tomorrow. >> reporter: the murders come two months after the county a assistant prosecutor mark hasse was killed on his way to work at the courthouse. authorities are exploring a possible link between the two crimes. mcclelland vowed just fit right -- vowed justice right after that shooting in january. >> i hope that the people that did this are watching because we're very confident that we're going to find you, we're going to pull you out of whatever hole you're in and we're going to bring you back and let the people of kaufman county prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. >> reporter: investigators had been looking into whether the assistant d.a.'s murder was connected to another high-profile killing of a public official, colorado prison chief tom clements. the suspect in that case who was part of a white supremacist group was later killed in a police shootout in north texas. months before in december, the texas department of public safety had issued a state wide bulletin warning of credible information that the aryan brotherhood of texas was

actively planning retaliation against law enforcement officials. but so far federal authorities tell nbc's pete williams they haven't found any solid connection among the murders. the mayor of forney, the town nearest to the latest crime scene, is urging residents to stay calm. >> it appears that this was not a random event, that it was a targeted attack. >> reporter: but in this small community outside dallas, neighbors are nervous. >> it is very scary for something like that to happen so close to home. >> reporter: in a recent interview, the district attorney had told the associated press that after that murder two months ago he's carried a gun with him everywhere he went and he was extra careful when answering his door. >> gabe gutierrez in kaufman county, texas, tonight. thank you very much. around the world and the country today, christians celebrated this easter with

prayer and pageantry. republican it was . >> reporter: it was a festive holiday pilgrimage. the first family like more than 150 million americans today at easter sunday services. on the jersey shore still slowly recovering from hurricane sandy teenagers celebrated at a sun rise service on the boardwalk. thousands more attended services on top of georgia's famous stone mountain. and on florida's cocoa beach. the faithful also came together overseas, including the middle east, from baghdad, to bethlehem. u.s. soldiers welcomed the dawn at a camp outside kuwait city. back in this country it wouldn't be easter in new york without all those fancy bonnets. >> my favorite part about coming down here is celebrating spring and seeing all the bright colors. >> reporter: they've been showing them off on 5th avenue for more than 130 years. there were also cameo appearances by -- you know who -- on skates. and on the ocean floor, leading an easter egg hunt in the florida keys.

in the nation's capitol, the lincoln memorial, a spectacular venue for one of the country's largest interdenominational services. at sunrise this easter morning. >> beautiful morning in the monuments in washington. at the vatican today, the new pope brought his new style to the traditional easter sunday mass with the broad appeal for peace before he went out and met the faithful once again. nbc's duncan has a report tonight. >> reporter: they came by the thousands. a quarter of a million welcomed pope francis as he delivered his first easter mass, calling for peace. he appealed for peace between israelis and palestinians, for the refugees fleeing the war in syria and making reference to what could be the next big conflicts. he called for reconciliation between north and south korea. >> we wanted to come to get the blessing from the pope and to feel the love and community here

today and that's what we did. we're hoping that this will be a new sign for world peace. >> reporter: pope francis also urged the people to be good stewards of nature showing their concern for the environment that's already become a cornerstone of his pontificate. nbc claude was in st. francis square. >> pope francis delivered the mass in his now traditional style. it was short, simple and somber. once again it touched the hearts of the thousands of people who came here to see him by getting off the popemobile to go and kiss a disabled man in the crowd. it is an informal style that is proving popular. paying his hotel bill after becoming pope. choosing a simple apartment over the grand papal residence and today accepting a soccer jersey from his favorite team. but the reviews are not universally positive. traditionalist catholics, those who advocate to return to

pre--v pre--vat pre--vatty -- pre-vaticans noted the changing direction from the pope's predecessor benedict xvi. so far the changes have been masses of style, not doctrine. vatican watchers are now waiting to see how pope francis tackles the many pressing issues facing the catholic church. nbc news, london. as you heard, the pope singled out north and south korea in his prayers today. with good reason there, tensions there escalating. just this weekend, north korea said the two countries were quote in a state of war." ian williams continues to follow all of this for us from south korea tonight. >> reporter: you know, peter, a strange thing happened today. there were no new blood curdling threats from the young north korean leader. until now the violent rhetoric threatening death and destruction on south korea and the u.s. has been ratcheted up

on an almost daily basis. perhaps kim jong-un has run out of things to say or the north's leader is taking heat over growing international alarm. only yesterday the north warned that the korean peninsula had entered what it called a state of war. for the first time since he took over from his father, kim today chaired a meeting of the central committee of the ruling workers party. the start of the spring session of the rubber stamp assembly. it's declared that nuclear weapons are quote the nature's life" which won't be given up. if the experts are right and if the recent rhetoric is all about kim consolidating his reputation at home, expect the young leer to be greeted by the party as a conquering hero and then perhaps just a lowering of that rhetoric. peter. >> ian williams just across the border in south korea tonight. now we go to washington where there is sharp

disagreement this evening over whether in fact a deal has been reached on immigration reform. democrats are practically claiming victory but republicans warn not so fast. nbc news white house correspondent kristin welker is live with the latest. good evening, kristin. >> reporter: peter, very good evening to you. this latest disagreement comes after what seemed like big progress over the weekend business and labor groups struck a compromise behind the scenes on a major sticking point -- how much to pay non-citizens who are here to work. senator charles schumer told chuck todd on "meet the press" today, it is practically a done deal. >> well, with the agreement between business and labor every major policy issue has been resolved. now everyone we've all agreed that we're not going to come to a final agreement until we see draft legislative language and we agree on that. >> reporter: but republican senator marco rubio said any talk of a deal was premature. that's a sentiment his republican colleague senator jeff flake echoes. >> we still have a ways to go in

terms of looking at the language and making sure it is everything we thought it would be. but we're closer, certainly. >> reporter: meanwhile, there has been no progress in efforts to pass stiffer gun laws. something the president claimed is one of his key second term policy goals. this wednesday mr. obama will travel to denver, colorado to campaign once again for gun control. >> kristin, thank you very much from the white house this evening. there was a big accident today on a highway near the virginia-north carolina border. three people were killed in this massive pile-up in what you can see was really heavy fog. this cell phone video shot by the nbc affiliate in roanoke shows at least 75 cars involved. more than two dozen people were injured, taken to hospitals nearby. the stretch of i-77 is known for having long periods of dense fog. a story of redemption and forgiveness on this easter sunday. it involves a chapter in this country's civil rights struggle and the death of a former klu

klux clan member named elvin wilson. he was among those that beat the freedom write ers in south carolina. john lewis was beaten and decades later received an apology from wilson. today lewis says he felt sorry he was saddened to learn that wilson had had died and praised him for his courage. lewis said wilson showed that we all can make what he called blunders but can get on the road the right road toward building a greater sense of community. from south africa tonight and update on the health of nelson mandela. a statement from the government said that the 94-year-old former president had a restful day and that his condition has improved further. mandela continues to receive treatment for his latest bout of pneumonia. he has been in the hospital since wednesday. a health scare to tell you about in part of china. a new outbreak of avian flu otherwise known as the bird flu. authorities say two people have died in shanghai and a third is in critical condition in another

part of that country after contracting the h7n9 strain of the virus. this strain has not been transmitted from chickens to humans before and there is no vaccine for it. when nbc news continues on this sunday -- stealing a tax refund that may belong to you. how millions of taxpayers are being victimized. and later, should a priority for young college women be finding a husband? the uproar over one woman who says -- yes.

with this year's tax deadline two weeks away, we are back with an alarming new trend. one of the fastest growing crimes in this country involves stealing people's identities, their social security numbers to

file fake tax returns with the irs. it's happened almost a million times in the last year alone. here's nbc's kate snow with more tonight. >> reporter: sheila had no idea someone had stolen her identity until her accountant tried to file her 2009 tax return online. >> he calls and said there's a problem. it got kicked out. >> reporter: what do you mean it got kicked out? >> well, something came up on the screen that said we'd already filed. >> reporter: had you filed? >> no, we had not. he said need to contact irs right away. >> reporter: that's when she says her nightmare began. >> frustrating, scary. aggravating and time consuming. lot of calls, lot of letters, lot of forms. >> reporter: a thief stole her name, date of birth and social security number, then electronically filed a fake return with the irs and received a refund. meantime, she had to fight for months to prove she was the real taxpayer and deserved her own very real $5,700 refund.

>> east tampa here is higher crime rate, a lot of drugs, lot of guns. >> reporter: this detective says the crime is so easy and so lucrative, criminals in tampa are doing it instead of selling drugs. >> i had a drug trafficker tell me i can go out there and sell a kilo or two of cocaine, hopefully make $5,000, $10,000. i can do tax return, i can submit 10 a day, i've made myself 40, $50,000. he goes and i can watch cartoons while i'm doing it. no stress. >> reporter: until recently, arrests and prosecutions were rare but the irs says that's changing. >> we stopped $20 billion from going out the door last filing season and we're constantly balancing how do we make sure we get the legitimate taxpayer their refund as quickly as possible without causing them undue burden, but at the same time stopping the bad returns. >> reporter: but sheila is not impressed.

a crook filed as her not once, but twice. >> it is a life changing experience. that's the only reason i'm doing this interview, is because it is a horrible crime and it's not being handled well. >> reporter: this year she got her refund, but every year she worries she might be hit again. kate snow, nbc news, ft. lauderdale. when we come back, a controversial suggestion about marriage in one of this country's most prestigious universities.

it's one of the most famous and widely imitated sketches in the history of comedy. >> now on the st. louis team we have who's on first, what's on second, i don't know's on third. >> that's what i'm trying you find out. >> i'm telling you, who's on first, i don't know's on seco second. >> who's on first. >> why are you asking me? >> i'm not asking you. i'm telling you who's on first. >> nbc jimmy fallon and his

sidekick were joined by billy cri crystal and jerry seinfield on the recent reenactment of the routine first performed by abbott and costello on the radio 75 years ago this month. that's a fitting tribute on this the opening day of the 2013 baseball season. tonight in houston the astros take on the texas rangers and the first game of the new season. the astros seen here taking batting practice. bp on friday. for those keeping score at home, the astros moved this season from the national to the american league. it's something that happened in the ivy league that has a lot of people talking this weekend. a controversial suggestion that women at elite universities take advantage of the opportunity to find high-quality husbands at the schools. more tonight from nbc's initial -- michelle franzen. >> reporter: princeton alumnus susan patton says she was just giving women at the ivy league university the advice she would have wanted. >> here's what nobody is telling you. find a husband on campus before you graduate. yes, i went there. >> reporter: the mother of two

sons, both princetonians published her opinion in the school's online paper after attending a women's leader ship conference on campus telling female students princeton and other top-tier universities offer them the best chance of finding a husband. >> for most of you the cornerstone of your future and happiness will be inextricably linked to the man you marry. you will never again have this concentration of men who are worthy of you. >> reporter: her motherly tips on when and where to search for mr. right went viral and sparked mixed reactions. >> there's merit to the fact that you are surrounded by high-caliber people. if you're someone that wants to be with a high-caliber person like that, then it probably is a good environment. >> i think you have lots of opportunities in life and depending on what path you go in terms of working, to me, whoever your ideal partner would be in life. >> reporter: patton's advice is the latest in the debate on the challenges women face finding balance in their career and at home.

from cheryl sandberg's book "lean in," to ann-marie's article last summer, why women still can't have it all, featured at the princeton conference. writer lisa belkin also a princeton alum and mom who attended the same conference says patton is sending the wrong message. >> there's elitism oozing out of every pore of this letter. this isn't an odds game, this isn't a quest, this is something that should happen as part of a fulfilled, dynamic, interesting life. >> reporter: despite the firestorm of criticism, patton stands by her words. >> look, it is advice. take it or leave it. >> reporter: and says she is hoping to keep the conversation going. michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. up next on this easter, we're going to go to a place where faith in god is alive and well and growing.

finally on this easter sunday, while the roman catholic church struggles in some parts of the world, including here in the united states, the church in africa is being embraced like never before. nbc's stephanie gosk recently traveled to ghana where the church plays an increasingly central role in people's lives. >> reporter: far from the fresco chapels and guilded altars of rome, one of the few places in world where the catholic church is growing -- the west coast of africa.

a catholic mass in ghana looks familiar in some ways, distinctly different in others. this mass runs 2 1/2 hours. and still the pews fill up with spillover forced outside. >> reporter: the experience of this church is in west africa congregations are big, and getting even bigger and the faces are very young. in the build-up to the conclave, ghana's 64-year-old cardinal peter turkson got a lot of attention as a possible pope, especially for those pulling for him back home. >> we never thought a half-black man would be president of the u.s. but it happened. they seem quite okay. so i think he can be the pope. >> reporter: there's bound to be some disappointment now that the cardinals have chosen. but enthusiasm for the faith is unwavering.

>> he encourage me to believe in god and that help me to believe in my faith. >> reporter: god really is everywhere in ghana. there's the book shop called god's time is best. the god never fails cement company. if your pipes burst, try true god plumbers. the church often steps up in ghana where the government struggles. in cape coast, cardinal turkson's former archdiocese, 60% to 70% of all medical care and education are provided by the catholic church. mercy hospital specializing in women's health care was the cardinal's idea. >> it's not about numbers in church, it is about the contribution cs the church make to the society itself. >> reporter: those contributions are one reason the church will continue to grow, even without a black pope, the face of catholicism is changing. stephanie gosk, nbc news, cape coast, ghana.

that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. we hope you had a good holiday weekend. brian williams will be here again tomorrow. i'm peter alexander reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, have a good night. [ male announcer ] fact: the 100% electric nissan leaf... is more fun than ever. sees better than ever. ♪ charges faster. and will charge. cool. and heat. from your phone. fact: leaf never needs gas. ever. good for the world. built in america. now, leaf's an easier choice than ever.

♪ shop at choosenissan.com. ♪ right now at 6:00, chaos at a south bay walmart. police say a man crashed his car

into the store then began beating customers. good evening. this evening, investigators are still trying to figure out why a man drove his car into a crowded san jose walmart this morning and then went after the customers. it happened on story road. several people injured, some hospitalized. the driver has been arrested. kimberly terry is live at the scene with more. kimberly? >> reporter: you can see where the car went inside walmart. that area now boarded up. customers say it was chaos inside the car after that crash. it was so loud, in fact, some people called in 911 reporting gunfire. police say there were no shots fired. about 11:15 this morning, police say the suspect drove through the parking lot hitting cars, then it went through the the double sliding glass doors into walmart. once that car came to a stop about 30 feet inside the store, police say the suspect got out, picked up a blunt object, and

started hitting customers with it. >> i heard this big crash. it's like, what was that? so i'm like looking around. all the sudden, i see these people screaming and running with terror on their face. i had no idea what's going on. i'm asking these people, what happened? what happened? they're all screaming and running toward the exit. it was like, what the hell is going on? >> reporter: police say no one was actually hit by the car, but several people were injured by flying debris and at least one person is in serious condition after being attacked by the suspect. some customers jumped in and were able to subdue the driver until police arrived, at which point he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and taken to the hospital. police say they don't know what motivated the attack but suspect drugs may be involved. walmart reopened at about 4:30 this evening. live in san jose, kimberly terry, nbc bay area news. >> kimberly, thanks very much. he