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Escaped Prisoner May Be Loose Near Virginia Tech; Shaky Mideast Cease-Fire is 8 Days Old; The Blame Game in Israel

Aired August 21, 2006 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at CNN's world headquarters in Atlanta.
They say they're spiritually connected to children. They say they're battling for children's civil rights. They are the men and women who want to legalize sex with your kids. Inside the World Wide Web of pedophiles.

The second hour of LIVE FROM starts right now.

First, we want to get to Tony Harris, though. He's working on a developing story in the newsroom for us -- Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Kyra, we're waiting for new information on the manhunt we have been telling you about, oh, since 10:00 this morning Eastern Time. That's in Blacksburg, Virginia, for alleged cop killer William Charles Morva. Morva has been on the run since yesterday since overpowering a sheriff's deputy at the hospital where he was being treated for a sprained wrist and ankle.

He was shackled at the -- at the time on the trip to the hospital. Don't know if he was released from those shackles for treatment.

Police say Morva killed an unarmed security guard at that hospital. And this morning he was being tracked along the Huckleberry Trail that connects Christiansburg and Blacksburg -- that's about a six -- mile-long trail -- when police say Morva shot and killed Corporal Eric Sutphin, a 13-year law enforcement veteran, a husband and father of twin daughters.

Now, the manhunt continues at this hour. And as it does, Blacksburg has been virtually locked down. Certainly the tech campus has been closed down. And although there is a selective release going on right now among employees at the Tech campus, for all intents and purposes the campus is still on lockdown.

We have a student on the line. Ally Gray is a student at Tech.

And Ally, thanks for your time today. We appreciate it. Thanks for talk to us.

ALLY GRAY, VA. TECH STUDENT: No problem.

HARRIS: Ally, give us a sense of the scene. I understand that the alert, the advisory went on the Web site at the campus, oh, at about 10:00, 10:30 a.m. Give us a sense of when that that alert -- how you responded to that alert.

GRAY: Well, actually, our house has been -- our whole street has been blocked off since this morning. Nobody is allowed on it at all. There have been police -- there are police cars all over our street and, basically, like, we didn't -- never even got to go on campus because our whole street has been blocked off. So...

HARRIS: So you live off campus?

GRAY: Yes.

HARRIS: OK. So, at what time was your street essentially blocked off and roped off and closed off for you?

GRAY: Honestly, I think it was probably about 8:00. We hadn't left yet, but from all we saw, there were police cars everywhere driving up and down the street. And then my -- one of my friends called me, my friend Elizabeth, and she told me that -- what was going on, because we don't have cable right now. We turned it off for the summer. And...

HARRIS: So what has this been like for you over the last 24 hours or so?

GRAY: Well, honestly, we were a little -- we were a little scared at first because we had the police come by a couple weeks ago to check out our house to make sure it was safe. And most of our doors are glass, and we wanted to get them switched out. The company that owns our house hasn't done it yet.

But we were a little scared because it's very easy to break in. And our bushes are overgrown. So we had them cut down, as well.

But the police are doing a really great job of making sure everybody is safe. They've come in and searched everyone's house on our street. They have gone through the crawlspaces and everything, and they're going through the bushes and the yards with their garden (ph) and camouflage.

HARRIS: Sure. So where are you now?

GRAY: We are in our house.

HARRIS: OK.

GRAY: We're in lockdown.

HARRIS: So when did you start -- when did you first hear about this suspect? And what details did you -- did you know almost immediately?

GRAY: Well, Tech is really good about putting out e-mails, emergency notifications to people. And they (INAUDIBLE) of every student. And I think it was this past weekend they sent out e-mails saying there was a homicide and the guy was -- had escaped. He was, you know, at large, and everybody was to be on the lookout. And they sent out pictures.

And so that was kind of scary. But then when I came home and found out this morning that it was -- the Huckleberry Trail is right beside my house.

HARRIS: Whoa, OK.

GRAY: And one of the -- the police officer is behind my backyard. So, it was -- you know, that's a little bit more frightening (INAUDIBLE).

HARRIS: Got you. Ally, so, you feel that the police are doing a good job, but are you still a little nervous? A little on edge?

GRAY: Yes, a little bit, just because, you know, there's a killer. And we're not -- you know, I mean, nobody is 100 percent safe, but they are, like, surrounding the houses and making sure he can't get in to anywhere. So I feel protected with them, but I am still a little -- a little scared.

HARRIS: OK. Have you been in touch with your folks, your folks been in touch with you?

GRAY: Oh, yes, constantly. My grandparents and my aunts and uncles. Everybody has just been very worried. But my roommates and I are perfectly safe I think.

HARRIS: Good. All right. Take care of one another, all right, Ally?

GRAY: OK.

HARRIS: Appreciate it. Thanks for your time.

GRAY: You're welcome.

HARRIS: OK.

Kyra, we'll keep an eye on the situation.

PHILLIPS: It sounds good. We're going to keep working it, Tony. We have reporter John Carlin with WSLS, one of our affiliates there in Virginia, joining us now with the latest developments from his end.

John, what can you tell us? Have you been able to find out anything new?

JOHN CARLIN, WSLS REPORTER: I'll tell you, police are still searching for this guy, the manhunt continues. I heard your interview with the local student here. We had an update from the police an hour and five minutes ago, and they came out and said that the last credible sighting of this suspect was at 7:00 this morning, when he shot and killed a local sheriff's deputy, a 13-year veteran on the force named Eric Sutphin.

Sutphin was on the Huckleberry Trail, which is a well known local green way hiking and biking trail that does cut through campus, and Sutphin encountered the suspect and was shot and killed. The shooting did not happen on campus, but it was within about a half mile, I understand, of where I'm standing right now.

PHILLIPS: John, are you still with me?

CARLIN: Yes, I sure am.

PHILLIPS: What can you tell me...

CARLIN: I didn't hear all of your interview, so I'll fill in the gaps.

PHILLIPS: That's OK. And I know you're working your sources and getting information by the second there.

CARLIN: Sure.

PHILLIPS: We talked about how the campus is on lockdown, and they basically asked all students to stay inside. Does that go outside of the campus, as well as into the community?

CARLIN: Absolutely. Of course, there's always a large off- campus housing community, as well. So you have students living off campus. But everybody in town is being asked to stay indoors.

They're not making it mandatory. I have been through some of the local neighborhoods here, and you'll see a police car on a corner and then a guy riding his bike. So some people clearly are not as afraid as others. But police want everyone to stay indoors.

A couple things I've been able to find out about this suspect, William Morva. He was arrested not too long ago and was being held for an attempted armed robbery at the time he was taken to the hospital, overpowered the sheriff's deputy and escaped. But prior to that, he had been walking around downtown Blacksburg barefoot for a good part of this summer, saying that he wanted to be some sort of a vigilante, and he was walking barefoot so that he would be able to survive in the woods.

So who knows what police are up against here.

PHILLIPS: John Carlin with our affiliate WSLS.

John, appreciate it.

Effective immediate and multinational qualities that President Bush says are urgently needed in a peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. Some countries, though, are waiting for more details from the U.N. before contributing troops. Some countries won't send troops at all. The U.S., for instance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: America will do our part. We will assist the new international force with logistic support, command and control communications, and intelligence. Lebanon, Israel and our allies agreed that this would be the most effective contribution we can make at this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Washington is also pledging $230 million in aid.

Well, a fragile cease-fire and the promise of help. Rebuilding is the focus in Lebanon, even as Israeli warplanes buzz along the borders.

Let's bring in CNN's Beirut bureau chief, Brent Sadler.

What do you think, Brent? Has it stayed pretty calm?

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: It's certainly a fragile calm, in the words of U.N. officials, as things stand right now, Kyra. There was an incident reported by the IDF earlier this day in which two Hezbollah guerillas, it said, were shot and hit by Israeli forces. So it gives you an idea that there is some degree of tension still in many places along that Israeli-Lebanese border.

Now, earlier today, one of America's enduring allies, Qatar, the emir of Qatar paid a visit to Beirut. The first visit by a head of state since the end of that 34 days of war. And he, in effect, dropped a political bombshell here by hailing the Lebanese resistance -- in other words, Hezbollah -- for what he said delivering a defeat over Israel in almost 60 years of conflict. The emir of Qatar quite clearly saying that this was a victory that Arabs have longed for and it could provide an opportunity for a restarting of peace generally in the Middle East, because Israel, it had been shown as a result of Hezbollah's stand, could no longer dominate the region militarily.

Now, right now, Kyra, the Lebanese cabinet is holding yet another session to discuss projects such as the multimillion, multibillion dollars worth of reconstruction that needs to be done in this country in the wake of that conflict, and the Lebanese cabinet, under Fouad Siniora and the president, Emil Lahoud, looking urgently at the deployment of the Lebanese army.

Remember, it was after Israel's raid into the Bekaa Valley Saturday, condemned by the United Nations as a violation of the cease- fire, that triggered a response from the Lebanese, saying that they could stop the deployment of the Lebanese army. We have to wait what comes out of that cabinet session, but, certainly, that could have a negative effect on deploying that United Nations peacekeeping force that President Bush was just referring to -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Brent Sadler in Beirut.

Thanks, Brent.

Well, plummeting support, rising anger. Israel's leader tries to turn things around at home.

CNN's Chris Lawrence joins me now from Jerusalem -- Chris. CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, with everything going on outside of the country, there is an internal battle that is brewing here in Israel. Today, a group of reserve soldiers went on a protest march and called for the resignation of both Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his defense minister.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice over): An uneasy truce keeps the peace between Israel and Hezbollah. But some Israeli reservists refuse to accept a cease-fire in their own war of words.

YOSSI AVIGOR, ISRAELI RESERVIST: The officers that were in charge of all of this operation should go home.

LAWRENCE: Yossi Avigor and other reservists accuse military planners and political leaders of incompetence.

AVIGOR: We don't know where we're going. We don't know what to do. Orders will change on a day-to-day basis.

LAWRENCE: Soldiers coming across the border say they were abandoned in broad daylight to snipers and took canteens off the bodies of dead Hezbollah soldiers.

AVIGOR: We got stuck for I think two days, maybe three without food and water. We had to take from the villages that we -- only for what we needed.

LAWRENCE: For the first time, a high-ranking Israeli general has admitted he failed to prepare the infantry for this war. And some critics are demanding the prime minister call an independent inquiry in which his decisions during the month-long war would be called into question.

ALUF BENN, "HAARETZ": The whole concept of reserves is a very hot political potato.

LAWRENCE: Journalist Aluf Benn says complaints from reservists have brought down previous administrations in Israel after the wars of 1973 and 1982. But Benn says over the past few years, reservists have been pressuring the government to train less and serve less time.

BENN: Due to the outcry, the military and the government were trying to ease the burden, and due to the budgetary constraints, to call only those who were needed and to save on the training.

LAWRENCE: Now some soldiers say they were under-prepared. Others signed a petition that asked, "Were we called up for nothing?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I have no idea what our mission was, but I'm 100 percent sure we didn't achieve it.

LAWRENCE: It's a verbal war within Israel, with no cease-fire in sight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Now, the defense minister is blaming some senior military officials for not telling him the full capabilities of Hezbollah's rockets. Prime Minister Olmert is partially blaming his predecessors, saying they knew that Iran and Syria were arming Hezbollah and did nothing to stop it. Olmert added that it does no good to put military officers been an inquiry where they are put in a position to have to blame their own colleagues for every aspect of the war -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Chris Lawrence, live from Jerusalem.

Thanks, Chris.

All sorts of problems in the Middle East, and Iran could make them all worse. That's what President Bush said at a White House news conference today.

The U.N. is giving Iran until the end of the month to stop its nuclear activities, but Iran has promised to -- or has been promising an answer by tomorrow. No indication the U.N. will like what it hears, but Mr. Bush says the standoff has gone way beyond dates on a calendar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Dates -- you know, dates are fine. What really matters is will. And one of the things I will continue to remind our friends and allies is the danger of a nuclear-armed Iraq. But, no, you're right, this is they're a central part of creating instability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, our Aneesh Raman is the only U.S. reporter working in Tehran right now. He joins me via broadband with the latest.

What's the reaction from there, Aneesh?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we're waiting, as you say, tomorrow, when we will hear an official response from Iran's government to that U.N. deadline. But we got essentially the answer today.

The country's top official, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, speaking earlier this morning, saying, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has made its decision. And in the issue of nuclear energy, will continue its path powerfully, and it will receive the sweet fruits of its efforts."

Iranian officials from the start said they're pursuing a peaceful civilian nuclear program. We heard President Bush tempered in his tone about Iran, clearly intent on not making this diplomatic dispute something where with the U.S. is directly against Iran. He mentioned the international support that exists, pressure on Iran to suspend its nuclear program. But Iranian officials have from the start said they feel this whole thing is backed by the U.S. as an effort, in essence, that it goes well beyond this nuclear issue.

They say they have the right to pursue civilian nuclear technology. And while they remain defiant diplomatically, we also saw, Kyra, over the weekend war games launching throughout Iran, a sign that they are as well prepared to defend against any military strikes on their nuclear facilities -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, you visited this war memorial for the Iran-Iraq War, right? Did you get a chance to talk with people? And are they concerned that another war might be coming?

RAMAN: We did. It's a very solemn memorial for those killed in that vicious eight-year battle between Iran and Iraq.

There, we heard perhaps expected confidence in the government's position. People said that, "Look, the nuclear power" -- which is what is at issue here -- "is our right. It is a basic right." It is, as well, they say, a basic need. And "If we have to go into some sort of confrontation for that, we are ready."

They are ready, they say, as well for sanction. Iran, of course, has had to endure sanctions for quite some time. But you get a sense that people genuinely feel pride in this nuclear issue, the fact they were able to do it on their own. And at least with our camera around feel a sense of readiness for whatever may come next.

There is quiet doubt, though, as to whether Iran's pursuit of this nuclear program is worth what might come, sanctions, and perhaps some sort of military confrontation -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Aneesh Raman live from Tehran -- thanks.

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

Find out straight ahead.

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 an odd odyssey between Bangkok and Boulder, Colorado.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Boulder -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the scene has very much changed for John Karr after spending 15 hours on a flight from Bangkok to Los Angeles, where he was able to enjoy the amenities of business class travel. He is now in a Los Angeles County jail, being treated just like any other murder suspect. And we have learned just a short while ago that he will make his first court appearance tomorrow morning on these -- on this extradition issue in a California courtroom tomorrow morning, 8:30 Pacific Time.

And after that, assuming he does not fight extradition, he could be returned back to Colorado after that. Boulder authorities have 10 days to pick him up, but many people suspect he will be here much faster than that.

So, meanwhile, authorities here in Colorado continue working, a team of investigators spending the weekend here inside the justice center in Boulder, Colorado, where they have been working throughout the weekend tracking down all the various angles, all the various tips and leads that they're getting on John Karr. Essentially, having to prove that he was here 10 years ago, the day that JonBenet Ramsey was killed here in her home here in Boulder.

So far, we haven't met anyone who recognizes John Karr from having been here at that time. His wife has said that he was actually with her in Alabama that Christmas season. So those are just some of the issues that investigators are having to deal with right now -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ed, a lot of controversy to how John Mark Karr was treated on that airplane, pate, prawns and Chardonnay. But legal analysts saying, hey, that was pretty brilliant, get him to talk.

LAVANDERA: Yes, I guess some of that what was floating out there, you know, load him up on alcohol, right? I don't know if that worked, but I think also the reason he was in business class is because, from a security standpoint, I think those officers and those people who were with him felt like they had better control in that -- in that business class area where it wasn't as crowded.

PHILLIPS: Ed Lavandera in Boulder.

And Ed, we're going to talk with our Drew Griffin next hour. He was actually on that flight with John Mark Karr. We're going to talk one on one with him coming up in the next hour.

Now, on Friday, we told you about a message that Karr wrote in a high school yearbook and a bizarre and so far hypothetical link to the ransom note found in the Ramsey house when JonBenet was killed. Now one of Karr's high school classmates has come forward with some insight into his personality, at least back then.

Here's reporter Chris Cannon of CNN affiliate WTVF in Nashville.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN COBB, HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATE: He could have the world by the tail.

CHRIS CANNON, REPORTER, WTVF (voice over): A yearbook full of memories from the class of '83.

COBB: Shocked is putting it very mildly.

CANNON: Twenty-three years later, though, Susan Cobb sees one picture in particular much differently than before.

COBB: That can't be the same John Karr.

CANNON: But it is. The man police have pinned the 10-year murder mystery of JonBenet Ramsey on is the John Karr Cobb went to high school with in Hamilton, Alabama.

COBB: Pretty much like the John I knew, yes. He looked like he lost maybe just a -- just little bit of weight, but not a whole lot.

CANNON: Cobb remembers the senior with the big smile as someone who kept to himself. But when it came to band, Karr made it clear he wanted to be drum major, a job he eventually lost to Cobb.

COBB: John got angry. He started shouting at me. And that was really about the -- I mean, he just never had anything to do with me after that.

CANNON: Cobb says that was the only time she saw Karr's temperature when she took the spotlight from him.

COBB: He wanted his, as Andy Warhol said, 15 minutes of fame. This is a terrible way of going about getting it.

CANNON: Accused oof the Ramsey murder, the 41-year-old Karr may also face child pornography charges from when he was a teacher in California.

COBB: When I see these reports of him, you know, supposedly getting too friendly with the female students, that sends shivers through my spine.

CANNON: Memories of John Karr, who 23 years ago seemed to have the world by the tail.

COBB: Right now it looks like the world's got him by his tail.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, tonight, CNN's Larry King will have an exclusive interview with Ramsey family attorney Lin Wood. He'll also be joined by Michael Tracey, the Colorado professor who led police to Karr after a long and disturbing exchange of e-mails.

That is tonight at 9:00 Eastern.

Manhunt for a murderer. A sheriff deputy and a security guard killed and an escaped prisoner on the loose. This is who police are looking for.

We're live from Blacksburg, Virginia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All this week CNN continues its look into the future, your future. And today we look at performance-enhancement drugs. As athletes continue to fall victim to doping allegations and failed drug tests, what's being done to combat the problem?

Miles O'Brien has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that steroids have ruined the game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The unprofessional athlete, they should just go out there and play the sport with what they are given and not seek enhancements.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're setting the standards for the young kids at an untouchable level.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's definitely not fair to either the sports or the fans that they enhance their abilities.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish it could be a level playing field. It could just be about your raw skills and your raw talent.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Instead, it seems many top athletes will do most anything to tilt the playing field in their direction. The stories we hear about are bad enough, but there are new drugs being cooked up all the time designed to slip through the testing process.

(voice-over): Dr. Don Catlin is Director of the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory. He says creating new enhancement drugs is simple, but developing the test to detect them is no easy task.

DR. DON CATLIN, DIRECTOR, UCLA OLYMPIC ANALYTICAL LABORATORY: Old drugs that are being revamped and turned into new drugs, they just take the molecule and tinker with it a little bit and then we don't have it in our computer file. The test has to be foolproof. To remove an athlete for competition, we've got to have it right.

O'BRIEN: Catlin says in order to perfect these tests the sports world should be pouring some of its billions to make the testing labs more sophisticated. He believes this, along with harsher penalties for offenders, will bring fairness back to the games.

CATLIN: There will always be people who are in last place trying to move up second to last. But you can expect to have the major winners in the big sports be drug free. That's a reasonable goal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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