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West Memphis Three Released; Pressure Mounts on Gadhafi; Rick Perry Criticized by Moderate Republicans; Woman Lives with Brain Cancer; Stocks Continue Downward Slide

Aired August 19, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to all of you. As Alina said, I'm Brooke Baldwin. And I want to begin this hour with the West Memphis three.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAMIEN ECHOLS, WEST MEMPHIS THREE: My name is Damien Nichols. I'm 36 years old and released today from death row for a crime I did not commit over 18 years ago.

BALDWIN: I'm Jason Baldwin, 36 years old. I have served 18 years for a crime I didn't commit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: What a moment that was just a short time ago, those three men who have been in prison since 1993, half of their adult lives. They are free today.

But back then, they were convicted of brutally killing three young Boy Scouts during a satanic ritual in the woods. And there have always been doubts in the community about who really did it. Among the doubtful, family members of those dead little boys. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MARK BYERS, STEPFATHER OF VICTIM: I know they're innocent. I have been on their side and I have been fighting for them hard since 2007, when I realized I was wrong. And I had to make many amends to people. But I'm still standing and fighting for justice because they're innocent. They did not kill my son.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: CNN's David Mattingly has been covering this case really for years.

I know you had a documentary about the West Memphis Three. You interviewed Damien Echols in prison on death row last year. We will get to all of you.

But, first, listen with me to the words of these three men, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr., and Jason Baldwin, from that news conference just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAMIEN ECHOLS, RELEASED: Still very much in shock, still overwhelmed. You kind of have to take into consideration that I have spent almost the past decade in absolute solitary confinement. So I'm not used to being around anyone, much less this many people.

It's kind of overwhelming.

QUESTION: Is it bittersweet?

ECHOLS: It's not perfect. It's not perfect by any means. But at least it brings closure to some areas and some aspects. You know, we can still bring up new evidence. We can still continue the investigations we have been doing. We can still try to clear our names. The only difference is now we can do it from the outside instead of having to sit in prison and do it.

JESSIE MISSKELLEY JR., RELEASED: Even when you're in prison, it goes on every day. You have to worry about your own safety. It doesn't matter what crime it is. You still got to worry about your safety regardless.

QUESTION: Jason, how about you?

JASON BALDWIN, RELEASED: Can't worry about someone else might do. I just have to stay around the people I love and who love me and care about me and just trust. We can't live our lives in fear. This was not justice.

In the beginning, we told nothing but the truth, that we were innocent, and they sent us to prison for the rest of our lives for it. Then we had to come here and the only thing that the state would do for us was to say, hey, we will let you go only if you admit guilt. And that's not justice no matter how you look at it. They're trying to kill Damien. And sometimes you got to fight (INAUDIBLE) to save somebody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: David Mattingly, let's just begin with the how, how these three men can walk free today legally speaking. And to be clear, we know they're not exonerated. They still had to agree to plead guilty to crimes they say they did not commit.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's actually a name for this proceeding. It was called an Alford plea, in which the defendants enter a guilty plea satisfying the charges against them in the eyes of the state. But at the same time, they're set free so they can go out and proclaim their innocence.

But, again, in the eyes of the state and the prosecutors, these are the guys who did it. They actually afterward were saying that they're not going to reopen the case, they feel like this is a closed case, these were the guys who did it and they entered a guilty verdict. That's the end of it.

Well, they're also saying, the West Memphis Three can now come out, proclaim innocence. And as you heard Damien talking, he'd like to continue trying to clear his name, even though they weren't able to do it in the court today, the judge himself admitting this probably wasn't the perfect solution for everybody, but it was the best alternative they had to get these three out of prison and satisfy the state at the same time.

BALDWIN: David, you were inside that courtroom today. I mean, there had to have been some outbursts.

MATTINGLY: There were. There were several outbursts from parents of the victim children.

There was one father in particular who stood up and yelled at the judge, saying that you are opening a Pandora's box by allowing this to happen in this court. He said that there are people on death row that are going to be getting out because of this. He was clearly angry and he was clearly showed the door almost immediately after that.

There was about 15 to 20 armed officers inside that tiny, cramped courtroom. There wasn't going to be any trouble in there. But still that father had to get up and express his opinion very loudly to the judge.

BALDWIN: David, as I mentioned, you worked on this documentary. It's called "Presumed Guilty: Murder in West Memphis." And I wanted to show just some of your reporting. You looked at what evidence originally linked these three men to the crime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY (voice-over): What happened in these woods shook even hardened cops. It was a crime so terrible, families from miles around lived in fear. And, at the time juries had no doubt, three West Memphis, Arkansas, teenagers were guilty in the satanic ritual murders of three 8-year-old boys.

But, a decade-and-a-half later, many now believe it was a case of justice gone bad.

(on camera): The police, the prosecutor, the judge, the jury, all of them got it wrong?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In our opinion, yes.

MATTINGLY: Reexamining old evidence and using DNA testing not available at the time of the murders, defense attorneys say the belief in a satanic ritual of sexual assault and mutilation was a fantasy, a satanic panic that they say sent three innocent teenagers to prison.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we are saying is that there's no credible evidence that links any of these defendants to the crime.

MATTINGLY: The bodies of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore and Steven Branch were discovered bound, naked and submerged in a muddy ditch.

In a petition filed in federal court, defense attorneys say their experts today find no evidence of sexual assault and no evidence of a satanic cult.

And the evidence that horrified juries, signs of ritualistic torture and mutilation, may have actually come from animals attacking the bodies after the boys were killed.

(on camera): When we asked for a comment about the old case, Arkansas prosecutors turned us down. But, in an earlier statement, a spokesman for the state attorney general said that Arkansas will look at the new findings objectively. But they stand behind the old convictions and do not believe that the courts will change anything.

(voice-over): The oldest defendant at the time, 18-year-old Damien Echols, was sent to death row. Sixteen-year-old Jason Baldwin and 17- year-old Jessie Misskelley got life in prison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: As you mentioned, Damien Echols on death row. He said he was just overwhelmed today in that news conference because he just hadn't been around people. He has been in solitary confinement for the better part of a decade.

MATTINGLY: Right.

BALDWIN: You sat with him on death row, David Mattingly. What impression did he make on you then?

MATTINGLY: Well, he was a fascinating guy. He comes across very articulate, very intelligent and very troubled. He's been behind bars in solitary confinement.

He gets out for one hour a day out of that cell for exercise. Other than that, he's left to himself in that cell all day long. So, coming out today and being in these rooms just full of people with all this attention focused on him, you could see him wiping his brow, covering his eyes a few times. This was clearly a very stressful thing for him, for someone who has been in virtual isolation for well over a decade.

BALDWIN: You mentioned the legal term the Alford plea. That's the legal maneuvering so that these three men can walk out free men today. But how did this whole thing even come about?

From what I understand, it was just a couple of weeks ago, correct?

MATTINGLY: Right. And you heard in that part from my documentary about how all of the evidence that was presented early on and that satanic panic, all of that sort of served to fall away over the years.

And people started to see through the emotion and examine closely the true facts in the case. And a lot of people, critics of this case, found those facts very wanting. And what they were trying to do when they were going into court today, they were allowing the prosecution to still walk away with their victory, but they were letting these three go. That Alford plea is being described as a way out for when the justice system doesn't quite work right.

But when you listen to the prosecution, they say still this is a closed case. The defense is saying, if you thought they were guilty, there's no way you would be letting them out. So they're still going to argue this case. There are still no solid answers for people who are looking for them today. But there's only one big change. And that's for three men who have been behind bars their entire adult life. They are now free.

BALDWIN: So, I guess, David Mattingly, I'm still left wondering. I know you're saying the state is saying case closed. They say that there's no reason to believe there was anyone else was involved in these murders. But could charges be filed if evidence is presented in the future that someone else committed these horrific crimes?

MATTINGLY: Well, they would have to open this case back up and they have been reluctant to do that for the last 18 years. You can never say never in cases like this. But at this point, the position of the state of Arkansas is this case is closed.

BALDWIN: Wow. What a story. David Mattingly, I thank you very much.

We mentioned your documentary. You can actually watch David's documentary about these young men tonight 8:00 -- excuse me -- 11:00 Eastern time. Again, it's called "Presumed Guilty: Murder in West Memphis."

And while those three men, those young men, were in prison for those 18 years, several celebrities who believed in their innocence fought for their release, among them Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks. In fact, both Vedder and Maines were there in the courtroom today. And the story essentially became a cause celebre because of the HBO documentary called "Paradise Lost."

And the award-winning filmmakers will be joining me live in about 20 minutes. Don't miss that conversation. They had to quickly change the end of their third and final documentary. We will talk about that in coming up a just little bit.

Also straight ahead today, I want you to take a look at this video, because in case there was any doubt, what you're seeing there is a woman riding in the back of a pickup truck hanging on to a baby stroller. Are you with me here? Inside the stroller, a real live baby. The woman's excuse?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEYONA DAVIS, DEFENDANT: It's not like they give you a handbook or anything on how -- what's neglect and what's not neglect.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Coming up next, more of this police dash-cam video, plus frantic 911 calls from some dumbfounded drivers.

Also, mounting political pressure against Moammar Gadhafi, but the Libyan leader is not going down without a fight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: OK, what would you do if you were driving along, you see a truck and in the back you see a baby stroller, and in the baby stroller is a baby?

It happened in Florida. And we have the police dash-cam video to prove it. Take a look here. The Florida woman who is sitting alongside that stroller there was arrested and charged with child neglect for this outrageous ride. Watch this truck just continue on. If she didn't realize how dangerous it was, certainly other drivers around her did -- 911 flooded with calls.

How does this woman justify her actions?

Well, Claire Metz with CNN affiliate WESH was in court to hear her defense.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS: It's not my child. I was watching a friend's child for her while she was at work.

CLAIRE METZ, WESH REPORTER (voice-over): Twenty-three-year-old Keyona Davis, facing a judge, didn't seem to understand that what we did was wrong, allowing her eight-month-old charge, Terrance McClain, to sit in his stroller in the bed of the pickup, even if she was next to him. Stunned motorists starting calling 911.

911 OPERATOR: Nine-one-one. What is the emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a truck going down Mason Avenue headed east with a baby stroller in the back of the truck with a baby in it.

911 OPERATOR: Nine-one-one. Where is your emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a (AUDIO GAP) back in a pickup truck while I was driving on Nova Road southbound.

METZ: One motorist stayed with the pickup as it headed south on busy Nova Road for several miles, finally turning on to Orange Avenue, where police picked the truck up. What a sight. Imagine if the driver hit a bump, if he had an accident. There are any number of horrible scenarios.

DAVIS: I got my first child when I was 16.

METZ: Davis explained to the court she's been baby-sitting without incident since she was a teen, didn't realize police would consider this endangering a child.

DAVIS: It's not like they give you a handbook or anything on how -- what's neglect and what's not neglect.

METZ: Davis' public defender argued that a charge of felony neglect was too harsh, saying the baby wasn't hurt. But the state and the judge saw this video as very disturbing. The charge stands, though they did agree to release Davis on her own recognizance. She's ordered to stay away from the child the court said she neglected in this wild ride.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: We did reach out to Davis' attorney. Thus far, he's not returned our phone call. But we did hear from Florida's Department of Children and Families. They certainly are investigating the case and issued this statement.

Let me read it for you. They say -- quote -- "No child should ever ride in the back of a moving pickup. They could be thrown from the vehicle and suffer serious injuries. All children should be properly restrained in moving vehicles with child seats for children age 5 and younger and seat belts for children of all ages."

Does he know more than he's letting on? That's what police in Aruba want to know from this man after this woman disappeared with him on vacation. CNN has exclusively obtained the transcript of the police interrogation. What it shows is telling. Martin Savidge got his hands on that police transcript. He's going to tell us what exactly it reveals, including money as a possible motive -- coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Now to the case of this missing 35-year-old Maryland woman in Aruba here.

Here is what we're learning. CNN exclusively obtained this copy of a police interview, this police transcript with this man, Gary Giordano. He told police he bought travel insurance policies not only for himself, but for this woman, Robyn Gardner, both of them worth $1.5 million each.

But no word yet as to who is listed as the beneficiary on her policy. Authorities also got a hold of Giordano's camera and they say the photos of it -- of Gardner are -- quote -- "explicit."

Giordano reported Gardner missing back on August 2. He said they had gone snorkeling. She didn't return to shore with him. He was arrested after police said his statements didn't quite add up.

Let's go to Martin Savidge live in Aruba.

And, Martin, you are the one who got this big scoop. You got exclusively this police transcript. Talk to me a little bit more about what you learned about this (AUDIO GAP) yourself on the cover of the newspaper because of the scoop. (LAUGHTER)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, right. OK.

Well, let's start with the document itself. Yes, this is a transcript of an interview that was done with Gary Giordano on August 5. That would have been three days after the disappearance of Robyn Gardner. And he's not being detained at that particular time. He's still cooperating with authorities.

But it is the day that later he is going to be detained. And what's very clear about that document is that early on, authorities here in Aruba began to zero in on the issue of whether money was the motive. They begin to question him at length about any debts he may owe, what his alimony payments are, the mortgage on his home, and whether or not he owed debts to anyone else.

He said that he was in good shape financially. And then they go on to start talking about this insurance, two insurance policies, both $1.5 million each, one for himself, one for Robyn Gardner.

The one for himself, well, the beneficiary would have been his mom. As for the beneficiary for Robyn Gardner, he doesn't say. And authorities aren't saying at this particular time. They say they have to continue to talk to Gary Giordano about that.

But you have got to figure, Brooke, that they would not be so interested if, say, the benefactor of Robyn Gardner's insurance plan was her mother.

BALDWIN: Of course.

SAVIDGE: It is probably something tying to Gary Giordano.

And that would be a very good motive. That's where it stands right now.

The publication --

BALDWIN: Yes?

SAVIDGE: This is "Aruba Today."

BALDWIN: Why are you on the cover?

SAVIDGE: And you may recognize somebody on the cover.

Well, they were very nice to say that I was an award-winning journalist and they point out that I was very fair to the Aruban government and to the coverage of the Natalee Holloway case, I guess is their nod on saying that the --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: You are fair. You are fair, Martin Savidge.

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: Clearly an indication that things are slow news wise.

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Seriously, though, back to Giordano, I know he's been in custody. What has life been like for him in this jail? What have you learned?

SAVIDGE: Well, it's interesting. Life has actually apparently improved for him since he's gone from being held in the local police shop to now being in the prison, which is called the KIA.

He's in a cell that's described as 11-meters-by-11-meters. So, what is that, 33-feet-by-three-feet, very large. But he has to share it. He's got two other cell mates with him. They're in a special area for people being detained before trial. He gets to go out and about on the grounds during the day.

He is, of course, locked up at night, doesn't have access to the media and he can have visitors at least twice a week. Police have been interrogating him. They say that he is talking off and on. When they ask him new questions, he responds. If it's an old question, say, trying to see if he keeps to his story, he doesn't speak at all. Apparently, he doesn't want to trip himself up.

I asked, well, what's his attitude like? They used one word: belligerent.

BALDWIN: Hmm. Interesting. Quickly, Martin, what about the DNA sampling going to Holland? When should they get the results?

SAVIDGE: Well, they won't say for certain. They do say that they just simply haven't got the expertise to print out what is their DNA profile of Gary Giordano.

It's going to take some time. We also understand that in the next few days there's talk of a major search probably in the area of the southern part of the island. This is in keeping around where they were said to be snorkeling. You could bet that they will be looking on land and maybe around the water trying to find any evidence of what happened to Robyn Gardner.

BALDWIN: Still a mystery so far. Martin Savidge live in Aruba, thank Martin, you very much.

SAVIDGE: It is.

BALDWIN: Straight ahead, country music group Sugarland paying tribute to the victims of that horrendous stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair. Plus, we're now learning a sixth victim has died today from that disaster -- back in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BALDWIN: Checking your top stories.

You know we're always keeping one eye on the stock market here in this final hour of the trading day. You can the Dow down 128 points. We're 35 minutes away from that closing bell. Also want to let you know we know that the Bank of America is cutting 3,500 jobs. That's on top of the 2,500 jobs they cut earlier this year. Bank of America is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and says the jobs being cut are global. We will keep an eye on their stock for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ECHOLS: My name is Damien Echols. I'm 36 years old and released today from death row for a crime I did not commit over 18 years ago.

MISSKELLEY: My name is Jessie Misskelley. I'm 36 years old. I have been released (OFF-MIKE) serving 18 years for a crime I didn't commit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Those three men who were teenagers when they went to prison back in 1993, they are walking free today. They were convicted of murdering three young Boy Scouts in a satanic ritual. But for years, they claimed innocence.

And several in their own community doubted their involvement in the murders altogether. And in this deal with prosecutors today, they agreed to enter guilty pleas and were sentenced to time already served.

We're now learning that another person died after that stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair last weekend, bringing the total death toll to six. And just last night, the country group Sugarland, who had been scheduled to perform on that very stage moments before the stage actually collapsed, they started a show in New Mexico with a couple of words about their fans who died in Indiana.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER NETTLES, SUGARLAND: In honor of those people who were wounded and those beautiful lives that were lost, we ask you to stand and join us now in a moment of silence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: The members of Sugarland will host a private memorial in Indiana after the victims' families have held their own services.

Coming up next, back to those three men tasting tweet freedom today after serving nearly two decades prison time. How they got that freedom, that is mind-boggling in and of itself. But today, what matters most is that they are finally free. It is a story that has garnered national attention for years and years, including the eyes of Hollywood producers, like this documentary called "Paradise Lost."

These two documentary filmmakers quickly hustled to this West Memphis courtroom today. And get this. They had to quickly change the ending of their third and final documentary. They are going to join me live next. Don't miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, listen up folks. There's been a sudden turn of events in Libya. That war has been locked in a stalemate. But now something has changed. Rebels are closing in on Moammar Gadhafi last seen in the capital of Tripoli. Stand by. We're going to have a live report from there in just a moment.

But first in just the last couple of hours there was heavy, heavy fighting just west of the capital there in Zawiya. CNN's Sara Sidner is there. Sara, tell me what you saw.

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We want to let you know we got into the city of Zawiya. It's a very important city, a strategic city with an oil refinery that can kick out 100,000 barrels of oil a day and supply Tripoli with fuel it needs. It has been a very fierce battle, but rebels say they now have control of 80 percent of this strategic city.

I want to let you listen to what we heard as we got very, very close to the frontlines, which is in the city center.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(EXPLOSIONS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Those were the sounds there of artillery fire, mortar fire, and also small arms fire that we were hearing for much of the day in the eastern part of the city where Gadhafi forces are still fighting fierce battles with the rebels who are trying to take full control of the city of Zawiya.

We also saw an important part of the city, the industrial part of the city, which is right on the water, and that is where this oil refinery is, a very important piece of property, obviously for the Gadhafi regime. And the rebels now have that in their full control at this point. We were able to go into the refinery and see that nothing is wrong with the refinery. It can function, although it has been turned off for now. But there's not a scratch on it.

The rebels are hoping to keep control of the city and the refinery, and that would be a major, major victory for them. It would essentially cut off most of the ability for Gadhafi to get fuel easily into Tripoli.

BALDWIN: So you mentioned, Sara, that the rebels, they have claimed this oil refinery and also there's the main supply road there into the capital. If that is correct, and it sounds to be that is what you have seen, how significant is that?

SIDNER: It's extremely significant. But we have to remember that the road that goes through this city is the shortest route really for Gadhafi to go ahead and be able to get fuel. It's one of the last refineries that was able to function at this point. And already that city is very, very low on fuel. So it will certainly have an impact on the Gadhafi regime.

We were actually told to leave the area at one point which is very close to the refinery, because we were hearing from the rebels that they believed that it would be bombed by Gadhafi forces, that it would be shelled. And so we had to quickly run away from that area to keep our crew safe.

But certainly it's definitely going to hurt the regime in the sense that the oil refinery is a very important, obviously, piece of property, but also that that supply route could cut off things such as food as well into the capital.

BALDWIN: Let's talk about the capital, Sara Sidner. My thanks to you. Stay safe to you and your crew.

Capital, back to Gadhafi, talking about Tripoli here. It's looking increasingly under siege as is the colonel, Gadhafi. Today his spokesman is pleading for a ceasefire. Matthew Chance in Tripoli for us right now. Matthew, I know we're getting reports of citizens fleeing, trying to get out of the city. Are those reports true? If so, why are people leaving?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've got reports of people wanting to leave the city. Certainly the United Nations says that it's preparing a plan to try and evacuate foreign nationals.

The trouble is with residents, Libyan citizens of Tripoli trying to leave. It's very difficult. There's not -- normally they would go to west through Zawiya, but they're not able to do that because of the fighting taking place, as we just heard from Sara. That's compounding this feeling of being under siege as having a really big psychological impact on the residents of the Libyan capital, Brooke.

BALDWIN: We know that NATO controls the airspace and rebels seem to control a lot of the roads. Does it appear to you looking at the situation, does it look like Gadhafi is just boxed in now?

CHANCE: Yes, he seems to be. He certainly is boxed in in terms of territory from the west and then the east as well, the stranglehold which has been tightening around him with the rebel military advances backed by those significant airstrikes. Those airstrikes have been continue as well, pretty much very intense civil over the course of the last 48 hours in Tripoli itself.

We were taken to one of the sites that was bombed earlier today as the house of senior figure in the Libyan intelligence agency, but also what was apart from that was a school close by and a medical storage facility as well. It was a residential area. In the past the Libyans have put military installations, military equipment in these residential areas. But it did spook the residents in the area having to endure these ferocious airstrikes. So again, three is this siege mentality that is taking grip. The residents of Tripoli are feeling very much like they're surrounded and under attack.

BALDWIN: Matthew Chance in the capital, Tripoli. Matthew, thank you very much. Still to come, I want to introduce you to two of my next guests pertaining to this incredible story here of the West Memphis Three. You have two award winning documentary filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. We're going to be talking about what this is like, what a happy ending here in the story of these three young men. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The West Memphis Three released today after serving 18 years in prison. Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., and Jason Baldwin were convicted of brutally killing these three young boy scouts during a satanic ritual in the woods. But today the court released them after legal maneuvering which the three basically agreed to plead guilty and then got credit for time served. They were released. They were not exonerated.

I want to bring in director Joe Berlinger and producer Bruce Sinofski from award-winning HBO documentary series "Paradise Lost" on this whole story. Joe and Bruce, welcome to both of you. Talk about a way to quickly change the ending of your third and final doc.

First let's talk about quickly the flight, getting there to Jonesboro today. You were in the courtroom. Just describe those moments for me.

JOE BERLINGER, DIRECTOR, HBO'S "PARADISE LOST": Well, it was an incredible moment, but bittersweet, I have to say. We've been waiting for this day for 18 years. It's incredible that these guys are out of prison. But the state of Arkansas didn't have the courage to admit that they had made a mistake after all these years, and these guys had to plea to lesser charges. They're going to have sword of Damocles hanging over their head of being convicted of a crime in order to get out of prison. But the reality is we believe firmly that these guys are innocent. And I wish it could have been a full exoneration.

So it was very emotional. Everyone was thrilled that it happened but extremely disappointed that the state of Arkansas still after all these years still maintaining that these guys are guilty.

BALDWIN: Bruce, for you, I mean, I know being a journalist, it's the same kind of thing, you have to separate yourself. It gets to a point where you're embedded in these lives so many years, was there a moment for you personally when you got emotional?

BRUCE SINOFSKY, PRODUCER, HBO'S "PARADISE LOST": Yes. When the three of them came down to speak to the press and they were together in the same room, I had to fight back the tears a little bit because it meant so much to me that these guys could go free. And it's no longer free the West Memphis Three. It's the West Memphis Three is free. It's really, really an important thing. I had to call my kids. Everybody's been on pins and needles the last couple of days. And to see these guys embracing each other was just wonderful.

BERLINGER: I know, it's nothing could be greater for a filmmaker to see real world change. We've stuck with this story for 18 years, three films, and the fact that there's finally a result. You know, it's just very rewarding.

BALDWIN: Damien Echols himself, as you know --

BERLINGER: For 17, 18 years, I've marked many of the passages of my life thinking wow, I've had one child, I've had two children. They've gone to high school, all while thinking about these guys who are rotting in prison on death row. You think about this case, talk about this case all the time and the fact that it's finally has a resolution is just very emotional for us.

BALDWIN: Then specifically, Damien Echols, talking about this gift here. He essentially says in your one your films that your documentaries saved his life. If people haven't seen this, I just want to play this clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How you doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long has it been since the last time you were here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were talking about that in the car. Ten years. It's been a long time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So gentlemen, final question. I know in third and final documentary titled "Purgatory," you get to watch it on HBO in January. You had a question mark ending it. And now what did you do? You hustled to Jonesboro to tell a different ending?

SINOFSKY: Did you get it?

BERLINGER: I have no audio.

SINOFSKY: We got a phone call --

BALDWIN: Go ahead.

SINOFSKY: We got a phone call on -- no.

BALDWIN: I can hear you. Go ahead. Go ahead, Bruce.

SINOFSKY: OK. Good. We got a phone call on Wednesday and Jonathan called us and said, hey, we're all going down to Jonesboro. BERLINGER: Ironically, we were in the editing room putting the finishing touches on "Paradise Lost Three," which is premiering at the Toronto film festival in a couple of weeks. And we were literally doing the color correct, the sound mix, waiting to push the button and have a finished film on Monday. And we obviously have to go back to the editing room and create a much happier ending.

SINOFSKY: This is the best ending possible. Best ending.

BALDWIN: Quite a gift for filmmakers here. Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger, I thank both of you, and again your documentary is called "Paradise Lost." Thank you so much.

Straight ahead, when a basketball game goes bad, and really actually it's just plain ugly. More on this bottle throwing brawl in Beijing coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Have you seen this video, this brawl between China and the Georgetown Men's basketball teams? It's what a lot of people are tweeting about, talking about. It's trending. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Yikes. This is what happened in the final minutes of what was billed as a friendship match. This happened just last night when the Georgetown University Hoyas played this Chinese pro team in Beijing. Benches cleared on both sides. You can see some of these guys throwing punches. The crowd even got in on the action. Watch here. You'll see the players pick up chairs that also get thrown.

And then we have more still pictures. Hoyas guard Jason Clark lying on the floor. Take a look at this. Chinese rivals standing over him, leg raised, ready to stomp. Georgetown coach actually decided to pull his player. There was no way the game could go on after this whole melee ensued.

But watch what happens as the team heads for the exit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Did you see that? You see that flying through the air? Those are full water bottles being launched at the Georgetown players as they're trying to make their way out of there towards the locker room. Not quite clear yet who started the fight. But obviously it can't be good, especially with Vice President Joe Biden in China right now to meet with Chinese counterparts in economic and business ties. So how did this brawl on the court get reported in the Chinese press, you ask? Good question. Answer, it did not. Chinese censors quickly took down any websites that mentioned the brawl. The two teams, by the way, are scheduled to play again Sunday night in Shanghai.

Now to Washington with the latest news fresh off the Political Ticker. Let's go to Wolf Blitzer with some news. Wolf, good to see you.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Thanks very much, Brooke. Basketball is not supposed to be a contact sport like that. If they play on Sunday, let's hope it's a real basketball game. It doesn't become sort of like hockey or whatever.

BALDWIN: Fisticuffs.

BLITZER: Yes, not nice. Not happy with that tough crowd over there in Beijing.

Let's talk a little bit about what's going on in the world of politics. Rick Perry, it hasn't even been a week since the Texas governor threw his hat into the Republican race for the White House, but he's being hammered on a host of issues, including his controversial comments earlier in the week that the Federal Reserve board chairman Ben Bernanke could potentially face treason charges if he goes ahead and has the Federal Reserve print more money.

Now a former treasury official who worked for the first President Bush earlier for Ronald Reagan, Bruce Bartlett, he is having no part in it. Listen to what he said on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUCE BARTLETT, ECONOMIST: Rick Perry is an idiot. And I don't think anybody would disagree with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Bruce Bartlett not mincing any words, tough talk. But Rick Perry is getting criticized on other controversial comments as well from Republicans, including some of his Republican challengers on the whole issue of teaching creationism in addition to evolution in Texas schools. Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor saying he supporting teaching evolution.

On the issue of global warming, Rick Perry says scientists are doubtful about man's role in global warming. He's getting some criticism from Mitt Romney, who supports the notion that man, and women for that matter, have a role in global warming.

And he's being criticized by a lot of moderate Republicans on this whole notion of questioning whether or not President Obama really loves America and whether the men and women of the U.S. military respect the commander-in-chief as much as they should.

So there's criticism coming from Rick Perry across the board. He's moderating his words a little bit over the past few days. He's not backtracking, though, from any of them as far as I can tell.

One final note, Sarah Palin -- Orrin Hatch, he's up for reelection next year in Utah. He doesn't want to follow in the footsteps of his good friend Bob Bennett, the former Republican senator from Utah who lost to a Tea Party supported challenger. Now Sarah Palin is saying nice things about Orrin Hatch that can be very useful. He's sending out releases, quoting Sarah Palin if Jason Chaffetz, the congressman from Utah or someone else challenges him for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate from Utah.

And I'll leave you with this little bit of self-promotion. My interview, by the way, where I did this week in Iowa with the president of the United States, we're going to replay it tomorrow night 6:00 p.m. eastern Saturday night in "THE SITUATION ROOM," the entire interview for our viewers, 6:00 p.m. eastern tomorrow night in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

BALDWIN: I still love that he invited you into his situation room. I still want to know if and when you take him up on it.

BLITZER: I'm going to into his situation room. He say I had I could come, but no cameras.

BALDWIN: Wolf Blitzer, thank you so much. We'll check in with you a little later on next hour.

And right around this time we had special coverage here. Richard Quest, Ali Velshi, myself, we were all along for the ride, as the markets took a tumble. Today the Dow down night quite as bad as it was yesterday, down 112 points as we are quickly approaching that closing bell. We'll take you live to the New York Stock Exchange coming up next.

But first, here is chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta with this week's human factor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Four years ago, Jennifer's Tillaverta's life was turned upside down.

JENNIFER GILBERTO, BRAIN CANCER SURVIVOR: I was told you had a brain tumor.

GUPTA: Her first surgeon didn't want to operate, and that didn't sit well with her.

GILBERTO: I felt as if it's my body, my brain tumor. You say is in my head yet you won't treat me the way I want my course of treatment to be.

GUPTA: So she got a second opinion. The new surgeon was ready to operate, the surgery went well, and the tumor was out. A biopsy confirmed the type of tumor she has may most likely come back.

GILBERTO: I may know that on average I have 10 years from diagnosis before it becomes malignant, and I understand what that means. But I am going with the assumption that it might be sooner than later, and that's OK.

GUPTA (on camera): In fact, planning to have another baby.

GILBERTO: This decision to have a child is probably the most difficult decisions of all of the process. It was by far easier to accept the fact that I probably won't see my kids graduate from college than to decide to have a child. What if you are that person that 25 years from now your kids are getting married and you're still stable, and you're living with regret for making a decision out of fear?

GUPTA (voice-over): Having overcome the initial obstacles posed by her cancer, Jennifer has decided to embrace life in other ways. In addition to being a mom to sons Tucker and Cooper, Jennifer has become a patient advocate, shares her experiences with others who also have brain cancer.

And she's a fundraiser. Jennifer participates in a race for research. This year, Jennifer can only participate in the walk because she and her husband decided to expand their family.

(on camera) In some ways equally impressive is you decided to do this walk, and you're pregnant.

GILBERTO: I'm totally healthy aside from the brain tumor.

(LAUGHTER)

GUPTA: Just two days after we sat down together, one week ahead of schedule, Jennifer gave birth to a healthy little girl named Harper.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Less than three minutes away here from the closing bell on Wall Street. Let's go to Alison Kosik, who, as always, is standing by watching these number. Alison, this time yesterday we were down 400- plus points. Today, a smidge better.

ALISON KOSIK, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: A smidge better, but still it's pretty painful. I've definitely seen the volatility pick up in the final half-hour or hour of trading. But this is expected to see the volatility right at the end of the trading day.

Take note, it is Friday. What usually happens amid all the volatility we're seeing is traders not wanting to go into stocks before the weekend because they don't want to have the element of surprise if some news event comes out, because you know this better than anybody else -- this is a market definitely making moves on every headline that comes out. You see that knee jerk reaction right here on Wall Street. So yes, we're seeing the index rise a little bit. We're seeing the selling accelerate a bit on the Dow. The Dow down now 167 points. We have about a minute and a half to go before we hear the closing bell, something we've been looking forward to hearing all day.

It has been a volatile day. We've seen some swings. We saw the Dow fall as much as 121 points in early going. Then we saw it rise about 96 points. So it's really been all over the map. We're all expected to see this selloff at the end of the day. Obviously not as bad as it was yesterday, Brooke.

BALDWIN: We're waiting, watching. Obviously we've been talking for the better part of the last couple of weeks how this is so interconnected, the woes in Europe, fears of a debt crisis, and also our U.S. economy. Do we quickly know before we see the closing bell that the markets overseas, it was another down day, was it not?

KOSIK: It was. And what usually happens is you see all of the markets overseas, the feed off what happens here in U.S. But you know what, at some point it's got to stop. We thought that it maybe could have stopped earlier today when we saw some green arrows on the major averages. Not so. There's still a lot of uncertainty out there, a lot of fear.

What you continue to see is this emotional trading going on because no one really knows what direction the economy is going in. And you see this kind of re-pricing of stocks because, as we know, Wall Street is a forward-looking indicator. And it's nervous about how this slowing economy could potentially affect corporate earnings the next time around. So that's why you see this re-pricing going on with the markets.

Now we have the closing bell. And we're looking like we're going to end somewhere 176 points lower on the Dow as the numbers settle.

Brooke?