Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Sacramento Police Suspect Ukrainian Man of Killing Wife, Four Other Relatives

Aired August 20, 2001 - 20:00   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.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight, a bloody rampage in California. Police believe this man is involved. The victims include children. We'll have an update.

Can you trust your pharmacist? Cancer patients are alarmed and outraged as a Kansas City pharmacist appears in court accused of watering down chemotherapy drugs. Prosecutors say the motive was greed. I'll speak live with an FBI special agent involved in the case and with a representative of the American Pharmaceutical Association.

Is it safe to go in the water? Half a dozen people were bitten by sharks off Florida beaches this weekend alone, and there was another shark sighting today. We'll go live to Florida's new Smyrna Beach and to the shark tank at Orlando's Seaworld, where I'll ask expert Gary Violetta about this summer of the shark.

Good evening. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting tonight from Washington.

It's happened again, this time near Sacramento, California. Police say a 27-year-old man fatally stabbed his wife and then went to a separate location where he killed four more relatives, including an 8-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl. The suspect remains at large at this hour. There's a huge manhunt under way, and that's our top story.

The first killing took place in the Sacramento suburb of North Highlands. The other victims were found at a home several miles away in Rancho Cordova. CNN's James Hattori is there and he joins us live with more on this tragedy -- James.

JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Wolf. This is the neighborhood, turned crime scene, where the suspect was last seen after a killing rampage that left five people dead in two different suburban Sacramento homes. A suspect is identified as 27-year-old Nikolay Soltys, described as a Ukrainian immigrant, armed and dangerous, possibly now on the run headed to the Northwest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HATTORI (voice-over): It is a grim scene at this Rancho Cordova home. Around 11:00 Pacific time this morning, deputies found the suspect's elderly aunt and uncle, as well as 10-year-old boy stabbed to death. Additionally, a 9-year-old girl was taken to the hospital, where she also died. The two children, apparently suspects -- the children are the second cousins of the suspect. They apparently were, police believe, trying to escape at the time. An hour earlier, investigators found the suspect's wife also stabbed to death in her home about 10 miles away. But investigators say there is still one family member unaccounted for.

JAMES LEWIS, SERGEANT, SACRAMENTO COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: There's one child that is still outstanding, a child that we're looking for. It's 3-year-old boy, we believe is the son of the suspect. He was seen with the suspect earlier today. And because of the fact that they were together, we're concerned for his welfare obviously. And we want to locate him as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HATTORI: Again, the suspect, 27-year-old Nikolay Soltys on the run in a '95 Nissan Altima silver color. Police agencies across California and beyond are being alerted. Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: James Hattori near Sacramento, thank you very much.

And in other news tonight, in Missouri, a federal judge today ordered a Kansas City pharmacist held without bond. Robert Courtney is charged with adulterating chemotherapy drugs. Court papers say he acted out of greed, "in order to make more money." Courtney is accused of diluting the drugs to potency levels of only about 30 to 40 percent of the prescribed doses. Prosecutors say one IV bag was tested at less than one percent of the intended dose. An FBI hotline has logged hundreds of calls from anxious cancer patients, worried that their medicine may have been tampered with.

To help us learn more about the investigation, I'm joined now by special agent Jeff Lanza of the FBI's Kansas City field office. Agent Lanza, thanks for joining us.

How many people do you suspect were affected by this alleged tampering of the drugs?

JEFF LANZA, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: Well, the short answer to that question is we don't know yet. It could be in the hundreds. So that's what the investigation's going to try to reveal is how many people were affected by the dilution of medicine.

BLITZER: Apparently, according to court papers that you filed, he has confessed to doing this but says that only perhaps 50 patients were involved. Can you could clarify that?

LANZA: Well, there was some information about what he said to the FBI and FDA investigators at the time of his arrests. However, we're not convinced and we're going to be determining the accuracy of his claims through a very thorough investigation.

BLITZER: What specifically has he at least confessed to doing?

LANZA: You know, Wolf, I can't get into specifics of what he has confessed to doing. That would be inappropriate at this time. Suffice it to say that he made some statements to FBI and FDA investigators, and they're going to be working hard to determine if those claims are accurate or not.

BLITZER: And you have though suggested that he did this out of greed to make a few extra bucks or in this particular case potentially, a lot of extra bucks? Is that right?

LANZA: Well, quite a few. If you look at the dosages that are prescribed for these two drugs in question, Taxol and Gemzar, a normal prescription for those drugs could run anywhere from $800 to $1200 per dose. Now if a pharmacist were to cut that medicine back into a third or less, and spread that out over a number of patients, you could see that they could save $700, $800 per dose and pocket that money themselves theoretically.

BLITZER: So if there were hundreds of patients involved, you multiply that. That potentially could be significant sums. But then again, how do you go ahead and prove this in a court of law, assuming he pleads not guilty?

LANZA: Well, you know, it's going to be a very difficult investigation, there's no doubt about that. I think what agents are going to do is try reconstruct the dosages that he received as a pharmacist from the companies. And then over a period of time, determine, you know, what patients receive dosages and add it up mathematically, to see if it makes sense. And individual dosages to certain patients, it's going to be difficult to reconstruct that.

BLITZER: Is there any evidence to suggest that there may have been others involved with this suspect as part of a broader conspiracy?

LANZA: Right now, Wolf, the investigation is focused on this particular pharmacy in Kansas City, Missouri. No other pharmacies are involved and there's no indication right now that any other pharmacies or any other individuals are involved in this particular scenario.

BLITZER: As far as you know, has the FBI ever come across a similar case to this one?

LANZA: Not at all. This is a very unusual situation. It's the first time that I think we've ever seen a case where a pharmacist has been accused of diluting drugs, a very unusual case, very significant case.

BLITZER: Any advice the FBI has to people out there watching, who may want to make sure they don't become the victims to this alleged crime?

LANZA: Well, what I would say is this. If they receive one of these two drugs, either Taxol or Gemzar, from this pharmacy in Kansas City, Missouri, then they need to call the FBI hotline. And over 1200 people have called already. That many people are not going to be suspects, or excuse me, not going to be victims in this particular case, but people are responding to the hotline. And if they received the medicine from the pharmacy, those are the people we'd be interested in talking to.

BLITZER: Jeff Lanza of the FBI in Kansas City, thank you very much for joining us.

LANZA: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Thank you.

And can you trust your pharmacist? Is this Kansas City case simply an isolated incident?

Joining me now is Susan Winckler of the American Pharmaceutical Association. She's an attorney and also a pharmacist. Susan, thanks for joining us.

You heard the FBI agent say he's never come across a case like this. You represent pharmacists in the United States. Have you ever come across a case like this?

SUSAN WINCKLER, AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL ASSOCIATION: I have not.

BLITZER: In all of the experience, this is simply the first time ever that there's been a pharmacist accused of diluting drugs in order to make some extra money?

WINCKLER: This is that first incident. It's really violating the fundamental reason that a pharmacist exists and practices pharmacy, to get the patient the right drug.

BLITZER: We did hear from Dr. Sydney Wolf, a public citizen of watchdog group, here late last week when this story broke, saying that pharmacists generally, the associations, the state boards, that regulate, that monitor pharmacists, don't do a very good job at self- policing, making sure their profession works the way it's supposed to?

WINCKLER: And we would disagree. The state boards of pharmacy license every pharmacist. They license every pharmacy. And they exist to protect the public health. And pharmacists abide those regulations for the majority. This happens to be an isolated incident and an egregious one.

BLITZER: But if there's a bad apple out there in any profession, whether lawyers, or journalists or pharmacists, there has to be someone watching. How does the American public out there make sure that pharmacists are trustworthy and don't want to make some extra money and dilute their prescriptions?

WINCKLER: Well, one of the first things to do is to talk to your pharmacist and know who your pharmacist is. If you raise a question, if you're concerned about your pharmacist and maybe question their behavior, go directly to those watchdogs, to the state boards of pharmacy, but by and large, pharmacists go the pharmacy to fulfill their role as the medication expert in the health care team.

BLITZER: There could be mistakes, you know, that are made. We've all heard about egregious mistakes, a pharmacist confusing one drug for another drug?

WINCKLER: That's right. Now with the medication error or a mistake, that's often a system problem. And so we work very hard also to identify those system problems. Maybe it's two drug names that are very similar. Identify those problems. It may involve changing the drug name, but changing the systems. It's a very different situation than what at least appears to be an unscrupulous provider.

BLITZER: The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services came out with a study last December, suggesting that there's a significant shortage of pharmacists in the United States and the problem is getting worse. Some numbers they released in 1998, for example, there are 2,700 vacancies for pharmaceutical jobs, pharmacist jobs in 2000. There were 7,000. What is being done to make sure there are enough pharmacists out there to provide the reliable, safe drugs that the American public needs?

WINCKLER: We're addressing it a number of different ways. We're trying to increase the number of students who pursue pharmacy as a career, and then also trying to make sure that working in a pharmacy is an attractive option. Right now, sometimes pharmacists spend so much time dealing with third party payers or insurance programs, that they like doctors, are fed up with the system and don't want to be health care providers. We're working to change that, so that pharmacists want to provide the needed care.

BLITZER: Susan Winckler of the American Pharmaceutical Association, which represents pharmacists, not the pharmaceutical companies. Thanks so much for joining us.

WINCKLER: You're welcome.

BLITZER: Appreciate it very much.

And up next, surfers under siege. Six more shark attacks in Florida this weekend. We'll go live to the beach. And is the water safe? I'll ask Seaworld's shark expert, Gary Violetta. And Gary Condit will break his silence. Will the congressman come clean? Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. The summer of the shark continues, forcing Florida officials to close beaches today after several shark sightings. The closings come after a weekend that saw six people bitten by sharks in the area around New Smyrna Beach.

That's where CNN's Susan Candiotti is right now and she joins us. Susan, tell us what's going on?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Wolf. It's high tide at this hour. And surfers like to call Volusia County the shark bite capitol of the world because of the high number of unprovoked shark bikes. 17 of the 37 reported so far worldwide, right here in Volusia County. However, what happened here this weekend didn't appear to matter much to sun and surf worshipers from sunrise to sundown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Six shark bites in two days, no problem for beachgoers, unphased by the weekend's close encounters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just like anything else. The lightning can hit you. There's crabs in there. There's jellyfish that can sting you. So it's just a chance you take.

CANDIOTTI: Monday, it was back to the usual, cooling off in the surf or riding waves. John Dean owns an animal hospital. Can't put down his surfboard.

JOHN DEAN: There's always a shark around. While I was surfing, two dolphins came up, probably two, three feet away from me. And sharks feed right underneath them. So you know there were sharks present then, but I didn't get bit.

CANDIOTTI: Twice, the beach patrol cleared the water for about an hour Monday after one or two sharks were spotted swimming close to shore, the kind of thing that keeps some out of water, including this 9-year-old's mother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like there's probably more of an opportunity to be bit now than ever because they've been seen everywhere. I just -- I don't want to take that chance with him.

CANDIOTTI: Home video shot over the weekend during a surfing contest, a frightening reminder of what's seen as normal shark activity for this stretch of beach. As predators feed on schools of fish which spawn this time of year and can momentarily mistake swimmers for food.

ROB HORSTER, CAPTAIN, NEW SMYRNA BEACH PATROL: I'm more concerned with when the water kicks up and have rip currents coming in. Rip currents kill more people each year than sharks anytime.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: An estimated 71 million tourists come to Florida annually. A third of them say they come here for the beaches. So far, little fallout reported from the shark bites and shark attacks. A group called Visit Florida says it has only received one call from a tourist planning a vacation here from England.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: OK, Susan Candiotti, be careful on that beach. Thanks so much for joining us. So how can people avoid being mistaken for a shark snack?

Gary Violetta joins us now live. He's the curator at Seaworld in Orlando, Florida. Gary, thanks for joining us. Is it my impression or a lot of our impression that there seem to be more shark attacks this year than in previous years? GARY VIOLETTA, CURATOR OF FISH, SEAWORLD: Well, I think if you look at the statistics, you'll see that we're attracting just about the same this year as you were in 2000. So I think part of the reason is that there's just a little more media attention than there was last year.

BLITZER: And perhaps because of that Jesse Arbogast, that young boy who had his arm severed in that one shark attack, that's generated, what you're suggesting, a lot of the media attention?

VIOLETTA: Yes, that was an awful gruesome and sad shark attack up in the panhandle.

BLITZER: Let's go through some tips that you've offered us. We spoke to you earlier, possible suggestions for avoiding being bitten by attack. One suggestion you told us was avoid water at dawn and dusk. Why so?

VIOLETTA: Well at dawn and dusk, sharks are more active. And this is the time when they're actively feeding. So if you can stay out of the water at that point, your encounters will be less.

BLITZER: All right. Then you also say avoid the water when bleeding. That's, I take it, because sharks might be attracted to the blood?

VIOLETTA: Yes, the way a shark's sensory organs are set up is they're acute to vibrations in the water and also normally to fish bloods and fish oils. And so, when you're in the water and you're bleeding, you're kind of sending a trail of scent to the sharks.

BLITZER: The next suggestion you say don't wear jewelry. Why?

VIOLETTA: Well, when fish are feeding, they're going after silvery fish. And if you happen to have like a silver watch and some type silvery jewelry, and your hands are in the water, a shark could easily mistake that for a fish.

BLITZER: And then you suggest, don't swim with food that sharks won't normally eat, shark food in other words. What do you mean by that?

VIOLETTA: Well, what I would do when I'm at the beach is I would look around. And if I see a lot of bait fish, and these are these small silvery fish you see swimming around you, well chances are, you're standing in the middle of what the sharks are naturally preying on. If you can't see the food or this type of fish swimming around, kind of look around you and look for any type of fish eating birds, say like pelicans that could be diving in the water. And if they're constantly diving in one location, there's a good chance that there's a school of fish right there.

BLITZER: Obviously, our viewers are noticing and I'm noticing, you're sitting there right in front of some sharks. Tell us about the sharks that are there at Seaworld with you? VIOLETTA: That's what you're looking at. Behind me is our shark exhibit in our "Terrors of the Deep." What's swimming right over me right now is a bull shark. This is the shark that was involved in the bite up in the panhandle.

The bull shark is probably the most aggressive shark that we have in our tropical waters. Right now, if you can see just kind of over my shoulder, there's going to be a sand tiger shark swimming into view. This sand tiger is found in Florida, but it's not actually a common shark. And then above me again, you can see a nurse shark and a lemon shark swimming away and a bull shark just coming over the top of my head.

BLITZER: Is there anytime of the year when it's more dangerous to be going out in the water at the beaches because there's sharks? Or is this a particularly dangerous time right now?

VIOLETTA: I think it's probably a little more dangerous right now than normal because water temperatures are up. So sharks that normally are found in warm water are migrating towards the north. Also, you've got a lot of people frequenting the beaches right now. And more and more people are getting into the water. So the chances of them coming into contact with a shark is much, much greater. So yes, I would say this time of year, you probably have a higher chance of shark attacks or shark incidents than other times of year.

BLITZER: I always assume that sharks were looking for deeper water. Do they come into the shallow water, which is obviously closer to these beaches?

VIOLETTA: Yes, they do. And it's not that uncommon to find some of them in very shallow water. And I think what's important for everybody to remember with this is that the shark is actually only going to where its food source is. If the food source is out by a river inlet, goes into the ocean, say like Ponce Inlet up in New Smyrna Beach, then that's where the sharks are going to hang out.

BLITZER: So are some beaches more dangerous right now as far as a potential shark attack than other beaches?

VIOLETTA: I think I would address that again by saying it really depends on the popularity of the beach. If you were to look at a map of the state Florida and the shark attacks that occurred, you would notice that Volusia County and Brevard County probably have the two highest shark attack incidents than any other counties in Florida. And again, that is because more of the popular beaches are probably located there. In Brevard County, you have Cocoa Beach and up in Volusia County, you have Daytona Beach.

BLITZER: Gary Violetta in Seaworld. Thanks so much for joining us. And I learned something very important today. I'm not going to be wearing my watch or any other jewelry when I go to the beach this weekend. Thank you very much for joining us.

VIOLETTA: Thank you for having us.

BLITZER: Thank you.

And up next, California Congressman Gary Condit says he'll break his silence on the investigation into missing intern Chandra Levy. We'll update the case and the controversy that's been building since Levy disappeared in May. And a consumer group calls for warnings on medicines designed to help people cut their cholesterol. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. In other stories making news tonight, Congressman Gary Condit is about to break his public silence. After months of being tight-lipped on the Chandra Levy investigation, the California Democrat has now agreed to a national television interview. The primetime interview with ABC News' Connie Chung will air Thursday.

A consumer group is pushing for warning labels on some potentially dangerous cholesterol-lowering drugs. Statin drugs, as they're called, could cause muscle damage, even death, in some patients. Here's a list of some of the drugs still on the market. The group, Public Citizen, wants the FDA to require drugmakers to warn patients about the risks.

Words of regret from a New York police officer today. Joseph Gray is charged with running over a pregnant woman, her 4-year-old son and her 16-year-old sister. He tried to express his sorrow for the tragedy, but a protester disputed the news conference screaming, "No bail for drunk killer cop."

In the Northwest, they're looking to the skies for relief from raging wildfires in several states. Wet weather is forecast for this week, but meteorologists warn strong winds could hamper efforts to battle blazes in California and Nevada. 10 new large fires broke out overnight.

Up next, I'll open our mailbag. One of you says he's sick and tired of Tom Hanks and me. I'll tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Time now to open our mailbag. Many of you were moved a report Friday night about those World War II Marines whose remains were finally laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

Edward from Rogers, Arkansas writes this: "Dear Wolf, on behalf of all of us World War II veterans, thank you."

Dave from Kingwood, Texas: "We may never see another generation of such selflessness, courage and determination in America. God bless them all."

But several of you noted that Americans alone did not win the war.

Al from Istanbul, Turkey writes: "The British, the Canadians, the Australians, the New Zealanders, the French, the Russians and many others joined in this massive global effort."

And George from Pleasant Oak, California. "I'm tired of you, Tom Hanks, and the others telling me this generation was any better than any other one."

Remember, I want to hear from you. Please e-mail me at Wolf@cnn.com. Or you can go to my web site, www.cnn.com/wolf. Please stay with CNN throughout the night. Raquel Welch is Larry King's guest at the top of the hour.

Up next Greta Van Susteren. She's standing by to tell us what she has -- Greta.

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST, CNN'S "THE POINT:" Wolf, we have a full lineup tonight. We're going to check up on that manhunt out in the state of California. And Gary Condit hits TV Thursday night. Plus, Secretary of State Katherine Harris in the state of Florida is sued. And a press conference was disrupted in New York. We'll have that -- Wolf.

BLITZER: A full program. Thanks, Greta. We'll be watching.

Tomorrow night, I'll have a special interview with Billy Martin, the attorney for Chandra Levy's parents. Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "THE POINT WITH GRETA VAN SUSTEREN" begins right now.

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