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CNN Larry King Live
Interviews With James McGreevey, John Walsh
Aired October 26, 2006 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, CNN HOST (voice-over): Tonight, exclusive, New Jersey's gay ex-governor James McGreevey will he and his partner be saying "I do" if the state legalizes same-sex marriage? He'll give you that answer plus his take on yesterday's controversial ruling by New Jersey's highest court.
And, the lurid e-mail scandal surrounding gay ex-congressman Mark Foley.
And then, John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted," his son's abduction and murder turned him into a relentless fighter against evil, his take on the recent rash of school shootings, protecting our kids from Internet predators and more. And he'll answer your calls and e-mails.
And it's all next on LARRY KING LIVE.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Good evening.
John Walsh in a little while.
We start in Vancouver, Canada with James McGreevey, the former Democratic governor of New Jersey, left office in November of 2004, the author of the best-selling memoir "The Confession."
The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled that gay and lesbian partners are constitutionally entitled to the same legal rights and financial benefits of heterosexual couples. But, concerning marriage, they threw it back to the legislature.
What did you think of the ruling, James?
JAMES MCGREEVEY, FORMER GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY: Larry, I thought it was a step in the right direction. I mean the court recognized the importance of providing for full constitutional benefits for two individuals provided they're in love and they're willing to make that commitment.
I would have preferred them to take the next step and also embrace the notion of marriage. I think it's important to show total equality, not just (INAUDIBLE) equality but a full recognition of the importance of a committed relationship. KING: But you vetoed a similar law didn't you?
MCGREEVEY: Well, we passed domestic partnership. I didn't embrace gay marriage as governor, Larry. I mean part of it was I was in the closet myself. I was afraid and frankly it was also the easier political tact to take. It was the easier road to follow and, you know, for which I'm obviously not proud of.
But what I think is important in what the court did it said, you know, we've understood that children that are raised by gay parents they thrive. They do well. All the scientific evidence demonstrates there is no demonstrable difference between gay couples and straight couples in how they raise their children. And what we're now going to do is to provide for the full cord of benefits that are provided under marriage.
But the court then said, "Well, we're going to leave it up to the legislature to determine if we're going to use the word marriage." And my perspective is humbly this, Larry, is that we're saying that the state provides marriage for straight couples. The state should provide marriage for gay couples.
And whether a religious institution wants to provide marriage that's up to that own individual religious institution the same way as a straight couple walks in. A straight couple has to abide by the regulations of a religious tradition. What we're saying is the state itself though should provide for marriage for straight and gay couples equally and on the same level.
KING: Governor, what do you think the legislature will do?
MCGREEVEY: Well it's going to be hard pressed. I think, you know, the New Jersey electorate is very generous. I mean when I came out and announced, I mean there was actually a bump in the polls and I think, you know, New Jersey citizens significantly support gay marriage.
But, I think there have been signs that people may want to follow the safe route, which is civil unions and frankly not tackle the question of marriage. But the reason why that's so important, Larry, and, you know, I've traveled all over the country with the book, if you don't use the same word, what we're saying to children, what we're saying to gay Americans is that somehow we don't value you relationship as much as we value a heterosexual relationship.
And the message there is that either you're not good enough or your relationship isn't as valued and I think that is -- that, one, to me doesn't strike the full notion of equality. And, second, if we want gays to be full participants in American society with the same expectations, the same obligations, well then I think it also, you know, demands the same responsibilities and the same privileges.
KING: Will you marry your partner if it passes?
MCGREEVEY: Yes, I would like to and I think it's important to have a blessed, open relationship. And, you know, part of my whole life story, as I shared with you, I mean for 40 years I was in the closet. I didn't feel that I could ever have an open, loving relationship in the bright light of day and now I do.
But, when I heard the court's decision, you know, I was filled with a sense that, you know, America's moving in the right direction but I also believe, you know, both spiritually and constitutionally to have the word marriage means that this relationship is going to be everything that every other, you know, straight marriage is all about.
And, I think, you know, when we treat people with equality, when we treat people with a sense of dignity and respect, frankly then society has a right to ask more of those people.
KING: In a campaign appearance in Des Moines, Iowa today, President Bush spoke about the New Jersey ruling. Watch.
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GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we believe marriage is a fundamental institution of civilization. Yesterday in New Jersey we had another activist court issue a ruling that raises doubts about the institution of marriage.
I believe that marriage is a union between a man and a woman and I believe (interrupted by applause), and I believe it's a sacred institution that is critical to the health of our society and the well being of families and it must be defended.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Do you think that's going to lead to a constitutional amendment?
MCGREEVEY: No, I don't think so, Larry. And, with all due respect to the president, when you looked at Professor Estrich (ph) of Yale University, looked at the Scandinavian countries who have had gay marriage in some cases since 1987, I mean the evidence is clear that gay marriage only asks people to be more responsible. It bolsters the concept of marriage. It bolsters the notion of responsibility. And that gay marriage in Scandinavian countries have had no negative impact.
I mean in Canada there's no negative impact. In Spain and countries all across the world in Western Europe and civilization understand the importance of enshrining gay marriage.
And what I see the president doing is trying to make political points on the backs of gays and at a minimum allow states to experiment. If the New Jersey Supreme Court and the New Jersey State Legislature says for its citizens this is my mindful of their tradition. That ought to be respected.
And so, I see the president being a pro states writer when it's convenient for him but when the state takes a position that's antithetical to his values, whether it's on stem cell research or gay marriage, then all of a sudden the president becomes a strong federalist, so there seems to be an inconsistency in his approach.
KING: Will it have an affect on the New Jersey Senate race?
MCGREEVEY: You know, I think the, you know, as I've shared with you, I mean what I see all across New Jersey right now is signs that say, you know, "Stop Bush now" talking about the war in Iraq. And, I think those are the questions, I mean the war in Iraq, stem cell research, Supreme Court appointments, I think those are the issues that are going to drive the U.S. Senate race between Senator Menendez and Tom Kane, Jr.
But I think at the end of the day, I mean those federal issues are going to weigh heavily on New Jersey voters. And, ultimately this is a state's issue and I think the New Jersey State Legislature, God willing, will inch towards doing the right thing.
KING: We'll take a break, come back, spend some more moments with the former governor, the author of "The Confession."
And then a visit, we always love having him, John Walsh will be with us.
Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCGREEVEY: And so my truth is that I am a gay American and I am blessed to live in the greatest nation with a tradition of civil liberties, the greatest tradition of civil liberties in the world and a country which provides so much to its people.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Governor, a harsh e-mail question for you from Trish in Colonia, New Jersey. "Since your public position on gay marriage has changed since you've come out of the closet, do you think Trenton is interested in hearing your opinion on the issue?"
MCGREEVEY: Well, it matters little, Larry, at the end of the day whether it's my opinion. Hopefully what legislators do and what we ask people to do around the country is to follow the right course in the American tradition.
And, I think one of the points that I'm trying to make is, is that the court recognized the inherent value of having gay relationships. The question now becomes as to whether or not this can be afforded the name of marriage.
And, what I believe it goes to the importance of affording full respect and full value. If we're saying to gay youth the importance of raising them as healthy individuals, loving them unconditionally, then we can't say on one hand that if you join the military service, you're welcome to join but as soon as we find out that you're gay, you're discharged. The inherent message there is we want your service but we don't want you to tell the truth. Or, you can get married and have the full sense of full benefits but you can't call it marriage.
And, in both of those accounts there's, if you will, there's a lack of willingness to afford gay individuals the same rights, the same responsibilities as every American.
And so little matters what I'm saying here today but what I'm asking for is a larger sense of purpose because today in America unfortunately is sort of gay discrimination is the last acceptable discrimination.
And, as I've shared with you before, you know, my friend Mitchell Gold and Faith in America what we're trying to do is to battle that sense to understand that being gay is a matter of nature. It isn't a choice. And that every individual based on their abilities, based on their skills should participate fully in American society.
KING: What do you think of the Mark Foley situation?
MCGREEVEY: Well, it's tragic, I mean on a number of fronts. And I know you're going to have John coming on a little bit later who is a far more articulate spokesperson, you know but as a father of two daughters would never want an adult to prey on your children and I think that goes to the heart of it.
KING: What's the effect on the election do you think?
MCGREEVEY: Well, I mean you see in drips and drabs information coming forth as to who knew what when and whether or not, you know, congressional leadership withheld information at an inappropriate time or that they seemingly refused to grapple with it quickly, efficiently, to deal with the problem.
And, I think, you know, the investigation frankly long overdue and I think the speaker ought to be congratulated for at long last having an investigation. But it doesn't look as if the interests of the children were placed front and center.
KING: How much am I entitled to know about a politician who asks for my vote about his or her personal life?
MCGREEVEY: That's a tough question, Larry. I think -- I would hope every politician has an obligation to be honest, an obligation to be transparent and I think that was clearly my obligation and that's sort of the basis of my book that I wasn't honest. I wasn't transparent to myself, to my family. I think that expectation is a realistic one that the public should have.
After that I think, you know, part of the problem is drawing a line between what's acceptable public policy and when that, you know, and when the public's right to know becomes too invasive in terms of a familial or marital situation.
I think it's a great question. I think it's an uneasy line. I think it's a great line. But for me what I saw is that I wasn't truthful in being gay and accepting my gayness and that's why I think this decision is so powerful and hopefully it speaks to, you know, the next generation of gay kids don't have to choose between who they are and their professional careers.
KING: Thanks for joining us, Jim.
MCGREEVEY: That they can be gay and run for office. Thanks, Larry, be well. Take care.
KING: Governor James McGreevey, the former governor of New Jersey and the author of the best-selling memoir "The Confession."
He mentioned John Walsh. We'll mention him now. John Walsh of "America's Most Wanted" is next. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: His young son, Adam, was abducted and murdered back in the summer of 1981. He was six and a half years old. John Walsh is the host of "America's Most Wanted." And, his new DVD is called "Internet Safety." Safe Side Superchick in "Internet Safety," hot tips to keep cool kids safer on the Internet. I want to discuss this a lot.
But, quickly, and we'll get to it later, how did it come about this?
JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Well, Julie Clark, the inventor of the Baby Einstein, this lady who, you know, turned this education of young children into a brand, approached me one day and said "Are there any good safety videos?"
And I said, "There really aren't. Nobody puts any money behind them." And she said, "You know I've been very successful with the Baby Einstein videos. How about if we put together a series of them?"
So, the first one was about stranger, you know, safety with strangers and this one, I can't think of a more appropriate time about Internet safety and not talking to someone you don't know over the Internet.
KING: Who is Superchick?
WALSH: She is the host of the video.
KING: Oh.
WALSH: The videos have to be fun, so that someone like your boys would watch them.
KING: I'll get it home to them tonight and we'll talk more about it.
You spoke with us earlier this month, in fact right after it broke you were kind enough to come right on, on the Mark Foley thing. Now that you've had some time to think about it, any afterthoughts? WALSH: You know I told you that I was completely caught off guard, appalled. First I think you go through the angry because I had worked so closely with him on the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety bill. He was there in the Rose Garden on July 27th, the 25th anniversary of Adam's abduction when that bill was signed by President Bush.
And the most ironic part of this is that although they say these e-mails were two years ago, one of the components of that bill, all sex offender registries, all 50 states have uniform sex offender registry, mandatory collection of DNA of convicted sex offenders and making solicitation of minors over the Internet a federal crime. How ironic would that be that he was one of the writers of that bill and could have been prosecuted if he was continuing that behavior?
But it just proved one thing to me, as mad and angry as I was that the compulsion to search out minors and adolescents must be so strong that a congressman or whoever, a priest, you know, would risk their career to do this.
KING: Do you put a 16-year-old in the same category you do an 8- year-old?
WALSH: Well, they're still a minor. In most states they're a minor. They're very naive. I mean Mark Foley is a 52-year-old man. He knew that that's wrong by the law.
KING: Inexcusable.
WALSH: Inexcusable and I know that he says that he's an alcoholic. Good, get help. He said that he was molested and that has come out. But I know tons of people that were molested and abused and never went after, you know, tried to solicit sex with a child. It's not right. And, whoever you are, cop, congressman, minister, rabbi or priest, you have to be held accountable for it.
KING: We have an e-mail question for John from Vanissa in Hickory, North Carolina. "Has the situation with former Congressman Foley hurt or helped the political atmosphere for helping exploited children?"
WALSH: I don't think it has hurt at all. I think people realize that that piece of legislation was long overdue that it's going to change the way we deal with the exploitation of children and convicted sex offenders. And, I think people, the American public are pretty sophisticated, pretty caring and loving people and Mark Foley just happened to be associated with that bill. I don't think it's hurt it. That bill will stand the test of time.
KING: You use harsh words when you talk about predators on this show, pervert, wacko, do you apply that to Foley?
WALSH: Well, I -- a double agent is what I call him, a double agent. I mean here he is -- I think the people most appalled by his behavior was his staff, the people who work so closely with him. And a couple of them said to me "If we'd known that this was Congressman Foley's predilection that we would have jumped over the desk and choked him."
So, I think some people were aware of his behavior but it's inexcusable. And I just -- I thought I was, you know, pretty good at getting a gut feeling about these people and...
KING: You never know.
WALSH: Well, you never know and, as Jim McGreevey said, you know, 99.9 percent of the gay community is just as upset about pedophilia and molestation of children as I am. And to lump that category, somebody said "Well Mark Foley's gay. He was in the closet and therefore he's a bad guy because he reaches out to minors."
Tons of married men that were pedophiles show up on all these stings. They have sex with 12-year-old girls. Being gay has nothing to do with it. Pedophilia is wrong. It's against the law.
KING: We've often discussed how pedophilia is not curable in your opinion.
WALSH: Right, right.
KING: Does Foley fit that?
WALSH: He has absolutely convinced me that should we not study these guys absolutely. Is it genetic, probably so. Is it such a strong compulsive behavior that you would lose your whole career as a congressman, your 20-year career because you wanted to have sex with a 16-year-old boy instead of an 18-year-old boy?
I don't think it's curable and that's why when we look and see the huge rap sheets of these repeat sex offenders, the terrible things they do, we should study them. We should identify them. But right now, the Adam Walsh Child Protection bill is all about at least letting parents know where they are.
KING: Has the Foley thing caused you to be mistrustful of others now?
WALSH: No. I still have a great belief in the average person to do the right thing, you know, to be a good person. A lot of wonderful people worked on that bill from both sides of the aisles and Mark Foley got credit for it for help writing it initially. But look at Joe Biden and Bill Frist and Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy and people that you and I talked about here for months worked on that bill.
KING: Kennedy came on the night after you were on. He was part of it.
WALSH: You had a lot to do with helping out getting that bill passed by asking him as a gentleman not to attach some of the good stuff that he wanted to put on it. But it became just too cumbersome.
KING: Has Foley had an effect thus far in polling in political races in your state? WALSH: He's had a huge -- oh, yes, I'm a Floridian. He's had a huge effect in south Florida and I think unfortunately people don't vote for the person, for the man or the woman. All these years I've sometimes endorsed Republican or Democratic candidates because I believe -- my constituency is if they care about victims' rights, children, about persecuting criminals.
And I always say the same thing. Please it's not about political parties. It's about priorities. And I hope people look past Mark Foley. It was the man Mark Foley that made those mistakes that has that compulsion. It has very little to do with the Republican or Democratic party affiliation.
And everybody says that there's this giant cover-up, you know, because it's election year. You can look through that. I mean I don't think, I have to question, and I know Dennis Hastert and I know several members of the House, I don't think there's anybody that would be dumb enough that would condone the behavior which is in legal terms solicitation of an adult borders on pedophilia.
I don't think anybody would be dumb enough to cover that up for political gain. That would be like saying, "Well I think I have a serial killer working for me but I'll wait until the elections are over to get rid of him." It's almost insane actually.
KING: The whole story?
WALSH: Well, I mean if there are people that knew about it and they tried to brush it under the rug, then they should be held accountable for it because I haven't heard anybody really talk about the boys, the 16-year-old boys and how this has affected them and if they want justice and what's going to happen to Mark Foley?
I keep hearing them saying, "Well, heads should roll and people should resign if there was this big conspiracy." No, listen to the facts and get to the facts. And if somebody should be held accountable then they should.
KING: In our remaining moments in the next half hour, we'll be discussing some individual matters that John Walsh is most interested in, various cases. We hopefully along the way have helped him in the past as he tracks people wanted for various crimes. We'll discuss some of those cases. We'll also include your phone calls as well.
And then later, we'll talk more about the new DVD, "Internet Safety." We'll be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH (voice-over): Because a judge set Juan Butista's bail so low, he was able to bond out and disappear. Butista always wears prescription glasses and he usually finds work in landscaping.
Though he was born in Mexico, he immigrated to the United States as a child and both his parents live in New Jersey. If you know where Juan Butista is hiding give us a call at 1-800-CRIME-TV. (END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Are you saying you never said you harmed a child?
JOHN MARK KARR: I'm saying that I believe that you're leading into an area that...
KING: But it's simple, John. You either said, I did, or said, I didn't. I'm not asking you...
KARR: Well, I am saying that I've never harmed a child.
KING: OK.
KARR: Saying it right now. I'm saying that I would protect any child who I thought was being harmed. I don't ever recall saying I did harm a child.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We're back with John Walsh. By the way, his website is thesafeside.com. Thesafeside.com, that's also where you can order "Internet Safety".
All right. What's your read on John Mark Karr?
WALSH: With those two beautiful boys you have, how did you not reach across the desk and grab this guy and choke him?
KING: (INAUDIBLE)
WALSH: I know you do.
KING: He hasn't been convicted of anything, John.
WALSH: You know something, let me ask you this question, and the JonBenet Ramsey case has bothered me for years because everybody knows it was very shoddy police work, that that compromised that case from day one, and that the Ramsey family will never get justice. And Patsy went to the grave with a broken heart, wishing that the police had done a better job.
But how could a guy confess to it in Thailand and be flown over to the United States in the business class with the champagne, which completely irritated the whole country, and probably the whole world, and make up this whole fantasy about how he raped her and molested her and not be charged with a false -- at least a false police report or something?
And then how could he be lucky enough to go to trial for possession of child pornography, and somebody have stolen or misplaced the computer? I mean he's just a giant mistake waiting to happen. KING: Do you believe he harms children?
WALSH: I believe that a guy that could sit and talk about fantasizing having sex with JonBenet Ramsey and saying that he wished he killed her is something wrong with that guy, terribly wrong. And I think he's just a time bomb.
And I'm sure that he was -- he was in Thailand when the ice guys, the custom and immigration guys, got him. He was there in the area where expatriates like him go to have sex with small children. He was in Thailand because they don't prosecute you for that. Come on, he's just -- some day you and I are going to be sitting here and say I told you so.
KING: Let's going to some John Walsh cases. This is the hunt for convicted murderer and prison escapee Richard Lee McNair (ph). Watch.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We told you how your tips led us to Canada. We know for sure it's McNair in this video. We just got it in this week. According to Canadian police, these shots show McNair shopping in Pentickten (ph), British Columbia at the end of April.
That's not the only person McNair or a lookalike popped up this week. Some tipsters put the escapee in the resort town of Ocean City, Maryland. The marshals found these shots from a grocery store surveillance camera and can use your help to confirm if this is our man or rule it out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: What's this about?
WALSH: My gosh. I don't know why we haven't caught this guy. As a matter of fact, I've talked about him on you show before. He's the guy that -- where you see the video of him talking his way out of the arrest, right after he escaped from prison.
KING: Extraordinary video.
WALSH: It is incredible.
KING: The poor cop.
WALSH: The poor cop. And here he is saying, I'm down in Louisiana to work on roofs, and talked his way out of it. He's a murderer, he's dangerous, he's violent. He's escaped from four prisons. That was his fourth escape.
KING: He's a con artist.
WALSH: He's a big time con artist. And the Mounties almost caught him up in Canada, but they didn't know that he was an escapee, wanted for murder, and a prison escapee. KING: So why haven't you caught him?
WALSH: Well, I think he's in the northern and western parts of the Rocky Mountains in Canada, he's a survivalist. He's really good at that. And I think we have to keep mentioning him and not give up and get him before he kills somebody.
KING: Do you have any thoughts on why there's so much school shootings going on, the Amish tragedy?
WALSH: I think being Amish had nothing to do with it. You know what I mean? That creep was bound and determined that he was going to kill a bunch of little girls. He went in there with lubricant to sodomize them, flex cuffs, you know, to put on their wrists, just like the guy in Colorado. And it had nothing to do with the Amish. He just wanted to kill little girls. And the Amish handled it better. I don't know, as a father of a murdered child, how these people are so wonderful, praying...
KING: They forgave him.
WALSH: Forgave. They'll forgive him -- well, they forgave him, but take care of the family and attend the funeral. God bless them. And I've spoken to several Amish since then and they really are a gentle, loving..
KING: They prayed for him.
WALSH: They prayed for him. They set up a fund for his children. Because the children shouldn't pay for the sins of the father, really.
KING: Well, do you think -- are we the only country that has school shootings?
WALSH: No, I mean...
KING: Does it happen in Russia or England?
WALSH: No country on the face of the earth has the proliferation of guns that we have. We have 300 million people and 300 million plus guns. I mean -- and I have guns and I shoot, and I shoot skeet and I believe in responsible gun ownership. But it's just too easy to get these automatic weapons.
And these guys -- you know, Larry, you and I always talk about identifying these people. I wish somehow we could identify them before they go into a school and kill so many children.
KING: I interviewed an inspector from Scotland Yard once. He could not fathom that anyone could go get a gun. It was beyond his belief.
WALSH: And the rest of the world looked at it -- except violent places like Baghdad, where everybody has a gun in Iraq -- but, people look at us and say, you're crazy, it's the Wild West. And you know, a guy like that, why should someone be able to go get an AK-47? I've said that before -- or an Uzi. I mean...
KING: Is that a hunting gun?
WALSH: No, that's is not a hunting gun, it's not a skeet gun, not a target shooting gun. They don't use AK-47s and Uzis in the Olympics. I don't see -- it is nothing about violating the rights of gun ownership. They're just too easy to get. But, again, I've thought about this and I knew you would ask me this question. I just wish there was a way that, somehow in the psychological profiling of people as they grow up to become adults, we might be able to identify these people.
KING: We'll be back with more of John Walsh, the host of "America's Most Wanted", more cases he's tracking. Don't go way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cops say Woodring suddenly showed up at the shelter. The women inside are protected by an alarm. But investigators say he waited until the right moment. When a worker opened the door, Woodring forced his way in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jackson County 911.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need an ambulance at REACH. A woman has been shot with a shotgun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: By the time police arrived, Bonnie was already dead. And Woodring had disappeared again.
Woodring has several distinct tattoos, including a woodpecker on his upper right arm with his name, Woody, on top. And on his left arm, a USMC tattoo with a bulldog above it.
If you've seen John Woodring, call our hot line right now at 1- 800-CRIME-TV.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: That hot line's open right now, right?
WALSH: Yes, yes. Twenty-four hours a day. And I'd love to catch this guy because...
KING: He's a Marine?
WALSH: He's an ex-Marine, bully, coward. Married to four different women with a huge long history of domestic battering, of domestic abuse. And this last wife that he murdered, she got a restraining order, which really means nothing in the United States. She went to a shelter. He was able to manipulate, get his gun, and manipulate the system an come right in the shelter and murder her in the shelter. And he's the poster boy for how we don't really take battered and abused women seriously in this country. And we don't provide enough security at shelters for them.
KING: Where do we think he is?
WALSH: He could be anywhere. This guy, I mean, he's just a low life that's floating around. And I really -- I always hope, like McNair, the guy we just talked about, you know, we got a couple of good tips from this show that he was up in Canada. So I'm always hoping that you and I will get talking about low lives. But this guy could be anywhere.
And you know what? He wrote a book. This weirdo, he talked to Eric Rudolph, the Olympic Park bomber and the...
KING: He was caught?
WALSH: Absolutely. He wrote several horrible convicts. He interviewed them and he wrote a book about. It was called "The Convict Speaks", all about the other side of it. And I don't know how long the way someone didn't identify this guy as a wacko that was going to do something.
KING: Did he ever do time?
WALSH: He was arrested several times for battering, but he was never put away. That's another sad thing.
KING: Another case we're following is the hunt for the unknown killer of Chanel Petro Nixon. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On June 18th, 16 year-old Chanel Petro Nixon left her Brooklyn home in broad daylight to meet a friend and then pick up a job application. Then she disappeared. Chanel had been strangled, and stuffed into a garbage bag. The medical examiner put Chanel's death at less than 24 hours before she was found. There were no marks on her body and she wasn't sexually assaulted. If you know anything, anything about the murder of Chanel Petro Nixon, call our hotline right now at 1-800-CRIME-TV.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: What's the story here, John?
WALSH: This is an A student, a wonderful, productive, very much loved girl, 16 ear-old girl. After school, walking in broad daylight to an Appleby's to apply for a job. And I really think this shows how dangerous the streets of America can be.
The coroner says that the -- she was missing for four days. When they found her body, he said that she hadn't been dead for more than 24 hours. So somebody had this poor girl for three days, and probably did whatever they did to her, although she wasn't sexually assaulted, and then she was murdered and found in a garbage bag.
There's a guy that works for the "Daily News", his name is Earl Lewis (ph). And he's a reporter that lives in that area. And he has made this his personal crusade to try to find who murdered Chanel. And he and several other people have put up a $30,000 reward because somebody knows something about what happened to this beautiful 16 year-old girl.
And we say it, you only have to call, tell us what you need -- what you know. You can remain anonymous and we have a way to get you that money. We have a way to get you that reward, even if you call anonymously.
KING: And you can call that number that we've been flashing up. You can also go to amw -- "America's Most Wanted" -- amw.com. We'll talk about "Internet Safety", the DVD.
We have an e-mail question from Rita in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
"What kind of background checks are done on "America's Most Wanted" employees?
WALSH: Well, we run the full background check. And this is what I say to people everywhere -- you and I were just talking about it during the break.
When we passed mandatory background checks of schoolteachers in Florida, we found out that we had 37 convicted felons in Florida that were teaching school. And in Florida, there is only four things that eliminate you, and that is drug dealing, murder, sexual abuse of children or rape of a woman. And I believe that maybe somebody that made a mistake when they were 16, stole a car, they could recover and become a schoolteacher.
But states don't do enough, Larry. They do a state background check of the state records. They don't do the background check, the FBI background check. And now with the passage of the Adam Walsh Child Protection Bill, it is federal law that every convicted sex offender, from July 27th on, and every convicted rapist will have their DNA taken and put into the FBI data bank. So that's going to be a great asset for schools or anybody that wants to run background checks to see who's working with their children. We do pretty extensive background checks at AMW.
KING: More with John Walsh and more, too, on this new DVD "Safe Side Superchick and Internet Safety". We'll tell you more about it as we travel along with John Walsh.
Right now let's travel to New York and check in with John King, sitting in for Anderson Cooper all week. He's the host of "AC 360" tonight.
John, what's up?
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Larry. Fascinating program. Back to you in just a moment.
Ahead on "360", wildfires out of control in southern California. Take a look. This fire is near Palm Springs. Earlier four firefighters died and a fifth is in critical condition tonight. Investigators say this fire is arson.
Also, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says, back off.
And the father of the baby Madonna plans to adopt from Africa changes his story again.
All that and much more, ahead at the top of hour.
KING: That's John King. He'll host "AC 360" at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific. We'll check back with him as we go off the air.
And we'll be right back with John Walsh.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police don't know what drives this predator or why he traveled from Miami to New York. But they do know what he looks like and they do have his DNA. And with Jacqueline's testimony, they believe they'll have enough to convict him.
Investigators believe the attacker may still be in the New York City area. However, we also received a number of good tips from Buffalo, New York, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico.
You can get a better look at this sketch of this attacker and all the clues surrounding this investigation at amw.com.
If you have any information on this serial predator, call us right now at 1-800-CRIME-TV.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: What's with the unknown rapist?
WALSH: I mean, you and I talk about it all the time, what could be going on in the mind of a guy that rapes a 68 year-old woman? You saw that elderly woman, and that was an actress. We protect her identity. She was a homeless woman in New York City. And he raped her and she took the chain off of his neck. She had the presence of mind to rip the chain, call the cops, very brave woman -- and we talk about DNA, they ran the DNA from the sweat on the chain and there was one hair in there, in the FBI CODIS, the national DNA bank -- which, I think, every felon should have his DNA in there -- and it came up a hit that this guy is smart. He's raped women in New York and he's raped women in Florida. So the DNA matches from all the different rapes. But we don't have an identity. Now this guy's smart, cunning, obviously he works the East Coast. But I think somebody, as I'm always hoping, is going to look at that composite that you showed, and say, I think I know who that creep is.
KING: Let's take a call.
Orlando, Florida, hello.
DREW KESSE, FATHER OF MISSING CHILD: Hello.
Good evening, Larry and John. This is Drew Kesse, the father of Jennifer Kesse, the missing girl from Orlando for nine months this past Tuesday, actually.
And John, my question is for you. Hopefully you're familiar with her case. You've had her on your show before and on the website. Is there anything else we can try as a family?
We are obviously desperate. We love our daughter, and we're trying very hard. Is there anything we can do more?
KING: How old is she?
KESSE: She's 25.
WALSH: I think the main thing you have to do is what you're doing right now. I always tell this to people, nobody would have heard of Adam Walsh if it wasn't for Reve and my efforts to try to publicize it. We know about Natalee Holloway because her mother never gave up.
So my advice to you is, unfortunately, as much as you're hurting, you have got to remember who the real victim is, and that victim is your beautiful daughter.
KESSE: Yes.
WALSH: And if you have the strength for everyone in your family to do what you just did, go to every TV station, get on every show you can, talk to whoever you can, because, especially with missing adult women -- I always say that nobody would have known who Chandra Levy was if it wasn't for the fact that she had an affair with Gary Condit. While Chandra Levy was missing, there were 15,000 missing women in the FBI. So once a young lady reaches 18 and above, nobody really looks for her.
So you and your family, you know, we'll keep doing the story until we find her. You can never, ever give up, never give up hope. Ed Smart never gave up hope. And make yourself available to the media.
KING: Good luck. An e-mail from Mike in Aurora, Ohio. "You've been doing a great job on 'America's Most Wanted' since 1988. How much longer will you continue hosting? Can you see someone taking over from you, or will the show stop when you quit?"
WALSH: Well, I hope it doesn't stop when I quit. I will do it as long as people will watch it. You know, people always ask me, you know, how long can you do it? It is a great challenge. It is a great platform for me to be able to go out and try to change laws. And I think it makes a difference. So I hope that it wouldn't end when I can't do it anymore. Maybe one of my kids will step up to the plate someday. Btu I -- it is the public that keeps it on, people like that man who sent that e-mail.
KING: And that call.
WALSH: And that call. That dad, just begging for that break.
KING: We'll take a break. When we come back, we'll talk about "The Safe Side," the new DVD from John Walsh. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: You know, these cybercreeps are all over the Internet posing as kids. You want to say who Brad really is?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Um, like, OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would love to meet you. You are so cute in your picture. And thanks for sending me your address. I know just where you live.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No way.
WALSH: That's who you're really talking to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Wow. That's great stuff.
WALSH: Well, it is so hard...
KING: That's all from -- let me say this -- "The Safe Side," Internet safety, John Walsh and Julie Clark, "Safe Side Superchick: Internet Safety Hot Tips to Keep Cool Kids Safer on the Internet." You can order it at your Web site, right?
WALSH: Thesafeside.com and...
KING: Thesafeside.com.
WALSH: As you said, that was made to make it interesting. I mean, we didn't grow up with the Internet and all those things. But our kids have. And how do you get them to sit down and teach them something if it isn't funny and if it isn't with that production values? And Julie Clark and her husband Bill did a great job on this video.
KING: And this is kids educational tool, right?
WALSH: Absolutely.
KING: They go to this.
WALSH: For the parents and the kids. You know, we recommend the parents sit down, because the parents will probably learn more from this about how -- put the computer in the family room. Don't let your kid go into his bedroom at night and be on there for five hours. No pop-ups, no emails, never give out personal information. Kids will do it all the time. They think they're talking to a 12-year-old and it is a 55-year-old guy.
KING: Is your biggest fear the Internet today?
WALSH: It is the biggest problem as it relates to pedophiles, because for years we used to catch them when they would sell child pornography to each other, or now they can send it to each other, they will take -- and you have been watching "Dateline" like I have, and we have done this on "America's Most Wanted," that's the tip of the iceberg.
So they will take that chance. They will keep working in anonymity and hoping they're going to get that 7- or 8- or 12-year-old out into that mall so they can hurt them.
KING: Another call in. Browerville, Minnesota. Hello.
CALLER: Hi, yes.
KING: Go ahead.
CALLER: I was wondering, with all this technology out there today, why can't convicted pedophiles or convicted sexual predators have a GPS chip inserted into their bodies?
WALSH: Boy, that's a great question. And I've always anguished about this.
You know, somebody said to me the other day, how -- we spend $5 million to convict Martha Stewart and put an electronic bracelet on her, but yet John Mark Karr walks out of a courtroom and he's floating around somewhere.
The Jessica laws, which are on the books now in many states, and the proposition that's on the California ballot for this fall, making Jessica's law law of the land here in California, deal with repeat offenders and having those electronic bracelets on them.
But I've always been a proponent for that, because I always said, if they had that chip on them, we could find out if they violated, if they came close to that school, or if they went back to victimize the person who testified against them.
We're getting to that point, and I've always said that if we can track these satellites, we should be able to track sex offenders.
But things are changing. Not every state does it, but part of that Adam Walsh bill mandates the worst sex offenders have that device.
KING: Any question about its legality?
WALSH: No, these are people that were convicted in a courtroom, they're only for convicted felons, not people falsely accused, only for level one, the most dangerous. You know, I don't believe -- you and I talked about it. The 18- year-old kid that has sex with a consenting 17-year-old girl is not who should be in the sex offender registry. It's not who should have a chip on him. The guys like the guy that killed Jessica Lunsford, 22 arrests, that scumbag Joseph Duncan, who just traded the death penalty for three life sentences for killing Shasta Groene's mother, stepfather and her two brothers, and that creep said I'll trade you the password to my computer so you can see how many kids I molested over the last 20 years for, you know, not putting me to death. What a coward. But that guy should have been tracked.
And there is no question of legality. Those guys violated. Justice Department says there is 100,000 convicted sex offenders falling through the cracks, at large in the United States. There is nothing illegal about it. It is about children's rights.
KING: John, you are a noble soul.
WALSH: Still battling, with your help.
KING: "The Safe Side: Internet Safety" now available at thesafeside.com. It is very -- it is very well done as you can see. You saw that clip, and brilliantly, brilliantly, I think, entertaining.
Tomorrow night, we'll take an unusual look at suicide. A film coming called "The Bridge." It deals with a camera set at the Golden Gate Bridge. What you see will be terrifying and mind-altering, and teaches a lot. That's tomorrow night.
Right now, let's go to New York. It is time for "AC 360," and John King sits in tonight again for Anderson Cooper -- John.
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