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American Morning

Rocket Attacks; 10 Life Sentences for BTK Killer

Aired August 19, 2005 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Miles O'Brien. Breaking news from the Middle East. An attack against U.S. Navy ships, a close call for some sailors and Marines as three rockets are fired in the Jordanian port of Aqaba. No Americans hurt, but there are casualties. A live report ahead.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Carol Costello live for Soledad. Scenes of anguish and confrontation play out again this morning at a Jewish settlement in Gaza as another synagogue is evacuated. We are live in Gaza.

O'BRIEN: And the face and the voice of criminal insanity. Dennis Rader rambles on in court before arriving to serve 10 consecutive life sentences, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning. It's the end of the week. It is Friday.

COSTELLO: Happy Friday to you. Good morning. A lot of information coming in on this rocket attack in the Middle East.

O'BRIEN: And we're all over it.

COSTELLO: In an already inflamed Middle East this morning, rockets slammed into two cities in the Red Sea, Aqaba, and Jordan and Eilat in Israel. Paula Hancocks live in Jerusalem. She's monitoring this for us.

Paula, what's the latest?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.

Well, Jordanian officials are telling CNN that three rockets were fired from a rented warehouse in the industrial area of Aqaba. They say that the warehouse had just recently been rented by four individuals of Iraqi and Egyptian nationality. Now we know that one of those rockets was intended for the U.S. Navy ship. It missed the actual vessel and hit a warehouse just very close by, a storage area, warehouse. No injuries in that particular attack, we're hearing.

But then one hit by a military hospital as well in the Aqaba area. Now we are hearing from Jordanian officials that one Jordanian soldier has been killed and one wounded. We're hearing that through Reuters. We're still trying to get an official government statement, which should be coming very soon. And then the third rocket hit Eilat, which is a holiday town in the south of Israel. It hit about 15 yards away from the airport perimeter fence. No injuries there, although that airport is extremely close to the center of Eilat, which has hundreds of hotels, and will have thousands of Israelis on holiday at the moment there. So that's the latest information that we have at the moment -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Paula, the proximity between Aqaba and Eilat, they're very close to each other, correct?

HANCOCKS: They're incredibly close, yes. If you're standing on the seafront of Eilat, and you look to your left just about five miles away, across the water would be the Aqaba port, and you would be able to see it on a clear day. So they are incredibly close. Eilat is just on the Israeli border with Jordan, as is the area of Aqaba as well. And then as you're standing on that beach if you look just to your right, you can see Egypt. So there are three countries in extremely close proximity at the north end of this Red Sea resort.

So where these two attacks took place, they are extremely close to each other. The defense minister, Shaul Mofaz, from Israel saying that he did believe that they were trying to target Israeli and Jordanian targets. There was also a press conference where he was saying that the Jordanians and Israelis are working very closely together to find out exactly who was behind these attacks. We hear four individuals of Iraqi and Egyptian nationality. We're trying to find out more information about that now and whether or not they have been apprehended, but they rented that warehouse in the area of Aqaba, and that's where these three rockets did originate from -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Paula, tell us a little bit what we know about the ships. It's the USS Ashland and the USS Kirsage. This is the Ashland here, which had the nearest miss. These are amphibious troop transports. They bring Marines into military theaters. What do we know about them now. I've heard some reports they might have steamed out of port already.

HANCOCKS: Yes, as far as we understand, they actually left the port immediately after this attack. Both of these vessels just left, obviously, for security reasons.

Now the reason they were there in the first place was just a regular training opportunity with Jordanian Navy. This isn't anything unusual. We've heard from commanders that that's the reason that they were in the area at the time -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Paula Hancocks in Jerusalem, thank you -- Carol.

COSTELLO: In Gaza, Israeli forces are making progress, but they're still confronting angry residents and protesters who refused to leave. So far, Israeli troops have completely evacuated 17 of 21 settlements. Those are seen here in blue. The remaining settlements are indicated in yellow. Troops have just finished evacuating the settlement of Gadid. Earlier this morning, they reached a settlement with people holed up in a synagogue. The protesters agreed to leave quietly, but insisted on being led or carried out.

John Vause is live in the settlement of Gadid.

John, what's the scene there like now? JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Carol, the soldiers are moving in, a small skeleton force, to guard this settlement against looters and against Palestinians who may try to come into this settlement in the next few hours, the next few days. The Israeli police are now moving out. Their job here now done. Earlier today, they moved in. In fact, they were forced to use a front-end loader to smash open the gates to this settlement. Normally, those gates are locked shut to keep out Palestinian militants, though, today they are locked shut to try to keep out the police and the army. The police smashed through those gates, so, too, the army. They had to clear up a number of roadblocks. There were burning tires and burning debris on the main road into the settlement.

Once here, they found that only six families left in Gadid. Most of those left pretty soon after the police arrived. However, there was a number of protesters, 85 of them, inside the synagogue. They were holed up in there for a couple of hours or so. They negotiated with the police to be carried out one at a time.

There were, however, a number of other protesters who spread themselves around the settlement. Some were on rooftops. Others were throwing oil and other debris at the police. But eventually, they were all rounded up and taken away on buses to Besheva. That's where they'll be dropped. The Israeli police saying they found their way here illegally. They managed to get through the checkpoints and past the soldiers over the next few weeks, so they can now find their way home -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And, John, I know the evacuations are going to come to a halt so that Jews can observe the Sabbath. But when will they start up again?

VAUSE: They'll start up again on Sunday, the start of the working week here in Israel, and there'll be two settlements slated for evacuation on Sunday, another two on Monday. If everything goes as it's expected to go, now at this new pace which is being set, it should all be done by Monday night, maybe Tuesday morning -- Carol.

COSTELLO: John Vause, live for us this morning.

Pope Benedict XVI became the second pope in modern history to visit a synagogue this morning. He stopped to pray, to remember holocaust victims at that synagogue in Cologne, Germany. He called for sincere and trustful dialogue between Christians and Jews.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE BENEDICT XVI (through translator): I intend to continue the way of improvement and friendship with the Jewish people, which John Paul began with decisive steps and with all his strength. The Jewish community, in turn, in this city where I feel that I am totally at home. It is the oldest Jewish community on German soil. This is exactly what we heard just before. It goes back to the Cologne of Roman times. The history of relations between the Jewish and Christian communities, of course, is complex and often painful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Pope Benedict said progress had been made between Christians and Jews, but much more remains to be done. He's in Germany, in part, to celebrate World Youth Day.

O'BRIEN: The BTK serial killer Dennis Rader to be moved to a maximum-security prison in Kansas today. Rader will begin serving 10 consecutive life terms. That was his sentence after a day of shocking and heart-wrenching testimony from victims' families.

Chris Lawrence live now in Wichita with that.

And, Chris, what was the families, generally, their reaction to the sentence?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, they're somewhat happy, but only because really that, you know, the things they want to do to him aren't even legal in this country. What they got was a chance to look BTK in the eye and tell him how they feel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): They lost their loved ones years ago. Thursday the relatives of BTK's victims confronted the killer.

JEFF DAVIS, VICTIM'S SON: Sitting here before us is a depraved predator, a rabid animal that has murdered people, poisoned countless lives and terrorized this community for 30 years, all the while relishing every minute of it.

LAWRENCE: Rader called his victims projects, but he killed real people.

STEPHANIE CLYNE, VICTIM'S DAUGHTER: My mother begged for her life, yet he showed no remorse.

LAWRENCE: He murdered spouses...

BILL WEGERLE, VICTIM'S HUSBAND: Dennis Rader killed my wife in 1986.

LAWRENCE: And he strangled sisters.

BEVERLY FLAPP, SISTER OF NANCY FOX: There are not words to make you understand what losing Nancy has meant to me.

LAWRENCE: And for the first time Thursday, the armor cracked and Rader cried.

DENNIS RADER, CONVICTED SERIAL KILLER: Nancy Fox, she was a wonderful person, and I did track her just like a predator. She was a wonderful young lady.

LAWRENCE: At times, Rader rambled on, thanking people as if he were accepting an Academy Award.

RADER: Hester Clark (ph), he has been my main man. He's a good man. I appreciate that.

LAWRENCE: He compared his victims to members of his own family.

RADER: She would have been a lot like my daughter at that age.

LAWRENCE: And in his own warped way, apologized to the people he murdered.

RADER: They trusted me that I was going to tie them up, take their money and leave, and then I killed them.

LAWRENCE: Dennis Rader called himself a Christian. To the families of the people he killed, he is a monster.

FLAPP: On the day he dies, Nancy and all of his victims will be waiting with God and watching him as he burns in hell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: If the families could hand out the punishment, there you go. Rader won't be up for parole until he's 100 years old, which basically means he's never going to walk out of prison alive. That is not enough for the D.A., though. She has asked the judge to basically deprive him of anything that could feed his fantasies for sex and fame. She doesn't want him to be able to watch or hear anything about the murders. She doesn't want him to have access to any materials in which he could write about his fantasies or draw them, which basically means no pencils, or papers or crayons. His defense attorney says those are First Amendment issues, and he does plan to fight that -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Chris Lawrence in Wichita. Thank you very much.

Just ahead, we'll talk with the family members of BTK serial killer's first victims. They faced Dennis Rader in court Thursday.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, more on the withdrawal from Gaza. Israeli officials say it's been a success so far. But do everyday Israelis feel the same way?

O'BRIEN: Also, a Kansas teen is attacked and killed by a tiger during a photo session, at an animal sanctuary. What was that all about? One of our questions this morning, we'll look at how her family and classmates are coping, and we'll ask that question ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: In Missouri, the little girl known as "Precious Doe" can finally rest in peace. A second funeral service was held Thursday for the 3-year-old found decapitated in Kansas City four years ago. No one knew who she was for quite some time. She earned that nickname, Precious Doe, as a result. She was identified in May when her mother and stepfather were arrested in connection with her murder. Precious Doe's headstone now reads "Erica Michelle Marie Green" and bears her picture.

It's the strongest penalty the law would allow in Kansas. Before being sentenced to 10 consecutive life terms on Thursday, BTK killer Dennis Rader faced the families of his victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FLAPP: Nancy's death is like a deep wound that will never ever heal. As far as I'm concerned, Dennis Rader does not deserve to live.

KLINE: My mother begged for her life, yet he showed no remorse. He saw that she had a family and a little boy right there in the house with her, yet he continued with his sick plan. I ask you today, your honor, to show no remorse for him.

DAVIS: Sitting here before us is a depraved predator, a rabid animal that has murdered people, poisoned countless lives and terrorized this community for over 30 years, all the while relishing every minute of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Rader's first known victims in 1974 were four members of the Otero family.

Joining us now from Wichita, Kansas, Danny Otero, his sister Carmen Montoya, and their attorney Peter Gorski.

Good to have you all with us. I know this is a difficult and emotional time for you. We appreciate you being with us.

Carmen, I'd like to begin with you and just share with viewers just for a moment some of what you said in court yesterday.

CARMEN MONTOYA, FAMILY MEMBERS KILLED BY DENNIS RADER: Well, I had to show -- to let the people know just what everybody was missing. That I had a wonderful family, a very loving mother, hard working father, and my little brother and sister were just amazing. And I needed everyone to know that, of course they're still missed, but we go on for them, and it's been good.

O'BRIEN: What was that like seeing him addressing him right there?

MONTOYA: You know, I really didn't know that I was going to be addressing him the way I actually looked at him, but, you know, that was very empowering. It was a good feeling, actually.

O'BRIEN: A good feeling, really?

MONTOYA: Yes, that I had his attention.

O'BRIEN: And did you have the sense that anything was registering? Was there a shred of humanity in there that even could capture what you were saying?

MONTOYA: You know, I don't know. I was just happy that he actually heard something from me. That was enough for me.

O'BRIEN: Danny, Dennis Rader, when he spoke, I think anybody who watched it became nauseated by it. I found it just offensive on so many levels. I can only imagine what it was like for you to listen to that rambling, incoherent, narcissistic rant.

DANNY OTERO, FAMILY MEMBERS KILLED BY RADER: I totally agree. He was actually making himself look incoherent, stupid. And, actually, I was kind of -- you could tell that this man really didn't know what he was talking about, and he just exhibited that at that time. When he started making comparisons, it was disgusting. I mean, to think that he could even try and make sense out of all that.

O'BRIEN: I mean, could you really believe he was doing that? Talking about similarities between his victims and himself? It was just mind boggling.

OTERO: That just shows how whacked out this guy is. He's not there. He's not a human being. That's just a shell. What's in there, we'll never know, and we don't really want to know.

O'BRIEN: I think you're probably right about that.

You know, Peter, when I think about punishment for somebody like this, the only real punishment for somebody like this would be to be deprived of the attention he seeks. Do you think that will happen?

PETER GORSKI, OTERO FAMILY ATTORNEY: Well, within the power of the corrections department, I think it will happen. A request has been made by the D.A.'s office to go beyond just the normal terms of imprisonment to ensure that he is left with nothing in his cell. that will be ruled on, I think, within the next 30 days by the court, in addition to what was imposed yesterday.

O'BRIEN: But, Carmen, I suspect, as time goes on here, he will have a sense of fame within prison, and, you know, there will probably be a book. Who knows what will come out of this? What will that be like to see that be replayed in that way?

MONTOYA: Well, you know, we already lived through the worst part. We came home and we found them. This is all just, you know, a slight remembrance. And like I said, the worst part was over a long time ago. So whatever has to come with -- whatever's coming up now, we'll just have to deal with. I mean, that's all you can do, and just keep going.

O'BRIEN: You know, the term that is used, closure, I find that to be kind of a trite term. But this had to be a moment where you could emotionally -- an emotional bookmark at least. Can you move on in a different way now, having done what you did yesterday?

MONTOYA: Oh, yes. I mean, I moved on a long time ago. My home in New Mexico with my kids, my husband and my grandkids is wonderful. And Kansas stays in Kansas for me.

O'BRIEN: OK, Carmen Montoya, Danny Otero, attorney Peter Gorski, thanks, all of you, for being with us this morning -- Carol.

MONTOYA: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Still to come this morning, we are "Minding Your Business." One airline gears up for a strike that could keep it grounded this weekend. We'll tell you what it could mean for you if you're flying somewhere. That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: One of the nation's biggest airlines prepares for a potential strike and bankruptcy. Andy Serwer is off. Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business" this morning.

So we're talking about Northwest.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a busy way to start off. Northwest is in a dispute with its mechanics union. It's a big union, involves about 5,000 people, mechanics and other workers. The deadline is tonight. At midnight tonight, those mechanics can walk off the job.

Now, the airline, Northwest, had wanted about $176 million in concessions. They've received about $76 million from this union. They want $100 million more. They've made their best offer to the union. The union has come back and said, there's pretty much no chance we're going to make a deal on this. Now Northwest has upped the ante. They have said that they can operate without this union, but if other unions don't cross the picket line, they could be in trouble.

COSTELLO: So they can operate without the mechanics union? Which is a concern in light of what's happened in the past few weeks.

VELSHI: I've got to tell you, with the way airlines are today, I wouldn't want to give that impression as an airline that we're operating without our regular mechanics. That said, if other unions don't cross the picket line, they could be in trouble, and Northwest is now saying, that if this happens, we could go into bankruptcy, which could also be a threat.

COSTELLO: If I have a Northwest ticket, what do I do? Say good night?

VELSHI: Until this morning, I would have said don't worry too much, maybe worry a little bit more, but Northwest still claims they'll fly their flights no matter what. Let's see. We'll follow the story very closely through the rest of the day -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Will do. Thank you, Ali -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Still to come, more on the developing story out of the Middle East. Three rockets fired from a warehouse, apparently targeting some U.S. Navy ships in the Red Sea. We'll get the latest from a U.S. Navy commander in the region. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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