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Mental Health Evaluation Request in Boulder Shooting; Former Aurora Police Chief Interviewed about Boulder Shooting; Suez Canal Blockage Costs Millions a Day; Repair of Notre Dame Sparks Controversy. Aired 6:30-7a ET

Aired March 26, 2021 - 06:30   ET

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

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[06:32:09]

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Boulder Police expected to reveal new details today in their investigation of the grocery store massacre that killed 10 people on Monday. The suspect making his first appearance in court. He was ordered to remain behind bars while the defense lawyer is requesting a mental health evaluation.

CNN's Lucy Kafanov is live in Boulder with more.

What have you learned, Lucy?

LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alisyn, Boulder Police are expected to update us on the next steps in both the court proceedings, as well as the investigation. Yesterday was the first time the suspect made his appearance in court. It was a chilling moment. He barely spoke. He said one word. No facial expressions. No emotions. And we are already being prepared by officials for both a lengthy legal process and a lengthy investigation. This is a complicated case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone in Boulder is suffering right now.

KAFANOV (voice over): The city of Boulder, Colorado, left devastated after a gunman opened fire at a King Soopers supermarket Monday killing ten people. One of the victims was 61-year-old Kevin Mahoney. His wife of 35 years, Ellen, reflects on how the COVID-19 pandemic proved an unexpected blessing for the couple.

ELLEN MAHONEY, LOST HUSBAND IN COLORADO MASSACRE: It gave us time to be together. It reminded me almost like the beginning of our marriage. I'm very grateful for this past year.

KAFANOV: Kevin walked his daughter Erica down the aisle last summer. She's now expecting her first child, a baby girl.

ERICA MAHONEY (ph), LOST FATHER IN COLORADO MASSACRE: I know that she will know how much her grandfather loves her. And this is such devastating news and it's so hurtful, but I know my dad would just want me to be, you know, the mom I will be and to carry on. And, so, we're going to do that for him.

KAFANOV: Moms Demand Action, a non-profit group to prevent gun violence, holding this vigil Thursday night. Many Boulder residents attended. One elementary school teacher remembering her friend, Officer Eric Talley.

JANA BIEDSOE, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER WHO KNEW SLAIN OFFICER ERIC TALLEY: He was just the kind of person that I wish we could populate the entire planet with.

Who's going to be next? I think about Eric. He's got seven children. He was just doing his job.

KAFANOV: The Boulder Police Department says that the handcuffs used to restrain the suspect once he was released from the hospital were Talley's.

PHIL WEISER, COLORADO ATTORNEY GENERAL: We know that his bravery saved lives and his commitment to protect people motivated him and he paid the ultimate sacrifice for all of us.

KAFANOV: The suspect was moved out of Boulder County Jail Wednesday after threats towards him were made from inmates. And on Thursday, he was seen for the first time since the day of the shooting, attending his first court hearing in person.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, do you understand those rights as I've explained them to you this morning?

I need you to answer out loud.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

KAFANOV: That's the only time the 21-year-old suspect spoke.

[06:35:00]

He's charged with ten counts of murder in the first-degree and one count of attempted murder.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your honor, we would be --

KAFANOV: He appeared in court with three public defenders.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our position is that we cannot do anything until we are able to fully assess Mr. Alissa's mental illnesses.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAFANOV: Now he will remain in jail without bond. We don't know where. He was moved to an undisclosed location for his safety. He has yet to enter a plea.

We also know that two of his attorneys have a long history of defending suspects in mass shootings. Daniel King, for example, represented the Aurora shooter.

Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: Lucy, there's something so powerful about knowing about those handcuffs. I know it's just symbolic, but there was something that, you know, is kind of profound knowing that the officer's handcuffs were used on him. So thank you very much for all of that.

So how will prosecutors get a guilty verdict and what new clues do they have? We'll explore all of that coming up.

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[06:40:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The defense attorney for the man charged with fatally shooting 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, asked a judge for more time to access the, quote, nature and depth of what she described the suspect's mental illness during his first court appearance.

Joining us now is Daniel Oates. He was chief of police during the Aurora movie theater massacre nearly a decade ago.

And, of course, the defendants actually share an attorney here and share apparently the beginnings of a strategy. So what do you see here, Chief?

DANIEL OATES, FORMER AURORA, COLORADO, POLICE CHIEF: Well, we're headed toward an insanity defense. And, in fact, one of the two lawyers was one of the lawyers in the Aurora theater shooting representing the defendant.

And, you know, someone can be mentally disturbed, as the theater shooting suspect was in Aurora, and still completely legally responsible for their actions. And that will be -- that will be the challenge and the debate that will go forward as we move towards a trial.

And, by the way, the trial --

BERMAN: One of the big differences -- one of the big differences --

OATES: It's going to take a while before we get to a trial.

BERMAN: Yes, absolutely. But one big difference between Aurora and this is the death penalty existed for Colorado for that. It doesn't now, correct?

OATES: Yes. And that's very, very significant. You know, and regardless of how your viewers view the issue of the death penalty, from a legal standpoint, there's a very practical impact. While there was a death penalty in Colorado, prosecutors had a lot of leverage to negotiate a plea and avoid a trial. You know, if you're -- if you're a defense attorney, your number one goal is to keep your client from getting the death penalty. Now that leverage on the part of the prosecution is gone. We will almost certainly see a full trial.

And when we do, there are pluses and minuses to that. A full trial will be a full airing of all the facts that the people have put forward, are able to gather about what occurred. And that will be good to have that full airing of what occurred. But the trauma, you know, a year or two from now, when that trial takes place, the trauma to the families of the deceased, the trauma to the first responders, the police officers, the witnesses who were there will be relived in a, you know, a gut-wrenching trial that will probably take two to three months.

BERMAN: Talk to us about the significance of Officer Talley's handcuffs being used on the suspect/defendant?

OATES: You know, this is -- this is a really tragic thing, but I have to say, I smiled last night when I heard that. A little bit of inside police culture. You get issued handcuffs as a rookie police officer. And, you know, you typically etch your name or your badge number into the cuffs. And in a busy police department like Boulder, you might respond on a regular basis to a multiple arrest incident where even though you're not the lead officer who's going to take all the reports or process the prisoners, you know, you throw your cuffs on one of the suspects. And the first thing you start thinking about is, you know, when am I going to get my cuffs back?

You know, and cops hold on to those handcuffs. They're a symbol of who you are and what you do. And I just love the gesture. And I think every cop in America loves the gesture of, you know, we're honoring our -- we're holding you accountable. We're going to make sure you pay for what you did in the criminal justice system. And Eric's present with us through this presence -- the symbol of these handcuffs. I just thought it was a great gesture and I smiled when I heard about it last night.

BERMAN: Very quickly, prosecutors indicated -- they laid out the charges as they exist now, but indicated there could still be more. What more?

OATES: Well, for instance, we don't know who he shot at and did not hit. Everybody, you know, other officers, other civilians who were in the store, those would all be attempted murder charges. We simply don't know what the investigation additionally will lead to us. There may be gun law violations in this. There's still probably not but still the possibility that someone was complicit in aiding and assisting him in committing this act. Those are all part of the investigation. Elements of the investigation that still have to occur. But I fully expect that there will be additional charges.

And one more thing, in the Aurora theater shooting, the suspect was convicted of two counts of murder for every death, one for intentional murder and also under Colorado law there's something we called depraved indifference murder, when you engage in an act that is so reckless and depraved and it causes a death. So he could easily end up with two counts of murder for every one of the 10 deceased people.

BERMAN: Dan Oates, we appreciate the help you've given us all week long. Thank you so much for being with us.

OATES: Thank you.

BERMAN: All right, so I think this is the most interesting, unbelievable story in the world. This giant ship is stuck in the middle of the Suez Canal. Nothing can get through it either way, which means there's cargo backed up, like hundreds of vessels backed up here. And this has a real impact on you and your wallet. How much is this picture you're looking at going to cost you, next.

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[06:48:58]

BERMAN: The mother of all dredging operations underway in the Suez Canal, trying to dislodge this giant container ship that's been stuck there for three days. As much as 20,000 cubic meters of sand needs to be removed. Nothing can get by this thing.

CAMEROTA: I see that.

BERMAN: I mean tons of shipping is hold up on each side of this. They need to move all this sand, if they can, from under it to try to move it. No projections, really, on how long it will take. This could take a very long time here because the ship is just so big and so heavy with all that stuff piled on.

CAMEROTA: Look at how little the construction equipment is next to it. It's like a miniature doll house bit of equipment.

BERMAN: You know, I have to be honest. I saw that picture on social media and I wasn't sure if it was real.

CAMEROTA: Right.

BERMAN: I thought -- you know, that was like a fake thing, but I guess it's real.

CAMEROTA: Yes, it's amazing. So the traffic jam in the Suez Canal could soon cost you more at the pump.

CNN chief business correspondent Christine Romans joins us.

What is the ripple effect here, Christine?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And that picture, it's like an elephant trying to be pushed by a flea, right?

[06:50:02]

I mean it's just unbelievable what they're up against here.

What's coming to you, Alisyn, higher prices at the big box store, higher prices at the gas station because of that big supertanker clogging the Suez Canal. The Ever Given is the name of the ship. It's, quote, stuck rock solid. The traffic jam is holding up an estimated -- listen to this -- $400 million an hour in trade. Containers full of car parts, televisions, computers, instant coffee, and oil. All of that delayed now. About 10 percent of global trade passes through there.

Gas prices were already rising. $3 a gallon gas already here in some states as the economy opens up and people start driving again. Look, Americans have money in their pockets. Another 37 million stimulus checks delivered this week. And now President Biden wants to shift from rescue to rebuilding in a $3 trillion push to build stuff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The next major initiative is -- and I'll be announcing it Friday in Pittsburgh in detail -- is to rebuild the infrastructure, both physical and technologically infrastructure of this country, so that we can compete and create significant numbers of really good paying jobs. Really good paying jobs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMANS: Jobs on roads, bridges, rails and tech, 5G potentially and domestic manufacturing. Part two of his new legislative push. We're told they're calling it the Care Economy, making that child tax care credit permanent, child tax credit, rather, permanent, free community college, universal pre-k with tax increases on companies and the wealthy to try to raise some revenue there.

So you're looking for a pretty big, bold, new push the president's going to be -- his aides are going to present to him and we'll be hearing more about soon, Alisyn.

CAMEROTA: OK, Christine, thank you very much.

So, overnight, a Georgia lawmaker was arrested inside the state capitol for protesting a new law that curtails voting rights. That Georgia state rep is here next on what's going on in that state.

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[06:56:39]

BERMAN: Repairs well underway nearly two years after a devastating fire at France's Notre Dame Cathedral, but there is controversy over a decision to use trees dating back to the French revolution to rebuild the church.

Jim Bittermann has the story.

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JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was one of the most heartbreaking sights of a tragic afternoon, the towering spire of the Cathedral of Notre Dame came crashing to the ground as a devastating fire swept through the roof. But now a more encouraging images of spires crashing down. In a forest

south of Limon, France, a harvest of mighty oaks is underway, the first of 200 year old trees needed to rebuild the spire and roof support beams destroyed by the fire. In all, 1,000 trees will be needed.

BITTERMANN (on camera): While there's been some opposition from environmental groups about the use of century's old trees to rebuild Notre Dame, the forestry people here say it's a testament to the richness of natural resources in this country that in this forest alone there are more than 100,000 trees that are over 150 years old.

BITTERMANN (voice over): At the church itself, there is no resounding pipe organ playing just yet. But as CNN discovered, when it got rare access to the cathedral, the walls have been cleaned and stabilized. Some of the stained glass windows and ancient stone statuary already restored.

There remains a gaping hole in the roof, though, covered only with plastic to keep out the elements.

For that, workers are now building 90-foot tall walls of scaffolding inside the cathedral, which will eventually support a temporary platforms for restoring Notre Dame's unique vaulted ceiling, much of which was destroyed or damaged in the fire.

Architects say once the platform is in place, precisely engineered wooden arches will provide the bracing to reconstruct the (INAUDIBLE) stone ceiling vaults. Once all that is done, the engineers will turn their attention to rebuilding the roof itself, reconstructing the spire, and replacing the interior roof beams using the oak that is now being cut, exactly in the same fashion as those that were destroyed in the fire.

BITTERMANN (on camera): There were hundreds of ideas from the public suggesting more modern ways to rebuild Notre Dame, but in the end President Macron decided that it should be rebuilt exactly as it was, albeit with better fire protection.

BITTERMANN (voice over): Reconstructing the cathedral as it was seems to be, more or less, a popular idea.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a cultural building. It belongs to everybody. So I think it's very important for everybody to rebuild it in the same way, I think, in the classical way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should respect the monuments and the century when it was made and the methods that were used to build it.

BITTERMANN: Back amid the ancient oaks, knowing they'll be used for a noble purpose, suits the forestry managers just fine.

PAULINE DELORD, NATIONAL FORESTRY OFFICE: We know it's the end of something, but it's the beginning of something else. This piece of wood is going to have a second life and maybe even longer than the life he had in the forest. BITTERMANN: Jim Bittermann, CNN, in the Berce Forest of France.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BERMAN: Our thanks to Jim for that report.

NEW DAY continues right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

[07:00:02]

BERMAN: Welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY.

And critics might call it the "Seinfeld" of all voting laws.