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CNN Live Saturday

Nathaniel Osbourne Arrested in Connection With D.C. Sniper Shootings

Aired October 26, 2002 - 13:01   ET

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

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


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the arrest of a third person in connection with the D.C. area sniper case. For that, let's turn it over now to CNN's Carol Lin in Montgomery County, Maryland. Hi, Carol.
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. Good to see you. We have a few more details about this case. Nathaniel Osbourne, the FBI wants to emphasize is only a material witness in this case. That's why they announced the arrest warrant yesterday, so that they could bring him in strictly for questioning. They believe that he helped John Allen Muhammad actually purchase the 1990 blue Chevy Caprice that was used as what officials call "a killing machine" in these sniper attacks. Purchased it for $250 from a place called, if you can believe this, SureShot Auto, in Trenton, New Jersey. The car was shortly registered afterwards to an address where Nathaniel Osbourne lived in New Jersey.

The arrest, though, going down in Flint, Michigan today, we understand without incident. We're still working this case, so we'll get more information to you as we get it in.

In the meantime, emphasize, only wanted for questioning about John Allen Muhammad.

In the meantime, a short while ago, Wolf Blitzer conducted an interview with Chief Moose. The big question here, what happened to all of those report of white vans during their investigation?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: We did have a couple of situations in two different shootings where people with vehicles similar to this actually said, yes, I was in the area there. They stopped at their local police station. They explained why they were there, they explained what they were doing. They explained that because they were afraid, they drove away erratically, and we were able to eliminate their vehicle.

Throughout this investigation, when people described a vehicle to us, we asked our police officers to look for it. But again, the community members that said that was me and I'm going go to tell the police about it and what I was doing, and why I was there, that's how you actually should do it.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S LATE EDITION: So is it fair to say, though, that as of this moment, that entire effort looking for those white vans or that white box truck was a wild goose chase?

MOOSE: Sir, again, the people in those vehicles potentially were witnesses, and never in my mind would I classify a potential witness as a wild goose chase.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Lots of questions here now about would have, should have, could have. Should they have been put more information out about a dark Chevy Caprice? There was a report of a Chevy Caprice seen at the shootings around the first week, about October 3, in the Washington, D.C., area. But afterwards, the police found a burnt out body of a Caprice in a garage and not so much discounted putting information out about the Caprice but it just became less important as more and more eyewitnesses were coming forward with reports of white vans.

Now, it appears that this investigation is beginning to widen, all the way to the West Coast. In Tacoma, Washington, there was a murder of a 21-year-old woman named Kenya Cook. She was shot in the face when she answered the door of her aunt's apartment while she was cooking dinner with her six-month-old child. She was shot in the face with a high-caliber handgun.

Well, it turns out, Kenya Cook's mother was actually a former friend of John Allen Muhammad, and even at one time was his accountant, but sided with John Allen Muhammad's ex-wife during a custody dispute. So they want to know, what is the relationship between John Allen Muhammad and possibly this murder, this shooting in Tacoma, Washington, of this 21-year-old woman -- Heidi.

COLLINS: And Carol, can we talk just for a moment about the next phase? Of course, we have been hearing a lot about the prosecution and where all of this is going to go. It's so convoluted. What's the next step in that? We heard about the charges today. Where are we going next?

LIN: Right, you heard about the charges filed by the state attorney of the state of Maryland, six counts of first-degree murder in this investigation. That came as a shock to officials at the Justice Department who had hoped that seven jurisdictions, state attorneys from seven jurisdictions would be able to work it out amongst themselves who has the best body of evidence in this case, who should have that first pivotal prosecution that will set the precedent for any further prosecutions?

Federal government may want to jump in and say, hey, we want to have first dibs in trying the first in this case. But Maryland firing the first shot, so to speak, in terms of the prosecution. They are getting their dibs in by filing the first in a set of the Washington, D.C. sniper investigations, the first set of murder charges, because Maryland actually has possession of these suspects right now. They're in a federal detention center here in Montgomery County. They may have the best shot of getting the first chance of getting these guys in court.

COLLINS: All right. And it did all begin there. Carol Lin, reporting from Montgomery County, Maryland, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Shootings>


Aired October 26, 2002 - 13:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the arrest of a third person in connection with the D.C. area sniper case. For that, let's turn it over now to CNN's Carol Lin in Montgomery County, Maryland. Hi, Carol.
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. Good to see you. We have a few more details about this case. Nathaniel Osbourne, the FBI wants to emphasize is only a material witness in this case. That's why they announced the arrest warrant yesterday, so that they could bring him in strictly for questioning. They believe that he helped John Allen Muhammad actually purchase the 1990 blue Chevy Caprice that was used as what officials call "a killing machine" in these sniper attacks. Purchased it for $250 from a place called, if you can believe this, SureShot Auto, in Trenton, New Jersey. The car was shortly registered afterwards to an address where Nathaniel Osbourne lived in New Jersey.

The arrest, though, going down in Flint, Michigan today, we understand without incident. We're still working this case, so we'll get more information to you as we get it in.

In the meantime, emphasize, only wanted for questioning about John Allen Muhammad.

In the meantime, a short while ago, Wolf Blitzer conducted an interview with Chief Moose. The big question here, what happened to all of those report of white vans during their investigation?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF CHARLES MOOSE, MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE: We did have a couple of situations in two different shootings where people with vehicles similar to this actually said, yes, I was in the area there. They stopped at their local police station. They explained why they were there, they explained what they were doing. They explained that because they were afraid, they drove away erratically, and we were able to eliminate their vehicle.

Throughout this investigation, when people described a vehicle to us, we asked our police officers to look for it. But again, the community members that said that was me and I'm going go to tell the police about it and what I was doing, and why I was there, that's how you actually should do it.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S LATE EDITION: So is it fair to say, though, that as of this moment, that entire effort looking for those white vans or that white box truck was a wild goose chase?

MOOSE: Sir, again, the people in those vehicles potentially were witnesses, and never in my mind would I classify a potential witness as a wild goose chase.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Lots of questions here now about would have, should have, could have. Should they have been put more information out about a dark Chevy Caprice? There was a report of a Chevy Caprice seen at the shootings around the first week, about October 3, in the Washington, D.C., area. But afterwards, the police found a burnt out body of a Caprice in a garage and not so much discounted putting information out about the Caprice but it just became less important as more and more eyewitnesses were coming forward with reports of white vans.

Now, it appears that this investigation is beginning to widen, all the way to the West Coast. In Tacoma, Washington, there was a murder of a 21-year-old woman named Kenya Cook. She was shot in the face when she answered the door of her aunt's apartment while she was cooking dinner with her six-month-old child. She was shot in the face with a high-caliber handgun.

Well, it turns out, Kenya Cook's mother was actually a former friend of John Allen Muhammad, and even at one time was his accountant, but sided with John Allen Muhammad's ex-wife during a custody dispute. So they want to know, what is the relationship between John Allen Muhammad and possibly this murder, this shooting in Tacoma, Washington, of this 21-year-old woman -- Heidi.

COLLINS: And Carol, can we talk just for a moment about the next phase? Of course, we have been hearing a lot about the prosecution and where all of this is going to go. It's so convoluted. What's the next step in that? We heard about the charges today. Where are we going next?

LIN: Right, you heard about the charges filed by the state attorney of the state of Maryland, six counts of first-degree murder in this investigation. That came as a shock to officials at the Justice Department who had hoped that seven jurisdictions, state attorneys from seven jurisdictions would be able to work it out amongst themselves who has the best body of evidence in this case, who should have that first pivotal prosecution that will set the precedent for any further prosecutions?

Federal government may want to jump in and say, hey, we want to have first dibs in trying the first in this case. But Maryland firing the first shot, so to speak, in terms of the prosecution. They are getting their dibs in by filing the first in a set of the Washington, D.C. sniper investigations, the first set of murder charges, because Maryland actually has possession of these suspects right now. They're in a federal detention center here in Montgomery County. They may have the best shot of getting the first chance of getting these guys in court.

COLLINS: All right. And it did all begin there. Carol Lin, reporting from Montgomery County, Maryland, thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Shootings>