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American Morning

Discussion with John Walsh

Aired October 11, 2002 - 08:37   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.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: For more analysis of the sniper attacks, we turn to John Walsh. For years, he has fielded tips that helped to put criminals behind bars through his program "America's Most Wanted." While hosting his new talk show, Walsh spent some time in Rockville, Maryland, in the heart of the area terrorized by the sniper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The boy was by the curb, and he was laying down. He was screaming, he was moaning, and he said, "I'm shot in the stomach." And I looked, he said, "Look at my stomach." I said, you better not be kidding me. He said, "I'm not."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Walsh met with police and frightened residents, as well as families and friends of the victims. He joins us now.

Good morning.

JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Good morning, Paula.

ZAHN: How are these folks coping?

WALSH: They're terrified, and they have every right to be terrified. I think they're -- in their minds, they're saying, we're tough, we have to continue our lives just like after 9/11. But as the sniper picks these victims at random in the different places, everyone in the metropolitan D.C. area is saying, could I be next. And of course, when he crossed the line and shot that 13-year-old boy in the stomach, everyone said, this is a psychopath that can kill anybody. People are fearful. I talked to relatives of the victims, and I talked to many of the kids from the Benjamin Tasker Middle School who are afraid to go to school. People are afraid to go out of their houses, and I think their fears are legitimate.

ZAHN: You have spent over a decade now hunting down animals. How smart is this shooter?

WALSH: He's very, very smart. I mean, we've caught 722 fugitives on "America's Most Wanted," in 31 countries, some of the smartest of the smartest. I mean, we've taken 15 guys off the FBI's 10 most wanted list. I would say this is probably one of the most cold-blooded, calculating, remorseless psychopaths we've ever done. And he's smart in the fact that he strikes quickly, he leaves the scene immediately, and he's crossed different jurisdictions. He understands one thing, he's committed a murder in Maryland, then he goes over through D.C. and commits a murder in Virginia, and then he goes back to D.C. So he's got different agencies.

But I will say this, I spent a lot of time with the cops. I have never seen this much cooperation between different agencies sharing information, saying we're going to work together. We're not going to step on each other's toes, we're not going to bruise each other's egos. We have got to nail this creep before he kills somebody else.

ZAHN: Do you see that level of cooperation continuing? You're talking about the five different jurisdictions here, the FBI, the ATF. There was speculation the FBI was going to take over the investigation. No one says that's going to happen. But there will be turf war.

WALSH: I don't think so. I think, from what I saw, and I went to the command center, and I was given special access and talked to them and cut a couple of special spots, because "America's Most Wanted" is not on this Saturday night. We're preempted by baseball, the worst time for us not to be on. That's why I did the special John Walsh show that will shown today, emphasizing, if you don't want to call the tipline, this is what Chief Moose has said and the FBI and everybody has said, call 1-800-CRIME-TV. Why? Because we've caught 72 creeps, and people are afraid to call police and afraid the phones will be tapped, are afraid of revenge, and they may know somebody and say, if you come to my house and I give you information, this guy will kill me.

So 1-800-crime-TV. I talked to all of the cops that were there the other day. They said, please, whatever you do, when I'm on your show, any show, stress you can call the "America's Most Wanted" hotline, 1-800-crime-TV. No matter how insignificant the tip is. Everybody is saying let's look for this psychopath in camouflage gear. He looks like that cameraman over there. He looks like that soundman, but he's a weirdo. He's the kind of guy that probably never talks to his neighbors, gun collector, yes, we all assume that. It's just going to take that one tip, that one citizen.

ZAHN: Are you of the mind that this psychopath is watching the television coverage and he's calibrating his actions based on what he's hearing from the police departments?

WALSH: Well, I think what he's hearing from the media and what he's hearing on the coverage. He's sitting back like the ones I know I've caught, he's sitting back and he's reveling in it. Yes, he has the God complex, we all know that. He loves to pull that trigger. That's where he gets off and says, I've controlled that part of my day, I've taken that person's life.

He's watching the media. He doesn't want to be caught. He's not like the spree killers that I did, Andrew Cunanan, different ones, you know, that killed Gianni Versace. They leave, you know, evidence. This guy wants to continue, much like the Zodiac Killer, the Zodiac Killer of years ago in San Francisco who killed so many people and was never caught. He was brilliant. He never wanted to be caught. He wanted to revel in this.

But I've got to say another thing. The media can be a great help in this case. I know it from being on "America's Most Wanted." It can be a great hindrance. When we're given something on by the police and we're asked on "America's Most Wanted," don't give this part of the information about this criminal away, use it to qualify the calls on the hotline, I am saying to the media, if the police have something and they're saying don't release it, you know, we're in a for-profit business, Paula. CNN is in a battle with Fox News. ABC and NBC in a battle for ratings. It could cost somebody's life. Don't give that information.

ZAHN: But editorially, I think we need to make it clear that that local reporter that reported that tarot card information was told by his source that they wanted the information out there.

WALSH: That's speculation.

ZAHN: No, no, this reporter actually talked with Howard Kurtz of "The Washington Post" yesterday, and he said that there was no mention of this harming the investigation.

WALSH: Paula, every reporter justifies what they do by saying, "sources say." We're in the media. I've been on a hit show for 16 years. Everybody in the media say, I was justified, I was right, sources say.

ZAHN: What if you're encouraged to put it on the air, by a police officer? That's what this guy said.

WALSH: That's one thing. Of course, he can justify his existence by saying, I was told to do this, etc. I talked to law enforcement yesterday inside the command center who said, we are saying there are certain things that we hope aren't leaked out. So I am saying there is a responsibility of the media here.

ZAHN: Absolutely.

WALSH: But the media and the public will probably be the single most important factor to break this case, and that's the person that will have the guts to say I think this weird person who lives next door to me, or cousin Bill or uncle George should be investigated by the police, and that's what I think is going to break this case.

But it's just -- it is terrifying. And I got to say one other thing.

ZAHN: Got to do it quickly, because someone has to pay for this, John.

WALSH: Lots of psychologists, I say this, talk to your kids and tell them bad things happen. The likelihood of it happening to you is very rare, and cut down on the TV time with your kids. I've got younger kids and I'm on a show like that. And you know what, give them the good information, but cut it down.

ZAHN: Very smart advice.

WALSH: But the public has to be on the alert. ZAHN: John Walsh, it's always good to see you. We will be looking for your show later today, 11:00 in a lot of markets across the country. Appreciate your time.

WALSH: Thank you.

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 October 11, 2002 - 08:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: For more analysis of the sniper attacks, we turn to John Walsh. For years, he has fielded tips that helped to put criminals behind bars through his program "America's Most Wanted." While hosting his new talk show, Walsh spent some time in Rockville, Maryland, in the heart of the area terrorized by the sniper.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The boy was by the curb, and he was laying down. He was screaming, he was moaning, and he said, "I'm shot in the stomach." And I looked, he said, "Look at my stomach." I said, you better not be kidding me. He said, "I'm not."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Walsh met with police and frightened residents, as well as families and friends of the victims. He joins us now.

Good morning.

JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": Good morning, Paula.

ZAHN: How are these folks coping?

WALSH: They're terrified, and they have every right to be terrified. I think they're -- in their minds, they're saying, we're tough, we have to continue our lives just like after 9/11. But as the sniper picks these victims at random in the different places, everyone in the metropolitan D.C. area is saying, could I be next. And of course, when he crossed the line and shot that 13-year-old boy in the stomach, everyone said, this is a psychopath that can kill anybody. People are fearful. I talked to relatives of the victims, and I talked to many of the kids from the Benjamin Tasker Middle School who are afraid to go to school. People are afraid to go out of their houses, and I think their fears are legitimate.

ZAHN: You have spent over a decade now hunting down animals. How smart is this shooter?

WALSH: He's very, very smart. I mean, we've caught 722 fugitives on "America's Most Wanted," in 31 countries, some of the smartest of the smartest. I mean, we've taken 15 guys off the FBI's 10 most wanted list. I would say this is probably one of the most cold-blooded, calculating, remorseless psychopaths we've ever done. And he's smart in the fact that he strikes quickly, he leaves the scene immediately, and he's crossed different jurisdictions. He understands one thing, he's committed a murder in Maryland, then he goes over through D.C. and commits a murder in Virginia, and then he goes back to D.C. So he's got different agencies.

But I will say this, I spent a lot of time with the cops. I have never seen this much cooperation between different agencies sharing information, saying we're going to work together. We're not going to step on each other's toes, we're not going to bruise each other's egos. We have got to nail this creep before he kills somebody else.

ZAHN: Do you see that level of cooperation continuing? You're talking about the five different jurisdictions here, the FBI, the ATF. There was speculation the FBI was going to take over the investigation. No one says that's going to happen. But there will be turf war.

WALSH: I don't think so. I think, from what I saw, and I went to the command center, and I was given special access and talked to them and cut a couple of special spots, because "America's Most Wanted" is not on this Saturday night. We're preempted by baseball, the worst time for us not to be on. That's why I did the special John Walsh show that will shown today, emphasizing, if you don't want to call the tipline, this is what Chief Moose has said and the FBI and everybody has said, call 1-800-CRIME-TV. Why? Because we've caught 72 creeps, and people are afraid to call police and afraid the phones will be tapped, are afraid of revenge, and they may know somebody and say, if you come to my house and I give you information, this guy will kill me.

So 1-800-crime-TV. I talked to all of the cops that were there the other day. They said, please, whatever you do, when I'm on your show, any show, stress you can call the "America's Most Wanted" hotline, 1-800-crime-TV. No matter how insignificant the tip is. Everybody is saying let's look for this psychopath in camouflage gear. He looks like that cameraman over there. He looks like that soundman, but he's a weirdo. He's the kind of guy that probably never talks to his neighbors, gun collector, yes, we all assume that. It's just going to take that one tip, that one citizen.

ZAHN: Are you of the mind that this psychopath is watching the television coverage and he's calibrating his actions based on what he's hearing from the police departments?

WALSH: Well, I think what he's hearing from the media and what he's hearing on the coverage. He's sitting back like the ones I know I've caught, he's sitting back and he's reveling in it. Yes, he has the God complex, we all know that. He loves to pull that trigger. That's where he gets off and says, I've controlled that part of my day, I've taken that person's life.

He's watching the media. He doesn't want to be caught. He's not like the spree killers that I did, Andrew Cunanan, different ones, you know, that killed Gianni Versace. They leave, you know, evidence. This guy wants to continue, much like the Zodiac Killer, the Zodiac Killer of years ago in San Francisco who killed so many people and was never caught. He was brilliant. He never wanted to be caught. He wanted to revel in this.

But I've got to say another thing. The media can be a great help in this case. I know it from being on "America's Most Wanted." It can be a great hindrance. When we're given something on by the police and we're asked on "America's Most Wanted," don't give this part of the information about this criminal away, use it to qualify the calls on the hotline, I am saying to the media, if the police have something and they're saying don't release it, you know, we're in a for-profit business, Paula. CNN is in a battle with Fox News. ABC and NBC in a battle for ratings. It could cost somebody's life. Don't give that information.

ZAHN: But editorially, I think we need to make it clear that that local reporter that reported that tarot card information was told by his source that they wanted the information out there.

WALSH: That's speculation.

ZAHN: No, no, this reporter actually talked with Howard Kurtz of "The Washington Post" yesterday, and he said that there was no mention of this harming the investigation.

WALSH: Paula, every reporter justifies what they do by saying, "sources say." We're in the media. I've been on a hit show for 16 years. Everybody in the media say, I was justified, I was right, sources say.

ZAHN: What if you're encouraged to put it on the air, by a police officer? That's what this guy said.

WALSH: That's one thing. Of course, he can justify his existence by saying, I was told to do this, etc. I talked to law enforcement yesterday inside the command center who said, we are saying there are certain things that we hope aren't leaked out. So I am saying there is a responsibility of the media here.

ZAHN: Absolutely.

WALSH: But the media and the public will probably be the single most important factor to break this case, and that's the person that will have the guts to say I think this weird person who lives next door to me, or cousin Bill or uncle George should be investigated by the police, and that's what I think is going to break this case.

But it's just -- it is terrifying. And I got to say one other thing.

ZAHN: Got to do it quickly, because someone has to pay for this, John.

WALSH: Lots of psychologists, I say this, talk to your kids and tell them bad things happen. The likelihood of it happening to you is very rare, and cut down on the TV time with your kids. I've got younger kids and I'm on a show like that. And you know what, give them the good information, but cut it down.

ZAHN: Very smart advice.

WALSH: But the public has to be on the alert. ZAHN: John Walsh, it's always good to see you. We will be looking for your show later today, 11:00 in a lot of markets across the country. Appreciate your time.

WALSH: Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com