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Gunman Killed After Terrorizing Motorists; Report: Ex-AAU Chief Molested Boys; Report: Second Mile Board Members Gave $25,000 to Pennsylvania Governor's Campaign; Starting a New Business After Age 50; Atlanta Maintenance Worker Arrested in Horrible Killing of Girl, 7; Jerry Sandusky to Face Accusers in Court; Bernie Fine Not Out of the Woods Yet

Aired December 10, 2011 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us. We begin tonight with a bizarre shooting in Hollywood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Oh, my God. You all right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The lone gunman is dead. Shot and killed by police. He had randomly shot at passing cars at Sunset and Vine, wounding at least three people. Police later identified the gunman as a 26-year-old Los Angeles resident. His name is Tyler Brehm. So, far there is no information on a possible motive.

Chris Johns lives at the intersection. He shot video of the gunman that you're looking at now. And even engaged him in conversation to try to get his attention and he joins us now from Los Angeles. Thank you. What were you thinking at the time? First of all, what drew your attention, was it the noise?

CHRISTOPHER JOHNS, SHOT VIDEO OF GUNMAN AT SUNSET AND VINE: Yes. Basically, I heard pop, pop, pop. You know, I heard the gunshots. So that kind of drew my attention.

LEMON: Yes. I looked at the video and you said, hey, over here. Look over here. Why were you -- why were you trying to get him to come, you asking him to shoot at you?

JOHNS: Yes. I thought that I made a calculated, kind of comparison. I thought, if people down there at point blank range to the shooter were going to get shot, you know, they were kind of helpless to avoid being killed. You know, me, I'm four stories up, if I could take any of his attention and divert it towards me, you know, any gunshots that he, you know, that he would shoot at me, I would have an opportunity to get out of way. So, I thought, you know -- I don't know, I just made a calculation and I thought it was a good one that, any, any attention I could take away from the people on the street. You know, put it on me, I could probably save my own life and save other people in the process.

LEMON: It's unbelievable that nobody died in this, Chris. You know, there were people injured. He was shooting point blank at cars and he was holding the gun -- explain to viewers how he was holding the gun? Sort of hiding it until the cars got right up on him.

JOHNS: Yes. He was holding the gun kind of methodically and mechanically. Kind of grazing around, looking for kind of -- it looked like anything that was moving. You know, you could see the red car goes by. Pop, he shoots it. And I'm screaming out anything I can. You know, I told him that he was an angel sent from God to kill me. I said, that is what his mission was. I would stop at nothing to kind of get his attention and get it towards me. I mean, luckily nobody died. You know, I don't know if I could have done anything more. But I wasn't, at any moment, afraid of somehow being shot or killed or wounded. I just was worried about the people on the street. And I had a much better opportunity to avoid death from my vantage point.

LEMON: He actually did engage you in conversation, even asking you for ammunition and did he ask you for another gun? No, he wanted you to call an ambulance and he is asking you for more ammo.

JOHNS: Yes. He asked -- because I told him to kill me. And I said, please, kill me right now, I'm prepared to die. You know, that I really -- I thought if I could engage him and at the same time, you know, make him feel like I wanted to die, it was kind of take his power away from him. You know, somebody in that situation, they gain their power over people by, you know, they have a gun and they can take your life at any moment.

LEMON: He never told you why he was doing it, right?

JOHNS: No, no, we didn't get, like, really deep. I was just saying crazy things and I wanted his attention. And he didn't shoot any rounds at me.

LEMON: Well, Chris...

JOHNS: And you know, some of the people in the building are mad. Like hey, why did you, you know, why are you trying to get us shot at? And I said, well, you know, if we were near the windows looking, we would have an opportunity to, you know, if he is turning our way and pointing the gun at us to get out of the way.

LEMON: We are glad you're OK, Chris. Thank you. We appreciate you joining us, OK?

Police in South Florida are investigating a shooting recorded on the victim's iPhone. The victim is OK. But we want to warn you that what you are about to hear is very graphic. Here is a recording.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(INAUDIBLE)

(YELLING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, this allegedly took place during a confrontation between a man and his mother-in-law. The mother-in-law now faces charges. The man was treated at a local hospital and was released.

Another youth sports leader has come under fire for allegedly sexually assaulting children. Misconduct with children. The incidents supposedly were committed in the 1980s by Robert Dodd who later became head of the amateur athletic union. The AAU based in Orlando is one of the largest amateur sports organizations in the United States.

CNN's George Howell joins us now live from Memphis where these alleged incidents took place. George, the AAU is now investigating. What have you learned?

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, today we have learned that the AAU is supposed to release a new video statement, the new interim president, to release a new video statement. Basically commenting, talking about these allegations of sexual abuse by its former CEO and President Robert Bobby Dodd. Police confirm with us today that there is an active investigation into this. This basically came after two men shared their story with ESPN's outside the lines claiming that Dodd sexually abused them back in the late 1980s where the men were teenagers. Both again, grown men say that they decided to speak out after the things that have been happening that we have seen play out at Penn State and Syracuse University. Now, one of the men spoke anonymously to ESPN but Ralph West spoke publicly on camera, claiming that he was sexually abused six times in the 1980s. Just look at what he told outside the lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RALPH WEST, ALLEGED VICTIM: I was dead asleep. And I don't remember anything but waking up and he has -- he is trying to put his hand in my boxer shorts. And I jumped up, straight out of bed, and he is not there, but he is laying on the floor next to me down by the bed. And you know, of course I was freaked out.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: How did he get in the room?

WEST: He had a key. He always somehow had a key to whatever room I was in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: The story, supposed to air on ESPN tomorrow, Sunday at 10:00 and clearly, this story creating a lot of shockwaves here in this community. We spoke to the AAU and actually got a statement from them claiming that they do not know where Dodd is at this point. They say that he is no longer the president. In fact, they named a new president. And they say that Dodd was planning to retire this month saying that he is battling cancer -- Don.

LEMON: So, George, did these alleged incidents happen before or after Dodd became head of the AAU?

HOWELL: Well, it seems that Dodd was also a coach, a director rather of the YMCA here. And that is apparently when the things happened. According to the men in this ESPN report. But again, Dodd has been head of the AAU for a long time and at this point, investigators just looking into his history -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, George Howell. We appreciate it.

Now, the news now, the Arab league will meet this week to discuss the crisis in Syria. New video underscores how time may be running out for pro-democracy activists.

The pictures you're looking at show a crowd bearing the body of a ten- year-old boy. Protesters say, he was killed by a sniper's bullet as he sat in a house in Holmes. They carried him to a graveyard where he received a hasty funeral. Protesters have warned that the military surrounded homes and could be ready for a full scale attack on residents. Activists say, at least 16 people have been killed today.

Russia witnessed some of the biggest antigovernment protests today since the fall of the Soviet Union. Tens of thousands defied authorities and ignored the frigid weather to turn out in Moscow. They believe the last election was rigged, in favor of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's united Russia party. The demonstrations -- the demonstrators want the results thrown out. They are calling for a new vote. Putin is widely expected to return to his old post of president the next election.

And a horrific scene near the Philippines capital after a cargo plane crashed into a slam area, 13 people were killed, two of the victims are reportedly children. At least 20 more people were injured. The crash sparked a fire that torched a local school. The plane reported problems shortly after taking off. A pilot made an emergency request to land at an airport in Manila but did not make it.

Newt Gingrich's campaign spokesman tries to put an end to a firestorm that Gingrich himself caused. We are live from Des Moines, ahead of tonight's GOP debate in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich is trying to clarify remarks he made about the Middle East peace process. In an interview with the cable channel, he described the peace process as quote, "delusional." Here is more of what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I believe that the Jewish people have the right to have the state and I believe that the commitments that were made at a time, remember, there were -- there was no Palestinian as a state. That is part of the Ottoman Empire. And I think that we have had an invented Palestinian people. Who are in fact Arabs and were historically part of the Arab community.

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LEMON: Well, since that interview was released, the Gingrich campaign has issued a statement saying, quote, "Gingrich supports a negotiated peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians." However, to understand what is being proposed and negotiated, you have to understand decades of complex history," unquote. We want to head it Iowa where Gingrich and the other GOP hopefuls are getting ready for their first debate in several weeks.

Political producer Rachel Streitfeld is standing by for us. So, Rachel, any reaction there in Iowa to Newt Gingrich's comments?

RACHEL STREITFELD, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Sure. We haven't heard from Mitt Romney directly but one of his supporters, former Ambassador Mary Kramer, he's made some comments. She told the media yesterday that those comments by Gingrich made her nervous. She said they're not going to help accomplish a solution in the Middle East. And then she tied it to a larger impact that the Romney campaign has been pushing against Gingrich. They say that he is undisciplined campaigner. They say those off the cuff comments he makes could be turned around and used against him. So, we will see if Romney brings that up in the debate tonight and if any of their other colleagues want to chime in on what he said yesterday.

LEMON: So, you there in Iowa for tonight's debate. Gingrich has basically become the frontrunner in several polls. So, no doubt he's going to be at the center of the storm tonight.

STREITFELD: Right. I think the question is not if the other candidates go after Gingrich, it is when. He is coming in on high here. He is solidly in the lead in several of these early states. And he will be standing right smack dab in the middle of the stage right next to Mitt Romney. We will also be watching Romney, of course. His front-runner status is being challenged by Gingrich. He has not been attacking Gingrich publicly but could change tonight. There is also Congressman Ron Paul who served in the House with Gingrich. He has not been shy about going after the former speaker. He's called him a flip-flopper, said he is not a real conservative. So, Ron Paul continues those attack in the debates tonight -- Don.

LEMON: Rachel Streitfeld, thank you very much. I appreciate your reporting.

Should young teens have access to the morning after contraceptive pill? The Obama administration says, no. Two human behavior experts weigh in on the controversy, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A controversial decision by the Obama administration's top health official on emergency contraception and who should and should have access without a prescription. On Wednesday, in a highly unusual move, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled an FDA recommendation to make the emergency contraceptive bill plan B step one available over the counter to girls younger than 17. Critics say, her decision was based on social, not medical concerns. So, let's talk about this more.

Joining us now, clinical psychologist, Dr. Alduan Tartt, and in San Diego, I know, doctor of psychologist Wendy Walsh, who is also the co- host of the TV show "The Doctors." So, Wendy, I'm going to start with you. The FDA says, the morning after pill is completely safe for teens to use. Sebelius says, there is not enough data on the contraceptive but she also says, she was worried about confusing 11- year-old girls. Why would buying an emergency contraceptive be confusing?

WENDY WALSH, HUMAN BEHAVIOR EXPERT: I think that's absolutely inflammatory to say 11-year-old girls. Less than one percent of 11- year-old girls have ever had sex. But the truth is, parents need to get their heads out of the sand. By the age of 18, 80 percent of human beings have had sex for the first time, Don. So, does a girl -- it is one thing for a girl to go home to her daddy and say, I'm so sorry, I'm pregnant. She needs the support of her family for something like that. But to say, hey, I had sex with my boyfriend, the condom broke, daddy, can you get me a doctor's appointment and a prescription? Let her just go to Wal-Mart, I mean, Walgreens, let her just go to the drugstore and get something to help her. If they can memorize algebra, geometry and post all those tweets and tweeters ahead, they can figure out the 36 hour window of when to take plan B.

LEMON: Yes, and I know how Alduan feels about this. Because he's shaking his head as he's sitting here. Timing is key what this medication Alduan, it needs to be taken within 72 hours after sex, but it's most effective after 24 hours. Wouldn't younger teens not have the wherewithal to get, to see the doctor that fast?

ALDUAN TARTT, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: First of all, they are having sex. They need to talk to their parents. They don't need to be circumvented them to go to Walgreens because they don't want to talk to mom and dad. That's what they need, more parenting. So, they don't -- this isn't contraception.

LEMON: Yes. But is this about more parenting? Because the fact is, is that the statistics show that 11-year-olds, some of them do have sex.

TARTT: Yes. But they are looking for love and they think their sex is the gateway. Because we have all this hip-hop music, we have all the stuff on television.

LEMON: Yes. I understand that. I understand that. But that is not what this is about. This is about, when that does happened with the small percentage of the time that it does happens...

TARTT: My daughter is not going to circumvent me and go to Walgreens without talking to me whether she had sex or not. We can have this conversation.

WALSH: Don, he is talking like a dude. Don, he is talking like a dude.

TARTT: I'm talking like a daddy. WALSH: He is talking like a daddy.

TARTT: No way, it's not going to happen.

WALSH: The truth is, if parents aren't the source of information which clearly they aren't. If somebody as young as 12, 13, 14 is having sex, then children have been using already the culture for their misinformation. Now, they'll need the culture to help solve their problems because it was -- they were unable to get the information and go to mommy and daddy. And that's the big point. Parents do need to talk to their kids about sex and prepare them for both, not only the physiological, not just the plumbing lesson, they need to have the emotion...

TARTT: But now you can just go to Walgreens and say, well, I had sex, every time I have sex, I can go to Walgreen's and circumvent mom and dad.

LEMON: The drugstore -- let's say the drugstore because it is not just Walgreens.

TARTT: OK, any drugstore and use it every day, the morning after. Three and four times, we know that girls that have sex have lower self-esteem and become more and more promiscuous. So, we know what's going to happen. They'll going to go to the drugstore instead of talking to moms and dads to stop the very behavior we're trying to prevent.

LEMON: OK. So, Some doctors supports Sebelius decision saying that we would hold off and allowing younger girls to access plan B until we know how to better educate young kids about pregnancy prevention. The question is, is what you have been discussing. Do they have a point here? First, Wendy.

WALSH: I think they do have a point that it is about parental education. But Don, if we are talking about a girl who may be even suffers from violence or abuse in her household, and she is 15, 16 years old, is she going to go home and tell her daddy and risk being persecuted by her family? It is not that she is saying, she is pregnant, she's saying, the condom broke. And now she's admitting she is sexually active. I think the time to talk to kids about sex is when they asked how a younger sibling got into the tummy. Basically, when they're very little and you start working your way up giving them information as they are ready for it.

LEMON: OK. All right.

WALSH: Not when they are 16.

LEMON: OK. All right. This is a great topic. And we can talk a lot more about it. But I want to move on and turn to another topic, it's about horrible bosses. There are a lot out them out there and some are really bad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: You know that last month, you made me work so late, I missed saying good-bye to my gam-gam.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I'm sorry, what?

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: My grandmother, I told you that I need to see her. She was very, very sick. You said, if I left early I would be fired. She died before I made it to the hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I had no idea that you called your grandmother gam- gam.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was a clip from the movie "Horrible Bosses." Well, guess what? Bad bosses aren't just bad for you, they are also bad for your marriage. So, Wendy, what do you know about this?

WALSH: Well, there is a new study that's come out showing that people who do have toxic or abusive bosses, that those feelings bleed into their own relationships. Now, the interesting thing is the longer they've had a stable love relationship in their life, and the bigger their family support is or the more children they have, that tended to buffer the negative effects of what happens with a boss. But let's face it, you know, when you are in a toxic environment all day, it is very difficult to compartmentalize that and come home and be sweet to everybody else because you have just been abused all day.

LEMON: You got it. Alduan, how do you keep an abusive situation at work from affecting your home life?

TARTT: I mean, first of all, come home and especially with men, you have to kind of allow them to recharge and do something for at least an hour, to kind of, just take the day off of them. The worst thing that women do is when they come in and say, hey baby, you want to do something?

LEMON: Thank you.

TARTT: Let him wash the day off and then he'll come find you.

LEMON: Please.

TARTT: Yes.

LEMON: Give us some time, right? To just be a guy.

WALSH: So, you need to take that baby, we have been with that baby for 12 years. We couldn't even go pee or take a shower. You need to take that baby.

TARTT: Give us at least, give us at least 30 minutes and maybe to take the baby. It is like they are standing in the garage waiting. You can't even pull in the garage and they say, hey, take the baby. Thirty minutes is all we ask.

WALSH: You need to recover from that lunch with clients. I know guys.

LEMON: All right. I'm glad you two are not in the same room. Thank you very much. We appreciate both doctors.

WALSH: Thank you.

LEMON: New information in the Penn State sex abuse scandal. Next, details about a connection between The Second Mile Foundation and Pennsylvania's governor. We're live from state college, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Accused former Penn State Coach Jerry Sandusky will face some of his accusers on Tuesday. That's when a preliminary evidence hearing is scheduled on the dozens of charges that he molested ten young boys. But today, there's new information about a financial connection between board members of Sandusky's charity and a governor of Pennsylvania's election campaign.

Sara Ganim, a CNN contributor and reporter for "The Patriot News," co- wrote the article. So Sarah, it is good to see you. What did you find out?

SARA GANIM, REPORTER, "THE PATRIOT NEWS": When he was running for governor, he was still the training general, he was handling this case. And he accepted $25,000, more than $25,000 in campaign contributions from Second Mile board members and that included a fund- raiser from the board chair who held a fund-raiser at his home in January 2010 for the governor for his campaign. Now, today he is defending all of that, he's saying, you know, it would have looked political if he had charged Sandusky at the time. It would have looked political if he had waited. So, it is a lose/lose situation for him and he is defending his decision today saying, he did not want to give that money back or refuse it because that would give away that The Second Mile, Jerry Sandusky was under investigation. Of course, The Second Mile already knew that Jerry Sandusky was under investigation and that's because Jerry Sandusky himself told them in late 2008.

LEMON: So Sarah, here there is a new poll, gauging their reaction to the way this scandal has been handled. Can you tell us about it?

GANIM: Yes, you know, it's interesting. With Corbett, it is split. Thirty eight percent versus 36 percent approval rating. For how he handled the investigation. But I think the more interesting numbers that came out of that poll was that 52 percent of Pennsylvanians agree with Joe Paterno's firing versus 43 percent of people polled. So, you know, that kind of shows you a bigger picture. Outside of happy valley where there is a lot of concern about what happened to Joe Paterno. What people are thinking about that firing and that last- minute decision.

LEMON: A hearing that we've told our viewers about on Tuesday, what's coming up?

GANIM: Well, you know, we know that this is going to be the first time that Jerry Sandusky is going to face his accusers. Although, we ran into CNN got Joe Amendola, Jerry Sandusky's attorney to talk yesterday outside of Jerry's home where they spent the day preparing for what would happen Tuesday. And Joe Amendola said this, he said, you know, anyone he's looking for a bombshell coming out of Tuesday, is really going to be disappointed. But you know, we are expecting a long day, maybe even two days. Because there is a lot of evidence here. This isn't a trial but it's almost like a mini trial because the prosecutors do have to put on a significant amount of evidence to show that they have enough evidence to go to trial. They have to convince a judge of that. So you know, we do expect to hear from several of the alleged victims. We don't expect to hear from Jerry himself, but we'll see.

LEMON: All right, thank you very much, Sarah Ganim, we appreciate it.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN, your severe weather headquarters.

LEMON: Time now to talk some weather and our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is here to do that. But Jacqui, also, nothing I could do, total eclipse of the heart. Bonnie Tyler, remember that?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: So cheesy.

LEMON: That was so bad. I'm so -- sorry.

JERAS: I know, but you know, why it's total eclipse of the heart, because I didn't get see it, unfortunately. Those of us who live on the East Coast, it was bright out already. So, we can get to see it.

LEMON: Oh, man.

JERAS: You know, in the Rocky Mountain States...

LEMON: We're getting to see it now on video.

JERAS: I know. Isn't that beautiful? That's the great thing about CNN, the internet, all that stuff. You didn't have to get up at 6:00 in the morning to see it. This is a video from our affiliate King TV in Seattle. A total eclipse of the moon. The second one this year. But the first one we couldn't see here in the United States, so the East Coast got ripped off twice, I guess, right? But kind of a rare thing to see it. And the moon was setting so it looked unusually large in the sky. It was a rather quick mover though. It took about 15 minutes to able to view that eclipse. But what a beautiful sight? What a cool thing? Truly worth getting up early for on a Saturday morning, right, don't you think?

LEMON: No. Yes. Oh, yes.

JERAS: Come on.

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: I love it.

JERAS: All right. Let's take a look at a couple of weather headlines.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: We are in this studio --

JERAS: We're not complaining.

LEMON: Not complaining. I feel like we are back in local news. Live, local, late breaking.

(CROSSTALK)

JERAS: Yes, My office is right down the hall, and --

LEMON: I can't even sneeze or ask someone for anything, because you are right here.

JERAS: I know, but isn't that kind of nice?

LEMON: We are in a temporary studio, by the way.

JERAS: We could almost hold hands.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Yes. Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

Thanks, Jacqui. See you in a bit.

Former Penn State assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, is about to come face-to-face with his accusers. Coming up, defense attorney, Holly Hughes, joins us live to discuss this dramatic development.

But first --

(MUSIC)

LEMON: -- take two boomers, both out of work, add in love of food, and have you a career reinvention. In this week's "Smart is the New Rich," Christine Romans takes a look at starting over and starting a business after 50.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RID FRANCISCO, LIZBETH LANE CUISINES: Eating is a very emotional thing.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Now a livelihood for Rid Francisco and Michael Dernoga. FRANCISCO: Really, really good.

ROMANS: Almost two years ago the friend and next-door neighbors cooked up Lizbeth Lane Cuisines, a line of all-natural, gluten-free simmer cooking sauces.

MICHAEL DERNOGA, LIZBETH LANE CUISINES: These are sauces that we make on a regular basis.

ROMANS: In 2008, Rig's advertising business tanked.

FRANCISCO: When the phone stopped ringing, I knew to do something quick.

ROMANS: When Michael lost his job in health care management, he found inspiration from his 12-year-old daughter.

DERNOGA: She said, so, Dad, what is to you really like to do? And out of those conversations, was, you know, my love with food.

ROMANS: Neighbors and foodies, together with 60 years of work experience, they named their new company, after the street where it all began.

DERNOGA: Being two 50-something-year-old guys, we're not afraid to admit that we don't know.

FRANCISCO: It was exciting but it was also a little terrifying because of the age. At the time, I was 58 years old. And to reinvent yourself at that age is a pretty drastic thing to do. But I knew if we stuck with it, that it had a possibility of really working.

ROMANS: Rid does the design, ads and labels. Michael handles operations.

DERNOGA: I'm sort of the suit, and Rid is kind of this creative guy.

ROMANS: And it is about profit and principle. They ship their sauce using handicrafters. It is non-profit organization giving jobs to people with barriers.

Rid's step-son, Rob, works there.

FRANCISCO: There are a lot of parents out there who have special needs children, who lay awake at night wondering, when it gets out of school, what are we going to do with him? And this -- a place like handicraft gives them a wonderful opportunity to have a responsible nine-to-five job.

ROMANS: Now with 50 stores in 16 states, their boomer reboot is working.

FRANCISCO: If we started this right out of college, you know, in our late 20s or early 30s, it probably would have been much tougher.

DERNOGA: It's so totally different than a nine-to-five job. I've done both and I know where I want to be, and I'm where I want to be.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A chilling criminal case outside of Atlanta to tell you about. A 20-year-old maintenance worker, is charged with brutally killing a 7-year-old girl in Canton, Georgia. A source says that Jorelys Rivera's mangled body was found in a trash compactor in the apartment complex where, Ryan Brunn, worked. A funeral service was held today.

Holly Hughes is here. She is a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor.

Holly, it is interesting, because I don't watch local news that much and everyone had been asking me about this story. I didn't know about it. So Brunn is accused of killing Rivera by hitting her on the head with a blunt object. He also sexually assaulted and stabbed her?

HOLLY HUGHES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY & FORMER PROSECUTOR: Yes.

LEMON: The police are not saying what the evidence was against him. Why are they keeping quiet about this?

HUGHES: At this point, initially, what they want to do is protect the integrity of their investigation. Before they have a suspect, they keep very quiet about details. Only the killer knows the details that he knows. And secondarily, Don, this was an extremely brutal killing of a year old. It was a sexual assault. Out of respect for the family, we are not getting the gory details or what is going to have to be said once they get into court. Unfortunately, those things will come in as testimony, through the medical examiner, and at that point in time, the family will have to decide, do they want to stay in the courtroom for that horrible testimony?

LEMON: Yes, and everywhere, in the grocery store, people say, who killed that 7-year-old girl in Canton? I say, I don't know what you're talking about.

HUGHES: Yes. Yes.

LEMON: Now it is surfacing nationwide.

HUGHES: Absolutely.

LEMON: It is horrific. Brunn's lawyer said he will plead not guilty. His brother spoke to the media earlier this week. Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONNOR BRUNN, BROTHER OF RYAN BRUNN: He knew he was suspected but he never, like, thought it would go to him. He was asked to help to look for this little girl then got brought into this. This is so stupid. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Police say Brunn has no criminal history. Isn't that unusual in these kinds of cases?

HUGHES: It is unusual. But here's what I suspect, Don. He has no criminal history that we know of. This is not his first time at the rodeo. If in fact he is guilty of this crime, this was high risk. It was -- Don, this is broad daylight. This is a gated community. Think about that. People think they are safe in a gated community. She was 50 feet away with a teenage baby-sitter present at the playground when she was snatched. So this man, this is not his first time into the criminal system. He has done something like this before. Because he couldn't have done this and pulled it off if he hadn't.

What we are going to see, Don, I guarantee it. Police will start looking at unsolved homicides, unsolved rapes, unsolved assaults on women everywhere he's been. And I wouldn't be surprised if we don't find out that he has done things in the past we haven't tied him to yet.

LEMON: People say, I can't believe he doesn't have a criminal history. Every criminal has to have a first victim.

(LAUGHTER)

HUGHES: A nice and then he'll kill you. Yes.

LEMON: It seems there are a lot more of these child abduction/murder cases. A lot more, or just reporting?

HUGHES: I think a lot more, and here's why. We have advanced as a society. And we're so mobile. You can snatch a child, get on a plane, on a train, you can get far away and secret that victim. And our criminals are getting smarter. The more shows we have like "CSI," the more reporting we do, they know how to get away with it. I think there are more things.

LEMON: In three days, Holly, former Penn State assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, will face his alleged victims in court for the first time. Accusers are expected to testify at Sandusky's preliminary hearing. Holly, what can we expect at this hearing?

HUGHES: Preliminary hearing is, when the defense wants the case thrown out, so they say to the judge, we want sort of a mini trial, as it were. We want it see what evidence is. The judge -- if it's not beyond a reasonable doubt, because it is not a jury trial. But the prosecution will have to put up some evidence to convince the judge there is enough evidence here to allow the case to go to trial. They just need to meet that threshold. And we think there is enough that a jury should decide this issue.

LEMON: I want to ask about his bail. Why isn't it higher? This week there's 12 news counts of abuse alleging two alleged victims. Total now, alleged, 10. Charges are up to more than 50 now. So why doesn't the bail go up? HUGHES: The bail is to each individual crime. It is not as if you can say, you are charged with 16 murders, so we will give you 16 different bonds and increase them each time. The number is commensurate with the crime charged.

LEMON: OK. Let's talk about Bernie Fine. Another one of these alleged things that have happened with him. The statute of limitations, but is he out of the woods?

HUGHES: Not necessarily because, as we know, the federal statute is 10 years as opposed to state being five. If we find victims that were 2002 or later in time, they will still fall under the 10 years. Also, we may find new victims. As we know with pedophiles, Don -- you and I have talked about it -- average pedophile, a hundred victims. I don't think the three accusers are all we will see. And some may be later in time.

LEMON: Another of the alleged victims, Zachary Tomiselli, filed a civil suit this week against Fine, claiming that former coach abused him in a Pittsburgh hotel. But he admitted to sexually abusing a minor himself, this person. Is that going to change anything in this case? His believability, his credibility, anything like that?

HUGHES: Well it will make it tougher. The jury will look at him a little suspicious, but here is what he will do. He will put a psychological expert up to say the reason he is abusing children, the reason he is accused with these crimes --

(CROSSTALK)

HUGHES: -- is because of what Bernie Fine did to him.

LEMON: He's repeating the pattern.

HUGHES: Exactly. He has to.

LEMON: Thank you, Holly.

HUGHES: Absolutely.

LEMON: We appreciate it.

We're back in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Get ready for a star-studded tribute to everyday people making a difference in this world. They are this year's "CNN Heroes." And Sunday night "CNN Heroes, an All-Star Tribute," we will narrow the 10 honorees down to one 2011 hero of the year.

And A.J. Hammer, the host of HLN's "Showbiz Tonight," is also the co- host of a preview special. And he joins us now from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles where they are setting up the red carpet.

A.J., lots of a-listers, lots of excitement. What's on tap? A.J. HAMMER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've got to tell you, very exciting moment here at the Shrine. They just laid out the first section of red carpet. Big time stars like Jerry Seinfeld, George Lopez and so many more can wander their way into the Shrine Auditorium to help us honor the real celebrities of the night, our top-10 heroes, honoree, including Eddie Canalas. His story is great. It starts at a sad place, where his son, Chris, who we're meeting right now, was paralyzed in a high school football game in 2001. That compelled Eddie and Chris to found Gridiron Heroes, an unbelievable organization, providing so much needed support and assistance for other injured high school athletes.

It overwhelmed me when I saw the amount of money it takes in the first year that a high school student is paralyzed. Hundreds of thousands of dollars.

EDDIE CANALAS, CO-FOUNDER, GRIDIRON HEROES: It is a very costly injury. One of the things that people have to understand, can you spend anywhere from 150,000 to half million within the first 100 days of an injury. It is very costly but also life changing for the young athletes. Part of what we are trying to do with Gridiron Heroes is to make sure these young men are not forgotten. We all love and support the game of football. They all gave it their all playing the game of football but we want to make sure they don't forgotten by the game itself.

HAMMER: That's why I love "CNN Heroes" because I love that we can shine a light on what it is that you guys are doing and the story behind it. It is just so great to meet you. I'm humbled being with you guys and spending time.

So Kurt Warner, the MVP quarterback, football great, is going to be presenting your dad with his honor at the show tomorrow night. I know you got to spend a little time with Kurt. What did he say to you?

CHRIS CANALAS, CO-FOUNDER, GRIDIRON HEROES: He is a great guy. Very humble, down to earth. We talked football. We always talk football. And we talked about the injury and how it happened. But other than that, we just talked football.

HAMMER: And, Chris, I know you are having a good time hanging out here.

CHRIS CANALAS: I am.

HAMMER: I actually spied him holding out by the audio board.

(LAUGHTER)

He is very much into the technology. Wants to know how all this is working. What does it mean for you to be here and be a part of this event?

CHRIS CANALAS: This is truly a blessing, not only for our family but for Gridiron Heroes, and to get this national attention really helps. To help these athletes that really need the help and, hopefully, we can do more.

HAMMER: Hopefully, people will be very motivated, I'm sure, to help out and do what they can to help you and other honorees.

People can go on-line to cnn.com. What's terrific is anybody can make a contribution of any amount. Google is waving all transaction fees, so you get every dollar. People want to know, how can I help? How can I get involved? People will be very compelled to do their part.

And, Don, of course, it all kicks off at 7:00 eastern, when I will be hosting along with the great J.R. Martinez, the Iraq war veteran and "Dancing with the Stars" champion, our co-host tonight for "CNN Heroes." We welcome all of the stars as they make their way down the red carpet. 8:00 of course. 8:00 eastern when Anderson Cooper hosts "CNN Heroes, an All-Star Tribute." We will name our hero of the year. But, of course, all of our honorees are heroes and they are the real stars tomorrow night, Don.

LEMON: And you are standing next to two stars.

Thank you, A.J. We look forward to it.

You can see all 10 nominees and donate for your hero of the year at CNNheroes.com. And watch "CNN Heroes, an All-Star Tribute." It's live Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. eastern, 5:00 p.m. pacific

Stories of people overcoming adversity are always heart warming. But try overcoming when you have no idea what's wrong with you. Next, our Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces us to a young man whose new motto is, "You only live once."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Each week we introduce you to someone who has achieved remarkable things despite having to overcome major challenges. For Georgia Tech basketball player, Colby Wren, just figuring out what was wrong with him was half the battle. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has his story in this week's "Human Factor."

(HUMAN FACTOR)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Now some other stories making news today.

A happy homecoming for thousands of sailors onboard two USS destroyers, a cruiser and the aircraft carrier, "George W. Bush." They arrived back in Norfolk today after a seven-month deployment supporting troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Family members were right there to welcome them back, all thrilled their loved ones will be home for the holidays. Very nice.

Volunteers across the country are remembering fallen U.S. servicemembers by laying wreaths on their head stones. "Wreaths across America" has grown into a holiday tradition. More than 700 state and national cemeteries, dozens of U.S. military cemeteries on foreign soil, and all the sites on the September 11 attacks now take part. About 100,000 wreaths were left on head stones at Arlington National Cemetery alone.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Thank you so much for joining us. Have a good evening. We'll see you back here at 7:00.