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Press Conference On Death Of Texas District Attorney And Wife; Pope Francis Leads First Easter Mass As Pontiff; Possible Abduction In New York

Aired March 31, 2013 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. A look at our top stories here in the NEWSROOM.

A Texas district attorney and his wife found dead in their home. At any moment now, new details may be revealed outside the Kaufman County sheriff's office. The couple was found inside their home in Kaufman County outside Dallas, and we're waiting to hear if there's any possible connection to the death of an assistant district attorney in that same county two months ago.

And Pope Francis leads Easter Sunday mass with a huge crowd at St. Peter's Basilica. We'll tell you why some traditionalists are questioning his decision during his first Holy Week as pontiff.

And in New York, a possible abduction. This video shows two men suspected of forcing a man and a woman into a van in broad daylight. Video you are likely to see momentarily. But police say no one has reported anyone missing, and they haven't been able to identify the possible victims. There the video. We'll have more on this later.

First, to Kaufman County Texas. Police are expected to give more details about the shocking death of district attorney Mike McLelland and his wife Cynthia. They were found dead in their home yesterday afternoon. Kaufman County is about 30 miles outside Dallas. This comes two months after McLelland's district attorney, Mark Hasse, was shot and killed in the courthouse parking lot. Friends say Hasse had feared for his life.

Ed Lavandera is live for us from Kaufman County. So, Ed, this is coming -- the death of the D.A. now and his wife is coming after the death of the assistant D.A.. Now the D.A. had said he was hoping to get the scum responsible for the assistant D.A.'s death. Is there a connection authorities are looking at right now?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the mayor here in Kaufman we spoke with earlier this morning and said they believed or he believed these two men had been targeted, that there had to be some sort of connection. Authorities have not come out and said that, but the way these attacks were carried out has really raised a lot of suspicion surrounding that.

Fredricka, here, just any second, the authorities, the Kaufman County sheriff is expected to come out and brief reporters on what they have been doing and what they have discovered here since Mike McLelland and his wife were found murdered in their home not too far from where we are in Kaufman County.

And the authorities are starting to make their way out. Here's the sheriff, Fredricka, so I'll begin the process of stepping away. The sheriff is -- this is the first time we heard from him since Mike McLelland and his wife were found murdered last night. We'll let him update from here.

(BEGIN LIVE COVERAGE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

DAVID BYRNES, SHERIFF OF KAUFMAN COUNTY: Good afternoon, I'm David Byrnes, sheriff of Kaufman County. On yesterday afternoon on May 30th, shortly after 6:00 p.m., we received a call of possible two deceased persons in the Shamrock Ridge addition of Kaufman County. We proceeded to that scene and did find the district attorney Mr. McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, deceased at that time. They both had been shot.

We are in the process of completing a crime scene work-up right now. This is a joint investigation. Sheriff's office, Texas rangers and FBI, and I want to emphasize this is an active investigation, and all official information regarding this investigation will come through the sheriff's office. We have numerous local, federal agencies, state, constable's office, (INAUDBILE) Police Department, Kaufman Police Department, Terrell Police department, Terrell ISD, the police, the U.S. marshals, ATF, the whole spectrum. And we are actively pursuing this. We're working very hard to ensure the public safety of the county, and I want to assure the citizens that we are doing that. And we'll continue to strive to do that.

We do have a tip line set up. The number is 1-877-847-7522. Or they can submit a tip to the Kaufman County tip line or Crime Stoppers. And that's basically what we know at this time.

REPORTER: Sheriff, what are you doing actively (INAUDIBLE)?

BYRNES: We're not going to get into that on security matters, what we're doing on that. Just to say that we are taking precautions to protect other elected officials in the county.

(INAUDIBLE QUESTION)

REPORTER: Is this the work of a white supremacist gang -- do they have people targeted here?

BYRNES: I wouldn't comment on that at all. I have no indication of that.

REPORTER: Sheriff, do you believe this is definitively connected to the murder of Mark Hasse?

BYRNES: Pardon?

REPORTER: Do you believe these murders yesterday are definitively connected to the murder of Mark Hasse?

BYRNES: I can't say that, no. We have nothing indicating that for sure.

REPORTER: Sheriff, will the prosecutors office be open tomorrow or have you told them not to show up to work?

BYRNES: I don't know if they'll be open tomorrow or not.

REPORTER: Sheriff, can you describe the crime scene? What did it look like when you went in last night?

BYRNES: We're not going to discuss that. That's evidentiary.

(INAUDIBLE QUESTION)

BYRNES: Pardon?

REPORTER: I heard you provided security overnight for members of the D.A.'s office.

BYRNES: As I said, we're not going to discuss any security arrangements.

REPORTER: Were there any signs of forced entry at the home yesterday?

BYRNES: We'll not discuss that.

REPORTER: Sheriff, there was a deputy protecting the district attorney for a while. What happened to that deputy? Was he with them over the weekend?

BYRNES: I'm sorry?

REPORTER: The deputy that was assigned to protect the district attorney, was he still with them? Was he there at the weekend?

BYRNES: As I said, we're not going to speak about security measures.

REPORTER: Sheriff, can you assure the public that's going to go to the courthouse tomorrow that they are going to be safe?

BYRNES: Yes. There will be increased security at the courthouse tomorrow. Visible security.

REPORTER: Are you worried that this isn't the last here in Kaufman County, there might be another murder of high ranking individuals?

BYRNES: Certainly we're considering that, obviously.

REPORTER: Sheriff, talk a little bit about how unnerving it is to have a second murder on a public official. How are you feeling right now?

BYRNES: Well, it's pretty obvious it's unnerving, and it's unnerving to the law enforcement community. It is unnerving to the community at large. And that's why we're striving to, you know, assure the community that we are still providing public safety, and we'll be able to do that. We're meeting all of our obligations, plus the investigative responsibility.

REPORTER: Friends --

REPORTER: What were --

BYRNES: Pardon?

REPORTER: When you got the call about last night, what went through your mind?

BYRNES: It went through my mind to call people and get them on the scene, you know.

REPORTER: Friends of Mr. Hasse said two months ago that he had feared for his life leading up to his murder. Had Mr. McLelland voiced any of that concern to you guys as well?

BYRNES: Not to me.

REPORTER: Were any of the investigators?

BYRNES: I can't speak for them.

REPORTER: You do speak for the investigators, with all due respect.

BYRNES: Not in that sense, I don't.

REPORTER: Sheriff, are there any suspects, any leads --

BYRNES: We won't talk about that. That's way premature to talk about.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. What we're going to do is we'll start an e-mail list and name list of everybody that's here so I can make sure to have all y'all's information. Any other information --

(END OF LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE COVERAGE)

WHITFIELD: All right. You hear from the sheriff, David Byrnes there, in Kaufman County, Texas just outside of Dallas talking about we won't talk about any suspects or leads as it relates to the shooting deaths of the district attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia. Their bodies found in their home after several calls coming from people in the neighborhood to the sheriff's office there. Unclear also from the sheriff whether the deaths of the D.A. and the wife are in any way linked to the death of an assistant district attorney two months ago. That person was shot and killed outside of a courthouse also in Kaufman County east of Dallas. Still no assurances from the sheriff's department whether there is a link, but, of course, the investigation continues. And of course we'll continue on that story and that investigation throughout the day here on CNN.

In the meantime, overseas, Christians -- in fact, all over the world are celebrating Easter today.

(VIDEO CLIP OF MASS)

WHITFIELD: But overseas in Rome, Pope Francis delivering his first Easter blessing since becoming pontiff. Thousands of worshippers from around the world made their travels there to Rome packing St. Peter's Square.

Jim Bittermann is live for us from Rome. And so much is being evaluated in terms of what the pope said, but perhaps actions speak louder than words, Jim, as well, because what a moment that was that he would go right into the crowd and have that beautiful moment with what appeared to be a disabled young man. And also delivering a message of peace to the rest of the world on this first Easter mass. In fact, there's a video there, so touching. Really bringing tears to the eyes of so many.

JIM BITTERMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Fredricka. It was a really touching moment. And the pope once again, as he has on previous occasions here gone through the crowd in the Popemobile. No bullet protective glass around him, basically exposed to the crowds and stopping at least today, stopped at least a half dozen times to kiss children and to embrace the young man that you saw there.

Basically the pope, just a very engaging person when it comes to the crowds at St. Peter's Square. He has this way of smiling and of waving as if he's recognizing somebody in the crowd. I don't know if he really is or not, but in any case it certainly looks that way.

And then, of course, his message was one of peace. This is the kind of thing we do hear traditionally from the popes on Easter. The message to the city and to the world in which popes wish for peace in various parts of the world where there are conflicts. Today, he specifically highlights the Middle East and Syria, Iraq, and then he also added to the list of places the conflict zones Mali and Nigeria and interestingly enough, the Korean Peninsula. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Jim Bittermann, thanks so much from Rome. And later on today, we'll talk later about this nontraditionalist Pope Francis. Thanks so much, Jim.

All right. In New York, a woman screams, men force her and a male companion into a minivan which speeds away. Police are called in, but then the real mystery begins: who are these people and why is there no missing persons report? This bizarre incident occurred Friday in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York with part of the possible abduction being recorded on surveillance camera as you see here.

In the video, a man in a mask races around a corner near a park. The person who appears to be a man with a plastic bag over his head following. So, two young girls told police that they saw one of the men point a firearm and force the woman into the vehicle, which sped away.

But police said no one has been reported missing in the area. Police put up posters in the area asking for help, identifying possible suspects and the people who appear to have been taken against their will. Very mysterious case there. Still lots of unanswered questions.

All right, big changes at the Vatican. Two popes attending Easter mass while Pope Francis shakes up hundreds of years of Catholic tradition. But not everyone apparently is happy about this.

Plus, we're following the case of a district attorney and his wife found murdered in their home two months after the prosecutor's assistant was gunned down. The latest on that investigation straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. A district attorney in Texas and his wife found dead in their home. We just heard from the sheriff in that Kaufman County, and he would not reveal many details. No leads, no suspects. Only that they received several calls and then went to the residence and found the district attorney and his wife dead.

Let's go back to our Ed Lavandera, who is live from Kaufman County. So Ed, still no connection being made either between the discovery of the district attorney and the wife dead in their home and a shooting death of an assistant district attorney two months ago.

LAVANDERA: Well, that is the element of this story that has really raised the intensity of the investigation. You have that murder of the assistant prosecutor two months ago and now you have the district attorney, his boss, found murdered in his home alongside with his wife as well. The mayor here in Kaufman believes that they were targeted. He suggested that, you know, in his mind that these cases would have to be targeted.

However, you just heard from the sheriff here in Kaufman County saying they don't have any proof of that just yet. And very sparse, very little detail in this press conference as to what exactly has been going on. But I think the most important highlight of what they said is that the sheriff said that they are taking precautions to protect elected officials here in Kaufman County. So, there is definitely a rejuvenated sense of urgency now two months after Mark Hasse was murdered at the end of January and now that the district attorney here and his wife have been found murdered.

WHITFIELD: And you were also joined by a number of reporters who are used to covering the stories locally there. Tonya Eisener is one of them. She's a chief law enforcement writer with "The Dallas Morning News," and she's on the phone with us as well.

So, Tonya, is it the case where the sheriff's department feels that they do not have leads, that they do not have suspects? Or is it the case that they are trying to piece things together here with this very fast-moving investigation involving the district attorney and his wife shot dead in their home? TANYA EISENER, CRIME REPORTER, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS" (on the phone): Well, according to my law enforcement sources that are, you know, involved in this situation right now, my understanding is they do not have any suspects. They do not have any solid leads. My understands is that the district attorney had surveillance cameras on the house, and they're possibly hoping maybe that will yield some clues.

My sources are saying that the house, that there's quite a bit of physical evidence in the house. There were a lot of shell casings. The killer or killers is believed to have used a high-powered weapon, possibly an assault rifle, so they are hoping that they'll be able to get some clues because in the Mark Hasse case, there was little physical evidence. In fact, my understanding is there was no physical evidence that they yielded from that. And, you know, that investigation had basically hit -- it was at an impasse. They really had no leads. And, you know, hopefully they'll get something out of the physical evidence or from the surveillance cameras.

WHITFIELD: Now, Tanya, in the case of Mark Hasse, the assistant district attorney that was killed two months ago outside the courthouse, now, apparently before his shooting death he had feared for his life. And then we understand as a result of his death, it was the district attorney Mike McLelland who said that he wanted to put "the scum away" after the killing of his assistant D.A. Is it your understanding or had anyone said whether Mike McLelland the D.A. had been worried for his safety at all?

EISENER: You know, the report about Mark Hasse being in fear for his life, that was a local attorney who said that. I don't know how much stock to put in that, you know, how real that was because I've had sources who I've spoken to who said that was not the case.

I have, you know, based on my sources, they seem pretty sure that these two -- that these situations are connected. That the death of Mark Hasse and now the killing of the D.A. and his wife have to be connected. And, in fact, one of my sources was -- what I was hearing this morning was that the nature of the way this was carried out had a very premeditated feel to it, like, this person knew where they were going. I mean, this house is kind of out, you know, secluded.

And in the case of Mark Hasse he was killed as he was walking from a parking lot to the courthouse, and that was a parking lot where prosecutors and judges routinely park. So, if you were someone who were kind of monitoring movement, knowing where people are, you know, at various times, then, you know, you knew where to find Mark Hasse. And I think in the case of the D.A., I think it's going to be something very similar based on what I'm hearing from my law enforcement people.

WHITFIELD: All right, Tanya Eisener, thanks so much from "The Dallas Morning News." So, your sources believing there is a connection between the deaths of the D.A. and the assistant D.A., the incidents being two months apart. But, of course, we heard from the sheriff of Kaufman County just within the last 20 minutes saying that he is not willing to make the connection. Not corroborating that there is a link, but the questions continue. Thanks so much, Tanya, as well as our Ed Lavandera there on the scene.

All right. For the first time in centuries, two popes attending Easter Sunday mass today. Pope Francis continues to break with many church traditions. Let's get more insight now on the new pope from CNN contributor Raymond Arroyo, joining us from Washington. Good to see you.

RAYMOND ARROYO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Great to see you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Okay, so Pope Francis he's been breaking with tradition from the very start. Why should today be any different for him?

ARROYO: Well, you know, it's more of the same really. The unexpected quality of this pope continues to amaze. He even referenced it in one of his homilys the other day, the surprises God gives us, we have to sort of embrace them. And I think we in the media have got this same approach with the pope.

It's beautiful in one way to see him engaging so directly with people. I think that's refreshing. I think it's uplifting to many. And it cuts clear through the media coverage of this and I think draws people to him and his message. So he clearly knows what he's doing on one level. And that beautiful shot you're showing now where he picked up that very disabled child and --

WHITFIELD: What a moment.

ARROYO: It's beautiful and the affection. And remember during the inaugural mass there was another moment like this where he got out of the Popemobile and embraced another severely disabled man. He really has a heart for these people, you see that. And I think this is going to be the mark of this papacy, a direct outreach to people. As he said to his priests on Thursday, Fredricka, he advised them to go look for the lost sheep and when you come back, you better smell like those sheep. He wants them amid the people, in the muck of life and perhaps that's where the church needs to be now.

WHITFIELD: And departing from script, so to speak, but one has to wonder how many feathers he's ruffling by doing this. There are some who say that because he appears to be a nontraditionalist that that is not sitting well with those in the Vatican.

ARROYO: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Is that true?

ARROYO: I will tell you -- I don't know about in the Vatican. But I have spoken to some priests, laymen, and even some bishops who have expressed some concern about the deviations in the pope's liturgical practices. Now look, I think it's way too early to start making these judgments. The fact that he washed a woman's foot on Holy Thursday. This is done in a lot of parishes, certainly in his native Argentina, here in the United States it's done. I don't know how much to read into that. It's also not a sacrament. But it's certainly a deviation, whereas Benedict XVI was so attentive to the liturgy, because he was looking to reform it and bring a sense of sacrility back to it. This pope is more intent, it seems, on bringing the message of the church out to the world. But I don't think he's disruptive, I don't think that's the intention here. And when people try to say, oh, he's a nontraditionalist this is big break from Benedict - look, Benedict XVI and Francis are a little bit like Pavarotti and Domingo. You know, the style is different but the songs are the same. And I think that's what we'll see in the days ahead.

WHITFIELD: OK, Raymond Arroyo, thank you so much. Really, it was remarkable to witness a part of history unfold today on Easter Sunday. Thanks so much.

ARROYO: I agree. Happy Easter.

WHITFIELD: Happy Easter to you.

All right, the National Zoo in Washington, guess what? It's on a mission as it almost always is. These two pandas, trying to get them together to make a baby, but it's not as easy as you might think. We're on panda watch when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Here's what's trending right now. A judge in Washington State found two fifth-grade boys competent to stand trial in juvenile court. They're accused of plotting to kill a female classmate in February. The boys have pled not guilty.

And relatives of the victims killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks want an outside investigation of the chief medical examiner. The group says the medical examiner's office has mishandled DNA samples.

And at the Smithsonian National Zoo, a giant female panda got some much-needed help in the breeding department. Scientists say she and her male partner were unable to produce, so she was artificially inseminated.

In sports, we're closer to the NCAA Final Four. March Madness last night in the Elite 8 East finals and Syracuse defeats Marquette. The Orange defense shut down the Golden Eagles. In the other match-up at the West Final, long shot Wichita State, the shockers easily beat Ohio State. And today's games will complete the Final Four picture. Syracuse plays the winner of today's Michigan/Florida game, and Wichita State awaits the winner of the Louisville-Duke game.

And I'll be back at 4:00 Eastern time. And I've got a great Easter story to share with you. I'll show you a unique way for kids with visual disabilities to be part of Easter egg hunts. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Coming up on "THE NEXT LIST," David Peterson from "Game of Thrones."