Heather Ellis entering court this morning in Kennett, MO.

Gary Tuchman and Dave Mattingly
CNN

This much isn't in dispute: Heather Ellis cut in line at a Wal-Mart nearly three years ago.

But the accounts of what happened next vary, depending on whom you ask - and has divided this economically struggling Missouri town of 11,000 along racial lines.

Ellis, then a college student with no criminal history, said some white patrons shoved and hurled racial slurs at her when she switched checkout lines at Wal-Mart in January 2007.

Store employees refused to give her back her change and called police, she said.

And when she was taken outside to the parking lot, an officer allegedly told her to "Go back to the ghetto." Another roughed her up, she said.

Keep Reading...

David Mattingly | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

It doesn’t look like it in this photograph but the water is moving enough to make it hard for me to keep my footing. These muddy waters are very deceptive. Some of the deaths in Georgia are the result of people being swept away as they attempted to drive through flood waters.

There’s more rain in the Atlanta forecast today making it less likely to see the water retreat.

More from David Mattingly on AC360° tonight at 10 p.m. ET.

This plot of land is scheduled to house the permanent Flight 93 memorial.

David Mattingly | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

To me, the most powerful image of 9/11 will always be the large, blackened pit outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

I was vacationing in Altoona, Pa. at my mother-in-law's house when the attacks happened. When the reports first came in of a plane crash in Shanksville, I remember the immediate confusion I felt and the questions that came to mind: Was the crash a coincidence? How could it be part of the attack? Why Shanksville?

Details came in slowly that day but it soon became clear that the passengers of Flight 93 fought back against their hijackers. Their bravery prevented the jet from reaching it's apparent destination to a target in Washington, DC.

Knowing this, it was almost overwhelming to see the crash site for the first time. All I could see were some small pieces of debris scattered around the impact crater. The destruction was so complete there was nothing I could identify as a piece of an aircraft.

Like many frequent flyers, the Flight 93 passengers' actions touched me deeply. The thought of how easily that could have happened to me still resonates. I've never stopped wondering if I have what it takes to rise up in the face of death they way they did. I still think about them every time I board a plane.

Tyler Edmonds at home in Columbus, M.S. with a dog he adopted from an animal shelter.

Joneil Adriano
AC360° Producer

When other boys were playing football, learning to drive and chasing girls, Tyler Edmonds was a child locked up with adults, serving a life sentence in a Mississippi prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

Today, Edmonds is a free man. But he still holds a lot of resentment toward the state expert who helped to convict him of murder.

“I think that he’s the dirt of the Earth, the scum of the Earth,” Edmonds, 20, told CNN. “If anybody deserves to be in jail, it’s him.”

The target of Edmond’s scorn is Dr. Steven Hayne, a Mississippi forensic pathologist who testified at Edmonds’ 2004 trial. Edmonds, then only 14, was accused of murdering his brother-in-law, Joey Fulgham, who had been shot in the head with a single bullet.

Dr. Hayne performed the autopsy on Fulgham and concluded that “within reasonable medical certainty,” two people had likely fired the murder weapon. Dr. Hayne based his findings on his examination of the gunshot wound.

“Since it would be past the center line of the decedent’s head when fired, 20 degrees past the center line of the head, so therefore, it would be consistent with two people involved,” Dr. Hayne said on the witness stand.

Critical Testimony

Dr. Hayne’s testimony seemed to give credibility to the prosecution’s theory that Edmonds and his older sister acted together to murder her husband.

Edmonds’ attorneys appealed his conviction all the way to Mississippi Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction and ordered a new trial. The court seemed troubled by Dr. Hayne’s “speculative” and “scientifically unfounded” testimony.

“You cannot look at a bullet wound and tell whether it was made by a bullet fired by one person pulling the trigger or by two persons pulling the trigger simultaneously,” the court said.

In 2007, four years after he was arrested, Edmonds was released on bond. In 2008, he was retried and acquitted.

“They went to a second trial,” said Tucker Carrington, Director of the Mississippi Innocence Project, “and the one thing essentially that was missing was Dr. Hayne’s opinion.”

Tyler Edmonds and his lawyer speak with CNN's David Mattingly.

Other Tyler Edmonds'?

Carrington, whose group did not play a role in defending Edmonds, says they are concerned that Dr. Hayne’s testimony may have helped to convict other innocent people. They have launched a comprehensive review of Dr. Hayne’s testimony, and worry that Dr. Hayne may have been willing to tailor his testimony in order to help prosecutors.

“We have found cases where Dr. Hayne, like he did in Tyler Edmonds’ case, strays beyond the bounds of science, beyond the bounds of good objective forensic work, and offers testimony that in many cases, amounts to nonsense,” Edmonds said.

Carrington’s group is also alarmed by the number of autopsies Dr. Hayne had been performing every year – more than 1500. The National Association of Medical Examiners recommends that pathologists perform no more than 325 autopsies annually.

Accusations Refuted

Dr. Hayne’s lawyer, Dale Danks, maintains that his client has never sent an innocent man to jail and that he has never done anything improper to aid any side in a trial.

“The role of Dr. Hayne and any other pathologist is to state in his opinion, the cause of death and the manner of the cause of that death. And that’s all he testifies to,” said Danks. “His job has always been and should be and will be if I know him as well as I know him, to be impartial and fair and not take sides in either issue.”

If there was a mistake made in Edmonds’ first trial, according to Danks, it was made by the trial judge, who should not have allowed Dr. Hayne to testify about the two-shooter theory.

“It’s up to the judge as to whether or not that’s admissible or not. Not Dr. Hayne, not the prosecution, not the defense attorney.”

Danks also says it was Edmonds himself – in a false confession that was almost immediately recanted – who said he and his half-sister were both responsible for shooting Fulgham.

“That confession was part of the facts that were presented to Dr. Hayne. And based on Dr. Hayne’s findings of his autopsy report, he said it was more in tune with what the defendant had already confessed to,” said Danks.

High Number of Autopsies

As for the criticism that Dr. Hayne is performing autopsies at a rate far higher than nationally recommended, Danks says his client’s numbers are in line with other noted pathologists.

Still, the College of American Pathologists sent Dr. Hayne a letter last year to express “concern relating to the volume of autopsies you claim to perform on an annual basis.”

And last year, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety abruptly terminated its contract with Dr. Hayne to perform autopsies, citing a backlog of nearly 500 hundred reports. Forensic Medical, Inc., in Nashville, Tennessee, now conducts autopsies for the state. But several county coroners, citing the inconvenience of using an out of state company, want Hayne to be allowed to perform autopsies again.

Hayne is also suing the Innocence Project, claiming the group’s criticism of him is defamatory. Meanwhile, two wrongfully convicted men have filed federal civil rights lawsuits against Hayne over testimony he provided at their trials.

Picking Up The Pieces

Edmond’s half-sister, Kristi Fulgham, is now on Mississippi’s death row for the murder of Joey Fulgham.

Since being acquitted last November, Tyler Edmonds has been slowly putting the pieces of his life back together again. He has his high school diploma and plans to take classes to become an EMT.

But the transition back to freedom was difficult for him and his family, and he says he now has an appreciation for the simple things in life.

“The things that most people take for granted, or don’t even think about,” Edmonds said. “Like fixing your own plate when dinner’s ready. Being able to fix your own plate and not having it fixed for you and brought to you.”

Although Dr. Hayne insists he did nothing wrong, Edmonds thinks he played a major role in his wrongful conviction, and hopes someday he will hear an apology.

“I guess for me, the biggest thing it would show is that he’s taken some kind of accountability,” Edmonds said. “I’ve already had six years of my life stolen away because of it, and you’re not even man enough to stand up and say, It was unprofessional, I was wrong.”

CNN’s David Mattingly contributed to this report.

David Mattingly talks to Tyler Edmonds, who adopted his dog from an animal shelter.

David Mattingly | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

When other 14-year-old boys were playing football, learning to drive and chasing girls, Tyler Edmonds was locked up with adults serving a life sentence in a Mississippi prison for a murder he didn't commit.

Now a free man after winning a new trial and an acquittal, Tyler comes across as an easy-going 20-year-old. But he carries a lot of resentment toward the state's expert witness whose testimony helped put him away for nearly four years.

It only took a few questions from me for it all to come spilling out.

For more details please see my story about Tyler on AC360° tonight. For now, I thought it was best to share something from Tyler that shows what a strong and thoughtful person he has struggled to become.

These are Tyler's "10 Things I've Learned" ...enjoy.

1. I've learned that you can keep going long after you think you can't.

2. I've learned that sometimes bad things just happen and you have to deal with them and move on.

3. I've learned that people make mistakes. You can either hate them and live in the past, or you can forgive them and move on.

4. I've learned that nothing worthwhile is ever easy, and anything worth having is worth fighting for.

5. I've learned that no matter how bad I may have it, there's always someone else who has it worse; so if they can do it, so can I.

6. I've learned that there is ALWAYS hope, no matter what.

7. I've learned to never take anything for granted.

8. I've learned that a lot of times you have to do things you really don't want to do.

9. I've learned to NEVER give up.

10. I've learned that you never stop learning. Everyday is a lesson, and today is just a test of yesterday's lesson.

*Live life with passion; take nothing for granted, and give thanks for everything. –Tyler Edmonds

Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear more from David Mattingly on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

CNN's David Mattingly outside LP Field in Nashville.

David Mattingly | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

If LP Field in Nashville had a roof on it, then Steve McNair would have blown it off. I walked through the stadium talking to fans who had gathered to remember him after his scandalous death.

Everyone told me they are saddened by the lurid details of his personal life, but want to remember him as the star quarterback who took them to a Super Bowl.

Some memories can't be tainted.

Gov. Mark Sanford, who admitted having an extramarital affair, apologized to his Cabinet.

David Mattingly
AC360° Correspondent

It's hot in here.

It's day two since Governor Mark Sanford emerged from a secret trip to Argentina to announce he had been having an affair with a woman there.

We're in a conference room built for about 30 people, but it might be holding more than double that number as the governor tells his cabinet to continue with their duties.

He apologized to all his cabinet members in a brief opening comment then he got down to state business.

All indications seem to suggest that Sanford is looking for a way to salvage his political career. I wonder if he is feeling the heat?

Voices on both sides of the aisle are calling for his resignation.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford chokes up on Wednesday as he admits to having an affair.

David Mattingly | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

There were tears in his eyes and no ring on his finger. Governor Mark Sanford stood in front of the cameras to explain his year-long affair with a woman from Argentina.

His wife released a statement saying she asked him to leave two weeks ago and now believes Sanford has "earned a chance to resurrect our marriage."

The people of South Carolina may not be so forgiving. Sanford left the country, misled his staff about his whereabouts and was unreachable for almost five days. His many critics will not let this transgression go.

David Mattingly stands at the end of the driveway to Gov. Sanford's beach house.

David Mattingly
AC360° Correspondent

Our waiting paid off. About 3:30pm the wife of South Carolina's "missing" governor rode up the long driveway of the family's beach house and promptly asked me to leave.

Jenny Sanford seemed under stress and upset as she stepped out of the family's SUV with her young boys. She quickly ordered her children not to say anything to me.

I only had time to ask one question before she went inside: "Have you heard from your husband?"

She surprised me with an answer: "I am being a mom today. I have not heard from my husband. I am taking care of my children."

David Mattingly stands at the end of the driveway to Gov. Sanford's beach house. Nobody is home.

David Mattingly | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

Like most people in South Carolina today I'm looking for the Governor.

His staff says Governor Mark Sanford left the state to go hiking on the Appalachian Trail. State officials say he went alone. No Security, no family.

He didn't even tell his wife where he was going. That was Thursday.

Today I went to the Sanford family's house on Sullivan's Island and knocked on the door. I wanted to know if Mrs. Sanford had heard from her husband.

No surprises here...no one was home except a big happy lab running around in the yard. Heading back to Columbia now where the Governor is supposed to be back at work tomorrow.

David Mattingly
AC360° Correspondent

I found some numbers today that were very interesting and help put perspective on the enormity of Chicago's gun violence.

Keep in mind this is city where (with some exceptions) it's illegal to buy, own and carry firearms.

• Chicago Police confiscate an average of 1 assault weapon a day.
• 10 thousand guns are recovered from crimes in Chicago each year and traced by the ATF.
• It's estimated that 800 of those traced guns are bought by people with no criminal background for someone who does have a criminal background.

Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear more on the violence in Chicago on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

A change of tactics means the targeting of potential gang-bangers. CNN's David Mattingly reports.

Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear more from David Mattingly on the violence in Chicago on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

A memorial honoring the children victimized by the violence in Chicago.

David Mattingly | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

So often we see grieving communities reacting to Chicago's youth violence by targeting guns. There have been marches protesting gun shops and legislation filed aimed at tougher background checks for gun buyers. But veterans of the fight against the killing are starting to change their tactics. They are looking past the guns and focusing on the shooters.

Ron Holt, whose son Blair was shot and killed two years ago, was a key lobbyist pushing for a tougher Illinois gun law. He failed by five votes. Today he says he is seeing success by going straight to the the would-be gangbangers.

Holt now joins other men in the group called CeaseFire. Groups go out onto the street and try to settle conflicts and diffuse confrontations before they turn violent. Holt says it's working. He's probably helping save more young lives than he did in the state legislature.

Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear more about the violence in Chicago tonight on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

Chicago is struggling to deal with violence among young people. CNN's David Mattingly reports.

Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear more about the violence in Chicago tonight on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

Chicago youth violence appears to be getting worse, not better. CNN's David Mattingly reports.

Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear more from David Mattingly on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

David Mattingly holds the memorial of Blair Holt.

Diane Latiker's memorial honoring the victims of the violence in Chicago.

David Mattingly
AC360° Correspondent

Makeshift memorials come and go on Chicago’s Southside. Neighborhoods often gather to mark the violent death of friends and family by placing balloons, cards and candles where victims were struck down. But Diane Latiker had another idea. In 2007, she decided to do something to make the city take notice of the wave of violence that was killing so many school aged children. She purchased 30 landscaping stones and wrote the name of a young person who was killed on each of them. Latiker thought the sight of so many names would shock the city to action. She was wrong.

Latiker was moved to create her memorial after the murder of 16 year old Blair Holt. The student and aspiring rap star was killed in the crossfire of a gang shooting on a city bus. His name was one of the 30 she selected for the stones. Today however, Diane Latiker’s memorial has grown and shows no signs of stopping. 30 stones have grown to 153. There are so many, shelves and a roof had to be built to display them. Requests for more stones from grieving families come in all the time.

In the attached picture, you can see me holding Blair Holt’s stone in front of just a portion of the memorial. Latiker says her display is getting attention but all she sees is grief and sadness, not action. Just since September, more than 30 school-aged children have died violently in Chicago, the most in three years. That’s a huge reason to worry, summer is just a month away.

Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear David Mattingly's full report on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

Why have close to 100 kids been murdered in Chicago in the past 3 school years?

The Bruce Springsteen concert in Atlanta on Sunday night.

David Mattingly | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

The first time I heard "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen, I was driving my dad's old Pontiac station wagon down New Jersey's Route 561. It was the most amazing song I had ever heard–the perfect blend of message and raw rock 'n' roll.

The crackling AM signal pounded out the beat through the single mono speaker. I was so moved that I had to pull over. I didn't want to miss a single word.

I didn't know much about 'The Boss' before that moment. But in a three minute record he managed to tell a story of hope, passion and triumph that I would never forget. His music connected with me in a way no other artist's has been able to since.

For three glorious hours last night I became that awe-inspired teenager again. My wife (a Jersey Girl) and I danced until our feet hurt and sang until our voices gave out. Springsteen and his E-Street Band rocked a full house in Atlanta. I came away with my heart pounding, my ears ringing and my mind renewing a vow I made to my wife and myself years ago..."No retreat baby, no surrender."

Bruce (now almost 60) took the stage like someone who still has something to prove. He reminded me (now almost 50) that I still have a lot of things to prove as well. I woke up this morning feeling more passion for life than I have in a long time.. I learned that the New Jersey kid who was stopped dead in his tracks by a song is still alive, still young and still born to run.

Thanks Boss!

Program Note: Tune in tonight to hear more from David Mattingly on the story on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

David Mattingly | BIO
AC360° Correspondent

Jaheem Herrera was a brand new student this year at Dunaire Elementary School near Atlanta. He had been excited at first, and looked forward to making new friends. Instead, he was mocked, taunted and harassed by bullies, more and more over his eight months at the school. And then, just 11 years old, he decided he couldn't endure it any more, and hanged himself in his closet.

How could a child be forced to such an extreme act in such a short time?

It's not like he was suffering in silence. Jaheem told his mother about the verbal abuse - and one physical assault. His mother says she complained multiple times to school officials. And this is a school system that experts say had a progressive anti-bullying policy.

Jaheem's complaints should have been taken seriously and adults in the school should have intervened. Did they?

Next week, School Board officials will speak publicly for the first time about Jaheem's death and the bullying that parents say goes on unabated at his school. Here's what a press release says about that event:

"We want to reassure the community that this is an important concern to DeKalb County School System. We care about the well-being of all of our students. We are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for them to learn. DeKalb County School System will continue to reinforce our policies/programs to address behaviors that are unacceptable."

I'm sorry, but this is not enough.

An 11 year-old child who should have been preoccupied with things like Wii and comic books found his life so miserable and meaningless that he ended it. Where was this "safe and nurturing environment" when he needed it? This is not a failure of a system or a program, this is a catastrophe.

His mother tells me that Jaheem had long been upset over the death of his grandmother. But even if he were depressed and vulnerable, professionals at the school should have been putting a halt to the bullying that made his life hell.

The tormenting that he was subjected to every week should never have happened a second time. No amount of official "reassurance" will ever change that.

Editor's Note: An internal DeKalb school district review of alleged bullying of an 11-year-old student who hanged himself has found no evidence the child was specifically targeted for bullying. Tune in tonight for an update to the story on AC360° at 10 p.m. ET.

David Mattingly
AC360° Correspondent

Eleven year-old Jaheem Herrera was a good student who liked to draw and make new friends. Last week he came home smiling with a report card of all A's and B's. Shortly after his mother congratulated him with a high-five, Jaheem went up to his room, closed the door and killed himself. Concerned when he didn't come down for dinner, his mom and younger sisters found him hanging by his belt in the closet.

Jaheem lost his grandmother about six months ago and missed her but it was something at school that his mother believes pushed him to suicide. For the last eight months, the boy had been targeted by bullies because he was from the Virgin Islands and spoke with an accent. They called him "ugly," "The Virgin," and "gay."

His mother tells me she complained frequently to school officials but the bullying continued. When Jaheem killed himself, he became the second 11 year-old boy in less than a month to choose suicide as the only way to escape relentless bullying.

One expert told me how this is a wake up call that everyone should pay attention to. One study shows 65 percent of teens are bullied in a single year. Bullies have been around since there have been schools. My question is, "Why did we need a wake up call at all?"