening online, learning more about the gunman, also seeing a lot of this, Veronica. This is a place where people really go to grieve and connect in times like this, but what are you seeing?

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are seeing a lot of that taking place, T.J., on MySpace pages, Facebook pages. But we want to share something we just received into the newsroom, an I- Report. This is video of the first victim being removed from Cole Hall. It was sent to us by 19-year-old freshman Ray Cook (ph), who says that he shot this video moments after the shooting occurred. He does believe this is the first person to be wheeled out of the lecture hall on a gurney.

Also online, T.J., we've been reacting to the news. We want to show you CNN.com. That is where you can go to read all of the reaction. You can also submit your own, as well. Reading through a lot of those e-mails, T.J., many of you shocked, many of you saddened. Again asking the big question here: why? Why? How could this have happened? Again, you can logon to CNN.com to read more.

We've also been keeping a close eye on those MySpace pages, also the Facebook profiles, like I just said. This is a tribute page on Facebook for Ryanne Mace, 19, of Carpentersville, Illinois. T.J., someone created it early this morning. It's really grown exponentially. Right now there are close to 200 members.

Also, a photo I wanted to share with you of Ryanne, found online on the "Chicago Tribune's" Web site. We're also going to take a look at another photo. This is Ryanne right here. And another photo that I want to share with you, as well. Can't quite see it. Could you drop the banner there?

Daniel Parmenter, another victim of the shooting, age 20. He was a sophomore studying finance. He played rugby. He was hoping to intern at the Chicago Board of Trade this summer. This is his high school yearbook photo.

Wanted to also show you the university's Web site, which they've continued to update almost like a blog, T.J. We found more information on the shooter himself. We now know Steve Kazmierczak was a former student. He served as the vice president of the student association's Academic Criminal Justice Association. He also served as a teaching aide for sociology and a juvenile delinquency course.

And he posted this note on the site, talking about his commitment to the student association. He writes, "My name is Steve Kazmierczak. I'm a third-year student here at NIU. Since attending NIU, I've worked very hard as a student, and I know that I would be able to put forth the same effort as an officer of the ACA. I feel that I am committed to social justice, and if elected treasurer, I promise to serve the NIU chapter of the ACA to the best of my ability."

And of course, T.J., we've been hearing reports that he was a good student. So again, the school saying that there were no red flags indicating that something like this could have happened.

HOLMES: All right. That's amazing to hear his words. We appreciate you bringing us those, Veronica. But to hear that in no way jives with what he's now being accused of doing on that campus. It -- it's remarkable to see. We appreciate you showing us what's happening online.

DE LA CRUZ: Of course.

HOLMES: Veronica, thank you so much.

And we're going to be going back to our Don Lemon, who has been on the scene, really got there last night, has been working there overnight and the early morning hours and collecting a lot of information there on campus for us. We're going to be checking in with him again here shortly. WHITFIELD: All right. Meantime, let's turn to some business news. There were three straight rallies to start the week off, but recession fears have crept back into the market. And we're looking at a second straight sell-off.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with the very latest -- Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm afraid we've reverted to that old pattern of sell-offs again, Fred.

Alan Greenspan hasn't been shy about expressing his concerns about the economy. Speaking last night in Houston, the former Fed chairman said the U.S. was, quote, "clearly on the edge," end quote, of recession. He put the chances at better than 50-50.

Hours earlier, of course, Greenspan's successor, Ben Bernanke, told Congress the U.S. will avoid recession. European bank UBS, which yesterday reported a quarterly loss of $11 billion, says industry-wide red ink could ultimately total more than $200 billion.

And the latest chapter in the mortgage meltdown, the bond insurance crisis could worsen. New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was also among those testifying on Capitol Hill yesterday. He says bond insurance trouble will affect many average Americans. One group he mentioned, students trying to obtain loans for college -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So how is the market reacting to all of this?

LISOVICZ: Well, not all of these concerns are new. So we are seeing some selling but nothing dramatic, Fred.

What may be a surprise to some investors is that they can't pull their money out of certain types of investments. Citigroup is blocking withdrawals from one of its hedge funds that specialized in corporate credit. The company says it has temporarily suspended redemptions to stabilize the fund. The "Wall Street Journal" says Citi made the move after investors attempted to pull out more than 30 percent of the fund's assets.

The fund's $500 million in assets is a drop in the bucket for Citi, but it's another black eye for the company, which has taken billions of dollars in write-downs in investments related to subprime losses.

Citi shares right now are down about two percent. It's the worst performing of the Dow 30 stocks. The Dow overall, well, it's been in the red since the open. Blue chips right now down 73 points or about half a percent, a little better than half a percent. The Nasdaq is down about one percent.

In the next hour, well, the U.S. economy may be in a downturn overall, but these are boom times in the heartland, and I'll tell you why in the next hour. In the meantime, Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good. We need something a little uplifting then.

LISOVICZ: You'll have it.

WHITFIELD: All right, Susan -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Well, as if you needed another reason, we got another reason for to you shed those pounds. A link now between extra weight and your risk for cancer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Hello, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips. You are in the NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: Up first here, the latest on that horrific university shooting in Dekalb, Illinois. We know what he did. Now we know his name, Steven Kazmierczak, 27-years-old. He's been called an outstanding student. But yesterday police say he pulled a shotgun out of a guitar case and started shooting on the campus of Northern Illinois University. When the shooting stopped, 21 people hit, five of them dead. Kazmierczak dead as well. Killed himself.

Here now a rough timeline of what went down. It took campus police just minutes to lock down the entire campus. It was about an hour between the first response and when they determined the gunman was dead. About 90 minutes after the shooting, university officials canceled classes and ordered students to stay in their dorms. We've heard from at least one student who says most people on campus have left for the weekend or will leave early today.

WHITFIELD: CNN's Don Lemon has been on the Northern Illinois campus all day speaking with faculty and shocked students. Don joining us right now.

LEMON: Absolutely. Hey, Fred.

I want to step out of the way because I want to show you what's going on back here. Obviously, the governor has ordered the flags here in the state, the American flag, the state of Illinois flag, ordered them flown at half-staff, then we have just as of a couple of minutes ago, we have students who are putting up a make shift memorial there and a wreath to their fellow classmates, their fellow students who were hurt and killed in this tragedy.

There you go. That's the reality of all of this. These kids have to deal with this. Their loved ones and somehow if they can, make all of this make sense. So happening live as we're doing this now.

What I want to talk to you about is the Midwestern values of this community. I mean this is right in the heart of the Midwest; about 65 miles just outside of Chicago, 45 miles from Rockford but the biggest city clearly in the area, Chicago, where many people who grow up in this area -- because most of the students who go to school here at NIU grew up in the Illinois area. When they grow up here, they want to go to the big city and they want to become part of the big city and they take jobs there.

Well, many of the students work and take internships there. One student, his name was Patrick Korellias, was an intern for a weather man who's been around forever and everyone loves him. Everyone knows Tom Skilling. If you ask in this area anyone, they'll say, oh, Tom Skilling, the weather guy on WGN, a CNN affiliate.

Last night I was watching their newscast and Tom Skilling talked about Patrick Korellias during the newscast. He was having a very difficult time doing his newscast, then broke down at the end. I want you to listen to this so you can get an idea of how heartfelt this community is and how saddened they are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, we were horrified.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that you are really broken up over this. Patrick Korellias, your former intern, one of the victims --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our hearts are going out to his family.

TOM SKILLING, WGN REPORTER: I can't even imagine what these families are feeling because I know what we feel back in the office. Patrick, you get better. And he's a nice young fellow. He didn't deserve to be shot in class today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's going to be OK though. That's what we're hearing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Tom.

SKILLING: OK, guys. See you later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So you can imagine the kids who went to school here, taking internships, gotten to know people, they're all feeling the same way. Tom just happens to be on television and it sort of came out in that moment.

We're going to talk to some of these students standing over here who are putting up this makeshift memorial at the top of the hour.

In the meantime, I'm going to toss to Brianna Keilar. She's at Virginia Tech.

Brianna, do you remember this same sort of sentiment happening at Virginia Tech when that shooting went down there? The students really could not believe what was going on, makeshift memorials, candlelit vigils, the whole nine.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Shock and disbelief. I know it certainly brings up some of those feelings for me in talking with students and staff here on campus. It's bringing up those feelings for them as well.

Virginia Tech is this university in the unenviable position of being an expert on a situation like this. One of the lessons learned following the April 16th shootings here had to do with campus security alerts. Basically, that they need to be used quickly and they need to be used liberally.

And at least one university official here saying that looking at the response of NIU, they really seemed to take note of that. We did hear from the president of NIU that they had, in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, gone through reviewing their system. They'd held drills and they really felt it had paid off.

But Virginia Tech also is an example of how to cope in a situation like this. Students here saying it is really about sticking together. We spoke with Alex Tucker, a sophomore, who obviously last year was a freshman. He lost an R.A. in his building to the shootings here. He has some words of advice for NIU students.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX TUCKER, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: The biggest thing that helped all of us last year was that you know school was canceled the rest of that week. Then after that we didn't have to come back. We could take the grades that we had and didn't have to come back. I think the biggest thing that helped all of us was coming back.

It was actually coming back and just being together. Most of us came back and didn't even take classes. We just came back and just hung out and just had like movie nights and I don't know, just bonded and I don't know, just kind of stuck together as friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So students and staff here at Virginia Tech really crediting that unity in helping them get through the tragedy that happened here last April.

But it's going to be maybe a different situation at NIU. Here at Virginia Tech it is very much a residential situation where most students are living either on campus or in apartments near campus. It is a commuter school more so at NIU, so that could pose a challenge, Don.

LEMON: Absolutely. They're going to need each other just like they needed each other in Virginia Tech. They'll need each other here to get through this.

Brianna before I let you go, I have a very quick question for you. Do you know if Virginia Tech officials there have reached out to Illinois officials to offer them some advice?

KEILAR: They have.

LEMON: OK.

KEILAR: They have. They've reached out, they've placed phone calls, and at this point though, they say they haven't really been able to get through.

Just to give you a sense, really the public face of the situation here at Virginia Tech back in April, Larry Hincker, university relations here, he said the first day of the shooting he got 350 requests for interviews. He said it is really hard to cut through that chatter. He said he was getting advice from people who were experts on the subject day three or four. He said he really could have used it on day one or two. So they are putting that offer of counsel out there for NIU officials.

LEMON: All right. Brianna Keilar, CNN's Brianna Keilar at Virginia Tech; Brianna, thank you very much for that story.

And Fred and T.J., I'm just going to toss it back to you but as I do that, I'm just going to show you. My face is not important, this is what's important. So the viewers can get an idea of what's going on here, how these kids are banning together, trying to make some sense of this tragedy. As you see the state police backing out of the way and the kids are hanging a makeshift memorial and a wreath. I'm going to throw it back to you guys.

WHITFIELD: All right. Don and Brianna, thank you so much. Tough time for so many involved there.

Well, President Bush talked by telephone with Northern Illinois University President John Peters. He also spoke about the campus shooting at a meeting at the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A lot of folks today will be praying for the families of the victims and for the Northern Illinois University community. Obviously a tragic situation on that campus, and I ask our fellow citizens to offer their blessings, blessings of comfort and blessings of strength.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: President Bush leaves the White House later on this afternoon on a trip to Africa. Some of the presidential hopefuls have also commented on the shootings at NIU. We'll hear from them a bit later on in the NEWSROOM -- T.J.

HOLMES: A former police officer on trial for killing his pregnant girlfriend. He now hears the verdicts. What's next for Bobby Cutts?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Topping the political ticker, a boost for Barack Obama. He's won the endorsement of the Service Employees' International Union which counts about 2,000 -- or rather two million members. Yes, a much bigger deal than just 2,000.

Obama is trailing Hillary Clinton in backing by organized labor, however. But today's expected endorsement could help Obama's chances in the upcoming battles for Ohio and Texas.

Also we got some super confusion over democratic superdelegate. That gentleman, John Lewis; the Georgia congressman's office says published reports the civil rights icon will back Barack Obama are inaccurate. But hold on. A spokeswoman's statement stops short of an outright denial. Lewis is currently pledged to Hillary Clinton but his urban Atlanta district tipped strongly towards Obama on Super Tuesday.

And a populous push in Ohio by democrat Hillary Clinton. Clinton is taking on special interests and portraying Barack Obama as beholden to corporations. Clinton says she'll take on big petroleum, the credit card companies and unscrupulous lenders if she is elected president.

And the next big stops on the campaign trail, Texas and Ohio, those coming up on March 4th. But there is certain to be plenty of action before then. You can track it all at CNNpolitics.com, plus get analysis from the best political team on the planet. All that and more at CNNpolitics.com.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, here's another reason to shed those lbs. A link between extra weight and your risk for cancer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Those excess pounds that you've been meaning to lose may be more of a health risk than you actually thought. A new study says weight gain could raise your chances of a whole host of deadly cancers.

Joining us now, CNN medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. Oh, boy. New incentive to say, pull it all in.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Just lose the weight. For your heart, for diabetes, for everything. But you know, Fred, I think people don't get it. They don't understand that being fat can increase your risk of getting cancer. I think that cancer-fat connection, I'm not sure that everyone makes it. But this big new study just done, boy, it lays it out very clearly that the fatter you are, the more likely you are to get a whole bunch of kinds of cancer.

So let's go over the types of cancer that you're more likely to get if you're overweight or obese; esophageal cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer. And then here's some new ones they found in this study, the other ones were sort of known; leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Who would have thought blood cancers would be affected by fat in but apparently they are.

There are differences in gender. Men who are overweight are more likely to get rectal cancer and malignant melanoma, and women gall bladder, endometrial and breast cancer. Every ten points overweight you are, the more likely you are to get cancer. So in other words, being overweight a bit is bad. Being overweight a lot is really bad.

WHITFIELD: So we are really talking about obesity.

COHEN: No, even just overweight. Not just obesity really.

WHITFIELD: So ten pounds, 20 pounds, you still need to be concerned?

COHEN: It still makes a difference. The numbers are pretty striking. We're going to tell you at what weight are you at a higher risk for getting cancer.

Take a look at these numbers. At 5'4", let's say the average height after woman, over 145 pounds puts you at an increased risk of getting certain types of cancer. 5'10", 174-plus pounds will put you at an increased risk for getting cancer. It really doesn't take very much.

WHITFIELD: No, it doesn't. And you know what, a lot of us carry our weight in different ways. Sometimes most of the weight is here at the hips, sometimes it is in the middle. Does that make a difference on what may ale you?

COHEN: Yes. If you have to choose your poison, there actually is a difference when it comes to where the fat is. As Fred says, sometimes it is around the hips and butt. Look at that person on the left there. That person's weight is down there. The other person the weight is more around the belly. Belly fat is worse. Studies have shown that it is worse for all sorts of diseases.

WHITFIELD: Why?

COHEN: Probably because it is crowding some really important organs. I mean there are important organs around your belly. Whereas around your butt, maybe unless your brain's there -- no, I'm just kidding! But around the butt, it doesn't really.

WHITFIELD: Let's hope that's not where it is.

COHEN: But around the butt I mean it's not a good thing but it is not as bad as having all that weight around your belly.

WHITFIELD: And it makes sense. You talk about the organs but I think when you also think about carrying the weight here, you're kind of thinking after whole spare tire, that there is still that cushion between that fat and your organs. But, there may be some compressing going on.

COHEN: Exactly. The spare tire, that's the worst.

WHITFIELD: New incentive. We're all getting on the treadmill right after this.

COHEN: That's right.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elizabeth, appreciate it. HOLMES: Well, that former police officer on trial for killing his pregnant girlfriend hears the verdict. What is next for Bobby Cutts Jr.? We'll talk to legal analyst, Avery Friedman. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Time for us to check in on what's clicking at CNN.com.

Many of you searching for every detail of the deadly shootings at Northern Illinois University. Still a mystery why a former student opened fire on a room full of students killing five of them, then killing himself.

Also, jurors in Ohio take 21 hours to convict Bobby Cutts of murdering his pregnant girlfriend. They also found the former police officer guilty of aggravated murder in the death of their unborn daughter. The sentencing phase is next.

And in Iraq, gifts of hope. Disabled Iraqi kids getting a chance at a better life thanks in large part to a civilian contractor from the U.S. who founded Wheelchairs for Kids. You can link to all of our top ten lists from the front page of CNN.com.

WHITFIELD: Former Ohio police officer Bobby Cutts, right there, now facing a possible death sentence. Cutts was found guilty today of murdering his pregnant girlfriend Jessie Davis last summer on the left and of aggravated murder in the death of their unborn child.

The defense argued for a mistrial saying the verdicts were inconsistent because Cutts was found not guilty of aggravated murder in the death of his girlfriend.

From Cleveland, Ohio, we are joined by attorney and law professor, Avery Friedman. Let's start with the differing verdicts. We had a not guilty on one aggravated murder but there were a host of other aggravated murder and other charges, you know defacing a corpse, et cetera.

All found guilty. What's with the disparity?

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, the disparity is a little odd, Fredricka, because the jury and again, we weren't in the deliberations, but I think what happened here is, because the body deteriorated out there for nine days, the coroner could not testify about the cause of death of Jessie Davis.

But the jury had little trouble in understanding that Baby Chloe, who would have been born within a matter of days, died because of the intentional actions and reckless actions of Bobby Cutts.

So you're correct. There are two convictions of aggravated murder with specifications, which means that when the jury reconvenes on the 25th, Fredricka, they will be deliberating whether or not Bobby will be put to death.

WHITFIELD: And interesting, when everyone saw Bobby Cutts tearfully on the stand testifying, I remember hearing your analysis, and you were saying this defense strategy is a failure, why have him on the stand? Why think that the jurors would be empathetic? But could there have been anything but a guilty verdict? Or did his defense team have any other options but to put him on the stand?

FRIEDMAN: Well, I'm sticking with my analysis on this, Fredricka. There were a multitude of issues; for example, an all- white jury, the exclusion potentially of diversity from this jury, the introduction of evidence of a two-and-a-half-year-old as an exception to the hearsay rule. Bobby Cutts had very powerful issues to take to the court of appeals. But whether the defense lawyer said go ahead and do it or whether he told his lawyers, I'm going to do it, I guess he thought he was a good actor and the jury actually found obviously he was a bad actor and those ag murder convictions with specifications now sets him up for a possible death penalty.

WHITFIELD: What exactly happens on February 25th phase?

FRIEDMAN: Well, the same jurors will return, Fredricka. What will happen is they will be deliberating on the elements which go to the question of the extent to which this defendant was intentional, deliberate in murdering the individuals, that is the aggravated murder, I should say, of who would have been Baby Chloe.

And I think part of what they're going to think about is, that baby rotting out in an open field in the hot summer sun for nine days. That's going to be a very, very tough part of Bobby trying to argue his way out of a death penalty.

WHITFIELD: All right. Brutal, gruesome crime and case all the way around. Avery Friedman, thanks so much. Good to see you.

FRIEDMAN: See you soon.

WHITFIELD: T.J.?

HOLMES: Well, sitting in a lecture hall taking notes, waiting for class to end. It is the last thing you would then expect, a man to bust up in front of your classroom and start opening fire.

Here now is what some of the NIU students have been saying about yesterday's rampage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE GAINER, WITNESS: I couldn't see his eyes from where I was sitting. When I looked up and I saw him enter the room, he just walked in, no expression on his face, but it seemed like he had intent and knew what he was going to do. And I didn't know what to think.

There was a lot of scattering and the people I was running down the sidewalk with getting away from the hall, we were just asking ourselves, is this for real? Did this really just happen? And we were just all trying to piece it together. Everyone was calling 911 trying to get hold of police. And we thank them for their prompt response to this. STEFANIE MILLER, WITNESS: The gunman came in behind the curtain and fired, from what I believe 20 to 30 shots. People screaming, people running around.

From what I've heard, and from what I know, those who were shot were from they were running to get out. It was a scene from a movie. It was something that you thought was staged. I know two of the people that are deceased. I knew at least 40 people that were in the class.

Just I'm in shock right now. I -- I -- I'm at that stage where I've gotten the phone calls. I know what's happened. But I don't want to believe it.

ZACH SEWARD, WITNESS: Do I feel safe? That's really up for air. I mean any time I sit in an auditorium, I'll look at the side door and just remember that moment. So I think if certain measures are taken in the school to prevent certain things like this from happening or just measures taken, I'll feel safer. But right now I really don't know.

Our heart goes out to the families of those people. I mean they did nothing wrong. They were just going to school, what they should be doing. They had to pay with it with their lives.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Not again. Another school shooting to tell you about in this country; this time on the campus of Northern Illinois University; a mass shooting. Five fatalities, many more injured and one troubled man's suicide.

WHITFIELD: Today we know his name and a bit about him, but not sure as to exactly why this happened.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxantshop.com