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CNN Live Today

Neighbors Struggle to Make Sense of 10-Year-Old Girl's Murder; Grand Jury Hears Evidence in Duke Rape Case; No Holiday Celebration for Troops Overseas; Mini Cars Popular at Auto Show

Aired April 17, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, HOST: Welcome back to the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Some tough questions being asked in Purcell, Oklahoma, today, including how well do you really know your neighbors? And even in a small town, how often can you let your kids go outside by themselves? Those questions being asked in Purcell, Oklahoma, after the brutal killing of a 10-year-old girl.

Our Ed Lavandera has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): The people of Purcell are trying to come to terms with the brutal murder of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin at this apartment complex just yards from her front door.

Police say Kevin Ray Underwood, who lived in the floor below, confessed to the girl's murder soon after his arrest on Friday, telling FBI agents, "Go ahead and arrest me. She's in there."

Investigators say that earlier in the week, Jamie Rose had used Underwood's phone to order pizza, and on Wednesday she appears to have entered his apartment voluntarily.

CHIEF DAVID TOMPKINS, PURCELL POLICE: It does not appear that this crime was a spur of the moment crime of opportunity, but it appears that this was a well thought out, premeditated act.

LAVANDERA: An online diary that Underwood appears to have kept for several years reveals a man frequently depressed, angry and with violent thoughts. In a question posted prominently on the blog, he asks, "If you were a cannibal, what would you wear to dinner?"

In February of this year, he wrote about antidepressants he'd been taking, saying, "I've been really bad again lately. I need to have the doctor write me a prescription for more Lexapro or something and start taking that again."

But perhaps most disturbing is an entry from late in 2004: "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."

The 26-year-old seems to have had a few friends. A co-worker at this hamburger restaurant where he recently worked says he was quiet and reserved.

BILL BERDAN, FORMER CO-WORKER: He wasn't a happy person. You could see it, you know. It just -- it was hard to get him to smile, but you know, other than that he was all right.

LAVANDERA: At Easter services, members of the Mission Assembly of God church remembered young Jamie Rose Bolin. The Reverend Duane Elmore said his congregation is struggling to understand how something so evil could happen so close to home.

REV. DUANE ELMORE, MISSION ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH: It's very painful, and I think there's probably a lot of people, teachers and everybody, we all probably have the question what could we have done? You know, did I do enough? And that's -- you know, that's tough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And Ed Lavandera joins us live now. He's in Purcell, Oklahoma.

Ed, what was it that first tipped off police and led them to the door of Kevin Underwood?

LAVANDERA: Well, police had been canvassing. Remember, the search had gone on for two days at the end of -- toward the end of last week for Jamie Rose Bolin. And they had been going around the neighborhood in that apartment complex, talking to all the various neighbors.

Prosecutors and investigators have said over the last couple of days the one that they -- the one person they really had trouble getting through to and getting some information from was Underwood.

He was later, on Friday afternoon, stopped at a police checkpoint that was set up near the apartment complex. Officers there believed he was acting rather suspiciously, brought him to the police department, starting questioning him. And then after that, one of the officers offered to drive him back to his apartment. And when he was there, the officer asked, "Do you mind if I look around your apartment?" And that's when everything unfolded, right before the officer's eyes.

KAGAN: Do they think that he might have other victims?

LAVANDERA: So far, you know -- obviously, they're still investigating. And perhaps that's one of the things that they're looking into.

Kevin Ray Underwood does not have a criminal history to speak of. So this is someone who was just considered to be a quiet, shy, reserved guy. As you heard one of the gentlemen in the piece mention, at times weird. And everyone just kind of left it at that. It was a person who kept to himself.

In his online diary, he talked about being locked up in his apartment for long periods of time. So it wasn't anyone -- he was recognized around town because he worked at that drive-through, that hamburger restaurant. But for the most part, I think most people think that he was just someone who kept to himself.

KAGAN: And meanwhile, Ed, this would be a gruesome crime if it happened anywhere, but especially in this town, where they're not even used to dealing with murder.

LAVANDERA: They haven't had a murder here since the year 2000, so it's -- and that was -- police told me that it was a murder- suicide. It wasn't something so random and callous as what has been described in this murder.

This is clearly something that people around here aren't used to. There's a memorial, a little vigil set up here in front of the girl's apartment. And we heard various parents who had come there with their kids yesterday. And even in this small town of 5,000 people, many parents kind of second guessing just, you know, how long that leash and how far away they're going to let their kid roam over the next couple of weeks. So a lot of people feeling very insecure right now.

KAGAN: Very sad in Purcell, Oklahoma. Ed Lavandera. Ed, thank you.

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

For the first time, names and faces may be attached to the Duke rape investigation case. A grand jury is hearing the prosecution's side today. Charges could be filed.

Our Alina Cho is following the story from Durham, North Carolina -- Alina.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning to you.

The grand jury is meeting behind closed doors as we speak, and we are told that the Duke rape case could be one of as many as 100 cases that will be presented today.

Now, this is significant, because as early as today the grand jury will decide whether to go forward with criminal charges in this case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Eighteen anonymous jurors will listen as prosecutors present their case. What they won't hear is anything from the defense attorneys. Lawyers for Duke lacrosse players call it a one-sided process, one that more often than not results in an indictment. BILL THOMAS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: That is a very frightful process for these young men who would have to suffer and endure through a charge and a trial.

CHO: The alleged victim is a 27-year-old mother of two and student at North Carolina Central University. On the night of March 13 she and another woman were hired as strippers by Duke lacrosse players. She then accused three players of raping her in a bathroom.

Last week, lawyers for the players announced there was no DNA match linking any of the 46 players tested to the accuser. The D.A. is waiting for more test results and says even without DNA he still has a case.

MICHAEL NIFONG, DURHAM DISTRICT ATTORNEY: It doesn't mean nothing happened; it just means nothing was left behind.

CHO: Late last week, according to the university, Durham police went to the dorm rooms of some of the players without a search warrant and tried unsuccessfully to interview them. One defense attorney said he was shocked police would try to speak to the students without notifying their attorneys.

With feelings on both sides running high, about 50 members of a local church turned out Sunday at the house where the alleged rape occurred to pray for justice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Defense attorneys are already preparing for an indictment this morning. Three lawyers representing some of the players met with the district attorney.

And one thing to keep in mind, Daryn, as you said earlier, is that even though this alleged rape happened more than a month ago, if indictments are handed down today, this could be the first time that we see names and faces attached to this case -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Kind of unusual, the theme continues with this case. In fact, grand jury proceedings are usually secret, and yet, there are reporters like yourself standing outside the courthouse, waiting for something to come down. What is the mood out there in the courthouse?

CHO: Well, certainly, the air is very heavy here, Daryn, as you might expect. Reporters are camped out on several floors of the courthouse behind me. I think it's safe to say that the Durham community in general and the Duke community, in particular, are collectively holding their breaths to see what will happen next in this case, Daryn.

KAGAN: And you will be watching it for us. Alina Cho in Durham, North Carolina, thank you.

To world news now, in a sadly familiar scene in Israel, a suicide bomber blowing himself up outside a restaurant in Tel Aviv today, 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 has condemned the attack, calling it a despicable act of terror.

Iran's nuclear program, much more than meets the eye? A nuclear watchdog group says satellite photos suggest that Iran is expanding its nuclear fuel plants. One site is believed buried beneath dozens of feet of earth and concrete. The weekend report comes from the Institute for Science and International Security, which is based in the U.S.

Tehran's nuclear program has raised international concerns and fueled reports that the U.S. could launch a strike. In recent days, concerns over such an attack have drawn about 200 Iranian volunteers for martyrdom missions. They agreed to target U.S. and British interests if Iran is attacked.

Just trying to stay alive, that's the way many U.S. troops in Iraq celebrated Easter. Their day was filled with tracking enemies, not worshiping in church. But as CNN's Arwa Damon reports, there were some comforts of home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about Easter?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Easter? What are we doing for Easter?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When we asked Marines at Camp Black what they are doing for Easter, they just start laughing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This actually came in two boxes, but...

DAMON: An Easter care package brings home a little closer for Corporal Travis Roundtree (ph), even at this desolate camp just outside of Fallujah.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Reese's, they're supposed to be in a heart shape, but it melted.

DAMON: But survival out here for this sniper platoon is more about being able to find humor in everything. Even close calls, such as the IED that detonated on the vehicle carrying Corporal Stefan Nugarahoun's (ph) translator. There are few other ways to cope with their reality.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't cry over this (expletive). Hey, Ray (ph), do you want to cry?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cry?

DAMON: Death is very real to them. Reminders spray-painted on the wall next to the freshly washed socks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should work when we're done (ph). DAMON: But that doesn't slow them down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is everyone working our jobs when we get back (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of attention (ph) around here.

DAMON: A few hundred meters away at another camp, the men describe each day as Groundhog Day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's the WAG bag. In this WAG bag.

DAMON: It's hard to find relief from the mundane routine, so they find humor, even in their toilet drill, as Corporal Aaron Mann (ph) demonstrates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inside, you have a Ziploc bag.

DAMON: Lance Corporal Jeremiah Dylan (ph) jokes before going to his post.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I take three bottles of ice out there, and then after about two to three hours, there's no more ice water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still peaches but no eggs.

DAMON: Out here, home comforts are a world away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I usually go to church on Easter with my grandma. But sorry, Grandma. That's not happening this year.

DAMON: Joking aside, it's time to head out. The temperature is reaching 100 degrees. Their gear weighs in excess of 65 pounds. They have to stay alert for the next four hours.

Back at Camp Black, preparations are underway for their mission. Weapons are cleaned. Soon the sniper platoon will be back outside the wire.

(voice-over) Many of these men are actually just kids. Their peers back home in the United States will be celebrating the holidays with their families. Right now, they're focusing on their mission, knowing that if they get home alive they'll have a lifetime of holidays ahead of them.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Fallujah, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Also from Iraq, the on again, off again Saddam Hussein trial is, you guessed it, it is off again. The trial resumed for about an hour today. Experts confirmed the authenticity of Hussein's signature on documents connected to a deadly crackdown on Shiites in the 1980s. Hussein's lawyers immediately disputed the results and demanded an analysis by international experts. The judge adjourned the trial until Wednesday.

Coming up, you think gas prices are high now? Today's news from the world oil markets will have you fuming. Plus, we'll look at one small way around the big cost.

And the pain and horror of Katrina through the eyes and lenses of children. We're going to share their stories and pictures just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: OK, if you're in the market for a new car, is it worth it to shell out several hundred dollars for side airbags? Check out these new crash results. The Toyota Prias and six minivans made by Daimler Chrysler and GM were first tested without side airbags. All got poor marks.

And then airbags were installed, new tests taken. The Prias got the insurance institute for highway safety's top score for inside protection. Daimler Chrysler's minivans got the second highest score, and the GM vehicles also had better results, as well.

So when you think about that, what size of car should you be driving, especially when you look at the rising cost of gasoline? You might be looking for a mini car. They are microsize rides. They are getting the eye at the New York Auto Show. But a safety group says, buyer beware.

Here's CNN's Christopher King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not? It's exciting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would love it. I would love it, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're great for going back and forth to work, easy to park.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks great.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a fun car.

CHRISTOPHER KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Manufacturers at the New York Auto Show are rolling out pint-size rides to attract drivers who want to trade in the high-profile bulk of the SUV for the fuel efficiency and ease of the sub-compact.

REBEKAH DECKER, NISSAN PRODUCT SPECIALIST: This year, the biggest question has been, what's the deal? How much miles to the gallon am I going to get on this vehicle?

KING: Auto makers are hoping small is big in America. With the prices of most of these vehicles ranging from about $10,000 to $15,000, the appeal is simple.

MICHAEL GIANNONE, CONSUMER: Comfort, easy to park, low gas -- better gas economy, probably low maintenance on the car.

KING: The Smart Car from Zap gets about 40 miles to the gallon, the highest, the company claims, for a conventional combustion engine.

STEVEN KIM, ZAP CORPORATE FINANCE: There is still, you know, a little bit of a niche market that wants to drive socially responsible cute, fun, cars around, to be noticed, help out the economy.

KING (on camera): Now, the makers of these extra small cars are banking on the idea that rising fuel costs and concern for the environment will drive consumers to downsize and buy micro-size vehicles like this Smart Car. The question is, can they stand up to the demands of American roads?

(voice-over) The Smart Car rated three out of five stars in European crash tests.

KIM: You'll see with your own eyes that this really is -- in an impact collision, is really one of the safer cars.

KING: But how safe are smaller cars overall? The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says smaller vehicles lack the crush base in front to absorb the impact of a crash. According to the group, mini cars accounted for 117 fatalities per million drivers in 2004, more than almost any other vehicle category.

RUSS RADER, INSURANCE INSTITUTE: If you are putting your family in a small car to save money at the gas pump, that's a risky proposition, because small cars are less safe than bigger vehicles.

KING: Some consumers aren't buying that.

GIANNONE: That is a myth. People think if they have a lot of metal around them it's better. It's compact, crumple zones, airbags, the way the cars are configured. They may collapse around you, but you won't get killed.

KING: So get used to seeing more mini cars on a highway near you.

Christopher King, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: If you've seen those on the road, they're hysterical. Like a little vacuum cleaner going down the street.

Looks like a new type of entertainment. USA Network taking video game playing to a whole new level.

Susan Lisovicz joins us from the New York Stock Exchange with that story.

They're gaming, Susan?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're game to bring gaming to a whole new level, Daryn. They say it's where NASCAR was 15 years ago and where poker was two years ago. Who would have thought, right? Poker went on TV. It's successful. Same thing here.

Major League Gaming and the USA Network striking a deal to show the league's entire professional circuit -- yes, there is a professional circuit -- on cable TV later this year.

There's going to be seven one-hour episodes in the fall. There's going to be commentary, sports coverage, complete with talk about strategy and those telestrators, Daryn. You know all about that, right? You know, as you see it (ph).

And it's, of course, going to be mega exposure for the pro gamers like Tom Taylor, known as Tsquared and the only female on the circuit, Xena, who's a 15-year-old.

Tsquared, by the way, takes this sport -- they call it a sport -- very seriously. He eats a healthy diet. He practices three to four hours a day, and he has since eliminated anything that could hurt his hands, Daryn. Like, for instance, pulling a toast out of a toaster with a knife, which we would recommend you not do anyway.

KAGAN: Yes. This just in to CNN. Don't use a metal knife to get the toast out of the toaster.

LISOVICZ: Especially when it's lit.

KAGAN: OK. Brilliant people here. How big, Susan, is the video gaming industry?

LISOVICZ: Well, just now, where it's available online, there's more than $800,000 in cash and other prizes, 1,500 to 2,000 players involved.

And you know, the U.S. is late to get into this. Other countries, such as South Korea, have two, not one, but two 24-hour channels dedicated to pro gaming. Germany has one.

Stay tuned. Like I said, they're comparing this to NASCAR 15 years ago. And we know how big that is now.

KAGAN: Why do I get the feeling you and I are not the targeted demographic group for this?

LISOVICZ: We are not. But there is one female represented. And she is not our demographic. I'll just leave it at that.

KAGAN: You go, girl. How are things looking on Wall Street today?

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: To northern California, a blast of wintry weather in this first part of spring, heavy snow falling over the weekend in the Sierra Nevada. Easter weekend travelers had to face major delays when the snow piled up and shut down some major highways.

Not such bad news, Chad, let me say. That just means you have to stay in the mountains and ski an extra day.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. Yes, the problem is getting there before the storm and parking yourself in front of the fireplace and then just let it snow. So there you go.

KAGAN: Just go with the flow of the snow.

MYERS: That's what they do. And good morning if you're out there, I guess. And happy skiing today on all that fresh powder.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Chad, what about Washington, D.C.? They're supposed to have the White House Easter egg roll.

MYERS: Yes, it's still raining there.

KAGAN: Yes. Soggy eggs.

MYERS: Yes, it's all -- you know, why do they call it egg roll?

KAGAN: Because they roll.

MYERS: I know, but that name already has another meaning.

KAGAN: Oh, an egg roll.

MYERS: It's an egg roll. Anyway...

KAGAN: I'll have a half order of that.

MYERS: Fair enough.

KAGAN: Exactly. Got you. Thank you, Chad.

Well, the first lady and the president did kick off the annual White House Easter egg roll.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: The president and I wish everyone very good luck on the egg roll. I know you want to get started, so here comes the president to blow the whistle to get the eggs rolling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Yes, here's why they want to get started. Look at the bad weather. This is what it's all about: a child, a spoon, and an egg, all on the White House lawn. An added ingredient this year, gay and lesbian parents bringing their children. The same-sex families wore brightly colored leis to draw attention to their numbers.

On to the story of Myrtle the Turtle. There's been little rhyme or reason to her wayward travels. That is until now. She's about to head home by air rather than by sea. We get the details now from reporter Martin Geisler (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN GEISLER (ph), ITV NEWS REPORTER (voice-over): Washed up in the Western Isles two years ago with the outflow (ph), for Myrtle, the leather-backed turtle, was bleak. She was shell shocked. Hundreds of miles off course and minus a flipper torn off in an attack by a shark. Now, though, she's heading home.

She was found by a couple of tourists on a beach in North Ulst, then moved carefully to marine experts on the Scottish mainland. After three months being fed by tube and monitored closely in her own small tank, she continued her trip south. First to the Sea Life center in Scarborough and a bigger tank, more spacious but perhaps not quite as comfortable, given some of the neighbors.

Now, though, with her remarkable recovery complete, she's being prepared for the final leg of this epic journey, a flight to the Canary Islands and, all being well, the start of a new life back home in the Atlantic.

DEREK SCALES, SCARBOROUGH SEALIFE SANCTUARY: It's what you call a soft release. So although she's going to be left to her own devices, she's going to be in area where she can be kept an eye upon, to be sure she's doing OK. And if that proves successful, then she will have a full release out into the wild. And that will be that. She'll be off.

GEISLER (ph): It's thought Myrtle is native to the Caribbean. She may head back to the warm waters there. It will take her awhile, no doubt, on three flippers rather than four. But given what she's been through already, something of a miracle she's taking on the journey at all.

Martin Geisler (ph), ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A three-flippered turtle. I'm having a moment. I've got my three-legged cat at home. I've got the three-flippered turtle on the TV. Good day to start the week. You go, Myrtle. We'll be watching.

Still ahead, another good-feel story. From Chicago to Alabama, kids reaping out to strangers in crisis. We'll hear their stories, also see the heartbreak of Hurricane -- excuse me, Katrina recorded through their eyes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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