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Erin Burnett Outfront
Obama: Embarrassed For GOP Over Iran Letter; Netanyahu Could Lose to Underdog Candidate; Lawyer: Ferguson Shooting Suspect Was Beaten By Police. Aired 7-8:00p ET.
Aired March 16, 2015 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Next, breaking news, Iran confronts the U.S. as President Obama speaks out against republicans trying to derail the nuclear talks.
<19:00:11> And breaking news in the case of New York real estate millionaire Robert Durst caught with cash and marijuana in hotel room in New Orleans and caught on tape saying he, quote, "killed them all." Is he a serial killer?
And Megachurch Pastor Creflo Dollar asking his congregation to donate $60 million towards a private jet. Is this really God's will? Let's go OUTFRONT.
And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett, OUTFRONT tonight. We begin with breaking news, President Obama firing back at Republicans tonight for trying to derail the nuclear talks with Iran, the President in a newly released interview with Vice News slammed the 47 senators who wrote a letter to the Iran supreme leader, a letter threatening to renege on the President's agreement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES: It damages the country. It damages our standing. It's not productive. Their basic argument to them is don't deal with our president because you can't trust him to follow through on an agreement. That's close to unprecedented.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: According to the Senator's letter, if President Obama signs a deal with Iran, quote, "the next president could revoke such an executive agreement with a stroke of a pen."
Jim Acosta is OUTFRONT at the White House. And Jim, the President is firing back. And I think pretty aggressively so as we just heard, on the day that the Iran talks actually hit a major road block, too.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erin, that letter may be having an impact. Senior administration officials say, Iranian negotiators brought of Senator Tom Cotton's letter to the Ayatollah in those sensitive nuclear talks that are currently underway and in new material from his interview with Vice, as you just pointed out, the President made it clear he is furious. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): While Iranian and U.S. officials try to make progress in their nuclear negotiations, the talks in Switzerland, hit a speed bump. In the form of a letter written by Senator Tom Cotton and signed by 46 of his republican colleagues to Iran's cleric complaining about the nuclear talks. The Obama administration says, Tehran negotiators raised Cotton's letter with the officials.
OBAMA: I'm embarrassed for them because it's not how America does business.
ACOSTA: In a newly released excerpt from his interview with Vice, the President blasted Cotton.
OBAMA: For them to address a letter to the Ayatollah, the supreme leader of Iran who they claim is our mortal enemy and their basic argument to them is, don't deal with our President because you can't trust him to follow through on an agreement, it's close to unprecedented.
ACOSTA: Despite that tough talk, the freshman senator is not backing down.
SEN. TOM COTTON (R), ARKANSAS: The Congress is ready to impose much more severe sanctions.
ACOSTA: But Cotton is gaining critics who pointed out he once mock the President's own communications with Iran's leadership.
COTTON: Like a love-struck teenager, he has sent four secret letters to Ayatollah Khamenei.
ACOSTA: Over the weekend, the White House chief-of-staff Dennis McDonough sent a letter to GOP Senator Bob Corker assuring him Congress will have a role to play and will have to take a vote but the White House conceded they would rather Congress stay out of the process for months well beyond the March 31st deadline for a framework agreement.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: For all of the hyperventilating that we see on Capitol Hill, there is no agreement that has been reached.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And Press Secretary Josh Earnest said The White House may want Congress to hold off even longer. Even after a deal is concluded. That is not going to fly with republicans and perhaps even from democrats. As for Cotton's letter, administration officials are calling it a distraction but one official told me it's not a helpful one and we should keep in mind that Cotton went after the White House again this evening in his first speech on the Senate floor, he described the nuclear talks that are currently under way Erin as, quote, "appeasement" -- Erin.
BURNETT: Obviously a reference of course to chamberlain in World War II. Thank you very much, Jim Acosta.
And republican Senator John Barrasso is a member the Foreign Relations Committee. He is one of the 47 senators who signed that letter to Iran's leader. Senator, I appreciate you coming on tonight. But we have a new poll here at CNN, I want to break it right now. Because this asked what's in the heart of this issue. And asked whether Americans think your letter was appropriate or whether it went too far. Forty nine percent say it went too far. Thirty nine percent say, it's appropriate. What do you say, Senator, to the American people who think obviously there by a margin of 10 percentage points that they think what you did was wrong.
<19:04:57> SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: Well, number one is I think we're all agreeing that Iran with a nuclear weapon makes the world less safe, less stable and less secure and if these negotiations can't really deal with a letter, then I don't think things are not as solid as the President may think they are. Realistically, this was supposed to be, this discussion with Iran was supposed to be about dismantling their capacity to have a nuclear weapon and instead they are talking now about just delaying the ability of Iran to get a nuclear weapon. We were supposed to stop them and instead the President is negotiating a way to manage them. But people all across the country have real concerns about the President's weakness when it comes to foreign relations. We've seen it with a red line in Syria. He drew the red line. They used chemical weapons. He did nothing. We've seen him pulled troops out of Iraq against the opinion of his military leaders and that's what created the opportunity for ISIS to go in there. And then with Yemen, he said it was a success right up until the point that Iran took over Yemen. So there are great concerns about this President's capacity at an international level.
BURNETT: I know there are questions. Of course, obviously Iran has yet to taken over Yemen but I know that they obviously have been supporting some of the rebel groups there. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, obviously one of the clerics to whom you addressed that letter, tweeted after you wrote the letter and he said this, "The team of negotiators appointed by President Hassan Rouhani has good, considerate, and trusty members who work for the benefits of the country. But I'm worried because the other side in the negotiations has a habit of deception and treason."
Obviously in the letter, you said the word of the U.S. president would not be upheld one another president came in or if Congress decided to overturn it. The statement is a fact but obviously, it isn't normal protocol for senators to send such a letter. Are you worried at all, Senator, that you gave Iran supreme leader propaganda victory perhaps even leverage in the deal?
BARRASSO: Well, I think the President ought to be using approval by the United States Senate as leverage in the negotiations. President Obama ought to be embracing the opportunity for Congress to weigh in on this. After all, John Kerry has said that Congress would. That's where the leverage ought to be. The President ought to welcome this opportunity. Plus, it would validate, it would give credibility to what the President has done. But instead, the Saturday night surprise letter that came from the White House chief of staff to Senator Corker basically said the President of the United States would rather go to the security council of the United Nations than go to the Congress of the United States for approval for approval. They don't want to have a vote in Congress until after the President leaves the White House.
BURNETT: And Senator, I know you talk about, you know, what you refer to as some of the President's weaknesses when it comes to foreign policy. Some foreign leaders or potential foreign leaders don't see it that way though. I mean, obviously the nuclear deal or no deal may come down to Israel, the Prime Minister obviously Netanyahu whether he wins re-election tomorrow. He's a great risk of course as we all know of losing. If he loses, he's going to lose to a guy named Isaac Herzog who told the Atlantic's Jeff Goldberg only recently quote, "I trust the Obama administration to get a good deal." If the possible new leader of Israel trusts Obama on an Iranian nuclear, should you?
BARRASSO: Well, you take a look at the leaders in that part of the world, and I was in Saudi Arabia in January, I met with a man who is now king and others and they don't want to see a deal like this. They are ready for a nuclear arms race. And it's not just Saudi Arabia who wants nuclear weapons. It's also Turkey, it's also Egypt, it's also the Emirates because they believe this is a deal that is not dismantling the capacity of Iran to get a nuclear weapon but just managing a nuclear armed Iran and that's why all of these other countries are trying to get nuclear weapons as well. We know what Iran wants. Iran wants the sanctions to go away so they get the additional money that they will use, I believe, for terrorist purposes. They will fund Hezbollah, money to Assad, as well as money in Yemen. Iran is developing an arc of dominance all the way from Iran to the Mediterranean with what is happening in Lebanon as well.
BURNETT: All right. Well, thank you very much, Senator Barrasso. I appreciate your time tonight. Of course, a great irony of the United States in Iran on the same side as it comes to the fight against ISIS and in Syria as well. I want to be sure you all know CNN will be releasing more of the poll I mentioned on Iran tomorrow morning on "New Day."
Now, the possibility that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could fall -- particularly is a huge one. He would lose if so to a man named Isaac Herzog. Based on a final round of polling before tomorrow's election there, that seems increasingly possible. So who is this man that I mentioned, Isaac Herzog, who could become prime minister of America's biggest ally in the Middle East?
Elise Labott is OUTFRONT from Jerusalem tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
<19:10:00> ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Israel's holiest site for Jews, Isaac Herzog said a prayer to fulfill what he calls his destiny. In a country used to warriors turned politicians, he seems an unlikely candidate for prime minister.
ISAAC HERZOG, ISRAELI SECURITY CABINET MEMBER: I've always suffered from a certain underestimation. LABOTT: Even his high-pitched voice has become an issue in this
campaign. Something that mild-mannered U.S. educated lawyer known as Bochi (ph) has acknowledged when he poked fun of himself in this campaign ad using someone else's voice.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
LABOTT: He comes from political royalty. The Israeli version of the Kennedys. His grandfather, one of Israel's first chief rabbis, his uncle, a revered foreign minister. And father Chaim Herzog is Israel's sixth president. Benjamin Netanyahu falling behind in the polls dismisses him as a lightweight who can't stand up to Iran or the Palestinians. In a recent campaign ad, portraying himself as a baby sitter to Herzog. But Israeli voters for the first time in years are more focused on social and economic issues than security, something Netanyahu was not counting on when he made his high-profile and controversial speech to Congress earlier this month. Herzog has gotten a boost from a growing get out the vote movement with one goal, get rid of BB. The group's secret weapon is Jeremy Bird, a former Obama campaign strategist who scolded the groups in grassroots tactics that helped repel Obama to office. Netanyahu is calling foul, pointing to a worldwide effort to unseat him.
HERZOG: There's fatigue. There's a lot of disappointment from Benjamin Netanyahu. I think his era is over.
LABOTT: If elected Prime Minister, Herzog said he would reignite peace talks with the Palestinians and instead of picking a fight with the U.S., he would work with Washington and its allies on a nuclear deal with Iran. It's better than the one currently being negotiated.
HERZOG: Because security is not only in the barrel of the gun. Security has got much bigger than that. It has to do with regional alliances. It has to deal with strategic alliance with the United States. Clearly, I'm ready for all of this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LABOTT: And Herzog calls Netanyahu's security platform an empty brand, pointing to an Iranian nuclear threat, stalled peace talks with the Palestinians and deepening tensions with Washington. He says Israel is no safer than when the prime minister took office. Herzog says Netanyahu has failed and Erin, he says he's now calling his bluff.
BURNETT: It's going to be a pretty incredible day tomorrow to watch all those votes come in. Elise Labott of course will be covering that for us. Thank you, Elise.
And next, we have breaking news out of Ferguson, Missouri. New details about the man charged with shooting two police officers in Ferguson. His lawyer is speaking OUTFRONT tonight.
Plus, a real estate heir's confession caught on tape. He says, he killed them all. We have a breaking development in that case coming up this hour. And cops under fire. Is a popular traffic app that you probably use,
actually being used to target and kill police officers around the nation?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
<19:17:02> BURNETT: Breaking news, the man charged in the shooting of two police officers in Ferguson is fighting back tonight. His lawyer talking to CNN just moments ago and saying his client, Jeffrey Williams, the man you see there, was beaten by police. Beaten. His mother says his confession was coerced.
Ana Cabrera is OUTFRONT, she is in Missouri. She just spoke with Williams' attorney and Ana, what more did he tell you?
ANA CABRERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Attorney Gerald Chrisna (ph) Erin, tells me his client was not part of any police ambush. He says he was not a protester and he insists police have the wrong guy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Investigators say 20-year-old Jeffrey Williams admits he opened fire outside the Ferguson Police Department. The shots hit one officer in the face and another in the shoulder.
ROBERT MCCULLOCH, ST. LOUIS COUNTRY PROSECUTOR: He has acknowledged his participation in firing the shots.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: It appears that whatever statements he made, he was without the advice of counsel.
CABRERA (on camera): Does he admit to you that he fired shots near the Ferguson Police Department?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: No, he does not. And what I want to be clear about is any statements that he made, I'm not confident that those were voluntary statements.
CABRERA (voice-over): The arrest happened over the weekend following a public tip. Police say they found a .40 caliber gun in Williams' home matching shell casings recovered at the shooting scene.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I was shocked. I didn't expect it.
CABRERA (on camera): No?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: No. I didn't think he had anything to do with it.
CABRERA: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I didn't know he was a type of person like, well, he's real quiet.
CABRERA (voice-over): Not many neighbors we spoke to knew Williams well but family and friends who declined to go on camera adamantly defend Williams. His mom's ex-boyfriend says Williams wasn't an angel, but wasn't violent. His Facebook page verified by a family friend shows him drinking alcohol and flashing money. He also posted about Ferguson and at one point writes about joining the looters. Officials say at a time of his arrests, he was on probation for receiving stolen goods.
(on camera): I also with Williams' mother who tells me she believes her son was coerced by police or even beaten into saying he was the gunman. William's booking photo appears to show an abrasion on his right cheek.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: He said he was bruised by the police when he was taken into custody. And he was in a lot of pain when he was being questioned.
CABRERA: Did they beat him?
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yes. They used a lot of force on him. He said, you know, choked him by the neck, he has a lot of bruising across his back. He has a knot on the back of his head.
CABRERA (voice-over): St. Louis County police call the allegations completely false. The St. Louis Police Officer Associations tells CNN Williams was taken into custody using the handcuffs of the injured officers. A 32-year-old from the Webster Groves Police Department and a 41-year-old 14 year veteran of St. Louis County PD. Both have been released from the hospital. Witnesses say Williams was seen at the protest Wednesday night outside the Ferguson Police Department and that he was with at least one other person. Williams' attorney admits he was there but says Williams is not a protester.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Yes, he is a demonstrator. He was out there earlier that evening as part of the demonstration. He's been out there on other occasions as part of the demonstrations.
CABRERA: As the investigation continues, police are urging anyone with more information, more pictures or video to come forward.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CABRERA: Williams is now facing charges, a bunch, actually, about half a dozen including first-degree assault as well as firing from a moving vehicle. Investigators say it's still early in the investigation so they are urging more people to come forward. His attorney, the attorney for Williams, says he's working to get that bond reduced currently it's set at $300,000, cash only -- Erin.
BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Ana Cabrera.
And joining me now, Jeff Roorda who's with the City of St. Louis Police Officers Association. And a Ferguson protests organizer DeRay Mckesson. OK, thank you both for being with me.
Jeff, let me just start with you. You just heard Ana. She spoke to Williams' attorney. But he says police arrested the wrong guy. Are police sure? Are they sure this is the man who shot two police officers, or not?
JEFF ROORDA, BUSINESS MANAGER, CITY OF ST. LOUIS POLICE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION: Yes. I've talked to a lot of people close to this investigation and there's no doubt we have the right guy here. He was able to, you know, tell them where the gun was. They recovered the gun, matched it ballistically to cartridges found at the scene, we have a would be cop killer in custody behind bars, where he belongs.
BURNETT: DeRay, Williams' attorney says that Williams was beaten by police. The word he used was a lot of force. Let's show our viewers. This is a Williams' booking photo. He was booked into jail. It appears to show an abrasion on his right cheek. His attorney also says he has a lot of bruising on his back, which you can't see in the picture. They said he was choked by the neck. DeRay, do you know if police beat Williams? Do you know if they coerced him, as his attorney says, as his mother says to say he shot these police officers when he didn't?
<19:22:03> DERAY MCKESSON, FERGUSON PROTEST ORGANIZER: You know, I don't know. But what I do know is I've seen the police actually assault people at protests before and I also know that we have reason to question the police narratives because they've told untruths before. Even the night of the shooting, Belmar without seeing any evidence, he went and said that the police were ambushed, the shooter was embedded in the protest community, things that we know today to be untrue. So we question the narrative because we've been lied to before. Not true. We're talking about justice.
ROORDA: Yes. So clearly we have a protester, his attorney admits it, there's social media hits.
MCKESSON: No, his attorney doesn't admit it. You just heard the clip, his attorney does not admit that.
BURNETT: His attorney says he was not a demonstrator, Jeff. That's what he said.
ROORDA: OK. You played somebody there that admitted that he was a demonstrator. A self-admitted looter, you know, he gets on social media, admits that he's a looter and --
(CROSSTALK)
MCKESSON: You're being just like Belmar using inflammatory language.
ROORDA: Inflammatory? This guy tried to kill two police. How much more inflammatory can you get? He's not a protester? How does he know the guy that he supposedly has a beef -- he wasn't there?
(CROSSTALK)
MCKESSON: You'd be in jail right now for assaulting someone on camera.
ROORDA: For God's sake! BURNETT: Our reporter, Ana -- let me just interrupt here. Obviously,
his attorney said that he was not a demonstrator but DeRay, our reporter Ana there also did report that on his Facebook page he did talk about joining looters and being a part of some sort of -- I don't know what word you want to use, obviously, but he did talk about being with the looters.
MCKESSON: Yes. There are a lot of questions that we still have that haven't been answered. What we know to be true, though, is that the police have started to pedal a narrative that just is not true. So, it's not clear that you --
ROORDA: Well, the bullets in the police flesh is pretty good proof that what they are saying is correct.
MCKESSON: No, it's not, Jeff.
ROORDA: You have two cops nearly dead because of this guy. That's pretty good evidence that his intentions were bad.
MCKESSON: And remember, Roorda that the protesters' lives were just as at risk as the police at that point. That he was not targeting the police. That is not true. McCulloch even said that. Did you hear that?
ROORDA: No. McCulloch repeated what he told investigators, investigators flatly disagree with his accounts.
MCKESSON: That is not true, Roorda. You don't get to live in a world with your own facts.
ROORDA: It's a convenient story that I wasn't shooting at the cops, I was shooting at another guy in the protest that I got a beef with but it's still assault first, it's still a felony, it's still a dangerous act. And you're right it did put the peaceful protesters in danger.
MCKESSON: You're pedaling lies.
ROORDA: You should be condemning -- why aren't you condemning this? You're supposed to be talking about --
BURNETT: DeRay, what's your reason that you're defending Williams? I mean, how do you know?
MCKESSON: Well, I didn't say I'm defending Williams. What I'm defending is a narrative that is untrue. Right? So like I'm pushing back against a narrative that is untrue. So, what Belmar said is that Belmar is telling people that the shooter was embedded in the protest community and that the shooter ambushed the police, things that are just simply are not true. So, I don't condone the shooting but I do want to get to the facts and it seems like Jeffrey was assaulted by the police and that is a problem and that the lawyer is saying that the statements were released without any counsel. Again, this is why we are protesting because the police have shown that they are unfit to lead. The Belmar's statements that night were inflammatory and untrue and that's not what you want from the police. BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much both of you. I appreciate
your time, obviously. Still a lot of questions exactly about what happened that night and whether Williams was, whether he was embedded with or embedded using the cover of protesters.
OUTFRONT next, a New York real estate millionaire linked to three murders. Three. OK? But it could be more. Making a disturbing confession, it is caught on tape. Is he a serial killer?
And a traffic app used by 50 million people. It's supposed to be used to, you know, prevent you from getting caught in a speed trap. But could it be being used to target and kill cops?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
<19:30:02> BURNETT: Breaking news tonight on the real estate heir linked to at least three murders. Robert Durst was caught on tape saying he, quote, "killed them all." And a source just told CNN that investigators have found a substantial amount of cash and marijuana in Durst's hotel room in New Orleans, that's where he was just arrested.
Durst was the estranged son of one of New York's most prominent real estate empires. He's in custody tonight charged with the execution- style murder of his friend. He also admitted to killing a neighbor and dismembering his body. He happened to be acquitted of those charges.
Durst was arrested just as an HBO documentary about his life was airing. The pivotal moment, though, was unscripted. And it was his alleged confession. It aired last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT DURST: What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BURNETT: All right. The reason you see that empty room and you hear him talking is because he was actually in the bathroom. His microphone, though, was still recording.
So, will Durst's words finally convict him?
Jean Casarez begins our coverage OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Following an extradition hearing at Orleans Parish Criminal Court, Robert Durst's defense team came out swinging.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bob Durst didn't kill Susan Berman.
CASAREZ: Durst of the multimillionaire Durst family of New York City and now the subject of a popular HBO documentary and was arrested Saturday night at this downtown New Orleans hotel, on a Los Angeles murder warrant for the slaying of his good friend and confidant, crime writer Susan Berman.
(on camera): Before the hearing began, Robert Durst was in a glass enclosure inside the courtroom. He would stare at the gallery and appear to even sleep, leaning back in his chair. When he was taken out of the glass room, he immediately looked at the gallery and just smiled.
(voice-over): Berman was found shot dead inside her Los Angeles home in 2000. According to reports, police were planning to question her about the 1982 disappearance of Durst's wife, which remains unsolved.
The murder charges coincide with the airing of the final episode of the HBO series entitled "The Jinx." The revelations include the confrontation with the now 71-year-old after uncovering a letter written by the millionaire to Susan Berman, the handwriting and spelling of her address eerily similar to a letter written to police, telling them where to find her body.
Durst denied he wrote it.
But the biggest bombshell came at the show's conclusion when Durst went into a bathroom still miked after being questioned about the murders. Here he can be heard talking to himself.
DURST: What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.
CASAREZ: An admission to murder or a sarcastic editorial by Durst?
On "Good Morning America," producer/director Andrew Jarecki said at least two years went by before they discovered that bathroom recording.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How is that possible?
ANDREW JARECKI, PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Well, the fact is, it's a small documentary crew and we were all working very hard.
CASAREZ: A decade before Durst granted these interviews, he was acquitted in Galveston, Texas, in the murder of his neighbor, Morris Black, claiming self-defense. Though he admitted cutting up the body and throwing it away.
But now, Durst is facing murder charges again and awaiting extradition to Los Angeles.
RICHARD DEGUERIN, ROBERT DURST'S LAWYER: We're frustrated because the local authorities are considering filing charges on him here and holding him here. We're ready to go to California and have a trial.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CASAREZ: And CNN is learning right now the Los Angeles County district attorney's office has just filed murder charges against Robert Durst. And so, that changes everything because once murder charges are filed, you have got to constitutionally appear before a judge to face those charges. And, Erin, the question is, when will he be extradited? Because local
authorities have said they may file some local charges. But now, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office minutes ago is speaking volumes by their actions. They want Robert Durst -- Erin.
BURNETT: They want him and they have just filed that, that breaking news. Jean giving you that information.
Now, of course, in New Orleans, as we just reported, they found marijuana, cash, they say a revolver in that room where he was arrested.
OUTFRONT now, investigative journalist Matt Birkbeck. He's the author of "A Deadly Secret". It's a book about Robert Durst.
And Susan Criss, she's the judge who presided over Durst's trial for killing a neighbor in 2001. Durst was acquitted in that case.
OK. You two know more about this man, this case than anybody else.
Matt, you've been covering durst for years. When you heard that sound byte today, the anteroom, he's in the bathroom, you hear that eerie voice.
<19:35:02> And he says, "I killed them all."
What did you think?
MATT BIRKBECK, AUTHOR, "A DEADLY SECRET": I was floored. I though -- you know, the first five episodes, I was familiar with most of what was being aired, but when the last three minutes, and I heard him say what he said. But when he said that, I didn't think, knowing what I know about the case, that he was just talking about Kathy Durst and Susan Berman and Morris Black.
BURNETT: Right, the three people that accused him of killing.
BIRKBECK: Yes. You know, in my mind, he's talking about everybody. You know, he's lived a bizarre life and he did it for years before this case even began in 2000.
BURNETT: So, you think he might be a serial killer?
BIRKBECK: I was convinced of this ten years ago. I met with Andrew Jarecki several times. We talked about it.
BURNETT: The director of the documentary?
BIRKBECK: The director of the documentary. He wasn't convinced of it. I haven't spoken to him in a couple of years. I'm assuming he may stand with me now, but hearing that last night, it did send a chill down my spine.
BURNETT: Judge Criss, this is a man who admitted to dismembering somebody, said that the killing was accidental. But admitted to dismembering somebody. When you hear him say, I killed them all, you hear Matt talk about how he's believed for a long time that this man is a serial killer, what do you think?
SUSAN CRISS, FORMER DISTRICT COURT JUDGE PRESIDENT OVER DURST'S 2003 MURDER TRIAL: Oh, I agree. When we tried Morris Black and I saw the pictures of the cutout heart of Morris Black and however perfectly that he had been cut like a surgeon, and you could that see that whoever cut that body up knew what they were doing, they knew what sort of weapon to use, what sort of knife to use to cut this bone and that muscle and use different tools for different parts of the body, that was chilling. And that was not -- that did not look like the work of someone who had cut up their first body.
BURNETT: And, Judge Criss, Durst's comment was caught on the microphone. I know there's been a debate whether that will be useable or not because he was in the bathroom. But this is a man who has said things off microphones before. He certainly understands when a microphone is on or not on.
My question to you, from someone who sat with him, who was in the courtroom with thim, do you think he wanted to get caught? This is a case at the end of his life. He wants to take credit for what he sees as his life's work?
CRISS: No. A lot of people are saying that because it just seems like such an odd thing to do, to submit to the interview at all. But I don't think he wanted to get caught. I do think that he had so much disdain and hate for his family that he wanted to put them in a bad light. He was willing to risk getting himself in trouble.
BURNETT: Matt, you studied Durst for 15 years. You have written a book about him. Why do you think he committed -- as you do think -- these horrific murders, the three these people have been talking about, and many more?
BIRKBECK: Well, you know, what wasn't in the documentary is that he had been diagnosed at 10 years old with severe psychological problems. So, it was a warning. This was 1953.
So, his family has known all along that he's had mental issues. So, they talked about personality deterioration and things like that. So, this is -- this is nothing new to the family.
BURNETT: All right. Well, I appreciate both of you taking the time. We're going to be talking with you a lot more about this, these incredible developments in this case.
And next, a popular traffic app that you may be using or have heard about it. Is it used to track down and target police officers?
And a mega church pastor is asking help for his congregation. He wants them to pony up money so that he can buy a $65 million private jet. This is real. We've got the story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
<19:42:28> BURNETT: Two police officers shot on the streets of Los Angeles. The officers were driving through a neighborhood. They were in an unmarked police car, suddenly, they came under fire. The incident is raising concerns about, obviously, the safety of police officers in the United States.
And a major fear is actually an app, a very popular smartphone app called Waze. It's used by at least 50 million people worldwide to spot traffic jams and things like, you know, cops to see if they can stop you for speeding. And now, people say it's being used to target police.
Sara Sidner is OUTFRONT.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Waze app is a driver's dream, helping 50 million users around the world avoid tickets, traffic jams and speed traps during their daily commute.
But the Google-owned app which lets drivers report everything from pot holes to police locations in real time is raising concern among law enforcement that it could be used for nefarious reasons.
AUTOMATED VOICE: In half a mile, turn left. Police reported ahead.
SIDNER: In December, Ishmael Brinsley (ph) posted a screenshot of the Waze app on his Instagram account before he ambushed and killed two New York policemen.
But investigators say they don't believe he used the app to target the officers.
Still, L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck is not taking any chances, asking Google to remove the police location device.
CHIEF CHARLIE BECK, LOS ANGELS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Given the incidents in New York and other things that have occurred, I think that it is the risk that outweighs the benefit.
SIDNER: Police departments around the country are taking a stand after high-tension protests and high-profile police killings have raised questions about the vulnerability about the men and women in uniform.
JONATHAN THOMPSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO, NATIONAL SHERIFF'S ASSOCIATION: Why give them tools to make it easier to kill police officers? It makes no sense to me or anybody I've talked to.
SIDNER (on camera): They are very concerned about the accuracy of that police tool in being able to pinpoint where police officers are. So, we decided to put it to the test.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Turn right. Police reported ahead.
SIDNER (voice-over): About 7 of 10 times, the police were no longer where the app showed they were because that relies on users to constantly update officers' locations. Waze has responded to the police complaints saying they partnered with
the police around the world, including the NYPD. They say their police partners support Waze because most users tend to drive more carefully when law enforcement is nearby.
But the National Sheriff's Association balks at that.
THOMPSON: The problem is that the police locator button or reporting button has no use other than for people who are doing illegal activity.
<19:45:06> SIDNER: And as the number of people using the app rises, the law enforcement says it's accuracy will rise, too. More convenience for drivers but more potential danger for police.
AUTOMATED VOICE: Police reported ahead.
SIDNER: Sara Sidner, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: All right. Joining me now is Jonathan Thompson. He's the executive director and CEO of the National Sheriff's Association. He's calling on Google to disable that police locator tool on the Waze app.
Jonathan, thanks for being with us.
So, what makes you think that Waze is being used to target cops? I mean, what specifically do you think is happening?
THOMPSON: Well, I mean, let me put this into perspective. A little over a month ago, two innocent officers were innocently murdered, assassinated. The application was found on the handheld and laptop of the bad guy. Now, it's a leap to take that and say to yourself, are the bad guys using this as a digital jail avoidance tool? More than likely they are.
But the real threat here is that when more than one person or persons get together, they control what information is posted, where it's posted and how it's posted.
The simple act, the simple act of avoiding a drunk-driving checkpoint, a speed route, any other host of activities tells us there's a likelihood that it's being used in a multitude of ways, multitude of ways. And that's a threat to officers.
BURNETT: And has Google responded? Are they -- do they seem like they will take that app down, away?
THOMPSON: You know, that's a great question. For one month, we have been asking them almost every day -- meet with us, talk to us, let us show you what we see, explain to us what you see and they've done nothing but stiff-armed us.
BURNETT: Wow. All right. Well, hopefully they will be giving you some answers.
THOMPSON: You know, we're very troubled by this. And as I said, it's one of those things, imagine for a second, in the first incident of a kidnapping, that three-hour time period, 80 percent of the time, is the most vital. The kidnapper finds that, sees the Amber Alert put up, sees the cops staked out ahead, he can go the other way. That's a problem for any parent.
BURNETT: That's something very few people actually thought of when they thought of that app.
Jonathan, thank you very much.
OUTFRONT next, a popular evangelist asking followers to help him spread the gospel by spreading the wealth. He wants a $65 million private jet and we have the report.
And did putting Putin on the milk carton helped? Jeanne Moos on his mysterious disappearance.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
<19:51:03> BURNETT: All right. The plane I'm going to show is considered the best private jet on the market. There you see it. It costs $65 million.
And megachurch pastor and televangelist Creflo Dollar, appropriately named I guess, says his to his parishioners and supporters around the world that he needs one and they should foot the bill.
Martin Savidge is OUTFRONT with our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TV EVANGELIST: I have sinned against you, My Lord.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): OK. TV evangelists can be a little over the top. But Creflo Dollar's appeal for a private jet may take the cake.
CREFLO DOLLAR, TV EVANGELIST: We are believing for 200,000 people to give contributions of 300 U.S. dollars or more --
SAVIDGE: Doing the math, that's $60 million.
The head of the World Changers megachurch in Atlanta asked for the donations in this over six-minute video dubbed Project G650, as in Gulfstream 650.
Dollar's already a high flyer.
DOLLAR: We're about to land in Nairobi, Kenya.
SAVIDGE: But it seems his current jet built in 1984 is showing its age. Engine trouble on the flight to Australia, and more recently when his wife and daughters were taking off from London, it went off the runway.
DOLLAR: It's not like a car you can pull over to the side when something goes wrong. And I knew it was time to begin to believe God for a new airplane.
SAVIDGE: It didn't take long for the story of the "Jesus Jet", as some have dubbed it, to take off. But not in a good way.
This woman is a former parishioner. She showed up Sunday to protest, but got told to leave church property.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Creflo Dollar didn't have a jet when I was here. And now, he has one and he's asking for another one.
SAVIDGE: But parishioner Mary Jones who takes the bus to church said she would happily give to Dollar's jet drive.
MARY JONES, CURRENT CHURCH MEMBER: most definitely. Most definitely. We support our pastor. That's what we're here for.
SAVIDGE: Dollar asked parishioners to give 10 percent to the church, but gives no public accounting of how the millions are spent. Ministrywatch.com is a Web site helps donors tell financially the good from the bad.
RUSTY LEONARD, FOUNDER, MINISTRYWATCH: We have in the past identified 30 of the top ministries and 30 of the worst ministries. Unfortunately, Creflo Dollar fell into the worst category. And the main reason for that was his lack of financial transparency.
SAVIDGE: To find out more how Dollar wants to spend his dollars -- I called Daniel Jennings. He's a big seller of private jets.
(on camera): This isn't kind of an entry level. It's not even a mid- level jet.
DANIEL JENNINGS, CEO, THE PRIVATE JET COMPANY: This is the top of the game jet.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): The Gulfstream 650 is the largest, longest distance second fastest private jet in the world. And to get one, Dollar may need more than money. He might need divine intervention.
The wait for a new one is four years. And there are only used ones for sale in the entire world.
(on camera): If I wanted to buy a gently used one, what do you think that would set me back?
JENNINGS: Low 70s, $71 million, $72 million.
SAVIDGE: Do they finance?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Erin, we should point out ever since this jet flap began, it appears that Creflo Dollar has backed off at least of the appeal. You won't find it anymore on their Web site for the church. That doesn't mean necessarily they stopped their dreams.
We called them several times. They're very polite on the telephone. But no one has returned our calls over the question of, well, are you going after the jet or not? It appears for now, they have cooled their jets on that -- Erin.
BURNETT: I've got to say, Martin, you have used a word or term I never thought I would use, a used Jesus jet.
Thank you very much. Incredible report.
And OUTFRONT next, Vladimir Putin has returned. Actually, he's probably one of those planes, I'm pretty sure, or more than one. Where was he?
Jeanne Moos is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
<19:58:06> BURNETT: So, where in the world was Vladimir Putin?
Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As if coming up for air, Vladimir Putin has resurfaced. He didn't look bad considering all the things he was rumored to have suffered.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Either being dead, having a stroke.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In bed with a flu.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was he at the bedside of his girlfriend while he had their love child?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A palace coup.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something's not right.
MOOS: Putin's disappearance had people pointing, or at least wiggling fingers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where's the band (INAUDIBLE)
MOOS: The macho man who rides shirtless, tracks tigers, hang glides with cranes, was back facing nothing more deadly than the firing squad, of cameras.
The only thing he had to say about all the rumors was -- it would be boring without gossip.
Makes you think Vladimir might enjoy seeing his missing mug on a milk carton, or his bare-chested body on display in shocking footage from Putin's secret funeral. And here he is being carried into the photo- op by Kyrgyzstan's president.
But instead, Putin still alive makes well-moisturized appearance.
Just watch how he sits down, sort of gingerly. One report had it that a specialist from Vienna traveled to Moscow to treat Putin for back pain. Maybe he slipped a disk riding that woodpecker he was seen on recently. Or maybe it was a unicorn?
But would a Kremlin hide a bad back just to hide his tough guy image? You bet you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I come from strong genes. President Obama, he come from mom jeans.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: One of the most fantastical theories about Putin's vanishing act was illustrated by Ukrainian kids.
In an animation workshop, they drew President Putin being beamed up by aliens. The spacecraft took off, after Putin was abducted by the UFO, peace and calm came over the Earth.
But knowing Putin, he would have been riding that spaceship.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURNETT: All I'll say is, his face in that appearance today, it looked puffy.
"AC360" starts now.
