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CNN Saturday Morning News

Father Kills His 7 Children; A Look at Terrorist Attack in Madrid and U.S. Vulnerability to Similar Attack

Aired March 13, 2004 - 07:00 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.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It is March 13.

Once again, good morning to you.

I'm Heidi Collins.

We do have some terrible news to tell you about this morning. A horrible discovery, in fact, in Fresno, California, where police have found the bodies of nine people, mostly children. A man believed to be the children's father is in custody. We will have the latest in a live report coming up in just a few moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Montse, listen, I'm -- I'm in Atocha. There's been a bomb in the train and we've had (screams).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Firsthand evidence of the terror in this week's bomb attacks in Spain.

Plus, we'll talk with our own terror expert about the same risk here in America.

And the gloves are off in John Kerry versus George W. Bush. Who will land in the next big blow in the heavyweight battle of the campaign ads? We'll talk politics in about 30 minutes.

But first, here's a look at what's happening at this hour.

As we said, nine bodies and 10 empty caskets found in a house in Fresno, California. Seven of the victims are children. Police were called to the home 14 hours ago. A man who was barricaded in a bedroom there surrendered an hour after police got there. They are now questioning 57-year-old Marcus Wesson.

Police may move this morning on a home in Lenore City, Tennessee, where a heavily armed teenager has been holed up for nearly 24 hours. The 16-year-old boy is suspected of killing one police officer and wounding four others in a shootout. One hundred fifty officers have surrounded the home.

A search for suspects going on right now in the death of two American soldiers in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. A roadside bomb exploded about 10 hours ago as the soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division were on patrol in a Humvee. Five other soldiers were wounded in that blast.

And just within the last hour, the U.N. Atomic Energy Agency decides to defer the threat of Security Council action against Iran until June. That comes as Iran halts a nuclear inspection program for the four day Islamic new year holiday. The nuclear watchdog agency is trying to verify Iran's claims that its nuclear program is peaceful.

Our top story now this hour, the mayor of Fresno, California calls it a domestic situation and the police chief says there may have been some type of ritual involved. And the scene in the home where the nine bodies were found, seven of them children, was so horrific that several police officers are now receiving counseling. Others are questioning the suspect in the killing.

Amy Allen of KGPE is live now in Fresno -- Amy.

AMY ALLEN, KGPE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, the investigation continues this morning. Right now, crime scene investigators are still inside the home, going piece by piece, trying to find clues into this bizarre murder. It's just across the street from where we're standing right now. Of course, many in this country wondering how a man who they say is the children's father could possibly kill them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN (voice-over): One by one, nine bodies pulled from the home, a neighborhood, even a city, shattered by what police call the worst homicide in Fresno history. Fresno Mayor Allan Autry came to the scene in the late night hours. MAYOR ALLAN AUTRY, FRESNO, CALIFORNIA: We will never be the same. That doesn't mean that we can't and won't be better. I feel we will. Out of tragedy, people come together.

ALLEN: Mayor Autry's grief matched by seasoned officers. Several were put on administrative leave because of emotional distress caused by viewing the horrific scene. Fresno's police chief has been with the department for 25 years and says he's never seen anything like this.

CHIEF JERRY DYER, FRESNO POLICE: You see the bodies being removed from the scene, especially the children. And so it's an emotional, it's a very emotional night, a very traumatic night for everyone involved.

ALLEN: With the victims taken from the crime scene, investigators spent the early morning hours processing the scene, collecting evidence and putting together the bizarre clues. And as sunrise grew closer, the city looked towards healing.

AUTRY: We're going to get through this. This is tough. This is real tough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: And still many unanswered questions this morning -- how did this happen, why, the cause of death. Police say they know but they don't want to release the details. Sources tell me it was a gruesome death. They're trying to protect these families. Once again, police believe all the victims were the children of this man. The suspect in this case is in county jail at this hour being questioned. They expect to be out here on the scene of the murders for quite some time.

We're live in Fresno. Reporting for CNN, I'm Amy Allen -- Heidi, back to you.

COLLINS: Amy, let me ask you just a couple of quick questions, if I could. We've been hearing that there has been some cooperation coming from the apparent mothers that are still alive in this situation, that police are getting. So some information coming to them from them. Also wondering about the cooperation, possibly, from the suspect, Wesson.

ALLEN: I haven't heard much about the suspect. We understand he is being question. We believe this hour he is in jail. But they took him into custody yesterday and started questioning him. As for the mothers, we understand there's up to four mothers in this case. We know at least two were out here earlier. There's talk some others may have come out to the scene. That is unclear, though. We understand they're the ones who initially called police. This was a domestic dispute. Two of them came to the home trying to get the children back from this man. That's what started this whole thing earlier today.

COLLINS: All right, Amy Allen, we know it's a terrible, story, especially for a Saturday morning. We appreciate you bringing it to us.

From KGPE live in Fresno for us, Amy Allen.

We also want to let you know that we will be talking with the police chief of Fresno coming up in just a little bit to try and get some more information. And we'll follow the story throughout the morning.

We want to turn now to Spain. It is a nation overwhelmed by grief. The death toll from this week's commuter train bombings in Madrid has risen to 200 today.

We have a chilling phone call of a woman who was on one of the trains. She called her mother as the bombs started going off and left this message on her answering machine.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Montse, listen, I'm -- I'm in Atocha. There's been a bomb in the train and we've had (screams).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Of course, we do want to let you know that the woman did survive the attack.

Relatives of those killed in the commuter train bombings are beginning to bury and cremate the dead today. Those funerals come as Spain prepares for tomorrow's general elections. And the divisive issue of who's to blame from the terrorist attacks my have consequences at the ballot box and beyond.

CNN's Brent Sadler joining us now from Madrid with more on that -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Heidi.

You joined me live at Atocha Railway Station in the center of Madrid. It was here where as many as half of those victims were killed in Thursday's series of horrific bomb blasts.

Now, I'm just standing in front of the main entrance to the railway station here. And over the past 24, 48 hours, a whole carpet of personal wreaths and candles have been laid out here by passersby, by commuters who use this station regularly. They are messages of sympathy for the victims and messages of absolute outrage and anger at what happened with those 200 victims so far being killed in those series of devastating bomb blasts.

As you say, later this day there will be funerals for dozens of those killed and many, many more will take place in the coming days.

So the mood here in Madrid, I have to tell you, is absolutely somber. I have rarely seen a capital city, in my many years of traveling across the world, showing such an expression of anger and sympathy and outrage at what has happened.

Now, on the sites of the bomb blasts themselves, investigators continue to try and work out who was responsible for these bomb attacks. The government continues to point the main finger of suspicion at the Basque separatist group ETA. But, also, there are other suspicions that Islamic extremists may have been involved -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Brent Sadler joining us from Madrid live this morning.

Brent, thanks so much.

You can see how people are still very much in shock there.

Security officials, though, in this country have tightened safety measures at rail systems. One Amtrak conductor says we're totally vulnerable.

Terrorism expert Kelly McCann joining us now with some insights on this, as well. Totally vulnerable certainly does not sound very good -- Kelly.

J. KELLY MCCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: No, it doesn't. But if you think about it, Heidi, look at the volume of people that travel just in the Northeast Corridor and not -- and then consider how many miles of unprotected railway there is. And, of course, it's an impossibility to secure those miles and miles and miles of railway.

COLLINS: Yes, and let's talk about that for a minute, because there are a couple of articles out this morning on this and how much money is going to be put into it, I believe about $500 million or so, to make some upgrades in security. But the areas that they are really concentrating on are these busy areas -- Washington to New York, for example.

ttualbat, especially if you are a person who is using that system on a regular basis.

MCCANN: Well, remember, this is pure terror. I mean, think about it, terrorism is only as good as it makes you feel like it could touch your life. And think of all the commuters that do use the railway system. So that's why any of these incidents bring us back to that reality that we're not out of this yet.

But primarily you're looking at surveillance, surveillance detection, electronic surveillance measures. You're looking at electronic imaging, passenger screening, baggage screening. I mean a tremendous amount of effort has already gone into transportation and I think that this may mean some more money is going to be spent which, of course, could adversely affect this administration, as you try to battle that and put it in a line item that's acceptable in the budget.

COLLINS: In fact, you say that you can either go for the deluxe model of security or just standard security.

MCCANN: That's exactly right. It's just like a time and materials contract -- how secure do you want to be and how much money do you have to spend.

COLLINS: So what is it that they will try to do? As you say, we're going to be looking at some surveillance cameras, probably; some, hopefully some more guards. Amtrak itself, I know, is starting to invest in more guards, if you will, within their own company.

But overall, I mean the system isn't going to be shut down. People are going to be using this, this mass transit system.

MCCANN: As they should. I mean we can't let this interfere with our normal lives. But the problem is, is we have to, in order to keep it in reality, you have to look at the threat. And that drives -- that's driven from the intelligence system. The trouble is right now that the intelligence system has been terribly upset. The old models were broken. And now we're trying to find new ways to get trends, to gist what's being said in signals intelligence.

Then, based on that threat that's developed from intelligence, that's how you spend your money. Of course, people don't want to hear that when there's an isolated incident. Even though U.S. officials have said there's nothing specifically said that's targeting the railway system here, a world event like we've seen in Madrid can make people fearful, and that's what we're feeling.

COLLINS: All right, Kelly McCann, our terrorism expert this morning.

Kelly, thanks so much.

We do appreciate it.

MCCANN: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: We want to quickly ask you about our e-mail question this morning. Are you concerned that a Madrid-style attack could happen right here in the U.S.? Go ahead and e-mail us those concerns at wam@cnn.com. We will read your responses throughout the morning.

We are going to check some of the stories from around America, coming up, including details about a hefty reward for clues in the death of a federal prosecutor. And, someone should tell President Bush and John Kerry that this is a marathon, not a sprint. The two campaigns continue to slug it out over the airwaves.

We'll take a closer look at the ads making all the accusations.

You are watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

But first, picture this -- a Russian fisherman hoping for a bite as day breaks over the Finnish Gulf. The plastic bag is only protection from the wind and cold. That is one tough guy, don't you think?

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: Nine bodies, 10 empty caskets found in a house in Fresno, California. Seven of the victims are children. Police were called to this home 14 hours ago. A man who was barricaded in a bedroom there surrounded an hour after police got there and they are now questioning 57-year-old Marcus Wesson.

We want to get more information now on the investigation from Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.

He is joining us by telephone this morning.

Chief Dyer, thanks so much for being with us.

I can only imagine how busy you must be working on this investigation.

Can you get us up to speed? Can you tell us what it is that you're learning at this time?

DYER: Well, we're sifting through some of the evidence that we found inside the residence here where suspect Wesson was taken into custody. It took us a few hours to get all of the victims removed from the residence. First, we had to obtain a search warrant so that we could do the search, since it was his residence. And then the coroner's office has come out and done some preliminary testing for liver temperatures to -- which will assist us with determining the approximate time of death, which is important to us, and as well as the cause of death.

And so those are some of the preliminary things that we're doing. We have interviewed several of the neighbors out at the scene. We've interviewed the four women that were on the scene, which we believe to be the mothers of several of the victims that were inside of the residence; and then interviewing of the suspect, as well.

COLLINS: We are looking at some very upsetting video. I can only imagine what your officers found when they did go inside this home. The people that we're looking at here appear to be neighbors. You say that you have spoken with the mothers, as well, a couple of them, that is, and wondering how cooperative and how much information they are able to give you about this suspect.

DYER: Yes, we're in the preliminary phases, but some of the information that we have gleaned this far is that he was involved in relationships with four different women. I don't know if he considered those to be marriages or not, but they did mother the children of -- his children. And it is horrific. It's something that you'd hope that you'd never see in your career, but it's something that we face here and we're trying to do the best we can with a horrible situation.

COLLINS: I can certainly hear it in your voice, sir. And, again, we do appreciate you sharing what you know at this time.

I wanted to ask you about a couple of different details that we have here. And, again, I do respectfully understand that this is very early in the investigation. But we have something here that talked about how when police first arrived, Wesson and a group of people were in the front of the home and then those people -- he went back to the bedroom and those people were then taken out of the home.

Who were they? And they did survive, obviously.

DYER: Yes, there were four or five adults that were inside of the front part of the residence. And then there was the two females who had initially called the police. They were outside of the residence. They were the ones that were trying to gain entry to regain their children.

Once Wesson ran from the front room into the back bedroom and barricaded himself, we were able to get the other adults out of the residence. But Wesson remained behind. And we had been told at that time that perhaps he was armed with a firearm and we summoned our negotiators to the scene and, as well as our SWAT team. But before the SWAT team could get set up, Wesson did reappear, came out of the residence and did have what appeared to be blood on him. And it was cooperative. We were able to take him into custody and that's when the officers went into the room and discovered the victims lying in the bedroom.

COLLINS: Now, let me ask you, you mentioned that when he did go back into the room and then in the time that lapsed between when he was seen again with this potential firearm, did anyone hear gunshots? And are we sure that the people at this point were killed by gunfire?

DYER: Well, we're still not releasing information in terms of the cause of death. But there were no gunshots heard by our officers, who were at the residence. And it's very possible that these people were -- that the victims were killed prior to the officers even arriving at the scene. That's a very strong likelihood. But we won't know that until we're able to get the results back from the coroner's office in terms of the approximate time of death.

COLLINS: All right, Chief Dyer, again, we certainly appreciate your time this morning. We understand what a difficult situation this will be. The mayor is distraught, the police officers are going to be looking for counseling, neighbors and the rest of the extended family, I imagine, will be doing the same.

Chief Jerry Dyer, thanks so much, live from Fresno by telephone this morning.

We will continue to keep our eye on this story and bring you anything that comes up to date as it does.

We want to go ahead and take a look at some other stories now making headlines across America.

Not guilty, that's the plea lawyers for Joseph Smith entered in a Florida court yesterday. Smith is accused of kidnapping, raping and killing Carly Bruscia last month. He was not present at Friday's hearing. You might remember the case gained national attention after a surveillance camera caught images of Bruscia being led away by a mysterious man.

In Utah -- pardon me -- it may have been murder or even a suicide. That's what police in Pennsylvania are trying to determine as they continue investigating the death of Jonathan Luna. In December, the 38-year-old federal prosecutor was found face down in a creek in Lancaster. He had been stabbed 36 times. The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information on Luna's death.

If you haven't had time to keep up with the news this week, that's what we're here for. Let's rewind just for a moment now and look at some of the top stories.

In Madrid, bombs go off on four commuter trains, killing 200 people. It is the deadliest terrorist attack in Europe since PanAm's Flight 103 exploded over Scotland in 1988.

The older D.C. area sniper John Allen Muhammad is sentenced to death. The younger one, Lee Boyd Malvo, get life in prison.

Haiti gets a new prime minister. Gerard Latortue returns from Florida to assume that role. And Massachusetts lawmakers move closer to an amendment that would ban same-sex marriages but legalize civil unions. And San Francisco complies with a state supreme order to halt gay marriages until the court holds hearings.

And, of course, tomorrow we will fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

One hundred ten years later, a family seeks to set the record straight for an ancestor they say was wrongly accused. They're looking to clear the Reverend Henry Plummer more than a century after his dishonorable discharge from the U.S. Army. That story coming up, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: Rob Marciano joining us now to talk a little weather.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Riley, her son's birthday, was Wednesday and she was happy to report to me that there was nice weather, so.

COLLINS: Yes, so thanks for that.

MARCIANO: Did you have a little party outside?

COLLINS: We had a two day long party, actually. We're all still recovering, yes.

MARCIANO: You need to have another child so you don't spoil this one so much.

COLLINS: Yes, I know.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: We want to go ahead and take a moment to update our top story now.

Police in Fresno, California are still on the scene this morning of some grizzly killings. Police who responded to a child custody call Friday found nine bodies and 10 coffins inside a home. The victims range in age from 20 to one. All are believed to be the children of the prime suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM KGPE TV)

DYER: Nine of the victims were positioned in such a way that they were either on top of each other or very close to one another.

QUESTION: All in the same room?

DYER: All nine victims were in the same room. Again, there was a lot of clothing that was strewn about the room and intertwined with them. So it was very difficult to determine the actual number until we were able to move each of the bodies. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The suspect, 57-year-old Marcus Wesson, who had barricaded himself inside the home, is now in police custody and Chief Dyer also told us just moments ago Wesson was in relationships with four different women.

Claims of physical abuse and forced drug use from one former detainee at GITMO. We hear his accusation against the U.S. military coming up in just a moment.

And what's all the fuss in Donald Rumsfeld's office? Details when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Getting some medical tests every year could increase your chances of a long, healthy life. Heart disease is the number one killer. So have your blood pressure and cholesterol checked and look for other warning signs. Women also need a pap smear to detect one of the most preventable diseases women face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you at least go every single year and get screened, you should not get cervical cancer.

FEIG: Breast cancer accounts for one of every three cancers diagnosed in women, so doctors recommend yearly mammography for women in their 40s and older. Experts say you should be your own health advocate and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Christy Feig, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: In Tennessee, police are waiting to make a move in a stand-off with a heavily armed 16-year-old that's left one officer dead and four injured. Yesterday, police responded to a domestic violence call at the boy's home. They were turned back by heavy gunfire as they approached.

It could be the biggest restatement in corporate U.S. history. In 2000 and 2001, MCI/WorldCom reported huge profits. Now, the company says it should have shown a combined loss of nearly $65 billion. The long awaited restatement totaled more than $74 billion in additional expenses over the two years.

And the U.S. military is launching Operation Mountain Storm in Afghanistan to catch Osama bin Laden and to destroy al Qaeda. Officials say it will involve a small scale air assault as well as an on the ground offensive. Bin Laden is believed to be hiding in the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Well, this item might surprise you a little bit. Defense Chief Donald Rumsfeld keeps a souvenir from the September 11 attacks. It's a shard of metal from the plane that hit the Pentagon. A Justice Department probe found Rumsfeld and a top FBI official have souvenirs from both attack scenes. The investigation also found an FBI supervisor was asked to obtain items from the World Trade Center attacks to give to dignitaries.

A former prisoner at Guantanamo Bay claims he was mistreated while in U.S. custody. The former detainee, one of five British nationals released Tuesday, says he was physically abused and injected with drugs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, they come asking giving injections for whatever reason that they give. You know, I asked them all to explain why. They just say no, you have to take an injection and that's it. I said no, if I don't know what it is, I don't need it. I said I'm healthy. And they said no, you have to, we don't have no choice. And then they (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and then they just beat you up and then put me in chains. And they gave me it by force and put me in isolation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The Pentagon tells CNN that claim is false. The detainees are being held as unlawful combatants rather than prisoners of war and are not officially covered by the Geneva Convention.

And now to a military story of a different sort, this one from the Army's past. It involves a disgraced chaplain, a special code of honor and an attempt to set the record straight.

CNN's Elaine Quijano reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Reverend L. Jerome Fowler wants to set the record straight about why his great uncle, Henry Plummer, was dishonorably discharged from the Army in 1894.

REV. L. JEROME FOWLER, COMMITTEE TO CLEAR CHAPLAIN PLUMMER: A man's most precious possession is his name. And his name was disgraced.

QUIJANO: Born a slave in Maryland, Plummer became the first African-American chaplain appointed to the regular army. His supporters included the prominent abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, who recommended him for the job.

In 1884, Plummer was assigned to the 9th Calvary, part of the famed African-American regiment known as the Buffalo Soldiers, where he served as chaplain for 10 years. But while celebrating a soldier's promotion in 1894, Chaplain Plummer had a drink in the presence of three sergeants. One of them, who family members believe held a grudge against Plummer, filed a complaint, eventually leading to a court martial. The alleged offense -- conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.

Historian Lee Ryan (ph).

LEE RYAN: The commanding officers wanted to get rid of Chaplain Plummer.

QUIJANO: He was found guilty, dismissed from the Army and for years fought in vain to exonerate himself.

FOWLER: Henry Plummer was humiliated. He was drummed out of the military that he loved so dearly.

QUIJANO: Now, a group of family members and historians wants the Army to overturn his conviction. They believe bigotry by his commanding officers, who were white, played a major role in Plummer's dishonorable discharge.

RYAN: He was a troublemaker as far as they were concerned, because he stood up for himself and for others.

QUIJANO: More than a century later, the family has filed an application to correct Plummer's military record. So far, the Army board for correction of military records hasn't made a final decision yet. In a statement, an official said, "An applicant must prove an error or injustice by a preponderance of evidence" and that the board will consider any application brought be it.

Family members hope their work makes a convincing case to restore Plummer's good name and what they believe is his honorable place in history.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Plenty more ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

At 8:15, we'll talk more about the controversial arrest in Utah of a mother who refused a C-section to deliver twins. One of the twins died. Now, she is charged with murder.

At 9:00, a 2,200 mile walk is hard enough, but even more difficult on one leg. Why one man refuses to end an effort to inspire others.

And some things deserve a second chance, some things don't. What to know when you go secondhand shopping. That's coming up at 9:45.

But up next, just what are we supposed to believe when it comes to the political ads we see on TV? We'll dissect the last campaign commercials.

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: Just wreckage up in Charlotte? Well, Good morning to you. We'll have your forecast coming up in about 15 minutes. You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: Nearly eight months left in the presidential campaign and we're getting some pretty hard hitting ads from both candidates now. A fact check from Howard Kurtz, host of CNN's "Reliable Sources."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

03120003.v15

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Only in the middle of March. Well, fodder for the political pundits this week includes those ads, the latest opinion polls and a John Kerry comment to a worker in Chicago, a comment that may or may not have been off the cuff.

Joining us now to talk about all of this, Andrea Seabrook, congressional reporter for National Public Radio.

Andrea, thanks for being here once again.

You know, we keep hearing all of this about the gloves are off or dirty politics. It's not so dirty. I mean isn't this the expected game?

ANDREA SEABROOK, NPR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, it is, though I think there is something to be said for a little bit of a surprise that it's going on so early, especially the sort of negative attacks. Usually you see more of a positive angle in the beginning of a campaign and people trying to get their message out there on all kinds of, you know, policy issues, domestic policy, foreign policy.

Instead, because, I think, the whole campaign started early, especially the primary campaign, you have them already hurling, you know, grenades at each other. And we may -- you know, I can't see it getting any better than this, that's for sure.

COLLINS: Why do you think they started so early doing that? Could they just not hold back anymore?

SEABROOK: Well, actually, I think a lot of it has to do with Republicans in the White House and in Congress being concerned with leads that they see Kerry has. I mean these latest CNN/Gallup polls shows...

COLLINS: But now, wait a minute. Kerry started his campaigning long before Bush and has been launching these ads, these attack ads, if you will, or however -- whatever we're going to call them, negative ads -- before Bush.

SEABROOK: Well, that's true. But remember, it's the game of a primary challenger to first set himself apart from other primary challengers, but then to attack his man opponent, which is going to be the White House. So you'd think that the White House would put itself, you know, above this sort of thing. Usually they do, at least at this part of, this stage of the game. I mean even in Congress, just the day before yesterday, I sat across the table from Majority Leader Bill Frist of the Senate, Majority Leader Tom DeLay of the House, Speaker Hastert. They were sitting there one after another, the top brass of the Republican Party in Congress, lobbing shells at John Kerry. And you'd think at this point they would sort of brush him off, saying, oh, we're in an election year.

COLLINS: And the other thinking, of course, might be that they would certainly have to, or feel compelled to answer some of the claims -- and claims that I'm sure they disagree with -- from some of those ads from Kerry.

I mean surely that is something that would be understandable, as well?

SEABROOK: Sure. Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, and that's exactly what Kerry is doing today, as well, is responding to claims that he says are incorrect in the ads of President Bush.

I don't think it's a bad policy that the president and Republicans begin to counter some of this stuff now. I think it's probably what they have to do. It's just interesting to see it so early in the year.

COLLINS: All right, quickly, Andrea, we're running out of time, we want to put the latest polls up, though, on the screen, if we could, quickly.

SEABROOK: Yes.

COLLINS: We're looking at some differences here between John Kerry and President Bush. Of course, looking at, first of all, NBC/"Wall Street Journal" has Kerry at 45 percent, Bush at 47; ABC and "Washington Post" has Kerry at 53, Bush at 44; and our poll, CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup, Kerry at 52, Bush at 44.

Quickly, what does this tell us? Anything at this point?

SEABROOK: Well, it tells us that it is close. It is a possible repeat of 2000 in terms of how incredibly divided this country is. And we're going to see these numbers flip around within 10 points of these numbers, I think, for the coming months.

COLLINS: All right, Andrea Seabrook, appreciate your time this morning, our NPR congressional correspondent.

SEABROOK: It's my pleasure.

COLLINS: Thanks so much.

SEABROOK: My pleasure.

COLLINS: The terror attacks in Spain this week once again put the world on alert. Could it happen again and could it happen here in the United States?

Coming up, we'll get your opinion, as you get set to start your day.

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: A little evanescence there, "Fallen," you can see it number three on the Billboard Top 5.

Well, if you are in the mood for a movie this weekend and wondering what's new on the big screen, you've come to the right place. Here's what's now showing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "AGENT CODY BANKS 2")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got a clue, right? I've got (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, OK. OK. Cumar (ph), all we need is a back door, man. What we got?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Fifty-year-old CIA Agent Cody Banks is back in action. This time his destination is jolly old Britain, where he has to find a double agent with a top secret mind control device. To disguise himself, the "Malcolm in the Middle" star enrolls in an upscale private school, where he has to join a school orchestra and play the violin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "SECRET WINDOW")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You stole my story.

JOHNNY DEPP: I don't believe I know you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that. That doesn't matter. I know you, Mr. Rainey. That's what matters. You stole my story.

DEPP: You're mistaken.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Eeew. Johnny Depp must have picked up some bad habits from Jayson Blair. The Oscar nominee stars as a recently divorced writer taking some time off at his lake house. Things, though, get a little crazy when he meets his stalker, a psychotic wannabe who claims Depp's character stole his best story idea and just changed the ending. Needless to say, the thriller is an adaptation of Steven King's "Secret Window, Secret Garden."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "SPARTAN")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A girl fell off a boat. She's dead. I'm on leave. I don't know nothing about Dubai. I don't know what the hell you want with me. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Politics, kidnapping and espionage mix in the thriller "Spartan." Secret agents Scott and Curtis are on a search and rescue mission, trying to find the kidnapped daughter of a high ranking politician. Instead, they discover a white slavery ring. When the girl they are looking for is reported dead, they start a dangerous unofficial investigation of their own. Hmmm.

Well, how far would you go to make a baby? One in every six couples face infertility battles at least once in their lives. Extreme baby making gives more families a chance to have kids, but at what cost?

Find out today on our Weekend House Call.

Holly Firfer will have the insights in about 40 minutes from now. That's at 8:30 Eastern.

Ready for the Wows of the Week? How about this rhino drill from Japan? Wow, that's for sure. Explanations ahead as CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: Time now for our Wows of the Week, stories that just beg for one more look.

And, oh, my, look out. It's a rampaging paper mache rhino. Isn't that scary? This is how Japanese zoo officials practice subduing wild animals running amok in, oh, say, a shopping mall. It could happen, right? Plan B apparently is to summon Godzilla.

OK, and this is how the universe looked in its infancy some 13 billion years ago. The Hubble telescope used two high tech cameras and an 11 day exposure to get these images. It was just one tiny patch of the sky that looks completely empty from Earth. But, hey, that's a good picture.

Can we put that rhino thing up again? I mean do the people -- are they serious? Do the people really...

MARCIANO: Hey, there's mama...

COLLINS: ... think that's a real -- you know, our producer was saying we should get Barney to come out and there and kind of kick it around a little bit.

MARCIANO: Nah, listen, hey, prepare for the worst, Heidi, and hope for the best.

COLLINS: There's Tank. Oh, Rob.

MARCIANO: I'll tell you what, that's a -- you know what? A lot of work went into that rhino.

COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: You know, the paper mache is smooth, nice coloring and great acting, obviously.

COLLINS: Yes, great acting.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: We also want to check our top stories now.

Police in Fresno, California are still at the scene of some horrific killings this morning. When officers arrived yesterday, they found nine bodies and 10 empty coffins. All of the victims are believed to be the children of the prime suspect, who is now in police custody.

The death toll in the Spain train bombings rises to 200 today. Police are looking for three men seen in ski masks carrying backpacks to a train station. But the government says the Basque separatist group ETA remains its number one suspect.

And we have been asking you this question all day, are you concerned a Madrid style attack could happen in the U.S.?

We've got some of your responses now.

Coming to us from Art in Hamilton, New York: "After we invaded Iraq, I remember waiting at the Pentagon Station to change trains and thinking that this was just not one of the safer places to be. I thought all the time about how I would escape if there was an attack, and I tend not to be an alarmist. Anything like this would bring most large cities to a grinding halt, so it's got to be a big target for terrorists."

Also one from Houston, Texas: "surely they will attack us again, but we will fight back and we will defeat them. Every time I go to work, go out on weekends, I'm always on the alert. Anything I might see that looks suspicious, I will notify the authorities. You never know what you might be preventing."

Isn't that the truth?

Well, the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

Madrid and U.S. Vulnerability to Similar Attack>

Aired March 13, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

It is March 13.

Once again, good morning to you.

I'm Heidi Collins.

We do have some terrible news to tell you about this morning. A horrible discovery, in fact, in Fresno, California, where police have found the bodies of nine people, mostly children. A man believed to be the children's father is in custody. We will have the latest in a live report coming up in just a few moments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Montse, listen, I'm -- I'm in Atocha. There's been a bomb in the train and we've had (screams).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Firsthand evidence of the terror in this week's bomb attacks in Spain.

Plus, we'll talk with our own terror expert about the same risk here in America.

And the gloves are off in John Kerry versus George W. Bush. Who will land in the next big blow in the heavyweight battle of the campaign ads? We'll talk politics in about 30 minutes.

But first, here's a look at what's happening at this hour.

As we said, nine bodies and 10 empty caskets found in a house in Fresno, California. Seven of the victims are children. Police were called to the home 14 hours ago. A man who was barricaded in a bedroom there surrendered an hour after police got there. They are now questioning 57-year-old Marcus Wesson.

Police may move this morning on a home in Lenore City, Tennessee, where a heavily armed teenager has been holed up for nearly 24 hours. The 16-year-old boy is suspected of killing one police officer and wounding four others in a shootout. One hundred fifty officers have surrounded the home.

A search for suspects going on right now in the death of two American soldiers in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. A roadside bomb exploded about 10 hours ago as the soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division were on patrol in a Humvee. Five other soldiers were wounded in that blast.

And just within the last hour, the U.N. Atomic Energy Agency decides to defer the threat of Security Council action against Iran until June. That comes as Iran halts a nuclear inspection program for the four day Islamic new year holiday. The nuclear watchdog agency is trying to verify Iran's claims that its nuclear program is peaceful.

Our top story now this hour, the mayor of Fresno, California calls it a domestic situation and the police chief says there may have been some type of ritual involved. And the scene in the home where the nine bodies were found, seven of them children, was so horrific that several police officers are now receiving counseling. Others are questioning the suspect in the killing.

Amy Allen of KGPE is live now in Fresno -- Amy.

AMY ALLEN, KGPE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, the investigation continues this morning. Right now, crime scene investigators are still inside the home, going piece by piece, trying to find clues into this bizarre murder. It's just across the street from where we're standing right now. Of course, many in this country wondering how a man who they say is the children's father could possibly kill them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN (voice-over): One by one, nine bodies pulled from the home, a neighborhood, even a city, shattered by what police call the worst homicide in Fresno history. Fresno Mayor Allan Autry came to the scene in the late night hours. MAYOR ALLAN AUTRY, FRESNO, CALIFORNIA: We will never be the same. That doesn't mean that we can't and won't be better. I feel we will. Out of tragedy, people come together.

ALLEN: Mayor Autry's grief matched by seasoned officers. Several were put on administrative leave because of emotional distress caused by viewing the horrific scene. Fresno's police chief has been with the department for 25 years and says he's never seen anything like this.

CHIEF JERRY DYER, FRESNO POLICE: You see the bodies being removed from the scene, especially the children. And so it's an emotional, it's a very emotional night, a very traumatic night for everyone involved.

ALLEN: With the victims taken from the crime scene, investigators spent the early morning hours processing the scene, collecting evidence and putting together the bizarre clues. And as sunrise grew closer, the city looked towards healing.

AUTRY: We're going to get through this. This is tough. This is real tough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN: And still many unanswered questions this morning -- how did this happen, why, the cause of death. Police say they know but they don't want to release the details. Sources tell me it was a gruesome death. They're trying to protect these families. Once again, police believe all the victims were the children of this man. The suspect in this case is in county jail at this hour being questioned. They expect to be out here on the scene of the murders for quite some time.

We're live in Fresno. Reporting for CNN, I'm Amy Allen -- Heidi, back to you.

COLLINS: Amy, let me ask you just a couple of quick questions, if I could. We've been hearing that there has been some cooperation coming from the apparent mothers that are still alive in this situation, that police are getting. So some information coming to them from them. Also wondering about the cooperation, possibly, from the suspect, Wesson.

ALLEN: I haven't heard much about the suspect. We understand he is being question. We believe this hour he is in jail. But they took him into custody yesterday and started questioning him. As for the mothers, we understand there's up to four mothers in this case. We know at least two were out here earlier. There's talk some others may have come out to the scene. That is unclear, though. We understand they're the ones who initially called police. This was a domestic dispute. Two of them came to the home trying to get the children back from this man. That's what started this whole thing earlier today.

COLLINS: All right, Amy Allen, we know it's a terrible, story, especially for a Saturday morning. We appreciate you bringing it to us.

From KGPE live in Fresno for us, Amy Allen.

We also want to let you know that we will be talking with the police chief of Fresno coming up in just a little bit to try and get some more information. And we'll follow the story throughout the morning.

We want to turn now to Spain. It is a nation overwhelmed by grief. The death toll from this week's commuter train bombings in Madrid has risen to 200 today.

We have a chilling phone call of a woman who was on one of the trains. She called her mother as the bombs started going off and left this message on her answering machine.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Montse, listen, I'm -- I'm in Atocha. There's been a bomb in the train and we've had (screams).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Of course, we do want to let you know that the woman did survive the attack.

Relatives of those killed in the commuter train bombings are beginning to bury and cremate the dead today. Those funerals come as Spain prepares for tomorrow's general elections. And the divisive issue of who's to blame from the terrorist attacks my have consequences at the ballot box and beyond.

CNN's Brent Sadler joining us now from Madrid with more on that -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Heidi.

You joined me live at Atocha Railway Station in the center of Madrid. It was here where as many as half of those victims were killed in Thursday's series of horrific bomb blasts.

Now, I'm just standing in front of the main entrance to the railway station here. And over the past 24, 48 hours, a whole carpet of personal wreaths and candles have been laid out here by passersby, by commuters who use this station regularly. They are messages of sympathy for the victims and messages of absolute outrage and anger at what happened with those 200 victims so far being killed in those series of devastating bomb blasts.

As you say, later this day there will be funerals for dozens of those killed and many, many more will take place in the coming days.

So the mood here in Madrid, I have to tell you, is absolutely somber. I have rarely seen a capital city, in my many years of traveling across the world, showing such an expression of anger and sympathy and outrage at what has happened.

Now, on the sites of the bomb blasts themselves, investigators continue to try and work out who was responsible for these bomb attacks. The government continues to point the main finger of suspicion at the Basque separatist group ETA. But, also, there are other suspicions that Islamic extremists may have been involved -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Brent Sadler joining us from Madrid live this morning.

Brent, thanks so much.

You can see how people are still very much in shock there.

Security officials, though, in this country have tightened safety measures at rail systems. One Amtrak conductor says we're totally vulnerable.

Terrorism expert Kelly McCann joining us now with some insights on this, as well. Totally vulnerable certainly does not sound very good -- Kelly.

J. KELLY MCCANN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: No, it doesn't. But if you think about it, Heidi, look at the volume of people that travel just in the Northeast Corridor and not -- and then consider how many miles of unprotected railway there is. And, of course, it's an impossibility to secure those miles and miles and miles of railway.

COLLINS: Yes, and let's talk about that for a minute, because there are a couple of articles out this morning on this and how much money is going to be put into it, I believe about $500 million or so, to make some upgrades in security. But the areas that they are really concentrating on are these busy areas -- Washington to New York, for example.

ttualbat, especially if you are a person who is using that system on a regular basis.

MCCANN: Well, remember, this is pure terror. I mean, think about it, terrorism is only as good as it makes you feel like it could touch your life. And think of all the commuters that do use the railway system. So that's why any of these incidents bring us back to that reality that we're not out of this yet.

But primarily you're looking at surveillance, surveillance detection, electronic surveillance measures. You're looking at electronic imaging, passenger screening, baggage screening. I mean a tremendous amount of effort has already gone into transportation and I think that this may mean some more money is going to be spent which, of course, could adversely affect this administration, as you try to battle that and put it in a line item that's acceptable in the budget.

COLLINS: In fact, you say that you can either go for the deluxe model of security or just standard security.

MCCANN: That's exactly right. It's just like a time and materials contract -- how secure do you want to be and how much money do you have to spend.

COLLINS: So what is it that they will try to do? As you say, we're going to be looking at some surveillance cameras, probably; some, hopefully some more guards. Amtrak itself, I know, is starting to invest in more guards, if you will, within their own company.

But overall, I mean the system isn't going to be shut down. People are going to be using this, this mass transit system.

MCCANN: As they should. I mean we can't let this interfere with our normal lives. But the problem is, is we have to, in order to keep it in reality, you have to look at the threat. And that drives -- that's driven from the intelligence system. The trouble is right now that the intelligence system has been terribly upset. The old models were broken. And now we're trying to find new ways to get trends, to gist what's being said in signals intelligence.

Then, based on that threat that's developed from intelligence, that's how you spend your money. Of course, people don't want to hear that when there's an isolated incident. Even though U.S. officials have said there's nothing specifically said that's targeting the railway system here, a world event like we've seen in Madrid can make people fearful, and that's what we're feeling.

COLLINS: All right, Kelly McCann, our terrorism expert this morning.

Kelly, thanks so much.

We do appreciate it.

MCCANN: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: We want to quickly ask you about our e-mail question this morning. Are you concerned that a Madrid-style attack could happen right here in the U.S.? Go ahead and e-mail us those concerns at wam@cnn.com. We will read your responses throughout the morning.

We are going to check some of the stories from around America, coming up, including details about a hefty reward for clues in the death of a federal prosecutor. And, someone should tell President Bush and John Kerry that this is a marathon, not a sprint. The two campaigns continue to slug it out over the airwaves.

We'll take a closer look at the ads making all the accusations.

You are watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

But first, picture this -- a Russian fisherman hoping for a bite as day breaks over the Finnish Gulf. The plastic bag is only protection from the wind and cold. That is one tough guy, don't you think?

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: Nine bodies, 10 empty caskets found in a house in Fresno, California. Seven of the victims are children. Police were called to this home 14 hours ago. A man who was barricaded in a bedroom there surrounded an hour after police got there and they are now questioning 57-year-old Marcus Wesson.

We want to get more information now on the investigation from Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer.

He is joining us by telephone this morning.

Chief Dyer, thanks so much for being with us.

I can only imagine how busy you must be working on this investigation.

Can you get us up to speed? Can you tell us what it is that you're learning at this time?

DYER: Well, we're sifting through some of the evidence that we found inside the residence here where suspect Wesson was taken into custody. It took us a few hours to get all of the victims removed from the residence. First, we had to obtain a search warrant so that we could do the search, since it was his residence. And then the coroner's office has come out and done some preliminary testing for liver temperatures to -- which will assist us with determining the approximate time of death, which is important to us, and as well as the cause of death.

And so those are some of the preliminary things that we're doing. We have interviewed several of the neighbors out at the scene. We've interviewed the four women that were on the scene, which we believe to be the mothers of several of the victims that were inside of the residence; and then interviewing of the suspect, as well.

COLLINS: We are looking at some very upsetting video. I can only imagine what your officers found when they did go inside this home. The people that we're looking at here appear to be neighbors. You say that you have spoken with the mothers, as well, a couple of them, that is, and wondering how cooperative and how much information they are able to give you about this suspect.

DYER: Yes, we're in the preliminary phases, but some of the information that we have gleaned this far is that he was involved in relationships with four different women. I don't know if he considered those to be marriages or not, but they did mother the children of -- his children. And it is horrific. It's something that you'd hope that you'd never see in your career, but it's something that we face here and we're trying to do the best we can with a horrible situation.

COLLINS: I can certainly hear it in your voice, sir. And, again, we do appreciate you sharing what you know at this time.

I wanted to ask you about a couple of different details that we have here. And, again, I do respectfully understand that this is very early in the investigation. But we have something here that talked about how when police first arrived, Wesson and a group of people were in the front of the home and then those people -- he went back to the bedroom and those people were then taken out of the home.

Who were they? And they did survive, obviously.

DYER: Yes, there were four or five adults that were inside of the front part of the residence. And then there was the two females who had initially called the police. They were outside of the residence. They were the ones that were trying to gain entry to regain their children.

Once Wesson ran from the front room into the back bedroom and barricaded himself, we were able to get the other adults out of the residence. But Wesson remained behind. And we had been told at that time that perhaps he was armed with a firearm and we summoned our negotiators to the scene and, as well as our SWAT team. But before the SWAT team could get set up, Wesson did reappear, came out of the residence and did have what appeared to be blood on him. And it was cooperative. We were able to take him into custody and that's when the officers went into the room and discovered the victims lying in the bedroom.

COLLINS: Now, let me ask you, you mentioned that when he did go back into the room and then in the time that lapsed between when he was seen again with this potential firearm, did anyone hear gunshots? And are we sure that the people at this point were killed by gunfire?

DYER: Well, we're still not releasing information in terms of the cause of death. But there were no gunshots heard by our officers, who were at the residence. And it's very possible that these people were -- that the victims were killed prior to the officers even arriving at the scene. That's a very strong likelihood. But we won't know that until we're able to get the results back from the coroner's office in terms of the approximate time of death.

COLLINS: All right, Chief Dyer, again, we certainly appreciate your time this morning. We understand what a difficult situation this will be. The mayor is distraught, the police officers are going to be looking for counseling, neighbors and the rest of the extended family, I imagine, will be doing the same.

Chief Jerry Dyer, thanks so much, live from Fresno by telephone this morning.

We will continue to keep our eye on this story and bring you anything that comes up to date as it does.

We want to go ahead and take a look at some other stories now making headlines across America.

Not guilty, that's the plea lawyers for Joseph Smith entered in a Florida court yesterday. Smith is accused of kidnapping, raping and killing Carly Bruscia last month. He was not present at Friday's hearing. You might remember the case gained national attention after a surveillance camera caught images of Bruscia being led away by a mysterious man.

In Utah -- pardon me -- it may have been murder or even a suicide. That's what police in Pennsylvania are trying to determine as they continue investigating the death of Jonathan Luna. In December, the 38-year-old federal prosecutor was found face down in a creek in Lancaster. He had been stabbed 36 times. The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for information on Luna's death.

If you haven't had time to keep up with the news this week, that's what we're here for. Let's rewind just for a moment now and look at some of the top stories.

In Madrid, bombs go off on four commuter trains, killing 200 people. It is the deadliest terrorist attack in Europe since PanAm's Flight 103 exploded over Scotland in 1988.

The older D.C. area sniper John Allen Muhammad is sentenced to death. The younger one, Lee Boyd Malvo, get life in prison.

Haiti gets a new prime minister. Gerard Latortue returns from Florida to assume that role. And Massachusetts lawmakers move closer to an amendment that would ban same-sex marriages but legalize civil unions. And San Francisco complies with a state supreme order to halt gay marriages until the court holds hearings.

And, of course, tomorrow we will fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

One hundred ten years later, a family seeks to set the record straight for an ancestor they say was wrongly accused. They're looking to clear the Reverend Henry Plummer more than a century after his dishonorable discharge from the U.S. Army. That story coming up, when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: Rob Marciano joining us now to talk a little weather.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Riley, her son's birthday, was Wednesday and she was happy to report to me that there was nice weather, so.

COLLINS: Yes, so thanks for that.

MARCIANO: Did you have a little party outside?

COLLINS: We had a two day long party, actually. We're all still recovering, yes.

MARCIANO: You need to have another child so you don't spoil this one so much.

COLLINS: Yes, I know.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: We want to go ahead and take a moment to update our top story now.

Police in Fresno, California are still on the scene this morning of some grizzly killings. Police who responded to a child custody call Friday found nine bodies and 10 coffins inside a home. The victims range in age from 20 to one. All are believed to be the children of the prime suspect.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM KGPE TV)

DYER: Nine of the victims were positioned in such a way that they were either on top of each other or very close to one another.

QUESTION: All in the same room?

DYER: All nine victims were in the same room. Again, there was a lot of clothing that was strewn about the room and intertwined with them. So it was very difficult to determine the actual number until we were able to move each of the bodies. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The suspect, 57-year-old Marcus Wesson, who had barricaded himself inside the home, is now in police custody and Chief Dyer also told us just moments ago Wesson was in relationships with four different women.

Claims of physical abuse and forced drug use from one former detainee at GITMO. We hear his accusation against the U.S. military coming up in just a moment.

And what's all the fuss in Donald Rumsfeld's office? Details when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Getting some medical tests every year could increase your chances of a long, healthy life. Heart disease is the number one killer. So have your blood pressure and cholesterol checked and look for other warning signs. Women also need a pap smear to detect one of the most preventable diseases women face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you at least go every single year and get screened, you should not get cervical cancer.

FEIG: Breast cancer accounts for one of every three cancers diagnosed in women, so doctors recommend yearly mammography for women in their 40s and older. Experts say you should be your own health advocate and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Christy Feig, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: In Tennessee, police are waiting to make a move in a stand-off with a heavily armed 16-year-old that's left one officer dead and four injured. Yesterday, police responded to a domestic violence call at the boy's home. They were turned back by heavy gunfire as they approached.

It could be the biggest restatement in corporate U.S. history. In 2000 and 2001, MCI/WorldCom reported huge profits. Now, the company says it should have shown a combined loss of nearly $65 billion. The long awaited restatement totaled more than $74 billion in additional expenses over the two years.

And the U.S. military is launching Operation Mountain Storm in Afghanistan to catch Osama bin Laden and to destroy al Qaeda. Officials say it will involve a small scale air assault as well as an on the ground offensive. Bin Laden is believed to be hiding in the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Well, this item might surprise you a little bit. Defense Chief Donald Rumsfeld keeps a souvenir from the September 11 attacks. It's a shard of metal from the plane that hit the Pentagon. A Justice Department probe found Rumsfeld and a top FBI official have souvenirs from both attack scenes. The investigation also found an FBI supervisor was asked to obtain items from the World Trade Center attacks to give to dignitaries.

A former prisoner at Guantanamo Bay claims he was mistreated while in U.S. custody. The former detainee, one of five British nationals released Tuesday, says he was physically abused and injected with drugs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, they come asking giving injections for whatever reason that they give. You know, I asked them all to explain why. They just say no, you have to take an injection and that's it. I said no, if I don't know what it is, I don't need it. I said I'm healthy. And they said no, you have to, we don't have no choice. And then they (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and then they just beat you up and then put me in chains. And they gave me it by force and put me in isolation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The Pentagon tells CNN that claim is false. The detainees are being held as unlawful combatants rather than prisoners of war and are not officially covered by the Geneva Convention.

And now to a military story of a different sort, this one from the Army's past. It involves a disgraced chaplain, a special code of honor and an attempt to set the record straight.

CNN's Elaine Quijano reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Reverend L. Jerome Fowler wants to set the record straight about why his great uncle, Henry Plummer, was dishonorably discharged from the Army in 1894.

REV. L. JEROME FOWLER, COMMITTEE TO CLEAR CHAPLAIN PLUMMER: A man's most precious possession is his name. And his name was disgraced.

QUIJANO: Born a slave in Maryland, Plummer became the first African-American chaplain appointed to the regular army. His supporters included the prominent abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, who recommended him for the job.

In 1884, Plummer was assigned to the 9th Calvary, part of the famed African-American regiment known as the Buffalo Soldiers, where he served as chaplain for 10 years. But while celebrating a soldier's promotion in 1894, Chaplain Plummer had a drink in the presence of three sergeants. One of them, who family members believe held a grudge against Plummer, filed a complaint, eventually leading to a court martial. The alleged offense -- conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.

Historian Lee Ryan (ph).

LEE RYAN: The commanding officers wanted to get rid of Chaplain Plummer.

QUIJANO: He was found guilty, dismissed from the Army and for years fought in vain to exonerate himself.

FOWLER: Henry Plummer was humiliated. He was drummed out of the military that he loved so dearly.

QUIJANO: Now, a group of family members and historians wants the Army to overturn his conviction. They believe bigotry by his commanding officers, who were white, played a major role in Plummer's dishonorable discharge.

RYAN: He was a troublemaker as far as they were concerned, because he stood up for himself and for others.

QUIJANO: More than a century later, the family has filed an application to correct Plummer's military record. So far, the Army board for correction of military records hasn't made a final decision yet. In a statement, an official said, "An applicant must prove an error or injustice by a preponderance of evidence" and that the board will consider any application brought be it.

Family members hope their work makes a convincing case to restore Plummer's good name and what they believe is his honorable place in history.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Plenty more ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

At 8:15, we'll talk more about the controversial arrest in Utah of a mother who refused a C-section to deliver twins. One of the twins died. Now, she is charged with murder.

At 9:00, a 2,200 mile walk is hard enough, but even more difficult on one leg. Why one man refuses to end an effort to inspire others.

And some things deserve a second chance, some things don't. What to know when you go secondhand shopping. That's coming up at 9:45.

But up next, just what are we supposed to believe when it comes to the political ads we see on TV? We'll dissect the last campaign commercials.

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: Just wreckage up in Charlotte? Well, Good morning to you. We'll have your forecast coming up in about 15 minutes. You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: Nearly eight months left in the presidential campaign and we're getting some pretty hard hitting ads from both candidates now. A fact check from Howard Kurtz, host of CNN's "Reliable Sources."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Only in the middle of March. Well, fodder for the political pundits this week includes those ads, the latest opinion polls and a John Kerry comment to a worker in Chicago, a comment that may or may not have been off the cuff.

Joining us now to talk about all of this, Andrea Seabrook, congressional reporter for National Public Radio.

Andrea, thanks for being here once again.

You know, we keep hearing all of this about the gloves are off or dirty politics. It's not so dirty. I mean isn't this the expected game?

ANDREA SEABROOK, NPR CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Well, it is, though I think there is something to be said for a little bit of a surprise that it's going on so early, especially the sort of negative attacks. Usually you see more of a positive angle in the beginning of a campaign and people trying to get their message out there on all kinds of, you know, policy issues, domestic policy, foreign policy.

Instead, because, I think, the whole campaign started early, especially the primary campaign, you have them already hurling, you know, grenades at each other. And we may -- you know, I can't see it getting any better than this, that's for sure.

COLLINS: Why do you think they started so early doing that? Could they just not hold back anymore?

SEABROOK: Well, actually, I think a lot of it has to do with Republicans in the White House and in Congress being concerned with leads that they see Kerry has. I mean these latest CNN/Gallup polls shows...

COLLINS: But now, wait a minute. Kerry started his campaigning long before Bush and has been launching these ads, these attack ads, if you will, or however -- whatever we're going to call them, negative ads -- before Bush.

SEABROOK: Well, that's true. But remember, it's the game of a primary challenger to first set himself apart from other primary challengers, but then to attack his man opponent, which is going to be the White House. So you'd think that the White House would put itself, you know, above this sort of thing. Usually they do, at least at this part of, this stage of the game. I mean even in Congress, just the day before yesterday, I sat across the table from Majority Leader Bill Frist of the Senate, Majority Leader Tom DeLay of the House, Speaker Hastert. They were sitting there one after another, the top brass of the Republican Party in Congress, lobbing shells at John Kerry. And you'd think at this point they would sort of brush him off, saying, oh, we're in an election year.

COLLINS: And the other thinking, of course, might be that they would certainly have to, or feel compelled to answer some of the claims -- and claims that I'm sure they disagree with -- from some of those ads from Kerry.

I mean surely that is something that would be understandable, as well?

SEABROOK: Sure. Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, and that's exactly what Kerry is doing today, as well, is responding to claims that he says are incorrect in the ads of President Bush.

I don't think it's a bad policy that the president and Republicans begin to counter some of this stuff now. I think it's probably what they have to do. It's just interesting to see it so early in the year.

COLLINS: All right, quickly, Andrea, we're running out of time, we want to put the latest polls up, though, on the screen, if we could, quickly.

SEABROOK: Yes.

COLLINS: We're looking at some differences here between John Kerry and President Bush. Of course, looking at, first of all, NBC/"Wall Street Journal" has Kerry at 45 percent, Bush at 47; ABC and "Washington Post" has Kerry at 53, Bush at 44; and our poll, CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup, Kerry at 52, Bush at 44.

Quickly, what does this tell us? Anything at this point?

SEABROOK: Well, it tells us that it is close. It is a possible repeat of 2000 in terms of how incredibly divided this country is. And we're going to see these numbers flip around within 10 points of these numbers, I think, for the coming months.

COLLINS: All right, Andrea Seabrook, appreciate your time this morning, our NPR congressional correspondent.

SEABROOK: It's my pleasure.

COLLINS: Thanks so much.

SEABROOK: My pleasure.

COLLINS: The terror attacks in Spain this week once again put the world on alert. Could it happen again and could it happen here in the United States?

Coming up, we'll get your opinion, as you get set to start your day.

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: A little evanescence there, "Fallen," you can see it number three on the Billboard Top 5.

Well, if you are in the mood for a movie this weekend and wondering what's new on the big screen, you've come to the right place. Here's what's now showing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "AGENT CODY BANKS 2")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got a clue, right? I've got (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, OK. OK. Cumar (ph), all we need is a back door, man. What we got?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Fifty-year-old CIA Agent Cody Banks is back in action. This time his destination is jolly old Britain, where he has to find a double agent with a top secret mind control device. To disguise himself, the "Malcolm in the Middle" star enrolls in an upscale private school, where he has to join a school orchestra and play the violin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "SECRET WINDOW")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You stole my story.

JOHNNY DEPP: I don't believe I know you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that. That doesn't matter. I know you, Mr. Rainey. That's what matters. You stole my story.

DEPP: You're mistaken.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Eeew. Johnny Depp must have picked up some bad habits from Jayson Blair. The Oscar nominee stars as a recently divorced writer taking some time off at his lake house. Things, though, get a little crazy when he meets his stalker, a psychotic wannabe who claims Depp's character stole his best story idea and just changed the ending. Needless to say, the thriller is an adaptation of Steven King's "Secret Window, Secret Garden."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "SPARTAN")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A girl fell off a boat. She's dead. I'm on leave. I don't know nothing about Dubai. I don't know what the hell you want with me. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Politics, kidnapping and espionage mix in the thriller "Spartan." Secret agents Scott and Curtis are on a search and rescue mission, trying to find the kidnapped daughter of a high ranking politician. Instead, they discover a white slavery ring. When the girl they are looking for is reported dead, they start a dangerous unofficial investigation of their own. Hmmm.

Well, how far would you go to make a baby? One in every six couples face infertility battles at least once in their lives. Extreme baby making gives more families a chance to have kids, but at what cost?

Find out today on our Weekend House Call.

Holly Firfer will have the insights in about 40 minutes from now. That's at 8:30 Eastern.

Ready for the Wows of the Week? How about this rhino drill from Japan? Wow, that's for sure. Explanations ahead as CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

COMMERCIAL

COLLINS: Time now for our Wows of the Week, stories that just beg for one more look.

And, oh, my, look out. It's a rampaging paper mache rhino. Isn't that scary? This is how Japanese zoo officials practice subduing wild animals running amok in, oh, say, a shopping mall. It could happen, right? Plan B apparently is to summon Godzilla.

OK, and this is how the universe looked in its infancy some 13 billion years ago. The Hubble telescope used two high tech cameras and an 11 day exposure to get these images. It was just one tiny patch of the sky that looks completely empty from Earth. But, hey, that's a good picture.

Can we put that rhino thing up again? I mean do the people -- are they serious? Do the people really...

MARCIANO: Hey, there's mama...

COLLINS: ... think that's a real -- you know, our producer was saying we should get Barney to come out and there and kind of kick it around a little bit.

MARCIANO: Nah, listen, hey, prepare for the worst, Heidi, and hope for the best.

COLLINS: There's Tank. Oh, Rob.

MARCIANO: I'll tell you what, that's a -- you know what? A lot of work went into that rhino.

COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: You know, the paper mache is smooth, nice coloring and great acting, obviously.

COLLINS: Yes, great acting.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: We also want to check our top stories now.

Police in Fresno, California are still at the scene of some horrific killings this morning. When officers arrived yesterday, they found nine bodies and 10 empty coffins. All of the victims are believed to be the children of the prime suspect, who is now in police custody.

The death toll in the Spain train bombings rises to 200 today. Police are looking for three men seen in ski masks carrying backpacks to a train station. But the government says the Basque separatist group ETA remains its number one suspect.

And we have been asking you this question all day, are you concerned a Madrid style attack could happen in the U.S.?

We've got some of your responses now.

Coming to us from Art in Hamilton, New York: "After we invaded Iraq, I remember waiting at the Pentagon Station to change trains and thinking that this was just not one of the safer places to be. I thought all the time about how I would escape if there was an attack, and I tend not to be an alarmist. Anything like this would bring most large cities to a grinding halt, so it's got to be a big target for terrorists."

Also one from Houston, Texas: "surely they will attack us again, but we will fight back and we will defeat them. Every time I go to work, go out on weekends, I'm always on the alert. Anything I might see that looks suspicious, I will notify the authorities. You never know what you might be preventing."

Isn't that the truth?

Well, the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.

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Madrid and U.S. Vulnerability to Similar Attack>