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Testimony in Murdaugh Trail; Superstar Athletes Influenced by their Dads; Death Row Inmate Claims Innocence. Aired 6:30-7a ET
Aired February 10, 2023 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[06:30:41]
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Witness testimony resumes in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh this morning. An attorney who filed a wrongful death suit against Murdaugh is expected to take the stand. The jury also hearing from Murdaugh's best friend on Thursday.
Let's go to our Randi Kaye. She is live in South Carolina again this morning.
Randi, good morning.
States witnesses, so prosecution witnesses, have put a dent in Murdaugh's timeline on that night that his wife and son were fatally shot. What did you learn in court?
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Poppy.
Some witnesses certainly for the state have placed Alex Murdaugh at the murder scene around the time of murders, even though he says he wasn't there.
But this one witness who testified yesterday almost seemed to help the defense. He told the jury that he spoke to Alex Murdaugh that night and he sounded normal.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What time was that first call?
CHRIS WILSON, FRIEND OF ALEX MURDAUGH: It looks like it was at 9:11 p.m., incoming from his cell phone.
KAYE (voice over): Alex Murdaugh's best friend, Chris Wilson, testifying that Alex called him at 9:11 p.m. the night of the murders. That would have been about 20 minutes after prosecutors say Alex's wife and son were killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he sound normal to you?
WILSON: Sounded normal, yes, sir.
KAYE: Normal is how he said Alex sounded. Wilson told Alex he had to call him back later.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what did he say?
WILSON: He said, that's fine. No problem.
KAYE: That phone call could be key. Prosecutors seem to be trying to show Alex was allegedly trying to create an alibi after the murders. Chris Wilson said he called Alex back at 9:20 p.m. And Alex told him he was almost at his mom's house.
All of this tracks with prosecutors saying Alex fired up his car and left the property where the murders took place about 9:06 p.m. that night. Alex said he was napping before that and was not with his family around the time they were killed. Wilson said Alex then sent him a text at 9:52 p.m. saying, call me if you're up. Wilson testified he called Alex back at 9:53 p.m. on the night in question to discuss a case.
WILSON: I told him I needed to talk to him.
And he said, hey, that's cool, but I'm about to get back home. Can we - can we talk tomorrow? And I said, sure, fine.
KAYE: That last phone call would have been just before Alex returned home, just before he says he found his wife and son bleeding. Alex called 911 at 10:07 p.m.
On cross examination, the defense leaned on Wilson to tell the jury what a loving family the Murdaugh's were.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you agree that Alex's number one priority was his family?
WILSON: Yes, sir, it appeared that way to me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I say his family, I'm talking about Maggie, Paul, and Buster.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And, Poppy, I've also learned that Alex Murdaugh's sister, Lynn, and his only surviving son, Buster, have been reprimanded by the court. Their seats have been moved further back from Alex Murdaugh and the witness box. Apparently Burster Murdaugh made an obscene gesture toward a witness while he was testifying. They've been warned they could be barred from the courtroom.
HARLOW: Yes. Wow. Randi Kaye, thank you for that update.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Also, in addition to that, coming up on CNN this morning -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): Jake Tapper said -
Well, what about what Jake Tapper said? I mean, what Jake Tapper said -
And Jake Tapper said.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That was Florida Senator Rick Scott yesterday on the program as he repeatedly tried to use Jake Tapper to argue his case. We're going to have Jake Tapper on to tell us what he actually said. That's ahead.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Did Jack Tapper say something?
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[06:39:01]
COLLINS: All right, last night quarterback Patrick Mahomes took home his second NFL MVP award.
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PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QUARTERBACK: First, I want to thank God for giving me this platform and putting so many amazing people around me to help support this dream I've had since I was --
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COLLINS: That's Patrick Mahomes weighing in after he won ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl.
CNN took a closer look at the quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, and how their fathers guided them and helped shape who they are today.
CNN's Coy Wire is live in Glendale, Arizona.
Coy, you know, RG3 was kind of the first person who brought this to my attention, saying, this is something people should be talking about more, how they both have these influential fathers who helped really shape the foundation for what we're going to see on Sunday.
I know you've been reporting on this. What have you learned about their stories?
COY WIRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
[06:40:00]
Kaitlan, we so often here media pointing out how star athletes had a rough upbringing, terrible family life, dad wasn't around. But that same sort of energy should be given to shed light on the stories of stars like Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes, who do have strong families and have dads who've molded them into the inspiring young men we see today.
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JALEN HURTS, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES QUARTERBACK: I'm not the man I am on the field, off the field, the quarterback I am, the leader I am, I'm none of that without him.
PATRICK MAHOMES, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QUARTERBACK: My dad's a -- he means - he means the world to me, man. I mean he -- he set an example for me of how you have to go through this business.
WIRE (voice over): Patrick Mahomes' dad had an 11 year Major League Baseball career and taught his son how to be a pro and how to persevere through adversity.
PATRICK MAHOMES: He dealt with a lot of positives. And he was in the MLB at an early age. But he also battled in the minor leagues for a long time. And he just followed -- kept following his dream and following his dream. And he was able to make it to a World Series. And it showed me that no matter if it's not -- you're not having success at that moment, if you continue to follow your dreams, you'll - you'll make it.
PAT MAHOMES, PATRICK MAHOMES' FATHER: I just try to make sure that he knows that, you know, I'm in his corner. I'm going to be there. And as long as he goes out there and does the best he can, he'll never hear a gripe from me.
WIRE: Hurts' dad was his high school football coach and Jalen's been learning about leadership from him since the days he was just a ball boy for his dads' teams.
AVERION HURTS, JALEN HURT' FATHER: It's a blessing to watch a young man that, you know, develop the passion for a sport and really, really worked hard at every level, at every turn.
WIRE (on camera): What does dad mean to you?
J. HURTS: I feel like I'm a direct reflection of him and a spitting image of him in so many ways. And I love him and I respect for him - I respect him for how tough he was on me, how honest he was with me and the man that he raised.
WIRE (voice over): The love and support these Super Bowl star quarterbacks received from dads is shaping them into great leaders in their own right, not just for their teams. Mahomes is now a dad. Father of two, leading, guiding. And while Hurts isn't a dad, he's well aware of the influence he can have on the next generation.
J. HURTS: You don't really realize the impact you're doing until you reflect on it. And I think to have these opportunities and be able to represent so many different people, something I definitely have on my heart when I'm out there playing. You know, I definitely not forget where I come from and, most importantly, I know that there are kids out there watching. There's always kids out there watching.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Powerful stuff. Powerful stuff.
Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts finishing first and second in NFL MVP voting respectively. And of all the players we've spoken to this week, Kaitlan, we asked them, what makes these two young men special? The first thing they say, the very first thing they say is the way they lead. They have strong hearts and strong minds. They got those qualities from dad.
COLLINS: I know. And you just can't help for -- but root for them. And a salute to their dads. I mean that is like truly an amazing story, Coy. I'm so glad you looked into that for us. Thank you.
HARLOW: I love that. Coy, thank you.
COLLINS: It's awesome.
HARLOW: Ahead, lawyers in Oklahoma in a race against time to save the life of a death row inmate, Richard Glossip, before his execution date. The evidence they say proves his innocence. That is next.
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[06:47:14]
HARLOW: Well, this morning, Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip's lawyers are scrambling to save his life as his execution date nears. Glossip was sentenced to death in the 1997 murder for hire killing of his boss. He has always maintained his innocence. His lawyers say they can prove it. Our Brynn Gingras reports.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a collect call from --
RICHARD GLOSSIP: Richard.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An incarcerated individual at Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): At least once a week the defense team for Richard Glossip connect on the phone.
GLOSSIP: The one thing that I wanted out of all of this is so people could know that I was innocent.
GINGRAS: Sometimes a catch up. Other times to talk strategy on how to save the life of the Oklahoma man on death row.
GINGRAS (on camera): What was the moment where you saw something and you were just, wow, this guy's innocent?
DON KNIGHT, RICHARD GLOSSIP DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We've always been looking for sort of a smoking gun. And we have found pieces along the way that have sort of added all up to everything. MERI WRIGHT, PARALEGAL WORKING GLOSSIP'S CASE: It's hard to not feel
emotionally attached to the case. But also to Rich himself, you know? It's an extraordinary burden to try to save another human being's life.
GINGRAS (voice over): Glossip is staring down his ninth execution date, May 18th. It's the latest delay in a year's long string of reprieves and stays. This one coming at the order of Oklahoma's newly elected attorney general, who appointed a special counsel, saying in a statement, circumstances surrounding this case necessitate a thorough review.
KNIGHT: It's the right thing to do, to give somebody a chance to do a deep dive.
GINGRAS: In an exclusive phone call, Glossip says e just filled out paperwork for his last meal and burial plans when he got the news.
GLOSSIP: I don't know. It's really hard to describe the feeling because it's been so long. But we're finally here. So, all you can have is hope. It's like having a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel finally.
GINGRAS: The former motel manager is twice convicted of being the mastermind in the murder for hire plot in the killing of his boss, Barry Van Treese, in 1997. It was another employee, Justin Sneed, who admitted to killing Van Treese. He received a life sentence in exchange for his testimony accusing Glossip of concocting the plan. Glossip has always maintained his innocence.
GLOSSIP: It's one of the scariest things you have to go through in life, I mean especially if you're an innocent person, to know that they're going to take your life for something you had nothing to do with.
GINGRAS: Last year, a bipartisan group of 34 state lawmakers hired international law firm Reed Smith to conduct an independent investigation into the case. The effort, led by Republican State Representative Kevin McDugle, who's vowed to repeal the death penalty in Oklahoma if Glossip is executed.
[06:50:00]
STATE REP. KEVIN MCDUGLE (R-OK): Our lawmakers who, in the past, have not been able to say that they're against death row because it's not the Republican thing to do, a lot of them have now come out and they're saying, hey, we really need to look at this because what's happened to Richard Glossip is not right and we need to make sure that in Oklahoma our death penalty process is pure and that it's just.
GINGRAS: At the conclusion of Reed Smith's more than 300-page report, an investigator announced no reasonable juror hearing the complete record would have convicted Richard Glossip of first-degree murder. The findings went before the Oklahoma Criminal Court of Appeals last fall but requests for a new hearing were denied.
KNIGHT: So, these are documents that we brought back from the attorney general's office.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
GINGRAS: Since the report's release, Reed Smith and Glossip's team say they have uncovered even more evidence proving his innocence, including paperwork showing Sneed tried multiple times to recant his testimony.
GINGRAS (on camera): And he says, there's something I need to clean up.
KNIGHT: Right. Right.
GINGRAS: What do you think it was?
KNIGHT: That was shocking to me when I saw those papers, that we always suspected that Justin Sneed really wanted to, at some point, tell the truth. But from those papers we could tell that even though he was trying to, his lawyer at the time, Gina Walker, was telling him, don't do it.
GINGRAS (voice over): The Oklahoma county public defender's office, responsible for Sneed's attorney at the time, declined to comment.
GINGRAS (on camera): What are you guys asking for?
KNIGHT: Bottom line is, Rich Glossip needs a new trial. One where all of the evidence is presented to a jury. And this guy, who's - who's looking at this, this independent counsel, has a chance to look at all of it and then he will talk to the attorney general and they'll figure out what's the right thing to do in this case. So, I have to be hopeful at this moment.
GINGRAS (voice over): Behind bars, Glossip write poetry. He's gotten married. And he prays.
GLOSSIP: I've been through this so many times, but it's still scary. It will always be scary until they finally open this door and let me go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARLOW: Brynn Gingras is with us.
Brynn, excellent reporting. Thank you very much.
So, the person who actually committed the murder admitted to it.
GINGRAS: Yes.
HARLOW: Because of his testimony against Glossip, got life in prison. Glossip, who no one denies was not even in the room during the murder, is on death row and about to be executed. Is that justice?
GINGRAS: I mean, listen, I don't think Richard Glossip's defense team thinks it's justice. And if you see that story, they are uncovering evidence still. This man has been screaming his innocence for 26 years. And it wasn't until Don Knight and his team said, OK, let's listen. Let's take a look into this. And also change in power in Oklahoma said, we believe in full transparency. We're going to give you more documents. They got some last summer. I mean that's how long they've been waiting to get some of the paperwork on their hands.
So, is it justice? Who knows? But here's one thing I really want to point out. The paralegal for the defense team, Meri, she says, you know, it's a safe place to believe that our justice system is right, but if people say they're innocent and say, look, I have the documents to prove it, maybe we should start listening.
HARLOW: And that's what they're asking for is just a new trial to take a look at new evidence.
GINGRAS: Yes.
HARLOW: What -- so where does this go from here?
GINGRAS: Yes, it's unclear. This is honestly unprecedented in Oklahoma that the AG appointed this special counsel. He could bring in the governor. He could make a decision to bring this to the lower courts, the district courts. They also have a petition, an appeal into the Supreme Court about what the Criminal Court of Appeals decided just last fall. So, it's very unclear.
It is important to note that the AG id this whole process of appointing the special prosecutor with -- after talking and consulting with the Van Treese family. We actually reached out to the Van Treese family as well but they didn't want to comment on this story.
HARLOW: Yes, that is the victim - the victim's family.
GINGRAS: Yes.
HARLOW: Just, before you go, I have been so struck following this case for a few years now at how many conservatives, very conservative Oklahoma Republican lawmakers have been screaming that Glossip needs a new trial.
GINGRAS: Yes.
HARLOW: You need to look at this new evidence. People who are very pro-capital punishment are saying, wait, stop, don't do this, right?
GINGRAS: Yes.
HARLOW: And I just wonder what you make of that and the fact that there has been new evidence during this delay.
GINGRAS: Yes, people's whose elections could be jeopardized with this opinion. Don Knight, he's doing it pro bono. You know, these are people who firmly believe that he should be set free.
As far as the sort of bipartisan effort here, it's so interesting, especially in such a rich red state. HARLOW: Yes.
GINGRAS: And there are - there is some progress, right? There is this thing called Death Watch that Richard describes to me as you're in a cell for 30 days before you're executed where you just have a book and a blanket. You have 24-hour surveillance. You actually watch mock executions. They tell you what's going to happen to you.
HARLOW: Wow.
GINGRAS: That used to be 30 days ahead of your execution date in Oklahoma. Now it's seven. So, there are some minor changes. But, of course, this case is so big in that state. We'll see what happens out of it.
HARLOW: Brynn, thank you, again, for all of that reporting and all that work.
GINGRAS: All right, thank you.
HARLOW: Don.
LEMON: All right, thank you, Poppy. Thank you, Brynn (ph).
Hope is fading in the ongoing search for survivors of the devastating earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria.
[06:55:01]
Chef Jose Andres is there. He's going to join us, live.
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AYMAN DIRI, LOST HIS BROTHER AND EIGHT NEPHEWS IN THE EARTHQUAKE (through translator): We're heart broken. My brother's whole family is under the rubble. Not a single one was found alive. May God have mercy on them.
We were hoping to retrieve them alive, but given the condition of the building, there are only 20 centimeters between the ceiling and ground. So, in this situation, we hope for the best, but we must be realistic.
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[07:00:02]
LEMON: Boy, oh, boy. Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us.
That man you just saw, that you just heard from, he lost his brother, eight nephews.
