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CNN NEWSROOM

Japanese Hostage's Wife Contacting ISIS; Doubts if Jordanian Pilot Held Hostage Still Alive; Mysterious Case of Aaron Hernandez

Aired January 29, 2015 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, I'm Carol Costello, thank you so much for joining me. We begin with breaking news. Right now the world is waiting to find out the fate of a Jordanian pilot held hostage by ISIS. The terrorist deadline to release this woman, a convicted terrorist, has come and gone. This woman is being held in a Jordanian prison for her role in a string of terrorist hotel attacks. Jordan's government has agreed to release her only if their pilot who crashed last month while conducting coalition airstrikes is freed and they need proof that he's still alive.

Also hanging in the balance, another ISIS hostage, this Japanese journalist. Now, it's not clear if ISIS will spare his life if Jordan meets the demands. This video shows Japanese media waiting at the Turkish border. The big question, whether a deal has been reached. Let's get straight to CNN's Will Ripley. He's live in Tokyo with more. Hi, Will.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, for the first time, just moments ago we are hearing from Kenji Goto's wife Rinko who posted a statement, I should say. She gave a statement to the Rory Peck Trust, a statement that they posted on their website just a short time ago. The Rory Peck Trust is an international non-profit that assists freelance journalists. And I spoke with a director who said that Kenji Goto's wife Rinko recorded this about 90 minutes ago. And I'm just going to read you a little bit of it, because one thing that she says in here is that she's been e-mailing with the kidnappers ever since December when it became clear that her husband was being held.

And she said the last e-mail that she received was 20 hours from the time of her recording. So less than 24 hours ago. And the e-mail said, Rinko, you must publicize and expose this message to the world media now. Otherwise Kenji will be next. And then they went on to send her the same message that was posted online, that threat, that if the deal didn't happen at sunset that the Jordanian pilot Moaz Kasasbeh would be killed. Now, this is significant, Carol, because this is now a threat from ISIS to Kenji Goto's wife directly that his life is also in danger. Because the statement posted online didn't specify that. She went on to say, and this is just heartbreaking, I fear this is the last chance for my husband and now we only have a few hours left to secure his release.

COSTELLO: That's just chilling. So, how long has she been exchanging e-mails with ISIS?

RIPLEY: According to this statement - and again, this is the first time that we're hearing directly from her, although we've been speaking with family friends who had verified this information to us over the last week, that on December 2nd she received her first e-mail from the people who took Kenji Goto and she has been working feverishly behind the scenes ever since trying to secure his release. At the same time she hasn't spoken publicly because she's trying to protect their two young children, their 2-year-old daughter and their newborn daughter from all of the media attention. But she'd felt at this point she had to come forward and speak because she thinks it might be her husband's last chance.

COSTELLO: Will, stay right there. I want to bring in CNN national security analyst, Juliette Kayyem. Hi, Juliette.

JULIETTE KAYYEM, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Hi, Carol.

COSTELLO: There you are. So, what do you make of this direct contact with the wife of Kenji Goto?

KAYYEM: It is unique. In the United States, generally the FBI and everyone involved with the hostage situation essentially prohibit family members from direct contact for fear that it's going to disrupt more formal negotiations. But what we have to remember is in December somehow ISIS got her e-mail. So we assume that Kenji is alive then. But all the focus now, both for the Jordanians and for Kenji and his supporters, is proof of life, which we still don't have. So, we can talk about this deadline, but it may be sort of a fake deadline if there's no proof that either of the hostages are actually alive at this stage. So that's why everyone needs to focus on proof of life.

COSTELLO: So why do you think ISIS hasn't been able to provide proof of life to the Jordanians?

KAYYEM: So, this is where it gets complicated. I fear that they can't prove it because he is deceased. The Jordanians, I'm quite sympathetic with, them doing this kidnapping exchange if the Jordanian pilot is still alive. I know it goes counter to most of our thoughts about negotiating with terrorists. The Jordanians are in a very different predicament than us. King Abdullah, I once called him the nimble king. He's just literally trying to placate all different actors in his own country, and this swap is desired by most of his population.

But there's no swap if the pilot is not alive, and so now that the deadline is essentially here or passed with no proof of life, I fear that we have to suspect the worst, that ISIS cannot prove it because the pilot is no longer alive.

COSTELLO: All right, let's head to Jordan and Jomana Karadsheh. So, Jomana, the deadline has passed. We understand that ISIS has reached out directly to Kenji Goto's wife. Have you heard any similar tale as far as this pilot's family is concerned?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are still looking. We're trying to get in touch again with the family of the pilot to see what they have heard. The only thing we're hearing at this point in time is from the Jordanian government, again, reiterating their same position, saying they will release Sajida Rishawi, but they want proof of life, something that the Jordanians say that they have been asking for for some time now, something they have not received. Of course, we heard from Jordanian's foreign minister saying that for some time now, several weeks, they have been engaged in indirect negotiations through indirect channels to try and secure the release of the Jordanian pilot. Jordan is under a lot of pressure, Carol, to bring him back home.

But it's really unclear what that's going to take. Because at no point has ISIS offered his release. What we know that they're asking for a swap of Kenji Goto for Sajida Rishawi. And no public demand has been made for the release of the Jordanian pilot. Now, whether there's been any sort of demand made behind the scenes through the Jordanian negotiations, we do not know that at this point.

And again, the Jordanians throughout the day in the last 24 hours, Carol, saying their main priority here is their own citizen, their pilot. Although Kenji Goto is part of the negotiations, the pilot is their main priority.

COSTELLO: So, where is this would-be suicide bomber, Sajida ishawi?

KARADSHEH: Well, according to the Jordanian government, Jordanian officials in the past hour, Carol, she's still in prison, she's till in Jordan. She has not left the country, even though with that deadline to get her to the Syrian-Turkish border that is going to take some time. And obviously according to the government here, this has not happened yet. And she has been in jail in Jordan ten years now on death row when she was convicted of terrorism, of an attempt to blow herself up as part of that al Qaeda in Iraq attack that took place on November 9, 2005 here in Jordan.

What has kept her alive, Carol, up until this point is that Jordan has had a de facto moratorium on the death penalty up until December, just last month when they resumed executions. At this point still behind bars.

COSTELLO: OK, so we are still playing this awful waiting game. Just awful. Thanks to all of you. Juliette Kayyem, Jomana Karadsheh, and Will Ripley.

Still to come in the "NEWSROOM," we're waiting for the murder trial to begin for a former NFL star. How prosecutors prove Aaron Hernandez orchestrated the execution killing of a friend. You have a lot of obstacles to overcome. We'll talk about them, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Drama in Boston this morning. Opening statements have now been delayed in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial. The former NFL star who played in the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots is charged with planning the execution style killing of one of his friends.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: June 2013, police lead Aaron Hernandez out of his home in handcuffs. Hours later, the New England Patriots sack their star tight end after prosecutors charge him with killing 27-year-old Odin Lloyd. The semi pro football player was shot seven times, Lloyd's body found in an industrial park. The evidence solid, but experts say circumstantial.

MEL ROBBINS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: The prosecutors don't need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt who pulled the trigger. They just need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Aaron Hernandez was substantially involved.

COSTELLO: Surveillance video showing Lloyd getting into a car with Hernandez and co-defendants Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz and driving into the industrial park. Those two men will be tried separately. They've pleaded not guilty. The most damning evidence, surveillance video from Hernandez's home holding what prosecutors say is the murder weapon. However, that gun has never been found.

MICHAEL MCCANN, UNH SPORTS LAW INSTITUTE: If the jury believes that Aaron Hernandez was with Odin Lloyd right before Odin Lloyd was killed, it's not a big leap to conclude Aaron Hernandez was involved in the murder of Odin Lloyd.

COSTELLO: Defense attorneys did win a few pretrial motions which could help Hernandez greatly. The judge will block any mention Hernandez was indicted for two other murders in Boston.

PAUL CALLAN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It's certainly not admissible in evidence. It would be considered totally prejudicial, obviously, if he was charged with so many murders. You would think, wow, he's got to be guilty.

COSTELLO: And the jury won't hear about a text message the victim sent to his sister just moments before he was killed saying, quote, "You saw who I'm with, NFL, just so you know."

ROBBINS: I think the text messages are the ones that are particularly critical. And I found it surprising that the judge threw them out. You know, the judge was focusing on the fact that he thought that it didn't necessarily prove that Odin Lloyd was fearing for his life. But it does prove something else that he was with Hernandez.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: All right, but as I told you, drama already in that Boston courthouse. So let's go to the courthouse right now and check in with Alexandra Field. What's happening?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Carol, it looks like we're just going to have to wait a little longer for the start of this long- awaited trial. Here is what should have happened when everyone arrived at court this morning. The jury was supposed to be sworn in and then we would have proceeded to opening statements, first from the prosecution and then the defense. That hasn't started yet, because what we're hearing from our Susan Candiotti who is inside the courtroom, is that the judge started this morning by announcing a juror was delayed.

The judge then told the courtroom that she had received a note from a juror. What we know is happening right now, is that voir dire is continuing with another pool of jurors that has been brought into the courtroom for questioning. We do not know if one of the seated jurors has been dismissed, but we do know that a questioning process is going on with other potential jurors. Earlier this week it seemed that that jury had been selected and that this selection was nearly finalized, it would be finalized with the swearing in. 18 people had been picked, 13 men, five women, but it is taking some time to get to that swearing in this morning. And we're waiting to hear whether or not a seated juror could be replaced. But again, the jury will need to be sworn in before this can get started, Carol.

COSTELLO: And in the meantime, we were seeing pictures of family members arriving at the court. Can you tell us more about that?

FIELD: Yeah, people were ready to get going this morning. The teams were in place. That courtroom is packed. We saw Aaron Hernandez's mother arrive with Aaron's brother and his fiancee. They are now seated on one side of the courtroom.

Also inside, the mother of Odin Lloyd and Odin Lloyd's girlfriend at the time of his death. We understand from Susan Candiotti that prosecutors had planned to call Odin Lloyd's mother, Ursula Ward as one of the first witnesses who would testify once this trial begins.

COSTELLO: All right. Alexandra fields, stand by. We're going to bring in our legal analyst now Sunny Hostin and Paul Callan.

So, what do you make of this bit of drama in Boston, Sunny?

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting because jurors until they are sworn, aren't necessarily part of the jury. You know, so we knew that they had been chosen. But my understanding is that they had not necessarily been sworn. So, they get in this morning, and who knows what happened, Carol? Perhaps someone had an emergency in their family. Perhaps someone has had a change of heart and is thinking, you know what? I can't really do this. And it's really important that the juror does speak up. I think that's what's happening. The jury said, listen, something is going on and the judge did the right thing saying, you know what, let's get someone else. Because this trial is going to go. If it doesn't go today, it's going to go someday.

COSTELLO: So, this isn't so unusual, Paul.

PAUL CALLAN: No, it's not unusual. But I'll just throw out one little a piece of trial trivia. It's important when the jury is sworn because that's when double jeopardy attaches in a criminal case. So, if something goes wrong after the jury is sworn, it's possible double jeopardy will attach and if the case gets dismissed, you can't retry it. There is a big - there will be a big argument about who caused the problem. But the jury is being sworn is a big moment in a criminal trial. Yeah.

COSTELLO: So, there has been much made of the makeup of the jury, lots and lots of women on the jury. And some say that will help Aaron Hernandez because he's a handsome guy. There's no clear motive for why he would murder Odin Lloyd. And maybe they'll take into account there is a handsome guy with a fiancee and a kid and a $40 million contract, not possible he shot someone.

HOSTIN: You know, I've got to tell you, I'm really fascinated by this case but also troubled by the prosecution's case. As a former prosecutor myself, I know that you don't have to prove motive. It's not an element of the crime. But each and every juror is going to think exactly what you're saying. You know, well, he had $12.5 million guaranteed. This was a guy who was successful. He's good looking, he's got this fiancee, he's got a family. Why on earth would he do something like this? And if you've got just this really circumstantial case where you have some video, no gun, no statements, no confessions, no one is really cooperating with the government, I got to tell you, it has reasonable doubt written all over it for me.

COSTELLO: And I know, Paul, what I said before. But I have heard this from so many people when they looked at a picture of Aaron Hernandez, and they say ...

HOSTIN: He's hot!

COSTELLO: He's hot. What a waste.

CALLAN: Well, listen, there's a celebrity factor involved. In my experience, celebrities do get the benefit of the doubt more so from jurors than others for exactly the reason that Sunny just said because people say he's got all this going for him, why would he commit a crime? But when we get back to motive in the case, the early rumors in terms of why he would be involved in something like this and who his friends are, all reach back to Bristol, Connecticut, where he came up from really sort of a hard knocks life. And a lot of NFL teams were interested in him but they kind of backed off because there were rumors of criminality and other issues in his past. So, I'm betting that the motive here has something to do with Lloyd, the victim, knowing something about his past, maybe his recent past and his involvement in a criminal activity and having to be killed to prevent its revelation. Now, will that come out in front of the jury? We'll have to see.

COSTELLO: I know, because even if prosecutors are able to paint this ugly picture of Aaron Hernandez ...

CALLAN: Yes.

COSTELLO: You know, and his gang affiliation and whatever, Bill Belichick may take the stand, Robert Kraft may take the stand.

HOSTIN: They are on the list.

COSTELLO: They hired this guy to play ball for them. So, they are going to go and - the character reference, right?

HOSTIN: Well, we don't know. We do know at least with Belichick there are text messages between the two. Just many, many, many text messages between Hernandez and Belichick. And so, I wonder what Belichick has got to say. Perhaps, those text messages, if they're close in time to this murder, what does it say about Aaron Hernandez's state of mind. Well, Belichick, say, you know, a really good player, but kind of quirky kind of - you know, I guess off the field a difficult personality to manage. So we don't really know if his testimony will be helpful. Quite frankly, I mean I think ...

CALLAN: He's listed as a prosecution witness.

HOSTIN: Yeah, I was going to say that.

CALLAN: So, we don't really know if he's going to be helpful to Hernandez.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

HOSTIN: It's fascinating, this case.

COSTELLO: I know. It sadly really is fascinating. It's just hard to understand because you do look at him and you say, just like, are you kidding?

HOSTIN: It doesn't make sense. Which is why, I don't know, Paul, I don't see a conviction here. I don't know.

CALLAN: Well, you know ...

(L)

CALLAN: I don't want to opine on that until I hear some more evidence in the case. We'll see.

COSTELLO: Chicken.

CALLAN: Yes.

COSTELLO: Paul Callan, Sunny Hostin ...

HOSTIN: This is chicken ...

COSTELLO: Paul Callan, Sunny Hostin, thanks so much.

Still to come in the "NEWSROOM," the investigation into what brought down Air Asia Flight 8501 taking a new turn. We've learned the pilot was not actually flying the plane. We'll talk about that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: I want to bring you back to Mexico City where an awful situation is unfolding. There's -- it's just so awful, it's hard to even talk about. This is a maternity hospital. There was a huge explosion when a truck supplying gas to the hospital, it simply exploded. I guess a hose burst on the truck and that caused this explosion. We understand that 54 people are injured including 22 children. As I said, this is a maternity hospital. As you can see, firefighters are on the scene. A good part of the hospital has collapsed. That means there are children and patients trapped underneath the rubble. Rescue workers are desperately trying to get them out. We understand -- I'm just getting information now -- at least two are confirmed dead. And as I said, 54 are injured including 22 children. We'll keep you abreast of this situation. But just a terrible situation unfolding in Mexico City this morning.

In other news, three minutes, 20 seconds, that's how quickly disaster may have struck Air Asia flight 8501. The final moments of the flight were even more terrifying than we might have thought. A less experienced copilot was actually at the controls. The plane climbing way too fast, stall warnings ringing out and then the plane simply falls. CNN's Saima Mohsin has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A number of interesting facts came out of today's press conference by air crash investigators, revealing that it was, in fact, the first officer or copilot at the helm of the plane. He was in charge flying it when it went into distress. Now, we understand the pilot's old captain was besides him inside the cockpit.

Interesting details as well revealed about exactly how things went wrong. Now, CNN had already confirmed that the captain had asked to change direction. They were experiencing heavy thunderstorms and turbulence. He had requested to go up to 38,000 feet. Air traffic control had only cleared them to 34,000 feet. Today, one of the air crash investigators said that as the plane requested to turn, it started to tilt and wobble. They used an aircraft to demonstrate, a toy aircraft to demonstrate how this might have happened. It then ascended a great fit to 37,400 feet in just 30 seconds. And then we understand from the flight data recorder, as revealed today, that the stall warnings started to sound. Stall, stall. That repeated warning continued while the plane descended to 24,000 feet and eventually crashed in the Java Sea.

Of course, they are still searching for many of the victims on board. Huge concern whether they will be returned to their loved ones and huge concern whether this preliminary report or why it's not being made public.

For now, air crash investigators have said that they don't feel they have all the facts analyzed or confirmed to enough detail to share it publicly, but they will hopefully release a full report, according to the transportation minister, sooner than a year, perhaps even in three months. Saima Mohsin, CNN, Jakarta, Indonesia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: All right, still to come in "THE NEWSROOM."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 911, operator 911, what is the emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:: 127 Brimmer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. What's going on there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'd like to order a pizza for delivery.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: A first for the Super Bowl, but it's not happening on the field. A PSA calling attention to domestic violence awareness during the big game. It's powerful. We'll show you more next.

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