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CNN Live Saturday

BTK Killer Is Arrested; Syrian/Lebanese Arms Of Islamic Jihad Claims Responsiblity for Tel Aviv Bombing; A Peek Ahead To Oscar Night

Aired February 26, 2005 - 18:00 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.

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A big sigh of relief heard in Wichita, Kansas, today. A suspect in the infamous BTK killer case is behind bars tonight. Complete coverage straight ahead. And searching for Jessica. Hundreds of people in Florida join the search for the missing 9-year-old girl. A live report from her hometown coming up.
It is February 26, and you're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

Good evening from CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Lin and here's what's happening right now in the news.

A serial killer suspect is under arrest in Wichita, Kansas. Police say he brutally tortured and murdered ten people from 1974 to 1991. CNN's Jonathan Freed is live from Wichita on the BTK killer.

Accusation today are intensifying over who is behind last night's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. An Israeli official is blaming the Islamic Jihad militant group and Syria. A live report from Israel is coming up in just nine minutes.

And the founder of the human rights group Amnesty International has died. Peter Benenson passed away last night at a hospital in Oxford, England. Benenson started Amnesty International in 1961 as a one-year campaign to win the release of prisoners of conscience. Now, the group has almost 2 million supporters. Benenson was 83 years old.

BTK, for decades, those three letters have terrified Wichita, Kansas. A serial killer who bound, tortured and killed struck the community time and again. But now police say a suspect is finally behind bars. His name is Dennis Rader and he faces multiple counts of first degree murder. He was picked up during a routine traffic stop. CNN's Jonathan Freed is live in Wichita with that story.

Jonathan, so many stories unfolding as to how police caught up with this man. One of them being a routine traffic stop. What do you know about how these events unfolded?

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, there are indeed a number of stories. And police are purposefully holding that back right now. Because they are very conscious of not wanting to say anything that might indirectly, directly, inadvertently jeopardize their case.

I can tell you, though, that they are saying that if the details of this case come out, people are going to come face-to-face with evil.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREED (voice-over): The images of the bodies have haunted the people of Wichita for three decades. At least ten people murdered by the serial kill here coined his own nickname. The "BTK" strangler for "bind, torture and kill." Police have known all along with eight of the victims and added two more at a news conference Saturday morning. Then, with victims' families looking on, the chief of police first exhaled for the community. And then said the words people have waited a generation to hear.

CHIEF NORMAN WILLIAMS, WICHITA POLICE: The bottom line -- BTK is arrested.

FREED: The suspect is 59-year-old Dennis Rader of Park City, just north of Wichita. Arrested for first degree murder on Friday. Police aren't releasing many details and won't yet say what led them to him. But local news media are reporting investigators obtained a DNA match. CNN affiliate KAKE TV reports Rader works for the city enforcing local ordinances and is a dog catcher.

LT. KEN LANDWEHR, WICHITA POLICE: Joseph Otero. Julie Otero.

FREED: It took time for the lead investigator to read the names of the victims out loud.

LANDWEHR: Catherine Bright.

FREED: It was painful for their families to hear. But everyone here knew it was necessary. Police now allege that BTK strangler killed ten people between 1974 and 1991. The killer was notorious for toying with police by sending cryptic notes and packages to the media, enclosing things like trophy photos taken at crime scenes. KAKE reports the suspect has been the president of his local Lutheran church. And in his Park City community, shock that police say the demon may feared has been living among them all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to be really sick to do things like he did. And my baby's playing in the yard right here with him. It's just -- I don't know how to tell you how I feel. I'm just flabbergasted.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREED (on camera): Now, police expect the charges to be finalized with the district attorney's office here early next week. Carol?

LIN: Jonathan, what a poignant moment when authorities read out loud the names of the victims because we have to remember that there are so many sad families there that might even feel some resolution today. Do you know what the reaction of the victims' families has been to this arrest?

FREED: We do. Some of them -- most of them, in fact, really did not want to talk to the media today. Some going so fast as to put their hand up in front of some cameras and really signaling that they wanted to be left alone. But others that we spoke to, albeit briefly, it was important to them, although painful, it was important for them to be in the room and to hear the words spoken by the chief of police after waiting 30 years for this day.

LIN: Certainly. All right. The case continues. Thanks very much. Jonathan Freed reporting live.

Coming up at 10 o'clock Eastern tonight I'm talking with the KAKE television anchor who has followed this case from the very beginning. And in fact, has been communicating with the suspect over the airwaves. Larry Hatteberg is my guest. And also please tune in on Monday night at 10:00 Eastern for a one-hour special on the BTK killer. That's on NEWSNIGHT Monday night.

Right now we want to move to California where police say they have a suspect in the disappearance of a retired couple. Skyler Deleon is a convicted burglar. Authorities say they're preparing to file murder charges against him in the case of Tom and Jackie Hawks. The couple has not been seen since November. They vanished around the time they sold their yacht to Deleon. Police believe they are dead. Now, Deleon says he bought the ship for $400,000 cash. His lawyer says he is surprised by the allegations against his client.

And there's another strange twist to the case. Deleon's wife says he was a child actor who appeared in the Mighty Morphing (sic) Power Rangers television show. If it can get any stranger, we'll let you know.

In the meantime, elsewhere across America, lawyers for the parents of a brain-damaged woman in Florida promise more legal action to help keep her alive on a feeding tube. A judge ruled yesterday that Terri Schiavo's husband can stop her tube feedings March 18th. The husband and the parents have been fighting each other in court for several years over whether to let Schiavo die.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger offers up no regrets for using steroids in his body building past. Schwarzenegger tells ABC News he took the performance-enhancing drugs under a doctor's supervision when they were new, experimental and legal.

Pop star Michael Jackson's attorney in his child molestation trial says he'll tell jurors Monday the accuser's mother has engaged in a pattern of fraud. Thomas Mesereau is preparing for opening statements.

Now we want to move overseas to a high stakes blame game over last night's bombing at a Tel Aviv nightclub. Israel's defense minister is pointing at Syria and the Islamic Jihad militant group today, saying they are behind the renewed bloodshed. Our Guy Raz is in Jerusalem. Guy, give us some background here. What does Islamic Jihad have a connection with Syria?

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Islamic Jihad has offices in Damascus, Syria, also in Beirut, Lebanon. And that is where that group publicly took responsibility for this attack. Now, interestingly, Islamic Jihad's leaders in Gaza in the Palestinian territories have denied any responsibility for this attack. In fact, it could signal some kind of fracture within the group. Now, earlier today, the young man who carried out the attack was identified as 22- year-old Abdullah Bidran, a university student from the northern West Bank. The young man, his family is describing as a religious man. And the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas came out very strongly today to condemn the attack in no uncertain terms. He ordered the arrest of at least three people as well, suspected of being involved in the attack. And he blamed what he called a third party for carrying out the attacks. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT (through translator): There is a third party which wants to sabotage this peace process and to mistreat the Palestinian aspirations, the Palestinian interests and the goals of the Palestinian people. We will not hesitate for a minute in capturing the people responsible and bringing them to justice to be punished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAZ: Now, Carol, originally the suspicion had fallen on Hezbollah. A militant group based in southern Lebanon. But over the past several hours, as those claims of responsibility have been coming from Beirut and Damascus from leaders of Islamic Jihad, it is becoming fairly clear that that group was, in fact, behind this attack. Now, shortly before this young man carried out the suicide blast that left four people dead outside a nightclub in Tel Aviv, he recorded a video statement. In that statement he is seen surrounded by flags of Islamic Jihad. He also accuses the Palestinian Authority of, quote, "collaborating with Israel and the United States." So clearly this attack was aimed not just at Israel but also directly at the Palestinian Authority. Carol?

LIN: A message indeed. Thank you very much. Guy Raz reporting live from Jerusalem.

In the meantime, staying in the Middle East, sabotaged oil fields and more bombings and the killing of an Iraqi television anchorwoman dominate the headlines out of Baghdad today. U.S. and Iraqi forces are going after insurgents in a big way in "Operation River Blitz." they're concentrating their efforts on villages in the western province of Al Anbar along the Euphrates River. U.S. Marine commanders believe foreign fighters and insurgents move back and forth across the border from Syria. From these small towns, they plan and carry out attacks in Ramadi and Mosul. There's even concern that the most wanted man in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, is hiding in that area.

The Vatican says Pope John Paul II is dealing with his latest health crisis, displaying even some wit and humor. But the pope will skip saying a traditional angelus prayer tomorrow. Doctors have advised him not to speak for several days while he recovers from a throat operation. But he is expected to participate from his hospital room symbolically at least. The Vatican says the pope has joked about his health concerns, suggesting he is one tough cookie.

Across the country police are simply stumped by a very different case. A 9-year-old girl has vanished without a trace from her home in rural Florida. Hundreds of people have spent another day searching for Jessica Marie Lunsford. Our Susan Candiotti is following that story in Homosassa. Susan, I think what is most shocking about this case is that this little girl may have been snatched right from her bed as her grandparents were in the house.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And yet police are not calling this an abduction, a kidnapping yet. They continue to say at this point they have no hard evidence that she was kidnapped. But clearly that's what a lot of people are thinking. Over my shoulder you can see that squad car and just beyond that is the house where Jessica lives. Investigators say they're working all the angles, but the sheriff says so far they have nothing to hang their hat on. Not very encouraging news for the father, for the police and for everyone who had hoped to find Jessica by now.

The search for her is into its third day since the youngster's bed was discovered empty on Thursday morning. Jessica lives with her father and grandparents and has had little contact with her mother since birth. But she came here from Ohio today. Police have cleared her in the disappearance. Police, in fact, are not calling anyone a suspect. The father and grandparents showed no deception, police say, on lie detector tests that they have taken. Experts are analyzing their voices during those tests. And more than 200 calls have come in to try to help from all over the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF JEFF DAWSY, CITRUS COUNTY, FLORIDA: We're getting a lot of Internet correspondence from across the country, and that has panned out with not to be very constructive. We've received a lot of phone calls, conversations, cell phone issues saying we've seen the girl here, we've seen the girl there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now, Jessica's father is thankful, he says, for the many volunteers who have come. More than 500 from as far away as Orlando, a couple hours away, coming to help look for the little girl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK LUNSFURD, JESSUCA LUNSFORD'S FATHER: We're going to find her. She's coming home. I'm frightened that we're not going to find her or anything bad. She's coming home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: One problem here, the weather. The sheriff says the forecast for tomorrow is not good. He says that will not help in their search. But they will be out here first thing in the morning again to continue to look for her. One last thing we wanted to add and that is that Atlanta braves pitcher Mike Hampton has donated $25,000 as a reward to help in this search. He's a native of this area.

LIN: Susan, taking a look at Jessica's picture, she looks like a pretty spunky little girl. Do her parents or any of the folks you've been talking to tell you anything about her personality, something that may actually help her survive wherever she may be?

CANDIOTTI: Well, certainly she is said to be very outgoing, a very loving little girl. And they certainly say it would be totally out of her character to run away from home. That's what the grandparents are saying about that. Now, of course, does that mean that she might be open to, for example, if someone came to the house and asked her to walk out? Who is to say? The police certainly aren't commenting on that as a possibility.

LIN: All right. Last seen in her pajamas at 10:00 at night. Thank you very much. Susan Candiotti reporting live.

Getting back to our top story, you know, it may be case solved for the BTK killer, but questions do remain unanswered. And in the end did he actually want to be captured? And who may have actually led police to the suspect? Up next, I'm going to put those questions to former FBI agent Don Clark who has been talking to people close to the case since the arrest. He's even tracked the serial killer.

Also, marking a sad milestone. 12 years ago today, the first attack on the World Trade Center. And today, a new monument is unveiled. And later ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With this policy, it's clear and obvious that you're keeping people out that are more than willing to serve, put their life on the line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Don't ask, don't tell. Could a policy change be just around the corner?

(COMMERIAL BREAK)

LIN: Getting back to our top story -- it's an arrest 30 years in the making. Police in Wichita, Kansas, say they have a suspect in the city's notorious BTK killings. Standing for bind, torture and kill. What led them to Dennis Rader is likely as fascinating as where the case goes actually from here. My guest is Don Clark, a former FBI special agent who has tracked serial killers in the past. Don, you've been working your contacts. There's still a mystery about how the police were able to make this arrest. What have you learned?

DON CLARK, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Well, they've been giving out a lot of signs about letters and things that have been written, but from information I've been able to gather today, Carol, that it may have been his daughter who just detected some suspicious activity and perhaps not knowing what evidence that she may have had or information, but she may have been the one that did go to the police and suggest that, hey, my dad's doing something suspicious and that brought the attention to her father.

LIN: His daughter?

CLARK: Yes.

LIN: His daughter, a grown daughter? An adult daughter?

CLARK: Yes. Yes. From the information that I have that it's an adult daughter. And I don't know what details that she gave the police. And clearly I haven't had the opportunity to talk to the police. And they wouldn't give out that information anyway. But that's the information that I've gotten up to this point.

LIN: Well, let's talk about the man himself. Dennis Rader, 59 years old, from various local reports out in Wichita, from local and TV, that he was a dogcatcher, president of the local Lutheran church. I mean, you could not find someone more ordinary than this man. He could be your next-door neighbor.

CLARK: Well, he was their next-door neighbor. And I think the appearance was he was an ordinary person. But clearly what the police are saying is that he was by no means an ordinary person. Keep in mind, too, carol, that this person apparently all along wanted some attention. And I don't want to get on that slippery slope of being a profiler, but when you look at the things he did in 1978 such as calling the police and calling the media and saying, what do I have to do, kill again to get some attention? That shows you that as time went along, that he had some desires to want to get some attention for the things he was doing.

LIN: A lot of secrecy surrounding what led police to his arrest. Maybe his daughter, there was some circumstances of maybe a routine traffic stop is where they actually got this guy. They are so sure -- they had this news conference and they said, we have the BTK killer. What are authorities so nervous about right now in this case?

CLARK: Well, I think that they have the evidence. And we don't.

LIN: What kind of evidence, though? I mean, what kind of evidence do you have to be to be that sure?

CLARK: Well, I suspect that they could very well have some DNA evidence by this time. And if, in fact, that it was the daughter, as I've told you earlier, that I had information that reported some suspicious activity of her father, it is very likely that they could have taken DNA evidence from the daughter to compare it to some of the evidence which they had from the victims and which this person is accused of killing. And that would have given them a great connection. They're coming out, Carol, really strong with the fact that we've got our guy. And police agencies don't do that unless they've got something that's really hard and cold.

LIN: Don, a couple seconds left. Connect the dots here. If they have DNA evidence, would that explain the two additional cases that they have been able to charge him with? It used to be eight for the BTK killer. Suddenly, now it's a total of ten murder counts. CLARK: Clearly that could be the connection. It could be the DNA evidence. It could very well be some other particles that they picked up at the scene. But over the 30-year gap, I'm going to have to say that they are relying on DNA.

LIN: Don Clark, great to have you on this case. You've been with us pretty much from the start. Don Clark, FBI.

CLARK: Thanks, Carol.

LIN: Well, shifting gears now, straight ahead here on CNN LIVE SATURDAY, so much to talk about death an destruction. We want to talk about Oscars. Let's have a little fun. It's Hollywood's big night one day away. And we are live from the red carpet for a preview.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. About 24 more hour, 26 to be exact. And those Oscars will be handed out. I'm here on the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre. The Oscar statues are brought out, some of them being spray painted as we speak. The beautiful flowers are here. The stars will be here tomorrow. Now, after the break, I'll take you inside one of Oscars' most recognized films this year, "The Aviator." So keep it with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Oscar hopefuls are getting ready to go for the gold. It's tomorrow night. Hollywood hands out the academy awards for the 77th time. And we have three previews this hour. Up first, CNN entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood right now. Brooke, you're going to give us a tour?

ANDERSON: I am Carol. Hi there. We're here. The statues have been brought out, the flowers are here. The stars will be here tomorrow. This is Tinsel Town's biggest awards show. One of the films you'll be hearing a lot about at the ceremony tonight is "The Aviator." Now I don't want to talk just about the film itself. I want to go inside the film. Inside the relationship of the main people portrayed, and that would be Howard Hughes and Katharine Hepburn, and indeed it was a romance fit for the silver screen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ACTOR: Fastest man on the planet.

CATE BLANCETT, ACTRESS: How marvelous.

ANDERSON (voice-over): It's clear from "The Aviator" that Howard Hughes was a ladies man but one woman in his was extremely special.

DICAPRIO: I think Howard Hughes in his obsessiveness latched on to wanting to meet Katharine Hepburn.

BLANCHETT: You have to be very careful.

DICAPRIO: And then obsessively bothered her constantly until she'd go out with him. BLANCHETT: Howard?

DICAPRIO: Yeah.

BLANCHETT: There's a rather alarming mountain heading our way.

DICAPRIO: Pull back on the wheel a smidge.

BLANCHETT: I think the whole flying metaphor is really perfect for their relationship. Because they were -- you know, they were aloft.

ANDERSON: Pulitzer Prize winning biographer A. Scott Berg had a 20-year friendship with Hepburn and turned their candid conversations into the best seller "Kate Rembered." He said she still had strong feelings for Hughes years later.

A. SCOTT BERG, BIOGRAPHER: She obviously felt great tenderness for him. Looking back on it 40, 50 years later. I always felt that she felt it was tinged with some sadness. I think at what Hughes became.

ANDERSON: What pulled them apart? Berg believes that after Hepburn's career took a downturn in the mid '30s, the fiercely independent star had one thing on her mind, making a comeback.

BERG: She felt she had to concentrate entirely on herself and her career.

KATHARINE HEPBURN, ACTRESS: Howard was a good friend. No, I didn't want to marry him. I didn't want to marry anyone. I was too busy trying to revive my sagging career.

ANDERSON: So the relationship ended and it haunted Hughes for the rest of his life.

BERG: Hughes told a mutual friend of his and mine years later the biggest mistake he ever made in his life was not being able to convince Katharine Hepburn to marry him.

ANDERSON: But it was great fun while it lasted.

DICAPRIO: Do you like a little adventure, Ms. Hepburn.

BLANCHETT: Do your worst, Mr. Hughes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (on camera): Carol, "The Aviator" is nominated for 11 Oscars. It leads all the nominees. Some of the trophies it is up for during the ceremony tomorrow night include best director, best actor and the biggie, best picture. Back to you.

LIN: Pretty exciting. Thanks, Brooke. Looking forward to see what Brooke's going to be wearing at the big event. And also later this hour, what everybody else had be wearing, too. I'm going to get the scoop from Oscar fashion expert -- you got to believe it -- Philip Block. He's the stylist to the stars. And I'm going to be talking to him. So stick around.

In the meantime, interesting story. It was destroyed September 11th. But one tiny piece of the memorial for the victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing remains. Today a new monument is unveiled.

Plus the end of a long and sad road. They are no longer identifying the victims of 9/11. Up next tonight, I'm going to speak with a widow whose husband's remains were never found.

And it's the cost the U.S. military -- it has cost the U.S. military countless soldiers and almost $200 million. So could the "don't ask, don't tell" policy be in for a change. Find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It's hard to believe, but today is the 12th anniversary of the first terrorist attack at the World Trade Center in New York. Six people were killed when Islamic militants detonated a bomb in one of the towers' underground parking lots. A memorial built to honor the victims was destroyed on 9/11. But now a new monument has been unveiled, one that includes a piece from the past. CNN's Alina Cho shows us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the families of the victims, the 12th anniversary of the attack began with a mass at St. Peter's Church.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God of mercy, we keep this anniversary of the death of our brothers and sister. Give them now light, happiness and peace.

CHO: Near the altar, a small wooden box. Inside, the only surviving fragments from an earlier memorial destroyed on September 11th. A piece of stone bearing the inscription "John D", from John DiGiovanni, one of the six people who died in the 1993 truck bombing. The stone now serves as the centerpiece of a new memorial unveiled Saturday near Ground Zero.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER, (D) NY: John DiGiovanni, Bob Kirkpatrick, Steven Knapp, Bill Macko, Wilfred Mercado and Monica Rodriguez Smith. They each had their lives, their joys and their sorrows, and for no good reason, for an evil reason were taken from us.

CHO: Yet despite efforts by people like Senator Schumer, the families of the 1993 attack still have not received one penny from the government. 9/11 victims collectively have received $7 billion.

MICHAEL MACKO, VICTIM'S FAMILY MEMBER: When the story of 9/11 is told, I think it needs to begin back on February 26, 1993.

CHO: Michael Macko, who lost his father bill, is aware on days like these people pay attention to the victims of the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, but is it the second the world will never forget.

(on camera): Do you think sometimes the 1993 victims are the forgotten victims?

MICHAEL MACKO, SON OF VICTIM OF FIRST WTC ATTACK: There's no question that given the magnitude and the horrors of September 11th, that it seems in comparison that what happened in 1993 isn't as important. But if you were the husband or wife or son or daughter of one of those six who died or if you were one of those more than 1,000 who were injured, it is with you every day of your life.

CHO (voice-over): For now a temporary reminder, a permanent memorial will be dedicated to the victims of both attacks in 2009. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, the families of many of the 9/11 victims are struggling to come to terms with frankly, a cruel reality. The remains of their loved ones may never be identified. This week, New York officials announced DNA technology is not advanced enough to ID more than 1100 victims. And it means Meena Jerath will never know exactly what happened to her husband who worked for the Port Authority. She joins me now.

Meena, when you heard that they stopped identifying remains, I mean, here you are, you were married to this man for more than 27 years. What was your reaction?

MEENA JERATH, HUSBAND KILLED ON 9/11: I have mixed feelings regarding this whole issue. Part of me thinks that if we found -- on one hand, if we found a small fragment of my husband, I would wonder where is the rest of him. And it will be more devastating. I don't know what happened, but I also don't want to -- sometimes don't want to find out how he suffered.

LIN: Really.

JERATH: And it's really hurtful to get a small fragment. So I'm -- I have like double emotions about this. On the other hand, I want to know everything that happened that day. How it's 3 1/2 years later and it's still a mystery as to where he is, where my husband is and where some other 1160 people.

LIN: You know, it's part of the human condition to want to have resolution, to have a funeral, to have something that confirms in one's mind that indeed our loved one is gone. Do you feel -- I mean, have you resolved within yourself that your husband died on that day, September 11th?

JERATH: I -- you know, the better judgment, yes, I know that's what probably happened. And -- but there is that little hope, little part of me that doesn't want to believe that. But I have come to some sort of terms with it. And I think with the advancement in technology in DNA technology in the future, they will probably find out the remaining remains. LIN: So you still have hope? You still have hope in a sense that one day you're going to get a phone call about your husband, Prem.

JERATH: Yes. I do hope for that.

LIN: Well, we wish you well. And I know it's been a very tough process. Three and a half years can sound like a long time, but not when you've had a loss that you've had. Thank you very much for joining us today.

JERATH: Thank you very much.

LIN: You know, every week we like to bring you the more personal stories from the front lines. Today we want to take a look at a controversy over maintaining troop strengths on those lines. With the military struggling to find and keep new recruits, some lawmakers and gay rights activists and advocates say the Pentagon's ban on gays is simply too costly. So here's our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In 1997, Steve Boeckels was a West Point cadet with a secret he couldn't even admit to himself.

STEVE BOECKELS, FORMER U.S. ARMY 1LT: I didn't feel like I was gay at the time. Even though I have always been gay. I was basically in denial with my own sexuality.

MCINTYRE: At his graduation, he shook hands with presidents whose "don't ask, don't tell" policy was supposed to make it easier for soldiers like him to serve. Now Boeckels, a former cavalry scout platoon sergeant is out of the closet and consequently out of uniform.

BOECKELS: With this policy it's clear, and believe (ph) me, obvious, that you are basically kicking people out that more than want to serve, put their life on the line.

MCINTYRE: Gay rights advocate advocates and their supporters in Congress say with the military struggling to meet recruiting and retention goals, it is time to revisit the 1993 compromise that requires gays and lesbians to keep their sexual orientation secret if they want to stay in the U.S. military. A just released study Government Accounting Office study estimates the Pentagon has spent roughly $200 million over the last decade to recruit and train more than 10,000 replacements for homosexuals who were booted out.

The report also notes that at the same time the U.S. military is paying bonuses to kill jobs such as translators, it is discharging hundreds of people, many with the same skills. President Clinton was forced to abandon his campaign promise to end the discrimination against gays in the military by a Congress swayed by the argument the ban was needed to maintain good order and discipline.

PETER SPRIGG, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: People serving in the military have the right to be free of the fear that they're in the barracks or in a foxhole of somebody of the same sex who may be viewing them as a sexual object.

MCINTYRE: But in recent years in both Iraq and Afghanist, U.S. troops have served alongside allies who permit gays to serve, including Britain, Australia, Italy and Spain. Britain lifted its ban on gays five years ago. And now the Royal Navy has begun actively encouraging them to enlist.

BOECKELS: Absolutely. It's not just myself. I think America's ready for it.

MCINTYRE (on camera): Next week Massachusetts Congressman Martin Meehan, who commissioned the GAO report, will introduce a bill to repeal the ban, but with Congress even more conservative now than it was in 1993, the prospects for passage are uncertain at best. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And straight ahead on CNN LIVE SATURDAY, we're going to have a little fun now. Glitz and glamour. Hollywood's biggest stars prepare for their biggest night. But all everyone wants to know who is wearing what? Stylist Philip Block is going to give me the scoop. So stick around.

But first, a look at one of America's most admired companies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: They might have the hardest job in Hollywood. Now stuntmen say they deserve an Oscar of their own. And they're doing something about it. That's straight ahead on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Hollywood celebs have their hopes up, and their wardrobes planned for tomorrow night's Academy Awards. And fashion, of course, is a big part of the Oscar show's appeal. Noted Hollywood stylist Philip Block joins me now from the red carpet of the Kodak Theatre.

Philip, can you feel the vibe just standing out there? Is it hot?

PHILIP BLOCK, FASHION CRITIC: You can just feel it. It's sexy. And it's got a lot of excitement. But I want to know who you were talking to if you think that anybody's made up their mind yet you're crazy.

LIN: Really? Oh, come on.

BLOCK: Oh, my G-d. Pandemonium. Absolute pandemonium. The stylists are running around, the designers are running around. No one knows anything yet. It seems like one of the more confused years that I've ever seen. It's really funny. Very, very funny. LIN: Who do we really care about now that I know that Nicole Kidman is not going to be standing there in some fabulous Christian Dior on stage.

BLOCK: Or a little Chanel, maybe.

LIN: Or a little Chanel. But who is the glamour factor this year?

BLOCK: Definitely Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett and buhbubuhbuhbuh-Beyonce. It's all about Beyonce. She's going to be performing and rumored to be wearing Eli Sabe (ph), who Halle Berry one two years ago when she won. Halle will be there looking glamorous but no idea what she's wearing yet.

So it is very interesting, Barbra Streisand. You can count on Babs for a little Donna Karan. But who knows, maybe she'll change it up this year. Penelope Cruz. Penelope Cruz is another good one. We hear she'll wear Oscar de la Renta.

LIN: And she is single now. So she's got something to strut. Now, you know, we often talk about dresses, but all the talk is about a pair of shoes. And you sent us this picture. And it is absolutely dazzling. Stewart Weitzman. Are those real, those stones?

BLOCK: The shoes are real. The stones are actually crystal. And there are a pair of earrings that Marilyn Monroe wore. It was her favorite earrings apparently. And they got them from Christies and they mounted them in this shoe. And Regina King from "Ray," she gave a brilliant performance in "Ray," she was telling me all about the shoes. And she feels like a princess in them. And with a million dollar pair of shoes, you better feel like a princess.

LIN: Wait. A million dollar and those are just crystals?

BLOCK: Well, they're actually priceless. They're saying a million dollars but they're priceless because the earrings are not up for auction. So there is no price on them. So they're saying over a million dollar value.

LIN: Well, the word is accessories because there is a clutch out there. Tell me these are black and white diamonds that we're seeing on this purse? And who is going to be carrying it?

BLOCK: Actually, last year, Charlize Theron wore the black and white diamond one. It was very good luck, as we know, for her role in "Monster." But this year Kate Winslet will be carrying the Cleopatra clutch from Lana Marks. And it is amazing. Forty carats of diamonds and white sapphires and valued at over $100,000. For a purse. Who has anything to put in a purse after that?

LIN: I know, but I don't see a lot of color here. What's the color this year?

BLOCK: I think we're going to be all over the place. We're seeing a lot of creams, and golds, metallics are very, very big in the shoes and the bags. But will we see them in the dress is the question? A lot of pastels, as usual. It is springtime. The sun is out finally. No more rain for a day or two, we hope. So I think a lot of beautiful pastels. And always black. You can't go wrong on the red carpet with a glamorous, simple black dress.

LIN: No, never. Don't expect to see you in one tomorrow night, but, Philip?

BLOCK: No, no, but I'll whip up something cute. I'll be on the red carpet.

LIN: All right, you sexy thing. Thank you so much Philip Block for the preview.

BLOCK: Check us out on CNN tomorrow at, when do we go on? 4:00 L.A. time.

LIN: You bet. We'll be here, baby. Thanks, much. In the meantime, straight ahead tonight, should Hollywood stuntmen have an Oscar of their own? Well, they think so. And they're doing something about it. But first, here's Al Hunt to tell us what's ahead on the CAPITAL GANG.

AL HUNT, THE CAPITAL GANG: Senator John Sununu joins the Gang to look at a Bush/Putin reunion in Europe, a tough sell on the Social Security plan and secret Bush tapes that aren't so secret anymore. All that and more next on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: As Hollywood stars take the stage tomorrow night to receive their Academy Awards, there will be no Oscars for the actors who look like the stars on screen. Donna Tetrault reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONNA TETRAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine "Ben Hur" without the famous chariot race. And there's no way to pull off a James Bond film without an action-packed chase sequence. They're the kinds of scenes that have you sitting at the edge of your seat. But without stuntmen, you can forget about the rush.

SCOTT WAUGH, PRESIDENT, STUNTS UNLIMITED: The studios and executives are all willing and use our work to market their films. If you look at all the trailers. 80 percent of a trailer is our work. Yet we don't get recognized by the Academy.

TETRAULT: Scott Waugh has been a stuntman for 20 years. He was a stunt double for Sean Penn in the movie "U-Turn." and it's Scott, not Andy Garcia in "Desperate Measures" jumping through this window and hanging on for dear life.

But there's never been an Oscar for stuntmen and this year is no different. And the Academy's response is "The subject of an award for stunt people has come up several times in the past decade and a half and has been rejected by the board each time." (on camera): And even though Oscar won't support it, for the first time in history, the screen actors guild is now in support of a category for best stunt coordinator. For Waugh, this is a huge jump forward, but the Oscar remains elusive.

WAUGH: We've been supposedly fooling the audience for 80 years about what we do because everyone is supposed to be under the illusion that only the actors are doing these stunts. And, unfortunately, I think we've fooled the Academy for this long as well.

TETRAULT (voice-over): Donna Tetrault for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, that's all the time we have for this hour, but please join me at 10:00 Eastern because we're going to have much, much more on the BTK killer. In fact, I'm going to be speaking with the television reporter, the anchor who received correspondence from the killer.

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

Aired February 26, 2005 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A big sigh of relief heard in Wichita, Kansas, today. A suspect in the infamous BTK killer case is behind bars tonight. Complete coverage straight ahead. And searching for Jessica. Hundreds of people in Florida join the search for the missing 9-year-old girl. A live report from her hometown coming up.
It is February 26, and you're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

Good evening from CNN's global headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Lin and here's what's happening right now in the news.

A serial killer suspect is under arrest in Wichita, Kansas. Police say he brutally tortured and murdered ten people from 1974 to 1991. CNN's Jonathan Freed is live from Wichita on the BTK killer.

Accusation today are intensifying over who is behind last night's suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. An Israeli official is blaming the Islamic Jihad militant group and Syria. A live report from Israel is coming up in just nine minutes.

And the founder of the human rights group Amnesty International has died. Peter Benenson passed away last night at a hospital in Oxford, England. Benenson started Amnesty International in 1961 as a one-year campaign to win the release of prisoners of conscience. Now, the group has almost 2 million supporters. Benenson was 83 years old.

BTK, for decades, those three letters have terrified Wichita, Kansas. A serial killer who bound, tortured and killed struck the community time and again. But now police say a suspect is finally behind bars. His name is Dennis Rader and he faces multiple counts of first degree murder. He was picked up during a routine traffic stop. CNN's Jonathan Freed is live in Wichita with that story.

Jonathan, so many stories unfolding as to how police caught up with this man. One of them being a routine traffic stop. What do you know about how these events unfolded?

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, there are indeed a number of stories. And police are purposefully holding that back right now. Because they are very conscious of not wanting to say anything that might indirectly, directly, inadvertently jeopardize their case.

I can tell you, though, that they are saying that if the details of this case come out, people are going to come face-to-face with evil.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREED (voice-over): The images of the bodies have haunted the people of Wichita for three decades. At least ten people murdered by the serial kill here coined his own nickname. The "BTK" strangler for "bind, torture and kill." Police have known all along with eight of the victims and added two more at a news conference Saturday morning. Then, with victims' families looking on, the chief of police first exhaled for the community. And then said the words people have waited a generation to hear.

CHIEF NORMAN WILLIAMS, WICHITA POLICE: The bottom line -- BTK is arrested.

FREED: The suspect is 59-year-old Dennis Rader of Park City, just north of Wichita. Arrested for first degree murder on Friday. Police aren't releasing many details and won't yet say what led them to him. But local news media are reporting investigators obtained a DNA match. CNN affiliate KAKE TV reports Rader works for the city enforcing local ordinances and is a dog catcher.

LT. KEN LANDWEHR, WICHITA POLICE: Joseph Otero. Julie Otero.

FREED: It took time for the lead investigator to read the names of the victims out loud.

LANDWEHR: Catherine Bright.

FREED: It was painful for their families to hear. But everyone here knew it was necessary. Police now allege that BTK strangler killed ten people between 1974 and 1991. The killer was notorious for toying with police by sending cryptic notes and packages to the media, enclosing things like trophy photos taken at crime scenes. KAKE reports the suspect has been the president of his local Lutheran church. And in his Park City community, shock that police say the demon may feared has been living among them all the time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have to be really sick to do things like he did. And my baby's playing in the yard right here with him. It's just -- I don't know how to tell you how I feel. I'm just flabbergasted.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREED (on camera): Now, police expect the charges to be finalized with the district attorney's office here early next week. Carol?

LIN: Jonathan, what a poignant moment when authorities read out loud the names of the victims because we have to remember that there are so many sad families there that might even feel some resolution today. Do you know what the reaction of the victims' families has been to this arrest?

FREED: We do. Some of them -- most of them, in fact, really did not want to talk to the media today. Some going so fast as to put their hand up in front of some cameras and really signaling that they wanted to be left alone. But others that we spoke to, albeit briefly, it was important to them, although painful, it was important for them to be in the room and to hear the words spoken by the chief of police after waiting 30 years for this day.

LIN: Certainly. All right. The case continues. Thanks very much. Jonathan Freed reporting live.

Coming up at 10 o'clock Eastern tonight I'm talking with the KAKE television anchor who has followed this case from the very beginning. And in fact, has been communicating with the suspect over the airwaves. Larry Hatteberg is my guest. And also please tune in on Monday night at 10:00 Eastern for a one-hour special on the BTK killer. That's on NEWSNIGHT Monday night.

Right now we want to move to California where police say they have a suspect in the disappearance of a retired couple. Skyler Deleon is a convicted burglar. Authorities say they're preparing to file murder charges against him in the case of Tom and Jackie Hawks. The couple has not been seen since November. They vanished around the time they sold their yacht to Deleon. Police believe they are dead. Now, Deleon says he bought the ship for $400,000 cash. His lawyer says he is surprised by the allegations against his client.

And there's another strange twist to the case. Deleon's wife says he was a child actor who appeared in the Mighty Morphing (sic) Power Rangers television show. If it can get any stranger, we'll let you know.

In the meantime, elsewhere across America, lawyers for the parents of a brain-damaged woman in Florida promise more legal action to help keep her alive on a feeding tube. A judge ruled yesterday that Terri Schiavo's husband can stop her tube feedings March 18th. The husband and the parents have been fighting each other in court for several years over whether to let Schiavo die.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger offers up no regrets for using steroids in his body building past. Schwarzenegger tells ABC News he took the performance-enhancing drugs under a doctor's supervision when they were new, experimental and legal.

Pop star Michael Jackson's attorney in his child molestation trial says he'll tell jurors Monday the accuser's mother has engaged in a pattern of fraud. Thomas Mesereau is preparing for opening statements.

Now we want to move overseas to a high stakes blame game over last night's bombing at a Tel Aviv nightclub. Israel's defense minister is pointing at Syria and the Islamic Jihad militant group today, saying they are behind the renewed bloodshed. Our Guy Raz is in Jerusalem. Guy, give us some background here. What does Islamic Jihad have a connection with Syria?

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Islamic Jihad has offices in Damascus, Syria, also in Beirut, Lebanon. And that is where that group publicly took responsibility for this attack. Now, interestingly, Islamic Jihad's leaders in Gaza in the Palestinian territories have denied any responsibility for this attack. In fact, it could signal some kind of fracture within the group. Now, earlier today, the young man who carried out the attack was identified as 22- year-old Abdullah Bidran, a university student from the northern West Bank. The young man, his family is describing as a religious man. And the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas came out very strongly today to condemn the attack in no uncertain terms. He ordered the arrest of at least three people as well, suspected of being involved in the attack. And he blamed what he called a third party for carrying out the attacks. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHMOUD ABBAS, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT (through translator): There is a third party which wants to sabotage this peace process and to mistreat the Palestinian aspirations, the Palestinian interests and the goals of the Palestinian people. We will not hesitate for a minute in capturing the people responsible and bringing them to justice to be punished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAZ: Now, Carol, originally the suspicion had fallen on Hezbollah. A militant group based in southern Lebanon. But over the past several hours, as those claims of responsibility have been coming from Beirut and Damascus from leaders of Islamic Jihad, it is becoming fairly clear that that group was, in fact, behind this attack. Now, shortly before this young man carried out the suicide blast that left four people dead outside a nightclub in Tel Aviv, he recorded a video statement. In that statement he is seen surrounded by flags of Islamic Jihad. He also accuses the Palestinian Authority of, quote, "collaborating with Israel and the United States." So clearly this attack was aimed not just at Israel but also directly at the Palestinian Authority. Carol?

LIN: A message indeed. Thank you very much. Guy Raz reporting live from Jerusalem.

In the meantime, staying in the Middle East, sabotaged oil fields and more bombings and the killing of an Iraqi television anchorwoman dominate the headlines out of Baghdad today. U.S. and Iraqi forces are going after insurgents in a big way in "Operation River Blitz." they're concentrating their efforts on villages in the western province of Al Anbar along the Euphrates River. U.S. Marine commanders believe foreign fighters and insurgents move back and forth across the border from Syria. From these small towns, they plan and carry out attacks in Ramadi and Mosul. There's even concern that the most wanted man in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, is hiding in that area.

The Vatican says Pope John Paul II is dealing with his latest health crisis, displaying even some wit and humor. But the pope will skip saying a traditional angelus prayer tomorrow. Doctors have advised him not to speak for several days while he recovers from a throat operation. But he is expected to participate from his hospital room symbolically at least. The Vatican says the pope has joked about his health concerns, suggesting he is one tough cookie.

Across the country police are simply stumped by a very different case. A 9-year-old girl has vanished without a trace from her home in rural Florida. Hundreds of people have spent another day searching for Jessica Marie Lunsford. Our Susan Candiotti is following that story in Homosassa. Susan, I think what is most shocking about this case is that this little girl may have been snatched right from her bed as her grandparents were in the house.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And yet police are not calling this an abduction, a kidnapping yet. They continue to say at this point they have no hard evidence that she was kidnapped. But clearly that's what a lot of people are thinking. Over my shoulder you can see that squad car and just beyond that is the house where Jessica lives. Investigators say they're working all the angles, but the sheriff says so far they have nothing to hang their hat on. Not very encouraging news for the father, for the police and for everyone who had hoped to find Jessica by now.

The search for her is into its third day since the youngster's bed was discovered empty on Thursday morning. Jessica lives with her father and grandparents and has had little contact with her mother since birth. But she came here from Ohio today. Police have cleared her in the disappearance. Police, in fact, are not calling anyone a suspect. The father and grandparents showed no deception, police say, on lie detector tests that they have taken. Experts are analyzing their voices during those tests. And more than 200 calls have come in to try to help from all over the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHERIFF JEFF DAWSY, CITRUS COUNTY, FLORIDA: We're getting a lot of Internet correspondence from across the country, and that has panned out with not to be very constructive. We've received a lot of phone calls, conversations, cell phone issues saying we've seen the girl here, we've seen the girl there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now, Jessica's father is thankful, he says, for the many volunteers who have come. More than 500 from as far away as Orlando, a couple hours away, coming to help look for the little girl.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK LUNSFURD, JESSUCA LUNSFORD'S FATHER: We're going to find her. She's coming home. I'm frightened that we're not going to find her or anything bad. She's coming home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: One problem here, the weather. The sheriff says the forecast for tomorrow is not good. He says that will not help in their search. But they will be out here first thing in the morning again to continue to look for her. One last thing we wanted to add and that is that Atlanta braves pitcher Mike Hampton has donated $25,000 as a reward to help in this search. He's a native of this area.

LIN: Susan, taking a look at Jessica's picture, she looks like a pretty spunky little girl. Do her parents or any of the folks you've been talking to tell you anything about her personality, something that may actually help her survive wherever she may be?

CANDIOTTI: Well, certainly she is said to be very outgoing, a very loving little girl. And they certainly say it would be totally out of her character to run away from home. That's what the grandparents are saying about that. Now, of course, does that mean that she might be open to, for example, if someone came to the house and asked her to walk out? Who is to say? The police certainly aren't commenting on that as a possibility.

LIN: All right. Last seen in her pajamas at 10:00 at night. Thank you very much. Susan Candiotti reporting live.

Getting back to our top story, you know, it may be case solved for the BTK killer, but questions do remain unanswered. And in the end did he actually want to be captured? And who may have actually led police to the suspect? Up next, I'm going to put those questions to former FBI agent Don Clark who has been talking to people close to the case since the arrest. He's even tracked the serial killer.

Also, marking a sad milestone. 12 years ago today, the first attack on the World Trade Center. And today, a new monument is unveiled. And later ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With this policy, it's clear and obvious that you're keeping people out that are more than willing to serve, put their life on the line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Don't ask, don't tell. Could a policy change be just around the corner?

(COMMERIAL BREAK)

LIN: Getting back to our top story -- it's an arrest 30 years in the making. Police in Wichita, Kansas, say they have a suspect in the city's notorious BTK killings. Standing for bind, torture and kill. What led them to Dennis Rader is likely as fascinating as where the case goes actually from here. My guest is Don Clark, a former FBI special agent who has tracked serial killers in the past. Don, you've been working your contacts. There's still a mystery about how the police were able to make this arrest. What have you learned?

DON CLARK, FORMER FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Well, they've been giving out a lot of signs about letters and things that have been written, but from information I've been able to gather today, Carol, that it may have been his daughter who just detected some suspicious activity and perhaps not knowing what evidence that she may have had or information, but she may have been the one that did go to the police and suggest that, hey, my dad's doing something suspicious and that brought the attention to her father.

LIN: His daughter?

CLARK: Yes.

LIN: His daughter, a grown daughter? An adult daughter?

CLARK: Yes. Yes. From the information that I have that it's an adult daughter. And I don't know what details that she gave the police. And clearly I haven't had the opportunity to talk to the police. And they wouldn't give out that information anyway. But that's the information that I've gotten up to this point.

LIN: Well, let's talk about the man himself. Dennis Rader, 59 years old, from various local reports out in Wichita, from local and TV, that he was a dogcatcher, president of the local Lutheran church. I mean, you could not find someone more ordinary than this man. He could be your next-door neighbor.

CLARK: Well, he was their next-door neighbor. And I think the appearance was he was an ordinary person. But clearly what the police are saying is that he was by no means an ordinary person. Keep in mind, too, carol, that this person apparently all along wanted some attention. And I don't want to get on that slippery slope of being a profiler, but when you look at the things he did in 1978 such as calling the police and calling the media and saying, what do I have to do, kill again to get some attention? That shows you that as time went along, that he had some desires to want to get some attention for the things he was doing.

LIN: A lot of secrecy surrounding what led police to his arrest. Maybe his daughter, there was some circumstances of maybe a routine traffic stop is where they actually got this guy. They are so sure -- they had this news conference and they said, we have the BTK killer. What are authorities so nervous about right now in this case?

CLARK: Well, I think that they have the evidence. And we don't.

LIN: What kind of evidence, though? I mean, what kind of evidence do you have to be to be that sure?

CLARK: Well, I suspect that they could very well have some DNA evidence by this time. And if, in fact, that it was the daughter, as I've told you earlier, that I had information that reported some suspicious activity of her father, it is very likely that they could have taken DNA evidence from the daughter to compare it to some of the evidence which they had from the victims and which this person is accused of killing. And that would have given them a great connection. They're coming out, Carol, really strong with the fact that we've got our guy. And police agencies don't do that unless they've got something that's really hard and cold.

LIN: Don, a couple seconds left. Connect the dots here. If they have DNA evidence, would that explain the two additional cases that they have been able to charge him with? It used to be eight for the BTK killer. Suddenly, now it's a total of ten murder counts. CLARK: Clearly that could be the connection. It could be the DNA evidence. It could very well be some other particles that they picked up at the scene. But over the 30-year gap, I'm going to have to say that they are relying on DNA.

LIN: Don Clark, great to have you on this case. You've been with us pretty much from the start. Don Clark, FBI.

CLARK: Thanks, Carol.

LIN: Well, shifting gears now, straight ahead here on CNN LIVE SATURDAY, so much to talk about death an destruction. We want to talk about Oscars. Let's have a little fun. It's Hollywood's big night one day away. And we are live from the red carpet for a preview.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol. About 24 more hour, 26 to be exact. And those Oscars will be handed out. I'm here on the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre. The Oscar statues are brought out, some of them being spray painted as we speak. The beautiful flowers are here. The stars will be here tomorrow. Now, after the break, I'll take you inside one of Oscars' most recognized films this year, "The Aviator." So keep it with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Oscar hopefuls are getting ready to go for the gold. It's tomorrow night. Hollywood hands out the academy awards for the 77th time. And we have three previews this hour. Up first, CNN entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood right now. Brooke, you're going to give us a tour?

ANDERSON: I am Carol. Hi there. We're here. The statues have been brought out, the flowers are here. The stars will be here tomorrow. This is Tinsel Town's biggest awards show. One of the films you'll be hearing a lot about at the ceremony tonight is "The Aviator." Now I don't want to talk just about the film itself. I want to go inside the film. Inside the relationship of the main people portrayed, and that would be Howard Hughes and Katharine Hepburn, and indeed it was a romance fit for the silver screen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEONARDO DICAPRIO, ACTOR: Fastest man on the planet.

CATE BLANCETT, ACTRESS: How marvelous.

ANDERSON (voice-over): It's clear from "The Aviator" that Howard Hughes was a ladies man but one woman in his was extremely special.

DICAPRIO: I think Howard Hughes in his obsessiveness latched on to wanting to meet Katharine Hepburn.

BLANCHETT: You have to be very careful.

DICAPRIO: And then obsessively bothered her constantly until she'd go out with him. BLANCHETT: Howard?

DICAPRIO: Yeah.

BLANCHETT: There's a rather alarming mountain heading our way.

DICAPRIO: Pull back on the wheel a smidge.

BLANCHETT: I think the whole flying metaphor is really perfect for their relationship. Because they were -- you know, they were aloft.

ANDERSON: Pulitzer Prize winning biographer A. Scott Berg had a 20-year friendship with Hepburn and turned their candid conversations into the best seller "Kate Rembered." He said she still had strong feelings for Hughes years later.

A. SCOTT BERG, BIOGRAPHER: She obviously felt great tenderness for him. Looking back on it 40, 50 years later. I always felt that she felt it was tinged with some sadness. I think at what Hughes became.

ANDERSON: What pulled them apart? Berg believes that after Hepburn's career took a downturn in the mid '30s, the fiercely independent star had one thing on her mind, making a comeback.

BERG: She felt she had to concentrate entirely on herself and her career.

KATHARINE HEPBURN, ACTRESS: Howard was a good friend. No, I didn't want to marry him. I didn't want to marry anyone. I was too busy trying to revive my sagging career.

ANDERSON: So the relationship ended and it haunted Hughes for the rest of his life.

BERG: Hughes told a mutual friend of his and mine years later the biggest mistake he ever made in his life was not being able to convince Katharine Hepburn to marry him.

ANDERSON: But it was great fun while it lasted.

DICAPRIO: Do you like a little adventure, Ms. Hepburn.

BLANCHETT: Do your worst, Mr. Hughes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (on camera): Carol, "The Aviator" is nominated for 11 Oscars. It leads all the nominees. Some of the trophies it is up for during the ceremony tomorrow night include best director, best actor and the biggie, best picture. Back to you.

LIN: Pretty exciting. Thanks, Brooke. Looking forward to see what Brooke's going to be wearing at the big event. And also later this hour, what everybody else had be wearing, too. I'm going to get the scoop from Oscar fashion expert -- you got to believe it -- Philip Block. He's the stylist to the stars. And I'm going to be talking to him. So stick around.

In the meantime, interesting story. It was destroyed September 11th. But one tiny piece of the memorial for the victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing remains. Today a new monument is unveiled.

Plus the end of a long and sad road. They are no longer identifying the victims of 9/11. Up next tonight, I'm going to speak with a widow whose husband's remains were never found.

And it's the cost the U.S. military -- it has cost the U.S. military countless soldiers and almost $200 million. So could the "don't ask, don't tell" policy be in for a change. Find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: It's hard to believe, but today is the 12th anniversary of the first terrorist attack at the World Trade Center in New York. Six people were killed when Islamic militants detonated a bomb in one of the towers' underground parking lots. A memorial built to honor the victims was destroyed on 9/11. But now a new monument has been unveiled, one that includes a piece from the past. CNN's Alina Cho shows us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the families of the victims, the 12th anniversary of the attack began with a mass at St. Peter's Church.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God of mercy, we keep this anniversary of the death of our brothers and sister. Give them now light, happiness and peace.

CHO: Near the altar, a small wooden box. Inside, the only surviving fragments from an earlier memorial destroyed on September 11th. A piece of stone bearing the inscription "John D", from John DiGiovanni, one of the six people who died in the 1993 truck bombing. The stone now serves as the centerpiece of a new memorial unveiled Saturday near Ground Zero.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER, (D) NY: John DiGiovanni, Bob Kirkpatrick, Steven Knapp, Bill Macko, Wilfred Mercado and Monica Rodriguez Smith. They each had their lives, their joys and their sorrows, and for no good reason, for an evil reason were taken from us.

CHO: Yet despite efforts by people like Senator Schumer, the families of the 1993 attack still have not received one penny from the government. 9/11 victims collectively have received $7 billion.

MICHAEL MACKO, VICTIM'S FAMILY MEMBER: When the story of 9/11 is told, I think it needs to begin back on February 26, 1993.

CHO: Michael Macko, who lost his father bill, is aware on days like these people pay attention to the victims of the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, but is it the second the world will never forget.

(on camera): Do you think sometimes the 1993 victims are the forgotten victims?

MICHAEL MACKO, SON OF VICTIM OF FIRST WTC ATTACK: There's no question that given the magnitude and the horrors of September 11th, that it seems in comparison that what happened in 1993 isn't as important. But if you were the husband or wife or son or daughter of one of those six who died or if you were one of those more than 1,000 who were injured, it is with you every day of your life.

CHO (voice-over): For now a temporary reminder, a permanent memorial will be dedicated to the victims of both attacks in 2009. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, the families of many of the 9/11 victims are struggling to come to terms with frankly, a cruel reality. The remains of their loved ones may never be identified. This week, New York officials announced DNA technology is not advanced enough to ID more than 1100 victims. And it means Meena Jerath will never know exactly what happened to her husband who worked for the Port Authority. She joins me now.

Meena, when you heard that they stopped identifying remains, I mean, here you are, you were married to this man for more than 27 years. What was your reaction?

MEENA JERATH, HUSBAND KILLED ON 9/11: I have mixed feelings regarding this whole issue. Part of me thinks that if we found -- on one hand, if we found a small fragment of my husband, I would wonder where is the rest of him. And it will be more devastating. I don't know what happened, but I also don't want to -- sometimes don't want to find out how he suffered.

LIN: Really.

JERATH: And it's really hurtful to get a small fragment. So I'm -- I have like double emotions about this. On the other hand, I want to know everything that happened that day. How it's 3 1/2 years later and it's still a mystery as to where he is, where my husband is and where some other 1160 people.

LIN: You know, it's part of the human condition to want to have resolution, to have a funeral, to have something that confirms in one's mind that indeed our loved one is gone. Do you feel -- I mean, have you resolved within yourself that your husband died on that day, September 11th?

JERATH: I -- you know, the better judgment, yes, I know that's what probably happened. And -- but there is that little hope, little part of me that doesn't want to believe that. But I have come to some sort of terms with it. And I think with the advancement in technology in DNA technology in the future, they will probably find out the remaining remains. LIN: So you still have hope? You still have hope in a sense that one day you're going to get a phone call about your husband, Prem.

JERATH: Yes. I do hope for that.

LIN: Well, we wish you well. And I know it's been a very tough process. Three and a half years can sound like a long time, but not when you've had a loss that you've had. Thank you very much for joining us today.

JERATH: Thank you very much.

LIN: You know, every week we like to bring you the more personal stories from the front lines. Today we want to take a look at a controversy over maintaining troop strengths on those lines. With the military struggling to find and keep new recruits, some lawmakers and gay rights activists and advocates say the Pentagon's ban on gays is simply too costly. So here's our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In 1997, Steve Boeckels was a West Point cadet with a secret he couldn't even admit to himself.

STEVE BOECKELS, FORMER U.S. ARMY 1LT: I didn't feel like I was gay at the time. Even though I have always been gay. I was basically in denial with my own sexuality.

MCINTYRE: At his graduation, he shook hands with presidents whose "don't ask, don't tell" policy was supposed to make it easier for soldiers like him to serve. Now Boeckels, a former cavalry scout platoon sergeant is out of the closet and consequently out of uniform.

BOECKELS: With this policy it's clear, and believe (ph) me, obvious, that you are basically kicking people out that more than want to serve, put their life on the line.

MCINTYRE: Gay rights advocate advocates and their supporters in Congress say with the military struggling to meet recruiting and retention goals, it is time to revisit the 1993 compromise that requires gays and lesbians to keep their sexual orientation secret if they want to stay in the U.S. military. A just released study Government Accounting Office study estimates the Pentagon has spent roughly $200 million over the last decade to recruit and train more than 10,000 replacements for homosexuals who were booted out.

The report also notes that at the same time the U.S. military is paying bonuses to kill jobs such as translators, it is discharging hundreds of people, many with the same skills. President Clinton was forced to abandon his campaign promise to end the discrimination against gays in the military by a Congress swayed by the argument the ban was needed to maintain good order and discipline.

PETER SPRIGG, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: People serving in the military have the right to be free of the fear that they're in the barracks or in a foxhole of somebody of the same sex who may be viewing them as a sexual object.

MCINTYRE: But in recent years in both Iraq and Afghanist, U.S. troops have served alongside allies who permit gays to serve, including Britain, Australia, Italy and Spain. Britain lifted its ban on gays five years ago. And now the Royal Navy has begun actively encouraging them to enlist.

BOECKELS: Absolutely. It's not just myself. I think America's ready for it.

MCINTYRE (on camera): Next week Massachusetts Congressman Martin Meehan, who commissioned the GAO report, will introduce a bill to repeal the ban, but with Congress even more conservative now than it was in 1993, the prospects for passage are uncertain at best. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And straight ahead on CNN LIVE SATURDAY, we're going to have a little fun now. Glitz and glamour. Hollywood's biggest stars prepare for their biggest night. But all everyone wants to know who is wearing what? Stylist Philip Block is going to give me the scoop. So stick around.

But first, a look at one of America's most admired companies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: They might have the hardest job in Hollywood. Now stuntmen say they deserve an Oscar of their own. And they're doing something about it. That's straight ahead on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Hollywood celebs have their hopes up, and their wardrobes planned for tomorrow night's Academy Awards. And fashion, of course, is a big part of the Oscar show's appeal. Noted Hollywood stylist Philip Block joins me now from the red carpet of the Kodak Theatre.

Philip, can you feel the vibe just standing out there? Is it hot?

PHILIP BLOCK, FASHION CRITIC: You can just feel it. It's sexy. And it's got a lot of excitement. But I want to know who you were talking to if you think that anybody's made up their mind yet you're crazy.

LIN: Really? Oh, come on.

BLOCK: Oh, my G-d. Pandemonium. Absolute pandemonium. The stylists are running around, the designers are running around. No one knows anything yet. It seems like one of the more confused years that I've ever seen. It's really funny. Very, very funny. LIN: Who do we really care about now that I know that Nicole Kidman is not going to be standing there in some fabulous Christian Dior on stage.

BLOCK: Or a little Chanel, maybe.

LIN: Or a little Chanel. But who is the glamour factor this year?

BLOCK: Definitely Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett and buhbubuhbuhbuh-Beyonce. It's all about Beyonce. She's going to be performing and rumored to be wearing Eli Sabe (ph), who Halle Berry one two years ago when she won. Halle will be there looking glamorous but no idea what she's wearing yet.

So it is very interesting, Barbra Streisand. You can count on Babs for a little Donna Karan. But who knows, maybe she'll change it up this year. Penelope Cruz. Penelope Cruz is another good one. We hear she'll wear Oscar de la Renta.

LIN: And she is single now. So she's got something to strut. Now, you know, we often talk about dresses, but all the talk is about a pair of shoes. And you sent us this picture. And it is absolutely dazzling. Stewart Weitzman. Are those real, those stones?

BLOCK: The shoes are real. The stones are actually crystal. And there are a pair of earrings that Marilyn Monroe wore. It was her favorite earrings apparently. And they got them from Christies and they mounted them in this shoe. And Regina King from "Ray," she gave a brilliant performance in "Ray," she was telling me all about the shoes. And she feels like a princess in them. And with a million dollar pair of shoes, you better feel like a princess.

LIN: Wait. A million dollar and those are just crystals?

BLOCK: Well, they're actually priceless. They're saying a million dollars but they're priceless because the earrings are not up for auction. So there is no price on them. So they're saying over a million dollar value.

LIN: Well, the word is accessories because there is a clutch out there. Tell me these are black and white diamonds that we're seeing on this purse? And who is going to be carrying it?

BLOCK: Actually, last year, Charlize Theron wore the black and white diamond one. It was very good luck, as we know, for her role in "Monster." But this year Kate Winslet will be carrying the Cleopatra clutch from Lana Marks. And it is amazing. Forty carats of diamonds and white sapphires and valued at over $100,000. For a purse. Who has anything to put in a purse after that?

LIN: I know, but I don't see a lot of color here. What's the color this year?

BLOCK: I think we're going to be all over the place. We're seeing a lot of creams, and golds, metallics are very, very big in the shoes and the bags. But will we see them in the dress is the question? A lot of pastels, as usual. It is springtime. The sun is out finally. No more rain for a day or two, we hope. So I think a lot of beautiful pastels. And always black. You can't go wrong on the red carpet with a glamorous, simple black dress.

LIN: No, never. Don't expect to see you in one tomorrow night, but, Philip?

BLOCK: No, no, but I'll whip up something cute. I'll be on the red carpet.

LIN: All right, you sexy thing. Thank you so much Philip Block for the preview.

BLOCK: Check us out on CNN tomorrow at, when do we go on? 4:00 L.A. time.

LIN: You bet. We'll be here, baby. Thanks, much. In the meantime, straight ahead tonight, should Hollywood stuntmen have an Oscar of their own? Well, they think so. And they're doing something about it. But first, here's Al Hunt to tell us what's ahead on the CAPITAL GANG.

AL HUNT, THE CAPITAL GANG: Senator John Sununu joins the Gang to look at a Bush/Putin reunion in Europe, a tough sell on the Social Security plan and secret Bush tapes that aren't so secret anymore. All that and more next on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: As Hollywood stars take the stage tomorrow night to receive their Academy Awards, there will be no Oscars for the actors who look like the stars on screen. Donna Tetrault reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONNA TETRAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine "Ben Hur" without the famous chariot race. And there's no way to pull off a James Bond film without an action-packed chase sequence. They're the kinds of scenes that have you sitting at the edge of your seat. But without stuntmen, you can forget about the rush.

SCOTT WAUGH, PRESIDENT, STUNTS UNLIMITED: The studios and executives are all willing and use our work to market their films. If you look at all the trailers. 80 percent of a trailer is our work. Yet we don't get recognized by the Academy.

TETRAULT: Scott Waugh has been a stuntman for 20 years. He was a stunt double for Sean Penn in the movie "U-Turn." and it's Scott, not Andy Garcia in "Desperate Measures" jumping through this window and hanging on for dear life.

But there's never been an Oscar for stuntmen and this year is no different. And the Academy's response is "The subject of an award for stunt people has come up several times in the past decade and a half and has been rejected by the board each time." (on camera): And even though Oscar won't support it, for the first time in history, the screen actors guild is now in support of a category for best stunt coordinator. For Waugh, this is a huge jump forward, but the Oscar remains elusive.

WAUGH: We've been supposedly fooling the audience for 80 years about what we do because everyone is supposed to be under the illusion that only the actors are doing these stunts. And, unfortunately, I think we've fooled the Academy for this long as well.

TETRAULT (voice-over): Donna Tetrault for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, that's all the time we have for this hour, but please join me at 10:00 Eastern because we're going to have much, much more on the BTK killer. In fact, I'm going to be speaking with the television reporter, the anchor who received correspondence from the killer.

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