prison? >> you must have been crushed, crushed when they told you you had to go back. >> prescription for cheating. they read our x-raies, but a cnn investigation reveals a disturbing question over the certification of many radiologists. >> isn't that cheating? >> fascinating characters. stories with impact. this is "cnn presents" with tonight's host, randy kaye and drew griffin. >> tonight, racism, cheating and injustice. we begin with a murder in mississippi. we broke the shocking story here orn cnn of a young, white teenager accused of killing a black man just because of the color of his skin. >> over the four 46 month investigation, we found disturbing details. uncover how the teenager and some of his friends had a history of violent and racist incidents. i've been following this story from the very beginning. >> reporter: june 26th in mississippi would bring temperatures and humidity into the 90s. the breeze would barely move the flag enough to see that confederate battle symbol. still in display in its upper, left corner. at 4:00 a.m. on this sunday morning, most of mississippi was still asleep. but for a group of teenagers, white teenagers barrelling west on interstate 20, a mission was already under way. they were headed to jackson because in there, segregated world, jackson is where the black people live. >> they were looking for black people. they were looking for a black person to assault. >> mississippi's district attorney says evidence shows those white, mississippi teens had just one thing in mind. it was still dark when james craig anderson walked out of a motel towards his car in a parking lot off jackson's ellis avenue. smith says that's when the white teenager saw him. james, a black man, alone. it is hard to imagine what happened next without using the term hate. the teenagers were mostly white and being led by an 18-year-old named daryl dedmond. he had a his ri of harassing teams in his high school. by several accounts from parents and students who fu him, he hated blacks. he hated white people who had black friends. he hated anyone ho thought he was gay. and on this sunday morning, after a night of drinking, he and his friends, witnesses have told police, were out to act on that hate. some of the teens there that night would tell police the teenagers attacked that lone black man without any provocation, repeatedly beating anderson yelling white power. and then one of the vehicles drives off. daryl, i apparently, wasn't through. he had two girls in his truck as he was leaving this parking lot. a big, f-250 pick-up truck. james, anderson was stumbling down this curve. that's when police say daryl dedmond hit the gas, jumped the curb and ran right over his victim. what he didn't know was the entire episode was being caught on the surveillance camera on the corner of this hotel. this is what was caught on that tape obtained exclusively by cnn. and we warn you it is disturbing. james craig anderson comes in the lower, right corner of the screen after he was beaten, according to police. he staggers into the headlights of mr. dedmond's truck. then the truck backs up, surges forward. the headlights glowing brightly on anderson's shirt before he and that shirt disappear underneath it. the truck runs right over the defenseless man. after he does that, he drives to a mcdonalds, he picks up a phone and apparently calls a buddy and says what? >> according to the testimony, i ran that nigger over. >> according to witnesses, he was laughing about it he was laughing, really? >> that's what we plan to present. >> daryl dedmond pleaded not guilty at first. during one court appearance, that attorney says he did not see any evidence racism was involved. the district attorney says nothing else was involved. he classified this as capital murder and a hate crime. >> you would think it would be a wake-up call for any town where that kind of hate could fester. but this is brandon, mississippi. >> wurns it happened, we haven't gone into code red. oh, my god, we've got a major problem. >> here, the police say there were no warning signs. but we fournd the police were wrong. cnn learned investigators were looking into allegations. daryl dedmond and his friends had a pattern of racism and violence. >> how did they get away with this? >> they would just never get in trouble. school officials ever intervene? >> no. >> coming up, did a town's indifference help lead to murder? 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>> certainly breathtaking. unbelievable. i thought about the fact that that could have been anyone, including myself. >> reporter: the district attorney first charged daryl dean with capital murder. a second teen was charged with simple asaumt. five other white teenagers who were there were not charged. anderson's family has kept their grief and their frustration mostly private. but after a court hearing, anderson's sister could not maintain her emotions. >> go to brandon, mississippi and get those other five murderers who committed such a horrendous, violent act kbensag my beloved brother. >> you have to drive east to brandon across the rural river. the invisible line that seems to sprat black mississippi from white. and while in jackson, anderson prompted in march for healing. in brandon, the reaction was mostly silent. brandon police wouldn't even return cnn's phone calls. it was an assistant police chief who finally came out to say there was no concern here. >> are you concerned that a lot of these kids are from the county? there were seven of them who drove over there. you're going to have a couple of bad seeds. one guy ran over the individual. not all six. so, you know, i can't -- i hate that it happened. and i wish to god that it didn't happen here or anywhere. but as far as it being, we have a national problem, we don't have anymore problem than any other city. it's just an isolated incident. you can quote me on that. it didn't take me as long to figure out it wasn't an isolated incident. two years ago, this local pastor had to call police when his son was arrested. >> i had told jordon for a year and a half that daryl dedmond will kill you. >> he had a look of no conscience. it was a blank stare. daryl always carried around this backpack of hatred. >> other students also tolt us they were bullied or beaten by dedmond and his friends who called people "nigger lovers" if they befriended blacks. we were told school administrators mostly looked the other way. school officials declined our interview request. but they take bullying seriously and that they had no record of any trouble from daryl dedmond. stunts told us dedmon and his friends were a problem, using racial slurs and calling blacks and even president obama, the "n" word. >> it came out of my house was the "n" word. and if they're taking over as if it was some kind of war. >> dedmond's family refused to talk to cnn. so did his attorney. once close to him and his friends, he now beliefears them. >> i believe every one of them are dangerous. i just don't want my energy to be seen. we're worried about it. >> did they ever go looking for black people? >> hunting? >> yes, they're known as, like i said, they're all seeing them as the racist kids. >> cnn has learned federal investigators from the department of justice have uncovered two other possible incidents where groups of white, rankon county teens, including dedmond, have sought out and attacked a black person. >> have you guys been conned about these guys? >> this man says racism is behind brandon, mississippi's silence. >> do you believe there's a lot of people in brandon, mississippi that may feel the same way about the killer of a black man? >> yes. yes. >> i even heard that this is their statement. daryl is a good kid. he just made one bad mistake. >> after initially pleading not guil to murder, daryl dedmond change his plea to guilty in a state court. the next day, dedmond and two others there that night pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes and a months' long pattern of brutal harassment. dedmond was given two life sentences. the others have yet to be sentenced. up next, was it murder of a miscarriage of justice. the story of two families torn apart by a deadly shooting. mpir. then, some said, we lost our edge. well today, there's a new new york state. one that's working to attract businesses and create jobs. a place where innovation meets determination... and businesses lead the world. the new new york works for business. find out how it can work for yours at thenewny.com. this is the first leg of our world challenge with the cadillac ats. this is actually starting to feel real now. 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[ screaming with excitement ] and move out now. ♪ [ male announcer ] the all-new cadillac ats. ♪ [ male announcer ] the all-new cadillac ats. questions. when you're caring for a loved one with alzheimer's, not a day goes by that you don't have them. questions about treatment where to go for extra help, how to live better with the disease. so many questions, where do you start? alzheimers.gov. the answers start here. energy is being produced to power our lives. while energy development comes with some risk, north america's natural gas producers are committed to safely and responsibly providing generations of cleaner-burning energy for our country, drilling thousands of feet below fresh water sources within self-contained well systems. and, using state-of-the-art monitoring technologies, rigorous practices help ensure our operations are safe and clean for our communities and the environment. we're america's natural gas. our yard line justice system is based on the promise of a fair trial. what if a trial isn't fair? what if the prosecution has stacked the deck against you unfairly? deborah brings us a story of a man who is sitting in prison, maybe for life, etch after the trial that put him there was found by a judge to be full of holes. ifgs c was convicted of second-degree murder in 1997 and i was sentenced to life. >> reporter: new york city police officer served 11 years in prison. before a judge tossed out his conviction and he was sent home. his friends and family celebrating his release. >> reporter: when you walked out? >> it was sur real. my ankles weren't shackled. i was like wow, this is real. >> a freeman, he spent two years rebuilding his life. just as suddenly, in a twist of the criminal justice system, it was all taken away. i still came out of just being back. it was difficult. >> richard's bizarre journey began here, dobb's ferry. a charming village outside of new york city. on october 3rd, 1996, the small community was rocked by a deadly shooting, triggered over this parking space. the victim was charles campbell, an amateur boxer who worked with under-privileged kids. his younger brother called him chaz. >> he was a wonderful athlete. a wonderful person. he was christian. loved kids. loved people, all people. >> reporter: it started around 5:00 on a clear day. richard was working behind the counter on his family-owned deli. he stopped by to help his brother and father-in-law, richard, sr., who was recovering from a heart attack. parking was a major problem they owned the building and said tenants have been withholding rent. well, charles campbell didn't know about the on going intentions when he pulled his new corvette into is reserved spot. >> richie's father remembers that day. >> i asked him to move to the other lot. and he refused to do it. >> so the deli owner did what dobbs ferry police asked him to do. here's what father and son say happened when campbell saw the sticker on his new car. >> yeah, listen, i need a cop over here. richie was in the store. and he saw them running across the street. he came behind me and he stepped like this. he put his hands up like this and said there's no need for this. >> reporter: and then? >> he hit richien the face. >> it was like getting hit with a hammer. >> he was just out of control. he was somebody who didn't want to listen to reason. >> t fight spilled into the parking lot as father, son and brother-in-law wrestled campbell to the ground. >> when i went to put my hand underneath his head, he said that's it. i've had enough. so i said to richie, that's it. it's over. we let him up. now, whenever i had a fight when i was a kid, it was over, it was over. >> but the fight wasn't over. and what happened next changed everything. charles catchbell, out numbered 3-to-1, went to his car. but rather than leave, he pulled out a bat. >> this man with a bat in his hands, how much more of a threat did that make him to your father? >> a deadly threat. >> back in the store, rich says he saw campbell strike his father not once, but twice with a metal bat. >> i just saw him up with the bat and he started to swing. that's why i reached for the gun. >> reporter: the off duty officer grabbed the gun from under the cash register and raced outside. firing three times, hitting charles campbell in the middle of his chest. >> someone is shot. >> from the time that bat came out until the time the incident was over, it was a matter of four seconds, five seconds. and my training just kicked in. >> he doesn't remember the moments immediately after the shooting. only that one of the responding officers handed him the gun and asked him for help removing the bullet clip. and then he, his father-in-law and brother-in-law were taken to the police station. rumors spread like wild fire that the shooting was racially motivated, confirmed, in part, by the district attorney. >> that the victim was cursed at at the time just prior to the shooting. that information has been confirmed. >> did you ever use any racial slurs? >> we never used a curse word. we never used any racial words at all. none. >> campbell's brother william was not there. >> he eegs probably going to work around when he gets to the car. i think he came out from behind the truck. and he said die, die. and shot them three times. >> eyewitness, michael dillen, less than 30 feet away, did not hear any racial slurs. instead, he saw the bat aimed at the elder man. >> full-force swings hitting him. that's what i saw. you could hear the smacks blocks away. you could see your father getting beat with a bat, they're going to do something about it. i remember at one points, i said if you see your father getting beat, it was strictly self defense. and i said oh, thank god for this witness. >> but that same night, district attorney piro charged richard with both intentional murder and murder with depraved indifference. >> i was like how is this murder? i don't understand it? >> so this is the first time you killed a man. how heavily does that weigh on you? i believe i saved my father's day that life. >> coming up, the trial that out raged a judge. >> was this a miscarriage of justice? >> i believe it was a miscarriage of justice. fore! no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers. learn more at chase.com/ink richard is consumed by the shooting that sent his son to prison to serve 20 to life. >> i wish my son was never there. what i got killed or not, it doesn't make any difference to me. what do i have now? my family is torn apart. literally torn apart. where's my son? >> we wanted to talk about the shooting to the dobbs ferry police department and the then district attorney, eugene piro. in her book, she says there's no question the shooting was racially dominated. instead, prosecutors claim he shot charles campbell in a murderous rage. assistant district attorney patricia murphy telling the jury, "this is a case about revenge. this is a case about retrobugs. this is a case about payback." prosecutors argued the father, son and son-in-law ganged up on campbell so that he had no choice but to grab a bat from his car. >> i know chad. when he grabbed that bat, the idea was to just show all right, you all, back on up. i'm not guilty going to start here, but i'm going to finish it. so he swung, i think, once at the father. >> do you think charles campbell could have killed your father, had that third hit struck him? >> sure. absolutely. it was a metal baseball bat. >> if there wasn't a baseball bat, there wouldn't have been a gun. >> prosecutors supported by eyewitness testimony convinced a jury that was backing away. the jury was acquitted of assault. but richie was convicted of murder with depraved indifference. >> i said i shot charles campbell to stop him from beating my father with the bat. is that an act of intent? yeah, you could say so. >> we brought murder charges, he was convicted of murder. that's what this case is about. >> he came back in the light that i wanted it to come back in. but i can't feel good. two families were totally destroyed. >> two eyewitnesss came forward saying they told police he was acting in self defenlsz. they say police pressured them to change their story. a new hearing was ordered. and in 2006, antoni got the case. >> bell antoni was an appeals court judge. what i deal with is whether or not certain witnesses were coerced and if so, whether the jury was made aware of this coercion. >> although some witnesses from the original trial supported the prosecutor's version of the shooting, twro who were closest to the shooting did not. >> after getting his original statement on the night of the shooting, he was picked up by police officers, night and day, until he changed his statements. >> detectives just came asking me the same questions over and over again. it was like an interrogation. >> here's what dillen originally told police. >> the black guy was swinging the bat when the shots were fired. >> but the jury never heard that. instead, dillen justified at trial that campbell wasn't swinging the bat. they were telling me that other people said this and other people said that. and i said, but i'm not interested in what other people said. i'm telling you what i saw and this is the truth. >> wliet was standing inside the deli. and he saw charles campbell not as victim, but as aggress