Murdered Preacher's Wife Appears in Court
COOPER: Well, and as we know, about 10, 15 people, Iraqis, taken hostage every day in Iraq. Well, we're surely going to hear more of Jill Carroll's story in the coming days, as she says she was treated very well. If that's true, she is very lucky. Another American hostage, Roy Hallums, was not. Hallums was kidnapped earlier in the war, held for nearly a year. He shared his story with CNN's Randi Kaye.</s>RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Roy Hallums, it may remain a mystery forever. He may never learn all the secrets, who kidnapped him, held him for 10 months, and why. This is how most of us learned about Hallums' role in the horrible story.</s>ROY HALLUMS, FORMER HOSTAGE: My name is Roy Hallums. I'm an American national. Please, help me in this situation.</s>KAYE: It was two years ago, three weeks before Thanksgiving. Hallums, at his computer, working as a contractor in Iraq, was snatched and grabbed. Four masked gunmen burst in, heavily armed. Any resistance, they said, they would kill him. (on camera): Were you scared?</s>HALLUMS: Oh, yes, certainly, because, I mean, I had seen the -- the videos before of other people who had been kidnapped and what had happened to them. And I thought, you know, am I going to live the rest of the day, or is this it?</s>KAYE (voice-over): They blindfolded Hallums, drove him to a dark, filthy, underground cell. We now know it was in one of the most dangerous areas of Baghdad, known as the Triangle of Death. And, for three months, it was as if Roy Hallums had simply vanished. For those who love him, it was unimaginably painful. Where was he? What had happened? But there was nothing. His captors remained silent, until this last January.</s>HALLUMS: I'm, please, asking for help, because I -- my life is in danger, because it has been proved that I work for American forces.</s>HALLUMS: They said that they wanted me to be emotional and look upset in the video. And, so, they said, to make me look that way and to help me, they were going to beat me before the video.</s>KAYE (on camera): And did they?</s>HALLUMS: And they did, you know? So, yes, it -- you know, it wasn't a good experience to -- to do that, you know?</s>KAYE (voice-over): Now Roy Hallums is home in Memphis, Tennessee. He invited us here to share the secrets of months as a hostage and the amazing story of his rescue, the fear, the isolation, the abuse, beatings and torture Hallums can't barely bring himself to talk about today. Hallums passed the time underground by planning travel adventures in his mind.</s>HALLUMS: It would take me one day or two days to plan a trip.</s>HALLUMS: And, then, I would start another one, because, when you stop, then you start having all these negative thoughts.</s>KAYE: He slept on a concrete slab, always blindfolded and bound with this plastic handcuff. Hallums spent much of his time laying down in the four-foot-deep hole. They give him small amounts of cheese and goat meat. Whatever hope he had came from the fact they hadn't killed him yet. (on camera): What did you go through, not knowing what they might do to you or what might happen to you?</s>HALLUMS: The first month was the most difficult, because everything, every movement, you don't know what might happen. And you're still thinking that, well, you know, they could do away with me any time. You sort of become numb after a while. You know, you worry about your life every second of every day. And it just, you know, starts to wear you out.</s>KAYE (voice-over): The hostage-takers only watched cartoons on their satellite TV. He heard no news, no word of his family, no way to know they were working so hard to find him, that they had set up a Web site and had made public pleas on both Al-Jazeera network and</s>CNN. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When he -- when he mentioned that, you know, about his life, them ending his life, I don't know. We're -- we are just all devastated. Please, President Bush, he needs your help.</s>KAYE: Hallums kept track of the days in his head. He knew weeks had turned into months. He listened as his captors poured fresh concrete over his hole to seal it. Hallums thought for sure he would die here.</s>HALLUMS: After six months, I was starting to question, you know, how long is this going to go on? You know, are they going to keep me a year or -- or two years? There -- there was no way to know. I just know, OK, I have been here six months. There's no end in sight.</s>KAYE: Then, by pure luck, coalition forces interviewing an Iraqi prisoner were told where Hallums was being held. He will never forget the pounding at the door. Freedom was not far away.</s>HALLUMS: Because I thought, well, maybe somebody's here to rescue me, but, you know, it's been 311 days. That would be too good to be true. That can't possibly be what it is. But they kept pounding on the door. And, finally, the door fell down. And a soldier comes in. He's got his fatigues on and everything. And he says, are you Roy? And I said, yes. And he said, come on, we're getting out of here.</s>KAYE (on camera): You hug him?</s>HALLUMS: Yes.</s>HALLUMS: Definitely. Definitely.</s>KAYE (voice-over): By the time he was rescued, September of last year, Hallums had lost 38 pounds. He has gained much of the weight back, but, more importantly, he has gained his freedom, still today, never too far away, this patch given to Hallums by the soldier, then a stranger, today a friend who pulled him out of the darkness, the hole that had become his private hell. Randi Kaye, CNN, Memphis.</s>COOPER: And it's just unbelievable to think of being in a hole for 311 days. And there have been others who have been there for longer. Well, coming up, the preacher's wife accused of murder. She appeared in court today. We'll have that story in a moment. But first, Erica Hill from HEADLINE NEWS joins us with some of the other stories we're following -- Erica.</s>ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS ANCHOR: Hey, Anderson. Tragedy in the Middle East today. A ferry with 150 people aboard capsized off the coast of Bahrain. At least 51 people died, 63 passengers have been rescued. There's no firm word on their nationalities, although authorities say Westerners and Asians were on board, as well as Bahrainis. And some heart-breaking words today for the families who lost loved ones in the September 11 terrorist attacks.</s>FDNY DISPATCHER: Fire Department 408. Where's the fire?</s>HANLEY: Yes, hi. I'm on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center. We just had an explosion up here.</s>FDNY: OK. One-O-Sixth floor. What building are you in, sir? One or Two?</s>HANLEY: That's One World Trade.</s>FDNY: All right.</s>NYPD: One?</s>FDNY: Yes.</s>HANLEY: Yes, there's smoke and we have about 100 people up here.</s>FDNY: Sit tight. Do not leave, OK? There is a fire or an explosion or something in the building. All right? I want you to stay where you are.</s>HANLEY: Yes.</s>HILL: That was the voice of Christopher Hanley. His family was one of those who learned this week that the city had tapes of 911 calls, including his. They were made public after a court order. In Kansas today, severe weather. At least one tornado has torn through the town of Hutchinson, blowing down power lines and starting several fires. Twenty-one square miles were evacuated, but people have since been allowed to return home. So far, 5,000 acres have burned, 5,000 houses are damaged. There are no known injuries. Authorities are keeping an eye on the situation overnight, though, in case those winds return. And supermodel Naomi Campbell arrested in New York today after allegedly striking her housekeeper with a cell phone. Campbell pleaded not guilty to the charges. Police say the victim was treated at the hospital for head wounds which they needed four staples to close. Ouch -- Anderson.</s>COOPER: I don't even know what to say about that, Erica.</s>HILL: I don't either.</s>COOPER: Yes.</s>HILL: But don't ever upset me. There's a cell phone with your name on it. I'm kidding.</s>COOPER: All right. Thanks very much, Erica. It is the court hearing that could have solved some of the mysteries surrounding the murder of a popular minister. His wife charged with the crime, shooting him in the back. We're going to tell you what she said and did not say today. Also, a Gulf region homeowner fighting a big insurance company over damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. He says he's been bullied. Is he right? We're keeping them honest ahead on 360.