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Police Search for Missing Sex Offender; Emmett Till's Body to be Exhumed for Autopsy

Aired May 05, 2005 - 15:00   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Let's go to CNN's John Zarrella for the very latest at this point-- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, that's right. Just a couple of hours ago, we had two sex offenders missing. Now we just have one of these sex offenders missing.

Palm Beach County police are looking for a man they believe to be a threat. His name is Patrick Wayne Bell. He is 39 years old.

Bell is a registered sexual predator. He has spent six years in prison for crimes against children. He got out a month ago.

Now, he has not been able to live with his mother, who lives in Riviera Beach, because she lives within a thousand feet of a day care center. And the two hotels, motels that he was living in, they both threw him out after they found out that he was a registered sexual predator. So two days ago, he went to his mother's house. He cut off the ankle bracelet which he was wearing, which is also a GPS device, and he fled.

Now, if you have any idea where this man is, police would like to you call, Palm Beach County police would like to you call 1-800-458- TIPS. That's 1-800-458-TIPS.

Now, Bell had been in prison serving time for sexual battery and lewd and lascivious conduct against children under the age of 16.

Now, the second man, 37-year-old Jimmy James Felder, is now back in custody. He surrendered today to St. Lucie County authorities. That's just up the coast from Palm Beach County. He had cut his ankle bracelet off on Monday and thrown it in a canal. He had only been out of prison since Saturday.

So Jimmy James Felder is back in custody. But again, police in Palm Beach County still want to know where Patrick Wayne Bell is. And they do believe he is a threat to the community -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So John, I'm assuming once captured, considering what he did, more jail time? How does that -- you know, is it tougher?

ZARRELLA: Yes, it's certainly likely that he could be sent right back to jail now for violating terms of his -- his probation. They're monitored. They have to wear the ankle bracelets. So he is in violation. He could certainly go back to prison. That's going to be up to the court to decide, of course, in St. Lucie County. And certainly Patrick Wayne Bell, who is still on the loose, faces the same situation new.

You know, we have to remind folks that there are 1,800 sexual offenders who are considered absconders, who no one knows where they are, and there are a total of nearly 34,000 sexual offenders registered in the state of Florida.

So again, 1,800. Now we have one more added to that list, and one, of course, who is taken off the list.

But certainly a lot of attention has been given to these people lately in light of the murders of two young children in Florida, and it's -- the Jessica Lunsford Law was passed and signed by the governor, which makes it a mandatory 25 to life sentence for anyone convicted of a crime against a child under 12. So much stiffer penalties now in the state of Florida as they try here to deal with these cases -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John Zarrella, thanks so much.

MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: The runaway bride couldn't say those two little words, and now Jennifer Wilbanks may have to pay up to five figures for the troubles she has caused.

Wilbanks' attorney says her client is apologetic and will make amends for the money spent on the unnecessary search. The mayor of Duluth, Georgia, says the city would be willing to take some reimbursement for the up to $60,000 spent.

We'll hear more on the case in a news conference with Wilbanks' attorney and her family's pastor. CNN will carry that live today, 4 Eastern Time, less than an hour from now.

PHILLIPS: A Dutch national working at the United Nations is being questioned in connection with this morning's explosions in New York City. A small blast shattered windows and nerves around the building that houses the British consulate among other offices.

FBI agents say the man was detained in that vicinity of the building, but is not being called a suspect. As for those devices used, apparently, you can find them in any toy store.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY KELLY, NYPD COMMISSIONER: The NYPD bomb squad, in conjunction with the FBI and our awesome explosion experts, believe that the devices were novelty grenades filled with black powder and then detonated, possibly by using a fuse that was ignited by hand. No timing device appears to have been employed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The British consulate general said that he sees no connection between the blast and today's election in Britain. Voters -- voters there have just two more hours to cast ballots in a contest that has raised serious questions about the country's involvement in Iraq, as well as the state of public health services and the economy. Polls show that Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor Party is in the lead with him bound for a third term.

O'BRIEN: Security concerns prompt a redesign of the Freedom Tower in New York. The structure is to be built near the spot where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center once stood.

Authorities say the new building needs to meet NYPD security standards, and that includes locating the structure a little farther away from West Street and changing the shape of the building's base. The redesign expected to retain the tower's planned height of 1,776 feet. And, of course, the 276-foot spire on top, which will make it the tallest building in the world.

PHILLIPS: The new homeland security director made his first official visit to the U.S.-Mexico border today. Michael Chertoff traveled Southern Arizona with senators John McCain and Jon Kyl and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. Chertoff says that he plans to add more border agents and technology, including unmanned aerial surveillance vehicles to try to stop the flood of illegal immigrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We've got to bring together individual resources, personnel, technology, smart thinking and strategy to give us real control over our border, and that's what we're committed to doing.

There's a great deal of focus on this issue from the president on down here in the administration. So I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the border area out here and to working with the senators and the governor to secure the border in the way that it needs to be secured.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Senator John McCain added that the border gap has allowed thousands of illegal immigrants with criminal records to enter the U.S. and that 20,000 of them were captured in Southern Arizona.

And this reminder: stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

O'BRIEN: An apparent murder suicide in a Texas office topping our news across America right now. Two attorneys killed in today's suicide shooting. Police say a lawyer working for an oil services company fatally shot another attorney, then killed himself. There's no word on what led to the shooting.

A grand jury meets in the Atlanta courthouse shootings case. Prosecutors today urged the grand jury to bring murder charges against suspect Brian Nichols. He is accused of fatally shooting a judge and three others two months ago. And environmentalists call it a leave no tree behind policy. The Bush administration announced it's opening up nearly 60 million acres of forest to road building and commercial ventures. Most of the forest land is in Alaska and in western states.

PHILLIPS: For 50 years it's been a mystery. Just how did Emmett Till die? Investigators are set to dig up his grave in order to find out. And we're going to talk with a forensic expert about what they expect to find.

O'BRIEN: And the Boss, a little too steamy for Starbucks. Find out why the coffee chain says his new C.D. is just too hot to go with your latte. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This week in history, in 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to reach outer space.

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became the first woman to ever become prime minister of England.

And in 1994 South Africa elected its first black president as Nelson Mandela came to power.

And that is this week in history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, apparently Starbucks not a big fan of the Boss, at least this particular album. It's got some racy lyrics.

PHILLIPS: Sexy song on there. You know, I can understand where it would cause a little bit of controversy.

O'BRIEN: I don't know. Is that really what's going on, Susan? Or are they just concerned it's not going to sell well, because it's getting panned a little bit?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, I mean, it's also a solo record without the E Street Band. So it doesn't have that big sound. But it's the lyrics that bothers Starbucks, Kyra and Miles. The Boss' lyrics might be too hot for the coffee chain.

According to "Newsweek" magazine, Starbucks is backing away from a potential deal to sell Springsteen's new album, "Devils and Dust" because of one particular song. That tune, titled "Reno," is in part about a married man's encounter with a prostitute. It's the first Springsteen album to carry a potential warning label.

The coffee chain has actually become a major seller of adult contemporary music, carrying recent releases from the late Ray Charles, Tina Turner and Norah Jones.

(STOCK REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Thank you, Susan. See you later.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, his brutal killing in Mississippi in 1955 was a defining moment for the civil rights movement, but amazingly, no autopsy was done to figure out how young Emmett Till died until now. Details on a new move in his death investigation straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Quick update on the Michael Jackson trial in Santa Maria, California. The judge in that case declined to dismiss charges against the 46-year-old former King of Pop. That was a pro forma routine motion filed by his defense attorneys after the prosecution rested its case.

There were some who thought the judge might throw out the conspiracy charges that are a part of all of this and focus the remainder of the trial instead on the molestation charges. Nevertheless, the judge has declined to do so. Prosecutors have rested their case. Defense lawyers will begin calling witnesses very soon. So we'll keep you posted on that -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Even if you don't know why Emmett Till is in the history books, you associate his name with one of the cruelest chapters of the 20th Century.

Fifty years after till's murder helped give rise to the civil rights movement, half a century after an all-white jury acquitted two white defendants who later admitted their guilt, authorities are preparing to exhume Till's body in hopes of finding truth and justice, even after all this time.

We get the story from reporter Monica Schneider of CNN affiliate CLTV in Chicago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MONICA SCHNEIDER, CLTV REPORTER (voice-over): Emmett Till, killed in Mississippi allegedly for whistling at a white woman. His body buried here in southwest suburban Alsip, the murder never solved.

MAMIE TILL MOBLEY, EMMETT TILL'S MOTHER: And I shrugged and I said turn me loose, I've got a job to do.

SCHNEIDER: A documentary featuring Till's late mother charged that not only was the murder trial in which two men were acquitted a sham...

KEITH BEAUCHAMP, DOCUMENTARIAN: Through my research I found that up to 14 people was involved with the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till.

SCHNEIDER: Five of them, Beauchamp maintained, still living and could be prosecuted. That information was apparently part of what one year ago led the FBI to reopen its investigation into Till's murder to find out precisely what caused his death and whether today's crime technology might still help implicate someone in the case.

(on camera) According to FBI officials, I spoke to in Jackson, Mississippi, they have jurisdiction over this case. Emmett Till's body will be exhumed here at the Burr Oak Cemetery sometime in the next couple of weeks, by month's end for certain.

(voice-over) Meantime, Emmett Till's mother, Mamie Till Mobley, seen here with him, is also buried at Burr Oak. It was she who, upon hearing that her boy had been killed, brutally beaten, shot and dumped in a river, refused to let it die. She wanted others to see his mutilation.

RUSSELL LEWIS, CHICAGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY: She had an open casket, so for one of the first times this was shown to people. People saw it. It was published in "Jet" magazine.

SCHNEIDER: And later the trial for his murder was depicted in "Life" magazine. Courtroom sketches now in the possession of the Chicago Historical Society.

All the publicity ended up being a catalyst for the civil rights movement, as both blacks and whites said such lynching-type acts could no longer continue. But according to the Till documentarian, they do continue and, thus, solving Emmett's murder has merit to this day, if nothing else, to keep his story alive.

BEAUCHAMP: I think it's very important, that is my generation should know, because we must never forget those who paved the way for us to exist in this free society.

SCHNEIDER: Monica Schneider, CLTV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Among the figures from the Emmett Till case who are still around in 2005 is the woman Till supposedly whistled at. Carolyn Bryant, now Carolyn Donham (ph), reportedly was suspected then and reportedly is suspected still of fingering Till for the men who took him away.

Even so, the prospects for prosecuting anybody at this late date may come down to science, forensic Science. And few know more about that than Kathy Reichs, forensic anthropologist, university professor and bestselling novelist, most recently of "Cross Bones," due out in June. She joins us live from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Kathy, great to have you with us.

KATHY REICHS, FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST: Thanks. Great to be here.

PHILLIPS: So they go in for the remains. I'm assuming you have to start with a DNA test to make sure that if, indeed, that is the body of Emmett Till? REICHS: Well, apparently, that was part of the defense during the trial, that it wasn't even identified properly. So that would be the first thing that you'd want to establish with an autopsy.

With an exhumation, you want to do two things: establish the I.D., and then try to get as close an estimate of what cause and manner of death were as possible.

One of the other things that they might be trying to do, as well, even though a lot of time has passed, would be to try to collect any trace evidence that might still be on the body, scrapings under the fingernails or anything like that. Technologies have improved a lot since then and they might be able to do something with the trace evidence to either tie to a place or to a person of possible suspect or perpetrator or something like that.

PHILLIPS: So after 50 years, what's the reality of what's actually left of the body?

REICHS: It is so variable, Kyra. I've done autopsies of people who have been in the ground 30 years, and they are completely skeletonized. There's nothing but dry bone.

There have also been autopsies, you remember Medgar Evers was exhumed something like 30 years after his death, and he was perfectly preserved. He looked like he went into the ground the day before.

So the body can be perfectly preserved. It can be just bones. It can be anything in between, which is why I would hope that the team doing this will have both a pathologist and an anthropologist.

PHILLIPS: Now Medgar Evers, his body was very well preserved because of the casket. Right? It was well-sealed. Waterproof.

REICHS: Right, it has a lot to do with the quality of the casket, the place in which you're buried, if there's going to be a lot of water that tends to get trapped in the grave or if it flows on through or, better, even around the grave, all of those things have to do with it.

PHILLIPS: So best-case scenario would be tissue samples and bone samples, right? That's why you need the pathologist and the anthropologist to come in?

REICHS: Absolutely. But even in the absence of soft tissue, you can do a lot with the bone. You can do your DNA testing from the bone, for example. You could establish wound patterns. You might pick up evidence of shotgun. You might pick up evidence of blunt instrument trauma.

One of the things you want to try to do is to reconstruct that death episode as accurately as possible so that you can, for one thing, either corroborate or refute either eyewitness accounts or the defense's story, the defendant's story in what happened in the situation. You also want to be able to refute possible defense explanations. If you remember, there was also a young black man killed in the South back in the '60s names James Cheney. And in that case, the defense was that a lot of the damage to the bones was done by bulldozers in digging the body up, whereas those that performed the autopsy showed very clearly that that was not the case. It was not caused by a bulldozer.

PHILLIPS: Wow, that's pretty incredible.

And, of course, 50 years ago, all the racism that took place, an autopsy was never done, a cause of death was never determined...

REICHS: Right.

PHILLIPS: ... which was an absolute shame in itself, along with the murder.

But now, you can take the eyewitness accounts, match it up with what you find with regard to the remains. More than likely, what do you think, percentage-wise, a cause of death can definitely be determined?

REICHS: Well, allegedly, it's gunshot wound and blunt trauma. So you definitely ought to be able to document that, even if you've only got bones. You're going to pick up evidence of that. It's possible someone could be shot and leave no evidence on the bone, if it was simply a gut shot that went into soft tissue. But most likely you're going to pick up evidence of both of those kinds of trauma.

PHILLIPS: Pretty amazing, as you look through your career, don't you agree? Justice Department reopening this case after 50 years and doing this, pretty incredible, yes?

REICHS: Pretty incredible and also admirable, I think.

PHILLIPS: Kathy Reichs, pleasure to have you.

REICHS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: I agree. Thank you.

We can't wrap up without a word about an upcoming special in which doctor/author/professor Reichs plays a role. It's called "Anatomy of Murder: Crime Scene Investigation." Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta goes to work with a CSI team in Miami and with the cast and crew of the drama series "CSI Miami," as both tackle a real life murder. That's a week from Sunday, May 15, 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 Pacific, only on CNN. I got a sneak preview. It's pretty hot.

O'BRIEN: Well, he's -- he does a good job.

PHILLIPS: Yes, he does.

O'BRIEN: And he does brain surgery on the side. So kind of humbles us, doesn't he? PHILLIPS: He's -- let me tell you, he is a humble soul. So is Judy Woodruff, by gosh.

O'BRIEN: Yes, she is, Judy Woodruff, joining us for all things political today.

Hello, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Hi, there. Thanks to you, Miles, and you, Kyra, and we'll see you tomorrow.

So with gas prices at record highs, do Americans think the economy is going in the tank? Well, it all depends whom you ask. We will show you our latest poll numbers.

Plus it is election day in Great Britain, with polls set to close in just about 90 minutes. We're going to go live to London for a look at the prime minister's race.

"INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: This just into CNN. We're following that explosion which happened in midtown Manhattan this morning outside offices which contain, among other things, the British consulate.

Police are still calling them a couple of novelty-type grenades. No one was injured in that.

Police are also telling us that a security camera on the building picked up a good image of an individual and might provide them some leads.

And they're also telling us this. We had told you earlier that a Dutch national employed by the United Nations weapons inspection agency, UNMOVIC, was detained for questioning as a result of all of this.

Well, police are now telling us he was detained because he crossed that yellow police tape there you see inadvertently, apparently had been drinking. Perhaps there was a language barrier issue. We don't know. In any case, he is completely blameless as it relates to this explosion, according to the authorities.

Meanwhile, the authorities will be combing through that videotape of that security camera to see if they can break this one. As we said, it was a couple of novelty-type grenades, no serious injuries reported. But on this day of British elections in front of the British consulate, many people are wondering about it.

We'll keep you posted on that and much more. Stay with CNN. Now, "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS."

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Aired May 5, 2005 - 15:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Let's go to CNN's John Zarrella for the very latest at this point-- John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, that's right. Just a couple of hours ago, we had two sex offenders missing. Now we just have one of these sex offenders missing.

Palm Beach County police are looking for a man they believe to be a threat. His name is Patrick Wayne Bell. He is 39 years old.

Bell is a registered sexual predator. He has spent six years in prison for crimes against children. He got out a month ago.

Now, he has not been able to live with his mother, who lives in Riviera Beach, because she lives within a thousand feet of a day care center. And the two hotels, motels that he was living in, they both threw him out after they found out that he was a registered sexual predator. So two days ago, he went to his mother's house. He cut off the ankle bracelet which he was wearing, which is also a GPS device, and he fled.

Now, if you have any idea where this man is, police would like to you call, Palm Beach County police would like to you call 1-800-458- TIPS. That's 1-800-458-TIPS.

Now, Bell had been in prison serving time for sexual battery and lewd and lascivious conduct against children under the age of 16.

Now, the second man, 37-year-old Jimmy James Felder, is now back in custody. He surrendered today to St. Lucie County authorities. That's just up the coast from Palm Beach County. He had cut his ankle bracelet off on Monday and thrown it in a canal. He had only been out of prison since Saturday.

So Jimmy James Felder is back in custody. But again, police in Palm Beach County still want to know where Patrick Wayne Bell is. And they do believe he is a threat to the community -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So John, I'm assuming once captured, considering what he did, more jail time? How does that -- you know, is it tougher?

ZARRELLA: Yes, it's certainly likely that he could be sent right back to jail now for violating terms of his -- his probation. They're monitored. They have to wear the ankle bracelets. So he is in violation. He could certainly go back to prison. That's going to be up to the court to decide, of course, in St. Lucie County. And certainly Patrick Wayne Bell, who is still on the loose, faces the same situation new.

You know, we have to remind folks that there are 1,800 sexual offenders who are considered absconders, who no one knows where they are, and there are a total of nearly 34,000 sexual offenders registered in the state of Florida.

So again, 1,800. Now we have one more added to that list, and one, of course, who is taken off the list.

But certainly a lot of attention has been given to these people lately in light of the murders of two young children in Florida, and it's -- the Jessica Lunsford Law was passed and signed by the governor, which makes it a mandatory 25 to life sentence for anyone convicted of a crime against a child under 12. So much stiffer penalties now in the state of Florida as they try here to deal with these cases -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John Zarrella, thanks so much.

MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: The runaway bride couldn't say those two little words, and now Jennifer Wilbanks may have to pay up to five figures for the troubles she has caused.

Wilbanks' attorney says her client is apologetic and will make amends for the money spent on the unnecessary search. The mayor of Duluth, Georgia, says the city would be willing to take some reimbursement for the up to $60,000 spent.

We'll hear more on the case in a news conference with Wilbanks' attorney and her family's pastor. CNN will carry that live today, 4 Eastern Time, less than an hour from now.

PHILLIPS: A Dutch national working at the United Nations is being questioned in connection with this morning's explosions in New York City. A small blast shattered windows and nerves around the building that houses the British consulate among other offices.

FBI agents say the man was detained in that vicinity of the building, but is not being called a suspect. As for those devices used, apparently, you can find them in any toy store.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAY KELLY, NYPD COMMISSIONER: The NYPD bomb squad, in conjunction with the FBI and our awesome explosion experts, believe that the devices were novelty grenades filled with black powder and then detonated, possibly by using a fuse that was ignited by hand. No timing device appears to have been employed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The British consulate general said that he sees no connection between the blast and today's election in Britain. Voters -- voters there have just two more hours to cast ballots in a contest that has raised serious questions about the country's involvement in Iraq, as well as the state of public health services and the economy. Polls show that Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor Party is in the lead with him bound for a third term.

O'BRIEN: Security concerns prompt a redesign of the Freedom Tower in New York. The structure is to be built near the spot where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center once stood.

Authorities say the new building needs to meet NYPD security standards, and that includes locating the structure a little farther away from West Street and changing the shape of the building's base. The redesign expected to retain the tower's planned height of 1,776 feet. And, of course, the 276-foot spire on top, which will make it the tallest building in the world.

PHILLIPS: The new homeland security director made his first official visit to the U.S.-Mexico border today. Michael Chertoff traveled Southern Arizona with senators John McCain and Jon Kyl and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. Chertoff says that he plans to add more border agents and technology, including unmanned aerial surveillance vehicles to try to stop the flood of illegal immigrants.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We've got to bring together individual resources, personnel, technology, smart thinking and strategy to give us real control over our border, and that's what we're committed to doing.

There's a great deal of focus on this issue from the president on down here in the administration. So I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the border area out here and to working with the senators and the governor to secure the border in the way that it needs to be secured.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Senator John McCain added that the border gap has allowed thousands of illegal immigrants with criminal records to enter the U.S. and that 20,000 of them were captured in Southern Arizona.

And this reminder: stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

O'BRIEN: An apparent murder suicide in a Texas office topping our news across America right now. Two attorneys killed in today's suicide shooting. Police say a lawyer working for an oil services company fatally shot another attorney, then killed himself. There's no word on what led to the shooting.

A grand jury meets in the Atlanta courthouse shootings case. Prosecutors today urged the grand jury to bring murder charges against suspect Brian Nichols. He is accused of fatally shooting a judge and three others two months ago. And environmentalists call it a leave no tree behind policy. The Bush administration announced it's opening up nearly 60 million acres of forest to road building and commercial ventures. Most of the forest land is in Alaska and in western states.

PHILLIPS: For 50 years it's been a mystery. Just how did Emmett Till die? Investigators are set to dig up his grave in order to find out. And we're going to talk with a forensic expert about what they expect to find.

O'BRIEN: And the Boss, a little too steamy for Starbucks. Find out why the coffee chain says his new C.D. is just too hot to go with your latte. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This week in history, in 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American to reach outer space.

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became the first woman to ever become prime minister of England.

And in 1994 South Africa elected its first black president as Nelson Mandela came to power.

And that is this week in history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, apparently Starbucks not a big fan of the Boss, at least this particular album. It's got some racy lyrics.

PHILLIPS: Sexy song on there. You know, I can understand where it would cause a little bit of controversy.

O'BRIEN: I don't know. Is that really what's going on, Susan? Or are they just concerned it's not going to sell well, because it's getting panned a little bit?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, I mean, it's also a solo record without the E Street Band. So it doesn't have that big sound. But it's the lyrics that bothers Starbucks, Kyra and Miles. The Boss' lyrics might be too hot for the coffee chain.

According to "Newsweek" magazine, Starbucks is backing away from a potential deal to sell Springsteen's new album, "Devils and Dust" because of one particular song. That tune, titled "Reno," is in part about a married man's encounter with a prostitute. It's the first Springsteen album to carry a potential warning label.

The coffee chain has actually become a major seller of adult contemporary music, carrying recent releases from the late Ray Charles, Tina Turner and Norah Jones.

(STOCK REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Thank you, Susan. See you later.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, his brutal killing in Mississippi in 1955 was a defining moment for the civil rights movement, but amazingly, no autopsy was done to figure out how young Emmett Till died until now. Details on a new move in his death investigation straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Quick update on the Michael Jackson trial in Santa Maria, California. The judge in that case declined to dismiss charges against the 46-year-old former King of Pop. That was a pro forma routine motion filed by his defense attorneys after the prosecution rested its case.

There were some who thought the judge might throw out the conspiracy charges that are a part of all of this and focus the remainder of the trial instead on the molestation charges. Nevertheless, the judge has declined to do so. Prosecutors have rested their case. Defense lawyers will begin calling witnesses very soon. So we'll keep you posted on that -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Even if you don't know why Emmett Till is in the history books, you associate his name with one of the cruelest chapters of the 20th Century.

Fifty years after till's murder helped give rise to the civil rights movement, half a century after an all-white jury acquitted two white defendants who later admitted their guilt, authorities are preparing to exhume Till's body in hopes of finding truth and justice, even after all this time.

We get the story from reporter Monica Schneider of CNN affiliate CLTV in Chicago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MONICA SCHNEIDER, CLTV REPORTER (voice-over): Emmett Till, killed in Mississippi allegedly for whistling at a white woman. His body buried here in southwest suburban Alsip, the murder never solved.

MAMIE TILL MOBLEY, EMMETT TILL'S MOTHER: And I shrugged and I said turn me loose, I've got a job to do.

SCHNEIDER: A documentary featuring Till's late mother charged that not only was the murder trial in which two men were acquitted a sham...

KEITH BEAUCHAMP, DOCUMENTARIAN: Through my research I found that up to 14 people was involved with the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till.

SCHNEIDER: Five of them, Beauchamp maintained, still living and could be prosecuted. That information was apparently part of what one year ago led the FBI to reopen its investigation into Till's murder to find out precisely what caused his death and whether today's crime technology might still help implicate someone in the case.

(on camera) According to FBI officials, I spoke to in Jackson, Mississippi, they have jurisdiction over this case. Emmett Till's body will be exhumed here at the Burr Oak Cemetery sometime in the next couple of weeks, by month's end for certain.

(voice-over) Meantime, Emmett Till's mother, Mamie Till Mobley, seen here with him, is also buried at Burr Oak. It was she who, upon hearing that her boy had been killed, brutally beaten, shot and dumped in a river, refused to let it die. She wanted others to see his mutilation.

RUSSELL LEWIS, CHICAGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY: She had an open casket, so for one of the first times this was shown to people. People saw it. It was published in "Jet" magazine.

SCHNEIDER: And later the trial for his murder was depicted in "Life" magazine. Courtroom sketches now in the possession of the Chicago Historical Society.

All the publicity ended up being a catalyst for the civil rights movement, as both blacks and whites said such lynching-type acts could no longer continue. But according to the Till documentarian, they do continue and, thus, solving Emmett's murder has merit to this day, if nothing else, to keep his story alive.

BEAUCHAMP: I think it's very important, that is my generation should know, because we must never forget those who paved the way for us to exist in this free society.

SCHNEIDER: Monica Schneider, CLTV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Among the figures from the Emmett Till case who are still around in 2005 is the woman Till supposedly whistled at. Carolyn Bryant, now Carolyn Donham (ph), reportedly was suspected then and reportedly is suspected still of fingering Till for the men who took him away.

Even so, the prospects for prosecuting anybody at this late date may come down to science, forensic Science. And few know more about that than Kathy Reichs, forensic anthropologist, university professor and bestselling novelist, most recently of "Cross Bones," due out in June. She joins us live from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Kathy, great to have you with us.

KATHY REICHS, FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST: Thanks. Great to be here.

PHILLIPS: So they go in for the remains. I'm assuming you have to start with a DNA test to make sure that if, indeed, that is the body of Emmett Till? REICHS: Well, apparently, that was part of the defense during the trial, that it wasn't even identified properly. So that would be the first thing that you'd want to establish with an autopsy.

With an exhumation, you want to do two things: establish the I.D., and then try to get as close an estimate of what cause and manner of death were as possible.

One of the other things that they might be trying to do, as well, even though a lot of time has passed, would be to try to collect any trace evidence that might still be on the body, scrapings under the fingernails or anything like that. Technologies have improved a lot since then and they might be able to do something with the trace evidence to either tie to a place or to a person of possible suspect or perpetrator or something like that.

PHILLIPS: So after 50 years, what's the reality of what's actually left of the body?

REICHS: It is so variable, Kyra. I've done autopsies of people who have been in the ground 30 years, and they are completely skeletonized. There's nothing but dry bone.

There have also been autopsies, you remember Medgar Evers was exhumed something like 30 years after his death, and he was perfectly preserved. He looked like he went into the ground the day before.

So the body can be perfectly preserved. It can be just bones. It can be anything in between, which is why I would hope that the team doing this will have both a pathologist and an anthropologist.

PHILLIPS: Now Medgar Evers, his body was very well preserved because of the casket. Right? It was well-sealed. Waterproof.

REICHS: Right, it has a lot to do with the quality of the casket, the place in which you're buried, if there's going to be a lot of water that tends to get trapped in the grave or if it flows on through or, better, even around the grave, all of those things have to do with it.

PHILLIPS: So best-case scenario would be tissue samples and bone samples, right? That's why you need the pathologist and the anthropologist to come in?

REICHS: Absolutely. But even in the absence of soft tissue, you can do a lot with the bone. You can do your DNA testing from the bone, for example. You could establish wound patterns. You might pick up evidence of shotgun. You might pick up evidence of blunt instrument trauma.

One of the things you want to try to do is to reconstruct that death episode as accurately as possible so that you can, for one thing, either corroborate or refute either eyewitness accounts or the defense's story, the defendant's story in what happened in the situation. You also want to be able to refute possible defense explanations. If you remember, there was also a young black man killed in the South back in the '60s names James Cheney. And in that case, the defense was that a lot of the damage to the bones was done by bulldozers in digging the body up, whereas those that performed the autopsy showed very clearly that that was not the case. It was not caused by a bulldozer.

PHILLIPS: Wow, that's pretty incredible.

And, of course, 50 years ago, all the racism that took place, an autopsy was never done, a cause of death was never determined...

REICHS: Right.

PHILLIPS: ... which was an absolute shame in itself, along with the murder.

But now, you can take the eyewitness accounts, match it up with what you find with regard to the remains. More than likely, what do you think, percentage-wise, a cause of death can definitely be determined?

REICHS: Well, allegedly, it's gunshot wound and blunt trauma. So you definitely ought to be able to document that, even if you've only got bones. You're going to pick up evidence of that. It's possible someone could be shot and leave no evidence on the bone, if it was simply a gut shot that went into soft tissue. But most likely you're going to pick up evidence of both of those kinds of trauma.

PHILLIPS: Pretty amazing, as you look through your career, don't you agree? Justice Department reopening this case after 50 years and doing this, pretty incredible, yes?

REICHS: Pretty incredible and also admirable, I think.

PHILLIPS: Kathy Reichs, pleasure to have you.

REICHS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: I agree. Thank you.

We can't wrap up without a word about an upcoming special in which doctor/author/professor Reichs plays a role. It's called "Anatomy of Murder: Crime Scene Investigation." Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta goes to work with a CSI team in Miami and with the cast and crew of the drama series "CSI Miami," as both tackle a real life murder. That's a week from Sunday, May 15, 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 Pacific, only on CNN. I got a sneak preview. It's pretty hot.

O'BRIEN: Well, he's -- he does a good job.

PHILLIPS: Yes, he does.

O'BRIEN: And he does brain surgery on the side. So kind of humbles us, doesn't he? PHILLIPS: He's -- let me tell you, he is a humble soul. So is Judy Woodruff, by gosh.

O'BRIEN: Yes, she is, Judy Woodruff, joining us for all things political today.

Hello, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Hi, there. Thanks to you, Miles, and you, Kyra, and we'll see you tomorrow.

So with gas prices at record highs, do Americans think the economy is going in the tank? Well, it all depends whom you ask. We will show you our latest poll numbers.

Plus it is election day in Great Britain, with polls set to close in just about 90 minutes. We're going to go live to London for a look at the prime minister's race.

"INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: This just into CNN. We're following that explosion which happened in midtown Manhattan this morning outside offices which contain, among other things, the British consulate.

Police are still calling them a couple of novelty-type grenades. No one was injured in that.

Police are also telling us that a security camera on the building picked up a good image of an individual and might provide them some leads.

And they're also telling us this. We had told you earlier that a Dutch national employed by the United Nations weapons inspection agency, UNMOVIC, was detained for questioning as a result of all of this.

Well, police are now telling us he was detained because he crossed that yellow police tape there you see inadvertently, apparently had been drinking. Perhaps there was a language barrier issue. We don't know. In any case, he is completely blameless as it relates to this explosion, according to the authorities.

Meanwhile, the authorities will be combing through that videotape of that security camera to see if they can break this one. As we said, it was a couple of novelty-type grenades, no serious injuries reported. But on this day of British elections in front of the British consulate, many people are wondering about it.

We'll keep you posted on that and much more. Stay with CNN. Now, "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS."

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