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CNN Live Today

Horror in Oklahoma; Marines Under Fire; Israeli Bombing; Rumsfeld Under Fire; Behind The Mind

Aired April 17, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to go ahead and get started here. And we are going to begin with the latest in the horrifying death of a 10-year-old girl. Prosecutors in the small Oklahoma town say that Jamie Rose Bolin screamed for her life while being attacked by a neighbor. A neighbor who allegedly had plans for cannibalism. That suspect is in court today. Our Ed Lavandera is covering the story for us. He is in Purcell, Oklahoma.
Ed, good morning.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.

Well, Kevin Ray Underwood is expected to show up here in court later on today where prosecutors expect to file first-degree murder charges against him. And they do say they will seek the death penalty in this case. The prosecutor has been saying over the weekend that he believes this is the most gruesome, heinous crime he has ever seen in this city. There hasn't been a murder here in six years.

So many of the people in this town of 5,000 have been coming to terms with the gruesome details that you eluded to there earlier about what police say Kevin Ray Underwood intended to do with his 10-year- old victim, who lived just across the hallway in the apartment complex here in Purcell. According to police, Kevin Ray Underwood has told them that after he killed the 10-year-old girl, he planned to cut her up and eat her. And in an online diary that Mr. Underwood kept, he talks and describes himself as someone who has battled depression. In this online diary he talks about taking antidepressants and medications as well.

Many people in this town here of Purcell know Kevin Ray Underwood and his family. His parents here and a sister in high school. So for them this has also been a rather long and devastating weekend as, of course, it has been for the family of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin who lives with her father and it has been a very difficult time for them as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BERDAN, SUSPECT'S CO-WORKER: You know, the whole town is shocked. It's, you know, something, here it is Purcell, Oklahoma. You know this happens in a big city or something, not in our town.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: As I mentioned, Underwood is expected to show up here in just a few hours, Daryn, where he will be charged with first-degree murder. The prosecutor also says, should I mention, that they're still analyzing evidence and going through more of this case and doing more interviews and that there is an outside possibility more charges will be filed. We've also been told by the sheriff here in Purcell that Underwood is in the county jail here and is under a suicide watch.

Daryn.

KAGAN: And, Ed, what else are we learning about Kevin Underwood, where he worked, what he was thought about in this community?

LAVANDERA: Well, you know, a lot of people say -- around here say they didn't know him and that he was seen -- in fact many people, their main contact with them, he worked at the drive through of a local hamburger, fast food restaurant here in Purcell. And many people we've talked to say they recognize him from being there. But at the same time we talked to one of his former co-workers there who said, you know, he was a quiet, reserved guy. Very hard to get him to smile or be upbeat about anything. And several people have described him, quite frankly, as weird.

KAGAN: Is there any more information today about how he might have allegedly been able to get this 10-year-old girl into his apartment in the first place?

LAVANDERA: Well, you know, that's the interesting thing. Her family has been saying that they didn't really know him. But, you know, Underwood lived just across the hallway in this apartment complex from Jamie Rose Bolin and her father. The prosecutor here in Purcell has said that he believes she entered his apartment voluntarily and perhaps was lured in there. There were some talk from prosecutors and in documents that were released over the weekend that suggest that Kevin Ray Underwood had talked the young girl into coming into his apartment to see his pet rat and that before he was -- before he killed her, prosecutors say, they spent some time watching SpongeBob.

KAGAN: Ed Lavandera live from Purcell, Oklahoma. The details only become more gruesome as this story comes to light. Ed, thank you.

And then there's this story. A man suspected in the murders of two registered sex offenders in Maine takes his own life on a bus in Boston. According to Boston police, 20-year-old Canadian Stephen Marshall shot himself on a city bus as police were closing in. The suicide ended a multi-state manhunt prompted by the murders of two men who lived 25 miles apart. Following those murder's, Maine shut down its sex offender Web site which lists pictures, names and addresses of registered sex offenders.

On to U.S. Marines who are under a fire fight right now in Iraq. Insurgents are using rocket, mortar and arms fire and are attacking the governor's compound in the city of Ramadi. They are also attacking several sites occupied by Marines. CNN's Arwa Damon is embedded with the Marines. Let's look at some of the firefights that she just witnessed minutes ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to have to get you guys off this roof. Just follow me. That's mortars. Let's get (INAUDIBLE). Come on. Go. Who's hit? (INAUDIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Bill, first deck?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Nanda (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going to the right. Move it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, what we got.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The building around us, the Rashid (ph) hotel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Once again, those pictures just taken moments ago. The governor's mansion in Ramadi, Iraq., currently under fire and under attack. Our Arwa Damon is embedded with the U.S. Marines and joins us by phone now.

Arwa, what can you tell us more about this battle currently taking place.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, it was definitely very intense, as you just witnessed there. Now what happened was that insurgents initially fired mortars at the governor's compound, believed to be an attempt to detract Marines from a suicide car bomber that was trying to penetrate this compound and detonate himself inside.

Now Marines noticed the suicide bomber, fired shots at it. He then turned around and actually drove his vehicle into another Marine observation post. But only slightly wounding one Marine in that attack. Now while that was going on, the governor's compound was continuing to come under attack, more mortars and firing coming from the south, at the same time from the north, 300 meter away from Hamas. Heavy machine gunfire and RPGs were being launched.

Now U.S. Marines responded in full force, eventually calling in a strike on that mosque. Quick reaction forces responded and ended up destroying the mosque. Marines believe that a few dozen insurgents were killed in that attack. They also believe that they have killed the mortar team, the three man mortar team that was firing the mortars at them. And also elsewhere in the city, Marines between two observation positions noticed suspicious vehicles. They fired upon them and those vehicles exploded. They were car bombs also intended as a target.

Now all that being said and done, this is actually a normal occurrence for U.S. Marines here in central Ramadi. Attacks like this happen on a regular basis. We're told that this governor's compound comes under attack four to five times a day. It can be anything from a single shot that's fired to a complex attack like the one that we witnessed today.

But commanders are also saying that despite the fact that Ramadi remains a dangerous place, there is progress being made in the sense that the Iraqi army is now three brigade strong in this location. They're attempting to train and recruit Iraqi police all in an effort to bring the insurgency under control here.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Now, Arwa, when you call it the governor's compound in Ramadi, is this a functioning compound? Is there actually government activity taking place or this is left over?

DAMON: Well, it's actually very interesting, Daryn. The governor is here. In fact, he was here when this attack was happening. He does work out of here on a regular basis and has a small staff that works with him. You'll also see civilians that come into the compound to launch complaints, to gain information. So it is active to a certain degree.

In fact, while today's attack was going on, there were civilians that were in the area. There are people that moved in and out of this compound despite the fact that it is in one of the more violent, if not the most violent areas in the city. And that's kind of way things function here in Iraq. These is normal. These attacks are normal for this area. People expect it when they're coming here and they've learned to adjust to the risks that they're taking when they came out and decide to venture over to the governor's compound.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Arwa Damon live on the phone from Ramadi, Iraq. Arwa, thank you for that report and those pictures.

It is a grim, but familiar scene in Israel this morning. A suicide bomber blowing himself up outside of a restaurant in Tel Aviv killing eight people. Dozens more were injured. It was the first suicide attack in Israel since Hamas took over the Palestinian government last month. The Palestinian militant group, Islamic Jihad, claimed responsibility.

The White House is strongly condemning today's attack in Tel Aviv. Let's get more on that and reaction from our Ed Henry who is standing by at the White House.

Ed, what's the White House saying about this attack?

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Of course, the White House, not surprisingly, condemning this suicide bombing in the strongest possible terms. A short while ago, Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, telling reporters "it is a despicable act of terror for which there is no excuse or justification." The White House obviously keeping a close eye on the situation. This is the first suicide bombing in Israel since Hamas took over in Palestine about two and a half weeks ago. They're, obviously, keeping a close eye on this. They want to make sure that they're monitoring it.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Another topic here, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. President Bush came out late last week and started in defense of his secretary of defense. Will that continue into this week?

HENRY: That's right, the defense of the defense secretary basically intensifying. A few moments ago I asked Scott McClellan, why is it that whenever they're asked about Treasury Secretary John Snow, for example, they say, we can't comment it's a personnel matter. Well on Friday, a rather remarkable fashion, the president did comment on a personnel matter affecting Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. He did it by interrupting his Easter vacation at Camp David and that is because, Scott McClellan said, that frankly the president wanted to make clear his full, public support for the secretary amid these six retired generals asking Defense Secretary Rumsfeld to step down.

Yesterday on the Sunday shows it was interesting. You obviously had Democrats renewing their calls for Rumsfeld's resignation, while some Republicans were not necessarily expressing outright support for Rumsfeld but deferring to the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, (D) CALIFORNIA: I think the problem with Mr. Rumsfeld is that he is very stubborn, he is very determined. I don't see the flexibility that a change of circumstances in Iraq which has been happening following the first three weeks of the military operation.

SEN. GEORGE ALLEN, (R) VIRGINIA: This will be up to the president of the United States to determine who's in this cabinet, including the secretary of the defense. Those generals, retired generals, are people of credibility. However, what matters is what the commander in chief thinks and that's President Bush.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: And the commander in chief made his views clear on Friday. Part of that may be the fact that Rumsfeld is really the president's proxy in the war on terror. Firing him would be an acknowledgment that not just Rumsfeld has made mistakes in Iraq, but the president himself has made those mistakes as well, Daryn.

KAGAN: Ed Henry at the White House. Ed, thank you.

HENRY: Thank you.

KAGAN: Nature's fury up close and personal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, look at the house. Oh, my gosh. The house just went. The farm's just gone. The farm's gone. The farm -- it just exploded.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Straight ahead, we'll show you some destructive scenes from a weekend of wild weather across the U.S.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, look at the house. Oh, my gosh. The house just went. The farm's just gone. The farm's gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: That is from Illinois, the terrifying power of nature caught on tape. Funnel clouds and hailstorms swept across Wheeler and other parts of Illinois on Easter Sunday. At least one home was destroyed. So far no reports of any serious injuries.

Today the big weather story is along the Atlantic Coast and Chad has a look at that.

Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: We're also talking tornados, as Chad was earlier. Coming up, the strongest tornado recorded in history. It hit seven years ago. We're going to tell you why homeowners are still seeking satisfaction from their insurance firm.

This could be a crucial day in the Duke rape investigation. A grand jury hears the prosecution's side of the case this morning. Criminal charges could be filed. As you know, the case involves an African-American dancer who claims she was raped by three white members of Duke University's lacrosse team. DNA results showed no link to any of the 46 players who were tested. Defense lawyers say there was no rape, but the D.A. says he doesn't need DNA evidence to move forward with the case.

Looking that this gruesome murder of a 10-year-old girl in a small town in Oklahoma. We'll get inside the mind of the alleged killer with a criminal profiler just ahead.

Also, in prison and maybe on best behavior. How some say electronics are becoming an effective weapon behind bars.

Meanwhile, let's go ahead and check out the stock market. It's been open about 50 minutes. And not a lot of movement here to start a Monday. The Dow, you can see, is up 13. The Nasdaq is up 4. We're back after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's get back to this gruesome killing of this 10-year- old girl in the small town in Oklahoma. The suspect in Jamie Rose Bolin's killing had a clean record. Authorities say Kevin Underwood had no previous felonies and no known mental illness. But there are signs that could link the suspect to such a heinous crime. Were there signs? Pat Brown is a criminal profiler and she joins me now from Washington.

Pat, good morning.

PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: What do you make of someone who is accused of taking this 10-year-old girl in his apartment, hitting her over the head basically with the intent of not only killing her but decapitating here and leading to cannibalism?

BROWN: Well, Daryn, there are signs that this guy was headed toward some bad direction. The fact he wasn't a totally healthy human being and then one day woke up and decided to become a cannibal. That's ridiculous. Way back when he was a child, he was working his way into psycho pathology. In other words, he's a psychopath from way back when. And the fact his parents didn't recognize it is a very sad thing and may be part of the problem.

KAGAN: So his mother is quoted as saying, you know, he was never any trouble. He was a wonderful boy. These was no sign. You're saying that these are parents out of touch with the reality of their son who was clearly struggling.

BROWN: You betcha. You know, there's obvious signs. There would be pathological lying, manipulation. He would be thinking only about himself and not be concerned about other people. A very selfish, self-centered person. That would start very young.

But even a psychopath, in a strange way, wants to be connected to society. And he probably kept trying and kept failing, so he became a loner because he was unsuccessful at being a successful human being. And then, as he became a loner, he went into his little fantasy world and that's where the danger starts, especially in America where we've got this huge proliferation of Internet horror sites like cannibal sites and gore sites, rape sites, murder sites and this guy can just sit there for hour upon hour and increase his fantasies till the point where he says, this is what I am and this is what I want to do.

KAGAN: Well, and let's talk about some of the blogging that this man supposedly did on some of these site. He says he describes himself as "single, bored and lonely." He said he asked, "if you were a cannibal what would you wear to dinner?" And then he also talks about, "my fantasies are getting weirder and weirder. Dangerously weird. If people knew the kinds of things I think about anymore, I'd probably be locked away." Is this someone crying out for help before he does something really bad? BROWN: I don't think he was crying out for help. I think he was just expressing himself. Psychopaths don't cry out for help, they're just letting you know who they are and wanting to see your response. He probably wanted people to say, oh, you are creepy and that would make him excited. So he was letting us know about him and, unfortunately, in our society, there's nothing you can do about it. Somebody can literally come up to you and say I'm going to kill my whole family tomorrow and there's not much you can do about it. We have no actual law that protects anybody.

KAGAN: Well, there are restraining orders and things. I mean, it's not like there's nothing. But, I mean, this little girl clearly never saw anything happening.

Let me ask you this. What happened to this little girl, just so incredibly gruesome and disgusting and violent and over the top. Did somebody go from like zero to 60? Do you think this is his first victim or do you think something like this would have acted out earlier?

BROWN: It's possible he acted out earlier, Daryn. But as an interesting thing with the net. What happens is a serial killer will go through the fantasy thousands of times in his mind before he does anything. And in this particular case, because he had actual -- something to work with on the net. He had pictures and he had ideas. He probably started with simple things and then he kept increasing his fantasy on the net to the point where he had a fairly elaborate fantasy set up as his number one starting point. So I think, in this case, it actually might be his first and that's, again, the danger of the Internet porn sites and violent sites that we have out there.

KAGAN: There's also reports that this girl was clearly at the wrong place at the wrong time. That actually his victim could have been a five-year-old boy or another woman he could have been targeting. Do people like this care who they get? Are they usually specific about what type of person they want to get?

BROWN: Most serial killers really aren't that specific. They're looking for convenience. Somebody who's simply available. Someone they can control easily. They might have a preference. Say they might thing, well I prefer a kid or I prefer a woman, I prefer a man. But sometimes they'll just take what's available to them.

And this should really let parents -- this has got to be a warning sign to parents. I keep saying this over and over, you cannot let your children wander around. I mean a -- you know, you want to think well of your neighbors and here's a guy that's just your -- right across the hall with this pet rat. He seems like he's an OK kid. But that's what's out there. And it's proliferating. It's getting worse. We have to be aware, you cannot let your children wander into somebody's hands like this. Please, parents, hold on to them.

KAGAN: Be on your toes. Pat Brown, thank you for your insight.

BROWN: My pleasure. KAGAN: Thank you.

On to prison now and maybe best behavior. How some say electronics are becoming an effective weapon behind bars.

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