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American Morning

Interview with Sniper Victim Paul LaRuffa

Aired December 18, 2003 - 07:18   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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Paul LaRuffa survived one of the D.C. sniper attacks. He was shot five times. It happened outside his restaurant in Clinton, Maryland, and that's where he is this morning to share his reaction to the Muhammad verdict.
Mr. LaRuffa, good morning. It's nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us once again. I've got to imagine, it's been...

PAUL LARUFFA, SNIPER VICTIM: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: ... a really long and difficult several weeks for you. How are you feeling this morning? And what do you think about the verdict?

LARUFFA: Well, I'm feeling good, and I was pleased with the verdict. I was relieved. I was happy that he was found guilty on all of the counts. So, it was good. It was a relief.

O'BRIEN: Take me back to the time of your shooting. We've spoken about this before. What happened that day? And tell me a little bit about your injuries.

LARUFFA: Well, I left my restaurant on September 5, 2002, with two other individuals, and shortly after I sat in my car, I saw a shadow to my left and the window broke. I saw a flash of light, and I was shot about five times. I got out and got out of the car, and my friend called 911. And I made it to the hospital, and I made it through.

O'BRIEN: What was it like to be -- to be interrogated, essentially, on the stand -- interviewed on the stand by John Muhammad when he was still representing himself?

LARUFFA: Well, as I said before, it was just a surreal experience. It was just out of the realm of your thoughts to have a defendant, or the guy that was guilty of planning your murder, to ask you some questions. It was just a crazy experience.

O'BRIEN: What would you like to see now? Obviously, it's in the penalty phase. The jurors are going to have to decide whether they put Mr. Muhammad to death. What would you like to see?

LARUFFA: Well, I'm glad he was found guilty. I think he's a psychopath, and he's got to e removed from society. If they vote for the death penalty, you won't see me protesting outside the penitentiary. O'BRIEN: What about Lee Boyd Malvo, 17 years old at the time of the shootings? What would you like to see happen to him? And do you think he's going to be convicted as well?

LARUFFA: Well, I hope so. I really believe there's tons of evidence, and it's pretty obvious. Common sense would tell you he's also guilty. I am hoping that the next step is that he is found guilty of all of the charges also.

O'BRIEN: Does this conviction, or at least the first of what might be two convictions in the end when both of these trials are over does, does it give you any closure? Does it help you kind of move on with your life and recover more fully from your injuries in any way, do you think?

LARUFFA: Oh, yes, it helps. Each time there's a positive event, it helps you on the road to recovery. You know, closure, I don't know. You'll never get over it. I don't think any of the people that were involved in this really get over it, but you do reach points where you feel better and it's a positive. You're going in a positive direction.

O'BRIEN: So, the conviction is some good news for you this morning. Paul LaRuffa, thanks for joining us. Always nice to talk to you.

LARUFFA: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: We certainly 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 December 18, 2003 - 07:18   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Paul LaRuffa survived one of the D.C. sniper attacks. He was shot five times. It happened outside his restaurant in Clinton, Maryland, and that's where he is this morning to share his reaction to the Muhammad verdict.
Mr. LaRuffa, good morning. It's nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us once again. I've got to imagine, it's been...

PAUL LARUFFA, SNIPER VICTIM: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: ... a really long and difficult several weeks for you. How are you feeling this morning? And what do you think about the verdict?

LARUFFA: Well, I'm feeling good, and I was pleased with the verdict. I was relieved. I was happy that he was found guilty on all of the counts. So, it was good. It was a relief.

O'BRIEN: Take me back to the time of your shooting. We've spoken about this before. What happened that day? And tell me a little bit about your injuries.

LARUFFA: Well, I left my restaurant on September 5, 2002, with two other individuals, and shortly after I sat in my car, I saw a shadow to my left and the window broke. I saw a flash of light, and I was shot about five times. I got out and got out of the car, and my friend called 911. And I made it to the hospital, and I made it through.

O'BRIEN: What was it like to be -- to be interrogated, essentially, on the stand -- interviewed on the stand by John Muhammad when he was still representing himself?

LARUFFA: Well, as I said before, it was just a surreal experience. It was just out of the realm of your thoughts to have a defendant, or the guy that was guilty of planning your murder, to ask you some questions. It was just a crazy experience.

O'BRIEN: What would you like to see now? Obviously, it's in the penalty phase. The jurors are going to have to decide whether they put Mr. Muhammad to death. What would you like to see?

LARUFFA: Well, I'm glad he was found guilty. I think he's a psychopath, and he's got to e removed from society. If they vote for the death penalty, you won't see me protesting outside the penitentiary. O'BRIEN: What about Lee Boyd Malvo, 17 years old at the time of the shootings? What would you like to see happen to him? And do you think he's going to be convicted as well?

LARUFFA: Well, I hope so. I really believe there's tons of evidence, and it's pretty obvious. Common sense would tell you he's also guilty. I am hoping that the next step is that he is found guilty of all of the charges also.

O'BRIEN: Does this conviction, or at least the first of what might be two convictions in the end when both of these trials are over does, does it give you any closure? Does it help you kind of move on with your life and recover more fully from your injuries in any way, do you think?

LARUFFA: Oh, yes, it helps. Each time there's a positive event, it helps you on the road to recovery. You know, closure, I don't know. You'll never get over it. I don't think any of the people that were involved in this really get over it, but you do reach points where you feel better and it's a positive. You're going in a positive direction.

O'BRIEN: So, the conviction is some good news for you this morning. Paul LaRuffa, thanks for joining us. Always nice to talk to you.

LARUFFA: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: We certainly 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.