Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Prosecution Lays Out Case Against Michael Jackson; Police Arrest Serial Killer Suspect; Car Bomb Kills More than 100 in Iraq; Pro-Syrian Lebanon Prime Minister Resigns

Aired February 28, 2005 - 13:00   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: The deadliest single insurgent attack since the fall of Saddam Hussein. A powerful car bomb he means of destruction. We're live from Baghdad.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Serial killer case. Just how did investigators track down the suspect that had eluded them for 30 years?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Miguel Marquez in Santa Maria, California. The prosecution is laying out its case against the so-called King of Pop. I'll bring you up to date.

O'BRIEN: Did Chris Rock rock the Oscars? Or did he hit a sour note? We're taking your e-mails on his performance on Hollywood's big night.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Fame, notoriety, eccentricity, vulnerability, all take center stage in Santa Maria, California, along with allegations of greed, lies, and a vendetta immortalized in song. It's the State of California v. Michael Jackson, a child molestation case being depicted in diametrically different terms today for a jury of the entertainer's peers?

CNN's Miguel Marquez joins us with the beginning of the opening statements -- Miguel.

MARQUEZ: Hello, there, Kyra.

Yes, the prosecution is now making its case against the King of Pop. He showed up here this morning with his mother and Jermaine, his brother, to the courthouse.

The district attorney wasting no time in saying that when the Martin Bashir video, "Living with Michael Jackson," aired, it rocked his world so badly, it was like a train wreck, according to one of the witnesses, they say they will have on the stand.

They also went into what they believe is the basis of this case, that Michael Jackson exploited the situation with this boy, that the boy had no father. He encouraged the kids to call him Daddy or Michael Daddy. Couple of other quotes from this morning, the prosecutors saying that this case is about the manipulation of young boys. Instead of cookies and milk, you can substitute wine, vodka and bourbon. You can see where this stuff is going.

A little earlier today there were about 40, 45 fans who wanted to get into the courtroom. This place is like "American Idol," trying to get into the courtroom here. We saw one of those fans actually get their ticket.

The fans eventually got in, about 45 fans and press members got into the courtroom. And right now the prosecution said that they were going to show a video, a portion of the Martin Bashir video that -- that people saw that they say is central to this case. And they're going to show a small clip, about two-minute clip of that, where Michael Jackson says it's all right to sleep with little boys.

And the defense will get their chance in about an hour and a half, if they stick to the schedule they had earlier said -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Miguel Marquez, live there in Santa Maria, California. We'll continue to check in with you, Miguel. Thank you -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: No leads, no breaks, not even any dominant theories. More than four days after Jessica Marie Lunsford disappeared from her own bedroom in tiny Homosassa, Florida, frustrated police not only haven't found her, they still don't know whether they left on her own or was kidnapped.

Hundreds of police and volunteers have combed a three-mile radius of the home Jessica shares with her father and grandparents on Florida's Gulf Coast.

The father and grandfather, meanwhile, have both taken voice stress analysis tests, sort of like polygraphs, but police won't say whether they passed. They do say if nothing turns up today, the search will be scaled back tomorrow.

Police in Kansas say a serial murder investigation dating back 31 years is done, closed and solved, now that this man, municipal worker, church elder, Cub Scout leader, Dennis L. Rader is behind bars. Ahead of his initial court hearing sometime today or tomorrow, the alleged BTK attacker is said to be cooperating with authorities.

We get more from Roger Cornish of our CNN affiliate, KWCN, in Wichita -- Roger.

ROGER CORNISH, KWCN REPORTER: Hi, Miles, how are you?

O'BRIEN: Give us the latest. What's going on there now?

CORNISH: Well, what we're told is that, from a couple of independent sources that we trust, that Rader is cooperating with the investigation. Now that's short of saying he is confessing to these murders, but at least he is cooperating. There was apparently an erroneous report over the weekend that they had linked more murders to Rader. However, Wichita police chief Norman Williams made a very strong statement this morning that the current list is 10. The eight that had already been linked to BTK over the last 31 years and then two more announced on Saturday during that news conference.

O'BRIEN: And those two more announced, what time frame did those occur?

CORNISH: That would have been 1985 and 1991, several years after the last known communication from BTK, which was in the late '70s.

There had always been rumors, talk about Marine Hedge and Delores Davis, the two ladies who were murdered in the Park City area, if they were part of the BTK case. All police have said for those many years was that there were some similarities, but there were other discrepancies that kept them from saying they were part of the BTK investigation until Saturday.

O'BRIEN: How did -- what do we know at this point about how police made the arrest? How did things unravel for this suspect?

CORNISH: I think as you know, over the past 11 months he has sent out nearly a dozen communications. It was the first communication we've had from BTK since the late 1970s.

March of 2004, a letter arrived that contained some pictures from a crime scene where Vicki Wegerle was murdered in West Wichita from 1986, a still unsolved murder that had never been linked to BTK. There were no crime pictures from the police, because she was still alive when she was found and taken to the hospital. So presumably they knew this was the person who had killed her.

Over the last few months there, had been a continuing series of these letters providing some sort of clues to the police. We haven't seen all of them.

A couple of weeks ago our KSAS, the FOX station that we do newscasts for, received a package that did have other clues from it and had a floppy disk. We are told it was something on that floppy disk that linked them to Rader and allowed them to go ahead and make the arrest last Friday. Subsequent to that, we're told that DNA match was made to earlier crime scene evidence.

O'BRIEN: All right. Well, let's talk about that DNA match. How were they able to get a sample from him or his family members in order to make that match?

CORNISH: Right. That's one of the things there's been a lot of talk. We have been told that the reports that Rader's daughter turned him in were inaccurate. Those were not real, not accurate reports.

However, it is possible for investigators to get DNA from a family member, perhaps after the arrest, that would link Rader to the earlier crimes. However, they also can get a court order getting a DNA swab from Rader himself. What we're told is they do have a DNA match. Exactly who they got that DNA from, they have not released yet.

O'BRIEN: Roger Cornish, thanks for the update. Roger is with our affiliate, KWCH. Thanks for your time. Appreciate it.

In just a few moments we'll talk more about the Kansas murders and the hunt for BTK with CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks.

And tonight, join Aaron Brown for a special edition of "NEWSNIGHTS" on the BTK case, 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 Pacific right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was very shocked. I was bewildered.

PHILLIPS: ... a church member and Cub Scout leader accused of being a serial killer. We'll go in-depth on the investigation.

Later on LIVE FROM, Guantanamo guidebook. A new television show claims they use the same alleged torture techniques used at GITMO on seven volunteers, just to prove a point.

Hillary Swank scored a K.O. at the Oscars. We'll take you inside the gym that trained the actress and other real-life women who pack a punch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Another grim distinction in Iraq today. The deadliest single attack by enemies of the new order claimed at least 125 lives. A hundred and twenty five lives outside the government office in Hilla, just south of Baghdad.

The dead are believed to be a mix of police recruits, long a favorite target of the Iraqi insurgents, and some civilians crowding in nearby markets.

CNN's Nic Robertson fills us in now from Baghdad -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, those police recruits were waiting outside of a medical center in the middle of Hilla. They were waiting to have their medical checkups as part of their recruitment procedure.

An eyewitness there said he saw the insurgent, the suicide bomber, drive his car right into the middle of the crowded line of police recruits, detonate the car. According to this eyewitness, he said he saw at least 50 people dead immediately.

One of the reasons the police say the death toll was so high was the timing, 9:30 a.m. in the morning. The town was busy. The location, as well, added to the death toll. The medical center was located in a very busy outdoor market area. And that is why the police say there were a lot of market goers among those -- among the dead and casualties, as well.

According to Iraqi Red Crescent, which is the equivalent of the Red Cross here, there are at least 200 people wounded in that particular attack. It's not the first time that police recruits have been attacked, but it is certainly the largest number of them that appear to have died in one attack. And this, by far, the biggest death toll from one single blast caused by the insurgents since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Nic, can we make any broad statements as to whether most of those targeted today were Shiites, for example?

ROBERTSON: It's a possibility, Miles. But we're seeing that the insurgents over the recent months, they have a spectrum of targets. Shiites are one component in that spectrum. Police recruits, army, police on checkpoints, another part of it. People who can be kidnapped for money, hijacked on the highways of Iraq are another grouping.

This town is at the bottom end of the Sunni Triangle. It is a very -- an intensely tribal area. The police often have battle with insurgents there. It's an area where insurgent activity is quite strong still. It's south of that Ramadi/Falluja, west of Baghdad area that's had a lot of -- a lot of international U.S. troop attention to flush out insurgents.

This area intensely tribal. The insurgents still able, it seems, to attack when they want. The real target seems to have been the security forces in Iraq.

Interestingly, Miles, we've heard from both Iraqi government officials and U.S. military commanders that say that, despite all these repeated attacks against the police and against the army, it's not driving down recruitment. Indeed, the first cavalry general, who is leaving over the weekend, General Pete Correlli, said that recruitment was doing so well, they actually have to turn away some police and army recruits. They don't the resources to train them all, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Very surprising statistic. Nic Robertson, thank you very much, live from Baghdad -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, another bombshell in Beirut. Just two weeks to the day after revered Lebanese former prime minister was killed in a huge explosion, the resulting backlash has forced out the dead man's pro-Syrian successor.

You're looking at live pictures right now as tens of thousands of demonstrators have converged peacefully at this point in Beirut in Martyr's Square. They say that their work isn't finished, not until Syrian soldiers go back to their own country.

We're going to get the latest now from CNN's senior international correspondent, Brent Sadler.

Brent, as we look at this live picture, give us a feel for what is -- the scene is like now as compared to about half an hour ago when the Lebanese prime minister resigned?

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely scenes of euphoria here amongst the many, many thousands of opposition supporters who camped out overnight the previous night and were here throughout this day, defying a government ban that was supposed to prevent them gathering in the first place.

In the event the Lebanese army and security forces simply held back and protesters were able to reach this area of Martyr's Square next to the burial place of former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated two weeks ago this day.

A parliamentary session took place less than a mile from here. It was expected that opposition politicians would attempt to topple the Lebanese government, a staunch ally of Syria, by a vote of no confidence.

That did not happen. The government went first. And this really was a dramatic turnaround in events.

There is now complete political chaos here in the sense that there is a vacuum. There is still a Lebanese president, Emile Lahoud, a very strong ally of Syria. Now there have to be consultations between the newly empowered, if you like, opposition, which are now claiming triumph over Syrian allies.

Syrian forces still remain entrenched in Lebanon. So, too, do Syria's military intelligence network here. That hasn't changed, despite U.S.-led international pressure to get Syrian troops out of this country.

But there is an opportunity now for the opposition to start serious negotiations, they say, for peaceful and honorable withdrawal of Syria's military and intelligence presence in this country -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We'll talk more about the history and hear more from you in the next hour. Brent Sadler, thank you so much.

Straight ahead, the BTK serial killer. We've got more on the investigation. Stay with us. LIVE FROM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Police in Wichita, Kansas, are commending the capture of the man that they say is the notorious BTK serial killer. Dennis Rader's arrest has brought an end to an intense 30-year manhunt. So how did authorities finally find their suspect?

Joining me now to talk about the case and the search, also for that missing Florida girl, CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks. Let's start first with BTK. What's the latest on how they found their suspect? MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, just a short time ago we heard the police chief. And in a statement, a press statement, he basically admonished the media from putting out inaccurate information.

One of the cases he cited, Kyra, was that he said apparently some media outlets were saying there had been 13 murders linked to him. He said right now there are only 10.

And he also had threatened, basically, legal action. He's going to go to the district attorney, and Williams threatened legal action, saying he will contact the district attorney and, quote, "And ask what legal resources we do have in regards to information that is inaccurate and inappropriate being disseminated in the community."

He's very serious about this. And I've never seen law enforcement, federal, state or local, as tight-lipped about a case as they are about this one.

PHILLIPS: But was any of the information incorrect about getting their suspect? I mean, right now they believe this is their guy.

BROOKS: Right.

PHILLIPS: And it was connected through DNA.

BROOKS: Well, they have not said anything about DNA for sure either.

He did tell CNN in an interview that -- with CNN that he is cooperating. Apparently that he is -- that Rader is cooperating with law enforcement. To what extent, we don't know.

Because we heard Saturday that there were 10 murders. We had only heard eight before that, starting back in 1974. We'd heard about family of four that was killed in '74, one other murder in '74. Then they jumped to 1977, two murders in '77. Then we thought there was a nine-year gap between 1977 and 1986.

But now they say that there -- two other murders are connected to the BTK Killer, one in '85 and one in 1991, both in Park City, Kansas.

PHILLIPS: Well, you think of a serial killer, and you think that this is someone that would kill consistently year after year after year, month after month, and week after week.

BROOKS: Right.

PHILLIPS: And there appears to be this length of time where there wasn't any action, at least to this point.

BROOKS: Right.

PHILLIPS: Explain to me from your background, law enforcement, FBI, just the mentality. Is that normal, to sort of go on a spree, wait a while and then come back, because it's the thrill of the hunt again that's tempting them?

BROOKS: Well, they call him a serial killer, not a spree killer. Spree killers usually -- usually kill all in a row and then usually stop. You don't hear much for them.

But now he -- had all these different, all these years between the killings. Had six killings -- or five killings and then a gap of three years. And then two more and then a gap. And then '86, and now we hear two more in '85 and '81.

Who knows what the mind of this person is? And that's what I'm going to be interested in hearing. And we're not hearing much at all about the case or what his motive was or what drove him to do this.

Again, Rader is innocent until proven guilty. Want to make sure we point that out. But if he is, in fact, the BTK Killer, we probably won't hear much at all on the law enforcement case until they get to the preliminary hearing, which is basically the probable cause hearing, where law enforcement will have to show their hand a little bit on exactly what kind of evidence they have against him to charge him with these 10 murders.

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's switch gears. The other case we've been following, the missing Florida girl, little Jessica. What's the latest there?

BROOKS: Well, we just heard in an interview with the spokesperson from the Citrus County Sheriff's Office earlier this morning that apparently the father and the grandfather have both submitted to voice stress analysis tests.

Now some law enforcement -- you know, people I talked to, and me, you know, do I hold a lot of credence in voice stress analysis? It is a relatively new science, if you will, probably within the last six to 10 years. Most departments will use polygraphs. Everybody knows that. But keep in mind, these are both tools.

What I thought was interesting, Kyra, when they asked -- when the woman from the sheriff's office was asked -- asked for the results of the test, she wouldn't comment on that.

And basically, they said they are basically -- they kind of gearing down, if you will. They're moving the mobile command post down. They're still going to be looking for her, but why is that? Is it because they may know who's involved with this and are waiting for additional leads, additional clues? Or because they really don't know anything?

We heard -- were hearing early on when she disappeared that they really didn't have many leads because of the remote location. They weren't able to get a helicopter up to look for any heat signatures to find her if she was nearby the house.

But they have basically spread out the search to about a five- mile radius around her home there, which is apparently a very, very quiet neighborhood. And her disappearance, they still haven't said whether it is abduction or still a missing persons case. And they still haven't put out an Amber Alert.

PHILLIPS: All right. We're on both crime cases. Mike Brooks, thanks so much.

BROOKS: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, tonight on CNN's "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN," we're going to devote an entire hour to the BTK investigation. The special will focus on the inside hunt for the serial killer and provide us with a closer look at the suspect, Dennis Rader. That's tonight, 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 Pacific.

O'BRIEN: Well, who do you believe in the Michael Jackson case? That question is critical for both sides, of course. As that trial finally gets under way, we'll talk with legal experts about how each side plans to make its case. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.

And, super heroes on the edge. Find out what Captain America, Batman and Robin are up to a little later on LIVE FROM. Batman's not looking so good these days, is he?

Plus, it's the debate of the day. How do you think Chris Rock did as the host of the Academy Awards? E-mail us. LiveFrom@CNN.com is the address. We'll have some of your comments a little bit later.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's an $11 billion retail deal. Two groups of legendary department stores are coming under one umbrella now.

Let's get the details from Chris Huntington. He joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange.

Hi, Chris.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 28, 2005 - 13:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: The deadliest single insurgent attack since the fall of Saddam Hussein. A powerful car bomb he means of destruction. We're live from Baghdad.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Serial killer case. Just how did investigators track down the suspect that had eluded them for 30 years?

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Miguel Marquez in Santa Maria, California. The prosecution is laying out its case against the so-called King of Pop. I'll bring you up to date.

O'BRIEN: Did Chris Rock rock the Oscars? Or did he hit a sour note? We're taking your e-mails on his performance on Hollywood's big night.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Fame, notoriety, eccentricity, vulnerability, all take center stage in Santa Maria, California, along with allegations of greed, lies, and a vendetta immortalized in song. It's the State of California v. Michael Jackson, a child molestation case being depicted in diametrically different terms today for a jury of the entertainer's peers?

CNN's Miguel Marquez joins us with the beginning of the opening statements -- Miguel.

MARQUEZ: Hello, there, Kyra.

Yes, the prosecution is now making its case against the King of Pop. He showed up here this morning with his mother and Jermaine, his brother, to the courthouse.

The district attorney wasting no time in saying that when the Martin Bashir video, "Living with Michael Jackson," aired, it rocked his world so badly, it was like a train wreck, according to one of the witnesses, they say they will have on the stand.

They also went into what they believe is the basis of this case, that Michael Jackson exploited the situation with this boy, that the boy had no father. He encouraged the kids to call him Daddy or Michael Daddy. Couple of other quotes from this morning, the prosecutors saying that this case is about the manipulation of young boys. Instead of cookies and milk, you can substitute wine, vodka and bourbon. You can see where this stuff is going.

A little earlier today there were about 40, 45 fans who wanted to get into the courtroom. This place is like "American Idol," trying to get into the courtroom here. We saw one of those fans actually get their ticket.

The fans eventually got in, about 45 fans and press members got into the courtroom. And right now the prosecution said that they were going to show a video, a portion of the Martin Bashir video that -- that people saw that they say is central to this case. And they're going to show a small clip, about two-minute clip of that, where Michael Jackson says it's all right to sleep with little boys.

And the defense will get their chance in about an hour and a half, if they stick to the schedule they had earlier said -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Miguel Marquez, live there in Santa Maria, California. We'll continue to check in with you, Miguel. Thank you -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: No leads, no breaks, not even any dominant theories. More than four days after Jessica Marie Lunsford disappeared from her own bedroom in tiny Homosassa, Florida, frustrated police not only haven't found her, they still don't know whether they left on her own or was kidnapped.

Hundreds of police and volunteers have combed a three-mile radius of the home Jessica shares with her father and grandparents on Florida's Gulf Coast.

The father and grandfather, meanwhile, have both taken voice stress analysis tests, sort of like polygraphs, but police won't say whether they passed. They do say if nothing turns up today, the search will be scaled back tomorrow.

Police in Kansas say a serial murder investigation dating back 31 years is done, closed and solved, now that this man, municipal worker, church elder, Cub Scout leader, Dennis L. Rader is behind bars. Ahead of his initial court hearing sometime today or tomorrow, the alleged BTK attacker is said to be cooperating with authorities.

We get more from Roger Cornish of our CNN affiliate, KWCN, in Wichita -- Roger.

ROGER CORNISH, KWCN REPORTER: Hi, Miles, how are you?

O'BRIEN: Give us the latest. What's going on there now?

CORNISH: Well, what we're told is that, from a couple of independent sources that we trust, that Rader is cooperating with the investigation. Now that's short of saying he is confessing to these murders, but at least he is cooperating. There was apparently an erroneous report over the weekend that they had linked more murders to Rader. However, Wichita police chief Norman Williams made a very strong statement this morning that the current list is 10. The eight that had already been linked to BTK over the last 31 years and then two more announced on Saturday during that news conference.

O'BRIEN: And those two more announced, what time frame did those occur?

CORNISH: That would have been 1985 and 1991, several years after the last known communication from BTK, which was in the late '70s.

There had always been rumors, talk about Marine Hedge and Delores Davis, the two ladies who were murdered in the Park City area, if they were part of the BTK case. All police have said for those many years was that there were some similarities, but there were other discrepancies that kept them from saying they were part of the BTK investigation until Saturday.

O'BRIEN: How did -- what do we know at this point about how police made the arrest? How did things unravel for this suspect?

CORNISH: I think as you know, over the past 11 months he has sent out nearly a dozen communications. It was the first communication we've had from BTK since the late 1970s.

March of 2004, a letter arrived that contained some pictures from a crime scene where Vicki Wegerle was murdered in West Wichita from 1986, a still unsolved murder that had never been linked to BTK. There were no crime pictures from the police, because she was still alive when she was found and taken to the hospital. So presumably they knew this was the person who had killed her.

Over the last few months there, had been a continuing series of these letters providing some sort of clues to the police. We haven't seen all of them.

A couple of weeks ago our KSAS, the FOX station that we do newscasts for, received a package that did have other clues from it and had a floppy disk. We are told it was something on that floppy disk that linked them to Rader and allowed them to go ahead and make the arrest last Friday. Subsequent to that, we're told that DNA match was made to earlier crime scene evidence.

O'BRIEN: All right. Well, let's talk about that DNA match. How were they able to get a sample from him or his family members in order to make that match?

CORNISH: Right. That's one of the things there's been a lot of talk. We have been told that the reports that Rader's daughter turned him in were inaccurate. Those were not real, not accurate reports.

However, it is possible for investigators to get DNA from a family member, perhaps after the arrest, that would link Rader to the earlier crimes. However, they also can get a court order getting a DNA swab from Rader himself. What we're told is they do have a DNA match. Exactly who they got that DNA from, they have not released yet.

O'BRIEN: Roger Cornish, thanks for the update. Roger is with our affiliate, KWCH. Thanks for your time. Appreciate it.

In just a few moments we'll talk more about the Kansas murders and the hunt for BTK with CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks.

And tonight, join Aaron Brown for a special edition of "NEWSNIGHTS" on the BTK case, 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 Pacific right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was very shocked. I was bewildered.

PHILLIPS: ... a church member and Cub Scout leader accused of being a serial killer. We'll go in-depth on the investigation.

Later on LIVE FROM, Guantanamo guidebook. A new television show claims they use the same alleged torture techniques used at GITMO on seven volunteers, just to prove a point.

Hillary Swank scored a K.O. at the Oscars. We'll take you inside the gym that trained the actress and other real-life women who pack a punch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Another grim distinction in Iraq today. The deadliest single attack by enemies of the new order claimed at least 125 lives. A hundred and twenty five lives outside the government office in Hilla, just south of Baghdad.

The dead are believed to be a mix of police recruits, long a favorite target of the Iraqi insurgents, and some civilians crowding in nearby markets.

CNN's Nic Robertson fills us in now from Baghdad -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, those police recruits were waiting outside of a medical center in the middle of Hilla. They were waiting to have their medical checkups as part of their recruitment procedure.

An eyewitness there said he saw the insurgent, the suicide bomber, drive his car right into the middle of the crowded line of police recruits, detonate the car. According to this eyewitness, he said he saw at least 50 people dead immediately.

One of the reasons the police say the death toll was so high was the timing, 9:30 a.m. in the morning. The town was busy. The location, as well, added to the death toll. The medical center was located in a very busy outdoor market area. And that is why the police say there were a lot of market goers among those -- among the dead and casualties, as well.

According to Iraqi Red Crescent, which is the equivalent of the Red Cross here, there are at least 200 people wounded in that particular attack. It's not the first time that police recruits have been attacked, but it is certainly the largest number of them that appear to have died in one attack. And this, by far, the biggest death toll from one single blast caused by the insurgents since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Nic, can we make any broad statements as to whether most of those targeted today were Shiites, for example?

ROBERTSON: It's a possibility, Miles. But we're seeing that the insurgents over the recent months, they have a spectrum of targets. Shiites are one component in that spectrum. Police recruits, army, police on checkpoints, another part of it. People who can be kidnapped for money, hijacked on the highways of Iraq are another grouping.

This town is at the bottom end of the Sunni Triangle. It is a very -- an intensely tribal area. The police often have battle with insurgents there. It's an area where insurgent activity is quite strong still. It's south of that Ramadi/Falluja, west of Baghdad area that's had a lot of -- a lot of international U.S. troop attention to flush out insurgents.

This area intensely tribal. The insurgents still able, it seems, to attack when they want. The real target seems to have been the security forces in Iraq.

Interestingly, Miles, we've heard from both Iraqi government officials and U.S. military commanders that say that, despite all these repeated attacks against the police and against the army, it's not driving down recruitment. Indeed, the first cavalry general, who is leaving over the weekend, General Pete Correlli, said that recruitment was doing so well, they actually have to turn away some police and army recruits. They don't the resources to train them all, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Very surprising statistic. Nic Robertson, thank you very much, live from Baghdad -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, another bombshell in Beirut. Just two weeks to the day after revered Lebanese former prime minister was killed in a huge explosion, the resulting backlash has forced out the dead man's pro-Syrian successor.

You're looking at live pictures right now as tens of thousands of demonstrators have converged peacefully at this point in Beirut in Martyr's Square. They say that their work isn't finished, not until Syrian soldiers go back to their own country.

We're going to get the latest now from CNN's senior international correspondent, Brent Sadler.

Brent, as we look at this live picture, give us a feel for what is -- the scene is like now as compared to about half an hour ago when the Lebanese prime minister resigned?

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely scenes of euphoria here amongst the many, many thousands of opposition supporters who camped out overnight the previous night and were here throughout this day, defying a government ban that was supposed to prevent them gathering in the first place.

In the event the Lebanese army and security forces simply held back and protesters were able to reach this area of Martyr's Square next to the burial place of former Lebanese prime minister, Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated two weeks ago this day.

A parliamentary session took place less than a mile from here. It was expected that opposition politicians would attempt to topple the Lebanese government, a staunch ally of Syria, by a vote of no confidence.

That did not happen. The government went first. And this really was a dramatic turnaround in events.

There is now complete political chaos here in the sense that there is a vacuum. There is still a Lebanese president, Emile Lahoud, a very strong ally of Syria. Now there have to be consultations between the newly empowered, if you like, opposition, which are now claiming triumph over Syrian allies.

Syrian forces still remain entrenched in Lebanon. So, too, do Syria's military intelligence network here. That hasn't changed, despite U.S.-led international pressure to get Syrian troops out of this country.

But there is an opportunity now for the opposition to start serious negotiations, they say, for peaceful and honorable withdrawal of Syria's military and intelligence presence in this country -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We'll talk more about the history and hear more from you in the next hour. Brent Sadler, thank you so much.

Straight ahead, the BTK serial killer. We've got more on the investigation. Stay with us. LIVE FROM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Police in Wichita, Kansas, are commending the capture of the man that they say is the notorious BTK serial killer. Dennis Rader's arrest has brought an end to an intense 30-year manhunt. So how did authorities finally find their suspect?

Joining me now to talk about the case and the search, also for that missing Florida girl, CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks. Let's start first with BTK. What's the latest on how they found their suspect? MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, just a short time ago we heard the police chief. And in a statement, a press statement, he basically admonished the media from putting out inaccurate information.

One of the cases he cited, Kyra, was that he said apparently some media outlets were saying there had been 13 murders linked to him. He said right now there are only 10.

And he also had threatened, basically, legal action. He's going to go to the district attorney, and Williams threatened legal action, saying he will contact the district attorney and, quote, "And ask what legal resources we do have in regards to information that is inaccurate and inappropriate being disseminated in the community."

He's very serious about this. And I've never seen law enforcement, federal, state or local, as tight-lipped about a case as they are about this one.

PHILLIPS: But was any of the information incorrect about getting their suspect? I mean, right now they believe this is their guy.

BROOKS: Right.

PHILLIPS: And it was connected through DNA.

BROOKS: Well, they have not said anything about DNA for sure either.

He did tell CNN in an interview that -- with CNN that he is cooperating. Apparently that he is -- that Rader is cooperating with law enforcement. To what extent, we don't know.

Because we heard Saturday that there were 10 murders. We had only heard eight before that, starting back in 1974. We'd heard about family of four that was killed in '74, one other murder in '74. Then they jumped to 1977, two murders in '77. Then we thought there was a nine-year gap between 1977 and 1986.

But now they say that there -- two other murders are connected to the BTK Killer, one in '85 and one in 1991, both in Park City, Kansas.

PHILLIPS: Well, you think of a serial killer, and you think that this is someone that would kill consistently year after year after year, month after month, and week after week.

BROOKS: Right.

PHILLIPS: And there appears to be this length of time where there wasn't any action, at least to this point.

BROOKS: Right.

PHILLIPS: Explain to me from your background, law enforcement, FBI, just the mentality. Is that normal, to sort of go on a spree, wait a while and then come back, because it's the thrill of the hunt again that's tempting them?

BROOKS: Well, they call him a serial killer, not a spree killer. Spree killers usually -- usually kill all in a row and then usually stop. You don't hear much for them.

But now he -- had all these different, all these years between the killings. Had six killings -- or five killings and then a gap of three years. And then two more and then a gap. And then '86, and now we hear two more in '85 and '81.

Who knows what the mind of this person is? And that's what I'm going to be interested in hearing. And we're not hearing much at all about the case or what his motive was or what drove him to do this.

Again, Rader is innocent until proven guilty. Want to make sure we point that out. But if he is, in fact, the BTK Killer, we probably won't hear much at all on the law enforcement case until they get to the preliminary hearing, which is basically the probable cause hearing, where law enforcement will have to show their hand a little bit on exactly what kind of evidence they have against him to charge him with these 10 murders.

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's switch gears. The other case we've been following, the missing Florida girl, little Jessica. What's the latest there?

BROOKS: Well, we just heard in an interview with the spokesperson from the Citrus County Sheriff's Office earlier this morning that apparently the father and the grandfather have both submitted to voice stress analysis tests.

Now some law enforcement -- you know, people I talked to, and me, you know, do I hold a lot of credence in voice stress analysis? It is a relatively new science, if you will, probably within the last six to 10 years. Most departments will use polygraphs. Everybody knows that. But keep in mind, these are both tools.

What I thought was interesting, Kyra, when they asked -- when the woman from the sheriff's office was asked -- asked for the results of the test, she wouldn't comment on that.

And basically, they said they are basically -- they kind of gearing down, if you will. They're moving the mobile command post down. They're still going to be looking for her, but why is that? Is it because they may know who's involved with this and are waiting for additional leads, additional clues? Or because they really don't know anything?

We heard -- were hearing early on when she disappeared that they really didn't have many leads because of the remote location. They weren't able to get a helicopter up to look for any heat signatures to find her if she was nearby the house.

But they have basically spread out the search to about a five- mile radius around her home there, which is apparently a very, very quiet neighborhood. And her disappearance, they still haven't said whether it is abduction or still a missing persons case. And they still haven't put out an Amber Alert.

PHILLIPS: All right. We're on both crime cases. Mike Brooks, thanks so much.

BROOKS: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, tonight on CNN's "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN," we're going to devote an entire hour to the BTK investigation. The special will focus on the inside hunt for the serial killer and provide us with a closer look at the suspect, Dennis Rader. That's tonight, 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 Pacific.

O'BRIEN: Well, who do you believe in the Michael Jackson case? That question is critical for both sides, of course. As that trial finally gets under way, we'll talk with legal experts about how each side plans to make its case. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.

And, super heroes on the edge. Find out what Captain America, Batman and Robin are up to a little later on LIVE FROM. Batman's not looking so good these days, is he?

Plus, it's the debate of the day. How do you think Chris Rock did as the host of the Academy Awards? E-mail us. LiveFrom@CNN.com is the address. We'll have some of your comments a little bit later.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's an $11 billion retail deal. Two groups of legendary department stores are coming under one umbrella now.

Let's get the details from Chris Huntington. He joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange.

Hi, Chris.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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