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CNN Live Today

26 Hours of Terror; Ashley Smith's Account of Ordeal With Brian Nichols; Michael Jackson Trial

Aired March 14, 2005 - 10:59   ET

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

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


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a lot more to get to in the next hour, including more from the woman who survived a hostage situation and called police, leading to the capture of suspected killer Brian Nichols just outside of Atlanta.
Also next hour, how you can turn flying coach into a first class experience. Well, maybe not that, but we are going to make it a little bit better. We have someone who has some tips to help you do that as the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

We like to kick things off by taking a look at what's happening "Now in the News.

A U.S. military chopper fires on suspected insurgent vehicles in Mosul in northern Iraq. The military says the helicopter was responding to small arms fire when it attacked and destroyed three vehicles. According to a statement, five Iraqi civilians were wounded in the crossfire, two later died.

A Wisconsin congregation is searching for answers this morning after a man opened fire during a church service. The gunman killed seven people before committing suicide.

Police see Terry Ratzmann may have been on the verge of losing his job. Some church members say he was upset over a sermon that took place a couple weeks ago.

In New Jersey, a post office that was shut down by the 2001 anthrax attacks reopened today. This was the first time in three-and- a-half years. The facility is in Hamilton, New Jersey. It handled several anthrax-tainted letters. The mail sorting center was stripped to the bare walls during the decontamination and renovation process.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are trying to decide how to spend trillions -- that's trillions with a "T" -- dollars of your money. Both the House and Senate begin work today on a pair of it $2.6 trillion budget proposals. The plans generally follow the president's plan for cutting domestic programs to gradually reduce record deficits.

Just a minute past 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast. For those of you joining us, waking up in the West, it's just past 8:00 a.m.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan. Rick Sanchez is on assignment. Up first this hour, a suspect awaiting charges in a deadly shooting rampage as workers go back to the Atlanta courthouse where the horrifying ordeal began. A chaplain is on hand to provide grief counseling at the Fulton County Courthouse today. That's where a judge and a court reporter and a sheriff's deputy were shot to death and another deputy was critically wounded on Friday.

As business resumes in the courthouse, the suspect in the killing spree could face a court appearance today or tomorrow. Brian Nichols is also accused of killing a federal Immigrations and Customs agent. Services are planned this week for the shooting victims. The deputy wounded in the rampage remains in critical condition but is said to be improving.

A published report today says the initial surprise attack in the courthouse shooting was recorded by a surveillance camera. But the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" says no one in the control center noticed the attack. That camera reportedly showed suspect Brian Nichols assaulting a deputy who was escorting him. The paper says Nichols is then shown escaping with the deputy's gun.

The paper says the camera is supposed to be monitored by two guards in a command post. A law enforcement official confirms to CNN that security cameras were rolling, but he would not comment on whether anyone was monitoring the cameras.

The courthouse shooting touched off a 26-hour manhunt that terrorized the Atlanta area and the surrounding area. CNN's Randi Kaye takes us through an hour-by-hour account of how it unfolded and ultimately how it ended.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 9:00 a.m. Friday, Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta, 6'1" Brian Nichols overpowers 51-year-old Fulton County Sheriff's Deputy Cynthia Hall. He grabs her gun. She is critically injured in the scuffle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody off the sidewalk!

KAYE: About 9:15 a.m., Nichols wrestles a second gun away from another deputy, slips into the courtroom through Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes' private chambers and shoots him dead. Nichols then shoots and kills court reporter Julie Ann Brandau. He flees down eight flights of stairs, shooting and killing 43-year-old Fulton County Deputy Sergeant Hoyt Teasley outside.

9:30 a.m., Nichols hijacks a number of vehicles in downtown Atlanta, including a tow truck, before pistol-whipping "AJC" newspaper reporter Don O'Briant and taking his 1997 green Honda Accord.

DON O'BRIANT, "ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION": And he pulls the gun and says, "Give me your keys." And I don't give them to him.

And he says, "Give me the keys or I'll kill you."

KAYE: Police warn the public to be on the lookout for O'Briant's Honda.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last known vehicle is a 1997 Honda Accord.

KAYE: About that same time, a security camera inside a garage captures Nichols wearing what appears to be O'Briant's blazer. He casually walks down the steps, then takes the commuter rail to an upscale Atlanta neighborhood eight miles from the courthouse.

10:40 p.m. Friday, a couple is assaulted near the same subway station where Nichols gets off.

11:30 p.m. Friday, someone notices the green Honda parked in the same garage where it had been stolen, only on a different floor. Police view the garage's security camera tape.

CHIEF RICHARD PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE: Remember, we still thought he was in the car. So we had no reason to close down MARTA, because we thought he was still in the Honda.

KAYE: 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Nichols takes a woman hostage in Gwinnett County, northeast of Atlanta. She was returning from buying cigarettes at a convenience store. About four hours later, construction workers find the body of David Wilhelm, a United States Customs agent. His gun, badge and truck are missing.

9:50 a.m. Saturday, seven hours after taking a woman hostage, Nichols lets her go. She quickly calls 911.

CHIEF CHARLES WALTERS, GWINNETT COUNTY POLICE: She was able to get out of the apartment and call us. We were -- we activated our SWAT team.

KAYE: Nichols waves a white T-shirt outside the apartment window and surrenders to police. As he's taken away, there is celebration mixed with relief. The manhunt that began 26 hours earlier is over.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KAGAN: Want to show you live pictures now that we're following from just outside of Atlanta. You can see a white Hearst traveling down the highway. That is leaving Peachtree City, about a half-hour south of Atlanta. That Hearst is, as we understand it, carrying the body of David Wilhelm.

David Wilhem was the agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, and he, police say, was shot and killed by the accused killer, Brian Nichols, on Friday as Nichols was trying to make his escape. As the story goes, David Wilhelm, new to the Atlanta area, had bought a house in the Buckhead area and was working on his house when officials say that he encountered Brian Nichols.

Now, as we mentioned, David Wilhelm, a longtime, 18-year agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Service. They were holding a news conference for a different matter just a few minutes ago and commented on David Wilhelm. So while we watch these pictures, let's listen to that sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to briefly comment on the tragic death of one of our agents, David Wilhelm, who was our assistant special agent in charge of vices office in Atlanta. As has been widely reported, this past Friday evening Special Agent Wilhelm, who was 40 years old, was shot and killed while working on his new home in the Atlanta area.

Special Agent Wilhelm dedicated his life to his country, serving in federal law enforcement for nearly 18 years. His death is a tragic loss for the entire law enforcement community, especially for our office in Atlanta.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and co- workers of Agent Wilhelm. And his death reminds us of the public safety threats that exist in our communities. And it remind us of the risks that law enforcement at all levels must confront every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Once again, that Hearst taking David Wilhelm's body from Peachtree City up to, we understand, North Carolina, where funeral services will be held.

Just one of the people that accused killer Brian Nichols is alleged to have come in contact with on Friday. Also, it ended with a young woman, an unlikely young woman to bring this to a peaceful resolution.

Police praising the woman who led them to the courthouse shooting suspect. They say that she kept her composure while being held hostage for hours. Ashley Smith says that Brian Nichols forced his way into her apartment and that she was returning home early Saturday morning. Here now is her account of the ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ASHLEY SMITH, HELD HOSTAGE BY BRIAN NICHOLS: He told me to go into the bathroom. So I went to the bathroom and he followed me into the bathroom, and he said, "Do you know who I am?" I said, "No," because he had a hat on.

And then he took his hat off, and he said, "Now do you know who I am?" And I said, "Yeah, I know who you are. Please don't hurt me. Just please don't hurt me. I have a 5-year-old little girl. Please don't hurt me."

He said, "I'm not going to hurt you, if you just do what I say." I said, "All right."

So he told me to get in the bathtub. So I got in the bathtub. And he said, "I really don't feel comfortable around here. I'm going to walk around your house for a few minutes just so I can get the feel of it." I said, "OK."

He said, "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anybody else. So please don't do anything that's going to make me hurt you."

He said, "You know, somebody could have heard your scream already. And if they did, the police are on the way, and I'm going to have to hold you hostage, and I'm going to have to kill and probably myself and lots of other people. And I don't want that." And I said, "OK, I'll do what you say."

He looked around my house for a few minutes, I heard him opening up drawers and just going through my stuff. And he came back in and said, "I want to relax, and I don't feel comfortable with you right now. So I'm going to have to tie you up."

He brought some masking tape and an extension cord and a curtain in there, and I kind of thought he was going to strangle me. I was really kind of scared. But he told me to turn around and put my hands behind my back, and he wrapped my hands in a prayer -- in a praying position, so I did that. And he wrapped masking tape around my hands.

And then he told me to go into my bedroom, and I sat down on the bed, like he asked. And he wrapped my legs with masking tape and an extension cord. He also took a curtain and put it around my stomach.

I told him that I was supposed to go see my little girl the next morning at 10:00, and I asked him if I could go see her. And he told me no.

My husband died four years ago, and I told him that if he hurt me, my little girl wouldn't have a mommy or a daddy. And she was expecting to see me the next morning. And if he didn't let me go, she would be really upset.

He still told me no. But I could -- I could kind of feel that he started to know who I was, and he said, "Maybe, maybe I'll let you go. Just maybe. We'll see how things go."

I went to my room, then I asked him if I could read. He said, "What do you want to read?" I said, "Well, I have a book in my room," so I went and got it. I got our bible, and I got a book called "The Purpose-Driven Life."

I turned it to the chapter that I was on that day, which was chapter 33, and I started to read the first paragraph of it. After I read it, he said, "Stop. Will you read it again?" I said, "Yes, I'll read it again."

So I read it again to him. It mentioned something about what you thought your purpose in life was, what were you -- what talents were you given, what gifts were you given to use. And I asked him what he thought. And he said, "I think it's to talk to people and tell them about you."

I basically just talked to him and tried to gain his trust. I didn't want him to hurt anybody else. He didn't want to hurt anybody else. He just told me that he wanted a place to stay, to relax, to sit down and watch TV, to eat some real food.

I talked to him about my family. I told him about things that had happened in my life. I asked him about his family.

I asked him why he did what he did. And his reason was because he was a soldier. I asked him why he chose me and why he chose Bridgewater Apartments, and he said he didn't know, just randomly.

But after we began to talk, and -- he said he thought that I was an angel sent from god, and that I was his sister, and he was my brother in Christ. And that he was lost and god led him right to me to tell him that he had hurt a lot of people.

He asked me what I thought he should do. And I said, "I think you should turn yourself in." "If you don't turn yourself in," what I said, "if you don't turn yourself, lots more people are going to get hurt, and you're probably going to die."

And he said, "I don't want that to happen." He said, "Can I stay here for a few days? I just -- I want to eat some real food and watch some TV and sleep and just do normal things that normal people do." So of course, I said, "Sure, you can stay here." I didn't want -- I wanted to gain his trust.

Most of my time was spent talking to this man about my life and experiences in my life, things that had happened to me. He needed hope for his life. He told me that he was already dead.

He said, "Look at me. Look at my eyes. I am already dead."

And I said, "You are not dead. You are standing right in front of me. If you want to die, you can. It's your choice."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: What an incredible story. One final note to the Nichols case. CNN's "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN" will have a special tonight, "26 Hours Inside the Atlanta Manhunt." They'll get started at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

Live pictures now for you from Santa Maria, California. Michael Jackson due back in court, and it looks like he is arriving right now. You can see his father, Joe Jackson, getting out of the SUV there.

This is the first time since the judge had threatened him with being to jail late. He didn't have to come on Friday because they were just hearing motions.

We're going to talk more about this straight ahead. But while we wait for Michael Jackson to get out of the SUV, the umbrella is up, he's coming out. He looks like he's moving a little slowly.

Oh, there's his mother. OK. Sometime hard to see on these monitors with the lights here.

Of course, big news on Thursday when he didn't show up, but then finally did show up, is what he was wearing, which was basically pajama bottoms and slippers, topped off by a sport coat.

Michael Jackson leaning on his father and his mother. Well, no, turning around to wave to fans, as he did on Thursday when he allegedly had the back trouble.

Not nearly the drama that this event had on Thursday when Michael Jackson was late to court yet again, said he checked into a hospital with back pain. The judge in the case had had it and issued a bench warrant for Michael Jackson's arrest, giving him one hour to make it from the hospital where he was in the Santa Ynez Valley into court.

Looks like a weekend of rest has been good for Michael Jackson. It's going to be another day on the stand for his teenage accuser. This is an important turning point in the trial.

The prosecution has had a chance to talk to the teenage accuser, alleging that he had been molested by Michael Jackson. The defense attorney, Thomas Mesereau, getting to cross-examine him. And that started last week.

That cross-examination will continue today. He has so far testified that the -- that Michael Jackson allegedly molested him twice.

We're going to track what's happening. Of course we have reporters and producers or the scene in Santa Maria. We're going to have the latest from there just ahead.

Right now we'll take a break. More news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's go back to the Jackson story now. In California today, the Michael Jackson child molestation trial enters its third week.

As we are watching these pictures before we went to break, Michael Jackson just moments ago arriving at the courthouse. The pop star has recently complained of having a bad back. Today it appears he was able to turn around a number of times to wave to his fans. On Thursday, the trial was delayed because of those back pains.

Jackson's teenage accuser is expected to take the stand again today after some combative and tense testimony last week. For more on that, CNN's Miguel Marquez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Innocent! Innocent!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Innocent! Innocent!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Innocent! Innocent!

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A pajama-clad Michael Jackson in court when his 15-year-old accuser began telling his story. Jackson's lawyer said the pop star injured his back after he slipped and fell while dressing. Jackson will suit up this week to watch his accuser cross-examined by his high-powered legal team.

MICHAEL JACKSON, DEFENDANT: Sorry, I can't speak now.

MARQUEZ: The boy testified last week that Jackson molested him twice, on several occasions served him alcohol, which he says Jackson called Jesus juice, showed him sexually explicit photos and all but abandoned him during his fight with nearly terminal cancer.

LAURIE LEVENSON, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: It was very personal in there. It was personal on the boy's side talking about how much he felt hurt by Michael Jackson.

MARQUEZ: Jackson denies the charges, and his lawyer, Tom Mesereau, is expected to continue questioning the boy's story by highlighting differences in the accounts he's given to the sheriff's investigators and the grand jury that indicted Jackson. He is also expected to attack differences between the boy's stories and those of his siblings.

LEVENSON: And that's one of the concerns with the prosecution's case. They can't seem to hammer down exactly when this happened and whether there is any corroboration from the boy, even from his own brother.

MARQUEZ: The prosecution will continue its efforts to delve into Jackson's finances, arguing it needs a snapshot of his economic situation in February 2003. Prosecutors contend that Jackson is nearly bankrupt and his money problems helped fuel what they allege is a conspiracy to cover up his crimes after the Martin Bashir documentary aired on ABC.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Santa Maria, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We're going to check out "World News" ahead. Dueling demonstrations in Lebanon today. It's the anti-Syrian protest day in Beirut. We're going to have a live report coming up after the break.

And does Ayman al-Zawahiri have terror plans for the United States? We will tell you what we know coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Folks in the Southwest getting ready for spring. Not so fast, maybe. Here's Jacqui Jeras.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(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


Aired March 14, 2005 - 10:59   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a lot more to get to in the next hour, including more from the woman who survived a hostage situation and called police, leading to the capture of suspected killer Brian Nichols just outside of Atlanta.
Also next hour, how you can turn flying coach into a first class experience. Well, maybe not that, but we are going to make it a little bit better. We have someone who has some tips to help you do that as the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

We like to kick things off by taking a look at what's happening "Now in the News.

A U.S. military chopper fires on suspected insurgent vehicles in Mosul in northern Iraq. The military says the helicopter was responding to small arms fire when it attacked and destroyed three vehicles. According to a statement, five Iraqi civilians were wounded in the crossfire, two later died.

A Wisconsin congregation is searching for answers this morning after a man opened fire during a church service. The gunman killed seven people before committing suicide.

Police see Terry Ratzmann may have been on the verge of losing his job. Some church members say he was upset over a sermon that took place a couple weeks ago.

In New Jersey, a post office that was shut down by the 2001 anthrax attacks reopened today. This was the first time in three-and- a-half years. The facility is in Hamilton, New Jersey. It handled several anthrax-tainted letters. The mail sorting center was stripped to the bare walls during the decontamination and renovation process.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are trying to decide how to spend trillions -- that's trillions with a "T" -- dollars of your money. Both the House and Senate begin work today on a pair of it $2.6 trillion budget proposals. The plans generally follow the president's plan for cutting domestic programs to gradually reduce record deficits.

Just a minute past 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast. For those of you joining us, waking up in the West, it's just past 8:00 a.m.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan. Rick Sanchez is on assignment. Up first this hour, a suspect awaiting charges in a deadly shooting rampage as workers go back to the Atlanta courthouse where the horrifying ordeal began. A chaplain is on hand to provide grief counseling at the Fulton County Courthouse today. That's where a judge and a court reporter and a sheriff's deputy were shot to death and another deputy was critically wounded on Friday.

As business resumes in the courthouse, the suspect in the killing spree could face a court appearance today or tomorrow. Brian Nichols is also accused of killing a federal Immigrations and Customs agent. Services are planned this week for the shooting victims. The deputy wounded in the rampage remains in critical condition but is said to be improving.

A published report today says the initial surprise attack in the courthouse shooting was recorded by a surveillance camera. But the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" says no one in the control center noticed the attack. That camera reportedly showed suspect Brian Nichols assaulting a deputy who was escorting him. The paper says Nichols is then shown escaping with the deputy's gun.

The paper says the camera is supposed to be monitored by two guards in a command post. A law enforcement official confirms to CNN that security cameras were rolling, but he would not comment on whether anyone was monitoring the cameras.

The courthouse shooting touched off a 26-hour manhunt that terrorized the Atlanta area and the surrounding area. CNN's Randi Kaye takes us through an hour-by-hour account of how it unfolded and ultimately how it ended.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 9:00 a.m. Friday, Fulton County Courthouse in downtown Atlanta, 6'1" Brian Nichols overpowers 51-year-old Fulton County Sheriff's Deputy Cynthia Hall. He grabs her gun. She is critically injured in the scuffle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody off the sidewalk!

KAYE: About 9:15 a.m., Nichols wrestles a second gun away from another deputy, slips into the courtroom through Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes' private chambers and shoots him dead. Nichols then shoots and kills court reporter Julie Ann Brandau. He flees down eight flights of stairs, shooting and killing 43-year-old Fulton County Deputy Sergeant Hoyt Teasley outside.

9:30 a.m., Nichols hijacks a number of vehicles in downtown Atlanta, including a tow truck, before pistol-whipping "AJC" newspaper reporter Don O'Briant and taking his 1997 green Honda Accord.

DON O'BRIANT, "ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION": And he pulls the gun and says, "Give me your keys." And I don't give them to him.

And he says, "Give me the keys or I'll kill you."

KAYE: Police warn the public to be on the lookout for O'Briant's Honda.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The last known vehicle is a 1997 Honda Accord.

KAYE: About that same time, a security camera inside a garage captures Nichols wearing what appears to be O'Briant's blazer. He casually walks down the steps, then takes the commuter rail to an upscale Atlanta neighborhood eight miles from the courthouse.

10:40 p.m. Friday, a couple is assaulted near the same subway station where Nichols gets off.

11:30 p.m. Friday, someone notices the green Honda parked in the same garage where it had been stolen, only on a different floor. Police view the garage's security camera tape.

CHIEF RICHARD PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE: Remember, we still thought he was in the car. So we had no reason to close down MARTA, because we thought he was still in the Honda.

KAYE: 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Nichols takes a woman hostage in Gwinnett County, northeast of Atlanta. She was returning from buying cigarettes at a convenience store. About four hours later, construction workers find the body of David Wilhelm, a United States Customs agent. His gun, badge and truck are missing.

9:50 a.m. Saturday, seven hours after taking a woman hostage, Nichols lets her go. She quickly calls 911.

CHIEF CHARLES WALTERS, GWINNETT COUNTY POLICE: She was able to get out of the apartment and call us. We were -- we activated our SWAT team.

KAYE: Nichols waves a white T-shirt outside the apartment window and surrenders to police. As he's taken away, there is celebration mixed with relief. The manhunt that began 26 hours earlier is over.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KAGAN: Want to show you live pictures now that we're following from just outside of Atlanta. You can see a white Hearst traveling down the highway. That is leaving Peachtree City, about a half-hour south of Atlanta. That Hearst is, as we understand it, carrying the body of David Wilhelm.

David Wilhem was the agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, and he, police say, was shot and killed by the accused killer, Brian Nichols, on Friday as Nichols was trying to make his escape. As the story goes, David Wilhelm, new to the Atlanta area, had bought a house in the Buckhead area and was working on his house when officials say that he encountered Brian Nichols.

Now, as we mentioned, David Wilhelm, a longtime, 18-year agent with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Service. They were holding a news conference for a different matter just a few minutes ago and commented on David Wilhelm. So while we watch these pictures, let's listen to that sound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to briefly comment on the tragic death of one of our agents, David Wilhelm, who was our assistant special agent in charge of vices office in Atlanta. As has been widely reported, this past Friday evening Special Agent Wilhelm, who was 40 years old, was shot and killed while working on his new home in the Atlanta area.

Special Agent Wilhelm dedicated his life to his country, serving in federal law enforcement for nearly 18 years. His death is a tragic loss for the entire law enforcement community, especially for our office in Atlanta.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and co- workers of Agent Wilhelm. And his death reminds us of the public safety threats that exist in our communities. And it remind us of the risks that law enforcement at all levels must confront every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Once again, that Hearst taking David Wilhelm's body from Peachtree City up to, we understand, North Carolina, where funeral services will be held.

Just one of the people that accused killer Brian Nichols is alleged to have come in contact with on Friday. Also, it ended with a young woman, an unlikely young woman to bring this to a peaceful resolution.

Police praising the woman who led them to the courthouse shooting suspect. They say that she kept her composure while being held hostage for hours. Ashley Smith says that Brian Nichols forced his way into her apartment and that she was returning home early Saturday morning. Here now is her account of the ordeal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ASHLEY SMITH, HELD HOSTAGE BY BRIAN NICHOLS: He told me to go into the bathroom. So I went to the bathroom and he followed me into the bathroom, and he said, "Do you know who I am?" I said, "No," because he had a hat on.

And then he took his hat off, and he said, "Now do you know who I am?" And I said, "Yeah, I know who you are. Please don't hurt me. Just please don't hurt me. I have a 5-year-old little girl. Please don't hurt me."

He said, "I'm not going to hurt you, if you just do what I say." I said, "All right."

So he told me to get in the bathtub. So I got in the bathtub. And he said, "I really don't feel comfortable around here. I'm going to walk around your house for a few minutes just so I can get the feel of it." I said, "OK."

He said, "I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anybody else. So please don't do anything that's going to make me hurt you."

He said, "You know, somebody could have heard your scream already. And if they did, the police are on the way, and I'm going to have to hold you hostage, and I'm going to have to kill and probably myself and lots of other people. And I don't want that." And I said, "OK, I'll do what you say."

He looked around my house for a few minutes, I heard him opening up drawers and just going through my stuff. And he came back in and said, "I want to relax, and I don't feel comfortable with you right now. So I'm going to have to tie you up."

He brought some masking tape and an extension cord and a curtain in there, and I kind of thought he was going to strangle me. I was really kind of scared. But he told me to turn around and put my hands behind my back, and he wrapped my hands in a prayer -- in a praying position, so I did that. And he wrapped masking tape around my hands.

And then he told me to go into my bedroom, and I sat down on the bed, like he asked. And he wrapped my legs with masking tape and an extension cord. He also took a curtain and put it around my stomach.

I told him that I was supposed to go see my little girl the next morning at 10:00, and I asked him if I could go see her. And he told me no.

My husband died four years ago, and I told him that if he hurt me, my little girl wouldn't have a mommy or a daddy. And she was expecting to see me the next morning. And if he didn't let me go, she would be really upset.

He still told me no. But I could -- I could kind of feel that he started to know who I was, and he said, "Maybe, maybe I'll let you go. Just maybe. We'll see how things go."

I went to my room, then I asked him if I could read. He said, "What do you want to read?" I said, "Well, I have a book in my room," so I went and got it. I got our bible, and I got a book called "The Purpose-Driven Life."

I turned it to the chapter that I was on that day, which was chapter 33, and I started to read the first paragraph of it. After I read it, he said, "Stop. Will you read it again?" I said, "Yes, I'll read it again."

So I read it again to him. It mentioned something about what you thought your purpose in life was, what were you -- what talents were you given, what gifts were you given to use. And I asked him what he thought. And he said, "I think it's to talk to people and tell them about you."

I basically just talked to him and tried to gain his trust. I didn't want him to hurt anybody else. He didn't want to hurt anybody else. He just told me that he wanted a place to stay, to relax, to sit down and watch TV, to eat some real food.

I talked to him about my family. I told him about things that had happened in my life. I asked him about his family.

I asked him why he did what he did. And his reason was because he was a soldier. I asked him why he chose me and why he chose Bridgewater Apartments, and he said he didn't know, just randomly.

But after we began to talk, and -- he said he thought that I was an angel sent from god, and that I was his sister, and he was my brother in Christ. And that he was lost and god led him right to me to tell him that he had hurt a lot of people.

He asked me what I thought he should do. And I said, "I think you should turn yourself in." "If you don't turn yourself in," what I said, "if you don't turn yourself, lots more people are going to get hurt, and you're probably going to die."

And he said, "I don't want that to happen." He said, "Can I stay here for a few days? I just -- I want to eat some real food and watch some TV and sleep and just do normal things that normal people do." So of course, I said, "Sure, you can stay here." I didn't want -- I wanted to gain his trust.

Most of my time was spent talking to this man about my life and experiences in my life, things that had happened to me. He needed hope for his life. He told me that he was already dead.

He said, "Look at me. Look at my eyes. I am already dead."

And I said, "You are not dead. You are standing right in front of me. If you want to die, you can. It's your choice."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: What an incredible story. One final note to the Nichols case. CNN's "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN" will have a special tonight, "26 Hours Inside the Atlanta Manhunt." They'll get started at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

Live pictures now for you from Santa Maria, California. Michael Jackson due back in court, and it looks like he is arriving right now. You can see his father, Joe Jackson, getting out of the SUV there.

This is the first time since the judge had threatened him with being to jail late. He didn't have to come on Friday because they were just hearing motions.

We're going to talk more about this straight ahead. But while we wait for Michael Jackson to get out of the SUV, the umbrella is up, he's coming out. He looks like he's moving a little slowly.

Oh, there's his mother. OK. Sometime hard to see on these monitors with the lights here.

Of course, big news on Thursday when he didn't show up, but then finally did show up, is what he was wearing, which was basically pajama bottoms and slippers, topped off by a sport coat.

Michael Jackson leaning on his father and his mother. Well, no, turning around to wave to fans, as he did on Thursday when he allegedly had the back trouble.

Not nearly the drama that this event had on Thursday when Michael Jackson was late to court yet again, said he checked into a hospital with back pain. The judge in the case had had it and issued a bench warrant for Michael Jackson's arrest, giving him one hour to make it from the hospital where he was in the Santa Ynez Valley into court.

Looks like a weekend of rest has been good for Michael Jackson. It's going to be another day on the stand for his teenage accuser. This is an important turning point in the trial.

The prosecution has had a chance to talk to the teenage accuser, alleging that he had been molested by Michael Jackson. The defense attorney, Thomas Mesereau, getting to cross-examine him. And that started last week.

That cross-examination will continue today. He has so far testified that the -- that Michael Jackson allegedly molested him twice.

We're going to track what's happening. Of course we have reporters and producers or the scene in Santa Maria. We're going to have the latest from there just ahead.

Right now we'll take a break. More news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's go back to the Jackson story now. In California today, the Michael Jackson child molestation trial enters its third week.

As we are watching these pictures before we went to break, Michael Jackson just moments ago arriving at the courthouse. The pop star has recently complained of having a bad back. Today it appears he was able to turn around a number of times to wave to his fans. On Thursday, the trial was delayed because of those back pains.

Jackson's teenage accuser is expected to take the stand again today after some combative and tense testimony last week. For more on that, CNN's Miguel Marquez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Innocent! Innocent!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Innocent! Innocent!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Innocent! Innocent!

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A pajama-clad Michael Jackson in court when his 15-year-old accuser began telling his story. Jackson's lawyer said the pop star injured his back after he slipped and fell while dressing. Jackson will suit up this week to watch his accuser cross-examined by his high-powered legal team.

MICHAEL JACKSON, DEFENDANT: Sorry, I can't speak now.

MARQUEZ: The boy testified last week that Jackson molested him twice, on several occasions served him alcohol, which he says Jackson called Jesus juice, showed him sexually explicit photos and all but abandoned him during his fight with nearly terminal cancer.

LAURIE LEVENSON, LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: It was very personal in there. It was personal on the boy's side talking about how much he felt hurt by Michael Jackson.

MARQUEZ: Jackson denies the charges, and his lawyer, Tom Mesereau, is expected to continue questioning the boy's story by highlighting differences in the accounts he's given to the sheriff's investigators and the grand jury that indicted Jackson. He is also expected to attack differences between the boy's stories and those of his siblings.

LEVENSON: And that's one of the concerns with the prosecution's case. They can't seem to hammer down exactly when this happened and whether there is any corroboration from the boy, even from his own brother.

MARQUEZ: The prosecution will continue its efforts to delve into Jackson's finances, arguing it needs a snapshot of his economic situation in February 2003. Prosecutors contend that Jackson is nearly bankrupt and his money problems helped fuel what they allege is a conspiracy to cover up his crimes after the Martin Bashir documentary aired on ABC.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Santa Maria, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: We're going to check out "World News" ahead. Dueling demonstrations in Lebanon today. It's the anti-Syrian protest day in Beirut. We're going to have a live report coming up after the break.

And does Ayman al-Zawahiri have terror plans for the United States? We will tell you what we know coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Folks in the Southwest getting ready for spring. Not so fast, maybe. Here's Jacqui Jeras.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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