>> i frankly do not know what mark hasse's role was in previous prosecutions.i know it is said he was heavily involved in a major player, particularly when he worked in another county as the head of the organized crime unit within the district attorney's office. the gang. brotherhood of taxes is incredibly vicious. it is found to have committed more than 100 murders and 10 kidnappings going back to when it was formed in the early 1980's. the aryan brotherhood of texas is not action related to the larger national group the aryan brotherhood, which is another white supremacist prison gang. in the early 1980's when it was formed, a group of white texas and it actually asked the aryan brotherhood for permission to start a chapter of the group and they were refused. they went ahead and started their own group, iran brotherhood of texas, anyway. it is structured some ways into a larger brotherhood. it calls its leaders generals and majors and lieutenant and colonels and that sort of thing. they are heavily involved in running rackets outside the prisons, although the

mark hasse was killed, his boss, the prosecutor in that county, the elected district attorney in that county, did not mince his words. >> any assistance that anyone can give us in finding the people who did this will be greatly appreciated. anything that you people can do to accelerate our getting our hands on this scum will be appreciated. i hope that the people that did this are watching because we're very confident that we're going to find you. we're going to pull you out of whatever hole you're in and we're going to bring you back and let the people of kaufman county prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. this is a crime as our county judge said that's against the very basis of our fabric. as far as i know, this has never been done before. i do not want it to happen again. >> i do not want it to happen again. anything you people can do to accelerate our getting our hands on this scum will be appreciated. that's mike mclellan. head prosecutor, district attorney in kaufman county, speaking on the day his deputy mark hasse was murdered in broad daylight on the street in kauf

she says after mark hasse's murderclelland was worried about williams.liams was responsible? >> yes. >> and in what context did he tell you this?>> yes. >> and in what context did he tell you this? >> in the context of be careful, denise. >> would y. would he tell you to be careful? >> because i sat in the front row and covered the story for ten days. >> despite eric williams now getting so much attention, investigators have still not officially named him as a suspect or filed murder charges against him. so now we wait to see exactly what investigators do here in the coming days. it will be interesting to see how all of this unfolds from here on out. and many people in kaufman county anxious to get an answer as to exactly what is going on. >> in ynow we wait. >>> ten past the hour. happening right now, say it ain't snow. parts of minnesota and the dakotas this morning. i went there. nearly a foot and a half has already fallen in some areas. amazing. that plus gusty winds and practically zero is visibility. it has called a mess on the highways. this rollo

prosecutor mark hasse was fatally shot back in january.e of the peace eric williams is being held on $3 million bond after his arrest this weekend for making what they call a terroristic threat. now, authorities are not calling him a suspect or a person of interest. but they have searched his home, and a storage locker rented for him. cnn's ed lavandera is following developments for us. he is live this morning in dallas. good morning, ed. >> reporter: good morning, john. eric williams was prosecuted almost exactly a year ago and it was mark hasse, the first district attorney who was gunned down at the end of january, who prosecuted that case. this house belongs to a former kaufman county justice of the peace named eric williams on friday investigators spent hours combing through the house. then on saturday, those investigators descended on this storage unit 15 miles away. several local media outlets report investigators found 20 weapons inside the storage unit that was rented for eric williams. and investigators also discovered this crown

attorney mike mcclelland downplayed the angle in the murder investigation of his fellow prosecutor mark hasse. in an e-mail to wfaa-tv, mcclelland said hasse had received no threats from a prison gang and his work on aryan brotherhood cases was minimal. >> ed, thank you. still unknown, who killed mike mcclelland and his wife. we're now joined by cnn contributor and former fbi assistant director tom fuentes. tom, thanks for joining us. you've been talking to your sources, several agencies are involved including the fbi in this investigation. does anybody have any serious leads at this point? >> no, not yet, jake. i think the important factor here is that, especially the last part of the last piece, kaufman county district attorney's office, both mcclelland and hasse, did have minimal involvement in the most recent task force that investigated the aryan brotherhood of texas. that case was led by the bureau of alcohol tobacco and firearms, the indictments returned last november of 35 people in houston, texas. and really that was a federal task force, state and local task force with atf, fbi, mar

prosecutors mark hasse and mike mclelland were front and center on that case. this is a picture of both men from the courtroom during that trial. denise bell covered the trial for the forney post newspaper. >> it was a meg good trial for the community. the sense was a big trial. >> reporter: after the trial, mclelland told reporters that williams' connection was a sign that the good ole boy network is gone and elected officials should be held to a higher standard. he ripped into the justice of the peace called him a dishonorable liar and he was causing cough mant county as a biggy bank. williams was sentenced to two 0 others probation and lost his job and law license. denise bell spoke to mike mclelland in the weeks before his death. she says after mark hasse's murder in january, mclelland was worried about eric williams. >> did mclelland tell you that he believed eric williams was responsible for that murder? >> yes. >> he did. what exactly and in what context did he tell you this? >> in a context of, be careful, deni denise. >> he told you to be careful. >> y

this is the same county where less than two months ago mclelland's colleague mark hasse was shot and killed on his way to work. >> a manhunt is under way for the killer, possibly killers, and the small dallas suburb certainly on edge this morning. george howell is live from kaufman, texas, and george i know investigators, they're not saying a lot yet are they in terms of any more on these, killings. >> brooke, no. they're not. and you know, as far as linking these two killings, they're not doing that either. but when you talk to people here in town, when you talk to public officials, they do make the point, they say that these men, these prosecutors worked very closely together on similar cases. many people believe the people we spoke to believe that this may have been a revenge hit. again, police are not linking the killings, they are not giving any more information as to what they've already put out there, but the unanswered questions, brooke, in this case have this community consumed with fears. >> we're going to find you. we're going to pull you out of whatever hole you're in, we

mark hasse was also killed. both mclelland and hase helped prosecute marek williams on charges he stole office equipment. manuel borjorquez reports. >> reporter: investigators pulled a white crown victoria from one unit. they also found multiple guns. ballistic tests are being done on the weapons to see if they are connected to the murders. just a day before the search focused on the kaufman, texas, home of a man who knew the victims, eric williams. williams is a former kaufman county justice of the peace. he was fired last year after being convicted of stealing computer equipment from the county. >> there's three monitors missing. one's on your desk right now. where are the others at? >> reporter: assistant district attorney mark hasse and mclelland prosecuted the case. hase was killed in january outside the courthouse. mclelland and his wife were found shot to death in their home last month. williams denied any involvement in an interview two weeks ago. >> my heart goes out to all the families that have been a

mark hasse. rietz nouz, the kaufman county sheriff isn't linking the killings. authorities with beefing up security for other county officials. cnn's ed lavandera is tracking this story in kaufman, texas, tonight. ed? >> reporter: in two months two high-profile prosecutors and the wife of one of those prosecutors have now been gunned down in kaufman county, texas, a great deal of uncertainty and fear spreading through this community and a lot of people focusing on what the aryan brotherhood supremacy group might have to do with all of it. >> anything you people can do to accelerate getting our hands on this scum will be appreciated. >> reporter: mike mcclelland's tough-talking texas swagger was on full display when he vowed to come after the killer of his assistant prosecutor mark hasse. he was gunned down in broad daylight as he walked to work at the kaufman county courthouse back in january. >> i hope that the people that did this are watching because we're very confident that we're going to find you. we're going to pull you out of whatever hole you're in. we'

during trial prosecutor mark hasse called williams a flat-out thief and burglar, and needs to be removed. district attorney mike mclelland described the case as an example of the fox watching the hen house. williams was convicted of theft, his reputation and livelihood destroyed. after the most recent murders, investigators quickly suspected williams, he denied everything. but police stayed on the case, searching his home and rental storage property. >> it makes me feel that the police are doing the thorough job they need to. >> reporter: they apparently did. capital murder charges are expected against eric williams as early as tomorrow. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >>> and coming up next in our instant index, audrey hepburn as holly golightly, but did the heroine of "breakfast at tiffany's" almost have a very different name? a simple question: how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing t

mark hasse, as you said, january 31. then almost two months later, district attorney mclelland and his wife at home. so they're looking at anybody who would have a reason to kill these law enforcement officials. vengeance might be one. you will find vengeful prisoners who might want to get these guys. within the aryan brotherhood there as amessage, an emai sent out from the u.s. marshals that said after an indictment last fall against members of the aryan brotherhood that in december there was a warning that said they might be out to attack and punish law enforcement officials. from aryan brotherhood anyway punishment could be mean violence and death. so that's a possible link. it's not proven yet. >> warner: and so had assistant district attorney mark hasse or district attorney mclelland been volvedin anyway in the furtherance of these indictments from last fall? >> well, the office of the district attorney in kaufman county was one of a broad range of affiliates involved with the racketeering indictment. but just one o

>> reporter: assistant district attorney mark hasse and mclelland prosecuted the case. hase was killed in january outside the courthouse. mclelland and his wife were found shot to death in their home last month. williams denied any involvement in an interview two weeks ago. >> my heart goes out to all the families that have been affected by this tragedy, and especially to the people that work at the courthouse. >> reporter: his attorneys said williams has cooperated with law enforcement, and he hopes that the perpetrators are brought to justice. "the dallas morning news" says it was a threatening e-mail traced to williams which led to his arrest yesterday for making terroristic threats. he is not charged with the killings. manuel borjorquez, cbs news, kaufman, texas. >>> now to the weather. and a powerful storm front that battered central florida overnight. severe thunderstorms and several possible tornadoes were reported across six counties. gusting winds exceeding 60 miles per hour, trees and power lines are portedown. but so far no reports of injuries. >>> and an ear

prosecutors mark hasse and mike mclelland were front and center on that case. this is a picture of both men from the courtroom during that trial. denise bell covered the trial for the newspaper. >> it was a mega trial for a little community. >> reporter: mclelland told reporters that williams' conviction was a sign the good ole boy network was gone. hasse ripped into williams calling the disgraced justice f the peace a dishonorable liar and he was using kaufman county as his own piggybank. williams was sentenced to two years probation. denise bell says she spoke with mike mcreallyland in the weeks before his death and after mark has city's in your january, mclelland was worried about eric williams. >> did mhe believe williams was responsible for that murder? >> yes. >> what exactly and in what context did he tell you this? >> in a context of be careful, denise. >> why would he tell you to be careful? >> because i sat in the front row and covered this story for ten days. >> despite williams now getting so much attention, investigators have still not officially n

their murder came after an assistant district attorney mark hasse was also gunned down outside of the local courthouse. here is the latest on the hunt for the killers, good afternoon. >> good afternoon. investigators are asking if the clen clens may have known their killer. they were security conscious after one of the leading prosecutor was murdered in the end of january. following the funeral. cynthia had opened the couples front door in the pajamas and officials suspect she would not have done that when considering how wary of killers . so far investigators have nothing to link the mclellands with the death of mark hasse one was that they were revenk building attacks by the ariian brotherhood of texas. but there are no leads. if it is the same group or person it is not random actsment take a listen. >> when you have assassination with the targets that sends a disturbing message to prosecutors and police officers and our judges that you are a potential victim anywhere you are. we have new information on the investigation of colorado's prison chief tom clemens. members was another ex

>> i called mike on january 31, the day that mark hasse was murdered. i called him at home that evening. and mike was one angry man. and was vowing to find out what happened. i talked to him again at mark hasse's memorial is service in february about a month and a half ago. and he said something that has stuck with me since then. he said my greatest fear is this was a lone person who doesn't drink. and i thought about that for a minute. that is vintage mcclelland. that is is the kind of thing he would say. he was fearless. he was not afraid and he was bound and determined who bring whoever did this before a court. >> geraldo: well, they will get there eventually knowing texas as well as i do i'm sure. good hunting. michael burns, thank you. i appreciate you coming on. >> my pleasure. >> geraldo: whatever you thought of michael jackson no denying the drama soon to play out in a los angeles courtroom starring his often dysfunctional family, his lovely children and a galaxy of stars like prince and quincy jones and diane in ross. our special report, after

the group is the top focus in the investigation into the deaths of mark hasse and mike mcclelland and his wife cynthia. >> officials in west virginia are searching for a motive after a county sever was gunned down -- county sherrif was gunned down. eugene crumb was gunned down in his car outside a courthouse. the suspect was taken by police. crumb had a strong reputation for being tough on drug dealers. investigators aren't ruling out this could have been a connection to the murders in texas. >> it is being called the most far-reaching gun control legislation in the country. overnight connecticut lawmakers approved a wide-ranging bill with sweeping gun restrictions. the law is expand's the state's assault weapons ban, mandates mandatory background checks for all firearm sales and bans the sale or purchase of magazines with more than ten rounds. lawmakers from both parties admit the bill is not perfect and fails to focus enough on mental health. democratic governor dan malloy plans to sign the bill. >> one of the two teenage hikers who had been lost for days in southern california's na

31i called mike on jannd tryki the day that mark hasse was murdered. i called him at home that evening and mike was one angry man and was vowing to find out what happenera: i talked to him again at mark hasse's memorial is service in february about a mont and a haeral ago. and he sprdd something that has stuck with me since then. he said migratest fear is this was a lone person who dfsnanr drink. and i thought about that for a minute. that is the kind of thing he would say. he was fearless and he was not afraid and he was bound and ayitermined to bring whoever dd this before a court. >> geraldo: they will gk h this eventually knowing texas as well as i do. michael burns, thank you, i appreciate you coming on. >> my pleasure. >> g pehe you thought of michael jackson there is no denying the drama about to pnd my out in a los angeles courtroom starring his often dysfunctional famile lovely children and a galaxy of stars. the issue is whether the king of pop was pushed to his death by his promotetie and if so, hw many billions is that worth. our special re

>> mark hasse was the federal -- was the chief felony prosecutor in kaufman county. ted directly to district attorney mike mclelland, one of the people we just talked about who was murdered over the weekend. mark was on his way to work at the kaufman county courthouse when he was gunned down in broad daylight by one or two assailan assailants. witnesses conflict in their description of exactly what they saw, but it was a brazen killing that shocked everyone and now two months later it just feels like a body blow up. in kaufman county and in dallas as well. >> greta: was there ever a suspect in the first murder or even a motive determined in the first murder? >> no, immediately after mark hasse was murdered federal, state and local law enforcement officers obviously assumed it had something to do with their professional responsibilities as prosecutors and began gathering up possible cases that might have led someone to get angry enough or frustrated enough at this attorney's office to literally kill people. and those cases include some that were conducted against membe

to take charge when mark hasse was killed. >> having the f.b.i. here, to them, there is a sense of frustration that is taken this much time to happen. in some cases, one of the frustrations, these people are furious that we talk about safety and security, we spent time and resources and the hackettes spent time and resources to protect dignitaries. >> so in order for the local authorities to deal with day-to-day law enforcement and continue to protect those elected officials, the family decided to contact the feds and in the past couple of hours, the federal agents have done that and stepped in to lead. he added there that personally believed that the case should be dealt with as terrorism and the f.b.i. should have led the investigation from the very start. they're in charge now. back to you. >> rick: dominic with the latest details on that story. thank you very much. >> arthel: talk money now. many people are finding that there is a silver lining after some lousy jobs reports numbers that left economists questioning the recovery. fidelity findin

mark hasse was shot outside the county courthouse in january by two suspects in black s.w.a.t. gear. >> i hope that the people that did this are watching because we're very confident that we're going to find you. we're going to pull you out of whatever hole you're in. >> reporter: instead of tracking down the killers, mclelland was gunned down as well. this is the third killing of a public safety official in weeks unleashing a shock wave of fear. >> obviously we're under attack. we have seen two attacks in the last few months on district attorneys and other law enforcement officials. >> there is a certain vulnerability. >> i would be less than honest if i told you i was not worried. >> reporter: security at county buildings has been visibly increased. >> we are very much on alert. we have folks out to do harm to elected officials. and so we take that very seriously. >> reporter: the bold attacks have spurred a warning. >> the truth of the matter is if someone wants to kill you as a prosecutor it's very difficult to deal with that because we don't have security details. >> what

mark hasse and district attorney mike mcclellan and his wife last month. according to an affidavit she said her husband pulled the trigger. the two men who have been killed prosecuted him last year for theft. he was convicted and fired from his job and sentenced to probation. he has not been charged. >>> in business, today's weekly jobless claims could determine whether they slap back against the losses. the one-time darling apple shedding near 6%, briefly breaking $400 a share for the first time in more than two years. that came on the heels of reports of dwindling demand for the ipad mini. >>> and google reports earnings topd and what could be a first for that company. it's trying to bargain opening a pair of $1,500 google glasses from selling or loaning them out. the company's terms of service specifically states, quote, you may resell, loan, transfer or give your device to any other person. google reserves the right to deactivate the device. end quote. >>> investigators in the boston marathon bombings have been pulling together an astounding amount of

mark hasse was murdered outside a courthouse.ficials are not officially linking the two crimes. >>> atlanta educators, including a retired superintendent are expected to start turning themselves in to the county jail this morning. 35 former principals, teachers and other public school employees indicted on racketeering charges for allegedly changing students' standardized test scores and then covering it up. investigators say top school officials got bonuses based on bogus test results. >>> so just last week you remember karl rove saying he could imagine a republican presidential candidate supporting same-sex marriage? now, a republican lawmaker is taking that sort of a step further. senator jeff lake of arizona is saying he doesn't think there's any avoiding it. >> i think that's inevitable. there will be one, and i think he'll receive republican support, or she will. so i think that yes, the answer is yes. >> and senator flake added that he personally thinks marriage should be between a man and a woman, but the supreme court co

just two months after the daylight ambush and burden, mclelland's deputy of mark hasse. it has put authorities on guard. >> we're very much on alert. we obviously have some folks that are out to do the harm to elected officials. and so we take that very seriously. we're still in shock. i guess is the best way to describe our feelings about this latest incident. >> the alert has widened to houston where the chief prosecutor is under 24-hour protection. and while authorities have not yet offered a motive in the killings, the deaths of two top prosecutors are raising serious questions about a connection. >> it would seem to me that this is not just a random act. it would seem to me that there has to be some connection. it's my understanding they found no evidence that links the two, but, i mean, just -- this has to be more than a coincidence. >> speculation has quickly turned toward white supremacists. texas authorities warned of planned retaliations after an indictment late last year of 34 alleged members of the aryan brotherhood of texas including four of its senior leade

there was talk at the time of the first shooting of prosecutor mark hasse, that there might have been some involvement with the aryan brotherhood of texas, but that's not been confirmed by investigators either. >> greta: all right, i assume that they've done ballistic studies on the two crime scenes and i suspect that they haven't given you that information whether it was the same weapon or similar weapons used in both murder scenes? >> they haven't been willing to talk about it. some information has been available through the search warrant application for the district attorney's house. and there was some information shell casings found there and sources tilt sources told us an assault weapon may have been used, b but-- i know they had talked about it being a different type of weapon in the mark hasse case, but we haven't been able to get them to address that. >> greta: it's unusual that a prosecutor is murdered and it would have two murdered in a short time in the same office is very bizarre. thank you, molly. >> thank you. coming up, the video that is turning the sports world upsid

mark hasse that was murdered, one of the late prosecutors murdered a few months ago. this news conference, the family has come up and is highly critical with the way the investigation has been handled so far. they were critical. they said that they father was critical, especially after mark hasse had been murdered because he felt that his county, he felt that his department didn't have the resources to protect the personnel because they feared that there were other people that were going to be hit. and they also didn't at the same time have the resources to carry out the investigation. in other words, they were so stretched trying to protect everyone, they couldn't really move forward on the investigation. now the family is even more outraged because it is their father and it's their mother that have been murdered and they believe there are even less resources to handle this huge investigation for what is a relatively rural county, a very big one. so they are demanding that the federal government take over the lead in the investigation, which would allow the local law

mark hasse was gunned down getting out of his car at the courthouse. at the time of his death, mclellan september out a warning to the so-called scum. >> i hope the people who did this are watching because we're very confident that we're going to find you, we're going to pull you out of whatever hole you're in. we're going to bring you back and let the people of kaufman county prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. >> with me now from kaufman county is nbc news correspondent gabe gutierrez. what is the news today on this terrible case? >> well, hi, chris. well, this afternoon, there's been several developments today. we also saw some stepped up security here at the courthouse. employees that work here at the courthouse were escorted by armed guards inside as they came to work. the d.a.'s office was closed to the public today. this afternoon, we heard from federal law enforcement officials that agents are analyzing these two .33 caliber shell casings found at the scene on saturday. right now, authorities are being very tight-lipped about the in

at the time mclelland had this promise for the killer of mark hasse. >> we are very confident that we are going to find you. we are going to pull you out of whatever hole you're in. we are going to bring you back and let the people prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. >> reporter: mclelland told friends he carried a gun everywhere and was extra careful when answering his door. investigators have been working to see if hasse's shooting was connected to the killing of colorado's prison chief last month. the suspect in that case who later died in a police shootout in north texas was linked to a white supremacist group. months before, texas investigators issued a warning about the aryan brotherhood of texas planning retaliation against public officials. although federal sources tell nbc news they have yet to find a solid connection between the murders. in the meantime, texas governor rick perry is urging caution. >> i suggest everyone should be careful about what goes on whether they are public officials or otherwise. >> reporter: and this small county outside dallas is in mour

kaufman district attorney mike mclelland's murder came only months after one of his top deputies, mark hasse, was

their murders came two months after the county's assistant district attorney mark hasse was shot and killed. before today's memorial service, texas governor rick perry announced he had doubled the reward to $200,000 for information leading to arrests in both cases. >> we cannot react with fear. we gotta react with resolve. and our local, state and federal authorities are pursuing every lead, exhausting every line of inquiry in a relentless pursuit of those who are responsible for these crimes. >> woodruff: no suspects have been identified, but some attention has turned to a state prison gang-- the aryan brotherhood of texas. on tuesday, the assistant u.s. attorney in houston who was to head the prosecution in a 2012 case involving 34 members of the white supremacist group, stepped aside from that role. he cited security concerns, according to an attorney for one of the defendants. >> i understand why someone would want to step back. and it makes sense to me. especially people that have families. >> woodruff: the indictment, tied to federal racketeering charges, was announced last nov

. >> reporter: the murders come two months after the county a assistant prosecutor mark hasse was killed on his way to work at the courthouse. authorities are exploring a possible link between the two crimes. mcclelland vowed just fit right -- vowed justice right after that shooting in january. >> i hope that the people that did this are watching because we're very confident that we're going to find you, we're going to pull you out of whatever hole you're in and we're going to bring you back and let the people of kaufman county prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. >> reporter: investigators had been looking into whether the assistant d.a.'s murder was connected to another high-profile killing of a public official, colorado prison chief tom clements. the suspect in that case who was part of a white supremacist group was later killed in a police shootout in north texas. months before in december, the texas department of public safety had issued a state wide bulletin warning of credible information that the aryan brotherhood of texas was actively planning retaliation against law

assistant district attorney mark hasse was gunned down near the courthouse. no arrests were made in that case. >>> tensions are escalating on the korean peninsula. the north ramped up rhetoric over the weekend declaring the neighboring nations are in a "state of war." on sunday the u.s. sent f-22 stealth fighter jets to join annual drills with its south korean allies. nbc's jim aceda is there in seoul with the latest on all of this. i've got to ask you this. is it more rattling on from pyongyang? >> reporter: hi, betty. it probably is but it's tense north korea's missiles and artillery are combat ready and pointing, says north korea's leader, kim jong-un, at both south korean and american targets now. both sides, north and south, say they will strike if there's a provocation. kim jong-un has even threatened preemptive nuclear strikes on saturday he did that, on both south korean and u.s. targets. that's unprecedented. experts tell us that they don't even believe kim has that kind of capability. despite all of that, life here in seoul does seem to be going on