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American Morning
Talk With Edward Piglia
Aired January 03, 2003 - 07:31 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: Right now we move on to Louisiana and the latest for the search for the serial killer who has murdered four women in the past 15 months. This week, investigators released a sketch of a man wanted for questioning in the latest killing, along with a new FBI profile of the murderer. Police say a woman who was abducted on Christmas Eve may be the fifth victim.
So far, DNA evidence has linked the same killer to the four murders.
Pam Kinamore was the killer's third victim. Her brother, Edward Piglia, joins us now from New Orleans.
Ed, good morning.
Thanks for joining us today.
EDWARD PIGLIA, VICTIM'S BROTHER: Good morning.
Thanks for having me.
KAGAN: First of all, our condolences on your sister's death and her terrible, terrible murder.
PIGLIA: Thank you.
KAGAN: Can you tell us the circumstances surrounding her murder, please?
PIGLIA: My sister was abducted from her home July 12. It was a Friday evening, about 10:15 p.m., as best as we can recollect and put together. And her body was found Tuesday after that, four days after.
KAGAN: And the fact that she was abducted from her home was just one of the facts that links her to the other murders?
PIGLIA: No. No. At that particular time it was totally different from the methodology that the killer had used before.
KAGAN: But, indeed, through DNA evidence she has been linked to the other killings?
PIGLIA: That's correct.
KAGAN: What do you make of how the police have been handling this so far? PIGLIA: Well, I'm sure they're as frustrated as we are, you know, the family involved, and all the families. It's been almost six months now and I feel we're not any closer today than we were the night that my sister disappeared.
KAGAN: There is this new development, and let's put this picture of the sketch up once again. Police just releasing this, saying that this is the person they're looking for. Are you encouraged by this being put out? Is this a detailed enough description, do you think?
PIGLIA: Well, I'm concerned that people get too focused on profiles and composite drawings and not keep an open mind. There's a lesson to be learned from that in the Malvo-Muhammad sniper incident, when these guys were totally opposite from the profile that was given -- race, age, number of perpetrators, type of vehicle, and that's what I'm concerned about, that people just will go looking for that one particular vehicle or one particular type of person.
KAGAN: Right. And, in fact, during the sniper shootings in the Washington, D.C. area, the word was put out to look for a white van. In the end, there was no white van connection. In your area, in the Baton Rouge area, they're saying look out for a white pickup truck. Are you, again, afraid that this is taking people on the wrong trail?
PIGLIA: I never have been comfortable with the white pickup truck because there are too many white pickup trucks in southern Louisiana, 30,000 in the Baton Rouge area. So that's not unique to our case. A true and accurate license plate would have been helpful, but no one seems to think to get a license plate. They're concerned enough to be able to recollect an individual's appearance, but we need something more concrete. We need something that's unique to this one individual.
KAGAN: With this latest killing, this could expand into the Lafayette area, bringing another police agency in. Do you find that encouraging or what do you think it's going to actually take to crack this case?
PIGLIA: Well, I guess if there's anything positive to come out of Miss. Colomb's (ph) death, it is that we have another jurisdiction involved and quite possibly they'll look at evidence and some of the reports from a different angle, a different perspective. And maybe they can see something that Baton Rouge has been bogged down with for what I think has been many years.
So I'm encouraged by that.
KAGAN: Yes, there are people who do believe that the serial killer has done a lot more than just this latest four victims. The families doing a lot to keep the story very much fresh in the media's eye and also the public watching.
So thank you for your time today.
PIGLIA: Thank you.
KAGAN: Ed Piglia, thank you, in memory of your sister, Pam Kinamore.
Appreciate it.
PIGLIA: Thank you very much.
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 January 3, 2003 - 07:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now we move on to Louisiana and the latest for the search for the serial killer who has murdered four women in the past 15 months. This week, investigators released a sketch of a man wanted for questioning in the latest killing, along with a new FBI profile of the murderer. Police say a woman who was abducted on Christmas Eve may be the fifth victim.
So far, DNA evidence has linked the same killer to the four murders.
Pam Kinamore was the killer's third victim. Her brother, Edward Piglia, joins us now from New Orleans.
Ed, good morning.
Thanks for joining us today.
EDWARD PIGLIA, VICTIM'S BROTHER: Good morning.
Thanks for having me.
KAGAN: First of all, our condolences on your sister's death and her terrible, terrible murder.
PIGLIA: Thank you.
KAGAN: Can you tell us the circumstances surrounding her murder, please?
PIGLIA: My sister was abducted from her home July 12. It was a Friday evening, about 10:15 p.m., as best as we can recollect and put together. And her body was found Tuesday after that, four days after.
KAGAN: And the fact that she was abducted from her home was just one of the facts that links her to the other murders?
PIGLIA: No. No. At that particular time it was totally different from the methodology that the killer had used before.
KAGAN: But, indeed, through DNA evidence she has been linked to the other killings?
PIGLIA: That's correct.
KAGAN: What do you make of how the police have been handling this so far? PIGLIA: Well, I'm sure they're as frustrated as we are, you know, the family involved, and all the families. It's been almost six months now and I feel we're not any closer today than we were the night that my sister disappeared.
KAGAN: There is this new development, and let's put this picture of the sketch up once again. Police just releasing this, saying that this is the person they're looking for. Are you encouraged by this being put out? Is this a detailed enough description, do you think?
PIGLIA: Well, I'm concerned that people get too focused on profiles and composite drawings and not keep an open mind. There's a lesson to be learned from that in the Malvo-Muhammad sniper incident, when these guys were totally opposite from the profile that was given -- race, age, number of perpetrators, type of vehicle, and that's what I'm concerned about, that people just will go looking for that one particular vehicle or one particular type of person.
KAGAN: Right. And, in fact, during the sniper shootings in the Washington, D.C. area, the word was put out to look for a white van. In the end, there was no white van connection. In your area, in the Baton Rouge area, they're saying look out for a white pickup truck. Are you, again, afraid that this is taking people on the wrong trail?
PIGLIA: I never have been comfortable with the white pickup truck because there are too many white pickup trucks in southern Louisiana, 30,000 in the Baton Rouge area. So that's not unique to our case. A true and accurate license plate would have been helpful, but no one seems to think to get a license plate. They're concerned enough to be able to recollect an individual's appearance, but we need something more concrete. We need something that's unique to this one individual.
KAGAN: With this latest killing, this could expand into the Lafayette area, bringing another police agency in. Do you find that encouraging or what do you think it's going to actually take to crack this case?
PIGLIA: Well, I guess if there's anything positive to come out of Miss. Colomb's (ph) death, it is that we have another jurisdiction involved and quite possibly they'll look at evidence and some of the reports from a different angle, a different perspective. And maybe they can see something that Baton Rouge has been bogged down with for what I think has been many years.
So I'm encouraged by that.
KAGAN: Yes, there are people who do believe that the serial killer has done a lot more than just this latest four victims. The families doing a lot to keep the story very much fresh in the media's eye and also the public watching.
So thank you for your time today.
PIGLIA: Thank you.
KAGAN: Ed Piglia, thank you, in memory of your sister, Pam Kinamore.
Appreciate it.
PIGLIA: Thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
