and in one text message two weeks before his suicide he expressed his desire to take his own life, writing, "i can't get better. i already made my decision." the defense now trying for a second time to have the involuntary manslaughter charge dropped. >> he has in fact brainwashed her to the point where she's now accepting his idea of this is my only option. >> reporter: in a statement to abc news the defense says, "michelle's communications were by no means threatening" and is that "roy made his own conscious decision to take his own life." adding, "this is a tragedy, not a crime." linzie janis, abc news, new york. >> incredible. she'll be in court next month. could face up to 20 years in prison if she's convicted. >> it's such a horrible story. i've read all of the text messages exchanged between the two of them. and for many to say that she was not an enabler is very, very difficult after you read those messages. it was just so sad because she kept going at him to do it. >> what would motivate someone

well, coming up, the first ever diagnosed case of autism. >> it was a diagnosis that changed one person's life. and the course of medical history and the mother who started it all. you're watching "world news now." "world news now" continues after this from our abc

it's estimated more than it's estimated more than 3 1/2 million americans live with the autism spectrum disorder. >> and those numbers are on the rise. but all of that stems from one forever. we're up all "nightline" with abc's juju chang. >> reporter: his name is donald triplett. in 1943 he was the first person ever diagnosed with autism, the brain disorder that affects verbal and social interaction. and in many ways his journey from despair to hope mirrors the history of autism itself. >> all right. how are you doing today? >> reporter: finding donald was the culmination of 15 years of reporting for "nightline" correspondent john donvan and producer caren zucker. >> this little boy is named jake. >> reporter: among the first journalists to cover autism on network television, they began in 2001 with jake, this little boy undergoing what was then a relatively uncommon therapy

analysis or aba. they explored the private thoughts of a young man with autism looking for love. >> do you like her? >> i said i love her. >> oh, you love her. >> but there's a problem. >> she don't love me back. >> she doesn't love you back. >> reporter: armed with their scripts, the duo have turned their first drafts of autism history into a comprehensive book. "in a different key: the story of autism." >> your book is really a chronicle of a labor of love. >> "in a different key" is the story of all these unsung heroes mobilized, literally. that. >> reporter: what are the future chapters in the history of -- >> adults. we have not looked at adults. >> as a society we have not -- but more or less we've said when kids we give them all these opportunities to have great adulthoods, then they turn 21 and all of that sort of goes

because people need continuing hey? they're living at home with their parents often. and for those 40 years after school the person with autism has really not gone anywhere, not done anything. >> did you have a goal, john, going into the book? >> caren as a member of the community, at that time when we started out, you had a little boy. now you have a man. i choke up over this. it's been a big -- >> her kid. i know that caren's always said what she wants is when her kid, now a man, is out there in the world that she won't be the only one who has his back. that it'll be everybody -- excuse me. and she wants this book to get people who read it to be willing to be those people, to be there for her kid. so i hope we did it.

chang in new york. >> see why we love john donvan. i i ink he's one of the most brilliant writers and heart i think. $60,000 is how much it costs a family with a child with autism >> that's absolutely amazing. autism, by the way, now affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys. it's definitely something that will be with us for a while. >> thanks to caren and john for bringing this to our attention. really powerful. really powerful. you may think you can put off checking out your medicare options until you're sixty-five, but now is a good time to get the ball rolling. keep in mind, medicare only covers about eighty percent of part b medical costs. the rest is up to you. that's where aarp medicare supplement insurance plans

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>> i wonder where it puts me. because i thought it was about the deodorant commercial. >> nirvana's teen spirit, a song for many generations to come. and for others that exuberance is a bit more sincere. >> ten years ago "high school musical" captured the hearts and minds of the nation's youth. abc's chris connelly caught up with the gang a decade later. together, together together everyone >> my heart is just bursting at the seams. it's just -- it's so crazy that it was ten years ago. >> reporter: it's true. 2006 saw "high school musical" debuting on the disney channel and rocketing to the head of the class. here and now it's time for celebration its songs, dance numbers, and beloved characters creating a tweentastic phenomenon and turning its stars into overnight sensations. >> it was such a whirlwind. it felt like we were kind of swept up into this vacuum. at one point it literally felt like we were the beatles. >> reporter: this past weekend the cast, minus zac efron -- >> this is only ten years. let's have a billion more.

>> reporter: -- reuniting to share fond memories for a disney channel tenth anniversary show on wednesday. >> what does it feel like to revisit a lot of where it all began for you? >> it's amazing. for me i kind of embrace the i want it all of shar-pei. and i'm doing it all. got a clothing line, a makeup line coming out. producing. the movie coming out in may. it's been insane. >> it taught me that what you do is potentially going to impact people. >> just to come back into this room and to see everyone again all part of this together, we made this incredible magic happen together. >> reporter: as they continue to work on projects from broadway and tv to the big screen, these actors reflecting on what made "high school musical" special. >> "high school musical" came out at the perfect time. we were found by fans seeking us out. >> we have tons of other friends, but they don't understand what we've been a part of.

>> if someone comes into your about this experience to >> that they all come with me. >> it's a package deal. >> it's a package deal. we're all in this together news, los angeles. at all? period. so i missed that. but i will tell you even abroad "high school musical." >> popular. >> very popular internationally. >> that's the news for this half hour. >> remember to follow us on

>> that's the taliban militants storm a college in pakistan opening fire... i'm following this horrific deadly attack this morning. and happening right now... las vegas boulevard has turned into a hollywood set. where you need to go if you're on "matt damon watch" this morning. good morning las vegas. we have all your top headlines this morning--but first..dayna has some breaking news right now. that's right. metro police have swarmed the area near vegas and rainbow. a huge perimeter has been set up. police say they're looking for a man who may be armed. in fact, our reportedr who is