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Mount Merapi Erupts; Death Sentence in Connecticut Home Invasion Trial; Family Lost at Sea Rescued
Aired November 08, 2010 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A mother and her two daughters brutally murdered inside their own home, and, for weeks, jurors have been hearing the horrific details -- finally, a verdict.
But, for one grieving family, justice has not entirely been served.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They beat him down on the ground and stomped him and killed him.
BALDWIN (voice-over): Police say a teenager just showed up after a party, when his peers began beating him and stomping on his head. Now they're charged with murder. We're live at the scene.
And it's the natural disaster that just won't go away. Mount Merapi has spewed lava, volcanic rock, and clouds of ash for two weeks, killing 156 people. When will it end?
They spent six days stranded at sea, but this family of four is safe after a dramatic Coast Guard rescue in the Pacific.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Finally, today, jurors decided life or death for this unbelievably brutal crime. You know the story, the murders of the Connecticut mother and her two daughters during this horrific home invasion.
That verdict today, death for Steven Hayes. We are going to show you some of the reaction here from the sole survivor of that attack in just a moment.
But, first, allow me to just quickly recap the crime for you. Prosecutors say Hayes and an accomplice broke into the home of Dr. William Petit, and they beat the doctor basically until he was unconscious. They then forced his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, to withdraw money from the bank.
Then they strangled and raped Ms. Petit, sexually assaulted one of the daughters, and set their home on fire. Now, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela Petit also died in this brutal attack.
The final verdict came, as you would imagine, with tears, not only from the survivor, but from the jury as well.
Now, today, Dr. William Petit did thank the jury. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. WILLIAM PETIT, SURVIVED DEADLY HOME INVASION: The Petit, the Hawke, the Rand (ph), the Chapman families, all our friends that have been here that you've seen on the right side of the courtroom really thank the jury for doing their job.
As the judge said, they were all draftees. And I'm sure most of them wish they were not -- were not drafted. I appreciate the fact that we had seven women, because I partially think this was a case of sexual predation against -- at women. But I was happy to see women stand up -- stand up for other women.
And I think the jury took its time, listened to the evidence and made an appropriate and just decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: That is far from everything Dr. Petit shared outside the courtroom. I want you to listen to what he had to say about the prosecutors and their own decision to seek the death penalty in the case of Steven Hayes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETIT: I think, in a civilized society, people need to be responsible for their actions.
We heard that the defendant has never been responsible for his actions for most of his -- his life. And people really need to be responsible for their actions, especially when they're viciously violent and create wanton destruction.
The Bible tells us that we should follow man's law. And I think that is what has been done here. We all know that God, other than perhaps people like Christopher Hitchens, knows that God will be the final arbiter. And I think the defendant faces far more serious punishment from the lord than he can ever face from mankind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: That man, clearly, has been through hell, but he also shared some pretty harsh words for the system there in Connecticut. He says crime victims come out there on the short end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETIT: It appears to me -- and I may be wrong -- it appears that the defense has unlimited access to funds, where the Office of Victim Services does not.
I am fortunate. I am a physician. I had insurance when this happened. If I had not had insurance, if I had not been employed, if I had been a poor victim, I had been hospitalized for a longer period of time, required ongoing therapy for a variety of ailments, the money would have run out, because there's a fairly low limit to the money that's available to victims.
And I think that's something the legislature needs to address. There's many, many, many, many programs to rehabilitate criminals. And I have no objections to that. But I think victims also need to be included in the fray.
I realize, whoever the new governor may be, we're going to have a three-plus-billion-dollar deficit that they're going to have to fix, but I don't think it should be fixed on the backs of victims.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Of course, Dr. Petit also spoke about the loss. How do you even put this into words, the loss caused by the deaths of his wife and his two daughters? He says it's like a hole in his heart. But he goes on. He says, it's like a hole with jagged edges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETIT: The question was, what was going through my heart? I was really crying, crying for loss, you know?
Probably, many of you have kids. I -- Michaela was an 11-year- old little girl, you know, tortured and killed in her own bedroom, you know, surrounded by stuffed animals. And Hayley had a great future and was a strong and courageous person.
And Jennifer helped so many kids at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, and at Strong Memorial in Rochester, and at the Yale Children's Hospital in Cheshire Academy. And she -- she cannot do that. So, I was really thinking of the tremendous loss.
It is a -- it's a huge void in my life, in our family and friends' lives.
To all the -- to hundreds and -- and thousands of friends and people that are -- have written to us to express their condolences and support.
So, I -- I was glad for the girls that there was justice, because I think it's a -- I think it's a just -- just verdict. But, mostly -- mostly, I was sad for the loss that we have all suffered.
It's helpful that -- that justice has been served with an appropriate verdict. I don't think there's ever closure. I think whoever came up with that concept is an imbecile, whoever they are who wrote it the first time.
And I think many of you know who have lost a child or a parent or a friend there's never closure. There's a hole. You know, the way I have imagined it straight through, it's a hole with jagged edges. And over time, the edges may smooth out a little bit, but the hole in your heart and the hole in your soul is still there.
So, there's -- there's never closure. I was very much insulted when people asked me last year that, if the death penalty were rendered, would that somehow give me closure?
Absolutely not. You know, this is not about revenge. You know, vengeance belongs to the lord. This is about justice. We need to have some rules in a civilized society. And, if life is that important, we -- we need to view -- view it in that fashion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: You know, Dr. Petit was talking about closure.
And if you think this is over for the Petits, it's not yet. As difficult, as hellish as this trial was for him, he has to go through all of it again. Steven Hayes' alleged accomplice is scheduled to go on trial in just a couple of months.
I want to pause for a moment.
If we can, Robert, follow me to the Twitter board, because we have talked to this reporter from "The Hartford Courant." This is the local paper up there in Connecticut. This is Helen Ubinas. And she's been tweeting incredible tweets literally every -- every few minutes.
And here's one observation she made today. "The judge says jury has given fair trial to man who was despised, but, nonetheless, a fellow human being."
So, we're going to have more here coming up next hour. We are going to look at what's next. We Gates hear more a little bit from the courtroom and also a little bit more color from -- from the jurors as well. That is coming up next hour.
Meantime, have you heard about this story about this family of four lost at sea for six entire days? So, they were somewhere in the Pacific inside this 13-foot aluminum boat, a needle in a haystack, you may want to say. We are going to tell you who found them, how they found them, what happened. That's ahead.
Plus, they call her "Foxy Knoxy." Now the American convicted of killing her roommate in that drug-fueled sex game -- I know you remember the story happening in Italy -- now facing brand-new trouble for her. The new charges for Amanda Knox -- next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: You know how we have been talking about President George W. Bush's upcoming book? Well, we're getting a little bit more, more revelations here from his "Decision Points." If you want to read it, it's out tomorrow, heads up there. But, today, we're learning that Vice President Dick Cheney was mad at the president because he didn't grant Scooter Libby a full pardon. You remember, Libby was the vice president's chief of staff who was convicted of perjury and other charges in the leak of Valerie Plame's identity.
Well, President Bush commuted Libby's sentence, but Cheney wanted him to pardon Libby and was angry he did not. We are going to get all kinds of more good juicy details here from a special "STATE OF THE UNION" interview with George W. Bush. Who gets to do it? The lovely Candy Crowley. You want to look for that, as I know I will be, this Sunday night, 8:00 Eastern, only here on CNN.
Also today, expanded security measures in place for air cargo headed for the U.S. Here's what we know. The Department of Homeland Security says it is cracking down on high-risk cargo on passenger flights from Yemen and now also from Somalia. So, from now on, no one will be allowed to bring toner and ink cartridges over 16 ounces. That is the max they're giving, 16 ounces of flights to the U.S. That restriction applies to both carry-on and checked bags.
Also, another trial for Amanda Knox. I know you remember her. She's that American student convicted last year of killing her roommate in Italy. Well, guess what? She's now facing another trial, this time for allegedly slandering Italian police.
Prosecutors say Knox falsely claimed police mistreated her in custody. Knox's stepfather says she will not get a fair trial because the judge and one of the prosecutors were also involved in the murder trial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little 5'6'', 125-pound 18-year-old kid with braces happened to come by. They beat him down on the ground and stomped him and killed him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: He was referring to an 18-year-old young man. Some of the peers -- some of his peers apparently chose to attack him at random during a party over the weekend. You're going to hear some of the tragic details. That is ahead.
Also, President Obama says voters spoke out against the state of the economy, not out against Democrats. So, how do you think Republicans are responding to that one? Gloria Borger standing by with some brand-new developments in this whole back and forth. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. Want to get you caught up now with the president's big trip to India.
In case you haven't kept track, fear not. Here we go. Watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: What are you looking at, you ask? What you're looking at is the Indian government honoring the U.S. leader. This is a welcoming ceremony. It was held for him in New Delhi. And take a look with me yet another poignant moment. This is Mr. Obama leaving a wreath at the shrine that honors Mahatma Gandhi.
All right, let's -- let's turn this up and listen to just a piece.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Also, let's look at the president. Here he is being greeted as he entered a very crowded Indian Parliament.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: There, he announced that the United States would back a permanent seat for India on the U.N. Security Council. That is huge, huge news there.
And, if you have not seen this, I feel like this is the clip of the video seen around the world today. This is the president being pulled onto stage. This is a Hindu festival Sunday, the kids pretty pumped. They were actually able to get him off his feet. Does he have the moves as a dancer? Did he pull it off? We will let you be the judge there.
By the way, Mr. Obama is about to move on to Indonesia, even further away from home in Washington. And after last week's election, his party's self-described shellacking, he's probably pretty glad to be getting far, far away, at least for now.
Gloria Borger is out senior political analyst.
And, Gloria, I want to play just a clip. If you watched "60 Minutes" last, of course, there was a --
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Sure.
BALDWIN: -- big -- big interview, first interview anyone has heard from the president here after his speech, that aired on "60 Minutes."
Let's listen to a piece of that. We will talk on the other side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think that, over the course of two years, we were so busy and so focused on getting a bunch of stuff done that we stopped paying attention to the fact that, you know, leadership isn't just legislation, that it's a matter of persuading people and giving them confidence and bringing them together and setting a tone. We haven't always been successful at that.
And I take personal responsibility for that, and it's something that I have got to examine carefully as I go forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Gloria, I know you heard that. Leadership, he said, also a matter of persuading people.
BORGER: Mm-hmm.
BALDWIN: The question is this. Did the president -- you know, is the president essentially saying he failed to carry out his promise to -- to America and to the voters, that perhaps he has not made things worse; perhaps he has made things worse, and, you know, not better, when it comes to getting along in Washington.
BORGER: You know, I -- I -- I think it's interesting, because you're -- you're really seeing a president go through the stages of grief that -- that you feel after you lose a huge election.
And I think what we're finally seeing is him move along the continuum into the acceptance phase. And I think it's -- it's reasonable that this would take him some amount of time, Brooke, to do. And I think what we hear him saying out loud, because he's saying it to himself is, you know, maybe I was to blame here.
BALDWIN: Huh..
BORGER: He's not saying his policies were wrong, but he's saying, you know, I didn't lead properly. I didn't sell them properly and now I'm going to try and do that.
We see him reaching across the aisle to the Republicans. We see him talking about bipartisanship more, which is the president that a lot of people felt they voted for, this sort of post-partisan Obama.
Being somewhat cynical about that, I would have to say that I -- I bet what the president is doing, in a way, with these overtures to Republicans and all this self-searching is sort of giving Republicans enough rope that, in the end, he's sort of hoping they can hang themselves by the next election, right?
BALDWIN: Well -- (LAUGHTER)
BORGER: So, I reached out to you.
BALDWIN: Right.
BORGER: What about -- I got to feel the love the other way -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Right, absolutely. It's a two -- two-way street there.
BORGER: Mm-hmm.
BALDWIN: Before we talk Republicans, though, look. It's almost been a week here since -- since the midterm elections. And the Democrats have had a whole lot to absorb. What is the message, Gloria, that they may be taking away here?
BORGER: You -- you -- you know what? I wish I could say to you that there is a single message coming from the Democrats.
There's a single message coming from the Democrats who lost --
(LAUGHTER)
BORGER: -- which is that we weren't paying attention to the voters, that we moved too far from the left.
But what you see in the Democratic Caucus right now is that the liberals outnumber the moderates and conservatives by a large margin. And, so, what you see is a Democratic Caucus that's moved further to the left and a Republican Caucus that's moved further to the right.
So, it's hard to see where --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: So, where does that land us?
BORGER: Well --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: Where does that --
BORGER: -- that's the --
BALDWIN: And where does that land the president?
BORGER: Well, that's the big question --
BALDWIN: Yes.
BORGER: -- because we -- we just don't know. There is a lot of stuff they have to get done. The public wants them to get some things done. If I were betting, I would have to say that, when the lame-duck session comes back -- and, remember, these are the old members of Congress -- you going to get a deal on tax cuts; you're going to have some kind of extension of the tax cuts for the wealthy in a temporary way, but you're going to do that.
They're going to get that off the table and get it done. Maybe they will find some things they can agree on when they come back, because, don't forget, Brooke, it's in everyone's self-interests right now, because Republicans control one chamber in the -- in the Congress, in the House.
It's in their self-interests to be able to go back to the voters and say, we actually accomplished something, which is, by the way, why people tend to vote for divided government.
BALDWIN: And that is certainly what --
BORGER: -- because --
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: -- you, you know, hear both the Republicans and Democrats saying. Yes, we want to listen to our voters. And you know the voters want to hold, you know, both sides accountable.
BORGER: Exactly.
BALDWIN: And that is really the question, Gloria. If both sides are moving farther to the right and farther to the left, where might that leave the president?
And that is what we will be --
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: -- be looking for as we, of course, move forward.
Gloria Borger for us --
BORGER: But -- but, you know, remember what Bill Clinton did. Bill Clinton --
BALDWIN: Triangulation.
BORGER: -- stayed above it all, triangulation.
BALDWIN: I know.
BORGER: Let these guys in the Congress fight it out, and I'm going to seem like the reasonable one --
(LAUGHTER)
BORGER: -- which is what you're hearing from -- BALDWIN: Right.
BORGER: -- Barack Obama.
BALDWIN: It will be fascinating.
BORGER: Yes.
BALDWIN: We will all be watching.
Gloria Borger, thank you, ma'am.
BORGER: Sure.
BALDWIN: Have you seen this, this dramatic rescue in the middle of the ocean? You have this family -- imagine -- stranded hundreds and hundreds of mile -- miles away from any of land, thousands from -- from Hawaii.
So, how did rescuers find them in this 13-foot boat? And wait until you hear where their first trip began. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. A family of four gets in this boat. It's this 13-foot aluminum boat. And they're about to take this -- what should be a lovely six-mile cruise.
But the motor fails, and they're lost at sea for six whole days.
Chad Myers joins me now with some of these details.
Chad, I -- I tried looking at the map here.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: OK.
BALDWIN: I mean, it's like throw a dart, bam, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, right? It's -- it's like you're looking kind of Hawaii over here and --
MYERS: Yes.
BALDWIN: -- and some other little island where they started from.
MYERS: Butaritari.
BALDWIN: Thank you very much.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Just hoping you would know that.
MYERS: Yes.
(LAUGHTER) MYERS: They were going from one atoll, which is kind of a sunken volcano --
BALDWIN: OK.
MYERS: -- to another one. And all -- they were just going for like the day, right? They were going from -- from their island to another island.
BALDWIN: But they drifted.
MYERS: But their 15-horsepower motor didn't make it. So, all of a sudden, they are adrift and the wind is blowing. They are 230 miles from land. OK? I know -- I know the script and some of the stories say 2,500 miles or whatever from Hawaii.
BALDWIN: Well, they are referencing Hawaii, I guess, vs. the other --
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: Yes. They didn't leave from Hawaii.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: So, what does that matter?
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Because all know Hawaii, Chad.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: They're 6,000 miles from L.A., but that is irrelevant as well.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: Yes. I hear you.
MYERS: All right. I know. I know.
BALDWIN: Tell me where they were.
MYERS: Don't get me started.
All they wanted to do was that. That's all they were trying to do, that little tiny little drift there.
BALDWIN: That's where they were going to or coming from?
MYERS: They were coming here little store here and they were going up to the island that they live, but they -- but the -- the motor stopped and they drifted and they drifted and they drifted. And they weren't getting closer to anything. In fact, they were just getting farther and farther away. Now, remember the old song "Two Tickets to Paradise?" They were leaving paradise.
(LAUGHTER)
MYERS: And they were going back to their own paradise. They all had to do. They had to go six miles around the islands, and then -- and that would have been fine, had the motor kept going. But it didn't.
The reason why these people survived is because they did not drink the saltwater. I know it's terrible. You're terribly thirsty and you see water, water everywhere, and you can't drink it. They had a couple pieces of fruit. That's it. But the family survived in an uncovered skiff.
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: They couldn't even get out of the way of the sun.
(CROSSTALK)
BALDWIN: That was my next question. Was it covered? Did they at least get shade? No.
MYERS: Six days of beating down on them, before they -- then they --
(CROSSTALK)
MYERS: Then they made a 600 -- I can't get this far enough to the east -- but 600-mile-square-mile search area. A New Zealand air force plane found them, radioed their position, because they were out there without a radio, without any way to tell anybody where they were.
BALDWIN: Right.
MYERS: They literally adrift. The Coast Guard and the New Zealand air force figured out, where should they be going? Which way have the currents, which way have the winds blown? They made the box. They searched the box and they found them within 30 minutes.
BALDWIN: Amazingly, they're OK.
MYERS: And they're OK.
BALDWIN: I read they -- they took a bunch of hot showers -- that was a highlight -- and ate many, many meals --
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: -- over and over and over.
MYERS: Yes.
BALDWIN: And I would have done the same thing.
MYERS: All right.
BALDWIN: Chad Myers, thank you very much for the --
MYERS: Good to see you.
BALDWIN: -- explanation there.
All right, take a look at this with me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of them made the statement that they were going to beat up the next guy that showed up. They beat him down on the ground and stomped him and killed him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: "Stomped him and killed him," you heard him right, a sheriff describing the final moments of this teenager who walked into a party, apparently, just at the wrong time. The randomness and the brutality here has outraged a Georgia community. So has the way these sheriff's deputies first responded to the crime.
We're all over it -- next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: You are not going to believe this next story, especially parents. Listen up. This really could happen in any city, any neighborhood. Let me set it up for you. We have this couple in Georgia, they let their daughter invite a couple friends over for a simple Saturday night party. We're talking ten kids, no alcohol, no drugs. Seems pretty harmless, right?
Well, word gets around, and 60 kids end up showing to this thing. The music gets loud and the party steamrolls out of control.
Now, five lives are ruined all because of what happens. After the parent try to send everyone home, a girl fight breaks out. The guys gather around to watch, and then this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF PHIL MILLER, DOUGLAS COUNTY, GEORGIA: One of them made the statement that they were going to beat up the next guy that showed up. This little 5'6", 125-year-old 18-year-old kid with braces happened to come by. They beat him down to the ground and stomped him and killed him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One fellow fell on the ground. Another fellow kicked him. But there was a whole lot of kids around them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just thought he was hurt. I never thought that his life was ending. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BEN STILLER: You heard originally from the sheriff that this young man 5'6", 125 pounds. His name Bobby Tillman, 18 years of age. Here's the picture. We are told he didn't do a single thing to provoke this attack. Bobby Tillman just happened to be walking by.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONIQUE REVAIDA, VICTIM'S MOTHER: Bobby Tillman was my son. He was my only son and he was my best friend. He was a child of god. He was very loving. He was an angel here on earth and I was blessed to be his mother and I just miss him. And I just miss him and I just want justice done for him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: "Justice done for him," spoken from his mother. Four teenagers, you're looking at their mug-shots, charged with murdering Bobby Tillman. They were in court today after a witness roundup that is causing some controversy.
Martin Savidge is at Douglasville, Georgia, courthouse where the four young men appeared this morning. And Marty, this story is just so wrong on so many levels. But, first, let's just get to court. What happened there today?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, you're right, Brooke. This is the kind of story if you're the parent of any teenagers, this is the story that keeps you awake at night. And it's the randomness of it.
It is, as the sheriff put it, everybody else that we talked to in this town, the senselessness of it. It makes no sense that you have Bobby Tillman 18 years of age dies because he walked past the wrong house apparently at the wrong time on a Saturday night.
And then, as you point out, four other young lives that apparently appear to be in ruins. The four young men did show up in the courthouse today and they went in the courtroom here in Douglasville.
They are the ages between 18 years of age and one-by-one they went in front of the judge, and the judge read the charge, which is murder, against them. Also in the courtroom at the same time was the mother, and at one point she just could not take it anymore. She broke down.
BALDWIN: We have video of that. That is the mother in the courtroom. Let's play that now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- along with Mr. Boykin and two other codefendants are charged with in this case, the murder of Bobby Maurice Tillman, by stomping, kicking, and punching him to death. All four are charged with the same crime. This defendant is before the court, as well, for his initial appearance hearing.
Mr. Mallory. Do you understand the nature of the charge of murder against you? You have a right to remain silent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: You hear her, Marty, and you can't help, your stomach flips for this mother who grabs the Kleenex and just bawling inside the courtroom. She lost her young son and he was her best friend. This story keeps any parent up at night and the randomness of this crime. Do we have any idea why he was stomped to death?
SAVIDGE: No. Specifically, the D.A. won't get into the details of the case because now it's a case that he has to prosecute. But you do get a sense that it's a matter of pride and a matter of young people that apparently, they apparently are at a party with crowd behind them.
I mean, you have, apparently, four young people that were not acting the way they normally do. And, in fact, the mother of the victim that talks about this issue. She describes her son, who is now dead, as a silent hero. But here's why she says that. Listen to her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REVAIDA: And my son did not die in vain. Something will be done about these children attacking each other for nothing. There's hatred, jealousy, pride, destructive and I just pray my son's death wasn't in vain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: And we've heard this before of children on children -- they're teens, yes, but, essentially, that's what it is -- acting in ways we cannot begin to fathom. And I just go back to the way that we began, which it's so senseless, but, as you hear, the mother hopes that perhaps her son's death will bring some sort of change.
BALDWIN: But then, Marty, I have to you about this controversial part of the story. You have these 57 witnesses who are taken on this bus and questioned in the wee hours of the morning, but I understand there are some questions over how they were handled. Explain that for me, Marty.
SAVIDGE: OK. What you have is a massive crime scene in the front yard of a home and you have dozens and dozens of teenagers. And the authorities arrive on the scene and they determine they have to see who is responsible.
So the first thing they have to do is corral all these people to get their statements and make sure they figure out who is responsible. So they put them on a bus that is brought in.
But at the same time while on the bus, these young people were not able to communicate. Their cell phones had been taken from them and they couldn't tell their parents where they were or what had transpired. There had been some people who said, hey, this wasn't right. But you know what, they weren't here today. That argument seems to have dissolved in the daylight of the seriousness of the crime.
BALDWIN: And to go on. The sheriff also says, apparently, "If the parents were so interested in where their kids were, why were those kids out after midnight?" Marty Savidge, thank you so much.
Of course, we're not going far at all from the story. Tomorrow in our 3:00 hour, this time tomorrow, we'll talk with Bobby Tillman's mother. She will join me live right here in studio.
And over this past weekend there was some chatter about whether cable news host Keith Olbermann will return to his show at all. MSNBC suspended him after he made donations that violated NBC's policy. His boss has made a big announcement on the ordeal, and Olbermann is tweeting. That is trending, that is next.
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BALDWIN: So, the day has finally arrived. Conan O'Brien will be getting his big late night show tonight on TBS. And we have a couple tweets, if you follow him, I highly recommend it, it is kind of hysterical. So let's look at Team Coco.
And here's what they're tweeting. He says, "Well, those nine months just flew on by, didn't they? Conan on TBS Monday, 11:00, 10:00 Central." Got another one from Patton Oswalt, "Watch Conan tonight, everyone. Help the good guys win, for once." And one more, "My late night laughs are back. All is well with the world again. Let the comedy ensue." So Conan O'Brien back on tonight.
We'll have more on that in trending, but also, new Michael Jackson music. It is a dream come true for fans and a nightmare for some members of the late singer's family. Some relatives say it is not really Jackson's voice at all. That is trending. That is next.
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BALDWIN: All right, just in to CNN. Huge news for football fans, especially the Dallas Cowboy fans. They have fired head coach Wade Phillips. America's team has been off to an embarrassing start, if you've been watching, the worst, in fact, since 1989. They have a one and seven record, including five straight losses.
This is the first time in cowboys' history a head coach has been fired mid-season. Who will taking his place, at least for now? Jason Garret, the interim head coach. News for the big "D," Dallas.
Now let's take a look at what's trending today. Michael Jackson, Keith Olbermann, a Chilean miner, and Conan O'Brien. Joining us now with all the detail are Sandra Endo. And people have been talking about this Michael Jackson story, Sandra. Is it his voice? Is it not his voice? That's the issue, right? SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. It's hugely trending today, and it's called "Breaking News." That's actually the name of the first single that Sony is releasing after his death. And this is Michael Jackson's new album titled "Michael."
And the authenticity of this song is what people are talking about and some people are doubting whether it's Jackson singing. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENDO: All right, so you be the judge on this one. I'm sure you'll get a lot of tweets, Brooke, on whether people think it is really him or not. Keep in mind, people's voice changes over time.
BALDWIN: I don't know. I don't know about that one. We'll have to see.
ENDO: An album releases on December 14th. So, people can check it out for themselves.
BALDWIN: And to Keith Olbermann. We were reporting on this was it Friday that he was suspended, and now he's back and reinstated and tweeted about it.
ENDO: Oh, yes, "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann, that's right, he's back on air tomorrow. MSNBC suspended their top-rated host last week, as you remember, because he violated network policy for making political donations.
But after all the public and online petitioning, here's where social media comes into play, the cable network's president Phil Griffin announced yesterday that Olbermann was coming back and he looked forward to having him back on the air Tuesday night.
And this is what the host tweeted over the weekend, just yesterday, actually -- "Greetings from exile. A quick, overwhelmed, stunned thank you for support that feels like a global hug and, obviously, left me tweetless. Kiss and hug." So, I'm sure all the tweets will fly out there tomorrow after his return.
BALDWIN: I am sure they have been while he has been gone. Keith Olbermann back tomorrow.
Then you have -- this is like one of my favorite stories, he had me when he survived 69 days in the mine and then doing Elvis on "David Letterman" last week, and now this guy runs a marathon and does it.
ENDO: What spirit. Five hours, 41 minutes and 51 seconds, that's how long it took Edison Pena, the Chilean miner, nicknamed "The Runner," to cross the finish line at the New York city marathon yesterday. Look at all those hugs for him.
Compare that to the two months he spent underground trapped in a mine. That's when he was running the tunnels underground and that's what he said was his salvation, a way of proving that he wanted to live. So, clearly, an inspirational story right there.
And, after the marathon, he said that he was in pain and he was icing those knees. But he wanted to motivate others to overcome pain as well. And, get this, Brooke, he beat his goal of finishing in under six hours.
BALDWIN: That is incredible. If you can just finish a marathon, you have my total respect. To do it that quickly, that's awesome.
And finally, Conan O'Brien.
ENDO: Oh, yes, are you going to stay up for this tonight?
BALDWIN: I totally will.
ENDO: It's huge. It's a big premiere tonight because Conan O'Brien is back and he's going head-to-head with David Letterman, Jay Leno in the same time slot, as well as Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. Talk about a lot of competition.
And there has been a running poll out there for people to vote on who should be his first guest. Tune in and he'll also be hosting actor Seth Rogan, Lia Michelle, and featured music from Jack White.
Here's a tweet from Conan earlier today, obviously, being very funny. He says "I feel like I have something to do tonight that I keep forgetting." And I like this one from his sidekick Andy Richter, "Spent weekend practicing side-kicking, which means laughing at everything everyone who makes more money than me says. Man, I am ready."
So, very funny. It should be good and it debuts tonight on CNN's sister station TBS at 11:00 eastern.
BALDWIN: We'll be watching. Sandra Endo, thank you.
ENDO: You got it.
BALDWIN: A flash mob makes a huge statement just feet from the Pope mobile. I'm going to explain this massive kiss fest as Pope Benedict looked on. That's ahead.
Plus, not exactly locking lips around the U.S. Coming up next here, the fight club edition of -- you've got to see this. Don't miss it.
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BALDWIN: If his career in NASCAR career doesn't exactly pan out for race car driver Jeff Gordon, he may have a future in the UFC. You have to see this. On lap 191, Texas Motor Speedway, the car blows into number 24 driven by Jeff Gordon. So you saw the car -- spins out of control, crashed. And then they go to fisticuffs.
That is when Jeff Gordon, the Ultimate Fighting Champion, emerges, shoving, taking some swings at Burton. Officials wasted no time, there they go, breaking up the brawl. Burton took full responsibility. Ouch.
Next, fighting continues. The only one we're seeing on the speedway. Get a look at this little monkey helping his owners sell programs. The commentators couldn't resist saying hello.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was sitting on my shoulder yesterday. I wept down to take a look at him. I had a piece of paper in my pocket and ate the doggone paper I had.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: "Ate the doggone paper." That's what I called "monkey business."
Next, to Louisville, Kentucky we go, where another fight breaks out on a racetrack. This is between two jockeys in the Breeder's Cup. The man in the green, Calvin Burrell, ticked off with a fellow rider Javiar Capiano who was riding a little dirty, purposely interfering with other jockeys.
Needless to say, Burrell wasn't horsing around. What's up with the fighting, guys?
All right, a major airline grounding several planes because of big leaks. What you need to know, that's ahead. Also, Wolf Blitzer ahead standing by with brand new information from the world of politics. Your CNN political ticker -- next.
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BALDWIN: CNN has all your latest political news with "The Best Political Team on Television," CNN = Politics. And Wolf Blitzer is at the CNNpolitics.com desk. And Wolf, I know we've been talking the last couple days about the 2012 elections. So no surprise that the Tea Party movement already has their eyes set.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": It's not just Democrats who lost, but in several Republicans in this election cycle, Brooke, as you know, lost because they were challenged, incumbent Republicans, by Tea Party activists, in Utah specifically.
Bob Bennett, the longtime Republican Senator from Utah was challenged in a primary by Mike Lee. Mike Lee got a lot of Tea Party support, and guess who won the Republican primary? Mike Lee, he's about to become a senator.
Now there is a similar threat apparently under way to Orrin Hatch. And he's going to have to watch -- look over his shoulder because if the Tea Party says, you know what, he's not conservative enough, he's not willing to do the kinds of things that the Tea Party wants, they might try to launch against him and get a fresh face.
In Utah, there's a new poll out, the Mason Dixon survey, says he could be in trouble in his bid for reelection, not necessarily from the Democrats, but for from the Republican challenge if that were to happen. I know a lot of incumbent Republicans are looking over their shoulders right now, not just Orrin hatch. We'll see what unfolds over the next couple of months, indeed over the next year as they get ready for a primary in Utah and some other states.
Meanwhile, the president, as you know, Brooke, he's continuing the visit to India, getting ready for the next stop in Indonesia. But it's been a long trip in India, about three days. It's the longest foreign trip he's had so far.
One piece of news when he addressed the Indian parliament today, he made it clear that the United States, at least the Obama administration, would like to see India join in as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council beyond the permanent five members right now. Not necessarily something that it's rival neighbor Pakistan wants to hear despite somewhat improved relationship. There's a lot of tension between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. That is not going away by in means. So it's not what the Pakistanis wanted to hear, to put it mildly.
Finally, a little bit of video we can't watch enough. Let's put it on the screen. The president, the first lady, they were joining some young Indian school kids. First, Michelle Obama got up there and she got into it. She started dancing with the kids. The president was coaxed to come in. He joined in as well. He got into it.
This video will go down with George W. Bush dancing and other presidents dancing. No doubt about that. That's cute, it's fun. It's shows the president listens the wife says, Barack, come on up here and join this crowd with these young kids. They were dancing and it was very cute.
(LAUGHTER)
BALDWIN: He succumbed to little kid peer pressure in addition to the first lady. But this is the video seen around the world today. It shows a different side of the president. Do you think it's good for his image?
BLITZER: I think it's nice. It's not the first time he's danced. He went on the "Ellen Degeneres Show" and he was dancing there. Michelle Obama was on "Ellen." She danced as well. And just to get it back at home, when I was on Ellen's show, I danced on "The Ellen Show" as well. So, you know what? Dancing is cool.
BALDWIN: Ellen show, Wolf Blitzer -- I hear somebody pull out the tape archive, please?
BLITZER: You don't want to see it.
BALDWIN: We're going to go there. Wolf Blitzer, you are one of my favorites. Thank you, sir.
BLITZER: Thank you.
BALDWIN: We'll see you next hour.
Meantime, we'll get another political update for you in half an hour. You can get the latest political news at CNNpolitics.com and on twitter at Political Ticker, got to pull that one up.
