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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

News; Domestic

Aired October 31, 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, ANCHOR: Hi, Judy. We're following a breaking story in the sniper attacks. Police in Louisiana say there's a murder there and it's linked -- in Baton Rouge -- to the murders that were going on here in the Washington area. We're awaiting a new conference for the Baton Rouge Police Department. We'll go there live.
That story, much more next on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): A third person involved with the Washington area sniper suspects? Investigators look into that question.

And he lived in a homeless shelter. So why was John Muhammad flying to Antigua?

And she's been tight-lipped about her ordeal. So why is Martha Stewart talking?

MARTHA STEWART, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: MSO has to combat a great deal of negative publicity surrounding my personal affairs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Thursday, October 31, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. We're beginning with a breaking news story on the sniper case. The high-powered sniper rifle used in the Washington area shootings has been linked by ballistic tests to yet another killing, this one in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We're awaiting the start of the news conference in Baton Rouge for all the details. We'll bring it to you live when it happens.

In the meantime, we turn to CNN investigative correspondent Art Harris for this latest twist in an already horrible story -- Art, give us the details.

ART HARRIS, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, sources tell CNN yet another murder has been linked to the snipers' Bushmaster assault rifle, an unsolved robbery/homicide in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on September 23. The same .223 ammunition recovered from D.C. area shootings was matched to fragments from beauty supply store manager Hong Ballenger, a mother of three. Her husband Jim just told me a little while ago she was killed by one shot to the head, around closing time Monday, September 23 when the sniper suspects are believed to have been visiting John Muhammad's relatives in Baton Rouge. Sources also tell CNN police are looking at another unsolved murder as possibly linked to the snipers. Ballenger's purse was taken. Her husband says it contained from $1,000 to $1,500 and that was her salary and her payroll. One witness reportedly told police she saw a short, thin Black man running from the scene. Her husband called his wife of 22 years a beautiful person -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Art, I want to interrupt. I'm sorry but that news conference is beginning in Baton Rouge. Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

CPL. DON KELLY, BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT: ...on relatively short notice. We appreciate your interest. For those who don't know me, my name is Corporal Don Kelly. I'm with the Baton Rouge Police Department. Today we're going to update you in developments into the ongoing investigation of the possible involvement of John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo in crimes here in the Baton Rouge area. There are a number of agencies represented here who have been involved in different aspects of this investigation.

Let me just introduce to you very quickly the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, David Dugas (ph); Superintendent of Louisiana State Police Colonel Terry Landry; Special Agent Charles Cunningham, the Assistant Agent-in-Charge of the New Orleans Field Office of the FBI; Special Agent Jerry Tate (ph) and Special Agent-in- Charge of the ATF New Orleans Field Office; District Attorney for East Baton Rouge Parrish Doug Morrow (ph); as well as First Assistant District Attorney John Sigfield (ph) from the District Attorney's Office; and of course, Sheriff Elmer Litchfield, Sheriff of the East Baton Rouge Parrish Sheriff's Department.

At this point, Chief Pat Englade, E-N-G-L-A-D-E, for those of you who are writing it down will make a prepared statement. We will have a copy of his statement in writing for each of you once we finish the spoken part of this press conference and we will allow a brief opportunity for questions and answers when the chief is finished. But, I will caution you in advance. We're probably very limited on anything we'll be able to elaborate on besides what's already covered in the written release. But, at this time, I introduce Chief of Police Pat Englade.

CHIEF PAT ENGLADE, BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT: The Baton Rouge Police Department today issued warrants for the arrest of John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, for the First Degree Murder in connection with the robbery and shooting death of Hong M. Ballenger, 45.

Ms. Ballenger was shot to death at approximately 6:40 p.m. on September the 23rd in the parking lot of her place of employment, Beauty Depot, 3055 Florida Boulevard. Ballenger was robbed of her purse and shot to death as she was about to enter her vehicle to leave work. Ballistics comparisons by the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab have now positively linked the .223 caliber bullet used to murder Ms. Ballenger with the weapon used in several of the D.C. area sniper killings.

Further evidence found in the car driven by Muhammad and Malvo establishes the pair was in Baton Rouge on September 23, 2002. The investigation into possible involvement of Muhammad and/or Malvo in other local crimes is continuing. With the assistance of the East Baton Rouge Parrish District Attorney's Office, the Louisiana State Police, the East Baton Rouge Parrish Sheriff's Office, the FBI, the ATF, and the U.S. Attorney's Office. Does anyone have any questions?

QUESTION: Was her murder considered one of the so-called serial killings in Baton Rouge, Chief?

ENGLADE: No, sir.

QUESTION: Does this have anything to do with the serial killer that you folks have been working so hard on?

ENGLADE: At this point, we have no reason to believe it does, no sir.

QUESTION: Chief, what led you to believe that the pair were involved in this particular incident?

ENGLADE: Well, this investigation has been going on since September 23, and the cooperation of the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab who's investigated the evidence came up with the unusual caliber bullet and together the investigators and the State Police put together the evidence to make the case.

QUESTION: Chief, you had I believe a witness in that murder who gave you all a whole lot of information. Was there a mention of a rifle being used?

ENGLADE: No, sir and I'm not going to go into the specifics of the investigation.

QUESTION: Chief, is it possible that John Muhammad and John Malvo could be possibly linked to the other crimes in the Baton Rouge area that are unsolved at this time?

ENGLADE: That is under investigation at this point.

QUESTION: Is there any indication...

QUESTION: We were told that specifically there may be one other case?

ENGLADE: Well, we're not going to limit to one. There could be other cases in Baton Rouge involved.

QUESTION: Was the September 26 shooting on Pike (ph) Road involved?

ENGLADE: I'm not going to comment at this point on that.

QUESTION: How many other cases are you looking at and how far are you going?

ENGLADE: We're leaving it completely open and investigating anything at this point. We're not going to make any comments to how broad the investigation is at this point.

QUESTION: Chief, this may be more for the superintendent of the State Police.

ENGLADE: Sure.

QUESTION: But I understand that you're also looking at the possible involvement of these two fellows in a robbery and shooting in St. Mary Parrish at a paint shop down there. Is there anything you can tell us about that?

ENGLADE: He's not aware of that. I'm not aware of that either at this point.

QUESTION: Chief, can you say how you determined that they were in Baton Rouge on September 23? Was it a gas receipt in the car?

ENGLADE: We will, after the press conference if it's available, we will offer copies of the warrants out. There was information contained in the warrants that are public record and we will be glad to give them out to the media so you can have a copy of it.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

ENGLADE: No, ma'am.

QUESTION: Chief, are you looking at ballistics tests for the other incidences that you're investigating?

ENGLADE: The investigation is continuing with the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab, yes sir.

QUESTION: These all appear to be random, in this case do you believe robbery was the motive?

ENGLADE: Well, there was a robbery involved and that's as much as I can comment on that. I'm not sure what the motive was.

QUESTION: Who is the trigger man in this particular robbery/homicide?

ENGLADE: I can't release that information at this point.

QUESTION: Do you have any witnesses to this?

ENGLADE: There were witnesses involved but like I said that's still under investigation at this point.

QUESTION: Have your investigators made contact with these two suspects? Have you talked with them about this yet?

ENGLADE: No, sir we have not.

QUESTION: Is there any plan to go forward? What are you going to do from here with this?

ENGLADE: Well, obviously we will leave it up to the District Attorney's Office from this point to do what they have to do. We will continue to be in touch with the task force in Maryland to see what's available to us at this point. I know they've got some issues over there and I'm not sure what exactly the situation is in Maryland right now but we will make every effort to go as far as we need to go with the investigation.

QUESTION: But there are no direct plans at this point to send detectives to interview these

ENGLADE: Not as of this moment, no sir.

QUESTION: Because this was a robbery (OFF-MIKE).

ENGLADE: Well, I would probably let Mr. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

QUESTION: Doug, can you speak to where this case will stack up against the others with Mr. Muhammad?

DOUG MORROW, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I hate to come down here. I may never escape. Just stay close by. Where it stacks up?

QUESTION: I mean do you expect they'll ever be brought to justice in Louisiana, given so many other charges in so many other jurisdictions in the Beltway?

MORROW: I don't know and there's no way of knowing that. What our goal is not to engage in a competition for who gets to go first but to recognize the criminal conduct, take appropriate action and try to do whatever justice is necessary in our jurisdiction. If it turns out, I think you know that Mr. Sinkfield and the other assistants have quite a record in capital cases in this jurisdiction and if the other jurisdictions would like for us to go first then we'll accept that responsibility.

But, you understand up around the Washington area there were a number of people who were killed and there was an entire population terrorized for a long time, and I fell quite certain those people have the right to settle it among themselves. One of those jurisdictions would be first in line, I'm sure. We don't consider it first or last just as a matter of doing our job. We want to be ready when we have the chance.

QUESTION: Well, give that other people have already laid claim to it, what are the odds that you'll ever bring him to trial in Baton Rouge?

MORROW: We don't deal in odds that way.

QUESTION: Is your office going to (OFF-MIKE)?

MORROW: Yes. OK, I'm finished I guess.

QUESTION: So, have you sent investigators to Washington to interview this man and begin building a case?

MORROW: Well, it's not a matter of beginning to build a case. My understanding is these people have lawyers and so their lawyers would have to consent to whatever it is that we would like to do. Our goal primarily would be to evaluate the evidence we have right now and after evaluating the evidence and we take whatever action is appropriate. If it is appropriate to do what you suggest, then that will be done. If it's not appropriate or if it's a waste of time then it won't.

QUESTION: I understand your next step is to take it to the Grand Jury once you get your facts in a row.

MORROW: Once you get your facts in a row, yes, always do that. Always try to find out the facts first and then you take your legal steps.

QUESTION: Does the crime carry the death penalty?

MORROW: First Degree Murder does carry the possibility of the death penalty.

QUESTION: Are you going to seek it?

MORROW: Don't know yet.

QUESTION: Chief, how long ago were these two linked up through the evidence that you have? How long have you known that you had a possible suspect here in this case?

ENGLADE: Well, I've got to say that the persistence of the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab who I think performed miracles as far as I'm concerned getting something out of Maryland right now with everything else that's going on. I've got to give them full credit for pursuing this. We've been investigating this since the date, September 23, and we started to get a little suspicious of the calibers into the investigation and then pretty much the Crime Lab took over from there and did the bulk of the comparisons with the ballistics.

QUESTION: I guess my question is when did you get the call? When did they say...

BLITZER: And so, the police chief of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Mr. Pat Englade, reporting to all of us on yet another murder that has been linked to John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo, the suspects in the Greater Washington, D.C. area sniper murders. The September 23 murder in Baton Rouge involving Hong Ballenger, a 45-year-old woman who was robbed of her purse as she was leaving a beauty salon, an unsolved crime until now, the police say they didn't know obviously who did it but they have ballistically linked that murder to the same high- powered Bushmaster rifle that apparently did all the damage here in the Greater Washington, D.C. area.

The death toll continuing to mount in the sniper attacks. Louisiana now but the latest state to have come up with these kinds of charges, Alabama, Washington State, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. We now have on the phone James Ballenger. He's the husband of Hong Ballenger, as we just saw, the woman the Baton Rouge Police say was killed by the same rifle used in the Washington area sniper shootings. Mr. Ballenger thanks for joining us, our condolences to you. What goes through your mind as you hear these dramatic developments?

JAMES BALLENGER, HUSBAND OF LOUISIANA VICTIM (via telephone): Well, I just praise God and I had faith in God that they would be found soon and I thank everybody for their cooperation in helping to find these guys and I still put out the same message I did the first night after my wife was killed that they need to repent of what they're doing and take the punishment here on earth and have a chance to go to heaven, because if they don't, they're going straight to hell.

BLITZER: When did you begin...

BALLENGER: My family is happy. They called me from Des Moines, Iowa already. Everybody's happy with what's going on because they got the news on over there too.

BLITZER: Tell us about your wife, Hong. What was she doing there and what was she doing when she left that beauty salon?

BALLENGER: Well, she was -- when she closed it up?

BLITZER: Yes.

BALLENGER: She was supposed to go pick up two other employees at another store and they would take the money over to the big store and turn it in and she never made it.

BLITZER: How much money did she have in that purse?

BALLENGER: I have no idea. That's what I told them. It could be anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500, I don't know. Whatever the store made that day plus her paycheck, plus she had money in her purse. She carries about two or three hundred dollars with her just for emergency situations. Like I told before if somebody was buying something from the store and didn't have enough money, she'd help pay for stuff, that's the kind of person she was. She would help anybody with anything.

BLITZER: What kind of work did she do there?

BALLENGER: She was the manager of beauty supplies. It was a store where they sold different beauty supplies.

BLITZER: She had been working there for some time?

BALLENGER: Eleven months. BLITZER: When did you begin to suspect that the Washington area sniper suspects may actually have been responsible for the murder of your wife?

BALLENGER: When it was put on TV news and my brother saw the picture. He called me and then I turned on my TV and we saw the picture and the small guy fit the description of the guy that was running away, and I called the police and the detectives and I called Crime Stoppers and told them about it too. And, I said well he fits the description and the comment I got was well, it didn't fit the M.O. So then I called the FBI and they said they'd let me know something by Friday. Well, it's Thursday and I already found out something before Friday and I just thank God for it.

BLITZER: You just found out the news when all of us found out the news. Nobody called you in advance, did they?

BALLENGER: No, sir I just found out like everybody else did.

BLITZER: Were there eyewitnesses who actually -- you say there was someone who spotted a small guy. I assume that's the suspect John Malvo. Were there eyewitnesses who saw the murder?

BALLENGER: There was supposedly three people who saw it. I know one of the ladies that saw it, she worked with my wife.

BLITZER: And what kind of description, as far as you know, what kind of description did those eyewitnesses give the police?

BALLENGER: A small Black man, light skinned. He's just a small man is what they told me.

BLITZER: Did the witnesses say there were two men, three men? Did they say how many men were involved?

BALLENGER: They said there was only one.

BLITZER: There was only one person involved?

BALLENGER: That's what I was told.

BLITZER: And did they say it was a killing that was close up, or from a distance?

BALLENGER: I was told it was close up because the guy shot her and grabbed her purse and left and they brought the bloodhounds in that they had here to track the serial killers and they used it that night to track the killer. They tracked him across the street to the end of the woods where at Acadian (ph) they lost his track.

BLITZER: Did any of the witnesses as far as you know, were they able to describe an automobile that might have been involved?

BALLENGER: No automobiles. They just saw him running to the woods. That's all they saw. BLITZER: That's all they saw at the time. Mr. Ballenger, I know this is a difficult time for you, once again our deepest condolences to you. I'm sure you must be relieved somewhat to know that at least the police have come up with these accusations.

BALLENGER: Yes, sir.

BLITZER: Mr. James Ballenger, the husband of Hong Ballenger, the woman killed on September 23, thanks so much. We're going to take a quick break but we have much more information coming up. Our Patty Davis has been checking her sources. We'll have that information right when we come back. Art Harris, also our investigative reporter. We have Lou Hennessy, a former D.C. homicide detective. He's here with me, all of that coming up when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. We're following a breaking news story. The police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana now say they believe a killing there on September 23, the September 23 killing of a 45-year-old woman, Hong Ballenger, is now ballistically linked to that high- powered Bushmaster rifle that is suspected in the murder of a lot of people here in the Greater Washington, D.C. area.

Art Harris, our investigative reporter is covering the story. He's got some new information, and as you speak, we have some videotape of the crime scene of that murder outside the beauty supply store in Baton Rouge on September 23. There you see it Beauty Depot. Art tell us what you have.

HARRIS: Wolf, a witness told police that she heard the gunshot that hit Mrs. Ballenger in the head and saw a short, thin Black man running away from the parking lot where she was standing that night before she got into her car and into a residential neighborhood.

He was wearing baggy black pants and a white tank top and carried a white tee shirt slung over his shoulder police said. One theory, Wolf, is that he may have been the snatch, the younger man the snatch- and-grab guy and another suspect shot the rifle from a distance since there were woods nearby.

In another note, prosecutors there, Wolf, say that Louisiana has a death penalty for 17-year-olds, one of the few states that does. John Lee Malvo, of course, the Jamaican immigrant is 17 and Louisiana would very much like to bring the pair back there and get in line to put them on trial in that state -- Wolf.

BLITZER: They may have to wait in line after Virginia, after Washington State, if in fact those accusations are true up in Tacoma, Maryland, the District of Columbia. The line seems to be getting longer and longer. Art Harris, stand by we'll be getting back to you.

But right now, I want to bring in Lou Hennessy, a former D.C. homicide detective who's been helping us understand these kinds of situations. When you hear the police chief in Baton Rouge come out and say they have ballistically linked this murder in Baton Rouge to the series of sniper murders here in the Greater Washington area, what goes through your mind?

LOUIS HENNESSY, FORMER D.C. HOMICIDE CMDR.: Well, I believe that what they've done is they probably set up a time line on the individuals. They've gone back and they've looked to see where they've been, at what time, and determine whether any types of crimes may have occurred that they could have been linked to. Specifically, they'll be looking for crimes that had the same type of weapons that had been used.

This is a unique weapon in that it's not typical in urban environments to have a high-powered rifle to be used as a murder weapon. So, this is an unusual weapon and maybe because it is an unusual weapon, it's not entered into the databases as quickly as some of the other weapons.

In the Washington Metropolitan area when a .9 mm or a .40 caliber or .380 is used in a murder, they enter it into a database right away and within a matter of minutes, they'll be able to tell whether or not that weapon could potentially have been used in other crimes.

BLITZER: You heard James Ballenger, the husband of Hong Ballenger the woman who was murdered say that witnesses thought it was an up-close shooting, which would not necessarily be consistent with the high-powered rifle.

HENNESSY: It's not unusual for witnesses' perceptions to be less than completely accurate. I mean they're under a tremendous amount of stress. In many instances, these things happen very quickly. They'll hear and shot and they'll see some activity and they'll begin to fill in the blanks so to speak.

These people have a difficult job trying to recall and there's a distinct possibility that what they thought they saw with respect to one gunman, you know one person being involved, could in fact have been two. But, you know, the facts will determined that as the investigation plays out.

BLITZER: All right, Lou stand by because I'm going to need your help as we continue to cover this story, but CNN's Patty Davis is getting some reaction now to these dramatic developments in Louisiana from the Justice Department. Patty, tell us what you have.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in a statement released tonight says that the investigation into the recent serial sniper killings in Washington, D.C. area is active and ongoing, spanning into new jurisdictions across the country.

He goes on to say: "We're not ruling out the possibility that other individuals may have been involved, or that individuals currently in custody may have committed other criminal acts. We will proceed deliberately, cautiously, and not jump to any conclusion."

Now, sources have told CNN so far that there is no evidence linking anybody else to the series of sniper killings here in the Washington, D.C. area. Now today, more information coming out about an alleged link between the sniper suspects and a liquor store shooting in Alabama. Another county in Maryland also brought charges in the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS (voice-over): New charges in the sniper case against John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo come from Prince George's County, Maryland.

JACK JOHNSON, MD. STATE ATTY'S OFFICE: We are filing Attempted First Degree Murder against both of these individuals and Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Murder against both of these individuals.

DAVIS: Prosecutors allege Muhammad and Malvo gunned down their youngest victim, a 13-year-old boy as he walked into this middle school in Bowie, Maryland on October 7 and then left a tarot card for police stating: "Mr. Policeman, I am God." The boy survived but remains in the hospital in serious condition.

Meanwhile, police in Montgomery, Alabama say ballistics tests confirm the Bushmaster rifle linked to the D.C. area sniper killing spree was also used to murder a liquor store clerk and wound another in September. Witnesses say they saw Muhammad and Malvo at the scene of the Alabama shooting.

CHIEF JOHN WILSON, MONTGOMERY, AL. POLICE: We are absolutely sure. We have a very strong case. We can place them positively here in Montgomery, Alabama at the scene by both eyewitnesses' accounts and physical evidence.

DAVIS: No one saw either suspect with the rifle, but one person did see Muhammad with a handgun. Montgomery Police Chief John Wilson tells CNN his gut feeling is that three people were involved in the shootings. He adds: "I know where two of the players were, so we have to figure out where the other bullets were fired from."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS (on camera): Muhammad and Malvo have been charged with Capital Murder in that case and the search for ties to the two men outside of the United States centers on the Caribbean island of Antigua where they once lived. Now apparently, Muhammad, authorities there say legally obtained an Antiguan passport and they're looking to see if there is any connection between the suspects and any unsolved crimes on that island, and Muhammad's involvement in a possible passport forgery business there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: There has been a lot of speculation, some of it probably wild, earlier in the course of the day that Muhammad, when he was in Antigua, it was right around the same time that the shoe bomber Richard Reid was on that Caribbean island as well. You've been checking into this. Tell us, Patty, what authorities are telling you.

DAVIS: That's right. Authorities in Antigua tell CNN that it does not appear that the men had any connection to shoe bomber Richard Reid. Reid pleaded guilty, as you recall, to attempting to bring down his American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. Then it was headed to Antigua last year with a shoe bomb. In fact, the attorney leading that investigation told me that Muhammad left Antigua six months before that flight would arrive. The connection, he says, seems far- fetched -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Patty Davis with all that news thanks very much. Joining us now with his insight on the Alabama shooting, the shooting in Montgomery, Alabama is the Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright. Mr. Mayor, thanks once again for helping us understand what's going on. Do you believe there was a third individual involved in that shooting in your city?

MAYOR BOBBY BRIGHT, MONTGOMERY, AL.: Wolf, we're still doing the investigation. The investigation continues as it will in many other jurisdictions, not only here in Alabama but you know there's evidence out there. We're trying to tie that evidence up. We've got some unanswered questions still as many jurisdictions have, and we're trying to reach that conclusion as quickly as we possibly can.

BLITZER: But you have definitely concluded that the bullet in connection with the shooting, the murder at that liquor store in Montgomery, Alabama was the same caliber, the same bullet that killed the people in the Washington area, not a handgun as was initially suspected.

BRIGHT: Wolf, I'm not willing or able at this point in time to verify that. I think what you're doing, you're relying and I think our chief this morning relied on a report from ATF, and as far as their verification of whether or not that gun, the Bushmaster, was used here in Montgomery, we haven't been able to confirm that at this point in time. So, we have a news conference scheduled for tomorrow at two o'clock here in Montgomery, Central Time, and we hope to be able to shed a little bit more light on what the evidence presents here in Montgomery, Alabama.

BLITZER: Well, what can you tell us about what the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms as far as their ballistic testing is concerned, what are they telling you?

BRIGHT: Basically, I can't tell you that at this point in time, other than what you're telling us and you're verifying with your sources that they have connected the Bushmaster semi-automatic with the crime here and the shooting here in Montgomery, Alabama. Now, we haven't been able to do that locally through our efforts. But, of course, we respect the credibility of their testing and their opinions; however, we have to rely on them when it comes to their sources and their tests that they perform.

BLITZER: You heard the authorities in Baton Rouge, Louisiana link that September 23 killing to the same weapon. Remind me, when was the killing in Montgomery, Alabama?

BRIGHT: Two days earlier, September 21. And, Wolf, if I may, let me extend my sympathy to the Ballenger family and Mr. Ballenger. I know he's going through a great deal now and we always need to always take time to express to them our sympathy and also our prayers. What he's been through has been a tremendous tragedy for his family and I'm afraid, I'm afraid as the Mayor of Montgomery, that we're going to have other jurisdictions out there that will follow suit with Alabama, Louisiana, and the...

Northeastern states of our nation and D.C. And I just want -- we need to all realize that these criminal suspects out there may have even more crimes under their belt that we haven't discovered yet.

BLITZER: Don't forget Washington state. These crimes allegedly are not only coast-to-coast, but border to border.

BRIGHT: That's right.

BLITZER: Before I let you go, Mr. Mayor, are there any other specific cases in your city, in your community in Alabama that you are looking at right now, any unsolved murders that may, and I repeat the word may, be linked to this serial spree?

BRIGHT: We have no evidence pointing in that direction whatsoever. But we keep an open mind, and we'll keep our investigation ongoing. Any unsolved crime at all, whether it be shootings or robberies, we will take another look at. We are already doing that now, as we speak. And if we have any evidence that will attach to these particular suspects, then, of course, we will explore it of even further, at that point in time.

BLITZER: Mayor Bobby Bright of Montgomery, Alabama, once again, thanks for helping us.

BRIGHT: Well, thank you.

BLITZER: We will be watching that news conference, 2.00 p.m. Central time tomorrow, 3.00 p.m., here on the East Coast. Of course, CNN will have coverage of that, as well. Thank you very much. We are going to continue our coverage of these late breaking developments on the sniper attacks.

Also, when we come back, Martha Stewart conference calls. The queen of clean speaks about her bad publicity. But is it enough to reassure investors? Much more coverage coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, breaking news on the sniper suspects. New evidence links them to yet another state.

But first, let's take a look at some other stories making news right now.

(NEWSBREAK) BLITZER: More now on our breaking story we are following this afternoon. The suspects in the D.C. area shooting are now linked to yet another killing, this one in Louisiana.

CNN investigative correspondent Art Harris broke the story for us earlier. He is back from the CNN center in Atlanta with more.

Give our viewers, who may just be tuning in, Art, an update.

HARRIS: Wolf, Baton Rouge Police Chief Pat Englade, today, linked the murders -- a murder in Baton Rouge -- to the rifle used in Washington area by the sniper suspects there. He spoke, today, at a press conference, just a little while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ENGLADE: The Baton Rouge police department, today, issued warrants for the arrest of John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, for the first-degree murder in connection with the robbery and the shooting death of Hong Ballenger, 45. Ms. Ballenger was...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Wolf, the victim, Hong Ballenger, was shot in the back of the head outside her beauty supply store, as she was closing up September 23. Possibly, robbery the motive, say police. One thousand to $1,500 taken, and prosecutors say they would very much like to get the suspects back in Louisiana to stand trial where they have the death penalty for 17-year-olds. John Lee Malvo, of course, is 17-- Wolf.

BLITZER: Art Harris, thanks for all that information. Thanks very much. We will continue to check in with you, as new developments become available.

Joining us now to talk a little more be about this sniper case, retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Eric Haney. He is a former army sniper, a founding member of the Army's elite Delta Force. He's, also, author of the new book, "Inside the Delta Force."

Also joining us, once again, Lou Hennessy, a former D.C. homicide commander. Let me get your initial sense on this latest apparent link to the sniper killings, here in the Washington area, Eric?

SGT. MAJ. ERIC HANEY, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, obviously, they have been able to recover a bullet that would give off the striations imparted by the barrel and link that back to the weapon used up in the D.C. area. So it tells me, just a little bit, that one of the witnesses saying that perhaps the shooting was very close range, right on top of the lady when she was killed, doesn't quite ring. They may have well been part of the M.O. We have seen before where the shot was fired back in a wood line where, as they say, the slightly built man grabbed her purse and ran to. Reason. Fired very close, that bullet is going to tend to come apart and may well not leave large enough fragments to be able to be identified and connected to that barrel. BLITZER: And it's certainly possible that the eyewitness accounts may not necessarily be precise. Someone may have been shooting from a distance. But the individual who snatched the purse, for example, could be suspected by even a close-by eyewitness of having actually fired a weapon, when the weapon might have been fired from a distance. Isn't that right, Eric?

HANEY: Oh, of course, you know, because all eyes of the witnesses go straight to the victim who's on the ground, and then, they see the person that comes in and snatches that purse. Also, even from a distance of 40 or 50 meters across a parking lot and with buildings around, the report of that rifle is going to be tremendously loud, and it's going to reverberate inside of that area, so it sounds as though it's right on top of you.

BLITZER: Lou Hennessy, I suspect there are police all over the United States and perhaps elsewhere going back, looking over unsolved murder cases, trying to take a look at some fragments, some bullets that may have been discovered to determine if there could be yet more in this spree?

HENNESSY: Oh, I'm sure they are. I think that they have an advantage here in that, as I mentioned earlier, this is a unique weapon. This isn't the type of weapon that's used in most murders in this country. So it will limit the number of cases that they have to look at for this particular weapon.

But I think they will also go back and put a time line together on these individuals to try to put them at different cities and different locations at different times. And, also, look at the investigation from that perspective to see if they can link them to anything that didn't involve the discharge of a firearm.

BLITZER: With more and more states now, apparently, having evidence against these two suspects, is it your sense that, as far as who goes to prosecute first, the federal government maybe should just say you know, instead of letting one of the states showing favoritism to one of the states, let the feds do it?

HENNESSY: What I suspect may happen is that they will look at the cases and make a determination as to which jurisdiction has the best chance for a conviction quickly, which one has the best case. And they may well let them go first. But this is something that can be worked out amongst them in the weeks and months to come. And I think they will be able to work that out.

BLITZER: Before I go, Eric Haney, as you take a look the at these, perhaps, suggestions that there may have been a third and maybe even more people involved in this, how do they go about trying to figure that out?

HANEY: Well, the bullet itself doesn't give that away. All that does is connects it back to the rifle barrel itself. The rest of that is just old-fashioned police work. Who were their associates? Who did these people stay with in the Baton Rouge area, when they were down there? Any connections to local family, which we do believe that Mr. Muhammad had? So all that sort of stuff just adds up. And police know quite well how do build that body of evidence and collect it.

BLITZER: All right, Eric Haney, thank you very much. Lou Hennessy, thanks to you, as well.

We are going to continue to monitor these dramatic late breaking developments.

But when we come back, we'll, also, check in the latest on Martha Stewart. She spoke out earlier today. We'll find out what she's saying.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The third quarter was definitely not a good thing for Martha Stewart's company. In a conference call today, it report a 42 percent drop in earnings, largely due to insider trading allegations hounding its father. Stewart, herself, was on the call. While she declined to talk about at ImClone case, she did note that Martha Stewart Omnimedia still turned a profit of six cents per share in the third quarter, despite the scandal.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

STEWART: MSO had to combat a great deal of negative publicity surrounding my personal affairs, which has unfairly overshadowed the great work being done at the company. The fact that MSO has managed to increase quarterly revenue in this environment is a testament to the strength of our business and the superb work of hundreds of our employees.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining me now from New York to talk about all of this is Michael WOLFF: He's the media columnist for "New York Magazine."

Michael, thanks for joining us.

MICHAEL WOLFF, "NEW YORK MAGAZINE": Thank you.

BLITZER: What do you think the strategy was to have her talk on this conference call, when I thought they were trying to distance her from the company, somewhat?

WOLFF: I think it's remarkable. I mean, it is probably the most remarkable act of public denial since Richard Nixon or, at least, since Bill Clinton. I absolutely have no idea what she thinks she is going to accomplish here. She is -- she has stepped up front to try to stone wall this, and I think most people are convinced that she's not going to make it. And she may bring the company down with her.

BLITZER: So why do you think the board, they allowed this to go on, if you will? Could she just make that decision unilaterally?

WOLFF: You know, I don't know. But I think, yes. The truth is she controls the company. And I think that you she can, until she's removed, make that decision.

BLITZER: What happens to her next, as far as you can it tell, assuming this investigation goes on? Does she just continue to stonewall, if you will?

WOLFF: I guess so. I mean, I think that she has a lot of people who are saying to her, come on, you know, you're driving right off the edge of a cliff here. Come back. You know, there is a lot to be salvaged here. Martha Stewart for all her personal problems is right. She has a good company. How can that company be saved? It can only, I think, at this point, be saved by her taking a big step back, almost an act of de-branding has to occur.

BLITZER: You know, she still has, based on the e-mails that I receive, and I'm sure you probably receive a lot of those, some hard- core supporters who believe her, who trust her and who want her to stay.

WOLFF: I think there's a lot of people who feel that way. As a matter of fact, I just recently wrote a column and said, I find myself feeling the same way. Nevertheless, the truth is that she is surrounded. I mean, I can't see a situation, a scenario in which she does not have severe legal problems because of ImClone. She is not going to get out of this. And I think that's what more and more everybody knows.

BLITZER: Michael Wolff of "New York Magazine," thanks very much for joining us.

WOLFF: Thank you.

BLITZER: And America votes 2002. We'll go live to St. Paul and Miami, where two key races are heating up, big time.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

We are about to go into the final weekend of the 2002 election campaign. There are interesting races from the south to the north, east and west.

CNN's Mark Potter is in Florida covering governor Jeb Bush's reelection bid.

But we will start with CNN national correspondent bob Franken. He's in Minnesota, where a former vice president has become a last- minute candidate.

Bob, give us the details.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, the latest news. The Minnesota state supreme court, Wolf, has decided that absentee ballots that had been cast for Paul Wellstone must be replaced. Registrars must send to those who voted for Wellstone new absentee ballots that they can attempt to try and get back in time to be counted probably primarily for Walter Mondale. That's a victory for democrats, but there is no guarantee that these ballots would arrive in time for Tuesday's election. The vote counters are told that they are to vote the last absentee ballot that they got.

So, in any case, that's a change in the state law in a day that has been full of twists and turns, of course, ever since last Friday, when senator Wellstone died in a plane crash. And now, the ascendancy of former vice president Walter Mondale as the candidate for the senate, the first time he's run for office since 1984.

Among the places he visited was this campus, McAllister College, where he, in fact, went to school. It is a small liberal arts college in St. Paul. He spent some time pressing the flesh and talking about what has so suddenly happened to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER MONDALE (D), FRM. VICE PRESIDENT: I think somebody had to carry Paul's torch. Somebody had to make certain that this tragedy didn't end in futility. That the people of Minnesota had to be given a chance to choose who they wanted to succeed them in the senate, and one of those choices had to be someone who believed in carrying forward Paul Wellstone's legacy. And that's what I'm doing here today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now, the Republicans, of course, have their candidate, too. It's a very tight race, as a matter of fact. Norm Coleman, the republican candidate, has been basically saying that Walter Mondale is a relic, somebody who no longer knows the relevance of modern issues, that Coleman is, in fact, the person who should be elected. He has been spending his day very vigorously campaigning -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob Franken, our man on the scene in Minnesota. Thanks very much. Walter Mondale saying if he had to vote along that Iraq resolution, he would have voted like Paul Wellstone, namely, against President Bush and the authorization to go to war against Iraq.

In Florida, meanwhile, President Bush's brother, Jeb, is seeking another term as governor. But a controversy over Haitian immigrants, this week, put him very much on the defensive.

CNN's Mark Potter is standing by in Miami.

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Haitian-Americans and their supporters are urging governor Bush to be more aggressive and urging his brother to do more to end the policy of detaining Haitian refugees.

Today, the governor said he agrees that Haitians should be treated the same as other immigrants.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEB BUSH, FLORIDA GOVERNOR: Rudy Giuliani who showed America what public leadership is all about...

POTTER (voice-over): At a campaign rally with former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, governor Jeb Bush said he opposes the federal government's policy of detaining Haitian refugees, while they apply for political asylum.

BUSH: They should be immediately interviewed to determine whether they have a well-founded fear of persecution, and they should be allowed into the community, if they have the well-founded fear of persecution, to pursue their claim.

POTTER (voice-over): Ten months ago, President Bush's administration decided that even if Haitian refugees are deemed eligible to apply for political asylum, they must still stay in detention during the month's long process. Governor Bush said he talked to his brother about this six months ago and has spoken with other officials more recently about treating Haitians the same as other immigrants.

Haitian-Americans still criticize the governor for not doing more to convince the president to change what they say is a racially discriminatory policy, which affects no other immigrant group.

SYLVAN JOEJBOIS, UNITED HAITIAN-AMERICANS: Symbolically, the government has come out in support of our cause. But, again, that, you know, symbolically means nothing because what we have today, right now, are people that are in detention who are simply seeking a better way of life.

POTTER (voice-over): Bill McBride, Governor Bush's democratic opponent, has joined the political fight, meeting with Haitian- Americans and promising to push harder to help Haitian migrants.

BILL MCBRIDE (D), FL. GOV. CANDIDATE: If the governor was strong enough on this, this policy wouldn't be in place. If he disagreed in his heart with the president, of his brother, he'd have gotten it changed. Now, we are in a crisis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

POTTER: Although the issue is very emotional, political analysts predict it will have little impact on the outcome of the governor's race because, on immigration issues, the sides were already drawn, long before this last boatload of Haitians reached the Florida shore -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Mark Potter in Miami, thanks very much.

That's all the time we have, today. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right after this.

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 October 31, 2002 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR: Hi, Judy. We're following a breaking story in the sniper attacks. Police in Louisiana say there's a murder there and it's linked -- in Baton Rouge -- to the murders that were going on here in the Washington area. We're awaiting a new conference for the Baton Rouge Police Department. We'll go there live.
That story, much more next on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): A third person involved with the Washington area sniper suspects? Investigators look into that question.

And he lived in a homeless shelter. So why was John Muhammad flying to Antigua?

And she's been tight-lipped about her ordeal. So why is Martha Stewart talking?

MARTHA STEWART, MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA: MSO has to combat a great deal of negative publicity surrounding my personal affairs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: It's Thursday, October 31, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. We're beginning with a breaking news story on the sniper case. The high-powered sniper rifle used in the Washington area shootings has been linked by ballistic tests to yet another killing, this one in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We're awaiting the start of the news conference in Baton Rouge for all the details. We'll bring it to you live when it happens.

In the meantime, we turn to CNN investigative correspondent Art Harris for this latest twist in an already horrible story -- Art, give us the details.

ART HARRIS, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, sources tell CNN yet another murder has been linked to the snipers' Bushmaster assault rifle, an unsolved robbery/homicide in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on September 23. The same .223 ammunition recovered from D.C. area shootings was matched to fragments from beauty supply store manager Hong Ballenger, a mother of three. Her husband Jim just told me a little while ago she was killed by one shot to the head, around closing time Monday, September 23 when the sniper suspects are believed to have been visiting John Muhammad's relatives in Baton Rouge. Sources also tell CNN police are looking at another unsolved murder as possibly linked to the snipers. Ballenger's purse was taken. Her husband says it contained from $1,000 to $1,500 and that was her salary and her payroll. One witness reportedly told police she saw a short, thin Black man running from the scene. Her husband called his wife of 22 years a beautiful person -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Art, I want to interrupt. I'm sorry but that news conference is beginning in Baton Rouge. Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

CPL. DON KELLY, BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT: ...on relatively short notice. We appreciate your interest. For those who don't know me, my name is Corporal Don Kelly. I'm with the Baton Rouge Police Department. Today we're going to update you in developments into the ongoing investigation of the possible involvement of John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo in crimes here in the Baton Rouge area. There are a number of agencies represented here who have been involved in different aspects of this investigation.

Let me just introduce to you very quickly the U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, David Dugas (ph); Superintendent of Louisiana State Police Colonel Terry Landry; Special Agent Charles Cunningham, the Assistant Agent-in-Charge of the New Orleans Field Office of the FBI; Special Agent Jerry Tate (ph) and Special Agent-in- Charge of the ATF New Orleans Field Office; District Attorney for East Baton Rouge Parrish Doug Morrow (ph); as well as First Assistant District Attorney John Sigfield (ph) from the District Attorney's Office; and of course, Sheriff Elmer Litchfield, Sheriff of the East Baton Rouge Parrish Sheriff's Department.

At this point, Chief Pat Englade, E-N-G-L-A-D-E, for those of you who are writing it down will make a prepared statement. We will have a copy of his statement in writing for each of you once we finish the spoken part of this press conference and we will allow a brief opportunity for questions and answers when the chief is finished. But, I will caution you in advance. We're probably very limited on anything we'll be able to elaborate on besides what's already covered in the written release. But, at this time, I introduce Chief of Police Pat Englade.

CHIEF PAT ENGLADE, BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT: The Baton Rouge Police Department today issued warrants for the arrest of John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, for the First Degree Murder in connection with the robbery and shooting death of Hong M. Ballenger, 45.

Ms. Ballenger was shot to death at approximately 6:40 p.m. on September the 23rd in the parking lot of her place of employment, Beauty Depot, 3055 Florida Boulevard. Ballenger was robbed of her purse and shot to death as she was about to enter her vehicle to leave work. Ballistics comparisons by the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab have now positively linked the .223 caliber bullet used to murder Ms. Ballenger with the weapon used in several of the D.C. area sniper killings.

Further evidence found in the car driven by Muhammad and Malvo establishes the pair was in Baton Rouge on September 23, 2002. The investigation into possible involvement of Muhammad and/or Malvo in other local crimes is continuing. With the assistance of the East Baton Rouge Parrish District Attorney's Office, the Louisiana State Police, the East Baton Rouge Parrish Sheriff's Office, the FBI, the ATF, and the U.S. Attorney's Office. Does anyone have any questions?

QUESTION: Was her murder considered one of the so-called serial killings in Baton Rouge, Chief?

ENGLADE: No, sir.

QUESTION: Does this have anything to do with the serial killer that you folks have been working so hard on?

ENGLADE: At this point, we have no reason to believe it does, no sir.

QUESTION: Chief, what led you to believe that the pair were involved in this particular incident?

ENGLADE: Well, this investigation has been going on since September 23, and the cooperation of the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab who's investigated the evidence came up with the unusual caliber bullet and together the investigators and the State Police put together the evidence to make the case.

QUESTION: Chief, you had I believe a witness in that murder who gave you all a whole lot of information. Was there a mention of a rifle being used?

ENGLADE: No, sir and I'm not going to go into the specifics of the investigation.

QUESTION: Chief, is it possible that John Muhammad and John Malvo could be possibly linked to the other crimes in the Baton Rouge area that are unsolved at this time?

ENGLADE: That is under investigation at this point.

QUESTION: Is there any indication...

QUESTION: We were told that specifically there may be one other case?

ENGLADE: Well, we're not going to limit to one. There could be other cases in Baton Rouge involved.

QUESTION: Was the September 26 shooting on Pike (ph) Road involved?

ENGLADE: I'm not going to comment at this point on that.

QUESTION: How many other cases are you looking at and how far are you going?

ENGLADE: We're leaving it completely open and investigating anything at this point. We're not going to make any comments to how broad the investigation is at this point.

QUESTION: Chief, this may be more for the superintendent of the State Police.

ENGLADE: Sure.

QUESTION: But I understand that you're also looking at the possible involvement of these two fellows in a robbery and shooting in St. Mary Parrish at a paint shop down there. Is there anything you can tell us about that?

ENGLADE: He's not aware of that. I'm not aware of that either at this point.

QUESTION: Chief, can you say how you determined that they were in Baton Rouge on September 23? Was it a gas receipt in the car?

ENGLADE: We will, after the press conference if it's available, we will offer copies of the warrants out. There was information contained in the warrants that are public record and we will be glad to give them out to the media so you can have a copy of it.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

ENGLADE: No, ma'am.

QUESTION: Chief, are you looking at ballistics tests for the other incidences that you're investigating?

ENGLADE: The investigation is continuing with the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab, yes sir.

QUESTION: These all appear to be random, in this case do you believe robbery was the motive?

ENGLADE: Well, there was a robbery involved and that's as much as I can comment on that. I'm not sure what the motive was.

QUESTION: Who is the trigger man in this particular robbery/homicide?

ENGLADE: I can't release that information at this point.

QUESTION: Do you have any witnesses to this?

ENGLADE: There were witnesses involved but like I said that's still under investigation at this point.

QUESTION: Have your investigators made contact with these two suspects? Have you talked with them about this yet?

ENGLADE: No, sir we have not.

QUESTION: Is there any plan to go forward? What are you going to do from here with this?

ENGLADE: Well, obviously we will leave it up to the District Attorney's Office from this point to do what they have to do. We will continue to be in touch with the task force in Maryland to see what's available to us at this point. I know they've got some issues over there and I'm not sure what exactly the situation is in Maryland right now but we will make every effort to go as far as we need to go with the investigation.

QUESTION: But there are no direct plans at this point to send detectives to interview these

ENGLADE: Not as of this moment, no sir.

QUESTION: Because this was a robbery (OFF-MIKE).

ENGLADE: Well, I would probably let Mr. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

QUESTION: Doug, can you speak to where this case will stack up against the others with Mr. Muhammad?

DOUG MORROW, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: I hate to come down here. I may never escape. Just stay close by. Where it stacks up?

QUESTION: I mean do you expect they'll ever be brought to justice in Louisiana, given so many other charges in so many other jurisdictions in the Beltway?

MORROW: I don't know and there's no way of knowing that. What our goal is not to engage in a competition for who gets to go first but to recognize the criminal conduct, take appropriate action and try to do whatever justice is necessary in our jurisdiction. If it turns out, I think you know that Mr. Sinkfield and the other assistants have quite a record in capital cases in this jurisdiction and if the other jurisdictions would like for us to go first then we'll accept that responsibility.

But, you understand up around the Washington area there were a number of people who were killed and there was an entire population terrorized for a long time, and I fell quite certain those people have the right to settle it among themselves. One of those jurisdictions would be first in line, I'm sure. We don't consider it first or last just as a matter of doing our job. We want to be ready when we have the chance.

QUESTION: Well, give that other people have already laid claim to it, what are the odds that you'll ever bring him to trial in Baton Rouge?

MORROW: We don't deal in odds that way.

QUESTION: Is your office going to (OFF-MIKE)?

MORROW: Yes. OK, I'm finished I guess.

QUESTION: So, have you sent investigators to Washington to interview this man and begin building a case?

MORROW: Well, it's not a matter of beginning to build a case. My understanding is these people have lawyers and so their lawyers would have to consent to whatever it is that we would like to do. Our goal primarily would be to evaluate the evidence we have right now and after evaluating the evidence and we take whatever action is appropriate. If it is appropriate to do what you suggest, then that will be done. If it's not appropriate or if it's a waste of time then it won't.

QUESTION: I understand your next step is to take it to the Grand Jury once you get your facts in a row.

MORROW: Once you get your facts in a row, yes, always do that. Always try to find out the facts first and then you take your legal steps.

QUESTION: Does the crime carry the death penalty?

MORROW: First Degree Murder does carry the possibility of the death penalty.

QUESTION: Are you going to seek it?

MORROW: Don't know yet.

QUESTION: Chief, how long ago were these two linked up through the evidence that you have? How long have you known that you had a possible suspect here in this case?

ENGLADE: Well, I've got to say that the persistence of the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab who I think performed miracles as far as I'm concerned getting something out of Maryland right now with everything else that's going on. I've got to give them full credit for pursuing this. We've been investigating this since the date, September 23, and we started to get a little suspicious of the calibers into the investigation and then pretty much the Crime Lab took over from there and did the bulk of the comparisons with the ballistics.

QUESTION: I guess my question is when did you get the call? When did they say...

BLITZER: And so, the police chief of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Mr. Pat Englade, reporting to all of us on yet another murder that has been linked to John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo, the suspects in the Greater Washington, D.C. area sniper murders. The September 23 murder in Baton Rouge involving Hong Ballenger, a 45-year-old woman who was robbed of her purse as she was leaving a beauty salon, an unsolved crime until now, the police say they didn't know obviously who did it but they have ballistically linked that murder to the same high- powered Bushmaster rifle that apparently did all the damage here in the Greater Washington, D.C. area.

The death toll continuing to mount in the sniper attacks. Louisiana now but the latest state to have come up with these kinds of charges, Alabama, Washington State, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. We now have on the phone James Ballenger. He's the husband of Hong Ballenger, as we just saw, the woman the Baton Rouge Police say was killed by the same rifle used in the Washington area sniper shootings. Mr. Ballenger thanks for joining us, our condolences to you. What goes through your mind as you hear these dramatic developments?

JAMES BALLENGER, HUSBAND OF LOUISIANA VICTIM (via telephone): Well, I just praise God and I had faith in God that they would be found soon and I thank everybody for their cooperation in helping to find these guys and I still put out the same message I did the first night after my wife was killed that they need to repent of what they're doing and take the punishment here on earth and have a chance to go to heaven, because if they don't, they're going straight to hell.

BLITZER: When did you begin...

BALLENGER: My family is happy. They called me from Des Moines, Iowa already. Everybody's happy with what's going on because they got the news on over there too.

BLITZER: Tell us about your wife, Hong. What was she doing there and what was she doing when she left that beauty salon?

BALLENGER: Well, she was -- when she closed it up?

BLITZER: Yes.

BALLENGER: She was supposed to go pick up two other employees at another store and they would take the money over to the big store and turn it in and she never made it.

BLITZER: How much money did she have in that purse?

BALLENGER: I have no idea. That's what I told them. It could be anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500, I don't know. Whatever the store made that day plus her paycheck, plus she had money in her purse. She carries about two or three hundred dollars with her just for emergency situations. Like I told before if somebody was buying something from the store and didn't have enough money, she'd help pay for stuff, that's the kind of person she was. She would help anybody with anything.

BLITZER: What kind of work did she do there?

BALLENGER: She was the manager of beauty supplies. It was a store where they sold different beauty supplies.

BLITZER: She had been working there for some time?

BALLENGER: Eleven months. BLITZER: When did you begin to suspect that the Washington area sniper suspects may actually have been responsible for the murder of your wife?

BALLENGER: When it was put on TV news and my brother saw the picture. He called me and then I turned on my TV and we saw the picture and the small guy fit the description of the guy that was running away, and I called the police and the detectives and I called Crime Stoppers and told them about it too. And, I said well he fits the description and the comment I got was well, it didn't fit the M.O. So then I called the FBI and they said they'd let me know something by Friday. Well, it's Thursday and I already found out something before Friday and I just thank God for it.

BLITZER: You just found out the news when all of us found out the news. Nobody called you in advance, did they?

BALLENGER: No, sir I just found out like everybody else did.

BLITZER: Were there eyewitnesses who actually -- you say there was someone who spotted a small guy. I assume that's the suspect John Malvo. Were there eyewitnesses who saw the murder?

BALLENGER: There was supposedly three people who saw it. I know one of the ladies that saw it, she worked with my wife.

BLITZER: And what kind of description, as far as you know, what kind of description did those eyewitnesses give the police?

BALLENGER: A small Black man, light skinned. He's just a small man is what they told me.

BLITZER: Did the witnesses say there were two men, three men? Did they say how many men were involved?

BALLENGER: They said there was only one.

BLITZER: There was only one person involved?

BALLENGER: That's what I was told.

BLITZER: And did they say it was a killing that was close up, or from a distance?

BALLENGER: I was told it was close up because the guy shot her and grabbed her purse and left and they brought the bloodhounds in that they had here to track the serial killers and they used it that night to track the killer. They tracked him across the street to the end of the woods where at Acadian (ph) they lost his track.

BLITZER: Did any of the witnesses as far as you know, were they able to describe an automobile that might have been involved?

BALLENGER: No automobiles. They just saw him running to the woods. That's all they saw. BLITZER: That's all they saw at the time. Mr. Ballenger, I know this is a difficult time for you, once again our deepest condolences to you. I'm sure you must be relieved somewhat to know that at least the police have come up with these accusations.

BALLENGER: Yes, sir.

BLITZER: Mr. James Ballenger, the husband of Hong Ballenger, the woman killed on September 23, thanks so much. We're going to take a quick break but we have much more information coming up. Our Patty Davis has been checking her sources. We'll have that information right when we come back. Art Harris, also our investigative reporter. We have Lou Hennessy, a former D.C. homicide detective. He's here with me, all of that coming up when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. We're following a breaking news story. The police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana now say they believe a killing there on September 23, the September 23 killing of a 45-year-old woman, Hong Ballenger, is now ballistically linked to that high- powered Bushmaster rifle that is suspected in the murder of a lot of people here in the Greater Washington, D.C. area.

Art Harris, our investigative reporter is covering the story. He's got some new information, and as you speak, we have some videotape of the crime scene of that murder outside the beauty supply store in Baton Rouge on September 23. There you see it Beauty Depot. Art tell us what you have.

HARRIS: Wolf, a witness told police that she heard the gunshot that hit Mrs. Ballenger in the head and saw a short, thin Black man running away from the parking lot where she was standing that night before she got into her car and into a residential neighborhood.

He was wearing baggy black pants and a white tank top and carried a white tee shirt slung over his shoulder police said. One theory, Wolf, is that he may have been the snatch, the younger man the snatch- and-grab guy and another suspect shot the rifle from a distance since there were woods nearby.

In another note, prosecutors there, Wolf, say that Louisiana has a death penalty for 17-year-olds, one of the few states that does. John Lee Malvo, of course, the Jamaican immigrant is 17 and Louisiana would very much like to bring the pair back there and get in line to put them on trial in that state -- Wolf.

BLITZER: They may have to wait in line after Virginia, after Washington State, if in fact those accusations are true up in Tacoma, Maryland, the District of Columbia. The line seems to be getting longer and longer. Art Harris, stand by we'll be getting back to you.

But right now, I want to bring in Lou Hennessy, a former D.C. homicide detective who's been helping us understand these kinds of situations. When you hear the police chief in Baton Rouge come out and say they have ballistically linked this murder in Baton Rouge to the series of sniper murders here in the Greater Washington area, what goes through your mind?

LOUIS HENNESSY, FORMER D.C. HOMICIDE CMDR.: Well, I believe that what they've done is they probably set up a time line on the individuals. They've gone back and they've looked to see where they've been, at what time, and determine whether any types of crimes may have occurred that they could have been linked to. Specifically, they'll be looking for crimes that had the same type of weapons that had been used.

This is a unique weapon in that it's not typical in urban environments to have a high-powered rifle to be used as a murder weapon. So, this is an unusual weapon and maybe because it is an unusual weapon, it's not entered into the databases as quickly as some of the other weapons.

In the Washington Metropolitan area when a .9 mm or a .40 caliber or .380 is used in a murder, they enter it into a database right away and within a matter of minutes, they'll be able to tell whether or not that weapon could potentially have been used in other crimes.

BLITZER: You heard James Ballenger, the husband of Hong Ballenger the woman who was murdered say that witnesses thought it was an up-close shooting, which would not necessarily be consistent with the high-powered rifle.

HENNESSY: It's not unusual for witnesses' perceptions to be less than completely accurate. I mean they're under a tremendous amount of stress. In many instances, these things happen very quickly. They'll hear and shot and they'll see some activity and they'll begin to fill in the blanks so to speak.

These people have a difficult job trying to recall and there's a distinct possibility that what they thought they saw with respect to one gunman, you know one person being involved, could in fact have been two. But, you know, the facts will determined that as the investigation plays out.

BLITZER: All right, Lou stand by because I'm going to need your help as we continue to cover this story, but CNN's Patty Davis is getting some reaction now to these dramatic developments in Louisiana from the Justice Department. Patty, tell us what you have.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in a statement released tonight says that the investigation into the recent serial sniper killings in Washington, D.C. area is active and ongoing, spanning into new jurisdictions across the country.

He goes on to say: "We're not ruling out the possibility that other individuals may have been involved, or that individuals currently in custody may have committed other criminal acts. We will proceed deliberately, cautiously, and not jump to any conclusion."

Now, sources have told CNN so far that there is no evidence linking anybody else to the series of sniper killings here in the Washington, D.C. area. Now today, more information coming out about an alleged link between the sniper suspects and a liquor store shooting in Alabama. Another county in Maryland also brought charges in the case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS (voice-over): New charges in the sniper case against John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo come from Prince George's County, Maryland.

JACK JOHNSON, MD. STATE ATTY'S OFFICE: We are filing Attempted First Degree Murder against both of these individuals and Conspiracy to Commit First Degree Murder against both of these individuals.

DAVIS: Prosecutors allege Muhammad and Malvo gunned down their youngest victim, a 13-year-old boy as he walked into this middle school in Bowie, Maryland on October 7 and then left a tarot card for police stating: "Mr. Policeman, I am God." The boy survived but remains in the hospital in serious condition.

Meanwhile, police in Montgomery, Alabama say ballistics tests confirm the Bushmaster rifle linked to the D.C. area sniper killing spree was also used to murder a liquor store clerk and wound another in September. Witnesses say they saw Muhammad and Malvo at the scene of the Alabama shooting.

CHIEF JOHN WILSON, MONTGOMERY, AL. POLICE: We are absolutely sure. We have a very strong case. We can place them positively here in Montgomery, Alabama at the scene by both eyewitnesses' accounts and physical evidence.

DAVIS: No one saw either suspect with the rifle, but one person did see Muhammad with a handgun. Montgomery Police Chief John Wilson tells CNN his gut feeling is that three people were involved in the shootings. He adds: "I know where two of the players were, so we have to figure out where the other bullets were fired from."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIS (on camera): Muhammad and Malvo have been charged with Capital Murder in that case and the search for ties to the two men outside of the United States centers on the Caribbean island of Antigua where they once lived. Now apparently, Muhammad, authorities there say legally obtained an Antiguan passport and they're looking to see if there is any connection between the suspects and any unsolved crimes on that island, and Muhammad's involvement in a possible passport forgery business there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: There has been a lot of speculation, some of it probably wild, earlier in the course of the day that Muhammad, when he was in Antigua, it was right around the same time that the shoe bomber Richard Reid was on that Caribbean island as well. You've been checking into this. Tell us, Patty, what authorities are telling you.

DAVIS: That's right. Authorities in Antigua tell CNN that it does not appear that the men had any connection to shoe bomber Richard Reid. Reid pleaded guilty, as you recall, to attempting to bring down his American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. Then it was headed to Antigua last year with a shoe bomb. In fact, the attorney leading that investigation told me that Muhammad left Antigua six months before that flight would arrive. The connection, he says, seems far- fetched -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Patty Davis with all that news thanks very much. Joining us now with his insight on the Alabama shooting, the shooting in Montgomery, Alabama is the Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright. Mr. Mayor, thanks once again for helping us understand what's going on. Do you believe there was a third individual involved in that shooting in your city?

MAYOR BOBBY BRIGHT, MONTGOMERY, AL.: Wolf, we're still doing the investigation. The investigation continues as it will in many other jurisdictions, not only here in Alabama but you know there's evidence out there. We're trying to tie that evidence up. We've got some unanswered questions still as many jurisdictions have, and we're trying to reach that conclusion as quickly as we possibly can.

BLITZER: But you have definitely concluded that the bullet in connection with the shooting, the murder at that liquor store in Montgomery, Alabama was the same caliber, the same bullet that killed the people in the Washington area, not a handgun as was initially suspected.

BRIGHT: Wolf, I'm not willing or able at this point in time to verify that. I think what you're doing, you're relying and I think our chief this morning relied on a report from ATF, and as far as their verification of whether or not that gun, the Bushmaster, was used here in Montgomery, we haven't been able to confirm that at this point in time. So, we have a news conference scheduled for tomorrow at two o'clock here in Montgomery, Central Time, and we hope to be able to shed a little bit more light on what the evidence presents here in Montgomery, Alabama.

BLITZER: Well, what can you tell us about what the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms as far as their ballistic testing is concerned, what are they telling you?

BRIGHT: Basically, I can't tell you that at this point in time, other than what you're telling us and you're verifying with your sources that they have connected the Bushmaster semi-automatic with the crime here and the shooting here in Montgomery, Alabama. Now, we haven't been able to do that locally through our efforts. But, of course, we respect the credibility of their testing and their opinions; however, we have to rely on them when it comes to their sources and their tests that they perform.

BLITZER: You heard the authorities in Baton Rouge, Louisiana link that September 23 killing to the same weapon. Remind me, when was the killing in Montgomery, Alabama?

BRIGHT: Two days earlier, September 21. And, Wolf, if I may, let me extend my sympathy to the Ballenger family and Mr. Ballenger. I know he's going through a great deal now and we always need to always take time to express to them our sympathy and also our prayers. What he's been through has been a tremendous tragedy for his family and I'm afraid, I'm afraid as the Mayor of Montgomery, that we're going to have other jurisdictions out there that will follow suit with Alabama, Louisiana, and the...

Northeastern states of our nation and D.C. And I just want -- we need to all realize that these criminal suspects out there may have even more crimes under their belt that we haven't discovered yet.

BLITZER: Don't forget Washington state. These crimes allegedly are not only coast-to-coast, but border to border.

BRIGHT: That's right.

BLITZER: Before I let you go, Mr. Mayor, are there any other specific cases in your city, in your community in Alabama that you are looking at right now, any unsolved murders that may, and I repeat the word may, be linked to this serial spree?

BRIGHT: We have no evidence pointing in that direction whatsoever. But we keep an open mind, and we'll keep our investigation ongoing. Any unsolved crime at all, whether it be shootings or robberies, we will take another look at. We are already doing that now, as we speak. And if we have any evidence that will attach to these particular suspects, then, of course, we will explore it of even further, at that point in time.

BLITZER: Mayor Bobby Bright of Montgomery, Alabama, once again, thanks for helping us.

BRIGHT: Well, thank you.

BLITZER: We will be watching that news conference, 2.00 p.m. Central time tomorrow, 3.00 p.m., here on the East Coast. Of course, CNN will have coverage of that, as well. Thank you very much. We are going to continue our coverage of these late breaking developments on the sniper attacks.

Also, when we come back, Martha Stewart conference calls. The queen of clean speaks about her bad publicity. But is it enough to reassure investors? Much more coverage coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer. Coming up, breaking news on the sniper suspects. New evidence links them to yet another state.

But first, let's take a look at some other stories making news right now.

(NEWSBREAK) BLITZER: More now on our breaking story we are following this afternoon. The suspects in the D.C. area shooting are now linked to yet another killing, this one in Louisiana.

CNN investigative correspondent Art Harris broke the story for us earlier. He is back from the CNN center in Atlanta with more.

Give our viewers, who may just be tuning in, Art, an update.

HARRIS: Wolf, Baton Rouge Police Chief Pat Englade, today, linked the murders -- a murder in Baton Rouge -- to the rifle used in Washington area by the sniper suspects there. He spoke, today, at a press conference, just a little while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ENGLADE: The Baton Rouge police department, today, issued warrants for the arrest of John Allen Muhammad, 41, and John Lee Malvo, 17, for the first-degree murder in connection with the robbery and the shooting death of Hong Ballenger, 45. Ms. Ballenger was...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Wolf, the victim, Hong Ballenger, was shot in the back of the head outside her beauty supply store, as she was closing up September 23. Possibly, robbery the motive, say police. One thousand to $1,500 taken, and prosecutors say they would very much like to get the suspects back in Louisiana to stand trial where they have the death penalty for 17-year-olds. John Lee Malvo, of course, is 17-- Wolf.

BLITZER: Art Harris, thanks for all that information. Thanks very much. We will continue to check in with you, as new developments become available.

Joining us now to talk a little more be about this sniper case, retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Eric Haney. He is a former army sniper, a founding member of the Army's elite Delta Force. He's, also, author of the new book, "Inside the Delta Force."

Also joining us, once again, Lou Hennessy, a former D.C. homicide commander. Let me get your initial sense on this latest apparent link to the sniper killings, here in the Washington area, Eric?

SGT. MAJ. ERIC HANEY, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Well, obviously, they have been able to recover a bullet that would give off the striations imparted by the barrel and link that back to the weapon used up in the D.C. area. So it tells me, just a little bit, that one of the witnesses saying that perhaps the shooting was very close range, right on top of the lady when she was killed, doesn't quite ring. They may have well been part of the M.O. We have seen before where the shot was fired back in a wood line where, as they say, the slightly built man grabbed her purse and ran to. Reason. Fired very close, that bullet is going to tend to come apart and may well not leave large enough fragments to be able to be identified and connected to that barrel. BLITZER: And it's certainly possible that the eyewitness accounts may not necessarily be precise. Someone may have been shooting from a distance. But the individual who snatched the purse, for example, could be suspected by even a close-by eyewitness of having actually fired a weapon, when the weapon might have been fired from a distance. Isn't that right, Eric?

HANEY: Oh, of course, you know, because all eyes of the witnesses go straight to the victim who's on the ground, and then, they see the person that comes in and snatches that purse. Also, even from a distance of 40 or 50 meters across a parking lot and with buildings around, the report of that rifle is going to be tremendously loud, and it's going to reverberate inside of that area, so it sounds as though it's right on top of you.

BLITZER: Lou Hennessy, I suspect there are police all over the United States and perhaps elsewhere going back, looking over unsolved murder cases, trying to take a look at some fragments, some bullets that may have been discovered to determine if there could be yet more in this spree?

HENNESSY: Oh, I'm sure they are. I think that they have an advantage here in that, as I mentioned earlier, this is a unique weapon. This isn't the type of weapon that's used in most murders in this country. So it will limit the number of cases that they have to look at for this particular weapon.

But I think they will also go back and put a time line together on these individuals to try to put them at different cities and different locations at different times. And, also, look at the investigation from that perspective to see if they can link them to anything that didn't involve the discharge of a firearm.

BLITZER: With more and more states now, apparently, having evidence against these two suspects, is it your sense that, as far as who goes to prosecute first, the federal government maybe should just say you know, instead of letting one of the states showing favoritism to one of the states, let the feds do it?

HENNESSY: What I suspect may happen is that they will look at the cases and make a determination as to which jurisdiction has the best chance for a conviction quickly, which one has the best case. And they may well let them go first. But this is something that can be worked out amongst them in the weeks and months to come. And I think they will be able to work that out.

BLITZER: Before I go, Eric Haney, as you take a look the at these, perhaps, suggestions that there may have been a third and maybe even more people involved in this, how do they go about trying to figure that out?

HANEY: Well, the bullet itself doesn't give that away. All that does is connects it back to the rifle barrel itself. The rest of that is just old-fashioned police work. Who were their associates? Who did these people stay with in the Baton Rouge area, when they were down there? Any connections to local family, which we do believe that Mr. Muhammad had? So all that sort of stuff just adds up. And police know quite well how do build that body of evidence and collect it.

BLITZER: All right, Eric Haney, thank you very much. Lou Hennessy, thanks to you, as well.

We are going to continue to monitor these dramatic late breaking developments.

But when we come back, we'll, also, check in the latest on Martha Stewart. She spoke out earlier today. We'll find out what she's saying.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The third quarter was definitely not a good thing for Martha Stewart's company. In a conference call today, it report a 42 percent drop in earnings, largely due to insider trading allegations hounding its father. Stewart, herself, was on the call. While she declined to talk about at ImClone case, she did note that Martha Stewart Omnimedia still turned a profit of six cents per share in the third quarter, despite the scandal.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

STEWART: MSO had to combat a great deal of negative publicity surrounding my personal affairs, which has unfairly overshadowed the great work being done at the company. The fact that MSO has managed to increase quarterly revenue in this environment is a testament to the strength of our business and the superb work of hundreds of our employees.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

BLITZER: Joining me now from New York to talk about all of this is Michael WOLFF: He's the media columnist for "New York Magazine."

Michael, thanks for joining us.

MICHAEL WOLFF, "NEW YORK MAGAZINE": Thank you.

BLITZER: What do you think the strategy was to have her talk on this conference call, when I thought they were trying to distance her from the company, somewhat?

WOLFF: I think it's remarkable. I mean, it is probably the most remarkable act of public denial since Richard Nixon or, at least, since Bill Clinton. I absolutely have no idea what she thinks she is going to accomplish here. She is -- she has stepped up front to try to stone wall this, and I think most people are convinced that she's not going to make it. And she may bring the company down with her.

BLITZER: So why do you think the board, they allowed this to go on, if you will? Could she just make that decision unilaterally?

WOLFF: You know, I don't know. But I think, yes. The truth is she controls the company. And I think that you she can, until she's removed, make that decision.

BLITZER: What happens to her next, as far as you can it tell, assuming this investigation goes on? Does she just continue to stonewall, if you will?

WOLFF: I guess so. I mean, I think that she has a lot of people who are saying to her, come on, you know, you're driving right off the edge of a cliff here. Come back. You know, there is a lot to be salvaged here. Martha Stewart for all her personal problems is right. She has a good company. How can that company be saved? It can only, I think, at this point, be saved by her taking a big step back, almost an act of de-branding has to occur.

BLITZER: You know, she still has, based on the e-mails that I receive, and I'm sure you probably receive a lot of those, some hard- core supporters who believe her, who trust her and who want her to stay.

WOLFF: I think there's a lot of people who feel that way. As a matter of fact, I just recently wrote a column and said, I find myself feeling the same way. Nevertheless, the truth is that she is surrounded. I mean, I can't see a situation, a scenario in which she does not have severe legal problems because of ImClone. She is not going to get out of this. And I think that's what more and more everybody knows.

BLITZER: Michael Wolff of "New York Magazine," thanks very much for joining us.

WOLFF: Thank you.

BLITZER: And America votes 2002. We'll go live to St. Paul and Miami, where two key races are heating up, big time.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back.

We are about to go into the final weekend of the 2002 election campaign. There are interesting races from the south to the north, east and west.

CNN's Mark Potter is in Florida covering governor Jeb Bush's reelection bid.

But we will start with CNN national correspondent bob Franken. He's in Minnesota, where a former vice president has become a last- minute candidate.

Bob, give us the details.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, the latest news. The Minnesota state supreme court, Wolf, has decided that absentee ballots that had been cast for Paul Wellstone must be replaced. Registrars must send to those who voted for Wellstone new absentee ballots that they can attempt to try and get back in time to be counted probably primarily for Walter Mondale. That's a victory for democrats, but there is no guarantee that these ballots would arrive in time for Tuesday's election. The vote counters are told that they are to vote the last absentee ballot that they got.

So, in any case, that's a change in the state law in a day that has been full of twists and turns, of course, ever since last Friday, when senator Wellstone died in a plane crash. And now, the ascendancy of former vice president Walter Mondale as the candidate for the senate, the first time he's run for office since 1984.

Among the places he visited was this campus, McAllister College, where he, in fact, went to school. It is a small liberal arts college in St. Paul. He spent some time pressing the flesh and talking about what has so suddenly happened to him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALTER MONDALE (D), FRM. VICE PRESIDENT: I think somebody had to carry Paul's torch. Somebody had to make certain that this tragedy didn't end in futility. That the people of Minnesota had to be given a chance to choose who they wanted to succeed them in the senate, and one of those choices had to be someone who believed in carrying forward Paul Wellstone's legacy. And that's what I'm doing here today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now, the Republicans, of course, have their candidate, too. It's a very tight race, as a matter of fact. Norm Coleman, the republican candidate, has been basically saying that Walter Mondale is a relic, somebody who no longer knows the relevance of modern issues, that Coleman is, in fact, the person who should be elected. He has been spending his day very vigorously campaigning -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Bob Franken, our man on the scene in Minnesota. Thanks very much. Walter Mondale saying if he had to vote along that Iraq resolution, he would have voted like Paul Wellstone, namely, against President Bush and the authorization to go to war against Iraq.

In Florida, meanwhile, President Bush's brother, Jeb, is seeking another term as governor. But a controversy over Haitian immigrants, this week, put him very much on the defensive.

CNN's Mark Potter is standing by in Miami.

MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Haitian-Americans and their supporters are urging governor Bush to be more aggressive and urging his brother to do more to end the policy of detaining Haitian refugees.

Today, the governor said he agrees that Haitians should be treated the same as other immigrants.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEB BUSH, FLORIDA GOVERNOR: Rudy Giuliani who showed America what public leadership is all about...

POTTER (voice-over): At a campaign rally with former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, governor Jeb Bush said he opposes the federal government's policy of detaining Haitian refugees, while they apply for political asylum.

BUSH: They should be immediately interviewed to determine whether they have a well-founded fear of persecution, and they should be allowed into the community, if they have the well-founded fear of persecution, to pursue their claim.

POTTER (voice-over): Ten months ago, President Bush's administration decided that even if Haitian refugees are deemed eligible to apply for political asylum, they must still stay in detention during the month's long process. Governor Bush said he talked to his brother about this six months ago and has spoken with other officials more recently about treating Haitians the same as other immigrants.

Haitian-Americans still criticize the governor for not doing more to convince the president to change what they say is a racially discriminatory policy, which affects no other immigrant group.

SYLVAN JOEJBOIS, UNITED HAITIAN-AMERICANS: Symbolically, the government has come out in support of our cause. But, again, that, you know, symbolically means nothing because what we have today, right now, are people that are in detention who are simply seeking a better way of life.

POTTER (voice-over): Bill McBride, Governor Bush's democratic opponent, has joined the political fight, meeting with Haitian- Americans and promising to push harder to help Haitian migrants.

BILL MCBRIDE (D), FL. GOV. CANDIDATE: If the governor was strong enough on this, this policy wouldn't be in place. If he disagreed in his heart with the president, of his brother, he'd have gotten it changed. Now, we are in a crisis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

POTTER: Although the issue is very emotional, political analysts predict it will have little impact on the outcome of the governor's race because, on immigration issues, the sides were already drawn, long before this last boatload of Haitians reached the Florida shore -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Mark Potter in Miami, thanks very much.

That's all the time we have, today. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right after this.

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