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CNN Saturday Morning News

Reversal for One of the Jena 6; O.J. Simpson a Suspect in Robbery Case; Good Grades and Video Games

Aired September 15, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, I'm T.J. Holmes, everybody, and this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, T.J.

HOLMES: Good morning to you, Betty.

NGUYEN: Good morning everybody out there. I'm Betty Nguyen.

We are talking O.J. Simpson on this Saturday. Just when you thought he couldn't get any more publicity, he was under the law enforcement microscope.

Also ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you don't make the grades, you don't play.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: If you don't make the grades, you don't play. A Florida store manager's policy on good grades and video games. Not everybody agrees here. Stick around.

But first, we're going to get started at this hour with a major reversal in a racially charged case that has split a town and a school. It's the case of the Jena six. The black teenagers in Louisiana charged with beating a white student last December. Now the conviction of one of those young men has been tossed out. Here is how we got to this point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES (voice over): The chain of events began under this tree at Jena High School. Like the town itself, the school is mostly white. The unwritten rule was that the tree was a meeting place for white students only. Last year, several black students sat under the tree. The next day, three nooses hung from the branches. To the black community, the message was clear.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was very offended. Because that's a racial slur against us.

HOLMES: But some white residents said it was no big deal. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think a couple boys made a mistake, you know? I think it's all been blown out of proportions.

HOLMES: From there, tension between white and black students escalated. Then in December, a white student, Justin Barker was knocked unconscious and kicked as he lay on the ground. Some said Barker provoked the fight, but his parents told us Justin didn't do anything and they believe he could have been killed.

KELLI BARKER, MOTHER OF BEATEN STUDENT: Several lacerations on both sides. Both of the ears were kind of really damaged. Both eyes, his right eye was the worst. It had blood clots in it.

HOLMES: This is the picture taken by police at the hospital. Justin was released the same day and attended a school ceremony that night. A few days later, six black classmates were charged with attempted murder. Carwyn Jones, Robert Bailey, Bryant Purvis, Robert Bailey Jr, and Theodore Shaw all faced the prospect of life in prison. A fifth teenager whose name hasn't been released was also charged with attempted murder as a juvenile.

Charges against Jones and Shaw were later reduced to aggravated and second degree battery and conspiracy to commit battery which could mean more than 20 years in prison. In June, Mychal Bell was the first to go on trial was found guilty of the same charges. He was supposed to be sentenced on September 20th. It had taken an all-white jury three hours to reach the verdict. Now, however, a Louisiana appeals court has ruled that Bell should have been tried as a juvenile and his adult convictions have been thrown out.

BOB NOEL, MYCHAL BELL'S ATTORNEY: We're happy right now, but tomorrow is another day. We are prepared for any contingency that may arise in this case. The first step was to get the conviction reversed. Now we have our hurdles that we have to go through with this particular case.

HOLMES: District Attorney Reed Walters now has the option of filing the same charges against Bell in juvenile court. In the meantime, Bell remains locked up in jail where he has been since the attack at the school last December.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: We have crews now in Jena to get reaction to the overturned conviction. We will have live reports from the town throughout this day. Also, we'll have a special report tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

HOLMES: What happens in Vegas isn't necessarily staying in Vegas. Police there are investigating O.J. Simpson looking into a possible armed robbery at a casino hotel.

CNN's Brian Todd has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Again suspected of possible involvement in a serious crime, again proclaiming his innocence. This time, it's robbery at a Las Vegas hotel. The alleged victim, a sports memorabilia collector, says former NFL star O.J. Simpson and several other men took items from him Thursday night in a room at the Palace Station Hotel. He described the incident to TMZ.com.

ALFRED BEARDSLEY, ALLEGED VICTIM: I was directed at gun point to pack the items up in the condition they were brought in.

TODD: Alfred Beardsley told TMZ.com Simpson seemed to be in charge. The Web site quotes Beardley's saying the group pretended to be customers interested in buying the suit Simpson wore when he was acquitted in 1995 of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. Simpson told the "Associated Press" quoted, "Everybody knows this is stolen stuff. Not only wasn't there a break-in, but Riccio came to the lobby and escorted us up to the room. In any event, it's stolen stuff that's mine. Nobody was roughed up."

The man Simpson mentioned auctioneer Thomas Riccio backs him up. But implied that someone else had a gun.

THOMAS RICCIO, SIMPSON ASSOCIATE: O.J. came in, did not break in, trying to get hit stuff back. He did not have any guns. He didn't have any gun with him. And he and his people confiscated the stuff. That's basically what happened. There was no break-in. O.J. was not the one with the gun and, you know, and he did not steal anything.

TODD: A Las Vegas police official was asked about weapons.

KTNV, CAPT. JAMES DILLON: We have reported from the victim that there were weapons involved. We have not determined that at this time and we have not recovered any weapons.

TODD: Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Joining me now to talk about O.J.'s latest legal trouble is attorney B.J. Bernstein here in Atlanta with us. Thanks for being with us.

B.J. BERNSTEIN, ATTORNEY: Good morning. Who would think we would be talking O.J. again?

NGUYEN: Here is the premise of what O.J. says as opposed to the alleged victim here. O.J. spoke with CNN's Ted Rowlands yesterday and simply said this is my stuff. The alleged victim says, no, this was a robbery and they came in with guns. In a case like that, if it was indeed O.J.'s items, does he have any legal room to stand on here?

BERNSTEIN: Well, the problem is this. Even though it may be your items, you can't bust into somebody else's room to get them. So he basically, from the start, has admitted to some sort of crime. And then the question is, how bad? Because if there were weapons involved, it's a much more serious crime. You're talking armed robbery. Because the people are present, there are guns. Even though O.J. may not have had a gun, if the people with him did and it's shown that it was a coordinated thing to go inside, then he is a party to a crime.

Under the law, you are treated the same as if the person who carries the gun. I can give you an example. With Michael Vick, he may not have been the actual one fighting the dogs, but we see now he had to plead guilty for being part of that same thing.

NGUYEN: So say Simpson is linked to an armed robber. What kind of charge? What kind of charges are we possibly looking at seeing Simpson face?

BERNSTEIN: Well armed robbery, certainly, or something akin to a home invasion. If there's no gun, it could still be robbery by intimidation where you don't have a weapon. And the distinction between burglaries, a lot of people have been saying burglary. It wouldn't be a burglary because there are people present and they're taking it from the people. And we're talking robbery. And what is interesting is why in the world O.J.'s lawyer is letting him talk to CNN or other news media ...

NGUYEN: But at the same time, O.J. Simpson, we've all heard of him and the case and all of that. Why would he even put himself out there in this kind of position if he didn't really feel like legally these were his items?

BERNSTEIN: Well, the thing is this. A lot of people think they're right, but the law says you're not. The self-help method, that's what he should learn. He knows about lawyers and he knows about litigation. If he thinks somebody has something that's yours, then you go to a lawyer. You file a demand or you go speak with the person and say, hey, these were stolen from me years ago. You shouldn't have had them. You don't just walk in cowboy style to go and get your things.

NGUYEN: We'll see how that one turns out.

But in the meantime, let's shift gears now to the Jena six cases, we understand there were six teenagers there in Louisiana who were originally charged with attempted murder in connection with the beating of a white kid. We have learned since Friday that an appeal court has thrown out one of the charges against one of the young man involved there. What do you think about that, Mychal Bell?

BERNSTEIN: It's huge for Mychal Bell and it is huge for the case. The question was, why did the DA charge like he did? Why did he overcharge? I think this brings up something that we saw in the Duke rape of procedural discretion and whether you're going too hard and what is your reasoning? This kid, everybody has been saying, it was 16, it was a school yard fight. To try him as an adult is absurd. And that is why he is facing all the prison time.

So wonderfully, the Louisiana Supreme Court did not lose them, but their Appellant Court has saved the day right now and said, wait a minute, this should have been treated as a kid. He is a kid.

NGUYEN: But it can still be treated that way, right? Can't the D.A. go back and file that in juvenile court?

BERNSTEIN: Right. But the consequences are much less. Normally in any other case when there is a fight at school, you see a school suspension and you see it handed over to law enforcement.

Absurd. This is an example, too, of the world speaking out. CNN, Michael Pasdin, a number of members of the African-American community have been fighting about what's wrong here.

NGUYEN: Let me ask you this very quickly. What does this say about the other young adults involved in here? The other teenagers involved.

BERNSTEIN: The other teenagers now have good standing to file motions and say their case also should be handled in juvenile court because they have a higher court telling this local judge, it's not what you say. It's what the law of Louisiana is and it should be in juvenile court.

NGUYEN: We will be watching. Thank you so much, B.J. Bernstein we for your insight.

And coming up next hour, our Ted Rowland does join us live from Las Vegas, as I mentioned a little bit earlier he spoke with O.J. Simpson and one of the alleged victims. We'll get more on that investigation.

HOLMES: New this morning, no strikes, more talks, negotiating for General Motors and United Autoworkers return to the bargain table today. Workers of factories around the country were poised for a possible strike. Their contract was set to expire at midnight. It's also seen as crucial to survival at GM and other automakers. Together, GM, Ford and Chrysler lost $15 billion last your. The central issue in the negotiations, the soaring costs for health care.

NGUYEN: Well Chrysler is recalling nearly 300,000 sport utility vehicles because of a potential brake system problem. This recall involves more than 156,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander SUVs and they're from the 2006 and the 2007 model years. It involved thousands of Jeep Wranglers and Dodge Nitro 2007 models. Chrysler says it has received complaints about vehicles having brake problems when drivers try to stop after coasting uphill. No injuries, though, have been reported and Chrysler says it needs to reprogram the computer connected to that brake system.

HOLMES: Also new this morning, Madeleine McCann's family says they will leave no stone unturned in the search for the 4 year old British girl. This morning, Madeleine's uncle announced the family will launch a new ad campaign. It will consistent of billboards and other media and mostly take place in Spain and Portugal. The little girl vanished in Portugal more than 4 months ago. Madeleine's parents Gerry and Kate McCann now have been named as suspects in the case, but they deny any involved in her disappearance. Next hour, we'll have a live report on this ad campaign.

Also, stay here. Picking up, what the storm left behind. It's cleanup time for folks along the Gulf Coast.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And we still have Ingrid to deal with, a tropical storm out of the Atlantic continues to spin. We'll have the latest on the storm. We'll let you know if it affects those in the U.S.

And let you know that the cool temperatures waking us are breaking up this morning. It is all coming up.

NGUYEN: All right. Reynolds. Check this out, though. A big boom. And you hear it tumbling, crashing down. Oh, yes, it's another implosion and we have it right here for you. Stick around for CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Firefighters, they do have their work cut out for them today in southern California. A wildfire is burning out of control in the San Bernardino National Forest. Check this out. That blaze has burned at least 200 acres and forced the evacuation of several campgrounds. More than 200 firefighters are using water drops from airplanes and helicopters to battle the blaze. The cause is not known at this time but officials say another fire has burned more than 2,000 acres east of San Diego is now 50 percent contained.

HOLMES: Cleanup under way this morning in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana after hurricane Humberto swept through. Remnants of Humberto caused damage at central Alabama and heavy rain as far north as the Carolinas. Humberto made landfall at High Island, Texas Thursday, its 85 miles per hour winds damaged homes and knocked out powers to thousands of homes and businesses in Texas and Louisiana. Experts estimate damage from the storm around $1 billion.

NGUYEN: Let's get a look at the weather outside this morning. And CNN's Reynolds Wolf who joins us from the Weather Center. Not to far away, there's a lot of commotion going on here in the news room.

WOLF: There always is. Hey, what we have going on over here is Ingrid. This is the next tropical storm system we're dealing with. As soon as the winds drop below 39 to 38, and it's no longer a tropical storm, it will then be a depression. That is what we're expecting as we make our way in to Sunday morning, then into Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Just to give you some perspective as to where the storm is located in comparison with the U.S. and islands, it is a long way away.

The biggest threat will be possibility just the middle of the Atlantic. Bermuda will possibly get wave action from this depression. But right now, it doesn't pose a tremendous threat to everyone. But still these storms can be really fickle, they can strengthen, they can weaken. Something we have to watch carefully, especially this time of year.

Meantime, we're watching scattered showers popping up in the northeast, a frontal boundary that came through the Carolinas. Still bringing some rain showers just off the Outer Banks right now and back up to Boston and New York we go, you'll see rain activity on and off in Boston. You'll get a little bit of a break. You're seeing more development on and off through the mid-day hours.

The other big story this morning, the cool temperatures you're waking up to in Marquette, southward into Chicago and even into Breen Bay. Temperatures into the 30s and 40s and 47 in Detroit. I'll have more on your forecast coming up throughout the morning. For the time being, let's send it back to the news desk.

NGUYEN: All right. We appreciate it.

HOLMES: This morning investigators in Richmond, Indiana trying to determine what caused this fire at a plastics company. The fire broke out in a storage building at Finenext (ph) Plastics, this was yesterday afternoon. Initially there were concerns about possibly toxic smoke, but officials say winds carried the smoke away from downtown Richmond. No one was in the building when the fire started, no reports of injuries.

NGUYEN: Well in Phoenix, it took firefighters nine hours to stop a fire that destroyed two warehouses in a row of semi-truck trailers. Flames tore through the roof. Investigators say the fire started in a stack of wooden pallets inside one warehouse. About 60 people who worked in that area were evacuated. No injuries are reported among workers or firefighters, but still, no word yet on what caused that fire.

HOLMES: Game over for retail clerk working at a popular chain. That one there. What he did that got him suspended from his job. It's creating quite a buzz this morning.

NGUYEN: working from home sounds pretty good right about now. Doesn't it? But things can turn out badly. Gerri Willis is up next with what you need to know before making a move. You are watching CNN the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Oh, the sweet sound of a Saturday morning. That's what we do, we bring you implosions. Some Rochester, New York residents awaken with a big bang this morning. Another building was imploded at the Kodak Complex there and we're going to show it to you in slo-mo this time. It is the third implosion there this year; the people at Kodak clearing room, there are plans to implode as many as 13 more buildings this year.

HOLMES: Great for us.

NGUYEN: This will keep us in business.

You can expect to see them all, we hope, right here on CNN.

HOLMES: Going to earth without ever leaving the comfort of your home. I could be anchoring this show from my couch.

NGUYEN: Wouldn't that be great? HOLMES: That sounds great, doesn't it? But can working from home work for you? Personal finance editor Gerri Willis has advice on what to look for and what you might want to avoid.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, T.J.

Weak job growth numbers have people thinking about how to get extra income. One way to do that, work from home. Before you make the leap from the office to your home, here are a few things to consider.

First off, get the right environment. Most work at home jobs will require a high speed internet connection; you will need a dedicated phone line and a quiet place to work. Working at home may be harder since there's no boss hovering around your deck.

Next, think customer service. There's a growing number of call center jobs out sourced to third party companies tat hire home based workers. Alpine Access is a company that handles calls for retailers like J. Crew and 1-800-flowers using over 7,000 home based agents. Agents earn about $15 an hour. For more information, go to Alpineaccess.com or check out other companies such as Liveops.com and Repsforrent.com. Another option be a virtual assistant. A lot of small business owners need personal assistants for they are hiring people from remote locations, as a virtual assistant, you'll be responsible for arranging schedules, planning events and coordinating travel.

Virtual assistants make $20 to $55 an hour. To look into these opportunities, check out Staff Centrics at Staffcentrics.com or the International Virtual Assistants Association at IVAA.org.

Finally, avoid the scams. The FTC warns about schemes like medical billing, legitimate companies should be telling you in writing how you'll be paid and the total cost including supplies and membership fees. Always check in with the Better Business Bureau in the area the company is located.

Coming up on "OPEN HOUSE" at 9:30 we're covering the latest on mortgage meltdown and how some homeowners are fighting mortgage fraud right in their own backyards.

We'll also look into the new trend of credit piggy backing and give you some bad reasons for not saving for retirement. That's "Open House" -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Gerri thank you as always.

Coming up here, a store clerk says he wanted to promote good grades.

NGUYEN: But now he is suspended from his job because of a new policy that he came up with. Find out why this retailer says his move was bad for business.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And the blogs are buzzing about this, too. We have parents and gamers weighing in big time. Could that become a national trend? I'm Josh Levs, that is coming up from the dot com desk here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Refusing to sell video games to kids who didn't have decent grades. Game Stop manager Brandon Scott in Dallas he didn't have the authority to implement such a policy and now he has been suspended.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRANDON SCOTT, SUSPENDED STORE MANAGER: I can't be rebellious. I can fight for what I believe in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Ironically, many parents and some of the students' customers agree with Scott's policy. He even had a standing offer to buy the new game for any student with straight A's.

NGUYEN: This story is resonating with many parents and is creating a buzz online. CNN's Josh Levs checking into it. By the way did you make good grades?

LEVS: I did. I didn't play video games in high school.

HOLMES: I'll play them this afternoon.

LEVS: Those game boys, yeah. OK. Yeah. I know we have to go fast here. Let me tell you, there's a lot of people weighing in online. One interesting place to check out is our affiliate WFAA. They have a poll going, when you think about 92 percent of people polled support this. Support what he did. Only 8 percent against.

And I'll read you quickly if we can two quotes from people who posted on that Web site. First, "I find Scott's idea fabulous. As a volunteer dealing with children of all ages, I can tell which students go home to do school work or read and which ones go home to play games or chat on the computer. Stay your ground Mr. Scott."

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