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Father Of Child Who Died In Hot Car Phones Into Son's Funeral; Benghazi Terror Suspect Ahmed Abu Khattala Officially Charged In Washington D.C.; Iraqi Security Force Pushes Back ISIS As It Tries To March Toward Baghdad; Australian Government Released New Info In Flight 370 Search; Case Of Central Park Five Could Be Coming To A Close

Aired June 28, 2014 - 15:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Randi Kaye in for Don Lemon. We are watching several big stories this afternoon.

We start with news just in to CNN. The father who left his toddler in a hot car for seven hours cried on speaker phone during his son's funeral today and his wife defended him saying he is a wonderful father and she is not angry with him.

Justin Ross Harris thanked friends and family for everything they have done for his boy, just hours after police released a disturbing new development in the case. Police now say Harris told them he did an internet search looking for how long it might take for a child to die in a hot car including how hot it needed to be. We will have much more on the disturbing detail and the emotional funeral just ahead.

Plus, the man believed to be a terrorist ring leader who played a big part in the deadly Benghazi attack is on American soil. He is Ahmed Abu Khattala, a Libyan captured earlier this month by U.S. forces inside Libya. Since then, he has been onboard U.S. navy ship being questioned by the FBI.

First stop, the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., a tight security motorcade delivered Abu Khattala there this morning, first priority to read him the charges filed by the U.S. government.

And we are learning more about a father's emotional jailhouse call to his son's funeral today. His wife spoke up and defended her husband saying he is quote "a wonderful daddy." Justin Ross Harris accused of murder and second degree child cruelty for leaving his toddler in a scorching hot car. Harris has pleaded not guilty and claims the whole thing was an accident.

Our national reporter Nick Valencia was inside the church for the memorial service held in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Nick, the father called into the funeral from jail, spoke to mourners by speaker phone. What exactly did he say?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He thanked them for their support, Randi. He called in about 15 minutes after the funeral service started. And you could hear his sobs over the phone. Some of what he says was inaudible. But the funeral service is still going on behind me right now. And as far as we know, Ross Harris is still on the phone listening to that service.

At one point, the crowd of about 400 people inside that church, near capacity, gave him a standing ovation when Liana Harris, his wife, stood up in front of everyone and said, as you mentioned, that he is a wonderful father and if and when they have more children she said he will continue to be the leader for their family. She says the truth will come out.

When she stood in front of the crowd it was very emotional for those in attendance. You can hear sobs, people wiping eyes and she addressed questions initially Randi, saying I know that there are some of you that are wondering how I am able to stand here in front of everyone without balling, without being an emotional wreck. She said as a woman of God that Jesus was standing behind her for her support. This is a family that is deeply centered in religion, deeply centered in Christianity. And they believe, as I mentioned, that there is a purpose behind this. They just don't know what that is yet. But the family defending the husband saying they have un-wavered support for their friend and father and husband, Ross Harris.

It was a some would say bizarre service. It was clear, Randi, that those that stood in front of the crowd were speaking beyond those in attendance. They were aware that the media was in attendance. They were aware that this would be reported and I do believe that it was clear from what we saw and heard that they were speaking to those at home that may be suspicious of Ross Harris and wonder how he could have missed his 22-month-old baby, Cooper Harris, in the back of his car and why he may have gone in the middle of the afternoon to leave something in his car and not see his child.

Those are questions that remain unanswered. All of this coming, as you mentioned, Randi, just hours after police released the search warrant that mentioned that Ross Harris searched on his computer child death in hot cars. There are still no answers as to why and we don't understand or still don't know, it is still not clear when he did the search or why besides him saying he was fearful that it would one day happen -- Randi.

KAYE: And is there anything else in the police report or search warrant, Nick, that we should know at this hour?

VALENCIA: Well, it lists the timeline saying he left the child in the car at about 9:30 and it was about 4:20 in the afternoon when he was on his way to meet friends that he noticed that his son, Cooper Harris, this is funeral pamphlet here, that his son was in the back of that car.

Really no other details. We were expecting perhaps to see a motive in that police report, a motive for why police had decided to charge Justin Ross Harris with murder and second degree child cruelty. That still remains unclear at this hour. Unclear at this hour -- Randi.

KAYE: All right, Nick Valencia reporting from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Thank you.

We are in-depth coverage of the Harris case is just beginning. Next hour, our panel of legal experts will weigh in. How might the father's internet search be used in court?

And also today, the Benghazi terror suspect who is now on United States soil. These trucks delivered Ahmed Abu Khatalla to the federal courthouse near the U.S. capitol just a couple of hours ago. He spent the last days on board a Navy ship since his capture in Libya by U.S. forces.

CNN's Erin McPike is outside the federal courthouse for us.

Erin, let's remind our viewers first that four Americans died in that Benghazi attack, one of them a U.S. ambassador to Libya. What are the charges and when will Khatalla hear them formally?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN GENERAL ASSIGNMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, hat is supposed to be going on right now. That so far, there are criminal charges on three counts, those are killing un an attack on a federal facility using a dangerous weapon, conspiring to support terrorists resulting in death and lastly, using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Now, the justice department has said, though, that they are retaining the option for more charges in the coming days. So we may hear more. But so far there are those three, Randi.

KAYE: And we also mentioned that he was brought here by ship. I mean, how do officials explain bringing the suspect to the U.S. by ship instead of perhaps a faster way? I mean, why did they take their time with it?

MCPIKE: Well, there is actually a very good reason for that. And that is because when they transport him on the ship for those ten days, it was the USS New York, it takes that long time when he is not on U.S. soil. So U.S. officials do not have to Mirandize him. And instead, they got that the extra time to ask him all of the questions in order to elicit intelligence and get what he may know about the attack and other terrorists and other potential terrorist attacks to come.

However, there has been a lot of criticism of this process from Republicans. And we actually just got a statement from New Hampshire Republican senator Kelly Ayotte. I want to read part of that to you.

She says I have serious concerns that conducting a rushed interrogation on board a ship and then turning Khatalla over to our civilian court risks losing critical intelligence that could lead to other terrorists or prevent future attacks.

The White House had defended this saying that anytime they capture a terrorist they do whatever they can to elicit intelligence from him as they have in this case, Randi.

KAYE: And they certainly have done it before. Erin, thank you very much.

Iraqi security force is pushing back ISIS as they try to march towards Baghdad. Details on the fighting just ahead.

Plus, the father of the Santa Barbara shooter speaking out for the first time. Hear how he reacted after learning his son killed six people and wounded more than a dozen others.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The Iraqi army is on the move and fighting back at Sunni extremist in an effort to regain territory lost in a lightning offensive two weeks ago. Iraqi media say security forces have control of Tikrit. And a local tribal leader says ISIS militants have retreated.

But there have been a number of conflicting reports. The army is also targeting ISIS positions in Mosul with air strikes. Seven civilians in one house alone were killed.

While all of this is happening, the Kurdish regional government had decided to close vital border crossings for security reasons. Now those trying to escape the deadly violence have no place to go.

Joining me to discuss what is happening is CNN military analyst Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona and CNN national security analyst Bob Baer.

Bob, let me start with you. Kurdistan, relatively state for autonomous region, now these border crossings are being closed and groups say that they are deeply concerned, I mean, what do you think is going to happen here? Could this trigger humanitarian crisis?

ROBERT BAER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, humanitarian crisis has already started. But I think what we are saying in Kurdistan is that the beginning of a true break off. I doubt they are going to give Kirkuk back. The Kurds I talked to say they are not. And they are worried about chaos south of there and in an Anbar province, which by the way I can get going for a very long time. Tikrit may have fallen to the army but wasn't without the help of the Sunni tribes in the area. And you know, I just don't see an easy end to this conflict.

KAYE: Colonel, you want to weigh in?

LT. COL. RICK FRANCONA, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes. I think he is exactly right. I don't see Kirkuk ever going back to the Sunni area. This is their capital. They have always wanted it and they finally have been able to realize it. So, I don't think it is ever going to back. And the reports in Tikrit, I think that it is important to note what Bob just said, the Sunni tribesmen are revolting against ISIS. That is going to be the key. It is going to have to happen out in Anbar as well. We are going to see a repeat of the Anbar awakening for this to resolve itself. KAYE: So then, Colonel, with the Kurdish regional government, I mean,

announcing that Tikrit is part of their territory, you are not? You don't buy that?

FRANCONA: Well, technically it is. If you go back (INAUDIBLE) in history, Salahedin (ph), a Kurd was from there. But they may have to, you know, not go for Tikrit. I think it may be a town too far.

KAYE: And Bob, I mean, right now we know the Iraqi air force is certainly very active over Mosul. It is trying to regain some of this lost momentum. I mean, what do you think the chances are that it can actually regain territory and stop ISIS?

BAER: I think it is the Sunnis who are going to stop ISIS. But on the other hand, I do not see the Sunnis in Anbar province going back to a Shiite government. They tell me, they are absolutely refusing to do it, that without ISIS, they would like to go for some sort of partition or autonomy. And I think they are very serious about it. So they may work with the government to retake Tikrit for south ISIS. But in the long run, I just don't see Iraq coming back together like it has been.

KAYE: And you agree with that, Colonel?

FRANCONA: I can't argue with that. I think it is a defacto breakup now anyway. There is too much animosity. And with the Kurdish piece already gone, I just don't see this remain as country. But, what is it going to turn out to be? What kind of legal --

(CROSSTALK)

FRANCONA: Is it going to be a confederation or is it just to be three independent countries? This is all in a state of flux. And I don't think there is any answer just yet.

KAYE: And Bob, I mean, if this break up happens and is already happening, what is your greatest concern about that? What might it look like?

BAER: Well, I mean, Rick hit the nail on the head. We don't know what it is going to look like. And addition, the tribes aren't unified. I mean, they have no connection with Washington. I have been urging them, you know, since from the Washington, tell me you are not going to let this turn into an Islamic kind of faith. And come up with some sort of solution. You can present Baghdad in the Shiite that you can live with. But in the absence of that, we are going to have a lot more fighting.

KAYE: And Colonel, what about Tikrit? I mean, certainly it is an oil rig city. I mean, how important is it that the army gain control of it?

FRANCONA: Well, you know, the army is going to have to decide or they are going to go up and defend western Iraq. It looks like they have seeded part of it. But that Tigris valley is very important to them. So Samarra, very important to the Shi'a. Tikrit, they would like to keep that as part of, you know, their territory. But I think they can probably live without Tikrit. I never really see them putting -- I am surprised that they are putting this much effort in to Tikrit and not Samarra.

KAYE: All right. Well, we know that the president this week promising a half a billion dollars to aid rebels in Syria. But that pledge could be putting weapons-wise and ammunition in the hands of ISIS. We will talk more about it with our panel here and we will explain next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The White House is asking Congress for a half billion dollars to train and equip moderate rebels in Syria. But there is concerned some of this equipment could wind up in the hands of ISIS. Not only would that destabilize Syria further, it could impact the situation in Iraq. As we know, ISIS has already taken over lots of equipments belong to the U.S. military there.

We are joined Michael Weiss, the columnist for foreign policy magazine, also, once again, Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona and Bob Baer.

Bob, let me start with you. If approved, this aid will deepen U.S. involvement in Syria. What impact do you think this could this have on the situation in Iraq?

BAER: It is not going to have a good one. It is going to fuel it. I mean, ultimately, the CIA and department of defense cannot keep track of these arms once they cross the border from Jordan or Turkey.

And frankly, I hate these things. I did these in the '80s. And one time I gave (INAUDIBLE) missiles to a group connected to the Muslim brotherhood, they rather be using against Libya. They used them against parliament and fired one through the front door.

There is just no way to keep track of this stuff. And it is really difficult.

KAYE: Michael, I mean, this increased aid certainly seems to present a shift for the administration. The president has been reluctant to help or arm the Syrian opposition. I mean, could the same thing happen in Iraq, do you think?

MICHAEL WEISS, CONTRIBUTOR, POLITICO MAGAZINE: Well, I think look. It is important to understand the administration's policy about arming Syrian rebels is, as Bob said, you know, this would just kind of further the disaster and catastrophe.

Most recently, President Obama gave a series of speeches in which he referred to the Syrian rebels as dentists and farmers and engineers, no exactly battle hardened militants that can take on both the Assad regime and ISIS. But it is important to remember, the rebels that we are, at least nominally supporting up until this point and that includes allowing Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to send arms in while we sort of turn the other cheek. These are the ones that are fighting ISIS. So, actually, they have

the most experience on the ground in Syria. They flush them out at Idlib province several months ago. It flashed them out of most of Aleppo. It is true that ISIS still has a stronghold in a town called Al-bab (ph), on the outskirts of Aleppo City.

But you know, look. I think United States' priority at this point is not about dislodging the Assad regime. I don't think there were really was. It is about running a counterterrorism operation and using the Syrian militants as proxies.

FRANCONA: And I represent the shift in policy. Because up until now, it has been about the Assad regime and everything we have been doing is trying to -- you know, Assad, we have been trying to wall off what has been going on. ISIS, almost turning a blind eye to it. Now we are going to send more arms in there hopefully using them against both groups. I think this is fraud with disaster because once these go into Syria, they are going to go everywhere.

KAYE: So, there isn't any way to stop them from going to -- to ending in the wrong hands or ending up with ISIS?

FRANCONA: We have a lousy track record with this. I mean, this goes all the way back to providing arms to Afghanistan. Some of the stuff ended up in Iran. So, it is just -- once you let it go, you have no control over it.

WEISS: Saudi Arabia was very keen on getting man paths (ph) to surfaced air missiles sent to the Syrian rebel groups. Several months ago, you recall President Obama made a trip to Riyadh and that was sort of one of the topics of conversation.

The Saudis said look, you don't have to send very many of them in. A few of them will do. You shoot down one Syrian aircraft, there indeed, and Iran or Russian cargo planes sending material (ph). That will be enough to kind of halt the air war.

The Saudis claim, and there are some weapons experts who insist this is actually is capable, you can control man paths (ph) remotely. In other words, if the tracking system is lost or these things go off the grid, you can shut them down outside of the country. And the technology does appear to exist. It was actually built up after Afghanistan. And of course, you know, with the mess that happened after that.

KAYE: Yes. But that is interesting and certainly good to know.

I mean, Bob, does it concern you that the conflicts in Syria and Iraq are now becoming, I guess you might say intertwined in this fight against the same Sunni extremists?

BAER: You know, as people in the agency, they are working describe to me what we are facing as the Sunni (INAUDIBLE) across the Middle East including Afghanistan where there is just a general revolt and there are no clear cut lines, battle lines or anything else. And yes, I'm concerned about it. I'm concerned this is going to

spread into Jordan and get worse in Lebanon. And there really is no limit to it. And I think we have to do everything we can to get diplomacy to do something get a general agreement, otherwise, every country in the Middle East is going to be effected by the fighting.

KAYE: All right, Bob, Colonel, Michael, thank you all very much. Appreciate it.

Coming up new twists and turns in the search for Malaysia airlines flight 370. A new report is released. A new search area is mapped. But does that mean that we are any closer to finding out what happened?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: This week, the Australian government released new information on the search for Malaysia airlines flight 370. Today marks 114 days since the 777 disappeared with 239 people on board. And in all that time and with all the searches, there has been no trace of the plane, absolutely nothing.

Also this week, a new search is getting underway in a new section of the southern Indian Ocean. I talked with our aviation correspondent Richard Quest all about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: So Richard, what is the main take away from this new report?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: This report is absolute golden in terms of a treasure-trove of information, the sort of information we have been seriously lacking.

Now, it doesn't make any difference to what they have been doing, but it tells us why they have been doing it. They go into the explanations of how they determined the arcs. We see the assumptions, the underlying mathematics that gives them the indications of why they chose this search area and then moved it to that search area and then brought it back again. And ultimately, they tell us why they are now going to move the search area if further south but keeping it on the 7th handshake part.

KAYE: So why do they, according to this report, think that the plane is now where they are planning to search?

QUEST: Because the mathematics deems to be this. And it is -- the joint investigation team is not just one group. You have the Brits, the Americans, the Australians, you have the NTSB, the AAIB (ph), you got an entire alphabet soup of organizations looking at this. And they are working independently with the data and they are coming to the same conclusion.

Now, this is crucial. But the real question is what do they believe happened to the plane? And they don't say. This is all about learning where the plane is. But you need to make certain assumptions. Look, think f it this way. The plane is flying along when it runs out of fuel.

KAYE: That is what they assume.

QUEST: That is pretty much a given. After six hours of flying it runs out of fuel. But -- and you know where that is, what happens to the aircraft at that point? Does it go straight down? Does it spiral? Does it glide for 100 miles in any direction? So they had to make certain assumptions because until you know those assumptions, you don't know where to look.

KAYE: So, one of the key assumptions that they make is that whoever was at the controls was unresponsive. Why do they make that assumption?

QUEST: Because there were eight communications systems aboard the plane, three VHS, two UHS, one (INAUDIBLE), two transponders. And some of them are switched off and none of them communicated.

Now, they say in that scenario we are assuming the fact that best fit were that it was unresponsive. So what does that mean? What that means is that the plane would have flamed out, left engine goes first, then right engine and then the plane into a spiral dissent into the ground.

KAYE: Because if a pilot had been trying to regain control of the plane, that is not what would have happened?

QUEST: Correct. There would have been a glide scenario. There would be a variety of different. But it is all just theory. This is all just theories.

KAYE: Right. They are not necessarily saying it was a mechanical failure for sure, right?

QUEST: And any -- I have said it before and I am repeating it because there is too many people who are trying to take this report and that assumption as being, you know, the gospel that it must have been nefarious. I'm telling you. There is nothing in this report that points one way or the other.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: The one and only Richard Quest.

And we are not done with this topic. I got a panel standing by to weigh in on the report and what is next in the search for flight 370.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Nearly one in five kids dropped out of Los Angeles public schools. But this week CNN Hero Karen Taylor is empowering girls to find their voice through writing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have lost them with each pen mark. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I find myself in the words.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every girl has a story to tell.

KAREN TAYLOR, CNN HERO: Some of our girls are facing some of the greatest challenges teenagers could ever face, pregnancy, incarceration violence in their family, at school. Those girls need a mentor. They need to be inspired about their own voice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Life in the light can be so bright, nothing can be so pure.

TAYLOR: Writing, self expression can give them a tool for moving forward.

Say something that nobody else has said before because you have your own way of saying things.

We match underserved girls with professional women writers.

I want to match you, Krista, with Christie.

The moment you ask a young person tell me about something you are passionate about the writing and the ideas just flow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was kind of scared. I'm really quiet and I keep to myself. And she is so excited and enthusiastic about writing. I absolutely love her.

Writing gave me the position in life like I have a story to tell.

Your senses are diluted by the sparkly things that cross their eyes. Thank you.

TAYLOR: We need to help girls see their voice matters. You have got a lot of stuff here and what I would like to hear more is about you.

To give a girl tools to be able to be positive and thrive and rise above whatever challenges she is facing, what's best than that?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Australian authorities say the pilots of Malaysian airlines flight 370 likely were unconscious when the plane apparently crashed into the Indian Ocean. They say that they believed the plane was on auto pilot for hours after the pilots became unresponsive due to lack of oxygen.

A brand-new search area for flight 370 is based on those specific scenarios. Now, here is the new search zone for flight 370. It is massive, 23,000 square miles. In a new report, Australian investigators unveiled the search area and explained their reasons for believing that this is the final resting place of Boeing 777 that disappear nearly four months ago. Joining me now to discuss this, safety analyst David Soucie, author of

"Why Planes Crash," and aviation analyst is David Gallo, director of special projects at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

All right, David Soucie, to you first on this one. Does this report make sense to you? I mean, if flight 370 crew was unresponsive due to lack of oxygen then who turned on auto pilot?

DAVID SOUCIE, CNN SAFETY ANALYST: Well, the auto pilot has a lot of different modes, Randi. And what we are talking about in this report is that it was in efficiency mode. In an efficiency mode, it would have changed the speed of the aircraft to make it more efficient as it burned off fuel. So, as you burn off fuel, the aircraft changes its attitude. And at that point, it will change its speed to make up for that. So that's why -- that gives some good explanation to me as to why before they couldn't pin down the exact speed because the speed does change as it goes along. So I think that this report tells us a lot, but doesn't tell us everything certainly.

KAYE: And David Soucie, speaking to hear that, do you have any theories on why those pilots might have been unresponsive?

SOUCIE: Well, you know, I do, actually. There are a couple of things that could have happened in the cockpit. Namely, there is an oxygen bottle that supplies the cockpit with oxygen in emergencies. And that oxygen bottle, there is an area in which there are wires that go behind it. There have been problems with that in the past. So, it purely speculative on my part, but it could have easily had something to do with the incapacitation of the pilots had the oxygen bottle been empty or had it ruptured in some way, they would not have had oxygen, even though they expected it to be there and that they would have had only about 12 minutes to make that decision as to whether they truly had oxygen or not.

KAYE: And David Gallo, now we know about the new search area. The new under water search zone has never actually been fully mapped. How does that complicate the search?

DAVID GALLO, CNN ANALYST: Well, Randi, it is tough. Most of the ocean has never been mapped. This one is particularly unknown, though. And it is impressive to me because it ranges from very shallow and barely smooth in texture to very deep and very rugged. So it is a little bit of there are mountains, there are valleys, some of the steepest cliffs on earth re inside that search zone. S it is going to be very challenging. And there are two ships off there, right now, making the first maps that we will ever see of this area. And that will be pretty fascinating when they are done with those maps.

KAYE: Let's talk about what else is in the new report.

David Soucie, the new report, it is suggesting that flight 370 ran out of fuel and may have spiraled before crashing. Is it likely that the plane -- I mean, if that happened, would it have broken apart? And would it have left debris or a debris field in that scenario? SOUCIE: Yes. It certainly would have. But again, going back to this

auto pilot modes, if it was in an altitude hold mode when the engine stops from fuel starvation, then the aircraft will attempt to maintain the altitude until it stalls and then it would spiral in to the ground and in to the water. And at that point, yes, you would see a lot of debris.

But again, if it was in the efficiency mode or if it was in the attitude hold mode, then, it would have continued to decline in altitude and stayed level and then skimmed across the top and would have been little debris and that happened. But that would have put it 20 or 30 -- well, 15 to 20 miles away from where the last ping would have occurred, as well. So that increases the search area quite a lot.

KAYE: Yes, it certainly does.

David Gallo, your team found air France flight 447 on the ocean floor after what, nearly two years or so, but a debris field you did have that advantage because that helped guide you with that.

GALLO: It was an advantage in that. We actually had tangible evidence that a plane had gone down in the ocean. In this case there is no evidence except the calculation. But it did lead us astray and we did some retro-drift mile on those debris. And for two months we were searching in a hay stack where there was no needle. So the milers were 95 percent sure that there was a needle in a hay stack and they were 100 percent wrong. So even though we had the advantage of the debris, we didn't -- you know, it actually gobbled up two months of time at sea.

KAYE: Got it. Well, it is a fascinating story and certainly fascinating new report coming to us now.

Nice to talk to you both, David Soucie, David Gallo. Great to see you.

GALLO: Thanks.

KAYE: The case of the central park five, a racial injustice that has haunted New York City for decades. But now after 25 years, the legal battle may finally be coming to a close. Does that mean justice has been served?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: The father of Santa Barbara gunman Elliot Rodgers says he thought his son couldn't hurt a flea. That's what he told Barbara Walters in his first interview since his son killed people, wounded more than a dozen others and then killed himself last month.

Peter Rodgers told Walters his nightmares come every single day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER RODGERS, FATHER OF ELLIOT RODGERS: It is like a reverse nightmare situation when you go to sleep. Normally, you have a nightmare and then wake up and everything is OK. Now I go to sleep and I might have a nice dream and then I wake up and then slowly the truth of what happened dawns on me. And that is my son is a mass murderer. And then I think about the victims and I think about what he did and I'm trying to process it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: According to ABC, Rodger sought out Walters for the interview. She says that she was criticized for even doing it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA WALTERS, ABC NEWS: They resent my interviewing you because they hold you responsible in part for their children's death. What do you say to them?

RODGERS: I wish I could turn back the clock. I wish that these families didn't have to go through this terrible ordeal. It's very hard to understand that I didn't know the monster that was in my son. The only reason I am here is to tell his story to try to stop this from happening again.

WALTERS: What do you think this will accomplish?

RODGERS: I think that there is an awful lot that can be done in this country to help families that might have another Elliot. There are holes in the mental health system. And I think that has really got to be looked at.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Peter Rodgers wrote an open letter to ABC saying that he has created a Web site with mental health resources so other parent can seek help and look for those warnings on.

All right, this just in to CNN. A man believed to be a terrorist ring leader who played a big part in the deadly Benghazi attack is now on American soil and has just been officially charged. He is Ahmed Abu Khatalla, a Libyan captured earlier this month by U.S. forces.

Let's get straight to CNN justice reporter, Evan Perez, who was inside that courtroom as he heard the charges.

What can you tell us, Evan?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE REPORTER: Well Randi, just a few minutes ago, Abu Khatalla entered a not guilty plea. He was brought in to the courtroom appeared which is back with reporters an on-lookers from the U.S. attorney's office and the FBI. He appeared very subdued. He was wearing a two piece dark track suit type of outfit. He wasn't shackled. He didn't have any handcuffs. He sat very quietly and looked around the room just a little bit, but sat quietly as a translator explained the charges that he was facing and the judge explained his rights. Now, we were told in court that, by the FBI, that he did request

consular assistant. That is the Libyan government consulate here in Washington is supposed to provide him some representation. We don't know much more about what he said to interrogators during the past two weeks that he was being held on a ship and being transported across the Atlanta here to Washington which where he arrived just this morning, Randi.

KAYE: All right, Evan Perez. Thank you very much for the latest from there on the Benghazi case.

The case of the central park five, a racial injustice that haunted New York City for decades, but now after 25 years, the legal battle finally could be coming to a close. We will have much more on that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: A decade's old controversial legal battle in New York City may finally be coming to a close. But before we look forward, let's take a look back at the infamous case of the Central Park Five.

Here is Don Lemon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New York in 1989, crime was rampant, race relations raw, and the murder rate near its all time high.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New York's now the capital of racial violence.

LEMON: This was a back draft of one of the city's most notorious crime. A 28-year-old white woman was found raped, brutally beaten and near death in Central Park. After six weeks in the hospital, she could not identify her attackers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five youths were arrested on 96th street, all between 14 and 15 years of age.

LEMON: Police arrested five black and Latino teens -- Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Kharey Wise, and Yusef Salaam. They became known as the Central Park Five. They confessed the attack and were sent to prison. They were even calls for their execution.

Then in 2002, a serial rapist and murderer, Matias Reyes, confessed to the crime. And a reexamining of the DNA put him at the scene. The conviction of the Central Park Five was overturned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The verdicts have been set aside in their entirety.

LEMON: They filed a $250 million lawsuit against police and the city. But a decade later, the five wrongfully convicted men are still waiting for their day in court.

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KAYE: Since don filed that report, the five did have their day in court. And the city approved a $40 million settlement, $40 million.

I want to bring in someone very close to the case, CNN legal analyst Paul Callan joining me now. He represents two key witnesses in this case.

So Paul, the five were released in 2002 after serving between seven and 13 years. Why did it take so long to resolve this?

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: You know, it's really a disgrace that it took this long because the evidence is so clear that all of these young men were innocent of the rape in question.

You know, what happened basically was, that an individual named Matias Reyes ran into one of the Central Park defendants, Kharey Wise after Wise has imprisoned for almost 12 years. And Reyes was the central park rapist and he felt guilty about it and he ended up saying something to a corrections officer which triggered a massive reinvestigation to the case.

And I have to tell you. Reyes is one of the most brutal human beings I've ever encountered as a lawyer. His first rape was his mother when he was 13. And his MO in raping women was, he would say to them after he raped them, I'm going to kill you or blind you, take your choice. And women opted to be blinded. He then tried stabbed them in the eyes. This is the person who actually raped the Central Park jogger.

KAYE: So that's why it took so long? He was in prison for a long time.

CALLAN: Yes, on one murder and four other rapes. And he didn't come forward until all of these years later.

KAYE: So meanwhile, the teens, I mean, each of them did confess to it. Why did they?

CALLAN: Well, first of all, none of them actually admitted to having sex with the Central Park Jogger. And the police used classic interrogation techniques that as a matter of fact, you know, when I was a prosecutor myself back in the 1970s and early 80s, it was very, very common, you would put everyone in a separate room, and the cops would go into one room and say, we know you did it. And kid would say I didn't do it. I had nothing to do with it. The cop would say well, your friend just said you did.

KAYE: Like we see on TV?

CALLAN: Right. It's the same thing.

And remember, you're dealing with five juveniles in the case and one adult. They folded very quickly, and created a story in which they were there, but they weren't actually having sex. They were holding her leg or touching her, because the cops had them convinced that they had to be at the scene in order to witness something and that if they only told the story, they would be released. And based on that, they would be convicted. No DNA ever linked them to the jogger which is the shocking thing. There was semen, there was hair.

KAYE: And none of it was there.

CALLAN: None of it matched theirs and yet they were convicted because of the racial tension and paranoia in the city at that time. Remember, this arose from a claim that black kids were wilding in Central Park and randomly attacking people. So there was great racial fear and people wanted to see them convicted.

KAYE: So, a judge still, from what I understand still has to approve the city's settlement. I mean, do you see any problem with that?

CALLAN: No, I don't. A federal judge has the case. The big thing was the new mayor, unlike the old mayor, mayor Bloomberg, did not want to settle the case. The new mayor did want to settle the case. And the city controller has approved it. So there wouldn't be any reason for a federal judge to say no.

KAYE: You know, I think a lot of people hear the story and they wonder where are the people, the detectives, the police who were behind this.

CALLAN: Well, you know, something had gone on to great things. I mean, Commissioner Kelly, by the way, the commissioner under Mayor Bloomberg was the police commissioner at the time, and he fought to have this litigated, have this tried. He didn't want to settle the case. Many of them -- one of the others, I'll leave his name out of it, one of the lead detectives became a famous reporter. None of them suffered in anyway. As a matter of fact, this was the biggest case of their career, and they became superstars in the department, which is why they fought this case to the death, would not settle the case, and why it's taken 25 years for these young men to find justice.

KAYE: Fascinating, so glad we have you here to talk about it.

Paul Callan, thank you. Nice to see you.

CALLAN: Thank you, Randi.