Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost
CNN Special Investigations Unit

Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost
CNN Special Investigations Unit

A former Army sergeant who revealed the murders of four Iraqis at a canal in 2007 says he has no regrets about breaking his silence.

"I did the right thing," Jess Cunningham told CNN's "AC360°." "I'm not going to hide behind false brotherhood."

Nine months after the March 2007 murders, Cunningham told his Army lawyer what had happened at the canal. Eventually, three sergeants would be convicted of premeditated murder and conspiracy to commit premeditated murder.

"These men are not heroes. They're not saviors," Cunningham said.

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Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost
CNN Special Investigations Unit

The military released 77,000 of about 87,000 detainees locked up during the Iraq war because there was not enough evidence to hold them, CNN has learned.

"In most cases, if we don't have anything, eventually they'll be released," said Brig. Gen. David Quantock, who oversees detainee operations in Iraq.

Quantock said "many cases are driven purely on intelligence."

"Intelligence does not win a fight in a courtroom. It doesn't win the fight in a courtroom in the United States. It doesn't win in Iraq."

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Johana Mayo said her husband has been punished enough.

Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost
CNN Special Investigations Unit

The wives of three Army sergeants in prison for premeditated murder say their husbands are war heroes who should not be in prison.

"I can sympathize with them that they felt like there was nothing else they could do," said Jamie Leahy, wife of Sgt. Michael Leahy, a 28-year-old medic.

She said her husband and the other two sergeants were heroes for protecting other soldiers. Leahy, 1st Sgt. John Hatley and Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Mayo killed four Iraqi men whom they had taken into custody at a canal in Baghdad, Iraq.

During the investigation of the killings, Leahy told Army investigators that the same men they had captured would be shooting at them again if they had released them.

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Abbie Boudreau
Special Investigations Unit Correspondent

A group of 13 soldiers left Iraq holding on to a secret – the murders of four detainees at a Baghdad canal. They were told not to say a word, and for nine months, they kept quiet. Then, one of the 13 soldiers reported the crime and the secret was out.

But what if that soldier hadn't come forward and reported the murders? What if years had gone by, and these young soldiers were still holding on to this battlefield secret?

Especially for the twenty-somethings who are fighting this war – how do they keep a secret in a day and age where people from their generation are encouraged to live such public lives?

They are taught from a very young age to "talk it out," and why it's unhealthy to "keep it all inside." And now, with easy access to social networking sites, it's almost expected for people to splash their private lives, and personal photos all over the pages of Facebook and MySpace.

We share our lives with just about anyone who will listen – we expose our fears, our likes and dislikes, and even our secrets to a community of online strangers.

Yet, for soldiers who might come home, holding on to real secrets – big deal secrets – what happens? Where do they turn? And how do the secrets affect them?

Abbie Boudreau
CNN Special Investigations Unit Correspondent

CNN's Abbie Boudreau reports on the shoddy electrical work performed by the Halliburton subsidiary, KBR, in Afghanistan. The faulty wiring has lead or contributed to the deaths of as many as 18 US military personnel. The Pentagon has ruled one death as a possible negligent homicide, but still KBR remains on the job, and now is wiring bases in Afghanistan with faulty electrical systems.

Did the SEC drop the ball in connection with the Bernie Madoff investment scandal? CNN's Abbie Boudreau reports.

The mayors' proposal requests a $4.8 million polar bear exhibit at the Providence, Rhode Island, zoo.

Abbie Boudreau | Bio
CNN Investigative Correspondent

When you think of critical infrastructure projects, what do you think of? I would guess, most people think of crumbling roads and bridges, or renovations to schools and water treatment plants. Recently, the U.S. Conference of Mayors created a list of “Ready to Go” jobs and infrastructure projects. It’s more than 800 pages long. The group believes emergency federal money should be used to help start around 11,300 critical projects, and it’s asking Congress for $73 billion.

But the report seems to read more like a wish list for cities throughout the country. If you read the list carefully, you will find plenty of projects that are raising red flags. We found cities asking for millions of dollars to build skate parks, horse trails, a duck pond, and a dog park. We also found cities asking for a new, $1.5 million ride at a water park, a nearly $5 million polar bear exhibit, and a $20 million minor league baseball museum.

Don’t get me wrong, these projects all sound great if you live in that community, but should the federal government be using emergency money to pay for a $3 million mural in Long Beach, Calif.? My producer and I contacted many of these cities to ask about their projects, and all of them felt they were critical infrastructure projects, though several city officials told us these new projects would not necessarily create new jobs.

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There is a request for a new $1.5 million water ride at the Grapeland Water Park in Miami, Florida.

Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost
CNN Special Investigations Unit

A report to Congress that requests $73.2 billion to pay for infrastructure projects around the country includes plans for a polar bear exhibit, an anti-prostitution program, a water park ride, zoos, museums and aquatic centers, CNN has found.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors went to Capitol Hill earlier this month with a report listing 11,391 infrastructure projects proposed by 427 cities. The mayors claimed the proposal would create 847,641 jobs in 2009 and 2010.

The more than 800-page document is titled "Main Street Economic Recovery: 'Ready To Go' Jobs and Infrastructure Projects."

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Abbie Boudreau is a correspondent for CNN Special Investigations Unit.

By Abbie Boudreau
Correspondent, CNN Special Investigations Unit

It was toward the end of the day, and my producer, Scott Zamost and I were scrolling through story tips from CNN viewers.

There was one that jumped out at us.  It read, “Please, help me,” and the subject line said, “YouTube Video of Crying 16-year-old Rape Victim Pleas for Help.”  There was a link to a video posted on YouTube by a Florida girl.

Right away, we watched the video, and the first thing we thought was, "Can this be real?"

Within minutes, we contacted the young girl, Crystal. We talked at length with both Crystal and her father, Dennis. Quickly, we learned this girl was real, and she had a real story she wanted to share.

Two days later, we flew to Florida to meet Crystal and to learn more about why she posted a video about her most private moments, for the world to see and judge.

She told us she felt she had nothing to lose, and she was desperate to find someone who would listen to her story.

Crystal may be one of the first to post a video like this on YouTube, but she is also among a growing number of young girls who talk about their most private experiences online to perfect strangers.
 
Experts say the reason more girls are detailing their lives on the Internet is because they are desperate, and in many cases, they feel it’s the only way to seek justice and make people listen - when most people in their lives don’t seem to care.

The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, or RAINN, says this new trend can be very dangerous, considering potential online predators that could be trolling the Web, looking to re-victimize these young girls.

I wonder how big of a deal it is for people to reveal their deepest, darkest secrets to strangers online. 

I mean, in Crystal's case, her plea for help seemed to work.

She got our attention, and as a result, she is now seeking professional help for her depression and anxiety.

But do these cases always have happy endings? And also, maybe we should ask ourselves what the world is coming to when teenagers resort to posting videos on YouTube to find the help they need.

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Watch CNN Special Investigations Unit's Abbie Boudreau report on campus rage tonight on 360°.

Since we aired our Special Investigations Unit documentary "Campus Rage," we have received thousands of emails. Most of these responses are from teachers and parents who think bullying is getting out of control –- not just at school, but in cyberspace as well.

Of course, bullying is not a new problem.

I saw it when I was in school and I’m sure you did too. When my older sister was in the fourth grade, she was bullied so badly, my parents chose to take her out of school and send her to a different one in the middle of the school year. Her classmates relentlessly teased her for being “too smart.” In her case, it wasn’t just other kids who picked on her, it was her teacher as well. (She was able to overcome the bullying and by the time she was a senior in high school - she was the class valedictorian and homecoming queen!)

But the questions remain - Has bullying gotten worse? Or are the kids who are being bullied seeking out more revenge?

I want to hear from those of you who are being bullied. What is your day like at school? What do you want bullies to know about how they make you feel?

And for you bullies out there, why do you pick on other kids? I would love an explanation.

- Abbie Boudreau, Correspondent/CNN Special Investigations Unit

Program note: How do you stop a killer bent on revenge? Watch AC 360° tonight at 10 p.m. ET.

Comments to the 360° blog are moderated. What does that mean?

It started with an e-mail. In fact, it was the last of more than 600 e-mails CNN received in the wake of the Northern Illinois University shootings on Valentine’s Day. But this one stood out to me.

A frustrated and clearly anguished mother of a teenager was telling us she could relate to the massacre. That’s because her own son planned a school shooting when he was a high school junior in Idaho.

I immediately contacted Elaine Sonnen and spoke to her for at least an hour. I was immediately fascinated by her story - she saw the warning signs in her son, Richard, and was able to stop him from killing his classmates. But she still worried that he could be violent if he stopped taking his medication.

Still, there was little she could do because he was now over 18 and living on his own. She wanted to talk, but we knew the story would not be complete without hearing from Richard himself.

“Do you think he would talk to us?” I asked her. She agreed to call him and find out.

Within minutes, Richard was calling me to find out what the story was about. He told me he was interested in talking to me about his past, with the hope that other people his age could learn from his story.

This is one part of our hour-long Special Investigations Unit documentary, “Campus Rage.”

I also investigate a case where a senior in college is threatening suicide. He's depressed, he's stopped going to class and told a friend he bought a gun. The university found out about this troubled student but what happened next is being called into question.

Here’s a question for you: If a college finds out one of its students is depressed and is a threat to himself or others - do you think the college has the responsibility to share that information with that students’ parents? Or do you think the school should respect a student’s privacy and leave the parents out of the picture?  What do you think?

Watch a preview of the show

- Abbie Boudreau, Correspondent/CNN Special Investigations Unit

Program note: How do you stop a killer bent on revenge? Nearly a year after the Virginia Tech massacre, an all new CNN Special Investigations Unit examines the warning signs this weekend in "Campus Rage." Watch Friday and Saturday at 8p ET.

When we finally reached Jessica Baty by phone, she was so upset she could barely talk with me.  But she did agree to meet for an interview, and said we could come to her parents’ home about an hour away. On the drive, we didn’t know if she would actually do the interview. She told me her family was against it. 

When my producer and I got to her house, Jessica was sobbing. She made it clear, though, that she wanted to do the interview. We spent two hours with Jessica and her family. It was one of the toughest interviews I’ve ever done. I kept thinking no matter what happens, this young woman will never be the same.

She answered all our questions, and shared personal photos. During the interview, other reporters were knocking on her door – some were even knocking on her windows.  In fact, as we were wrapping up, we noticed two were actually right outside her back door. Jessica told us she wasn’t going to talk to anyone else. This would be her only interview. 

We left with the feeling that she had an amazing story to tell – but one with no answers.

 - Abbie Boudreau, Special Investigations Unit

Program note: Tonight on 360°, CNN Special Investigations Unit Correspondent Abbie Boudreau has the second part of her exclusive interview with the girlfriend of Northern Illinois University shooter Steven Kazmierczak.

Jessica Baty said her boyfriend, Steven Kazmierczak, gave no warning of the shooting rampage at NIU.

WONDER LAKE, Illinois - The girlfriend of the gunman who killed five people and then himself at Northern Illinois University last Thursday told CNN there was "no indication he was planning something."

"He wasn't erratic. He wasn't delusional. He was Steve; he was normal," Jessica Baty tearfully said in an exclusive interview.

Baty, 28, said she dated Steven Kazmierczak off and on for two years and had most recently been living with him.

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