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CNN Saturday Night

Jennifer Wilbanks Admits Abduction Story Was a Hoax

Aired April 30, 2005 - 22:00   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.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN SATURDAY NIGHT. Tonight, the wedding is back on. The runaway bride makes more news as she comes home. Our Peter Viles was on the airplane with her. Details, straight ahead.
We'll also hear from the man who was supposed to perform her marriage ceremony tonight and the people who spent hours and hours looking for her. There's a real mix of relief and rage.

Plus, we're asking you tonight, should Wilbanks' fiance give her a second chance? That is our last call question tonight. Get a pen out. The phone number in just a moment. This story and a lot more next on CNN SATURDAY NIGHT.

But up first tonight, the bottom line is Jennifer Carol Wilbanks is alive and well. That is just the headline. Below the surface, this story gets more curious by the hour. The Wilbanks saga for four days baffled police and tormented a family and triggered a national search.

And the latest twist now, well, you may think we're pulling your leg. So let's get the details.

CNN's Peter Viles is at the airport in Atlanta. He has just arrived from Albuquerque. First of all, Peter, what's the big news right now? What's the latest you got?

PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this story has taken another strange twist, Carol. Just as we touched down on this plane with Jennifer Wilbanks on the plane, none of us had had a chance to speak with her. We were told by the flight crew essentially to stay away from her in no uncertain terms. A member of the flight crew who had spoken to her came back to some of the reporters and said Jennifer has a statement.

The statement reads in part, this is from Jennifer through a flight attendant. "She has spoken to her fiance. He cannot wait to see her. She says the wedding is not called off, just postponed."

This was about an hour ago as we landed here in Atlanta. The statement goes on to say, "She is too overtired, exhausted to make any sort of statement on camera tonight. She will come out and speak to the media some time Monday or Tuesday." But just sort of a bombshell here, as we landed in Atlanta about an hour ago that according to Jennifer Wilbanks, through a flight attendant, the wedding is still on -- Carol? LIN: Oh. Peter, did the other passengers on the flight know that this woman, who's face has been plastered all over national media for the last four days, was actually on the airplane?

VILES: See, I'm sorry, Carol. I didn't hear all that. Can you say it again, please?

LIN: About the other passengers, did they know that Jennifer Wilbanks was on their flight?

VILES: Oh, by all means. And I can tell you that she is known in America not as Jennifer Wilbanks, but as the runaway bride. And we would go up to people and they would say, "Where's the runaway bride sitting?" Everybody was craning, trying to get a look at her on this airplane. You couldn't really get a very good look at her. She sat in the front row in the far right corner in first class. And she had a baseball hat pulled down over her face. The hat ironically maybe said "FBI" on it.

But I did see her get up to go to the restroom once. And when she did, six or eight people on the plane stood up to get a better look at her. But again, she had this hat pulled down over her eyes. But a lot of conversation on this plane about this case. And I can tell you public opinion, based on what I could hear on the plane, has turned against her, Carol.

LIN: Peter, can you get an idea of what her state of mind was on that flight?

VILES: I'm sorry, again, I couldn't hear you.

LIN: Jennifer Wilbanks' state of mind on that flight? What was her demeanor?

VILES: Well, impossible to say. The stewardess said she was doing OK, that she was chatting quietly with her stepfather, who was sitting right beside her. But we just saw her get up once or twice to go to the restroom.

She didn't look frail or distraught. We did speak to somebody who -- some people in first class who were closer to her. Here's one of those people, an eyewitness account of her on the plane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You make a mistake. It seemed to be easier to walk out and tell everybody, OK, here's what I did. I'm sorry I did it. I made a mistake. I'm going to move on, because I mean everybody's following her around now. I mean, she's going to eventually have to tell the story. So I don't know why it's such a big deal. It was kind of cool.

VILES: And your reaction to it when you first found out who it was?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I called my wife. I was -- I was on the airplane. I'm calling, I'm going, two rows over from me, I'm kind of whispering, because there was a police officer standing guard right in front of her, and I'm kind of whispering. And she kept looking at me. I'm like, OK, I'm going to get in trouble. And then they -- like I said, they made the big announcement that she can't take a picture on an airplane, so that was about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VILES: So you heard from one of the passengers there in first class. It was a strange atmosphere on the plane. Not the bizarre atmosphere we had in Albuquerque, when she was paraded through that airport with a sweater or a blanket over her head.

But still, very strange on this flight. Everybody trying to get a look at her, trying to figure out what's going on. And nobody, of course, hearing from her at all -- Carol?

LIN: All right. Thanks so much. Peter Viles for bringing all that new information to us that Jennifer Wilbanks has told a flight attendant on that flight that the wedding is not off, just postponed.

We've got much more on this, in case this is the first that you're hearing about this story today and all the latest developments. So stay with us through this hour. We're going to take you through it.

This day will be remembered by everyone in Jennifer Wilbanks' life. But frankly, not for the reasons they thought. This was her wedding day. And invitations were out and guests were invited. Everything was in place. The man who was conduct the marriage ceremony shocked as anyone says, all right, let's not jump to conclusions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN JONES, REV., COUPLE'S PASTOR: Everybody's disappointed. We're shocked. We love Jennifer. You know, we want to help her. We want her to get help. You know, the family, everybody else searched and agonized and went through emotions just like, you know, just like the volunteers that came. It's unfortunate for those.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you feel a sense of betrayal?

JONES: Well, we feel betrayed, but nobody's talked to Jennifer. We don't know, you know, we don't know what she was feeling, what kind of emotions she has. And you know, I'm just amazed at the response of John Mason right now. You know, he's calm, he's peaceful, and again, he wants to see her, he wants to talk to her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do they want to get back together?

JONES: Oh, I don't know. No ideas, no ideas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did he say about wanting to see her and seeing her again?

JONES: Just wants to see her, wants to talk to her, find out what was wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: So we know that she took a bus from Atlanta to Las Vegas. Another bus from Vegas to Albuquerque. We know where she turned up and how she got back to Georgia on this flight, but we've yet to really address why she ran away so suddenly and so mysteriously.

We're certainly not the only ones wondering that. CNN's Gary Tuchman joins me now live. He's also at Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson Airport.

Gary, bring us up to speed.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, let's just say that Jennifer Wilbanks arrived back in Atlanta a lot different style than when she left. She was out of here on Tuesday on a stealth Greyhound bus ride to Albuquerque and into Las Vegas. And tonight, first class on that Delta flight, front row, and was whisked off the plane in a tarmac like a VIP into a waiting car. And she's gone off to an undisclosed location.

35 miles from here, north of this airport, is Duluth, Georgia. That's tonight where she was supposed to be married. Instead right now, there are many people in that town of Duluth who have a mixture of relief, conflict and confusion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN (voice-over): More than 600 people were supposed to be in this church for the wedding of Jennifer Wilbanks and John Mason. Instead, it's empty. Why it all came to this is the question being asked all over the small town of Duluth, Georgia.

CHERYL HENNING, DULUTH GEORGIA NATIVE: Everything that I've heard from different sources would lead you to believe that she was very excited and very happy and it was very out of character.

TUCHMAN: Cheryl Henning owns the Duluth Flower Shop. She's providing the flowers for a different wedding. A canceled wedding was getting flowers from a florist in Jennifer Wilbanks' hometown to the north. Many here in Duluth did not know Wilbanks, but virtually everybody knows the jilted groom, who comes from a prominent medical family.

HENNING: John's grandfather delivered me in the hospital here in Duluth.

TUCHMAN: Charlotte Vanderford works at the Duluth Flower Shop, too.

CHARLOTTE VANDERFORD, DULUTH RESIDENT: He delivered myself, my sisters, my brother, and my two daughters, you know. And not many people can say that, can say that the same doctor that delivered them, delivered their children. TUCHMAN: So with the good reputation of the Mason family, there was anger here about the speculation by some that maybe John Mason had something to do with the disappearance.

HENNING: I thought they were totally off, you know, off base. It just didn't seem to fit.

TUCHMAN: Because?

HENNING: Well, I mean, he's a very, you know, he just has always been a very nice guy as far as I know.

TUCHMAN: So why did Jennifer Wilbanks do what she did? Family members are not saying if they know, but are hinting they might.

MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS' UNCLE: It has been determined that Jennifer has some issues the family was not aware of. We're looking forward to loving her, and talking with her concerning these issues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: The police chief in Duluth, Georgia says no criminal charges will be filed against Wilbanks, but alas, it is not up to the police chief. It's up to the district attorney in Gwinnett County. He says right now, it's a time for celebration. The talk about whether to file charges will take place in the days to come.

Carol, back to you.

LIN: All right, thanks very much, Gary.

Residents of the Atlanta suburb which this runaway bride calls home celebrated the news of her reappearance this morning. Most of them we've met, well they're balancing relief that she's alive with plenty of unanswered questions of their own.

Denise Belgrave has local reaction to today's developments in Duluth, Georgia tonight. Denise, I mean, there were hundreds of people who volunteered their time to go looking for this woman. What are some of the folks telling you?

DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the town has been through so much over the last four days. And I think there's just a real sense here of mixed emotions.

One person put it perfectly when they said, "Everyone here has been through emotional whiplash."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELGRAVE (voice-over): An audible sigh of relief from a grateful community when they learned that missing bride-to-be Jennifer Wilbanks was alive. But that relief quickly turned to confusion and then to shock.

Just minutes before the latest twist in this complicated story unfolded, Jennifer's best friend talked about how she felt when she first heard the news of Jennifer's disappearance.

JENNIFER INGRAM, LIFE-LONG FRIEND: I thought the worst. I wanted to say you don't think she just sort of took a breather, do you? And Davy's like I don't think so.

BELGRAVE: But confusion and disbelief moments later, as news of Wilbanks' real story, that her abduction was a hoax, rippled through the crowd of family and friends gathered in front of her home.

And then, the formal announcement that left everyone stunned.

RANDY BELCHER, CHIEF, DULUTH, GEORGIA POLICE: Originally it appeared that she had been kidnapped. But after talking to the FBI, it turns out that Ms. Wilbanks basically felt the pressure of this large wedding and could not handle it. And therefore, she got on a Greyhound bus and she went to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

BELGRAVE: But in this close knit Georgia community, there was little sympathy for Jennifer Wilbanks. Like more than 150 others, Erik Richards, who owns an automobile repair shop in Duluth, went out to look for Wilbanks.

ERIK RICHARDS, DULUTH, GEORGIA RESIDENT: I think they feel betrayed and they feel sorry. They feel sorry that, you know, when you're talking 14 bridesmaids and everything, you can't go to one person and say, hey, I just can't do this or this is overwhelming. I need to scale it back or something like that, that you have to, you know, that you have to run from it.

BELGRAVE: At Linda's restaurant, a small breakfast place in the heart of Duluth, there was frustration.

SANDY HALL, DULUTH, GEORGIA RESIDENT: I can understand getting concerned about getting married and having second thoughts of being scared. But to lead everyone to believe that something terrible has happened to you, and the things that her family had to be going through, thinking the worst had happened to her, I'm very angry with her for doing that to her family and to the city of Duluth.

BELGRAVE: Waitress Francis Ladner says she's also angry. And she doesn't understand why anyone would do this.

FRANCIS LADNER, DULUTH, GEORGIA RESIDENT: As far as just not wanting to get married and scaring everybody in the town half to death, that you know, something bad could also happen to them, I'm locking my doors, and I don't want my kids playing outside, I mean, it's terrible.

BELGRAVE: Reverend Alan Jones, the pastor who was to have married the couple today, said Jennifer deserved forgiveness and understanding, but it'll take some time before this community is able to heal the wounds left by Jennifer Wilbanks' disappearance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELGRAVE: In fact, I heard two other concerns when I was around town talking to people today. One concern was that in fact this crying wolf, if you will, next time someone goes missing, you may not get the same response.

And some people were questioning also, Carol, how much is this costing the town of Duluth?

LIN: Yes, I talked with the mayor of Duluth, in fact, we're going to hear from her later, that this cost quite a bit indeed. All right, thanks very much, Denise Belgrave, live in Duluth.

That leads us to our last call question. Do you think Jennifer Wilbanks' fiance John Mason should give her a second chance? She says the wedding's still on. And why or why not? Give us a call at 1-800- 807-2620.

So what can make a seemingly well adjusted normal woman suddenly snap? After the break, I'm going to talk with a criminologist about what can push some people over the edge.

And the search for justice in Iraq, how archaeologists are hoping a gruesome discovery will help prosecutors build their case against Saddam Hussein.

And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely think of myself and all the other adoptees that had an opportunity for a family and another life. You know, that was one thing that was good, that came out of the Vietnam War.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: From a Vietnamese orphan to an American success story, one man's story of how the fall of Saigon changed his life forever. You're watching CNN SATURDAY NIGHT. And we're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We are devoting much of tonight's program to the case of Jennifer Wilbanks, the Georgia woman who vanished a few days ago. If what we've been told today is true, the bride to be panicked and hopped a bus headed west with only the clothes on her back.

Well, tonight, she's back in the Atlanta area, after apparently terrifying her family, lying to police and the FBI, and confusing those closest to her. There's a lot of Jennifer Wilbanks' story yet untold.

But perhaps Casey Jordan has some insight. She is a criminologist and an authority on human behavior.

Dr. Jordan, all right, you have a case here. I mean, I don't even know where to begin. How do you explain this woman, the -- not only the disappearance, running away from the wedding, that's one thing, but the elaborate tale of a kidnapping?

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: Yes. And as you say, Carol, there is so much we don't know. So at this point, it's a bit speculative, but the things that are really kind of sticking in our minds that we're unclear on are what are these issues that her family says they were unaware of? I think everybody really wants to know if there is some really important explanation for this.

And failing that, failing something truly outrageous, I think that the feelings of betrayal on behalf of the search teams and the community are probably well substantiated. Because there are some hints, we don't know for sure all the facts yet, that she really premeditated this. The cutting of the hair, perhaps the pre- purchasing of a bus ticket. I've heard that she may have purchased it a few weeks in advance in her soon to be married name. The taking of the bus all the way across country, and then the story of the abduction. This doesn't sound like something that just occurred to her as she was out on her evening jog.

It appears that there was -- there's a lot of evidence that indicates she was thinking about this for a few weeks before the wedding.

LIN: Yes. And you know, but -- because we're talking about a young woman, a 32-year old woman, who grew up basically in the Georgia countryside in Gainsville, a medical assistant and a runner. And yet, listen to the elaborate tale, the detailed tale that she told the 911 operator when she called from that 7-11 store in Albuquerque. Let's play some of that.

(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)

J. WILBANKS: It happened in Duluth.

911: OK, and the male that did this to you, was he black, white, Hispanic or Native American?

J. WILBANKS: Hispanic.

911: About how old?

J. WILBANKS: I would say they're -- I mean, I would say in their 40s maybe?

911: How tall was he?

J. WILBANKS: I don't know, it was about 5'10, about my height, about 5'9.

(END AUDIOTAPE)

LIN: All right, so what kind of a person would do something like this? What are you describing?

JORDAN: OK, you've got two possible scenarios. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. There are some people, especially young women who are tremendous overachievers, and we call this the good girl syndrome, that grow up doing everything right, everything society expects of them, their parents expect of them, perhaps the fiance expects. They live in the shadow of doing all the right things and being the good little girl everyone expects them to be.

But basically, they're marionettes. And they never go through a rebellious stage in their teenage years. They never give their parents cause for concern. At some point, sometimes we see these girls, usually in their 20s or 30s, have a complete break, where they decide they -- they're not going to be marionette anymore.

They're overwhelmed. They don't know who they are or what their identity is. They don't make their choices.

LIN: Is that criminal behavior? Or are you just talking about a, you know, a psychic snap?

JORDAN: Well, that could be a psychic snap. That's what I was hoping was the real explanation for her very strange behavior. And yet, the more we find out that there's premeditation involved, the alternate theory is that it's really just attention seeking behavior. And in a world where missing people do get a lot of media attention, ever since Amber Alerts, I find it very hard to believe that she didn't think that the -- her parents would not call the police.

I find it very hard to believe that she wouldn't know that her parents would be beside themselves with trauma and shock.

LIN: Are you saying this is a criminal mind? And do you think that she should be charged? I mean, technically, as I understand it from some attorneys I've interviewed, she could be charged with lying to federal authorities. She may be held liable for some of the costs of the investigation.

JORDAN: As you said earlier, that's going to be up to the D.A. If I were the D.A., I absolutely would pursue a criminal investigation, especially when you're talking about an investigation by the police and thousands of man hours that probably cost that community well over $100,000.

In the case we had last summer of a Wisconsin student who went missing, the price tag was well over $100,000. And she was put on probation...

LIN: Wow.

JORDAN: ...and ordered to repay all of that money over the rest of her life.

LIN: All right, $100,000. Ironic you should mention that. That was the reward money for information leading to her discovery, to her being discovered.

Thank you very much, Casey Jordan.

JORDAN: It was my pleasure. LIN: We'll see what happens. No decision yet on criminal charges. We've got much more on this story. In fact, I'm going to be talking with the mayor of Duluth, who's very close with the fiance's family.

Also, Major League baseball wants to take a tougher stand against athletes who use steroids. After the break, how Commissioner Bud Selig wants to punish players who violate league rules.

But first this. Talk about sharing the road. Check out what had traffic coming to a halt in Delaware County, Ohio. Highway patrol officers briefly stopped drivers on Highway 23 to allow a mother duck and her six ducklings to cross. You'll be happy to know all seven made it safely across.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: News across the nation this hour. No bail, no bond, for a Chicago area woman formally charged yesterday with murdering her two children. Police say Tonya Vasilev admitted stabbing to death her nine-year old son and three-year old daughter last week. Authorities are not discussing the motive yet.

And baseball Commissioner Bud Selig wants to beef up the penalties for steroid use. He proposes that players who test positive for steroids be banned from 50 games for a first offense, 100 games for the second offense, and banned permanently if they are caught three times.

30 years ago today, Saigon fell and the Vietnam War ended. Today, many commemorated that anniversary by visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. The memorial wall bears the names of U.S. service members who died in the war.

Now for days, an Atlanta suburb was the center of a massive search. So how are folks who dedicated time and emotion to the case of Jennifer Wilbanks feeling? I'm going to be talking to Mayor Shirley Lassiter next. She's very close with the fiance's family.

Plus, is the runaway bride going to face any legal heat for her cold feet? We're going to take that up in tonight's rap sheet.

And don't forget our last call question. You weigh in . Do you think Jennifer Wilbanks' fiance, John Mason, should give her a second chance? Tell us what you think. Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The runaway bride, Jennifer Wilbanks, is back in Georgia. She turned up in Albuquerque, New Mexico earlier today, claiming she'd been kidnapped and taken across country.

But after questioning, she admitted that it was all a hoax. She'd faked her own abduction to avoid getting married today. Now earlier, I spoke with the mayor of Wilbanks' hometown, Shirley Lassiter. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIRLEY LASSITER, MAYOR, DULUTH, GEORGIA: We're absolutely delighted to know this young lady is alive, and has not been hurt, and the worst has not happened. But everyone is very emotional and has many different emotions about the deception, the untruths, and just the thought of her mother and what her mother has gone through for these last three days makes me want to cry. I mean, it's -- she -- I just can't imagine if it were my child. And I think that everybody has really identified with that, Carol.

LIN: Yes. Even the minister who was to marry Jennifer Wilbanks and John Mason has called this a betrayal and is very confused about what happened.

Also, the Gwinnett County prosecutor is now not making any commitments about whether charges will or will not be filed. Have you talked with the prosecutor about this? Do you have any feelings on this subject?

LASSITER: I have not talked to Danny Porter about that. And that will certainly be up to his office as to what procedures they take about that.

I know that we are leaving all opportunities open. We certainly hope that it's something that we would not have to do. But we have a lot of man-hours in overtime and a lot of love that was poured out from this community for three days, even though the bottom line is she is alive.

LIN: But Mayor Lassiter, it sounds like people are saying, you know what? There's got to be a price to be paid for lying in this way and worrying people, and using resources in this manner, that people want to see that she offer up some kind of restitution.

LASSITER: Well, I'm getting that, Carol. I've probably received 25 e-mails from people all over the United States and one from England, who have actually gone on to the Web site and e-mailed the mayor of Duluth, to let me know that you know, this is a travesty and we're so glad that she's alive. And everyone is heartfelt about that. But that they feel like that there needs to be a reaction for her action.

LIN: What would satisfy you as the mayor of Duluth?

LASSITER: What would satisfy me? I would love for the young lady to come back and just understand what she has put everybody through, that these people work out of love, and a lot of them for a young lady they didn't know. Many were friends that they did, but they have all gone through such huge emotional rollercoaster over these last three days. And I just feel like they've been betrayed.

And that doesn't happen in Duluth. Just like this accident didn't happen in Duluth. And I've said early on, I cannot imagine this happening in Duluth, Georgia. Anybody who knows our police department and knows how good they are would not do anything like that here.

So I guess out of all of this, Carol, we do have the young lady safe. And the other thing is we do have our town back. And it is safe. And we know that.

LIN: Mayor...

LASSITER: So I'm very grateful for that.

LIN: Mayor, thank you for joining us tonight.

LASSITER: Thank you, Carol.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Now in news around the world, the U.S. embassy in Egypt advises Americans to avoid tourist areas in Cairo. Three people died today in two attacks in the Egyptian capitol. A bomber blew himself up and wounded seven people near the Egyptian museum. And two women fatally shot each other after shooting at a tourist bus.

New concern over North Korea's nuclear program. The Pentagon is clarifying remarks made to Congress by a defense intelligence official. He suggests North Korea now is capable of striking the U.S. with a nuclear weapon. Well, the Pentagon says the remarks are theoretical and nothing new.

The U.S. Army has cleared American soldiers in the shooting death of an Italian agent in Iraq. A report says U.S. troops have followed the rules of engagement and called last month's checkpoint death a tragic accident.

Survivors say they were given no warning to slow down or stop before U.S. troops opened fire.

In Iraq, a special tribunal will try Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity. Now no date has been set yet for the trial, but investigators are trying to uncover plenty of evidence against the former Iraqi dictator in the form of mass graves all over Iraq.

CNN'S Ryan Chilcote has the story from one mass grave in southern Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The tiny skull of a child lies next to a bag of clothes, the longer bangs of a woman still cling to her skull.

BAKHYAR AMIN, IRAQI HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER: Over 1500 people buried here. They are mostly women and children. They are just five men.

CHILCOTE: All 1500 here were shot dead at the edge of 18 trenches. Many of them in their finest clothes, a sign they were expected to be resettled. GREGG NIYALA, U.S. INVESTIGATOR: We know they're Kurdish victims because of the clothing and artifacts that were found with the bodies.

CHILCOTE: These archaeologists and detectives are providing hard evidence to Iraq's special tribunal that will try Saddam and his associates for crimes against humanity.

The judge, who presided over Saddam's first hearing, says it was part of a campaign to push Kurds out of northern Iraq in the late 1980s.

Large numbers of families were detained," he says, "including women, children, and the elderly. They were moved from peaceful villages in Kurdistan to detention centers. Many of them then went missing."

AMIN: They destroyed 4,500 villages, 26 towns. And half a million people in Kurdistan were perished in the hands of Saddam and his henchmen since he came to power.

CHILCOTE: The killers left behind a wealth of evidence. This desert grass only grows where soil has been disturbed. And there are nutrients, in this case from the dead, to help it grow. Then there are the exceptionally shallow graves. Bedrock prevented the murderers from digging deeper.

The blue flags indicate bullets, red, shells, yellow, body parts. About 15 percent of the bodies have ID cards, key finds (INAUDIBLE) a wealth of anecdotal evidence.

NIYALA: Can have witnesses that say that an event occurred, that somebody was seized, somebody was sent to a collective settlement. But until you have the actual remains of the victim, you don't have the complete story of what happened in that crime.

CHILCOTE: There are other mass graves that contain thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of Shiites, Kuwaitis, and political activists killed under Saddam's regime.

AMIN: We believe that more than half of the Iraqi population have someone who is missing in their family.

NIYALA: It looks like probably a total of -- in the neighborhood of 300 grave sites across this country. And so far, we have been able to do two.

CHILCOTE: Investigators say they've just begun to scratch the surface.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And today, on this 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, we have a special look at some of the youngest refugees and their new life in America. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, well today, people gathered to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War.

Now in the tumultuous final days of the war, tens of thousands fled the country. And thousands of children were transported out of Vietnam in a massive humanitarian effort called Operation Baby Lift.

Many were fathered by Americans and treated with contempt by the Vietnamese.

CNN's Betty Nguyen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): April 1975, thousands of Vietnamese swarmed the U.S. embassy frantically trying to flee the country, as Communist forces surrounded Saigon. Among the refugees were countless children, borne of war, to Vietnamese mothers and America fathers.

Hoan Yang Lo was one of them. His mother was dead. And he remembers his grandmother taking him to an orphanage.

She worried the communists would kill this mix race children.

MATT STEINER, VIETNAMESE ORPHAN: It was on my birthday when I was eight years old. So I remember her telling me that, you know, that she is going to give me up for adoption. And that it was very hard for her to do that, but despite of that, she wanted to see if I would have an opportunity to succeed in life, and you know, have a family that I could call my own.

NGUYEN: Jim and Mary Steiner had spent time in Vietnam, traveling to Asia in the 1950s as medical missionaries. Then they moved back to the U.S. to raise their three children.

MARY STEINER, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: Rather than having another child of our own, we can adopt a child that was already in the world and experiencing difficulty in the country that he was living in. So that was all part of the motivation, I think, for helping another child.

NGUYEN: Back in Saigon, the Americans organized a last minute orphan evacuation called Operation Baby Lift. And the little boy who had witnessed so much loss had finally won a ticket to a new life. He was on the first Baby Lift plane to make it to America.

MATT STEINER: We had over 400 kids on the flight. And we had two or three kids to a seat, if not more. There was any rules, it was probably broken. Every rule was probably broken that day.

NGUYEN: Placed in seats on the floor wherever possible, these flights were packed with children headed to homes all across America. On that 20 hour journey, Hoan Yang Lo stared at a picture of his new parents, preparing for the moment when they'd meet.

MATT STEINER: I wanted to find my mom and dad so badly. And then, you know, as soon as I saw my mom, you know, I recognized her picture right away. And I can just -- the only thing I can remember is just running as fast as I can and jumping into her arms and you know, just saying, you know, "Here I am. You know, I made it."

NGUYEN: That day, on April 6th, 1975, he became Matt Steiner.

MARY STEINER: And then to see this child walk out with this smile on his face. And he was so happy to see us. And it was like he says, "Here I am, you lucky people." I mean, it was just like he knew he wanted to be there.

NGUYEN: Matt, you say your dream was to become an All American boy. This picture, you pretty well fit in?

MATT STEINER: Well, it looks like I'm having fun anyway. He's -- like I said, I never even, you know, seen what a basketball looks like, but here they are showing me how to play basketball. So...

NGUYEN: These were your brothers?

MATT STEINER: These were my brothers, yes. This is Dan, who's the oldest and Doug, who's the next oldest, and then Jeff.

NGUYEN: He went onto play just about every sport that involved a ball and became valedictorian at his 1984 graduating class at West Liberty Salem High in Ohio.

MATT STEINER: There's grandma. Grandma wants to give you a hug.

NGUYEN: Today, Matt has a family of his own and has become a father, something he never had before stepping on American soil.

Do you ever wonder what life would be like had Matt not made it out?

MARY STEINER: It's hard to imagine. Yes, we think about it, but you know, it's difficult to even think what it would be like, but I'm sure it would not be the success story that he has made it today.

NGUYEN: In 1995, Matt wanted to see his birth country and the place where his luck turned around, the Holt Orphanage in Saigon. This balcony, where he watched the sky light up with explosions, and the wall where he stood to take this picture 30 years ago.

MATT STEINER: Just coming back, just kind of brought up a lot of feelings about my grandmother, my mother, and finding out -- just talking to different people there that they -- you know how much they really loved me to have to give me up.

NGUYEN: Still, he can't help but wonder why me. Why is he one of the lucky ones?

MATT STEINER: I do feel like that there were so many people over there that didn't make it out, that had to suffer.

NGUYEN: Which is part of the reason why he's followed his adoptive father's footsteps and became an emergency room physician.

MATT STEINER: Well, I definitely think myself and all the other adoptees that had an opportunity for a family and another life, you know, that was the one thing that was good that came out of Vietnam War.

NGUYEN: A sacrifice was made to save his life. And now Matt works to save the lives of others.

Betty Nguyen, CNN, Kokomo, Indiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We put the runaway -- the case of the runaway bride at the top of tonight's rap sheet. Thousands of people put themselves out for Jennifer Wilbanks. They became emotionally involved in her disappearance.

But aside from the broken trust and the stress that she caused, does she face any legal troubles for faking her kidnapping? Joining me now, rap sheet regulars, former prosecutor Wendy Murphy. Where have you been? MIA. And...

WENDY MURPHY, FMR. PROSECUTOR: We're back.

LIN: They're back. Criminal defense attorney Jayne Weintraub. I cannot think of a better duo to talk to about this.

Good to see both of you. Wendy, let me start with you, since it's been forever since we've talked. Do you think Jennifer Wilbanks should face criminal charges? She lied to federal investigators. There were thousands of dollars spent by the Duluth police department in the search.

MURPHY: At least. At least. Of course, she should be prosecuted because look, the whole world is watching this case. And the question is lingering. Is this something you can get away with? And the answer to that question has got to be no. And if she suffers no punishment, just -- you know, it's not just a matter of tax dollars wasted. This woman lied to law enforcement, distracted them from taking care of real crimes. And you know...

JAYNE WEINTRAUB, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Wendy, she didn't call law enforcement.

MURPHY: Jayne's going to let me finish. The thing she did that bugs me the most, she made her fiance the target of scorn. I had the guy drawn, quartered, and hung because he wouldn't take a polygraph. As far as I was concerned, he was Scott Peterson. That's not OK. She deserves punishment for that.

WEINTRAUB: It's not OK for you to rush to judgment. And that, Ms. Murphy, is the message here. Do not rush to judgment. He was presume innocent. He passed the polygraph. He didn't want to be locked up in a police station and not be videotaped. That doesn't mean he wasn't presumed innocent. And that's an important message.

MURPHY: Nice try, nice try. Well, Jayne, Jayne, if it was your kid gone missing, you wouldn't say I think I'll take a polygraph tomorrow at 1:00, after I talk to my lawyer.

WEINTRAUB: If it were my...

(CROSSTALK)

LIN: We're not talking about the fiance. We're talking -- whoa. We're not talking about the fiance. We're talking about the woman, Jennifer Wilbanks, because Lord knows John Mason has been through enough, so.

WEINTRAUB: Carol, you know what...

LIN: Let's not talk about his polygraph tonight.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: She did to the guy. She should be prosecuted.

LIN: All right.

MURPHY: She made us all suspect him.

LIN: So Jayne, Jayne? In her defense, what do you think?

WEINTRAUB: I don't think she should be prosecuted. First of all, she didn't put a hoax on this country. Thankfully, the community and the country pulled together. And I hope they will continue to do so when a need arises, and that they won't say no, we won't. Maybe she's like the runaway bride.

There should be restitution civilly. She should pay for the police officers' time. And she should get help.

LIN: Could be $100,000

WEINTRAUB: She should get help. She's a poor little spoiled rich girl.

MURPHY: You softy. Oh, you softy, Jayne. Lock her up.

LIN: Lock her up. That's all we have to say about this. What about, you know, mental capacity tests? I mean, this woman was rolled up in a fetal position on the airplane, as far as we know.

MURPHY: Fine.

LIN: She had a blanket over her head, Wendy.

(CROSSTALK)

WEINTRAUB: Just even during the 911 tape, hearing it in her voice. I mean, Dr. Krantz (ph), he earlier was talking about this woman is seriously in need of psychiatric help.

MURPHY: Yes, this woman should earn an Oscar, I'll give you that much. She should be prosecuted because she knows...

LIN: Wendy, why do you think she's acting? Why do you think...

MURPHY: Let her put on a mental health defense.

LIN: Wait, wait, wait.

MURPHY: Let's have a fair trial. Let her put on a mental health defense. If she's insane, if she's got mental health problems, maybe I cut her a little bit of slack during sentencing.

The question is the whole country is watching. Do we announce to everybody that this is just one of those problems, nothing, you know, slap it off. Who cares? This should be punished...

WEINTRAUB: What's the crime, Wendy?

LIN: Jayne?

WEINTRAUB: Are you serious?

LIN: Let's hear from Jayne because there is a side of the law that has compassion.

WEINTRAUB: I never get to see that side. But no, that is true, Carol. And beside this also, what has she done that's against the law? She worried her parents sick. So they were compelled to basically rally up the country and basically...

MURPHY: Are you kidding? Martha Stewart rotted in jail for six months for doing what this woman did. And Martha didn't cause nearly as much harm. Now lying to federal law enforcement officials is a crime, Jayne. Martha will tell you all about it, if you really need to know.

WEINTRAUB: But I'll tell you something, Wendy. Martha Stewart shouldn't have been prosecuted and neither should this woman.

MURPHY: Now there, we agree.

WEINTRAUB: She should be punished.

MURPHY: But that's not the point. It is a crime...

WEINTRAUB: She should be punished in a way that is meaningful.

MURPHY: It's prosecutable. You know, she filed a false police claim, too. She called law enforcement officials and said...

WEINTRAUB: (INAUDIBLE) crime.

MURPHY: And she would play the race card, too, for which she should be slapped, saying it was an Hispanic guy. She was, you know...

WEINTRAUB: Wendy, she's going to be sued civilly and have to pay restitution.

MURPHY: That's a crime.

WEINTRAUB: And so will her family.

MURPHY: Filing a false police report is a crime. And for good reason. It costs money. It costs...

WEINTRAUB: (INAUDIBLE) doesn't mean going to prison.

LIN: Jayne, give us the last word here. What are the chances it's going to go to prosecution?

WEINTRAUB: I think it's slim to none.

LIN: All right, we'll see what happens.

MURPHY: I agree with that, actually.

LIN: And on that warm note, ladies, thank you so much. Great to see both of you together. Let's make it happen again, OK?

WEINTRAUB: Thank you, Carol.

LIN: That's all the time we have for this evening. But you know what? You guys weighed in out there. You get to hear the responses to our last call question now. Do you think Jennifer Wilbanks' fiance John Mason should give her a second chance? She says the wedding is still on. Here's what you had to say. Have a great night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLER: Yes, I think it's all very romantic that he may take her back. However, she would be the mother of his future children. And that would be very unwise, because she's unstable.

CALLER: I think he should give her a second chance, because she just had first time jitters. And she can get over it and live a successful marriage.

CALLER: Doggone right ought to give that lady a second chance. I'm telling you, I've never heard so many cruel people.

CALLER: Heck no, we don't need to give her a second chance. She's done it before, she's done it now, and she'll probably run during the marriage. He don't need to give her a second chance. He's lucky this happened. CALLER: No, absolutely not. She is selfish, inconsiderate. And I think she should be prosecuted if they have the ability to prosecute her. And I think he would be a fool to go ahead with the marriage to someone as unstable as she is.

CALLER: He should absolutely not give her a second chance. He should meet her at the plane, hand her a ticket to Albuquerque, and say adios.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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


Aired April 30, 2005 - 22:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN SATURDAY NIGHT. Tonight, the wedding is back on. The runaway bride makes more news as she comes home. Our Peter Viles was on the airplane with her. Details, straight ahead.
We'll also hear from the man who was supposed to perform her marriage ceremony tonight and the people who spent hours and hours looking for her. There's a real mix of relief and rage.

Plus, we're asking you tonight, should Wilbanks' fiance give her a second chance? That is our last call question tonight. Get a pen out. The phone number in just a moment. This story and a lot more next on CNN SATURDAY NIGHT.

But up first tonight, the bottom line is Jennifer Carol Wilbanks is alive and well. That is just the headline. Below the surface, this story gets more curious by the hour. The Wilbanks saga for four days baffled police and tormented a family and triggered a national search.

And the latest twist now, well, you may think we're pulling your leg. So let's get the details.

CNN's Peter Viles is at the airport in Atlanta. He has just arrived from Albuquerque. First of all, Peter, what's the big news right now? What's the latest you got?

PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this story has taken another strange twist, Carol. Just as we touched down on this plane with Jennifer Wilbanks on the plane, none of us had had a chance to speak with her. We were told by the flight crew essentially to stay away from her in no uncertain terms. A member of the flight crew who had spoken to her came back to some of the reporters and said Jennifer has a statement.

The statement reads in part, this is from Jennifer through a flight attendant. "She has spoken to her fiance. He cannot wait to see her. She says the wedding is not called off, just postponed."

This was about an hour ago as we landed here in Atlanta. The statement goes on to say, "She is too overtired, exhausted to make any sort of statement on camera tonight. She will come out and speak to the media some time Monday or Tuesday." But just sort of a bombshell here, as we landed in Atlanta about an hour ago that according to Jennifer Wilbanks, through a flight attendant, the wedding is still on -- Carol? LIN: Oh. Peter, did the other passengers on the flight know that this woman, who's face has been plastered all over national media for the last four days, was actually on the airplane?

VILES: See, I'm sorry, Carol. I didn't hear all that. Can you say it again, please?

LIN: About the other passengers, did they know that Jennifer Wilbanks was on their flight?

VILES: Oh, by all means. And I can tell you that she is known in America not as Jennifer Wilbanks, but as the runaway bride. And we would go up to people and they would say, "Where's the runaway bride sitting?" Everybody was craning, trying to get a look at her on this airplane. You couldn't really get a very good look at her. She sat in the front row in the far right corner in first class. And she had a baseball hat pulled down over her face. The hat ironically maybe said "FBI" on it.

But I did see her get up to go to the restroom once. And when she did, six or eight people on the plane stood up to get a better look at her. But again, she had this hat pulled down over her eyes. But a lot of conversation on this plane about this case. And I can tell you public opinion, based on what I could hear on the plane, has turned against her, Carol.

LIN: Peter, can you get an idea of what her state of mind was on that flight?

VILES: I'm sorry, again, I couldn't hear you.

LIN: Jennifer Wilbanks' state of mind on that flight? What was her demeanor?

VILES: Well, impossible to say. The stewardess said she was doing OK, that she was chatting quietly with her stepfather, who was sitting right beside her. But we just saw her get up once or twice to go to the restroom.

She didn't look frail or distraught. We did speak to somebody who -- some people in first class who were closer to her. Here's one of those people, an eyewitness account of her on the plane.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You make a mistake. It seemed to be easier to walk out and tell everybody, OK, here's what I did. I'm sorry I did it. I made a mistake. I'm going to move on, because I mean everybody's following her around now. I mean, she's going to eventually have to tell the story. So I don't know why it's such a big deal. It was kind of cool.

VILES: And your reaction to it when you first found out who it was?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I called my wife. I was -- I was on the airplane. I'm calling, I'm going, two rows over from me, I'm kind of whispering, because there was a police officer standing guard right in front of her, and I'm kind of whispering. And she kept looking at me. I'm like, OK, I'm going to get in trouble. And then they -- like I said, they made the big announcement that she can't take a picture on an airplane, so that was about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VILES: So you heard from one of the passengers there in first class. It was a strange atmosphere on the plane. Not the bizarre atmosphere we had in Albuquerque, when she was paraded through that airport with a sweater or a blanket over her head.

But still, very strange on this flight. Everybody trying to get a look at her, trying to figure out what's going on. And nobody, of course, hearing from her at all -- Carol?

LIN: All right. Thanks so much. Peter Viles for bringing all that new information to us that Jennifer Wilbanks has told a flight attendant on that flight that the wedding is not off, just postponed.

We've got much more on this, in case this is the first that you're hearing about this story today and all the latest developments. So stay with us through this hour. We're going to take you through it.

This day will be remembered by everyone in Jennifer Wilbanks' life. But frankly, not for the reasons they thought. This was her wedding day. And invitations were out and guests were invited. Everything was in place. The man who was conduct the marriage ceremony shocked as anyone says, all right, let's not jump to conclusions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN JONES, REV., COUPLE'S PASTOR: Everybody's disappointed. We're shocked. We love Jennifer. You know, we want to help her. We want her to get help. You know, the family, everybody else searched and agonized and went through emotions just like, you know, just like the volunteers that came. It's unfortunate for those.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you feel a sense of betrayal?

JONES: Well, we feel betrayed, but nobody's talked to Jennifer. We don't know, you know, we don't know what she was feeling, what kind of emotions she has. And you know, I'm just amazed at the response of John Mason right now. You know, he's calm, he's peaceful, and again, he wants to see her, he wants to talk to her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do they want to get back together?

JONES: Oh, I don't know. No ideas, no ideas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did he say about wanting to see her and seeing her again?

JONES: Just wants to see her, wants to talk to her, find out what was wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: So we know that she took a bus from Atlanta to Las Vegas. Another bus from Vegas to Albuquerque. We know where she turned up and how she got back to Georgia on this flight, but we've yet to really address why she ran away so suddenly and so mysteriously.

We're certainly not the only ones wondering that. CNN's Gary Tuchman joins me now live. He's also at Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson Airport.

Gary, bring us up to speed.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, let's just say that Jennifer Wilbanks arrived back in Atlanta a lot different style than when she left. She was out of here on Tuesday on a stealth Greyhound bus ride to Albuquerque and into Las Vegas. And tonight, first class on that Delta flight, front row, and was whisked off the plane in a tarmac like a VIP into a waiting car. And she's gone off to an undisclosed location.

35 miles from here, north of this airport, is Duluth, Georgia. That's tonight where she was supposed to be married. Instead right now, there are many people in that town of Duluth who have a mixture of relief, conflict and confusion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN (voice-over): More than 600 people were supposed to be in this church for the wedding of Jennifer Wilbanks and John Mason. Instead, it's empty. Why it all came to this is the question being asked all over the small town of Duluth, Georgia.

CHERYL HENNING, DULUTH GEORGIA NATIVE: Everything that I've heard from different sources would lead you to believe that she was very excited and very happy and it was very out of character.

TUCHMAN: Cheryl Henning owns the Duluth Flower Shop. She's providing the flowers for a different wedding. A canceled wedding was getting flowers from a florist in Jennifer Wilbanks' hometown to the north. Many here in Duluth did not know Wilbanks, but virtually everybody knows the jilted groom, who comes from a prominent medical family.

HENNING: John's grandfather delivered me in the hospital here in Duluth.

TUCHMAN: Charlotte Vanderford works at the Duluth Flower Shop, too.

CHARLOTTE VANDERFORD, DULUTH RESIDENT: He delivered myself, my sisters, my brother, and my two daughters, you know. And not many people can say that, can say that the same doctor that delivered them, delivered their children. TUCHMAN: So with the good reputation of the Mason family, there was anger here about the speculation by some that maybe John Mason had something to do with the disappearance.

HENNING: I thought they were totally off, you know, off base. It just didn't seem to fit.

TUCHMAN: Because?

HENNING: Well, I mean, he's a very, you know, he just has always been a very nice guy as far as I know.

TUCHMAN: So why did Jennifer Wilbanks do what she did? Family members are not saying if they know, but are hinting they might.

MIKE SATTERFIELD, WILBANKS' UNCLE: It has been determined that Jennifer has some issues the family was not aware of. We're looking forward to loving her, and talking with her concerning these issues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TUCHMAN: The police chief in Duluth, Georgia says no criminal charges will be filed against Wilbanks, but alas, it is not up to the police chief. It's up to the district attorney in Gwinnett County. He says right now, it's a time for celebration. The talk about whether to file charges will take place in the days to come.

Carol, back to you.

LIN: All right, thanks very much, Gary.

Residents of the Atlanta suburb which this runaway bride calls home celebrated the news of her reappearance this morning. Most of them we've met, well they're balancing relief that she's alive with plenty of unanswered questions of their own.

Denise Belgrave has local reaction to today's developments in Duluth, Georgia tonight. Denise, I mean, there were hundreds of people who volunteered their time to go looking for this woman. What are some of the folks telling you?

DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the town has been through so much over the last four days. And I think there's just a real sense here of mixed emotions.

One person put it perfectly when they said, "Everyone here has been through emotional whiplash."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BELGRAVE (voice-over): An audible sigh of relief from a grateful community when they learned that missing bride-to-be Jennifer Wilbanks was alive. But that relief quickly turned to confusion and then to shock.

Just minutes before the latest twist in this complicated story unfolded, Jennifer's best friend talked about how she felt when she first heard the news of Jennifer's disappearance.

JENNIFER INGRAM, LIFE-LONG FRIEND: I thought the worst. I wanted to say you don't think she just sort of took a breather, do you? And Davy's like I don't think so.

BELGRAVE: But confusion and disbelief moments later, as news of Wilbanks' real story, that her abduction was a hoax, rippled through the crowd of family and friends gathered in front of her home.

And then, the formal announcement that left everyone stunned.

RANDY BELCHER, CHIEF, DULUTH, GEORGIA POLICE: Originally it appeared that she had been kidnapped. But after talking to the FBI, it turns out that Ms. Wilbanks basically felt the pressure of this large wedding and could not handle it. And therefore, she got on a Greyhound bus and she went to Albuquerque, New Mexico.

BELGRAVE: But in this close knit Georgia community, there was little sympathy for Jennifer Wilbanks. Like more than 150 others, Erik Richards, who owns an automobile repair shop in Duluth, went out to look for Wilbanks.

ERIK RICHARDS, DULUTH, GEORGIA RESIDENT: I think they feel betrayed and they feel sorry. They feel sorry that, you know, when you're talking 14 bridesmaids and everything, you can't go to one person and say, hey, I just can't do this or this is overwhelming. I need to scale it back or something like that, that you have to, you know, that you have to run from it.

BELGRAVE: At Linda's restaurant, a small breakfast place in the heart of Duluth, there was frustration.

SANDY HALL, DULUTH, GEORGIA RESIDENT: I can understand getting concerned about getting married and having second thoughts of being scared. But to lead everyone to believe that something terrible has happened to you, and the things that her family had to be going through, thinking the worst had happened to her, I'm very angry with her for doing that to her family and to the city of Duluth.

BELGRAVE: Waitress Francis Ladner says she's also angry. And she doesn't understand why anyone would do this.

FRANCIS LADNER, DULUTH, GEORGIA RESIDENT: As far as just not wanting to get married and scaring everybody in the town half to death, that you know, something bad could also happen to them, I'm locking my doors, and I don't want my kids playing outside, I mean, it's terrible.

BELGRAVE: Reverend Alan Jones, the pastor who was to have married the couple today, said Jennifer deserved forgiveness and understanding, but it'll take some time before this community is able to heal the wounds left by Jennifer Wilbanks' disappearance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELGRAVE: In fact, I heard two other concerns when I was around town talking to people today. One concern was that in fact this crying wolf, if you will, next time someone goes missing, you may not get the same response.

And some people were questioning also, Carol, how much is this costing the town of Duluth?

LIN: Yes, I talked with the mayor of Duluth, in fact, we're going to hear from her later, that this cost quite a bit indeed. All right, thanks very much, Denise Belgrave, live in Duluth.

That leads us to our last call question. Do you think Jennifer Wilbanks' fiance John Mason should give her a second chance? She says the wedding's still on. And why or why not? Give us a call at 1-800- 807-2620.

So what can make a seemingly well adjusted normal woman suddenly snap? After the break, I'm going to talk with a criminologist about what can push some people over the edge.

And the search for justice in Iraq, how archaeologists are hoping a gruesome discovery will help prosecutors build their case against Saddam Hussein.

And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely think of myself and all the other adoptees that had an opportunity for a family and another life. You know, that was one thing that was good, that came out of the Vietnam War.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: From a Vietnamese orphan to an American success story, one man's story of how the fall of Saigon changed his life forever. You're watching CNN SATURDAY NIGHT. And we're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We are devoting much of tonight's program to the case of Jennifer Wilbanks, the Georgia woman who vanished a few days ago. If what we've been told today is true, the bride to be panicked and hopped a bus headed west with only the clothes on her back.

Well, tonight, she's back in the Atlanta area, after apparently terrifying her family, lying to police and the FBI, and confusing those closest to her. There's a lot of Jennifer Wilbanks' story yet untold.

But perhaps Casey Jordan has some insight. She is a criminologist and an authority on human behavior.

Dr. Jordan, all right, you have a case here. I mean, I don't even know where to begin. How do you explain this woman, the -- not only the disappearance, running away from the wedding, that's one thing, but the elaborate tale of a kidnapping?

CASEY JORDAN, CRIMINOLOGIST: Yes. And as you say, Carol, there is so much we don't know. So at this point, it's a bit speculative, but the things that are really kind of sticking in our minds that we're unclear on are what are these issues that her family says they were unaware of? I think everybody really wants to know if there is some really important explanation for this.

And failing that, failing something truly outrageous, I think that the feelings of betrayal on behalf of the search teams and the community are probably well substantiated. Because there are some hints, we don't know for sure all the facts yet, that she really premeditated this. The cutting of the hair, perhaps the pre- purchasing of a bus ticket. I've heard that she may have purchased it a few weeks in advance in her soon to be married name. The taking of the bus all the way across country, and then the story of the abduction. This doesn't sound like something that just occurred to her as she was out on her evening jog.

It appears that there was -- there's a lot of evidence that indicates she was thinking about this for a few weeks before the wedding.

LIN: Yes. And you know, but -- because we're talking about a young woman, a 32-year old woman, who grew up basically in the Georgia countryside in Gainsville, a medical assistant and a runner. And yet, listen to the elaborate tale, the detailed tale that she told the 911 operator when she called from that 7-11 store in Albuquerque. Let's play some of that.

(BEGIN AUDIOTAPE)

J. WILBANKS: It happened in Duluth.

911: OK, and the male that did this to you, was he black, white, Hispanic or Native American?

J. WILBANKS: Hispanic.

911: About how old?

J. WILBANKS: I would say they're -- I mean, I would say in their 40s maybe?

911: How tall was he?

J. WILBANKS: I don't know, it was about 5'10, about my height, about 5'9.

(END AUDIOTAPE)

LIN: All right, so what kind of a person would do something like this? What are you describing?

JORDAN: OK, you've got two possible scenarios. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. There are some people, especially young women who are tremendous overachievers, and we call this the good girl syndrome, that grow up doing everything right, everything society expects of them, their parents expect of them, perhaps the fiance expects. They live in the shadow of doing all the right things and being the good little girl everyone expects them to be.

But basically, they're marionettes. And they never go through a rebellious stage in their teenage years. They never give their parents cause for concern. At some point, sometimes we see these girls, usually in their 20s or 30s, have a complete break, where they decide they -- they're not going to be marionette anymore.

They're overwhelmed. They don't know who they are or what their identity is. They don't make their choices.

LIN: Is that criminal behavior? Or are you just talking about a, you know, a psychic snap?

JORDAN: Well, that could be a psychic snap. That's what I was hoping was the real explanation for her very strange behavior. And yet, the more we find out that there's premeditation involved, the alternate theory is that it's really just attention seeking behavior. And in a world where missing people do get a lot of media attention, ever since Amber Alerts, I find it very hard to believe that she didn't think that the -- her parents would not call the police.

I find it very hard to believe that she wouldn't know that her parents would be beside themselves with trauma and shock.

LIN: Are you saying this is a criminal mind? And do you think that she should be charged? I mean, technically, as I understand it from some attorneys I've interviewed, she could be charged with lying to federal authorities. She may be held liable for some of the costs of the investigation.

JORDAN: As you said earlier, that's going to be up to the D.A. If I were the D.A., I absolutely would pursue a criminal investigation, especially when you're talking about an investigation by the police and thousands of man hours that probably cost that community well over $100,000.

In the case we had last summer of a Wisconsin student who went missing, the price tag was well over $100,000. And she was put on probation...

LIN: Wow.

JORDAN: ...and ordered to repay all of that money over the rest of her life.

LIN: All right, $100,000. Ironic you should mention that. That was the reward money for information leading to her discovery, to her being discovered.

Thank you very much, Casey Jordan.

JORDAN: It was my pleasure. LIN: We'll see what happens. No decision yet on criminal charges. We've got much more on this story. In fact, I'm going to be talking with the mayor of Duluth, who's very close with the fiance's family.

Also, Major League baseball wants to take a tougher stand against athletes who use steroids. After the break, how Commissioner Bud Selig wants to punish players who violate league rules.

But first this. Talk about sharing the road. Check out what had traffic coming to a halt in Delaware County, Ohio. Highway patrol officers briefly stopped drivers on Highway 23 to allow a mother duck and her six ducklings to cross. You'll be happy to know all seven made it safely across.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: News across the nation this hour. No bail, no bond, for a Chicago area woman formally charged yesterday with murdering her two children. Police say Tonya Vasilev admitted stabbing to death her nine-year old son and three-year old daughter last week. Authorities are not discussing the motive yet.

And baseball Commissioner Bud Selig wants to beef up the penalties for steroid use. He proposes that players who test positive for steroids be banned from 50 games for a first offense, 100 games for the second offense, and banned permanently if they are caught three times.

30 years ago today, Saigon fell and the Vietnam War ended. Today, many commemorated that anniversary by visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. The memorial wall bears the names of U.S. service members who died in the war.

Now for days, an Atlanta suburb was the center of a massive search. So how are folks who dedicated time and emotion to the case of Jennifer Wilbanks feeling? I'm going to be talking to Mayor Shirley Lassiter next. She's very close with the fiance's family.

Plus, is the runaway bride going to face any legal heat for her cold feet? We're going to take that up in tonight's rap sheet.

And don't forget our last call question. You weigh in . Do you think Jennifer Wilbanks' fiance, John Mason, should give her a second chance? Tell us what you think. Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The runaway bride, Jennifer Wilbanks, is back in Georgia. She turned up in Albuquerque, New Mexico earlier today, claiming she'd been kidnapped and taken across country.

But after questioning, she admitted that it was all a hoax. She'd faked her own abduction to avoid getting married today. Now earlier, I spoke with the mayor of Wilbanks' hometown, Shirley Lassiter. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIRLEY LASSITER, MAYOR, DULUTH, GEORGIA: We're absolutely delighted to know this young lady is alive, and has not been hurt, and the worst has not happened. But everyone is very emotional and has many different emotions about the deception, the untruths, and just the thought of her mother and what her mother has gone through for these last three days makes me want to cry. I mean, it's -- she -- I just can't imagine if it were my child. And I think that everybody has really identified with that, Carol.

LIN: Yes. Even the minister who was to marry Jennifer Wilbanks and John Mason has called this a betrayal and is very confused about what happened.

Also, the Gwinnett County prosecutor is now not making any commitments about whether charges will or will not be filed. Have you talked with the prosecutor about this? Do you have any feelings on this subject?

LASSITER: I have not talked to Danny Porter about that. And that will certainly be up to his office as to what procedures they take about that.

I know that we are leaving all opportunities open. We certainly hope that it's something that we would not have to do. But we have a lot of man-hours in overtime and a lot of love that was poured out from this community for three days, even though the bottom line is she is alive.

LIN: But Mayor Lassiter, it sounds like people are saying, you know what? There's got to be a price to be paid for lying in this way and worrying people, and using resources in this manner, that people want to see that she offer up some kind of restitution.

LASSITER: Well, I'm getting that, Carol. I've probably received 25 e-mails from people all over the United States and one from England, who have actually gone on to the Web site and e-mailed the mayor of Duluth, to let me know that you know, this is a travesty and we're so glad that she's alive. And everyone is heartfelt about that. But that they feel like that there needs to be a reaction for her action.

LIN: What would satisfy you as the mayor of Duluth?

LASSITER: What would satisfy me? I would love for the young lady to come back and just understand what she has put everybody through, that these people work out of love, and a lot of them for a young lady they didn't know. Many were friends that they did, but they have all gone through such huge emotional rollercoaster over these last three days. And I just feel like they've been betrayed.

And that doesn't happen in Duluth. Just like this accident didn't happen in Duluth. And I've said early on, I cannot imagine this happening in Duluth, Georgia. Anybody who knows our police department and knows how good they are would not do anything like that here.

So I guess out of all of this, Carol, we do have the young lady safe. And the other thing is we do have our town back. And it is safe. And we know that.

LIN: Mayor...

LASSITER: So I'm very grateful for that.

LIN: Mayor, thank you for joining us tonight.

LASSITER: Thank you, Carol.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Now in news around the world, the U.S. embassy in Egypt advises Americans to avoid tourist areas in Cairo. Three people died today in two attacks in the Egyptian capitol. A bomber blew himself up and wounded seven people near the Egyptian museum. And two women fatally shot each other after shooting at a tourist bus.

New concern over North Korea's nuclear program. The Pentagon is clarifying remarks made to Congress by a defense intelligence official. He suggests North Korea now is capable of striking the U.S. with a nuclear weapon. Well, the Pentagon says the remarks are theoretical and nothing new.

The U.S. Army has cleared American soldiers in the shooting death of an Italian agent in Iraq. A report says U.S. troops have followed the rules of engagement and called last month's checkpoint death a tragic accident.

Survivors say they were given no warning to slow down or stop before U.S. troops opened fire.

In Iraq, a special tribunal will try Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity. Now no date has been set yet for the trial, but investigators are trying to uncover plenty of evidence against the former Iraqi dictator in the form of mass graves all over Iraq.

CNN'S Ryan Chilcote has the story from one mass grave in southern Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The tiny skull of a child lies next to a bag of clothes, the longer bangs of a woman still cling to her skull.

BAKHYAR AMIN, IRAQI HUMAN RIGHTS MINISTER: Over 1500 people buried here. They are mostly women and children. They are just five men.

CHILCOTE: All 1500 here were shot dead at the edge of 18 trenches. Many of them in their finest clothes, a sign they were expected to be resettled. GREGG NIYALA, U.S. INVESTIGATOR: We know they're Kurdish victims because of the clothing and artifacts that were found with the bodies.

CHILCOTE: These archaeologists and detectives are providing hard evidence to Iraq's special tribunal that will try Saddam and his associates for crimes against humanity.

The judge, who presided over Saddam's first hearing, says it was part of a campaign to push Kurds out of northern Iraq in the late 1980s.

Large numbers of families were detained," he says, "including women, children, and the elderly. They were moved from peaceful villages in Kurdistan to detention centers. Many of them then went missing."

AMIN: They destroyed 4,500 villages, 26 towns. And half a million people in Kurdistan were perished in the hands of Saddam and his henchmen since he came to power.

CHILCOTE: The killers left behind a wealth of evidence. This desert grass only grows where soil has been disturbed. And there are nutrients, in this case from the dead, to help it grow. Then there are the exceptionally shallow graves. Bedrock prevented the murderers from digging deeper.

The blue flags indicate bullets, red, shells, yellow, body parts. About 15 percent of the bodies have ID cards, key finds (INAUDIBLE) a wealth of anecdotal evidence.

NIYALA: Can have witnesses that say that an event occurred, that somebody was seized, somebody was sent to a collective settlement. But until you have the actual remains of the victim, you don't have the complete story of what happened in that crime.

CHILCOTE: There are other mass graves that contain thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of Shiites, Kuwaitis, and political activists killed under Saddam's regime.

AMIN: We believe that more than half of the Iraqi population have someone who is missing in their family.

NIYALA: It looks like probably a total of -- in the neighborhood of 300 grave sites across this country. And so far, we have been able to do two.

CHILCOTE: Investigators say they've just begun to scratch the surface.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: And today, on this 30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, we have a special look at some of the youngest refugees and their new life in America. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: The Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, well today, people gathered to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War.

Now in the tumultuous final days of the war, tens of thousands fled the country. And thousands of children were transported out of Vietnam in a massive humanitarian effort called Operation Baby Lift.

Many were fathered by Americans and treated with contempt by the Vietnamese.

CNN's Betty Nguyen reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): April 1975, thousands of Vietnamese swarmed the U.S. embassy frantically trying to flee the country, as Communist forces surrounded Saigon. Among the refugees were countless children, borne of war, to Vietnamese mothers and America fathers.

Hoan Yang Lo was one of them. His mother was dead. And he remembers his grandmother taking him to an orphanage.

She worried the communists would kill this mix race children.

MATT STEINER, VIETNAMESE ORPHAN: It was on my birthday when I was eight years old. So I remember her telling me that, you know, that she is going to give me up for adoption. And that it was very hard for her to do that, but despite of that, she wanted to see if I would have an opportunity to succeed in life, and you know, have a family that I could call my own.

NGUYEN: Jim and Mary Steiner had spent time in Vietnam, traveling to Asia in the 1950s as medical missionaries. Then they moved back to the U.S. to raise their three children.

MARY STEINER, ADOPTIVE MOTHER: Rather than having another child of our own, we can adopt a child that was already in the world and experiencing difficulty in the country that he was living in. So that was all part of the motivation, I think, for helping another child.

NGUYEN: Back in Saigon, the Americans organized a last minute orphan evacuation called Operation Baby Lift. And the little boy who had witnessed so much loss had finally won a ticket to a new life. He was on the first Baby Lift plane to make it to America.

MATT STEINER: We had over 400 kids on the flight. And we had two or three kids to a seat, if not more. There was any rules, it was probably broken. Every rule was probably broken that day.

NGUYEN: Placed in seats on the floor wherever possible, these flights were packed with children headed to homes all across America. On that 20 hour journey, Hoan Yang Lo stared at a picture of his new parents, preparing for the moment when they'd meet.

MATT STEINER: I wanted to find my mom and dad so badly. And then, you know, as soon as I saw my mom, you know, I recognized her picture right away. And I can just -- the only thing I can remember is just running as fast as I can and jumping into her arms and you know, just saying, you know, "Here I am. You know, I made it."

NGUYEN: That day, on April 6th, 1975, he became Matt Steiner.

MARY STEINER: And then to see this child walk out with this smile on his face. And he was so happy to see us. And it was like he says, "Here I am, you lucky people." I mean, it was just like he knew he wanted to be there.

NGUYEN: Matt, you say your dream was to become an All American boy. This picture, you pretty well fit in?

MATT STEINER: Well, it looks like I'm having fun anyway. He's -- like I said, I never even, you know, seen what a basketball looks like, but here they are showing me how to play basketball. So...

NGUYEN: These were your brothers?

MATT STEINER: These were my brothers, yes. This is Dan, who's the oldest and Doug, who's the next oldest, and then Jeff.

NGUYEN: He went onto play just about every sport that involved a ball and became valedictorian at his 1984 graduating class at West Liberty Salem High in Ohio.

MATT STEINER: There's grandma. Grandma wants to give you a hug.

NGUYEN: Today, Matt has a family of his own and has become a father, something he never had before stepping on American soil.

Do you ever wonder what life would be like had Matt not made it out?

MARY STEINER: It's hard to imagine. Yes, we think about it, but you know, it's difficult to even think what it would be like, but I'm sure it would not be the success story that he has made it today.

NGUYEN: In 1995, Matt wanted to see his birth country and the place where his luck turned around, the Holt Orphanage in Saigon. This balcony, where he watched the sky light up with explosions, and the wall where he stood to take this picture 30 years ago.

MATT STEINER: Just coming back, just kind of brought up a lot of feelings about my grandmother, my mother, and finding out -- just talking to different people there that they -- you know how much they really loved me to have to give me up.

NGUYEN: Still, he can't help but wonder why me. Why is he one of the lucky ones?

MATT STEINER: I do feel like that there were so many people over there that didn't make it out, that had to suffer.

NGUYEN: Which is part of the reason why he's followed his adoptive father's footsteps and became an emergency room physician.

MATT STEINER: Well, I definitely think myself and all the other adoptees that had an opportunity for a family and another life, you know, that was the one thing that was good that came out of Vietnam War.

NGUYEN: A sacrifice was made to save his life. And now Matt works to save the lives of others.

Betty Nguyen, CNN, Kokomo, Indiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: We put the runaway -- the case of the runaway bride at the top of tonight's rap sheet. Thousands of people put themselves out for Jennifer Wilbanks. They became emotionally involved in her disappearance.

But aside from the broken trust and the stress that she caused, does she face any legal troubles for faking her kidnapping? Joining me now, rap sheet regulars, former prosecutor Wendy Murphy. Where have you been? MIA. And...

WENDY MURPHY, FMR. PROSECUTOR: We're back.

LIN: They're back. Criminal defense attorney Jayne Weintraub. I cannot think of a better duo to talk to about this.

Good to see both of you. Wendy, let me start with you, since it's been forever since we've talked. Do you think Jennifer Wilbanks should face criminal charges? She lied to federal investigators. There were thousands of dollars spent by the Duluth police department in the search.

MURPHY: At least. At least. Of course, she should be prosecuted because look, the whole world is watching this case. And the question is lingering. Is this something you can get away with? And the answer to that question has got to be no. And if she suffers no punishment, just -- you know, it's not just a matter of tax dollars wasted. This woman lied to law enforcement, distracted them from taking care of real crimes. And you know...

JAYNE WEINTRAUB, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Wendy, she didn't call law enforcement.

MURPHY: Jayne's going to let me finish. The thing she did that bugs me the most, she made her fiance the target of scorn. I had the guy drawn, quartered, and hung because he wouldn't take a polygraph. As far as I was concerned, he was Scott Peterson. That's not OK. She deserves punishment for that.

WEINTRAUB: It's not OK for you to rush to judgment. And that, Ms. Murphy, is the message here. Do not rush to judgment. He was presume innocent. He passed the polygraph. He didn't want to be locked up in a police station and not be videotaped. That doesn't mean he wasn't presumed innocent. And that's an important message.

MURPHY: Nice try, nice try. Well, Jayne, Jayne, if it was your kid gone missing, you wouldn't say I think I'll take a polygraph tomorrow at 1:00, after I talk to my lawyer.

WEINTRAUB: If it were my...

(CROSSTALK)

LIN: We're not talking about the fiance. We're talking -- whoa. We're not talking about the fiance. We're talking about the woman, Jennifer Wilbanks, because Lord knows John Mason has been through enough, so.

WEINTRAUB: Carol, you know what...

LIN: Let's not talk about his polygraph tonight.

(CROSSTALK)

MURPHY: She did to the guy. She should be prosecuted.

LIN: All right.

MURPHY: She made us all suspect him.

LIN: So Jayne, Jayne? In her defense, what do you think?

WEINTRAUB: I don't think she should be prosecuted. First of all, she didn't put a hoax on this country. Thankfully, the community and the country pulled together. And I hope they will continue to do so when a need arises, and that they won't say no, we won't. Maybe she's like the runaway bride.

There should be restitution civilly. She should pay for the police officers' time. And she should get help.

LIN: Could be $100,000

WEINTRAUB: She should get help. She's a poor little spoiled rich girl.

MURPHY: You softy. Oh, you softy, Jayne. Lock her up.

LIN: Lock her up. That's all we have to say about this. What about, you know, mental capacity tests? I mean, this woman was rolled up in a fetal position on the airplane, as far as we know.

MURPHY: Fine.

LIN: She had a blanket over her head, Wendy.

(CROSSTALK)

WEINTRAUB: Just even during the 911 tape, hearing it in her voice. I mean, Dr. Krantz (ph), he earlier was talking about this woman is seriously in need of psychiatric help.

MURPHY: Yes, this woman should earn an Oscar, I'll give you that much. She should be prosecuted because she knows...

LIN: Wendy, why do you think she's acting? Why do you think...

MURPHY: Let her put on a mental health defense.

LIN: Wait, wait, wait.

MURPHY: Let's have a fair trial. Let her put on a mental health defense. If she's insane, if she's got mental health problems, maybe I cut her a little bit of slack during sentencing.

The question is the whole country is watching. Do we announce to everybody that this is just one of those problems, nothing, you know, slap it off. Who cares? This should be punished...

WEINTRAUB: What's the crime, Wendy?

LIN: Jayne?

WEINTRAUB: Are you serious?

LIN: Let's hear from Jayne because there is a side of the law that has compassion.

WEINTRAUB: I never get to see that side. But no, that is true, Carol. And beside this also, what has she done that's against the law? She worried her parents sick. So they were compelled to basically rally up the country and basically...

MURPHY: Are you kidding? Martha Stewart rotted in jail for six months for doing what this woman did. And Martha didn't cause nearly as much harm. Now lying to federal law enforcement officials is a crime, Jayne. Martha will tell you all about it, if you really need to know.

WEINTRAUB: But I'll tell you something, Wendy. Martha Stewart shouldn't have been prosecuted and neither should this woman.

MURPHY: Now there, we agree.

WEINTRAUB: She should be punished.

MURPHY: But that's not the point. It is a crime...

WEINTRAUB: She should be punished in a way that is meaningful.

MURPHY: It's prosecutable. You know, she filed a false police claim, too. She called law enforcement officials and said...

WEINTRAUB: (INAUDIBLE) crime.

MURPHY: And she would play the race card, too, for which she should be slapped, saying it was an Hispanic guy. She was, you know...

WEINTRAUB: Wendy, she's going to be sued civilly and have to pay restitution.

MURPHY: That's a crime.

WEINTRAUB: And so will her family.

MURPHY: Filing a false police report is a crime. And for good reason. It costs money. It costs...

WEINTRAUB: (INAUDIBLE) doesn't mean going to prison.

LIN: Jayne, give us the last word here. What are the chances it's going to go to prosecution?

WEINTRAUB: I think it's slim to none.

LIN: All right, we'll see what happens.

MURPHY: I agree with that, actually.

LIN: And on that warm note, ladies, thank you so much. Great to see both of you together. Let's make it happen again, OK?

WEINTRAUB: Thank you, Carol.

LIN: That's all the time we have for this evening. But you know what? You guys weighed in out there. You get to hear the responses to our last call question now. Do you think Jennifer Wilbanks' fiance John Mason should give her a second chance? She says the wedding is still on. Here's what you had to say. Have a great night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLER: Yes, I think it's all very romantic that he may take her back. However, she would be the mother of his future children. And that would be very unwise, because she's unstable.

CALLER: I think he should give her a second chance, because she just had first time jitters. And she can get over it and live a successful marriage.

CALLER: Doggone right ought to give that lady a second chance. I'm telling you, I've never heard so many cruel people.

CALLER: Heck no, we don't need to give her a second chance. She's done it before, she's done it now, and she'll probably run during the marriage. He don't need to give her a second chance. He's lucky this happened. CALLER: No, absolutely not. She is selfish, inconsiderate. And I think she should be prosecuted if they have the ability to prosecute her. And I think he would be a fool to go ahead with the marriage to someone as unstable as she is.

CALLER: He should absolutely not give her a second chance. He should meet her at the plane, hand her a ticket to Albuquerque, and say adios.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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