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26 Hours of Terror; Four States Take Action to Stop Military Protests

Aired March 10, 2006 - 13:35   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up, a CNN exclusive, our Kyra Phillips has been working on our documentary unit to describe the 26 hours of terror after the Atlanta courthouse shootings, when Brian Nichols went on a killing rampage. And Kyra got amazing access to the players of the is story and the survivors in this story. She is down at the courthouse right now , where she's been bringing back so many memories of that day, and of course of the woman at the center of a heroic effort to save even more lives -- Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Carol, I'm just curious. Do you remember where you were within the 26-hour period?

LIN: Oh, yes, I was watching it going down, getting ready for our weekend coverage, and realizing, you know, on a professional level that we would be were going to be devoting to this story. But I don't know how you felt, Kyra, but I live in this town, and there was a killer on the loose, and I was torn between covering the story as a journalist, and you know, trying to figure out where I should go, if I should go to the store, if I should stay home. You know, there were all those personal feelings. And I know you had a lot of personal connections in that story.

PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh. You hit two very interesting points. As a journalist, I was on the air at that time and I remember getting the news that something was going on at the courthouse, and we started getting all these feeds in from our affiliates in Atlanta, Georgia, and just seeing the chaos, and it was a day just like this. It was beautiful outside. It was quiet, and then all of a sudden people were running around screaming, police cars were converging on this courthouse. We were seeing all the pictures that you're seeing right now. I mean, this is taking us back to the day on March 11th, 2005, and slowly the information started coming in, and we started hearing about a rape suspect by the name of Brian Nichols. We heard that he had broken out of his holding cell, that he had stolen the gun of a deputy, that it was a female deputy, that he had beaten her over the head, and that he had basically gone on this shooting rampage, and we started getting all these various people coming to the camera and telling us their stories, and it was just unraveling and unraveling.

And then, like you said, it rolled into the weekend, and that's when you were getting ready for your show, and we got word that this man, this alleged gunman that had allegedly killed four people, was holed up in an apartment with a woman by the name of Ashley Smith. And the next thing you knew, you saw him walking out of the apartment, waving the white tee shirt, and then we started to learn more about Ashley Smith as she started to tell her story how it went down for seven hours while he was holding her hostage. This is just a piece of what she remembers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASHLEY SMITH: And right here, he ripped his hat off right there in the doorway and said, now, do you know who I am? And I just went back against the mirror and said, oh, my gosh, please don't hurt me. And I know that I started to cry when he told who he was, and I just knew that I was going to die. And then he told me to get in the bathtub. And so I walked over and got in the bathtub.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And here's what's interesting, Carol. She said that he asked her to get into the bathtub, and that's when he taped her up. What was interesting about this part of the story is that you mentioned the personal connections. It was a strange twist, but I know the detective who arrested Brian Nichols originally for rape. I mean, it was his case that was taking place the day that that shooting spree took place. He was actually running late, so he wasn't in the courtroom at the time that the shooting took place. And he said, Kyra, if you look at the police report, the original police report from that alleged rape, he did the same thing. He allegedly taped up his victim, put her in the bathtub, and then as the report unfolds, that's when that brutal rape allegedly took place, so he was standing trial for that.

And here's another interesting part that we learned as we were working on the documentary, is that apparently Brian Nichols said to one of the prosecutors, you think you got a pretty good case, don't you? And the prosecutor basically said, yes. And so the theory is, he started thinking, my life is over, I'm going to be found guilty, I'm going to jail, and that's when things unraveled and he apparently snapped.

But later in the next hour we're going to talk more with Ashley Smith as we retrace those steps through her apartment. It's the first time, Carol, that she's gone back there since she moved out. And I asked her some pretty tough questions about whether she knew Brian Nichols before this even happened.

LIN: Kyra, what did you think of her? Because even though we recognize what she did was so heroic and we wonder what we did in her place, you know, there are even people in the newsroom who are saying, eh, I still don't know about her story. What was your gut feeling about her?

PHILLIPS: Yes, that's interesting, because even last night I was on a 55-minute phone conversation with this detective that I know, and there are a lot of people that are still thinking, I'm not quite sure. I think there's some sort of connection.

And after talking to her and asking her those direct questions -- did you know Brian Nichols? Did you have relations with Brian Nichols? Did you do drugs with Brian Nichols? Just by her mannerisms and the way she looked me in the eye and the way we had this conversation, Carol, I walked away believing her. And we spent a lot of time together and I believe that things happen for a reason, and it's a very big possibility that she was the person that was supposed to be at the right place at the right time to stop this man. I mean, she was able to identify with them.

LIN: You know, and I trust your instincts, because I've known you a long time. And, you know, we so desperately want to believe in heroes and we so desperately want to see...

PHILLIPS: Yes, we do.

LIN: ... a woman like Ashley Smith, who we're going to learn more about in your report -- but a woman like Ashley Smith who can have a fresh start, you know, and have a horrible thing like this turn so well in her life and her life for her daughter. So we'll look forward to hearing more.

PHILLIPS: Her life is turned around.

LIN: Yes, and I think you did a great piece.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Carol.

LIN: We're going to look forward to seeing more of that in LIVE FROM. And also want to remind the audience to tune in to our special two-hour edition of "CNN PRESENTS: 26 Hours of Terror." Kyra is going to bring you the untold story of the Fulton County Courthouse shooting spree. That's tomorrow and it's Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific.

Want to take you overseas now.

In Iraq, bombings killed at least 15 people today. Two attacks in Baghdad killed at least three people, including an Iraqi soldier and two police officers. Now, west of the capital in Fallujah, a suicide truck bombing at a checkpoint killed eight people, including an American marine, and wounded 11 others. North of Baghdad in Samarra, two people were killed in a car bomb attack outside a Sunni mosque. And in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, two police officers were killed while trying to diffuse a bomb.

The U.S. military was also the target of an attack in Baghdad today. An Army M1 Abrams tank hit a roadside bomb and was engulfed in flames. The crew, though, escaped unharmed.

Now, on the political front, a week from Sunday is when Iraq's new parliament is scheduled to hold its first session. That is by order of Iraqi president Jalal Talabani. But there is still no agreement on a new term for the Shiite Prime Minister, Ibrahim Al Jaafari. Now, Mr. Talabani thinks the prime minister is too divisive and should step down.

A follow-up now to a CNN report on angry protests at military funerals across the country by a group that says God is punishing America and its military for their trespasses. Grieving families say it's the protesters who are trespassing, and four states have now taken action to stop them. Here's CNN's Ed Lavandera.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred Phelps is on his way to another military funeral, laughing at all the people trying to silence him.

FRED PHELPS, PROTESTING AGAINST HOMOSEXUALITY: It is like popping popcorn. Here goes the kernel. Pow. Here goes the kernel. Pow in this state, that state.

LAVANDERA: He says that's how lawmakers are reacting to the military funeral protests Phelps and his family have launched. They believe U.S. soldiers deserve to die because they fight for a country that tolerates homosexuality.

Now four states have recently passed laws that restrict how close Phelps and his family can be to the funerals. Another dozen states are considering similar laws.

PHELPS: If those guys knew how I'm appreciating all this work they're doing, I think they would quit doing it, just for spite.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You crossed the line. Now God is your enemy!

LAVANDERA: The Phelps family says it has picketed more than 100 military funerals since last summer, but, because of these new laws, the Phelps say they will stay away from funerals in Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, and Oklahoma, but not for long. Several family members are attorneys, who say these laws violate their First Amendment right to free speech.

PHELPS: I want Congress to pass a law that says I can't picket, so we can immediately get it all brought to the nation's attention in one gulp.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a hero. You're slime!

LAVANDERA: The protests have sparked great outrage. They carry signs that read "Thank God for IEDs" and "Thank God for dead soldiers." The message is so callous, nasty and disruptive, it inspired a group of motorcycle riders from around the country to show up in support of the military families.

RANDY WENDLING, FATHER OF KILLED U.S. SOLDIER: ... to keep peace.

LAVANDERA: Randy Wendling lost a son in Iraq. He still struggles to understand how anyone could be so mean-spirited. Today, he welcomed the news that these new laws might be slowing down the Phelps family.

WENDLING: Families that are mourning should have the freedom to privacy, to mourn the loss of their loved one. And it is very important that this situation never arise again, that the people would be protected.

LAVANDERA: The Phelps family says it will continue picketing legally. These new laws won't slow them down, because, they say, there are plenty of other funerals in other places that will get their attention now.

PHELPS: Love it. You got to love it.

LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Now this might come as little consolation to the families who might come face to face with Phelps, but the group is promising to obey all laws and not be arrested.

Well, two mothers-to-be driving to a baby fair, and then this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ma'am, what's going on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's pushing our car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I understand.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: What happened and how it ended when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: You have got to see this story. What started as a trip to a baby fair turned into terror for two pregnant women in Michigan. Now, for reasons that still aren't entirely clear, another driver began ramming his SUV right into theirs. The women's ordeal was caught on videotape and their frantic call to police was recorded as well.

Cheryl Chodun of CNN affiliate WXYZ in Detroit has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHERYL CHODUN, WXYZ REPORTER (voice-over): What you're seeing is one SUV ramming another, over and over again, accelerating so hard that the tires were burning rubber.

Police say inside the suspect's car was this man, 50-year-old Earl Boyd. The victims were two moms-to-be, terrified, of course, at what was happening.

Listen to the 911 call. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

OPERATOR: Ma'am, what's going on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's pushing our car!

OPERATOR: OK, I understand.

(SCREAMING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Screaming, "What do you want with us? Oh, my God! Are you going to kill us?" I mean, it was just scared.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was the scariest day of my life. The life of my child, the fact that my husband wasn't there, my best girlfriend and her child, all four of our lives were in danger. And I -- there was nothing we could do except scream and pray.

CHODUN: And he started blowing kisses and jumping curbs and forcing them into oncoming traffic. And then they say he was ramming their car until police came to the rescue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just hope that he's prosecuted to the fullest degree.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Constant thinking of the "what ifs." So -- but the babies are good, and so that's the most important part.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: All right, the suspect is charged with drunk driving and felony assault with a motor vehicle. Now, he is free right now on bond. Police say they haven't been able to determine a motive for the attack.

All right. This just in, out of Boston. The Associated Press is reporting that the Boston Archdiocese Catholic Charities said today that it would stop providing adoption services because of a state law allowing gay and lesbians to adopt, and according to the social services arm of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, it says that the law runs counter to church teachings on homosexuality, saying that the world is a very different place now than when Catholic Charities started this program two decades ago.

There has been some dissension though within the Catholic Church about this. The states four Catholic bishops said earlier this months that the law threatens the church's religious freedom by forcing it to do something it considers immoral. But members of the Catholic Charities board differed and they stepped down in protest of the bishop's stance. So we're going to keep you posted on this interesting story out of Boston.

In the meantime, spring storms are bringing severe weather to parts of the United States, tornadoes and snow. Find out what to expect this weekend. LIVE FROM has the news you need to know all afternoon, so stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: A wild spring storm pounds the south. Check out these pictures in central Arkansas. Wind gusts of 80 miles an hour made short work of trees and power lines and tore the roofs off houses and farm buildings yesterday. At least two people in Arkansas and Tennessee were killed in storm-related incidents

Now let's check in with CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf. Reynolds, those pictures out of Arkansas, tough.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Reynolds.

In the meantime, "26 HOURS OF TERROR." Ashley Smith takes us back to her apartment for the first time since she moved out. And widows of those killed speak out about courthouse security. We're live from the Atlanta Federal Courthouse when CNN LIVE FROM returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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