Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Police in Baton Rouge Release Photo

Aired May 27, 2003 - 08:03   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: To Louisiana, where police in Baton Rouge have identified the man they believe is responsible for killing five women.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF PAT ENGLADE, BATON ROUGE POLICE: An arrest warrant has been issued for the arrest of Derrick Todd Lee, date of birth November 5, 1968.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Now, police also released this photo of the 34-year-old Lee. They say that DNA links the suspect to all five killings.

Pam Kinamore was one of the victims. She was kidnapped and killed last summer.

Her mother, Lynne Marino, and her brother, Edward Piglia, are with us this morning from Medrie, Louisiana.

Folks, thank you very much for coming out and talking with us this morning.

Lynne, I want to start with you.

First off, now that a suspect has now been identified, does this make it the least somewhat easier now to deal with what happened to your daughter?

LYNNE MARINO, MOTHER OF PAM KINAMORE: Well, it's a little easier because I feel my other daughters and daughter-in-law and grandchildren are safe. You know, we didn't know if he would come after us, we've been so active. But then when I see that horrible face and I think of what that animal has done to at least five women -- you know, we feel there are more than that -- that's very difficult to deal with.

HARRIS: So you were worried that this man was actually stalking the entire family, as well?

MARINO: No. It's possible. We didn't know. We were very active against him. You know, we started a campaign to get him and that campaign mushroomed and got a lot of momentum from individuals who got involved.

HARRIS: Ed, how about you? What are your feelings this morning? EDWARD PIGLIA, BROTHER OF PAM KINAMORE: Somewhat relieved that he's been identified. We have to apprehend him now. But it closes one door and opens others. We have to deal with the trial eventually, the details. But we're prepared to do that.

HARRIS: Do you feel better then now, at least somewhat better about the way the police are handling it? I know you've been somewhat critical of the way the police have been holding the investigation up to this point, thinking that they have been focusing, perhaps, on the wrong things for too long. Do you feel better about the investigation now?

PIGLIA: Well, we do, and those guys have put in a lot of time. We haven't denied that. We've just always wanted to consider bringing in experts because DNA alone didn't, we didn't feel that that was going to bring us to the individual. It would identify him once he was discovered or found. But you need investigative work, old- fashioned police work.

HARRIS: I want to ask the both of you this one. Were you surprised when this photo was released? As I remember, the first photo that -- or the first description of the suspected killer in this case was described as a white man. Were you all surprised at all to see this man be identified here as a black man?

PIGLIA: I was not surprised at all. In fact, my mother and I had gone to Lafayette, Louisiana shortly after Dene Colomb's death and spoken with the Lafayette sheriff's office. And after that meeting, I questioned one of the officers, one of the chief detectives, actually, the public relations detective about the race, because we were told by many experts that when the victims are of multi -- of different races, that generally it's not a Caucasian. So we questioned that back in December.

HARRIS: Lynne, do you feel any safer now that this man has been identified? I know you just said moments ago that you had this sort of nagging feeling in the back of your head that there was a possibility that he could be stalking the entire family. And I wonder, do you feel safer now that this man has been identified?

MARINO: I do feel safer now that he's been identified and I feel that everybody is safer now that he's been identified. You know, I mean we had a killer on the loose in Baton Rouge. We knew we had a killer, but we didn't know where he was or who he was.

HARRIS: Have you all talked to any of the other family members of the others who have been killed in this spate of killings? I'm wondering what they're thinking this morning, as well. Have you talked to them?

PIGLIA: I have.

MARINO: We've talked to, I've talked to Ann Pace. That's the mother of Murray Pace. And then I've seen the other, two of the other family members interviewed and they feel relief, too, and they feel like we do. Now the next step is to apprehend him. HARRIS: All right.

MARINO: So we need the public's help to be on the lookout. Look at that photo, pay attention, get a license number, call it in, 911, right away.

HARRIS: Lynne Marino, Ed Piglia, thank you very much.

We appreciate your time this morning.

PIGLIA: Thank you.

MARINO: Thank you.

HARRIS: Best wishes for you all and your families.

Thank you very much.

PIGLIA: 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 May 27, 2003 - 08:03   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: To Louisiana, where police in Baton Rouge have identified the man they believe is responsible for killing five women.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHIEF PAT ENGLADE, BATON ROUGE POLICE: An arrest warrant has been issued for the arrest of Derrick Todd Lee, date of birth November 5, 1968.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Now, police also released this photo of the 34-year-old Lee. They say that DNA links the suspect to all five killings.

Pam Kinamore was one of the victims. She was kidnapped and killed last summer.

Her mother, Lynne Marino, and her brother, Edward Piglia, are with us this morning from Medrie, Louisiana.

Folks, thank you very much for coming out and talking with us this morning.

Lynne, I want to start with you.

First off, now that a suspect has now been identified, does this make it the least somewhat easier now to deal with what happened to your daughter?

LYNNE MARINO, MOTHER OF PAM KINAMORE: Well, it's a little easier because I feel my other daughters and daughter-in-law and grandchildren are safe. You know, we didn't know if he would come after us, we've been so active. But then when I see that horrible face and I think of what that animal has done to at least five women -- you know, we feel there are more than that -- that's very difficult to deal with.

HARRIS: So you were worried that this man was actually stalking the entire family, as well?

MARINO: No. It's possible. We didn't know. We were very active against him. You know, we started a campaign to get him and that campaign mushroomed and got a lot of momentum from individuals who got involved.

HARRIS: Ed, how about you? What are your feelings this morning? EDWARD PIGLIA, BROTHER OF PAM KINAMORE: Somewhat relieved that he's been identified. We have to apprehend him now. But it closes one door and opens others. We have to deal with the trial eventually, the details. But we're prepared to do that.

HARRIS: Do you feel better then now, at least somewhat better about the way the police are handling it? I know you've been somewhat critical of the way the police have been holding the investigation up to this point, thinking that they have been focusing, perhaps, on the wrong things for too long. Do you feel better about the investigation now?

PIGLIA: Well, we do, and those guys have put in a lot of time. We haven't denied that. We've just always wanted to consider bringing in experts because DNA alone didn't, we didn't feel that that was going to bring us to the individual. It would identify him once he was discovered or found. But you need investigative work, old- fashioned police work.

HARRIS: I want to ask the both of you this one. Were you surprised when this photo was released? As I remember, the first photo that -- or the first description of the suspected killer in this case was described as a white man. Were you all surprised at all to see this man be identified here as a black man?

PIGLIA: I was not surprised at all. In fact, my mother and I had gone to Lafayette, Louisiana shortly after Dene Colomb's death and spoken with the Lafayette sheriff's office. And after that meeting, I questioned one of the officers, one of the chief detectives, actually, the public relations detective about the race, because we were told by many experts that when the victims are of multi -- of different races, that generally it's not a Caucasian. So we questioned that back in December.

HARRIS: Lynne, do you feel any safer now that this man has been identified? I know you just said moments ago that you had this sort of nagging feeling in the back of your head that there was a possibility that he could be stalking the entire family. And I wonder, do you feel safer now that this man has been identified?

MARINO: I do feel safer now that he's been identified and I feel that everybody is safer now that he's been identified. You know, I mean we had a killer on the loose in Baton Rouge. We knew we had a killer, but we didn't know where he was or who he was.

HARRIS: Have you all talked to any of the other family members of the others who have been killed in this spate of killings? I'm wondering what they're thinking this morning, as well. Have you talked to them?

PIGLIA: I have.

MARINO: We've talked to, I've talked to Ann Pace. That's the mother of Murray Pace. And then I've seen the other, two of the other family members interviewed and they feel relief, too, and they feel like we do. Now the next step is to apprehend him. HARRIS: All right.

MARINO: So we need the public's help to be on the lookout. Look at that photo, pay attention, get a license number, call it in, 911, right away.

HARRIS: Lynne Marino, Ed Piglia, thank you very much.

We appreciate your time this morning.

PIGLIA: Thank you.

MARINO: Thank you.

HARRIS: Best wishes for you all and your families.

Thank you very much.

PIGLIA: 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