rcome obstacles and that's what a great coach is there for. good coaching is everything. especially when you're quitting tobacco. ashline coaches will help you develop a plan which can double your chances for success. give us a call for free. 1-800-55-66-222 or visit us at ashline.org/helpyouquit step by step, you can do this thing. you are watching 12news, winner of the rocky mountain emmy award for best evening newscast. >> 12news at 10:00 tracking the big picture on this wednesday night. >> up first, breaking news. new video of an arizona cop punching a woman in the face. the worst freeways in the valley. >> the three spots in the valley with the most traffic tieups. the major cooldown coming

in murder. >> they thought i was trying to copycat somebody. >> the plot twist and why he is now sharing his side of the story. eat at your own risk. >> you won't believe the disgusting things making the dirty list this week. >> debbie gifford, where exclusive access as she battles back from the shooting that almost took her life. >> call 12 for action helping one owner save his home. >> and our omg story of the night. a woman trying to nail a world record. >> how she functions and the question people ask her the most. >> 12news at 10:00 starts right now. hey, you can't hit a girl like that. what the [ bleep ]? >> you videotape that?

>> up first, breaking news. a flagstaff police officer under internal investigation for this jaw-dropping video. flagstaff police well -- tell 12news police found out about the video within the past few hours. it shows the officer punching a woman point blank in the face after being uncooperative during an arrest. still no word on why the officer was trying to arrest or but right now, that officer is under investigation. you can watch the full video right now on the 12news facebook page. our other big story, are you already dreading the morning commute? the brake lights, the horns honking. it's pretty miserable. >> we all know what it's like to sit in nightmare traffic so which freeway do you think is the absolute worst in the valley? you can go to www.news.com/your voice to take part in our live, interactive poll. >> and 12news is tracking the spots where you see the most traffic nightmares. >> tricia hendrix joins us from out on the roadway with the spots drivers think are the worst. tricia?

i are heading i-10 eastbound right now. we're going to switch things over. rains witching hour cameras for us. it's pretty smooth right now. some brake lights but traffic is still moving. every driver you ask has a different opinion about what valley freeway is the most aggravating. let's face it. battling brake couple of days ago and the i-10 at this point is just awful. 5 miles per hour average. >> it's not easy to drive. >> really hard to get back on the freeway. >> reporter: especially when this is what you are up against, basically a parking lot. >> which freeway aggravates you the most? >> the 10 by downtown. >> we find a lot of fender

where you are from, during rush- hour -- >> stop and go traffic, wait times.>> reporter: whether it's the u.s. 60, i can, or i-17, every driver says there commute is the worst. >> i stay on the i-10 mostly because it is easier to navigate. i don't think any of them are that good. >> reporter: a shift manager at a tempe gas station has heard the horror stories. >> they had no idea that the traffic was that extreme. they usually run out of gas midway and i have a lot of op because they just did not have enough gas to make it here. >> reporter: one man says he has to get mentally prepared. >> jump online, listen to radio, get ready for what's coming up ahead.>> reporter: so which roads are the worst? the 12news verified team is getting answers for you

to tell us the three worst spots in the valley. trust me, you are not going to want to miss this. we are live in the i-10 eastbound your 40th street. tricia hendrix, 12news. >> we will have a lot of opinions on that for sure. our other big story at 10:00 tonight, the winter weather is just a few hours away them sending shockwaves through our state. here is a live look from our downtown roof cam as temps are expected to take a dive into the 60s. take a look at where hour by hour forecast. we start in the 50s in the morning and for the mo most of the day will be in the cool, 60s out there. we will see lots of sunshine so that will be good. tomorrow, we are only expected to top out at about 71 degrees, which is above normal by about four degrees. it is several degrees cooler than we were today. in the high country, things are expected to get a little more active. more on that forecast coming up in just a bit. now we go to 12news exclusive. he spent almost 3 years in prison for plotting to kill his

a mesa father and husband, dubbed a would be copycat killer. >> tonight, he is out of jail speaking for the very first time, telling monique griego what drove him to contemplate the unthinkable. monique? >> reporter: for many people, this story was so shocking because carlos didn't seem like someone who would plot a horrific crime. tonight, he explains how desperate and full of despair he went off the deep end. >> we didn't have that much at all. we built up like getting a house and starting a family.>> reporter: in 2013, event 34- year-old carlos hillen that he had it all. a wife, two kids he adored, and his dream house in his hometown of mesa, arizona. >> i felt like everything was falling into place. >> reporter: but within a few months, that perfect life would

time, police think that carlos hillen would be known tonight for murder. >> for me, it was like standing on a cliff. >> reporter: going from family man to a suspect, accused of plotting to kill his wife and her boyfriend in a murder- suicide. police dubbed him a would be copycat killer. >> michael sanders was a father and a husband. >> reporter: claiming he was inspired by a horrific murder- suicide a week earlier where a man killed his family and that their house on fire. > killings. >> reporter: but tonight carlos hillen says that was never the case. >> i was not even watching the news. i was living out of a car. >> reporter: for the very first time, he is sharing his story in hopes of saving others from going down the same dark path he did. >> just take a step back and look at reality. >> reporter: how does a seemingly normal husband and father end up under arrest with a trunk full of tools to carry

how close it almost was. >> reporter: he says it all began when he and his wife separated and she began dating someone new. that new boyfriend was his best friend since childhood. a complicated love triangle he says left him angry, depressed, and obsessed with feelings of betrayal. >> i didn't know what to do, where to turn to, just losing my mind. >> reporter: all of those emotions, boiling over on november 13, 2013 when police reports say he saw his former best friends car at his estranged wife's house. >> i just wanted to and the pain. >> reporter: he told two coworkers he was planning to kill the couple and set himself on fire. they didn't take him seriously and tell he showed them a trunk full of supplies he just purchased to carry it out. a machete, handcuffs, brooke

>> i guess it was just a cry for help. >> reporter: the coworkers called police. an officer who responded that carlos hillen jump into his wife's backyard and then jump out carrying a gas can. the officer was able to arrest carlos hillen as he went back to his car. >> there was a part of me telling me not to do this. >> reporter: 12news obtained police video of interrogation that night. >> [ crying ]>> don't forget. >> why am why? my mind says don't do it, don't do it. it's not worth it. >> reporter: now free, carlos hillen reflect on the night and says even though he was at his estranged wife's house equipped to carry out the plot, says he never what has gone through with it and held already mentally backed out. >> i told myself what am i doing? are you really doing this? >> reporter: police maintain

would have ended differently. still, there is no denying the damage that was done. in a victims statement, his wife detailed the, and experience, saying she was left living in fear, was having panic attacks, and was only fragments of her former self. as for carlos hillen, he lost everything including custody of his kids. >> i just wish i could do things differently. >> reporter: out of prison but now serving a sentence. >> this one moment will impact the rest of your life and the rest of not just you but everybody in your whole family. >> reporter: he says rather than given to the negative feelings he had, he wishes he would have gotten professional help and hopes others who see the story help -- choose a more positive path. only on 12news, is your favorite restaurant on the dirty list? ryan cody is in the newsroom with some of the disgusting

>> another week, another list of valley restaurants caught putting your health at risk. oddly enough, the trend is something anybody who has ever worked in a kitchen learns on day one. often times, the most dangerous restaurant violations are the easiest to fix but inspectors still find them every day. handwashing, not just for five seconds and not just with water. it's a trend we ar dozens of health inspection reports across maricopa county. >> you spend all day touching everything you come into contact with. you want to wash her hands to make sure all that stuff you have touched doesn't get into your food. >> reporter: it's such an obvious thing, you would assume people cooking in your food would do it, so that's why you can't afford to miss our report tomorrow night at 10:00 when we reveal some of those offenders. ryan cody, 12news at 10:00.

retired salon owner is trying to nail a new world record. she started growing her fingernails when bill clinton was in office and now they are over 26 inches long. can you guess what question she gets asked the most? we have that answer minutes away. i have my home. i have a lower principle. i have a lower mortgage payment. and i am able to stay in the >> only on 12news, hard times almost caused him to lose his home until he decided to call 12 for action. >> our team helped him save him -- his home and they can save yours. >> here is how. >> reporter: driving by this glendale home, you may not realize how special it is. craig earned a title by helping

mayor. little things you find in his garage, part of what makes the place worth fighting for. >> it's something i didn't want to give up on.>> reporter: craig lee found himself in hard times, unable to pay the bills after a hip replacement and a knee replacement. recovery took much longer than expected. >> i was two years and to not making a mortgage payment. my house was on the auction block several times. >> reporter: he knew he was about to >> call 12 for action, this is linda. >> reporter: volunteer investigator linda listened and understood his challenges. she had an idea. >> lee had lost a significant amount of income and had not a lot of means to get more income so we got him involved with the save our home program. >> reporter: save our home arizona, a program developed to help arizona homeowners keep their homes.

available to us as homeowners in arizona. >> reporter: millions of dollars available and not just for families in for -- in foreclosure. here is how to qualify. is a property in arizona? is it owner occupied? is the mortgage balance $500,000 or less? if so, through the u.s. treasury, you could qualify for up to $100,000 to help save your home. >> there are families that have been able to take advantage of this program up to $100,000, which sounds insane but it actually true. >> reporter: homeowners like lee, who qualified for $77,000 of assistance with principal reduction and monthly assistance. >> all you have to do is take the first step. >> reporter: for lee, that was the moment he decided to call 12 for action, putting him on the path to save his home. >> i want to thank linda and channel 12 for all the

to keep going, keep plugging along and never give up. >> reporter: so now, the mayor's clock, the mayor's chair, can stay right where they are. >> i am still here in my home and will be forever. >> reporter: call 12 for action wants to help you save your home. i want to encourage you right now to contact us. we can help you get plugged in with this program. just call 602-260-1212 or go to www.12news.com and search save our home. you can fill out our call 12 form and we it happen. tonight, we have a 12news exclusive for you. it has been nearly 6 years since i gunmen targeted gabrielle gifford's -- gabrielle giffords during a congress on your corner event. he shot her point-blank in the head. six people perished on that day but miraculously she survived. and now she and her husband, astronaut mark kelly are sitting down with our sister station in tucson.

life has changed, the precious pet who has been by her side every step of the way. and her new focus. >> so busy. yoga twice a week, french horn, spanish lessons. riding my bike. >> reporter: nearly 6 years later, life hasn't slowed down. her daily activities are endless but make no mistake, the wind so that they remain. gabby has limited use of her right arm. wa while she knows exactly what she wants to say, she fights hard with daily therapy to find the words.>> the condition is called aphasia which is a difficulty with language and it's incredibly -- >> it really, really sucks. >> it's incredibly frustrating.>> yes. >> nelson, come here. >> reporter: nelson is a service dog trained to help gabby, by her side since nearly

she has come so far, nelson is just a family dog now but still a reminder. now, gabby is focused on what can change next. >> that's all you got to do is move ahead. >> reporter: focused on funding the january 8 memorial and on growing downtown tucson. >> it will be a long, hard hall but i'm optimistic. >> getting better all the time. a lot of hard work. >> reporter: it's not her goal to get the old gabby back. instead, she is new gabby. >> better, stronger, tougher. what a spirit. now we go back to tonight's big story on 12news at 10:00. the worst freeway bottlenecks in the valley. everybody of course no surprise here has an opinion. >> they do. so right now www.12news.com/your voice, 57%

going to the experts to see if that's right. tricia? >> reporter: hey guys. we are on the i-10 westbound mountaineer buckeye road. take a look outside. during the peak hours obviously, things are much busier right now but we are going to flip it over. you can see some brake lights out there but not too much. we're not seeing crashes or construction so that's helping. we checked in with maricopa association of busiest. the places to avoid if you need to get some are quickly during the rush-hour times. >> everybody has their own favorite spot in terms of this must be the worst congestion in the city. >> reporter: eric andersen is the transportation director of the maricopa county association of governments. number one, the mini stack, the freeway interchange where the i- 10 state route 51 and red

afternoon and evening commutes. >> it's getting worse by the day unfortunately. a lot of that congestion is related to issues west of the tunnel. >> reporter: never two, the broadway curve. >> that is our highest volume section. it covers over 300 -- 300,000 vehicles a day. >> reporter: traffic on the u.s. 60 and 143 impacts this area and finally wh the i-10 west valley. >> anytime of the day, it is a mess. >> reporter: plans are in the works for a highway south of the i-10 called state route 30 but funding still needs to get the green light. know if you have flexible hours, the roads are generally less congested anytime between 9:30 pm and 10 am until about 3 pm. an accident can ruin the roads

westbound. tricia hendrix, 12news at 10:00. >> safe travels. we are counting down to jimmy. just 14 minutes ago. right after 12news at 10:00, guests include jude law, and sterling k brown who plays randall in the hit show this is us. all right, the moment we have all been waiting for. it's our omg moment of the night. a texas woman has her sights set on the guinness book of world records. to need more than just a few bottles of now polish to make it happen. >> i think she uses sherwin- williams. >> larry seward explains why. >> my nails are 20 to 26.5 inches long. >> reporter: this is lonnie williams, a retired salon owner and grandma. >> i'm just extreme. >> reporter: and long nails clean. whatever question you want to ask, she's heard it. >> the million dollar question

i think it makes me exotic. >> reporter: inspired by friends, she started growing them when bill clinton took office. 23 years and 26 inches later. >> reporter: it takes me about a week to finish doing them. >> reporter: she is closing in on world record length. >> it's for my grandchildren so they can have something to look back on. >> reporter: and then there is the toenails, so long that her nephew had to cut open he world record holder and i told her i don't think i can do it. >> reporter: still, she has toured with ripley's believe it or not and shot with magazines around the world. next, she wants a reality show for her circle of friends known as the real nail queens. >> my nails don't define me. >> reporter: their goal is bigger than fame or fortune. she wants to show people believed for their looks that being different is okay. >> a lot of people are in hiding because of the way they

from everybody. if you didn't see my nails you would think i was like everybody else. >> reporter: for now, just a clean chasing her unpolished dream. still to come on 12news at 10:00, more on this cooler weather headed our way. plus, rain on the radar and possibly for your thanksgiving forecast. and reporters have been known to be pesky or annoying to the cardinals players and coaches but find out what was irritating the big red today. tomorrow ni night football is coming to 12news. >> join us for 12news first at 4:00 and then catch nbc nightly news a half hour earlier than normal at 5 pm. >> football might in america starts at 5:30 pm with kickoff a little after 6 pm. >> after the game, we are talking cardinals on 12news at

conviction was relevant? >> the secret past of the man who helped lockup jodi arias and a child killer. an exclusive 12news investigation. would they go free? >> that's tomorrow only on 12news at 10:00. >> right after the sing stink on the panthers. -- right after this things take

taking a live look from our downtown roof cam. the flag is bl expect those winds to stick around and the main thing for tomorrow is a cooldown. we are talking overnight lows tonight up in the high country in the teens. high temperatures tomorrow only in the 40s for places like flagstaff, grand canyon and even show low. in phoenix, we top out at 71 degrees tomorrow. that is above average. we will see breezy conditions warming back up over the weekend but our next storm system brings us a 40% chance of rain by next monday and possibly a 10% chance of rain

next, is sports. >> 12 sports is sponsored by

12 sports is sponsored by your valley toyota dealers. the coyotes and -- inaction tonight. the coyotes in the 3rd period right now leading 100 -- 1-0. denver against the nuggets,

brandon knight tried making a port with a season-high 32 off the bench but it wasn't close to being enough. they lose 100-24. let's go inside the huddle and talk arizona cardinals football. cardinals back on the practice field today getting introduced to the game plan for sunday's showdown with the vikings and the cargo -- the cardinals. check out this pesky fly. >> we sat down and we were making plays on the ball. it's something that we talk about. >> this will be on the internet, right? >> what is this? >> it's cinnamon. >> we had pass interference, which was good to see. your fly deterrent is not

don't go to bed. jude law and sterling k mack brown joining jimmy fallon

worst valley freeway, 54% of you say i-17 is the worst in the valley. that will do for us. thanks for watching 12news at

[ cheers and applause ] ?? >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart of new york city, it's "the tonight show starring jimmy fallon." tonight, join jimmy and his guests -- jude law.