in many ways more separate than at any time in history. but for mississippi, the past is right there to see, still present and coming to terms with it not an abstract discussion, but the daily business of life. this is "cnn tonight." i'm don lemon. it was hard to believe that five years ago michael jackson died. his doctor, conrad murray found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, spending two years behind bars. but that is not the end of the story. tonight you're going to hear from dr. conrad murray. there he is, live right here. it is his first and only american interview since his release from prison, and he says he wants to set the record straight once and for all. plus, talk about ripped from the headlines. the army investigating sergeant bowe bergdahl, special forces operatives lure the benghazi suspect into a trap.

it's almost as if hollywood wrote it. so who better to talk than the man behind "homeland," howard gordon. and it could be the biggest world cup game yet, team usa versus germany tomorrow. we're going preview it for you. and as always, we want to know what you think about all of this. make sure you tweet us using the #askdon. first i want to give you my take on dr. conrad murray, as he sits here right in front of me live this evening. doctor, many people were wondering why we should give you a platform on the anniversary of michael jackson's death. like joe on twitter, why has michael's killer given air time. that's what she said. show some respect on our legend's anniversary. i believe if we played by those rules, we would never do an interview. and i believe in transparency and having as much information as possible. dr. murray agreed to do this interview knowing that no question is off limits, and he has promised to answer each of them candidly and honestly. correct?

>> that's correct. >> let's move on now. before we get started, i want to go back to the trial that sent you, dr. murray, to prison for your role in michael jackson's death. here is cnn's sara sidner. >> we the jury in the above everyone titled action find the defendant conrad robert murray guilty. >> reporter: dr. conrad murray spent two years in prison, convicted of involuntary manslaughter for providing the king of pop an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol. it was supposed to help michael jackson sleep. instead, it killed him. his family and fans were devastated. ♪ never can say goodbye >> reporter: back in 2009, as michael jackson rehearsed for his upcoming this is it world tour, he struggled with his pain and trouble sleeping. dr. murray was his personal physician. a month and a half before jackson died in his bedroom, the star's voice was recorded on murray's cell phone.

it was entered into court evidence. >> i want them to say he's the greatest entertainer in the world. >> reporter: prosecutors made the case that the drug induced slurred speech was a clear sign that jackson was out of control, and dr. murray should have known that he needed to be weaned off propofol. instead prosecutors say the doctor ordered more. but murray has maintained he was trying to wean the star off the drug, and it was jackson who self-administered the fatal dose. but a jury blamed dr. murray for jackson's death, saying he was responsible. dr. murray went to prison, his medical license revoked in texas and suspended in california and nevada. eight months ago, his time served, he walked out of prison. >> this is part of the untold story. >> reporter: murray is vowing to get his medical license back. he has even published his own video to reassert his claim that he was wrongfully convicted. his attorney says he may appeal

his case all the way to the supreme court. >> he has been adamant about his innocence. and after spending two years on the case, i truly believe in him. and i believe he was wrongfully convicted also. >> reporter: sara sidner, cnn, los angeles. >> joining me exclusively to tell his side of the story is dr. conrad murray. when i said what the person said in that tweet, murderer, you flinched. why? >> well, i'm not. >> killer? >> not. >> not? not. so that bothers you. before we get to the video that talks about dr. conrad murray talks, it's 7:00 p.m. on the west coast, 10:00 on the east coast. five years ago, what were you doing at this very moment? >> oh, my gosh. at this time, it was just monumental grief. an unexpected, surreal situation. i cannot believe the changes that happened within a couple of hours. it was just impossible.

it was just unfathomable. i could not believe that just hours ago, i was trying to muster all the strength i can to save the life of a friend and a patient, and here i am on to the spotlight, all focus, fingers pointing as though i'm the one to blame. >> were you still at the hospital? i know you went to the ambulance with him. >> i stayed in the hospital until near 6:00, maybe 5:30. >> pacific time? >> yes. >> so at this time were you back at his mansion? where were you? >> this time i would probably be at home. i got home to the apartment. >> let's -- i want to -- what do you remember about that day? because i've done several documentaries, and i start them by saying on the morning, he did everything that he, you know, preparing for a show, that he loved, preparing for a show. what do you remember about that day? >> well, you know, what time of day? talk about the time he came home, which is the night before, around 1:00, just shortly after 1:00.

and he just was not able to sleep. >> okay. here is the timeline. just to refresh your memory. so 1:00 a.m., murray summoned to jackson's home, right? 1:30 a.m., 10 milligram tablet of valium. 2:00 a.m., two milligrams of lorazepam. >> lorazepam. >> injected into him. 3:00 a.m., two milligrams of midazolam. and 5:00 a.m., more lorazepam, 2 milligrams. and then again 7:30, two milligrams of midazolam and 25 milligrams of propofol diluted with lidocaine. >> so you can summarize, make it simple. 4 milligrams of lorazepam given to him during the time you spoke about and 4 milligrams of midazolam. >> so why -- were you ever worried about administering so many drugs to michael jackson?

did you ever think, you know, this person could die giving him so many drugs? >> certainly i didn't think michael jackson would die from 4 milligrams of lorazepam or 4 milligrams of midazolam. we do that all the time in the hospital. i was very cautious in terms of giving michael jackson that medication to sleep. before that time, michael jackson was on propofol. and i had warned him successfully off of propofol up to three days prior to his death. he never received propofol. >> but not successfully. you said you had weaned him off. >> yes. >> why did he go back on? >> he did not go back on. before that i would treat him with an infusion, which was continuous. but the day he died, i did tell the police that i relented after all of the pressure and all of the changes that michael was going through, unbeknownst to me because he was in withdrawal of another substance. >> which was? >> demerol. >> demerol. which was brought about -- which your lawyers asserted in trial that he was on demerol. >> he was on demerol for years and decades. if you see the doses that were given, if you look back into the video, as i described, dr.

arnold klein, he made michael jackson a drug addict from demerol. >> what were the changes you said because the changes his body was going through? >> it was like michael was a hamster. could not sit down, could not rest, was restless and he cried and craved sleep. >> you said that actually at trial. let's listen when you said he was like on a hamster wheel. in the video you said -- you have up, dr. conrad murray talks. watch. >> so in michael's case, what he needed at night was not demerol, it was not propofol, excuse me. he needed to have demerol. but since his supply chain was cut from beverly hills, he was on his own. and he had never shared that with me. so i had no idea why it was so impossible to see michael like a hamster that night. couldn't sit down, couldn't restless, looked as though he was out of the movie "thriller." and i could not imagine that he

was doing something like this. had i had any knowledge, his treatment would have been different. he would have been taken to a hospital for acute withdrawal from opioids, and he would have been treated accordingly. >> in the video that is posted on your website, that you go through all the evidence in the trial and you knock it down. you refute what you think is wrong about the trial. you said you didn't know that about him. shouldn't you have known as his physician? >> if i made inquiries of michael as far as drug use and he never give the information up, how would i get it? i mean, i would have to depend on my patient to tell me the truth. and i never got the information from michael. >> my question is, if you say he was like a hamster, why would you leave him alone for any amount of time? >> it was not that i was leaving michael alone. so many times michael left me alone. >> but on that night you did? >> i never left him during that night.

he left me. there are two suites, an exclusive bedroom where i am not allowed. his children were sometimes invited. and the suite where i treated michael. he was clearly able to wander off. he has a saline bag with a trip on wheels. there was a foley catheter attached to him, because he had some incontinence issues. but he would wander off and come back. >> so what you're asserting is on that evening with all of those drugs that he left where you were watching him and then went to another part of the bedroom. but in trial you said that you left to use the rest room, and you were taking a phone call. >> that wasn't until the next day. that was the next day after around 11:20 in the morning, 11:20, 11:30. >> when did you realize he was in trouble? >> was what? >> when did you realize he was in trouble? >> michael? >> yes. >> when i came back into the room after i had gone away, called my office, made some calls. whatever calls i was making was to make sure my registration in england was complete because i had to be his physician over there and i didn't want to go practice without having registration.

i was just about getting that done, the time zone, the differences, we were taking care of that. so part of the telephone calls to my office were related to that situation. i was away from him for 11:25 to 11:30. that was way beyond any medicine that i give him would have had any effect at all. >> so do you take any responsibility in michael jackson's demise, in his death? >> you know, i am very remorseful that michael has passed away. michael was a friend. and he touched me in so many ways that i felt like a father figure to michael, though i wasn't old enough to be his dad. i felt as though i was protecting michael all the time. i did. >> people say they don't seem -- they don't think that you have shown any remorse. is there -- would you like to apologize to anyone? what would you like to say? because they -- why -- as a physician, as michael's

physician, you were responsible for him while you were administering drugs. you're responsible for the drugs that were brought into his home. you were his personal physician. >> i think you ask a good question. first of all, i met michael jackson with a stash of propofol. the investigation will also show that there are doctors who could have testified that he came to them with a sports medicine bag filled with propofol, vials. the history of the civil trial shows he had been using propofol for a long time before i was on the scene. i met michael jackson in 2006. >> but you didn't have to stay. you didn't have to take the job. >> i did not have to take michael job. and michael convinced me that i was working so hard saving lives as an acute interventional and cardiology, saving lives daily and working long hours. he wanted me to take some time off and travel, read some books with him and just meet a bunch of high-powered kings and queens around the world. but i give michael a sense of confidence and protection that he never had. and he was not about to lose that.

>> are you saying it wasn't for the money you were making? >> oh, gosh. no. >> it was out of the goodness of your heart. not everybody is going to believe that. >> first of all, have i taken care of michael jackson for years. out of the goodness of my heart, i have given all my services for him and his children basically free. >> were you ever paid? >> michael jackson refunded me for medicines, but i have never been paid for my services. >> stand by, dr. murray. when we come right back, we'll talk about your trial and whether justice was served. we'll take you thins trial and show you information that you have never seen. >> both "the los angeles times" and cbs news are both now reporting that michael jackson has died. cnn has not confirmed that. but "the l.a. times" and cbs news are reporting that michael jackson, 50 years old, the king of pop, has died.

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this is the fifth anniversary of michael jackson's death, and now the man who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, dr. conrad murray is back with me exclusively. this is his first and only american interview since he got out of prison. he has agreed no question is off limits and he is going to answer everything honestly. i want to talk to you -- you talk a little bit about why you took the job and stayed on, even though you knew that michael had some issues.

did you identify with him? what did you see in michael jackson? that drew you to him and someone michael who was scared of his own pain, maybe? >> like a fan, like somebody who got to know michael jackson, michael jackson lived a life of pain. for so many years, decades, his entire life, his existence. and after i learned what all of the pain that followed him, i could not help but be sympathetic to this man. i could not help but be empathetic. i could not help but to wear his shoe and i could not help but to listen to him. >> but do you think that -- you said as fan. did that cloud your judgment because in the end, it seemed that you did him more harm than good, no? >> never. i was hired to make sure that michael jackson stay healthy. but i was also -- i agreed with a.g. and those who were taking care of michael's finances that i would show up about four weeks and wind my practice down easily. however, i was hustled to california, because the show was

off track. it was going nowhere. >> was this because of michael jackson's health? >> because of michael's performance. he was not rehearsing. he was not doing anything. >> because he couldn't sleep? >> and aeg had already spent $40 million. >> why wasn't he rehearsing or doing anything? >> i had no idea. >> so they thought it had something to do with his health or medically? >> i'm not sure what aeg was thinking. >> did you think that he was up to this mammoth 50 show extravaganza that he was to star at in london? >> he was not. >> okay. >> michael was offered initially 10 shows, it went up to 31 and subsequently 50. but no one knows that he was actually offered 100 shows. >> this is something, and by the way, i covered your trial. i was there. i sat right behind the family, right behind the mom and the dad. and i want -- this was very -- when they played it, very emotional in court. >> sure. >> you recorded michael talking about the show, let's listen.

>> people leave this show, when people leave my show, i want them to say i've never seen nothing like this in my life. go. go. i've never seen nothing like this. go. it's amazing. he's the greatest entertainer in the world. >> dr. murray, that is disturbing. anyone in that condition, why would you continue to give him drugs and then give him propofol? and why would you record that? >> well, first of all, i was accused of recording that so i can take advantage of michael down the road. and that was not the case. i did not even recognize or realize that that recording was actually on my phone. michael had asked me, as far as

i could look back, how much he snores at night. and he wanted to record that, not only on tape, but on camera. i actually had just learned from my daughter who taught me to do talks and one of the apps on the phone. >> how to work it. but the question behind that, so you were trying to monitor his sleep pattern, whether or not he was snoring. >> that's exactly how that was done. i look back in retrospect, yes. >> so why would you continue? if he was -- >> good question. if you look -- if you listen to that recording, you hear man that is clearly in the sleep state of going to sleep. but he is alert. his conversation makes sense. >> his mind is still active. even though he's in a sleep state? >> yes. if you look at my statement to the police, i explain to the police all that michael jackson wanted, including children's hospital. michael was just reiterating his dream to me. at the end of that recording, did you hear what he says in the end? he says i'm asleep. >> i'm asleep. okay. let's move on. let's talk about the drugs, more about the drugs.

i want to play this bit from my documentary, and then we'll talk about it. >> two bottles of lorazepam. lidocaine bottle. >> the d.a. added into evidence each vial and bottle found at michael jackson's house. one after -- >> 20 milliliter propofol bottles -- >> -- another. >> to take a patient with valium, lorazepam, midazolam, and propofol, and to leave them unattended in that state is medical abandonment. >> did you abandon michael jackson, your friend, medically? are you guilty of that? >> absolutely not. he is way off-field. a clear definition in medicine, and that's not the case. neither did i abandon him on anything he was given. i have said very clearly, if michael jackson was in a

propofol infusion as one doctor stated from 9:00 to 12:00, and i left him with an infusion running, i would be guilty as soon, and i can accept that. but he was not. >> and this bag that was ripped over with the propofol bottle laying inside the bag? >> interestingly. >> you talk than on your video. >> propofol comes with a hanging sleeve. it's almost like you would a can of soda. you pop it open. you hang the bottle. that bottle was discovered with that device being completely intact. why would i take something so simple, take a bag of saline, cut it open, empty the fluid, and then stick a propofol bottle inside the bag and take the bag to become the hanging contraption. >> if you knew all of this. >> yes. >> and everyone kept saying is he going to take the stand? why didn't you do it at trial? were you thinking all of this at trial? >> because they had never proven the case. first of all, they needed to have a drip, a continuous infusion that was not the case. if you look at the numbers -- >> but my question, dr. murray,

why didn't you take the stand in defense of yourselves? >> because my attorney and i agreed they had not proven the case against me so there was no reason to take the stand that was the legal advice. >> your attorney was wrong. >> well, would it have changed anything, don? if you look at the d.a., district attorney walgreen that altered evidence in the courtroom, tampered evidence outside of the courtroom also, yet still jurors are sitting there watching a prosecutor alter evidence to make his case to western, and they would still find a man guilty. >> quickly you go through all of the claims about coercion and collusion of witnesses and all of that. the appeals court said it will not rehear your case. they have proveen -- what are you going to do now. >> they have made mistake. they have tubings. i have never given michael jackson anything with three tubings. and if california does not help

me to right this wrong, i'm going to the supreme court, the law of the land. i must believe that our judicial system does have integrity somewhere. >> stay with me. dr. murray, in some ways you knew michael jackson better than anyone. you were the last person to see him alive. when we come right back, we'll talk about who michael was behind those closed doors. >> a.j., cnn can now confirm from the l.a. coroner that michael jackson is dead. okay, listen up! i'm re-workin' the menu.

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michael jackson was loved by millions of people all around the globe, but no one was a part of his world the way dr. conrad murray was. and he is back with me now exclusively. you were the last person to see michael jackson alive. >> correct. >> so i want you to take us inside of that room, and i want you toe tell us about your relationship with him first. but i want you to hear from some of your patients what they said about you. >> he saved my life, and we've grown close over the last 11 years. >> we're all alive today because of dr. murray. he is a great man. >> he is the most compassionate man that i've ever met. the best doctor i've ever had. >> what is your reaction to that? do you miss practicing medicine? >> of course. i have never worked a day in my life because i have enjoyed doing it so much and making the difference in the lives of many. >> you realize that you're vilified around the world, right? i'm sure you realize that.

>> that may be so. but i'm not a villain. i can tell you -- just let me take you back briefly. dr. shafer stated that i was reckless, that i used propofol at home and that should never be done. all of the doctors who testified in the trial. yet while i was being vilified by dr. shafer, he was protecting dr. robert markman, a doctor who had used propofol 500 times or more over years for general anesthesia for his daughter. and i was using it for 30 days. he defended that doctor as if there was nothing wrong with him. >> and you talk than doctor again. >> absolutely. all the details are sure. >> i want to hear about this person you call your friend. you say you knew him better than anyone towards the end of his life than anyone, correct? >> yes.

>> did he share secrets with you? >> of course. the most hidden treasure trove of his life is with me. but have i protected michael up until now. >> up until now? >> of course. of course. >> i've said nothing that has been inflammatory about my friend. i protected michael. you see, when i had -- the aeg officials and they pointed to michael, the guy who could not pay me for months after taking care of him, and said that he could not pay for the popsicle that his daughter was using, the toilet paper that they were using to wipe their private areas, that he was penniless. i was shocked. it was that time when michael came to me trembling and trying to get me away from the a.g. official who was randy phillips.

i was shocked. i should have just picked my bottles up and leave if i was looking for money. it wasn't about the money. it was about the love of michael. i have suffered a lot. there is no doubt about it. i don't hate michael. michael did not do me wrong. he did not want this to happen to me. whatever happened to michael when i was not there is probably his own misjudgment. and i believe that that clearly happened because he was illogical, he was irrational and he was in the withdrawal state of demerol that dr. klein was feeding him. >> you believe he gave himself the final dose? >> the premises wasn't breached there was no one else in the house, in the upper chambers with michael and myself. i was away from him. the record shows that. >> but again i ask, should you have been him? >> no. that's a good question. because i gave michael jackson 25 milligrams of propofol over three to five minutes. all of the doctors, seven doctors in the test trial showed that there could be no propoe foll propoe follow effects after 10, maximum 15 minutes.

which is what i told police. if i give michael jackson between 10:40 and 10:5025 milligrams of propofol, the effect would be gone by 11:00. >> you believe according to medical standards you were reasonable with that. >> absolutely. >> so you said you haven't shared any secrets of michael's until now. do you plan to? is there anything you want to tell us? >> i would not share with you any hidden secrets of michael. not at this time. we don't have that in summary. >> how long you going to be silent? >> how long am i going to be silent? as long as i wish to. i really -- >> one day will you tell? >> i can't answer all your questions, i told you i would be honest. and i don't know. i still protect michael. >> what is your life like now? everywhere you go, today you went somewhere, and i saw a picture of you getting milk, and they said oh, that's what michael jackson called propofol, milk. and that must be some sort of, you know, there is a message that you're sending. >> tabloids will twist anything, milk. they have called michael all kinds of names. i have not. my life is certainly a struggle. i'm doing the best i can to put

it back on track. >> do you get threats? >> me? >> no. >> how do you take care of yourself? >> family and friends, the goodness of family. >> kindness. so you have no job and you're working for the trinidad medical -- >> i am not working for trinidad medical government. i have volunteered to bring cardiac surgery for the pediatric children more available. i have helped develop a program. >> so you have no income? >> none. >> none at all? >> none. >> have to ask you this. michael jackson's children. >> yes. >> some of them are doing okay. some of them are suffering horribly. his girl tried to commit suicide according to reports. what do you say? they were there that night or that afternoon watching their father, if not dying, already dead. >> yeah. >> what do you say to them? >> oh, my gosh. the loss is monumental. i grieve for michael every day. and i grieve for those children. i was the only person that

michael brought to his attention of all his families and friends who were still hugging his children. they would come into my arms every day. that warms his heart. his father had never done that his mother and sisters were never embracing the children. i was at the hospital the day that michael passed away. and they did not put an arm around the children. the only time i saw an arm around paris is when she cried on stage and i saw her aunt place letter hands over her mouth. was she trying to shut her up or was she trying to comfort her? i don't know. but i love those children. and you know what? maybe there will be a day when they would like to speak with me. and i am quite open. i have nothing to hide. >> do you have anything to say to his family, to his mother? >> michael loved his mother of the only other relatives he had. prior to his death he announced to me he had four family members besides himself -- paris,

michael. prince michael and blanket and dr. conrad. that was his family. everyone else was totally absolved from his life. he used his mother only because she may be the only chance of maybe having some way to pacify things between the differences in the family. but not -- but he did not have a relationship with any members. >> and you're the only one who people hold responsible for his death, and you went to prison? >> you know, have i been hurt. there is no doubt about it. but i carry no anger. i would not allow them to do that to me. i would like to hopefully one day use my testimony so that it can prevent others who have undergone -- >> this is cnn breaking news. >> i want to welcome our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. breaking news here, officials announcing details of the next stage in the search for the missing malaysia airlines,

flight 370, more than three months after the flight went missing. >> after taking off from kuala lumpur. at the request, australia has been leading the search. the plane is thought to be resting in australia's air search area. the search remains a highly complex operation and involves vast areas of ocean, and can rely on only limited data and aircraft flight information. from the little available data, specialists at an early stage calculated that the aircraft entered the sea, close to a long but narrow arc in the southern indian ocean. this arc has been the focus of the search efforts since late march. the effort to find evidence of the missing aircraft near this arc has already become the biggest search operation in history. covering 4.5 million square kilometers of ocean surface.

and we're grateful for the countries who offered and provided assistance to this search over the last 3 to 4 months. the search area has at all times been based on the best information and analysis available. it has changed its focus as results have come to hand and the search area has been refined. the search has not yet located any wreckage or trace of mh-370. the working group tasked with locating the final resting place of mh-370 has been working to identify the area which represents the highest priority for our future search efforts. the latest refinement of the search analysis has involved the efforts and expertise of specialists from around the world. they have performed extremely complex calculations and analysis on satellite

communications information. information which was never really intended to have the capability to track an aircraft. now, that process which has been going on now for several weeks is complete. the new priority area is still focused on the same seventh arc in the southern indian ocean where the aircraft last communicat communicated. we are currently focusing our search effort further south. the area has been subject to aerial and visual searching for wreckage and debris. now we will move to an underwater search. again, i want to reiterate that this area of the sea is very deep. three to five kilometers, it's estimated and it is largely unmapped. the transport and safety bureau

is today releasing a report that outlines the basis of the search area and the calculations that have been undertaken, which lead us to the view that the new search area is the most likely place where the aircraft is resting. the aim is to ensure an efficient and effective search effort with the highest chance of a successful outcome. at the same time, we must take a measured approach to what remains a very challenging and complex operation. the new high priority search zone, which you note on the map is this -- the broader blue areas, the main priority there is the orange area in the center. the blue area overlaps the previous search area where we've been active. this is the area now where we think the prospect of locating the aircraft is highest. the satellite working group has

reviewed and refined complex analysis of radar and satellite data and performance date de to determine what is the most likely place that the aircraft is located. this priority search area zone, the orange part is 60,000 square kilometers in area. when you consider that the area searched to date in the underwater search is only 860 square kilometers, you realize that the new search area is indeed a very large one. so it's been no easy task to identify this area, and we again acknowledge the assistances we received, the cooperation from our international partners. the new phase of the search will have two elements. first they'll be mapping the sea floor in that area, which is already underway, and a comprehensive search of the sea

floor, once this mapping has been completed. the mapping of the ocean floor is currently engaging two vessels. the chinese survey ship and an australian contractor vessel. these are in the areas that have been identified by the atsb. it will take around three months to complete this mapping survey. but that gives crucial information about the nature of the sea floor terrain which make it possible to undertake the underwater search. i repeat that this area has never been comprehensively mapped previously. and so to put new equipment down into that area, without having a clear knowledge of what the sea floor is like certainly risks the operation and the capacity of that equipment to operate safely. now, we expect that the underwater search element will consequence in august and take

about 12 months to complete. in addition, the search effort will include equipment provided by malaysia, which includes vessels fitted with search equipment, including towed sonar systems which will be used to search the sea floor. public request for tender has been issued seeking a primary contractor to bring together the equipment and vessels which will carry out the search. they will be directed by the australian transport safety bureau, from the operations center in cambra. can i emphasize again that this search is a major undertaking. we are optimistic that the capacity and the time that ez now been available to more carefully scrutinize the information that's been available from the satellite and indeed other information at our disposal, that this site is the best available and most likely

place where the aircraft is resting. the search will still be painstaking. of course, we could be fortunate and find it in the first hour or the first day. but it could take another 12 months. we owe it to the passengers and the crew and everyone who's associated with mh-370 to bring this mystery to a conclusion. and i can assure all of the families and those with an interest that australia remains dedicated to the task of solving this greatest aviation mystery in global history. i have with me martin dolan and between us, we'd be happy to try to answer questions. >> mr. dolan, could i just ask you, since this began, there's been massive rumors that have filled a vacuum, i suppose. but also created enormous confusion about this. in the analysis that's now taking place, of all the radar

and scientific data, can you just address two issues? what is the claim, the transponders in the aircraft must have been physically turned off by the pilots. assuming that happened as a result of an accident a catastrophe or an explosion or something. the other is the claim that the aircraft must have been under control and -- from the course it has taken, as indicated on radar records, and clearly clearly tried to dodge radar. >> those are both matters for the malaysian investigation which we are assisting. the focus of the ntsb has been determining the flight path across the indian ocean, so we can determine the most likely place we can find it. we know as a fact, the transponders after a certain time were not operating. it wasn't necessary for our purposes to determine why that was the case. similarly, we have from secondary and primary radar, the

track of the aircraft for a considerable period of time. and we've taken those facts into our analysis. the question is to why this occurred, are not ones we needed to address in determining the search area. >> but it would be fair to comment that it is highly, highly likely that the aircraft was on auto pilot, otherwise it could not have followed the orderly path that has been identified through the satellite sightings. >> certainly for its path across the indian ocean, we are confident that the aircraft was operating on auto pilot until it ran out of fuel. >> can you say anything about the idea of whether it tried to dodge radar. >> was it ever at any stage under pilot control? >> we, as i say, we haven't had to turn our minds to those questions, which are questions for the malaysian investigation.

>>. [ inaudible ] >> the original search area was identified on the basis of the best information available. as i mentioned earlier, we had earlier commenced searching further south, but on the basis of the information that was available at that time, there was a view that perhaps the aircraft may have entered the sea earlier than we had expected. now, when that search began in that area, and once more, we picked up some beeps, there was really an expectation that that area was in fact correct.

but as we've now had time to look more thoroughly at the data and do that at leisure and with the capacity to be able to analyze every item of information in great detail, we're satisfied the search would have been better located in the orange area that is identified on the map. if we could have spent the time to actually do all the work that's being done now, we probably would have chosen the area that's identified now, but, of course, when there was actually beeps picked up, that led everybody to want to concentrate their effort on the area where those beeps had actually been found. >> can you give us more perspective, the new search area, how far off the coast is it? >> it's a very long way. it's about 2,000 k's, isn't it?

>> close to it. >> about 1800 kilometers off the australian coach on average. >> aerial search did go further west than 1800 kilometers, while we're concentrating on that arc, there was a view that if there was any debris, it would have drifted some distance, the aerial search went further west than that. but it gets to the limit of the capability of the range of the aircraft that were involved in the search, this will be a search based on vessels, and so that will have much less difficulty operating at that distance from the shore. >> if i could clarify. on the auto pilot, are you saying that the ping was -- the pilot was programmed to fly to where it crashed. >> perhaps you better answer that one.

>> the whole process of analysis has been an iterative one. based on the satellite data, there was theoretically different flight paths. it could have taken all sorts of shapes and changes of course. we had to make some provisional assumptions about the behavior of the aircraft, which was then tested against the data and analysis. the best felt, the best probability of the flight path is one that has it on the straight course. so we have concluded it was on auto pilot as we can conclude at the seventh arc it ran out of fuel. so it's -- >> do you have any indication when that course might have been set? >> the assumption is that for crossing each of the seven arcs that we have from the satellite, the aircraft was on a straight track, for all of that period across the indian ocean.

it was largely -- we're confident it was on a straight track, and, therefore, auto pilot. >> given the curvature of the earth, is that a straight line we're seeing the curve? >> the curve represents a calculation from the satellite that's over the equator and the signal that goes from a grand station from the satellite to the aircraft and back. it's very simply, distance from the satellite. the curve of the satellites -- [ inaudible ] >> the aircraft by our assessment was flying straight. if you look at a more detailed report, there's seven arcs we're looking at. and we're saying the path the aircraft took to intersect each of those arcs was a straight path. >> how many of the 1,000 fall in your orange zone which might give us an indication of what

the probability is. when you say a straight track, are most of your solutions consistent with a magnetic heading? or are they more consistent with way points being entered so this would be a question of a circle relative to the earth's surface. >> well, when we say straight, we do mean great circle. straight in terms of a flat surface. curved in terms of a great circle. we know the highest probability tracks by five different analysis all end up, the highest probability ends up in the orange zone. but if you wanted to exclude all possibilities, you would have to exclude a much wider zone. we're saying all five highest

probabilities are in that orange zone. >> if i could clarify this gentleman's question. i think he is asking, and i'm not sure whether i heard the answer. whether this idea that the plane was on auto pilot means that it was set on auto pilot at the point where you, your team started looking at the analysis? in other words, at the point when the plane started to head south into the indian ocean. is that his question? >> if that's the question, the then the answer is, for our purposes, what we know is, for the seven arcs, so from the first arc to the seventh arc, the behavior of the aircraft as we have assessed it was consistent with it being on auto pilot for that period. and that's the basis of the analysis. >> we couldn't accurately, nor have we attempted to fix the moment when it was put on auto pilot. we know it was on auto pilot during this critical phase of our tracking, but it will be a matter for the malaysian based

team -- investigation to look at precisely when it might have been put on auto pilot. >> just geographically, at what point did you assess it was on auto pilot? like north of australia, or malaysia? >> the assumption is the aircraft turned somewhere west of the tip of sumatra. and past that point. what we're saying with confidence, from the first arc to the seventh arc. great circle track the seventh is when it's on a straight track. >> excuse the ignorance. but does a pilot need to have a target when he's selecting a course for an auto pilot? there's always -- nothing would be programmed into an auto pilot that would take an aircraft from the course? >> you can put the aircraft on to a magnetic heading, you can put it on to a defined track over a point and continuing, you

can put it to a waypoint. there are a range of ways of entering information into the flight computer. >> or you can log it directly on its current path. >> yes. >> the lady in the back. >> the two summations obviously -- were they able to finish their job, or will they finish their job before august? and after august when you contract maybe a commercial on the water surge, what's next, and what's the capacity of that future vehicle. how many square kilometers will it cover for -- >> the answer to the first of those questions is, that we will be progressively mapping -- it will take us at least three months. that started a week or two ago.

so it won't be completed. the mapping will not be completed at the time the search commences. but we will have sufficient mapping for the search to begin and for the subsurface to be carried out safely and appropriately. >> there has been a report that -- >> sorry, there was a second path to that question. and what we are seeking sufficient capability through our tender process, to ensure that the search is completed within a year. >> there has been a report that the investigators have discovered that the pilot simulator had tried this course, flown this course across the indian ocean. have you been informed of that by the malaysians? >> i don't really want to comment on areas which will probably be the responsibility of malaysia and its investigation. although, i've had a number of reports about the pilot simulator, and some saying it hasn't been active for a year.

some say iing there's certain mapping and so forth on it. i can't confirm that or not. it's not really relevant to us, in seeking to find the aircraft. >> will the malaysians keep you up to date with that information? >> there's regular meetings occurring between martin and his counterparts in malaysia, and others associated with the search. and they will continue. there's another group in next week, that will talk about various aspects of the ongoing search. there's a high degree of cooperation between not just australia and malaysia, but many of our other partners in countries that have a particular interest in this search operation. and we try to keep in regular contact. would you like to add anything? >> the idea is we are confident

we had all the information available to access the search area. >> what's your understanding from going over the area, of the sort of undersea terrain? what sort of range of depths are the depths and gullies. >> we're starting the work, there's some very broad mapping available. which you can see from that map there. the general trend toward broken ridge is rising and reasonably smooth. but we don't know the details of the topography below that. it may have unevenness, that's what we need to find out. as it heads south toward broken ridge, it becomes much more challenging terrain in terms of the unevenness. there's a mix of -- >> did you say broken ridge? in through there, and it raises up relatively gently, as i understand it, to broken ridge, and it falls away abruptly. there's a trench through there as well, and who knows how deep that is.

>> we're list fwhing to australia's deputy before and martin dolan, the atsb chief give us an update on the refined search area for mh-370, more than three months after the plane went missing. they're telling us the search area is further south from where they searched before. it will take 12 months to map the southern indian ocean. they will confirm the plane was likely on auto pilot. they mentioned the beeps, that the bluefin 21 was tracing for weeks was a distraction, and they did have the correct area, but now they need to refine the search based on specialists who have made calculations based on satellite information. if you're watching this in the united states, we'll have updates on this story throughout the day. regular programming on cnn u.s. continues in moments. for those of you watching around the world, i'll have more on

this breaking story after this short break. up next, three women are up next three women are in florida. the evidence suggests they took a boat ride and then disappeared. but there was little else to go on. >> there are hundreds if not thousands of miles to look over to find a piece of evidence. >> hairs, fibers, any fingerprints would have been washed away. >> the public billboard turn citizens into investigators. >> i thought it was an excellent idea, brilliant. on a warm june morning in tampa, florida, authorities discovered the bodies of three women floating in tampa bay.