Return to Transcripts main page
Paula Zahn Now
Fred Thompson to Replace Vice President Cheney?; Paris Freed; The Hunt For Answers in Pregnant Mom Murder Continues
Aired June 26, 2007 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everybody. Glad to have you with us tonight.
The hunt for answers in a deadly mystery -- why was a pregnant mother killed? Who helped the policeman who is charged with her murder?
Also, the plot to oust Vice President Dick Cheney -- could Fred Thompson replace him?
Plus, she's out. You have probably seen the pictures today. But was justice done? And is the L.A. sheriff in big trouble for giving her special treatment?
In northern Ohio tonight, people still coming to grips with the awful murder of Jessie Davis and the 9-month-old fetus she was carrying. And, today, investigators are working through a series of mysteries that still surround the case. Why was Jessie killed? Did her 2-year-old son, Blake, watch his mother die? And what possible motive could the accused killer, local policeman Bobby Cutts Jr., have had for the crime?
Carol Costello has been in Canton trying to get some answers for us tonight.
So, Carol, you have been looking into the life of Bobby Cutts. What have you learned from his friends?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm telling you, Paula, many of his friends say he was a really charming guy, was very good in football in high school. And people really admire that. I mean, this is football-crazy northeast Ohio.
But, still, he fathered three children by three different women, and he was just 30 years old. This question keeps popping up, why were so many women, some of them very educated and with the means to support themselves, why they were -- why were they so willing to fall for this guy, even though they kind of knew he had that other dark side?
Nikki Giavasis was one of the women who fell for him. She had a daughter. I spoke to her brother today, who told me that they were very willing to accept Bobby Cutts and the child, even though he wasn't willing to marry Nikki. But, still, Bobby Cutts didn't seem to want to even get to know Nikki's extended family.
Here is what her brother told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: He never attempted to come over on holidays and talk to you guys and get to know you?
LEE GIAVASIS, BROTHER OF CUTTS' EX-GIRLFRIEND: Oh, never. Never. No.
COSTELLO: Did you find that odd?
GIAVASIS: Well, you know in hindsight, 20/20 hindsight, I guess you could say that is really strange.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And, you know, Jessie Davis' mother said exactly the same thing.
I talked to a psychologist, too, to find out why in general a man would want to go out and have three children with three different women, even though he knew he was going to pay all this child support.
Here is what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. GAIL SALTZ, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY, THE NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL WEILL-CORNELL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: It feels masculine to sort of capture a woman, to own her, so to speak, by having sex with her and by impregnating her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now, as for why Cutts would allegedly kill Jessie Davis, we just don't know, Paula, because police aren't saying. There are a lot of different theories flying around, but that's all they are now, just theories.
ZAHN: And then another player that seems to have had a confusing role in all this is Myisha Ferrell, who has been charged with obstruction of justice in this case.
Have you been able to get any more information on that and what she's all about?
COSTELLO: You know, I have. They were long high school friends. And, like I said, he was a big football star in high school. And all the girls looked up to him. He was very popular with the ladies, apparently.
And she had a crush on him for a very long time. We tried speak to her mother today, but her mother kind of threw us off the property. So, we didn't get any other information from that. But a friend of hers told us that she just got in too deep, and perhaps she didn't know what she was doing, because she liked this guy so much. ZAHN: Carol Costello, thanks so much for the update. We appreciate it.
And we now want to turn to a panel of legal and criminal experts, Dr. Lawrence Kobilinsky, a forensic science professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, former prosecutor Linda Fairstein, and criminologist and former profiler Casey Jordan.
We should also mention that Linda has written a bunch of books, which I'm sure many of you out there have read.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: Larry, let's start off tonight.
If you were on the job, how would you be starting this investigation? What are you looking for?
DR. LAWRENCE KOBILINSKY, PROFESSOR OF FORENSIC SCIENCE, JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Well, we're looking at a combination of analysis of physical evidence. There are three crime scenes, one, the house where Jessie lived, and perhaps died, a vehicle to transport her, and then, of course, the site where she was buried.
And, of course, the critical piece of evidence here is the autopsy. We still don't know the cause. And, in fact, we don't know the manner of death either.
ZAHN: How much of a difference is that going to make on how they continue to comb through this evidence?
KOBILINSKY: Well, I think it is critical that we be able to associate Mr. Cutts with the deceased.
The confessions come and go. I mean, when it comes down to the trial, he will probably deny everything he said. But we need to physically link him to either the victim or to one of the crime scenes.
ZAHN: We have seen in the local north Canton newspapers a theory that he might argue: Hey, I came after someone, hurt her badly, and she happened to die while I'm at the house.
As a former prosecutor, how you to build a case against this guy?
LINDA FAIRSTEIN, AUTHOR, "ENTOMBED": I think you start, as Larry says, with the forensics in the crime scene.
I think it is -- you add to the fact that this is a police officer. It's not somebody just who is an amateur responding. If, in fact, he was coming after somebody else had been there, he is a trained police officer, and would take other steps, and not roll somebody up in a comforter, and carry her out of there. I think that's just... ZAHN: So, what does that indicate to you, if the 2-year-old son accurately is telling his grandmother what happened, "Mommy in a rug, mommy in a rug"?
FAIRSTEIN: And everything else that will, I think, link to it from these three scenes.
I think you have a sociopath. I think you have a cold-blooded killer. And I think, in the meticulous fashion that a prosecutor, with forensics and with the DNA of something like a cell phone, if I can use that expression, to track what his movements were, who he was talking to in those hours, when he got in touch with Myisha Ferrell, and what she did.
There are so many other ways to corroborate what probably happened here. And I think -- I must say it is a case with very few leaks, which I respect the prosecutors, police, forensic people enormously for doing. They obviously know a lot more than we do and have been building this case carefully.
ZAHN: And, Casey, you're interested in everything that Larry and Linda have just talked about, but particularly fascinated by an interview Bobby Cutts did with a local reporter in that Ohio market.
Let's listen to a small snippet of that interview.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
TODD PORTER, "CANTON REPOSITORY": How many children do you have?
BOBBY CUTTS JR., DEFENDANT: Currently, I have three children.
PORTER: And expecting a fourth with Jessie, correct?
CUTTS: Possibly, yes.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ZAHN: What struck you about that short burst of sound we just heard?
CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: Yes. I think that phrase, possibly, yes, is one of the most telling things in that interview.
And there were a number of other things that he said. But the idea that he is already talking with doubt about the idea that he may be having a fourth child, a child who was almost full term, who had been named Chloe, most expectant fathers think of their forthcoming children in human terms shortly before delivery.
They don't ever question their health. And he's already speaking as if this pregnancy may have demised. And, to me, that textual analysis is one of the most telling things about his mind-set during that interview.
ZAHN: Well, Linda, but textural analysis is one thing. That doesn't necessarily mean that he killed the mother of this unborn child, nor the fetus along with it.
(CROSSTALK)
FAIRSTEIN: But she's absolutely right that that's what you're looking for as a profiler, all of the things that will support.
I think there is going to be a lot of evidence. You have got an indoor crime scene that was pretty much intact from the time whoever took Jessie Davis out of that house, until Mrs. Porter showed up two days later.
So, you're inside with a lot of evidence. It is always unfortunate when there is an outdoor crime scene, where there has been decomposition over these 10 days. But, then again, in Laci Peterson's case, tragically, the body was in the water. You could have bodies not found.
So, there is a good start here. And I think a very careful mountain of evidence will be building.
ZAHN: The fact that we have heard so few leaks would indicate to me that maybe they do have a pretty strong case against Bobby Cutts. How are you reading the tea leaves?
KOBILINSKY: I think the police know a hell of a lot more than they are telling us. I wouldn't be surprised...
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: ... not allowed to use that word on TV.
KOBILINSKY: Sorry about that.
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: I wouldn't be surprised if the 2-year-old, Blake, actually revealed a lot more to the police than we in the media know about.
ZAHN: Casey Jordan, 10-second closing thought.
JORDAN: Well, I think that it is indeed forensics that are going to solve this case.
But the fact that they were able to go to the body and found that body in the park gives us hope that he did indeed confess, and gave enough information. And, because they have this case close to their vest, they processed it just perfectly, so that anything he said will hold up in court, I think he's probably going to strike a plea, not go to trial, if he did indeed confess.
ZAHN: Casey Jordan, Linda Fairstein, Lawrence Kobilinsky, with a "Dr." in front...
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: Thank you... KOBILINSKY: Thank you.
FAIRSTEIN: Thanks, Paula.
ZAHN: ... for your time tonight.
Tonight, one of the biggest, most controversial fights of the year is back on the front burner in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If you dislike the status quo on immigration, then you ought to be supporting a comprehensive approach.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: So, can Congress get the job done this time, or is immigration reform doomed once again?
Also ahead: A really wild-sounding plot to get rid of Vice President Dick Cheney, could it really happen? One of the reporters who broke the story.
Plus: some pictures you have got to see, as some old scores are settled with gunfire, these pictures actually taken from the dashboard of a cop car.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Brace yourself for a big fight, Congress debating immigration form -- reform, that is, once again.
But, before we get to that, I want you to look at the story that really has the nation's capital buzzing tonight. In the capital, a strong whiff of mutiny is in the air.
And our latest polls show why. Look at both President Bush's approval rating and public approval for the Iraq war. They are at an all-time low.
And a desperate plot to turn things around is out in the open tonight. It goes something like this. First, the Republicans would throw out Vice President Dick Cheney. An eye-opening series in this week's "Washington Post" reinforces the opinion that he is the real power inside the White House, the architect of the Iraq war, and much more.
Now, step two of the plot, replace Cheney with the Republican's most popular noncandidate for president, former U.S. Senator and actor Fred Thompson, who could use the vice presidency as a springboard for the 2008 presidential election.
All this was revealed today by one of the capital city's best- connected insiders, "The Washington Post" staff writer Sally Quinn. And she joins me with along with conservative activist Richard Viguerie. His latest book is called "Conservatives Betrayed: How George W. Bush and Other Big Government Republicans Hijacked the Conservative Cause."
Great to have both of you with us tonight.
So, Sally, is this really seriously being talked about in conservative circles, or is this a liberal's fantasy?
(LAUGHTER)
SALLY QUINN, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, you know, it may not be a great fantasy for the liberals if they replaced Cheney with Fred Thompson, and Fred won the election, because he's so popular.
No, I -- the -- the -- what is not a fantasy is that the Republicans are really upset about Bush and Cheney. And I think that they would love to get rid of Bush, but they can't do that. They don't really have any grounds to impeach Bush. But they can see that the whole Republican Party is tanking, and it is only going to get worse as the election approaches.
So, the next best thing would be to get rid of Cheney. And he's facing heart surgery, or at least a pacemaker replacement soon. And the perfect opportunity would be to say that his doctors have ordered him to step down, that he can't take the stress of the job anymore. So, that's -- that's...
ZAHN: And, Sally, before you go on, why don't we put up the small part of that article you just referred to, so people see exactly, specifically what you're reporting here.
He "is scheduled this summer for surgery to replace his pacemaker, which needs new batteries. So, if the president is willing, and Republicans are able, they have a convenient reason to replace him: doctor's orders. And I'm sure that the vice president would also like to spend more time with his ever-expanding family."
So, where are you getting this information from?
QUINN: Well, I have a lot of Republican friends, and I know that, as I said, the Republicans are very upset.
They have got three candidates, none of whom are looking particularly strong against the Democrats. And they can see that, if -- the Republican candidates who are running can't really associate themselves with this White House, because the White House is toxic. I mean, it's -- they would be absolutely bad meat if they associated themselves with the White House.
And, yet, they can't run the White House without the support of the president or the vice president and get very far. So, they're sort of desperate. And my -- the theory is that, if Fred Thompson came in, Fred would be able to sort of puncture this cyst that is growing, this toxicity and this poison that is growing in the capital, sort of like what happened with Rumsfeld. I mean, everybody kept saying, Rumsfeld -- Rumsfeld has to go, but they will never get rid of him. Well, you saw what happened. When Rumsfeld left, it was over, that nobody paid any attention once Gates came into the Pentagon.
ZAHN: Sure.
QUINN: That poison was immediately gone.
And now, particularly with "The Washington Post" series on Cheney, Cheney has become the focus.
ZAHN: Sure.
QUINN: And I know that there are a lot of people who say, well, the Democrats would never confirm Fred Thompson, because he would be such a threat to the other Democratic candidates. But Cheney...
ZAHN: Can I -- I can let, Sally, Richard jump in here for a second?
QUINN: Yes, sure.
ZAHN: Because I want him to look at these latest numbers from "Newsweek."
And, basically, folks who were questioned the poll were saying, are you hearing from conservatives about -- excuse me -- do you approve or disapprove of the way Dick Cheney is handling his job as vice president? Thirty percent approve; 59 percent disapprove.
Can you name any conservatives tonight who are in favor of ousting him?
RICHARD VIGUERIE, AUTHOR, "CONSERVATIVES BETRAYED: HOW GEORGE W. BUSH AND OTHER BIG GOVERNMENT REPUBLICANS HIJACKED THE CONSERVATIVE CAUSE": Paula.
ZAHN: Or would be willing to go on record and admit that?
VIGUERIE: Paula, this is an article really sort of out of left field, as you have talked about. It is not a serious article. It is out of left field, pun intended. This is an article that would kind of satisfy the dream, the wish, the hopes of every liberal in America, that -- Dick Cheney is not the problem.
The problem is President George Bush. And, if they were to remove Cheney, for whatever reason, or he steps aside, then Fred Thompson becomes part of this administration. And then he carries all of the baggage of this administration into the 2008 election.
ZAHN: All right. So...
VIGUERIE: That's a liberal's dream.
ZAHN: So, Richard, you're saying there is no conservative you know who buys into what Sally is reporting? You think this is a joke; there is no way this is going to happen?
VIGUERIE: I talk to, you know, 20, 50, 100 conservatives a day, Paula. And I have never, in my entire life, heard anyone propose what she has suggested.
It is a liberal dream, that they would be able to put maybe the most popular Republican to threaten the Democrat selection in 2008, put him on the ticket, so he immediately has all the baggage of President Bush. And everybody knows this is an election about change. And no longer can the Republicans propose change, because their candidate would be part of the administration.
It is a Democrat game plan that they have put in the form of Sally's article.
ZAHN: All right.
Well, Sally certainly talked to some Republicans and some conservatives who told her something strikingly different. But it is all a very interesting read and interesting to think about.
Sally Quinn, Richard Viguerie, thank you, both, for joining us tonight.
As if a plot to replace Dick Cheney isn't enough to keep Washington busy, there is also one of the toughest, most important issues of the year before us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: The stakes are too high for inaction.
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R-AL), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: How can we vote for legislation that we know is not going to work?
/ (END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Coming up next: Can immigration reform get through Congress? Will it make any difference at all?
Also: an amazing woman risking her life to give the women of her homeland some dignity and safety.
We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Tonight, it looks like the president is winning a small battle, at least, in his ongoing fight against conservatives who are against immigration reform.
Just two weeks after the Senate all but killed an immigration bill,, they're giving it a second chance. The bill would give 12 million illegal immigrants a way to earn citizenship. Critics call it amnesty for lawbreakers. But, today, it passed its first test. The Senate voted 64-35 in favor of a procedural move that keeps the bill going. That's all that means.
Still, if public opinion is any indicator, the bill is on life support. Look at these new CNN/Opinion Research poll numbers. Only 30 percent of you out there back the bill; 47 percent oppose it. The rest don't know.
And, just minutes ago, House Republicans went on the record against the Senate bill.
Well, what has actually changed in two weeks? President Bush has been leaning on Republicans who voted against it the first time. And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who was criticized for pulling the bill off the table, has now changed his mind.
Let's bring in tonight's "Out in the Open" panel, Cenk Uygur, host of "The Young Turks" on the Air America Radio Network, political consultant Niger Innis, who is also the national spokesman for CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality. Also with us tonight, Darrell Ankarlo, host of a radio talk show, KTAR-FM in Phoenix, Arizona.
Welcome, all.
NIGER INNIS, NATIONAL SPOKESMAN, THE CONGRESS OF RACIAL EQUALITY: Thanks.
CENK UYGUR, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Thank you.
DARRELL ANKARLO, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Hi, Paula.
ZAHN: All right. Darrell, I'm going to start off with you tonight, because you are the farthest one away.
(LAUGHTER)
ANKARLO: Great.
ZAHN: And quickly recap what this bill would do.
We mentioned that it would provide a path to citizenship for some 12 million illegal immigrants. And you can see what else. They're spending a lot of money on border security, a guest-worker program, create tamper-proof I.D. cards, and require migrants to learn English.
You, on conservative radio, have really been beating up the president on this one. And, yet, you had some 64 senators voting to let this bill move on and be open to debate.
ANKARLO: Yes. It is pretty interesting, Paula.
ZAHN: What does that mean?
ANKARLO: I think -- well, here is what I think is going to happen. First of all, if it gets through the Senate, the House has already proved this is a dead deal, because the House knows, we're elected every two years, so, these voters will remember that we screwed over the country, and we're all going get fired.
The senators, they have got six years, so they think we have got this long memory and we will let it all go.
It is a dreadful bill. You and I have talked about this several times, too many loopholes. And, if I were giving the president my counsel today, I would simply say, instead of 800-plus pages, give us two pages on the way to make sure that these documents are not counterfeited. That way, you have got a way to go in and take care of the laws on the books. That way, you have got a way to send people back to the homeland from which they come, wherever that is, and you have got a problem that is resolved.
ZAHN: All right.
ANKARLO: Therein lies the answer. They're afraid to do it.
ZAHN: Cenk, do you think this bill is dead as Darrell says it is?
UYGUR: Well, I think it's in a lot of trouble, because I know some Democrats and some liberals are against it, as well as some conservatives.
But, look, it is an ugly compromise, but -- and I know that there are good reasons to be against it on -- from the left side of it. The touchback provision is super-goofy. They have got to go back and actually touch ground and say, OK, I'm here, and come back.
But, overall, listen, these people are here. And, right now, the Republicans have no plan. So, if this doesn't pass, what is their plan? Keep going with the system that we have now? It is a terrible system.
ZAHN: Meanwhile, Niger, the president continues to fiercely defend this bill.
Let's listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: If the status quo is unacceptable, we need to replace it with something that is acceptable. And I have been working toward that end with both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate.
We will be moving our attention to the House when the Senate passes a comprehensive piece of legislation.
I view this as a historic opportunity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: And a historic opportunity for him to burnish his legacy, or do you think this is really heartfelt on his part?
INNIS: Oh, I think it is both. I think he wants to burnish his legacy. I think he wants his legacy to be more than just Iraq war. I think he definitely wants to do something in terms of immigration, in terms of...
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: But is he going to do it with this bill?
INNIS: I think bill is DOA in the House.
I think Clyburn, actually, interestingly enough, Democratic majority whip, said that it can hardly, in its current form, get 25, 30 votes in the House. And he's a Democrat.
ZAHN: Right.
INNIS: So, I don't think it -- is DOA in the House. But the compromises and the strengthening of the bill that Cenk and the other gentleman are talking about, I think the House will very seriously consider, and that this bill could be revived in the compromise between the House and the Senate and what is...
(CROSSTALK)
ZAHN: What is ultimately going to fly, Darrell, in this environment leading up to a presidential election?
ANKARLO: Well, I think that the president is in a lot of trouble here. You had both Cornyn and Hutchison, two very good friends, both from Texas -- both helped him with this immigration reform and the immigration laws over the course of years -- both have bailed ship. So, he's in trouble on this.
Again, I think the answer is becoming way too complex, because the elected people like to make it that way. Let's make it very easy. We have created seven different law on the issue of immigration since 1986. Just make it one of those issues where you go in and impact the laws on the books, Paula.
(CROSSTALK)
ANKARLO: If you do it that way, the job is done. It is taken care.
UYGUR: Look, the...
ZAHN: Quickly.
UYGUR: Calling this amnesty is ridiculous.
ANKARLO: It is amnesty.
UYGUR: They're spending 11 long years earning the citizenship.
ANKARLO: It is amnesty.
UYGUR: I'm a legal citizen. I went through a lot. And I know that this is going through even more to earn that citizenship.
(CROSSTALK)
UYGUR: Bush is trying to save the Republicans from themselves.
(CROSSTALK)
INNIS: I think the American people want to know that we have secure borders. And all you have to do to do that -- he's right -- is enforce the laws that are currently on the books. There was a good bill passed in '86, secure borders.
(CROSSTALK)
INNIS: We need to enforce that law.
ZAHN: Darrell Ankarlo, Cenk, and Niger, stay right there, at least the two out of three of you. We have a lot more to talk about tonight.
But, right now, I get to check in with Larry King, who is coming at the top of the hour.
Larry, I know you're on the road tonight. Who are you going to be talking to?
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": You bet, Paula.
We have kind of an incredible evening. This is the one-year anniversary of the "Love" show. That's the collaboration between the music of the Beatles and the Cirque du Soleil performers. It is an incredible show. I saw it about six months ago. And tonight is the one-year anniversary.
We had a big ceremony about an hour-and-a-half ago, where Paul McCartney, and Yoko Ono, and Ringo Starr, and Olivia Harrison all gathered together. Seeing them on stage together was something. And I emceed a little presentation. They unveiled a couple of beautiful pictures of the late George Harrison and the late John Lennon.
And now, tonight, we're all set for special show. We're going to do an hour, "LARRY KING LIVE," with the four Beatles and -- well, two Beatles and the two widows. We will also meet the people behind the scenes at Cirque du Soleil. We will take the audience behind the scenes as well.
That's all coming up at the top of the hour, Paula.
ZAHN: Well, I went through that major Beatlemania craze, so, it will be fun to see the reunion tonight. Larry, thanks so much.
But I have my own sort of love show going tonight with Niger and Cenk and Darrell Ankarlo. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Paris.
ZAHN: And Paris, yes.
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: Larry is talking to her tomorrow.
(LAUGHTER)
ZAHN: All right.
Now I want to change our focus to another story. I want to see some incredible pictures from a police car's dashboard camera. The officer sprays the person inside that car. But, when he walks away -- look out -- there is a gun. What happened? The full shocking story next.
You probably heard the news. She's out -- Paris Hilton a free woman tonight. But how much trouble is the sheriff in over accusations of special treatment?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: Every day we hear about the escalation of deadly violence in Iraq and now recent reports from Amnesty International reveal that specific acts of violence against women are also rising. You're about to see part of one attack, and I want to warn you, the images are disturbing. But we've met someone who is determined to protect Iraqi women, even if it means risking her own life. Kyra Phillips has tonight's "People You Should Know."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This 17-year-old girl, stoned to death in broad daylight, is just one of dozens of female Iraqis murdered this year in a horrific surge of so-called "honor killings." These are challenging times for Iraq's women. But Baghdad-borne Yanar Mohammed refuses to stand by and watch these women suffer in silence.
YANAR MOHAMMED, ORG OF WOMEN'S FREEDOM IN IRAQ: What rights are we speaking about here if we don't have right to life?
PHILLIPS: In 2003, she founded the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq, to expose the atrocities she says go underreported against her country's women.
MOHAMMED: We sent our activist to the morgue of Baghdad and we found that there is a big room which is full of leftover pieces of women's bodies.
PHILLIPS: Mohammed says so far her group has been able to prevent the honor killings of more than 30 women and has also successfully appealed the death sentences of two imprisoned Iraqi women. But Mohammed says her biggest challenge is ridding Iraq of laws that allow these crimes to occur.
MOHAMMED: The laws that are current, at this point, still protect the killers of women for honor killing.
PHILLIPS: Mohammed hopes bringing together young Shiite and Sunni Iraqis at events like this one in Baghdad, a new generation will continue her fight for freedom.
MOHAMMED: Our only hope is to create a youth movement to change the world to a better one.
PHILLIPS: Kyra Phillips, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: When we come back, we move on to dramatic video you just have to see to believe. What could have been a routine traffic stop ends in gunfire. But there's an incredible twist to this story and you'll understand when you see more of the pictures. We'll have that for you coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: You are about to see some amazing video. It comes from a police cruiser's dash cam and it just has been released by authorities in New Hampshire. What that dash cam caught on tape was a final deadly confrontation between a police officer and a man with a grudge. They had clashed before years earlier, but that's not the only shocking twist to this story as we hear tonight from Dan Lothian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a dirt lot off a country highway, a four-year feud between New Hampshire police officer, Bruce McKay, and motorist Liko Kenney ends in about six seconds.
A dose of pepper spray, then at least seven shots fired from a .45 caliber handgun. All captured on Officer McKay's dash camera. This deadly encounter, last month, in Franconia, New Hampshire started about a mile and have down the road with a traffic stop for speeding. Kenney takes off, is pursued and then cornered and pushed back by Officer McKay who doesn't seem aware his life is in danger.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: He probably thought that, OK, I'll handle it this way, I know kid.
LOTHIAN: Mike Brooks is a CNN law enforcement analyst.
BROOKS: Oh, my initial thought, when I saw the officer walk up and spray inside the car, the turn his back and walk away, I was going, wait a minute. When you think about officer's safety and survival, that's not the way you go about approaching a car.
LOTHIAN (on camera): Off camera, Officer McKay is hit five times. Then Kenney and his passenger drive off and according to a witness, they run over the officer twice. He dies a short time later.
(voice-over): This disturbing and dramatic story then takes another deadly turn. A witness, ex-Marine, ex-felon, Gregory Floyd who is seen driving up to the scene, decides to intervene. As he later tells authorities in a police interview, he uses the officer's gun to shoot and kill Kenney, when the suspect refuses to put down his weapon.
GREGORY FLOYD, WITNESS: I shot one -- I know I shot one. But it could have been twice.
LOTHIAN: The feud between McKay and Kenney began in 2003, during another traffic stop caught on camera.
LIKO KENNEY, KILLED POLICE OFFICER: Do I have to give you my driver's license?
BRUCE MCKAY NEW HAMPSHIRE OFFICER, KILLED: Either that or you can be arrested for failure to identify yourself.
KENNEY: Why do I have to identify myself? Don't shine your flashlight in my eyes, please.
LOTHIAN: The confrontation escalates as other officers arrive.
KENNEY: Look, stop touching me, please. Stop touching me! Stop touching me! Let go of me! Let go of me! My neck! I just broke my neck! (INAUDIBLE) Let go of me!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop resisting.
LOTHIAN: Some people in this small resort ski town had been aware of the bad blood between Officer McKay and Kenney, who happens to be a cousin of Olympic skier Bode Miller.
CONNIE MCKENZIE, NEW HAMPSHIRE RESIDENT: I just feel the whole thing was -- should have -- could have -- it was unfortunate and it could have been avoided.
LOTHIAN: Floyd will not be charged for shooting Kenney. The state attorney general says his deadly force was justified.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: It seems that Corporal McKay was well aware that Kenney was dangerous, in fact, shortly before their final confrontation, McKay had warned his fellow officers to be careful stopping Kenney because he knew Kenney was angry at police and owned a gun.
Well, L.A.'s most famous prisoner is a free woman, tonight. You know, the one whose name is Paris. And it turns out the sheriff in the case has some pretty dramatic advice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LEE BACA, L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF: Do a better job with your life. Get rid of this circus atmosphere that you've created for yourself. Stop the nonsense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZAHN: Sheriff Lee Baca may be a star now, but is he also going to be one of the main victims in this case? We'll talk about that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: All right, I'm not usually into trying to figure out what you're feeling out there tonight. But I imagine there might be a sense of relief that the Paris Hilton media storm is beginning to settle down or is it?
She, of course, has been out of jail for nearly 24 hours, safe at home with her hair extensions, we are told. All together, she spent three weeks behind various bars in L.A., serving time from a probation violation. But what about the sheriff who let her out briefly for medical reasons? Well, he was called on the carpet today. The latest from Paris saga tonight from entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It could have been a fashion runway with Paris Hilton strutting before the cameras. But this catwalk led to freedom and the arms of her mother. In the early hours of the morning, the heiress ended one of the most closely monitored incarcerations in recent history.
STEVE WHITMORE, SPKS, L.A. CO SHERIFF'S OFFICE: She was, as I said, demure and seemed to be relieved.
ANDERSON: No doubt the sheriff's department was also relieved. Paris Hilton was finally out of their custody. Today, she exchanged the bars of a cell for the high walls of her grandparent's estate in a (INAUDIBLE) section of Los Angeles. Media representatives were camped outside clogging traffic, much to the displeasure of the neighbors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you saying we are waiting for 45 minutes because Paris Hilton is coming on this? This is pathetic. You know...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you to wait for 45.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am waiting. Do you understand? This is outrageous.
ANDERSON: One of the vehicles that went through the gate was a van bringing hair extensions for Paris. Photographers scaled whatever they could in hopes of getting a shot, par for the course on a story that has taken on epic proportions. WHITMORE: The attention is pretty remarkable. The sheriff was recently at an anti-terrorism conference in Turkey. And the conversation in Turkey was about Paris Hilton.
ANDERSON: That sheriff, of course is L.A. County's Lee Baca, who might end up being counted as a victim in this case. While Paris enjoyed her first day of freedom, the sheriff was hauled before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. They wanted him to explain why he had earlier let her out of jail after she served only three days of her sentence.
BACA: And I'm in the going to allow anybody, I don't care if they're on the bench to tell me I didn't do the right thing.
ANDERSON: Baca's decision to release her early triggered an uproar and charges of celebrity favoritism, something he continues to deny.
BACA: What everyone wants to say about me is, in my opinion, not warranted because what I believe is everyone is a star in Los Angeles County, and ought to be treated with a great degree of respect.
ANDERSON: A judge overruled his decision and sent Paris back to jail.
LAURIE LEVENSON, PROF LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL: It became a political inferno, in this case, where you had the city attorney that that was wrong, that the sheriff should not have been let her out. The sheriff said it is my call, not yours and the judge saying, nobody's listening to me.
ANDERSON: Baca, for his part, said he had released Hilton because he doesn't have the facilities to treat her deteriorating emotional condition. He had some advice for her today.
BACA: Do a better job with your life. Get rid of this circus atmosphere you've created for yourself. Stop the nonsense.
ANDERSON: Hilton didn't speak to reporters after her release, but she has said that while it was painful, her jail experience changed her for the better.
Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: So, after all this, has justice been served? Let's go back to our panel, now -- Cenk Uygur, Niger Innis.
All right, this poor sheriff can't catch a break. So, he lets her out early because of medical reasons, he gets creamed and then a report in the "L.A. Times" shows that Paris Hilton, whether you like it or not, ended up spending more time in prison than other people convicted of similar crimes, so was justice served or not?
CENK UYGUR, AIR AMERICA RADIO HOST: Well, you see, the "L.A. Times" story said 80 percent of the people served less time than her. But 20 percent served just as much time or more and it depends on the...
ZAHN: For a probation violation?
UYGUR: No, but it depends on the circumstance of the case. She showed no remorse, she pretty much like laughed about it, didn't apologize at all, didn't take any responsibility. Said it was my handlers, it wasn't me. So the judge said, all right, well now it's you. And you're going to spend as much time as you need to in there and learn a lesson.
NIGER INNIS, POLITICAL CONSULTANT: Well, Baca should have been smacked for trying to let her out early over medical reasons. I think that meant she was sweating in jail. Those were the medical reasons. Justice was done, but I tell you, Paris is going to make a mint out of this.
ZAHN: She's already been offered a million dollars for learning...
INNIS: For learning and to teach students on branding or become an heiress that does sexual exploits for the world to see. I mean, is that the way you brand? I mean, that to me...
ZAHN: You got to admit, she has a unique way of washing a car.
(LAUGHTER)
UYGUR: I got to admit, I enjoy that.
ZAHN: A lot of us fantasize about looking like that when washing the car.
UYGUR: Yeah, well, you know.
INNIS: This is lot of intellectual cotton candy, there are some serious ramifications. Cenk and I were talk about this off set and I...
ZAHN: Are you going to get serious about the Paris Hilton story?
INNIS: What's serious is that you have millions of young girls out there, your nieces my nephews, your nieces and nephews...
ZAHN: Daughter.
INNIS: Daughter, that emulate Paris Hilton and that...
ZAHN: Oh, please. Please. Mine doesn't.
INNIS: You better believe it. And I think it's unfortunate, but a lesson out of all of this, I mean, the coverage this is garnering, people cheering, "free Paris Hilton," I mean, it's like Nelson Mandela was released from prison, not Paris Hilton, yesterday. ZAHN: All of this is sick. When is this kid going to grow up? You know, she talked to Barbara Walters on the phone and in this short period of time, she's going to be a changed woman and devote her life to worthy causes. Yeah, you see this happening?
UYGUR: There's so many things happening here that I love. First of all, she comes out holding the Bible. You know, I'm Agnostic and I was offended. I was like, please, you did not find God right before jail.
That's the same thing Duke Cunningham pulled. You remember the Republican crook? He's like: Oh yea, I was just about to go to jail and I found Jesus.
What I love about this story is no one's above the law. Not Scooter Libby, not Paris Hilton, not Dick Cheney. Finally somebody said, hey listen, you broke the law and you're do the time for it.
INNIS: Got to love the way he finds a way to be partisan in a segment about Paris Hilton, (INAUDIBLE) ingenious.
ZAHN: And to be Agnostic at the same time.
ZAHN: Do you buy this potential conversion Paris Hilton will teach us all about?
(LAUGHTER)
INNIS: She will take that conversion to the bank. OK? And the nine companies that are connected to her and connected to her celebrity, and I suppose that she gets a cut from, owns stock in, she's take that phony conversion to the bank. And I say...
ZAHN: Well, wouldn't you do the same darn thing?
UYGUR: Oh, she's a genius. No, seriously, she's -- like, if she taught a class in marketing, I would attend, because all of this is a lie. But, you know, look, Madonna did the rebirth and reconversions all the time. I'm talking about the singer.
ZAHN: Yeah.
UYGUR: And I think...
ZAHN: Thank you for clearing that up.
UYGUR: OK, and so...
ZAHN: I was lost centuries ago, there.
UYGUR: No, I was talking about, you know, rebirth and, you know...
INNIS: I don't buy...
UYGUR: So Paris is saying, hey listen, I'm going to be the new Paris and the new Paris will sell a whole new line of products.
ZAHN: Yeah, like what?
UYGUR: The new and improved Paris. Like new and improved tide. It's a whole new line to sell.
INNIS: Paris Hilton doesn't become straight and narrow, she becomes more and more irrelevant. The key to her celebrity is her practicing the exploits of the oldest profession and letting the whole world know about it...
ZAHN: Ouch!
INNIS: ...and celebrating it over and over and over again. And the point, if this conversion is serious and God bless her, I hope it is, then believe it or not, we're not going to paying as much attention to her as we are now.
ZAHN: So, even if she opens up a halfway house for her former inmates?
(LAUGHTER)
UYGUR: Yeah, right.
ZAHN: That's what they say she's going to do. I didn't make that up.
INNIS: God forbid what goes on in there.
UYGUR: I hear she may be joining the Nation of Islam. You know, she was in Jail and, you never know. I found the line...
(CROSSTALK)
INNIS: That's going to get you in trouble.
ZAHN: Quickly, quickly.
UYGUR: I found the line that she's going to produce. Now that she's wearing underwear, maybe she could, you know, promote an underwear line.
ZAHN: You know what? I'm go it a commercial break because the more you say, the more trouble here going to getting in here tonight, Cenk.
UYGUR: More than Paris?
ZAHN: Cenk Uygur, Niger Innis. No, I actually think Paris is in more trouble than you are. Thank you, both.
And don't forget, Larry King has the first post-jail interview with Paris Hilton tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
Rig now we're going to move on to a quick "Biz Break" for you. Another down day for stocks, the Dow lost 14, the Nasdaq fell two, and the S&P 500 lost four.
Twenty-nine people charged tonight in a massive multimillion dollar scheme to flood the U.S. with us knock-off designer goods. Federal officials say the phony Nikes, Coach bags, and Ray-Bans and other fakes are mostly from China. They would be worth $700 million if they were legitimate.
Philip Morris is moving half its cigarette-making capacity to Europe. The parent company, Altria, says the other half will be moved from Concord, North Carolina, to Richmond, Virginia. The company expects the move to save $335 million over the next four years.
Sales of new homes dropped last month by 1.6 percent. It is the fourth drop in just five months. Sales fell everywhere, that is, except in the Midwest.
Oprah Winfrey made a splash for opening up a school in South Africa. But, coming up next, a guy who's quietly helping other students. Just wait until you hear his story. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: We like to shine a spotlight on people who are spending their lives improving the lives of others. And tonight we're going to introduce you to a young South African who's taking children from some of the nation's poorest communities and offering them the promise of a better life. His name is Bob Nameng and he's tonight's "CNN Hero."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB NAMENG, FOUNDER, SOWETO KLIPTOWN YOUTH FOUNDATION: OK. Great. Great.
When I look at children, I see them, like flowers. Flowers that have the right to blossom. In this case, don't deserve the conditions that they find themselves in in Kliptown. No proper infrastructure, no good sanitation, no school, no facilities around.
We come from very difficult times, apartheid time. Three- thousand people came together in 1955, in Kliptown, which led now, to the adoption of the Freedom Charter which forms the constitution of South Africa.
For me, it is a contradiction because there are all those things that are written there, I don't see any of them happening in our community.
Young people are bored, hanging around, doing nothing. Nobody is talking to these kids. Nobody is telling them how special they are. Nobody is trying to say to them, let your little light shine.
My name is Bob Nameng and I'm the founder of Soweto Kliptown Youth Foundation.
There is a feeding program where we give our kids meals, three meals a day. There's educational programs, where kids are being given access to computer, library, where kids are learning.
This will improve our vocabulary (INAUDIBLE). So that's good.
What we are doing is community work to help and make a difference in our own community. I'm a ghetto child. I know life in the ghetto.
Children live what they see, so if we live a positive life, then we're set a good example to our children.
If people can know that they own this community, a lot of things can start moving in a positive way. I believe one day things going to be OK, because after darkness, there is light.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZAHN: And bob creates a lot of light. And if you want to learn more about his work in South Africa, go cnn.com/heroes.
Minutes away from LARRY KING LIVE, you're not going to want to miss tonight, the two surviving Beatles, Paul and Ringo, plus and Yoko Ono Lennon, and Olivia Harrison. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAHN: And that wraps it up for all of us, here tonight. LARRY KING LIVE up next with a Beatles reunion of sorts, Yoko Ono will be one of those guests and Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
Again, thanks for dropping by here tonight, we'll be back same time, same place tomorrow night with a special hour coming your way.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
