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CNN Sunday Morning

Police Disable Booby-Trapped Apartment; War Vet Takes Bullets for Friends; Heavy Fighting In Syria's Largest City; Community Mourns and Healing Begins

Aired July 22, 2012 - 06:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.

It is 6:00 a.m. on the East Coast. 4:00 a.m. here on Aurora, Colorado, where this small town and the entire country are united in shock and grief. Joyful, excited fans had packed a movie theater here for what they thought would be a night of fun. But for 12 people, it would be the last night of their lives.

Over the next weeks and month, we will hear more about suspected shooter James Holmes. There will likely be court appearances, charges, and perhaps a trial. It will be Holmes who makes headlines. A name you'll hear over and over.

And usually it is the suspected killer that gets most of the attention. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold from Columbine. Seung-Hui Cho from Virginia Tech. Anders Breivik from Norway. In fact, today is the one year anniversary of that mass killing.

But names we should be hearing are those of the victims. We want to start this morning remembering those who lost their lives Friday morning as told by the people they left behind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Matthew R. McQuinn, 27.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it's not surprising to me that his first thought would be her. That's what a man does. He protects his loved ones. I'm very proud of him. We're going to miss him.

Alexander J. Boik, 18.

Alex M. Sullivan, 27.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a great kid. Talented kid. Very talented. A lot of gifts. Made people laugh. Always made people smile. A gentle giant was the way we looked at him.

Gordon W. Cowden, 51.

Rebecca Ann Wingo, 32.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sweetest smile you've ever seen. And she got -- she got prettier as she grew older. In the blink of an eye, something happens and completely changes everyone's life forever.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Jesse E. Childress, 29.

Micayla C. Medek, 23.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was a great kid. She was just finding herself. Would never harm anybody. She didn't deserve to die this way.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class John Thomas Larimer, 27.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a wonderful young man. What a terrible, terrible loss this is for everyone who knew him.

Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6.

Alexander C. Teves, 24.

Jonathan T. Blunk, 26.

Jessica Ghawi, 24.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll never have her to hug again. I was blessed. Only for 25 years, but I was blessed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: And now the latest on the investigation and a search for a motive in the case. Police here in Aurora say that they've removed all hazards from James Holmes' apartment, and some of the evacuated neighbors were actually allowed to return last night, but not before police carefully detonated some explosives.

One neighbor said she nearly entered the apartment early Friday morning when loud techno music started blaring. She tried yelling to Holmes and noticed the door was unlocked, but she didn't open it. That may have saved Kristin (ph) Fonzi's life. She now knows that the music was set to a timer to play while the suspected gunman was at the movie theater. Police say had she entered the apartment, she likely would have died.

Jim Spellman is at the apartment complex where James Holmes lives this morning.

Jim, good morning.

You have some new information on the investigation. And I understand that they questioned somebody else.

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Randi.

Overnight, multiple reports surfaced that there may be a potential second suspect in this case. Aurora Police wanted to knock that down pretty quick. They put out a statement saying that, yes, they interviewed somebody they described as an associate of James Holmes, the accused shooter in this case, but that at this point they have no reason to believe that this man was involved in the attack. So we'll see where that goes. Obviously in their investigation they're going to interview many, many people. They're saying at this point the man they interviewed yesterday not involved.

As you mentioned, all the hazards have been removed from his apartment. We expect the FBI evidence response teams to be back here today -- evidence recovery teams to be back here today to continue working, processing this site, looking for any clues as to more details of what went on.

We do know from police that over the last few months, he received many large packages here, James Holmes did. They say that's beginning to give them an understanding on how he put together all the materials he needed to not only the ammunition and guns for the attack at the movie theater, but to rig his apartment as well.

KAYE: And, Jim, I understand today certainly is an important day and a big day really for people here. President Obama is coming to visit with the families of the victims of this shooting. Can you tell us more about his agenda? I mean, is he going to be at the hospital or where will he be?

SPELLMAN: We're not exactly sure where he'll go, but he's expected to land here later this afternoon and speak with family members of people who were deceased. Maybe people who were shot and survived. He'll also meet with local leaders.

He won't go to the vigil tonight. That's going to be a pretty big deal here. A lot of local leaders will be speaking. There will be prayers and things like that. And a lot of people I've spoken to in the community are really looking forward to that as an opportunity to be -- all be together. That will be this evening here in Aurora.

KAYE: And tomorrow James Holmes -- we've been talking about this all weekend -- she's going to have his first court hearing. He hasn't been charged yet, but what can we expect to happen tomorrow?

SPELLMAN: Sure. Like a lot of first appearances in court, often sometime barely anything happens. But they may charge him, they may not. A lot of the court documents in this case are sealed at this point, so we don't know. But it will be the press' and the public's first chance to see this man, the alleged shooter in this case, after this -- after this. So we'll learn a lot more tomorrow morning down there.

With these court documents sealed and authorities being very tight-lipped about a lot of the details, this will be our first chance to really get a look into how it will proceed, what exactly he'll be charged with. It will doubtlessly be the first of many, many court appearances for James Holmes.

KAYE: No doubt.

Jim Spellman, thank you very much for that this morning.

SPELLMAN: Thank you. KAYE: Amid the chaos in that theater early Friday morning, stories of courage and selflessness as the bullets began to fly. An Iraq War veteran put his own life on the line to protect the lives of his friends. CNN's Kyung Lah has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH NOWLAN, SHOOTING VICTIM: My mind was completely clear of what's going on. It's like, guys, here's a gun. He's shooting at people. Stay down. And -- it's the best chance we have.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The second thought for Josh Nowlan, protect his friends. The 31-year-old Navy veteran, deployed to Iraq twice, threw himself on top of his friends. Newlyweds Brandon and Denise Axelrod. Dozens of bullets flew through the air. One ripped through Nowlan's calf and then lodged in his arm, breaking the bone.

NOWLAN: I just see this big hole in my leg and a big hole in my arm. And that's what Brandon was just like, man, stay down.

LAH: Nowlan says he flattened himself on the theater floor with his friends beneath him, hearing the gunman walk and wait. He must survive for his two sons, he says, whose pictures he carries in his wallet, nine-year-old Eric and seven-year-old Ryan. Then the gun jammed.

LAH (on camera): If that gun had not jammed, that you'd be here?

NOWLAN: I know I wouldn't be here. If that gun -- if that gun did not jam, I am fully certain that I probably would not be here.

LAH: How are you feeling today?

NOWLAN: I'm scared. You know, I'm -- of course I'm glad it's over with and, yes, I am glad I am alive. And I get to see my -- and I get to see my kids. But then I also think about, you know, the other people that didn't -- that's not as lucky as I was. I mean there was kids, mothers and fathers that was there. And they're dead. I'm still alive.

LAH: Amid the horror of what happened inside theater number nine, we're hearing an extraordinary story repeated among the survivors. The number of people who threw themselves on top of friends and family members to shield them from the flying bullets.

NOWLAN: And Brandon and Denise are two of the best people that you would ever get to meet.

LAH: Is that why you jumped on top of them when those bullets started flying?

NOWLAN: I did. That was -- you know (INAUDIBLE) -- because they have every right to live and be happy. They just got married.

DENISE AXELROD, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: It's no longer a friendship. It's not even family. It's like something deeper.

BRANDON AXELROD, SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Because there's -- this is something that will never leave us.

D. AXELROD: No.

LAH (voice-over): His friends won't leave his side now, helping Nowlan through a second surgery and physical therapy. As soon as he can, Nowlan has only one thing he says he must do for his emotional recovery.

NOWLAN: I want to go back to that theater. I want to go back into that auditorium. I want to look straight down that same seat and I want to say, "I beat you. You did not take this life."

LAH: Kyung Lah, CNN, Aurora, Colorado.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Incredible bravery.

And to learn more about the people who died and read tributes by their loved ones, you can visit cnn.com/coloradovictims.

After everything, we're still left with this question -- who exactly is shooting suspect James Holmes? We'll take a closer look at the 24-year-old doctoral student accused in the massacre.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back to Aurora, Colorado.

It was a little over 48 hours ago that the nation first heard the news of the Colorado shooting massacre. And police are still trying to learn more about the 24-year-old former doctoral student accused of killing and injuring so many. Drew Griffin reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He'd been living not far from this movie theater for the past year because it was also close to the University of Colorado Medical School where Holmes was a graduate student in neurosciences. According to the school, he was in the process of withdrawing as a student last month. The school, frankly, won't tell us much about his grades, the classes he took, or anything else.

We do know he did give a student lecture this past March on something called MicroRNA Bbiomarkers. If you look it up, it's about an emerging area of neuroscience. The study of nerves that relate to cancer research. And the school says Holmes worked in a paid position there as well, but no details.

Before that, it was a middle upper-class upbringing in California. High school in San Diego. An undergraduate degree from the University of California in Riverside in 2010. School administrators there said he had an outstanding academic record.

CHANCELLOR TIM WHITE, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE: He was an honors student. So academically he was at the top of the top. You know, he -- he really distinguished himself from an academic point of view during his four years with us. Graduating with highest honors.

GRIFFIN: So how is this honors student, this Ph.D. candidate, this budding neuroscientist suddenly becoming completely a different person? Dressed, and according to police, armed to kill?

CHIEF DAN OATES, AURORA, COLORADO, POLICE: The suspect was dressed all in black. He was wearing a ballistic helmet, a tactical ballistic vest, ballistic leggings, a throat protector, and a groin protector, and a gas mask and black tactical gloves.

GRIFFIN: Was the person delusional? Was there mental illness involved? As we try to piece this together, I want to share with you what New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly had released on what he learned of the suspect that may have a tie to the actual movie.

COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE: We have some information. I believe most of it is public. Clearly looks like a deranged individual. He had his hair painted red. He said he was "the joker."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: I'll have much more here from Aurora in just a couple of minutes.

But let's head now to our headquarters in Atlanta, where Jennifer Westhoven is taking a look at some other stories making headline this morning.

Good morning, Jennifer.

JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Thank you, Randi.

When we come back, we're going to take a look at how Norway is memorializing its own victims a year after a deadly attack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WESTHOVEN: Now we're going to take you back live to Aurora, Colorado, in just a little bit. But first, some international headlines.

Today, Norway is remembering its worst day since World War II that left 77 people dead. A year ago today, Anders Behring Breivik bombed a government building in Oslo and then headed to an island summer camp where he opened fire leaving 69 teenagers dead. Nationwide events to mark the solemn day include a wreath laying, a moment of silence at the time the bomb was detonated in Oslo.

Now to Syria, where the conflict is spreading into major cities. First, Damascus. Now a battle is breaking out in the northern city of Aleppo, with Syrian military forces launching an all-out attack on opposition strongholds.

You just heard fighting, gunshots sounding out with apparent shelling by Syrian tanks. Syrian refugees are fleeing across the border, running for their lives to escape the violence. Now at last count, the numbers stood at 120,000. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom joins us now from Abu Dhabi.

Mohammed, among all of those people, all those civilians, were two more army generals who fled to neighboring Turkey, bringing the total number of army defectors to more than 20. More than 20. Is the fact that that number is growing, does that tell us maybe that the Syrian regime could be weakening?

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jennifer, there's been a lot of questions about this, this past week. What you've seen is this image of invulnerability that the al Assad regime had prior to this past week. That's really gone away. It's not just the fighting in Damascus. It's the fact that you had more and more members of the army there defecting.

But especially high ranking generals. A couple of weeks ago you had the highest ranking military official yet in Syria fleeing the country. In the last 24 hours, you had two more generals fleeing, going into Turkey, joining the opposition, defecting. You've seen more and more rank and file members of the Syrian military join the opposition, become rebel fighters with the free Syrian army. They call it (SPEAKING ARABIC) in Arabic.

Also, you've had diplomatic defections. In the last week and a half, you had the highest ranking diplomatic defection yet. The former ambassador to Iraq. A very high official in the Syrian regime. He defected as well.

So, put all this together and it really does lead to a lot of questions about just how much of a grip on power Bashar al Assad still has at this time.

Jennifer.

WESTHOVEN: Mohammed Jamjoom, thank you so much. So maybe some signs that the power is shifting.

When we come back, we'll have more of the latest from Aurora, Colorado. The investigation, the victims, and the survivors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Matt McQuinn's family agonized for hours before they found out he was killed in the Aurora movie theater shooting. He was at the movie with his girlfriend and her brother. Witnesses say he died while trying to shield his girlfriend from the barrage of bullets from suspected gunman James Holmes. To make matters worse for his girlfriend, the hospital wouldn't confirm his condition to her because she was not related.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Matt McQuinn was 27 years old. His girlfriend, Samantha Yowler, was shot in the knee and is expected to make a full recovery.

President Obama will be here in Aurora later today to meet with victims' families, as the normally quiet community mourns and the healing process begins. CNN's Sandra Endo talks to residents still reeling from the tragedy that hit way too close to home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The explosives found inside James Holmes' apartment were removed Saturday and taken to an undisclosed location for detonation. Authorities say Holmes booby trapped the space before he went on a shooting rampage Friday at a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises." Twelve people are dead, nearly 60 more recovering from injuries. The entire community is in mourning.

NICOLE LESARDY (ph), AURORA, COLORADO, RESIDENT: Lived in Colorado for 34 years, my entire life, not more than a mile from here. And it's really sad when it hits this close to home.

ENDO: The coroner's office released a complete list of the dead Saturday. The youngest was just six years old. Many of the victims remain hospitalized. One woman says the horror she saw was worse than a war zone.

CHRISTINE BLACHE, SHOOTING VICTIM: If you're in the military, you signed up for it. You're signing up, possibly risking your life. Whereas these people were going to a movie to enjoy themselves, to spend time with their -- whether it was their family, their friends. They didn't sign up to be shot.

ENDO: Some have serious injuries, but know their fates could have been different.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The wound was somewhere around here. And, you know, just a few millimeters in or, you know, centimeters in, and I don't think I would have left the theater.

ENDO: As Holmes prepares for his first court appearance Monday morning, the survivors of the attack for which he's blamed are trying to move forward.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you forget him?

BLACHE: He killed somebody I cared about and he injured a heck of a lot of my friends. So, for right now, no. Down the road, yes.

ENDO (on camera): Sunday, President Obama is scheduled to arrive here to support a grieving community. He's set to meet with survivors and victims' families.

In Aurora, Colorado, I'm Sandra Endo. (END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: And this morning we're learning police interviewed someone they say was associated with James Holmes, but they're not calling him a suspect. More on what we're finding out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back, everyone. And thanks for starting your morning with us.

I'm Randi Kaye reporting this morning from Aurora, Colorado. It is now just about half past the hour. If you're just waking up this morning, let's get you caught up on what's happening here in Aurora. Overnight, we found out that police interviewed an associate of suspected gunman James Holmes. A spokeswoman says, the person is not a suspect, and there's no reason to believe that he was involved.

Also, police now say, they've removed all the booby-traps from James Holmes' apartment and conducted a controlled detonation of some big explosives. Others were burned. Many residents who were evacuated were allowed to return home.

Police say, the evidence shows Holmes may have been planning this attack for months, and he wanted to kill or hurt anyone looking for information about him in the aftermath of the attack. We now know the name of all 12 people killed in the tragic shooting. Many were under 30 years old. The youngest victim just six.

Police say, the theater where the shooting took place will remain closed until at least Wednesday. That gives them time to complete their investigation. Holmes' defense team will get access by Tuesday, we're told.

Today is an important day for people here in Aurora, Colorado. President Obama is headed here to meet with families of the victims.

And Jim Spellman is near the apartment complex where James Holmes lives. Jim, good morning, what do we know about the President's agenda today?

All right. We've lost Jim Spellman there. We'll get back to him in just a moment. I want to talk about this violence and the horrible stories about what happened inside the theater. How do you explain this to your children when they ask you about it? When they ask about what happened here in Aurora? We'll get some tips from a psychologist in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Alex Sullivan worked at the century 16 theater in Aurora and planned to ring in his 27th birthday with a special midnight screening of "Dark Knight Rises." His relatives describe him as a gentle giant. He was funny, witty, smart, with a big loving heart. He and his wife were expected to celebrate their first wedding anniversary on Sunday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Alex Sullivan's uncle said, he was full of joy and never had a chip on his shoulder. Just before the movie started, he tweeted that this was going to be his best birthday ever.

Many of the victims were young, under 30 years old. One was a 6- year-old girl. Her mother was also critically wounded in the shooting. By now your own children may have caught some of the news of this tragic shooting, and they may be asking you a whole lot of questions. So, how do you explain this violence to them?

Psychologist Erik Fisher joins me now from Atlanta. Erik, good morning.

ERIK FISHER, PSYCHOLOGIST: Good morning.

KAYE: Thanks for joining us this morning.

FISHER: Thanks for having me.

KAYE: So, I guess a lot of parents are wondering how do you speak to your kids about a horrific event like this without scaring them? What do you say?

FISHER: Well, this is a really tough event because, first of all, you have to ask, should your kids be viewing news events about events so tragic and horrific. You know, below the age of eight to 10-years-old, kids see the world very literally. Things are big and close, meaning something that happens in Colorado could feel like it's next door. They could have, you know, a Colorado street or a Colorado shopping mall or something like, you know, that they don't understand where these events are and also, how big they seem to them because the world seems very small.

So talking to them about these things can be very tricky. You want to understand their age. You want to understand their development, their maturity. And again, you want to hear how -- what language are your kids using if they are talking about it. So sometimes asking them questions about what they know is the best place to start.

KAYE: And Erik, if all children mature differently, I mean, how do parents know if they should be shielding their kids from violence or talking honestly about it? Because, you know, I talked to a lot of parents and they say, I don't let my kids watch the news. So, what is the answer?

FISHER: Well, the thing we have to look at, too, is not only are we looking at what they're seeing on the news, we have to look at what they're seeing on television, in video games, in their cartoons. Average hour of kids' TV is 20 to 25 acts of violence in it. And this rate of violent acts is up every year it seems. So, we have to realize that our kids aren't just seeing this acts on the news, but again, as we have to see it in the movie theaters, too.

So, I believe really that kids younger than 13 should really be shielded from violence. It's not about our kids growing up in a bubble. It's understanding what they're able to process cognitively, emotionally, mentally, and how we as parents helping them to process this information.

KAYE: So, it sounds like you're saying that part of the problem is that parents feel comfortable bringing children to movies like "The Dark Knight Rises." I mean, it's a PG-13, but what would you tell a parent who says pg-13 content is appropriate for their kids?

FISHER: You know, I just wrote a blog on my Web site that was about the language of violence. And what we have to look at is the idea that our kids are learning a language from the moment they're born on this planet. And the language isn't just the words we speak. It's the things we see, it's the things we hear. It's what we're exposed to. You know, for example, my concern about a three-month-old being in this movie is at that age you're not seeing much, you're hearing. And movies are loud, first of all.

So auditorily, it's not good for them but their hearing shooting, they're hearing yelling, they're hearing names and words and things, it's a very overwhelming environment. Now, think about how that affects a child who's growing up in an environment like that. We talk about the effects of kids who grow up in violent homes, who are exposed to violence. But I think we also have to look at the effect of violence on our kids that they see, like we said, in TV, in movies, and in -- just in the environment around them.

KAYE: Erik Fisher, thank you very much.

FISHER: Thanks for having me.

KAYE: Today is an important day for people in Aurora, Colorado. President Obama headed here to meet with the victims' families. Jim Spellman is at the apartment complex where James Holmes lives.

Jim, good morning. What can you tell us about the President's agenda today?

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He'll arrive later this afternoon. He's expected to meet with victims and family members of people who were deceased. He'll of course also meet with the leaders. We know that Governor Hickenlooper will be here for the vigil later today. The President, however, will not stay for the vigil. He's expected to make a quick comment to the press and then just meet with families. Then he'll take off and head to San Francisco.

That vigil, though, I think will -- will doubtlessly be a big thing for people in this area. And I think a lot of people will be really glad that -- just to know that the President came and even though he doesn't appear at the vigil, that he was there to try to comfort some of these families -- Randi.

KAYE: And tomorrow looking ahead, the suspected gunman James Holmes, will be in court for his first hearing. Probably though Jim, not expecting a whole lot to come out of that, right?

SPELLMAN: No. I mean, I'm sure like you've been to many of these first appearances. And generally not a lot happens. But with the court records being sealed in this case, they may charge him. So, we may know exactly what they charge him with. They may go through some sort of a hearing to deal with bond issues and how they're going to hold him. He'll be tried by the state of Colorado. We'll see him though. It will be the first time we're able to see him in person. There's been no perp walks or that any of that sort of things. So, it will the first time we'll get the chance to see him up close and personal since this terrible shooting Friday.

KAYE: Yes. Judging by the flurry of emails, I got overnight and early this morning, there was a lot of confusion about this person, this other person that police were interviewing. Police mentioned some inaccurate reports. Have we nailed that down? What do we know about that?

SPELLMAN: Yes. Right. Last night, there were multiple reports that there was a potential second suspect in this case. Aurora police wanted to come out and really knock that down. They said, yes, they interviewed a man that they described as an associate of James Holmes. But they said that at this point, they have no reason to believe that he was involved in this incident. I think what you're seeing here Randi is now that they're able to get into the apartment, having rendered it safe, now they have all the evidence they can work off of.

We know they took out a computer, whatever kind of notes he may have had, that will really help their investigation. As that happens, you'll going to see them interviewing more and more people, and chasing down as many leads to try to put together exactly what happened and maybe why.

KAYE: Jim Spellman, we'll check back with you later this morning.

Also this morning, a very strange story involving Michael Jackson's mother. Is Katherine Jackson OK? That is the question this morning after conflicting reports over her whereabouts. We'll have more on the Jackson family, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN ANCHOR: So, we're getting conflicting reports this morning on Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson. The 82-year-old was reported missing late Saturday, but her son, Jermaine, tweeted she's fine and resting in Arizona. What's very confusing here is that her own lawyer still says that she's worried about her, she's worried for her safety. A missing persons report came in just a few days after we learn about a dispute between Mrs. Jackson's advisers and several of her children over finances and legal affairs.

So, there's this fight going on between the members of the Jackson family. Money, obviously, at stake here. There's been so much drama in the past between some of the members of this family. Now, joining us this morning from San Diego for more on this strange unfolding drama is CNN's Alan Duke.

Good morning. So, Mrs. Jackson's lawyer says, she's worried about Mrs. Jackson's safety. Do we really know for sure that she's OK?

ALAN DUKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they don't know because they've not been able to actually reach her for a week. Not since she left on Sunday of last week for a concert to go to Albuquerque where she never arrived. She left her Calabasas home with daughter Rebbie, and it appears based on everything I'm being told that she is with some of her children.

However, her lawyer, her manager, and her grandchildren, Michael Jackson's children, appear very concerned about their grandmother's safety. In fact, Paris, the 14-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson, who is in the custody of the grandmother tweeted, yes, my grandmother is missing. I haven't spoken to her in a week. I want her home now. And she in fact tweeted the telephone number for her security guard saying if anybody sees my grandmother, please call the authorities or this number.

But it's unclear exactly why they're worried other than the fact that they've not been able to reach the grandmother who is never out of touch with Michael Jackson's children. The ones who have been living with her since their father died three years ago.

WESTHOVEN: So is there anything we know about their relationship with Jermaine? Is that strained?

DUKE: Well, it's not just Jermaine but Randy and Rebbie and Janet and Tito all signed this letter just this past week that was blasting the people closest to Katherine, her lawyer, her manager, and nephew Trent Jackson, who is with her constantly. And that sort of shows a rift. But keep in mind La Toya, and Marlin, and Jackie Jackson did not join in that letter.

What we're seeing, frankly I believe is these fault lines in the Jackson family that we've seen before have basically erupted into an earthquake. And it's going to be interesting to see what happens. But basically, Paris is saying, please, let me talk to my grandmother. I want to make sure she's OK.

WESTHOVEN: So at this point, is this a family drama, or have any authorities been called in at this point?

DUKE: No, they've actually filed a missing persons report in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department missing person's homicide unit, that's actually investigating this.

WESTHOVEN: Now, her children say, as you mentioned, that Katherine Jackson is being mistreated by her advisers. Mistreated, you know, sounds like a very tough word especially when you think about a woman who is in her 80s. But is there any validity to that? DUKE: Well, as far as her advisers go, some of her children are saying, she's been given bad advice, advice not to contest the will. However, it was almost three years ago that the will was verified, validated by courts all the way up to the California Supreme Court. And lawyers say, legally there's no way that they can get that will un-validated at this time. So, that's sort of passed. But there's some risk going on about her finances that the children disagree with her advisers on. And we'll see what that leads to.

WESTHOVEN: And you were just mentioning how Paris has been doing some tweeting on this. Is this how this is unfolding?

DUKE: Yes. Paris has been tweeting, very vocal. And she's very upset and has been very several days. I understand she actually got into a telephone shouting match with Janet Jackson when Janet, according to these people who are close to Paris, told her she couldn't talk to her grandmother this week. That's what led to all this.

WESTHOVEN: All right. Alan Duke in San Diego, thank you very much for that update on this very bewildering story, shall we say, watching that unfold among the Jackson family.

The suspect in the theater shooting left a damning trail of evidence. Authorities say that his plan was in the works perhaps for months. A close look at how defense attorneys might try to defend James Holmes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: The first known victim of the Aurora, Colorado, mass theater shooting, Jessica Ghawi, who was an aspiring broadcaster who moved from Texas to Aurora within the last year to chase her dream. Last month, she survived a mall shooting in Toronto while visiting her boyfriend. According to witnesses, she died from a gunshot wound to the head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: After narrowly escaping injury in that Toronto shooting, Jessica Ghawi reflected to friends about how fragile life is. She'll be remembered at a memorial service in San Antonio.

The latest now on the investigation here in Aurora, Colorado. But I wanted to speak with Karen Steinhauser, she is a former Denver prosecutor and now defense attorney. Good morning.

KAREN STEINHAUSER, LAW PROFESSOR: Good morning.

KAYE: So, let's talk about this because James Holmes, the suspected shooter, is going to be in court tomorrow morning.

STEINHAUSER: Correct.

KAYE: How do you start a defense? How do you build a defense for this guy?

STEINHAUSER: First of all, tomorrow morning is going to be very kind of pro forma. He's going to be advised by the judge of the potential charges that he faces. There's -- he'll come back to court in several days or perhaps longer. But from the defense standpoint, one of the first thing they'll going to start doing is collecting as much as they can about him. About his mental health history, about his childhood.

They're going to be interviewing friends, family, anyone that would have -- that could shed some light on what causes somebody with absolutely no criminal history whatsoever, somebody that the only thing he's done wrong is -- is speed.

KAYE: Traffic violation. That was it.

STEINHAUSER: What causes somebody to do something so horrific without seemingly any type of motive, you know, anything? What -- what caused that to happen?

KAYE: So, how quickly will they start to build that mental illness defense? And how tough will that be given the fact that now authorities are already saying that he might have been planning this for months? How does that speak to the mental illness? How does that square with it?

STEINHAUSER: Well, first of all. No matter how long somebody might be planning something, that speaks to the issue of, was there deliberation, was there intent as we think about that term. It really doesn't have anything to do with the fact of does he suffer as our Colorado definition is, does he suffer from some type of mental disease or defect that would make him incapable of really distinguishing right from wrong.

KAYE: Do you expect that he'll speak tomorrow in court at all?

STEINHAUSER: I do not.

KAYE: You wouldn't let him if you were his defense attorney?

STEINHAUSER: Yes. And generally at this type of appearance, a defendant wouldn't speak.

KAYE: All right. Karen Steinhauser, thank you for your insight.

STEINHAUSER: You're welcome.

KAYE: I appreciate that.

We will have more on the investigation from Aurora, Colorado, when we come back. As we continue to remember the victims of this tragedy. That story and other headlines coming up.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN ANCHOR: Randi, how close are we to a cure for AIDS? That's what people are discussing at this year's International AIDS Conference. I'm going to bring you the latest details from there.

Also, this new report claims the FDA is partly to blame for the cancer drug shortage. Find out why this morning at SGMD, 7:30 Eastern.

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LEMON: Welcome back, everyone. It is almost 5:00 a.m. here in Aurora, Colorado. The small city in the entire country united in shock and grief. Just two days ago, the thrill of being first to see one of the biggest movies of the year, now 12 innocent lives taken, 58 others wounded.

Anderson Cooper explains how a night of excitement turned into confusion and then a fight for survival.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): It's about 12:30 a.m., 20 minutes or so into the sold-out premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises." A gunman dressed head to toe in bullet-proof gear and a gas mask throws a canister of what may have been teargas into the room through the exit door, which he'd propped open earlier after purchasing a ticket to the movie and sneaking out of the theater. The canister ignites, causing confusion among theater-goers who don't yet realize the danger they're in.

DONOVAN TATE, WITNESS: When this popping started happening, I thought it was like fireworks or firecrackers, like someone playing a prank or joke or something, you know. But then some -- smoke started rising in the lower right corner of the theater.

COOPER: Witnesses say, the gunman enters the theater, first fires at the ceiling, then turns his gun on the crowd.

JESSICA SEEGER, WITNESS: When he went straight from the air, he came down with his gun in my face. He was about three feet away from me at that point. In that incident, I honestly didn't know what to do. I was terrified.

COOPER: The terror spreads. Eyewitnesses describe the gunman as quote, "calmly firing into the crowd."

CHRIS RAMOS, WITNESS: Somehow I grabbed my little sister, I grabbed her, then we just go down on the ground, hiding below like the chairs. And the guy's just standing right by the exit just firing away. He's not aiming at a specific person. He's just aiming everywhere, trying to hit as many people as he can. All I remember was, I was down on the ground, I was covering myself. When I was like going up trying to see the guy like -- just the teargas was getting me. My eyes were watery. I was like crying, like my throat felt weird.

It felt like I was bleeding from my nose. Like, it was hard to breathe. So, I kept on going down, like tucking down, telling my sister to go forward, pushing her forward where there were like guys, girls like running like on top of me. Like jumping away from the scene, trying to escape. The guy was firing. Like -- the shooting lasted probably about a minute or two minutes.

COOPER: The gunman doesn't discriminate, children are also shot. This mother is wounded in the leg as she tries to escape the gunfire with her four-month-old son and four-year-old daughter.

PATRICIA LEGARETTA, WITNESS: I just grabbed the baby, and I just drug -- I just grabbed my daughter and just got her out as fast as I could. And just ran out. I didn't turn around. I didn't look behind me. I just got out. And then there was a moment where my daughter tripped, and -- and I just pulled her up. And I was just dragging her. I was just thinking, we've just got to get out. Just -- just got to get out the doors. And if I just fall dead, just get my kids out of here. It was -- just so horrible.

COOPER (voice-over): At 12:39 a.m. the first calls come into 911.

911 FEMALE DISPATCHER: 315 and 314, first shooting at Century Theaters 14 300 East Alameda Avenue. They're saying somebody's shoot in the auditorium.

COOPER: Police arrive within 90 seconds to soon learn that 71 people have been wounded. The cell phone video shows panicked and bloody victims streaming out of the theater.

Inside, 10 people are dead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE POLICE: We need rescue inside the auditorium, multiple victims.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE POLICE: I got seven down in theater nine! Seven down!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE POLICE: I've got a child victim. I need rescue at the back door, theater nine, now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Chilling moments for sure. Authorities have said little about what they believe was the motive behind the massacre. The death toll now stands at 12, 58 wounded.

We'll have more on the shooting investigation in a moment. But thanks for starting your morning with us. We have much more ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, which starts right now.