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Obama Hosts Mexican, Canadian Leaders; 6.3 Quake In Mexico; Report: Shooting at California Religious School; Screams "Don't Seem" to Be Zimmerman; Hundreds Search for California Teenager

Aired April 02, 2012 - 14:45   ET

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

ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Ashleigh Banfield in for Brooke Baldwin. We want to wrap up what you're witnessing on your screen right now, three leaders going by first names today.

Steven, Felipe and Barack leaving now, the gaggle with the reporters. This has been an extraordinary wide ranging news conference, covering everything from oil pipelines to trade to weapons trafficking and health care and very insightful particularly to the relationship of those three particular leaders, Felipe Calderon, Steven Harper and Barack Obama.

We want to switch now to some other breaking news. Word of an earthquake in Mexico right now. I want to take you live to Chad Myers who's standing by. This is in the same area that we had an earthquake just a couple of weeks ago, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is exactly. March 20th, there was 7.4 earthquake right here. Today, it's a 6.3 considered an aftershock. You'll get aftershocks for an entire year from now.

But I'll tell you what? This is the 6.3 right at the same area and I'm not so concerned because it is a smaller quake. What we're concerned about is that so many buildings were already damaged.

It's like having another thunderstorm come by after a tornado has already knocked down part of the house, same idea. The shaking, not as significant at two weeks ago, but still shaking in places where houses are broken.

Now the shake map and the quake maps and all of the data coming out of the USGS is not that much damage probably less than $10 million worth of damage done by this quake.

But still, at least a chance, about a 30 percent chance of people being killed with this earthquake even though it was much smaller, we'll keep watching it and listening for more data -- Ashleigh.

BANFIELD: And Chad, I'm also just looking here at the updates coming in. It looks as though it was felt in six states, all in Central Mexico. For those who aren't familiar with the geography, is that a vast area or are those small states?

MYERS: It is a vast area, Oaxaca, obviously, the area that it was concerned about the most. We did feel a little bit of shaking in Mexico City, Oaxaca being the state right here. Even all the way over to Acapulco seeing a little bit of shaking, but compared to the last earthquake, Ashleigh, this was probably 40 percent to 80 percent less shaking than they saw before.

BANFIELD: Yes and so far, we're seeing no reports of death or injuries, but stay on that and keep us updated if you would, Chad. Thanks very much.

We also have other breaking news to bring you up to date on as well, a busy day. Reports of shooting in Oakland, California, involving a religious university. We've got a team look into this and we are zeroing in on the details. More in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: Want to update you on some breaking news coming out of East Oakland, California, apparently a shooting out of a religious university called Oikos University. We're hearing that SWAT is present on location at this point.

There is a gunman that they're searching for. We've got several teams on location as well as helicopters in the sky. This picture is coming to us courtesy of our affiliate KGO out of San Francisco.

And as we zero in, you can see some of the officers who are on location. They're apparently searching for a gunman who is of Korean decent in his 40s. Apparently, this school has a significant Korean population as well.

Again, it's called Oikos University. The gunman is apparently near campus. We are told that five ambulances have been requested in this shooting and that there are several students inside the school who are reportedly hurt.

As we zero in, you can see the location of Oikos University in relation to Oakland. This is an east Oakland California shooting with multiple victims. This information is coming to us courtesy of the "San Francisco Chronicle." We're continuing to watch this and we're going to update you just as soon we have more information or as developments warrant.

Also, want to keep you up to speed on the story that we've been following now for several weeks. Neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, shot and killed Trayvon Martin, a teenager.

He has openly admitted that, but the circumstance behind the shooting are still what -- are very uncertain. Now there are two audio experts who have been hired by the "Orlando Sentinel" to analyze the 911 recordings from that night.

There were screams on the recordings and those analysts say those screams do not seem to have come from George Zimmerman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) 911: Does he look hurt to you?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: I can't see him. I don't want to go out there. I don't know what's going on so -- they're sending.

911: Do you think he's yelling help?

UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Yes.

911: All right, what is --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Just chilling to hear that gunshot. But without a sample of Trayvon Martin's voice, the experts have to admit that they cannot be certain 100 percent about their science at this point.

George Zimmerman has told police that Martin knocked him to the ground and slammed his head on the concrete before the shooting. The teenager's family said that Zimmerman had racially profiled that teenager.

CNN legal analyst, Sunny Hostin, joins me live now. So obviously there's a lot of attention being paid now to these audio recordings, the analyses of them and the science.

Because I'm not so sure a lot of people had heard about biometric software and analyzing voice patterns. First of all, as a lawyer, how strong is this science from a legal perspective?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it could be very strong if it even is admissible in court, right? Because I think we've all heard of people getting into court and identifying their own voices on tapes, identifying the voices of their loved ones on tape. So that type of evidence is admissible.

But this is a bit different, we're talking about a computer analyzing, a computer program analyzing someone's voice. So really the question is whether or not this type of evidence will come in if this case goes to trial, if Zimmerman is charged.

And I have real concerns about that because the judge would have to make the determination as to whether or not the science is OK. Is this science that's generally accepted in the scientific community? Will this help a jury?

You know, is the potential witness an expert in this area? Will the expert be allowed to give an opinion? So those are all questions that a judge really would have to determine and I think it is troubling that they can't really match Trayvon's voice at this point because typically that's how it's done.

You have someone repeat their voice and then you actually repeat their voice using the same words and then you can match up.

BANFIELD: You just outlined a whole host of variables. HOSTIN: There are problems.

BANFIELD: -- That make this pretty questionable right from the get-go just in terms of where it may end up. And then the second things is, you know, the admissibility of this kind of thing and this kind of science particularly when you're talking about a 911 call.

You're not recording someone's voice and testing it, you're taking from it over the phone from a distance and you know, and you're working with that.

I want to play just a small piece of that tape once again so that everyone can hear again what the science is working with. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM OWEN, OWEN FORENSIC SERVICES, LLC: We have the tape of Zimmerman. We have the tape of the screams and then we can start the comparison.

And basically, it's going to do this comparison, if you can see the screen now. It's going to give me some false rejection rates, some false acceptance rates and a likelihood ratio, OK.

And this gray dot over here designates the very lower end of the scale, which in essence is translated as it's not him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: Well, that sounds pretty official to me, but I'm not a scientist and I'm not a lawyer. I have heard of dobert hearings, fry hearings and these are the kinds of things where defense lawyers say motion to suppress and they want this stuff really analyzed before it ever gets in on the actual record.

HOSTIN: I think that's right and that will be the test in Florida. Florida has called a fry state and basically the judge would have to determine is the science OK. Is this science generally accepted?

BANFIELD: Generally is it?

HOSTIN: Some courts do admit this type of evidence. They go through those factors and they determine that this person is an expert and I'm going to allow it and it's going to assist the jury.

But I will say this, I don't know that these particular experts, if this case goes to trial are going to be the experts. If I were the prosecutor in this case and we know that there's a seasoned special prosecutor that's been assigned to this case, I'm going to get my own experts, perhaps the FBI, perhaps someone from the CIA, the best in the business to conduct my own voice recognition analysis.

BANFIELD: It brings me back to the Casey Anthony hearing where the smell evidence came in and that was hotly contested in that courtroom and it was kind of let it in and kind of not. So it's not always a given in every case. It's a little different, which is why you're here.

HOSTIN: Thank you.

BANFIELD: Thank you, Sunny. It's always good to see you. Thanks very much.

Coming up, we've got some disturbing new developments in the case of a teenager who disappeared near her home, very near her home. Search crews have found an empty box labelled handcuffs.

But does it tell us anything about this case? Marc Klaas says he has doubts about the discoveries. He's going to talk to us in about 70 seconds about this case. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BANFIELD: It seems the longer Sierra Lamar has been missing, the more people are coming out to help to find her. Today is the 17th day that her mother has not seen that teenager from Santa Clara County, California.

But this weekend, hundreds of volunteers showed up. They were there to search an eight-mile radius around Sierra's home and yet, still no new leads. Investigators believe someone kidnapped the 15- year-old.

Sierra left her home to catch the bus on March 16th, and since then, detectives have found her bag, some neatly folded clothes inside and her cell phone, all in an area near her home.

Loved ones and friends have organized multiple vigils. Her parents are thankful, but certainly in despair.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARLENE LAMAR, MISSING GIRL'S MOTHER: I feel guilty because I'm always worried about where she is. If you can hear me, just realize how much I love you and I want you back. I love you and I just want you back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BANFIELD: That's always hard to hear that. And joining me live now is someone who understands that emotion. It's Marc Klaas with the Klaas Kids Foundation.

He helped coordinate this weekend's search and of course, has suffered through the loss of his own daughter who was kidnapped and murdered.

Marc, investigators on Thursday reportedly found an empty container of handcuffs and also some condoms in a field by Sierra's house. Do you find this to be significant or do you think this is just extraneous?

MARC KLAAS, KLAAS KIDS FOUNDATION: Well, Ashleigh, finally, we're going to have to wait until the labs come in with their findings to know if this has anything to do with Sierra's disappearance.

But these are fields that had been searched many times before and the person that found them although they were a member of one of our search teams, found them on their own after they had left the search team.

So I think that there are other possibilities galore that don't relate to Sierra's disappearance such us somebody dropping those in that field at some point afterwards.

BANFIELD: So let me ask you about the location of Sierra's home. Apparently, she lives at the end of a cul-de-sac that's lined only with houses. So you would think that in f a stranger were to come in and abduct Sierra, it would be noticed.

And that it would not be an opportunistic location for that kind of activity. Does that tell you anything about who might have taken her?

KLAAS: Well, two things stand up in this case. Number one, the remoteness of her location. If you don't have business there, you're just not going to be there. This isn't some place that tourists go. This isn't some place that people would go for a random walk, et cetera, et cetera.

The other thing that stands out is that she has certain patterns she follows on a daily basis. So that's really an opportune scenario for bad behavior if someone has designed on her.

I more and more believe law enforcement's theory that somebody was waiting for Sierra in a car and that she got into a car with somebody she felt very comfortable getting into a car with. And she hasn't been seen since.

BANFIELD: Now if that's the case, what does it mean in terms of the likelihood that we might find her alive down the road?

KLAAS: It is not very likely given that scenario, if in fact that's the case.

Whoever would have caused that harm to her would want to get rid of the evidence, for want of better terminology, and may very well have killed her.

But that's not to say, Ashleigh, that we give up hope, because we always have to remember the Elizabeth Smarts, the Jaycee Dugards, the Shawn Hornbecks, or even our own great volunteer Midsi Sanchez, who was able to escape from her own tormenter after being abused over a three-day period when she was only 8 years old.

BANFIELD: And hope is something that's so critical for parents who are going through this.

There were 583 people who showed up over the weekend for a search, which is an enormous number of people. I think I read you quoted as saying this is the largest community response I have seen since my daughter's disappearance.

What do you think of behind this outpouring of support from the community?

KLAAS: Well, first of all, that was only on one day of the weekend.

Since last Tuesday through Sunday we sent over 3,000 searchers on hundreds of search teams to locate this young girl. We extended the radius, which was originally going to be eight miles, over a 20-mile radius from the little girl's home.

It's absolutely unbelievable. And we also get support from the community with things like food, with water, with the kind of logistical support we need to be able to put this whole thing together. What's behind it? I think that, sometimes, Ashleigh, communities just draw a line in the sand and say we're not going to tolerate deviant behavior in our community, we're going to fight back and we're going to do whatever we can to get this little girl home.

People took time off from work to search for her. It's absolutely astounding.

BANFIELD: Marc Klaas, it's good of you to join us. I hope we can speak with a different circumstance at some point. Thanks so much for your perspective.

KLAAS: Yes. Thank you.