The point is, regardless of which news outlet you got the story from, I as a reader wanted to know who the scumbag was that did it.

Not that I'm defending CNN or any of the outlets, but it's a ratings game, and wild speculation and even the hint of information will garner viewers. Which proves my point, people want to know who did it and that he gets the punishment that's coming to him. So blanking out his identity and focusing just on the victims won't work. It's the same reason that innocent people sometimes hang for crimes. In our society, people want/need someone to blame and to take the punishment so that we can keep on living in safety and security, even if it's a false one.