Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Catfish Scheme Led to Triple Homicide in California; Students Return to Idaho University Campus Amid Investigation; NATO Foreign Ministers to Discuss Ukraine, China Challenges; Consumers Continue to Shop Despite Recession Fears. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired November 29, 2022 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Still ahead, an online scam turns deadly. Why police believe a triple homicide is connected to a catfishing scheme involving a former police officer and a teenage girl.

Plus, university students in Idaho are back from holiday with a killer still on the loose. How students are feeling about on-campus safety when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo. And if you are just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top stories this hour.

The group play stage is wrapping up in the World Cup as the U.S. faces Iran in a win or go home match. Iran needs a draw or tie to stay in the tournament.

More than 40 million people are under severe weather threats of across the U.S. Southeast and Midwest. Tornadoes, large hail and hurricane force winds are all possible.

Police in California say a so-called catfishing scheme has led to a horrific triple homicide. They believe it began when a former Virginia police officer met a teenage girl online and pretending to be a different person. They say the suspect then drove across the county -- to see her country, sorry, to see her before killing three members of her family. CNN's Camila Bernal reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police say the call came in just after 11 o'clock Friday morning, asking for a welfare check after a 15-year-old girl appearing to be distressed was seen near a car with a man.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scene the house on fire.

BERNAL (voice-over): Then, while officers were responding to the scene, more calls to 911. But this time about a fire in the same neighborhood. PIO RYAN RAILSBACK, RIVERSIDE POLICE DEPARTMENT: They found three people deceased inside the house.

BERNAL (voice-over): The three victims, the girl's mother and grandparents.

[04:35:00]

RAILSBACK: We had a grandmother, a grandfather and a mother of his team murdered by the suspect who traveled from across the country. For most likely it would be that sexual exploitation of this teenager.

BERNAL (voice-over): According to law enforcement, this is a case of catfishing a situation where someone pretends to be a different person than they actually are for the purpose of someone exploiting another person. The suspect, 28-year-old Austin Lee Edwards developed an online relationship with the teen then traveled across the country from Virginia to Riverside, California to find her.

RAILSBACK: We do know that there was direct messaging, text messaging going on.

BERNAL (voice-over): The suspect turned out to be in law enforcement. A person who was going through orientation to be a patrol officer with the Washington County Sheriff's Department just four days before the murders and was a former Virginia State Trooper according to police.

More than two hours after Edwards drove off with the teenage girl, police track them and says Edwards fired shots at sheriff's deputies during a pursuit. When he lost control of the vehicle, the teenager fled the car and Edwards pointed a gun at the Sheriff's helicopter before deputies shot and killed him.

RAILSBACK: This is just a very tragic example of how dangerous those interactions can be.

BERNAL (voice-over): The teenager in this case was unharmed and placed in protective custody. According to police who say they now worry Edwards may have catfished others.

RAILSBACK: It's hard to believe that someone who's going to travel all the way across the country kill a grandfather, a grandmother, and a mother of the teenager he's trying to sexually exploit that he hasn't engaged in similar type of behavior before.

BERNAL: And police say the fire started at this house here behind me was intentional. But they also say they don't believe the grandparents and the mother of the teenager died of smoke inhalation. So, there's still a lot to be done in this investigation. The family is releasing the statement saying they were loving people who did not deserve this.

In terms of why this man was a sheriff's deputy, well, the sheriff in Washington County saying that they reached out to previous employers, including state police, and nothing came back negative so they hired him and now they're in shock.

Camila Bernal, CNN, Riverside, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: A U.S. college professor fishing who went missing with her husband has been found dead off the coast of Mexico. According to a GoFundMe page, a fishing boat found Yeon-Su Kim's body on Sunday in the Gulf of California. Kim taught at Northern Arizona University. Meanwhile, the search is still on for her husband Corey Allen. The couple were reported missing on Saturday during a kayaking trip.

University of Idaho students returned from the Thanksgiving holiday for a first day of classes on Monday. It's been just more than two weeks since four students were murdered in their off-campus home. CNN asked students how it felt returning to school knowing no suspect had been arrested.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's kind of sad, upsetting. It's kind of quiet. Most people are friendly but now it's just kind of, I don't know, people are kind of sketched out not really aware of the situation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does the campus feel emptier?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, definitely, definitely.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I tend to learn better in class anyway, so.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel safe coming back?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, with all the campus security and upping that up and with the safe locks and I have a lot of friends here so -- although I never really go anywhere by myself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Police are still searching for the killer who they believe targeted the housemates. The university has a vigil scheduled for Wednesday night in memory of the victims.

A white gunman who shot and killed 10 people at a Buffalo, New York supermarket has pleaded guilty to murder and terrorism charges. 19- year-old Payton Gendron will be sentenced to life in prison without parole. This is what the Buffalo mayor had to say about his guilty plea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BYRON BROWN, MAYOR OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK: It is important for this community to hear how these precious lives were snatched from us for no other reason than the color of their skin. For no other reason other than this mass murderer wanting to kill as many black people as he possibly could. And here today in court, he admitted his guilt on every single charge presented.

(END VIDEO CLIP) NOBILO: Prosecutors say Gendron traveled from hours away and targeted

victims because of their race.

[04:40:00]

He shot 13 people with a rifle at a Top supermarket in May killing 10 of them. 11 of his victims are black.

College football's big ten conference has fined Michigan State University $100,000 for a post-game fight last month. They also suspended Spartans player K.J. Crump for eight games next season. Video show Michigan State players in an altercation with a Michigan Wolverines player in a stadium tunnel. Seven Spartan players including Crump are now facing criminal charges.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, support for Ukraine will be high on the agenda as NATO foreign ministers are now gathering in Romania. We'll have a preview of their meeting for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: In the hours ahead, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to arrive in Washington to kick off a state visit. Officials say that he'll meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday at the White House where they will discuss pressing issues including the war in Ukraine, trade, and climate change. Mr. Macron is also expected to meet with other officials throughout the week in an effort to strengthen French/American ties.

Support for Ukraine will be high on the agenda at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers which begins in Romania soon. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gave the opening speech earlier at the forum in Bucharest. Stoltenberg will be meeting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in just a few hours' time. And for more on this I'm joined by CNN's Selma Abdelaziz. Selma, I'm struck by the parallels of this. Because it was in Bucharest, I believe in 2008 when NATO met George W. Bush then said Ukraine and Georgia will be welcome to join NATO one day and then just a few months later Russia then invaded Georgia. So, there are stark historical parallels here in the context of Russian aggression. What are they hoping to achieve at the summit?

SELMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's interesting you bring up that episode.

[04:45:00]

Because as you said, it was a moment that now historians look at and wonder if that aggravated Russian aggression or if that was something that was inevitable and they needed to respond to in kind. And we're looking at a time now when Finland and Sweden are preparing to join NATO. Of course, Ukraine try to join that international community. But beyond the sort of bureaucracy that that requires, the paperwork that that will require. What NATO leaders and NATO ministers are really going to try to do today is to stand by that promise that we've heard them make over and over again. Which is to be with Ukraine for as long as it takes. What's unique about this meeting is perhaps the nonlethal aid is more

important than the actual military aid this time around. And that's because for weeks now Russia has had this sustained campaign against Ukraine's civilian infrastructure. So, it's power grids, it's water supplies, it's cell phone towers. There's real fears about how Ukraine gets to a cold, dark winter. So, many of these foreign ministers will be looking at nonlethal aid.

That means fuel, that means food, that means winter supplies, that means power equipment to fix these grids and transmitters and generators. All of that really strengthen the resilience of average Ukrainians across the country who millions of them have been cut off from power and water.

And then of course, there's military aid as well, that's definitely going to be discussed during these two days of meetings. President Zelenskyy has been appealing again and again for these air defense systems. NATO ministers need to look at how they backfill their own weapons and push weapon suppliers to supply these. But again, you're have that promise from these foreign ministers at this summit really promising to continue to stand with Ukraine and help it through a really difficult winter.

NOBILO: Selma Abdelaziz, thank you so much.

The NATO chief says allies will continue to provide at critical and unprecedented support to Ukraine that Selma was just talking about. A pledge that will no doubt catch the attention of Russian President Vladimir Putin. CNN's Fred Pleitgen joins us live from Moscow. And Fred, let us know how Russia is or likely to respond to these discussions and these commitments being made between NATO foreign ministers in Bucharest?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, once again, Bianca, the NATO secretary-general coming out and saying that one of the main priorities of NATO right now is ensuring that Vladimir Putin does not win in Ukraine. So obviously, exactly what Selma was just saying. The NATO countries saying that that support is going to continue and it's certainly something that's been infuriating the Kremlin over the past couple of months.

The thing you always hear out of the Kremlin, from the spokesman Dmitry Peskov . But of course, also from Vladimir Putin as well. Is that they essentially blame NATO for prolonging the conflict in Ukraine, for prolonging the war in Ukraine -- according to the Russian narrative at least. First and foremost, by supplying weapons to the Ukrainians which of course means that the Ukrainians can actually stay in the fight.

The Russians are saying, look, the war would be over right now if NATO didn't supply all of these weapons. Obviously, NATO is saying, the U.S. is saying and the Ukrainians are saying they need those weapons to defend themselves against Russia.

Just to give you an idea of how high this is on Vladimir Putin's agenda. He met last Friday with the mothers of Russian soldiers. And one of the things that he made a point of saying and he said that he believes Russia is not in a war with Ukraine but is in a war with those who are supplying and bank rolling Ukraine.

Obviously, talking about organizations like NATO, talking about the West and also this is something that we see nearly every day on Russian state TV where they come out and say that they believe this is a wider conflict between Russia and the West and of course NATO is that big lightning rod organization. And once again, some of the things that the NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said today certainly are going to be reflected in Russian state media and the Kremlin is not going to like having heard that either.

NOBILO: We'll keep checking in with you, Fred, as the meeting progresses and we hear the outcome, thanks so much. Fred for us in Moscow.

The saying goes, an Apple a day keeps a doctor away, but can it help you remember where you left your keys? A new study seems to say so. We'll tell you why right after this break.

[04:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Drinking more wine may help slow the rate of memory loss according to a new study, but there's more to it than that. The study published by the American Academy of Neurology found consuming foods with antioxidants called flavanols could help improve brain health. Flavanols are also found in fruits and vegetables, tea and wine will protect cells including neurons. Well, the findings have been inconclusive so far there's no harm in having a more balanced dinner plate.

The latest U.S. consumer confidence report is out in a couple of hours' time. And if Black Friday sales are any indication, Americans are in a spending mood for the holidays. CNN's Matt Egan has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Bianca, if there's a recession coming, American shoppers did not get the memo. Consumers are projected to have spent up to $11.6 billion on cyber Monday. Adobe Analytics says that would be an all-time record and a healthy increase of more than 8 percent from last year. This is on top of the record $9.1 billion that Adobe says consumers spent online shopping on Black Friday.

Now it's worth noting these figures are not adjusted for inflation. But Adobe says online prices have been falling. In other words, even if you adjust for inflation, this does appear to be real growth. And in some ways that is surprising. Because it would be easy to bet against American consumers right now. Confidence is low, inflation is high and people are worried about a potential recession.

But the fact that people still spending is good news because consumer spending is the main engine of this economy. The moment people stop spending, that's when all bets are off. I think the bad news here though is how people are paying for all this shopping. Industry experts expect inflation weary consumers to dip into savings and tap credit cards this holiday season. That's a concern because credit card rates have surged to record highs as the Federal Reserve fights inflation by dramatically raising borrowing costs.

[04:55:00]

And some store braided credit cards now carry APRs of more than 30 percent. There's never a good time to carry a credit card balance but right now might just be the worst time to do that -- Bianca.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: Thanks, Matt.

Irish regulators fined Meta, Facebook's parent company, approximately $275 million. They say that the social media giant violated EU data privacy laws by allowing hackers to siphon off Facebook users personal information during a 2019 data leak. Meta has been penalized multiple times by the Irish Data Protection Commission. A meta-spokesperson says the company was reviewing the regulator's decision, quote, carefully.

Elon Musk says Apple is threatening to withhold Twitter from its app store. That move could be devastating for Twitter -- which Musk just purchased for $44 billion. In a tweet Musk claimed that Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter in a reference apparently aimed at Apple CEO Tim Cook. He asked whether Apple hates free speech in America. Bad blood between Musk and Cook isn't new. Musk says that when Tesla was struggling, he considered selling his electric car company to Apple. But Musk says that Cook wouldn't take a meeting with him. Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for a comment on those tweets.

Actress Jennifer Gray plans to put on her dancing shoes again for the upcoming sequel to 1987's "Dirty Dancing."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had the time of my life no, I never felt like this before

yes, I swear, it's the truth

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: The hit movie helped make her and Patrick Swayze superstars before he died of pancreatic cancer in 2009. Gray told "People" magazine that she's been working on a script for a "Dirty Dancing" sequel for years and hopes it will capture some of the magic of the original film for a newer audience. She'll be joined by other actors and the original film in a sequel is set to start filming next year. If I was Tuesday's clock, I'd say something about putting Baby in the corner. But I'm not far away.

That does it here. "EARLY START" is next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) with the fact is that mean

[05:00:00]