Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Suspects in Natalee Holloway Case Appear in Court; Kidnapped Girl Gives Info Police Hope Will Locate Missing Brother; Civilians Among Those Killed in U.S. Air Strike; Soldiers Celebrate the Fourth

Aired July 04, 2005 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, HOST: Aruba investigation. Three suspects find out if a judge will release them in connection with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. We are live on the story.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rusty Dornin in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, where investigators say they have new leads in their quest to find Dylan Groene. More coming up.

HARRIS: This soldier may have lost his legs when his Humvee was bombed in Iraq, but he didn't lose his spirit. We will talk live with specialist William Brooks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my goodness. We have waited a whole year for this. The eaters are hunched over their plates now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Who's the hottest with the hot dogs? The contest where all the contestants are hungry from a win.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris in for Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

It is no trip to the beach. That was yesterday. Today, three young suspects in the Natalee Holloway mystery are back in court in Aruba where a judge is deciding whether prosecutors can keep them locked up for two more months.

Sunday's outing was at the very spot where the suspects say they last saw the Alabama honor student, who hasn't been seen since. We get the latest on all of this from Chris Lawrence in Palm Beach -- Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, a lot of developments just in the last hour. All three of those suspects have now left the courtroom.

We've confirmed through their attorneys that at least two of them have finished their hearings for the day. They are done, and they are now being returned to the prison. Those are the brothers, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe. You can see here, you can see Satish being led out of the courtroom, heading back to a car to be taken back to jail. His brother Deepak also finished with his hearing. Now we understand that Joran Van Der Sloot also left in a car, although we are not sure yet if his hearing is finished or the court has just gone on break, and he'll pick up after the break.

Now just to give you an idea of what's going on exactly, prosecutors, again, presenting evidence to the judge, trying to prove that police should be able to keep all three in custody for up to two more months. And they may be focusing on the suspect's stories from that night, saying that they dropped off Natalee Holloway at a particular point on a beach.

We know that yesterday they brought them back and had them go over their story again, pointing out specific details about what areas they passed and where they may have dropped her off.

It's a very important day for the prosecution and also very important for the family of Natalee Holloway. For the first time they actually showed up to court. They've never done that before, but they did. Natalee's mother and stepfather did go into the courthouse. Of course, here in Aruba, very different rules. It is a closed hearing. They were not allowed to go into the courtroom but felt that it was important just to be here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE "TUG" TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S STEPFATHER: We just felt like it was important for us to be here. You know, this is a very important day for all of us here, and we're anxiously waiting the decision.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: Got a lot of people here again -- we know that two of the three suspects are done. The third, we are waiting to get information.

Again, it's a very different procedure here in Aruba. Not allowed inside. No reporters allowed, so it takes a little bit longer to get information out than it would, say, in the United States -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK, so, Chris, in the past how long has it taken for the judge to come back with a decision?

LAWRENCE: At times he's come back later in the day. At times the next day and that's what we've been told here, that the decision could come, say, 10 hours from now or it could come tomorrow. But we expect it would not be any longer than that.

HARRIS: OK, Chris Lawrence in Palm Beach, Aruba, for us. Chris, we appreciate it. Thank you.

The Idaho girl who was missing a month and a half before turning up Saturday with a sex offender is said to be giving police some useful information. Eight-year-old Shasta Groene and her 9-year-old brother Dylan disappeared from the home where their mother, older brother and mother's boyfriend were found murdered May 16. Shasta's information notwithstanding, police fear Dylan is dead.

Rusty Dornin has the latest from Coeur D'Alene -- Rusty.

DORNIN: Well, Tony, remember Shasta Groene is still in the hospital. She's 8 years old. She's been through a lot. But investigators say they're taking it very slowly with her, but she's giving them some very useful information that they say investigators are pretty fired up about, that's leading them to areas where, perhaps the two were staying.

That's coming from Shasta and also from physical evidence inside of that vehicle. Could be receipts from fast food. It could be maps. It could be dirt. We don't know yet. Hopefully, we'll find out in a press conference. But they're getting some kind of evidence from the car the suspect, Joseph Duncan, was driving.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. BEN WOLFINGER, KOOTENAI COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: The investigators yesterday, through some physical evidence and statements that they've gathered over the last about 48 hours now were able to identify several areas where they think that Duncan, the suspect in this, and the Groene children may have stayed over the last six weeks. They were checking those sites for any possible evidence last night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Now, they say those sites are in a pretty wide area. Remember, we're in northern Idaho. It's only about 100 miles wide. They're checking eastern Washington, northern Idaho and western Montana.

Meantime, police also did search the home of Joseph Duncan, his previous house in North Dakota, seeing what they could find there. They spent the day there doing that yesterday. He will appear in court for his first appearance in Coeur D'Alene via closed circuit television tomorrow afternoon -- Tony.

HARRIS: And Rusty, Shasta, how's she doing?

DORNIN: She's in the hospital. Her father says she's doing well. She's said to be resting comfortably. He told reporters yesterday he has no idea when she's coming out.

HARRIS: OK. Rusty Dornin in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. Rusty, we appreciate it. Thank you.

And we hope to hear more at a news conference next hour with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department. You'll see it live at 2 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m. Pacific right here on CNN.

Strike and rescue in eastern Afghanistan. An ongoing search for missing navy SEALs. U.S. officials tell us one SEAL evaded the enemy and is back with his comrades almost a week after his recon team got pinned down in the mountains and their would-be rescuers were killed in a helicopter crash.

We're also hearing civilians were among those killed in a U.S. air strike Friday in the same general area.

CNN's Barbara Starr is watching these developments from the Pentagon -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Tony.

Well, as you say, word coming over the weekend that one of the commandos was rescued and is now back in safety. He and the others are members of a U.S. Navy SEAL reconnaissance team. The hunt does go on for the other men. They are now listed as duty status whereabouts unknown while other military people continue to search for them.

Officials will not say anything about how the one commando was rescued or give any details of the ongoing operations to look for the other men, because they are still looking for them.

There is other news, as you say. On Friday, a U.S. Air Force B- 52 bomber dropped six tons -- six tons of bombs on a walled (ph) compound in this very area of eastern Afghanistan in Kunar province. They said that the compound, they believed at the time, was sheltering insurgents that might have been responsible for the shoot-down of the helicopter that was trying to come to the aid of those commandos on the ground.

But now U.S. troops have been to the compound and what they are saying is, although they have found evidence of insurgent activity, they have also found casualties that are civilian casualties, men, women and children, they say, that were there, possibly family members of insurgents, but they are civilian casualties.

They say they regret those civilian casualties, but still they do believe it was a valid target to strike, that they did find evidence of weapons and insurgent activity at that compound -- Tony.

HARRIS: So, Barbara, they stand by the intelligence that led to attack?

STARR: They do, indeed. They say that this was a known compound that had been the focus of terrorist activity in the past. They say that there had been insurgent leaders there.

But they do say that if insurgents move their families, their wives, their children and family members into this area, these types of areas, it's just almost impossible for the U.S. to know that. They regret the innocent loss of life, but they are still saying they feel this was a valid target to strike.

And make no mistake about it, the hunt, the search does go on, still, for the missing American servicemen, the missing SEALs, on this July Fourth weekend, Tony. HARRIS: Very good. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Barbara, thank you.

In Iraq, U.S. forces take the cake on the Fourth of July. Almost 2 1/2 years after Americans sought to transplant the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, independence is a far off dream. But it's still worth celebrating, minus the fireworks thank you very much. And CNN's Aneesh Raman is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A holiday weekend away from home for the troops in Iraq but a holiday nonetheless. We're at a forward operating base in eastern Baghdad with members of the 3rd I.D. 2nd Brigade. They're in charge of patrolling Sadr City, a place that just a year ago was the scene of pitched battle, house to house combat.

Today, though, things have calmed down, and today for the troops a day off from their daily routine. They've been taking the day to play some basketball. They've been doing some fire and maneuver techniques. The tournament, the basketball tournament just winding up behind me. That, you see the championship game.

And tonight they'll have a big dinner, steak and lobster at the mess hall as well as fireworks, not of course, real ones. They'll be put up on a projection screen.

Joining me, though, Sergeant Scott Oliver and Sergeant Arthur Brantley. Sergeant Oliver, I'll start with you. You were here a year ago, and you've come now. Tell me how things have changed and tell me how things haven't.

SGT. SCOTT OLIVER, U.S. ARMY: Yes, sir, I was here a year ago. There was a lot less fighting now and people seemed a lot happier to see us every day, so it seems things are going well.

RAMAN: When you're out there interacting with people, you've out in Sadr City, a place that just a short time ago was a scene of incredible violence, what are your interactions with the Iraqi people?

OLIVER: Well, we're just trying to find out how we can help them out and improve their day-to-day lives. That's pretty much it.

RAMAN: And Sergeant Brantley, days like this, holidays, it must be especially difficult to be this far away from home and also to be in the type of setting you're in.

SGT. ARTHUR BRANTLEY, U.S. ARMY: Yes, it is hard to be away from family and friends, but I'm here to help the Iraqi people and serving my country.

RAMAN: And the president said that when the Iraqi forces are ready to stand up, the U.S. can stand down. I know you guys are working with Iraqi forces. How is that going?

BRANTLEY: It's going good. The Iraqi forces are starting to do a real good job.

RAMAN: Anyone you'd like to say hi to back home?

BRANTLEY: Yes. I should say hi to my friends and family and tell them that I love them and I'll be home soon.

RAMAN: And you?

OLIVER: I'd like to say hi to my wife Charity, my daughter Haley and my son Conner. Also to my parents, and I'd also like to congratulate my sister, who was married yesterday.

RAMAN: So for members of the 3rd I.D. 2nd Brigade, a day off duty, a day to relax, to spend time some away from the battlefield on this Independence Day as they continue to struggle to give this country its own peaceful independence.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Sadr City, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Peach trees. Not a clever segue there, but peach trees may be few and far between, but another American tradition, or at least an Atlanta tradition has found a home in Iraq. It's the annual Peachtree Road race, southwest Asia version, smaller, newer and one day ahead of the event that inspired it right here in Atlanta.

That race is the world's largest 10k, 55,000 runners putting their best feet forward in the city where peach trees are about as rare as they are in Baghdad. But every other street is named after them. Go figure.

Props to LIVE FROM segment producer Sonia Houston (ph), who ran the Peachtree this morning and still made it to work by air time. How about that? Heavily bandaged, we might add. Heavily bandaged.

A collision 83 million miles from Earth makes a lot of people happy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Team, we've got a confirmation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A NASA probe slams into a speeding comet, creating some Fourth of July fireworks. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.

And the bride wore a scuba suit. Who needs bridesmaids when you have nine sharks in the wedding?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm John Zarrella on Miami Beach. Is the water safe? Thousands of people think so. We'll have that story coming up.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. My name's Christian Bayer Wilson (ph). I'm from 8th Division (ph) 109 Homer (ph). I'm from Stoneford (ph), Georgia, currently stationed at Muhadiya (ph), Iraq. I'd like to say hello to my wife, Patricia Wilson, my little girl, Shanna Lee Tarrigan (ph). I won a Ph.D. (ph) for colonels, Ph.D. for protection agency (ph) and I'd like to say happy Fourth of July. Booyah!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, I'm Sergeant First Class David Osbourne (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm Sergeant Tina Osbourne (ph). My husband and I are stationed in Camp Stryker, Iraq, and we'd like to say hello to all our friends and family in Mason, Georgia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd also like to say, "Hey" to my daughters Chelsea and Chastity Osbourne in Macon, wish them a happy Fourth of July and I love you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'd also like to say thank you for your prayers and support here at the 48th Brigade and have a happy Fourth of July.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, my name is Captain Josie Hobbs (ph). I'm at Camp Stryker, Baghdad, Iraq. I'd like to wish all my family and friends and my husband, Major Robert Hobbs, a happy and safe Fourth of July. I'd also like to thank all the families and all the organizations that's praying for us and keeping us in their thoughts. Thanks to you all. Happy Fourth of July.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... take you as my partner...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: All right. We're trying to imagine the bachelor party here if this is what the wedding actually looked like.

The bride and groom wore matching neoprene and instead of the traditional wedding march, it was the theme song from "Jaws" as the happy couple became Mr. And Mrs. in this Tampa, Florida, shark tank.

Nine sharks and two shark handlers served as witness. Gale and Wayne Landry's other guests observed from outside the tank, thank you very much. And all we've got to say: after this, dealing with the in- laws should be a piece of cake. Gale and Wayne say their wedding plans were undeterred by the recent trio of shark attacks in the Gulf of Mexico. But how many Florida vacationers are skipping dips to stay safely beached?

CNN's John Zarrella is testing the waters in Miami Beach, Florida, to gauge the fear factor this Fourth of July -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, not literally. I haven't put my foot in yet to test the waters, but you know, the reality is that serious shark attacks, fatal shark attacks are extremely rare, perhaps one fatality every four to five years here in Florida.

And it's an absolutely gorgeous day here, not a cloud in the sky. Tens of thousands of people on the beach here and all across Florida. Hundreds of thousands of people in the water.

And while those three shark attacks have certainly been on people's minds, and people are staying closer in to shore, it has not kept them out of the water.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Matt and Tracy Musgrove (ph) never thought for a minute about changing their Daytona Beach vacation plans, but the Atlanta family, like many visitors, say the shark attacks in Florida have certainly made them both more aware and more cautious.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a matter of fact, when we drove up on the beach, my wife said make sure that we set up camp near the lifeguard stand just, you know, as a precaution.

ZARRELLA: A good idea since the Musgroves (ph) picked a place at the very top of the shark attack list.

Daytona Beach is in Volusia County on Florida's east coast. Since 1882, according to the International Shark Attack File, there have been 171 attacks here, most minor but still more than double the next closest county. And about half of the 60 unprovoked shark attacks worldwide every year take place in Florida, particularly in summer.

School is out. Families are on vacation.

GEORGE BURGESS, INTERNATIONAL SHARK ATTACK FILE: What you have is a mix of a lot of beach fishes, sharks feeding on the beach fishes and surfers doing their best to look like bait fishes. So this is the time we put the most in the water and the more opportunity to have sharks and humans interact.

ZARRELLA: Most of the time, Burgess says, that interaction is hit and run. Dangerous, but not deadly. That's what happened five years ago to Heather Van Olst as she was boogie boarding.

HEATHER VAN OLST, SHARK BITE VICTIM: As I was on my way out, you know, I was paddling. So, of course, there was a lot of splashing. So the shark probably thought I was some bait, just grabbed my leg, just bit and let go.

ZARRELLA: Doctors needed four hours and 500 stitches to repair Heather's leg.

(on camera) Do you still go in? Do you still boogie board?

VAN OLST: Yes, sir. Actually, I haven't boogie boarded since the incident, but I have surfed, which is very similar. And I've been in the water a lot.

ZARRELLA (voice-over): Heather considers herself very lucky. She was the same age doing the same thing and attacked by a bull shark the same species that killed Jamie Daigle two weeks ago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: Now, there are some very basic common sense things you can do to avoid becoming a shark attack victim.

First thing is, look, we're right here behind the lifeguard stand right here behind me. Go to a beach where there's a lifeguard stand.

The second thing is when you're out swimming, swim in groups. Don't be -- don't swim alone. And make sure that you don't go out too far in the water. And when you do go out, don't go near inlets or channels. That's where sharks would tend to be for feeding.

Don't go swimming between dusk and dawn, again, the time when sharks might be feeding. And don't wear shiny jewelry when you're in the water, because those things, the experts say, can be attractions to sharks.

So the advice is pretty simple, pretty basic, common sense things, but a lot of us don't think of it when we do go out in the water. The main thing is be around a lot of people and particularly, be near a lifeguard stand -- Tony.

HARRIS: That's good. I didn't know about the whole shiny jewelry thing or shiny objects thing. I didn't know about that. I didn't -- but here's the other thing, John, don't they mark the areas that you can go in? Here's as far as you can go. Don't go any further.

ZARRELLA: Yes, I mean, right here we'll take a look real quick.

HARRIS: Yes.

ZARRELLA: Look, the water is marked.

HARRIS: Yes.

ZARRELLA: You can see. There's buoys out there to mark where the people are supposed to go. And yet people will go out beyond those buoys. And, in fact, there have been quite a few of the lifeguard patrolling out in there, actually keeping an eye on people to make sure they don't go out any deeper.

The water is really clear today. It's a nice day. And, you know, it's -- but it is amazing that people will try to wander out on their own. And most of the time those are the folks that are the ones that get themselves in trouble -- Tony.

HARRIS: Marked for a reason. The buoys are there for a reason.

ZARRELLA: Yes. Yes.

HARRIS: John Zarrella, we appreciate it. John, thank you.

So if you're not at the beach and you're not planning to shoot off any fireworks and you're avoiding the potato salad that's been sitting in the broiling sun for three hours, you're safe this holiday weekend, right? Not necessarily.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen says check your medicine chest before you leave the house. What's that about, Elizabeth?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, a lot don't know, Tony, that the medicines you take may give a very bad reaction when you're off in the sun. In fact, some medicines and sun can make for a toxic combination.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN (voice-over): It's beach time and, of course, we all know how important it is to protect our skin from the sun's harmful rays. For most people, sunscreen usually does the trick. But not for Anna Marie Decarlo. An affidavit boater, Anna Marie always used skin protection. She usually never burned. But a few weeks ago she woke up with a serious burn and couldn't understand why.

ANNA MARIE DECARLO, BOASTER: I had sunburn on my neck and on the tops of my shoulders and on my cheeks and just really didn't believe that it happened, because I had had so much sunscreen on.

COHEN: Doctors told Anna Marie it was her medication. She had been taking an antibiotic for her bronchitis. And that caused her to have a phototoxic reaction.

DR. LYNN MCKINLEY-GRANT, DERMATOLOGIST: They call it photodermatitis or photoreaction to the sun. It's a combination of having the medicine and then being exposed to the sun. And it can be after minimal amount of sun, and suddenly you're just very, very red.

COHEN: And even the strongest sunscreens can't protect you.

MCKINLEY-GRANT: If people really need the medicine, which some do -- we don't have an alternative -- we would use protective clothing and keep them out of the sun, you know, between 10 and 4 and be very, very cautious. COHEN: Medications that can increase sunlight sensitivity include antibiotics, blood pressure medicines, over-the-counter anti- inflammatory drugs, anti-wrinkle creams like Retin-A, acne medicine and even birth control pills and certain vitamins.

Doctors recommend that patients on medication read the labels carefully before venturing outside for long periods of time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COHEN: Dermatologists say that the bottom line is that everyone should wear sunscreen when they're outside, whether it's summer or winter, but whether it's rain or shine, the sun is always there. I know.

HARRIS: But, Elizabeth, sunscreen, you go into these store and you start looking for one, you've got so many choices. What do you look for in a sunscreen?

COHEN: Right. There's row upon row.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: And there's two things you want to look for. The first thing you want to look for is the SPF, at least 15. You want 15 or higher.

The second thing and this is really important, it needs to cover both UVA and UVB rays. Those are two different kind of rays. Many sunscreens will only cover the UVB. So make sure you get one that covers UVA and UVB.

HARRIS: Got it. Elizabeth Cohen, appreciate it. Thank you.

A Fourth of July fireworks show millions of miles from Earth. NASA "oohs" and "ahs" over a direct hit on a huge comet. Details on what they hope to learn from it straight ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my goodness. We have waited a whole year for this. The eaters are hunched over their plates now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And downing dogs. These guys and gals are serious about winning with wieners. We're live from Coney Island later on LIVE FROM.

(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