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CNN Sunday Morning

Nichols Captured After 911 Tip From Hostage; Pope to Be Discharged From Hospital Today

Aired March 13, 2005 - 09:00 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.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The suspect in four killings in Atlanta sits in federal custody this morning, as prosecutors sort out charges. And Brian Nichols' family wonders why?
From the CNN Center in Atlanta this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is March 13th. Good morning everyone. I'm Tony Harris.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen, 9:00 a.m. here in the East, 6:00 a.m. out West. Thanks so much for being with us today.

Brian Nichols could make an initial court appearance in Atlanta tomorrow. He's a suspect in four deaths, including three at the Fulton County Courthouse on Friday. Nichols surrendered yesterday after law enforcers surrounded an apartment where had taken a woman hostage.

And in Brookfield, Wisconsin, eight people are dead after a church service shooting in a hotel. Police say the gunman wounded four others before killing himself. A news conference is scheduled in two hours and we will bring that to you live on CNN.

Also, Pope John Paul II will return to the Vatican later today. The pope appeared briefly at his hospital window and said a few words to pilgrims in the courtyard below. He's been hospitalized, as you recall, since late last month.

HARRIS: Much more to come this hour on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

He sparked the biggest manhunt in Georgia history. Now, he's back behind bars.

Also, we'll introduce you to a special young lady with a very special mission. She's 14 years old and she's sending U.S. soldiers a piece of home and it's a real gem of an idea. You won't believe what goes into these diamonds.

But first, our top story this hour, some 26 hours of a massive manhunt, four senseless killings and one tip that apparently ended it all. Brian Nichols is now in police custody. He's suspected of touching off a violent round of rage, worry and woe in Atlanta that left four dead and an entire city on edge.

CNN's Kimberly Osias is live at the scene where the suspect surrendered with the latest, Kimberly, good morning. KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you Tony and Betty. Well, a very weary Atlanta, on the whole, is breathing a sigh of relief this morning. And, take a look at this. This is actually the headline of the AJC, can't say it any better than in big, black, bold here "Captured."

The 26-hour reign of terror ends. It ended in a very dramatic conclusion here at the Bridgewater Apartment Complex. We're in Gwinnett County, about 20 miles north of the City of Atlanta.

This was amazing. The tip that actually led police here and to 33-year-old Brian Nichols was interestingly from his hostage, a young female that he didn't even know. She managed to talk him down, establish enough of a human contact and a rapport with her that he let her go.

She left. She contacted 911 and that, of course, then started the whole ripple effect, a veritable armada, if you will, of police, SWAT team members, ATF, everything all sort of converged on the scene, surrounded the area, made sure that they weren't going to make the same mistake twice. They were not going to let this man go.

Then they brought him over to an FBI area nearby. They fingerprinted him. It was an amazing scene there. I actually was there for a lot of it. They had machine guns, nothing like anything I had ever experienced really before, choppers overhead.

People were clapping and screaming and giving each other high- fives and sort of the victory sign because this city was really held captive and very, very frightened. Again, a very good ending to a rather grisly story -- Tony, Betty.

HARRIS: Boy, Kimberly, I guess the question is we're looking ahead here, could Nichols, if convicted, could he face the death penalty?

OSIAS: Well, obviously if any case calls out for it, it in fact is this one and, Tony, of course, as you know, Georgia is a death penalty state. Mr. Nichols faces a number of federal and state charges.

And, of course, looking at who he killed, one Superior Court judge, a deputy, his court reporter, I mean good grief. And now the latest, a Customs officer, federal officer. Certainly, I think people are discussing that and clamoring for that as well.

HARRIS: Hard to imagine he won't be convicted given the facts in this case but we always have to qualify that "if" and "the alleged" and all of this language.

OSIAS: Oh, absolutely. Right.

HARRIS: Yes. Kimberly Osias is at the Bridgewater Apartment Complex in Duluth, Georgia in Gwinnett County for us this morning, Kimberly thanks. NGUYEN: As Nichols wandered around Atlanta, investigators say he came across a federal agent and killed him in that random encounter. David Wilhelm was the second in command at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Atlanta. He was found dead yesterday morning at his home.

Now, his family issued this statement saying, "He was a loving husband, son, and brother. He cared deeply for his family and co- workers. He had a unique ability to bring out the best in people. We appreciate the support we have received from his many friends and the law enforcement community. Our lives will never be the same."

HARRIS: It was a 911 call from a woman who said Brian Nichols held her hostage that led to his arrest. Law enforcement officers descended on the woman's Gwinnett County apartment complex, as you heard just a moment ago from Kimberly Osias. That apartment complex is just north of Atlanta.

Among the units called into action was Gwinnett County's SWAT team. I spoke to the team's commander earlier this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR BART HULSEY, GWINNETT CO. SWAT TEAM CMDR.: We responded with our equipment and put a tight perimeter around the building, in fact, the room that Brian Nichols was in. I think he saw the massive response to a certain degree in the media and he made a very wise decision to surrender without any violent confrontation.

We did not see him inside the apartment. We knew which unit it was. We were confident that we had secured the area as best we could and we set up in a manner that we were prepared for a violent confrontation given his history but thankfully he chose not to go that route.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And here's our e-mail question this morning. It's a question a lot of people are asking and thinking about and talking about. After the courtroom shooting in Atlanta, should defendants on trial for violent crimes be shackled in court? What do you think? E- mail us at wam@cnn.com and we'll be reading your replies throughout CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: Time now to "Fast Forward" through some of the stories we'll be covering this week.

Monday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heads to Asia. She is expected to try and revive six-party talks aimed at stopping North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Rice will visit six countries in seven days.

Iraq's first democratically elected parliament makes its debut on Wednesday. The day comes as the winning political parties continue to hammer out just who will hold the top jobs in this new government. And, as you no doubt know, it is costing a whole lot more to fill your gas tank these days and don't expect that to change anytime soon. There is no indication OPEC will vote to ease prices by increasing oil production when it meets in Iran on Wednesday.

Also, this reminder, as of Tuesday you have exactly one month to file those taxes. I still haven't done mine yet, Tony.

HARRIS: Folks, don't shoot the messenger do they?

NGUYEN: No, hopefully not.

HARRIS: Let's hope not.

NGUYEN: We're in trouble if they do.

HARRIS: You're in trouble.

We've told you many stories about American troops struggling through tough times in Iraq, Afghanistan, all over the globe. Up next, we meet an incredible young girl who is bringing military families closer.

NGUYEN: And, Prince William had a bit of a rough ride at a polo match. See what happened to Britain's future king. That's just ahead.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, a rough ride at a polo match (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

HARRIS: You know what?

MARCIANO: Hey, you know, they do polo down in Florida. We take you to Miami. It's going to be a gorgeous day there, temperatures in the lower 60s right now. You'll get up into the upper 70s with plenty of sunshine. Enjoy it. And, good morning. Thanks WPLG.

We'll have a full forecast for the rest of the country in about ten minutes. CNN SUNDAY MORNING will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, sighs of relief can be heard from college bound kids all across the country this morning. That's because the revamped SAT test is behind them. We'll get a post mortem of the entrance exam, which was 45 minutes longer this time around and get the 411 on the new essay question. That's just ahead.

HARRIS: But first, a "CNN Extra." The new bankruptcy bill passed by the Senate this week forces people who make more than their state's median income to repay everything they owe. Opponents of the bill say people who are overwhelmed by medical costs or lose their job will be in debt for the rest of their lives. And here is your typical bankruptcy profile, average age 38, two- thirds are forced to file after losing a job, half do it for medical reasons, less than nine percent for something else. The states with the most bankruptcy filings are Tennessee, Utah, Georgia and Alabama.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Where did that shot go? Oh, there it is back. This is sunny Miami. You know what you're listening to?

HARRIS: That's a Marc Anthony (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

NGUYEN: Yes, a little Marc Anthony. Hey, he lives there along with his wife J. Lo although we can't say they're married because that isn't public just yet, right, or is it public? Who knows with those two?

HARRIS: I'll tell them what you said. You called him Mrs. Lopez.

NGUYEN: I did not. You're making that up.

All right, let's get on with this before Tony tries to get me in trouble. Today, in Miami, the city is hosting one of the largest street festivals in the U.S. It's called the Miami Carnival and the event celebrates Miami's Latin community.

NGUYEN: We're in trouble.

HARRIS: Time to check out some of the other big international stories this morning.

NGUYEN: And there's a lot to tell you about. We got some good news regarding the pope. So, let's hand it over to Anand Naidoo at the international desk, hi Anand.

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, thanks for that and good morning from me.

First up, news from the Vatican and the news is that the pope will be discharged from his hospital in Rome today. For the details on that, let's go to CNN's Alessio Vinci in Rome.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Anand.

Yes, we do expect Pope John Paul II to be discharged from the Gemelli Polyclinic in about three hours' time. It will be six o'clock in the evening here in Rome and clear weather this time around as it was the case last time when he was released from the hospital.

The pope will be using his pope mobile or whether this time the doctors will perhaps insist that he travels about the four mile distance back to the Vatican using an ambulance. But, nevertheless, the pope will indeed today leave the hospital.

Now, there have been, of course, much speculation, especially in the media whether or not the pope could speak again after the tracheotomy. Well, the pope again today surprised everyone by thanking publicly the people who had gathered here outside his hospital window and, indeed, many more thousands in St. Peter's Square using a television link.

And this Sunday the pope offered special thanks, especially to the mass media and to the journalists, whom he said not without sacrifice has spent many days in covering the story.

And he also said basically that it is thanks to the media that his message reaches the pilgrims around the world making it easy for him to feel close to those pilgrims as well as to the pilgrims close to him.

It is, of course, not clear to what extent the pope will be able to participate, two Easter week holidays beginning this coming Sunday but the pope is back at the -- will be back at the Vatican marking, of course, the beginning of the Holy Week in a week's time -- back to you, Anand.

NAIDOO: Thank you, Alessio, Alessio Vinci there talking to us from Rome.

And now we have a not so flattering story about a member of Britain's royal family. This time it's Prince William, the second in line to the throne, who's making news.

The 22-year-old took something of an un-majestic tumble from his horse during a polo match in western England. He was playing against his brother, Prince Harry, in a charity match for tsunami victims.

And we have it on good authority that besides his royal pride taking a bit of a dent, he was unhurt. He quickly remounted and carried on with the game. And I can also tell you, Tony that all the king's men were not called out to put Mr. Dumpty back together again.

HARRIS: Oh, very nice. All right, so wait a minute. I'm curious now. Did his team win the game?

NAIDOO: Good point. I knew you'd ask me that. Let me check. Harry's team won 12 goals to 7.

HARRIS: Twelve goals, all right.

NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE.)

NAIDOO: Talk about adding insult to injury.

NGUYEN: All around females ready to just get right to his aid there when he fell.

HARRIS: Lord, Betty.

NGUYEN: You know, he does have a problem with that, Anand.

HARRIS: Anand, thank you. NGUYEN: Thank you.

NAIDOO: Thank you.

NGUYEN: All right. Back here in the U.S. responding to a question on "Meet the Press" this morning, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today that she will not run for president in 2008.

Now there has, of course, been a lot of speculation over Hillary Rodham Clinton running in 2008. But today, Condoleezza Rice said that she would not run. If that was the case, it would be quite a race. But, again, Condoleezza Rice today on "Meet the Press" says she will not run for president in 2008.

HARRIS: You look up in the sky. You figure it's not a bird. It's not a plane. So what is it? People in the Pacific Northwest saw a streak of light flashing across the heavens last night. Scientists say it was probably a meteor that probably broke up in the air thankfully, well thankfully.

NGUYEN: Yes, in the air, but you know what that kind of ruins it for the folks who were hoping for a shooting star when they saw that. You know often...

HARRIS: Isn't that what we call meteors anyway? I mean don't we consider those sort of shooting stars?

NGUYEN: That's, hey, you know what if it bring me luck I'll take it.

HARRIS: There you go.

NGUYEN: What do you say, Rob, you're the expert when it comes to all this stuff.

MARCIANO: Tony's right, shooting star, meteor, same sort of deal.

NGUYEN: Thanks.

MARCIANO: And I would know that because I'm a meteorologist, somebody that studies them.

NGUYEN: OK.

HARRIS: It's the root of the word.

NGUYEN: I know. I know guys.

MARCIANO: Anyway, I used to live up there. You see stuff like that all the time, space junk that just kind of burns off and goes into...

NGUYEN: That's a shooting star too by the way.

MARCIANO: Is it?

NGUYEN: Yes, in my opinion, anything that brings me luck OK.

MARCIANO: All right. I like that attitude.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

NGUYEN: Thank you, Rob.

All right. It's SAT time for high schoolers seeking admission to colleges. Now there is new pressure from a completely new test. More on this from CNN Correspondent Claire Leka in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLAIRE LEKA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): High school junior Rosie Etenheim (ph) isn't pushing the panic button just yet. The night before the big test she still went to her volunteer job at her synagogue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to be nervous but, at the same time, I'm going to be totally calm about it, unlike other people where they'll be freaking out.

LEKA: Like many kids across the country, Rosy took a test prep class to help her out with the new SAT.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, what should it be here? What's the correct answer?

LEKA: And now after taking the test, she says she's glad she prepared.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was pretty nervous but it was good. I'm pretty comfortable about it.

LEKA: The biggest change, a 25-minute essay.

What was the question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was about government and whether the majority should rule or not and if it's a fair game.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really looking at a completed first draft and not a polished piece of work.

LEKA: There's also tougher math questions and a new grammar section. As for those frustrating analogies like "Paltry is to Significance as Oblique is to Familiarity," they're history.

The bad news it's longer from three hours to three hours and 45 minutes. The College Board, which owns the test says it better reflects what kids actually learn in school.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You cannot really convince any person in the English department that you're measuring writing unless you ask a child to write.

LEKA: The perfect score is now 2,400 not 1,600.

(on camera): Students coming to test centers across the country, like this one, facing the biggest revamp in the SAT's 79-year history.

(voice-over): But there are still critics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't fundamentally solve the test's deeper problems, which is that it's a weak predictor of how well someone will do in college.

LEKA: But 80 percent of America's colleges still use the SAT in their admissions process.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This gives us a way of judging where a student might stand relative to the rest of the applicant pool.

LEKA: Rosie wants to go to Boden College in Maine, the first college to make the SATs optional back in 1969 because they say they like to look at a wider picture of the applicant. But Rosie says if she does well, she will submit her scores because it can't hurt.

Claire Leka, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: In today's "Soldier's Story," helping U.S. troops phone home. One 14-year-old has made, well she's made it her mission. We'll introduce you to her and ask her why straight ahead.

NGUYEN: Plus, this is no ordinary diamond. It's actually made from human remains. We'll explain when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: It can be an expensive call. We're talking about phoning home from Iraq. What one 14-year-old is doing so soldiers can reach loved ones back here in the USA.

Welcome back everyone. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. That story coming up first. Here's what's happening now in the news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: It can be an expensive call. We're talking about phoning home from Iraq. What one 14-year-old is doing so soldiers can reach loved ones back here in the USA. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. That story coming up, first here's what's happening now in the news.

A church service at a Wisconsin hotel ended in tragedy Sunday. A gunman killed seven people and seriously wounded four others before turning a gun on himself. It happened in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield. Authorities in Wisconsin are planning a news conference on the shooting at 11:00 a.m. Eastern, this morning.

Alleged courthouse shooter, Brian Nichols, could appear in federal court as early as tomorrow morning. Right now Nichols is in federal custody in downtown Atlanta. He surrendered to police north of the city, yesterday, after a 26-hour manhunt.

Word from the Vatican, this morning, the pope is finally going home. John Paul II will leave a Rome hospital and return to the Vatican this evening. This morning, the pope spoke his first public words since his throat surgery last month, wishing pilgrims a good Sunday.

And this just in to CNN: Israel's cabinet has adopted a report on the state's involvement in setting up 105 illegal West Bank settlement outposts and has decided to dismantle 24 of them. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told cabinet members he was committed to removing outposts as part of the internationally-backed peace plan, but did not outline a timetable. The United States and Palestinians have demanded the outposts be dismantled immediately. We will continue to follow this story just in to CNN from Jerusalem, throughout the day.

NGUYEN: In Wisconsin today, family and friends, they are in mourning. Amid many unanswered questions, like: Why did someone go on a shooting rampage during a church service yesterday? Well, for the latest, here's CNN's Jonathan Freed in Milwaukee.

Jonathan, what kind of answers have you been able to get so far?

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Betty. That's what we're waiting to hear from police this morning, in approximately an hour-and-a-half from now. We are at the police station here, in Brookfield, Wisconsin. They are following up on that fatal shooting, the tragedy yesterday, at a Sheraton hotel not far from here, Betty, where the Living Church of God was holding its regular Saturday services.

Now, around 12:51 p.m. Central time, here in Wisconsin, a man stood up at the meeting and, according to people who were in there, they had told CNN that this person announced he was going to shoot everybody there and began shooting. Now, four people were shot dead at the hotel, before the gunman turned the gun on himself, according to police. They say he's the only suspect. They have not been looking for anybody else. The man has been described, Betty, as depressed. Now, three more people died at area hospitals last night. The shooting victims range from a 10-year-old girl, who is recovering in hospital right now, we understand, to a man in his 70s. Now, four people, including that 10-year-old, are still in hospital.

Police also searched the suspect's home in nearby suburb, Betty, looking to, perhaps, find some clues to what the motive for this might have been, but mostly just a lot of frustration, outrage, and sorrow on behalf of victims -- and let's listen to the district attorney now. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BUCHER, WAUKESHA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: It's just heartbreaking, it's overwhelming. I don't know what to -- I keep saying that word, I'm not sure what other word to use. It's human carnage -- it's just overwhelming and my heart goes out to the families of these individuals and witnesses that had to observe this and the officers that have to deal with it. It's not a pretty scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREED: So, Betty, about an hour-and-a-half from now, here at the police station, in Brookfield, Wisconsin, we're hoping to get more details, perhaps formally, officially, the names of some of the victims and the suspect -- Betty.

NGUYEN: A lot of answers, hopefully, we'll get out of that news conference. All right, CNN's Jonathan Freed, thank you for that report.

And just to mention this, we will bring you that news conference live when it happens, about 90 minutes from now -- Tony.

HARRIS: More American deaths in Iraq. The U.S. embassy said a roadside bomb killed two U.S. contractors, south of Baghdad. The contractors helped to provide security for the embassy. Also the U.S. military says a soldier was shot and killed in the northern city of Mosul.

And time now for this morning's "Soldier's Story." Some U.S. troops overseas are getting a chance to contact their loved ones back home, thanks to a 14-year-old Massachusetts girl, Brittany Bergquist, and her younger brother who started Cell Phones for Soldiers. Brittany joins us now from Boston along with Kurt Holloway, whose brother is currently serving in Iraq.

Good morning to both of you.

BRITTANY BERGQUIST, CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS: Good morning.

KURT HOLLOWAY, BROTHER IN IRAQ: Good morning.

HARRIS: Well, Let me start with you, first of all, Kurt, and let me ask you about your brother, Captain Jeffrey Holloway (ph), who is an Army reservist, who is now in-country, in Iraq. First of all, how is he doing?

HOLLOWAY: Well, as far as we know he's doing great. Because of the work that Brittany's doing, we do get to have constant communication, both by e-mail, as well as via phone, because of the phone cards that Cell Phones for Soldiers has deployed to all of the soldiers within the 102nd Field Artillery Unit.

HARRIS: OK, what has Captain Holloway been able to tell you, your brother, what has he been able to tell you about his time overseas in Iraq? HOLLOWAY: Well, my brother evidently, when he's not soldiering, he has a lot of free time, and he gets very Norman Rockwell-ish in his e-mails and his conversations with us. What I can tell you is he's very, very cryptic in what he does say and is very, very careful about what he says while he's over there, but as far as we know, and the conversations that we have had with him and his fellow soldiers over there, everything is going according to their plan for the unit.

HARRIS: Hey, Kurt, what do you think of this young woman, Brittany, and what she's doing?

HOLLOWAY: Well, the whole reason I agreed to come on here is, the day of my brother's unit's deployment was the day of incredible emotion for many families, as I looked around the location that the deployment was occurring, and I looked at all these different families ranging -- and this is an Army reserve unit that essentially has soldiers from the age of 17 to 50, and you see these families there with them, and you see the different family dynamics of trying to deal with the emotions, the anger, the confusion, trying to understand what's going to happen to their loved one, and then you see this incredible 13-year-old girl get up, and not only it was such a great idea, but with such articulation and poise, really bring together this group of people and give them a tool which, in my opinion, is the most important tool for any family of a soldier, is to be able to understand, when you see things on the news, to get a call and understand that whatever happened over there, they're fine and their unit is fine.

So I was just blown away. I went and spoke to them and spoke to their dad, and couldn't be more proud. And the -- the thing that is most intriguing about this whole situation is those soldiers are over there fighting for their freedoms of this country so that this girl can realize her potential in the future and do great things.

HARRIS: OK, Kurt, let me bring her in here.

Brittany.

BERGQUIST: Hi.

HARRIS: Brittany, good morning.

BERGQUIST: Good morning.

HARRIS: You didn't -- I'm teasing you, obviously. You didn't come up with this idea. There's no way you came up with this. Who came -- give us the truth, who came up with the idea, and your parents made you rope your little brother in this. He wouldn't help, he was a nag and he was always in the way. Tell us -- give us the story on this.

BERGQUIST: Well, we did really make up this idea. But we just were watching a news story one morning, and we saw this horrible story about a soldier who had an almost $8,000 cell phone bill, and we thought it was incredibly unfair for him to have to deal with the pressures of paying off that bill, as well as keeping himself safe. So we started to raise money to help him pay off his cell phone bill, and then his bill was actually waived. So, we had the money that we had already collected, and we did some research, and we found that he really wasn't the only soldier who was struggling to call home. There were tons of others, so we started to help them, as well.

HARRIS: Hey Brittany, what was the key here? What was the key moment? Who was the key person that took the idea and helped you bring it together to the extent it's been the success that it has been?

BERGQUIST: Well, it was really my whole entire family. They really influenced us to keep going, and also the soldiers who have contacted us have really given us more and more reasons to keep going with our project. And when the media picked up our story, it just exploded, so it's...

HARRIS: How much have you raised?

BERGQUIST: Almost $400,000, now.

HARRIS: And was it difficult sort of technically to arrange it all, the cards, the phones? Was it difficult to bring it all together?

BERGQUIST: It was sort of difficult, but we've had a lot of help figuring out who needs what phones -- or phone cards, and just anything we can do, we want to do, so it's worth it. Any of the struggles that we go through, it's definitely worth it if we can help as many soldiers as possible.

HARRIS: Brittany Bergquist, I tell you, way to go!

BERGQUIST: Thank you very much.

HARRIS: Way to go. And thanks for joining us this morning.

BERGQUIST: Thank you.

HARRIS: And Kurt Holloway, our best to your brother.

HOLLOWAY: Thank you very much.

HARRIS: OK. Thanks -- thank you both for being with us this morning.

BERGQUIST: Thank you.

HOLLOWAY: Thank you.

HARRIS: Thank you.

NGUYEN: That is one amazing teenager. Way to go, Brittany.

Well, from precious memories to precious stones, it's a unique way to keep a loved one around forever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM LUCAS, LIFEGEM CUSTOMER: How often, really, can you say that you had a loved one pressed into a gem-quality diamond?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Imagine the possibilities? The LifeGem next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Nancy Grace will host a special two-hour edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." She will look at the capture of suspected courthouse shooter, Brian Nichols. You can catch that tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. CNN SUNDAY MORNING will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, watched by more Americans than any news channel. Now, back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING with Betty Nguyen and Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: This morning, we have a story that gives new meaning to the term "diamonds are forever." A company has created a way to process cremated human remains into a safe-keep that will last for generations. It's a diamond called a LifeGem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN (voice-over): She was affectionately called Grandma Luke, a single mother who raised three children in the 1950s. Before Maryanne Lucas died of cancer, two years ago, she made it perfectly clear that a cemetery was not for her.

LUCAS: Her wish was to be cremated, and that helped with this, because that's the initial thing, is, you know, a non-traditional burial. You've got to start with a cremation.

NGUYEN: Her oldest son, William Lucas, saw a story about a then upstart company called LifeGem, a business that turns human carbon into diamonds.

LUCAS: I spoke with her about it, and, frankly, she thought it was a foolish expenditure.

NGUYEN: Until the woman who had always watched her money realized no one would care about the cost when the time came.

LUCAS: She said, well, you know what, actually though when I draw my last breath, it won't matter, you can do whatever you'd like.

NGUYEN: That's when he looked into the LifeGem's process.

(on camera): Choosing to abandon the traditional burials, like those held at Atlanta's cemetery, is becoming more common every day. By 2010, 35 percent of those who die are expected to be cremated. It's a fact. That's not lost on the LifeGem founders.

GREGG HERRO, CO-FOUNDER, LIFEGEM: Ending up with the remains, or the ashes, in an urn on the mantle is not the way. So we wanted to make something better, and when the family actually gets their loved one back in the form of the LifeGem diamond, they are overcome with emotion.

NGUYEN (voice-over): It took 16 months for the Lucas family to get their loved one back, but life gem now has the high temperature, high-pressure process down to under six months. Here's how it works.

First, the carbon is extracted from the cremated remains. It's processed into pure carbon graphite, and then pressed into diamonds. They range in price from $2,500 to $14,000. And the Gemological Institute of America verifies the stone is diamond material, but stresses it was created in a laboratory.

LifeGem's first customer was a man named Bill Sefton (ph), who lost his 27-year-old daughter to Hodgkin's disease.

HERRO: When LifeGem broke in the news, he -- he saw it and he knew immediately, he said, "Valerie was a diamond when she was alive, and she'll be a diamond when she's gone.

NGUYEN: And it's the diamonds that can be an essential part of the grieving process. It's also a way to pass down memories from one generation to the next. Which is why Lucas ordered two more stones for his daughters, so Grandma Luke can continue to shine in their lives.

LUCAS: Every single day there's some sort of moment when mom is sparkling at me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: That has you. For a lot of folks who hear this idea, it might seem a little strange, feel a little weird, maybe a little creepy, the idea of wearing a loved one.

NGUYEN: Exactly. And you know, Tony, I thought the same thing, which is why the LifeGem company decides to keep a person's remains for up to ten years, because many times when a family member gets that gem back, that diamond back, and shows it to the other family members, they realize that it's really a beautiful piece of work. And it's something that can help keep your loved one around forever. So they sometimes take a different view toward it, but you know, I'm with you there, when I first heard about this I thought, oh, I don't know if I'd be interested in that.

HARRIS: Is there a growing market for this?

NGUYEN: There is a growing market for it, absolutely. And as we mentioned, you know, 35 percent of the population by the year 2010 is going to choose cremation. So, it's an alternative.

HARRIS: You can slice that into 100 percent pie, and yeah, you could see there would be -- wow, interest in this.

NGUYEN: Very interesting, for sure.

HARRIS: Let's get you updated on this morning's top stories. Brian Nichols may make an initial appearance tomorrow in an Atlanta courtroom. He's a suspect in Friday's courthouse shooting rampage. He's also a suspect in the killing of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

We expect to learn more in about an hour about a church service shooting in Wisconsin. A lone gunman killed seven people and seriously wounded four others before killing himself.

Word from the Vatican this morning, Pope John Paul II is finally going home after speaking briefly to the faithful from his hospital room window. The Vatican said, John Paul will leave the hospital today.

We've been asking you the question all morning, Should defendants on trial for violent crimes be shackled in court? When we return, we're reading your e-mails. CNN SUNDAY MORNING will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's take a look at this picture.

NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

HARRIS: There's a little central park there, New York City, this morning. How about that? Well the Knicks, the basketball team there...

NGUYEN: The Knicks?

HARRIS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

NGUYEN: You don't know the k's silent there, Tony?

HARRIS: Yeah, well, you know. Will the winning streak for the Knicks continue? Today they take on Seattle, that's a though game, it's a tough match up, at Madison Square Garden at 6:00 p.m. this evening.

NGUYEN: Right now we'll check in with Kelly Wallace in Washington with the latest "On the Story." that's coming up after this show.

Good morning, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, "ON THE STORY": Good morning to you, Betty. Well we are "On the Story" here in Washington to Atlanta to the Middle East. We will be talking with our Kimberly Osias who is covering that Atlanta courtroom shooting.

We'll also be talking about former President Clinton's recovery from his operation on Thursday. And we'll go live to Lebanon to talk to Octavia Nasser about dramatic political events playing out there.

Also, rising gas prices, what's going on Iran. A very busy hour ahead, all coming up all "On the Story." We hope you'll be watching, Betty.

NGUYEN: Oh yes, we will be watching. Thanks, Kelly. Looking forward to it.

HARRIS: Watch that Kelly Wallace there. All morning long we've been asking for your thoughts on our e-mail question. Here it is: Should defendants on trial for violent crimes be shackled in court?

This from Lewis, this morning, from Atlanta: "I do not believe inmates should be cuffed in court. I agree with the current law. I also believe more than one sheriff should escort a prisoner, especially when someone has a history, i.e. knives in his shoes."

NGUYEN: Well, Richard in Baltimore has a different take on it. He says shackling defendants in court would create a clear bias against the presumption of innocence that is the hallmark of American justice. The problem in Atlanta court was the access to a gun."

And of course that a big debate that is raging right now after those shootings that occurred on Friday.

And of course, we want to thank you for sending in your thoughts today.

HARRIS: Upstairs now, to the weather center and Rob Marciano for a final check of weather.

Morning, Rob, morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: That's the latest here from the weather center, upstairs, two floors up from the studio.

HARRIS: That's right.

MARCIANO: Betty, come visit once in a while.

NGUYEN: You know, I haven't visited you just yet. I don't know if I could find you.

MARCIANO: Yeah, just drop bread crumbs on your way up here.

NGUYEN: OK.

MARCIANO: We'll get you home.

NGUYEN: I'll find my way back that way.

MARCIANO: Yeah.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Rob. MARCIANO: See you.

NGUYEN: Well, that is going to do us this morning. Thanks for watching.

HARRIS: We'll see you back here next weekend. "On the Story" with Kelly Wallace is next. Have a great day.

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 March 13, 2005 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The suspect in four killings in Atlanta sits in federal custody this morning, as prosecutors sort out charges. And Brian Nichols' family wonders why?
From the CNN Center in Atlanta this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is March 13th. Good morning everyone. I'm Tony Harris.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen, 9:00 a.m. here in the East, 6:00 a.m. out West. Thanks so much for being with us today.

Brian Nichols could make an initial court appearance in Atlanta tomorrow. He's a suspect in four deaths, including three at the Fulton County Courthouse on Friday. Nichols surrendered yesterday after law enforcers surrounded an apartment where had taken a woman hostage.

And in Brookfield, Wisconsin, eight people are dead after a church service shooting in a hotel. Police say the gunman wounded four others before killing himself. A news conference is scheduled in two hours and we will bring that to you live on CNN.

Also, Pope John Paul II will return to the Vatican later today. The pope appeared briefly at his hospital window and said a few words to pilgrims in the courtyard below. He's been hospitalized, as you recall, since late last month.

HARRIS: Much more to come this hour on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

He sparked the biggest manhunt in Georgia history. Now, he's back behind bars.

Also, we'll introduce you to a special young lady with a very special mission. She's 14 years old and she's sending U.S. soldiers a piece of home and it's a real gem of an idea. You won't believe what goes into these diamonds.

But first, our top story this hour, some 26 hours of a massive manhunt, four senseless killings and one tip that apparently ended it all. Brian Nichols is now in police custody. He's suspected of touching off a violent round of rage, worry and woe in Atlanta that left four dead and an entire city on edge.

CNN's Kimberly Osias is live at the scene where the suspect surrendered with the latest, Kimberly, good morning. KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you Tony and Betty. Well, a very weary Atlanta, on the whole, is breathing a sigh of relief this morning. And, take a look at this. This is actually the headline of the AJC, can't say it any better than in big, black, bold here "Captured."

The 26-hour reign of terror ends. It ended in a very dramatic conclusion here at the Bridgewater Apartment Complex. We're in Gwinnett County, about 20 miles north of the City of Atlanta.

This was amazing. The tip that actually led police here and to 33-year-old Brian Nichols was interestingly from his hostage, a young female that he didn't even know. She managed to talk him down, establish enough of a human contact and a rapport with her that he let her go.

She left. She contacted 911 and that, of course, then started the whole ripple effect, a veritable armada, if you will, of police, SWAT team members, ATF, everything all sort of converged on the scene, surrounded the area, made sure that they weren't going to make the same mistake twice. They were not going to let this man go.

Then they brought him over to an FBI area nearby. They fingerprinted him. It was an amazing scene there. I actually was there for a lot of it. They had machine guns, nothing like anything I had ever experienced really before, choppers overhead.

People were clapping and screaming and giving each other high- fives and sort of the victory sign because this city was really held captive and very, very frightened. Again, a very good ending to a rather grisly story -- Tony, Betty.

HARRIS: Boy, Kimberly, I guess the question is we're looking ahead here, could Nichols, if convicted, could he face the death penalty?

OSIAS: Well, obviously if any case calls out for it, it in fact is this one and, Tony, of course, as you know, Georgia is a death penalty state. Mr. Nichols faces a number of federal and state charges.

And, of course, looking at who he killed, one Superior Court judge, a deputy, his court reporter, I mean good grief. And now the latest, a Customs officer, federal officer. Certainly, I think people are discussing that and clamoring for that as well.

HARRIS: Hard to imagine he won't be convicted given the facts in this case but we always have to qualify that "if" and "the alleged" and all of this language.

OSIAS: Oh, absolutely. Right.

HARRIS: Yes. Kimberly Osias is at the Bridgewater Apartment Complex in Duluth, Georgia in Gwinnett County for us this morning, Kimberly thanks. NGUYEN: As Nichols wandered around Atlanta, investigators say he came across a federal agent and killed him in that random encounter. David Wilhelm was the second in command at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Atlanta. He was found dead yesterday morning at his home.

Now, his family issued this statement saying, "He was a loving husband, son, and brother. He cared deeply for his family and co- workers. He had a unique ability to bring out the best in people. We appreciate the support we have received from his many friends and the law enforcement community. Our lives will never be the same."

HARRIS: It was a 911 call from a woman who said Brian Nichols held her hostage that led to his arrest. Law enforcement officers descended on the woman's Gwinnett County apartment complex, as you heard just a moment ago from Kimberly Osias. That apartment complex is just north of Atlanta.

Among the units called into action was Gwinnett County's SWAT team. I spoke to the team's commander earlier this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR BART HULSEY, GWINNETT CO. SWAT TEAM CMDR.: We responded with our equipment and put a tight perimeter around the building, in fact, the room that Brian Nichols was in. I think he saw the massive response to a certain degree in the media and he made a very wise decision to surrender without any violent confrontation.

We did not see him inside the apartment. We knew which unit it was. We were confident that we had secured the area as best we could and we set up in a manner that we were prepared for a violent confrontation given his history but thankfully he chose not to go that route.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And here's our e-mail question this morning. It's a question a lot of people are asking and thinking about and talking about. After the courtroom shooting in Atlanta, should defendants on trial for violent crimes be shackled in court? What do you think? E- mail us at wam@cnn.com and we'll be reading your replies throughout CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

NGUYEN: Time now to "Fast Forward" through some of the stories we'll be covering this week.

Monday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice heads to Asia. She is expected to try and revive six-party talks aimed at stopping North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Rice will visit six countries in seven days.

Iraq's first democratically elected parliament makes its debut on Wednesday. The day comes as the winning political parties continue to hammer out just who will hold the top jobs in this new government. And, as you no doubt know, it is costing a whole lot more to fill your gas tank these days and don't expect that to change anytime soon. There is no indication OPEC will vote to ease prices by increasing oil production when it meets in Iran on Wednesday.

Also, this reminder, as of Tuesday you have exactly one month to file those taxes. I still haven't done mine yet, Tony.

HARRIS: Folks, don't shoot the messenger do they?

NGUYEN: No, hopefully not.

HARRIS: Let's hope not.

NGUYEN: We're in trouble if they do.

HARRIS: You're in trouble.

We've told you many stories about American troops struggling through tough times in Iraq, Afghanistan, all over the globe. Up next, we meet an incredible young girl who is bringing military families closer.

NGUYEN: And, Prince William had a bit of a rough ride at a polo match. See what happened to Britain's future king. That's just ahead.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, a rough ride at a polo match (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

HARRIS: You know what?

MARCIANO: Hey, you know, they do polo down in Florida. We take you to Miami. It's going to be a gorgeous day there, temperatures in the lower 60s right now. You'll get up into the upper 70s with plenty of sunshine. Enjoy it. And, good morning. Thanks WPLG.

We'll have a full forecast for the rest of the country in about ten minutes. CNN SUNDAY MORNING will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, sighs of relief can be heard from college bound kids all across the country this morning. That's because the revamped SAT test is behind them. We'll get a post mortem of the entrance exam, which was 45 minutes longer this time around and get the 411 on the new essay question. That's just ahead.

HARRIS: But first, a "CNN Extra." The new bankruptcy bill passed by the Senate this week forces people who make more than their state's median income to repay everything they owe. Opponents of the bill say people who are overwhelmed by medical costs or lose their job will be in debt for the rest of their lives. And here is your typical bankruptcy profile, average age 38, two- thirds are forced to file after losing a job, half do it for medical reasons, less than nine percent for something else. The states with the most bankruptcy filings are Tennessee, Utah, Georgia and Alabama.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Where did that shot go? Oh, there it is back. This is sunny Miami. You know what you're listening to?

HARRIS: That's a Marc Anthony (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

NGUYEN: Yes, a little Marc Anthony. Hey, he lives there along with his wife J. Lo although we can't say they're married because that isn't public just yet, right, or is it public? Who knows with those two?

HARRIS: I'll tell them what you said. You called him Mrs. Lopez.

NGUYEN: I did not. You're making that up.

All right, let's get on with this before Tony tries to get me in trouble. Today, in Miami, the city is hosting one of the largest street festivals in the U.S. It's called the Miami Carnival and the event celebrates Miami's Latin community.

NGUYEN: We're in trouble.

HARRIS: Time to check out some of the other big international stories this morning.

NGUYEN: And there's a lot to tell you about. We got some good news regarding the pope. So, let's hand it over to Anand Naidoo at the international desk, hi Anand.

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, thanks for that and good morning from me.

First up, news from the Vatican and the news is that the pope will be discharged from his hospital in Rome today. For the details on that, let's go to CNN's Alessio Vinci in Rome.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, Anand.

Yes, we do expect Pope John Paul II to be discharged from the Gemelli Polyclinic in about three hours' time. It will be six o'clock in the evening here in Rome and clear weather this time around as it was the case last time when he was released from the hospital.

The pope will be using his pope mobile or whether this time the doctors will perhaps insist that he travels about the four mile distance back to the Vatican using an ambulance. But, nevertheless, the pope will indeed today leave the hospital.

Now, there have been, of course, much speculation, especially in the media whether or not the pope could speak again after the tracheotomy. Well, the pope again today surprised everyone by thanking publicly the people who had gathered here outside his hospital window and, indeed, many more thousands in St. Peter's Square using a television link.

And this Sunday the pope offered special thanks, especially to the mass media and to the journalists, whom he said not without sacrifice has spent many days in covering the story.

And he also said basically that it is thanks to the media that his message reaches the pilgrims around the world making it easy for him to feel close to those pilgrims as well as to the pilgrims close to him.

It is, of course, not clear to what extent the pope will be able to participate, two Easter week holidays beginning this coming Sunday but the pope is back at the -- will be back at the Vatican marking, of course, the beginning of the Holy Week in a week's time -- back to you, Anand.

NAIDOO: Thank you, Alessio, Alessio Vinci there talking to us from Rome.

And now we have a not so flattering story about a member of Britain's royal family. This time it's Prince William, the second in line to the throne, who's making news.

The 22-year-old took something of an un-majestic tumble from his horse during a polo match in western England. He was playing against his brother, Prince Harry, in a charity match for tsunami victims.

And we have it on good authority that besides his royal pride taking a bit of a dent, he was unhurt. He quickly remounted and carried on with the game. And I can also tell you, Tony that all the king's men were not called out to put Mr. Dumpty back together again.

HARRIS: Oh, very nice. All right, so wait a minute. I'm curious now. Did his team win the game?

NAIDOO: Good point. I knew you'd ask me that. Let me check. Harry's team won 12 goals to 7.

HARRIS: Twelve goals, all right.

NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE.)

NAIDOO: Talk about adding insult to injury.

NGUYEN: All around females ready to just get right to his aid there when he fell.

HARRIS: Lord, Betty.

NGUYEN: You know, he does have a problem with that, Anand.

HARRIS: Anand, thank you. NGUYEN: Thank you.

NAIDOO: Thank you.

NGUYEN: All right. Back here in the U.S. responding to a question on "Meet the Press" this morning, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today that she will not run for president in 2008.

Now there has, of course, been a lot of speculation over Hillary Rodham Clinton running in 2008. But today, Condoleezza Rice said that she would not run. If that was the case, it would be quite a race. But, again, Condoleezza Rice today on "Meet the Press" says she will not run for president in 2008.

HARRIS: You look up in the sky. You figure it's not a bird. It's not a plane. So what is it? People in the Pacific Northwest saw a streak of light flashing across the heavens last night. Scientists say it was probably a meteor that probably broke up in the air thankfully, well thankfully.

NGUYEN: Yes, in the air, but you know what that kind of ruins it for the folks who were hoping for a shooting star when they saw that. You know often...

HARRIS: Isn't that what we call meteors anyway? I mean don't we consider those sort of shooting stars?

NGUYEN: That's, hey, you know what if it bring me luck I'll take it.

HARRIS: There you go.

NGUYEN: What do you say, Rob, you're the expert when it comes to all this stuff.

MARCIANO: Tony's right, shooting star, meteor, same sort of deal.

NGUYEN: Thanks.

MARCIANO: And I would know that because I'm a meteorologist, somebody that studies them.

NGUYEN: OK.

HARRIS: It's the root of the word.

NGUYEN: I know. I know guys.

MARCIANO: Anyway, I used to live up there. You see stuff like that all the time, space junk that just kind of burns off and goes into...

NGUYEN: That's a shooting star too by the way.

MARCIANO: Is it?

NGUYEN: Yes, in my opinion, anything that brings me luck OK.

MARCIANO: All right. I like that attitude.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

NGUYEN: Thank you, Rob.

All right. It's SAT time for high schoolers seeking admission to colleges. Now there is new pressure from a completely new test. More on this from CNN Correspondent Claire Leka in New York.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLAIRE LEKA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): High school junior Rosie Etenheim (ph) isn't pushing the panic button just yet. The night before the big test she still went to her volunteer job at her synagogue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to be nervous but, at the same time, I'm going to be totally calm about it, unlike other people where they'll be freaking out.

LEKA: Like many kids across the country, Rosy took a test prep class to help her out with the new SAT.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, what should it be here? What's the correct answer?

LEKA: And now after taking the test, she says she's glad she prepared.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was pretty nervous but it was good. I'm pretty comfortable about it.

LEKA: The biggest change, a 25-minute essay.

What was the question?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was about government and whether the majority should rule or not and if it's a fair game.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really looking at a completed first draft and not a polished piece of work.

LEKA: There's also tougher math questions and a new grammar section. As for those frustrating analogies like "Paltry is to Significance as Oblique is to Familiarity," they're history.

The bad news it's longer from three hours to three hours and 45 minutes. The College Board, which owns the test says it better reflects what kids actually learn in school.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You cannot really convince any person in the English department that you're measuring writing unless you ask a child to write.

LEKA: The perfect score is now 2,400 not 1,600.

(on camera): Students coming to test centers across the country, like this one, facing the biggest revamp in the SAT's 79-year history.

(voice-over): But there are still critics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't fundamentally solve the test's deeper problems, which is that it's a weak predictor of how well someone will do in college.

LEKA: But 80 percent of America's colleges still use the SAT in their admissions process.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This gives us a way of judging where a student might stand relative to the rest of the applicant pool.

LEKA: Rosie wants to go to Boden College in Maine, the first college to make the SATs optional back in 1969 because they say they like to look at a wider picture of the applicant. But Rosie says if she does well, she will submit her scores because it can't hurt.

Claire Leka, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: In today's "Soldier's Story," helping U.S. troops phone home. One 14-year-old has made, well she's made it her mission. We'll introduce you to her and ask her why straight ahead.

NGUYEN: Plus, this is no ordinary diamond. It's actually made from human remains. We'll explain when CNN SUNDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: It can be an expensive call. We're talking about phoning home from Iraq. What one 14-year-old is doing so soldiers can reach loved ones back here in the USA.

Welcome back everyone. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. That story coming up first. Here's what's happening now in the news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: It can be an expensive call. We're talking about phoning home from Iraq. What one 14-year-old is doing so soldiers can reach loved ones back here in the USA. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. That story coming up, first here's what's happening now in the news.

A church service at a Wisconsin hotel ended in tragedy Sunday. A gunman killed seven people and seriously wounded four others before turning a gun on himself. It happened in the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield. Authorities in Wisconsin are planning a news conference on the shooting at 11:00 a.m. Eastern, this morning.

Alleged courthouse shooter, Brian Nichols, could appear in federal court as early as tomorrow morning. Right now Nichols is in federal custody in downtown Atlanta. He surrendered to police north of the city, yesterday, after a 26-hour manhunt.

Word from the Vatican, this morning, the pope is finally going home. John Paul II will leave a Rome hospital and return to the Vatican this evening. This morning, the pope spoke his first public words since his throat surgery last month, wishing pilgrims a good Sunday.

And this just in to CNN: Israel's cabinet has adopted a report on the state's involvement in setting up 105 illegal West Bank settlement outposts and has decided to dismantle 24 of them. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told cabinet members he was committed to removing outposts as part of the internationally-backed peace plan, but did not outline a timetable. The United States and Palestinians have demanded the outposts be dismantled immediately. We will continue to follow this story just in to CNN from Jerusalem, throughout the day.

NGUYEN: In Wisconsin today, family and friends, they are in mourning. Amid many unanswered questions, like: Why did someone go on a shooting rampage during a church service yesterday? Well, for the latest, here's CNN's Jonathan Freed in Milwaukee.

Jonathan, what kind of answers have you been able to get so far?

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Betty. That's what we're waiting to hear from police this morning, in approximately an hour-and-a-half from now. We are at the police station here, in Brookfield, Wisconsin. They are following up on that fatal shooting, the tragedy yesterday, at a Sheraton hotel not far from here, Betty, where the Living Church of God was holding its regular Saturday services.

Now, around 12:51 p.m. Central time, here in Wisconsin, a man stood up at the meeting and, according to people who were in there, they had told CNN that this person announced he was going to shoot everybody there and began shooting. Now, four people were shot dead at the hotel, before the gunman turned the gun on himself, according to police. They say he's the only suspect. They have not been looking for anybody else. The man has been described, Betty, as depressed. Now, three more people died at area hospitals last night. The shooting victims range from a 10-year-old girl, who is recovering in hospital right now, we understand, to a man in his 70s. Now, four people, including that 10-year-old, are still in hospital.

Police also searched the suspect's home in nearby suburb, Betty, looking to, perhaps, find some clues to what the motive for this might have been, but mostly just a lot of frustration, outrage, and sorrow on behalf of victims -- and let's listen to the district attorney now. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BUCHER, WAUKESHA COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: It's just heartbreaking, it's overwhelming. I don't know what to -- I keep saying that word, I'm not sure what other word to use. It's human carnage -- it's just overwhelming and my heart goes out to the families of these individuals and witnesses that had to observe this and the officers that have to deal with it. It's not a pretty scene.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREED: So, Betty, about an hour-and-a-half from now, here at the police station, in Brookfield, Wisconsin, we're hoping to get more details, perhaps formally, officially, the names of some of the victims and the suspect -- Betty.

NGUYEN: A lot of answers, hopefully, we'll get out of that news conference. All right, CNN's Jonathan Freed, thank you for that report.

And just to mention this, we will bring you that news conference live when it happens, about 90 minutes from now -- Tony.

HARRIS: More American deaths in Iraq. The U.S. embassy said a roadside bomb killed two U.S. contractors, south of Baghdad. The contractors helped to provide security for the embassy. Also the U.S. military says a soldier was shot and killed in the northern city of Mosul.

And time now for this morning's "Soldier's Story." Some U.S. troops overseas are getting a chance to contact their loved ones back home, thanks to a 14-year-old Massachusetts girl, Brittany Bergquist, and her younger brother who started Cell Phones for Soldiers. Brittany joins us now from Boston along with Kurt Holloway, whose brother is currently serving in Iraq.

Good morning to both of you.

BRITTANY BERGQUIST, CELL PHONES FOR SOLDIERS: Good morning.

KURT HOLLOWAY, BROTHER IN IRAQ: Good morning.

HARRIS: Well, Let me start with you, first of all, Kurt, and let me ask you about your brother, Captain Jeffrey Holloway (ph), who is an Army reservist, who is now in-country, in Iraq. First of all, how is he doing?

HOLLOWAY: Well, as far as we know he's doing great. Because of the work that Brittany's doing, we do get to have constant communication, both by e-mail, as well as via phone, because of the phone cards that Cell Phones for Soldiers has deployed to all of the soldiers within the 102nd Field Artillery Unit.

HARRIS: OK, what has Captain Holloway been able to tell you, your brother, what has he been able to tell you about his time overseas in Iraq? HOLLOWAY: Well, my brother evidently, when he's not soldiering, he has a lot of free time, and he gets very Norman Rockwell-ish in his e-mails and his conversations with us. What I can tell you is he's very, very cryptic in what he does say and is very, very careful about what he says while he's over there, but as far as we know, and the conversations that we have had with him and his fellow soldiers over there, everything is going according to their plan for the unit.

HARRIS: Hey, Kurt, what do you think of this young woman, Brittany, and what she's doing?

HOLLOWAY: Well, the whole reason I agreed to come on here is, the day of my brother's unit's deployment was the day of incredible emotion for many families, as I looked around the location that the deployment was occurring, and I looked at all these different families ranging -- and this is an Army reserve unit that essentially has soldiers from the age of 17 to 50, and you see these families there with them, and you see the different family dynamics of trying to deal with the emotions, the anger, the confusion, trying to understand what's going to happen to their loved one, and then you see this incredible 13-year-old girl get up, and not only it was such a great idea, but with such articulation and poise, really bring together this group of people and give them a tool which, in my opinion, is the most important tool for any family of a soldier, is to be able to understand, when you see things on the news, to get a call and understand that whatever happened over there, they're fine and their unit is fine.

So I was just blown away. I went and spoke to them and spoke to their dad, and couldn't be more proud. And the -- the thing that is most intriguing about this whole situation is those soldiers are over there fighting for their freedoms of this country so that this girl can realize her potential in the future and do great things.

HARRIS: OK, Kurt, let me bring her in here.

Brittany.

BERGQUIST: Hi.

HARRIS: Brittany, good morning.

BERGQUIST: Good morning.

HARRIS: You didn't -- I'm teasing you, obviously. You didn't come up with this idea. There's no way you came up with this. Who came -- give us the truth, who came up with the idea, and your parents made you rope your little brother in this. He wouldn't help, he was a nag and he was always in the way. Tell us -- give us the story on this.

BERGQUIST: Well, we did really make up this idea. But we just were watching a news story one morning, and we saw this horrible story about a soldier who had an almost $8,000 cell phone bill, and we thought it was incredibly unfair for him to have to deal with the pressures of paying off that bill, as well as keeping himself safe. So we started to raise money to help him pay off his cell phone bill, and then his bill was actually waived. So, we had the money that we had already collected, and we did some research, and we found that he really wasn't the only soldier who was struggling to call home. There were tons of others, so we started to help them, as well.

HARRIS: Hey Brittany, what was the key here? What was the key moment? Who was the key person that took the idea and helped you bring it together to the extent it's been the success that it has been?

BERGQUIST: Well, it was really my whole entire family. They really influenced us to keep going, and also the soldiers who have contacted us have really given us more and more reasons to keep going with our project. And when the media picked up our story, it just exploded, so it's...

HARRIS: How much have you raised?

BERGQUIST: Almost $400,000, now.

HARRIS: And was it difficult sort of technically to arrange it all, the cards, the phones? Was it difficult to bring it all together?

BERGQUIST: It was sort of difficult, but we've had a lot of help figuring out who needs what phones -- or phone cards, and just anything we can do, we want to do, so it's worth it. Any of the struggles that we go through, it's definitely worth it if we can help as many soldiers as possible.

HARRIS: Brittany Bergquist, I tell you, way to go!

BERGQUIST: Thank you very much.

HARRIS: Way to go. And thanks for joining us this morning.

BERGQUIST: Thank you.

HARRIS: And Kurt Holloway, our best to your brother.

HOLLOWAY: Thank you very much.

HARRIS: OK. Thanks -- thank you both for being with us this morning.

BERGQUIST: Thank you.

HOLLOWAY: Thank you.

HARRIS: Thank you.

NGUYEN: That is one amazing teenager. Way to go, Brittany.

Well, from precious memories to precious stones, it's a unique way to keep a loved one around forever.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM LUCAS, LIFEGEM CUSTOMER: How often, really, can you say that you had a loved one pressed into a gem-quality diamond?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Imagine the possibilities? The LifeGem next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Nancy Grace will host a special two-hour edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." She will look at the capture of suspected courthouse shooter, Brian Nichols. You can catch that tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. CNN SUNDAY MORNING will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, watched by more Americans than any news channel. Now, back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING with Betty Nguyen and Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: This morning, we have a story that gives new meaning to the term "diamonds are forever." A company has created a way to process cremated human remains into a safe-keep that will last for generations. It's a diamond called a LifeGem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN (voice-over): She was affectionately called Grandma Luke, a single mother who raised three children in the 1950s. Before Maryanne Lucas died of cancer, two years ago, she made it perfectly clear that a cemetery was not for her.

LUCAS: Her wish was to be cremated, and that helped with this, because that's the initial thing, is, you know, a non-traditional burial. You've got to start with a cremation.

NGUYEN: Her oldest son, William Lucas, saw a story about a then upstart company called LifeGem, a business that turns human carbon into diamonds.

LUCAS: I spoke with her about it, and, frankly, she thought it was a foolish expenditure.

NGUYEN: Until the woman who had always watched her money realized no one would care about the cost when the time came.

LUCAS: She said, well, you know what, actually though when I draw my last breath, it won't matter, you can do whatever you'd like.

NGUYEN: That's when he looked into the LifeGem's process.

(on camera): Choosing to abandon the traditional burials, like those held at Atlanta's cemetery, is becoming more common every day. By 2010, 35 percent of those who die are expected to be cremated. It's a fact. That's not lost on the LifeGem founders.

GREGG HERRO, CO-FOUNDER, LIFEGEM: Ending up with the remains, or the ashes, in an urn on the mantle is not the way. So we wanted to make something better, and when the family actually gets their loved one back in the form of the LifeGem diamond, they are overcome with emotion.

NGUYEN (voice-over): It took 16 months for the Lucas family to get their loved one back, but life gem now has the high temperature, high-pressure process down to under six months. Here's how it works.

First, the carbon is extracted from the cremated remains. It's processed into pure carbon graphite, and then pressed into diamonds. They range in price from $2,500 to $14,000. And the Gemological Institute of America verifies the stone is diamond material, but stresses it was created in a laboratory.

LifeGem's first customer was a man named Bill Sefton (ph), who lost his 27-year-old daughter to Hodgkin's disease.

HERRO: When LifeGem broke in the news, he -- he saw it and he knew immediately, he said, "Valerie was a diamond when she was alive, and she'll be a diamond when she's gone.

NGUYEN: And it's the diamonds that can be an essential part of the grieving process. It's also a way to pass down memories from one generation to the next. Which is why Lucas ordered two more stones for his daughters, so Grandma Luke can continue to shine in their lives.

LUCAS: Every single day there's some sort of moment when mom is sparkling at me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: That has you. For a lot of folks who hear this idea, it might seem a little strange, feel a little weird, maybe a little creepy, the idea of wearing a loved one.

NGUYEN: Exactly. And you know, Tony, I thought the same thing, which is why the LifeGem company decides to keep a person's remains for up to ten years, because many times when a family member gets that gem back, that diamond back, and shows it to the other family members, they realize that it's really a beautiful piece of work. And it's something that can help keep your loved one around forever. So they sometimes take a different view toward it, but you know, I'm with you there, when I first heard about this I thought, oh, I don't know if I'd be interested in that.

HARRIS: Is there a growing market for this?

NGUYEN: There is a growing market for it, absolutely. And as we mentioned, you know, 35 percent of the population by the year 2010 is going to choose cremation. So, it's an alternative.

HARRIS: You can slice that into 100 percent pie, and yeah, you could see there would be -- wow, interest in this.

NGUYEN: Very interesting, for sure.

HARRIS: Let's get you updated on this morning's top stories. Brian Nichols may make an initial appearance tomorrow in an Atlanta courtroom. He's a suspect in Friday's courthouse shooting rampage. He's also a suspect in the killing of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

We expect to learn more in about an hour about a church service shooting in Wisconsin. A lone gunman killed seven people and seriously wounded four others before killing himself.

Word from the Vatican this morning, Pope John Paul II is finally going home after speaking briefly to the faithful from his hospital room window. The Vatican said, John Paul will leave the hospital today.

We've been asking you the question all morning, Should defendants on trial for violent crimes be shackled in court? When we return, we're reading your e-mails. CNN SUNDAY MORNING will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's take a look at this picture.

NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

HARRIS: There's a little central park there, New York City, this morning. How about that? Well the Knicks, the basketball team there...

NGUYEN: The Knicks?

HARRIS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

NGUYEN: You don't know the k's silent there, Tony?

HARRIS: Yeah, well, you know. Will the winning streak for the Knicks continue? Today they take on Seattle, that's a though game, it's a tough match up, at Madison Square Garden at 6:00 p.m. this evening.

NGUYEN: Right now we'll check in with Kelly Wallace in Washington with the latest "On the Story." that's coming up after this show.

Good morning, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, "ON THE STORY": Good morning to you, Betty. Well we are "On the Story" here in Washington to Atlanta to the Middle East. We will be talking with our Kimberly Osias who is covering that Atlanta courtroom shooting.

We'll also be talking about former President Clinton's recovery from his operation on Thursday. And we'll go live to Lebanon to talk to Octavia Nasser about dramatic political events playing out there.

Also, rising gas prices, what's going on Iran. A very busy hour ahead, all coming up all "On the Story." We hope you'll be watching, Betty.

NGUYEN: Oh yes, we will be watching. Thanks, Kelly. Looking forward to it.

HARRIS: Watch that Kelly Wallace there. All morning long we've been asking for your thoughts on our e-mail question. Here it is: Should defendants on trial for violent crimes be shackled in court?

This from Lewis, this morning, from Atlanta: "I do not believe inmates should be cuffed in court. I agree with the current law. I also believe more than one sheriff should escort a prisoner, especially when someone has a history, i.e. knives in his shoes."

NGUYEN: Well, Richard in Baltimore has a different take on it. He says shackling defendants in court would create a clear bias against the presumption of innocence that is the hallmark of American justice. The problem in Atlanta court was the access to a gun."

And of course that a big debate that is raging right now after those shootings that occurred on Friday.

And of course, we want to thank you for sending in your thoughts today.

HARRIS: Upstairs now, to the weather center and Rob Marciano for a final check of weather.

Morning, Rob, morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: That's the latest here from the weather center, upstairs, two floors up from the studio.

HARRIS: That's right.

MARCIANO: Betty, come visit once in a while.

NGUYEN: You know, I haven't visited you just yet. I don't know if I could find you.

MARCIANO: Yeah, just drop bread crumbs on your way up here.

NGUYEN: OK.

MARCIANO: We'll get you home.

NGUYEN: I'll find my way back that way.

MARCIANO: Yeah.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Rob. MARCIANO: See you.

NGUYEN: Well, that is going to do us this morning. Thanks for watching.

HARRIS: We'll see you back here next weekend. "On the Story" with Kelly Wallace is next. Have a great day.

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