making news this morning. guilty. >> a surprising verdict in the university of virginia murder trial. the young man accused of killing his exgirlfriend. late last night, the jury deciding against the max numb mum sentence. tough talk in what could be the final debate. rick santorum hit from all sides. a performance that nay have ended the santorum surge. on a wing and prayer. a world famous daredevil colliding with a mountain at more than 100 miles an hour. the quick thinking that saved his life. and every office has one. the refrigerator raider. so one boss set up a sting, catching the criminal in the act. but this office is a police station.

good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm paula faris. less than two years ago, georgev huguely v and yeardley love were two seemingly typical college students. and avid lacrosse players. both with so much promise for the future. >> now he's facing 26 years behind bars for beating her to death. it could have been much worse. george huguely faced a first degree murder verdict and life in prison. but last night, a jury rejected both. instead, recommending 26 years in prison for the beating death of his exgirlfriend. >> there are no winners in the case. there's nothing but loss everywhere. our hearts go out to the love family. they've suffered enormously. >> reporter: the jury of five women and seven men returned the verdict after 23 hours. 24-year-old huguely bowed his head in sentencing. >> we've been proud to represent george in his fight for fairness over the last couple of

years. he has the support of a loving family. he's displayed amazing resilience and courage. >> reporter: the case captivated the small virginia college town since the may 2010 killing of yeardley love. they apparently had a tumultuous on and off again relationship. witnesses testified huguely had been drinking heavily the day he went to love's apartment. prosecutors called it a horror show. saying -- he kicked in the door and killed her in a drunken, jealous rage. love died of blunt force trauma. in a video taped statement to police, he admitted to having a physical confrontation with her in her room, but denied killing her. love's family struggles with her death. her sister said she left a large hole and nothing will fill it. after the verdict, love's family issued a statement saying time has not made us miss yeardley any less. in fact it's quite the opposite. breaking news from iraq this morning. a series of bombings and shootings in baghdad have killed at least 48 people.

the attacks happened in several neighborhoods across the city. most of them appeared to target iraqi police. there were also attacks reported in several other iraqi cities. back here at home, the republican presidential candidates head back out on the trail. it might have been the final debate. it was the 20th. they were sure to get their money's worth. tahman bradley joins us from washington. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: hi, paula. debate number 20 looked different from the others. the candidates sat in chairs. that didn't stop the fire works. with the nomination at stake, it was beat up on rick santorum night. with only days left before crucial primaries in michigan and arizona, they'll hunt for votes and raise campaign cash today. the man riding a wave of momentum, rick santorum, wakes up this morning with bruises from last night's debate. mitt romney lured him again and again into defending his record in congress. >> while i was fighting to save the olympics, you were fighting to save the bridge to nowhere. >> reporter: at times, santorum

seemed to engage in complicated washington speak. >> i voted for that. it was against the principles i believed in. >> reporter: santorum tried to shoot back, lashing out on health care. >> the bottom line is, what you did is you used federal dollars to fund the government takeover of health care in massachusetts. >> reporter: romney counted by raising santorum's support to arlen specter, who switched parties. >> if you had not supported him, we would not have obama care. so don't look at me. look in the mirror. >> reporter: ron paul joined in. >> you have a new television ad that labels him a fake. why? >> because he's a fake. >> reporter: a poll shows 40% of republicans dissatisfied with the current gop field. while the gop candidates duke it out, the president will raise

campaign money and promote his energy policy today in florida. a new poll shows him leading all the republican candidates. >> thanks for that report this morning, nan bradley, live in washington. in other news now, secretary of state hillary clinton is among more than 70 world leaders meeting tomorrow to consider possible military aid to anti-government rebels in syria. weeks of attacks on civilians by president assad's sources have left thousands of people dead in that country. also on the agenda, how to alleviate deplorable conditions there. among those killed by syrian military fire, veteran reporter marie colvin. she was warned to leave syria becaus because it was becoming more dangerous. she insisted on staying to quote, finish one more story. a characteristic her mother said was typical. >> whatever she did she did with passion and determination. lived her life that way.

all these years, all this time, i was never ready for it. i just about -- i was just screaming. >> in her final story for "the sunday times" she quoted average syrian citizens asking, why have we been abandoned by the world? certainly not abandoned by her. >> that video is hard to watch. divers are going back into the sunken cruise ship to recover bodies. they found eight bodies. they were able to recover four of them yesterday, including a 5-year-old girl. the death toll stands at 32, that includes the missing. the captain remains under house arrest accused of causing the wreck and abandoning his ship. the colorado rockies get breaking from this morning from wind. the winds toppled power poles, sent trees crashing down on to cars. it caused major flight delays as well. checking the weather from across the nation. stormy from the gulf coast to

the ohio valley. hail, damaging winds, and a chance of tornados in new orleans. birmingham, atlanta, nashville, and cincinnati. up to a foot of snow from the dakotas to des moines. moving later into chicago and detroit. lingering mountain snow in the rockies and cascades. >> 40s from billings to colorado springs. a snowy 34 in minneapolis. 41 in omaha. miami hits 85. just shy of 60 here in new york. not bad for february for us. >> i'm ready for spring. >> me and you both. >> and summer. >> trust me. coming up, the restaurant chain that lets you pay what you want. so successful that it's spreading. >> like the sounds of that. a government panel gives a thumbs up to the first diet drug in more than a decade. but, is it right for you? and this video just released. a daredevil high-speed collision with the mountain. also showing the remarkable thing he did to save his life. we're right back. m m m m@d@d@dd

drivers are reacting to high gas prices by driving less. gas prices rose six cents in the past week. they're 41 cents higher than a year ago. there's less demand for gasoline now than at this time last year. demand is down almost 6%, says mastercard. this morning in miami, the president will outline a strategy to address the fuel overseas markets were mixed

after continuing worries about europe. tokyo's nikkei average gained 42 points. hong kong's hang seng gained 168. in london, the ftse opened lower. the dow lost 27 points yesterday. the nasdaq index went down 15. investors who wanted to buy gold bouillon but ended up with gold coins may get refunds. gold line will refund as much as $4.5 million to customers. it's all part of an agreement to change its unfair sales practices. they had been accused of running a bait and switch operation. and here's a feel good story about money. panera's three pay-what-you-can cafes are such a success, the company plans to open more locations. customers drop their money in a bin. it's all volunteer. there's a list of suggested donations for each item. some customers actually pay more. >> wow, i love panera. i'll have to try that out. >> not bad system, that's good. >> pretty good food.

i would drop 50 cents in there for a sandwich. >> oh, big spender. nice. up next, skyrocketing gas prices changing by the minute. even during one of our reports. and so many question this is morning after a third grader is shot at school. details on that and more when we come right back. [ female announcer ] lactaid milk is easy to digest. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious.

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in colorado, a ski resort is enjoying a huge windfall. four feet of snow in just three days. another foot of fresh powder could be on the ground by tonight. skiers in area couldn't be happier that winter is finally catching up. >> that snow in the rockies is make for a slick ride on parts of i-15, 25, and 70. icy on i-84 from minneapolis to chicago. wet on i-10 from houston to

tallahassee and i-20 into atlanta. if you're flying today, airport delays possible in mipts, chicago, kansas city, new orleans. a shocking school shooting near seattle. the victim, an 8-year-old litdle girl. >> she was air-lifted to the hospital with a gunshot wound to her some ak. another third grader brought the gun to school. they believe it accidentally went off. the school was locked down just as parents rooifed to pick up their children. grief counselors will be on hand today. panel of medical experts have voted to recommend approval for a promising new drug to fight obesity. it's a prescription pill called qnexa. most patients reporting a 10% weight loss. two years ago, qnexa was denied because of safety concerns.

now they say the benefits outweigh the risk. the owe what administration has laid out gna new plan of attack declaring alzheimer's one of the most feared conditions for americans. find effective ways to help families overwhelmed by the disease. also, researchers they have the best evidence yet that a l colonoscopy is the best way to save lives. colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers that can be prevented with screens. a high profile game in the nba tonight. the knicks and the heat. that and the other nba highlights from mike yam at espn news. questions about quem

industry. yeah, the knicks at home to taken to atlanta hawks. carmelo anthony, his second game with jeremy lin. think you have heard of him. second quarter, baron davis. his second game. smith, his sec game. smith had 12. there's anthony looking stronger in the offense. had 15 points did melo. how about that? chandler throwing it down. knicks led by 25 at the break. in transition. anthony. jeremy lin, 17 points, 9 dimes. kobe bryant and the lakers. taking on the mavericks. the big man's 19th double-double of the season. they go to dirk. 25 and 12. kobe. working it. tough shot in the third.

hanging in the air. using the glass. he had 15 points. fourth quarter. pau gasol. talking about him getting traded. the rumors swirling. trading a guy that went 24 and 9. i don't know about that. derek fisher. 15 points. there's that man again. andrew bynum, scoring in this one. as the lakers get it done. in the fourth. certainly an impressive performance for the lakers. that will do it for this update. >> add one to kobe's highlight film. check out famed stuntman jeff corliss jumping last month. >> was suit was was he hit an as he hit an outcropping at about 120 miles an hour. he continues hurdling to to ground but saves himself by pulling an emergency parachute.

>> he nearly died. had two broken legs. he's due to be released tomorrow. he still had the wherewithal to pull the parachute. >> ouch. whoo. coming up next, "the pulse." the prime time star turned naked cover model. and the undercover sting to catch a repeat offender at the office fridge. he's also a police officer. what's this? [ male announcer ] quaker oatmeal squares

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is right for you. and time for "the pulse." we start in texas. a mystery at the refrigerator at work. just so happens the office was a police station. >> yes, the cops in deer park, texas, caught one of their own stealing other people's food and drinks from the fridge. they waited waited for officer yang to dig in after they set up a cram. >> he said he was taking it upon himself to keep the fridge clean. >> that didn't fly. he was busted. he's serving a 30-day unpaid suspension. he faces misdemeanor theft charges. talk about the long or short arm of the law yet. >> you don't have anything in your fridge yet?

>> my fridge is empty. we never expected to see price likes live on the air. >> it's telling. it happened last night during "world news" with diane sawyer. cecilia vega was reporting from aes area los angeles area gas s when the prices at the pumps jumped ten cents while she was standing there. >> when you're filling up, hurry up. stock-pile the gas, everybody. >> right in front of her eyes. well, she plays a doctor on tv. now putting her own anatomy on display, leaving little to the imagination. >> actress kate walsh is beautiful posing on the cover of the latest issue of "shape" magazine. she says she feels healthy, confident, and sexy. >> i need to see a doctor, think. sorry, sorry. walsh says she's enjoying her 40s, clearly. she adds she has no plans for

plastic surgery anytime soon. we know how much those photos get touched up but she looks good. life starts at 40, right? nice start, kate. hollywood gotoulevard just t a little friendlier. jennifer aniston now has a star of her own on the walk of fame. >> this segment is for you. she rose to fame in the sitcom "friends." >> they all need one. phoebe. joery, ross. no one is happier than our camera operator. she's a "friends" addict. >> she has two sets of every season. for some of you, your local news is next. for everyone else, how billy crystal is getting set for

sunday's big show right here on abc. it's all about oscar. umm, nah you go ahead. i'm good. alright. ♪ [ male announcer ] every time you say no to a cigarette, you celebrate a little win. nicorette mini helps relieve cravings in minutes. so you can quit one cigarette at a time. nicorette mini helps you go from one little win to another. until you reach your goal. nicorette mini. quit one cigarette at a time.

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coming up, a union city church is cleaning up after vandals went on a rampage on ash wednesday. >> apple shareholders meet today with a soaring stock price and trademark war in china. >> mike has the forecast. >> looks like our second and final day of record high temperatures. we'll talk about how breezy those condit updating the top news stories now. at least 48 people killed this morning in a series of bombings and shootings across baghdad.

iraqi police seem to be the targets. george huguely has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for the murder of his exgirlfriend yeardley love. republican front runners mitt romney and rick santorum taked each other throughout the debates last night. lingering snow in the cascades. up to a foot of snow from the dakotas to detroit. severe storms from norngs and nashville to sints gnatty. the big night in hollywood on sunday. the oscars will be happeneded out here on abc. >> familiar face back at the helm. diana alvear reports. >> reporter: who could forget billy crystal at hannibal lecter.

or any of the other seven times he's hosted the oskars. well get ready, because he's back. >> they were charged with tracking down a legend. >> reporter: his seven-year hiatus from hosting was spoofed by the academy. >> we come to you on behalf on an old friend. ♪ >> you could have just texted. >> reporter: crystal came to the rescue after real-life drama rocked the awards. unfortunate comments by the original show director, brett ratner, forced him to design. his hand-picked host, eddie murphy rezined as well. >> i think he'll deliver on every front. >> reporter: after last year's pairing of james franco and anne hathaway was widelied, it's no surprise that the academy is

serving up something familiar. >> he's been working on the movie skits that are going to open the show. i hear they're outrageous. >> reporter: as for crystal, he may be a little poermd he's more than ready for one more round as master of ceremonies. >> to find that way to come back, there's so much expected of this. we just tell people, please, lower yore expectations. >> reporter: diana alvear, abc news, hollywood. don't miss a moment of the action this sunday. the oscar coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern. nice tie for billy. >> he's my favorite. think he's one of the best ever. it will be good. that's what's making news in america on this thursday morning. zbli. >> stay with us for "good morning america." >> stay with us for "good morning america." closed captioning by closed captioning services,inc