on the broadcast tonight, to the jury as we await a verdict in the sandusky trial. nbc news exclusive. the first accuser to tell his story on television. and what we've learned about why sandusky didn't take the stand. scene of the crime. our first look at george zimmerman giving police a detailed account of the night he killed trayvon martin. tonight his version of that night. how could they? the video that's difficult to watch. it shows a 68-year-old grandmother being taunted by middle school students and tonight how people have reacted to it in a remarkable way. and coming of age. today on his 30th birthday prince william receives something sizable and meaningful from his late mother princess diana. from his late mother princess diana. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. tonight the jury has the case and the wait begins for a verdict on the fate of jerry sandusky. if his accusers are to be believed, if their testimony results in guilty verdicts, it will be final confirmation of what many fear is years of abuse and permanently damaged lives, say nothing of an institution like penn state that may never fully recover from what has happened here. tonight we have learned why jerry sandusky didn't testify as his lawyers said he would. we will also hear from the first sandusky accuser to tell his story on television. we begin our coverage of all of it with the wait for the verdict which follows an unusual day in court in pennsylvania. nbc's michael isikoff is there to start us off tonight. good evening, mike. >> reporter: good evening, brian. sources close to the case tell nbc news that prosecutors warned the defense this week that if sandusky took the stand they

would call a surprise new witness. the defendant's adopted son matt, who would testify against his father. tonight we know more. a local lawyer confirmed to nbc news this afternoon that he had been retained to represent matt sandusky as a victim of jerry sandusky's abuse. none of this is known to the jury. the news broke after final arguments and deliberations began. during the trial jurors heard wrenching testimony from eight alleged victims who described being sexually abused by sandusky but the defense lawyer said his client had been ensnared by a conspiracy hatched by over zealous prosecutors and accusers motivated by money. there was not one piece of physical evidence, he said, frequently gesturing toward his client. he told jurors sandusky took these kids everywhere. is that what a pedophile does? it just doesn't make sense. when it was his turn the prosecutor mocked sandusky's response to the bob costas interview for nbc's "rock center." are you sexually attracted to

underage boys? >> am i sexually attracted to underage boys? >> yes. >> reporter: your immediate response to that question would be, you're crazy. no, are you nuts? he said. then, pretending to be sandusky he held his hand to his chin and pondered the question. as he did so sandusky grinned at the defense table. the prosecutor showed childhood photos of the alleged victims. i feel like i have ten pieces of soul in my body, pieces of children ravished, destroyed by this guy. pointing at sandusky he closed, give him the justice he really deserves. now, the jury began deliberations a little after 1:00 this afternoon and the latest word is they ordered dinner into the courtroom, an indication they will be working into the night. brian? >> michael isakoff starting us off at the courthouse. thank you. now that the jury has this case we are able to hear for the first time from an accuser, a young man who says he was repeatedly victimized by jerry sandusky.

travis weaver, now 30 years old, is the first alleged victim to come forward and tell his story on television in a report for tonight's rock center. kate snow is here with a portion of his story. >> travis weaver has cooperated with authorities and told his story to a grand jury. he was not called as a witness in the current trial in pennsylvania but has been waiting in the wings willing to testify about what he says was repeated sexual abuse. weaver says it started when he was 10 and continued until he was 14 and tried to fight back. >> i tried to keep him off of me and resisting him and he kind of pinned me down on the bed and i told him if he didn't get off me i'd call the police on him. and he just laughed at me and then, you know, forced me to

stay on the bed and told me if i ever said anything that nobody was going to believe me and he would get my dad fired from penn state. >> your dad was working at penn state? >> yes. he's worked there for my whole life. >> was that the first time, travis, that you had ever said no? >> yes. >> why are you doing this? why are you sitting here talking to us? why are you talking now? >> because i kind of feel responsible for all the other kids that this happened to, and i want people to be aware that it is happening and let them know that it is okay to step up and say something. >> if jerry sandusky were sitting right here -- >> i'd punch him in his mouth. >> would you say anything first? >> no. there would be no reason to say anything. he knows what he did. i know what he did. >> reporter: travis weaver has sued sandusky, the second mile, and penn state university.

we were unable to get any comment from the lawyers who represent sandusky in the civil suit. >> tough stuff. of course we'll air much more of kate's bracing conversation with travis weaver later tonight on "rock center" at 10:00, 9:00 central. now to another big case we've been following closely in sanford, florida. tonight we take you back to the day after trayvon martin was killed as his parents were still reeling from the news and his accused murderer george zimmerman took police back to the scene of that confrontation. tonight we're getting our first opportunity to see and hear what zimmerman told them on a videotape just made public by his lawyers. our report from nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: george zimmerman retraced what he says were his steps the night he shot and killed trayvon martin, telling cops he followed the teen first in his vehicle. >> he was circling my car. >> reporter: and later on foot.

>> i got out of my car and i started walking. >> go ahead. >> reporter: the neighborhood watch captain with his head bandaged told investigators he lost track of trayvon martin and says he was walking back to his vehicle when they crossed paths. >> he said, you got a problem? i turned around and said no i don't have a problem, man. >> reporter: then zimmerman says the unarmed teenager attacked him. >> he said you got a problem now. and then he was here and he punched me in the face. >> reporter: according to zimmerman the two fell to the ground and trayvon martin allegedly repeatedly slammed his head into the sidewalk. >> i kept yelling, help, help, help. he put his hand on his nose -- on my nose and the other hand on my mouth and [ bleep ] and then i tried squirming again because all i could think about was when he was hitting my head against it, it felt like my head was going to explode and i was going to lose consciousness. >> reporter: zimmerman says as they fought on the ground his jacket slid up revealing his nine millimeter pistol.

>> he looked at it and he said you're going to die tonight [ bleep ] and he reached for it. i felt his arm going down to my side and i grabbed it and i just grabbed my firearm and i shot him. >> reporter: but trayvon martin's family and their lawyers say the re-enactment is only one version of the story. they believe they'll be able to prove in court zimmerman murdered the 17-year-old. >> the objective evidence should outweigh george zimmerman's version of what happened. >> reporter: as for george zimmerman, he remains in jail here in solitary confinement. kerry sanders, nbc news, sanford, florida. the u.s. secretary of congress john bryson resigned today 12 days after being involved in two hit-and-run car accidents in los angeles linked to a seizure he suffered. president obama thanked the 68-year-old bryson for his service. bryson said he's leaving to attend to his own health. bryson's doctor said he suffered what's known as a complex, partial seizure, which can

affect memory. fallout today in the fight between congressional republicans and attorney general eric holder over a botched antigun running operation known as fast and furious one day after a house committee recommended that holder be held in contempt of congress the speaker john boehner signaled his backing for the action and hinted that the white house's use of executive privilege might involve some sort of a coverup. white house spokesman jay carney fired back and said today the administration isn't covering up anything. in a unanimous ruling today the supreme court threw out those fines and penalties against broadcasters who violated the fcc policy over bad words and things like nudity that just happen during live broadcasts. it's known in the legal trade as fleeting expletives. the justices said only that the broadcasters were not given adequate notice of the rules. they didn't say whether the rules themselves were constitutional. gop presidential hopeful

mitt romney gave a major speech on the sensitive topic of immigration today as he tries to gain some ground with hispanic voters. nbc's peter alexander was there. >> reporter: speaking before a convention of latino elected officials in florida -- >> we could find common ground here. and we've got to. >> reporter: mitt romney promised long-term immigration reform. >> i'm going to address the problem of illegal immigration in a civil and resolute manner. we may not always agree but when i make a promise to you, i will keep it. >> reporter: still, romney offered few specifics, how he would handle the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the united states, again side stepping whether he would overturn the president's executive action stopping the deportation of some undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children. but romney directly attacked the president who will speak to the same group tomorrow. >> he did nothing to advance a

permanent fix for our broken immigration system -- nothing. >> reporter: romney's plan to encourage legal immigration includes giving green cards to immigrants who earn advanced degrees here and a path to legal status for immigrants who serve in the military. >> hi. how are you? >> reporter: today romney shed the confrontational tone on illegal immigration he used to try to establish his conservative credentials during the republican primary. >> they're going to find they can't get work here and if they don't get work here they'll self-deport to a place where they can get work. >> reporter: now romney faces increased pressure to appeal to latinos with the latest nbc news/"wall street journal" poll showing hispanics favor the president by 34 points. republican strategists acknowledge their party needs to focus on hispanics, an issue that will be among the topics addressed here in utah this weekend when mitt romney holds an exclusive two-day retreat with some of his largest donors, staff members, and top republicans. peter alexander, nbc news, salt lake city. here in new york a rough day on wall street today.

stocks slumped on concerns about growth around the world and here at home dow was down 250 points. nasdaq down over 71. s&p was down 30. commodities also took a beating. oil was down $3.25 a barrel to $78.20, the lowest it's been since october down almost 10% just this month. gas prices as you might imagine also falling to a national average now of just below $3.50 a gallon. also down from a month ago. weighing on stocks today the rating agency moody's downgraded debt ratings of a dozen global banks including the five largest banks here in the u.s. amid concerns about profitability and challenging economic conditions. as expected today was hot in a lot of places. a scorcher along the east coast on just the second day of summer. six new records were set as old ones fell. we got a better look at the aftermath in duluth after the freak flooding there. 8 inches of rain, roads are out.

there are sink holes, homes have been damaged. the zoo was over run by water as we reported last night, and parts of a nearby town still cut off by standing water. when we continue along the way tonight what happened after a disturbing video of a grandmother being taunted by some kids was seen by enough good people. and later, why prince william's birthday today carries such a deep meaning.

we're back with a disturbing story about the bullying of an adult, the incident involving a group of middle schoolers just outside of rochester, new york, taunting the adult monitor who rides on their school bus, the woman whose job it is to help keep them safe. what happened was all captured on video then went viral and then it triggered a huge national reaction. the story tonight from nbc's greg melton. >> reporter: it's a shocking display of cruelty. >> you're so fat. you're a troll.

>> reporter: 7th graders on the way home from school relentlessly taunting their school bus monitor 68-year-old karen klein, a former school bus driver and grandmother of eight. she hoped it would stop. >> unless you have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: but it didn't. one teenager posted the video online where nearly 2 million have viewed it so far. >> would they do that to their grandmother, their mother? you know, i just didn't get it. >> reporter: what happened has embarrassed the people here. >> to recognize some of the kids in the video as classmates of my son's really hit close to home. >> reporter: today school district officials promised the four tormenters will be punished but there will be no criminal charges because klein doesn't want to prosecute. klein and her harassers live in this area within blocks of each other actually. while the outrage over the video has extended far beyond this working class neighborhood, so has the huge outpouring of support.

much of it from total strangers. >> i wrote this letter to bring a smile to your face. >> reporter: klein has received letters and flowers and hundreds of thousands of dollars according to a website set up by a man in toronto to help klein retire and send her on a dream vacation. she is encouraged by online comments from kids as young as the bullies. >> and there are a lot of good ones out there, you know? >> reporter: a good lesson from a woman who managed to endure a very bad situation. nbc news, greece, new york. up next, a happy customer who saw and enjoyed the show we recommended last night in her own back yard.

don't ever worry about larry ellison getting by. he is doing okay enough to buy the hawaiian island of lanai. the ceo of oracle has purchased 98% of the island. like monopoly, his purchase includes two hotels. 3200 people live there with no

stop lights, very few paved roads as it should be. at least now the sixth richest person in the world will have a place to get away. leroy neiman has died best known as the man who chronicled sports and great athletes for generations. he was an artist for the television age and looked the part. he worked fast. he painted big event super bowls every olympic since 1960. neiman was an event and while critics often found his work garish or gaudy millions loved his broad strokes and big colors and he made millions as a result. the abandoned son of a railroad worker he was drafted into world war ii and cooked food for the troops in europe while also painting murals on the walls of the mess halls. "playboy" magazine really made him famous as did his portraits of ali and namuth. leroy neiman was 91. we have no pictures to show you what happened in colorado yesterday but a lot of witnesses. a meteor screamed across the daytime sky trailing a ball of

fire right above where hundreds of firefighters were at work on a huge forest fire. it was a big enough event to stop all flights into and out of the area for a time as a precaution. last night here we urged you to grab the family, grab the kids, grab somebody, and go outside on a cloudless night away from any lights to see the international space station fly over head. at 16 orbits a day, it will get. in the next few days, east coasters are going to get a good, bright view of it passing over faster than any plane across the sky. well, we've already heard from one viewer, a nice woman named becky who writes, last night after you reported about being able to view the iss in many parts of the u.s. i did my homework, found on the nasa website when and where to look, called my neighbors, and dragged sleepy husbands out to our fields to get a first-hand look. while fighting off an army of hungry mosquitos but exactly on time, we were absolutely

thrilled to be treated to a spectacular show of the iss streaking across the evening sky. thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and sense of wonder. we do live in an amazing world. well, becky, thank you. look at our website for when the space station will be passing over where you live. when we continue here tonight, back here on earth, a bigger than average 30th birthday for a future king of england.

it was 30 years ago tonight we announced on this broadcast the birth of william arthur phillip louis of the house of windsor better known to you and me as prince william. he turned 30 today and is now a married man second in line to the british throne and today inherits a minor fortune from the estate of his late mother who has now been gone for half his life. we get the story tonight from nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: prince william can't be blamed for wanting to keep his 30th birthday low key. between the queen's diamond jubilee, the royal wedding, and very soon the summer olympics, there has been no shortage of big events. but it is no less a milestone. >> i think his mother would be

very proud of him. >> reporter: today william inherits his half of princess diana's fortune, a reported $15 million. >> i'm sure it is a bitter sweet moment for prince william to inherit this money. his mother's legacy. >> reporter: the man second in line to the british throne is born with many of life's most difficult challenges already overcome -- money, check. future job, check. but it is what he does beyond that that defines him. >> there's so much i want to do and i just, you know, it worries me occasionally i won't get to do it all. >> reporter: but he has made a start. william is passionate about his military career as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot and his charity work inspired in many ways by his mother. >> she wanted to give so much love and give so much care to people who really needed it. >> reporter: prince william volunteered at the same homeless shelter where princess diana dedicated her time. >> what we see is he has this ability like his mother had to connect.

he really genuinely cares. >> reporter: prince william even spent a cold, winter night in an alley way with homeless teenagers to get a bit of a sense of what it would be like but also to show how dedicated he is to helping them out. the brave 15-year-old who walked behind his mother's coffin has turned into a confident, poised young man, born with a title but striving not to live a life of entitlement. stephanie gosk, nbc news, london. >> that is our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for being with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you later this evening for "rock center" and back here tomorrow evening. good night.

thanks for joining us. i i'm raj mathai. >> the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to another new low this week. 3.66%. the 15-year fixed mortgage dropped to 2.95%. that has experts telling nearly every homeowner out there that it is time to refinance and has many renters asking if it's now cheaper to buy. nbc bay