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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Israel Rocked By Another Explosion; Chandra Levy's Body Found
Aired May 22, 2002 - 17:00 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, HOST: Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, two weeks after a deadly suicide bombing, an Israeli town is rocked by another devastating blast.
A year ago, this Washington park was the scene of intensive searches. Today, human remains were found. The police raise the possibility it's Chandra Levy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES RAMSEY, DC METRO POLICE CHIEF: We have all the things that we feel we need to be able to make a positive ID if, in fact, the remains belong to her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: You may be stopped, screened and scanned at the airport, but who's checking the cargo? A warning on airline security.
The fleet's in, but may not be the kind of security New Yorkers are looking for in the wake of the latest terror alert.
The unthinkable...
(BEGIN, FILM CLIP, "THE SUM OF ALL FEARS")
BEN AFFLECK, ACTOR: The bomb is in place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: It's fiction for now, but could it happen? We'll look at nuclear terrorism on screen in "The Sum of All Fears."
It's Wednesday, May 22, 2002. Hello, I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. It's a fast-moving news day, and we're tracking two developing stories right now. Here in Washington, a possible turn in a missing person case that captured the nation's attention last year at this time. Human remains were found in this sprawling Rock Creek Park, and police are trying to determine whether they might be those of Chandra Levy. The former government intern linked to Representative Gary Condit was last seen in Washington on April 30, 2001. We'll have much more on this story coming up in just a moment.
But lightning may not strike twice, but the Israeli town of Rishon Letzion has suffered its second suicide bombing in two weeks. This one in a crowded pedestrian mall killed two Israelis and wounded at least two dozen others. The first attack killed 15 Israelis in a pool hall. They're reliving the horror right now in Rishon Letzion. Let's go live to CNN's Martin Savidge. He's on the scene for us with the latest developments -- Marty
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, that attack that you mentioned occurred on May 7th. Now it has happened again in Rishon Letzion. You can see in the background what is an outdoor area, a park, a gathering point. Picnic tables underneath the shelter. It was said to be very popular amongst Russian emigrates, especially the elderly. It was a place where they could gather in the evening hours, play backgammon and converse. Tonight, it turned into something much worse than that. As you report, at least two people have been killed; also, the death of the suicide bomber. Thirty-seven people we're now told have been injured, and at least four of those people have been injured critically.
I want to bring in now Gil Kleiman. He is the national police spokesman for the Israeli police force.
Tell us what we know about how this was carried out.
GIL KLEIMAN, ISRAELI POLICE SPOKESMAN: Well, we know now from our initial investigation that a suicide bomber made some attempt to disguise his appearance from what we saw the forensic teams gather up is that he bleached his hair.
SAVIDGE: Disguising, though, is important because we have seen this recently.
KLEIMAN: We've seen this recently. We've seen this for a long time. And we saw it the beginning of the week an Italian dressed as an Army officer, as an Army person, an IDF officer in green uniform. We've seen them dressed as religious Jews. We've seen them also bleach their hair. This isn't the first time. It is an attempt made to get in as close as possible to the people. In other words, not to arouse suspicion, to walk in, get in as close as possible, and then blow themselves up.
SAVIDGE: What do you know about device that was on the person?
KLEIMAN: We do know it's a suicide - like I said, it's a large enough device wound, like you said, 37 people. There were fragments that were added, shrapnel and other nails and other fragments that were added to the bomb. We've seen that again before.
In addition to the effect of the explosion, they try to enhance the effect by adding shrapnel, adding fragments, which do a large amount of devastation.
SAVIDGE: And why this town? Why twice?
KLEIMAN: I wouldn't say this town specifically. We're dealing with an across-the-board attack on the homefront. This is over 120 suicide bombing incidents in a year and a half. That's just suicide bombings. In the year 2001, we saw over 1,700 terrorist incidents. So it's not one area, although Jerusalem has seen a brunt of it. The actual attack has been across the board. We saw (UNINTELLIGIBLE) this week. We saw it up north, and now we see it Rishon. So it's not one specific area.
SAVIDGE: Gil Kleiman, thank you very much for joining us from the National Police Force.
KLEIMAN: Thank you very much.
And so as you hear it, at least two have been killed, 37 have been injured, four critically. And, again, another suicide bombing, three now in the past four days.
BLITZER: Marty Savidge reporting live from Rishon Letzion on the scene. Still no claim of responsibility for this latest suicide bombing attack in Israel. We'll have more on this story, of course, as it continues to develop.
But as we noted earlier, there may be a break in the disappearance of the former government intern, Chandra Levy, with today's discovery of human remains in a park here in Washington. Let's go to our national correspondent, Bob Franken. He's been on this story now for more than a year and broke it earlier today - Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we're finding out as the day goes on why police are so interested in this discovery of remains at Rock Creek Park. First of all, they were human remains. Second of all, they were skeletons, which would be consistent with a missing person who had been dead for over a year. It's been a little bit over a year.
But we've also now heard from officials both on the record and on background that they have found remnants of clothing that are consistent with clothing worn by a woman. They have also found remnants of what appears to be a Sony Walkman, something that would be the type of thing that a jogger would carry. Chandra Levy was known to be a jogger who, in fact, was known to jog in Rock Creek Park.
They've also found, according to sources, remnants of clothing that would be consistent with the clothing that a person who does exercising would be wearing.
Chandra Levy, of course, disappeared, last heard from, last noted on May 1. The story gained worldwide notoriety, if I may say, when it became reported and became confirmed that Congressman Gary Condit had had an intimate relationship with Chandra Levy. She was a 24-year-old former intern when she disappeared. Congressman Condit told investigators, according to law enforcement sources, that he had that relationship with her. Congressman Condit became the focus of the story. Ultimately when he tried to run for reelection in California, he was defeated. That was attributed after so many reelections, attributed to the notoriety he gained over this story.
But anyway, back to Rock Creek Park, investigators say they hope that by the end of the evening, they will have a definitive word on whether these are the remains of Chandra Levy. They are going to check dental records. They will not be able to, of course, run the DNA tests, but they've accumulated much of the forensic evidence they need. And there is a hope that before the evening is through, officials will find out whether they know the fate of Chandra Levy - Wolf.
BLITZER: Bob Franken. No one has better sources in the U.S. DC police department than our Bob Franken does, especially among reporters. Thanks for that story. Thanks for breaking it here on CNN earlier today.
Chandra's parents happened to be taping an interview on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" just before news broke of the discovery. Here's a bit of what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. ROBERT LEVY, CHANDRA LEVY'S FATHER: When you're missing a child, you have to maintain the hope unless you know otherwise.
OPRAH WINFREY: Are you holding out hope that she will be found now, Dr. and Mrs. Levy, or are you just hoping that somebody will see you today or who has seen or known something and will just give you some kind of information? Are you holding out hope that she is alive? Are you holding out hope for closure?
LEVY: Well, we really hope that she's alive. We know under the circumstances, it doesn't seem likely, but, you know, as parents, we have to maintain that hope.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Chandra's parents are now back home in Modesto, California anxiously awaiting word on whether the remains are, indeed, those of their missing daughter.
Our Rusty Dornin now joins us. She's just outside the Levy home in Modesto.
Rusty, must be anxious times out there right now.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very anxious times. You know, Bob and Sue Levy had been making the rounds at several interview shows over the last three weeks ever since the anniversary of Chandra's disappearance. And every time they really talked about the glimmer of hope that they still held that she might be alive.
Now, apparently, last night, Sue Levy returned from a trip from the East Coast about midnight, was up very early this morning to record that interview that we just saw on the "Oprah" show. And it was just a couple of hours later that the Washington police called the Levy family and told them of the latest find in Washington in Rock Creek Park.
Now the family is inside now with friends. Also, their son, Adam, is there. A family friend and attorney did describe them as being emotional, very shaken by this latest find. And they said they are taking this bit of news very seriously.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE ARATA, LEVY FAMILY ATTORNEY: Anytime there's anything reported, you know, they immediately get their hopes raised. You know, I think there were some reports early on of even animal bones at one time in the same park. I mean, all these things have the same effect of raising their hopes, so this is just another one. But this seems to be even more credible than the rest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: Now this attorney would not talk about why he felt or the family felt that this was more credible than the rest. They obviously must be getting some information from the Washington police, what Bob was talking about, perhaps the clothing or the Walkman that was found with this body.
Now we understand also that Chief Ramsey did call the family and say that they did expect to hear something by this evening, something they could give to the Levy family. From what we understand, both Bob and Sue Levy may come out to talk to reporters if something definitive happens - Wolf.
BLITZER: Rusty Dornin in Modesto. And if something happens, of course, stay with CNN. We'll be right there on the scene outside the Levy home in Modesto. It's been more than a year since Chandra Levy disappeared. Today's discovery is the first possible break in the case in several months.
Lou Hennessy is a former homicide commander with Metro Police here in Washington. He joins us now to talk about the progress or lack thereof in this investigation.
Well, Lou, you know the homicide division. You know the police department here. What is your take? What's going on?
LOUIS HENNESSY, FORMER HOMICIDE COMMANDER, DC METRO POLICE: Well, obviously, the police are taking this very seriously. They have found the remains of somebody's child up there and they're treating this as a crime scene as they should. And I think they're progressing this case cautiously and in a very, very careful manner in an attempt not to overlook any potential evidence they may find there.
BLITZER: Is it your sense that they really know they have a good sense right now that it may be Chandra Levy, but they want to get the definitive, either DNA or dental records or something hard like that to make the positive conclusion?
HENNESSY: Well, I think that it would be premature for them to announce anything until they do have some type of corroboration either through dental records, which should be concluded relatively quickly, or through DNA, where they would be able to definitely tell whether or not it's Ms. Levy.
BLITZER: Correct me if I'm wrong, but DNA would take some days if not a few weeks, where dental records, that could be by the end of the day today; is that right?
HENNESSY: Generally, an examination, if you have someone available to do the comparison, generally takes a matter of an hour or two as opposed to the DNA, which, as you say, could take a month.
BLITZER: Now we obviously, don't know if this is, in fact, Chandra Levy's remains, but if, in fact, it turns out to be Chandra Levy's remains, what does it say, if anything, about the profile of the killer who may have been engaged in this?
HENNESSY: Well, a lot would be learned from the body itself. I mean, if there's some indication of how she was killed, whether or not she was shot, robbed, you know, who knows. The scene will be very, very important, and I think that's why they're taking this cautious approach to ensuring that the scene is processed properly, because this is their only opportunity to identify that location and process it and not disturb any clues that they be able to glean from that.
BLITZER: You know the District of Columbia well. You know Rock Creek Park. You remember it, the highly publicized investigation that went through all of Rock Creek Park last year, last summer. Is it possible that they just could have missed the body if, in fact, this turns out to be Chandra Levy?
HENNESSY: Well, yeah, it's entirely possible. And it's no knock on the police. I mean, those terrains there are very difficult to cover and it's massive. The area up there is massive. And there's also the possibility that she could - the body could have been buried and uncovered by an animal in the park. And, of course, if it was covered or buried, then, obviously, they wouldn't have been able to see it by walking around the area at the time.
BLITZER: Can they tell from the skeletal remains whether it's a male or a female generally speaking?
HENNESSY: I would assume that the medical examiner is on the scene, and they would have a forensic pathologist take a look at the body, and they would have a pretty good idea almost immediately whether it's a male or a female and an approximate age.
BLITZER: And the normal procedure at the site, they seal off that entire area? They start looking for other potential pieces of evidence? Is that what's going on right now?
HENNESSY: Absolutely. I mean, this is an opportunity where if it was a murder, where the murderer may have left something behind. And if they lose this scene or it's contaminated in some way, shape or form, any evidence that they may find may not be admissible or useful later on.
BLITZER: Lou Hennessy, a former homicide commander here in the District of Columbia, thanks as usual for joining us.
And this important note for continuing coverage of the Chandra Levy case. Stay with CNN throughout the night. We'll keep you posted on the latest developments as they happen. And you heard our Bob Franken report just a few minutes ago that police suspect they might have a definitive conclusion, a definitive answer one way or another by the end of the day. Stay with CNN for all these late breaking developments.
In other news today, New Yorkers are coming to grips with their latest terror alert, but all the military might on display for so- called fleet week might not make them feel any safer.
Let's go live to CNN's Deborah Feyerick. She's in New York with the latest - Deborah.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, New York's mayor and police commissioner reassuring the people here that everything is OK. They are going to be putting dozens of security checkpoints around the city as well as instituting a harbor patrol, but they say it's to guard against DWIs, people who might be driving while intoxicated over the Memorial Day weekend. These sort of subtle messages is that these police officers are also going to be looking for anybody who might be potentially suspicious.
Now here at the Brooklyn Bridge, a potential target for a terrorist attack, traffic has been moving pretty smoothly all day. Early this morning, the bridge was shut down. Police were investigating a suspicious package. Turned out that it was an empty backpack.
There are checkpoints at the entry into the bridge going across into Manhattan, and police are scrutinizing cars a little more closely than they normally do. Security is definitely tighter because of the FBI information received yesterday about the Brooklyn Bridge being a possible target.
The FBI calls this unsubstantiated, and what that means is that there's no time, there's no date, there are no details as to how such an attack might happen. But the FBI did get this information from an al Qaeda detainee. What they are trying to do now is confirm through their various sources. Until they do that, they decided to pass it on to the New York's joint terrorism task force. And police having the names of possible targets decided to act on it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAYMOND KELLY, NYC POLICE COMMISSIONER: We are doing some more in-depth examinations at the Brooklyn Bridge and with the Port Authority Police. There are some initiatives that are ongoing, but I don't think it'll be, you know, unusual.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Also, potentially at risk is the Statue of Liberty, according to the FBI information. The island is open but the statue itself is closed. The whole area, New York harbor, is in tight security right now because of fleet week. Some 20 ships have arrived there today, and nobody wants a repeat of what happened with the U.S.S. Cole, so small vessels are being kept away from large ships. And even the ships themselves being kept away from certain landmarks in the area. For example, there are restrictions on how close any sort of boat can go towards the U.N., all a measure of the new information - Wolf.
BLITZER: Deborah Feyerick in New York, thanks so much for that report.
And New York's governor, George Pataki, says residents should go on with their normal lives, and he's urged tourists to come visit New York. But is it really safe? How real is the terror threat? Just a short while ago, I spoke with the governor's adviser on counterterrorism, the former FBI assistant director, James Kallstrom.
James Kallstrom, thanks so much for joining us as usual. How seriously concerned are you about these uncorroborated threats to landmarks in New York like the Statue of Liberty?
JAMES KALLSTROM, SENIOR ADVISER TO NY GOV. PATAKI: Wolf, I think the information yesterday was not really aimed for the public consumption. I mean, obviously, we're serious about terrorism threats. We know there's terrorists here in America that want to kill us and want to harm our population and our kids and our way of life, but those individual threats yesterday, I think, are pretty much a regurgitation of information we already knew. So I don't see a whole lot changing here in New York. I think we're at a pretty high alert. We have good plans on the landmarks, the bridges. So I don't see the information yesterday that I believe was destined for law enforcement agencies as sort of a reminder is really going to change a whole lot.
BLITZER: So as far as you know, the specific nature of these threats - and they're sort of general, we're told - that there's really no harder information than just sort of a generalized threat out there?
KALLSTROM: That's exactly right. There's no specificity, I mean, other than the location itself as to time, place, authenticity of the information, reliability of the information. It could be misinformation. Who knows? And, obviously, they've talked about our landmarks before, so it's not that we don't take things like this seriously, we do, but they don't really cause us to do anything that we're not already doing. We're already doing pretty much as much as we can do with the resources we have.
BLITZER: Should the general public there, New Yorkers, or tourists, coming for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, should they be doing anything special given this very vague threat that's out there?
KALLSTROM: They should be enjoying themselves in one of the greatest cities of the world, probably the best police city in the world. And I think they should just enjoy themselves. Obviously, we want the citizens to be aware. We want them to increase their peripheral vision. We want them to cooperate. They're an integral part of the team of all Americans that have to fight this threat of terrorism. We have a lot of terrorists in the world that hate us, that have been brainwashed to hate us for decades. And it is a serious matter, Wolf. It's as serious, in my view, as World War II or the Cold War. It's a different type of threat. It's a little harder for the public to get their fingernails into it, but I think we should just go about our way of life and increase our peripheral vision, be cooperative, report things to police. And of course, we want the federal government to give the best information that they can to state and local police. They'll be our first lines of defense in these matters of terrorism.
BLITZER: James Kallstrom with some good advice as usual. Thanks so much for joining us.
KALLSTROM: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: And stay right here. There's more intrigue to come.
Hollywood meets the CIA, but is it too real for the real world? And with terror alerts come terror anxiety. How should the public react? And a verdict almost 40 years in the making. We'll go live to Birmingham. First, today's news quiz.
Today in Washington, D.C., 10 finalists between the ages of 11 and 15 squared off in the National Geographic Bee hosted by Alex Trebek of "Jeopardy." Here's a sample question from the competition: Until the mid-1970s, East Timor was a colony of which European country? France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain? The answer coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Every week, it seems we hear about another possible terrorist strike. Officials from the White House to the Pentagon say it will happen. They just don't know where or when or how, but they're not discounting anything, including deadly cargo. CNN's Patty Davis is investigating that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Security beefed up for passengers since the September 11th terror attacks. But FedEx pilots warn there are still gaping security holes for cargo.
CAPT. DAVID WEBB, FEDEX PILOTS ASSOCIATION: If we want to hijack an aircraft and use it as a weapons of mass destruction, it's going to be very difficult to get on a United plane but maybe it won't be so hard to get on to a UPS plane.
DAVIS: Few metal detectors and X-ray machines secure areas. Not so secure for cargo say pilots. A post-September 11th report by the FAA raises another warning flag. Terrorists' next move could be planting a bomb in air cargo, often carried by passenger jets. Earlier this year, the Transportation Safety Security Administration admitted little cargo is ever screened.
JOHN MAGAW, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: Very small amount of cargo is being screened today, two, three, four percent. DAVIS: After 9-11, Congress told the TSA to look for ways to improve cargo security.
REP. JOHN MICA (R) TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: To my knowledge to this date, they have not acted upon putting adequate rules or protection in place. And we gave them that immediate authority, so it's a great concern.
MICHAEL ROBINSON, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: Well, we are inspecting and screening more cargo today than we did yesterday. We'll be doing more of it tomorrow, and we'll be doing it in a program that we believe would be sufficient.
DAVIS: Federal security officials say they've also beefed up the known shipper program so carriers can be certain whose goods they're carrying. They say they're also tracking cargo better.
(on camera) But critics say there's still a long way to go to make sure that normally harmless cargo is not turned into a terrorist's next lethal weapon. Patty Davis, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Turning now to another potential terrorist threat out there, specifically bioterrorism. Scientists say they have a plan. At the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, they've devised a way to monitor hazardous releases and alert cities where those plumes of hazardous material are headed. They say it's then up to the emergency managers in each city to decide whether to alert the public.
Joining me now, Sue Bailey. She's a former assistant secretary of defense for Health Affairs.
Sue, thanks for joining us. You think this Lawrence Livermore plan is worthwhile? Is it going to do anything?
SUE BAILEY, FORMER ASST. DEFENSE SECY., HEALTH AFFAIRS: Well, it's similar to what the military has done for a long time, to look in a war zone, for instance, for any releases that could be dangerous to our troops. Yeah, that's something we need to perfect for the future. We need that technology. The question is: What do you do about it once you find out?
BLITZER: Well, you heard the secretary of defense say yesterday it's going to happen: bioterrorism, chemical warfare, maybe even nuclear terrorism. How concerned should the public, our viewers out there, be right now?
BAILEY: Well, I think that's the problem. We're alerted but we don't know what to do about it. Really we're going to have to depend upon those in the local areas to provide us with the medications, the vaccines, the information that we need. That didn't happen so well with the anthrax attacks. We've got to do better in the future.
BLITZER: So if it's going to happen - and assuming it will happen, God forbid - what should the public do to prepare for this potential disaster?
BAILEY: Well, again, it isn't so much that the public can prepare. They can be alert for anything that looks suspicious: mosquito spraying when they're not in an area where you normally would see it; crop dusters that go over an area where you would - which is highly populated where you wouldn't expect it, those kinds of things.
They also can look for flu symptoms, because almost all the biologic pathogens, including anthrax and small pox, first present as flu symptoms. So if you have really severe flu symptoms, that might be a concern. But again, you hate to worry people who get the common cold. It really depends on the CDC and public health officials to see a trend where you see a lot of flu symptoms to know that there's been an attack.
BLITZER: And during the anthrax letter attacks of last year, everybody was saying, don't stock up on the ciprofloxacin (ph), the cipro (ph), because that could be counterproductive. Is that still good advice?
BAILEY: Yeah, that's still good advice. We've got to think about having vaccines on hand if we need it for small pox, because you can prevent small pox from spreading if you quickly get within days the small pox vaccine to people. So, again, the public health officials have to put the medicines in the right place so that people themselves don't have to put it in their medicine cabinets.
BLITZER: Yesterday, we heard that they're going to start polygraph of hundreds, perhaps, of these workers at Ft. Dietrich (ph), the place where they study biowarfare in Utah, looking perhaps for a suspect. Is that a good idea?
BAILEY: Well, I think it's the right idea, because at this point, we don't have many other leads except knowing the genetic makeup of the anthrax and knowing that it's an expert in microbiology who must have perpetrated this particular threat.
BLITZER: So the assumption is it's an American, homegrown kind of terrorist as opposed to a foreign terrorist?
BAILEY: Probably. But again, we know that foreign terrorists have access also to a lot of the kinds of things we're concerned about like anthrax and possibly even small pox.
BLITZER: Sue Bailey, good to have you back on our program.
BAILEY: Thank you.
BLITZER: Thank you very much.
And our Web question of the day is this: Do you expect to see more anthrax attacks in the United States? Go to my Web page: cnn.com/wolf. While you're there, let me know what you're thinking. There's a "click here" icon on the left side of the page. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. Also, that's where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
We're tracking a number of big stories today. Skeletal remains found in a Washington park. Could it be the body of Chandra Levy? Bob Franken will rejoin us with late breaking information.
A verdict in the bombing of a Birmingham church. Gary Tuchman is working that story.
And attacking terror anxiety. We'll talk to Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Lots more ahead. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: A quick look now at two still-developing stories: A grisly find that could explain what happened to Chandra Levy, and a deadly suicide bombing in the Middle East.
Israeli authorities report at least two Israelis were killed in Rishon Letzion, which is just outside Tel Aviv. About 40 others were wounded. They say the bomber blew himself up in a crowded pedestrian district, the second such incident in as many weeks.
And in a park here in Washington D.C., authorities say human remains have been found. The question is, are they those of Chandra Levy?
Let's turn to CNN national correspondent Bob Franken, who has been following this story for a long time. Bob, what's the update right now?
FRANKEN: Well, No. 1 we're hearing that Police Chief Charles Ramsey is about to speak to reporters again. He has been doing this throughout the day ever since police went to Rock Creek Park thinking there's a better possibility than normal that these human remains were those of Chandra Levy.
It is still at this hour, just a possibility. We can also report that at this hour some of the remains are at the medical examiner's office. Police are hopeful that before the night is through, they will be able to declare whether these are the remains of Chandra Levy. They were found in Rock Creek Park, an area she was known to jog in as a physical fitness buff. It is an urban park that stretches across much of the metropolitan area, heavily overgrown. The remains were found off of the jogging path just a little bit and officials say they also found remnants of clothing that were consistent with those worn by a woman.
Those were the exact words of the police chief, and sources saying they were consistent with exercise clothing, both of which would have been the type of things you would have found with Chandra Levy. They also found, according to sources some remnants of what might be a Sony Walkman, a device like that which is almost part of the jogger's uniform.
Chandra Levy, of course, the former intern who disappeared at age 24. The story became such a major story when it was discovered that she had what turned out to be a romantic relationship -- with Congressman Gary Condit, something he admitted, according to law enforcement sources, to investigators.
The case has never been solved, her body has never been found. There have thousands of leaks. Police are hopeful that this one will turn out, but of course be hopeful that this was not the body and that they would find out that Chandra Levy was not dead -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Very briefly, Bob, at the time when we were reporting so extensively, when she disappeared, was there work that she had left with a Walkman? Was that consistent with the type of jogging she used to do?
FRANKEN: Yes. The thing that was also so important was when they searched her apartment in the Dupont Circle of Washington, they found that she had left behind the kinds of things that people would leave behind if they were not out running, a purse, that type of thing. So there was always a belief that there was a good possibility that she was jogging and Rock Creek park would be an area she might choose.
BLITZER: Bob Franken stand by and if the police chief comes out we will be bringing his comments to our viewers live as well. Bob Franken doing his excellent work as usual.
After almost 40 years, some people in Birmingham, Alabama, say justice has finally been done. Just hours ago, a verdict was reached in the deadly bombing of an African-American church. The defendant: An ex-ku klux klansman. Our national correspondent Gary Tuchman is on the scene. He is just outside the courthouse -- Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Wolf; 12 jurors, seven hours of deliberations, 39 years of evidence and it's all culminated in a former ku klux klan member found guilty of four counts of first degree murder. His name is Bobby Frank Cherry.
When he entered court this morning he was free on bond and it might be his last walk of freedom in his life because he has been convicted of four counts of killing four young African American girls on September 15, 1963, when he participated in a bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church here in Birmingham during the heart of the civil rights fight.
Now inside the court we were allowed to shoot video, but we were not allowed however to record the sound, which is not particularly helpful when you are in the electronic media, so we have to tell you what happened, what said.
Bobby Frank Cherry was allowed to address the judge after he heard the four guilty verdicts. He hadn't testified on his own behalf during the trial, so this was the first time we heard his voice. He looked at prosecutors and said, "the whole bunch has lied all the way through. I've told the truth. I don't know why I'm going to jail for nothing. I haven't done anything."
But the jury of six men and six women and three African-Americans begged to disagree with 71-year-old Bobby Frank Cherry. Fourteen- year-old Cynthia Westly was one of the girls killed 39 years ago. Her sister sat through this trial and the verdict.
EUNIA DAVIS, VICTIM'S SISTER: People are saying that there will be a closure, but I don't think it will be a closure for the family. It might take still time for the healing part. But the hurt will always remain there.
TUCHMAN: Three men have now been convicted of these killings. One man was convicted in 1977, one just last year and now Cherry. Prosecutors say one of the main reasons this took so long is then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, back in the mid-'60s said there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute. Prosecutors now beg to differ and say they have proven it three times. Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Gary Tuchman covering an historic case a lot of remember for so many years. Thanks so much for that report.
The actress Winona Ryder is now scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 3. Ryder, you may remember, is accused of shoplifting more than $4,000 worth of merchandise back in December from a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills. She has pleaded not guilty.
In Connecticut, both a brother and a cousin of Michael Skakel took the stand and backed his alibi for the night Martha Moxley was killed. But they had trouble recalling much of anything else about that night. The defense witnesses testified that Skakel went to the cousin's house to watch a movie, leaving just before 11:00 p.m. The defense argues, Moxley was killed about an hour earlier.
In Chandler, Arizona, two dozen folks showed up to claim a free prize, but ended up being the prize. Authorities say all had outstanding warrants, most for DUI, drinking under intoxication influence. And most were extremely surprised they were caught.
We're getting some more information. We're getting some information right now from the Associated Press, confirmation from the Associated Press that the skeletal remains found earlier today in Rock Creek Park were indeed those of Chandra Levy, the missing Washington intern.
AP issuing a report just a second ago. Skeletal remains identified as Chandra Levy. According to law enforcement sources, we are now waiting a statement from the District of Columbia Police Chief Charles Ramsey who will be a statement and having a news conference. The Associated Press reporting skeletal remains identified as Chandra Levy, in fact confirming the worst fears of the Levy family, of course, that their daughter Chandra Levy was in fact killed.
Bob Franken, this is something that has been in the works since around noon when you reported that the skeletal remains have indeed been found in Rock Creek Park.
FRANKEN: We're waiting for Police Chief Charles Ramsey to confirm that these are the remains of Chandra Levy, but officials have made it clear throughout the day that they have a strong suspicion it was Chandra Levy. They had talked about finding clothing consistent with what Chandra Levy would have worn when she would have gone for a jog in Rock Creek Park which is consistent with her behavior.
She was into physical fitness. They were saying that it was entirely possible these were the remains of a female and they had sent the material to the medical examiner to be checked out and were waiting for Chief Ramsey to give us the official word that these are the remains of Chandra Levy.
Of course this is a case, Wolf, that has been going on for over a year. She disappeared on May 1 and it was on this date, as a matter of fact, that the first reports, news reports began appearing about Chandra Levy fueled mostly by the fact that she had what turned out to be a relationship with Democratic Congressman Gary Condit, one that he acknowledged to investigators on the third time they interviewed him.
Condit by the way has had no comment throughout the day, not even saying if he had been officially notified about the fact that these remains had been found. But there have been thousands of leads over the year. Many that the police did not take seriously for one reason or another, but from the beginning it was apparent that they did take it seriously and from the beginning. It was clear that they had a high guess, and that's the only word to use, that this could be Chandra Levy's remains and as I said we're waiting for the police chief to make his official confirmation, something of course that we will carry the moment it happens -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Bob, remind our viewers how the police came upon these remains earlier today.
FRANKEN: A man was walking his dog this morning sometime around 9:30 when his dog pulled his owner toward the area. Rock Creek Park is an urban park. As a result it is heavily overgrown. That is intentional. There had been a huge search that was conducted last summer. Cadets from the police academy had combed the area looking for remains. They were unable to turn up anything then, raising two possibilities in the minds of investigators.
A, that they just overlooked them because of the heavy under brush or that as the police chief said earlier today, the remains had been deposited where they were found sometime after the search had been conducted. There has been throughout the day informed speculation that this would be the time when the remains turned up. Of course the family in Modesto has hoped against hope that this day would not come and of course they are still holding absent any official notification, holding out the hope that these will not turn out to be the remains of their daughter.
The family waiting in Modesto, California, distraught in the words of one police investigator who has talked to them.
BLITZER: If this turns out to be true, an there is an assumption of course that the Associated Press is right, they will announce shortly the police Chief Charles Ramsey that the remains found in Rock Creek Park are in fact those of Chandra Levy. How will the police explain it? I know you have been talking to them all day. How will they explain the fact that they did search that park so thoroughly last year and came up with nothing, and now an individual walking his dog simply came upon these remains?
FRANKEN: Well, they say their search is one that very easily could have just missed it. It is a park heavily overgrown, Wolf. You've been out there, and they're just saying that it is entirely possible. They said this at the time. It is entirely possible that there would be something they would not find. They searched not only Rock Creek Park by the way but many other areas of the Washington metropolitan region.
Police also say there is a possibility, and Chief Ramsey brought this up today, they are investigating the possibility that the remains were deposited there following the search. They're investigating of course foul play, quite frankly, even though they continued to call this a missing persons report, the investigation into foul play has always been uppermost in the approach that's been used.
It will officially become that if, in fact these turn out to be the remains. But again, the police said that now this was a body that had been obviously out in the elements for several months. So however it got to this point, it was one that had been there for quite a while. The one that had been hidden only finally being picked up by the very advanced scent finding ability of a dog, who pulled his owner over to the site and he of course called the police and we have been following the story since then.
BLITZER: Bob Franken stand by. We are going to be getting back to you. I want to inform our viewers that it is now official. Police will hold a news conference at the top of the hour, 6 p.m. Eastern in about 16 or 17 minutes from now. The Chief Charles Ramsey will announce the determination of these skeletal remains found in Rock Creek Park here in the District of Columbia earlier today.
We'll get back to Bob Franken in a moment. I want to go to Rusty Dornin outside the Levy home in Modesto, California. Rusty, what's going on? We see security personnel behind you?
DORNIN: There has been local security here all day because of the hoards of reporters that are here. From what we understand, any moment, one of the family spokesmen and hopefully the Levys will step outside and will talk to reporters.
Their family attorney and friend George Arada (ph) came out earlier this morning and also said he would return later. But he said if there was something definitive that it was likely that Mr. and Mrs. Levy would come out and talk to reporters. So we're waiting for that moment to happen.
They've been inside all day long with family and friends very anxiously awaiting word on this . They took this report very seriously from what the Washington police told them. All along they have been holding a glimmer of hope that perhaps this was not Chandra. It looks like now, their hopes have been dashed -- Wolf. BLITZER: And there is no doubt the police earlier did speak with the Levy family presumably before Chief Ramsey would go and make a public announcement, he would notify the family. That would be standard procedure.
DORNIN: That would be standard procedure and from the people that I spoke with about 15 minutes ago, he assured me we would be hearing something within minutes, that we would hear some kind of final word. I'm pretty sure they received the information little while ago.
BLITZER: Who is with the Levy family right now inside as far as you know?
DORNIN: As far as I know, there is the son, Adam, who's Chandra's brother, he is a college student. Also the family attorney and family friend who's known Chandra since she was a little girl, George Arada. He is the one who has been coming out to speak to reporters.
Also, Kim Peterson, she is with the Sun Foundation. And she actually returned with Mrs. Levy last night from the east coast, from a trip back east. They got home about midnight. She has also been inside with the Levy's all morning. There have been some other family friends and neighbors coming inside in and out of the house all day.
BLITZER: Is there a sense out there that the family had anticipated this worst case? I know the family appeared on Oprah Winfrey earlier today. They still held out hope only like a little while before the story broke that they found the skeletal remains, they always held out hope even against the realistic hope.
DORNIN: They really did. I talked to the next door neighbor who's also a good friend and has known Chandra since she was a little girl, and she said she sensed that both Bob and Sue Levy had begun to accept the possibility that Chandra was not alive, but yet, Sue Levy in particular kept saying that she wanted to believe in her heart her daughter was alive. She was the one that was really holding out.
But the neighbor did sense there was some acceptance of the possibility that she may not be found alive.
BLITZER: In the interview on Oprah Winfrey taped before word was released that they found these remains in Rock Creek Park, the family was still very bitter, angry at Congressman Condit, suggesting he knew more than he was letting on to. That still remains the focus of their anger; right?
DORNIN: This has been a sore spot all along. They were very angry that he did not come forward sooner and not be more open about his relationship with their daughter, and from the very beginning, they have been very angry and very bitter about the whole thing. That's not surprising.
BLITZER: Gary Condit lost in his bid to win that Democratic Party primary. Has he been at all visible in the home district over the past few weeks?
DORNIN: I don't think in the past few weeks. Right before the election, of course, he was, you know very high-profile. His son was talking. His daughter was talking. They were out in a lot of fund- raisers. But he kept a very low profile locally ever since he was defeated in the election.
BLITZER: Give ours viewers a sense of the media, the media contingent that has gathered outside where you are right now, perhaps our photographer, our cameraman...
DORNIN: Can you get an idea, a little bit -- it is very difficult to really see how many. We've got -- of course all the stations are here from Sacramento, from Fresno, from L.A., of course from San Francisco, basically camping on the lawn here in front of the Levy house, so anybody within a 400 mile radius really has come here to get word on the story.
BLITZER: And they are obviously bracing for the worst. I want to recap for the viewers who may just be tuning in. The police chief of the District of Columbia Charles Ramsey, expected to emerge in about 12 minutes or so at the top of the hour, 6 p.m. Eastern in Washington with a formal announcement, an announcement expected to be that the skeletal remains discovered earlier today in Rock Creek Park, in the northwest section of Washington, D.C., those skeletal remains are in fact confirmed to have been those of Chandra Levy, she disappeared, last seen here in Washington D.C. on April 30, 2001.
The 24-year-old woman had been working as an intern at the Bureau of Prisons in Washington. Had in fact had a relationship with the Democratic Congressman from her home district Gary Condit. Of course a tremendous amount of interest in this story last year, a story that continues to generate enormous amount of interest. Around noon earlier today, word first broke that Chandra Levy, perhaps the remains had been found as our Bob Franken reported.
Individual walking in Rock Creek Park with his dog came upon some skeletal remains, immediately after being alerted by his dog, immediately called local police, they were on the scene very, very quickly. And the investigation has developed. They not only found some remains, they found some clothing, remnants of clothing and perhaps a Walkman consistent with jogging attire of course for a young woman like Chandra Levy known to be into jogging and fitness.
I know Rusty Dornin and Bob Franken covering the story. Let's go to Bob Franken right now. Bob, when the chief comes out he'll make a statement presumably, then respond to questions. Still so many unanswered questions right now especially the suspicion involving Congressman Gary Condit. Let's be fair. He hasn't been a suspect, he hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing, is that right?
FRANKEN: Absolutely and it is and important point to make. I'm glad we get to discuss that. The story was fueled by the relationship that Congressman Condit had with Chandra Levy. Police in fact expressed frustration on occasion that the congressman was not more forthcoming and of course he was entirely quiet when it came to the media until he was in Modesto, his home district in the August recess from Congress.
But police repeatedly said he is not a suspect. On the other hand, we should point out that the grand jury that is investigating this manner, many facets of this matter, has expressed an interest in Congressman Condit. Not necessarily an interest in considering him a suspect, but an interest in getting whatever information he may have been in a unique position to provide.
Congressman Condit was the reason the story took on such proportion, such proportions being that it absolutely dominated the news for such a long time, and for reasons we can all understand was only knocked off after the events of September 11. So we are living in a bit of a time warp to quote Howard Kurtz from the "Washington Post" earlier in that this story, which has really been in sort of hibernation for so long, burst into the headlines again because one of the leads finally, for investigators, looks like it was going to bear fruit and that is the very sad fruit that this could have been the remains of Chandra Levy.
That's the announcement we're expecting from the chief of police in just a short while. You had been seeing a map of Rock Creek Park, an urban park where the remains were found. It was an area that was of particular attention to Chandra Levy. It is an Urban park that is heavily overgrown.
You are also seeing on the map, some key parts of the story. Chandra Levy's apartment was not far away in an area of the city called Dupont Circle, where so many 20-somethings live, Chandra Levy being one.
Gary Condit, a 50 something, lived in Adams Morgan, which is the next neighborhood over from Dupont Circle. In actuality the Pierce- Klingle mansion you are seeing on that map is not far from where the remains were found when police investigators looked at a computer, they found a Website for the Pierce-Klingle mansion, which is one of the many, many historic mansions in the District of Columbia.
Now of course you are looking now -- investigators a moment ago, you saw video of the police chief who has been there out all day bringing us updates. There you see the assistant police chief Terry Gainer, who also gained quite a bit of public visibility during the investigation last year.
The are conferring now about the evidence that they've found at the scene from the beginning. Police thought this one had promise as I mentioned before. The police found not only the skeleton, which was in about the condition one would expect of remains after it had been out for so many months. But also the police found remnants of clothing that they described on the record as consistent, I am quoting from them, consistent with those worn by a female.
On background, other sources were saying they were consistent for those who would be used by someone who's exercising. That is very important because Chandra Levy was really into physical fitness, was jogger and people said she used that area of Rock Creek Park in fact do much of her jogging. That was always considered a big possibility. Officials also said they found remnants of device that appeared to be remnants of a Sony Walkman. As you know, that has become part of the uniform of joggers. So this was one for reasons we had specified throughout the day, officials believe merited a very close look, at the same time hoping it did not turn out to be Chandra Levy because that would mean there is a tragic end to this search, something everyone hoped would never happen -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Bob, as we await the remarks from the D.C. Police chief Ramsey at the top of the hour, six minutes or so, he will be in Rock Creek Park. He's been there as you've been reporting, all day on the scene. He will be telling us the latest in their investigation.
We are also standing by for a statement, perhaps, from a Levy family attorney, George Arada, who is with the family in Modesto. And as we await both statements that we will bring to viewers here on CNN live when of course they do take place.
The whole investigation seemed to have spurts of developments. The original suspicion of Rock Creek Park that came up from a computer Web site from an Internet Web site that she had gone to, that led police to Rock Creek Park to begin with, right?
FRANKEN: That plus the fact she was known to jog in Rock Creek Park. It is one of those areas, as you know, Wolf, that although a park and heavily overgrown, is also an area that has jogging trails, bicycle trails, that type of thing.
BLITZER: Bob, stand by. Don Vance, a Levy family friend, well known to many of our viewers is on the phone with us. I want to bring him in and get his sense what's going on. Don, can you hear me OK?
DON VANCE, LEVY FAMILY FRIEND: Yes, I can.
BLITZER: What have you heard from the family if anything?
VANCE: I haven't heard anything directly from the family. Now is obviously a time of profound grief and grieving for the family. I think they'll probably want to be alone in their sorrow for a while.
BLITZER: Where are you now, Don? Are you inside the family home?
VANCE: No, I'm not. I am in my office. I just found out five minutes ago that the remains were positively identified.
BLITZER: Who told you that?
VANCE: A reporter from the "Boston Herald" happened to be on the phone when the news came through.
BLITZER: When it came through, the Associated Press reporting conclusively that the remains have in fact been identified by the D.C. police department as those of Chandra Levy. This obviously is a very sad moment for the Levy family, for everyone who knew Chandra Levy, for a lot of other well-wishers as well. This is not going to be a huge surprise is it?
VANCE: It's not a surprise, no. But death, in finality is never, never good news. Never...
BLITZER: Don, stand by. Chief Ramsey is walking to the microphone now. Let's listen in.
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