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Wife Confesses to Murdering Minister; L.A. High School Students Protest Immigration Bill; More Info Released on Freed Hostages in Iraq

Aired March 24, 2006 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips.
We begin with the case of the murdered minister, a shocking turn in Tennessee. Police say the wife has confessed to the killing. Mary Winkler had fled to Alabama with the couple's three girls.

Mary Winkler, unassuming wife, mom and substitute teacher. Her husband, Matthew Winkler, found yesterday shot in the back in his bedroom. The story now unfolding in Selmer, Tennessee.

Reporting for us live, CNN's Rick Sanchez.

Rick, what do we know?

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This thing has really been unfolding over the past 24 hours or so.

You know, when we got here yesterday, Kyra, what we had was a situation where a minister was deceased; his wife and three beautiful daughters were gone. Police couldn't find them. And there was a real question as to whether or not they possibly could have been abducted.

The story has changed dramatically. In fact, last night they came to us and they said, "We found her, and we found her because a patrolman following up on an Amber Alert spotted her, saw her and called in." When they found her, she was in the van, by the way. The van with just her daughters and nobody else. That pretty much precluded the argument or the theory that police had posed earlier in the day about the possible abduction.

They interviewed her throughout the night, and earlier this morning we were talking to some officials with TBI, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, and they told us that, indeed, from that information, they were now ready to charge her with first degree murder. What they've been in the process of doing for some time now.

But then they came out here just a little while ago, in fact, just before you started LIVE FROM, and they announced that, indeed, she had confessed. So at least, in their terminology, she had given them enough information that they would call it a confession. However, they didn't give us any details.

I'm not sure, Michael. Do we have that piece of sound the with them confessing? Let's go ahead and do that now. Here's what Officer Rickman said moments ago when he came out to the camera and briefed the media.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. ROGER RICKMAN, SELMER POLICE: On March 22, 2006, the body of Matthew Winkler was found in his home in Selmer, Tennessee. Mr. Winkler had been shot on March 23, 2006. The deceased's wife, Mary Winkler, was apprehended by law enforcement officers in Orange Beach, Alabama.

According to agents of the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, Mary Winkler has confessed to the murder of her husband, Matthew Winkler, shooting him on March 22, 2006, leaving Selmer with their three daughters.

These warrants have been faxed down to the TBI and the west Tennessee drug task force and violent crimes. Went down there right now (ph). And we expect this warrant to be served within the next hour.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The daughters you heard mentioned there are 1, 6 and 8 years old.

I asked Officer Rickman a little while ago when he was out here a question that many of us had as we've been following the story. What did they see?

And he told us, and you're almost happy to hear this information, that the little girls were not present at the time the murder took place. As a matter of fact, he went on to say that the little girls to this moment still didn't even know that, in fact, that their dad was deceased.

So we also have learned, by the way, that there's going to be a hearing taking place some time today, where the grandparents, in other words, the parents of the deceased minister, are already in Alabama, and they're trying to see if they can be granted custody of those three little girls. Right now they're in the auspices of Alabama Children Services.

So, I suppose at some point today that hearing will take place and maybe the little girls will be with their grandparents. Familiar circumstances, I'm sure very important for them -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Very quickly, I know you've asked the question why? Was there something going on in their relationship? Has anyone been able to tell you anything about a motive?

SANCHEZ: I've got to tell you, Kyra, we have spoken to just about everybody we possibly can in this community: did you see them? What was their comportment like when they were around each other? Was there anything that you saw; was there an argument?

And we've gotten absolute denials from every single person that we talked to. Church members, people here in the community have all said they seemed to be the typical, quote, "all American family."

He was outside playing with the girls, always playing basketball. The mother would come home from school. They seemed to have what was, on the outside, in quotations, "a perfect marriage," a perfect family unit. What went wrong, we don't know.

There's been some intimation by police that she has given them some kind of reason. You saw where I pressed him to -- Officer Rickman to see if perhaps he would elaborate on that, but it seems like police aren't willing to do that at this point. So it may be something that comes out later on in this case.

PHILLIPS: All right, Rick, keep us updated. Thanks so much.

SANCHEZ: Sure.

PHILLIPS: The flock saw the Winklers as the perfect family. Rick mentioned that. And members of the Fourth Street Church of Christ can't believe what happened. Here's family friend, Pam Killingsworth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAM KILLINGSWORTH, FAMILY FRIEND: It's been such a total shock. They were the perfect family. Everywhere you'd see Matthew you'd usually see Mary. She was by his side most of the time. At church, after the congregation would pass out, leaving, she was right at the back door with him. It's just -- it's just not real. It just -- in my heart, I just can't believe this is happening.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: I can tell this is just so upsetting to you and obviously so very upsetting to this community, a close-knit community. When you hear today the fact that Mary Winkler, not only is a suspect, but that she could be facing first degree murder charges, that has got to be devastating to you.

KILLINGSWORTH: I just -- words cannot describe how we all feel about this. We -- it's just not comprehendible at the moment.

NGUYEN: What kind of woman is Mary Winkler?

KILLINGSWORTH: She was -- she was, you would think, the perfect mother, the perfect wife. She brought her children to school every day. She volunteered in the school. I just -- words can't describe the two different personalities we're seeing here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Mary Winkler faces a first degree murder charge in the death of her husband, Matthew. He was the minister at Fourth Street Church of Christ in Selmer, Tennessee.

Exhaustion, frustration, maybe desperation are taking hold in Milwaukee now, where the search for two young playmates is now in its sixth day. Family, volunteers, police and the FBI are looking everywhere and following hundreds of tips, but still no sign of Quadrevion Henning and Purvis Parker, last seen playing outside Sunday afternoon and, still, no sign of a crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're doing a re-canvas of homes in the immediate area where the boys disappeared. We're returning with more in depth questions, additional questioning of people that we have already spoken with. This time we're pairing one Milwaukee Police Department detective with an FBI agent. So they're out there working in pairs, as a team.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And later today the community plans a vigil, like the one held yesterday. The reward fund for the boys' safe return is now at $23,000.

Let's go straight to Tony Harris. He's working a developing story in the CNN newsroom.

Tony, it's pretty amazing seeing these live pictures of these high school students in several L.A. area schools taking part of this walkout.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Yes. Are you seeing some of this?

PHILLIPS: Incredible.

HARRIS: It really is.

Let's take you back. These are pictures on tape that we have for you. We'll try to mix in some live pictures, as well, of a fluid situation, even now, that we've been watching throughout the morning here and a good portion of the early afternoon.

What we know is that as many as 150 students from Huntington Park High School have walked out of classes and are on the streets protesting immigration legislation that has already passed the House. And clearly, what they're trying to do is to have a say in the debate that is set to take place on immigration reform next week in the Senate.

We are told that students from at least one other school, Kyra, Washington High School, have also walked out. Now, here's the thing, there is a larger coordinated demonstration scheduled for tomorrow, where organizers are expecting upwards of 500,000 people to take part, to oppose any crackdown on immigration, but, obviously, things getting under way a bit early.

Now, next week the Senate will take up immigration reform with at least, we understand, four different proposals kicking around. The bill that passed the House in December makes entering the country illegally a felony and calls for construction of 700 miles of security fencing all along the U.S./Mexico border.

President Bush going to Mexico next week to meet with Mexican President Vicente Fox to talk about immigration. And as you know, Kyra, the president is asking for, first of all, a civil debate on the subject, and the president also wants reform to include a guest worker program for immigrants.

So, we continue to watch this situation as it unfolds, this kind of free form demonstration in and around Los Angeles. So far, we can tell you that it is a non-violent demonstration. We'll keep an eye on it, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Tony. I know we'll follow it throughout the day. Tony Harris, thanks so much.

HARRIS: Sure.

PHILLIPS: On the "CNN Security Watch," another port in the storm. Well, this one is in the Bahamas, just 65 miles from the U.S. coast. The Associated Press reports a deal is in the works to let a Hong Kong-based company use an American radiation detector to screen cargo bound for the states. The A.P. says it's the first time a foreign company will fill that role at an overseas port with no U.S. custom agents present.

It's possible that no one would think much about it, if not for the recent uproar over the Dubai company's deal to take over management of a half dozen ports in the U.S. That deal, as you know, is no more.

Shocking end to what should have been a relaxing trip. Now more than 2,000 people are waiting to be flown back to the U.S. from Jamaica. The cause (ph) aboard the Star Princess abruptly canceled by a deadly fire. Alarms sounded in the wee hours of Thursday morning as most passengers were sleeping.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I looked out on the balcony, and about 50 yards from my cabin there were flames coming out of another cabin that was aft of the ship. And so I got my family up, my wife and my son, and started gathering things to get out of the room. And then they sounded the general alarm to go to -- they have drills where you go to stations on the ship.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Amid the scare, a Georgia man died of a heart attack. Eleven other travelers were treated for breathing smoke. In addition to the paid trip home, the cruise line is promising passengers full refunds.

A precession of coffins in Santiago, Chile. The bodies of a dozen Americans who died Wednesday in a horrific bus wreck, coming home today. All of them were passengers aboard the Celebrity cruise ship Millennium. They died on a side trip that was privately arranged. Their tour bus tumbled off a mountain road, down a canyon.

Ten of the victims were life-long friends from New Jersey and even lived in the same condo building. Two men, who both lost their wives in the crash, are hospitalized in stable condition.

Drive-by shootings, roadside bombings, more lives lost in Iraq today in strikes against religious sites, Baghdad businesses and police. But it's also a day of joyful anticipation for some former western hostages and cautious hope for ones still held.

CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Norman Kember, the 74-year-old British member of the Christian Peacemaker teams, has no left Iraq. Before he left, though, other members of his organization were able to meet with him. They provided some very interesting details about the captivity of the three men.

They say that they were relatively well treated. Indeed, Norman Kember, they say, who suffers from certain medical conditions, was provided by -- medication bought on the local market by his kidnappers.

They say all three men appear not to have not suffered any long- term ailments from their period of captivity. But perhaps most interestingly, they say for a lot of the time when they were being held by the kidnappers, the men were quite free, unbound, quite free to roam around the house they were in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Much of the time they were not bound and, you know, they were not handcuffed. They were free to walk around within a certain confines of the building they were in. When right before the intervention, they were bound, and then their captors left the building. And, so, they were alone when multi-national forces came.

ROBERTSON: Now, of course, all of these new details about how they were being held, about the fact there were no captors around them when they were freed by the Special Forces is very interesting.

We've learned from British officials that there was a period of several weeks of planning for this operation. We've learned from U.S. officials that the information that provided the -- that allowed the operation to go ahead came from a detainee just three hours before the three men were freed.

And now, we've also heard from the Christian Peacemaker team, saying that they did not have any direct contact with the kidnappers. So, this provides perhaps some more insight into exactly how the three men came to be freed, but very interesting. So very interesting that the three of them had no captors around them when they were kidnapped. And still, no real clear answer as to exactly why -- why it happened that way.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: Still missing in Iraq, Jill Carroll. Still worrying in Boston, Jill Carroll's family, although her father they take the release of other western hostages as a good sign that she, too, will soon be freed.

While all of Boston has become a support center for the Carroll family, a lot of people from around the world are pulling and praying for her, too, as our Dan Lothian reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jill Carroll's abduction has touched the hearts of strangers, some feeling compelled to put their thoughts in writing.

"I see only good in Jill's lovely face," writes Keith Bramwell of Ontario, "and I hope that is what her captors see, too."

The outpouring is chronicled in e-mails posted on the "Christian Science Monitor's" web site. That's the newspaper Carroll was freelancing for when she was snatched off the dangerous streets of Baghdad in January.

From the Arkansas mother of an Iraq veteran comes this. "My son returned from Iraq on December 22," writes Rebecca McCormack. "Since your abduction, Jill, we have been following your story and praying for your safety and swift release. Godspeed to you, honey."

Joe Williams, a war veteran from South Dakota, writes, "As a soldier who served 13 months in Iraq, hearing that Ms. Carroll is being held captive has brought me emotionally right back there."

Others look up to offer inspiration. Kim Cambeck (ph) of Oregon: "I pray for you and think of you as the full moon rises. My hope is that you can see the moon and know how many of us on this planet are praying for your release and for your captors."

(on camera) The e-mails come from across the country and around the world. Cambodia, Germany, Jordan, Switzerland, Sweden and this from Umar Kareshi (ph) in Pakistan.

(voice-over) "I am a Muslim, a Pakistani and, honestly, my heart cries to see that some fellow Muslims have become so blind that they don't know who's their friend and who's their foe." She adds, "As Islam preaches, killing one innocent human is like killing all humanity, and saving one is like saving all humanity."

The "Christian Science Monitor" says it's doing everything possible to win Carroll's safe release.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)

LOTHIAN: Public service announcements produced by the Boston- based paper have run on television stations across Iraq, a widespread appeal in Arabic for her return. Everyone is working, hoping and dreaming of a happy ending. "I have a visual that always makes me smile during my prayer," writes Nancy Martin of Kent, Washington. "It is of Jill, sitting with a cat in her lap, home at last, reading through these many e-mails. Won't that be lovely?"

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, it's been a long year for members of the 48th Infantry Brigade, but some of them are finally coming home from Iraq. We're going to one soldier about what he saw and did, just ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Brace yourself and grab a hanky. I'm about to show you some very happy people and one of the most welcome sights imaginable for a country at war.

American soldiers back on American soil, back from war. These are units of the 48th Infantry Brigade and the first time they've seen their family since they deployed to Iraq one year ago.

Look very carefully. You might see Lt. Eduardo Roman and his wife and family, or you could just look here. He's with us from Savannah, Georgia.

Welcome, it's good to see you.

LT. EDUARDO ROMAN, 48TH INFANTRY BRIGADE: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: So, you seem a little calm and relaxed. Have you been able to get some sleep and actually realize that you are, indeed, home now?

ROMAN: Yes, I have actually been able to get some good sleep the last couple days.

PHILLIPS: Well, take me back. Tell me what you and the men and women were doing in the past year. What do you think were some of the most memorable moments for you, Lieutenant?

ROMAN: Basically, most of the memorable moments for us was just being able to work with different countries -- Italy, the Iraqi soldiers -- and try to help these Iraqi people out the best we could.

PHILLIPS: What do you think about the Iraqi soldiers? Are they gaining speed? Are they becoming stronger and better fighters?

ROMAN: Yes, I think over time and the way the whole situation is, I guess they are becoming better soldiers, basically working with us gives them a chance to see how we do other things, you know, how we have integrity and everything and the way we work. So it's rubbing off. PHILLIPS: Now if I remember right, it was your brigade that found baby Noor, right?

ROMAN: Yes, yes. You're right. You're correct.

PHILLIPS: Did you get to meet the baby or were you involved with that at all, or was it other fellow men and women?

ROMAN: No, it was another different unit we weren't involved with that directly.

PHILLIPS: Well, I can imagine when you got the word, it was quite a different story from for what we covered in this war. How do you think it made an impact on your brigade?

ROMAN: Well, it was just something positive. Anything positive that comes out of the situation that's happening right now in Iraq is something good, always.

PHILLIPS: Well, you bring up a good point, Eduardo. There was a couple that -- the president has been giving a number of speeches throughout the week before you got back home, and there was a couple that actually stood up to the president. He was taking some Q&A at one of his speeches. And I want you to listen to what they said, and I want you to get their response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It seems that our major media networks don't want to portray the good. They just want to focus -- they just want to focus on another car bomb, or they just want to focus on some more bloodshed, or they just want to focus on how they don't agree with you and what you're doing, when they don't even probably know how you're doing what you're doing anyway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A couple questions for you. What's your first response to what that woman had to say?

ROMAN: I guess from her point of view, you know, I guess, yes, she can say that, you know, because she can't -- much of the population in the states can't really see exactly what's going on all the time. And I guess some of the things that they do get to see can be translated in a negative way.

But from my point of view, I can tell you, you know, we do a lot of positive things. And, you know, the opportunity I have here to say something and tell them that there's a lot of positive things happening over there.

PHILLIPS: Sure, from baby Noor, that of course we covered. And I can tell you, we sit in our meetings every day and we talk about what we can cover in Iraq, because there is so much going on. And we're up against tremendous security issues now, so that's another factor that we didn't have to deal with in the past. Talk to us about some of the positive stories you are bringing back. I know you lost a lot of fellow soldiers when you were there. But is there a story or two that you can tell us about now that we haven't been able maybe to reach out and cover?

ROMAN: In general, I can just in general give you a picture. When we first arrived there, working the different areas that we had to actually patrol as a unit, you know, we weren't received as well as, you know, any stranger from another country, basically being the United States. Well, you know, they just really didn't take to us well.

But over the time working there, you know, they felt like we weren't there to really cause any problems but just try to help them the best that we could. So, overall, you know, it's a better relationship between us and the Iraqis.

PHILLIPS: Do you want to go back?

ROMAN: Do I want to go back?

PHILLIPS: Yes.

ROMAN: I'll go back. Whatever, you know, my country needs for me to do.

PHILLIPS: It's amazing just the mentality that the men and women keep, even going up such tremendous circumstances. Do you think there was a point, Eduardo, that you thought you might not be able to come home?

ROMAN: Yes, there's some times when things get really tough, but as a soldier you don't really think of that, you know. You don't put that in the front of your mind. So, I mean, yes, there's times when you don't think of it, you know, that just things happen.

PHILLIPS: Well, I know you thought of your wife and your three kids a lot. Were they excited to see you? What was it like to just finally embrace the kids again?

ROMAN: Well, I've been with my wife. My kids haven't seen me yet, but I spoke to them over the phone, and they were pretty excited that I'm back home on American soil. But, yes, my wife was very excited. I met her two days ago in the airport. Yes, he was very excited.

PHILLIPS: So you haven't even kissed the kids yet.

ROMAN: No, not yet.

PHILLIPS: Well, I know they're excited. I know your wife was thrilled to see you.

Lieutenant Eduardo Roman, great talking to you. We're glad the 48th Brigade is back. You really did some incredible things overseas. We appreciate your time today. ROMAN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, fallen heroes. Before they went to fight in Iraq they had lives here in the United States. And we now salute some of the men and women who have died in this war.

Army Sergeant 1st Class Stephen J. White was the father of seven children. His wife, Vicki (ph), is also on active duty in the Army. Stephen was on his fifth tour of duty when he was killed by a roadside bomb in Najaf, Iraq, in January.

Army Sergeant 1st Class Jason Bishop was a devoted father of three children. He told a friend before he shipped out, "Tell my boy what his father was like if I don't come back." Jason Bishop died on New Year's Day when a bomb went off near his Humvee. He was on patrol in Sininya (ph), Iraq.

Twenty-three-year-old Army 1st Lieutenant Garrison Avery graduated from West Point in 2004. Garrison and two other soldiers were killed by an improvised bomb in Baghdad in February.

These heroes are just three of the 2,319 men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the war in Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Investors going gaga for Google, once again. Chris Huntington watching all the action live from the New York Stock Exchange.

Hi, Chris.

(STOCK REPORT)

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