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Search on for Murderer on College Campus; Middle East Dominates Bush Press Conference; New Trial Begun for Saddam; Iran Defiant on Nuclear Program; Suspect in JonBenet Murder Arrives in U.S.

Aired August 21, 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, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
Manhunt for a murderer. A sheriff's deputy and a security guard killed. Virginia Tech's campus shut down, an escaped prisoner on the loose. We're live from Blacksburg.

Pate, king fries (ph) and a glass of chardonnay. Dinner fit for a murder suspect? John Mark Karr's flight from Bangkok to the U.S. Could lavish treatment lead to the truth?

Defiance in the face of U.N. sanctions. Iran refuses to halt its nuclear program. We're live in Tehran.

LIVE FROM starts right now.

Well, it's supposed to be the first day of classes at Virginia Tech. Instead, the campus is shut down as police search for a killer on the run.

Rachel DePompa of CNN affiliate WDBJ has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RACHEL DEPOMPA, WDBJ CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rachel DePompa in Blacksburg, Virginia, right outside of the Virginia Tech campus, where we've had a police officer shot and killed this morning in Blacksburg. A suspect has been on the run for two days now, Charles William Morva.

Yesterday a deputy was taken into the area hospital when that officer was overpowered, shot, and then a security guard at the hospital was shot and killed. The suspect, Charles William Morva, went on the run. He has been on the loose in this community.

And this morning, at 7:15 in the morning, Corporal Eric Sutton with the Montgomery County sheriff's office, lost his life. He was fatally shot.

Morva was seen on the Huckleberry Trail, which is a well known trail in this area that people hike and bike on. That area is surrounded, police on alert.

It's tense right now here in Blacksburg. The Virginia Tech campus is shut down. They had a false alarm -- alarm earlier today where a student center was shut down because they thought they had a sighting of him.

So it's a tense time right now here in Blacksburg. Police are on the lookout for this suspect. They say he is armed and dangerous, and people need to stay away. We've already had three shootings. Two people have been killed in two days.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right. And Tony Harris, we're actually waiting for a live news conference. Is that right?

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. We're waiting to hear from the Montgomery County sheriff. His name is Tommy Whitt, and he will give us the very latest. And we're trying to see where this story stands at this point.

Kyra, the advisory went out, the emergency notice went up on the web site there at Virginia Tech, on the web site for the students at about 10:30 a.m. this morning, and that's obviously when we began to follow it.

The -- the advisory read, in part, "Students should return to their residence hall rooms or apartments and not venture out. Employees are asked to remain in their offices until further notice."

And I understand the press conference is beginning right now. Let's take you to that press conference now.

LT. JOE DAVIS, BLACKSBURG POLICE: ... person in this incident. That's Williams Charles Morva. Police continue to search locations in the town of Blacksburg. We're continuing to follow up on tips and information as it comes in, but at this time I don't have any further information to put out. We just want to let you know that the search continues.

And does anybody have any brief questions?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What makes you think he's still in the Blacksburg area?

DAVIS: We still continue to get information. Calls -- local calls here, and we're going to going to continue to check those locations out in the town of Blacksburg.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is the focus still around the Huckleberry Trail?

DAVIS: We continue to check all areas that we're going to get information on. Our efforts will continue anything that we would receive relevant or current information on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you confirm has he been seen on campus recently, as early as 20 minutes ago?

DAVIS: No, sir. There has been no confirmed sighting of this suspect on campus, to my knowledge.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he armed?

DAVIS: He should still be considered armed and dangerous. As you know, we had a shooting incident at Montgomery Regional Hospital early yesterday morning, and another shooting on the Huckleberry Trail this morning around 7 a.m.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he get an additional gun this morning?

DAVIS: I do not have any information that he has any additional weapons.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was the deputy by himself when the shooting happened?

DAVIS: I cannot confirm that the deputy was alone at the time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

DAVIS: There was not a deputy shot yesterday. There was a deputy injured in the incident in the Montgomery regional hospital. I don't have any further information as to his condition at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the biggest thing you want the public to know? They're seeing a lot of you all out there right now.

DAVIS: The most important thing that we would remind the public is to be aware of what's going on around you. If you see anything that looks suspicious. The picture has been put all over the press and all over the media.

So this is the suspect that we seek, to continue to be aware and look for the suspect. If you have credible information, please contact your local law enforcement agency by dialing 911. Or the Blacksburg Police Department information line is (540) 961-1150.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the range (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

DAVIS: The response from the local law enforcement has been tremendous. I would list agencies, but I would be afraid that I'd leave someone out. It is truly an event in the law enforcement community where resources are being readily offered to us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you say how many officers have been involved in the search today?

DAVIS: I couldn't begin to speculate on the number of officers that have been at all -- I couldn't begin to guess.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a tough day for you all as well?

DAVIS: Naturally, it's a tough day. We've had two shootings incidents in Blacksburg in the last two days, but with the public's help, we'll put this individual back behind bars where he belongs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does Morva have any friends or family that are believed to be helping him right now?

DAVIS: I couldn't confirm or say that he has anyone that's helping him at all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who do you think he's getting extra clothes from?

DAVIS: It would only be speculation if I were to guess where he's getting clothing or any other items that he could have.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was the last report of what he was wearing thus far?

DAVIS: The last information we had on what he was wearing this morning was tie-dyed shirt, khaki shorts, but it's believed that he may have been wearing those items over top of what he was reported to wear yesterday, which was a white T-shirt and dark shorts.

And at one time it was reported that he may have been wrapping himself in a white sheet.

So this is someone who can change his look or change his appearance, so it's important that we look at the photograph that we have broadcast so that you could recognize the individual.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How difficult would it be to determine if he was mixed in with a group of students? Would he stand out in any way, or would he look like a student?

DAVIS: I'm sure you all have taken the picture, and you can judge that for yourselves as far as what he looks like.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that making your job more difficult?

DAVIS: Well, what we're relying on is the public's help. They're our eyes and ears out there. So if someone sees this individual, I can send you pictures available, so we would accept that information real quick.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This information has hit the national news, and there are parents of Virginia Tech students who are far out of state and are not familiar with how safe and close-knit this community is. What would you tell those people who are far away but have loved ones right here right now?

DAVIS: We would tell them that as law enforcement, we are concerned and we're taking care of this as quickly as we can, that they should advise their family members that if they get any information, if they see anything, to just call the law enforcement, that they should make themselves, safe first and foremost.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you telling the students on campus and teachers specifically?

DAVIS: That as far as messages that we deal with the Virginia Tech students, I would defer questions to Mr. Larry Hincker from Virginia Tech.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're asking for the public's help here, but you're also saying be very careful. So what is -- you know, we had a message to the students, but what is the message to the entire community? I mean, everyone is really on edge here, it seems.

DAVIS: The message should be that if you see Morva contact law enforcement. Keep your distance, and don't approach this individual.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just go about your daily business? Because it certainly isn't a regular day here.

DAVIS: First and foremost, folks have to make their choices on what they want to do about their individual safety, OK? They have to decide on if it's important enough for them to stay indoors today. We naturally would not recommend that they get out in these areas that we have been working in. You have the areas and locations that officers have been in today.

Any other questions?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where was the last report he had been sighted?

DAVIS: The Huckleberry Trail this morning.

LARRY HINCKER, VIRGINIA TECH SPOKESMAN: John, you asked a question what we're telling students, and we have apprised all students to stay indoors, to stay indoors in their apartment, to stay indoors in their dormitory. We had -- we had apprised all of our employees to stay indoors.

We're beginning a selective release of those employees on one side of campus. And then sometime this afternoon we'll release the remainder of our employees. So I want to basically reaffirm what the lieutenant just said, and that is to be alert, stay indoors, and be as safe as you can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many employees (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in a certain building, the doors being locked behind them, and what is the status of that?

HINCKER: Well, I think at that point you do any kind of normal stand down. And people always lock their offices afterwards. I need to check with our police to find out what's going to happen to the buildings. Normally our buildings are always locked at a certain time of the day, and that differs from building to building.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For how much longer will the Virginia Tech campus be affected by this? Will there be classes tomorrow or the day after?

HINCKER: Well, we're going to have to take our cues from the police, and we will be getting with them sometime this afternoon to provide further information to the university community, both employees and the students. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When will a decision be made as far as classes being canceled or allowed?

HINCKER: Sometime between now and the end of the night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you able to comment at all on (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

HINCKER: That one's news to me, John. No, I've not had any communication. We've got PIOs (ph) with the county here and the state police with the Blacksburg police, but we don't have anybody from that bureau (ph) represented.

And I'll be deferring to the police department for any information with respect to the suspect.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

HARRIS: And once again, everyone, you've been listening to a press conference held there in Blacksburg, West Virginia. Lieutenant Joe Davis of the Blacksburg police, also spokesman for Virginia Tech, Larry Hincker, sort of apprising us of the situation there in Blacksburg.

As can you imagine, the city essentially on lockdown right now. Still getting information as to tips and sightings, but no real hard information as to where the suspect -- you see him there -- William Charles Morva is right now.

And Kyra, if I could, let me just sort of recap the situation as we know it, as it stands right now. Classes have been canceled at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, the first day of classes there at the university.

University employees have been told to -- or at least had been told to stay in their offices with the doors locked, but we just heard a moment ago that a selective release is underway right now on some of the employees.

Students who live on campus have been told to return to their dorm rooms and lock their door there.

Local police are trying to capture this person who escaped shortly after being transported yesterday from the Montgomery County Jail -- that's in Christiansburg -- to a hospital in Blacksburg for treatment of a sprained wrist, a sprained ankle.

The suspect, once again, 24-year-old William Charles Morva, who's being held on suspicion of robbery.

Now events have certainly escalated since that escape yesterday. Police say Morva overpowered a sheriff's deputy at the hospital where he was being treated, took that officer's gun, then shot and killed an unarmed hospital security guard.

And this morning, Kyra, as police were closing in on him, police say shot and killed Corporal Eric Sutphin of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department on the Huckleberry Trail. We'll show you that in just a moment. There's a picture of the corporal. That's a six-mile trail that connects Christiansburg and Blacksburg.

See if that picture -- I'm sorry. Let's go back to that picture of the corporal, if we could, for just a moment. A little bit more information about this man, a 13-year law enforcement veteran. He had been with the county for three years, married, with twin daughters.

As you can imagine, quite a scene in Blacksburg over the last 24 hours. Blacksburg police, Virginia Tech police, Christiansburg police, Virginia state police all working to find Morva.

And, Kyra, we will stay on this throughout the afternoon for you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Tony. Appreciate it.

HARRIS: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Thank you.

Well, a shaky cease-fire in Israel and Lebanon. Fears of civil war in Iraq and more defiance from Iran. As you know if you've been watching CNN, the Middle East took center stage at President Bush's news conference today. Our Suzanne Malveaux wraps it up from the White House.

Hey, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

Well, President Bush, as you know, is staking his presidency and his legacy on the so-called freedom agenda, this idea of spreading democracy around the Middle East. What we are seeing is President Bush trying to convince Americans to believe in this so-called freedom agenda. At the center of that agenda, of course, is the Iraq agenda.

So what we are hearing is President Bush saying things that we have never heard before. For instance, today President Bush said that he is concerned about civil war erupting in Iraq.

We also heard the president say that he did care that he did care that people are discouraged about how things are going there. And he also said that is the reason why he's going to be spending a lot of time talking about this, that why it's important for the U.S. to stay in Iraq for the long-term.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Frustrated? Sometimes I'm frustrated. Rarely surprised. Sometimes I'm happy. You know, this is -- it's -- a war is not a time of joy. These aren't joyous times. These are challenging times. And they're difficult times. And they're straining the psyche of our country. I understand that. You know, nobody likes to see innocent people die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: But Kyra, the president says that it is important for the United States to stay resolved when it comes to Iraq.

There was other -- another very poignant exchange with a reporter that also made news. Of course, reporters specifically asking what did Iraq have to do with the attacks on 9/11 against the World Trade Center and other locations.

President Bush very clearly said nothing, and then he went on to say nobody has ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack. He goes on to say that it was the lessons of September 11 to take those threats before they fully materialized, and Iraq at the time was thought to be a threat because of the suspicion that it had weapons of mass destruction.

The very fact, Kyra, that this question is coming three years after the U.S. invasion just goes to show the kind of robust debate around that issue or whether or note the United States and this administration intentionally blurred the lines between 9/11 and Iraq to justify the invasion three years ago -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Let's get to Iraq now where there's a new trial, new charges, but the same old Saddam Hussein. Same old violence in the streets, as well. Our Michael Holmes is in Baghdad now. He joins us with the latest -- Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Yes, you took the words right out of my mouth. I was going to say the same thing. New trial, same Saddam. Defiant, combative, taking on the judge, if you like.

Saddam and six others, including his cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as Chemical Ali to many people, he commanded Iraq's north. They're all on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. In the case of Saddam and his cousin, also genocide.

Now, Saddam, when he kicked off proceedings by refusing to even answer his own name. He said, "You know my name," when he was asked to say it, and when he asked whether he was innocent or guilty, he said to answer that question would fill books. The judge eventually putting down innocent on his behalf.

This all centers on Saddam's Anfal campaign. That was in 1988. The scope of this dwarfing his first trial, over the killings of 148 men and boys in Dujail. This involves, according to the prosecutor, 180,000 Kurdish deaths in northern Iraq in 1988. Many of the attacks took place over a period of several months, allegedly involving chemical weapons.

This is not going to be a short trial, Kyra. There's going to be over 100 witnesses, according to officials at the court, and there are reams of papers that are going to be submitted into evidence. In fact, the trial may not end until December. Now, let's just update people on the first trial. That is now ended, but we're expecting a verdict on that trial sometime in October, probably towards the middle or end of the month -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Michael Holmes from Baghdad. Thanks, Michael.

Well, Iran plans to formally respond to the U.N. demands tomorrow, but we're getting a pretty strong preview today. Aneesh Raman is the only U.S. reporter in Tehran right now. He joins us now via broadband with the latest -- Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, good afternoon.

You can't get much stronger a preview than the man we heard from today, the country's supreme leader, the top official, the Ayatollah Khameini. He said that Iran would go forward with its pursuit of nuclear energy and that it showed no signs, essentially, of suspending that program, as is mandated by the U.N., by the end of the month.

Iran has since the start maintained it is pursuing a peaceful civilian nuclear program. That is, in large part, why it remains defiant. It feels it is its right to pursue that within the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Over the weekend, as well, Iran launching massive military exercises, war games, Kyra, that are set to take place over the next five weeks in at least half of the country's provinces.

(AUDIO GAP) intent on showing that not only will they pursue this civilian nuclear program, despite calls by the U.N. to stop, but that it is ready to defend its nuclear facilities amid some suggestions that the west may have military air strikes against them if Iran does not stop the program -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Aneesh Raman in Tehran, thank you.

Straight ahead, Bangkok to L.A., next stop Boulder. What happens next for the suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey case?

The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: John Mark Karr is back on U.S. soil, but for the teacher who turned the JonBenet Ramsey case upside down, Los Angeles is just a pit stop in the odd odyssey between Bangkok and Boulder, Colorado.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Boulder.

Now Ed, we're just hearing that Karr's extradition hearing is planned for tomorrow. Is that the word you are getting?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we got that word just a short while ago. So it will be 8:30 Pacific Time, 11:30 Eastern tomorrow morning. After that we understand that he could be put on a plane and brought here to Boulder any time after that. So as Boulder authorities had been telling us, they fully expected him to be back here within a couple of days.

This, of course, if Karr does not fight extradition. Of course, if he shows up in court tomorrow and does decide to fight it, that would kind of throw the wrench into the system here and slow things down.

So but that's where we are right now. But right now John Karr is in the jail in downtown Los Angeles. Quite a change from what -- the comforts of business class at 35,000 or 40,000 feet, whatever they were flying at. He has given up those comforts.

We understand that he is being treated -- from a jail official there in Los Angeles. He's being treated just like any other murder suspect, so quite a change for John Karr.

Here in Boulder, where he's expected to arrive perhaps tomorrow or the day after, prosecutors continue to work on building the case against them. The only comments they've made and we've been able to get over the last few days was what they said on Thursday, last Thursday, that they had a lot of work to do in this case. They were still working on the investigation. There was a proceeding hour-by- hour.

Since then we know the investigation has taken them to Alabama, California, and other parts of the country as they try to piece together. Kyra, the big question is how many times has John Karr been here? And when he arrives here in the next couple of days, will this be the first time he has ever been in Boulder, or was he here before?

We've been only able to speak with one person over the last few days who says they had met John Karr. That was someone who met him in a Paris bookstore four years ago. It doesn't really put him here the night that JonBenet Ramsey, the 6-year-old beauty queen, was murdered in her home here in Boulder -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ed Lavandera, continuing to follow all the new details. Appreciate it.

Straight ahead, bomb components, chemicals, so-called martyrdom videos. Police in London say they've found it all in their investigation of an alleged plot to bomb airliners. Some of the suspects were charged today. Details coming up on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Promising news in medicine today, a possible skin test for Alzheimer's. Researchers say it could diagnose the progressive brain disorder not only while the patient is still alive, but possibly while the Alzheimer's is still in its early stages.

Typically, when patients show the first signs of dementia, doctors have a difficult time knowing whether it's Alzheimer's or something else. This test looks specifically for enzymes that react abnormally on the skin of people with Alzheimer's. Now the test is not ready for the doctor's office yet. More research is still needed.

Well, pipeline corrosion has forced BP to shut down half of the country's biggest oil field, but now BP is facing some new and troubling allegations. Susan Lisovicz is live from the New York Stock Exchange with that story.

Susan, I knew it couldn't go away that quickly.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. And, you know, it was bad enough that the pipes were corroded. Now, Kyra, BP is denying charges that it manipulated inspection data to avoid replacing those pipelines.

According to the "Financial Times", U.S. environmental inspectors are looking into the accusations which were made by BP employees. When the corrosion problems at the Prudhoe Bay surface Alaska oil fields first came to light earlier this month, BP said it would have to completely shut down operations there.

But the company has since reopened half the field, which is now producing more than 200,000 barrels of crude oil every day. BP says there's no truth to the latest allegations and that it is helping authorities with their investigation -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, there have been other charges about BP's oil management in the field?

LISOVICZ: As you said, Kyra, this is just the begging. The latest one is a P.R. disaster for BP. Alaska's governor has already accused BP of misleading regulators about the condition of the pipelines. And some BP shareholders have started legal action, accusing the company of hiding the problems.

You're likely to hear more on this story in the coming weeks because both Alaska's attorney general and the Environmental Protection Agencies are looking into the corrosion problem and how it was handled by BP -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Susan, that story definitely had a major effect on oil prices. Continues to do so. What about today?

(STOCK REPORT)

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