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American Morning
Virginia to Charge Sniper Suspects
Aired October 28, 2002 - 07:14 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: Prosecutors in Virginia say they now believe 17-year-old John Lee Malvo pulled the trigger in at least one of the sniper shootings there. It is expected that Malvo and John Allen Muhammad will be charged with murder in that state today. The two have already been charged in Montgomery County, Maryland, and could also face prosecution in Alabama.
Joining us now from Montgomery County is our correspondent, Patty Davis.
Good morning -- Patty.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
As you said, more murder charges expected today against John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo; this time in Spotsylvania County. Now, that is where one man was shot to death at a gas station on October 11.
Infighting continues between prosecutors of who will get this case first, who will try these two men first.
Meanwhile, a man was charged over the weekend with being a material witness to the sniper case. That was 26-year-old Nathaniel Osbourne. He's the co-owner of the 1990 blue Chevy Caprice that allegedly was used in the slayings in the Washington, D.C. area. Law enforcement sources say they don't believe that Osbourne was necessarily involved, but that he has crucial knowledge or crucial evidence that might be used in this case. Osbourne expected to be heading to Montgomery County within the next several days.
Now, as for the car, CNN has learned that D.C. police put a lookout out for a Chevy Caprice after a shooting in Washington, D.C. That was the single shooting of the 72-year-old man in Washington, D.C., but they put that out to their officers, did not put that out to the media, they say, because the Montgomery County task force -- the sniper task force was leading the investigation, not them -- Paula.
ZAHN: So, what do members of the task force say about that? Have we been able to talk to them about this new piece of information?
DAVIS: Well, members of the task force -- you'll recall that on WOLF BLITZER, Chief Moose was asked about a Caprice. They were really focusing at that point on a Chevy Astro or a Ford Econoline at that point, and he kind of dismissed that question from Wolf last weekend as well. So, I'm sure that they're wondering, too, why they didn't put more focus on that Chevy Caprice. At that point, they didn't have a license plate number; they also didn't have a license plate on those white vans as well.
So, that's a question we will be putting to police today -- Paula.
ZAHN: I thought it was interesting over the weekend the number of law enforcement sources that were quoted as basically saying, we got hooked on that white van concept I guess at the expense of not paying enough attention to the Caprice.
Patty Davis, thanks for the update -- appreciate it.
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 28, 2002 - 07:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Prosecutors in Virginia say they now believe 17-year-old John Lee Malvo pulled the trigger in at least one of the sniper shootings there. It is expected that Malvo and John Allen Muhammad will be charged with murder in that state today. The two have already been charged in Montgomery County, Maryland, and could also face prosecution in Alabama.
Joining us now from Montgomery County is our correspondent, Patty Davis.
Good morning -- Patty.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
As you said, more murder charges expected today against John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo; this time in Spotsylvania County. Now, that is where one man was shot to death at a gas station on October 11.
Infighting continues between prosecutors of who will get this case first, who will try these two men first.
Meanwhile, a man was charged over the weekend with being a material witness to the sniper case. That was 26-year-old Nathaniel Osbourne. He's the co-owner of the 1990 blue Chevy Caprice that allegedly was used in the slayings in the Washington, D.C. area. Law enforcement sources say they don't believe that Osbourne was necessarily involved, but that he has crucial knowledge or crucial evidence that might be used in this case. Osbourne expected to be heading to Montgomery County within the next several days.
Now, as for the car, CNN has learned that D.C. police put a lookout out for a Chevy Caprice after a shooting in Washington, D.C. That was the single shooting of the 72-year-old man in Washington, D.C., but they put that out to their officers, did not put that out to the media, they say, because the Montgomery County task force -- the sniper task force was leading the investigation, not them -- Paula.
ZAHN: So, what do members of the task force say about that? Have we been able to talk to them about this new piece of information?
DAVIS: Well, members of the task force -- you'll recall that on WOLF BLITZER, Chief Moose was asked about a Caprice. They were really focusing at that point on a Chevy Astro or a Ford Econoline at that point, and he kind of dismissed that question from Wolf last weekend as well. So, I'm sure that they're wondering, too, why they didn't put more focus on that Chevy Caprice. At that point, they didn't have a license plate number; they also didn't have a license plate on those white vans as well.
So, that's a question we will be putting to police today -- Paula.
ZAHN: I thought it was interesting over the weekend the number of law enforcement sources that were quoted as basically saying, we got hooked on that white van concept I guess at the expense of not paying enough attention to the Caprice.
Patty Davis, thanks for the update -- appreciate it.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
